Going in October 2008

[hsb1970]

Hello,

Let me start by saying this website is amazing! I am planning a trip to WDW 10/4/08-10/11/08. As usual, I have so many questions, LOL! :ROFLOL:

Is the DDP worth it? When I went to see the rates it added $900.00 to the package total when I added DDP. We are a family of 4 (2 adults, 2 children ages 12 & 16). The reason I ask is because we just took a trip to Universal Studios & Islands of Adventure 6/1/08-6/6/08 and I don't think we spent but around $500.00-$600.00. Ususally we ate one large meal a day which is probably why the amount seems low. The food at the Universal parks wasn't that great either so we ate most of our meals out at City Walk restaurants. Is the food better at WDW? With limited funds I like to make sure the food is worth it when I spend my hard earned money at restaurants. I do like the idea of not having to leave WDW and go out to eat everday so maybe the convenience alone is worth it.

I would really like to stay at a moderate or deluxe resort but it appears as though my budget will only allow the value resorts. I was thinking the Movie themed resort because I love the Disney movies. I get more excited about the characters & stuff than the kids, LOL! Last time I went, 1983, we stayed at the Contemporary Resort but I think it was called the Contemporary Tower Resort then. I absolutely loved it! I would much rather use the monorail than a bus but oh well!

I have also thought about not purchasing the park hopper option and just add one more day to the trip. If we do the park hopper thingy then we will go 10/5/08-10/11/08. Would 6 days at the parks w/o the park hopper be a better bet than 5 days with the park hopper option? It might end up being about the same but I really want to enjoy the trip and have a chance to see & do everything!!!!

I'm so excited and hope that everything works out.:sohappy: I'm only worried that because the kids are older they won't be as excited as they would have 5-6 or so years ago.:veryconfu

Any advice will be greatly appreciated! Thank you!!!

 

[smk]

Glad you are getting to go! 1983 was your last visit really? A lot has changed....a lot.

I would forgo to DP, I don't think it is worth it for just the two of us, BUT plenty of people here like it, or love it really. If I were on a budget, I could eat meals for a lot less than the plan offers. There are plenty of ways to get around high food prices at the parks, take breakfast items, buy water bottles and refill from fountains or fill with ice and let it melt, go to a store and get fresh fruit and snacks to keep you going and have a good meal at least once a day. I personally order kids meals and save that way.

I would opt for the park hoppers(if you want to go to more than one park in one day or want to go back a ride things you enjoyed again), skip the DP and stay where you can afford to stretch your budget. Stay for as many days as you can, even if you don't go to the parks all the days you are there, take a day or two to play minature golf, swim and explore all the resorts. Downtown Disney is a good way to spend an afternoon or evening and have a sit down meal with the family. There are so many things to do that going only 5 days may make those days rushed and less enjoyable. Having said that...if going 5 days is all you can do then go and have a great time!

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

In my opinion the DDP is only worth it if you're going to be spending more time eating than in the parks. The idea is to maximise what you eat against what you've paid for, which generally means visiting the "upscale" more expensive restaurants where you won't want to rush your meal to get back to the parks.

The Hopper option is a great idea for increasing the flexibility of your trip - visiting a second park if your first choice gets too busy etc.

Spend the extra money on Hoppers and eat what you want, where and when you want

 

[ILDisneyFan]

I've never done the DDP because I don't think it is worth the money, but that is just my opinion. We usually eat at our resort before we leave, then we eat one big meal in the afternoon, and get a little snack at night. So, for 3 of us this doesn't usually cost more than $100 a day.
We also don't do the Park Hopper option because I don't think that is worth the money either. For us, it's just best to get up go to one park and stay at that same park until they close. It takes to long to get a bus to go to another park. By the time you get to another park you usually waste at least an hour in just transit time plus the Park Hopper is quite a bit extra per day per ticket. In my opinion, I would just stick with the regular Magic Your Way Ticket. If you find you want to leave halfway through the day to take a break or whatever just get your hand stamped on your way out and you can return to the same park later in the day without it taking off an additional day, but you HAVE to return to the same park you left!
These are just my opinions, I'm sure there are people out there who love both options, but I'm not one of them.
Have a magical time!

