new here- planing feb./04 trip

[cmoger]

Hi,

I'm planning a trip from feb.20-28 /04 leaving from toronto and need some help. I'm a university student ( UWO) and am on a tight budget, but want the full experience. Since I'm under 25 it doesn't seem viable to stay off- site so I'm planning on staying at one of the all star resorts. Basically, I'd love to know when the best time to book a plane ticket and hotel would be to get the best deal. Thanks.

 

[cmoger]

Also, I was looking into buying meal vouchers, but will be eating primarily fast food in the resorts so is it worth it?


p.s- anyone got any that they'd love to give to a poor disney- loving student?

 

[lilsonicfan]

i'm a poor disney-loving student! i stayed offsite this feb, but was with friends who were able to rent a car (actually a minivan). i thought about those meal vouchers too (like connections ones) but in all honesty, we never ate that much at the parks. even $11 is a lot to spend on food. i found that i'd probably spend about $6 for lunch, and maybe $2 for a snack or ice cream. we brought water bottles (frozen overnight so they'd be nice and cold) and didn't bother buying drinks at restaurants. (or, i often got away with buying a kids meal or a kids drink). as for plane tix, i think we started looking on expedia/travelocity in September but found the right price probably in November or so. Maybe earlier - can't remember - we flew out of Seattle to make it cheaper.

to save money, you might want to consider buying groceries for breakfast (get a fridge in the room? or cooler with ice?). we went to all counter-service restaurants in the parks, which still was good for us - we also had a kitchen where we stayed, so were able to cook dinners/breakfasts. not eating out for every meal saved tons! i tend to think the meal vouchers are not worth it. i know AK has a meal plus sort of deal, but it's also around $11, and again, i never found myself eating that much food (though it depends on which restaurant you go to and how big an eater you are.) we did bring snacks with us into the park (whatever fit into my MEC bag i brought!)

those are almost the exact dates i went in Feb of this year! Reading Break? have a great time planning!! (that's half the fun!)

 

[mom22belles]

Think about flying out of Buffalo. Southwest airlines usually has some great deals. but they only book 3 months out.
The Animal kingdom vochers are worth it if you plan on buying ice cream and a pop/water later on.
Have breakfast stuff in your room. Buy a refillabe mug at the hotel if you plan on drinking alot of pop/coffee. ( mugs are good at your hotel only).

Nancy

P.S. Staying off sit can happen you just have to be on there bus schedule. Which from what I'm told is a pain in the @ss but still workable.

 

[NancyK]

I have a son attending UWO also. You might want to book your room at the All Stars soon. Then watch the boards for any codes that might come out later on in the year for the time you're going. (Don't depend on a code rate, though, because they don't always materialize). We also bring our own cereal and buy milk in the gift shop. We always drive, so I can't offer any advice about flying. Since you won't have a car, I would definitely stay onsite. Happy planning and welcome to the DIS boards.

 

[TimNDansMom]

Welcome to the DIS, cmoger! We usually drive down but my next trip is solo and I am flying out of Buffalo because of the great fares available. You just have to keep watching the various airline's websites for the fares for your time period. Often, someone will post when they see good fares on the boards here, too.

As far as booking the All Stars, keep an eye on mousesavers.com for updates and when the discount codes come out. For February 2003, the "available to anyone, room only code" came out on November 29 of last year and you had to book by December 23. The year previously, the codes came out in October, so you have to check frequently.

I have used many of the suggestions given here for keeping costs down and every little bit helps. Good luck with your planning!

 

[cmoger]

Thanks for the info guys. lilsonicfan, you said you went around the same time last year. I was wondering what the crowds were like. I will probably stay off site 3 nights so I can go to universal so I was looking for a cheap hotel with a good universal shuttle. Any ideas?

 

[cmoger]

anyone???

 

[lilsonicfan]

well, the dates i went were around president's day, so check when that is next year. it was very busy that weekend, especially at MK and AK... AK is huge, but i felt that some walkways were really narrow and hence crowd buildup was big. but you know, i actually like disney when it's crowded - it feels more vibrant. It was hot the whole time we were there though, like it got up to at least 26 degrees most of the days, and felt hotter with the rampant humidity!

no idea about the hotels, but try posting over on the Universal boards as people there might have a better idea...