"So, we're thinking of trying to get to Disney in 2012, right??" Of course, he's going in a few weeks on the Senior Trip, but that's OK-- there may be a trip in the forseeable future
None, though dreams of Disney DID entertain me last night. Does anyone know anything about renting DVC points? We've never looked into it,and I'm curious about whether it could save us some money. I've just emailed 2 colleagues who have DVC. (That's Disney Vacation Club, Disney's timeshare. It's possible to rent from people who aren't using their DVC points, but I know nothing about it.)
YAY!!!! I don't know about the time shares at Orlando - I know it's pretty popular to rent out TS at the Disney Beach Resort. I also have no idea of how they go about it... I'll email my friend who is another Disney fanatic.
We have a timesehare at Westgate Lakes, we've gone a lot in the past, but not recently. We've never stayed on the property though.
We're headin to Disneyland at this very moment, but I really hope that we can go to Disnyworld one day. Have fun planning!
Alice, I've found this website: http://www.myresortnetwork.com/disney-vacation-club/DVCRentals.asp Might be a good place to start - some of them seem outrageously priced in comparison to non-Disney timeshare-rentals in Orlando, though.
Thanks so much! I'm also considering those $129 teacher rate rooms at the Swan/Dolphin. The downsides are no Disney Magical Express, and-- the big one-- no meal plan. And we would need 2 connecting rooms. Still, a whole lot cheaper than the Polynesian. But I would LOVE to find a way to get back to the Polynesian.
I've spent WAAAYYY too much time today on the computer, trying to get a handle on a resort!!! The Polynesian is $600 more than the Contemporary. (But it's so incredibly lush and relaxing.) The Contemporary strikes me as so HOT with all its concrete, but you can WALK to the Magic Kingdom (and, more important, you can walk home.) The Dolphin offers a great teacher rate ($159 this year) and has a great pool, but no meal plan, and Brian would be sleeping on a rollaway. The Family Suites are cheap, but a million miles from a monorail, and the pool is nothing special. It's a good thing I have so much time to work this out, I have a feeling I'll need it. SOMEONE, tell me where to book-- or give me the money so I can book the Poly
We did connecting rooms at Pop Century (we had 8 people) and had a great time. We did not use the monorail a whole lot, but the busses were never a long wait since Pop Century had it's own busses.
We loved the Animal Kingdom Lodge. It's a little far away but the buses are great. I think the rooms are a bit small though especially if you have to make room for a rollaway.
Maximum is 4 people per room, except for the suites. The Dolphin is out. I spoke, via email, to someone in their reservations center. The rollaway is a cot, not a twin bed. Poor Brian would NOT be comfortable there for a whole week, especially since we start our days EARLY and he is NOT a morning person to begin with. (He's just barely an afternoon person.) It's a great deal, but not for us.
I know that you are wanting to stay on-site, but the condo we rented at New Year's when we were there was the best decision we ever made. We had 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, a full kitchen and were 10 minutes from the parks. I don't remember the exact cost, but it was just over $100/night--far less than we would have paid in a hotel (well under half of what it would have cost for the 2 standard hotel rooms we would have needed!).
Emerald Island. It was perfect for us. (Lauren ended up being quite sick the entire time we were away, so having the extra space and the quiet was a blessing.)
I will be following your disney plans, I think we are going either summer 2012 or summer 2013. with three kids. In 2012 my littlest will be 5 - so the girls will be 5, 8 and 10 then in 2012 they will be 6, 9 and 11. Still wondering if the 5 year old will just be too little/tired etc in 2012. I am super excited to go.
How about one of the cabins in Fort Wilderness? We camp there, but the cabins are neat! (they are huge mobile homes). There is a lot to do in the campgrounds. They have hayrides around the campground at night, sing along, bonfires for marshmallows, you can rent bikes or a golf cart to get around. The buses run more often then at the hotels. You can also take a boat across to the parks or just visit the other hotels. I think the cabins sleep six The nice thing about the cabins is that they have fully equipt kitchens and bar-b-q grills, so you could cook some meals and save a bit of money. There is a grocery store in the campgrounds and the cabins have daily maid service. Now this makes me want to go camping! I LOVE the campground!
How about this: It's too early to book anyway. Let's both plan trips for summer 2012. I'm planning to book in August when the new rates come out. At that point, whether you book or not, at least you'll have an idea of what you want.
