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Help with planning a Disney vacation
So me and hubby want to visit Disney we are thinking January or March he has winter and spring break then and it’s not humid like the summer.
It would just be the two of us I’m in my mid 30s he just turned 40 we are looking for things to do besides just the parks like behind the scenes I’m a hobby baker and he’s a chef so we are looking for like a pastry and or cooking experience.
We want to visit all parks and I think we would spend one day in each park unless doing the hopper pass is a better deal. We also want to do the meal plans can two people on a budget do Disney?
Staying off property would make my husband more tempted to go fishing and shopping so I’d rather stay on property so he can experience all of Disney and not be distracted. I have been to Disney several
Times but he has been to Epcot only once and we didn’t have a full day to see everything
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If you are going to plan the trip yourself (and even if you are not) create a My Disney Experience account. All your plans can be linked through this. You can explore things to do, check out the different hotels, make dinning reservation and fastpasses. It is easy since all is right there to see.
We were there in January this year. We had a great time. First few days were cold but then it was beautiful. March can be very busy as it is Spring Break month. You most defiantely can do Disney on a budget. We have!
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Disney definitely doesn't have to be extravagant. You can stay in one of the value hotels or even ones around Disney Springs if you want to keep him focused on Disney. If he has a fall break, I would recommend going during the food & wine festival since you both like food. If you can't make it then, you will still enjoy the other times of the year.
Definitely get signed up on My Disney Experience. You will make all of your reservations through there which makes it handy to have them all in one place.
I don't ever buy park hoppers. There is enough to do in each park to keep me busy for one full day.
I would skip the meal plan. I find it cheaper and I have more choice with just paying out of pocket.
There is plenty of fishing and shopping on property, but you don't have to tell him that. If shopping is his thing though, you may want to plan a day at Disney Springs just to window shop. The atmosphere is pretty awesome and there are some good restaurants there.
I'll meet you at the Rainbow Bridge.
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I would try to plan your trip around the festival of the arts, which takes place in Epcot, late Jan. -Feb. if not mistaken. It would be fun for two people interested in food and presentation. Just not sure if that fesrival would coincide with your school breaks. Food and wine festival would be even better, but that happens in the fall and doesn't match up with the months you are aiming for.
Personally, if I were trying to do Disney on a budget I would skip the dining plan. We spend much less paying for food as we go. The only advantage we find with the dining plan is that it is prepaid, but we spend way more on the plan than we actually would on food.
The best ways to keep costs down is to stay at a value, do not add hoppers (even tho it can make touring the parks better), and skip the dining plan. Also check out the Swan and Dolphin hotels. They usually offer teacher specials. It won't be as inexpensive as a value resort, but they are in a great location and sometimes you can get what is basically a deluxe resort for close to moderate resort prices if there is a good deal going.
Denise
Resorts we've stayed at in 20+ trips: ASMo, ASMu, ASSp, PC, CSR, CBR, POR, POFQ, WL, AKL Jambo, AKL Kidani, Poly, Contemporary, BC, YC, BWV, OKW, SSR, Swan, Shades of Green, Vero Beach, Disneyland Resort
Next Trip: ???
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Have fun, and to Intercot.
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You've come to the right place for planning help! Welcome to INTERCOT!
I strongly echo all the tips here to set up your My Disney Experience accounts and get the app on your phones - it's a must. Read all the forums here to get a sense of what planning is like these days - trip reports are super helpful! Know your dates - when you can make dining reservations at 180 days and pre-book your fastpasses at 60 days if staying on site. If you're not super planners, then you don't have to do any of that and just do what you want as you go once you're there. However, if you go in March that is a very busy time and you'd probably want to pre-book at least a couple Fastpasses for big ticket rides like Flight of Passage in Pandora - that will have 3-4 hour waits during peak times.
As far as dining is concerned, if you're going on a budget I would not recommend a dining plan. Back in the day, it was totally worth it but that is just not the case anymore if you're looking to compare dollar to dollar. If you are going with one for convenience's sake, then it may be worth it to you. I definitely liked having it pre-paid and now with Magic Bands and using the app for pre-ordering at counter service places it's very convenient. I think it comes down to the way you dine while on vacation. If you like going all out, doing lots of table service and ordering alcohol with most meals (dining plan with table service includes one alcoholic drink now) then maybe you'd want the plan. It's not my style, so I don't use it anymore.
Staying on site is a great option, and the values are good hotels if you don't plan on staying in the rooms all that much or see yourselves using a lot of resort amenities. Pop Century is undergoing a refurb and adding some moderate-like features (coffee makers in the room, for example) yet still pretty budget-friendly. The All-Stars are fine hotels too, just not a lot of bells and whistles like you'd get at a Mod or Deluxe.
Lastly, I highly encourage you to contact Magical Journeys for quotes of all combinations! They will take the time to price out anything you are thinking of and will book it all through Disney for you - so no hassle on the phones or a glitchy website! If a deal gets released for your dates and they can save you some money, they will apply it for you. I have worked with them for almost every trip over 10 years, and it's so worth it. Best part - their services are free to you!
