Planning a wdw trip, Lots of questions!

[Hatbox66]

Sooo im starting to plan a trip to wdw. First time EVER. Yay!! And im looking at everything possible and i have alot of questions that i cant really answer so im looking to all the lucky ducks who have had the pleasure of going or who go on a regular basis. Ok so here it goes.

1. Is getting a whole package worth it?
2. Meal plans. Worth it? Is there a limit to where i can eat? (I was thinking the two meals a day plan since i have never been i think it would be fabulous to eat in the park)
3. Good hotels? Im kinda leaning towards the Orleans french quarter. But my fiance brought up a good point. We'll prolly need one with the monorail attached.
4. Do you guys get rental cars? Is it possible to go through the whole trip not needing one?

Uh yeah that's all i can think of for now. I might think of some more but those were the most important on my mind.

[mickeyfan1999]

PM sent.

[schwanzie]

i'm no help for some of the questions because we are dvc members so never had a package. we have also never used the meal plans. we usually stay at old key west and have a kitchen in the room so we go to a grocery store and pack lunch/snacks to bring with.

i've only stayed at one hotel with the monorail (contemporary) and that was for a short period of time, but it was nice having the monorail right there. disney makes transportation very easy so that you do not need a car when you're there. we've gone without a car multiple times and just used the buses, monorails, or boats.

hope that helps.

also, congrats on planning your first wdw trip! you're going to have so much fun!

[SirScott99]

1. Is getting a whole package worth it?
2. Meal plans. Worth it? Is there a limit to where i can eat? (I was thinking the two meals a day plan since i have never been i think it would be fabulous to eat in the park)
3. Good hotels? Im kinda leaning towards the Orleans french quarter. But my fiance brought up a good point. We'll prolly need one with the monorail attached.
4. Do you guys get rental cars? Is it possible to go through the whole trip not needing one?

1. What exactly do you mean by "whole package"?
2. This is always a question in my family of 4 and we always opt against it. There is no limit depending on what kind of meal plan you have/get. The second part of that last sentence depends on where you want to eat. Once you decide on resturaunts, come back with this question.
3. There really is no such thing as a "bad hotel". It's all about how much you want to spend and of course the biggest part of it: location, location, location. French Quarter is not bad money wise but you have to take the bus everywhere yet also just outside "the middle of everything". Do you have a budget?
4. I have never gone to WDW with my family and not rented a car. We do this because we like to be on our own schedule. For example, we use our DVC membership to the absolute fullest and therefore park at the Contemporary and walk to MK, park at Beach and walk to EPCOT and park in the Studios/Animal Kingdom parking lot. I tell you this because: Long story short, we drove to Beach, wrnt to EPCOT then monorailed over to MK for extra magic hours. Now to get back to our hotel (which was Old Key West), we had to take the bus back to Beach and then drive. I was waaaay too tired and hurting so my dad took the bus back to Beach and I took the bus back to OKW..... problem with Disney transportation? I waited 20 minutes for my bus to come at 1am at the MK bus stop back to Old Key West. It just so happened that particular day our plans didn't call for parking at Contemporary but normall we would have and we would have been back at the room within 20 minutes. Basically the point I'm trying to make is that you are on Disney's schedule and it's a major pain to wait for transportation. Especially after normal park closing and you have 40-50 people waiting in line before you for the bus, you could wait easily an hour. Another reason to get a car is Magical Express picks you up at your hotel 3 hours prior to your flight. Now depending on what time you choose your return flight will cause wasted time. For example, we had a 7:30pm flight last week and left studios at 4pm (mainly because we had to have the car back by 5 or they charge another full day). My final point about a car: IT'S GREAT!!!!! Convenience is very very very key when in WDW.

Now many other things go into your decision for these answers. How long are you going for? Like I said, do you have a budget? How much does style of hotel/price matter? If let's say you can get a nicer hotel but it's a little more expensive than choice B, will you do it? What about park hoppers? Depending on time of year, water park option?

I'm sorry for all the questions but I used to be a travel agent's assistant so this entire post is basically the travel agent in me coming out. I've also been to Disney over 40 times (not to brag, just stating my experience) so I know what I"m talking about (not that anyone else does, because I'm sure people livingi n FL have better information/advise than I do).

Hope this helps and feel free to ask more questions

[Hatbox66]

Thanks schwanzie! I know im so excited... even though it is a long ways away lmao!

