Where do you start?

[delswife]

Just wondering where you start planning and have any of you had the problems I seem to be having planning a trip for the first 2 weeks in December.....

1)Who is going?
We will be DH, 3DD's and myself for sure. Possibly my DS who is in the Air Force and isnt sure if he can get leave, will be shipped some place, ect... (So far that would make us 6) Brother in law IF he can save the money, then Brother, Brothers girlfriend but they cant stay as long and want to go on the cruise so will have differant accomidations. (Good Gravy!)

2)Where are we staying?
Well, from the sounds of the masses, it must be on site. I could swing two rooms at an All Stars I guess. I dont know where we could all stay for a limited buget. Any thoughts on this? I am so confused....

3)How are we getting there?
Airplanes are simply OUT OF THE QUESTION! I was on a flight that barely made an emergency landing in Osaca, Japan. I cant get on another plane. Cant cant cant.. We live in Maine, (could we get aliitle further away, or what?) and are thinking, Amtrac or Driving a rental.

Where do you start when your planning? How do you figure these things out and make PS's and things like that?

If you could help me I'd be soooo grateful!
And remember, be kind to your waitresses, bartenders, and pizza delivery drivers, they may be trying to save for a disney vacation too!

 

[ejacobson]

You might consider going with a Dreams Unlimited travel agent. www.dreamsunlimitedtravel.com

They do only disney and can take care of your room, any PS you want, tours, park tickets, packages, etc. They can also make changes later if your plans change. You do need to at least know your dates and the resort you want, then your first contact will be requesting a quote for that room. Once you do that, you will be assigned a specific agent who will take care of all your questions and reservations from that point forward. No cost...and they even watch for new discounts and apply them to your reservations.

It is all done by e-mail, so you don' t have the chance to just chat about what you want to do....but I have found that everytime I e-mail with a question or a request for another PS, my agent (Cathy Miller) responds the same day and keeps track of all of my confirmation numbers and times on one itinerary that I can check online and print out before I go. I've really liked the service, and it may be helpful to you to have someone working for you who really knows what he/she is doing! Good luck!!

 

[delswife]

Thank you! Yes I have been reading alot of great things about Dreams Unlimited. I wonder tho, are the patient with alot of changes?

 

[lilsonicfan]

I know nothing about Dreams Unlimited... but as for what you've said about accommodations, I would say that you don't *HAVE* to be onsite to enjoy WDW. Obviously there's a certain magic involved in staying onsite and even an extra convenience. But I stayed offsite in a rental villa and it was the best decision we could have made about our trip. We had seven people (3 kids under 10). And it seems like people have gotten pretty amazing rates at off-property hotels through Priceline.

If you want to save money on all sorts of things, check out www.mousesavers.com and also the Budget board on this site! People have such great information to share there.

Have a great time!

 

[MELSMICE]

Keep checking mousesavers.com.

Also, I wouldn't worry about the "brother & girlfriend". Let them take care of their own ressies if they can't stay as long & would like to do the cruise.

If you drive, I would plan on 2 days down, 2 days back.

It sounds like you will probably have 5 or 6 people to accommodate. Another option would be to look on the DVC Rent/Trade Board. Renting points in a 2BR unit may be a good option. There is a full kitchen & 2 baths. Also, the FW cabins accommodate 6 people, have a full kitchen, only 1 bath. These are not the least expensive options, however, if you take into consideration that you could save money on preparing some meals in the room, it could be an option.

It all seems overwhelming at first, but once you decide on your transportion and accommodations, things seem to fall into place. Make some PS's for places you would like to eat, but remember, you are not locked into these. You can always cancel if your plans change.

Have a great time planning. It's half the fun.

