Disney Rookie Needs help! W/ Budgeting, planning, and tips!

[Beetuna]

Hi all! First, thanks in advance for your feedback!

I relied on this board last year a couple times for my first trip ever to Disney! (Where I subsequently got engaged!)

We would like to go back for a honeymoon trip in the fall time-frame this year.

There is so much information on these boards that I am completely overwhelmed as a rookie. I was hoping to gather your feedback on some of these items in hopes to build a great, affordable, trip!


Last year we had a trip including 5 nights, 4 1/2 days. We had the free dining deal and stayed at a value resort (All Star Sports). We had a blast! All inclusive, with airfare, it was around $1400. I don't know if that is a good deal or not--what I do know is that it was affordable for us.

This year, paying for a wedding, budget is tight. We would really like to experience a longer trip (7 days-ish) without breaking the bank. I wonder if we can do it for $2500?

Along with this comes a series of questions I am hoping you can help me with!

1. Last year we arrived mid-week and left mid-week. Thus, we avoided crowds for airport travel and hotel check-in. VERY appealing. But if we plan to go longer, should we consider weekend travel? This allows for a longer vacation time since because I don't have to take as many vacation days from work! (Could potentially be there for TWO weekends! Although this costs more....)
2. Where does one sign-up to receive PIN #s? I read a little about these and am wondering if I threw some away with the junk mail since they did mail me a vacation planning DVD last year. Can I call to get one?
3. I've read all the hooplah on the free-dining promos. I don't want to get into that discussion. I think we are in the boat of going, regardless of promo. What I would like to know is if I book everything now (room, flight, dining plan), and the promo comes later for free dining or free nights, will I be eligible to switch? Or do I need to wait to book stuff?
4. Some attractive dates to me were at the end of September. Crap. That's within 180 days. Are we hosed on dinner reservations?? Should I push it out to Oct?
5. It's a Honeymoon! We will have fun no matter what, but any suggestions on honeymoon-ish stuff to do, other than wear the appropriate Mickey ears?
   
   I heard there are ways to take special pictures in the Magic Kingdom on the castle! How do you do that? We would LOVE to see the inside of that place too! Is that allowed?
   
   Any secret tricks to getting a CM to do anything special for us?
6. During our trip there, we'd like to branch out and see some more of Orlando. We'd like to spend some time at Downtown Disney, and maybe even go to Universal Studios for a day. How in the world do we pull that off? Last time we didn't even rent a car. Can you rent a car right from the resort for just 1 day? Any tips?
7. She likes Harry Potter.
   
   Is that part of the Universal place? Worth seeing?
8. Are the water parks worth getting tickets to? Last time we did 1 park per day. Do the water parks take a full day each?
9. Are 'other' Orlando hotels/resorts worth looking into, then driving into the parks? I feel like that's only like a half-experience? Are they cheaper? Especially since you need to rent a car the whole time and pay for parking?
   
10. What's to be said about using a travel agency, a website like expedia/travelocity, or using the disney site/phone # itself?

Oh my gosh, this is a large post--larger than anticipated! But I thank you experts so much in advance for your thoughts!!

One of these days, I'll be an expert too, and can return the favor!

Thank you!

 

[slappy magoo]

1. Last year we arrived mid-week and left mid-week. Thus, we avoided crowds for airport travel and hotel check-in. VERY appealing. But if we plan to go longer, should we consider weekend travel? This allows for a longer vacation time since because I don't have to take as many vacation days from work! (Could potentially be there for TWO weekends! Although this costs more....)

1. 
   
   If you can afford it, and can afford the time off, why not go for extra days? Even if it winds up being weekends and busier, you can spend more time at your resort, doing stuff you might not have done because you were so busy at the parks, even if it's just more poolside lounging.
   
   

   [*] Where does one sign-up to receive PIN #s? I read a little about these and am wondering if I threw some away with the junk mail since they did mail me a vacation planning DVD last year. Can I call to get one?

