Booking a trip, advice desperately sought

[rhysd2]

if you're not going deluxe, then all of the resorts are pretty much near each other...

since you're doing free dining, my picks for you (assuming they're available during your dates) would be either Port Orleans French Quarter, or a studio at Saratoga Springs..

Keep in mind that the rates for Saratoga Springs and Old Key West are the only ones that are discounted for the UK free dining package.

The studios at Old Key West are especially roomy. And with Old Key West and Saratoga Springs you get the full dining plan included for free. At Port Orleans you'll have to add on money to upgrade to the full dining plan.

Make sure you compare apples to apples when you look at the rates.

.

It's not that I'm not going deluxe just a case of I haven't found one available on disneys site that isn't club level during my time period. When I ring them I'll definitely be looking at the deluxe, it's just the website searchers suggests none are available. If I do go deluxe do you have any recommendations?

By full dining plan do you mean the deluxe (ie three meals a day) or the regular (one table service one quick service). Sorry the terminology is different to what I've been reading so left me a shade confused.

And what do you mean by they are the only ones with discounted rates? Are the prices for AKL, port Orleans etc on the Disney site under the free dining offer just standard pricing? And where are you seeing Saratoga and okw on the Disney site as I can't seem to get them to show up in search results.

 

[Ceilidhscot]

I tried to book POFQ for mid October next year (through travel agent) and was told it had already sold out so you might not get that resort. Riverside is slightly further from Disney Springs but is the sister resort to French Quarter and there were still rooms available when I booked there instead. It's a moderate and you can use the facilities at BOTH hotels. We also got the Disneh dining quick service meal plan, $200 gift card and Disney Life for a year which would normally be about £50 I think.

 

[Tash87]

Have you called Disney yet? Just wondering what the outcome was.

If deluxe is an option The Grand Floridian worked brilliantly for so us last year. We travelled with 2 little ones the same age as yours and when the little one was tired hubby went back to the room and me and dd stayed at MK late, she loved it! We then got the boat back to GF whilst hubby and ds was waiting at the boat dock to watch the fireworks...truly magical!

We said that we would always stay at GF in future but the price hike was just too much for us ( I think we had a bargain last year)

Anyway, after looking at booking separate I just could not get a ' better ' price. Everything always came out roughly the same. Some of the ' cheaper ' prices was to fly indirect and we just don't fancy that with 2 little ones.

On VH a great price came up for October 2018 free dining package so we booked POR, they only had preferred rooms left and we booked in June. We have always booked with them and never had a problem also the worry is taken out of booking flights!

 

[rhysd2]

Have you called Disney yet? Just wondering what the outcome was.

If deluxe is an option The Grand Floridian worked brilliantly for so us last year. We travelled with 2 little ones the same age as yours and when the little one was tired hubby went back to the room and me and dd stayed at MK late, she loved it! We then got the boat back to GF whilst hubby and ds was waiting at the boat dock to watch the fireworks...truly magical!

We said that we would always stay at GF in future but the price hike was just too much for us ( I think we had a bargain last year)

Anyway, after looking at booking separate I just could not get a ' better ' price. Everything always came out roughly the same. Some of the ' cheaper ' prices was to fly indirect and we just don't fancy that with 2 little ones.

On VH a great price came up for October 2018 free dining package so we booked POR, they only had preferred rooms left and we booked in June. We have always booked with them and never had a problem also the worry is taken out of booking flights!

Thanks for the tip. Sounds like the same reasons I'm looking at a hotel closer to the park. I haven't rung yet at I'm at work. Hoping to as soon as I finish.

I guess it's a case of shopping around and seeing the best deal I can get either as a package or separate. I just hope more rooms are available than listed on the site currently. While a club level room would be nice it's a big price hike

 

[Pooh's-Honey-Pot]

Don't forget, with SSR, you can walk to Disney Springs easily. Not quite the same as being able to walk to MK, but still a nice little perk

 

[Tash87]

Thanks for the tip. Sounds like the same reasons I'm looking at a hotel closer to the park. I haven't rung yet at I'm at work. Hoping to as soon as I finish.

