Posted: 4/4/2008 12:16:17 PM EDT
| OK guys......Me & the wife and the kids who are six are gonna come down and pump some money in to your economy.....I need some help though.....Is it better to stay at a Disney resort or a hotel off the Disney theme parks? What about any other tips you can give for a family of five to come and visit for a week. Places to see, things to do, when to go, when not to go, things to stay away from.....Thanks! |
don't waste your money on a disney resort. you're better off going to one of the villas off of I-4. some of them are fully furnished with jacuzzi's in the master bedroom, full kitchen and a fraction of the price. you will have to listen to 2 hours of torture err timeshare salesmen.  i stayed here last time I went: www.mystic-dunes-resort.com/ I got 2 free tix to the park, 3 days 2 nights for $129. in a very nice villa. call up these guys: Mundo Magico 1(877) 400-0909. they are based in Hialeah, FL but I'm sure you can make reservations and have them faxed to you. they'll also work something out from their orlando office. eta* you can also get them directly through mystic dunes here: www.mystic-dunes-resort.com/ownership/preview/offers.htm 4 days 3 nights including tax $299 |
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I'm going to stay off the bandwagon and say that staying at a Disney resort is completely awesome. I've stayed at my fair share and have never had a bad experience. Sure they're pricey, but isn't EVERYTHING at Disney pricey? My fiance and I have the Premium Annual Passes, so needless to say, Disney has received quite a lot of my money over the past few years... However we keep going back, in fact, we just got back from meeting our Disney wedding planner just yesterday. I'm a strong support of Walt Disney World, every time you go, they treat you like royalty. As a side note: So far my favorite resort is the Wilderness Lodge. The Yacht Club is my second favorite. Their moderate resorts are just as good as their deluxe resorts for a cheaper price. I would steer clear of the low-priced Disney resorts. If you're going to Disney, expect to be spending money, it's part of the experience. I've always felt that if you're going to play near water, expect to get wet. ETA: I forgot to mention things to do and not do. I would STRONGLY suggest the Nemo musical in Animal Kingdom. If you liked the movie and like musicals, you will love the Nemo musical. I also cannot stress enough how awesome the world showcase is at EPCOT. The place to eat where you get the biggest bang for your buck is the German Biergarten. it's roughly $25 per adult but it's an all you can eat buffet. Even better, there's an awesome show they do that's great fun for the little ones. Magic Kingdom is almost ALWAYS busy, don't expect to be able to walk straight onto a ride... EPCOT gets busy in the evenings since it has the best places to eat dinner. Animal Kingdom is awesome in the mornings, be sure to hit up flights of wonder. I could go on forever, my fiance and I go almost every weekend. I could easily give more pointers but I don't want to hog the thread. feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions at all. I'd be glad to help give you pointers! |
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Come on , your Meds must be alot better than mine Truth be told I think DISNEY SUCKS  They will never see not one dime from me the commie bastard's
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| If you stay on Disney Property consider one of the Cabins at Ft. Wilderness. They are not cheap, I believe $200 - $300 per night, but you get a Kitchen and can cook you own meals to avoid eating out which saves a ton of money. The Cabins are quieter than the hotels and it's a very nice atmosphere. Plue you have free transportation to the parks. |
Fort Wilderness area is just plain awesome. They've got the Hoop-Dee-Doo Review, the horse trails, nature walks... That whole area is the best place at Disney hands down. I also agree with the above post about if you drink, stay on Disney property. Drinking around the world is a blast. As for the Disney versus Universal argument, the OP is asking questions about Disney, not Universal. If you don't like Disney, I would strongly suggest creating another thread about it. The Disney fans can stay here and share money saving experiences. |
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I love Disney. If at all possible, stay at one of their resort hotels. They have free transportation which is a great convenience, and you get to stay at the parks later than everyone else (usually each night is a different park). You are allowed to bring food into the park. My family and I usually pack sandwiches and chips for lunch. Makes it a little cheaper. Dinner at Germany in Epcot is great. Authentic German food and a pretty good show. Also, the BBQ at Animal Kingdom is OK. If you're OK with Pricey - Shula's Steakhouse is in the Dolphin Hotel. If you can't get into a Disney Hotel, try here. We stayed there two weeks ago. Newly renovated, clean, full free breakfast. Very nice Hotel. (9 of us were in a suite) If you get a chance, go to Sea World. Have a Great Time! |
+1 universal studios/IOA is a blast. Sea World is alot of fun too. I have a 25% off discount code for seaworld if you want it. IM me for details. |
With the money I saved on hotel expenses, I stayed a few extra days and visited a few other parks including wet n wild/ blizzard beach. why splurge on something you are only going to be there while you sleep? I loved the place I stayed at, and it had every amenity you can think of. spacious condo's furnished with everything you need, including dishes, silverware etc.. big screen TV, sofabed, you name it. when I go to the parks with my family, we pig out at shoney's in the morning, then go to the parks. we leave the parks late at night then go out to dinner at city walk. get home late and go to sleep. we're only at the hotel for resting... eta* crap I double posted. I meant to make it part of my other post... 
