Planning a Disney trip - basic questions

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DH and I are considering a trip to Disney next summer with our girls, who will be 4.5 and 7.5. I think we'd be interested in Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom. I ventured over to Disboards and was overwhelmed by the detailed information. I have basic questions I need to answer before I can delve into details.

We'd like to stay on property, in the closest place, to allow us to visit the park, go back for a rest, return for a few more hours, etc. If we have to wait in line for transportation each time we come and go, I suspect we'll burn out and not return after a siesta. My initial searching shows there are multiple hotels on property, but some are on a bus system, some on monorail, etc. Before I dive into the nitty gritty of fast passes, special deals, Costco vs. AAA, etc, can someone advise me on where to find

1) crowd dates for the end of August
2) which hotel properties allow me to come and go without waiting for transit
3) can we do MK in one day or do we need two? What about Animal Kingdom?

With these basics, I can then take the next planning steps. Thanks!

Hi OP. I'm a decent expert on Disney and just came back from a trip with my almost 2 year old.

To answer your questions:
1. Check out this website https://www.undercovertourist.com/orlando/crowd-calendar/August-2017/ Basically when you are going there will be a lot of people there. That being said, if you plan ahead, make your dining reservations 180 days out and your fast passes on the day you can book them, you will be fine.
2. No matter where you stay on property you need to wait for a bus, boat, or monorail. That being said, that time of year they come VERY frequently. It isn't a big deal to wait 5 or 10 minutes for transportation. The kids will view them as rides even. That being said, there are some properties that you can walk to parks. If you stay at the Contemporary you can walk to the Magic Kingdom. If you stay at the Boardwalk, The Yacht or Beach Club you can walk to Epcot and Hollywood Studios. It really all depends on your budget. All of those are deluxe hotels and can get quite pricey.
3. How many days are you planing on going for? You really shouldn't discount the other parks. Animal Kingdom can be a good half day park, but you need to go in the morning when they have morning extra magic hours (when the parks open early for resort guests). You could spend multiple days in the Magic Kingdom since there is so much to do outside of rides even. There are stores and boat rides and character meals and meet and greets.

What are your kids in to? Do they like Star Wars, Toy Story, Nemo and Friends? All these things matter when deciding what parks you should go to.

Also, there is ZERO need to rent a car while at Disney. If you stay on property they bring you to and from the airport. Once you are there the transportation system is top notch and if you want to you can event take an uber instead. There are a lot around even with car seats.

Do your kids still nap? Mine obviously does so we did come back after lunch to have him nap. That being said, if he was your children's ages I think we would power through because there is so much to do and your kids won't want to leave. I would just come home early at night to get a good night sleep so you can get up early when the parks open to avoid the crowds some.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At least two days for MK and one for Animal Kingdom, those are our favorite. We usually rent a car for the convince. If you stay on property, you get free parking. Personally, I'd stay close but off property. The food at Disney is terrible so we'd often go offsite or to the McDonalds (and we are vegetarian, so it is that bad).

I'd actually 100% disagree. The food at Disney is very good. Also there are so many things you can't take advantage of if staying off property, including airport transportation so you don't need a car, being able to book reservations and fast passes early, getting to take advantage of extra magic hours and having purchases sent back to your hotel. Disney is actually GREAT with dietary challenges. They have a special menu at every location for all sorts of dietary restrictions.

[Anonymous]

The transportation waits aren't bad. There are buses from every hotel to every park (and vice versa) and they are usually every 15 minutes or so. Plus some hotels also have a boat/monorail/walking options, depending on which park they are near. I wouldn't rent a car because you still need to take a ferry from the parking lot to the Magic Kingdom or a bus from the parking lot to the Animal Kingdom. Just do the Magical Express--Disney sends you luggage tags and you don't have to get your suitcases at the airport. Disney picks up your bags from your airline and delivers them to your hotel room if you stay on property. They take you to your hotel on their own free Disney buses. You can check in immediately and head straight to the park whenever you get there. Going home, you can check your bags to your plane at the hotel so you can check out of the hotel and check your bags in that morning, then do the parks until its time to go back to the hotel and take the free Magical Express bus back to the airport (with your luggage already headed separately to the plane). No need to get a car. We have never found the waits to be bad, even when it starts raining and they have to stop running boats and bring in buses, or the parks close and everyone leaves at once. They have terrific surge capacity. And if a park opens early, they will have buses at your hotel to that park an hour before that park opens so you can be there in line if you want.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
1) crowd dates for the end of August
2) which hotel properties allow me to come and go without waiting for transit
3) can we do MK in one day or do we need two? What about Animal Kingdom?

