OT Disneyworld OT

g8golfer

My wife is on my a$$ about wanting to go to Disney this year. I have no clue where to even start. Some ppl say book with an agent and some ppl say no do it myself. I have checked some prices without going into major detail and it's really expensive. Anyone on here a Disney expert? Just looking for some tips or direction on how to get this planned. 

theyolksonyou

Wait till after thanksgiving or before Presidents' Day next yr.  it's Effin HOT. Can't help other than that. The wife handles that shît. 

Wolfpack

The right agents are a good deal- you don't pay them anything (paid by resort) and our last one improved the price 3 times after booking and got us a meal plan too.  But if you go prepare to turn a blind eye to the wallet.

It's only money- they print more every day

theyolksonyou

@epcotisbest

g8golfer

@theyolksonyou @Wolfpack thanks. This is the stuff I need to know. I'm not a stressful person but this $hit makes my head hurt. I won't let my wife mess with it cause if I did we would be staying in the most expensive room they offer. 

theyolksonyou

Staying on resort has its advantages.  Pools are heated yr round. Transport to and from the parks is part of the deal.

 Meal packages are worth it to me.  A snack and meal or two a day. Been a while, but seemed a good value. 

smak

We went the travel agent route.   Glass Splipper Concierge (http://glassslipperconcierge.com/) specializes in Disney.   We used them for a disney world trip and a disney cruise.  They handled everything from collecting our ideas, providing options, booking everything (except the flights).  I had no idea how far in advanced you have to make your dinner reservations.  

If we did anything disney I would use them again.

steel_egg

We went over thanksgiving last year. Weather was great. We also used an agent. They can even set up your fast pass and all the other stuff. My wife is super organized and she wouldn't even do it herself. Too overwhelming. Make sure you do it well in advance if you want to certain dinners. They book exactly 6 months out and can be tough to get. 
Also, get the memory maker (picture package). It's great and forces you to get family pictures. Stuff you wouldn't be able to get if someone takes a pic with your phone. 
Depending on the kids age will dictate the parks that's best for you. If doing a week I'd recommend an off day to rest. I also suggest staying in a Disney resort. Many options to fit a budget. There are also grocery stores that will deliver to you hotel. Great for snacks, drinks (adult ones as well). 

Good luck. 

epcotisbest

I would suggest the very first thing to do in Disney planning is to buy the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World, read it, then read it again. WDW is a huge place with more to see and do than you can ever actually do. 
It can be very expensive, but does not have to be. We have friends who have spent more per night at a Disney monorail resort room than we spent for an entire week for a very nice offsite condo resort.
Ticket prices add up quickly and the multitude of prices and options can be simply confusing.
When to go is another important decision. We will never go in the summer again, too hot, humid and crowded, but for many, that is the only time they can go. Holidays are crazy too. Christmas week, spring break, Easter, July 4... You could not pay me to go during those times.
The most important advice anyone ever passed down to me, and something that completely changed the way we visit Disney, is to slow down and enjoy. You can not see or do it all, no reason to try. You can always go back.
We go twice a year, no kids, and never get tired of it. We used to have to come home and go back to work to get some rest after the vacation. For many years now we have changed that and do take advantage of the resorts, pools, nice variety of places to enjoy some good dining and more.
The Disney bubble can be tempting, but there is more to Orlando too. We enjoy SeaWorld, Universal and the favorite thing we have ever done there, Discovery Cove.
I can probably help with specific questions too, if you have them after reading the unofficial guide (twice).

caliking

I don't have tips re Disney per se, but may I suggest that you steer her towards a recommended agent , and then let the wife take care of it ? 

It may not be worth the hypertension for you to insist on organizing it. 

Killit_and_Grillit

JohnInCarolina

Think of how much money you're reasonably comfortable spending on a family vacation.  Then triple it.  That's what you'll spend on Disney World.

Dave in Florida

If you have facebook, my step son is a Disney junkie.  Every day off he is at Disney doing something.  He should be able to answer a lot of questions for you on anything about Disney.  https://www.facebook.com/pg/onelittlesparkpodcast/posts/

g8golfer

Guy thanks a million and yes @JohnInCarolina I have seen that it's crazy expensive. 

BugFreak72

My family is theme park regulars and usually have annual pass to one of the parks. Right now it's Universal but recently was Disney so here is my input. How you buy it is up to you, we usually go through AAA or direct through Disney because of special deals. If you have AAA check there first. Never used a travel agent so I can't speak to that. Park hopper pass is a must.

