Want to go to Disneyworld but I am clueless

[greenskeeper]

head west and see Marty Moose

[Goldy1]

Sounds like a magical place
I'm looking forward to also taking my son when he's older so he knows what it is and can really look forward to it too
Steve, it was undercovertourist for tix I found.

I also signed up for mousesavers newsletter which promised better ticket deals directly from its newsletter. It comes out on Feb 15 next since it is monthly.

My son is almost five but we occasionally use a small stroller or wagon at the zoo. I was told no strollers allowed in Disney(very surprised for it being a kid friendly place)

Wow it sounds hard to get a bite to eat in the place.
I would like to do a cool themed restaurant, but no fine dining with a kid needed at all!
I'd be happy with foodcourt type situations. Hopefully those are readily available when hungry.

I am used to booking my hotels on priceline.com (well before we became parents anyway)
sounds like you cant do that for Disney. lol

[disneysteve]

I also signed up for mousesavers newsletter which promised better ticket deals directly from its newsletter. It comes out on Feb 15 next since it is monthly.

Their newsletter is good. Their ticket vendor is Undercover Tourist.

I was told no strollers allowed in Disney(very surprised for it being a kid friendly place)

Where did you hear that? That isn't true at all. You can absolutely use strollers. Disney rents them, though I don't recommend it. The problem with renting from them is a) it's expensive and b) you won't have the stroller outside of the park. Either bring your own or rent from a local company. They will deliver to your resort so it's there when you check in and you have it for the length of your stay. If you're interested, I'll get you a specific company name.

Wow it sounds hard to get a bite to eat in the place.

Not at all. There are plenty of great counter service options at Disney. Unlike most amusement parks where the food options are limited to burgers, chicken fingers, and pizza, Disney has excellent food at the walk-up places. We do all counter service when we go and we enjoy things like roasted chicken, grilled salmon, tofu noodle bowls, barbecue chicken flatbread, and more. L2P was only referring to one new restaurant (Be Our Guest) that is a very hot place and tough to get into. The other counter service places aren't like that at all.

[Like2Plan]

Yup, I brought the BOG up because I think it is kind of cool experience--especially if you can get a FP.
Here is a thread on the topic. (I think March dates will be coming up soon)

. BOG fastpass lunch is up for February!!!!!

[creditcardfree]

Yep...you can have strollers. They are everywhere!
We have always done counter service as well. It the least expensive option, other than leaving the park.

[disneysteve]

We have always done counter service as well. It the least expensive option, other than leaving the park.

Just to be clear, not just leaving the park but leaving the resort. Prices everywhere on property are pretty much the same. If you want to save money, you need to exist Disney property. Of course, you need a car to do that which can offset the savings if you have to rent one.. We drive down so we always have our own car with us.

[disneysteve]

Yup, I brought the BOG up because I think it is kind of cool experience--especially if you can get a FP.

We didn't get to eat there last trip because the line was 90 minutes long to get in. Aside from that, though, we checked the menu and were less than enthused (especially our daughter). Still, I'd like to do it some time just to see inside the place.

[Like2Plan]

We didn't get to eat there last trip because the line was 90 minutes long to get in. Aside from that, though, we checked the menu and were less than enthused (especially our daughter). Still, I'd like to do it some time just to see inside the place.

Try the Grey Stuff, it's delicious! (just kidding, I haven't tried the grey stuff )

Be Our Guest Restaurant lunch menu

I had the Carved Turkey Sandwich. The sandwich is big enough for 2 people. DS had the Braised Pork which he said was very good. Both DH and DS really liked the Potato Leek Soup. The Chocolate Cream Puff is our favorite dessert.

The theming inside is very well done. But, what is really neat is they give you a rose when you step up to the podium. You put your order in and then go find a table and they magically bring the food to you where ever you decide to sit. The food is rolled out to you in a covered serving cart. It was a fun experience.

[Goldy1]

apparently I WAS MISINFORMED ABOUT NO STROLLERS BECAUSE A QUICK WEB SEARCH TURNED UP THEY ARE ALLOWED.
I know this question isn't finance related but does anyone know if a passport is required to fly from Michigan to Florida to go to Disney World?

Walk up options sound great. I am a good tipper when I eat out. However, if I can avoid a tip(I am assuming this is what walk up means) I am for it.
Also the three of us in my family often prefer different cuisines so a food court/walk up situation is great.
I think at later visits trying dining sounds good. I'm just thrilled to be able to go.
I'm going to check out a couple books from the library, and talk to a friend who went recently with her two children.

Disney is expensive. I can see how families save up and plan for it.

We plan to take our small stroller if we can take it on the plane cheaply hopefully(my son is four and will be five, but he's not a big kid and he complains about the walk at just the zoo!)

[Like2Plan]

I know this question isn't finance related but does anyone know if a passport is required to fly from Michigan to Florida to go to Disney World?

