Planning trip for family friend for October 2010, please help!!

[aj_steig]

Hello fellow Disney fans!

So my dad is thinking of paying a trip for his best friend and his family in October (16-22) as a gift for a great sales year (great gift, huh?!) He has asked me to plan the whole thing, which I am sooo excited to be doing!! Here's the issue: in the past, it's been just me and my husband going on our trips (we don't have any kids yet) so I have never had to take into account the children's expenses. I have a couple questions and was hoping you could help:

1. For a family of five (3 children, 2 adults), which would be the best Disney resort hotel? I am thinking Port Orleans Riverside, but open to any ideas.

2. Are there any discounts for tickets that I have not thought of? I was planning on using Undercover Tourist since they are in the mousesavers newsletter and we have used them in the past. Does anyone know of any other deals I might not have thought of?

3. I was thinking it would be really fun for the kids to do the MNSSHP since it will be going on while they are there. Is this worth the expense? Are there any ticket discounts available?

4. Dining reservations? Again, it's always been my husband and I so I have never really thought about where a child would like to eat (I've heard the character meals are a blast!)

Any other info or ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your help!!! :wave:

 

[JillC LI]

Hello fellow Disney fans!

3. I was thinking it would be really fun for the kids to do the MNSSHP since it will be going on while they are there. Is this worth the expense? Are there any ticket discounts available?

4. Dining reservations? Again, it's always been my husband and I so I have never really thought about where a child would like to eat (I've heard the character meals are a blast!)

What a great gift! Just two quick thoughts.

3 - Yes, MNSSHP is definitely worth doing! Our family of 4 did it for the first 6time last October and loved it. (Frankly, if you haven't done it, you might want to try it as adults, if only for the Boo To You Parade and Hallowishes fireworks. No aware of any discount on the tickets although it's cheaper to order in advance, I think.

4 - We've done a few fun character meals, and I'd certainly recommend them. Most recently we tried 1900 Park Fare which was a great buffet with Mary Poppins, Alice in Wonderland, MadHatter, Pooh and Tigger. Chef Mickey gets rave reviews too. If they would like Princesses, I'd recommend the Akershus breakfast. If they are going before October 2nd, free dining is in effect, so get moving on those ADRs!:wave:

 

[wm49rs]

hello fellow disney fans!

So my dad is thinking of paying a trip for his best friend and his family in october (16-22) as a gift for a great sales year (great gift, huh?!) he has asked me to plan the whole thing, which i am sooo excited to be doing!! Here's the issue: In the past, it's been just me and my husband going on our trips (we don't have any kids yet) so i have never had to take into account the children's expenses. I have a couple questions and was hoping you could help:

1. For a family of five (3 children, 2 adults), which would be the best disney resort hotel? I am thinking port orleans riverside, but open to any ideas. you could also consider one of the family suites at as music, I believe.

2. Are there any discounts for tickets that i have not thought of? I was planning on using undercover tourist since they are in the mousesavers newsletter and we have used them in the past. Does anyone know of any other deals i might not have thought of? are any of them members of aaa/caa?

3. I was thinking it would be really fun for the kids to do the mnsshp since it will be going on while they are there. Is this worth the expense? Are there any ticket discounts available? usually discount tickets are only available to ap holders (and perhaps dvc members). But it is a worthwhile expense.

4. Dining reservations? Again, it's always been my husband and i so i have never really thought about where a child would like to eat (i've heard the character meals are a blast!) the character meals are great, for a particular age group. As are some of the locales are the ws at ep. Sci-fi and 50's prime time can also be a lot of fun at dhs.

any other info or ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your help!!! :wave:

hth

 

[zurgandfriend]

1. POR has 2 full size and 1 trundle (e.g. on the floor) bed suitable for a child under 5 feet I believe the room size is 314 sq ft. I don’t know what your budget is but if possible I would go to the Contemporary. 2 queen size beds plus a fold down day bed suitable for someone as tall as 6 feet. I have slept on it. The room is 394 sq ft which will give you more room. Another benefit is that it is on the monorail. A south garden wing room might fit into a tight budget. If money isn’t that big a deal then the Poly and the GF also sleep 5 and the rooms are even bigger (415 and 440 sq ft respectively)



2. I all I can say is Kingdom Konsultants or AAA



3. MNSSHP is fun, again not sure of any discounts check with KK or AAA.



4. Character meals are great fun, Whispering Canyon, Ohana, and the Hoop de Doo revue are also great for the whole family.

 

[disneynut4u]

Ya GOTTA do Hoop Dee Doo!!! I didn't think my 16 year old son would get into it, but he LOVED it and insisted we do it again this year. It's great for any age. We start off with Chef Mickey's. SciFi is fun, as well as T-Rex(some don't like it, but we did). Didn't care for Cinderella's dinner, but we're trying the breakfast this year. Crystal Palace with Winnie the Pooh characters was good too. Hope they have fun!

I get called a lot to help other people plan their WDW trips. It's ALMOST as much fun as planning my own!!!

 

[aj_steig]

Thanks so much for the tips you guys (and keep 'em coming!!) I know what you mean, I was so excited when I was asked to help, it's almost as much fun as going on the trip ourselves!! I've just never had to worry about stuff for kids, so this is a whole new experience in planning....one in which I hope I do well and they have a great time! I was thinking of purchasing the Passporter or Birnbaums guide as a surprise so the kids will have something fun to read before the trip....?

