I'm going to Disney World!!!

pookies

pookies

Pre-takeoff checklist
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pookies
Was wondering if anyone has any experience in getting good deal on hotels and what not. I got a really great deal on airfare, but don't know a thing about getting the best specials on hotels. Leaving July 8 coming back July 13.
 
Hotwire.com - select your geographic area carefully. They usually have excellent deals, but you don't know what hotel you are getting until you pay for it, only the quality star-rating. I have always found them to be very accurate.

If you will be renting a car anyway, do a car + hotel package at Hotwire, still very good deals, and when you book a package, you actually get to know the identity of the hotel before you book it.
 
Don't couples often head to Disney World when they get married? :D

Have fun down there and say "Hey!" to Mickey!
 
SCCutler said:
Hotwire.com - select your geographic area carefully. They usually have excellent deals, but you don't know what hotel you are getting until you pay for it, only the quality star-rating. I have always found them to be very accurate.

If you will be renting a car anyway, do a car + hotel package at Hotwire, still very good deals, and when you book a package, you actually get to know the identity of the hotel before you book it.
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I'm doing my homework with it. It seems I am finding it to be cheaper doing everthing individually than a package.:dunno:

Isn't there somewhere that I can get park passes alot cheaper than Disney?
 
I found that Southwest had the cheapest package. 5day/4nights airfare, rooms and car $913 with all taxes and fees (for 2 people). I'm gonna purchase the park passes later on. Last time I went, I remember getting them somewhere alot cheaper.
 
i'd recommend universal studios if you have the time.
 
I'm an ex-Orlando resident and former annual pass holder to Disney, Universal and SeaWorld, so take this for what it's worth.

I would rate the parks in this order: Universal Islands of Adventure, SeaWorld, Universal Studios, Epcot, Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, MGM. Admission is now on the order of $75 per person, and $35 more if you buy an express pass at Universal, which I highly recommend. Wait times drop from 1 hour + to about 3 minutes, even on the more popular rides. That gives you a chance to actually enjoy it instead of waiting in line all day. Disney has fast pass for free, but it's limited in that you can only fast pass one ride at a time and then you get a window of opportunity later in the day. Better than nothing, but only slightly.

The first thing you should do when you get into the park -- especially a Disney park -- is make dinner reservations, unless you're planning a walking junk food dinner. Otherwise you will face a 90 minute wait to eat.

For hotel, if you are renting a car stay off Disney property. The Disney hotels are very overpriced for what you get. If you're planning to use Disney transit (including to/from the airport) and don't need a car, the rental car savings might offset the Disney hotel premium. If you do stay off-site, be advised some of the nearby neighborhoods in Kissimmee are, uh, not-quite-scary-but-almost. Choose wisely.

On the "deals" for tickets, beware the brokers that want to sell you "two unused days" from someone else's 5 day pass. The parks use biometrics that tie the ticket to an individual. The off-site ticket brokers will not save you more than a couple dollars. But they will save you the 30 min to 1 hour wait in the ticket line, so they're useful from that respect.

All told, expect to spend $150 per person per day at the parks. Food and drink prices are VERY high, in addition to the admission. For kids, maybe $130.
 
KennyFlys said:
Don't couples often head to Disney World when they get married?
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I got married AT Disney World. On the terrace of the Grand Floridian, before Disney made weddings a profit center. I have pics of the bride playing Frisbee with Mickey. (We had Frisbees printed with our name and date instead of matchbooks or napkins or something boring like that, and each place setting got squirt guns, bottles of bubbles, etc. It was great fun! As a result, the bar bill was dramatically reduced.) Anyway, in a true case of how reality can disappoint, I was shocked to see that "Mickey" had boobs.
 
Ken - what were you thinking - checking Mickey out on your wedding day? :)
 
Ken Ibold said:
I got married AT Disney World. On the terrace of the Grand Floridian, before Disney made weddings a profit center. I have pics of the bride playing Frisbee with Mickey. (We had Frisbees printed with our name and date instead of matchbooks or napkins or something boring like that, and each place setting got squirt guns, bottles of bubbles, etc. It was great fun! As a result, the bar bill was dramatically reduced.) Anyway, in a true case of how reality can disappoint, I was shocked to see that "Mickey" had boobs.
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Hum, squirt guns, I'll have to remember that... sounds like my kind of wedding.
 
Several years ago, my roommates and I decided to do Disney for Spring Break (a la 177RG of course ;)). One of my roommates' grandparents had a time-share in Kissimee where we would stay. He said that if we would sit through one of the "Buy this time-share" sales pitches, we would get cheap/free tickets to Disney.

Don't know if there is any truth to it, but for nearly $100/ticket, I would think sitting through a 1-2hr sales schpeel would be worth it!
 
CJones said:
Several years ago, my roommates and I decided to do Disney for Spring Break (a la 177RG of course ;)). One of my roommates' grandparents had a time-share in Kissimee where we would stay. He said that if we would sit through one of the "Buy this time-share" sales pitches, we would get cheap/free tickets to Disney.

Don't know if there is any truth to it, but for nearly $100/ticket, I would think sitting through a 1-2hr sales schpeel would be worth it!
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I though about doing that, but those sales people can be so annoying!
 
pookies said:
I though about doing that, but those sales people can be so annoying!
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If it includes a tour it can me fun... plus I tend to be more annoying then they are. :D You just need to pratice "Yes, Yes, Yes, NO!" They are trained to get you to start saying yes so you will say yes at the end. I toured a co-op hotel thing in Atlantic City last year and got $100 out of it. They Tried it like 3 times and we just kept saying no, took about an hour for the presentation and the tour and the repetitive NOs. The rooms were quite nice. I didn't even string the guy along, right up front,"not buying just looking" he still tried really hard but was unsucessful, knocked the price down three times. :p The tour paid for the first day of the trip.

Missa
 
As a former Floridian, and frequent traveler to the Sunshine state, all I can say is I love Universal studios, I did Disney, if I never have to go back to Orlando again I would be ok with that.

But if you are looking for hotels. I have had to make a couple of business trips there. I usually stay at the Caribe Royal in Kissimee. It is in the middle of the Disney areas, nice suite rooms with easy access to roads and free parking.
 
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