Which hotel in Disney World did you stay?
 

Where have you stayed and liked it? Doesn't cost an arm and a leg. Maybe middle of the road but fun, accesable to the parks. I have two teenagers, 17 and 13. This might be our last trip together, but don't want it to cost a fortune, if you know what I mean. We are coming from CA. Have NEVER been to WDW. $250 might be doable. Any other advice you have about the parks would be helpful. We have been to DL (13 year old doesn't remember it). What there is a MUST SEE?

One more ?, is there any fast food in the area? So if we are at a park, can we get to a Jack in the Box for a quick lunch, then return to the park?

Thanks all. You have already been a great help.

I have stayed at ANimal KIngdom LOdge and absolutely loved it. THere are some less expensive hotels at WDW, I personally like AK. The lobby is beautiful and you can have aroom that looks directly onto the savannah where the anilmals are located. THey have 2 excellent restaurants. I am not aware of any fast food restaurants in the park. There will be some outside of the park bu t I think it would take too long to go there and come back etc. Pack some peanut butter and crackers in your purse or bag if you don't want to spend a lot of time running around looking for fast food and you don't want to pay WDW prices.
Recommend a park hopper pass if you are going to be there several days. That way, you can coem and go to all the WDW parks as you please- do one park in the am , go to another in the pm and can even return to the 1st park for evening fireworks, etc. Well worth it.

I would second the Animal Kingdom Lodge recommendation but if that is too expensive, check out Port Orleans Riverside or Coronado Springs. They are both moderate resorts pricewise, but very nice. PO has a better food court for quick bites. Definately stay on the property--it's well worth it.

If you have Starwood points, look at the Swan and/or Dolphin. If you have any UAL MP miles, you might also have access to some 50% off rates with certificates from United. We've also stayed at the AllStar resorts - very basic, well themed, bus transportation, family oriented. Hubby has stayed at Port Orleans and liked it a lot during a convention. Do stay on property - as we all said in your previous post on this, the benefits outweigh the incremental cost. You might be able to avoid a rental car, parking fees, etc. there are less expensive options for lunches and dinner at the parks. portions are large so you might be able to share - get a couple of cookies with milk as a snack at a bakery in MK, get a BeaverTail in Epcot, etc. Fruit is available and cheaper than a hotdog. You can also take the bus to downtown disney which has a lot of restaurants like RainForest cafe. I don't think you'll want to leave the park and drive to a fast food place (there is one right at the entrance - mickey D's) since parking may cost you again when you return. You'll get a very nice room for $250/night but tickets alone will run you about $50/person/day - check out the multi-day for a small discount and more flexibility. $100/day for food for four of you. We always spend a day at MK, see the fireworks and nightly parade; daytime parade is also good. Epcot is definitely a full day. Again, the parade and laser light show are great!!! Start at the back of the park in World Showcase and work towards the front to avoid huge crowds. Test Track is great, Body Wars, Cranium Command, Honey I Shrunk the Kids, American Experience and any of the other country's exhibits depending on your fancy. Disney Studios can be done in less than a day - Tower of Terror, Rock 'n Roller coaster, Indiana Jones show, starwars ride are the big attractions. Use speed pass to organize your time and avoid standing in lines for hours.

My 17 year old niece really likes the Port Orleans Riverside. She loves the grounds and likes the food court. It is one of the moderately priced Disney Resorts. I personally think 4 in a room is too crowded, so we always get two rooms. Check out disboards.com for lots of opinions on Disney resorts. I have gone to Disney World at least 8 times. I stayed off property only once. I will never do that again. I just really like early admission to the parks and the Disney transportation. I've used both the buses and the monorail. I only had a problem once during heavy thunderstorms when the power was knocked out and the monorail went down. It was inconvenient but made for some laughs afterwards. Enjoy your trip. Remember if you are going in the summer it can get really hot so you might appreciate early park admission. It's one of the perks of being at a Disney Resort.
I would not leave any of the parks to go to a fast food restaurant. There are numerous fast food options in all of the parks. I would also consider a trip to Universal Studios or Universal's Islands of Adventure. Do the Islands of Adventure if you are a true wild ride person. It is less than 30 minutes from Disney World to Universal.

