pinniped

I've never really done a Disney trip. For the longest time I swore I never would, but now that the kids are 10 and 7 I'm considering taking everyone on a one-time trip to do the whole Disney thing. Our total party would be somewhere between 5 and 7 - no bigger than one MVCI unit or two standard hotel rooms.

I realize all of those "crowd calendars" basically say avoid the whole place like the plague during mid-March, but I'm wondering if there are any tips/tricks that could make the experience bearable.

Reasons I'm even considering doing this to begin with:
- A variety of the good Starwood, HHonors, and Marriott hotels are available as awards.
- We have a couple airline companion passes to get us down there at reasonable cost, so the underlying (high) fare on the original ticket probably won't be a dealbreaker. We aren't dependent on award inventory, and we can avoid the blackout dates on the certificates.
- We have enough adults that we can split up itins if needed. We have enough elite baggage allowance on different airlines that we could even send 1-2 of our shorter adults empty-handed on Spirit if necessary.

I could stay at the Swan if the "onsite" benefits are worthwhile for the Disney-owned parks. Could likewise do the Doubletree for the breakfast and no-resort-fee perks. Marriott's advantage is with MVCI, but it's offsite and might necessitate a rental car.

I guess my biggest question is whether we'll get the "full" experience with the limited number of Fast Passes you get for rides. Seems like most other things at Disney aren't "things you wait in line for" but rather things you schedule in advance. We'd be willing to pay a premium for some of those things to avoid queues...

I have no status or points with Loews. I think we'd still try to go one day there to do the Hogwarts stuff, but the rest would probably be the Disney parks. Unless there's a backdoor to points/status with Loews that I'm not aware of...

Am I crazy for even thinking of this? Should I go in October and enjoy relative peace? Or is Disney just crowded 365 days a year so it kind of doesn't matter?

Mary2e

IF you can go in October - do it.

Spring break runs from march into April, and the closer it gets to Easter, the busier it is.

The weather in October will be nearly perfect, and excepting the Columbus Day weekend crowds, it will be blissfully uncrowded (that is a relative term). You may not even need fastpasses for most rides, though you could/should get them for more popular rides.

Unless you want to pay for a VIP Guide (at $650 per hour), you really can't pay for access.

Staying at the Swan/Dophin might be your best option if you don't want to pay for a Disney hotel. You will not get all of the benefits of staying onsite, but there will be some.

If you really want the whole experience, do the disney resort thing, and save your points for another trip. It's going to cost you a whole lot more, but your kids are only 10 & 7 once, and this is the perfect age for that special trip. The next trip you can use your points

pinniped

I thought the Swan was considered an onsite hotel. (?) On the Starwood board, there are threads where people discuss this as one of its benefits - a reason you might actually want to pay a resort fee to stay there (vs. other Starwoods in Orlando or other properties like HGVC/MVCI). Early entry to the parks, earlier access to Fast Passes, etc.

We *could* theoretically go in late October. I see "international food and wine festival" at Epcot and suddenly my previous aversion to amusement parks begins to decrease rapidly.

I'd be willing to hang on the points and book a paid room if I felt like I was getting solid value for it. I realize that inevitably means avoiding March. March would only be enabled by points...and even then I think I'd want to re-acquire Starwood Platinum before the trip. SPG Gold is probably mere wallet candy at the Swan.

Mary2e

It does not get all the same benefits. It gets some, such as early entry. I'm not sure about the fast pass situation - I haven't looked. Plus, the system is so new, it's constantly changing.

The food an wine festival isn't all that you think it is. Picture a whole lot of booths around world showcase in Epcot. Add to it lots of drunk people and crowds. Plus the cost of these small bites of food can add up really fast, and it's not all that great an experience. They do have special dinners you can reserve at an additional cost. I've never done one of those.

Have you read any threads on www.disboards.com? It's sorta the FT of Disney. BUT - keep in mind that they it's operated by a travel agency, and some things are not exactly un-biased. There are some vendors who cannot be named without getting ***** in place of the name

As well, with children that young, you might want to be in a hotel that is closer to the Magic Kingdom. The Swan is walking distance to Epcot and a boat ride to Hollywood Studios. In Oct it's not a big deal to travel, but in March it may be.

I'll also look for you.

Here's a link to the FAQ thread on disboards. You can also check www.allears.net for more information - and it may be easier to find

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3264274

wcj1

If it fits your schedule, I would say go January 1. It used the be that Disney was busiest between Christmas and New Years, and then be the least busy right after. My sister works for Disney and I went once a long time ago right after NYE; I could just walk onto rides with no wait.

writerguyfl

I used to work at the Disney Reservations Center (DRC), where I trained phone agents and answered guest calls during period of high call volume. If you ask a DRC cast member, the answer would be something like:
Then, the Cast Member is supposed to turn the negative into a positive by saying something like:
Technically, all of that is true. Since I no longer work for the Mouse, I'll tell you about the one topic that is purposely avoided when answering that question: dining. Extending theme park hours helps manage crowds. But, you can't extend lunch time or dinner time. Getting a non-quick serve table at a standard time gets much more difficult during crowded days. So, if you or your kids are used to a regimented meal schedule, you'll likely encounter problems.

As for the FastPass+ system, if you purchase your tickets in advance, you can reserve slots up to 30 days in advance. (Disney resort guests can do that 60 days in advance.)

If you are referring to the DoubleTree Suites Lake Buena Vista (at Downtown Disney), I stayed there earlier this year. Here is my review:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hilto...l#post22514781

I also just stayed at the Hilton at Downtown Disney. (I checked out this morning.) It has declined significantly since my last stay. I'll write a formal review sometime in the next few days. But, the short version is that there were many minor issues that added up to an unimpressive stay. The DoubleTree was leagues better and no resort fee.

stan1162

Having been to Disney a LOT, starting in 1975, and with my children starting in 1990, at least once a year when they were little, and more times after that I can give you my best opinions.

