Planning a vacation for a large group can be full of challenges: Different budgets, egos and agendas can and will clash. The payoff is spending time in the happiest place on earth with some of your favorite people. When you book a vacation for a group, Disney will give you a “group travel” number that ensures your rooms will be next to (or at least near) each other if you’re at the same resort. That’s the first step in organizing your group. Here’s some other tips that will help:
1. Designate one main planner who will communicate with everyone else. This should be the most Disney crazy person in your group. I’m guessing this might be you.
We just posted our construction update for the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train that featured the completed track, a few themed elements, and a lot of exposed steel. Now Disney’s Imagineers have taken possession of the first car destined to roll across those tracks. It’s still… Read More »First Car from Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Arrives at Disney World
Think back to your first trip: What do you wish you’d known? Was there a moment where you thought to yourself “I could have saved myself a lot of time (or money) if only I’d known that!” In my case, my first “real” trip came when I’d moved from Florida and was no longer taking quick day trips. There were so many things I didn’t think about when Disney World was just a few hours drive away. John was wondering that too, so he put out a question on the Facebook page and here are some of your answers. I hope you find something you can use –or even pass on to a Disney newbie:
This isn’t looking good, is it?
10. Suzanne G. is a girl after my own heart. She advises to take a jacket (or a sweater), even if it’s supposed to be warm. While you’re at it, bring a poncho too. It’s probably going to rain at least once on your trip.
9. Get to the Magic Kingdom at opening and make a beeline toward Fantasyland. Sometimes you buck conventional wisdom; this is not one of those times. If you have little kids, you want to knock out Pooh and Peter Pan first since these rides are some of the most popular in all of the parks. After that you can take on the mountains.
The New Rooms at the Polynesian are Gorgeous.
8. Stay on property. I’ve found it’s hard to sell someone on Disney property if he or she is looking at the bottom line. If you’re purely interested in saving money, you can usually stay cheaper off site, but if you think that time is money, you might find quite the opposite: That you actually save money by staying on property. So do the math, but always remember the convenience factor. It’s huge.
Disney’s Art of Animation Suites sleep six comfortably.
A family of five isn’t a “big” family by any means, but it is by Disney standards, where most rooms sleep four people. Because of this, many families mistakenly believe they won’t fit in a standard room, much less in a value room, when in reality there are some attractive options for “larger” families. Even better, these options don’t have to break the bank.
Value Resort Options:
Disney value resorts are the gold standard for guests looking to economize on vacation. The good news is that a value room gives you all the benefits of staying on property at a great price. The no-so-good news is that a standard room in a value resort can be a tight fit, with just two double beds and a small bathroom, and since these rooms only sleep four (plus one child under the age of three), they’re unsuitable for larger families. Fortunately, almost all Disney resort rooms connect, so you can book two rooms for up to eight people. Depending on the ages of the children, parents can have one room to themselves and the kids can share the other room, with the door open between them. This is by far the most economical option for most larger families. When you make your reservation, ask to book your rooms under one reservation number and one deposit.Read More »Best Resort Room Options for Families of Five or More.
A lot of time is spent talking about Advanced Dining Reservations or how to maximize the value of your Disney Dining Plan, but the reality for most Disney World guests is that they’ll be eating mostly at one of the many counter service locations. So, I’ve put together a list of hits, misses, and some hidden gems for those dining on a budget or who just don’t want to take the time away from the attractions a sit down restaurant requires.
If you’ve been waiting to visit Discovery Cove until it became more affordable, you may be surprised to know that it’s already quite a good value, perhaps the best value in Orlando when you consider all that a day trip involves.
For my wife’s birthday this year, I booked us an all-day inclusive Dolphin Swim Day Resort package at Discovery Cove. We’ve been to Discovery Cove a couple times before, but she never had the full experience including the Dolphin interaction. She’s not that fond of swimming in water with fish in it, but I told her dolphins are actually mammals, not fish, so she agreed to try it.
A day at Discovery Cove is as relaxing or as exciting as you want it to be. Our tickets included not only the 30-minute dolphin interaction, but also access to The Grand Reef, Explorer’s Aviary, Freshwater Oasis & the Tropical River. Food and drinks are served for Breakfast, Lunch, and snacks, and the price includes beer, wine, and some alcoholic mixers as well. Read More »Discovery Cove, Orlando’s Best Value?
Childproofing your resort room isn’t the most glamorous aspect of planning your next Walt Disney World vacation, but taking a few minutes before you leave can give you peace of mind later. Most of us with children childproofed our homes as soon as we figured out just how dangerous our innocuous looking houses can be to a rambunctious toddler, but few of us think about doing the same thing while on vacation.
While it’s no substitute for a keeping a watchful eye on your child, there are a few things you can do to make your resort room or rental house more safe.Read More »Childproofing Your Resort Room
Character meals are a fun way to meet your favorite characters and have a good meal, but they can also be overwhelming and expensive, leaving you feeling, well, less than magical. Just like everything else in Disney World, you need a game plan. Nothing complicated, just a few tips to get make sure you get the most bang for your buck. Here’s five ways to do just that:
5. Go early. Not only will you save money because breakfast is the least expensive meal of the day, but younger kids are usually at their best in the morning before the afternoon crankies have set in. They’ll also look a lot neater in pictures if they haven’t been running around the parks for hours beforehand.
4. Make your reservations as far in advance as possible to get your top choices. That means calling at 180-days out. It seems crazy to first-timers, but the most popular restaurants will fill up the first week they’re available for booking. If you’re unable to get a desired location, don’t fret. Instead, start checking a few days prior to your trip. Disney’s new cancellation policy means that even the most popular locations may open up 24 to 48 hours prior. Just be flexible about times.Read More »Getting the Most Bang for Your Character Dining Buck
