Disney tips?

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Natterjack9

Stay on property. Since you have stayed at a Disney resort before then you already know that Disney takes great care of their guests. Not only do you get the great Disney service, but you get PERKS, and those perks are only available to resort guests. Contrary to popular belief Disney has a resort to fit any budget and they keep the best discounts for themselves. Staying on property gives you access to the Disney Dining plan, Extra Magic hours where one park is open early and one late for resort guests only, the Magical Express free shuttle to and from Orlando Int'l Airport, and the transportation system. The off site hotels do offer limited shuttle service, but in many cases it costs extra. Driving to the parks and parking every day is a nightmare. You can save a bunch of money by staying on property, using the Magical Express, and catching a cab to any non-Disney attractions. If you want to go to the beach or Tampa or anything further away you can rent a car for the day. Staying on property makes things so much more convienient and easy. Check out the WDW website, there is a resort comparison tool that will help you to decide which resort is right for you and your family.

I would suggest eating at a character meal, no matter where you decide to stay. The most popular and in my opinion the best one is Chef Mickey's in the Contemporary. It is a buffet style meal with Mickey and his gang coming right to your table for pictures and autographs.

If you want some more info and insight into where to stay, where to eat off property and on check out the disboards. The disboards is a message board website that is all about going to Disney. You can get restaurant reviews, resort reviews, tips and tricks, strategies for visiting the parks and much more. I put the link below.

Hope this helps, have a great trip!

boris t

I wouldnt stay off disney, just because that would be like going to Cleveland, and staying in Mentor. But thats just me. If your looking to save money, the Allstar sports, music, and movies, and pop century are the best ones. They are cheap, and still good, despite the rooms are a tad bit small. As for dining, there are some pretty good restaurants. The polynesian restaurant is really good. They serve Pacific food, which is alot like asian food, with western influences. And the English restaurant is a good one. They have a good variety of unusual specialties from England, and good portions. Some other ones are Tonys town Square. The food was okay, nice atmosphere, but your interuppted during the meal to shout "Thats Amore." It gets pretty annoying, and insulting when your Italian. lol. Boma Flavors of Africa is another option. They serve both American and African food. The African food is pretty exotic. Lots of Curried Fruits, and stuff that you would have to aquire a taste for. and Moroccan is pretty good, if your into the exotic Middle eastern food. And the entertainment is very good. There are belly dancers, and people who play traditional morroccan music.

opal1331

Just a few miles from I-4, on rt 192 is the little town of Kissimmee Fl. We have stayed there quite a few times. It's loaded with motels, and restaurants, so you can take your pick of many.
And it's only a short ride from Disney and Universal.

Disney Fan

http://allears.net/

lots of info on parks, resorts, hidden mickeys & photos
not to mention reviews of from people who have stayed at the parks
great list of stuff worth checking out

kaz

If you are staying of disney which I think is a great idea I think you should be thinking of a villa or else if you want a hotel I like the hawthorne suites which is in lake bona vista so near disney and they have loads of parking.

Each suite has a kitchen with everything you could need including a dish washer. TV in the living room and bedroom. It was a really nice friendly hotel.

Eat of property and take a picnic in which will save money. They will search your bags as you enter the parks but that is just to keep you safe.

Hope you have a great time as you know its a magical place.

love you

if i could give you one major tip, it would be to stay on disney grounds, i can't emphazice the point of staying in disney. (magic extra hours, free bus service, restaurants all around, just so much more magical)

1. i would recommend staying in one of the value resorts, very cheap, but nice rooms, nice pools, nice food court! very nice, if you would like to stay at alittle nicer i would recommend the caribbean resort....it is very nice, veryy seasidish!!! if you are looking for something extremely nice then i would recommend either the grandfloridian or the beach club villas, the grand floridian because it is right next to magic kindgom, and it is extremely high class. the beach club villas because it is abs. beautiful......if you have to stay off disney property for some reason, i would recommend the sheraton vistana resort ... it is absouletly gorgeous, restaraunts onsite, are very good and nice, and there are 7 pools on site! very very nice!!!

2. if i could give you a few great places to eat in disney world they would be.....

Chef Mickey's - great atmosphere and amazing food located @ the Contemporary Resort

Ohana - my FAVORITE restaurant at disney... located at the polynesian the food is GREAT!

Hoopdeedoorevue!- very fun, a lot of fun!!! food is good also..

Planet Hollywood - located in Downtown Disney, food is very nice, they have a dj so it is just also a fun resorty resturant.....

need any other help, just email me!!
have a magical journey!

www.plan-a-magical-vacation.com

I agree with those who say to stay in a Disney Resort.

You might save some money by staying off site, but you'll lose time and have to pay for parking. Plus there are lots of perks to on-site guests.

Anyway, see the links below for a bunch of tips.

Have fun!

marvymom

I have stayed both on- and off-site many times over the years. I know what you mean about wanting to stay off-site. The past several times I have stayed off-site I have booked a house with a pool. Houses are a good value; rents are often below $100 per night, which makes it less expensive than many hotels. Also with your own kitchen you save money, and with multiple bedrooms it's possible to spread out a little.

Staying off-site means you can see more. For instance, you can take a day and go to the beach or Cape Canaveral. There are also a number of natural areas around Orlando; for that matter you can take a day for Orlando's science museum if you'd like.

I've given you a few links below. Have a great trip!

ajsmommy

If you can afford it, I recommend staying on-site, even if it's one of the value hotels. This is great because in the middle of the day when everyone is starting to get a little tired, you can hop on the Disney transportation back to your room for a nap and a swim. You could also see if you could get a mini fridge and stock some milk and cereal and have breakfast in your room. I know it's boring, but will save you a few dollars on your dining budget.

My favorite places to eat are 'Ohana in the Polynesian resort and Le Cellier in the Canadian Pavillion of the World Showcase. As far as atmosphere is concerned, the Coral Reef of EPCOT can't be beat. Allears.net is full of information, menus and prices. It's a great resource for planning your trip. Have a great time!

buildabettermousetrip

If you're staying off property and are renting a car, I highly recommend a condo at Windsor Hills. We love this place - it is only a few years old and the pool / Clubhouse area are beautiful. See: http://www.tonylopes.com/wh.htm

Here are some healthy counter service food recommendations:
http://www.buildabettermousetrip.com/article-healthyfoodchoices.html

There are small legitimate discounts on Disney World theme park tickets through this link: http://www.MapleLeafTickets.com/?a=719

cryxander

personally..I would recommend staying in one of the cheaper resorts on site. It is waay more conveniant. I believe parking is 10 dollars per day if you dont stay on site. It is alot more conveniant to stay on site. You get the free shuttle to and from the parks, plus the resort guest extended hours. The rain forest cafe is excellent. Expensive...but you have to go at least once. The shuttles will also take you to downtown disney. I loved not having to drive anywhere on my vacation.

CutieButie

if it's at disneyland then stay at embassy suites. it has great rooms, service, and is far enough where u have to drive there. if u want to save money, then go to doubletree. they still have great service but don't serve as good of food. it is also far enough away where u have to drive.

smilingeyes_momof3

We are staying at the Seralago. The big reason for that is we have 3 kids and they have the kidsuites at a very reasonalbe price...ended up being uner $100 a night and that is for a king bed and a room within the room for the kids iwth bunkbeds and another twin bed.

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