Go in October is at ALL possible.

Starwood... Try for the Swan (EPCOT hotels) then the Dolphin. The location is great!! I mean really great!!

They are on-site. You can walk to the "back" entrance at EPCOT, where the countries are. Take the boat to MGM, and buses to Magic Kingdom.

Start you day when the parks open, seriously. Do not do stroll in at 10 am.

You will get more stuff done before 11, then most people will get done in a whole day.

We go early, leave mid-day for swim and relaxation and go to an EPCOT country for dinner (fireworks every night at 9)

They ask kids their favorite part of Disney. Most if not all say Hotel pool.

Swimming and breaks are that important.

Splitting up is possible if on-site. Your party is only as strong as it's weakest link!

Ask if you have more questions.

tdsbu

Another positive vote for Swan/Dolphin. We loved the proximity to all of the non-resort restaurants and preferred walking to Epcot and Hollywood Studios (generally quicker than the boat). Bed is much more comfortable than Disney resorts. Biggest drawback vs Disney hotels is no magical express from airport (and parking is expensive). Great value vs Disney resorts.

SPG Platinum doesn't get you much (no club lounge); we were upgraded to a corner room (no suite) with slightly more space and given some coupons at check in. Continental breakfast is free, and upgrade to full buffet is $7-8 (although one of the free breakfasts is a character breakfast). I wouldn't recommend any extra work to attain platinum status before your stay.

Personally, we would avoid WDW during spring break at all costs. The tip on the dining situation during busy seasons is great advice. Another tip (and another reason we liked Swan/Dolphin with walking access to two of the four parks) is to avoid the buses if at all possible. It always amazes me how much a family spends per waking hour on a Disney vacation, and then how many waking hours they spend lining up for and riding the miserable buses.

stan1162

This is the web site I direct to people for great info...

http://www.swandolphin.com/

The Swan is a Westin

Dolphin is a Sheraton

hope this helps someone.

flyerwife

I have to agree with the "stay away from Spring Break" sentiment. My 20 yr old daughter, who has been to DisneyWorld at least 30 times, just went this year at spring break and said it was AWFUL. And she knows every in and out of the parks and rides.

October or early January is MUCH preferred. Those park capacity calendars at www.easywdw.com are pretty accurate.

The best advice is to get there before the parks open so you can be at rope drop. Saturdays seem to be a good day to accomplish a lot early, especially at the Magic Kingdom. GO WITH A PLAN of what you 'must see' and prioritize accordingly. Also, take advantage of the very late night hours, especially the last half hour, when the lines really thin out.

If your kids can miss school without it being a nightmare when they return, I would definitely plan the trip at a less busy time.

Have fun!

Mary2e

I just returned from 9 days there. The weekends were very, very crowded, it was Star Wars weekends, but the magic bands help (& an employee friend in guest services ), but mid-week was blissfully uncrowded.

The first week of June may be pretty ideal, but I guess it's because so many kids are still in school (FL let out on Fri). The weather was also pretty good ^

pinniped

Right now, we're planning on late October...the week before all of the Halloween special events, so should be pretty good timing.

Holding an upgraded award room at the Swan but could end up shifting to one of the SVO/MVCI/HGVC villa properties if rates drop closer to the travel dates. Weighing pros/cons of the extra hours in the parks and no need for a rental car vs. extra space and comparative serenity of a villa.

Probably end up doing 3 Disney parks and 2 Universal parks but that isn't set in stone. (Universal has apparently split Hogwarts across their two parks, making you buy both if you really want to see it all.)

Mary2e

The Halloween activities start at the end of Sept or early Oct Christmas starts the second week of Nov

If you go before Halloween it should be pretty quiet, particularly during the week. I don't know you'll need the extra hours in the parks.

And don't think you won't need a rental car Disney World is BIG, and while they have an excellent transportation system, driving yourself will save you a lot of time waiting for buses.

Beckles

pinniped, why don't you come by my office and we'll have a few beers from the kegerator and I can give you my thoughts on this (though Mary2e probably has forgotten more than I know ... wiat, I don't think she's forgotten anything, so that's not right ...).

If this is a one-time trip as you say and you want to do it right, this is what I would suggest, you should rent Disney Vacation Club points (see this Disboards forum) and get a 2 bedroom suite at one of their properties. For the Universal portion of your trip you should stay onsite at Hard Rock, Portofino Bay, or Royal Pacific (listed in my order of preference) so you get unlimited Express access to the rides in the parks. No matter where you're staying, get a rental car (or two if you need it for your party size) so you can get off-site easily for shopping, a few meals, and other activities. If you're only (planning) on doing it once, then do it right ...

Mary2e

aw shucks, thank you

A word about renting points. Space is really hard to come by these days. Seems everyone owns a piece of the mouse AND uses it. All that is ever available is Saratoga Springs, and well, that's cause it's so far away from every thing, no one wants to stay there

A very kind FTer has been GIVING me excess points for the past couple of years. They're enough for a long weekend. All we could ever get for the end of January is Saratoga. This year we made the reservation ONE YEAR IN ADVANCE and were only able to get the home property. The waitlists never clear. And all we are asking for is a studio, which are plentiful. 2 bedrooms are hard to come by. Another friend is in the same situation for the end of this month. Points were given for a week - but all they could get was Saratoga. That tells you something

But if you two get together you can conference me in for the planning session