I'm just starting to think about a trip to Disney World (Florida) next year with our son who will be 7 then. I don't have a clue where to stay, what to do, or how to get the best deals on tickets. We prefer to stay in condos or hotels with kitchenettes, would probably also go to legoland and also some non-Disney stuff. Can anyone give me some tips to start with?
Disney World tips?
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You could put "Disney world" in the forum search box and see all the previous topics. But Mousesavers.com and disboards.com are the best places for information about Disney World. And allearsnet.com
I think you should do just a "Disney trip" or a just a non-Disney trip. Either way you will have plenty enough to do and plenty enough money to spend. Everyone has their favorite. Our favorite at Disney is the two waterparks. I would plan on spending a day in Epcot, a day in MGM, a day in Animal Kingdom, a day in Magic Kingdom, and a day in one or both of the waterparks, then have an extra day to go back to one of them.
Outside disney, you could easily spend a week there at the various attractions.
I don't think you will find that many deals on tickets. The best deal would be through AAA, IMOP.
Our last trip to Disney we stayed at Floridays Resort in a 2 bedroom condo. It is a newer complex very close to Disney. Our unit was very clean and spacious. We have also stayed at the Sheraton Vistana on International Drive. Out of the 2 we liked Floridays better. A friend of mine goes to Disney every year and she has a Disney Rewards credit card that you can earn discounts toward Disney as you use your card throughout the year. Don't know much else about it but might be worth looking in to.
Definitely recommend getting the hopper passes with your tickets.
I have also used mousesavers.com and allears.net, both very good sites with lots of info. Have fun planning your trip!
Even if you are going to visit other places staying in the DisneyWorld Resort if worth every penny. I would recommend that you look into purchasing points from a DVC'er (that is a Disney Vacation Club member) this way you can get a one or two bedroom suite with a full kitchen. I have done this many times and you pay about 50% less than the posted rates if you book the room yourself. Old Key West Resort, Beach Club Villa's and the Boardwalk are tremendous resorts. The boardwalk area is almost like its own amusement park for a seven year old. As for tickets, don't fall for any type of discount unless your a Florida resident, there just aren't any. I think that park hoppers are worth the extra money because this lets you make changes at any time to whatever park you want to visit.
Stay on Disney property. It's too convenient and the transportation between parks is so easy. With a 7 year old boy, I'd stay at the Wilderness Lodge Villas if you want a kitchenette. Except for maybe Legoland or Sea World, I suggest sticking with Disney for a 7 year old. Buy park hopper passes. There really aren't any discounts tickets unless you want to spend half of a day at a time share presentation, and I know your seven year old does not want to do that...
I can also recommend purchasing points from a DVC member (I went through Mouseowners.com). I did this 2 years ago and just booked again for next year.
I'm paying about 1/3 of what it would cost to book through Disney directly.
You can save a little on tickets at Undercovertourist.com.
I cannot really recommend the hopper pass unless you are staying in a Disney resort. That's the only way you'll really get your money's worth (and with a 7 year-old. The ability to go back to your hotel for a rest and to use the pool is great, then you can come back again to the same or a different park at night. But if you want a condo, you are better off staying off-property.
The nice thing about staying on property is the lack of need to rent a car. While cars in Orlando can be cheap, gas isn't, and parking will cost a fortune unless you stay at a Disney resort.
There's no real way to save much on park tickets unless you can find a deal through AAA or something like that. Disney tickets just don't go at a discount. But you can save money by bundling tickets, hotel, etc. with a Disney package.
It's good that you are planning early. Last march me and my son went to Disneyland, we had a blast. I got my tickets from discountdland.com which was such a money saver. I can't say much about the places to spend overnight because we were accompanied by my best friend's sister in law.
IMO the best pool on the property, especially for a 7-year-old is at the Yacht and Beach. Be aware that there are approximately 32 different pricing "seasons" at Disney in terms of hotel rates.
Hello - we went almost 3 years ago with a group of two families kids age range was 4 - 11. Both families stayed on the monorail track. SIL stayed at Floridian and we stayed at Bay Lake Tower at the Contemporary. BLT was great it was brand new and we had a one bedroom unit with a kitchen and could watch fireworks from our balcony. SIL had standard room at Floridian - prettier property - room was mediocre. How we got into BLT - not sure as we are not DVC members (nor will we EVER be)booked through triple A and it was stupid expensive - got the park hopper and did Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party (rip off). We liked the Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom (bus which was annoying) and Epcot. Did not do water parks as did not make sense due to height requirements plus it is just harder to keep track of small kids in those environments IMO. Had a couple of good meals at Contemporary restaurants - Wave and California Grill. Also had an excellent meal at Citrico's at the Floridian. Very expensive 6 nights - could have spent two weeks in Europe for what we paid. That said it is a must do trip with kids if you have the means. I'm sure there are more cost effective ways to do it. Good luck.