celebrating 5 years...

[acroyear]

...by throwing good money at the great Disney empire. :)

Plans committed so far:

• Beauty & The Beast Friday May 11
• The Lion King May 12
• Front Row Mezzanine!
• Mothers day  brunch with faireraven 's parents in Jersey

Possible events during that weekend on the 12th

• Look stupid at Rockefeller Plaza on national tv on the Today Show on the 12th
  
• Go to the Top of the Rock while we're there
  
• (well, *everybody* does Empire State these days...)
• hang, chill, and groove with any NYC-area friends willing to come to Manhattan to meet us for lunch.  The daytime of the 12th is generally free.

Possible events after

• continue the vacation and fly down to Orlando for a Disney week
• Monday the 14th and Sunday the 20th are not only available for free flights given the insane # of miles I have on delta, they're available *first class* at the lower rate!  I'd actually still have miles left over.
  
• so then its just figuring out the best offers for hotels and park passes and all that typical fun stuff.

SSSOOOOOO

This is an open call for WDW advice from those "in the know" (as I do know several of you out there have done this recently) on what you've done, how you did it, best ways to save money.  Granted we're saving a lot (the flights would normally be $500 each) with the free flights, but keeping the hotel decent, near/in the site, but under $100, is kinda in the budget.

Some of you we'll email privately as well.  You probably already know who you are. :)

Comments

[thatwasjen]

Ooh, so jealous.

I've seen B&B four times (including some tours) and it's always a great show. I wish I could get back before it closes.

For Orlando, I'm happy to offer suggestions if you know what sort of things you like (favorite park? how many times and how long ago you were there?) -- but I never go to WDW with the intention of saving money, so I may not be a good resource.

[acroyear70.livejournal.com]

I haven't been since 1984. Epcot had just opened, and what is now the sports complex area were originally high rise hotels operated by the big chains, all of which are gone (i'd love to see the footage of the demolitions of those old things, most of which were built even before the park opened). No MGM, no animal park, only 3 hotels one of which by River Country didn't even have a name and only the polynesian could be said to have had a theme by modern standards.

speaking of which, River Country was still there by Ft. Wilderness, no typhoon lagoon or blizzard beach. only one golf course, no downtown disney (though the steamboat was there for character breakfasts - the rest of DD built around it). No cirque show. no cast people living within the park borders except in summer employment suites up by River Country.

oh, and Mr Toad was still operating. :)

then, we stayed in the cabins up in Ft. Wilderness (family of four wanting some privacy, it was the best option - suite hotels were actually something new). Prior, in '82, we'd stayed in the contemporary for a night - my grandmother and her second husband were there as well, so being close to the park and not too stressful walking were higher priorities. Still, we were on the fireworks side. :)

Before that, only the magic kingdom was open (if you weren't a water slide type or a golfer) and you could do that in a day, which we did in '75 and '78.

(did Disneyland twice in '80, then returned there in '04 (valentines day / friends wedding) and '06 (friends' wedding - both sets of married friends are on LJ, met through our RPFS visits) - so yeah we do know about the prepaid food packages and the fastpass system).

[thatwasjen]

Wow. So you'll want to take some time, then. :)

My own favorite park is Epcot, so I like to stay in the Swan/Dolphin/BoardWalk/Yacht Club/Beach Club area. Definitely more pricy, partly because they're such nice hotels and partly because you can walk right into World Showcase (before it opens, even!).

I've stayed at the Grand Floridian, which was lovely, but sort of a waste -- if you took advantage of everything the hotel had to offer, you'd never make it to the parks!

And I've stayed at Caribbean Beach. The advantage is it's less expensive, since it's bus-accessible rather than monorail-accessible, but you do have to add in travel time. I hate staying off-property because I just don't like to drive around there if I can avoid it.

I don't have up-to-date knowledge of ticket types. My philosophy is to spend the extra for tickets that aren't restricted; it's worth it not to be constrained by the thought that you have to get a full day's fun out of Animal Kindgom because your ticket won't let you go anywhere else.

I really really recommend a backstage tour. (See also http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/tours.htm or http://www.wdwmagic.com/tours.htm)

[acroyear70.livejournal.com]

I've stayed at the Grand Floridian, which was lovely

Two years in San Diego. I've seen the original Hotel Coronado that the GF was modeled after.

We know of "Park Hoppers" and most extended week packages offer those up front. Given that, for example, animal kingdom closes earlier than the others its worth it so you can go back to finish up a particular park or hit a part of a park at night that you otherwise saw only in the daytime. of course, there's also seeing the cirque show or other shows as well.

tanx for the backstage tour info. our Disneyland-employee friend probably wouldn't have been able to tell us much about those, as he has some access backstage anyways. "Disney by Design" seems the most interesting to me, given that's the kinda stuff i watch on the dvds and all. :) we'll see what's on offer then as things can change in 3 months.

[cozit.livejournal.com]

Ask something specific, and I might be able to answer... brain's not doing much creative stuff right now :-)

But... We've stayed at the Pop Century resort twice now and it's fine. Smaller room than the bigger resorts, and you're stuck with two doubles, rather than queens, but it's also considerably cheaper... well under $100 some times of the year. Unlike the All-Star resorts (we've done Sports twice since they opened as well), they've got busses *only* going to the one set of hotels, rather than to all of the all-stars, which makes it impossible to get on them at times. So even though it's cheaper, and Disney transport is bus everywhere, it's not bad... and you don't have to worry about where in the world you left your car last... and are close enough that you can take a mid-day break to take more advantage of morning and evening cooler times (and slightly smaller crowds).