Alrighty Sirscott.
1. the whole package as in i mean the whole disney vacation package that you can customize on DS.com. Which includes hotel, food (if you want), flight, and rental car
2. Im reading it, it looks like there is no limit, but what i meant was can they be used only in cartain parks? Certain restaurants? Certain foods? I only ask bc i thought the regualr disneyland meal plans were just vouchers for denominations. Not like wdw where you can have your 3 meals a day.
3. Personally i really dont care where we stay. I honestly wouldnt care if we stayed across the street or in a best western. However my fiance made it clear he wants to stay somewhere in the park. So i would prefer somewhere that is "in the middle of everything" and nowhere that is gonna cost me a months pay to stay at.
4. Im kinda leaning towards renting a car. I get exactly what your saying. Thanks.

[Allotes]

The regular dining plan gives you 1 table service, 1 counter service and 1 snack per night of your stay. You can use 3 table service on one day if you like. Snacks are good on bottled water. Just about all of the restaurants will accept the dining plan. A handful at DTD don't, but I think that's it.

The meal plan at WDW is completely different from DLR, and from what I've experienced, way better

[Carol]

I'm not sure if any of my advice will help but I will put my 2c in anyway!

I think it all depends on the length of your stay at WDW and what you want to visit.

If you are only going for a short time, definitely stay on site and get the dining plan etc.

Personally (because we have to come from so far away) we only get there every 2-3 years but stay 6 weeks each holiday. We get a 3 bedroom condo offsite just off the 192 for the whole time at a mere fraction of what it would cost to stay at a Disney Hotel. We prefer to put our money into getting an annual pass to both Disney and Universal parks (as well as eating at various nice restaurants and buying stuff!).

If we have a special occasion while we are there (birthday or anniversary) we book one night at one of the 'flash' Disney hotels and have a meal at that restaurant that night.

We always rent a car so that we are not on anyone else's schedule as well as go to Tampa, Busch Gardens, Universal, Seaworld, Outlet Malls, restaurants etc when it suits us.

If my husband wants to go somewhere else for the day but I want to go to Disney, I just catch the public bus that goes down the 192 every 1/2 hour straight to Magic Kingdom.

[flyosu]

Between my wife & I, we have been to WDW about 40 times...so here's my advice

1. The "packages" are definitely worth it. It will be your cheapest way to get lodging, tickets (and meal plans if you want them) We have always gone with the package deal up until now (we just became DVC members this year) Alos... if you are a Disney Rewards Visa Card holder, and you book your trip through WDW Travel, you get six months no interest to pay off your trip when it is charged to your DRVisa Card!!!

2. We have used the meal plan on our last 4 trips and it is great! It's so nice to not have to worry about "how much money are we spending on food?" while at the Parks. You mentioned the 2 meal a day plan... the dining is kept track of via your room key. If you bought the 2 meal a day plan for say a 5 day trip... your would essentially have 10 sit down meals per person. These can be used as needed. You can not use them at all one day and bank the points, you could use them 2 time meals a day, or you could use all 10 meals in a day if you wanted to. Same goes for the snacks and counter service. All that being said... we have never PAID for the dining plan. We have always gone during the free dining promotion. You will need to do some research on prices to see if it would be cost effective for your needs.

3. Good Hotels... in our opinion, you can't go wrong with a Disney hotel. We have stayed at all price levels and enjoy them all. For a Value hotel, we love Pop Century (it is the most conveniently located of the value resorts). We have never stayed at French Quarter, but we have stayed at Port orleans Riverside which is right next door. It has a bit more of secluded feel. Both hotels have boat service to downtown disney which is a nice perk. Those two hotels are also fairly centrally located, the only long bus ride would be to the Animal Kingdom. We have stayed at the Animal Kingdom Lodge... cool hotel... VERY long bus rides to everywhere but the Animal Kingdom! Conversely, if you stay at a hotel on the monorail line near the magic kindom... you will have longer ride times to any parks other than the MK. To be at a hotel "on the monorail" you are going to have to sign over the rights to your firstborn child... so not necessarily worth it!!! (i think we are talking close to $400 A NIGHT at those on the cheap side!)

4. Rental car not required! WDW has an excellent transportation system. While a rental car might cut your wait times for the bus and make for a more relaxing ride back to your resort after the parks close, it is definitely not a neccesity. if at any point during your stay, you decide you want to go to another off WDW park, there are bus vouchers you can buy to get you there (from Mears bus service) for a reasonable price. There is also an on disney car rental location that will pick you up at your hotel and take you to the rental center in the event you just wanted to rent for a day or two.

hope this helps a little!

