Need some help with my decision-making

[Tigger friend]

Hi everyone!! Okay so I've finally convinced my boyfriend to go to disney world with me He watches me read my disney sites everyday and honestly thinks I'm bananas but that's totally fine with me!! He's never been to Disney World before...so I want to make the trip special. Anyways I really can't decide a lot of things!! I've read so many threads so I thought I'd make my own to ask what you think. We don't have a lot a lot of money to spend on the trip but I definitely want it to be memorable. Right now I have it narrowed down to

plan A) We fly down to Disney, rent a car and stay at the Pop Century or plan B) Drive down and stay at Wilderness Lodge...

i know..those are two pretty polar opposite plans but we don't want to spend all our time in WDW. Like we want to go to Universal and IOA plus we can't afford to eat disney food all the time. I know the bus system and monorails are great but I don't like that feeling .... Disneylocked! We plan on coming home midday for breaks and stuff then heading back out to the parks later in the day....can anybody help me decide???? Or maybe have other suggestions? Thanks a million!

Oh and one more question...do the double beds fit 2 people comfortably? Like I know we can request a king sized one and POP but it's not guaranteed and pretty much not going to happen so that's my other concern.

 

[DisneyCrazyGirl]

Hi everyone!! Okay so I've finally convinced my boyfriend to go to disney world with me He watches me read my disney sites everyday and honestly thinks I'm bananas but that's totally fine with me!! He's never been to Disney World before...so I want to make the trip special. Anyways I really can't decide a lot of things!! I've read so many threads so I thought I'd make my own to ask what you think. We don't have a lot a lot of money to spend on the trip but I definitely want it to be memorable. Right now I have it narrowed down to

plan A) We fly down to Disney, rent a car and stay at the Pop Century or plan B) Drive down and stay at Wilderness Lodge...

i know..those are two pretty polar opposite plans but we don't want to spend all our time in WDW. Like we want to go to Universal and IOA plus we can't afford to eat disney food all the time. I know the bus system and monorails are great but I don't like that feeling .... Disneylocked! We plan on coming home midday for breaks and stuff then heading back out to the parks later in the day....can anybody help me decide???? Or maybe have other suggestions? Thanks a million!

Oh and one more question...do the double beds fit 2 people comfortably? Like I know we can request a king sized one and POP but it's not guaranteed and pretty much not going to happen so that's my other concern.

I guess I should start by asking, when are you planning to go and how long are you going for? Would it pay for you to get an AP?
I convinced my boyfriend of 5 years to finally go to WDW also. He's 30 and has NEVER been! We are not going until September, but we planned so far in advance we can pay it off little by little. Is that an option for you? We toyed with the idea of going to Universal and IOA, I think that's too much to see and enjoy in a 7 Day period. But that's just my opinion. Next time we go to Florida we are going to Universal!
If I am reading correctly, you are coming down from Canada. Now that's a drive! I wouldn't drive from NY to Orlando and I live 20 minutes outside NYC. I got really cheap airflight at really awesome times. Driving or flying is completely your decision!
TO save on food, Pack food! Moderate and Deluxe hotels give you refrigerators in your room free of charge now! at Value resorts you still have to pay $10/day.
As far as the beds, I am a bed hog, so we requested a King Sized bed. My BF is fed up with being squished up in his little corner of the bed!
Any other questions, please feel free to ask!

 

[Tigger friend]

I'm thinking we stay for around 7 days....and when? hmm probably not until NEXT September...so we do have a lot of time to save. I'm still in University though so the amount of time to save doesn't really have a huge deal to do with it. A lot of people drive down from Canada...It's not my first choice, my boyfriend has never been on a plane either, I wanted to fly...but if we do that we add the expense of a car as well...or at least that's the way I feel. And although the Canadian dollar is doing well these days it still costs us more to do the things we want to do.

 

[ralz28]

In my opinion, I would drive to disney world for 2 reason, quality spending time in the car (my wife and I love to go for a ride) and you can drive to fast food outside of the grounds. On our honeymoon we did not have a ton of money put we managed to stay there for 7 days. We went and ate a big breakfast (Shoney's or something like that) so you can just snack for lunch and I agree bring snack food to your hotel. That will save a ton. We stayed at the carribean beach and got 2 double beds. If you can get one, I would recommend a king size bed. The beds were not as big as we thought. Hope that helps!

 

[DisneyCrazyGirl]

I'm thinking we stay for around 7 days....and when? hmm probably not until NEXT September...so we do have a lot of time to save. I'm still in University though so the amount of time to save doesn't really have a huge deal to do with it. A lot of people drive down from Canada...It's not my first choice, my boyfriend has never been on a plane either, I wanted to fly...but if we do that we add the expense of a car as well...or at least that's the way I feel. And although the Canadian dollar is doing well these days it still costs us more to do the things we want to do.

Well with everything at a resort, tickets, free transportation to and from the Disney Resort, and vacation insurance for 8 days 7 nights at Coronado Springs, it cost us $1700. (This was before I knew I was going in May and since I am going twice in 2005, at least, I got an AP.) We booked in January 2005 and have been paying $100-$200 every two weeks and we are half way there!! Even if you pay $20 a week, you will be in good shape!
You could open a Disney Visa credit card and use it just for your trip! It's 0% APR as long as you make your minimum payments on time. It's an idea at least!
I have never been in September, but I have done my research. Aside from the hurricanes, it is really not a bad time to go, crowd-wise and weather-wise. If another three or four hurricanes hit Florida again in September 2005 -September 2006, I would be *convinced* it was the apocalypse!
They will not have prices for flights in 2006 out yet, but I would consider it! Or even if you drove to NY or somewhere in the US and then grabbed a flight. If you are flying in and just going to Universal and IOA, get a cab from the Disney resports. I do not think it pays to get a car especially since Disney is running DIsney's Magical Express to and from Orlando International Airport! Plus you need to be at least 25 to rent a car in the US at most car rental companies! I still can't rent a car ... 2 more years to go!
Good Luck!

 

[Laura]

plan A) We fly down to Disney, rent a car and stay at the Pop Century or plan B) Drive down and stay at Wilderness Lodge...

I just made a similar decision. My choices were: A) Stay at Polynesian for 4 nights with a Lagoon view and fly down. B) Stay at Wilderness Lodge for 6 nights, then stay at Polynesian for 3 nights with a garden view and drive down. Both choices cost about the same amount of money. And I decided to give up the Lagoon view and the plane ride and the 5th day at Poly and take the 5 extra days in Disney and 6 nights at the WL instead. Plus it will be much easier to have our own vehicle than to deal with busses and all that. So if I were you, I'd go with driving an WL.

 

[Tigger friend]

Thanks a lot!! I really appreciate all your imputs!!

 

[bigorangeandy]

If you fly from Canada you get to pay double fees and tariffs (same rules if you fly from the US to Canada). Nothing like having both gov's get a piece of the pie. Spending a lot of time in a car will really let you learn allot about the other person with you (good and bad). I'm not sure where you will be driving from but it shouldn't be more than 28-30 hours driving. One other advantage that driving has, if another hurricane comes, you can get in the car and leave, and not be at the airlines schedule. Good luck and enjoy your trip!

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[barnum42]

Extra time in the park rather than a car would win out for me

 

[longfamily]

Here are some questions and suggestions I have for you.

1.) In the event that you choose to drive down...will the cost of gas be greater than the cost of a flight? Gas is $2.00 a gallon right now here in Louisiana and we are cheaper than most places. When you decide to come next year you should consider how many miles per gallon your car will go and what the current gas prices are. A 30 hour trip could get really expensive. And would you drive straight through or split up the road trip with a night at a roadside inn. That would be an additional cost, around $50-$75. It may be cheaper to fly.

2.) Do you NEED to go to IOA and Universal? Honestly there are so many things to do at the Disney parks, you cannot get everthing done/seen in 7 days. We always go for a minimum of 9 days and I have yet to see and/or do everything in that amount of time. It would save you a couple of hundred to forgo the car rental (in the event that you decided to fly) and Universal/ IOA and just stayed on Disney property and used their transportation.

*I read that you don't like the prospect of Disney transportation, BUT, if you're like the rest of us, you will not want to take that mid-day break at the hotel because you're having such a good time and the end of the day rolls around before you know it and you are dead tired and the last thing you'll want to do is drive back to a hotel. Disney transportation is great for that scenerio. Plus there is no where that you would want to go in "the world" that they couldn't take you

3.) Food options...Consider bringing your breakfast stuff for the hotel room like cereal, poptarts, cereal bars. Also consider packing a lunch for the parks. Chips and sandwiches can sustain anyone. With the savings you'll get from two cheap meals of the day you can splurge on dinner nightly. Disney has great food and I would hate to see you guys pass it up because of a small budget. To maximize your food budget, consider buffets as an option. Biergarten in Germany has great food and fun entertainment. It is a buffet and it is around $20 a person for dinner or $15 a person for lunch.
Most restaurants will be priced about the same. However, if you allocated $50 a day for food, this plan would be ideal.

4.) Is a hotel really important? With limited funds, I would prefer to stay at the hotel that costs the least and spend the extra money on food and fun. My recommendation is to stay at pop century or an all star. How much time will you spnd there anyway?

5.) Don't miss Cirque Du Soleil if you can help it. If you want ot impress your BF, this is the way to go! (around $100 per ticket but well worth every penny)

6.) Do you have a travel agent? Even if it's just for the hotel stay, a travel agent will let you pay a little at a time. You can make reservations up to a year in advance. If you do this, you may find it easier to pay for the trip and you may feel more comfortable choosing a package plan (maybe include dining) because it will be easier to pay for since you can work on it for 12 months.


Sorry to be so long winded. Whatever you decide, have a great time!

 

[Tigger friend]

Well gas wise...it's actually cheaper in the states than in Canada...right now we pay 85 cents per Litre...(I know...why can't our measurement systems get a long?) Anyways you need 3.78 litres for every gallon so 0.85 times 3.78 is $3.21 dollars a gallon...that's canadian funds but even with the exchange rate it's almost $3 a gallon....not so much fun...You're right though it is an extra cost....but I think it's almost comprable to spending money and renting a car there. And yes my boyfriend has his little heart set on going to Universal...I figure I've pulled him into my crazy disney obsession, I'd better cut him some slack somewhere right?? Thanks for the help though! I hadn't really taken the overnight hotel on the way there into consideration yet.

 

[jesserin]

A) We fly down to Disney, rent a car and stay at the Pop Century or plan B) Drive down and stay at Wilderness Lodge...

Hi! let me first say Congrat's on getting your BF to go - it took me 3 years before I could talk mine (now DH) into going and now we go 2-3 times a year - once they go, they'll be hooked...

Ok - I say combine the two to get more from your trip and money.

First I would drive, I would get up around 5am to get on the road - something about driving for 7 hours before lunch really makes you feel like you've gotten a head start... secondly I would find an inexpensive hotel somewhere about 14 hours into it (aprox 7pm) and relax. Get to bed early and then rise and shine and do the whole thing over again the next day -

keep in mind that b/c of travel time - you need to schedule at least 2 extra days just for drive time... pay attention to airfare specials b/c you never know it might be cheaper to fly...

Secondly - if you drive - get a box now and start putting things that are not perishable in them - about one item a week... start with things like beef jerky, or fruit snacks, order $10-20 in Disney Dollars once a month and stick them in an envelope in your box - if you start now - you can have all your spending money and breakfast/snack food's taken care of before you leave - then just close the box, stick it in the car and you're set for your trip! Without any last minute huge purchases! (Also include disposable camera's if you don't have a nice camera - if you pick one up here and there you should have several before your trip)

Thirdly - I would stay at the Pop - personally if you have a dorm fridge or some small fridge i would just stick it in the car and take it with you - why not? We always do this when staying at the all stars and it saves us $10 a night!

By driving and staying at a Value Resort - you can increase your vacation days and stay longer... we did this for my BF first trip (All Star Sports - preferred room) and were able to stay 15 days... a total shock for him - but again, once he got there he was hooked! You'd be suprised what a long vacation can do for the two of you - and yes the double bed's work fine for either resort - however - there's a very good chance you'll get the king at the POP as they are rarely requested... we have yet to ever request a king and not get it...

Have fun and enjoy your planning - I hope this helps a little...

 

[Yodasnuggs]

Car Rental

If you do decide to rent a car, keep in mind as someone said that MOST rental places require you to be 25 or older to rent a car. There are a few that will allow you to rent if you are under 25 but have a major credit card, however there is a fee of $25-30 a DAY if you are under 25, which could add up to about $200 more on TOP of whatever the rental fee is. Thats a pretty heffty sum. Renting cars is a tricky business if you are under 25, I was just on vacation and we had to rearrange our rental reservation a few times in order to have the correct people on the rental so that we didn't have to pay extra money.

 

[Tigger friend]

My boyfriend will be 25 this year so that part shouldn't be a problem.

 

[shoppingnut]

I have done the drive from NY several times by myself and wouldn't do it again. The first time was because I was visiting my cousin for 2 weeks. I find that after 18 hours straight through drive, the next day I'm totally exhausted and your'e talking about 30 hours. Even breaking it up for 14 hours each day, you're going to be on the road for 4 days out of your trip and that doesn't even count the day after you get there that you will be exhausted. What I would do is starting looking for cheap airfare shop around, do some research for this September to see when the prices tend to drop so that next year you know when to book.

I've stayed at Pop and like it very much. Also, if you want to go to UO and rent a car for a day or two, you don't have to rent for the full week this would be a savings. I know you can have one delivered or they pick you up at the resort to get the car, not too sure how this all works, since I always rent for a week, but maybe someone else knows or call disney and ask if you can arrange through them.

I've also read on another thread that someone suggested bringing the non-frozen Thomas' bagels because the food court has a toaster you can use and free butter, cream cheese you'd have to pay for.

 

[longfamily]

Also, if you want to go to UO and rent a car for a day or two, you don't have to rent for the full week this would be a savings. I know you can have one delivered or they pick you up at the resort to get the car, not too sure how this all works, since I always rent for a week, but maybe someone else knows or call disney and ask if you can arrange through them.

Great advice!

 

[slappy magoo]

1: Get an annual pass. The discount on the room alone will make it worthwhile, and the pass won't be activated until you get there. But, you'll be paying for it now, so it's all paid off when you get there. In fact, even if you don't get an annual pass, get your admission tickets now, so they're all paid off before you get there (and once you're there, if you opt to make your admission an annual pass, they'll let you uypgrade, but again, the annual pass gets you some pretty sweet hotel discounts). Also spend the extra 50 bucks on a Disney Dining Experience card, which will give you 20% off food and drinks at almost all of the sit-down restaurants, and a few counter-service places, too.

2: If you drive, and your car isn't particularly fuel efficient, try to rent/borrow one that is. Spread your gas budget out long and well.

3: Don't try to drive down all at once if you can help it. I mean, *I* am, but I'm only in New Jersey, so it's "only" a 20-hour drive for me. Break it up, and get some rest, especially if the BF is going for your benefit. Because if he's not rested, and doesn't enjoy himself, you might not be going again for a looong while.

4: Enjoy the Wilderness Lodge. The Value resorts are nice for what they are, but come on, treat yourself if you can. If you need to save money, deluxe resorts get free refrigerators, so you can store snacks and drinks and eat breakfast in the room.

 

[longfamily]

Another idea is ,if you fly, to stay at a really cheap motel in Kissemee (sp?) right outside of orlando for the first couple of days while you enjoy IOA and Universal.There are hotels in that area for as low as $25 per night! Most places have free shuttles to these parks. Once you have had your fill of those parks, take a shuttle/taxi to your Disney hotel. This will cut out the need to rent a car entirely. Saves a bunch of $$$ so that you can spend it elsewhere

in case you had not looked into it, a magic your way package plus dining for 6 nights and 7 day passes at a value resort for two people plus a hopper pass is $1419.12. This would include a 6 night stay at a value resort, 7 day passes to the parks, one counter service meal, one snack, and one table service meal per person per day. Something you may want to consider.