Disney World this summer, 6 adults, 5 kids
 

Planning a trip to Disney World, on a budget, is it better to buy the vacation package or to purchase tickets, accommodations and dining separate? Looking to stay at the value motels does anyone know if they have fridge and microwaves? We will have a 3 and 5 year old vegetarian with us trying to figure out what besides fast food, read cheap, is available. Still working on a timeline from everyone, I'd like to go the last week in June, but am open for the less expense timeframe.

Any other tips and / or suggestions welcome. Thanks in advance.

It would be better if you buy the vacation package. Comparatively it is cheap. Many vegetarian food stalls are there so you will not be facing any problem.

You need to realize that in terms of on-property accommodations rates, Disney has about 32 different pricing timeframes. Not sure what you mean by the "cheaper" one.

I suggest you go to disboards.com -- a website dedicated to all things Disney. You will find a lot of valuable info on that site and the folks there will help you plan your trip.

Going to Disney these days requires planning ahead, including making "reservations" to ride the most popular rides. Do your homework so you can make the most of the trip and not be disappointed and frustrated.

Good luck and have fun!

Do you mean staying at a WDW Value Resort, or do you mean a cheap motel off-site? There's a huge difference. It's hard to know if it's better to price everything separately or not unless you price things out. If WDW hotels are discounted during your trip, then it might be a good value to buy a Disney package, which you must buy from Disney. WDW Value Resorts do not have a fridge or microwave in regular rooms but they do in Family suites. Having two of those (which sleeps 6) may be a good deal for you rather than 3 regular rooms, but it's going to be more expensive.

Whether you get the meal plan or not is a harder decision. Normally, I don't think they are a good value for kids because they include too much food. But you should definitely get the quick-service plan only if you are on a budget and decide to go that route. Most quick-service options have vegetarian selections, and lines aren't very bad. Value resorts at WDW only have quick-service food courts; they don't have sit-down restaurants. AllEars.net has a good list of the vegetarian options at Disney Quick-Service restaurants, so look at those to see what options are available.

And realize if you take Disney transportation you won't really have an option to stop somewhere at a grocery store and buy food, and taxis are going to be prohibitively expensive. So if you want food/snacks to prepare in your room, be sure to pack them in your suitcases.

You can save considerably on accommodations by staying off-site, but the so-called "free" transportation to the WDW parks is pretty inconsistent and, frankly, bad. And with such a big group, you'd have to rent a van, which will be expensive (not to mention the daily cost of parking), so budget for transportation if you want to stay off-site. But it sounds to me as if you are staying on-site.

When visiting the parks, we found that arriving at opening and walking directly to the back, then working our way forward meant that we practically had the place to ourself for the 1st 2 hours.

Check with the Costco travel desk. We got a super deal last year for five days in the park. Depending a little bit on how you price it out, we either got the hotel for free or the entrance was free. We did not take the meal package.

Thanks everyone we do plan on staying on site. Will check out the links. We will be driving.