I guess it's a case of shopping around and seeing the best deal I can get either as a package or separate. I just hope more rooms are available than listed on the site currently. While a club level room would be nice it's a big price hike

Good luck

I hope you get a price you're happy with and yes it is a case of shopping around. I did for months and eventually it drove me mad

Would you be interested in going to Universal? That is another big cost to add. They aren't as cheap as they used to be

 

[ABZDisneyFan]

We stayed in a two bedroom at OKW on our last trip & loved it.
We got a great deal with free dining as well, I remember my jaw hitting the desk when the Disney rep told how much cheaper a two bedroom villa at OKW would be versus two rooms at the Yacht Club.

 

[rhysd2]

Good luck

I hope you get a price you're happy with and yes it is a case of shopping around. I did for months and eventually it drove me mad

Would you be interested in going to Universal? That is another big cost to add. They aren't as cheap as they used to be

Thank you. I've all my fingers crossed yes will do a day or two at universal. My eldest is desperate for the transformers ride and youngest for the minions one I'll deal with that later though as firs the trip needs to be booked heh

Poohs-honey-pot that would be a nice perk to be able to walk there. Will for sure consider SSR if it comes up as a option.

Abzdisneyfan thanks likewise will see if they can quote me for it. Okw sounds lovely

 

[pickers1982]

position wise and for young kids I think beach club is a great deluxe and we keep returning until our kids are older. pool is great for kids can walk to epcot and hs and boardwalk. We also love the dining options round there and the fact that if our 3 year old is tired it's so easy to get home if we 've eaten in epcot on the dining plan for example. when the are both over u or so think I would like to go back to akl.

 

[elaine amj]

If you want to actually be close to a park, then a deluxe is really your only choice. The monorail resorts or the Epcot area resorts would be your best bets. That said, AKL or WL are usually the cheaper options.

For UK discounts, Old Key West and Saratoga Springs tend to be the least expensive. Book the dates you want - I tried to change my dates/resorts for my Aug 2017 trip from January 2017 onwards and never managed to get anything at all. I couldn't even get an extra night!

Don't forget, with SSR, you can walk to Disney Springs easily. Not quite the same as being able to walk to MK, but still a nice little perk

We ended up doing that quite a few times over our two weeks. Several times, after the parks closed but we were not ready to go back, we would bus to Disney Springs and then walk back to our room. We also did this sometimes if we were dining in a different hotel.

Also, consider travel agencies like Orlandoattractions.com. They saved me a few hundred (and gave me free tickets to Wonder Works which I never used and now have to sell). I think Disney quoted me about £8500 and I got my trip from them for £8119. That was for a 2 bedroom villa at Saratoga Springs for 7 people (one was a Disney child). I think the room part worked out to be about £400ish a night. This gave me free regular dining for our whole group.

Based on everything you said though, I would probably suggest a monorail resort. Free dining is wonderful but I don't know that the numbers work as well with a monorail resort. You may want to consider renting DVC points instead for maybe a stay in Bay Lake towers. If you want that though, you better start looking for point rentals now as owners can book 11 months out.

As for Universal, it's a very expensive add on - especially with a 6yr old and a 3 yr old who are not old enough to go on everything. Universal rides require the family to split up much more frequently than at Disney. Will they have fun? Yes, of course. Universal is a great park. Is it worth it? Only you can decide. IMO, I would just stick with Disney since spending extra time at Disney is "free" while you would have to pay US$100-$150/pp to spend a day at Universal. After 2 weeks at Disney only, there were still sooo many things my 3 yr old niece never had the chance to do.

 

[rhysd2]

Thanks so much for all the info guys. I'll see what resort prices I get offered tonight when I call but these answers have given me a much better idea of which to focus on thanks! Now to see what they have available

 

[rhysd2]

I hadn't thought of people like dreams unlimited or Orlando attractions. Will have to give them a bell also thank you

 

[elaine amj]

I hadn't thought of people like dreams unlimited or Orlando attractions. Will have to give them a bell also thank you

Dreams Unlimited is the sponsor of this board and my understanding is they are US-based only. With US travel agencies, you typically get only the same discounts Disney itself gives. You do get a bit more handholding and additional services - particularly if you choose your travel agent carefully. UK travel agencies give an actual discount. After you have narrowed down what you want, then call one or two other agencies to see what they will quote you. Some will beat their competitor's prices.