   
   Usually, you get on the list to get one after returning from a trip. They know people who've gone and experienced "the magic" are more prone to want to go again. Quite often, they don't even wait for you to get home, offering you deep discounts on your next trip before you're even done with this one. But to my knowledge, there's no way to get on a PIN code list. You either get on the list or you don't. And yes, I suppose there's a chance you threw away a PIN code in your mail, but I've no idea if they can look up your info and determine if you were eligible for a promotional offer. You'll probably be better off asking point blank "I'm planning on going to WDW in this time frame in this month, are they any promotional offers for that time?" You can also see what offers have been listed at www.mousesavers.com
   
   
   

   [*] I've read all the hooplah on the free-dining promos. I don't want to get into that discussion. I think we are in the boat of going, regardless of promo. What I would like to know is if I book everything now (room, flight, dining plan), and the promo comes later for free dining or free nights, will I be eligible to switch? Or do I need to wait to book stuff?

   
   You will be eligible to switch, provided, by the time you find out, there are still rooms available at your resort of choice eligible for the offer. If you book with a company like Kingdom Konsultants (a sponsor of this forum), they'll always be on the lookout for better offers and switch you without your even asking, thus giving you one less thing to worry about while planning for your wedding.
   
   

   [*] Some attractive dates to me were at the end of September. Crap. That's within 180 days. Are we hosed on dinner reservations?? Should I push it out to Oct?

   
   You're not necessarily hosed, depending on where you'd like to eat. Yeah, the absolute most popular restaurants get reserved fast, but that's not true of ALL the restaurants, and you never know when openings might arise, too. I'd probably opt for October or November, myself, but I'm not you, do what's best for you.
   
   

   [*] It's a Honeymoon! We will have fun no matter what, but any suggestions on honeymoon-ish stuff to do, other than wear the appropriate Mickey ears?

   
   Talk about what you REALLY ought to plan on doing on a honeymoon aside, there are romantic carriage rides at both Port Orleans Riverside and Fort Wilderness. A little pricey for a 20-30 minute ride, but lovely. Plan on some dinners at the pricier restaurants, odds are there will be fewer loud families around (of course, no guarantees). Places like Artist Point at Wilderness Lodge, Jiko at AKL, Narcoossee's or Citiricos at GF.
   
   

   

   I heard there are ways to take special pictures in the Magic Kingdom on the castle! How do you do that? We would LOVE to see the inside of that place too! Is that allowed?

   
   Can't help you there, cowpoke, sorry.
   
   

   

   Any secret tricks to getting a CM to do anything special for us?

   
   Be nice to them, and appreciative and sweet and it might inspire them. But, IMHO, trying to get them to do anything beyond their job is kinda tacky. Did you have anything in mind? Something elaborate or just, like, extra desserts?
   
   

   [*] During our trip there, we'd like to branch out and see some more of Orlando. We'd like to spend some time at Downtown Disney, and maybe even go to Universal Studios for a day. How in the world do we pull that off? Last time we didn't even rent a car. Can you rent a car right from the resort for just 1 day? Any tips?
   [*] She likes Harry Potter.

   

   Is that part of the Universal place? Worth seeing?

   
   You can rent cars onsite. There's a Car Care Center near the Magic Kingdom that also has a National/Alamo rental center. You can rent a car for a day or more in the middle of your trip if you want. If you can swing it, I'd say forgo Disney Magical Express and just get a rental car for the duration of your trip. It'll afford you easier access to other resorts and their restaurants and lounges, and if you feel like being a little more affectionate (but not crazy) before you get back to the room, your own car affords you a little more privacy.
   
   
   

   [*] Are the water parks worth getting tickets to? Last time we did 1 park per day. Do the water parks take a full day each?

   
   If you like water parks, sure, they're great. I've never spent a whole day at one, but they're great for a half or 3/4 day, followed by a rest at the hotel room and a nice dinner out.
   
   

   [*] Are 'other' Orlando hotels/resorts worth looking into, then driving into the parks? I feel like that's only like a half-experience? Are they cheaper? Especially since you need to rent a car the whole time and pay for parking?

   
   Savings would depend on which resort, but yes, plan on definitely having a car, and paying for parking every day (unless you get an annual pass with plans of going back before the year's out. Annual Passholders get free parking regardless of where they stay, onsite or off). You also may have to deal with extra traveling time, again depending on the resort you stay and the park you're going to. Some offsite resorts are closer to, say, Animal Kingdom Lodge or Downtown Disney than many Disney resorts. It's a big area, and some things of interest are closer to the edges. Personally, I'd rather stay onsite.
   
   

   

   
   [*] What's to be said about using a travel agency, a website like expedia/travelocity, or using the disney site/phone # itself?

