Disney World advice???

Need some advice about Disney World from some that have been there or live by there. My wife and I are going to go to Disney World in March. We will be on a limited budget but want to stay at a nice place that is close to Disney. What places offer a good deal that are nice, clean and offer the best deals for the money. Like shuttles to the parks and are very pleasant. Anyones help will be very helpful. It will be a 7 day trip. Lee

I'm so glad you posted this...we are planning on going in Feb. w/ our 2 kids (but only for 5 nights)...I'll be turning into your thread to read what people say. Sorry have no advice; last time we went was over 10 yrs ago w/ DH (before kids).

Originally Posted by StoneHrt Need some advice about Disney World from some that have been there or live by there. My wife and I are going to go to Disney World in March. We will be on a limited budget but want to stay at a nice place that is close to Disney. What places offer a good deal that are nice, clean and offer the best deals for the money. Like shuttles to the parks and are very pleasant. Anyones help will be very helpful. It will be a 7 day trip. Lee

we just got back from a 8 day stay at the world.Others may say differently,but, STAY ON PROPERTY!!Disney has an awesome internal transportation system and even free shuttle service on deluxe motorcoach transportation from the airport where they even pick your baggage up.Also staying on property has perks, extra magic hours where the park opens earlier or stays open later exclusively for resort guests.Its a win win situation.
We stayed a deluxe for 4 days then a value for 4 days, loved both.
A good site that has all kinds of tips and also codes to get better hotel rates is http://www.disboards.com/ a WEALTH of info and gave us all kinds of tips.

have fun!!


eta- march isd an extremely busy time-book asap and remember to use fastpass to avoid lines.A;so disney has a great free planning video you can get from their site and also really nice maps that you customize that they will send you free!

I too am a disboards junkie There are many forums - including the budget forum (GREAT advice) - for disney trips and living - but check the resort forum. There is a code/rate subforum there where specials are posted. The disney all-stars and pop are cute resorts and if you can get a package or room only rate for march you will enjoy staying on property at the value resorts.

I have stayed on and off property. I have hotwired a GREAT rate for the Peabody. There is a forums for the hotels off property where people post their exp and rates. There are forums for the universal properties too.

Have a magical time!


Ishy

It's not free advice, but I found that the touring plans at http://tourguidemike.com/ were well worth the price for our trip. I think there is some free content there too.

Happy planning!

I did a whole big thing for peachis when she went. Lemme look for the thread.

One thing I would suggest is stay on property. This way you can get free shuttle without the hassle and believe me, you do NOT want to drive! And, you also get a "credit card" to use to any of the facilities, all the parks, shops, food, anything and everything and you pay for your tab when you leave. It's convenient.

Have a wonderful time!

REally, the transportation is worth its weight in gold. I cannot find Peachis's thread. Maybe you could pm her or she will wander in.

I would also recommend staying on site. We went two years ago in March and stayed at the Pop Century. It was great. Small rooms because it is a "value resort" but all we did in our room was sleep. The pools, gameroom, food court, and giftshop were all fantastic.

look if you just want to do disney you can stay at pop centurey and get a meal plan and leave the rest of your money at home.

Hello,


I have been to Disney World (all four parks) seven times in four years. Bragging not intended as we save each year for the next trip. Also, living in Georgia we drive. I strongly recommend staying on Disney property. Yes, you can find lots of places to stay offsite a lot cheaper. Here are my reasons for staying on site. Once you park your car you never have to move it again until time to leave. It's wonderful after a night time parade to just head to your designated bus stop and load. Disney transportation is free, clean and runs all day and night. No need to go out to a sea of cars then fight traffic. We have used the dining plan that more than paid for itself with two boys. For a limited budget I would stay at the value resorts on property. I love this website second to OLS....it's www.allearsnet.com. I have found the information to be 100% accurate for Disny planning. Schedule at least one character dinner for the ultimate character experience. One word of advice, upon check in or prior get maps of the parks and plan your days. Get to the parks early and ride the most popular rides first. Make sure you get the park hopper tickets and have a wonderful Mickey Mouse time!


Wish me luck on winning a Disney Trip!!!

We are annual passholders and have gone all the routes - onsite hotels, offsite and even a beautiful 5-bedroom house. We found the offsite hotels were a bit cheaper but didn't have the "magic." Also, driving around can be a hassle. I love parking the car and never driving again. You can stay at one of the value resorts and it won't break the budget. "Pop Century" is the newest value resort and very nice. Others are the "All-Star" resorts - each with their own theme (music, movies, sports). They are really nice and the architecture is really amazing. I believe the rates start going back up in March but you could probably still find a good deal. There is just something special about staying on the property. If you have a little more money to spend I'd try a moderate resort. The most beautiful to me is Port Orleans. I could just walk around the grounds and not even go to the parks.

Although staying "onsite" is a great convenience, it also is quite expensive. If money is a factor (and when isn't it), there are a million perfectly good hotel/motel rooms within a short distance. Driving to Disney World is not a terrible experience at all. They have large, excellent parking facilities with shuttle trams and once you're there, you're there for the day. You also may wish to drive to things outside of Disney (like Kennedy Space Center, etc.), and that might be easier from offsite lodging.

If money isn't an issue, stay in Disney.

If money is an issue you can do what we did several times. We got two timeshare "preview" packages, back to back. We stayed in one two bed condo for three nights and then moved to another condo for the remaining three nights. It cost $75 for three nights for a total of $150. We also had to listen to the timesnare thing. If dosn't last long if you look completly uninterested. You can find the previews on ebay.

The only way to do Disney is to stay on-property. They offer so much that would cost you a lot of out of pocket expenses otherwise. Their free transportation and the dining package are great.

When planning our vacations we like to look for things like they offer to prevent stress. It makes vacations so much more enjoyable.

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw...fitLandingPage