I'm glad I got to go a couple of times as a child, because I will never be able to afford to bring my own family.
OT: Disney World
- Thread starter tom1944
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We did it as 8 and 6 for our boys, the week after Sandy. So many other folks from NJ were there too.
My boys went to a HS where the senior class goes as a group in the fall. So they have that memory as well.
dang- i just looked up what it would cost me to book a trip for 2 adults and 2 kids ages 5 and 8 to go to Maui and stay at a 5 star resort such as the Fairmont or similar. the hotel for the 4 guests 1 room 2 double beds is about $1100 per night. so, lets call it 8k and flights are about 1000 round trip so another 4k. so- 12-13k once you add in resort fees and figure another 3k on food and stuff.
so pretty much the same as WDW. I assume you are figuring in food costs on your number.
But that is just crazy.
There is definitely some discretionary spending in that total, but for a nice week-long WDW vacation at a Disney resort, gotta be over $10k even without bells and whistles.
I am figuring at least $12,000 and that would include having some meals in the room since we will have a kitchen.
I purchased DVC so the room is paid for. Looking at a second contract because I want 300 points total.
We will book 2 or 3 character meals, Hoopty Doo Revue, Bibbidi Bobbi boutique and most likely some other price gouging tour.
We will have at least 1 table service meal a day and fill in with quick service meals/ home cooking
I purchased DVC so the room is paid for. Looking at a second contract because I want 300 points total.
We will book 2 or 3 character meals, Hoopty Doo Revue, Bibbidi Bobbi boutique and most likely some other price gouging tour.
We will have at least 1 table service meal a day and fill in with quick service meals/ home cooking
Oof my fiance and I spent no more than 2k on our week long trip. Sure we drove from NC to FL and we already had APs but damn that's a lot of money.
Rosen Hotels were great. They have about 6 hotels of varied price all bunched together about 10 minutes from Disney.
One recommendation I would make is to download the app. It gives you directions while you are in the park and also has wait times for rides. That was clutch. We went on the late night pass. WE were able to hit more rides in less time with less waits.
Lots of Truth in this article:
www.cnbc.com
Why fans say trips to Disney World are now 'incredibly complicated' to pull off
Some travelers say changes meant to improve visits to Disney World have left vacations harder to plan than ever before.
Maybe it's just me but I don't get how people could potentially drop thousands of dollars on something and do no research about it.Lots of Truth in this article:
Why fans say trips to Disney World are now 'incredibly complicated' to pull off
Some travelers say changes meant to improve visits to Disney World have left vacations harder to plan than ever before.
Disney always involved planning and as the times changed it went from notebook and journal to now being smart phone intensive.
Old news. It’s helpful for newbies. I did just find out that they no longer offer the buses from airports to the hotels.Lots of Truth in this article:
Why fans say trips to Disney World are now 'incredibly complicated' to pull off
Some travelers say changes meant to improve visits to Disney World have left vacations harder to plan than ever before.
Just rent a car. Having a car on property saves a ton of time. In WDW, time is money!
If it’s possible to stay on the resort, I recommend that very highly.
Best advice we received with young kids is to pace yourself. There’s a lot to see and everyone wants to pack it all in but you end up doing that at the expense of everyones’ sanity.
Build time in to go back to the room at the resort. The buses make it super easy to go back-and-forth.
Keep nap time and build time to rest in the air conditioning especially if you are there in the summer.
If you can eat at your resort, that is a big plus – there are a few with kitchens in the rooms. That will save you a ton of dough!
We have followed this advice every time we’ve gone down there, and even with young kids were able to avoid major meltdowns and allowed the kids to stay out later to watch fireworks.
Best advice we received with young kids is to pace yourself. There’s a lot to see and everyone wants to pack it all in but you end up doing that at the expense of everyones’ sanity.
Build time in to go back to the room at the resort. The buses make it super easy to go back-and-forth.
Keep nap time and build time to rest in the air conditioning especially if you are there in the summer.
If you can eat at your resort, that is a big plus – there are a few with kitchens in the rooms. That will save you a ton of dough!
We have followed this advice every time we’ve gone down there, and even with young kids were able to avoid major meltdowns and allowed the kids to stay out later to watch fireworks.
We did a major meal at our room each day too. We didn’t stay at one of the resorts, we have a timeshare that has a shuttle and is only 7 mins each way. Usually anywhere from 2-4 kids, it saved us 100+ per day plus the AC was great. A few times even a jump in the poll and then head back with a game plan for part two of the park based on how the early part went.
