Planning for September 2014 Vacation!

[Leah Marie]

Hello! I hope everyone is having a nice day!

My boyfriend and I are planning to go to Walt Disney World to celebrate me graduating from College with a Degree in Culinary Operations! I have a few questions since the last time I was there was in October 2012. I know they have already introduced the Magic Bands, and I am excited for that, I do know that Value Resorts are pretty nice, but one of my questions is should we wait to book until August? Or should we do the booking in June? I have no idea if the prices will go down, and right now, we are looking at 2,000 or more for 8 days at Pop Century (My favorite value resort) with a Quick Service Dining Plan, and 7 day Park Hopper Tickets. I was kind of hoping that we could catch a cheaper deal by like 200 or so.

I also would like some recommendations on where my boyfriend and I should eat! I was thinking for our first night there, we could go to Downtown Disney, and some of the must eat places are Ohana, Sci Fi Dine In, and head to Beaches and Cream for the Kitchen Sink, but I would also like to know about other places to dine. I heard Chef Mickey's is nice and a few other places, but I am stuck.

One last thing, if anyone could help me figure out the whole Magic Band system for the Fast Pass, and charging things to the room, that will be very appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

 

[belledream]

Hi there! Congrats on graduation! Disney prices don't fluctuate like airfare does, so whether you book now or in a few months, your package should cost the same (assuming availability is the same). About booking, you should really book ASAP. Disney usually isn't something that you plan for last minute. You can always book now and call Disney if a discount comes out that you want to apply to your package, and they should be releasing fall discounts around the beginning of May.

A cost cutting method to consider: are you 100% sure you are going to park hop? If not, taking that option off will save you bucks. Especially as you'll be staying for more than four days, park hopping might not be necessary as you will have plenty of time to enjoy each park.

Dining experiences that we really enjoy are San Angel Inn, Coral Reef, and Biergarten - all in EPCOT. Chef Mickey's is known more for the characters and atmosphere rather than the food, but a still fun experience!

Edit: I don't know what happened to the last part of my post, but here it is!
You can link a credit card to your Magic Band during check in and put charges on that during your trip. As for FP+, I would do some research to make sure you understand the system basics, then create a list of priorities that you and the bf have for these selections.

Happy Planning!

 

[Leah Marie]

Thank you so much! This helps quite a bit!
@belledream you do have the point about the park hopping. If anything, maybe about 3 day park hopper since bf might want to experience a lot of things twice since he has never been! Oh too excited about that! He might be a kid in a candy store LOL

 

[HouCuseChickie]

I would definitely book your dining pronto! Since dining opens up at the 180 day mark, popular spots can book up very fast. That's not to say things don't open up, but it's easier to not have to stalk. You noted Chef Mickey's...if you eat there, I would go for breakfast over dinner. A lot of people, myself included, just don't find the dinner there to be very appetizing. Beyond that, there are so many places to consider eating- but it all comes down to your taste preferences. TS meals can also cause a significant bump in the budget, so maybe check out some menus on Allears to get an idea of what suits your preferences and budget the best.

As for tickets, you can definitely save on single park tickets and considering tickets decline in price each day- there's not as much value in planning half with hoppers and half without. You might look at Undercover Tourist to check out their ticket prices. Another option is using ebates and then seeing which travel site (i.e. Orbitz, Expedia, Travelocity, etc.) is offering the best cash back %.

As for booking your room, I'd book ASAP + if you book room only, you aren't bound to pay at the 45 day mark. And if discounts come out, you just call in to rebook with that discount (and I'm make that call as soon as discounts come out).

What are your ?s concerning Magic Bands? In a nutshell- you can link everything to them...i.e. tickets, fast passes, credit cards + they're your room key.

 

[belledream]

Thank you so much! This helps quite a bit!
@belledream you do have the point about the park hopping. If anything, maybe about 3 day park hopper since bf might want to experience a lot of things twice since he has never been! Oh too excited about that! He might be a kid in a candy store LOL

Do you a rough idea of how you want to spend your 7 days? Because you could definitely spend multiple days at MK/EPCOT and dole out an extra day to either HS/AK and have plenty of time to enjoy everything. Park hopping entails travel, which wastes time at the park! Even in September when park hours shrink a bit, we leave AK at 5 and go to a nice dinner at a resort and enjoy the night relaxing as opposed to going to another park and fighting crowds. Downtown Disney is also an option! Something to consider if you want to knock park hopper off completely

 

[PrincessNelly_NJ]

Hello! I hope everyone is having a nice day!

My boyfriend and I are planning to go to Walt Disney World to celebrate me graduating from College with a Degree in Culinary Operations! I have a few questions since the last time I was there was in October 2012. I know they have already introduced the Magic Bands, and I am excited for that, I do know that Value Resorts are pretty nice, but one of my questions is should we wait to book until August? Or should we do the booking in June? I have no idea if the prices will go down, and right now, we are looking at 2,000 or more for 8 days at Pop Century (My favorite value resort) with a Quick Service Dining Plan, and 7 day Park Hopper Tickets. I was kind of hoping that we could catch a cheaper deal by like 200 or so.

