Disney World (Orlando) Family Vacation?

[Guest RevScottie]

-Where to stay... We like the Pop Century Resort. It is a value resort with great theming. Second choice would be All Star Movies also a value resort. Keep in mind that many of the higher priced resorts have less Disney character related theming. Also check Travelocity online. It is often cheaper and sometimes has availability when the Disney website does not. We have also had very good experience renting vacation homes. Renting a home gives you lots of room, private pool, kitchen (saves big on meal costs). Many homes are in private gated communities and wil be priced about the same or less than a weeks stay at a moderate resort.

-What to see... Make sure and plan at least a full day at the Magic Kingdom

-"If you don't do ANYTHING else while you are there, you have to _______________" Pirates, "mountains", Haunted Mansion

-Get a dining plan? The only way that the dining plan is a good deal is if you plan to eat 3 meals a day inside the park or maybe hit the character dinners. We typically eat breakfast in the room or a quick snack at the resort, light lunch, and then go to a nice dinner outside the parks. Also remember if it is crowded you will be competing with thousands of other folks for dining resources. You need to make reservations for any sit down meals and it may already be too late for many of the most popular places.

-Length of stay? If you want to see all 4 parks Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney Studios, and Animal Kingdom you will need Park Hopper tickets and plan to use every available minute to see all 4 parks in 4 days. The longer you stay the cheaper the tickets become. After 4 days each additional day is less than$10 per person per day. I think it would be more enjoyable to spend one day in each park and then go back to the parks you enjoyed most on additional days. While the Park Hopper deal can be nice it is more expensive and you tend to burn up a lot of time going from park to park.

Keep in mind that the end of March will be Spring Break season and the parks can get quite crowded. Be sure and take advantage of the Fast Pass system which lets you go to the busier attractions at a designated time instead of waiting in long lines. Be careful if you venture off Disney property. Kissimee has a very high crime rate and there are some seedy areas were you will want to be armed.

[R1100R]

I've since discovered that discount, per my wife's aunt who is a ANG Flight Nurse (yes, she's super cool, and a true Patriot).

What week of March? We're going 3/28 - 4/1 I'm pretty sure.

Were going 3/20-3/26.

Edited January 28, 2011 by R1100R

[Guest TennTitan]

We've been the last 2 years and are booked to go agian this fall. I have stayed at the Old Key West, Fort Wilderness Cabins, and this year we will be in Bay Lake Tower. Not much I can tell you that the other guys haven't already posted. One tip i do have is you definitely need to have the dining plan. Another is if you do go see Fantasmic (which was awesome) there's a "dinner package" that you can sign up for before hand that will get you into the show the back way an hour early and you will not have to wait for hours with 4K other people. My wife found out about it last year and the meal is included in the dining plan, we ate our meal and the server gave us our passes. They also have a little map showing you the entrance you go through. It was definitely worth it, you just walk right in and they have a section roped off for all the people who did the dinner, no waiting at all. Once you book your trip, if you get the dining plan, and want to have a character meal, you need to reserve it that day so there's a minimal wait for a table. My favorites are the Crystal Palace in the Magic Kindom and, probably Tusker House Breakfast in Animal Kingdom.

Here's a link with some info on the Fantasmic package.

Fantasmic! Meal Packages | Dining & Restaurants | Walt Disney World Resort

Edited January 29, 2011 by TennTitan

[SavageSig]

Just went. You really can't go wrong with any of the resorts, although we chose to stay off park and had a wonderful time there. The food at Disney is always edible and sometimes very good. There are always food coupons available, although they're only active during certain times of the day (off-peak hours). Downtown Disney is kind of neat, though I wouldn't plan on spending an entire day or anything there.

If you've looked at ticket prices, you know the price falls off dramatically the more days you buy. If you're planning on going again next year, you might want to think about buying a ton of days up front. They're good until you die or Disney folds. Also, you can buy more days after your stay at the bulk rate. Park hopper makes more sense if you're staying for longer than a couple of days. Animal Kingdom is very cool and the Safari ride is a must do. Epcot is very boring and for some reason the rides run out of Fast Passes almost instantly. Soarin' and Test Track are the most popular rides, and should be done at least once, but not really that great. Magic Kingdom is fun but it can be insanely crowded. The Hollywood park is probably the weakest, but the new Star Tours might be open by the time you get down there.

Edited February 1, 2011 by SavageSig

[monkeylizard]

+1 for Soarin' at Epcot.

Mission:Space has 2 lines. The more intense one is pretty potent. If you're a thrill junky, it's a lot of fun. Otherwise, skip it or go for the less intense line. Most rides that have the warnings against riding if you have health conditions seem like overkill to me. In this case, it really means it. Don't ride it if you have a heart problem, etc. I can't recall any other theme park ride where the attendant has to restock the barf bags. It was awesome.

Edited January 31, 2011 by monkeylizard