1. Late August isn't bad. I'd recommend a subscription for TouringPlans.com so you can look at your preferred dates. They also have a lot of useful information that is pared down when DISboards can get overwhelming.

2. For MK, the easiest properties are the ones on the monorail which will minimize your wait for transit (Contemporary, Polynesian and Grand Floridian). The Contemporary is also a reasonable walk which is great if transportation is backed up or broken down for any reason. The Wilderness Lodge is a fairly short boat ride away and is another good option for MK. Animal Kingdom is a 15 minute drive or so from the MK area, so nothing will be convenient to both parks. The Animal Kingdom Lodge is also supposed to be great - I haven't stayed there yet.

3. You can do a lot of MK in one day, but two days wouldn't be too much. Animal Kingdom can be a single day.

If you book through AAA you get a complimentary TouringPlans.com account. It is worth using them. That site is very helpful and even lets you request a room!

The Wilderness lodge is a great option. You can take a frequent boat to the magic kingdom.

As far as the Animal Kingdom Lodge, it is beautify but not in a good location. You have to bus everywhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At least two days for MK and one for Animal Kingdom, those are our favorite. We usually rent a car for the convince. If you stay on property, you get free parking. Personally, I'd stay close but off property. The food at Disney is terrible so we'd often go offsite or to the McDonalds (and we are vegetarian, so it is that bad).

I'd actually 100% disagree. The food at Disney is very good. Also there are so many things you can't take advantage of if staying off property, including airport transportation so you don't need a car, being able to book reservations and fast passes early, getting to take advantage of extra magic hours and having purchases sent back to your hotel. Disney is actually GREAT with dietary challenges. They have a special menu at every location for all sorts of dietary restrictions.

You do need to do a little bit of research, but I completely agree ... there are really good food options at Disney.

The starting point is usually budget. If budget isn't a big concern and you're focused on MK, Contemporary is probably your best bet. I stayed there for a few days once and I always walked back in the evening to avoid the lines for the monorail. Usually there are minimal lines but if you're trying to get on after a fireworks show or near park closing, there will be lines. On the other hand, it's just a 10 minute walk to the Contemporary (I'd recommend bringing an umbrella stroller for the 4.5yo ... they get HEAVY if they fall asleep during fireworks). On the minus side for the Contemporary, it doesn't have a lot of Disney "flavor". All of the other hotels have more Disney theme going on.

In general, Deluxe resorts have multiple dining options, both table service and quick service, nicer pools, better transportation, and larger rooms. Moderate resorts, have a pool with a slide, access to table service (though it may be at an adjoining resort ... ie. POFQ and POR), more centrally located for shorter bus ride, and rooms that are larger than the Value. Value resorts have very kid-friendly themes, pool w/no slide, quick service dining, and bus transportation.

If you use a disney travel service such as Small World (there are others), you do not pay any extra but they can advise you, handle dining reservations for you, and will know of any discounts you can take advantage of. You should do your resort reservation at least 190 days in advance since that will give you access to creating dining reservations (ADRs) 190 days out so you can get ADRs for Be Our Guest, the Castle, etc. You pay $200 at the time of reservation if you do a package or one night if you do a room only.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Do your kids still nap? Mine obviously does so we did come back after lunch to have him nap. That being said, if he was your children's ages I think we would power through because there is so much to do and your kids won't want to leave. I would just come home early at night to get a good night sleep so you can get up early when the parks open to avoid the crowds some.

The bolded is key, and was a surprise for us. We went when our kids were 5 and 7, and we spent the first day of our 5-day trip in MK. Started early with the Cinderella breakfast right off the bat, so we were there at rope drop. We had every intention of going back to nap/relax mid-day, but what happened instead was that the kids were go-go-go all day long (with the occasional sit down for meals, etc.), and after the fireworks show (which ends around 11PM if memory serves), they were skipping back to the hotel and were asking if we could go to the pool for a bit. Then they were jumping out of bed on day 2 to go back (while it took me two Advils to get my aching joints to cooperate after a full day of walking and standing in line) So with that in mind, you might save big bucks by staying off property (we stayed at Bonnet Creek, two bedrooms and a kitchenette and drove and parked each day). Just my 0.02.

[Anonymous]

Stay away from pools of water, ditches etc. Most people look out for alligators, but there are also venomous snakes in the water. It is Florida and it has dangerous stuff everywhere - even Disney.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At least two days for MK and one for Animal Kingdom, those are our favorite. We usually rent a car for the convince. If you stay on property, you get free parking. Personally, I'd stay close but off property. The food at Disney is terrible so we'd often go offsite or to the McDonalds (and we are vegetarian, so it is that bad).

