Planning A Disney Vacation
- Thread starter Mr Light
- Start date
I just booked a trip for my daughter's 16th birthday. Her mother is taking the girl and two of her friends for the weekend.
If it was me going, I'd rather pay the money and stay on-site. The convenience, the atmosphere, the ease of getting in and out, etc.
My wife however is the penny-pincher in the family, and wanted to stay off-site. We went to http://www.getawaytoday.com/ and assembled a package from there. It is definitely cheaper, but the hotel is 5 miles away and you have to conform to the shuttle schedule. Still my wife is pleased with the deal.
And whatever you do, do NOT stay at a Days Inn. Anywhere.
If it was me going, I'd rather pay the money and stay on-site. The convenience, the atmosphere, the ease of getting in and out, etc.
My wife however is the penny-pincher in the family, and wanted to stay off-site. We went to http://www.getawaytoday.com/ and assembled a package from there. It is definitely cheaper, but the hotel is 5 miles away and you have to conform to the shuttle schedule. Still my wife is pleased with the deal.
And whatever you do, do NOT stay at a Days Inn. Anywhere.
^Oh, that's silly. I good, modern Days Inn is no different than a good, modern Best Western or Ramada or anything else. It's not the Hyatt Regency or the Disney Grand Floridian but they're not all $35 a night dives either. Some of them are, I wouldn't stay at one without researching it. In Orlando, you very much get what you pay for, and you can get a room for anything from $25-2500 a night.
http://www.daysorlando.com/hotel_info.htm
http://www.daysinnuniversal.com/
Not opulent, but not that bad for $65-100 a night. Believe me, there is nothing opulent about the Disney All Star Resort, for example, they've got some of the smallest rooms around for the $90-139 dollars a night they ask, you're just paying for the convenience of staying on the resort and the Magic Hour access. Good things, mind you, but I'm just laying it all out there.
And no I don't work for Days Inn, I just travel a lot and have been to Orlando a half a dozen times. People travel on every kind of budget and I've stayed both on and off the WDW resort.
http://www.daysorlando.com/hotel_info.htm
http://www.daysinnuniversal.com/
Not opulent, but not that bad for $65-100 a night. Believe me, there is nothing opulent about the Disney All Star Resort, for example, they've got some of the smallest rooms around for the $90-139 dollars a night they ask, you're just paying for the convenience of staying on the resort and the Magic Hour access. Good things, mind you, but I'm just laying it all out there.
And no I don't work for Days Inn, I just travel a lot and have been to Orlando a half a dozen times. People travel on every kind of budget and I've stayed both on and off the WDW resort.
I've always stayed at Disney hotels, but I'm also of the mindset that I'd rather take few vacations and really splurge on them when I do go. Whatever you decide to do, I hope the two of you have a really wonderful time together. Definitely spend time at Epcot. I find that I enjoy it more the older I get, and the world showcase was quite a bit of fun the last time I was there.
Oh and if you do go there, it's not a bad idea to do dinner reservations at one of the restaurants (China, France, etc.) and try to snag a table with a view of the water. My husband and I managed to have a lovely meal at one of the French restaurants while watching the fireworks and it was really a nice experience. Something you might enjoy with your wife!
Oh and if you do go there, it's not a bad idea to do dinner reservations at one of the restaurants (China, France, etc.) and try to snag a table with a view of the water. My husband and I managed to have a lovely meal at one of the French restaurants while watching the fireworks and it was really a nice experience. Something you might enjoy with your wife!
Epcot was my favorite as a kid since I don't like roller coasters.
Oh no no no we are not dining at a Disney restaurant
We're not that rich and still hoping to do this on a budget! 
I plan on bringing a whole bunch of granola bars with us for in-hotel eatin' and then just get little things in the parks.
Oh no no no we are not dining at a Disney restaurant
We're not that rich and still hoping to do this on a budget! I plan on bringing a whole bunch of granola bars with us for in-hotel eatin' and then just get little things in the parks.
I've worked in the DW area for off-site hotels for several years now but I've never stayed on-site so I don't have much of an opinion about that.
One thing I can tell you, though, is that everything is likely to be more expensive than you think. That really cheap buffet? Chances are the drinks will cost extra. Assume things like that from the outset and you won't ruin your own vacation complaining.
Watch out for automatic gratuities possibly being added to your restaurant tabs. The restaurants aren't trying to trick you, they're just generally dealing with lots of people from countries where tipping isn't usual. You can adjust up or down depending on your service.
To get to the other attractions if you don't rent a car, you'll either need to take a cab or a shuttle. Check with the front desk or concierge at your hotel. It might make sense to rent a car for a day or so depending on how many people you've got. I think cabs can carry up to 5 people for the same price but the rates aren't at all low.
HTH,
Jan
One thing I can tell you, though, is that everything is likely to be more expensive than you think. That really cheap buffet? Chances are the drinks will cost extra. Assume things like that from the outset and you won't ruin your own vacation complaining.
Watch out for automatic gratuities possibly being added to your restaurant tabs. The restaurants aren't trying to trick you, they're just generally dealing with lots of people from countries where tipping isn't usual. You can adjust up or down depending on your service.
To get to the other attractions if you don't rent a car, you'll either need to take a cab or a shuttle. Check with the front desk or concierge at your hotel. It might make sense to rent a car for a day or so depending on how many people you've got. I think cabs can carry up to 5 people for the same price but the rates aren't at all low.
HTH,
Jan
I'd still look into the dining plan, to see how that would work for you. Whether you use your dining credit in a sit-down restaurant or at a counter service, they both "cost" one dining credit. You still need to factor in tip, though.Epcot was my favorite as a kid since I don't like roller coasters.
Oh no no no we are not dining at a Disney restaurant
If by "shuttle" you mean "cab", then yes.
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