Help on planning my first trip!!!

[pasties]

Well a big hello to everyone first of all from sunny United kingdom!

I have been to disney as a child but i now want to bring my girlfreind for her first visit, and in turn this is my first adult visit as well, i am 23 and my girlfriend is 20.

I am thinking of going for 3 weeks so that we can do as much as possible, while we are their, my firts though is to go end of january into early febuary 2007, however i have been told that their are some major events in that time which increase attendences? if anyone knows the dates to avoid if you could tell em it would be appreciated?

I Understand that at that time of year the temperatures isnt that hot and it can be wet some days, but coming from the UK were used to tempremental weather?

I am currently thinking of staying in one of the value resorts as from what i remember from when i was their years ago the ammount of time you spend in your room is minimal and the money you save can be spent elsewhere? what do you all think?

someone also said Disney do special deals in "Value Season", does anyone know when this is or what they offer?

Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated, and i thank you all in advance?

Thanks

Eirian Price
Wales
Uk

 

[Nemo14]

You've come with lots of questions, so my first suggestion would be that you pick up one of the many guide books that are available. I'm a big fan of the unofficial guide, but others have different preferences.
You're correct about staying at a value (particularly for 3 weeks) if you're not planning to do much more than sleep there. 3 weeks seems like quite a long time to be there in my opinion, but maybe I'm just jealous that I can't afford to stay there for 3 weeks.
The weather at that time can be quite changable, so you'll need to plan for both cool and warm weather. It's not uncommon to see people bundled up in winter clothes there in January, or in shorts and Tees in February.

 

[pasties]

Have ordered 2 books which are on the way to me ASAP, do you know what dates to avoid?

 

[Monty]

The seasons for 2007 were posted in May. "Value Season" are the least expensive for resort pricing. For the Value Resorts in the time frame You're looking at, runs 1 Jan to 14 February. If your stay starts within those dates, you'll pay the lowest rack rate.

It is cooler that time of year, bring sweaters and/or light jackets for the evenings. Park hours are shorter as well, but with reduced crowds, you can still do just as much, if not more than in peak season.

I've been there that time of year three times and have hit the competitions for either dance or cheer-leading twice. Although they can be annoying, they don't have all that bad an impact on your wait times for rides, etc... They chants and cheers can sometimes be quite entertaining and after a while really annoying. I'm a fairly patient guy and it did occasionally grate on me. But overall we still had fantastic trips in late-January/early-February! Go for it!

Recommendation: Invest in the Disney Dining Plan and book Advanced Dining Reservations as early as you can! Even in slow season, getting into Table Service restaurants without ADRs is not always possible. The DDP is worth every penny, you can eat quick service food the whole time you're there and it might be cheaper, but the volume and quality of food you get on the DDP for the price is definitely worth it! We ate filet mignon and other very expensive meals we'd normally never dream of ordering, but were all covered under the plan! :slurp:

 

[pasties]

thanks all this info is brilliant

 

[campdisney]

It is cooler that time of year, bring sweaters and/or light jackets for the evenings. Park hours are shorter as well, but with reduced crowds, you can still do just as much, if not more than in peak season.

I've been there that time of year three times and have hit the competitions for either dance or cheer-leading twice. Although they can be annoying, they don't have all that bad an impact on your wait times for rides, etc... They chants and cheers can sometimes be quite entertaining and after a while really annoying. I'm a fairly patient guy and it did occasionally grate on me. But overall we still had fantastic trips in late-January/early-February! Go for it!

Our last two trips have been during this time frame as well. It's a great time of year with less crowds and better hotel rates! We're Northerners so the cooler weather doesn't faze us at all. Sweatshirts on a cool night are always better than parkas in the snow. And it is amusing to see the locals wearing gloves and hats when temps drop a bit. That said, most days were still quite balmy, easily shorts & t-shirt weather.

We hit the cheerleaders too one trip. They travel in packs and were only mildly annoying on one bus trip -- but otherwise well behaved. We never even saw them in any other park than the MK. They're pretty easy to spot if you want to avoid them. Matching t-shirts, matching backpacks, matching hairdos and they all wear glitter eye shadow :animwink: .

 

[imamouse]

Hello and welcome to WDWMagic :wave: I suggest that you contact Pam or Marie from Kingdom Konsultant (a sponsor of this board). They are super knowledgeable and can make all of your arrangements for you.

As for accommodations for 3 weeks - I agree that the value resorts make sense (not in the room other to sleep), but for a 3 week stay, why not mix it up a bit? Perhaps stay at one of the All-Star resorts for 1 week, Pop Century for the 2nd week, then upgrade to a posh resort for the 3rd week? Just a suggestion.

I hope you have a magical holiday. Cheers!

