[kphil89]

I am planning another trip to WDW in March!! Shhh it's a surprise for DD! I am trying to talk DH into staying home with DS-13 mos so DD & I can have a Mommy & me trip! This trip will be very short maybe only 3-4 days. I am trying to minnie-mize the cost as much as possible seeing as how we will be moving into another house in May. So I naturally have plenty of questions...any takers....

1. What is the weather like in March? I am thinking we will arrive 3/5 and leave 3/9.

2. Is this time crowded? Any sport things, school holidays, etc...

3. Park hours? Close early like October hours?

4. First flight to MCO and first flight ever for DD...how do we book transportation to WDW and which is better and cheaper? Also when would be the best time to book flights as far as getting a good rate is concerned?

5. This will be our first stay onsite and I was thinking of the Value resorts. What is the difference btw std & pref rooms? Are the resorts close to one another? I am leaning towards the new Pop Century but would like to visit the others...

6. Since this is such a short trip and money will be an issue this time. How much would you budget for meals & stuff for 4 days? We will probably do one CM~Chef Mickeys and the rest of the time share meals. I was thinking $ 50/day...too little?

I warned you
:love: :love: :love: Thanks for any info you guys can give. I am so excited about planning another trip. Hopefully this time we'll be able to avoids the mass crowds and DD can really have a wonderful time!

[MickeyMamma]

Nost sure about some of your questions.

Early March you get college students on Spring Break. That used to be about when our break was in college and it was not that bad. (Then again, I hadn't ever seen crowds in Sept/Oct like they just had a few weeks ago.)

Flights? I can't remember where you are from, but getting a non-stop can really be helpful so you only have to get on and off once and you don't end up losing the day to travelling. Then again, I travel with a 2yo in tow. If it is available great! Otherwise, just tell her that it is part of her big adventure.

All-Star Resorts were fine. Preferred means closer to the main building. May not be worth it for you. There is a $10 difference per night to be preferred. We did that last time, but probably wouldn't do it if we stayed there again. You can request one of the other buildings that are close by, but not considered "preferred" and have the same benefit.

$50 may be okay if you are not planning fancy meals. When we eat at the restaurants, I usually share a meal with my son since I am not big on giving him so many French fries with his meals. It worked out well for us. And yes, Chef Mickey would probably be my favorite character meal at the parks.

Sounds like a fun trip!

[jmouse]

1. What is the weather like in March? I am thinking we will arrive 3/5 and leave 3/9.

I have been to WDW a few times that first week in March as it is my daughter's birthday. Weather can be iffy that first week. Some rain possible. Can be cool still or warm. Avg highs - mid to upper 70s. Avg lows - mid 50s.


2. Is this time crowded? Any sport things, school holidays, etc...

This is still a bit early for the Spring Break crowds to start. They should start arriving just as you are leaving.


3. Park hours? Close early like October hours?

No late hours for the parks. Epcot of course will be open til 9pm; MGM will probably be open til around 7pm so they can do the nighttime show Fantasmic!


4. First flight to MCO and first flight ever for DD...how do we book transportation to WDW and which is better and cheaper? Also when would be the best time to book flights as far as getting a good rate is concerned?

The least expensive way to get from MCO to the WDW Resort is Mears Shuttle. For the two of you it would be less than $50 roundtrip. Their counter is downstairs on the first level by the cra rental counters. You can buy your transfer tickets there and they will put you on a van. For your return, you must call them 24 hours prior to your leaving.

The downside to the Mears Shuttle is that you are on the van with other parties who are going to other hotels. You might be the first off, then again you might be the last off. I took a Mears Shuttle over Labor Day weekend. We had to wait about 10-15 minutes for the van once we bought our tickets. The ride to our resort was about 45 minutes as we stopped at two other resorts before ours. Not too bad for the cost.

An alternative is to use a Towncar service. Your driver will meet you at baggage claim and you will have your own private car. With tip for the driver, this would cost about $100 roundtrip.


5. This will be our first stay onsite and I was thinking of the Value resorts. What is the difference btw std & pref rooms? Are the resorts close to one another? I am leaning towards the new Pop Century but would like to visit the others...

The preferred buildings are the buildings closest to the main building which houses the check-in lobby, food court, and gift shop. The bus stops are right outside the main building.

I would suggest picking a value resort based on the theme you and your daughter would enjoy most.

The value resorts are not near one another. Pop Century, the newest one, is located behind the Caribbean Beach Resort while the All-Star Resorts are over just past Blizzard Beach.

It is not that easy to visit other resorts without a car. You need to use the Disney buses and transfer at either a park or Downtown Disney. Honestly, with the few days you are going to be there, you can stay quite busy just doing the parks. The value resorts are just like each other, except in the theming which you can get from looking at pictures. Take a look at the pictures available on websites to see which theming you and your daughter would like. They are all fun!


6. Since this is such a short trip and money will be an issue this time. How much would you budget for meals & stuff for 4 days? We will probably do one CM~Chef Mickeys and the rest of the time share meals. I was thinking $ 50/day...too little?

As long as you are doing counter service food, you can probably make due with $50 per day. You might want to add in a bit more to cover snacks throughout the day. It all depends on how big of eaters you are.


Have fun planning! :)

[mickey]

1. What is the weather like in March? I am thinking we will arrive 3/5 and leave 3/9.

Weather should be great. Low eighties during the day, sixties at night. Usually doesn't rain too much, though there is always the possibility.

2. Is this time crowded? Any sport things, school holidays, etc...

I wouldn't say crowded, but yes, there will be some crowds. It is a big time for high school spring breaks, so there are a lot of sports groups and others there visiting the parks. We will be there the week before, and I am not expecting long lines, but we are prepared for having to wait some.

3. Park hours? Close early like October hours?

Magic Kingdom will be a little later, but the rest of the parks should be about the same. You may see Ak or MGM open an hour later, but really, not much difference.

4. First flight to MCO and first flight ever for DD...how do we book transportation to WDW and which is better and cheaper?

Disney will be cheaper, as part of a package, it will be $50 round trip for the two of you. A town car will be easier, and about $80 round trip. Personally, I think it is worth the extra $30, just to save the time.

Also when would be the best time to book flights as far as getting a good rate is concerned?

Hard to say. I am still waiting for decent rates for late February, so I would say not yet. Many of the discounts that just came out were through the middle of February, so shortly, we should see something for late February/March. Go to Orbitz.com. They have a fare tracker. You just put in your dates, the cities, and it will email you when the rates get below a certain amount. If you are on the East coast, you could also look at Airtran or Song.

This will be our first stay onsite and I was thinking of the Value resorts. What is the difference btw std & pref rooms? Are the resorts close to one another? I am leaning towards the new Pop Century but would like to visit the others...

The rooms are identical, it is just the location that differs. Prefered rooms are closer to the pool/main building. All the rest of the rooms are standard rooms. Just go with the standard, and request a room in a certain area that you want. The three All-Stars are right next to each other, while the Pop Century is behind Caribbean Beach.

6. Since this is such a short trip and money will be an issue this time. How much would you budget for meals & stuff for 4 days? I was thinking $ 50/day...too little?

Hmm, tought to say. I think you should be fine on that amount. If you are just going to eat counter service/less expensive restaurant for meals, you should easily do it with $50. The kids meals are always only going to be about $5 or so, so even if you eat somewhere nice, your DD's meal will be cheap.

[kphil89]

Great responses. Thanks everyone for your advice. Especially the orbit tip. I will hop over to this site right now :)! This is great I love planning new trips to WDW. Thanks again :love: