Disney World Vacation - Healdsburg,CA

My daughter and I went to Disney in May. I called AAA and Disney (direct). I got a better package price through Disney.

I have been to Disney at least 7 or 8 times. I have found that the easiest plan is to fly to the Orlando airport, get on the transportation bus (Disney Express) which takes you and your luggage DIRECTLY to your hotel.

If this is your 1st time in Disney, I would rec that you spend the entire day in 1 park. I never park hop. It can take 2 days to get through the Magic Kingdom---esp if it's a first trip or if it's very crowded.

When I called Disney direct, I got a pass for 4 or 5 days w/out the hopper part. I do not rent a car. There is sooooo much to do without leaving the Disney property (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Water Parks, Animal Kingdom, etc...) The Disney Bus drops off and picks up at the parks.

Pop Century Hotel was very affordable. One time we took the Disney Express to Pop Century Hotel. We asked to be in a room toward the back of the property. The pool was HUGE and not busy ! We would go on the Disney Express bus in the AM and go to a park for the day. Then, the Disney Express took us back to the hotel. It is VERY hot there in June. Plan for a water park day when the weather is good !

When it's time to go home. The Disney staff takes your luggage. You check-out, then, board the bus back to the airport. It was soooooo much easier than renting a car.

So, I did the plane, Disney Express, Pop Century, tickets, and dining plan through Disney. It was so much easier than renting a car, parking in all the parks, driving back to the airport, etc...The only super busy wait time time was getting back on the Disney Express bus (to the hotel) was after the fireworks at night. With two teens, they will be fine.

The Disney Guide Book is very helpful !

Bring sunscreen and hats !

The dining plan is kind of confusing the first time, but, it saves money !

I would call Disney direct and get a pkg price. Then, get a price through Costco.

Hi from petaluma :)
I just wanted to mention in case you've never done a search on here that there are already a ton of posts about Disney World on Mamapedia, at least 5 in a week. Enter Disney World in the search bar in the top right corner and explore. Good luck and have a great time!

Check out AAA. They sometimes have great deals too.

I really like staying on site at a Disney hotel. They will pick you up at the airport and deliver your luggage to your hotel room. Disney transportation works well for getting to and from the parks. You can take advantage of "magic hours" if you stay on site.
FYI.... I love staying at Disney's "Moderate" priced hotels (Coronado and Port Orleans). Reasonably priced and really nice grounds/pool. It is just that the rooms are small and the bathroom is nothing to write home about but it was clean.

With as many people you will have I suggest renting a timeshare. I have one & it rents for about $800+ for 7 nights and sleeps 6 but you could fit 8. Also check out travelzoo.com they always have different deals. Priceline too is an affordable site.

i borrowed the unofficial guide to disney with kids from the library and then had to go buy it because there was too much info in it and i knew i would need to keep referring to it.

that's as far as we have gotten with our planning, I'm too overwhelmed, lol i sort of think of disney as the same as buying a new car, too many options like new or used, what make what model lease or buy. and in the end i end up buying which ever color i like best. because either way somehow or other you are getting screwed. its' just degrees of how bad it is.

we went last month and stayed in a Hilton condo about 15 minutes drive. it was nice but i could see staying onsite being easier (although most likely not cheaper). try looking at mousesavers.com and then touringplans.com once you know what parks your kids want to visit. i also recommend 1 park a day and not getting the hopper pass but your kids might want to hop, especially if you are staying onsite. the touringplans.com got us on all the rides we wanted, some 2x and the longest line we waited in was 15 minutes! it was worth the $11 to sign up. have fun!

There are family suite options in some of the hotels. We stayed at the cabins at Fort Wilderness (5 people) and loved it - we loved having a kitchen for breakfast/drinks. IT all depends on what your family is looking for.

Register on the disney world site - they sometimes send out promotional codes for special rates or the dining packages. I've not purchased a package through Costco - but shop around... you never know.. but I would do a package.

Also consider if you need a hopper pass or a multi day pass. A hopper pass allows you to go to more than one park in a day - which may be a bit much. BUT with older kids, it might make sense - they might really enjoy one park more than another. Also - if you stay on disney property, you can go to the extended hours (varies daily by park) only for people who stay on site.

There are some great books - and I learned a ton on this website: http://www.disboards.com/

This book was very helpful
http://www.amazon.com/Unofficial-Guide-Disney-World-Guide...