Disney vacation

hsacks23r Posted: May 31, 2006 01:58 PM

Disney vacation

Disney vacation

I am planning a vaction for us to Disney land (FL) any advise :
where to stay?
what to do?
what not to do?
where to get the best deals?

SeptBride70 Posted: May 31, 2006 02:51 PM

Re: Disney vacation

i would stay at the grand floridian or another disney hotel (i like the wilderness lodge too or the contemporary)
def see epcot first and foremost along with all the other major parks, try to see universal if you have time
i like to go directly through disney-- nothing beats their customer service- they are amazing

divabride Posted: May 31, 2006 02:53 PM

Re: Disney vacation

I would highly recommend staying on Disney Property. Their have the hightest level of hospitality. They have hotels for every budget. Speaking from experience though, my favorite by far was the animal kingdom lodge. They house their own animals and each room has a great view of them.
As far as where to go, the must visit parks are magic kingdom and epcot. The other parks are MGM and animal kingdom. They also have a few water parks. Outside of Disney, I suggest Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure, and Seaworld.
If you have any other questions, I'd be more than glad to help.

laural2979 Posted: May 31, 2006 03:03 PM

Re: Disney vacation

I just got back from Disney a week ago! If you haven't gone to the Animal Kingdom before then I would definitely recommend it. FH and I had a great time there. Of course, no Disney vacation is complete without a trip to the Magic Kingdom. If you stay at a Disney hotel then you get free transportation to all of the parks, but the hotels tend to be much more expensive. (Upwards of $200 per night for a nicer one.)

The last time that we were there we stayed on International Drive. There are a bunch of hotels that provide free transportation to both Disney and Universal.

Good Luck!

krispyc Posted: May 31, 2006 03:06 PM

Re: Disney vacation

I agree with staying on Disney property. It's so much more convenient because they come frequently and go to all the parks and they are included as part of your hotel stay. You really don't have to rent a car because they provide transportation. Of course then you're forced to wait for buses to get everywhere which isn't always fun but it's a good deal! If you plan on going to Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure etc, then renting a car is a good idea as you don't have access to them from Disney property.

As far as Disney hotels, I stayed at the All Star Sports which I don't recommend unless you have kids and you're looking to go the cheapest route. I also stayed at the Caribbean Beach Resort which is one of the moderately priced resorts and is family friendly but not as much as the All Star and it's still nice if you're going as a couple. If you want to avoid the kiddies I'd recommend the higher end resorts. I stayed at the Yacht Club last year and that was really nice!

XFINALLYX Posted: May 31, 2006 03:27 PM

Re: Disney vacation

go to coronado springs if you're looking for moderate. animal kingdom lodge for the higher ones (its only 205 in value season the others are like 280)

Tatum&Steve Posted: May 31, 2006 03:51 PM

Re: Disney vacation

Grand Floridian is best I think, but also the Polenisian is nice (Hawaian Theme) and the Beach Club is nice too!

brittny817 Posted: May 31, 2006 04:42 PM

Re: Disney vacation

I love these questions

I'm in the travel industry and also handle event/meeting planning for the company. I'm planning a meeting at the Disney Dolphin at the moment.

Absolutely stay on Disney property and work with a travel agent that is the agencies Disney specialiast. They are in a position that can get you the best possible rates with the most things included (ie breakfasts, transfers, behind the scenes tours, ect). This is a Magic Kingdom Property.

If you like a tropical theme go with the Polynesian-it's the closest thing to being in Hawaii (but not really being there). If you want more of an upbeat atomsphere check-out the Disney Boardwalk, tons of bars, restaurants, ect right at your door. This is closest to Epcot and MGM Studios (walking distance).

I have heard great things about the Animal Kingdom and it's resort. My cousin did her HM there and loved it!

HTH

XFINALLYX Posted: May 31, 2006 08:01 PM

Re: Disney vacation

im better than a travel agent so if you have any questions ask me. i'm going on my 20th (i think) trip in 5 days. i should just get into the travel agency business but honestly, you dont really need one when it comes to disney. so seriously if you have any questions.. ask. xo

laural2979 Posted: May 31, 2006 08:05 PM

Re: Disney vacation

Posted by brittny817

I love these questions

I'm in the travel industry and also handle event/meeting planning for the company. I'm planning a meeting at the Disney Dolphin at the moment.

