First trip-October 2014

[MinnieMous3]

Hi all, i'm new to the forum so hope i have posted in the right place

I have just booked our very first trip to WDW for October 2014 (such a long time to wait when the excitement is building already) for myself and, by then, my 15 year old son.
We go to Disneyland Paris 3/4 times a year so know the basics but WDW is so much more to think about and plan.

We are only staying 25th Oct-2nd Nov (my son won't be able to have any time off school next year) in the Saratoga Spring Resort. Our flight options wont be available until mid November but i am still unsure of if we should fly direct or do the cheaper option of stop in-between flights. Has anyone done the stop off? We will be flying from London, either Heathrow or Gatwick. I've been looking at reviews of the different airlines and all seem to have conflicting reviews so any advice would be helpful

I'm going to book the MNSSHP when it comes available, we have done this in Paris a couple of times and loved it!! What are people's opinions on what day to go? Was thinking we could do the Tuesday rather than the actual Halloween night or maybe both?

Another thing i was looking at was the Pirate & Pals cruise and the Seas Aqua Tour. Are they worth the money when we have limited time in the parks already?

We have already been looking at restaurants and like the look of Chef Mickey, The Crystal Palace, Tusker House, The Garden Grill and Be Our Guest. What are your experiences of these? Are there any i should avoid or maybe any others i should look at instead?

Thanks for any help/advice

 

[Master Yoda]

For MNSSHP I would avoid Halloween at all costs. I can not remember the last Halloween night that did not sell out.

 

[Sparkle81]

I could probably answer some of your questions in about 6 months lol- we're going to be staying at Saratoga Springs, flying direct from UK to Orlando (from Manchester, though) and we've made reservations at Garden Grill, Crystal Palace and Chef Mickeys for the first time. Oh, and last night, I booked the Pirates and Pals Fireworks Voyage. Looks like great minds really do think alike!!

 

[MinnieMous3]

I could probably answer some of your questions in about 6 months lol- we're going to be staying at Saratoga Springs, flying direct from UK to Orlando (from Manchester, though) and we've made reservations at Garden Grill, Crystal Palace and Chef Mickeys for the first time. Oh, and last night, I booked the Pirates and Pals Fireworks Voyage. Looks like great minds really do think alike!!

OMG! Definately great minds think alike!! Can't wait to hear about your trip when you get back! Who did you book your flights with? I was looking at Virgin or BA but prices seem to be so varied

 

[MinnieMous3]

For MNSSHP I would avoid Halloween at all costs. I can not remember the last Halloween night that did not sell out.

Thank you, I had read that Halloween night is always a sell out and to expect the crowds so maybe we'll do it earlier in the week and do a nice dinner instead Halloween night

 

[disneysince71]

Welcome! Your restaurant choices are all excellent... I would skip the cruise if you do not have a lot of time.. it is fun but if I had time restraints... Personally I would rather be in a park. Your trip sounds great! Have fun planning!

 

[Zman-ks]

Thank you, I had read that Halloween night is always a sell out and to expect the crowds so maybe we'll do it earlier in the week and do a nice dinner instead Halloween night

Excellent idea

 

[Sparkle81]

OMG! Definately great minds think alike!! Can't wait to hear about your trip when you get back! Who did you book your flights with? I was looking at Virgin or BA but prices seem to be so varied

We actually booked the whole thing through Virgin Holidays, and got an excellent deal- at the time, they had a sale on, we got free Disney Dining Plans, Disney dollars to spend etc. Also because we booked just over 12 months in advance, we got decent prices on the flights. It's always worth looking at indirect flights (friends of ours have gone from Manchester via Philadelphia before because it was cheaper) but bearing in mind you're only going to be at WDW for a week, I'd book direct flights and make the most of every minute you have there or you could waste a lot of time going via somewhere & having a wait at an airport. Unless it's going to save you A LOT of course

 

[Sparkle81]

Oh, just to clarify- we flew with Virgin Atlantic

 

[MinnieMous3]

We actually booked the whole thing through Virgin Holidays, and got an excellent deal- at the time, they had a sale on, we got free Disney Dining Plans, Disney dollars to spend etc. Also because we booked just over 12 months in advance, we got decent prices on the flights. It's always worth looking at indirect flights (friends of ours have gone from Manchester via Philadelphia before because it was cheaper) but bearing in mind you're only going to be at WDW for a week, I'd book direct flights and make the most of every minute you have there or you could waste a lot of time going via somewhere & having a wait at an airport. Unless it's going to save you A LOT of course

I'm hoping to book the flights as soon as they go on sale to hopefully get a reasonable price, was thinking i'd only book indirect if they're going to save us over £150 each as it's not worth the hastle. We've also got the free Dining plan and $200 gift card which is a bonus! Thanks for your help Just wish i could get the flights out of the way so that i can relax

 

[Sparkle81]

I'm hoping to book the flights as soon as they go on sale to hopefully get a reasonable price, was thinking i'd only book indirect if they're going to save us over £150 each as it's not worth the hastle. We've also got the free Dining plan and $200 gift card which is a bonus! Thanks for your help Just wish i could get the flights out of the way so that i can relax

It's just the waiting to book flights now that gets frustrating- if you're anything like me, you'll want it all done and dusted as soon as possible Time will soon fly by though and before you know it, those flights will be booked. Then you'll have the dining reservations to plan next I just did mine a couple of weeks ago, on 180 days. If you don't already, I highly recommend downloading a WDW countdown app for your phone, if you have a smartphone. It was perfect for me to keep track of exactly when I needed to call