Summary of Instructions for Your First Visit to Walt Disney World

25 comments

1 StochasticButFun { 04.06.08 at 1:37 pm }

Finally, a site that does all of the thinking for me; a perfect replacement for my church.

2 Carolyn { 06.02.08 at 10:02 am }

What a great site. Love all the information you have here. We are looking to take our first trip in November and this is a terrific find.

Carolyn

3 Dave { 06.02.08 at 10:17 am }

Carolyn, thanks for the kind words!

4 Dave { 09.30.09 at 3:56 am }

Thanks to CGLaura for pointing out a rendering issue for Firefox users!! Dave

5 ownbig { 09.30.09 at 9:32 am }

What are some money saving tips that you use?

6 Dave { 10.18.09 at 10:16 am }

Most of my money saving tips can be found in the section that begins here: Families on a Tight Budget

However, in late October or November December or January I’ll begin publishing two series of articles:

One with ideas for the lowest cost way to see the best of Disney World, The Tightwad’s Guide to Walt Disney World

And the other with ideas on how, by spending more money than the site already recommends in “What to Budget,” you can make the more annoying parts of a Disney World experience go better! See The Comfortable Guide to Walt Disney World

7 cglaura { 11.03.09 at 4:35 am }

Love the new layout Dave! Keep up the great service.

8 Dave { 11.04.09 at 6:55 pm }

Thanks cglaura!

9 alex { 11.09.09 at 1:29 pm }

pop- new web site looks great alot more professional and i love the pics keep up the good work love you- alex

10 Melinda { 11.23.09 at 10:56 am }

What a wonderful site!

I’ve spent so much time browsing through all the information.

We are going the week of X XX, 2010 and wondered what to expect with a crowd level 2 on your forms. touring plans has it listed as a 7, so wondered what to expect.

11 Dave { 11.23.09 at 11:42 am }

Thanks Melinda!

Re your question, because TouringPlans.com is a paid site, I’ve x’d out your specific dates.

The week you asked about is a terrific one. TouringPlans.com provides daily forecasts of crowd levels, while I provide a forecast for the whole vacation week. If you take their forecasts for the days my itinerary has you in the parks, it averages 5.4!

Hope this help and have a great trip! Dave

12 Mike Stokes { 05.18.10 at 5:29 pm }

First visit ever will be 11-16 NOV 2010….6 adults….4 children ages 4-9. We are staying at Shades of Green and as I understand cannot use the Dining Plan. How much should I budge for meals for 6 adults, 4 children for:

Breakfast
Lunch on the go
Sit down dinner

Or would I be better off to stay at a Disney Resort and use the Dining Plan?

Thanks,
Mike S.

13 Dave { 05.18.10 at 7:59 pm }

Mike: if you really really think you will be eating a sit down dinner every day, you probably would save money on food from the dining plan.

You can figure your food budget to be $50-60 a day for adults, and half that for the kids. The dining plan would save $10-20 per adult per day, and a little less per kid.

However, fitting a group this big into a Disney resort hotel is tricky–you might lose the food savings from increased hotel costs.

If you tell me how many Shades of Green rooms you are getting, who is staying (in terms of adults and kids) in each, and at roughly what nightly rate, I can advise you on hotels.

Hope this helps!

Dave

14 The Disney Dad { 06.02.10 at 4:59 pm }

The first week of December is one of the busiest at Disney World Resorts. For the last two year, Disney has excluded that week from any discount pricing. You might want to check out the week after Thanksgiving, or the second full week in December.

The Pop Warner Football and Cheerleader Championships are held at Disney World the week of December 6-11. This doesn’t usually have a big effect on the crowds in the parks during the day, but the resorts are fuller. The All Star Resort is packed with teens.

Just something to consider for that week at Disney World.

15 Dave { 06.02.10 at 7:10 pm }

Hey Disney Dad, and thanks for the comment!

I would not call that week “one of the busiest.”

It is much less busy, for example, than all of the summer, all the Easter period, most of March, all of Xmas/New Years, Presidents day week, Thanksgiving week, etc. etc.

There are indeed less crowded weeks, but many of these include hurricane or ride closure risks, or are more highly priced (or both). See this for more on crowds.

While that week is excluded often from additional special deals, because the resort hotels are already full enough from Pop Warner guests (which is 12/4-12/11/2010, according to Pop Warner’s page on the 2010 championships), it is still entirely during the value season–the lowest standard prices available to many first time family visitors!