Have fun planning your trip!
~Nikki~
Last Trip: February 2024
Next Trips: April 2024
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My wife and I are similar ages as you guys. We did a Disney Fishing Experience. Ton of fun. She caught a lot of fish. You can fish over at Disney Springs, or by MK. You have to book in advance. We enjoyed it so much, we ended up rebooking 2 more excursions during our trip.
We've stayed offsite at various locations, and have had a good time. Get nicer couples hotels (Gaylord, etc). However, we've stayed onsite several times. Can find either better rates, or more bang for your buck offsite. Staying onsite does have a certain feel to it though.
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2016 POR
2015 CS
2014 WDW-Offsite
2014 Disneyland-offsite
2014 CBR
2013 Dolphin
2012 POR
2012 WDW-Offsite
2011 ASMusic, POR
1998 Dixie Landings
1990's, Dixie Landings, Misc Offsite
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So much great advice already! A couple things I can add:
- Deciding between January or March - it can actually be pretty chilly in January, so if you're looking for hot days wearing shorts, you're better off in March! It's beautiful - high 70's/low 80's in March. Whereas in January, it can get down into the 30's or 40's. Brrr!
- Helping with planning - I would suggest contacting the ladies at Magical Journeys. They're a sponsor on Intercot, and they don't cost ANYTHING to use! They'll help you get set up with your resort bookings and your park passes and they'll even monitor your reservation in case any applicable discounts come up that could help you out! They are fabulous. I've been going to Disney since the 70's and even though I could easily plan my own trips, I still like my gal Jennifer to do it! They're also a wealth of information if you're into cooking/baking/fishing and lots of other things!
- If you do decide to stay off property, yes, on the surface it does SEEM like it would be cheaper. But you've also got to factor in getting to & from Disney property. Make sure you tell that to your hubby so you can convince him to stay at Disney World! Yes, some off-site hotels offer a "shuttle" service to the parks, but bear in mind those usually only run every 6 hours or so, meaning you're stuck with whatever time they're going. And if you miss the shuttle? Too bad for you! So you've got to factor in the price of a rental car, PLUS parking at the parks is now $20+ per day. It adds up! Try and stay at a Value resort if possible. They're cute!
- The only reason I like having the Park Hopper is because occasionally you will get to a particular park and it will be SUPER busy. Then you check your My Disney Experience app and see that the other parks aren't busy at all! So you can hop over to those places and avoid the crowds. It's not a necessity - just a perk!
- I wouldn't do the meal plan. It's quite expensive and I always feel like it's going to waste. They give you dessert at every meal (and as great as that sounds, it starts to get gross because you're already so full!), plus they offer one alcoholic drink per meal and I feel like I don't really need that. You can have a GREAT time on a budget with no meal plan. I would suggest checking out the counter service restaurants - they're not all chicken nuggets and burgers! And then plan for just 1 or 2 nice table service restaurants during the week. That will save you TONS. You can also have groceries delivered to your resort room, so you can have a nice breakfast there each morning (think: bagels, or cereal & milk, etc) and that will also save money.
- Finally, be sure to listen to the Intercot Insider podcast! We have a real hoot recording it and we'll give you the lowdown on everything going on at the parks! ![Smile](images/smilies/smile3.gif)
Have a great trip and WELCOME TO INTERCOT!
~ Carolyn ~ aka "CANADA!"
Every year since 1979! Annual Passholder in CANADA!
* Old Key West
* Saratoga Springs
* Boardwalk
* Coronado Springs
* Contemporary & Bay Lake Tower
* Caribbean Beach
* Port Orleans Riverside
* Fort Wilderness
* Pop Century
* All Star Music Movies & Sports
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Don't do the dining plan. You will save money by paying out of pocket and can just pay for your meals via the magic band with a credit card linked to it.
Pass on the park hoppers as well. Since you haven't been to WDW much, you will stay busy at one park each day.
You can save money by staying offisite if you have a car to drive into the parks each day. You will have to pay for parking each day which is up over $20 per day now I believe. There are a lot of nice hotels in the area. However, it is very convenient staying onsite and using the buses, boats and monorails and not having to drive. You can stay at the value resorts sometimes for a decent price but I am personally not a fan of them. In my opinion, the moderates are worth every penny over the cost of the values.
As for time of year, spring break will be packed. I am talking extremely busy so take that into consideration. I have been a number of times in January and the weather can be all over the place. I have been in January and it be 40 for the low with a high in the mid to upper 50's and I have seen highs in the mid to upper 80's. I have been and had a few days of cold and a few days it was hot in the same trip. Rarely does it stay cold for more than two or three days.
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DisneyNut is right. Perfectly put.
===================
2016 POR
2015 CS
2014 WDW-Offsite
2014 Disneyland-offsite
2014 CBR
2013 Dolphin
2012 POR
2012 WDW-Offsite
2011 ASMusic, POR
1998 Dixie Landings
1990's, Dixie Landings, Misc Offsite
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