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Stay at the park, the shuttles make it worth it. The "budget" "resorts" are about equal to a motel 6, okay maybe a little better. I've heard really awful things about the non-Disney hotel's shuttles. Last time we went, my niece's family stayed @ the Wild Kingdom and I stayed @ the pops, or movies, or whatever the cheap ones are... They paid $300 a night and it was no way THAT much better than my $70n room. I stayed at the fucking Wynn in LV for less than $300n. The food sucks at the budget resorts, you get the Walmart crowd... But, all I really need is a place to leave my shit and sleep, so... ETA: Google diseny deal or something like that... There is a site dedicated to helping you get a good deal. You'll call Disney's # and see what the best pkg price going is. Hey at over 30, I still have a good time at Disney World, not so much @ the Magic Kingdom, but I enjoy it. |
| i dont think you guys read my post correctly. I never said go to a "budget" resort. you can stay at a 5 star resort real cheap. just listen to their timeshare deal and that's it. Westgate resorts and several others have lots of deals incredibly cheap. you just have to listen to their sales pitch. and the 5 star resorts do not compare at all to any motel 6... |
| Hey thanks for the input guys.....We're looking forward to going, but for never being there, we wanted to get as much bang for the buck......Where is the Disney Family indoor Gun Range, next to Mickey's Magical Sniper City ? That's what they really need to build, I'm telling ya.....If you build it, they will come ! |
They do have a gun range in Adventure land in Magic kingdom. for a dollar you can go shoot old school cowboy rifles at targets that do all different things when you hit them. You get quite a few shots too! Of course these are shooting harmless lasers instead of bullets, but hey, at least the anti-gun people haven't shut that part of Disney down.... (yet). |
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We always stay at the Fort Wilderness cabins. The cabins are very cool, and you get to park right there at the cabin. Thats good for keeping an eye on your gear. Also the boat ride from Fort Wilderness to the Magic Kingdom is cool, especially at night during the fire works. The Hoop Dee Doo Revue cost me 250ish bucks for 5 of us. Well worth the money. Also when you stay at a resort, you get extra hours at the parks. |
The Cabins are very nice and they were just recently redone on the interior so they look new and clean. Great place with the Decks on the Cabins, BBQ Grills, and nice and quiet unlike the other Disney Hotels. |
Don't think so... just rent-a-cops at the front gates of each park who take a quick search through your bag. Just another line for you to wait in...  That being said, I'm going to be called an idiot multitudes of times for this obviously stupid question, but it IS illegal to concealed carry on Disney property isn't it? I'm assuming it falls under the same category of football games and such... |
Below is a copy of an email from another site where a person emailed WDW and asked this question. Per my understanding if a Business posts that no firearms are allowed then you cannot CCW. This might be printed on the back of the Tickets you purchase. Same as they do for Sporting Event. I personally have done alot of work on Disney Property as a Contractor and they make this policy very well known to their contractors. I spoke to a Disney Employee who relayed a story to me about a fellow Disney Employee who was almost fired for having a live round visible in his car. The guy had been out hunting the weekend before and accidentally left a round in his car in plain view, a fellow employee saw this and reported it to security who searched his car. No firearm was in the car, just a live round. This almost cost him his job. It is by no surprise that Disney is one of the biggest opponents of the Guns in Car Law that is going before the Governor for signature. They were one of the big forces that got it killed last year and will no doubt be a party any lawsuits that are filed if the Governor signs it. Original Message Follows: ------------------------- Message: I am a retired police officer and I have a CCW permit. I have found nothing on your web site that states that firearms possession is not allowed by lawful persons that have a CCW permit and/or retired or off duty law enforcement officers. Also I have never seen any signs to that effect at the parks either. Can you please advise me if Disney World theme parks do have any official policy regarding the possession of a firearm by a lawful firearm owner in your theme parks? And if so can you please provide me a link to the place where it states this restriction? Thank you. My Name [[email protected]] From: Walt Disney World Guest Mail <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Cc: Received: 06/30/05 03:30 PM Subject: Re: Request for General Information about Walt Disney World Resort Attachments: Dear MyNameRemoved, Thank you for contacting the Walt Disney World? Resort. It may interest you to know we have a strict policy regarding firearms. Our policy is that no guns are permitted in our theme Parks or Resorts. If a resort guest brings one on property, it must be locked up in the safe deposit boxes at the front desk, not in a room safe. If guests visiting our theme parks bring in firearms, it must either be left in their vehicle, or checked in with security when entering the park. Only on-duty law enforcement officers whose agency has jurisdiction at the Walt Disney World? Resort may carry any weapon. We hope you find this information helpful. If you have questions or need further assistance, feel free to contact us. Please include your full name, E-Mail address, and reservation number if applicable on all correspondence. Thank you! Sincerely, Debbie Grant WDW Online Communications |
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Disney can go pound sand. It is not illegal, it is only THEIR POLICY. They can ask you to leave the property if found with a firearm, and you must leave, or face criminal charges. Theme parks and fair grounds do not fall under the stadium rule, and therefore is not criminal. The new legislature that is going to the Gov. desk will merely provide protection to employees from their jerkoff employer. It was never intended to cover the general public. You should never allow anyone to search YOUR property just because you are on THEIR property. Just my .02. YMMV. |
Stay at one of the hotels or motels in Kissimmee, Florida... I think I remember most of them being along this main road called International Dr that leads straight to Disney. I might be wrong about the name of the road, but this main road is the best area to affordably stay at while you're on vacation in my opinion. I stayed there last year and it is very very affordable compared to other areas. Its also very close to Disney. You more or less just drive straight to Disney along this road and if you want, you can eat at many of the awesome restaurants along the way before you hit Disney.  Most of the restaurants have good prices because they are trying to lure you into their buisnesses. If you decide to stay in Kissimmee, try to stay away from the tourist traps that try to scam you with cheap Disney tickets. While you're in Orlando, I recommend checking out places Ripley's believe it or not. The Mall at Millenia just because it's UBER expensive and kinda cool. You might also want to go to Downtown Disney.
