I’ve finally given in to the notion of taking the family to Disney World. We are planners and savers, so the trip is set for October 2016. What we have found out so far is the amount of information is overwhelming to figure out how to plan the trip. We have the option to stay with Hilton hotels free of charge or stay on Disney with the meal plan. We plan on going to Disney 2 days and Sea World 1 day. So, 3 nights at Disney with Cirque De Solei. So, if anyone has any advice or even a travel agent they trust, please share it.
I can’t help you it’s any of that planning stuff but Epcot was super interesting when I went last year. Gave me the itch to do some traveling.
Thanks Rap. I’ll keep that in mind when we do another trip when they are in high school.
How old are your kids? Mine did not think much of Sea World. Universal Studios/Island of Adventure are great and a good bit less than Disney. If your kids like him, they have the new Harry Potter world.
“Apathy is the Glove into Which Evil Slips It’s Hand”.
quote:
Originally posted by DFreedomHow old are your kids? Mine did not think much of Sea World. Universal Studios/Island of Adventure are great and a good bit less than Disney. If your kids like him, they have the new Harry Potter world.
“Apathy is the Glove into Which Evil Slips It’s Hand”.
My girl will be 8 and my boy 5.
Those are good ages for Disney. Sea World may be fine at that age. Mine were a little older when we went so they got bored as there are only a few rides there. Let them get a little older and take a look at Universal. Both parks are great and you get a lot of bang for your buck.
“Apathy is the Glove into Which Evil Slips It’s Hand”.
Get it done while you are still young. The children will love every minute of it. It is no country for old men.
Stay at the Hilton and forget about the meal ticket. We did the meal ticket 3 years ago and it was hard to order and eat all teh food to justify the price. Decided this past year to not do it and had freedom to eat where we want, snack when we want, and not feel obligated to order food we didn’t want because we already paid for it.
The Hilton should be near Downtown Disney,a nd have shuttles to the parks. We actually stayed on property but went to Downtown twice in 4 days, so staying near their might be a plus. They have a cool Dino cafe, bowling, movie theater, snacks, etc. Just a neat place to spend time away from the crowds of Disney.
For that age group, I would stay away from Epcot, do Magic Kingdom, MGM, and Animal Kingdom. Sea World if you have time. Universal is nice, but to see the Harry Potter stuff in a day you have to buy a double ticket that is way more expensive than Disney. We opted to do Animal Kingdom instead of the Universal trip. Just some food fro thought from our recent trip. Glad to help and answer any questions I can.
Word of advice, when you book your trip, and I recommend as early as possible, make sure you book your dining reservations at the first time available in advance. They book up like crazy, trust me. Like 6 months or more in advance. Unless you don’t care about eating at the new Belle Castle etc. then I wouldn’t worry about it. But my 3 yo girl and even my son loved it.
“Wailord”
1979 17’ Montauk
90 Johnson
Wilderness Ride 115
Get your FasTPass for the desired rides before you go to Disney,waiting in lines is a waste of time. Info is loaded onto wristband,so you scan and walk in.
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/faq/fast-pass-plus/product-description/
Having been to WDW,and Sea World several times,I would recommend Magic Kingdom,Animal Kingdom,and Epcot.Save Sea World/Busch Gardens for another trip.
If your girl is really into characters, that will eat up a lot of time,but well worth the look on her face.
Have fun,the closer to Halloween,the lighter the crowd.
We have gone the last two years and have another trip planned this upcoming April.
This past April is the first time we stayed at a Disney hotel (Boardwalk Villas). The price is much more expensive(especially if you can stay FREE at a Hilton) but we were able to get to the parks much quicker and had our most enjoyable time yet with our daughter (2 years old at the time). We stayed in a one bedroom suite which has a separate bedroom with a king bed and a sleeper sofa in the family room. It had a full kitchen, which was nice for us because we would have a large breakfast before going out for the day. We would go to a park come back mid-late afternoon for a 1-2 hour rest and then walk down to Epcot every night for dinner and a few drinks.
Epcot 3-4 minute walk, Magic Kingdom was 11 minutes via bus from front of hotel to ticketing gate at Magic Kingdom. If you drive to Magic Kingdom you will need to park at the transportation center and then take a boat or monorail to the Magic Kingdom ticketing entrance. This took us 1.5 hours 2 years ago on the ‘third slowest week of the year’.
FastPass is a must on the popular rides or for some of the character meet and greets. Book your Fast Passes ASAP.
Also, as Geronimo stated - book any restaurants that you may want to go to early. They book up fast!
Scott Fulton
AgentOwned Realty
Scott.Fulton@AgentOwnedRealty.com
Key West 1720
Everyone that I know that has used a trip planner for Disney has come out on top. I think there is someone who plans Disney trips. Just like any other profession, it pays to pay someone for there expertise.
Wife just said name was Ears of Experience, place on DI
Be prepared to see a ton of fat lazy people riding scooters because they are too lazy to walk
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Originally posted by FerreelWife just said name was Ears of Experience, place on DI
This lady was TERRIBLE. Went a week and a half without a returned phone call or email and was then rude when I told her I went somewhere else. DO NOT recommend based solely on customer service, their abilities may be awesome, but the service was NOT.
I was sent to a lady named Leslie at Moments of Magic, and she has been AWESOME. Got us a room at the hotel we wanted when I couldn’t even find one online…
We leave 11/9 staying at the Contemporary for 4 days, me/wife/5 year old. I haven’t been since I was 6…quite some time ago.
Wadmalaw native
16’ Bentz-Craft Flats Boat
Stay at the Hilton
Magic Kingdom
MGM
Animal Kingdom
EPCOT with older kids. Soarin is my favorite ride
Fastpass is your best friend
The Lilo and Stitch thing scared my 5 y/o to death way back when
Boat drinks, Waitress I need 2 more boat drinks!
I would bag Disney World and opt for Disney Cruise on the Disney Dream Boat. I was skeptical going into it but it was the bomb and we are definitely going back for another cruise.
“Endeavor to Persevere.
Give,Give… Never Take.”
EC