Best way to book a Disney World vacation?

[The Bad Guy]

I'm in the very early stages of trying to plan a trip for our family to go to Disney World in late September/early October.

I've never been to Disney as an adult - my last time was in 1993 and it was god damn miserable, but I'd like to plan a great trip for my 6 year old.

We'd like to stay on property. Is there any tips, sites to utilize, to get the best deals? I'm sure we will get the fast pass and all that because we are only going for 3-4 days.

Thanks for any advice/help.

[Silock]

Here are some generalized tips:

ALWAYS be at the parks an hour before they open, unless you're going to a morning extra magic hour. The crowds are at their lowest then, and you can walk on many of the most popular rides with virtually no wait. Even getting to the park AT opening will get you some pretty massive lines. I know, it sucks getting up so early, but you should always:

Take an afternoon break. Always. Get a nap. Get off your feet. You'll feel much more refreshed, can eat a cheap lunch in your room, and maybe take a shower if you feel disgusting. Head back to the parks around 4. Then, while people are getting out of line to look for food, you can ride some of the more popular rides with lower wait times.

Schedule your fastpasses for early in the day. That way, you can look on the app for extra ones. If you save all the FPs for later in the day, the likelihood of getting extras is slim.

Don't do Free Dining. It means you're paying rack rate for the room (NEVER DO THIS) and you'll likely not spend the difference on food. It's not a good option unless you are constantly eating in the parks, which you shouldn't be doing if budget is a concern.

Realize that it's expensive. The food is expensive. The drinks are expensive. Go with enough money to have the freedom to do what you want to do. If you are going and constantly worrying about having enough money to buy this food or that drink or that souvenir, Disney isn't any fun. Save money where you can, but be resigned to the fact that it's just an expensive trip.

Disney isn't a vacation. It's a trip. It's not relaxing for most people, unless you can stay for a long time and don't jam pack every day with things to do. You will be tired. Come home a day before you have to be back at work so you can rest and recover. Also, don't get an early flight to Orlando and try to hit the parks the day you arrive. It's unsatisfying.

You don't have to go to the parks every day. The resorts are free to enter, and all of them have some cool stuff to do in them. Disney Springs is free and has a lot to do, as well.

Don't use the monorail unless there is no line for it. The boats are faster. When it's crowded, the ferry is always a better option. When it's not so crowded, the ferry is usually faster, but is about the same as the monorail in terms of time to the Magic Kingdom from the TTC (Ticket and Transportation Center).

Rent a car. Sure, buses are free. They're also extremely popular and will have a lot of waiting around. At least if you have to wait in the car, you have A/C and can sit down. It also gives you more freedom to come and go from the parks, which you'll enjoy because you should be doing that. You only have to pay for parking once a day, no matter which park you go to. So, if you go to Epcot in the morning and leave, you can park at Animal Kingdom at night using the parking pass you already bought.

Don't pay rack rate for a room.

Undercovertourist.com has already been mentioned, but they'll save you a few bucks on park tickets. Make sure you buy at least 3 months in advance so you can link the tickets to your My Disney Experience account and reserve your Fastpasses.

BOOK YOUR DINING NOW. Right now. You can book dining 180 days in advance, so you'll probably be looking very limited options for dining right now. But do it now. Biergarten is awesome.

There are boats that go from Disney's Boardwalk to Epcot. These boats will also take you to Hollywood Studios. They take a while, but it's fun to ride them because you'll be sitting down and don't have to deal with the buses or driving to and from these parks or places.

I'll probably think of more later.

[The Bad Guy]

Thank you to all for the great advice. I'm going to spend a good chunk of my weekend going through all the links posted to hopefully book this trip.

[007]

Originally Posted by Mosbonian

I would tend to agree with Amnorix on this one.....while yours may have been different than most 6 year olds, all you have to do is look around at the massive amount of parents holding kids in their arms on the buses, trams, or boats when the parks close to know that most 6 year olds are there because their parents wanted to be there, not them.