Internet travel agencies are great if you've got the time to deal with everything yourself and can keep scouring for deals. But you're planning a wedding. I'd really recommend emailing Kingdom Konsultants. They specialize in Disney packages and, as I said before, if they book you, they'll make sure you get a better deal if one comes along.

Congratulations on your upcoming nuptials, have a lovely day, a lovely honeymoon, and a lovely life together.

 

[PeoplemoverTTA]

Okay let me see what I can help you with here...first of all, congrats! I hope you have a great time (which you will, of course! ).

Last year we arrived mid-week and left mid-week. Thus, we avoided crowds for airport travel and hotel check-in. VERY appealing. But if we plan to go longer, should we consider weekend travel? This allows for a longer vacation time since because I don't have to take as many vacation days from work! (Could potentially be there for TWO weekends! Although this costs more....)

To still get mid-week rates and avoid the weekend crowds, how about leaving first thing Tuesday morning and coming back the following Thursday evening? That's 10 days right there!

Where does one sign-up to receive PIN #s? I read a little about these and am wondering if I threw some away with the junk mail since they did mail me a vacation planning DVD last year. Can I call to get one?

I'm pretty sure (but not certain) those are randomly sent out by TWDC. I received a PIN once, and was so sad that I couldn't use it. I don't believe you can call to receive one.

Can you rent a car right from the resort for just 1 day? Any tips?

Yes you can...there's a National/Alamo location just inside the Magic Kingdom gates. They were very helpful, although I'm not sure what the rate is for one day. When I've gone to Uni while on Disney property, I've just taken a cab, which cost around $35...still, you don't have the hassle of a rental car, and filling up the gas before turning it back in.

Some attractive dates to me were at the end of September. Crap. That's within 180 days. Are we hosed on dinner reservations?? Should I push it out to Oct?

I would avoid October...the Food & Wine Festival starts Oct. 1 and then I'd guess ADRs will be nearly impossible. September is probably a better bet...you can start calling places you're interested in now to judge availability...although I"m sure more knowledgeable people here on the forums can help you more than I can .

She likes Harry Potter.

Is that part of the Universal place? Worth seeing?

I think so...I haven't been to Uni since 2002, and I'm a casual HP fan, but it simply looks too cool to miss! My sister is a librarian, and a huge HP fan, so we'll definitely be checking it out for 1 day during our next WDW trip (August 2011).

Are 'other' Orlando hotels/resorts worth looking into, then driving into the parks? I feel like that's only like a half-experience? Are they cheaper? Especially since you need to rent a car the whole time and pay for parking?

Parking fees are definitely rough. I used to be a Passholder, so I wasn't used to paying for parking until my last trip - ouch! This is just my personal opinion, but for a honeymoon, I'd definitely want to stay on property...for me, I've started to come around to staying off property, but a honeymoon is obviously very special, and I'd want every bit of Disney magic I could get. Also, if you stay off property, I'd recommend getting a rental car for the entire trip. Off property shuttles are notoriously bad (I've had a few myself). Many drop off at one park and you have to find your way around (and back), and also do not stay till the latest park closing (this all depends on the hotel, but in my experience, off property shuttles are really poor).

What's to be said about using a travel agency, a website like expedia/travelocity, or using the disney site/phone # itself?

I used to use Expedia/Orbitz/Travelocity a lot..especially for airfare. Nowadays, the best airfare rates are usually right on the airlines' websites. I've used Priceline's Name Your Own Price for hotels and rental cars with MUCH success. These sites won't get you a deal on WDW hotels, though. AAA will. But I actually want to use a service like Kingdom Konsultants for my next trip. Although I am confident in my ability to plan, I'd love to leave the hard work to them )), and not have to worry about the small stuff (especially when it comes to your question about different rates and specials...they can sort through all of that and let you know what your best options are). I know one of their helpful folks will probably chime in here soon, but I'd give them a shot for sure!

Okay, I know I didn't get to everything, but i hope this gives you some ideas a little help

**EDIT - Sorry some of this will sound repetitive...slappy_magoo is just a bit faster than me

 

[Oobie]

Congrats on getting married! :sohappy: We had our Honeymoon at Disney World in November of 2008 and had a wonderful time! The people before me left great advice so I'll skip over that stuff...

