Want to go to Disneyworld but I am clueless

[Goldy1]

I want to book a family trip to Disney World. I want to go about 5 nights mid March.
It will be myself, my husband, and our almost five year old son. (three people total)
I have not flow in about 14 years. We have just done local trips.

We will be flying from metro Detroit(I live in a nice city an hour from Detroit)to Florida.
Just does anyone have any general advice?
I am thinking a package with airfare, lodging on the grounds, and the park passes combinded might be nice.

Any idea what this could cost? Any advice on where to book? Do I just go to the Disneyworld website?
I know this won't be cheap and that's ok but I want to get a good deal.

I think three nights is too short. Thoughts? I figure the travel days are kind of blown being tired or on the plane.

Is there a grocery store on site? My dad said there is. My son is a picky eater. He likes peanut butter and jelly sandwhiches and hummous etc(he likes things I can buy cheap at the grocery store not worth buying out to eat)

Any other general advice?

[Like2Plan]

Goldy,
March is a very nice time to visit WDW. The weather is generally pretty nice. The Flower and Garden Festival will be going on at EPCOT where they have Disney Characters in topiaries all over the park and a couple of special play areas for kids. (There are some other special programs, too).
But, anytime after Washington's Birthday 'til about a week after Easter you are going to be faced with the Spring Break Crowds (the week before and the week after Easter are generally the busiest).
The 7 Dwarf's mine train is scheduled to open spring 2014--I haven't heard exactly when, but maybe--just maybe you'll get a chance to be one of the first folks to ride on that. Of course, Fantasy Land has been reworked (they did a nice job with it).

They don't really have a grocery store on site, per se. Some of the resorts have a limited selection of (very expensive) groceries. Would you be driving a rental car?

I can't help you with the pricing. You could go on the WDW web site for some idea, but I think this close in you may be faced with some pretty expensive options. You could price it out as a package and separately just to see.

Disney World is transitioning to Magic Bands to get fast passes. There is a learning curve to this system. I have heard that they are no longer using Fast Pass machines at all (when we were they over NYE, they still had both). We used the Magic Bands and didn't have any issues with them, but if you are used to using fast passes they are going to be radically different.

[Like2Plan]

Here is a link to Mouse Savers--which has a lot of info on discounts you may be eligible for:

http://www.mousesavers.com/

Here is a link to the Dis Boards-- Lots of frequent updates on the latest WDW info.
The Dis Boards

[kv968]

Oh DisneySteeevveee...

[disneysteve]

Oh DisneySteeevveee...

Geez. Give me a chance. It is Saturday morning. LOL!

Goldy1, I will post later with advice. I'm on my phone right now. Too much to type.

[Goldy1]

IT does seem like a lot to plan. I am excited though

[Like2Plan]

Goldy,
Have you ever been to WDW? Does your DS still take naps? Are you planning to take breaks for naps or will you be going "commando" style?

[creditcardfree]

We didn't use the DW site to book because we got discounted tickets with the military, but I will tell you the best site I have found for finding how to deal with lines, and more was Tour Guide Mike. It does cost $21.95, but is worth it. We went in July 2009 and avoided so many lines by following his advice. It makes the enjoyment of the parks so much better.

I also liked MouseSavers, where we found a great deal at the Marriott Village that included breakfast and meal vouchers. We have stayed on property at Port Orleans Riverside our first time and really enjoyed that is well.

We have rented a car both times, because we had other destinations other than DW. Found great rates and tips on MouseSavers. It was very easy to get around on and near DW property.

Have a great time!!

[disneysteve]

Where to begin?

Have you been to Disney before? If so, then you have at least some sense of the lay of the land and the enormity of the property. If this is your first visit, understand that Disney World is HUGE! It is not like any other amusement park you have ever visited. The Disney property in Florida is over 27,000 acres, about the size of Manhattan. It contains 4 theme parks, 2 water parks, 18 hotels (not counting the Swan or Dolphin or vacation club properties), and a large shopping district. You can't possibly see or do everything in a typical 5-7 day vacation so advanced planning is a must. By advanced planning, I do not necessarily mean scheduling every moment of every day but rather doing your homework, knowing what are your must-see and must-do things and doing your best to work in at least those things and count anything else you get to do as a bonus.

I strongly recommend a few sources of info:
First, let me warn you against going to Disney's own site. It sucks plain and simple. For a company that does so many wonderful and technically advanced things, they can't run a website to save their life. So don't bother with Disney.com for any reason. There is nothing there that can't be found easier and better elsewhere.

wdwinfo.com and their forums disboards.com. This is the biggest and the best. The information is extensive and constantly updated. The forums are very active and filled with helpful folks.

The folks who run that site also do a weekly podcast - DIS Unplugged. You can watch on live on Livestream Tuesdays at 1pm eastern. You can download the audio recording of the show on iTunes or watch the archived videos on YouTube. They also have massive amounts of other Disney related videos that can help you learn about the resort on their YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/WDWINFO.