It wasn't the 6 years olds I witnessed melting down, it was the 4 and under kids melting down. Regardless, staying all day works really well for my kids and they loved it. We took our afternoon break inside the park. We would always go to an air conditioned place for lunch and take our time eating. Then we would just kind of peoplewatch and talk about what to do next. Not having to wait for the buses during that time saves us over an hour of travel down time.

While the bus system is wonderful we only used it twice per day. Morning and at night when we leave the park. It also helped that my kids really didn't care about the fireworks and parades so we would just do those once per trip. Short lines during those events made evenings a blast.

I also agree on the extra magic hours in the evening being wonderful. Everything is walk on and ride for the most part. You don't need park hoppers for that. But if you do evening extra magic hours do NOT and I mean DO NOT plan on going to a park early the next day. You will kill yourself. We usually made that our break day or a water park day.

[WhawhaWhat]

Originally Posted by Guru

It wasn't the 6 years olds I witnessed melting down, it was the 4 and under kids melting down. Regardless, staying all day works really well for my kids and they loved it. We took our afternoon break inside the park. We would always go to an air conditioned place for lunch and take our time eating. Then we would just kind of people watch and talk about what to do next. Not having to wait for the buses during that time saves us over an hour of travel down time.

We had kids at ages 9, 6 and 2 at Disney and we always got to the park early when they opened, rode some rides/went to shows while the crowd was smaller and then were usually gone by noon. We'd eat lunch, let the kids go swimming at the hotel pool and then make everyone take a nap in the afternoon. Then we could eat dinner after the kids/adults got up and then head back to the park after dinner before closing.

We were walking around 12 miles every day so breaking that up into sections was great.

We also were staying at Caribbean Beach so we could walk to Epcot and Disney Studios and avoid the buses.

[Amnorix]

Originally Posted by Guru

You would be wrong. I took a 6 year old on three of those five trips. They were stronger than I was at the end of the day. You don't know my kids man so don't speak for them.

Ok. Then I commend your incredibly resilient children. I think my advice would apply to 90+% of kids. Disney involves tons of walking, and tons of standing, often in warmer weather, and most kids 8 and under aren't going to handle 10+ hours per day of that every day for a week well...

[DaneMcCloud]

Originally Posted by Amnorix

Ok. Then I commend your incredibly resilient children. I think my advice would apply to 90+% of kids. Disney involves tons of walking, and tons of standing, often in warmer weather, and most kids 8 and under aren't going to handle 10+ hours per day of that every day for a week well...

Mine can handle about 6-8 hours a day. I don't think they could even go consecutive days because they're so worn out after that, which is why we have the annual passes (which increased 35% this year. Ugh.).

I took my then 6 year old to the 24 Hour event (which unfortunately was cancelled this year) in May 2014. I picked her up from school at 1pm, headed to Disney, ate around 6pm and by 10:30 she was out. I had to carry her from the Goofy ride in CA Adventure all the way to the parking garage. She only weighed about 40 pounds but it wasn't a lot of fun...

[007]

My children are badasses!!!!

[Lurk]

Disneyland has the better parks now, but it doesn't give you the same vacation feel.

Spend the money on park hoppers. 3 of the 4 parks don't have enough attractions to fill up a whole day. Hollywood Studios is especially low right now.

[The Franchise]

Don't go during New Years. Holy **** was that a mistake.

[ct]

Originally Posted by Mosbonian

I've always used the DisBoards just to chat with others about their experiences, find out what things are being serviced, and what little tips that the average Disney traveler may not know.

One thing I am curious about....do the resorts still do the "Find The Hidden Mickeys" for the kids?

i dont know if the resorts do, but there is a tour in magic kingdom still. my son when he was younger bought a book that tipped where to look, he and i went on an adventure for a couple hours while my wife and daughter went to play girl stuff for awhile, we had a good time on our own w/out the tour.