Since you'll need room for 5, hit www.allears.net and take a look at: All STar Music Family Suites Port Orleans Riverside trundle rooms Deluxes, with the exception of Fort Wilderness and Animal Kingdom Cabins at Fort Wilderness.
All of the resorts that are owned by Disney are within a pretty short distance from the parks (obviously they are closer to one park than others, but still close). The value resorts (All Star and Pop Century) are farther from the parks, but I don't recall ever being on a bus more than 8-10 minutes when we stayed at Pop Century.
Right. According to The Unofficial Guide to WDW, All Stars is: 6-15 minutes from the Magic Kingdom 5-45 minutes from Epcot (I suspect that's a typo and that they meant "15) 4-15 minutes from Animal Kingdom and 5-15 minutes from Hollywood Studios. Here's everything on a map: http://www.wdwinfo.com/resortmaps/propertymap.htm (THe All Stars are #26-28, in the lower left hand corner.) All 4 parks are owned by Disney, and your admission ticket will get you into any of the parks.
OK, it's been a while since I said the "D" word around here. Has anyone ever stayed at the Swan or Dolphin???They offer an AMAZING deal for teachers-- I think it's $129 a night. Do you know whether there's a proportional discount on the suites? Brian is just too big a kid to sleep in a cot for a week. So we would need either a suite or connecting rooms. (Still, still, at $260 a night,connecting rooms would be cheaper than the other Deluxe options available, and not a whole lot more than the Family Suites at All Star Music.)
OK, so 3 hours later and now we're thinking the Contemporary. It accomodates 5 (the FIRST priority, of course ) is on the monorail, is within walking distance to (and HOME) from the Magic Kingdom, and is currently $285 a night for a room in the Garden Wing. Of course, tomorrow I'll probably have other thoughts. We'll probably book it in August when the 2012 rates come out.
OH good, tell me why. (I did stay there once: in 1976 as a brand new high school graduate. So my info is juussstt a little outdated.) We would be staying in the Garden Wing.
Oh, and Peter's birthday is Saturday. I stopped at the Disney Store and got him two $50 gift cards: one for the Senior Trip in 2 weeks, and the other to start our Disney gift card collection. For the next year and a half, we'll give them to each other at every occasion-- Easter, anniversary, birthday and so on. By the time we actually get to Disney, all our spending money, as well as hopefully a little of the resort bill, will be covered in gift cards.
lice... We liked it for the covience of the monorail, Chef Mickey's is right there, the food thing is right there. I remember going through it when Iwas little & waving to all he people below. A few yrs ago we were "those" people. The beds & pillows were comfy. We had 2 beds, there was a couch & even a desk with a laptop on it to use. We used the monorails to get around to the ones we could. We even walked back from one of the laste hours & it wasn't that bad. The grounds were really pretty as well, pool, plants that were created into sourcer Mickey. This really big metal Mickey ear thing that we tool Pix in!!!
Someone,please just shoot me. I'm now thinking of the Beach Club. I keep trying to talk myself into loving the Contemporary, and it isn't happening. I don't like the theming and I don't like the pool. We were talking with one of Julia's friends the other night at dinner and she mentioned that the Beach Club was "right across the street" from Epcot. Sure, that's what Disney says. But an 11 year old girl confirmed it. http://i657.photobucket.com/albums/uu294/natebenma/Beach Club FAQ/roboDHStoEPCOT.jpg So I looked it up. It looks amazing. YOu can walk to Epcot (it really DOES look 'right across the street.") You can walk or take a boat to Hollywood Studios (Brian loves boats!) It's near the Boardwalk, which we've never seen. And the pool... http://i657.photobucket.com/albums/uu294/natebenma/Beach Club FAQ/SABgoogleearth2.jpg It's a bit more expensive than the Contemporary, but still less than the Poly. The only downside would be that we would be a busride away from the Magic Kingdom. But that might be well worth the tradeoff.
Alice... I know the last time we went we were torn between the Beach & Animal Kingdom... Why are you a bus ride from MK... Can't you catch the monorail a epcot to take to MK?!?
You CAN, but it involves walking through Epcot (we'll be entering through the International Gateway, by England), walking through Epcot to the monorail, going to the TTC, down the ramp, up the ramp and onto the MK monorail. The bus would probably be easier.