Keep in mind that if you use an agency, this means they now have control of your reservation and any changes must be made through them.

 

[rhysd2]

Dreams Unlimited is the sponsor of this board and my understanding is they are US-based only. With US travel agencies, you typically get only the same discounts Disney itself gives. You do get a bit more handholding and additional services - particularly if you choose your travel agent carefully. UK travel agencies give an actual discount. After you have narrowed down what you want, then call one or two other agencies to see what they will quote you. Some will beat their competitor's prices.

Keep in mind that if you use an agency, this means they now have control of your reservation and any changes must be made through them.

Fair enough thanks. I'm not convinced agents here give much of a discount. I did some price comparisons for may and disneys site typically came out cheaper. And don't get me started on virgin adding a charge to your booking for the free Disney airport transfer.

 

[elaine amj]

Fair enough thanks. I'm not convinced agents here give much of a discount. I did some price comparisons for may and disneys site typically came out cheaper. And don't get me started on virgin adding a charge to your booking for the free Disney airport transfer.

Definitely worth running your numbers I kept flight separate - I hadn't heard of enough savings and we wanted to use airmiles anyway. When I decided to book my package, I decided on a price I was comfortable with direct with Disney and then I emailed two reputable UK agencies to see what they could do (neither offered quotes I could see online). Both beat Disney's price, but one gave me the better discount.

I also compared it against booking direct with Disney through topcashback. TCB gave a great cashbook rebate but ultimately, Orlando Attractions was about £100 cheaper.

Service was overall good and I was pleased with my choice.

 

[disneyholic family]

I hadn't thought of people like dreams unlimited or Orlando attractions. Will have to give them a bell also thank you

dreams unlimited only does US rates and profucts for disney world....
i actually use them for my cruise reservations, but not for disney world reservations as i need the UK package, not the US package...

for a 2 week stay, you really need to book a UK package - as the UK park ticket is the only one that makes sense (and won't burn a hole in your pocket)..

there are americans who are coming into this thread with answers that don't apply to UK guests, so take everything with a grain of salt..

when i said "full dining" i meant the dining plan with both table service and quick service as opposed to quick service only....i did NOT mean deluxe dining...

.

 

[rhysd2]

dreams unlimited only does US rates and profucts for disney world....
i actually use them for my cruise reservations, but not for disney world reservations as i need the UK package, not the US package...

for a 2 week stay, you really need to book a UK package - as the UK park ticket is the only one that makes sense (and won't burn a hole in your pocket)..

there are americans who are coming into this thread with answers that don't apply to UK guests, so take everything with a grain of salt..

when i said "full dining" i meant the dining plan with both table service and quick service as opposed to quick service only....i did NOT mean deluxe dining...

.

Thanks that's great advice also. Speaking to Disney has opened up a few options. Going to look at what they quoted me tonight then go from there

 

[Monorail_Man_NJ]

what you wrote about the tickets isn't true for a UK visitor.
we have different tickets from those available in the US.
our 14 and 21 day ultimate tickets include park hopper in them....we have unlimited entry into all the parks on any day..
our tickets also include memory maker which the US tickets do not.

TBH I never even considered that many days at Disney. On a strictly price per vacation sometimes (depending on party size and resort) the room only discounts will come out cheaper. My little one is 8 (turning 9) and in the fine print it says the ages 3-9 must order from kid menu. So that was the kicker that made me use the room discount.

Im jealous you guys from the UK staying 2-3 weeks at Disney.
Im usually a 5-7 days at most. GLHF enjoy your stay.

 

[elaine amj]

It's true - so many differences between US prices and UK prices. I'm Canadian but usually book through US travel agents. We Canadians get a teeny advantage in that our discount periods are usually a week or two longer. This past trip, I was able to book through the UK (traveling with my brother who lives in London) and it was great! Some very cool discounts and add-ons that US guests just don't get. And yet, sometimes it still makes sense to book through the US.

It's been pretty fun comparing the ins and outs of discounts offered to 3 different countries!

 

[pickers1982]

also worth checking cash backs sites. for our trip next year just booked direct through quidco and got a couple of hundred quid back (they be even just paid it to me which is odd when not even paid the balance!)