[JD10367]

Originally Posted by Silock

Here are some generalized tips:

ALWAYS be at the parks an hour before they open, unless you're going to a morning extra magic hour. The crowds are at their lowest then, and you can walk on many of the most popular rides with virtually no wait. Even getting to the park AT opening will get you some pretty massive lines. I know, it sucks getting up so early, but you should always:

Take an afternoon break. Always. Get a nap. Get off your feet. You'll feel much more refreshed, can eat a cheap lunch in your room, and maybe take a shower if you feel disgusting. Head back to the parks around 4. Then, while people are getting out of line to look for food, you can ride some of the more popular rides with lower wait times.

I think he said September/October. At those times the park isn't open that late, nor is it crazy busy. Your tactics are perfect for the summertime but less appropriate for offseason.

Realize that it's expensive. The food is expensive. The drinks are expensive. Go with enough money to have the freedom to do what you want to do. If you are going and constantly worrying about having enough money to buy this food or that drink or that souvenir, Disney isn't any fun. Save money where you can, but be resigned to the fact that it's just an expensive trip.

This quote is for cruising but Disney also applies:
1) Pack your bags
2) Remove half the clothes
3) Take twice the money

Disney isn't a vacation. It's a trip. It's not relaxing for most people, unless you can stay for a long time and don't jam pack every day with things to do. You will be tired. Come home a day before you have to be back at work so you can rest and recover. Also, don't get an early flight to Orlando and try to hit the parks the day you arrive. It's unsatisfying.

Depends. My wife and I go down for 5 full days in the parks. The difference between a 5-day ticket and a 6-day ticket is peanuts (like, less than ten bucks IIRC). So we fly down in the morning, and spend a relaxing afternoon checking in, maybe grabbing lunch at the lake (Disney Springs), and hit a park in the evening.

Don't use the monorail unless there is no line for it. The boats are faster. When it's crowded, the ferry is always a better option. When it's not so crowded, the ferry is usually faster, but is about the same as the monorail in terms of time to the Magic Kingdom from the TTC (Ticket and Transportation Center).

True, but the monorail is a very unique experience, especially if you have kids. Riding the monorail as it enters the Contemporary was a highlight of my early Disney trips as a kid.

Rent a car. Sure, buses are free. They're also extremely popular and will have a lot of waiting around. At least if you have to wait in the car, you have A/C and can sit down. It also gives you more freedom to come and go from the parks, which you'll enjoy because you should be doing that. You only have to pay for parking once a day, no matter which park you go to. So, if you go to Epcot in the morning and leave, you can park at Animal Kingdom at night using the parking pass you already bought.

I believe if you are staying on Disney property you can park for free at the theme parks. And taking your own car can be convenient for Epcot and Hollywood and Animal Kingdom, but not so much for the Magic Kingdom as you have to park at the TTC and transport around the lake, whereas the bus system will drop you off right at the Magic Kingdom. And it depends on where you stay; Boardwalk, and Yacht or Beach, are a 10-minute walk into Epcot and a 15-minute walk to Hollywood, so that negates the need for a car for two parks.

Undercovertourist.com has already been mentioned, but they'll save you a few bucks on park tickets. Make sure you buy at least 3 months in advance so you can link the tickets to your My Disney Experience account and reserve your Fastpasses.

AAA is also a little cheaper.

BOOK YOUR DINING NOW. Right now. You can book dining 180 days in advance, so you'll probably be looking very limited options for dining right now. But do it now. Biergarten is awesome.

Booking dining is necessary but also means you have to decide which park to be in. Take everything into account: make a chart of the days you're there, and write in the park hours for the four theme parks, as well as any parades or fireworks you're interested in. I always get Park Hoppers, so I'll figure out which half of the day I'm going to be where. (For example, if I'm planning on Epcot in the morning and the Kingdom in the evening because Epcot has extra magic hours in the morning and the Kingdom has fireworks, then I might plan on a late lunch at Epcot before I head to the Kingdom.)

