[unome1434]

Hello Everyone... I've been gone for a long while! I'm at a new job which doesn't allow me to search MB during the day...

Anyhoo... We are planning a family trip to WDW sometime in 2008. HELP ME! I am TOTALLY CLUELESS... Please give me some input... I'm not sure when to go... I would like to go early October, but is it tornato season? I'm planning on about 14 days - is that enough time? We would like to do Sea World, six flags and maybe universal studios... am I over doing it? We live in Hawaii so it's a LONG LONG way from Orlando, so I would rather do more of WDW than anything, considering we can do universal and sea world in california too (I know it's not the same... but I hope you guys can understand where I'm coming from) I also need suggestions on where to possibly look at staying. I would perfer something on the cheaper side, I would rather payless for hotel and let my kids enjoy more. We don't need a 4-5 star hotel, but I don't want to stay at a dirty, run-down yucky hotel either... something nice. If you can offer any suggestions please do... I'm all ears!

There is going to at least 8-10 of us... with at least 3 of them under the age of 5.

THANK YOU~~

[Dopey]

Hi unome, good to see you again!

Oh my goodness all the planning you get to do. There are so many possibilities. First you need to figure out if you want to stay with Disney. That would be my preference. You should check out allearsnet.com There are descriptions of the resorts. I think any place at Disney is a good place. I used to think it didn't matter where we stayed, but then I discovered Mouse Buzz and listened to everyone and staying on property made a world of difference.
If you are planning on 14 days, you'll really have more than enough time to take in most of Disney and a few other parks as well, although for me, that would be overkill. Maybe Seaworld and Universal for a day or two.

You'll see tomorrow, when everyone sees your thread, the ideas will be coming in and everyone will be falling all over themselves to help you with the planning. You have plenty of time, thank goodness.

[daisyd]

Hey there unome!

Would you be willing to look into a rental home or condo(s?)? I have not stayed in one, but I have looked at lots of them online, lol. Jenbarnwell has a TR from a few months ago and she stayed in a beautiful home with a pool, and they are a fraction of what a hotel will cost you. There are so many rental homes in the area, you'd have to do some research to find out where to stay (or where not to stay) but you have time to do that.

vrbo.com is a website I have used for Hawaii to find condos and a house, and they offer homes and condos in Orlando as well. They are all posted by the owners, but it's fun to look at and can give you an idea of what to expect. Here is a link for two condos that I think look fantastic, just to give you an idea. This is in a new complex and very close and easy to get to Disney, as I understand. VRBO® is Vacation Rentals by Owner - Remember to come back

I think 14 days is a good amount of time. You will have to go through a lot to get there, and a 5 or 6 hour time difference depending on when you travel. You'll want some downtime, for sure!

As far as tornados, I haven't a clue if there is a 'season' for them. I have a friend in the Clearwater area and she was under tornado watches on Christmas and in the spring as well. Hurricaine season is the same in FL as it is in HI (I think). We went to WDW in mid October and LOVED it! Low crowds and great weather.

[Experiment6-2-6]

Originally Posted by unome1434

Hello Everyone... I've been gone for a long while! I'm at a new job which doesn't allow me to search MB during the day...
~~

Hi there!

Sorry we missed you at Disneyland last year. The meet and greet was a blast!

And I know extremely little about WDW..

Good to see you back posting though!

[Dana]

Welcome back. The best time to go in my opinion is any time in October or January. October is a bit cooler because you get to do the Mickey's not so scary Halloween party, so keep that in mind. Tornado season? nah...more like hurricane season and it's pretty much done with by october. What you need is a good travel agent since you have never been there and a copy of the unofficial guide to Walt disney world wouldn't hurt either. Contact mousektrips from the home page here...they will hook you up. I have used them three times and many of our members use them for every trip they book, so it's a good company to use.

[catfish1999]

Good to see you again Unome!
You have loads of time to plan, but you're smart to get some ideas now.

I've never stayed at Fort Wilderness, but they do have cabins that sleep up to 12 (I believe). If you all want to stay together, that might be a good idea. I'm a big fan of staying on site if at all possible.

October is usually a pretty good time to go, crowd-wise and weather-wise. It is still hurricane season though, but it would be past peak time. I'd pick later October to be on the safer side.

14 days should be perfect. You'll have time to really enjoy all things Disney, relax, and take a couple of days to check out Universal and/or Seaworld. There isn't a Six Flags in the Orlando area (yet!).

Have fun planning! Don't be afraid to ask any question that may arise. There are a lot of people on this site who love putting in their 2 cents!