 

[AEfx]

You are going to get some varied opinions, but here is what I think would be best based on what you've said above :

1) It actually sounds like you might be a candidate for the DDP, but the age of your kids might be the deciding factor. Eating one large meal a day is what it is based around; you get 1 sit-down meal, 1 counter service meal, and 1 snack each day. However, the best thing you can do is look at some menu's for restaurants at WDW and see - would the daily cost outweigh what you would consume? You will be paying full adult prices for the DDP with both your 12 and 16yo, so keep that in mind. Some teenagers don't eat a lot, some eat enough for three people - it will depend on your kids in particular.

2) For a value resort, I highly recommend Pop Century. It's newer (2003) and although the All-Stars has it's fans, things like Pop having a dedicated bus line makes it my choice for a value. Don't feel like you are missing out by not staying on a monorail resort - while it's awesome for Magic Kingdom days, and OK for getting to Epcot (though you have to change trains) getting to the other parks is the same old bus. And, in fact, your commute time goes up because the monorail resorts are so far from the other parks.

3) To Park Hop or not...again, a totally personal decision, but to be honest, with two teenagers I'd do the park hopper. If you had smaller kids you'd probably want to concentrate on one park a day, but with a park hopper you could, say, go to Magic Kingdom for opening, and if you are right there at 8:55AM between 9 and noon you can see all the major attractions while most people are getting out of bed. When MK starts to get crowded (around lunchtime) you can take a break, and then head off to another park for the afternoon, and maybe pop somewhere else for fireworks/nighttime shows later.

You will find this invaluable as an "insurance" policy as well - if on your MGM (sorry, Hollywood Studios LOL) day Fantasmic! gets rained out, for instance, you could pop in at the end of the day after spending the day at another park to see it. With Animal Kingdom's early closing (5PM usually that time of year) it can really be nice to have the option to go elsewhere.

That said, you can always add the Park Hopper option at any time during your stay. You can try out touring without it, but if you find you need it you can upgrade your ticket at any time to add it should you change your mind.

Good luck, and don't forget to make dining reservations. Finally, you will be there during Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party - it's an extra cost event ($45pp) but you get to stay in the MK until midnight, wear costumes (or see them) and meet many villian characters who don't normally appear. If you can work it into your budget, it's a great time.

AEfx

 

[hsb1970]

Thank you everyone for the great advice and opinions! I didn't think about a situation where rain would cancel a show and going to it on another evening. Without the park hopper you may miss it. Lots of things to think about.

 

[hsb1970]

Good luck, and don't forget to make dining reservations. Finally, you will be there during Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party - it's an extra cost event ($45pp) but you get to stay in the MK until midnight, wear costumes (or see them) and meet many villian characters who don't normally appear. If you can work it into your budget, it's a great time.

AEfx

What is included in the Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party?

 

[fascion216]

yay! i will see you there! we are going from 10/06-10/15!

 

[rlaeromech]

Hello,

Let me start by saying this website is amazing! I am planning a trip to WDW 10/4/08-10/11/08. As usual, I have so many questions, LOL! :ROFLOL:

Is the DDP worth it? When I went to see the rates it added $900.00 to the package total when I added DDP. We are a family of 4 (2 adults, 2 children ages 12 & 16). The reason I ask is because we just took a trip to Universal Studios & Islands of Adventure 6/1/08-6/6/08 and I don't think we spent but around $500.00-$600.00. Ususally we ate one large meal a day which is probably why the amount seems low. The food at the Universal parks wasn't that great either so we ate most of our meals out at City Walk restaurants. Is the food better at WDW? With limited funds I like to make sure the food is worth it when I spend my hard earned money at restaurants. I do like the idea of not having to leave WDW and go out to eat everday so maybe the convenience alone is worth it.

I would really like to stay at a moderate or deluxe resort but it appears as though my budget will only allow the value resorts. I was thinking the Movie themed resort because I love the Disney movies. I get more excited about the characters & stuff than the kids, LOL! Last time I went, 1983, we stayed at the Contemporary Resort but I think it was called the Contemporary Tower Resort then. I absolutely loved it! I would much rather use the monorail than a bus but oh well!