You and your DH will need a government issued ID such as a driver's license for the flight. (You can use a passport, but it is not a requirement to use a passport. ) Here is a link to the TSA web site: Acceptable IDs

We plan to take our small stroller if we can take it on the plane cheaply hopefully(my son is four and will be five, but he's not a big kid and he complains about the walk at just the zoo!)

You will be soooo glad you brought the stroller! There is so much walking at WDW.

[disneysteve]

Walk up options sound great. I am a good tipper when I eat out. However, if I can avoid a tip(I am assuming this is what walk up means) I am for it.
Also the three of us in my family often prefer different cuisines so a food court/walk up situation is great.

Yes, when you hear "counter service (CS)" or "quick service (QS)" we're talking about places where you walk up, order, pay, and get your food. No waiter service. That's as opposed to "table service (TS)".

In the parks, each food location tends to have generally one type of cuisine. If you want a true food court, you need to go to some of the resorts. The food court at Art of Animation is probably the best. We've gone there a couple of times to have lunch even though we weren't staying there just to show you how much we like it. The problem is you won't have a car so hopping around to different resorts is extremely time-consuming when you are dependent on Disney buses.

[sdcarwile]

We went to Disney for our honeymoon in 96. Then again with our 3 boys in 2008 and also 2011. I am definitely a planner. I hate going places and not knowing what exactly is going on. For our anniversary I came home and realized we missed a lot of cool things because I didn't do any research. I researched so much the next time I felt like I was taking a Disney world final Exam. LOL. You can book things yourself or have a travel agent do so. They really won't find any deals that could couldn't get yourself but its up to you. The last time I ordered tickets thru undercovertourist.com with a mousesavers code. It was a small savings.

We also like to eat mostly counter service. We did 2 or 3 table service and its so dang expensive and you do have to have your reservations in ahead of time so unless you really know where you want to eat 6 months in advance....

We also flew all 3 times and never rented a car. I like letting someone else take over the driving for the week and not messing with hot cars and parking and directions etc. There is sometimes a wait for a but but for us it was never long. Usually 5 minutes or less. Other people wouldn't dream of not having a car.

Look over all the rides and shows and see what you would really like to do. It's really not possible to do and see everything at Disney so pick the top few things that are must dos at each park and go from there. I've never dealt with fastpass plus so I don't have any info on that. We just had regular fastpass when I was there and we definitely put those to good use.

We stayed for a week at a time. I think we had 5 day park tickets (we forgoed the hoppers, one day per park is fine for us) We had 1 day in the middle of the week that we did not visit a park. This was a relax by the pool/downtown disney day.

Pop century is a good choice.

Visit the disboards. I learned so much from there. If you want to get really crazy read the Unoffical Guide to Disney World. There's touring plans in there that and a lot of it goes overboard but its nice to read about the different rides/shows if you are not familiar with them.

We packed food for breakfast to eat in our room. That saved time and money. You can also order water for free from any counter service. Just ask for a cup of ice water.

[Goldy1]

Steve, do you know how long it takes small world travel agency to return a call? I submitted an online form to get a quote a day and a half ago and didn't hear back not. (I know it hasn't been that long)
I also submitted one to buildabettermousetrip.com

Also, can you bid on priceline for onsite Disney resorts? Meaning can you bid and be assured you will be on Disney property? Is being on Disney property easier for midafternoon breaks?
I don't mind paying fair market value, but I spoliled from priceling hotel deals? I get so scared when I place a bid though!!!

[Goldy1]

are there better deals linked through the mousesavers newsletter worth waiting for generally? I suppose it all depends on many variables.
I'm excited to book and plan the more fun details like what rides and places to visit!
I hope we love it and go every year!
I requested the unofficial guide to Disney from library(saved money by not purchasing it at a bookstore woo hoo!)

[Goldy1]

Well, I officially booked Disney.
We are staying 6 nights from March 15 to March 21.
I didn't want to bother with packing, traveling etc. for just three or so nights.

I want to thank Steve for the advice.
I literally had no idea where to begin.
The mousesavers website was great.

I bought from expedia.com (hotel and airfare)I paid $489 per person(2 adults, one child) for airfare and hotel at the pop century value resort.

I will be purchasing 5 day Disney tickets (no park hopper or water parks)on my own.
For two adults and one child the tickets will be $855 from undercovertourist.com (cheaper than at the gate be about $50 or so total)
So grand total will be $2,320 for flight, hotel, and park tickets.
I will have to add baggage fees(spirit seems very bad with that) and food.

I researched many online avenues from priceline, Travelocity expedia, and talked to three actual vacation planners(including small world and AAA)many times over three days. Prices were fluctuating a little, and seemed to be going up.
This was the cheapest for the dates. I feel pretty sure of that. It would have run me a couple hundred more with small world travel agency and I qualified for no special promotions I know of through them. too bad. I would have preferred to book with a travel agency!

Lots of planning to do!
My son will have JUST turned five when we go. He gets scared very easy so many things seem too scary for him(he can't deal with villians etc very well at all!!!!) But we'll love it.
I would have maybe preferred a resort like caribean beach but I think Pop will be fun esp. with a child.
So many details! So expensive too! Wow!