Really? I just stay on property and use their transportation. Driving and parking doesn’t sound like you’ll save time.
It saves a massive amount of time. We normally stay at Bay Lake Tower next to the Contemporary. A bus to Epcot/Hollywood Studios/AK will take 30 minutes at least. Monorail to Epcot the same time. It takes us under 10 mins to drive from the resort to any of these theme parks. Try going to Disney Springs or a different resort for a meal bus vs car. Even a bigger difference.
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You need to factor in where you can park and the walk/tram from the parking lot.
I recently used the GeniePlus for Lightning Lane access at Hollywood Studios... with a resort reservation for the same day (or the previous day). Worked nicely.. did everything we wanted to do save for Rise of Resistance. Like Tron preview times at Magic Kingdom, we got a group time that was not in line with our other plans so we skipped it. Been on both before. Given the cost of everything and limited time (especially during this high-traffic Spring Break time period)... Genie Plus is worth it.
No you don’t. Use premium parking. Similar distance as the bus stops.
Agreed on Genie Plus. Individual Lighting Lane reservations are also worth the price since you can choose the time of your return window. Best way to ride the big ones - TRON, Rise, Guardians, Mine Train, and Flight of Passage.
But not monorail to epcot. If you stayed at Bay lake you can walk to Monorail to Epcot. Cars are very flexible and now Disney has made parking at different reports a bit easier... you can say you are going shopping or going to eat at a restaurant there and park there.. then use the boats or monorail or skyliner... or even buses.
Did that for wilderness lodge to get a bus (was hoping a boat was running to campground.. it was not) to HoopDeDoo Review (what a goofy throwback thing that is... first time recently.. great fried chicken and ribs! But definitely a cultish dinner theatre thing).
Yeah you have to do G+, Lightning Lane reservations, etc. or you will burn through and entire day on a couple of rides. It’s a total PITA but once you get the hang of the timing/reservations you will see how much time you save. I’ve been doing family trips to Disney for years and it’s definitely harder than ever to plan…not to mention the staff ain’t what it used to be. Lost some of the magic. Nevertheless, I keep going.
The bolded is a complete douchebag maneuver. Most of the guard shacks verify if you have a reservation to eat at a place in that resort, and the bulk of the time if you don't they will turn you away. Just because you have a dining reservation it doesn't give you carte blanche to eat your meal say at Steakhouse 71 and then walk over to the MK for 8 hours.
Funny.. that's exactly what I did... but if you are having dinner it doesn't mean you have 8 hours... more like 4. Disney knows the capacity of their lots and what people do. They won't even accept people on the truly high capacity days. Disney is the one who published info about the relaxing of accepting car traffic at resorts. Clearly this has come from the resorts and their hosted businesses themselves. I guess Disney is okay with "douchebag moves" on certain days. I should note.. this was not to save on parking.. driver has annual pass so parking is included and had DVC room as well.
have a great day.
It takes 30-40 minutes to get from BLT to Epcot via the monorail. You have to transfer at the TTC to a second monorail. Premium parking in Epcot is right behind the monorail station. Once you walk down from the platform and around the tram loading area, it's likely a push with walking from premium parking. And remember, getting back to BLT via the monorail is a nightmare that takes up to an hour. Once back at TTC, you have to travel around the lagoon with 3 stops prior to the Contemporary. Round trip monorail is likely 75-90 minutes versus 20-25 minutes driving.
Love the Hoop! Been going to the Hoop since I was a little boy. In 2019, my daughter was in the show (audience volunteer) as the Texas Ranger for the Ballet of Davy Crockett. Got the video on my phone. :)
During busy times, security may try to restrict resort parking lots, but if you have a dining reservation, you can always valet.
fair points re: monorail. Was on bus back from Hoop with a family who was talking about their history with Hoop and the show.. 3 generations have been in the show. Even though I found it odd, there is something about things that have such a loyal following. Consider me a fan... I just wish I did it when I could handle eating and drinking more for a real bacchanalia! Those with big appetites are well served.