---------- Post added at 06:21 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:44 PM ----------

Something I forgot to answer about the dining plan...
It should cover the majority of restauraunts in the parks and at the WDW hotels. It also includes some restaurants at downtown disney... but not all of them. Character dining, and event dining like the hoop-dee-doo review, mickey's backyard BBQ & the Luau at the Polynesian cost two sit down meal points. Those we usually pay for out of pocket as it's not a good value to cash in your dining point for them. "White linen" restaurants such as Narcoosies at the Floridian, California Grille at the Contemporary, and theYachtsman at the Yacht Clubare also equal to 2 sit down meals.. however these ARE worth it because you are looking at meals ranging $75 and up (per person) when you count the appetizers, main course, and desserts. If you look online hard enough, you should be able to find what restaurants are covered on the plan, and the type of service they are ( ie. counter service, sit down, white linen, and also snack locations)

[Hatbox66]

Allotes, Carol, and flyosu Thank you so much its all very helpful.

[qbot86]

1. Yes, I find that getting the whole package is usually the best, easiest and cheapest route to take.
2. I usually try to plan trips to coincide with free dining offers, but I went this January and paid for the dining plan. It's certainly not cheap but I still believe that it is worth it. You can eat at about 90% of restaurants on Disney property and can order nearly anything off the menu (in other words, you can easily make your money back). Even if it ends up being a little more than what you'd spend otherwise, it is worth it for the convenience alone. Since the dining plan is linked to your room key (which also doubles as your park entrance pass), one quick swipe of the card gets you i and out of any sit-down restaurant. Also, you never have to think about how much you're spending on food while in Disney. I tend to opt for the one with 1 quickservice and 1 table service plus snacks. When I purchased in January however, I opted for the two table service. Either one is good; it really depends on restaurant preference.
3. I've never stayed in the French Quarter but I LOVE the Riverside. It's a very nice hotel and a good location. If you want to go cheaper, Pop Century is a decent option too. The monorail is nice, but any of those hotels will cost you an arm and a leg. If you're on a budget or don't mind waiting the extra 15-20 minutes for a bus, save yourself several hundred (thousand?) dollars and go the cheaper route.
4. I have never needed a rental car as I always use the buses. Then again I've always been a student on a budget when I went down there so I just sucked it up and waited the 20 minutes at Disney's bus stop (since Disney transportation is free). If money isn't an issue and you don't have the patience to wait in the hot sun for a bus, then I assume a rental car is probably a decent investment. Personally, I'll always just stick with Disney's free bus system though

Hope I could help some.

[AnthonyFromLasVegas]

Just wanted to add my imput from my previous trips...

1. Is getting a whole package worth it? Package like air, hotel, park tickets? No you can piece it together for less
2. Meal plans. Worth it? Is there a limit to where i can eat? (I was thinking the two meals a day plan since i have never been i think it would be fabulous to eat in the park) Dining plan is so worth it
3. Good hotels? Im kinda leaning towards the Orleans french quarter. But my fiance brought up a good point. We'll prolly need one with the monorail attached. I stayed at Port Orleans-Riverside, it was basic, had no problems with it at all, also they have awesome beignetes (SP?), you don't need to stay at a hotel that has a monorail, each hotel has a shuttle to the parks, but if you want a monorail you're going to pay for it.
4. Do you guys get rental cars? Is it possible to go through the whole trip not needing one? It all depends if you plan to go to Universal, Sea World or to explore the city, also if you have a car and are staying on site your parking at the parks is free. If you don't plan on going anywhere else you don't need one the Magical Express will take you from the airport to your hotel. Everytime I have gone I get a rent a car.

[MouseMasters]

1. I say yes. It's convenient, and that way you can start planning things out a lot easier than if you purchase stuff one at a time.
2. I am a local so I really don't get the opportunity to speak on personal experience with the DDP, but a lot of my online friends has used the plans and they have thoroughly enjoyed it. Snack plans seem to the better hit as you can just swipe the card and carry on with your popcorn/soft drink. As far as actual meals, they tended to use the QSR as snacks (I think that's what they said, lol) and TSR's they charged to the room. It just depends on convenience, though.
3. Any on the MK monorail line are good hotels, but everyone seems to love the Polynesian. It is beautifully themed and is only 2 stops away from MK.
4. Again, I am a local and have my own car, so I don't rely on rentals, but if you want to go to another theme park and don't want to have to rely on taxis/city buses, then I say rentals are the best way to go.

