Help me with Disney World plans

To save a few bucks, look at buying Disney gift cards when they are on sale around the holidays. Sam’s club usually has them on sale for 5-7% off. You can use the cards at Disney resteraunts, gift shops, and I think for lodging at the disney resorts. 7% may not seem like much, but that’ll save you $500 on a $6500 budget.

We did this on our trip earlier this year and loaded all of the GCs on our phones. Wife and I didn’t have to worry about carrying our credit cards and we each had access to all the GCs.

Only warning...be a little conservative in the amount of gift cards you buy so you don’t get stuck with left overs after the trip.

 

LOL, so true. Sitting in ball soup is the worst.

 

One other thing...if you can, you may want to look at staying at the Shades of Green military resort (I see your emblem next to your name). It’s not as nice as the Disney owned resorts, but was very convenient and reasonably priced. It is next to the Polynesian resort.

 

That could be scary

 

Slight suggestion here. some friends of mine took their son on a Disney cruise and absolutely loved it. There was plenty of stuff for parents to do as well as the day programs for the kids. Just a suggestion that might be worth looking into.

 

Don't think I can add much. We were there several years ago for a National Tae Kwon Do tourney my Kids were in. We stayed at a Disney resort...the one that's got African animals wondering around and a big fire pit, water slide. All African decor really cool.

- Get the meal plan
- Use the shuttles
- Plan what you want to see and where you want to eat in advance.
- Take ponchos that can fold up tight in case it rains
- I like the evenings. We go in the morn and in the evening. Night shows are fun.

 

I just went for 7 days (not all at Disney) in early September. September and October are the least crowded months.

As others have said get wristbands and use fast passes. We didn't have any unbearably long lines in September like we did at Disneyland the previous year in August.

We stayed out of the park and visited Kennedy Space Center (a must), Fort de Soto (awesome beaches with no crowds), Cocoa Beach, Magic Kingdom and Disney Hollywood Studios. We even spent a day just hitting shops, eating great food and spending too much money.

Personally I feel 7 days at Disney would be ultra-stressful and not worth the cost. We spent probably $600 on food at Disney over 2 days for a family of 4... I don't think the meal plan really saves you money but does make it easy to just swipe your wristband.

Get your wristbands in advance and synch them to your accounts to save a ton of money. We didn't do this and spent $100 on wrist bands alone but I feel it was worth it.

Have fun! We had a really good time and spent just around what you are planning. We stayed in a Hyatt because we were going to be all over the place and it didn't make sense to stay at the park. 2 rooms at Hyatt for 6 nights was very reasonable with my corporate rate.

 

Awesome write up! You guys have given me a lot to consider. I was planning on renting a house down there but maybe staying on property seems to be the better choice according to the veterans here.

 

Call the Disney vacation #. Explain what you want to do, they will usually offer discounts to newbies. Definitely stay on Disney property,free transportation to everything Disney,parks shopping, dining and water parks & mini golf. They will let you make payments also up till it's time to go to the Mouse House. They will mail you everything you need fast pass bracelets or key fobs depending on what you choose. If you want to go explore they have rental car agencies on site also. Do yourself a big favor if you have never been to Central Florida for vacation, try do deal with Disney on site. There are a lot of smart crooks around there, it is the Tourist capital of the world.

 

Forgot about that. The payment plan Disney offers is pretty nice. I think you just have to have it paid off 45 days before you get there. And yes, a lot of scam, tourist trap garbage around there. Free tickets advertised every mile. All you have to do is subject yourself to a “90 minute” time share sales pitch. Really, pay the extra money to book directly with Disney. Avoid the hassles, scams, and other bs out there. The peace of mind so you and the family can just focus on having fun is worth it.

 

By the way, this book is very helpful and informative:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/th...tdSE2NqQ1wIVjFuGCh3kKQLEEAQYASABEgJfVfD_BwE#/

 

We go all the time and going again in a couple of weeks. Check out these sites in this order (I have no personal affiliation with these sites)

1. www.allearsnet.com
2. www.disboards.com
3. www.mousesavers.com
4. www.disney.com