I'd actually 100% disagree. The food at Disney is very good. Also there are so many things you can't take advantage of if staying off property, including airport transportation so you don't need a car, being able to book reservations and fast passes early, getting to take advantage of extra magic hours and having purchases sent back to your hotel. Disney is actually GREAT with dietary challenges. They have a special menu at every location for all sorts of dietary restrictions.

We just got back and were there two years ago and no, the food was terrible. There was not much healthy at the theme parks and everything was fried. Their mac and cheese was absolutely disgusting. It was a gross clump. Pizza and breakfast foods were cold by the time we got them. McDonalds was better, which is really sad. If you rent a car, you don't need their transportation which is a pain, to put it nicely. And, they claim to have special menu's but when we asked, they didn't. We couldn't even find something as basic as a cheese sandwich or grilled cheese. Yes, they are supposed to do requests but very few do. I had a huge issue at the hotel when they insisted on giving us a food my child was allergic to and when I asked for a new plate, they said it was fine. We ended up leaving all our food and walking out. If you don't have food allergies or dietary issues, they may be better, but not our experience.

The nicer restaurants are overpriced and the chains outside disney are far better. You can sometimes get a car rental really cheaply. The only advantage to staying on property was the free parking at the theme parks. The only reason why we stayed this time was because they gave us a few free days after our last bad experience. Our hotel was nice but the food was terrible. We didn't bother to complain as we would not stay on property again even if it was free.

We don't buy our tickets in advanced so fast passes are not an issue - who wants to plan a ride 6 months in advanced. Just go and have fun.

How much do you buy to send purchases to the hotel? Go to the Disney Outlets or the Walmart if you must buy stuff. Everything this time (last time was more reasonable) was crazy $$ so we barely bought anything.

OP, August is miserable. We went end of July with friends years ago and the heat and humidity was the absolute worst.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Stay away from pools of water, ditches etc. Most people look out for alligators, but there are also venomous snakes in the water. It is Florida and it has dangerous stuff everywhere - even Disney.

Really. I don't even see how you go near the water except a few places at Disney.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At least two days for MK and one for Animal Kingdom, those are our favorite. We usually rent a car for the convince. If you stay on property, you get free parking. Personally, I'd stay close but off property. The food at Disney is terrible so we'd often go offsite or to the McDonalds (and we are vegetarian, so it is that bad).

I'd actually 100% disagree. The food at Disney is very good. Also there are so many things you can't take advantage of if staying off property, including airport transportation so you don't need a car, being able to book reservations and fast passes early, getting to take advantage of extra magic hours and having purchases sent back to your hotel. Disney is actually GREAT with dietary challenges. They have a special menu at every location for all sorts of dietary restrictions.

+1

We have dietary restrictions in our family and have always been able to find good options for food. If you want to find fried food and burgers at Disney you can. If you want to find healthier or more varied options, they're available too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At least two days for MK and one for Animal Kingdom, those are our favorite. We usually rent a car for the convince. If you stay on property, you get free parking. Personally, I'd stay close but off property. The food at Disney is terrible so we'd often go offsite or to the McDonalds (and we are vegetarian, so it is that bad).

I'd actually 100% disagree. The food at Disney is very good. Also there are so many things you can't take advantage of if staying off property, including airport transportation so you don't need a car, being able to book reservations and fast passes early, getting to take advantage of extra magic hours and having purchases sent back to your hotel. Disney is actually GREAT with dietary challenges. They have a special menu at every location for all sorts of dietary restrictions.

+1

We have dietary restrictions in our family and have always been able to find good options for food. If you want to find fried food and burgers at Disney you can. If you want to find healthier or more varied options, they're available too.

You don't have a food allergy or picky kid then.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At least two days for MK and one for Animal Kingdom, those are our favorite. We usually rent a car for the convince. If you stay on property, you get free parking. Personally, I'd stay close but off property. The food at Disney is terrible so we'd often go offsite or to the McDonalds (and we are vegetarian, so it is that bad).

I'd actually 100% disagree. The food at Disney is very good. Also there are so many things you can't take advantage of if staying off property, including airport transportation so you don't need a car, being able to book reservations and fast passes early, getting to take advantage of extra magic hours and having purchases sent back to your hotel. Disney is actually GREAT with dietary challenges. They have a special menu at every location for all sorts of dietary restrictions.