We went the last day of the Food and wine festival that year, as we wanted to be able to hit that and still be able to do Mickey's Christmas party. The food and wine festival is a lot of fun if you like that kind of thing! We left early on a Sunday morning arriving in Orlando around 10 which left us time to hit the park... we then left the following Monday so we had a nice long trip and really missed the airport crowds. We also book our dining reservations the first day we can... so you might want to jump on that if you're planning on getting in somewhere. They do book up quickly! Also plan on being a little flexible when picking days and times for restaurants. Whenever we've called to make reservations the people are really good about working to find an open day and time.

Like you said, it's your Honeymoon and you're bound to have fun! When you check into your hotel, if staying on property, let them know it's your honeymoon and they'll give you a button that says just married. If you wear that in the parks almost every CM that sees you will congratulate you and maybe even do something special for you if they choose. We had several unexpected moments thanks to CM, both in the parks and at the restaurants on property. These went from a complimentary glass of champagne to a phone call from Mickey and Minnie wishing us well and a bunch of other things as well. We didn't ask anyone to do anything and didn't expect it... Which made it all the more special when people did do things. You can also get a photo package that a disney photographer will take pictures of you in different locals. Not sure on the cost or anything, but you could look it up or call and ask!

Also you might want to check out the Disney Florists http://www.disneyflorist.com/ They have great wedding/honeymoon bouquets that can be sent to your room. A friend sent us one that included the wedding ears, champagne, 2 glasses and some other goodies.

Do the things you enjoy to do and just remember to take time for yourselves as well and have fun! No need to rush around trying to cram it all in.... you both just rushed around trying to get the wedding finished and now it's time to relax. We spent time at the hotel by the pool just sitting in the sun with each other and it was just as nice as going to the parks. We ended up doing our honeymoon a month after the wedding and I thought it was so much nicer than leaving the day after.

As for the water parks... I love water parks so I think it's worth it... just keep in mind that it does get a little chilly down there in the late fall. We were still able to go when we went, but the water parks weren't busy. Also we like the ability to park hop so if it gets to crowded in one park you can leave and go to another one for a while!

We use AAA and usually book our Disney trips through that and we get a discount and some other goodies included as well like discounts, coupons for a round of mini golf and free parking if you need it. You have to be a AAA though to do any of that. So it's no good if you're not!

Anywho those are my 2 cents and I hope they helped and that you have a wonderful wedding and a wonderful honeymoon!!:wave:

 

[eroyee]

contact one of the KIngdom Konsultants members on this board and give them all your info. and what you want and they will do all the work for you. No obligation and no cost to you. Plus, they can make ressies and answer any questions you may have....

 

[Beetuna]

Thanks for the feedback guys! :sohappy: My response & further inquiries:

• So regarding my first point, PeoplemoverTTA, your point was:
  "To still get mid-week rates and avoid the weekend crowds, how about leaving first thing Tuesday morning and coming back the following Thursday evening? That's 10 days right there!"
  
  In this example, I have to take 8 vacation days from work.
  
  If instead, I left after work on Thursday, I could return 2 Sundays away, effectively giving me 10 days, and only taking 6 vacation days. (Because the vacation is actually over two weekends). See what I mean?
  
  I think I'll just have to evaluate the cost & time of it all. More days = more money!
  
  
• I'll consider a car for the duration... For the Car Care Center at Magic Kingdom--are they ever "out of cars"?
  
• $35 for a cab? One way? Around here a rental is less than that.. yikes. Will cabs pick up at the resorts? Any tips on cab companies to use?
  
  
• Can someone tell me what the two water parks are, and the major difference? Maybe we'll only do one...
  
  
• I'll check into Southwest and others to see where the deal is... I'm worried about booking flights early. Last year we did it all at once. But this year, if a promo comes along and we have to make a minor shift, the flights would hose us! Thoughts?
  
  
• I've seen 'LeCellier and CRT (Cinderlla's Royal Table)' posted, but am not sure what they are. CRT is IN the castle right? Oh man that would be sweet to go into... ANY tips on getting into the castle are much appreciated. :king: Unless they cost a bajillion dollars. :zipit:
  
  
• How much is the DDP exactly?
• How much are the AAA discounts? I am a member.
• Kingdom Konsultants mentioned several times.... yikes. Are they that good? I have seen a ton of other agencies.. is this one the best?
  
  

Thanks guys! You are the best!!!