I would recommend www.disboards.com
Read and ask questions.

I second the idea of checking out www.disboards.com Also try www.allears.com and www.mousesavers.com
There's great information on those sites for Disney World.

Hi
I bought a package deal "fairytale" Oct. 03 for me and my daughter last year. The package included the hotel (Wilderness Lodge 8 days, 7 nites) PLUS "ultimate hopper" tix. The tickets include all the parks (water parks too), as many times as we could squeeze in. I think it came out to about $150-$175 daily average (not including meals). Food was quite expensive, and even with 8 days there, we never saw a need to leave the parks!I agree with the other posts, disboards, and allears have a lot of info about any deals out there, and ways to save on food costs and various other expenses.
have fun!

Heavens - On a first trip to WDW do yourself a favor - stay in the park complex. They have numerous hotels at varied price points. The base resorts (All star sports and music I'd avoid). I have stayed at both Port Orleans & Caribbean Beach Club and was satisfied with the quality of the lodgings and the accessibility of the resorts to the parks. Disney has a fabulous transit system that can get you everywhere you need to go. With so many parks and so much to see and do, you really don't have to leave Disney at all during your stay...unless of course you want to try to cram in Universal, Sea World and all that in the same trip (seems overwhelming to me). My dream resort is Wilderness Lodge, it's just such a cool, well designed theme hotel. But really, the less expensive options are really still very nice there. Have a fabulous time, and kiss Mickey for me! Trish

I love DW and have probably been there 8 times, staying in various hotels. Our theory is: if you are going, bite the bullet:
1)stay in DW property (so can get length of stay tixs and can go to whatever park you want, whenever you want and you can get timed admission tixs for hard to get on rides--really important for teens who will want to do the "big" rides. also DW guests can have early admission some days and at some times of year, they keep MK open at night only to DW guests.
2)do not eat in park during day. have lunch at pool of hotel. very nice--worth the break. at night if you want to spend the money, go to any of international restaurants at Epcot: Japanese, Scandinavian are good. The park restaurants are not really worth the money, the wait, the stress of getting there on time if you're doing something else--so if you go someplace in the park, go somewhere that is also entertaining. Hotels have OK food and are good alternative. Have snax in park: ice cream! pop corn! bring water bottles and refill at water fountains.
3) have fun, it's the greatest

this might be simplistic but we've always grabbed quick but filling breakfast and then hit the parks. One morning as a splurge when the boys were quite young, we did the early entry and had breakfast at Tony's in MK. Get a snack midmorning, something bigger early afternoon - avoid 11-1pm crowds if possible. If you're exhausted and at epcot, go to the UK/Rose and Crown pub. They have cheese and fruit plates, sandwiches, etc that are great and the water view is wonderful. two dinner 'splurges' - Tony's in MK and then use that as a vantage point for the nightly parade and the Biergarten in Epcot's germany for a ton of food, entertainment and fun. Then, just walk outside, park yourself and see the nightly parade and fireworks around the lagoon area. If you're into major and i mean major theming, try the 50's Prime Time diner at the Disney Studios. Very large portions, good value, set up like mini 1950's kitchens with all the accessories and every waitress is just like 'mom'. you can get less expensive food in the parks but it won't be sitdown places....and sometimes you just need those after a long day. If you're on property, going back to the hotel is very easy and can save some dollars...maybe keep PB/J and bread in your room with sodas and chips? When the kids were very little, we cleaned out the mini=bar and put milk, cereal and juice in there, bought paper bowls and plastic spoons. worked like a charm. Used the unofficial guide the first time and then just our experiences after that. Avoid the very high end places and you'll be fine.

Definitely stay on the Disney property.When we went we stayed in the campground there in a mobile home with a porch and a barbecue. I think it was called the Wilderness Resort.We were able to buy some groceries, so we ate breakfast and dinner in our cabin, and that left only buying lunch when we were out.Transportation to all of the theme parks from there was free and you could go any time.