We just got back and were there two years ago and no, the food was terrible. There was not much healthy at the theme parks and everything was fried. Their mac and cheese was absolutely disgusting. It was a gross clump. Pizza and breakfast foods were cold by the time we got them. McDonalds was better, which is really sad. If you rent a car, you don't need their transportation which is a pain, to put it nicely. And, they claim to have special menu's but when we asked, they didn't. We couldn't even find something as basic as a cheese sandwich or grilled cheese. Yes, they are supposed to do requests but very few do. I had a huge issue at the hotel when they insisted on giving us a food my child was allergic to and when I asked for a new plate, they said it was fine. We ended up leaving all our food and walking out. If you don't have food allergies or dietary issues, they may be better, but not our experience.

The nicer restaurants are overpriced and the chains outside disney are far better. You can sometimes get a car rental really cheaply. The only advantage to staying on property was the free parking at the theme parks. The only reason why we stayed this time was because they gave us a few free days after our last bad experience. Our hotel was nice but the food was terrible. We didn't bother to complain as we would not stay on property again even if it was free.

We don't buy our tickets in advanced so fast passes are not an issue - who wants to plan a ride 6 months in advanced. Just go and have fun.

How much do you buy to send purchases to the hotel? Go to the Disney Outlets or the Walmart if you must buy stuff. Everything this time (last time was more reasonable) was crazy $$ so we barely bought anything.

OP, August is miserable. We went end of July with friends years ago and the heat and humidity was the absolute worst.

Were were you eating PP? I'm not saying Disney has the best food I've ever tasted but they food is VERY edible and at times very good. This is coming from a person that frequents the nice places in DC and also has a TON (3 pages) of dietary restrictions. I got back a month ago and was able to get an allergy friendly menu at every place we went to and never once ate anything fried. Yes, the food it more money that eating off property but it is more fun and makes more sense time wise.

I'm glad your type of Disney trip works for you but, OP, I wouldn't follow their lead. If you buy tickets in advance it gives you such a better trip...maybe that is why PP had a bad experience.

Also, PP, I would LOVE to plan a trip 6+ months in advance. I find it fun and also something to look forward to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At least two days for MK and one for Animal Kingdom, those are our favorite. We usually rent a car for the convince. If you stay on property, you get free parking. Personally, I'd stay close but off property. The food at Disney is terrible so we'd often go offsite or to the McDonalds (and we are vegetarian, so it is that bad).

I'd actually 100% disagree. The food at Disney is very good. Also there are so many things you can't take advantage of if staying off property, including airport transportation so you don't need a car, being able to book reservations and fast passes early, getting to take advantage of extra magic hours and having purchases sent back to your hotel. Disney is actually GREAT with dietary challenges. They have a special menu at every location for all sorts of dietary restrictions.

+1

We have dietary restrictions in our family and have always been able to find good options for food. If you want to find fried food and burgers at Disney you can. If you want to find healthier or more varied options, they're available too.

You don't have a food allergy or picky kid then.

I'm not the PP but I have 3 pages of dietary restrictions (as mentioned in an earlier post) and I did GREAT. Disneyland is another story. That was miserable when I went 2 years ago but Disney World is VERY accommodating. You can even plan ahead by checking out the menus online and going to dedicated blogs about it. It really helps to put a bit of time in beforehand so you know where you will get the best meal.

[Anonymous]

Thank you, PPs! This is really helpful. Like I wrote initially, it's hard to plan the details when you don't even have the big picture. We'll be looking to go the end of August (perhaps the week before Labor Day). We'd rather spend more money on a shorter trip with less commuting than a longer trip with hours spent in bus lines. I think. Maybe I'll feel differently when I start to price it out. I love the idea of staying at the animal lodge but looking at the map (and a comment from a PP), it looks like it might be a pain to come and go to MK. I'm currently thinking of the Contemporary with a suite or 2 rooms. (We all sleep poorly, so we can't all be in one studio room.) I don't care about the food so much, so I'm fine with the kids eating chicken fingers for three days. I'm a vegetarian but I usually can find something edible. I know the heat will be brutal, but I'm more anxious about waiting hours in lines for rides. I guess this is where fast passes come in. I will return with more questions when I start getting into the details. However, if you have more wisdom to share, please do! Thank you!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Animal kingdom closes early (5) and doesn't have as much as the other parks. I wouldn't make any particular plans around it - we went early for breakfast at the Rainforest Cafs, and then went in. It's a one-short-day stop. Hollywood Studios has a lot, especially for your older child.

Re: Animal Kingdom -- it used to be the case that it closed early, but they have recently introduced some more after hours entertainment, with many of their key attractions including Kilimanjaro Safaris and Expedition Everest open late.