 

[John]

Hello Beetuna, I am a travel agent. I went to my Disney travel agency site and entered in the dates Oct 1st thru oct 9th. I couldnt get a quote on your airfare because you didnt say where you live.

Everyone pretty much covered all your issues. I applaude everyone. You guys know your stuff!


I added a basic dining plan, I also added a 6 day park ticket plan/park hopper. Most here would advise to add the park hopper option. Why 6? Most people do not visit the parks on the day they arrive or the day they leave when you are haveing an extended stay. I also figured a day at Universal studios. Also sometimes we need a down day....just to hang around the resort and relax. So this gives you that option.

Without air I got a quote of $2418.00 This should put you about where you need to be.

You should absolutely use a travel agent, WHY? You can give an agent all your detais and they will make this the most special honeymoon you could possibly have. You shouldnt have to pay an agent one cent. We work on commision. What that means is we get paid by Disney. You will pay the lowest price possible and get personal service for free. Now why wouldnt anyone use an agent?

Even you veteran Disney fans should use an agent. Why? They work for you. It takes the hassel out of the process. Sure some of you just like doing it. Well most travel agents simply have a link thru their agency that links right thru Disney. So you can have it both ways....Book your own vacation but have an agent in your back pocket if you need it.

I have recieved phone calls many times from clients visiting and resolved issues from my office. Kingdom does a great job. What I recommend is to get an agent who specializes in Disney vacations.

 

[John]

Oct 14th thru Oct 21 7 day ticket/park hopper/ water park......Base dining package......plus 2 one day base ticket at universal.

$2441.00 w/o air

 

[Raven66]

Beetuna- I don't really have anything to add I just wanted to say welcome to the boards and congrats your upcoming wedding!!

I do think that you should stay on site. There is nothing like it. We went for our honeymoon many many years ago but we only stayed for the day. We have driven down so we had our own car and now we fly and use the Disney Transportation everywhere. It's just the way we prefer it. On our next trip tho I really want to go see HP. Our next trip won't be until 2013 when my daughter turns 16, so I'm hoping it won't be as busy then. I know there are a lot more people on here that will give you the answers you need. Good luck with everything and have fun!!!

 

[Susan Savia]

Congrats to you! Don't forget to figure into your expenses, all the goodies you'll end up buying (hats $20, tees $20+) etc., tips and any offsite shopping, sightseeing etc.

 

[Beetuna]

Thanks for the tips guys.

Regarding airfare, we would leave from the Detroit, MI area.

I will do some looking at the travel agency options. I have seen a lot of those types of posts online, but I'm having trouble figuring out if it's really people and their opinions, or just highly crafted ads. No offense :zipit:

I also posted some 'follow up' questions I had above (post #6 I think) so if anyone is able to take a stab at those, yay! :ROFLOL:

 

[Oobie]

Hello again! I scrounged around to try and find some of my old AAA info from the past couple of years and didn't have great luck. I can't give you exact numbers, as I can't remember what the prices were on the web site compared to what we ended up spending, but I do know there was usually a difference of $300- $400. That was with no other promotion like free dining or anything like that, but the dining plan doesn't work for us. We also got from AAA what they called a "diamond" Card which offered discounts (15-20%) at some restaurants and stores, a free photo pass photo and like I said before a free round of golf. You might just want to contact a AAA person and ask what they have this year!

We fly in from Indianapolis and have always used AirTran and have always been able to fly round trip non stop for under $500 in total.

I did have a thought, but it might be to late for this, Disney does have a wedding/honeymoon registry where you can register for wedding gifts. My husband and I had lived together for a while and didn't need a lot of new things. So we registered for our honeymoon and a lot of people gave us wedding presents from that. If you go to the Disney website you should be able to find about it!

Le Cellier is a very yummy :slurp: restaurant in Epoct at the Canada pavilion. We always try and go there! Another thing we did for our honeymoon was see La Nouba at Downtown Disney. Or if you want to do some behind the scenes things they also offer tours of the parks, but they can get a little expensive. We did the Backstage magic tour and the backstage safari. They were both very fun! The first one is about 7 hours, takes you to all the parks except animal kingdom and they feed you lunch, but if I remember right it ran about $125 a person. There's a list of all the different tours on the disney site. The different water parks are Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach. They're both fun, but I kind of like Typhoon Lagoon a bit better. It has a wave pool, water "roller coaster" slides and a salt water pool you can swim through with fish. I know the couple times we've gone in the fall one of the water parks has been closed for refurbishment.