Definitely stay on property, the buses are WELL worth it after a long day at the parks and they run all hours of the night and day so you can always get one. Also stay at one of the resorts that offers kitchens in your room. The amount of money you will save by eating breakfast and a dinner or two in your room is amazing. Otherwise you end up buying all your meals in the parks which is big $$$. If staying for a week or so take the time to go to a grocery store down the road to buy supplies. We prefer the cabins at Fort Wilderness campground, not the lodge. They are two different places. They can be very pricey depending on time of the year but the cabins offer basically a full house with porch and each site has a charcoal grill for cooking. Also a nice relaxing night on the campground beach watching the fireworks is neat too. They pump the fireworks music through speakers there so you can experience the whole thing minus the 10,000 stinky people in the park and enjoy a drink or two. Plenty of pools and other things to do too. Saratoga Springs is also nice because it is close to Downtown Disney and offers suites with kitchenettes.

If you do eat meals in the parks book sit down restaurants usually for a late breakfast like 10:30 or 11:00 or an early dinner. We do it that way so we don't snack all day which adds to the expense of the day. We usually don't do the meal pass because of the limits.

If you are looking for a special expensive meal like a nice dinner for you and the wife don't eat at one that offers the meal pass thing. They work great for day to day eating but a nice night out gets ruined with 1000 kids running around the restaurant while you are spending $2-300 on dinner which is easily done at Shula's and the like. Also the food is basically the same at all those meal plan restaurants but costs more at the high tier places.

Not sure if you drink or not but Magic Kingdom has no alcohol except for one or two high tier sit down restaurants. I think Cinderella's castle and Bell's castle. Not 100% on those though. All other parks offer it everywhere.

You will have fun but be ready to spend big bucks. Well worth it for sure though.

g8golfer

@BugFreak72 thanks. I'm not a big drinker and yes I have read the meals can add up quick. 

Tim_McD

A couple of quick questions to help tailor an answer: Just the wife and you, or are there kids as well - if so, how many and what are the ages? 

Great advice on getting the Unofficial Guide, as it and the companion site "wdwinfo.com" or "allears.net" can help guide you through the process.  

For a first time trip; stay on property in one of the moderate sites (Port Orleans or Caribbean Beach) because of the extra-hours and perks like booking FastPasses / Dining in advance. They are that much nicer than the value resorts and worth the step up.  

Also, just do Magic Kingdom on your first trip - esp if you have younger kids.  Take your time, use the extra-hours to go in early or stay late.  Leave the park and go back to your resort for a swim and/or a nap.  

Dont over schedule and allow plenty of time for traveling within the park system.  Do schedule one of the special dinners; Beast's Castle, Cinderella Castle, Polynesian Luau or Hoop-De-Doo Revue - they are fun 

If you go for more than 3 days, plan on one day just at the resort. We try to work our schedule so our resort day is on a weekend because everyone within driving distance goes to WDW and the crowds are biggest.  

Finally, plan ahead and as far in advance as possible.  That extra time ensures you can get the dining reservations and FastPasses you want.  You CANNOT just wing it, show up to any of the sit-down restaurants and expect to get seated.  

Do the prep, spread the cost over time (oh, it is gonna hurt) and just enjoy yourself while you are there by living in the moment

Jeremiah

Like the others said, no go in the summer, we love the onsite resorts though. My wife is a fanatic, and a novice planner for others. Feel free to pm me any questions. 

g8golfer

We plan on going end of Feb 2018 or first of March 2018. That's my 4 year old daughters bday. Just me my wife and her. My plan is to stay Sunday - Friday and go to the park Monday Tuesday Wednesday and Thursday thinking the weekdays would be less crowded. My biggest issue is the meal plan. Do I do the complete package of the meal plan or do I just do a portion of it? I was thinking we could eat breakfast outside the park and then lunch in the park and then dinner outside the park. I called Disney a month ago and they tried to sale me all the bells and whistles and I about stroked out when they gave me a total. I told the Disney agent that for that price Mickey better be waiting on me hand and foot but they didn't think the comment was to funny. 

Jeremiah

Here's my wife's plan for our trip in October, to give you an idea of planning  

Legume

Jeremiah said:

Here's my wife's plan for our trip in October, to give you an idea of planning  

Are all of the colored cells where you have to reach into your wallet?

