How do you know how your family will tour???

[choirfarm]

nt

 

[AppleSister1]

Hi!

You know, sometimes I think that for 1st timers, this board can be SUPER overwhelming! So many of us have been so often and have very definite opinions that vary widely from each other.

We may be able to help you more if we have some more details....when are you going? How long are you staying? If you did stay on site, would you be looking at a deluxe, moderate or value resort budgetarily?

If this is gonna be your only trip (dh MAY change his mind when he finds out how much fun it is) I would strongly suggest staying onsite. You are there in the middle of the magic. Plus, it does allow you flexibility because you CAN go back to the hotel in the middle of the day...and moreover, you can split up! DH can take the tired child back to the hotel, for example, while you stay in the parks with the others. Disney transportation makes that pretty simple.....

Tell us more!

 

[terriluvsbobby]

Oh yes, overwhelming!

But I must tell you that all the planning and research for the trip will pay back in spades for the trip!

Our first trip was partly planned by myself and Small World Travel.

We stayed onsite at the Poly because we had a four year old who we thought wouldn't be able to keep up with her older siblings. WRONG on that one! We hit the parks at rope drop and made our exit in the afternoon, a quick hop on the monorail/bus for crash time! It was worth it. We met so many characters in our hotel lobby too. Pure magic.

This year we are staying off site. The kids are huge now. My DS is 5'11! We just need more room. I got a condo at Windsor Hills and rented a minivan for the week.

Good Luck with your plans! Take lots of pictures and have FUN.

 

[choirfarm]

nt

 

[minmate]

I've been asking tons of questions here, so I just figured I would be repeating myself. I think dh has decided he does not want to bring the rv and camp, so at least one decision is made. Ok, first of all, cannot decide when to come. I THINK we will be going to Alaska at the end of August, but if we do not, then we could come in September (I homeschool, so we can come anytime.) If we do go to Alaska, then the first window is immediately after my big choir program on Oct 27, so we would possibly be going October 28-Nove 2nd which looks like a great deal crowdwise, but may be a little soon for dh to get off again. The other possiblity would be Nove 9-15 or possibly the first full week of December (but couldn't use my 40 percent off then).

Where to stay..believe me I've asked and gotten lots of responses on the resort and Orlando board, but here it is again: All Star Music Suites which I could get at 40 percent off of the rack rate for the regular season, not value, unfortunately. POR is another possibility or a 3 bedroom condo for 99 dollars a night or cheaper possibly if I negotiate with an owner in Windsor Hills. I think we are driving.

Dh isn't really interested in planning Disney right now. We are taking the RV to the Hill country for a week in April, so I'm reserving places for that today. Then if we are going to go to Alaska and use our frequent flier miles we need to do that. But if I am going to use that 40 percent off on the ASM suites I probably should have already done it, but cannot get dh to commit to a date... I keep trying to tell him there are only a limited number, but for vacations he likes to be a spur of the moment kind of guy as opposed to his very structured normal life.



Christine

Maybe you should just book what you think will work best and then a few weeks before the trip tell him you'd like to go on such and such dates... to him it would be spur of the moment then! lol (just kidding - that could really backfire!). Perhaps if you explain this is one trip you don't want to schedule spontaneously. If you can get him to at least nail down the dates, then you can work on the rest of the planning but let that part be a surprise to him so he feels he has spontenaiety in the trip. ?

 

[choirfarm]

nt

 

[NMAmy]

So..if I pick the POR room for ambiance, then we are completely cramped and miserable..then what? Or if I pick the condo, but then we find we really wish we could split up and now we are all stuck together and miserable? Or if I pick All Stars and the noise is so loud we cannot sleep there.... Sigh... how do I keep from making a mistake when I really won't know how it is going to go until we get there and I get one shot to make this perfect for everyone...

Christine

Whoa, that is SO much pressure to put on yourself! It doesn't have to be perfect. No vacation can ever be perfect so please, don't do that to yourself or you are all bound to be disappointed.

If I were you, I'd pick a place onsite where you know you'll have enough room for everyone to be comfortable. Being onsite REALLY gets rid of some of the stress--I think you'll really enjoy being able to go back to the room for awhile and split up, if necessary. Our first trip, we stayed at All Star Movies and it was fine. We asked for a quiet room--and we got it. We had a view of the parking lot but it was quiet. And that was fine for us.

Unless you're going at a really busy time (Christmas, Easter, etc.), you still have plenty of time to figure it all out. I leave next week and put this trip together at Christmas--so really, I had just two months to sort it all out.

Try to get the whole family on board with planning and it will go much easier. My family used to mock me for worrying about where we'd be eating in advance until we went and folks were being turned away from restaurants and WE were able to waltz right in due to our reservations. Now, they might grumble, but they do stop and give me input on what they'd like to do.

I hope you have a great trip. It's important to plan but the way to have the best vacation ever is to be flexible and go with the flow once you arrive. The plan is not written in stone; it is a guideline.

 

[Piglets Mommy]

You mentioned that your DH likes camping....What about a cabin at Ft. Wilderness??? It will be more $$ than the other options that you are looking at, and Dh may feel more at home. You also said that he had decided not to bring the RV, but are planning on driving. The RV really could be a great option for you and help you save a lot of money, by just camping at Ft wilderness, another way for your DH to get t he best of both worlds...you'll be onsite at WDW, and he will be camping which it sounds like he loves to do.

 

[kimluvswdw]

We have not done any tours, but I would like to do the one at the MK where you go behind the scenes.