Ask DS- Lets talk Disney

[matador1]

I know Cwink is the resident pro on the subject. He gave me some great info but who else has been and has tips?
When to go? How much can I look to spend? Drive or fly keeping in mind that they will no longer do direct flights after August.

[Wingman]

All I know is that you have wasted your time and $ if you don't climb up in the Swiss family Robinson treehouse.

[DeltaCotton12]

All I know is that you have wasted your time and $ if you don't climb up in the Swiss family Robinson treehouse.

Ive beento Disney twice as a kid and the only thing I remember is accidentally backing my chair away from the table about the same time a waitress was walking behind me with food on a tray above her head which landed on the table/people behind is and climbing the Swiss family Robertson tree-house.

[jtdumallard]

Find a website and by points from disney timeshare holders. No need in staying anywhere nicer than the pop century or all-star resorts because all you will do is sleep there. Whether you believe others or not, the dining plan will pay for itself. Buying points from share holders is a lot cheaper, almost half the cost of booking through disney or travel agencies.

[Wingman]

All I know is that you have wasted your time and $ if you don't climb up in the Swiss family Robinson treehouse.

Ive beento Disney twice as a kid and the only thing I remember is accidentally backing my chair away from the table about the same time a waitress was walking behind me with food on a tray above her head which landed on the table/people behind is and climbing the Swiss family Robertson tree-house.

I climbed it the first time 2 years ago as a 36 year old and it was the coolest thing ever.

[brandon327]

We booked a week at Wyndham bonnet creek for under $600 in may. We did it on vrbo. They are inside disneys main entrance and have shuttle service. we spent less than $3000 for a week. Did not do the dining plan. A lot of the food you can buy is not on the dining plan. Don't go in the summer too crowded and hot. They say the best time to go is November. We went the first week of may and it was not too bad.

[Ster]

We go every year. Have been at different times of the year and have experienced Disney in multiple ways. We have come to the following conclusion:

1) The best time to go is either the first two weeks of November, or the Middle of December. You don't want to be there the week of Christmas, but the week before that is idea. Its cool weather and the crowds are as minimal as you will find at Disney.

2) Pack a stroller with bottled water, snacks and sandwiches for lunch. You will save hundreds of dollars by doing this. Disney will let you bring food into the parks so take advantage of that and don't buy food in the park.

3) Get to the Park early. If you are there when they open the gates you can get a significant amount accomplished. If you drag out of bed at 10:00 then you will find yourself in long lines all day long. If you stay at one of the Disney Hotels take advantage of the Magic Hours (early opening for Disney Hotel guest). If you are staying off the Disney property then avoid the park that has the Disney Magic Hours.

4) If you stay at one of the Disney Hotels, keep your car handy. You save a lot more time, driving from your hotel lot to the various Parks, than if you use the DIsney Buses. The Disney Buses can be terribly inefficient at times. If you are staying at a Disney Hotel you don't have to pay parking at the parks.

5) Learn how to budget your time and utilize the FastPass system.

[ACEINTHEHOLE]

First week of December. There were no lines this year and it was still in the 80s. We stayed on the log ride 7 times in a row before they finally made us get off. Even the big roller coasters had less than 20 minute waits. Parents took my daughter back last week and said it was AWFUL.

[DuckTruck]

We went a couple of times in the middle of January and it wasn't bad at all. We just went a couple months ago and learned a couple new things.

1. Taking a "sack lunch" in saves a boatload, plus you can eat while you're in line. We stayed in a condo so we froze water bottles and used them to keep our stuff cool and had cold water throughout the day.

2. We went with a family that has 2 special needs children (Downs syndrome and Autism). Due to this they were able to get a special pass that allowed them to jump the lines. Its essentially a fast pass to everything. We found out that kids with ADHD are also eligible for these passes. It really made these folks experience much more manageable.

3. We stayed at Bonnet creek through one of the timeshare folks and saved quite a bit. Plus it allowed us to make a few dinners in the room. Trust me, after all day at Disney with 3 kids going out to dinner sounds like torture.

4. We rode the buses to the park every day and had good luck doing that.

5. Didn't do the tree house like I did when I was a kid and I regret it...

6. Disney knows how to make money at everything....

[cwink]

I know Cwink is the resident pro on the subject. He gave me some great info but who else has been and has tips?
When to go? How much can I look to spend? Drive or fly keeping in mind that they will no longer do direct flights after August.

Wait, when did I say this??? My suggestions..

Drive, and save the money for the park...
Do the meal plan, and book your resturants EARLY
Fast Pass
Enjoy..

[torch]

We went one year the week after Thanksgiving and was like a ghost town. No waiting in line and had the parks to ourself. Also went in July one time and NEVER again, hot and foreigners DO NOT WEAR DEODERANT. I enjoy Universal Studios also if you have kids, they will enjoy the two parks.

like cwink said, meal plan, restuarant reservations and fast pass.

[H20fowlkiller]

I cant give suggestions on where to stay because we get free room and board from a cousin in Orlando. I will say drive and save money because everything else down there is expensive enough. Best time depends on what all you plan on doing. If your gonna throw some waterparks or maybe want a down day thrown in and just let the kids hang out at the pool (this is what we do yearly) we go last week in April or 1st week in May, kids are still in school and lines are minimal.

[ACEINTHEHOLE]

Southwest is running a great deal for I think next 24 hours. Can fly Birmingham to Orlando for 69 bucks I beleive. Gotta fly between August and December.

[blackhawk0718]

Take my wife and let her plan and budget everything, she is a Disney pro plus that means I don't have to go, but my advice is don't go, way to over rated and extremely over priced!