I also would like some recommendations on where my boyfriend and I should eat! I was thinking for our first night there, we could go to Downtown Disney, and some of the must eat places are Ohana, Sci Fi Dine In, and head to Beaches and Cream for the Kitchen Sink, but I would also like to know about other places to dine. I heard Chef Mickey's is nice and a few other places, but I am stuck.

One last thing, if anyone could help me figure out the whole Magic Band system for the Fast Pass, and charging things to the room, that will be very appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

Congrats on Graduating! I used to go to school for Culinary Arts but took a different route after about a year.

Definitely book your dining reservations but keep in mind that September dining has been open for quite some time now, so popular places like 'Ohana may be unavailable.

I would book a room soon, Disney sets room & dining plan prices for the year so nothing will change unless you apply a discount or ticket prices increase. (Keep in mind, the full amount isn't due immediately either. If you book a package you need to put down a $200 deposit and if you book a room only package you need to put down a deposit of 1 night plus tax. and you can add tickets later.)
Rumors have been swirling that free dining for Sept is going to be released May 1st! And those deals can book up quickly.

I took my fiance (then boyfriend) to WDW in 2012 and he loved it! It was exciting to see Disney through a newbies eyes. We are foodies so good food was more important than character meals for us.
I would consider upgrading to the Standard Disney Dining Plan from Quick Service or pay OOP if you plan to try more than 2 table service meals.
And since your celebrating maybe you could try one of the signature restaurants for a celebration dinner!
Some of our favorites are Coral Reef, Via Napoli, Narcoossee's, Yachtsman Steakhouse, Sci Fi, & Be Our Guest. I do recommend Tusker House for breakfast even over Chef Mickey's!

 

[PrincessNelly_NJ]

Oh and as far as Magic Bands. You will be able to customize them with your name & color of choice.
You will be able to link a card to your room and charge almost anything to your room and on your last night, they will then charge the card you had on file for all your room charges. I believe value resorts have a $500 cap. If you reach that limit they can charge the card and then you will be free to make additional charges to the room.
You are currently allowed to schedule 3 fastpasses in one park per day. However, that may change by Sept.

 

[Tom 55]

Wife and I love coming to WDW in September not only for our anniversary but crowd levels are so low. Like the others have said book ASAP. You do not have to pay till 45 days before you arrive. Any discounts that come up you can change reservations to take advantage. The dining plan is always something we go back and forth on. We only use dining plan when we get it for free. The rest of the times I feel I waste a lot of food by having a big meal and desert. We usually split CS meals. That is the only way we can finish it all.
When going to WDW my first day has to be MK. So first nights meal should be there. BOG has been the hottest spot but even this far out you probably can not get a reservation. Second choice is Tony's or Liberty Tree tavern.
As for fast pass's I have yet to use them. Last September French Quarter was not one of the resorts that were part of the testing. Will find out in 20 days though. Going from May 12 to 16 for a quick trip and using bounce back from last September for another September trip. 9/9 to 9/18. Have already made Fastpass+ selections for May trip and have ADR for September trip. As I write this I am wearing my Magic Band. I will see how all the planning works out.

 

[kasey1988]

This will be our thirs September in a row tns year, it's a great time to go!

If you are looking at table service resturants I would suggest the regular dining plan not the quick service one. Rumor s free inning will be released soon, regular dining at moderates and quick service at values, how ever you can pay to upgrade your dining plan.

I would reccomend booking dining soon as September dates have already opened and places/times fill up fast!

We love Tusker house breakfast, liberty tree tavern and tappen Edo!

 

[Leah Marie]

Thanks for all the help everyone!
Well the itinerary that I have planned is as follows and is tentative.
Arrival Day: Downtown Disney and then get some SLEEP!
1st day: EPCOT (This is where neither of us have been before, so this should be special!)
2nd Day: Magic Kingdom ( I can hear the music to Space Mountain already!)
3rd Day: DAK/DHS ( Only three things to look for in AK which is the Safari, Dinosaur, and my favorite ride Expedition Everest! Let's not forget riding Rock N Rollercoaster five times!)
4th through 6th day is open! I know we will want to go back to the parks, but I am also leaning towards renting a car and experiencing what else Orlando has to offer!

 

[belledream]

Thanks for all the help everyone!
Well the itinerary that I have planned is as follows and is tentative.
Arrival Day: Downtown Disney and then get some SLEEP!
1st day: EPCOT (This is where neither of us have been before, so this should be special!)
2nd Day: Magic Kingdom ( I can hear the music to Space Mountain already!)
3rd Day: DAK/DHS ( Only three things to look for in AK which is the Safari, Dinosaur, and my favorite ride Expedition Everest! Let's not forget riding Rock N Rollercoaster five times!)
4th through 6th day is open! I know we will want to go back to the parks, but I am also leaning towards renting a car and experiencing what else Orlando has to offer!

Ah, I see. I thought you'd be focusing all 7 days on the world. If this is the case though, then Park Hopper is a must for your needs. And like you said above, you can add the option on for part of your stay. Though if I am thinking correctly, it's a little complicated in that you need to use up all of your non hopping days first, then add on the option. I would call or talk to a Disney rep to make sure you have it all figured out. Have fun!

 

[Leah Marie]

@belledream yea since the bf father lives in Tampa (I totally forgot!) Thanks so much for your help!