I am looking for any helpful hints i am going to flordia with my 4 year old 6 and 11 year old for the first time and my husband,i would like to make it fun and not spend a crazy amount of money. any advice ?
there is a great book and worth the investment called the unofficial guide to Disney.
Also, you can go on Disney's site and print or receive from them customized maps which help in plotting one's trip to Disney World.
We just came back and because of short notice couldn't stay with in Disney because it was crazy expensive plus we needed something like a villa or suite with 2+ bedrooms.
We ended up staying at Lake Buena Vista Resort Village & Spa. We booked through Expedia, a 3 bedroom suite (inlaws came with us) which slept 8 people (sleeper sofa in living room) with a full kitchen, living room, dining area, in-suite laundry, and balcony, and onsite facilities like a huge pool (and another one being built), Irish Pub (serving B, L & D, and very kid friendly, great food), mini-market and only 10 minutes drive from Disney (they also have a twice a day shuttle), it was only $180 a night. I think they have 1 & 2 bedrooms as well, but check Expedia.
It's brand new, very clean, and the suites are HUGE.
We were very happy with it and will definitely go back there if we don't stay within Disney on our next visit.
Also, shell out for the longer period tickets and add the no-expiration feature (and park-hopper feature) if you plan on EVER going again...it will save you a lot of money in the long run. A 7 day pass works out at a per day cost of half what the 1 day price is. We did that a few years ago and this time didn't have to buy tickets as a result.
Or, if you want to do more than 1 park per day (eg Magic Kingdom during the day, Epcot in the evening), it's cheaper to add the park hopper feature than to buy 2 separate park tickets per person.
Kids under 3 eat free in the Disney dining experiences and also get into the Parks free.
Good luck!
Hi J.-
I grew up in Florida and lived in Orlando so I feel like I can give you some good tips! If you are a member of AAA, they sell tickets at a discount. That is worth checking out. Also, when you go will have an effect as to how much you pay. The summer is "off" season in Florida so you will get better deals on hotels and flights. If you decide to stay at a hotel that is not on Disney property, make sure they have a shuttle that will take guests to the parks. Once you are on Disney property there are buses and monorails to get you around. That way you don't have to rent a car.
The Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom will probably be the best parks for your kids. The 11 year old might like the other 2 parks a bit more than the younger ones. Epcot has more of a science/ cultural aspect to it and Disney MGM is all about movies.
Hope you have a great trip! We are going to be taking my 3 year old son to Magic Kingdom over Christmas!
If you go in mid August, the hotel rates are much cheaper since schools in the south go back to school in August. When I went with my 3 kids aged 4,7 and 11 we stayed at the Nickelodeon hotel. They have mini suites with 2 bedrooms and a living room. look them up online and look for the sale on advance purchase rates. You can stay there sometimes for about $189 for the room. Kids under 12 eat free. They have 2 huge pool areas with water slide activities and characters that walk around for photo opps. I stayed there for two nights. The kids loved it. Then I went to disney for 1 day and Universal for 1 day. There is a mouseketeer newsletter that tells people about lots of discounts.
At the Disney parks there is alot of walking. If you want to see the fireworks at 9pm you may want to get to the park at around 11am as opposed to so early in the morning. You can always stay in the disney value hotels. They have lots of great deals and shuttle buses to the parks.