And just an FYI... I am a real person, I just have a lot of opinions... and like to share them.:ROFLOL:

 

[John]

Beetuna, just checked with Southwest and for Oct 14 thru 21st they quoted a price of $174 round trip. ($87) each way.

To answer your question #6. The resorts do not offer car rentals. But can be arrainged thru a car rental dealership. IMHO I would just take a Mears bus to Universal. You can do this for a small nominal fee. Picks you up and drops you off at the resort. It depends on how much you want to venture out. If you just wanted to go to Universal this is the way to go. This is not a disney service but one of the few "outside" vendors allowed to do buisness on property.

As far as using an agent, sure I am biased, but in no way am I campaigning for your buisness. I am just trying to give you usefull information. From your intial posting I thought you had alot of questions and concerns with your trip. I think useing an agent would help take all the guess work and stress out of planning an important trip such as this.

As I said, Kingdom Konsultants do an outstanding job! And no I dont work for them. There are lots of good agents that would take the time and help you with every detail. Why go it alone? I have nothing against AAA. But to me I would go with someone whos primary job is to plan and organize Disney trips.

Regaurdless, I hope you have a wonderful, magical Honeymoon!

 

[need2go2wdw]

Hello and congrats! My DH and I honeymooned at WDW 10 years ago and we had a wonderful time! It always cracks me up when people wonder why newlyweds go to WDW for their honeymoon as opposed to somewhere more "grown-up" like Cancun or Hawaii...they just don't understand the magic! It's a GREAT place for a honeymoon and you will have a great time!
I'll try to answer a couple of your follow ups:

I'll consider a car for the duration... For the Car Care Center at Magic Kingdom--are they ever "out of cars"?

I've rented from the Car Care Center in the past and I booked it in advance through a travel site and specified my pick up and/or drop off location as this. At least I knew they would have a car ready for me. It was a pretty decent sized location, I'm not sure they would run out of cars, but if you wanted to be safe, just book in advance!

Can someone tell me what the two water parks are, and the major difference? Maybe we'll only do one...

Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach. We prefer Typhoon Lagoon because it has the best wave pool ever! I think I've read that it's the biggest in the USA. The waves are so fun, everyone screams as they come (about every 90 seconds for I think around an hour...I don't pay much attention to how long they run for, so I could be off), then it takes a short break and starts up again! They have a lazy river, snorkeling lagoon with sharks and other fish, some water slides and a water coaster called Crush n' Gusher! Really awesome! Blizzard Beach is mostly slides. They have the tallest slide around called Summit Plummet...we went on it once and that was enough for us! It goes almost straight down and you can take a ski-lift to get to the top! They have a wave pool, though not nearly on the same level as Typhoon's. They also have a lazy river as well.

I've seen 'LeCellier and CRT (Cinderlla's Royal Table)' posted, but am not sure what they are. CRT is IN the castle right? Oh man that would be sweet to go into... ANY tips on getting into the castle are much appreciated. :king: Unless they cost a bajillion dollars. :zipit:

Yes, Cinderellas Royal Table is in the castle. Never been there, but the ressies are very, very hard to get. Le Cellier is another elusive ressie to acquire. We've gotten lucky once to get in and it was awesome! CRT is a 2 dining credit table service dinner, Le Cellier is 1.

How much is the DDP exactly?

About $40 per person per day for the basic (one counter service, one table service, one snack per person per day). The Quick Service plan is about $30 per person per day and gives you 2 counter services and 2 snacks per person per day I believe. The Deluxe plan is crazy expensive and I'm not even sure what you get with it cause we never spring for it.


And as for staying on-site...DO IT!!!! I would recommend, if it fits into the budget, the Wilderness Lodge. VERY romantic and perfect for honeymoons! Great restaurants, great atmosphere, great pools, great access to parks...plus its the cheapest deluxe resort, aside from Animal Kingdom Lodge (also highly recommended).