We stayed at the All Star Music resort in November. Great food, nice pool. It was around $60 a night, but the peak season just ended the previous day. Free shuttles to & from parks, plenty to do. You won't spend much time in the room, but this place was definitely worth the money! Also, renting a car?? Get a limo/shuttle from the airport-they will stop at a grocery store for you so you can load up-much cheaper than eating out every meal! Unless you'll be travelling elsewhere, no real nered to rent a car. Have a great time!!!

Have stayed on WDW property and off ... recommend staying on. We were there for a week in February and stayed at the Wilderness Lodge - got AAA discount. Awesome hotel. Our three boys especially enjoyed Buzz Lightyear ride, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Space Mountain and Test Track - use the fast pass so you don't have to wait in line. We ate meals at the hotel and parks - included fast food. Hope you have a great trip.

I have stayed at Caribbean Beach Resort, Port Orleans French Quarter and Riverside and The Beach Club (concierge). The first three are considered "moderates" and the Beach Club is a "deluxe" resort. I also stayed offsite last year for two nights - prefer onsite.

My favorite (no big surprise) was the Beach Club. However, the moderates are very nice also. I think you will really enjoy staying onsite. There is just something about it. If you could manage one of the EPCOT area hotels, your teens could walk to the Boardwalk and to EPCOT. You can also walk or take the boat to MGM. It is a very nice area. The hotels in this area would include the Boardwalk Inn, Beach ad Yacht Club, Swan and Dophin. Go to mousesavers.com and watch for codes. Also, see if you can get a discount at the Swan or Dolphin. This could make the area more affordable. Of the moderates, we like Port Orleans French Quarter.

We always rent a car while at Disney. They do have bus transportation to the parks from the resorts, but I like the flexibility a car gives us. We can go to offsite restaurants which really helps you save money. There are tons of restaurants once you get outside the Disney Village.

If you have any more questions, will try to answer.

Another thing - I don't know how long you are staying, but you could split your stay between Disney and Universal. Your teens would probably love the Unviersal parks (Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure). Also, if you stay onsite at Universal, you can go to the front of the line with your room key. It is awesome. More for you to think about!!

Also, go to disboards. com - lots of info at that site!!

Good luck!

Thanks all. You are a wealth of info. Will go on those mouse sites soon. Just trying to keep this on the QT from the kids and they are on the computer after school.

Universal Studios, we have been to the one in LA. Is the one in Orlando better or worth a trip also? We have also been to Sea World in SD. So, what are the absolute MUST SEE parks for teenagers?

For teens: MK - Alien Encounter, Space Mountain, Big Thunder Montain, Splash Mountain for thrills. Haunted Mansion, Buzz Lightyear and Jungle Cruise for Nostalgia. Disney studios: Tower of Terror, star wars and Rock 'n Roller coaster for thrills. Epcot - Test Track and Body WArs for thrills. The would probably get a hoot out of Cranium Command as well. Haven't been on the AK thrill rides yet but have heard they are good - Dinosaur something and a river/water ride.

Universal Orlando has TWO parks. Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. Your teens (and you) would LOVE Islands of Adventure. As stated before, if you stay at an onsite hotel at Universal, you get automatic express entry to most attractions in the parks.

When we visited several years ago, we stayed at the Disney Institute property. It was fabulous; we even had our own private ducks to greet us! Getting into the park an hour early was so worth it. I don't know if this is still the case, but avoiding the crowds is the only way to go.

If your kids enjoy thrill rides - skip Disney and head on over to Universal Studios Islands of Adventure ... the roller coasters are great - and there are several to choose from. Disney is fun if you like M Mouse and his gang but that park seems to attract a larger number of families with young kids in strollers. The place definitely feels more crowded as a result. Also, the rides are much tamer. As far as a place to stay, there are many good deals to be had if you stay at a hotel outside of the parks. All the large chains are there and they all have shuttles that go to the area theme parks. Also dining is much cheaper. - Check out any of the travel sites like Expedia, Travelocity, hotwire, etc. You'll pay a fraction of what it will cost you inside WDW. If you do go to Islands of Adventure splurge and have dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe (mediocre food with great Rock n Roll kitsch) you and your kids will enjoy it Have fun !