I have also thought about not purchasing the park hopper option and just add one more day to the trip. If we do the park hopper thingy then we will go 10/5/08-10/11/08. Would 6 days at the parks w/o the park hopper be a better bet than 5 days with the park hopper option? It might end up being about the same but I really want to enjoy the trip and have a chance to see & do everything!!!!

I'm so excited and hope that everything works out.:sohappy: I'm only worried that because the kids are older they won't be as excited as they would have 5-6 or so years ago.:veryconfu

Any advice will be greatly appreciated! Thank you!!!

Just something to consider here.

I have stayed in a value resort and they are nice. They are still better than any value resort outside the property. I have a family of 4 and we have found that since we drive to WDW and have our car, its actually better for us to stay in a condo just outside the property. I know I know, there are some on this board that would question my status as a true WDW fan but for our family, it just works out better. We have always stayed in Windsor Hills which is just outside the property. They have a really nice resort pool and gated community. We can get a 3 bedroom condo for the same price and sometimes cheaper than a value resort on property. Of course you have to figure in parking and EMH which we obviosly don't use. Our kids our young and so it nice to have all the ammenities of home instead of a hotel room. It makes it comfortable when we are not at the parks. just something to consider.

The DDP is out if you go off property so I have no experience with DDP. The condo is nice for making some of your own meals. Full Kitchen etc.

As for your tickets. Depends on your plan. If you are going to "wing it", I'd say add a park hopper, although I don't think anyone here, myself included would advise you to wing it. But if you are going to plan the week, with what days you will be at what parks, then I would say you would be ok without them and adding the additional day. The only draw back is the 5th and 6th day after you have been to all 4 parks and you can't decide on which 2 to do again. What about adding the water parks and more option instead of the extra day or park hopper? Basically if you buy a 5 day pass, then add the water parks and more, you get 5 water park entrances. We did that on our last trip and they are alot of fun. Something else to consider. I'm not sure what the price difference is though.

 

[RiversideBunny]

My most humble conclusions for you after reading the details of your trip-

• Stay at a Value resort.
• Don't do the Disney Dining Plan.
• Do get the Park Hopper option.
• If you can swing an extra ~$50 per person, get tickets for MNSSHP, otherwise just spend more time in the parks, etc.

Have fun

 

[RussJT]

We (me, my wife and two kids) stayed at a Value Resort for the 2nd time in April. We did do the DDP, and afterwards, I realized it DID save us money overall. Also, I thought it made it convenient to not have to worry about carrying money, etc. to pay for meals. It felt good to have everything paid for in advance.

My kids are younger than yours, so we did not get park hoppers. We found it easier to focus on one park per day. That worked well for us. Most people seem to prefer having the park hopper option.

As for the DDP, look at a restaurant list and try to map out a list of places where you'd ike to eat each day. You should be able to find sample menus with prices which would help give you a general idea about whether it would save you money.

 

[Tinkerbella16]

I really liked the DDP when we tried it last year, but we were a family of 7 so it worked out better. I don't think we will be doing it again though, with the changes, and the cost. I can save myself money by eating small meals throughout the day and having a snack when I feel like it. Dont get me wrong, it was nice to have all of our meals paid for in advance. And sometimes you are saving money because some of the places people eat at while on the DDP have meals that range from $20 - $45. Without the DDP we wouldn't eat at some of those places like Le Cellier, Coral Reef, or CRT etc... So that is where I see myself saving a little with the dining plan. But last year, we came home basically bloated from all of the food from the entire week. It really was just too much. This year they should have kept the appetizer/dessert as an option, instead of just dessert.

As for the Park Hopper Option... I would definately go for that. It is really worth being able to go to any of the parks, however many times you please in a day...
For example... We will wake up early and get breakfast at the resort foodcourt and head over to Epcot until around 2:30pm. Leave and go back to the resort to swim, rest, have lunch, shower and go to MK for the evening. Have a small dinner at MK, and do whatever we want until closing or especially if it is an EMH night, watch Wishes and then head back to the rides!!!

I think it is well worth it to have park hopping on your package. :wave: