This is my first visit to this site...what great information!! My family (our 2 year old, 1 year old and my parents) is planning our first trip to WDW for 7 nights in late October/early November of this year. After agonizing over whether to stay on or off site, we decided that we wanted more room and more of the home-away-from-home comforts for our small children and also to be close to my parents. I would love to stay on-site, especially with the kids, however the costs for similar 2-Bedroom accomodations on-site were outrageous!! So, we are planning to stay in a 2 Bedroom Villa at the Caribe Royale Resort . Any advice anyone can give us as to the weather and crowds during that time of year would be great! Also, if anyone is familiar with this particular suite hotel, that would be helpful also. Thanks!
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October 2002...First time, Any advice?
- Thread starter missy
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Pioneer Hall
Well-Known Member
If there is any way you should stay on property. It is well worth it. Definately worth the extra money. The service, extra ammenities, and superior theming make the resorts such a great part of your stay. Definately try it if you can.
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I agree, even if it means you have to take a smaller room, stay on-site. Especially with such young children. It may sound ridiculous now, but trust me, it will make all the difference. You are going to need to be able to get back to the hotel a couple of times during each day to really enjoy yourself (the busses get you to the resorts quicker than you can drive anywhere off-site, plus, parking and traffic at WDW can be a nightmare). You don't want to be one of the stressed-out-child-screaming-mom-has-a-headache-families!!! That is the best advice I can give. Have fun!
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FanofDinsey1981
Active Member
the best home-away-from-home would definatly be Old Key West, but if you want something that is quiet and cheeper than OKW, check out Carribean beach. each place is only 2 levels, and it really does cut down on noise. and the kids will LOVE the pool there, with a water slide and water cannons to shoot off.
Old Key West is perfect too, if you want to put a lot of people together. since it is all condos, you can get a 2 story place that sleeps 12! It is a bit more expensive than most of the resorts, but it really does feel like home.
and please stay on property. the bus system is the best, and resort goers get to arrive at the parks earlier than anyone else. ANd, your kids can get a wake up call from "mickey mouse" every morning from the front desk!:wave:
Old Key West is perfect too, if you want to put a lot of people together. since it is all condos, you can get a 2 story place that sleeps 12! It is a bit more expensive than most of the resorts, but it really does feel like home.
and please stay on property. the bus system is the best, and resort goers get to arrive at the parks earlier than anyone else. ANd, your kids can get a wake up call from "mickey mouse" every morning from the front desk!:wave:
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FanofDinsey1981
Active Member
oops, forgot to mention..
you picked one of the best times for crowds. thanksgiving is pretty crazy, but early november, end of october is pretty cool, and the holloween stuff will be up. THere are boards in every park telling you how long the lines are, but again, the crowds are not long at all that time of year, since it is the school year for most kids, (and college students alike).
And with small kids, check out all the shows, the are so much fun!
you picked one of the best times for crowds. thanksgiving is pretty crazy, but early november, end of october is pretty cool, and the holloween stuff will be up. THere are boards in every park telling you how long the lines are, but again, the crowds are not long at all that time of year, since it is the school year for most kids, (and college students alike).
And with small kids, check out all the shows, the are so much fun!
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I agree with the others that you should consider staying on-site. Have you considered adjoing rooms at the All Stars? We try to go to WDW every year with our young kids and we could never do it if we didn't stay on site because we are frequently going back to the room for naps etc... As others have mentioned the themeing of the WDW hotels is excellent - my kids enjoy the hotel as much if not more than the parks! As far as general info, make sure you visit wdwig.com for great tips and info.
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Tramp
New Member
Missy...
Going off site was a GREAT decision....hotel theming will NOT be important to kids as young as yours....and your parents will appreciate the larger accommodations also...We've stayed both off site in timeshares and onsite in Disney Hotels many, many times and I prefer the spacious luxury of a timeshare to the dog house size rooms in a Disney Hotel any day...YOUR visit to WDW will be nothing less than memorable so don't stress over where you are staying...the memories will be made in the Parks, not in the hotels....you can visit the hotels to eat or shop, you don't need to sleep there.
...we did find it very convenient to stay at the Grand Floridian when my daughter was very young cuz we were able to go quickly back and forth to the Magic Kingdom with little effort when crankiness set in...the boat shuttle was fabulous .....but if you have to take a car to get back to your hotel, a few minutes more to go offsite to a resort won't make much difference.
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Re: Re: October 2002...First time, Any advice?
Well, I agree that the theming at that age is a non-issue. Maybe I am lazy-- I just hate the idea of having to be driving back and forth...back and forth...and kids get so tired, so easily, so QUICKLY. Even without kids, once I started staying on-property, there was no going back for me. Obviously not everyone feels the same!
But truthfully, Missy, no matter where you stay, you'll have a great time. We'll also be there in October :wave: Take lots of pictures!!
Well, I agree that the theming at that age is a non-issue. Maybe I am lazy-- I just hate the idea of having to be driving back and forth...back and forth...and kids get so tired, so easily, so QUICKLY. Even without kids, once I started staying on-property, there was no going back for me. Obviously not everyone feels the same!
But truthfully, Missy, no matter where you stay, you'll have a great time. We'll also be there in October :wave: Take lots of pictures!!
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jojoyner55
New Member
I have to agree with everyone about staying on-site, in a Disney property. It enhances the experience so much. I'm a retired naval officer, but I don't even consider Shades of Green (a military hotel on-site)even though it might save me a little (but not much. I was an officer and would get charged more; its a better deal for enlisted). The whole package at a Disney Resort is better - no parking hassles, no driving back and forth, easy internal transportation. And with kids as young as yours a major consideration is being able to leave the park for a few hours in the afternoon to recharge the batteries. Seriously, consider on-site!
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Tramp
New Member
Re: Re: Re: October 2002...First time, Any advice?
LOL....the Magic Kingdom is the worst park to get back to your car....takes forever and every minute with a cranky, crying kid feels like an eternity....that's why we opted to stay at the Grand Floridian those early years....the boat shuttle had us back to the hotel in 5 minutes...btw, we always stayed in rooms 8523 thru 8527....great view of the entire lagoon and the Magic Kingdom, plus the water parade is right off your balcony at night. (I hope they've trimmed those HUGE pine trees cuz they made the view of the lagoon rather difficult)
...Like you, once we stayed on Disney property we LOVED it...but the more I stayed on property, the less important it's become....either a sign of being too familiar with the hotels or a sign of old age...:lol:
LOL....the Magic Kingdom is the worst park to get back to your car....takes forever and every minute with a cranky, crying kid feels like an eternity....that's why we opted to stay at the Grand Floridian those early years....the boat shuttle had us back to the hotel in 5 minutes...btw, we always stayed in rooms 8523 thru 8527....great view of the entire lagoon and the Magic Kingdom, plus the water parade is right off your balcony at night. (I hope they've trimmed those HUGE pine trees cuz they made the view of the lagoon rather difficult)
...Like you, once we stayed on Disney property we LOVED it...but the more I stayed on property, the less important it's become....either a sign of being too familiar with the hotels or a sign of old age...:lol:
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redkenwolf
New Member
Since I have never stayed "on property" at a disney hotel I can't really offer advice. The last two times I stayed there we stayed at a little motel/hotel or something with almost a hundred girls because my drill team went for a competition. We won first in our category but our school was still cheap:lol:
Well here is some other advice to deal witht he park: I think that time of year is great. My advice to you depends on what you want. If new and great food is important to you try to spend time at some of the great restaurants. Like the 50s diner in MGM and the royal table. But from my experience as a child I could get food at home and I was way to little to want to eat it. So if this sounds like you grab a quick bite (don't waste time eating) and try to do everything in the park. Another thing is to work the fastpasses. But only if it seems worth it. Don't get a fast pass if it looks like you can get on the ride quicker. And my last piece of advice is the parades. The lines tend to go down during parades and special shows. This is a good time to ride, but if parades are important to you by all means go! (I Lied- ONE other thing)> When I went with my drill team one of the moms requested a room at Tony's restaurant in MK. We were right next to the window before the Electric parade started so we got to see the whole parade and get a good meal. It saved time in the long run and we killed two birds with one stone. I hope you have a great trip.
Well here is some other advice to deal witht he park: I think that time of year is great. My advice to you depends on what you want. If new and great food is important to you try to spend time at some of the great restaurants. Like the 50s diner in MGM and the royal table. But from my experience as a child I could get food at home and I was way to little to want to eat it. So if this sounds like you grab a quick bite (don't waste time eating) and try to do everything in the park. Another thing is to work the fastpasses. But only if it seems worth it. Don't get a fast pass if it looks like you can get on the ride quicker. And my last piece of advice is the parades. The lines tend to go down during parades and special shows. This is a good time to ride, but if parades are important to you by all means go! (I Lied- ONE other thing)> When I went with my drill team one of the moms requested a room at Tony's restaurant in MK. We were right next to the window before the Electric parade started so we got to see the whole parade and get a good meal. It saved time in the long run and we killed two birds with one stone. I hope you have a great trip.
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redkenwolf
New Member
I still forgot something!