Jeremiah

Part of our weekly budget is the annual Disney trip. Happy wife... 

g8golfer

Dang that is really planning your trip down to every detail 

epcotisbest

Legume said:

Jeremiah said:

Here's my wife's plan for our trip in October, to give you an idea of planning  

Are all of the colored cells where you have to reach into your wallet?

That is a safe bet.

Legume

I've never been to DW.  Grew up going to Disneyland, took kids to Disneyland.  Maybe DW will be a grandkids trip for me in another 10 years or so.

BugFreak72

g8golfer said:

We plan on going end of Feb 2018 or first of March 2018. That's my 4 year old daughters bday. Just me my wife and her. My plan is to stay Sunday - Friday and go to the park Monday Tuesday Wednesday and Thursday thinking the weekdays would be less crowded. My biggest issue is the meal plan. Do I do the complete package of the meal plan or do I just do a portion of it? I was thinking we could eat breakfast outside the park and then lunch in the park and then dinner outside the park. I called Disney a month ago and they tried to sale me all the bells and whistles and I about stroked out when they gave me a total. I told the Disney agent that for that price Mickey better be waiting on me hand and foot but they didn't think the comment was to funny. 

IMHO the only park with a decent meal plan is Aquatica by Sea World. It is an all you can eat at an open buffet but I know that is OT. The Disney and the Universal plans limit you on where you can use it and what you can eat for each part and honestly it usually isn't the best food the parks have to offer. Disney is little less limiting but still not worth it to me. They wouldn't offer it if they didn't make money on it so they will only offer the cheaper food to ensure they make money.

A little more advice since you are bringing your daughter. If you can swing it the Animal Kingdom lodge rooms with a view of the animals is really fun for your daughter but is very costly. Getting buses to it can take forever though because it is the farthest away which becomes a pain late night. She will love it. Drinking your morning coffee on the porch watching Giraffes eat is cool too.

If you really want to make her day book the Bippity Boppity Boutique for her one day. Every time she goes in somewhere they recognize her as a princess. Even the bus driver's announce there is royalty on the bus over the loudspeaker. My shy little daughter ate it up.

BugFreak72

Jeremiah said:

Here's my wife's plan for our trip in October, to give you an idea of planning  

No offense meant but wow that is a tight schedule for a Disney trip. Way too many variables to schedule it out like that. Just my .02.

Jeremiah

@BugFreak72 this is how she has planned all our Disney trips. It ends up getting followed loosely but does help to insure we hit most of the attractions we each want to see/do. 

RagingIrishman

My wife is a Disney fanatic and we've made an annual trip to Disney for the past 14yrs. She could be the poster child for the phrase SWMBO when it comes to Disney planning and vacation execution. I could probably have retired already if we'd have invested that money, but the memories and pictures of the vacations with the family and watching the kids grow up are priceless. 

IMHO using an agent is the best route to getting the best deal. We've used Magical Vacations and have always been happy with the service and the deals they've put together for us. http://www.magicalvacationstravel.com/ Another option to staying at one of the official Disney resorts is to look at the Swan and Dolphin resorts. You get the perks of an on-site property (e.g. magical hours) but it is a much more reasonable cost. We love the Dolphin because it's within walking distance to Epcot, which is one of our favorite parks. The are Sheraton properties and I've used points to get extra nights, perks, etc.

The planning process that Disney fanatics go through is truly and art and science. That spreadsheet is no joke and Disney fanatics trade those planning spreadsheets on Disney forums like recipes are traded here. Check out Disboards https://www.disboards.com/. The detailed planning process can work very well as long as everyone on the trip "buys into the plan" and stays on task. While it may seem too controlled you really get a lot done on the trip and you feel like you've seen and done it all. There is a science to doing the rides at each park so you aren't in a line all day and can maximize your vacation time. We are usually done with the parks by early afternoon and back at the hotel in the pool and just relaxing. Happy to answer any questions.

g8golfer

Well I knew when I started this thread I would get some great advice and I can tell you that I'm not disappointed. 

DoubleEgger

JohnInCarolina said:

Think of how much money you're reasonably comfortable spending on a family vacation.  Then triple it.  That's what you'll spend on Disney World.

We can go to Europe for the week cheaper than going to Disneyworld.