rt06
Well-Known Member
Yeah, check that. You have a 5 y.o. Pay cash.
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Hi I'm a new member who would like some hotel information..
- Thread starter Gemma2806
- Start date
Yeah, check that. You have a 5 y.o. Pay cash.
jlsHouston
Well-Known Member
Yah I should have mentioned we always have gotten the DP at least the one that had one TS per day. In general for as many days as you will be onsite it is probably worth it so you can take your child and yourselves for some character dining sit downs and if you do decide to try a nice restaurant for grown ups only you can look at the option of putting your 5 year old into the Kid club for a couple of hours, they feed them for the price of the babysitting and 5 is a great age, my grandkids loved the 2 hours they spent at it one night when we did Ohana.
I like the ideas about resort hopping too, I always do that but if you don't like packing and unpacking don't do it because you will lose a solid half a day changing resorts. I just like variety and when I go for 10-14 days I always split my stay.
I like the ideas about resort hopping too, I always do that but if you don't like packing and unpacking don't do it because you will lose a solid half a day changing resorts. I just like variety and when I go for 10-14 days I always split my stay.
Another vote for splitting your stay!
After 21 Days the charm of the hotel might wear off, so split it between 2 or 3 (AKL should be one of them though!).
Lots of people complain about the transport from AKL and whilst it isn't as good as other Deluxe resorts, it really isn't a problem (or at least I never had a problem whilst staying there).
When it comes to moving hotels, Disney make this pretty easy. Just check out of one, tell Bell services your moving to another hotel and leave your bags. A few hours later when you check into your new hotel, your bags will be waiting for you.
After 21 Days the charm of the hotel might wear off, so split it between 2 or 3 (AKL should be one of them though!).
Lots of people complain about the transport from AKL and whilst it isn't as good as other Deluxe resorts, it really isn't a problem (or at least I never had a problem whilst staying there).
When it comes to moving hotels, Disney make this pretty easy. Just check out of one, tell Bell services your moving to another hotel and leave your bags. A few hours later when you check into your new hotel, your bags will be waiting for you.
jlsHouston
Well-Known Member
Well our last stay I just did cash for food and there was no loss and no savings. It was 6 of one and half a dozen of the other. Maybe paying cash saved me less than $100 but keep in mind I did a lot of sit down dining and I had 3 adults most of the time in my party along with 2 kids and I did use the TIW discount card but it didn't work Thanksgiving day. I spent average of $ 300 per day in food and snacks. I had the mugs for the unlimited drinks and a car, so I did have some water and juices and breakfast and snack items in the fridge for us. I guess we are just chow cows when we get to Disney. We get as excited about disney dining as we do riding Splash and ToT.
Depending what time of the year you go making dining reservations in advance may or may not even be necessary for most sit down restaurants. I have almost always been able to walk up to Cape May in the morning and get added to the wait list for breakfast buffet with characters. Same for 1900 Park Fare character breakfast or dinner. I think it's the people running the show there, they are just really positive and helpful compared to some of the other character dining venues.
With a 5 year old I would think it would be worth it to book some character meals, and that TRex Cafe over at DtD. And my grandkids love Sci Fi sitting in the cars and watching old movies. Disney has some great dining experiences for kids and as an adult I love them too.
Depending what time of the year you go making dining reservations in advance may or may not even be necessary for most sit down restaurants. I have almost always been able to walk up to Cape May in the morning and get added to the wait list for breakfast buffet with characters. Same for 1900 Park Fare character breakfast or dinner. I think it's the people running the show there, they are just really positive and helpful compared to some of the other character dining venues.
With a 5 year old I would think it would be worth it to book some character meals, and that TRex Cafe over at DtD. And my grandkids love Sci Fi sitting in the cars and watching old movies. Disney has some great dining experiences for kids and as an adult I love them too.
