First Trip to WDW May 5 - 10

[mdelesde]

We have decided that taking a 2 yr and 4 yr old to WDW is ok to do. My now concerns are where to stay. I have been looking into off site hotels (howard Johnson, Radisson, Holiday Inn) but I am not sure where to go. Any suggestions? Should we try to stay on site? I would like to keep our trip within our budget.

We have thought about driving down versus driving because of the plane fare and rental car expenses. Although that means a 14 hour drive for us from NoVA. Bad idea?

I would also like some tips on using discounts and such.

Michelle

PS: I read all the messeges on losing your children. Excellent advice. Looking into getting id tags.

 

[ahutton]

I believe staying on site is significantly easier on your family than staying off site would be. All Star offers very reasonable rooms that are priced very much in line with what many surrounding places offer, and the ability to rely on their transportation to get around and the ease of taking breaks make it well worthwhile. Another option would be to look at renting points at a DVC place, where you would have a kitchen type facility to help save on breakfasts and snacks, which we found a huge help in our budget department.

 

[JulieWent]

I would definitely not stay off site with children those ages. You'll want easy access to your room, and you get that more effectively with on-site. Going at the beginning of May, you shouldn't have any problem getting good rates. You may have to be patient -- go ahead and book your rooms at rack rate and then watch the boards for May codes. (We had to wait until three weeks before our last trip, but the codes saved us $$$$.) All-Star rooms usually run around $60 per night with codes, and the codes are virtually always around! (Watch the resort board and www.mousesavers.com for information.)

About driving. We live in Central Alabama, and we always drive. We have done so since our son was 2. One adult drives, and one is responsible for entertaining the kiddo. (We fight over who gets to drive!! ) If you did drive, I might consider making it a two day drive -- one long day the first day, getting into Florida before you stopped, and then a shorter day the second. We are always glad we have our own car once we're down there. It's good for a stop at the grocery store, a visit to DTD, or just a day when the buses are running slow. (We use the buses as much as humanly possible, though. It's easier, and we like easier on vacation.)

Julie

 

[mdelesde]

Thanks Julie!

I would really like to find some good deals onsite but the only thing I am getting at all stars is 110.00 a night and that is just not in budget. I can stay at Radisson ( 1 1/2 miles from main gate) for $72 right now. I will keep watching mousesavers though.

I will be traveling with DH and the kids. My kids do good for a 3 hour trip to Grandmas house so I can just imagine a 14 hour drive. We are planning on breaking it in 2 days though. THanks for the helpful advice.

Michelle

 

[KatRita]

Hi
I have a 2 year old and DH and I took her over the thanksgiving weekend to Maryland from Fl. What saved us on our trip was having a small tv/vcr installed in our SUV. The cost was about $120 and well worth keeping her entertainned the whole trip. We did make it a two day trip. Although I think staying on site is wonderful, staying off site with a small child is definitedly doable. I had no trouble whatsoever staying over at our timeshare which offered plenty of room, washer/dryer kitchen, etc. Actually I find that to be so much easier with a toddler than a small hotel room. Stayin off site is cheaper as well. Our timeshare was about 10 minutes away and we went in busy New Years Eve week. No problems. We like having our own car to go around and do other things besides the parks. We visited Downtown Disney twice, which entertained her and it was free, and we also took one day to visit Green Meadows Farm ( cost was about $15/person and our DD was free, which was great (we spent about 4 hours there ). Either way, if you find a nice reasonable place to stay off site, you will still be able to have a good time.

 

[JulieWent]

I always laugh when I see All-Stars quoting $100+ per night. I imagine some people do end up paying that (going Christmas day, etc.), but my experience has been that there are always available special rates that make the price much lower.

That said, I do know people who have stayed off site and enjoyed it very much. Maybe you could book a room off-site and then watch for on-site specials if that interests you. (We truly hate to drive once we get down there, so the on-site resorts just make it more of a vacation for us.)

Good luck!

 

[mdelesde]

Thanks so much! As a newbie I am kinda scared booking an onsite resort in hopes of getting a lower rate. I would love to experience it though. I think I will book offsite and keep my eyes for the deals onsite.

How do you get from the airport to onsite? I figured we would still have to rent a car.

Michelle

 

[Meagansmom]

This is actually a good time of the year to go. We have always gone the first part of May. I can only say with children if at all possible, stay onsite!!! Now this past May, it was unusual, was 95 degrees and the humidity was 100%. It was hot. Not to scare you, as I said this was unusual. The weather and crowds are perfect in May. It is really nice to take breaks in the afternoon if it is hot. It is really nice to jump on a bus to get back to the hotel also. It is really more convenient. As stated above, watch Mousesavers. Check the website constantly. The codes can save some money and they can come out at any time!

Renting a car depends on if you are going to spend all of your time at Disney. Disney alone - use one of the car services.
If you plan to see US/IOA or something else, then a car rental is an option.

One of the most important things - is to plan, research, check this website for information. There are lots of people on this website that will love to give you some help!!

 

[JulieWent]

Michelle,
If you fly in, you can take the Mears shuttle to almost any resort in Orlando, I think. Definitely to all on-site resorts. (Mears is a shuttle service.) There are also several (probably more than several) towncar services that shuttle people back and forth. Some even allow you 1/2 hour stops at a local grocery store. So it is not absolutely necessary to rent a car unless you see yourself needing to go somewhere other than the theme parks.
Once you get to your hotel, your need for a rental car will depend on whether you're staying off-site or on-site. I think if I were to stay off-site I would definitely want a car. Most Orlando-area hotels have their own shuttles to WDW, but I am told that most of the off-site resort-to-park shuttles are sporadic and a little frustrating to use. Also, traveling with children, you'll want to be able to come and go at your convenience instead of on a shuttle schedule.
If you're flying, that may be one factor in favor of staying on-site. The Disney buses are super-convenient and run all the time so you won't need a rental car. That may, in fact, save you some money, but I don't know if it would be enough to justify a little extra expense.
I know it's nerve-wracking (sp?) waiting for discounts to come out. (I can tell you that I checked my computer every morning for almost a month waiting for the codes to come out for our trip in January. Disney didn't release them until three weeks before we left!) But I just know there will be many for the time-period that you're talking about. You'll be able to judge about what they will be by watching the codes for the next few months. There might not be many deep discounts for March or April, but I think there are some out right now for February.
Whatever you decide, though, I just know you'll have a great trip. There are advantages to both on-site and off-site. Either way, you'll be spending your days at Disney World. What could be better?

 

[MELSMICE]

Here's what I would do:

I would book both an on-site (All Star or moderate) & also an off-site and wait for codes to come out. In the meantime I would also save, save, save & really try to stay on-site. You would be glad you did. It's a whole different experience than being off-site.

I think we would also drive because then you would have your own car & wouldn't have to wait for Disney transportation if the kids got tired & you needed to return to the resort. Remember, at the begining of May it will probably be very hot. Sometimes all the kids want to do is swim.

You could either leave very early in the morning & have one real long day, or as one poster suggested, have one long day & then the next day drive about 2 or 3 hours right to WDW. I think 14 hours in pretty manageable.

So, in a nutshell - drive to save on airfare & transfers, but really try to stay on-site.