Also try to get a map of the parks before you go and try to work out a good path to follow. That way you aren't going from one side of the park to the other (That also wastes time). Ride the more popular rides first thing in the morning or late at night becuase there are fewer crowds. I find it is a great strategy becuase you get to ride everything in the park and then late at night whent he crowds are down you know which are your favorites so you can ride them again and again!:sohappy: :sohappy: :sohappy:
Also try to get a map of the parks before you go and try to work out a good path to follow. That way you aren't going from one side of the park to the other (That also wastes time). Ride the more popular rides first thing in the morning or late at night becuase there are fewer crowds. I find it is a great strategy becuase you get to ride everything in the park and then late at night whent he crowds are down you know which are your favorites so you can ride them again and again!:sohappy: :sohappy: :sohappy:
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Thank you all so much for your input...it has been exceptionally helpful. My dad is also a retired naval officer and we have the option of staying at the CR while the Shades of Green is under construction. We were hesitant about staying there becuase the could not guarantee adjoining rooms and I had heard some negative feedback regarding the rooms allocated for the military guests at the Contemporary. (Older, etc.) But you can't beat the rates...or the resort...so we will reconsider. Please feel free to send any other suggestions my way.
Regards.
Regards.
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Dwarful
Well-Known Member
Well, we once stayed in a house off site with small children, private pool etc. But since 9/11 and all of the security checks and so forth I dont think I would stay off site.(..we havent stayed off site in years actually) I like to be minutes from the hotel and off site w/traffic its just not possible. Be prepared even if they say they are minutes from disney ....they are not counting the minutes you will sit in your car trying to park, then catch a tram etc. to get to MK...we always try to arrive super early...what you might want to do is scheduel at least one character b'fast EARLY...to get you into MK before the park opens to the public great for photos...also you can do Fantasy land in relative peace and then hit Toon Town w/o much problems...I also highly recommend reading the guide books. we get the b.baums but my favorite is "W.Disney w/Kids ..by Kim Wright Wiley" either way ...have fun and take loads of photos!
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Pioneer Hall
Well-Known Member
Definately take advantage of this. You get to stay in a great Resort for a fraction of the cost. You should definately go for this!!!
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bvolguards
New Member
Without a doubt the best advice by far is to stay on property....it will make your vacation so much more enjoyable
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Beauty and the
New Member
We stayed both on aoff site when our kids where little and had wonderful holidays every time. we always went late September/early october when the weather was still very warm but not as humid and the crowds fewer.
The best advice I could give you is take your time, enjoy the moment you'll have much more fun watching your kids faces than rushing from ride to ride, you can always come back if you don't do everything . Make the most of your stroller, even give the 7 year old a ride if he gets tired. :
The best advice I could give you is take your time, enjoy the moment you'll have much more fun watching your kids faces than rushing from ride to ride, you can always come back if you don't do everything . Make the most of your stroller, even give the 7 year old a ride if he gets tired. :
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Mufasa_AC
New Member
If you’re a Disney nut (and I think that’s a requirement for being on this board) then you really want your vacation to be Disney 24/7. Staying on property means that the magic doesn’t end when you leave the parks. At the Disney hotels, you’re still in a wonderfully themed area and still dealing with Disney cast members. The hotels are attractions in themselves. With the right bus drivers, even the trips to and from the hotel are informative and entertaining.
Other bennies are: No cost for parking (about $8 now?). You have the option of splitting up if one or more of your party wants to go back early. Disney busses drop you off at the closest possible points to the parks, no trams, monorails, or boats necessary. Shorter ride home and let the bus drivers worry about the heavy congested traffic at closing time. Switching parks is so much quicker and easier without a car.
There are so many great deals right now that if at all possible I highly recommend that you stay on property.
Other bennies are: No cost for parking (about $8 now?). You have the option of splitting up if one or more of your party wants to go back early. Disney busses drop you off at the closest possible points to the parks, no trams, monorails, or boats necessary. Shorter ride home and let the bus drivers worry about the heavy congested traffic at closing time. Switching parks is so much quicker and easier without a car.
There are so many great deals right now that if at all possible I highly recommend that you stay on property.
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disneyfan123
New Member
I am a complete Disney Fanatic and I have never stayed on-site. I would like to but like you the outrageous prices that Disney charge for a 14 night cause a few problems. As a family we have always stayed on International Drive which is ideally situated between Disney, Sea World and USF/IOA we have a fab time!!!!! I am sure it would be great to be on site for your holiday and i am jealous of those that have stayed on site but you can have alot of fun offsite aswell (for a lot less money)
I hope that you have a great trip!
*only 49 days to go*
I hope that you have a great trip!
*only 49 days to go*
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twilightgirl
New Member
we stayed off site once with young children.. It was a nightmare.. they got hot tired and cranky.. and kept wanting to go swimming .. after driveing back to our hotel for a swim and nap.. we pretty much didnt want to go thru it all again and opted not to go back later in the same day.... staying on site is so much easier.. since you dont leave the property.. thee kids ( and you) can take a break and go back hassle free... I have been and am going mid oct.. the crowds are low and lines short!! have fun..
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