Hi, we are headed to Disney in July...

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-25-2005
Hi, we are headed to Disney in July...
5
Wed, 05-03-2006 - 3:00pm

this is the first ever major vacation for our family and we are all very excited. It'll be myself, DH and our 2 girls ages 11 and 7. We are going July 8th for 8 days (66 more days and counting). One of those days we plan to go see the ocean. We figure coming from montana we best go see the other side of the country.

Right now we've got a motel booked off site, because it was cheaper to get 4 round trip plane tickets and an offsite motel than it was to get just the plane tickets. We were looking at then booking at a value resort and getting the 7 day parkhopper + water park tickets. But looking at it, we'll save ourselves $700 if we just use the cheap motel offsite. Its not like we'll be in the room much at all anyway, just to sleep and clean up. Any thoughts on that?

Another question is whether or not to rent a car. We definetly have to on the day we go to the ocean but the rest of the day I'm thinking between the cost of the car, gas and then parking at the parks, especially since I'm sure we'll be going to several parks a day. It would be better to just use the bus system to get to the park from our motel. The hotel offers shuttle too but I bet its slow and only runs a few times a day. Then can you use the monorail to get to each different park (epcot, AK, waterparks etc.?) how much does that cost if we can use it?

Does anyone know if the parks have lockers you can rent so we can store a duffelbag of swimsuits and towels? That way we dont have to run back and forth between motel and parks if we just take it with us.

As far as our schedule I've not nailed that down yet. I do know that since it'll be hot in July we'll probably visit a park in the morning, head to a waterpark for the heat of the day, then back to a park in the late afternoon/evening till close. I think we get 5 or 6 waterpark visits with our passes, not sure on that yet. I do have a list of when the parks are the busiest during the week so we'll try to avoid those days.

I'm planning on $100 a day for meals for the 4 of us...does that sound okay, we dont plan to eat out big, cheap as we can. Maybe one nice dinner, but I'll budget for that. As much as this is all costing just to get there and get into the parks, doesnt leave alot of budget for food! and then I thought $100 per girl for a souveneir and little dodads or treats in the park. Sound okay?

My only other question right now is about socks. I think it is allears.com but could be another one that recommends these Coolmax socks that are supposed to pull moisture away from your feet. Supposed to keep feet dry and avoid blisters if you are walking alot...I dunno. They run anywhere from $8 to $30 a pair, for a family of 4 that can be pricey for socks! Anyone have a thought on those?

Well if you made it through my novel thank you! I've been lurking and getting some great advice. I'm sure I'll be back with tons of questions! Its so great to have this resource! Thanks in advance for your input and advice! I really appreciate it!

~melissa

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iVillage Member
Registered: 07-16-2003
Wed, 05-03-2006 - 3:18pm

It has been about two years since I was last at Disney but let me see if I can answer some of your questions:

We stayed offsite at a great hotel I got thru Expedia.com. We wen't in early May so traffic was not bad at all. I am not sure how bad July will be for getting into / out of the parks. We also drove our own vehicle. I wouldn't want to wait in lines for the buses.

You can eat on $100 per day. Look at MouseSavers.com for some hints on how to see Disney on a budget. I would highly recommend calling and getting priority seating for at least one Character dinner/breakfast. I recommend Chef Mickey's - very fun & close to the park.

The parks do have lockers to rent at the front.

Florida in the summer is HOT. I would recommend skipping the socks altogether and buying some rugged sandals instead. I like the sketcher type sandals, especially those with Mesh. I can walk the parks in those all day long and if they get wet, they dry out quickly.

Tracy

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-13-2005
Wed, 05-03-2006 - 3:34pm

Congratulations on your trip to Disneyworld - I agree, coming from Montana you should definitely go to see the ocean one day!!