The same folks also have a travel agency that specializes in Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise, and Adventures by Disney. If you decide you'd like to use a travel agent, they are the ones to call. Go to DreamsUnlimitedTravel.com. I know several of them personally and they are great folks.

L2P asked about your son napping. Great question and a very important planning topic. GO AT YOUR SON'S PACE! I can't emphasize that enough. Don't worry about seeing everything and doing everything. Keep as close as you can to HIS usual schedule regarding sleep and meals. It will make for a much happier trip for all of you. Nothing is worse than being in the parks late at night seeing parents dragging around their totally over-tired tots having total meltdowns because they should have been in bed hours earlier. When our daughter was young and we went to Disney, it wasn't unusual for us to be back in our room by 6 or 7pm because that's what SHE needed to do.

How much will your trip cost? The 3 of us can do a 10-day trip, driving from NJ so no airfare, for under $2,500 door to door. That includes transportation, accommodations, meals, snacks, park tickets, souvenirs, and anything else. At the same time, I know people who could easily spend 3 times that much for the same trip. So it really depends on how you want to do it. Come up with a figure that makes sense for your family's budget and plan around that.

Ask lots of questions. Feel free to message me anytime. And register and post to the DISboards forums.

[Goldy1]

Steve that was very helpful
. I will check out the sites.
My son doesn't nap anymore. His schedule is wake up with an alarm at about 7:30. He falls asleep about 9:30 to 10:30. (I know that's not a lot of sleep but all he needs lol. from my research sleep needs range and he is on the low end unfortunately for meMany kids don't nap by 2 or 3, but going to Disney World might result in some naps lol

How many days do you recommend?

How do you get the deals? Certain websites? checking? travel agent?

Does price vary depending on dates and days of week?

Is a rental car needed? I was hoping not.

Is it best to stay on the grounds of Disney? Do you do that STeve?
Is a package deal the way to go? meaning airfare, park tickets, and hotel?
I have used priceline for me and hubby to get rooms with success in the past.

thank you.

great price Steve.
I will be sure to check the sites tonight.
I have an only child(boy) and he takes up so much of my time so I have to research tonight when he sleeps!! lol

[Goldy1]

This is our first time. No naps, but I would prefer down time in the room midday to refresh. I'm kind of laid back. lol

[Goldy1]

lines. yikes. are they a big issue?

[disneysteve]

going to Disney World might result in some naps lol

Don't be surprised if it results in naps for mom and dad too. It is not at all unusual for a full day at Disney to involve 10+ miles of walking. If you aren't used to doing that, it can be quite exhausting for everyone.

How many days do you recommend?

As many as you can afford and can get off from work. The past 5 or 6 years, we've gone for 2 weeks. That is far better than 1 week but I realize not everyone can swing that. If I didn't have a job and my daughter didn't have school, we'd happily go for longer.

How do you get the deals? Certain websites? checking? travel agent?

I book everything myself. I don't use a travel agent but if you want great assistance, you certainly can. It doesn't cost you a penny to do so.

Does price vary depending on dates and days of week?

Hotel rates vary by season. Park admission is the same all the time.

Is a rental car needed? I was hoping not.

This is more of a personal question. I would never, ever, ever go to Disney World without a car. But I know plenty of people who would never consider having a car there so it really depends on you and your family.

Is it best to stay on the grounds of Disney? Do you do that STeve?

This is also a personal question. I've stayed onsite 9 times and offsite 22 times so you can see where my preference lies. There are pros and cons to each. If staying offsite, you absolutely need a car. If you want more pros and cons, let me know.

Is a package deal the way to go? meaning airfare, park tickets, and hotel?

It really depends. You need to run the numbers and see which way works out cheaper.

lines. yikes. are they a big issue?

It depends when you go. Disney has a system called FastPass that allows you to get a scheduled time in advance to ride a certain ride or see a certain show. That system has just been completely overhauled which is what L2P was referring to in an earlier post. Check out DISboards.com for info on the Magic Bands and new FastPass+ system. It is changing almost daily.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

March is crazy busy spring break I've heard. Never been at that time. Perhaps others can weigh in on better times. There is always these "deals" if you can swing off peak like free meals or something.

[disneysteve]

March is crazy busy spring break I've heard. Never been at that time. Perhaps others can weigh in on better times.

I didn't think when to go was part of the question. If that's flexible, no, I wouldn't go in mid-March. I would avoid spring break at all costs. I would also avoid Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, and any long holiday weekends.

When would I go? Right after Labor Day starts a good time pretty right up until Thanksgiving (except for holiday weekends). In between Thanksgiving and Christmas is also good not including either holiday. Then after New Year's until spring break starts (again except for holiday weekends). Then later spring until June when school lets out. Late summer is better because by mid-August a lot of schools are already back in session so the crowds reduce but it can still be ungodly hot. That's when we've gone the past few years because it was the only time that worked for us.