 

[luvflorida]

HI! I live in Maine also, and my family and I have driven to Florida several times and we've also flown. Given a choice, I'd take driving any day. We've always enjoyed packing up the car and heading out on the road, and it's really fun to leave Maine in the winter, (with tons of snow on the ground), and gradually watch the scenery change from snow to brown grass to palm trees. And we always have to cheer when we see that first 'Welcome to Florida' sign. When you drive you have the option to stop whenever you want and eat wherever you choose. We never make reservations on the way down or back. That way we can drive further if we feel like it, or stop sooner if we're tired. Twice we've driven as far as Virginia, spent the night, then drove into Florida the next day. Another trip, though, we got caught in a snowstorm in New Jersey, and had to spend the night in NJ, and that trip took us a little longer than other trips.

As far as accommodations, it sounds as though you would benefit from staying off-site at a place that has all suites. That way you'd have a lot more room, usually two bedrooms and two baths, and you wouldn't be tripping over each other. There are a lot of resorts in the Orlando area that are quite large and many have nice landscaping and large pools. Of course, it is convenient to stay on-site, and staying on-site has its own advantages, (transportation to parks, early entry days, etc.) Take your time and check out all your options. That's part of the fun of planning a vacation! Mousesavers.com has a lot of good ways to save on trips to Disney. Have fun planning and relax!

 

[delswife]

A fellow Maine-iac!
Yes, yes watching the snow in the rear view mirror would be a PLUS! What time do you usually start off? I know its about 22 hours from my part of maine, (also southern Maine) and we would probably drive straight threw. Out of the 5 of us, three can drive, so we could break it up into 4-5 hour shifts, allowing the others to sleep. We are thinking of renting an RV or a large van.

I will have to look at some of the off site hotels, but is there a risk of not being able to get into the parks if they become full?

Yes, brother and girlfriend will be on thier own, I have enough kids to take care of! LOL

Thanks for all your help and advice!

And remember, be kind to your waitresses, bartenders and pizza delivery people, they like disney too.

 

[luvflorida]

We usually leave Maine early in the morning, around 7 or 8, and try to time things so that we're not going through an area at the wrong time, (hitting rush hour traffic). Traffic near the Boston area, New York City area, (Tappan Zee Bridge), and Washington D.C. area, (Beltway), can be heavy around morning and evening commutes. Also, Fridays and Sundays are usually days were there is more traffic on the road. I think the nicest part of the drive is from North Carolina to Florida. It's pretty much a straight shot on 95, and the speed limit is 70 most of the way.

We've stayed off-site before and as long as you arrive at the parks early in the morning, you shouldn't have to worry about them closing due to becoming too full. Also, the time you're going, early December, is one of the least crowded times to visit WDW. And the weather is usually good at that time of year.

 

[kimlooman]

You are not the only ones who live so far from Disney! We live in Michigan and it takes us around 22+ hours to drive to Orlando, but is very doable. We used to fly, but found with delays and expensive tickets it is worth driving. We plan to go in early December this year and are driving. I am doing all my own travel plans (without a travel agent) just by looking on different sites and mapping out our plans. I find the planning very rewarding as it gives me something to look forward to even if it is many months to wait. Try to remember that you can't do it all (with so many choices of places to stay, parks to see, places to eat) so just pick some and enjoy. We are now hooked to going back everyyear so that helps in knowing we can't do it all anyway. And we always have a budget, but with planning and really shopping around you can get deals. Good luck and happy Disney planning!

PS. The two things that were nice in our van on the long drive was a plugin cooler (which can be taken into the motel and used there too as a mini fridge) and a TV/VCR (we have little kids).

 

[tiggereyore]

if you are going to do this you can stay at Fort wilderness and put up a tent for the extra people. all the loops have "bathrooms" and I think laundry. go over to the camping board and they'll give you great advise. I stayed there in Oct and(1st time) and it was great. This is a great way to travel, you can stop when you want, cook what you want, and you can stay in many wal-mart rather than campgrounds. It's a great way to travel.good luck with the planning we had 4 of us my m&d 2 set of cousins and 1 A&U (they were all off site) that was a long time planning!!!

 

[MELSMICE]

Originally posted by tiggereyore
if you are going to do this you can stay at Fort wilderness and put up a tent for the extra people.

This is only if you are renting a campsite - not one of their Wilderness Cabins.