 

[erinshaneb]

I just bought my almost 4 year old Birnabaums (sorry about the spelling) for kids..she obvisously can't read, but loves looking at and looking at all the things we are gonna be able to do in September..I even flipped through with some interest..i suggest it

 

[MattyFresh]

The suite is at POP not All Star Music.

Also with the ticket for MNSSHP they can get in the park at 4 and still until the party ends, so its not really smart to use an actual days ticket and then use the party ticket. I would suggest maybe taking the kids to one of the water parks, then later going into MK for the party.

Not sure of any discounts other then what was already posted.

 

[tharmscott]

My girls favorite character meal is at Crystal Palace. The food is good and you don't feel rushed with the characters. Another favorite is the Coral Reef. They aren't too fond of the food but they love eating by the aquarium. The girls are 9 and 15 now and have been going since they were 2 and 8. I'm sure you know this but with kids I highly suggest you get the park hopper.

 

[MattyFresh]

I was thinking of purchasing the Passporter or Birnbaums guide as a surprise so the kids will have something fun to read before the trip....?

I think the Birnbaums book would be better, well depending on the ages of the kids, it has more pictures and might be a little more interesting then just a bunch of reading.

 

[roaddogg6420]

Hello fellow Disney fans!

So my dad is thinking of paying a trip for his best friend and his family in October (16-22) as a gift for a great sales year (great gift, huh?!) He has asked me to plan the whole thing, which I am sooo excited to be doing!! Here's the issue: in the past, it's been just me and my husband going on our trips (we don't have any kids yet) so I have never had to take into account the children's expenses. I have a couple questions and was hoping you could help:

1. For a family of five (3 children, 2 adults), which would be the best Disney resort hotel? I am thinking Port Orleans Riverside, but open to any ideas. POR is a good choice, if you are looking at cost may think about POP.

2. Are there any discounts for tickets that I have not thought of? I was planning on using Undercover Tourist since they are in the mousesavers newsletter and we have used them in the past. Does anyone know of any other deals I might not have thought of? Also try orlandofuntickets.com

3. I was thinking it would be really fun for the kids to do the MNSSHP since it will be going on while they are there. Is this worth the expense? Are there any ticket discounts available? It is a must do if you have never done it before, there are discount tickets for select nights. We are going that same week and found discount tickets for the Tues and Thurs nights party. Make sure plan to get there at 4 to get the most for your dollar, and make sure to get good spot for the parade and fireworks. They are worth it right there.

4. Dining reservations? Again, it's always been my husband and I so I have never really thought about where a child would like to eat (I've heard the character meals are a blast!) Chef Mickeys was great did it for the first time two weeks ago and my kids, big kids too had a blast. Crystal Palace and if there still watch Playhouse Disney, you do Play and Dine at Hollywood and Wine at DHS.

Any other info or ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your help!!! :wave:

I have used orlandofuntickets.com before, will again there service was great. You can order online and there do hotel drop for a fee, or if you have a car you can pick it up for there store about a mile or two from Downtown Disney. Also if you have kids still in Strollers and not renting for Disney get a Stroller Umbrella. Even in Oct the sun can really get you and the kids. Hope this helps.

 

[mp2bill]

1. POR has 2 full size and 1 trundle (e.g. on the floor) bed suitable for a child under 5 feet I believe the room size is 314 sq ft. I don’t know what your budget is but if possible I would go to the Contemporary. 2 queen size beds plus a fold down day bed suitable for someone as tall as 6 feet. I have slept on it. The room is 394 sq ft which will give you more room. Another benefit is that it is on the monorail. A south garden wing room might fit into a tight budget. If money isn’t that big a deal then the Poly and the GF also sleep 5 and the rooms are even bigger (415 and 440 sq ft respectively)



2. I all I can say is Kingdom Konsultants or AAA



3. MNSSHP is fun, again not sure of any discounts check with KK or AAA.



4. Character meals are great fun, Whispering Canyon, Ohana, and the Hoop de Doo revue are also great for the whole family.

The best!

 

[lilclerk]

The suite is at POP not All Star Music.

The suites are definitely at ASMusic, not Pop.
http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/resorts/asm-suite-review.html
The new resort being built across from Pop will have family suites, but that's not opening for a while.

 

[aj_steig]

Thanks for all the help you guys, you're the best!! This is why I always come here for questions with trip planning :wave: I will let you know what we decide on doing...I am still trying to get a reservation for them some time during the week at Le'Cellier but not have any luck (what a shocker)! Was able to get one for O'hana and Chef Mickeys though

 

[EvilQueen-T]

for the resort both port orleans are great but have you considered cbr... they have the pirate theme rooms that are really cool.

for dining reservations the character meals are always a blast i've been on trips without kids and we do them anyway. buffets are good for people traveling with kids (especially if you're not sure what kind of eaters the kids might be).

we did the mnsshp last year and it was great. it's cheaper to go on a week night over a weekend and less crowded on week night (m-th) until you get to the last couple days around halloween then it's crowded no matter what. the trick or treating is sooo easy and it is sooooo fantastic seeing everyone dressed up... some of the best costumes were the adults. we went last year and one group of about 4 adults looked like they were ghosts and had walked right out of the haunted mansion. there were families with theme costumes... like each a character from alice in wonderland, the incredibles etc... make sure they know they can all dress up (adults too).