PhilharMagician
Well-Known Member
Not necessarily quietness, but when it is raining out (which it does often) you will have to venture out in the rain to get anywhere. At Animal Kingdom Lodge you will not have this issue. If you want to leave you room to go to the Mara (quick service restaurant) most of the journey is inside and the little bit the outside is under a covered walkway. The bus stop is also covered and the walkway to the resort is covered so you can stay dry on those rainy evenings coming back to the resort.
The pools at AKL is great for the kids and they have a nice bar for the adults on those hot afternoons.
You mentioned that you do not want to be tied to dining reservations. Most table service restaurants will not have any available seating in WDW for supper. You have a better chance finding something for lunch, but the good restaurants will be fully booked months out. It is really sad that this is the way that WDW has gone. You cannot be spontaneous and walk up to a restaurant anymore and be seated. I really would make your best assumption on where you will be on each day and plan a table service meal that would work for that plan. You can always cancel, but be careful of the possible penalties. Look at the menus here and review the food offering with your family to see what everyone would like to try and make a list of the restaurants.
WDW is not like DLP. WDW is the busiest theme park resort in the world by far and everything has gone the way of preplanning and reservations. Read, ask questions and be prepared. You are going to spend a small fortune making this trip so make sure that you are prepared. There are a lot of great people here that can answer any questions that you may possibly have.
PhilharMagician
Well-Known Member
This is an international trip and the offers and discounts they get may not be able to split. I agree that 21 days needs a split, but may not be possible.
jlsHouston
Well-Known Member
I was wondering how do they do 21 days of park visits ? Do they buy an annual pass or does Disney give International packages more days they can purchase at a discount for the parks ?
PhilharMagician
Well-Known Member
I believe they end up with a heavily discounted 21 day park pass (Stay and Play). There are some incredible deals out there for our international friends. Much better than what we seem to be offered here.
Thank you so much everyone who has replied. You seem to be a lovely, helpful group of people by far the best I've met on other forums I've used!
Being from the UK, Disney offers us a choice of 7, 14 or 21 day stay and play tickets. The 21 day ticket is only £30 more than the 14 day ticket so yes they are heavily discounted. You are able to book a 21 day stay at any Disney hotel online as part of a package holiday. You book your flights, hotel, tickets and dining plans all at the same time. The main incentive to stay longer is the astronomical price of flights from the UK! A stay at the AKL for 21 days at the moment for the 3 of us works out cheaper than the cost of the flights alone! It is also possible for us to split the stay at different resorts. There is a family from the UK who make video diaries of their holidays to WDW that are posted on You Tube (Phil, Emma and Ben) and we love watching these! They were able on a previous trip to split time between the Grand Floridian and PORS.
I will definitely look into splitting the holiday as this would give me the best of both worlds!
We're looking to stay the last week of October so we can experience Halloween and Mickey's NSSHP, the first week of November for Epcot's Food and Wine Festival and the following week of November for the start of the Christmas season. We would then look at moving down to Port Canaveral for the 7 nights cruise.
I have been very unsure of the Disney Dining Plans as when we have previously gone to DLP breakfast is included in the price so we fill up on breakfast, have a meal each for lunch and then tend to share a meal at dinner. I would definitely want to do character meals though as my son loves meeting the characters. I'm wondering then if cash would be a better option. I LOVE planning trips completely so would be happy to book any and all table service meals in advance.
Being from the UK, Disney offers us a choice of 7, 14 or 21 day stay and play tickets. The 21 day ticket is only £30 more than the 14 day ticket so yes they are heavily discounted. You are able to book a 21 day stay at any Disney hotel online as part of a package holiday. You book your flights, hotel, tickets and dining plans all at the same time. The main incentive to stay longer is the astronomical price of flights from the UK! A stay at the AKL for 21 days at the moment for the 3 of us works out cheaper than the cost of the flights alone! It is also possible for us to split the stay at different resorts. There is a family from the UK who make video diaries of their holidays to WDW that are posted on You Tube (Phil, Emma and Ben) and we love watching these! They were able on a previous trip to split time between the Grand Floridian and PORS.
I will definitely look into splitting the holiday as this would give me the best of both worlds!