[Anders Limpar]

3. It seems a lot of people really like the Contemporary and the Polynesian. I've usually stayed at Grand Floridian and its my favorite but its very expensive.

4. A rental car is not required especially if you stay at one of the resorts on the monorail line. I have heard however that the buses can be sketchy at times. And sometimes its nice to have the rental car to avoid waiting for the bus. I've mainly stayed at GF and have had no problems waiting for buses. Although, we usually go in early March when its not incredibly crowded. If you go when its more crowded you might find yourself waiting in lines for buses.

[little miss vinyl]

I thought I'd throw some of my two cents in:

We have stayed at French Quartes and LOVED it! It is actually the smallest resort (# of rooms) on Disney property so we've never had long waits for buses when parks closed. Also, their food court had the Beinettes and Hand dipped Ice cream - both big crowd pleasers in our crowd. You can walk to Riverside for their sit down restaurant (we never did with small kids, ate sit down in the parks). Good luck with you planning and enjoy your trip!!

[meghalemily]

1. Is getting a whole package worth it?
2. Meal plans. Worth it? Is there a limit to where i can eat? (I was thinking the two meals a day plan since i have never been i think it would be fabulous to eat in the park)
3. Good hotels? Im kinda leaning towards the Orleans french quarter. But my fiance brought up a good point. We'll prolly need one with the monorail attached.
4. Do you guys get rental cars? Is it possible to go through the whole trip not needing one?

1. I have noticed that occasionally you can find a better deal if you book your own air fare, but the convenience of the "one stop shopping" that the Disney site offers is sometimes a better option. The majority of the time the prices are similar if not the same. I would say get it through the site!
2. When I've gone with my in-laws they don't like the meal plan, they don't like the restriction. However, if I were planning a trip with myself and friends I would get the dining plan. You don't have to worry about do you have enough cash or trying to keep your charging straight. My in-laws say that there are restaurant restrictions, but I didn't notice any. They also mentioned menu limitations, but I never noticed two different menus,
3. We're actually staying in the French Quarter when we go in November and I'm very excited. I've heard that it's secluded and centrally located in the park. I have stayed at the Fort Wilderness Lodge and that was a great hotel it was boat ride to MK and a bus ride to all the other parks and downtown Disney. One of the perks to staying at one of the more deluxe hotels is you can pay a little more and get a club level room and included in that price is a continental breakfast, snacks during the day, and desserts with free wine and beer at night. It was nice that if you were a little hungry while lounging in the room you can just run over and get something to eat (and if you got the meal plan you wouldn't have to waste a meal or snack on breakfast)
4. I would say do not bring a car. The Disney Magical Express picks you and your luggage up at the airport, so you don't even have to worry about lugging it through the airport. It takes you directly to your hotel and they bring your bags up when they get there. There is some sort of transportation to every place you'd want to be. You may have to wait to get on a bus but I've never waited longer than 20 minutes for one (and that was just missing the last bus).

It is so much fun, once you get there all you have to worry about is just having a great time, and it is impossible not to!!! ENJOY YOUR TRIP!!!

[Hatbox66]

Love it. This is all so very helpful. Thanks everyone.

[lindsey1128]

I'm taking a trip in a little over a year and my question is how many Vinylmations are a good number to bring for trading?

[meghalemily]

I'm taking a trip in a little over a year and my question is how many Vinylmations are a good number to bring for trading?

As many as your carry on, suitcase and TSA will let you!!!!!

[lindsey1128]

As many as your carry on, suitcase and TSA will let you!!!!!

I will most likely be driving, so I guess it's as many as I can fit in my car, haha.

[crazybones27]

1. Is getting a whole package worth it?
2. Meal plans. Worth it? Is there a limit to where i can eat? (I was thinking the two meals a day plan since i have never been i think it would be fabulous to eat in the park)
3. Good hotels? Im kinda leaning towards the Orleans french quarter. But my fiance brought up a good point. We'll prolly need one with the monorail attached.
4. Do you guys get rental cars? Is it possible to go through the whole trip not needing one?

Uh yeah that's all i can think of for now. I might think of some more but those were the most important on my mind.

Is it just you and your fiancé going? Here are my opinions . I'm sorry I didn't read everyone else's since a few of them were pretty long and I'm late to the game.