The costs have always been high at top resorts on Hawaii. Maui more costly than Oahu , Big Island or kauai .Wife and I ( pre pandemic ) were ready for our 18th trip back but cancelled in 2020. Finally booked 3 weeks for May of this year on Oahu. After trip number 4 we booked a Maui Condo on Kaanapali Beach. We have done the same for all the others except on the Big Island .We have learned to use the condo route since then. We now stay on the more quiet side of Waikiki and with our car rental go to a different beach everyday . Lanikai , Waimanalo, Kailua etc. I won’t mention our top windward side stop as it became too well known with the internet. The leeward side also has numerous good beaches to relax and play even at age 73. We eat out every nite at a different place and cuisine. Tremendous choice of every culture your taste buds desire. Do yourself a favor and book a condo no matter what island. … much roomier and there are many within … everyone’s price range.For all the well healed on the board .When you speak to people who go often ( say yearly) to Hawaii it may surprise you what you learn. If $$$$ is no object then by all means book those expensive resorts. We have done that as well.
We do it at Dolphin/Swan fairly regularly.. some meal then take boat to Epcot. Place in the Dolphin has teh best pizza at Disney... il mulino
What does a
Have you also tried Standby Skipper? It is not a Disney app but from what I have read it really is helpful. It costs $45 for the week (not per person).
If you have a confirmed dining reservation they won't turn you away.
However at some of the resorts BLT, Yacht/Beach Club, Riviera, and the Poly the guard shack will turn you away if you just roll up and say "Oh I wanted to eat at so and so" or "I want to go buy something at Boutiki".
The complimentary parking is meant to be for the period of your dining reservation, it's not a get in and leave your car there for an entire day. Way too many vloggers I see and tell people "Go make a breakfast reservation at Steakhouse 71 and then you can walk over to MK and spend your entire day there."
There are certain times of the year where even if you have a dining reservation they will turn you away if you show up too early. I've heard stories of people getting turned away at the Grand Floridian because they have a 6PM reservation at Citricos, but they show up at 4:30PM because they want to have a drink at the Enchanted Rose Lounge and they will get told you need can really only park here about 15-20 minutes before your dining reservation.
I mentioned it earlier in this thread, but we took Lyft almost everywhere in the morning and sometimes in the afternoon to park hop, because it was faster and it's all about managing your time well. I prefer that over renting a car and you've already blown a ton of $ on a Disney trip so it doesn't really matter spending more on ride shares lol. When we weren't in a rush in the afternoon and evenings, then we'd use Disney transport, as it's also a good way to rest some.
The parking based on a dinner reservation is also limited to a certain number of hours. I believe 3 hours.
One of our regular group uses something that tracks reports of standby lines.. doubt they pay for it. It is Walt DisneyWorld Lines App
Not sure what skipper does.. but I know some time ago people with handicap status were selling their ability to join a group like a tour guide to get them to avoid lines.
Just found an interesting youtube on Skipper.. our person who books everything is pretty good about it. Not sure she needs this but we'll see for teh next time we plan to go and do a lot.
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Yes.. all true. But what I was pointing out was that, I think about a month ago, Disney announced a relaxation of parking at resorts to, I assume, boost traffic inside resorts... but that would never apply on the highest traffic/reservation periods. Like if the resort is fully booked they will likely need the vast majority of the spots.. and some resorts have more spaces than others.
Yeah.. if you say you are going to eat or drink or shop and then avoid doing that completely.. you are abusing the system. But like others have said, we have been turned away and saw others turned away prior to this.. told to go park at Disney Springs and take a bus if you want to visit, say, Wilderness Lodge to see the Christmas decor or go see the animals at Animal Kingdom Lodge. This recent relaxation was, I think, an admission that just maybe they have been too strict at times when they could easily have absorbed some traffic.
You summed up the costs well.....in for a penny, in for a pound. LOL!
Lurking on this but just letting you know this is all very good info. Thanks.
Agreed if you are going to Disney I don't think you can worry about the money you spend.
If you try to be frugal, you are more likely to hurt your experience and enjoyment more than actually saving money. Sad but true!
It varies there's frugal and then there is being wise with your money at Disney. We'd bring collapsible water bottles and crystal light packets instead of dropping $5 a clip for a bottle of water.
Since Genie+ launched I honestly think maybe we only bought it a few times, if you know your stuff it isn't really needed outside of the busiest times of the year.
I was spoiled as a kid we would go every year, stay at either GF, Contemporary or the Wilderness Lodge with the deluxe dining plan. As much as I would like to do that as well, we still have a good time at either the Pop or Gran Destino.
I'd rather pocket the difference in the cost of the hotel room and put that towards merch, fancy meals, or buying an after hours ticket.
The prices have dropped on DVC resales. There are some good deals if you are patient,
Disney has not exercised ROFR in over a month.
For example some BLT contracts went for under $130 and last fall they were around $170.
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