Planning a Disney trip - basic questions

[Anonymous]

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!

[Anonymous]

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).

[Anonymous]

Go the week before Labor Day - crowds are low, as most of the country is back in school. Transportation becomes a minimal issue. You will likely spend a bunch of time at the Magic Kingdom, so stay in one of the deluxe hotels on the monorail (which also have water connections). You can walk from the Contemporary to the MK. Get park hoppers, so you can make a stop at the MK every day and still do other parks. It also allows you to go to Epcot for dinner.

On the week before Labor Day, we stay at the Port Orleans - catching a bus isn't a problem. We get up and go somewhere in the morning, come back around 2, swim and relax, and then head out again around 6:30 for dinner/fireworks.

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

1) It's always crowded. Google "Disney crowds" or some variation - there are several websites that break it down by exact date.

2) You pretty much need to wait for transportation at all hotels, although there are a few where you can walk to one particular park. For example, we always stay at Swan/ Dolphin and often walk to/ from Epcot. You can also take a boat, which is nice, but the walk is nice, too. I'm assuming you can walk to MK from Contemporary but I don't know the specifics of doing so. The nice thing about the MK hotels is taking the monorail (or boat) over, but those are some of the most expensive hotels on the property, if cost is a concern.

3) I think you need more time at MK. And don't dismiss Hollywood Studios - it's our favorite park.

I can see how disboards can be overwhelming but the people there are very helpful also. If you're totally new to this, I'd start with your budget first. Do you want a value hotel (~$100ish per night like one of the Allstars - and they're totally fine)? Moderate (maybe ~$190 to $250 per night)? Or Deluxe (~$300+)? Those numbers may be off but it gives you a very general idea.

Once if you narrow down what type of accommodation you want, check each one for the transportation options and note where the type of transportation goes.

More time is better, in my opinion, since you have time to take an afternoon off to swim or relax, or to spend a day at a water park, if that's your thing. And once you're paying for multiple days of park tickets, adding extra days is a negligible cost.

[Anonymous]

Check out Kenny the Pirate and other crowd calendars. Art of Animation has it's own devoted buses that do not stop at any other hotels.

We took our son (4 yrs old at the time) last winter. He absolutely loved it. We did not plan too much and we let him lead the way.. We were really excited for Animal Kingdom but there was a moving tree/person at the entrance and it was a complete "no go" for him, he was absolutely terrified. He loved, loved, loved Hollywood Studios and we spent 2 days there.

There are a ton of disney boards and lots of useful info.

Have fun.

It was nice going in with

[Anonymous]

The Contemporary and the Bay Lake Towers next to it are both easy walking distance to the Magic Kingdom. I have mobility problems, and even I think it is a very short distance! If being nearby is the most important thing to you, those should be your hotel picks.

[Anonymous]

If your budget doesn't allow the monorail hotels (mine sure doesn't) then renting a car (especially if you're early morning people) makes transport really easy. We always got parking right near the entrance.

You didn't mention Epcot-if your girls are into princesses, I would recommend it. We did the breakfast at Akershus with my 4.5 year old and she was in heaven. There are also a lot of character meeting opportunities there with relatively short lines. And the new Frozen ride is there. My kids liked it a lot better than Animal Kingdom.

If your kids are into Disney Jr or Star Wars-then Hollywood Studios might be worth a visit.

In past years, there have been discounts available for late August that get published in April. You can book now and get the discount applied later (unless there's no discount on your chosen hotel, but then you can cancel and rebook elsewhere if you want).

[Anonymous]

Leslie at Small World Vacations was very helpful in listening to my requirements incl price range, and then suggesting several properties that met the criteria AND the differences between them. We stayed at a bus-to-MK property with a 3.5 YO and it was fine. You might want to consider coming back for a quick rest, etc and then having some downtime and dinner at the resort (pool, activities, movie night, etc). I highly regret soending money on a nice resort and basically only using it as a motel.
Suggestion, take the ferry to the camping place (forget what it's called) and see the jamboree thing. Sorry, it's early and I am spacing on the name. Decent food, really cute show... your daughters will love it.

[Anonymous]

Oh, and take the fastpass thing very seriously. I stalked elsa and anna meet and greet FP for about a month before I got them finally. Worth it (although may e the crazy has died down now).

[Anonymous]

There is no hotel that is close to both Animal Kingdom AND Magic Kingdom. You will have to take a bus (or drive) to Animal Kingdom no matter which hotel you stay at. There is only ONE hotel that will allow you walk to/from the Magic Kingdom, and that is the Contemporary resort and it's vacation villas (DVC), which is called Bay Lake Towers.

I always see people recommending the monorail resorts for easy access to Magic Kingdom. I don't know if I just have the worst luck in the world or what, but every time I've visited Disney, there has been some issue with the monorail. I don't see the monorail as a benefit at all.

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

Get this book:

https://smile.amazon.com/Guide-First-Disney-World-Visit-ebook/dp/B015VI1V2G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1479733435&sr=8-1&keywords=your+easy+first+visit

Read it and then go read his blog and the co-author's blog. We can recommend things that worked for our families but without knowing your budget and family personality its hard to really help. You have to do the research first.

[Anonymous]

That is a good time to visit other than the heat. We used Magical Vacations travel and saved a lot. They have a "Labor Day" deal.

[Anonymous]

Mouse ears.net was very helpful, as was touring plans.

Try not to get caught up in what you're supposed to do at Disney. It's your vacation, and not all of us love every single character of experience there. Orlando is also very nice off property and my kids really liked the pool at the hotel just as much.