I really think you should consider renting a car for your entire stay. First of all, you'll need to get transportation to and from the airport, and since you will be going at a busy time any off-site hotel shuttle will probably take a long time getting to and from your hotel and the parks. You're right that it will be an added expense, plus parking every day (I think you only pay once no matter how many parks you go to)- but I think it will be money well spent and will definitely make your vacation more enjoyable. Of course, if you do end up staying at a value resort you can use the Disney transportation to and from the airport and inside the parks....something to consider.

As far as special socks are concerned....we've been to WDW many times with my 4 daughters, and each time I have packed Walmart white cotton socks and we've never had a problem with blisters (tired feet...yes...but that's Disney!) I have seen some young children in cheap flip-flops that have had to buy new shoes at the gift shops (cha-ching!) so definitely pay attention to what everyone is wearing on their feet - but no need to spend $$ on special socks.

I have never been very good about remembering what we spend on food, but I think $100 a day for a family of four may be tough. Check out the menus on allearsnet.com to get an idea of where you might want to eat and that might help you budget. Also, your 11 year old by Disney standards is an adult (I have 10 y.o. twins so this kills me!) so if you eat at any buffet she will be priced as an adult. Most places still let my girls order off the children's menu, but there's no guarantee.

Hope that helps - have fun with your planning!

Mara

Avatar for sphintergirl
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Wed, 05-03-2006 - 4:55pm

Melissa,

Here's been my recent experiences:

October 2004 we stayed at our time share on International Drive. We rented a car. Park hopped.

April 2005 we stayed off site at some hotel "minutes" from WDW. Nice hotel. We took a car service from and to the airport and relied on the shuttle bus to get us to WDW.

We will be staying again at our time share in December 2007 with my whole family and will be doing pretty much what we did the first trip. I really liked having a car and being able to eat cheaper outside of the park was nice. We of course had a full kitchen, so we would eat breakfast in, lunch and a snack at the park and dinner back at "home".

When we went in April we had a good time BUT the shuttle sucked. You would make various stops at other hotels. At certain times you could catch a bus to only one park and then would have to take Disney transportation to your final destination. Then they only had pick ups at a specified park at a certain time. The bus was always crowded (standing and sitting) and by the end of the day everyone was crabby. I would NEVER stay off site without my own car again.

I would rent a car for your entire stay. Once you park somewhere you can rely on Disney transportation for the day (just don't forget where you parked). It is nice having the vehicle there just in case.

When we went in April 2005, we ate real cheap. Breakfast was furnished by hotel. It was decent. We brought snacks with us. Dinner was eaten where ever - usually at the park - but really cheap. I would say you could do it on $100 a day if you aren't really big eaters. We have never done a character meal, but did the Fantasmic package in April. It was decent at Hollywood & Vine, but again costly out of pocket. That meal would eat your whole budget for the day.

No clue about the special socks, just make sure that you have comfortable shoes for the trip.

Have fun!

Sarah
goin' again September 2006 ASMo

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-07-2003
Thu, 05-04-2006 - 12:10pm

Re: the socks -- check Target. I recently found some wicking fabric socks there for my kids and they were MUCH cheaper than $8/pair. They're not the CoolMax brand name, but cheaper.

I get my kids the Teva-type sandals w/ velcro -- cooler than sneakers, great traction, and they can run in them. Flip-flops to me are horrible for running situations! If you wear any kind of sandals, though, remember sunscreen on the tops of everybody's feet!!!!

Chris

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-08-2004
Thu, 05-04-2006 - 3:21pm

We stayed off site when we went in January 2005 and the shuttle service sucked. I would never stay off site again unless I had my own car. They dropped us off at the ticket terminal at 10am and didn't pick us up until 2 hrs after the park closed. Unless we went to AK and met that bus 1hr after AK closed. So we were up by 7am to have breakfast and get ready and be waiting for the shuttle by 9:30. Then spent all day at the parks getting back to the hotel very late. We didn't have a choice but to stay late unless we got a taxi back to the hotel. With little kids it sucked.

If at all possible I would stay on site so that you have the convience of being able to go back to your room for a break during the hottest part of the day and the use of disney transport.

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Thanks so much Mylissa !