I've done the Backstage tour at Animal Kingdom, which was *great* when it came to basically a zoo tour with a bit more. The backstage tour at the Magic Kingdom was ok, but not super special... you do learn a fair amount unless you're a nut like me and read too much before trips and figure out half the stuff the guide tells you before you go... seeing the floats parked in the back was kinda neat... just wish we'd been able to peek into the costume rooms in the Utilidors as I was told they used to do. The Keys to the Kingdom family tour was a lot of fun... all out in the Magic Kingdom, not *all* kids (but you've got to like being around them to deal with it), some silliness, and no magic breaking. Somehow I can't see you two doing it, unless you're really looking for a somewhat silly way to see a fair amount of the park in very little time.... the biggest draw is always that the kids get to meet a character at the end... just the people on the tour, so there's time to talk for a few, and maybe a ride with them, going in the fast, back way.... but it was Small World for us.

The Trains tour is amazing if you like steam trains.


We've ended up doing either Park Hoppers, or the variation that you get as a package with the on-site hotel room that covers either side of your stay (both days on either side of the nights). Being night-owls, it's nice to be able to go over and play in Epcot at the end of most days... I've got wierd kids, I know... Epcot is usually listed as their favorite park, though sometimes they change their minds :-)

The Cirque show down there I've heard is *amazing*, though it hasn't changed a whole lot since it opened.

(oh, all the other hotels are more expensive, but we've stayed at what was Port Orleans... I think it's called the French Quarter now?, Contemporary, Animal Kingdom Lodge (my favorite... yeah, I like animal watching, and watching from the room night and day is kinda neat), and I think it was the Beach Club (might have been Yacht, but I can't remember)... most only for a couple of nights... we've been known to hotel-hop cheap for first night in, then better for the rest... the times we've done the Contemporary, it was only a few days of the trip, to be near the Magic Kingdom for that portion)

Sigh... trying *really* hard to convince the hubby that we *really* want to spend the extra money and stay two nights at Pop Century after our 7-night cruise next year. *g* I haven't reserved it yet, need to soon, but another Disney Cruise, only longer and to the Carribean, is going to be my "graduation celebration" next year, during my work's spring break... just a *little* before I actually graduate, because silly Disney is taking their ship back to the West Coast that summer :(

Re: Hmm...Walt Disney World...

[cozit.livejournal.com]

Yup... didn't think to point to allearsnet.com because I keep forgetting that's the newish name for Deb's site.

She has one of the best websites out there about disney, especially Disney World.

Hmm...Walt Disney World...

[rennfoole.livejournal.com]

Liz is absolutely correct on pretty much everything. Save money AND stay on Disney property! Pop Century would be our resort-of-choice for value. Be sure to get yourselves a couple of refillable mugs that you can use anytime at your food court.

Unless you are planning to go off property for any reason, you don't need to rent a car. Disney now has "Magical Express" - a free transportation service to/from the World. You tag your bags at the departure airport, arrive at Orlando, skip baggage claim, take their buses to the resort. And, later that day, your bags will magically appear in your room. On your trip home, you do your airline check in at your resort (including baggage claim), get your boarding passes - then go out and enjoy your last day at the World. You come back to your resort to board the bus at the time they tell you and your baggage will be waiting for you at your home airport baggage claim when you arrive! Disney pioneered this with the Disney Cruise Line and rolled it out during the 50th year celebration of theme parks. It has since been announced that they will keep it free through 2010.

If you do want to do something specific off-property, you can call Mears Transportation and they will cart you there and back for a VERY reasonable cost ($15 r/t to Universal, for instance) and with no parking lot fees!

As for tickets, the Magic Your Way tickets have lots of options that you can add (including park hopping, Pleasure Island, water parks, etc.). The more days you purchase, the cheaper the per-day cost becomes. To be honest, their ticketing is cheaper than here in California. If you are staying on property AND purchasing Magic Your Way tickets, be sure to check out the MYW Dining Plan, as well. It can save you BUNCHES of money on your food spending. I also understand that purchasing tickets on the Disney World website or at The Disney Store (even though we don't own it anymore) is cheaper than getting them at WDW.

For planning, may I recommend a fabulous website (Liz will probably concur) - AllEarsNet.com. Pretty much anything you need to plan a trip in advance is there...and without bias, unlike many Disneyland information sites. Menus, operational hours, special events, refurbishments...anything!!! I have been to WDW many times and I use this site when planning our trips.

Feel free to wing any specific questions towards us via email - we love to help!!!!

*hugs* to you both...

Re: Hmm...Walt Disney World...MORE!

[rennfoole.livejournal.com]

Oops...almost forgot...EPCOT, Canada pavillion, to the stage on the main walk between Canada and the UK. A band called Off Kilter plays there. I think you'll love them (and probably want to buy all their CDs). Don't miss them. Or, the nighttime show: "Iluminations, Reflections of Earth". Carolyn has a need to see it a couple of times each trip. It truly is the heart of EPCOT.

[kiltboy]

I'll have to check with the wife, but the place we stayed last was about 5 miles from WDW, and it was a three bedroom suite with 2 baths, a full kitchen, dining room, living room, balcony you could watch the fireworks from, and the whole thing was only $150 per night. Quiet, close, with a very nice Italian delivery place in the hotel. They also had smaller rooms/suites too.

Lake Buena Vista something or other. I'll find out more and let you know.

[fiona64.livejournal.com]

Depending on the time of year, the budget resorts (All Star Movies, etc.) are around $69/night. It is well worth staying on property. I haven't tried any of the dining plan packages, but according to one of my aunts, she and my uncle saved around $600 on food for the entire week by using one of them. I highly recommend picking up "The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World for Adults," which has all kinds of great information. They update it every year, and it's aimed at folks traveling *without* small children.

The main piece of advice: it's huge. There is no way you will see everything. Prioritize what you really want to do, and don't worry about what you miss. I can give more in-depth restaurant reviews and stuff if you're interested ... but that's a start. :-)