One reason we may have different perspectives is that the standard itineraries on this site posit a Saturday-Sunday visit. As a result, the week beginning 11/27 overlaps with Thanksgiving crowds and pricing, and that beginning 12/11 overlaps with Christmas crowds and pricing.

That said, I rank the weeks you recommend before and after just a bit lower than this week, and have thought often of grouping all three of these weeks as the target dates–and likely will do so one of these days. What I lose in simplicity is probably a gain in the subtle trade-offs among these three weeks…

16 GARRET { 06.04.10 at 11:36 am }

Dave; I have planned a trip to DW from 11/28/10 – 12/4/10. I went last year from 12/6/09 – 12/12/09 (during Pop Warner) and would like to if the crowds are about the same. I am hoping it will be a little less crowded by avoiding the Pop Warner week. Thanks

17 Dave { 06.04.10 at 12:17 pm }

Garrett–the crowds will be better than during your 09 trip. They are low both weeks, but your week is lower.

It isn’t really because of Pop Warner, which has little effect on crowds.

It’s because people avoid your week because 1. it is so close to Thanksgiving (many find it hard to be away from work a week and a half) , and 2. an arrival early in the weekend (e.g. the 26th or 27th) puts them smack in the middle of Thanksgiving crowds (and prices).

You will see some residual crowds from Thanksgiving in the parks on the 28th, but otherwise you should have a great week!

18 Mike { 06.09.10 at 10:25 am }

Dave ~

In response to your 05/18 post. I have 3 rooms at Shades of Green @ $123.00 per night. 2 rooms with 2 adults/2 children under 9; and one room with 2 adults. I am thinking sit down breakfasts (some character dining), and then do counter lunches and dinners on the go?

Your thoughts,
Mike

19 Dave { 06.10.10 at 6:19 am }

Mike, with that family structure, you’ll still need three rooms. There’s no option other than the
value resorts that would save you money, and that would really be a step down from Shades.

Your plan sounds good, but I’d suggest this mod: sit down lunches/brunches at buffet-oriented options (like Chef Mickey’s and the Crystal Palace), with breakfast in your room and counter dinners.

This simplifies your mornings (getting to the parks when they open is a trick from Shades) and allows you to eat a ton at lunch…a lunch buffet is the best value for money if you are paying cash…and hungry!!

20 Mike { 07.20.10 at 11:24 am }

Dave ~

Additional information to an earlier post….

Will be visiting Disney World 5 nights….11/11 – 11/15/2010. Reservations at Shades of Green….3 rooms at $123.00 per night. Total of 6 adults and 4 children (9,8,6 & 4). No Dining Plan available at SOG. We’ll pay for food as we go….planning on character b’fasts….counter meals in the park….maybe dinner at SOG .

versus

Now they have announced a FREE Dining Plan at some Disney Resorts. Do you recommend this over staying at SOG and paying as we go for food?

Thanks,
Mike

21 Dave { 07.20.10 at 12:22 pm }

Yeah Mike, I would switch.

The free dining plan will save you about $320 a day, assuming you would have spent this much on food anyway–$42 per adult, and $12 per each kid, plus tax. That equates to about $107 per room. Add this to your Shades price and the opportunity cost of staying in Shades is on the order of $230.

You can get a moderate for around $170 a night during this period–add taxes to make it $190. So you save about $40 per room night, plus have the advantage of a more kid-friendly and Disney-fied environment. You room will not be as luxurious, but it will definitely be good enough!

Not knowing how your party was intending to get to WDW, but if staying at a Disney Resort lets you take advantage of Disney’s Magical Express instead of cabbing or renting a car, you could save another couple of hundred dollars as well.

See this page for more on the moderates–note that only Coronado Springs has queen beds–the rest have fulls.

If you do end up staying at a WDW resort–consider using Destinations in Florida to book for you. This won’t cost you any more, but they do share a bit of their commission with me if you book with them starting with a link from this site, and then usng their on-line quote! They can also help a lot with your dining reservations.

22 Dave { 07.20.10 at 12:51 pm }

Mike–It looks like the free dining plan may not be available 11/11. You may need to spend that night at Shades, and then move the 12th to a WDW resort…which may be too much of a pain for the savings…

23 Mike { 07.22.10 at 2:56 pm }

Thanks Dave ~

Am I realistic to think that I can stay at SOG for 5 nights…..only plan on one sit down meal per day (Character breakfasts), and then simply eat counter meals in the parks….w/o reservations?

Thanks,

24 Dave { 07.22.10 at 3:19 pm }

Do you mean without reservations for the breakfasts? That would be tough…

25 geld gewinnen { 08.16.10 at 6:40 pm }

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