We're looking to stay the last week of October so we can experience Halloween and Mickey's NSSHP, the first week of November for Epcot's Food and Wine Festival and the following week of November for the start of the Christmas season. We would then look at moving down to Port Canaveral for the 7 nights cruise.
I have been very unsure of the Disney Dining Plans as when we have previously gone to DLP breakfast is included in the price so we fill up on breakfast, have a meal each for lunch and then tend to share a meal at dinner. I would definitely want to do character meals though as my son loves meeting the characters. I'm wondering then if cash would be a better option. I LOVE planning trips completely so would be happy to book any and all table service meals in advance.
Sparkle81
Well-Known Member
Lovely to see a fellow Brit on here. Welcome!
Have you had a shop around to make sure there are no offers on the Dining Plan at the moment? When we booked our trip for this November, we got the Disney Dining Plan included. If not, I agree with the others- you'd be better just paying out of pocket for meals, and including it in your holiday budget as the quick service plan isn't always as cost effective, especially if you're planning to do some character meals too.
I can't really offer you any advice on which resort to choose as I haven't stayed at any of them, but Animal Kingdom Lodge is on my bucket list
Lovely to see a fellow Brit on here. Welcome!
Have you had a shop around to make sure there are no offers on the Dining Plan at the moment? When we booked our trip for this November, we got the Disney Dining Plan included. If not, I agree with the others- you'd be better just paying out of pocket for meals, and including it in your holiday budget as the quick service plan isn't always as cost effective, especially if you're planning to do some character meals too.
I can't really offer you any advice on which resort to choose as I haven't stayed at any of them, but Animal Kingdom Lodge is on my bucket list
Hi and thank you!
There aren't any current offers for the Dining Plan at the moment but I've considered waiting for an offer and then I can use it as much as necessary and just save up some extra money for other meals I'd like to do. Otherwise yes I reckon I'd just take the cash!
I've wanted to stay at the AKL since it was first built but have never been able to afford to do it!
bethymouse
Well-Known Member
AKL is now the least expensive deluxe resort out there. The Wilderness Lodge is next. The cabins at Fort Wilderness used to be considered "moderate", but the prices have gone pretty high for that stay.
I would go AKL.
POR and POFQ are very nice. If you plan on spending time at Downtown Disney the boats are very nice! The restaurant at PORS is pretty good Boatwright's- it's table service. The grounds are lovely. Corridors are outside though. Both pools are very well themed with slides. PORS Royal rooms are newest and are quite nice as well. They have fishing there also. There is an area for a horse carriage ride ( extra fee of course).
If I had the choice though, I'd go deluxe. There are many more dining options, and they really make you feel at "home". The lobby at AKL is breathtaking! I wouldn't splurge for a savanna view room though as some cheaper standard rooms do have a "view" of the savanna. You can also "hang out" at certain places to see/observe the animals. The rooms are also just a bit larger.
Overall- 21 days! WOW! Enjoy! Any choice on site ( except for maybe the value resorts) is a good one. I mean the Pop Century is nice, but I just don't care for All Stars ( too much like a "motel" feel). Art of Animation is newest, but those Family Suites are outrageously priced!
Have a very magical vacation!
I would go AKL.
POR and POFQ are very nice. If you plan on spending time at Downtown Disney the boats are very nice! The restaurant at PORS is pretty good Boatwright's- it's table service. The grounds are lovely. Corridors are outside though. Both pools are very well themed with slides. PORS Royal rooms are newest and are quite nice as well. They have fishing there also. There is an area for a horse carriage ride ( extra fee of course).
If I had the choice though, I'd go deluxe. There are many more dining options, and they really make you feel at "home". The lobby at AKL is breathtaking! I wouldn't splurge for a savanna view room though as some cheaper standard rooms do have a "view" of the savanna. You can also "hang out" at certain places to see/observe the animals. The rooms are also just a bit larger.
Overall- 21 days! WOW! Enjoy! Any choice on site ( except for maybe the value resorts) is a good one. I mean the Pop Century is nice, but I just don't care for All Stars ( too much like a "motel" feel). Art of Animation is newest, but those Family Suites are outrageously priced!