There are boats that go from Disney's Boardwalk to Epcot. These boats will also take you to Hollywood Studios. They take a while, but it's fun to ride them because you'll be sitting down and don't have to deal with the buses or driving to and from these parks or places.

The boats run from Epcot to Boardwalk, Dolphin and Swan, Yacht and Beach, and Hollywood. Not sure of the order. But if you're on the wrong end, it's quicker to just walk to Epcot because the boat doesn't even drop you off in the park (it leaves you just outside). Hollywood, on the other hand, is a decent walk.

[JD10367]

As for hotels, the more budget hotels on property are all bus-only. Yacht, Beach, and Boardwalk are good for walking to Epcot and Hollywood. Contemporary is high-end but you can walk to the Kingdom; Polynesian is high-end but you can boat to the Kingdom or hop on the monorail there. Wilderness Lodge also has a boat to the Kingdom. Animal Kingdom is beautiful but is very out of the way, situated on the western edge of the property, and buses take forever. Saratoga Springs is only convenient to Disney Springs (shopping and restaurants) if you're in the Congress Park building, which you can request.

[Chiefshrink]

Don't book one. Waaaaaaaaaaay overrated and very expensive. Nickel and dimed to death. If you have to go then don't take kids until they are in grade school or older. 5 and under is a pain. I have never been but my sister made all the mistakes of taking kids 5 and under and was shelling out cash like an ATM at every turn. Said it was waaaaay overrated and I believe her.

[DaneMcCloud]

Originally Posted by Chiefshrink

Don't book one. Waaaaaaaaaaay overrated and very expensive. Nickel and dimed to death. If you have to go then don't take kids until they are in grade school or older. 5 and under is a pain. I have never been but my sister made all the mistakes of taking kids 5 and under and was shelling out cash like an ATM at every turn. Said it was waaaaay overrated and I believe her.

My kids have visited scores of times from age 2 to age 8.

As long as you're familiar with your child's schedule (i.e., naps), it's fine.

A great stroller with a big canopy helps as well.

[Silock]

Originally Posted by JD10367

I think he said September/October. At those times the park isn't open that late, nor is it crazy busy. Your tactics are perfect for the summertime but less appropriate for offseason.

I would disagree. We don't even go in the summers. We only go offseason, like October-March. There isn't really a slow season anymore, especially with the Food and Wine event in October. Even in February, we saw lines at Test Track and Soarin' grow to up to 3 hours. If you didn't arrive at DHS early, Toy Story was almost impossible to get on. There are plenty of crowd calendars out there and they all show that while summer is definitely the busiest, there isn't a huge dropoff in the off-season.

True, but the monorail is a very unique experience, especially if you have kids. Riding the monorail as it enters the Contemporary was a highlight of my early Disney trips as a kid.

It's definitely worth doing once in your life. Nowadays, the only reason we use the monorail is for a monorail bar crawl.

And taking your own car can be convenient for Epcot and Hollywood and Animal Kingdom, but not so much for the Magic Kingdom as you have to park at the TTC and transport around the lake, whereas the bus system will drop you off right at the Magic Kingdom. And it depends on where you stay; Boardwalk, and Yacht or Beach, are a 10-minute walk into Epcot and a 15-minute walk to Hollywood, so that negates the need for a car for two parks.

Waiting on a bus sucks. Especially after Wishes or Fantasmic.

The boats run from Epcot to Boardwalk, Dolphin and Swan, Yacht and Beach, and Hollywood. Not sure of the order. But if you're on the wrong end, it's quicker to just walk to Epcot because the boat doesn't even drop you off in the park (it leaves you just outside). Hollywood, on the other hand, is a decent walk.

It's nice to sit down. Being on your feet all day sucks, especially when there is other transportation. You're right that it's quicker to walk. I just try to avoid standing or walking whenever possible.