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Disney World Vacation Planning Suggestions.?

We are planning to go to Disney World in Orlando next Thanksgiving for 7 days. We have little kids and there are 3 families with 2 kids each ranging from 3 to 9. We were considering to rent a Villa outside of the Disney World.
I wanted to know if anybody has tried that and what are pros and cons of doing that v/s Disney Resort?
1. Accessibility and Parking
2. Midday Breaks
3. Cost
4. Convenience of having a kitchen.

If you are planning on visiting with that many people, don’t make any reservations without talking to a Disney cast member in reservations first. Disney has many accomodations that will fit your needs. I would definitely NOT recommend staying off property. Disney is very good at fitting every families needs, plus the Disney resorts offer something the off site hotels do not, PERKS. Disney takes great care of their resort guests. For example if you are flying they offer the Magical Express, a free shuttle service from Orlando Int’l Airport directly to your resort, complete with luggage delivery. They also offer Extra Magic Hours, where one park opens early and one stays open late each day for resort guests only. Plus there is the unlimited use of their transportation system. Now, that does not seem like a big perk but when traveling to Disney with kids under the age of 6 it is a BIG perk. You really don’t want to have to drive each day to the transportation center or to the park you want to visit, it makes taking that midday break a nightmare. Now, some of the off site places do offer shuttle services, but you are on their time schedule and in most cases they cost extra. You are going to want to take a break each day and head back to the resort for a nap or a swim, or just to put your feet up. Staying on property makes that fun and easy. Plus the experience of staying at a Disney resort versus off site is a huge difference. Also, when making your reservations I have always found it best to go through Disney directly. Many people claim that places like AAA and Priceline and the like have great deals and discounts, I say if it seems to good to be true it usually is. I know a few who people who have booked that way and found out that not only did they not get what they thought they were, the discounts were not a substantial as they thought. Disney generally keeps the best discounts for themselves and does not give them to third parties for sale.

As I said, Disney has a resort to fit any budget or situation. You could stay in 3 different rooms in any of the All-Stars and link your reservations so that the rooms are all next to each other. You could do the same at any of the Moderates as well. The Vacation Club resorts and the Home Away from home resorts do offer kitchens. In fact there are a few villas that will sleep up to 12! ( I am staying in one over Easter this year. We have 10 of us going and are staying in a Grand Villa at Saratoga Springs.) If you do look into such a resot you can in many cases rent points from DVC members. The message board website that I describe below (the Disboards) has a whole section on renting points for the DVC resorts. I highly recommend the Saratoga Springs resort, Old Key West, or the Boardwalk. Those are my favorites by far.

I stayed in a two bedroom last year with a full kitchen and in all honesty we did not use the kitchen for cooking much other than snacks. We did have the refridgerator stocked with water and soda however, that was very nice. However, my sister does use the kitchen quite a bit. In fact when we go in March we are planning on eating breakfast every morning in the villa, then dinner out. It just depends on what you want. In my opinion I am on vacation and don’t plan on cooking or doing dishes at all, and don’t expect my wife or anyone else to either. But again in your situation it makes sense for the younger kids to be able to have a bite to eat before you go anywhere. Each family is different.

When you purchase tickets, I highly recommend the park hopper option. You are going to be there a week, and with the variety of people going you are going to want to have the most flexibility possible. The base tickets only allow you to enter one park per day. The park hopper pretty much allows you to come and go as you please. For example, you enter the Magic Kingdom only to see that it is VERY crowded (which is possible the week of Thanksgiving.) If you have the park hopper you can jump on the monorail and head over to Epcot center, or jump a bus to the Animal Kingdom or MGM from the transportation center. Here is another example. You have spent part of the day at the Animal Kingdom, and decide to go back for a midday break then hit MGM for a ride on Star Tours and to see the Fantasmic night time show (a must see, by the way!) That is only possible if you have the park hopper option. If you are anything like my family, we love variety and generally hit one park in the A.M. and a different one in the P.M.

There are a few places for info you could check out. First, go to the Disney website. They have a resort comparison tool, and you can see which of the resorts is right for you. You can even get an online quote, but for the villas I am not sure that you can. Also, check out the disboards. The disboards is a free message board website that is all about going to Disney. You can get resort reviews, dining reviews, tips and tricks, ask questions like on Answers, and much more. All of the people who are on the site are either cast members, former cast members, or people who go often because they love Disney and know what they are talking about. Finally, go to the bookstore and pick up the Birnbaum’s guide to WDW. There are a ton of guide books out there but that is the one that has worked best for us. It is loaded with info.

I almost forgot. If you are going with a party of 8 or more I believe and are staying on property you are considered a “Magical Gathering.” Disney has even more special perks and offers for groups that are visiting with large numbers. Make sure to ask a cast member about that.

Hope this helps, have a great trip!

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