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I have annual passes as well but like the idea of being close the the parks. This is a great trade off. Literally can drive a golf ball to Disney property without the Mouse-tax. Plus you have a kitchenette as the meals on property will be @ least $100 a meal. Hawthorne Suites 8303 Palm Parkway Orlando, FL 32836 Tel: (407) 597-5000 Fax: (407) 597-6000 |
I sell timeshare, unless you are on a strict budget stay away. It's never 90 minutes and if you leave before they sign off you pay rack rate. The hot ticket is to rent a pool home. You can get a 3 or 4 bedroom with pool for around $1000 for 7 days, less than $150 a night. We have sold the Brits hundreds of homes and some are desperate to rent them.  Google Orlando Vacation home rental. Here is one example.3 bedroom pool home |
Do you buy timeshare also? pm me if you do. |
I had to do contract work at Ft. Wilderness last year and the Deer and Turkey are thick there. The Turkeys will practically walk right up to you they are so used to people. The Deer are not too afraid of people either, they are very small though. I ran across a few Armadillos there too that didn't seem to mind people. One of them I nearly stepped on walking out of a cabin when he was standing at the end of the steps. |
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We stayed at the Pop Century Resort (low budget) earlier this year during FL Residents month. Room rate was great, no frills. Cafeteria style chow at the resort restaurant was expensive but tolerable for breakfast. They had wine, beer and liquor. The wine was store priced. Buy one of the $12 mugs and you get free refills during the entire stay. It was quiet, you have to walk a ways to the parking lot but no cars, no noise at the rooms. Took the shuttle buses to the park, rode the tram etc. One hint I'll give you is get up early, tough to do with kids I know, and catch the first bus to the park otherwise you'll be waiting 30-45 minutes for the bus. They do a good job shuffling folks around. There is beer & liquor at all the parks except the Tragic Kingdom. Bring some pocket snacks, energy bars etc. Travel light, forget the back packs, camera bags, fanny packs if possible. Whatever you can carry in your pockets, cargo shorts etc. Have a lightweight camera for the kiddies. Make your life easy, any kind of bag will have to be searched and this means waiting in lines. Buy your tickets in advance, otherwise you'll be waiting in line in the sun. Disney will put together a nice planning package with maps etc. in advance of your trip, they'll send you a video so you can get an idea on the attractions. Plan ahead on the attractions that you really want to see, get to the park and get the Fast Passes for those ASAP, all you do is run your tickets in the Fast Pass reader and it prints out a ticket with a time to come back, you go to the front of the line during the specified time bracket, no waiting. Then once you have your Fast Passes, plan the rest of your day around those time slots. Plenty of stuff to do to fill the time. The secret to making the most of and enjoying Disney is advanced tactical planning. My wife said there is a book/website that helps you plan your mission. Gives the best strategic places to be to see certain things like the fireworks, which stairs & paths & shortcuts to take. All this helps with the herd mentality people. When it's feeding time, the herd wants fed. If you pack some snacks & water to postpone lunch, you can eat in relative peace as the herd will thin out. Sunscreen and comfortable shoes for everyone, you'll be walking a lot. Comfortable under britches, chaffed thighs and nuts sux. There are some oasis's where kids can splash in the water & cool off. Skip the shopping & souvenir stuff until the last day or at least till the end of the day, there's tons of the same thing sold everywhere in the park & it's a pita lugging stuff around. Plan a time just for your shopping. The stores are a good place to cool off in the heat of the day, along with some of the little restaurants. Likewise, some of the less popular show type attractions & also the monorail give you a break in the a/c. Every person in the park, whether they are selling a pretzel or sweeping the place is trained to help. If you can't find something, ask any Disney employee you see, they can help. If you are driving down and staying on property, take the new 429 Toll road. from the turnpike It's light traffic and it takes you right to Disney property. Avoids the I-4 headache. Remember, you are dealing with a herd of visitors from all parts of the world, some are considerate & polite others are down right rude be prepared for it. All I can think of for now. |
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Are you .mil? If so, stay at Shades of Green on Disney. Prices are good & it's for military families only Edit: I've stayed there a couple times & it's pretty good. It's walking distance to a Monorail station Shades of Green |
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