 

[PeoplemoverTTA]

I will do some looking at the travel agency options. I have seen a lot of those types of posts online, but I'm having trouble figuring out if it's really people and their opinions, or just highly crafted ads. No offense

:ROFLOL:None taken...I personally haven't used Kingdom Konsultants yet, but I've read a lot of recommendations, and several folks from there are on this site, so I'm actually probably going to use them myself for my next trip. I want to take a Disney cruise for my 30th birthday October 21 -24..perhaps we'll pass each other in the airport! October 21 is my actual birthday too, so with the cruise leaving on that day exactly it will be pretty special. I don't know anything about cruising and have never been on any cruise, let alone a Disney one, so I thought that would be the best thing to start off trying Kingdom Konsultants with.

I'm also planning my next big family trip to WDW for August 2011, and we want to do the dining plan (for the first time...although Ive been a passholder and have been to WDW 20+ times in the past 10 years, I haven't yet done the dining plan), so I figured it would be good to use them for ADRs and all the little things that you have to sit on the phone for, or worse, forget altogether.

I know there's other companies that do the same thing, but I admittedly like to support companies and people who support this site...it really is a great community and I hope you agree!

I think everyone else covered the rest of your questions...if you have any more, just ask! It's fun helping someone else plan their vacation, since mine is so far away

 

[Beetuna]

Thanks for the info guys!

Mears shuttle sounds like it might work... will the hotel call one of those for me? Or do I need to call them myself? Do I need to book them in advance? :shrug:


I'll be making a separate post regarding the Travel Agent stuff... don't want to steer this topic too far off course.


Thanks again for your info guys.:sohappy::sohappy: CRT sounds really cool, and because of that alone, we may push back our dates to ensure we can get in.

 

[amykissangel]

I would ALWAYS recommend staying onsite. We did, then one year stayed "off-site" at the DTD resorts - so not really even that far off! But the lack of Disney transportation, no sending your items back to your room for you, and the lack of magic didn't work for me.

CMs will do for you whatever they feel like - and the nicer you are, the better your chances of something fun happening! One year my cousin Jeff (his first time on an AMY planned trip) had so much fun, he couldn't contain himself and hurried over to a CM to tell them thank you for making his time magical. The next thing we knew, we were calling for the last monorail and getting a special ride back to our hotel. VERY cool.

We're going in August - and haven't made ADRs yet. There's 6 of us, and I still think we'll be okay. Sweltering...but ok. You should be fine for two of you.

Just looked into Harry Potter land the other day-my bf and I wanted to break from the family and see what it was like. But apparently Universal got the Disney bug and have instituted the same "Longer you stay, the less you pay" deal. So for just one day, it's $80 per person. So it wasn't worth it to us, if you counted the car rental or shuttle ride cost plus the tickets.

Congratulations - your fiancee will love you even more after planning such a fantastic trip for the both of you!

 

[need2go2wdw]

One more thing I forgot to mention that you can do during Sept/Oct. Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party at the MK, or MNSSHP for short. You can pre-order your tickets or wait to buy them there, but there may not have any left if you wait. My DH and I went on our honeymoon and had a great time. We haven't been to it since, but this year I think we're going to go and take our daughter. She'll be 2 1/2 by then, so I'm sure she will enjoy getting dressed up and trick or treating!

*You can dress up if you can dress up if you like
*They have a special parade
*Special fireworks
*Limited ticketing, so crowds won't be out of control
*Major attractions will be open
*Runs from 7pm to midnight
*If you are getting pics with character people, they have alot of characters you don't see at meet n greets much elsewhere

It's around $50ish per person, but you can get the exact amount and dates its running somewhere here on the boards or through Disney.

 

[Beetuna]

One more thing I forgot to mention that you can do during Sept/Oct. Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party at the MK, or MNSSHP for short. You can pre-order your tickets or wait to buy them there, but there may not have any left if you wait. My DH and I went on our honeymoon and had a great time. We haven't been to it since, but this year I think we're going to go and take our daughter. She'll be 2 1/2 by then, so I'm sure she will enjoy getting dressed up and trick or treating!

*You can dress up if you can dress up if you like
*They have a special parade
*Special fireworks
*Limited ticketing, so crowds won't be out of control
*Major attractions will be open
*Runs from 7pm to midnight
*If you are getting pics with character people, they have alot of characters you don't see at meet n greets much elsewhere

It's around $50ish per person, but you can get the exact amount and dates its running somewhere here on the boards or through Disney.

Yep, we did this last year. That is where we got engaged. I surprised her with a princess costume, then made her a real Disney princess.
Probably the best fireworks I've ever seen too. Lights up the whole place.