[nancyk]

Hey unome,
If you can stay on sight, I would really suggest that. Although I may be biased since that's all we have done, but after doing TONS of research I can say that it was definitely the way to go for us. Some people say that they save money by staying off-sight & cooking for themselves, which is great if you actually have the energy to do that after a day in the parks. I simply knwe that I would not. The cost of staying at a value resort in the slower season (I think October applies), is comparable to staying at some other hotels off sight. There are advantages to staying on sight though. But these are all things that you will need to decide for yourself as everyone has different needs.
We try to stay for longer when we go to get it all in, so 14 days is perfect in my opinion. We have wanted to try another park but never managed to do it yet. Once we start at Disney, we usually don't want to leave & so we change plans to not go off to other parks. We are really going to try & go to Universal this trip though.
Good luck with all of plans!!

[ak172]

Well, I can tell you that this December will be our frist time to go but I can tell you that I spent many hours searching for the best prices and the cheapest way for us to stay on the disney resorte.

Here is what I found... We have a large group going as well and that we rented DVC points from a DVC member and are staying at the Boardwalk Inn Villas and are staying much cheaper then we could stay at one of the value resorts. If you want to send me a priviate message I can tell you how I found who rented my DVC points through. I personally think this is the way to go but then again I have never been to WDW only DL. They have three bedroom villas as well with a full kitchen and I think it would take a 3 bedroom to house a party of 10 but we have the party of 8 and got a 2 bedroom.

Let me know if you need any information.

[Willbegone]

Hi! October is an awesome time to go. You MUST do MNSSHP (Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party) is a hard ticket event (costs extra) but is wonderful and so much fuh. I would also echo that if at all possible you should stay on site. A moderate resort is a good choice for a long stay. We love Port Orleans -French Quarter. Let me also, second the idea of going to allearsnet.com that site is just loaded with Disney info. Keep us posted!

[ddoll]

Definitely go for rental home with that many people. You can stay together and share meals whie you're enjoying the luxury of escaping the crowds every night. You will have your own private pool and can do laundry too. Try to stay in the area by Spendid China, that's closest to WDW. (there's even a shortcut from that area into the AKL area) And it's surprisingly very affordable.

As for October: yes, you're still within the hurricane season, but don't sweat that: WDW is pretty far inland, so they don't get hit very often. And if the odds are against you and a hurricane does hit Orlando, the most that happens is you have to stay away for a day. And if you're all together in one house, it won't be such a great hardship.

Personally, I would make a point of going to Universal FL because it's so hugely different from the one in CA. Seaworld: not such a big difference.
Six Flaggs: skip it. It's nothing but a disappointment after the big parks.
You may want to consider Busch Gardens though.

[Soundgod]

Originally Posted by ddoll

Six Flaggs: skip it. It's nothing but a disappointment after the big parks.

What Six Flags park are YOU talking about ddoll? Six Flags over Georgia has an excellent collection of coasters. The only six Flags park that ever existed in Florida was a free standing waterpark on I-95 between Miami and Ft. Lauderdale called Six Flags Atlantis and that's been gone for close to 18 years.

[Soundgod]

Originally Posted by unome1434

I'm all ears!

Funny you should say this. AllEarsNet.com is one of the best planning resources for trips to WDW.
There is no Six Flags park in Florida, the closest is in Atlanta. Perhaps you meant Busch Gardens in Tampa, which is a little more than an hour's drive from WDW. If you're not coming back anytime soon, I'd suggest doing at least one day at Universal's other park, Islands of Adventure. But even Universal Studios Florida is different than the LA version, so don't rule it out. Sea World again has a one of a kind roller coaster that might be the best in the state of Florida. Your best bet, value wise is one of the Disney value resorts. We can't stress enough how much easier things are when you stay on property than off. You almost don't need a car, except for when you go to other parks. WDW features a (mostly) efficient transportation system of buses, boats, and monorails free for the use of guests. I'll stop, others have plenty to add.

[dznygrl]

Hi unome, long time no see!

Congrats on planning a WDW trip...that is exciting! 14 days is an EXCELLENT time for a WDW trip, though I don't know if I would try to add Sea World and Universal and everything all at the same time. That would wear me out!

Definitely look into rental homes in the Orlando area...you'll have plenty of room for everyone to sleep, plus a lot of the homes have their own pool which is a big plus!

Soundgod had a good suggestion with allearsnet.com. They have wonderful info, and lots of pics to get you excited!

[MissDisney]

Hi unome!

ON-SITE
My suggestion to you is to look at one of the family suites at the All-Stars! The extra space will help you stretch out for the two weeks!

OFF-SITE
If you are renting a car, check out Vistana Resort. Great 2-bedroom villas for less than $200 a nught, usually!

[Experiment6-2-6]

Just to let you know, there is this spot..

eBay: EXEC 5 BED VILLA POOL SPA ORLANDO FLORIDA APR-JUN 2007 (item 140103373053 end time May-31-07 14:59:57 PDT)

Which looks like a good place for a large group...