redmaria

Well, I'm glad you all disagree on the craigslist idea for disney tix. I think we will also skip the meal plan and go with breakfast included in a hotel nearby (Marriott Village: Fairfield Inn). we are waiting to hear from liberty Travel, I am also looking into AAA, BJ's Vacation Club, AARP and will check priceline, as well. Will also check Buena Vista Palace and Royal Palace. THANK YOU ALL SOOO MUCH!!! I really appreciate it and will most likely go with a summer travel considering the high price tag.

workingonthebucket

I live in Florida and go to Disney often. My BEST piece of advice is to not go in the summer. It is extremely hot, and the lines can be as long as 120 minutes or more. People from the north vastly underestimate the Florida heat, especially while standing in extremely long lines. I've seen it ruin many vacations. While Presidents day weekend will be crowded, it will not be as bad as the summer, and the weather will be much nicer. I also recommend going with a condo (or two). That way, you'll have a kitchen and can eat some meals there, and you'll have more beds and rooms. Orlando is filled with really good condos which are just a few minutes driving to Disney. We have stayed at The Holiday Villas many times -close, clean and very nice. We've also stayed at the Disney value hotels (All Star/Music resorts,etc), and did not find it worth the price to stay inside Disney. Plus the rooms were very modest without even a coffee maker! I don't think your budget would allow for the really nice Disney resorts (the ones on the monorail).
My only other advice is to get up EARLY every morning and be waiting at the gates when they open. Go for the big rides first, and also get fast passes. When the park gets crowded mid-day, go back to your room for a swim and rest, then head back out in the evening. Have fun! I love Disney!!!

MomDDTravel

I 100 percent agree with going early - it made a huge difference

persimmondeb

I'm not a giant fan of the "vacation homes" that dot the Orlando area landscape, but this is an instance where they make sense. A house that will sleep 16 can probably be gotten somewhere around $500 a night, and will allow you to cook as much or as little as you like, which will tend to keep the budget in check.
I don't know how well you'd do on availability for President's day weekend, but there's probably something left, since there are a LOT of those homes out there.

doug_stallings

There are some villa-type properties at WDW, but they are almost certainly going to be more expensive than individual rooms at a Value resort, which is what I'd recommend with so many people of varying ages and abilities. I think the biggest problem with staying off-site is transportation, particularly if you rent a house. It would be cheaper, but if you stay on-property, you won't have to worry about transportation at all (no car or van rentals), and you won't have to deal with the vagaries of off-site hotel transportation and the logistics of getting your MIL's scooter into the parks each day. I'd also go with the dining plan.

This may not be what you want to hear, because it's going to seem more expensive than the off-site option, but I really think that the logistics are more important here, and I'd strongly recommend staying on-site.

MomDDTravel

Doug - that is why we ended up at the Hilton which provided extra magic hours and transportation and was across from down town Disney - we only had 4 ppl but at 14 and 18 wanted our daughters to be able to go back and forth on their own - with that many ppl I agree you will want that option - I think ppl that have never been under estimate the distance between parks and the transportation issues

persimmondeb

That is another thing with the vacation home. You would need rental cars, and obviously more than one. The time we got a house, we drove down and had our own van at our disposal.

doug_stallings

I've stayed at the Doubletree that was near the Hilton but not at the Hilton itself, and the transportation is, to say the least, not optimal. It worked for me as an individual and might work for a family during the off-season, but I just can't in good conscience recommend it for a busy holiday weekend. The buses are too irregular and erratic (and the bus to the Magic Kingdom stops at the Transportation Center, not at the park entrance as all the other WDW resort buses do, which is a huge downside for me). I know they will have at least one vehicle driven from New Orleans, so that may accommodate the scooter for the MIL, but there will still need to be transportation for the other 11 people.

I think with such a large group---and with the almost certain necessity to rent a couple of cars or large vans---the poster will find that the cost of transportation and parking may more than make up for any savings by staying at an off-site house or hotel.

It's just my opinion, but with such a large group with so many issues I wouldn't even consider staying off-site.

nytraveler

We stayed at the Hilton near downtown Disney and the "shuttle" from there to the parks was useless. We tried to take it once = and gave up waiting and took the car we had rented. Other guests complained about how long the drive took - it stopped everywhere - and how infrequently it ran.

MomDDTravel

I read those reviews about the transportation and we decided to roll the dice and if it was bad we would take a cab.

We went to Animal Kingdom on the 28 (december) and went for the extra magic hours - we caught the 6:30 am bus which was on time and took us directly to the park.

We took Disney transportation to get us to Epcot after we were done - no waiting - got right on the bus and got off at epcot.

We took the transportation provided by Hilton after Epcot about 5:-6 pm? It took about 45 minutes total - the traffic was bad - but no other stops - straight to to Hilton.

We went to Hollywood studios on the 29th about 11:00 am or so? No wait, got right on the bus - droppped first at Magic Kingdom and it took about 35 minutes total. That night about 9 pm we waited about 20 minutes for the bus.

Over all it was fine and included in the 240.00 a night rate (over peak time) including breakfast for us all. I am pretty picky in general and assumed I would use a cab or car service but it worked out.

I will say (totally not a part of this thread but I will do a trip report at some point)

I love DisneyLand SO much more than D-world. Minority opinion I know.