Is the whole plan worth it I believe so, but I would rent the car and book the flights separately. I would only suggest renting a car if you are traveling with a child that needs a stroller and car set. My reasoning for this is we found after 4 trips with children it's easier to transfer a sleeping child to a carseat then wait in a bus line holding them and having to fumble with bags and a folded stroller while possibly having to stand for the ride back. Without kids I think the buses are great .

We almost always get a meal plan now even with being DVC members. We love it . We have done the quick service plan and the regular dining. If you get the regular dining just do your research before your at 180 days so youmcan book the dining you want accordingly. Some places fill up as soon as the booking window opens .

The reason to book the flights separately is because you can probably find them cheaper and you can always call Disney to add Magical Express later when you've booked them.

As for hotels they are all good. Right a list of what you're looking to get out of a hotel, how much you wanna spend per night, and really how much time you are going to spend there. I love being on the monorail with the kids, but without them it's not needed really. If all your doing there is sleeping I think a value is fine. If you have the money to spend and want something nicer then a moderate and up is the definite way to go .

I think I might have covered your questions . I hope this helps.

Edit: check out the tickets and packages section on Disney worlds site and go to Specials. I don't know when you're going but they are offering free dining for select daes between now and March of next year .

[MsDisneyFan]

1. Is getting a whole package worth it?I think the package is definitely worth it. I don't know what the cost of everything would be if you piece it together, but it's definitely convenient to get the package through Disney. Also, you can really save money if you go during one of the free dining plan promotion periods.
2. Meal plans. Worth it? Is there a limit to where i can eat? (I was thinking the two meals a day plan since i have never been i think it would be fabulous to eat in the park)Food can really add up in WDW! My mom and I recently went to Disney during a free quick service dining plan promotion so we got 2 quick service meals and 2 snacks a day. I believe the quick service package is dropping to 2 quick service meals and 1 snack a day, but I still think it's a good deal if you get it for free!
3. Good hotels? Im kinda leaning towards the Orleans french quarter. But my fiance brought up a good point. We'll prolly need one with the monorail attached.I don't know about needing a monorail hotel since I never stayed in one, but I love the value resorts! Pop Century was by far my favorite- I think it depends on how much money you want to shell out for the room. I find that I'm never really in the room since I spend most of my time in the parks so for me having a cheaper room is worth it. The buses can definitely get backed up though. We waited well over an hour the one night just to get home.
4. Do you guys get rental cars? Is it possible to go through the whole trip not needing one?When I go to Disney with my dad we always just drive to Florida so there's never been a need to rent one. With that said, cars come in handy if you want to go to Universal Studios, Seaworld or anywhere else not on Disney property. My mom and I recently went to Disney together, flew and didn't rent a car. We didn't miss having a car though since we didn't plan on doing anything outside of the Disney parks. My fiance and I are going next year for our honeymoon and we plan on driving down because we want to have a car accessible.

[SirScott99]

You don't need a monorail hotel because it's only useful if you're going to MK every single day. It takes longer to get to EPCOT using a Monorail than it does bus. If you don't want to stay at a value for whatever reason, I'd go with French Quarter. It's not overly expensive but it's not dirt cheap either (in comparsion to value hotels). It's kind of in the middle but if you really want middle then go for Boardwalk/Beach Club.... though there you will have a problem with the "paying a months salary". I'd definitely go with FQ and get the dining plan. Before you get the dining plan though, you have to figure out what resturaunts you will be going to because some require 2 dining points rather than just 1.... examples of these include: Le Cellier, Yachtsman Steakhouse and Brown Derby. If you just plan on going to a resturaunt that requires only 1 dining plan point then definitely go with the standard. I would book the flights separately because like someone said, you can probably get them cheaper. I still think a car is a huge positive.... btw, how long are you going for? I don't think it was ever said

[Hatbox66]

Im planning on staying for about 5 days. The first day we get there though will hopefully be a flight where we get there in the evening, sleep, and then just go to the park the next day.

[SirScott99]

Im planning on staying for about 5 days. The first day we get there though will hopefully be a flight where we get there in the evening, sleep, and then just go to the park the next day.

Ok well if you're going to be there for only 5 days I wouldn't suggest a car. I don't think in 5 days you would really need it as you probably won't be doing much other than the parks. It's actually really 4 days since the first day you're getting there in the evening, am I understanding that correct? The money you save on a car (which could be a couple hundred) you could probably put toward a hotel like Beach Club or Boardwalk. I would look there first and then go to a moderate like French Quarter

[MsDisneyFan]

I agree with SirScott99- if you're only going to be there for 5 days then I don't think a car is necessary.