Have a very magical vacation!
rt06
Well-Known Member
I have a personal vendetta against the DDP because of the tempting appetizers I had to pay extra for, and the abundance of snack credits I ended up accumulating. It really is a lot of food. I don't need a dessert after every meal. Right now, I have a signature (Yachtsman), buffet (Ohana), Dessert Party, and 3 additional sit down meals planned for a 10 day visit. I think if I do quick service for the rest of my meals, I'll have beat the system, even with a porterhouse in my stomach.
AKL is now the least expensive deluxe resort out there. The Wilderness Lodge is next. The cabins at Fort Wilderness used to be considered "moderate", but the prices have gone pretty high for that stay.
I would go AKL.
POR and POFQ are very nice. If you plan on spending time at Downtown Disney the boats are very nice! The restaurant at PORS is pretty good Boatwright's- it's table service. The grounds are lovely. Corridors are outside though. Both pools are very well themed with slides. PORS Royal rooms are newest and are quite nice as well. They have fishing there also. There is an area for a horse carriage ride ( extra fee of course).
If I had the choice though, I'd go deluxe. There are many more dining options, and they really make you feel at "home". The lobby at AKL is breathtaking! I wouldn't splurge for a savanna view room though as some cheaper standard rooms do have a "view" of the savanna. You can also "hang out" at certain places to see/observe the animals. The rooms are also just a bit larger.
Overall- 21 days! WOW! Enjoy! Any choice on site ( except for maybe the value resorts) is a good one. I mean the Pop Century is nice, but I just don't care for All Stars ( too much like a "motel" feel). Art of Animation is newest, but those Family Suites are outrageously priced!
Have a very magical vacation!
Thanks for your reply. I'm definitely tempted to split the holiday now seeing as so many people have such good things to say about both resorts!
That was my main issue with the DDP, there seems to be too much food on offer that I think we'd end up wasting but if Disney do put one of their offers on for a free dining plan then I may just have to take them up on it!
PhilharMagician
Well-Known Member
Since you are going to be there for 21 days you will not be hitting the parks in commando mode and will want to take a much easier and relaxing vacation. With this said, I would recommend if you are going to eat 2 to 3 meals per day that get a dining plan. I personally would get sick of eating counter service food (fast food) for that long of a period and would recommend the traditional Disney Dining Plan. This would include:
- 1 Counter service credit per person per day. (includes non-alcoholic beverage, entrée/combo meal and dessert)
- 1 Table service credit per person per day. (includes non-alcoholic beverage, entrée and dessert)
- 1 snack credit per person per day. (look for DDP emblem for participating snacks. bottled soda, bottled water, ice cream novelties, fruit, pastries and many other items) Since you are going during the F&W you can use your snack credits for the food tasting at the festival.
Your meal credit can be used when you want and where you want. Signature dining locations require 2 table service credits, so be careful when planning your meals. In the end the DDP will save you some money (in most cases) if you use all of your credits during your stay versus paying for the same meals in cash.
It is nice in the afternoon after many hours in the parks to sit down at a nice restaurant and relax. Someone is there to serve you as you and your family re-energize for a return to the action and possibly some night time entertainment.
PhilharMagician
Well-Known Member
Free dining is not simply free dining. You then pay full rack rate for the room with no discounts. With 2 adult and one child under the magical age of 9, it may be cheaper to take the discounted room rate and pay for the DDP. The free DDP works best if you fill the room with 4 people.
Also keep in mind that a simple cheese burger with fries and a small soft drink will cost you about $17.00 US dollars. So for 2 adults and a child with a kids meal will run you just over $40.00 US. The DDP will be about $135.00 per day for your family. The Quick service dining plan would be $96.00 for your family if you wanted to cut some cost.
IWantMyMagicBand
Well-Known Member
Fellow Brit here too. Offers have come out each March for free DDP. And some resorts had 35% off. Wait a few weeks before booking anything