 

[eroyee]

:wave: Do not forget to get tickets to MVMCP. Its a really neat thing. we had to wear coats a few nites in Jan. but was worth it. If you wait till after Jan. 7, the decorations will almost all be gone. Most of the cheer teams come in around Feb. I believe. we have had them at 2 resorts and quite noisy day and night and at the food courts. allearsnet.com will tell you the event dates. have a magical trip. Its a wonderful time to go. we are going Jan. 7 for 10 days to POP. if you want to save money for something else, stay at the values. :sohappy:

 

[slappy magoo]

If you're really planning on going for three weeks, and you intend to stay within WDW during those three weeks, constantly hitting the parks (no going outside to Sea World or Universal, no full-days lounging poolside), then you may want to consider getting an annual pass. Quite often, annual pass holders are given deep discounts for rooms, and it may allow you to at least spend part of your vacation in a higher-end resort. You can get a pass that covers all four of the main parks, or for a little more money, get unlimited visits to the water parks, Pleasure Island & DisneyQuest as well. You can spend some time in one of the Disney Vacation Club resorts (where you may get 75 to 100 dollars off a night), and use the kitchenette to prepare some meals and save some money.

And speaking of food...

Plus, for an extra 50 or 75 dollars (can't remember which, and it may be even more now), Annual Passholders can buy into a dining discount. I think it's called Disney Dining Experience. You will get 20% your total bills at just about all of the sit-down restaurants, in any of the parks OR any of the hotels. You also get 20% off the counter-service costs of food at any of the value resorts or in the water parks, or in Port Orleans French Quarter. For three weeks, you will definitely make your money back on that...

And one more possible advantage-as an Annual Passholder, you have the option of going back over the course of the year. You can, for example, go in 2007 near the end of January, then go again in 2008 at the beginning of January, and your park admissions are still covered. Not a bad deal, especially if you think you'll habitually have 3 week vacations, you lucky devil you...

The only POSSIBLE disadvantage is this: On occasion the past year or so, Disney offers special promotions during Value Seasons where, if you pay full rack rate on your room, they throw you a full-service meal, a counter-service meal and a snack, EVERY DAY, for each night you're staying. I believe Annual Passholders are not eligible for this discount. But of course, there's also no guarantee that the deal will still be offered in the future.

 

[kachow]

For three weeks, it may make sense to break your trip up and spend some time in an off-site hotel. I guess it depends what you want to do, but it just seems like an opportunity to go outside the Disney limits to hit Universal and the other attractions around Orlando, since I'm not sure WDW could hold my full attention for 3-weeks without getting old. I personally don't like to leave WDW at all while I'm there, to maintain the aura without being spoiled by the outside world, so I'd probably do a week or so outside Disney, and then commence my WDW vacation.

 

[pasties]

thanks for all your help, the AP, can it be bought by someone in the UK?

 

[ClemsonTigger]

:wave: Do not forget to get tickets to MVMCP. Its a really neat thing. we had to wear coats a few nites in Jan. but was worth it. If you wait till after Jan. 7, the decorations will almost all be gone. Most of the cheer teams come in around Feb. I believe. we have had them at 2 resorts and quite noisy day and night and at the food courts. allearsnet.com will tell you the event dates. have a magical trip. Its a wonderful time to go. we are going Jan. 7 for 10 days to POP. if you want to save money for something else, stay at the values. :sohappy:

They won't be travelling until the end of January, so MVMCP won't be an issue.

I second getting in touch with Kingdom Konsultants. There can be a lot to plan and have it get overwhelming, especially if you are not familiar with what WDW has to offer. There are many friends here from the UK, I would suggest you contact some of them for help on arrangements from outside of the states. There are various packages available that are different from what we have. Good luck.

 

[Monty]

Check the price for APs. My understanding is you're probably still better off withe the 21-day ticket you can get in the UK. If you do plan on squeezing in a second trip within 12 months of this one, then it might be worth it...

My APs cost US$415/ea. To give you a basis for comparison.

 

[pasties]

well a 21 day ultimate disney pass costs about £200 per person, however booking through disney direct or other UK travel companies they include this in the cost, at present i have a price of £940 per person for 3 weeks staing at POP resort with a disney ticket and flights, thats leaving the UK the 27th January 2007?

whats your thoughts?

 

[dalton30720]

I think this is a pretty good time to go, in terms of crowds. Sure, you may run into some school groups. And I think school systems along the entire Eastern seaboard take all of President's week off, but I think you will just miss those dates.

The days will probably be mild during the day, but could get cool at night. Dress in layers, so you can adjust as needed to throughout the day. Also, when making dining plans keep in mind that the parks may be closing a little early this time of year, sometimes as early as 7 p.m. Check the schedule because you can always eat after the parks close.

I second the unofficial guide. We have bought them all, but this one gives the best advice on saving money, avoiding crowds and the realistic expectations you should have.