That's so funny, I was down there for a meeting at the Dolphin. It's a nice hotel!

Mandyin2007 Posted: May 31, 2006 08:30 PM

Re: Disney vacation

Go through Disney, I have heard of people getting scammed otherwise.

I like Fort Wilderness and The Animal Kingdom Resort. However the Polyneisian is beautiful. I would suggest staying in a hotel that is close to magic kingdom because that is probably where you will spend the most time. The closer the hotel the more modes of transportation are offered (ie ferry, bus, etc.)

The Disney website is very informative and they show you all the resorts and price levels.

Meaghan729 Posted: May 31, 2006 08:38 PM

Re: Disney vacation

definitely stay on disney property - they have the buses that take you everywhere!!! and the drives are usually funny.

aliwnec10 Posted: May 31, 2006 08:56 PM

Re: Disney vacation

Posted by divabride

I would highly recommend staying on Disney Property. Their have the hightest level of hospitality. They have hotels for every budget. Speaking from experience though, my favorite by far was the animal kingdom lodge. They house their own animals and each room has a great view of them.

I agree! My FH and i stayed at one of their resorts and LOVED IT!

Dina Posted: May 31, 2006 09:44 PM

Re: Disney vacation

another good thing about staying at the disney resort is that on certain days, the parks open early or stay open later for patrons of disney hotels only! no crazy lines and how cool would it be going on space mountain at 2 in the morning??? although the polynesian and grand floridian are gorgeous resorts, you also have to consider how much time will you really be spending in the room? there are some other disney resorts that are a little more reasonable and still very nice, fort wilderness for example.

AlmostMrsKelly Posted: May 31, 2006 11:16 PM

Re: Disney vacation

we are going to disney for the 2nd half our honeymoon. we booked the dolphin which is one of disney's resorts completely redone. the swan is it's twin. grand floridian was our 2nd choice though.
we got tickets for almost everyday. we got a 2 day universal (there are 2 parks). we got a one day sea world. and a 3 day disney hopper pass. so we can go to any of their parks (magic kingdom, epcot, mgm, the water park, animal kingdom, etc) as many times as we want over the 3 day period.
my friend went to disney recently and highly recommended buying park passes ahead of time because they spent waaay too much time waiting in line for them.
we also booked cindarella's castle for dinner

we are doing 6 nights in turks and caicos and then 6 in disney. i checked out expedia and travelocity and wound up going through a travel agent and somehow it came out way cheaper than online. and that was with all the park passes that, online, i hadn't even added in.

hsacks23r Posted: Jun 03, 2006 09:42 AM

Re: Disney vacation

wow you girls have a lot to say about disney
we are going with 3 kids ages from 7-11
And I would like to stay at a Disney resort, just dont know the one. ALSO a m torn between going thru a travel agent. I feel I can plan this myself, but I have time we are not going till 2/07

XFINALLYX Posted: Jun 03, 2006 02:56 PM

Re: Disney vacation

if you wanna spend a lil money, go to either port orleans french quarter or riverside, or go to carribean beach. if you wanna go cheap, i'd only stay at pop century. i've been to all of the value resorts minus sports and i dont like them. but then again, you're bringing your kids, so they'll have kids to play with. the only moderately priced one thats not kid friendly (at least i think so) is coronado springs. im going there on monday (!!!!!) so yeah, i'd choose those hotels if i were you. hope this helped xoxo

cherish83 Posted: Jun 04, 2006 12:01 PM

Re: Disney vacation

Posted by Dina

another good thing about staying at the disney resort is that on certain days, the parks open early or stay open later for patrons of disney hotels only! no crazy lines and how cool would it be going on space mountain at 2 in the morning??? although the polynesian and grand floridian are gorgeous resorts, you also have to consider how much time will you really be spending in the room? there are some other disney resorts that are a little more reasonable and still very nice, fort wilderness for example.

They do give you perk time at the parks, plus you get free shuttle to all the parks, downtown disney, and their water parks. Def stay at a disney resort, i recommend the floridian

XFINALLYX Posted: Jun 04, 2006 03:11 PM

Re: Disney vacation

they also have a service where you can charge everything on your room key, as well as ship stuff you bought to your hotel instead of carrying it around the parks. believe me, this comes in handy.. ohhh i cant wait. 15 more hours till im at the airport ready to go!!!!