Going To Disney World !

[pdchristensen]

Seemed pretty depressing to put the T.T. to bed for the winter, so we decided to take the 2 girls on a "surprise" vacation to Orlando from December 8th to December 15th. Not even going to tell them till the morning of the 8th (just will tell them to pack their bags and see where we end up, maybe by the end of the day they will have it figured out).

We have never been there, so if there is anyone on the forum that could give us some tips it would be much appreciate. We will be staying at the World Quest Resort (off Continental Gateway).

Planning on renting a car....How easy is getting around Orlando ??

Any must sees for theme parks, rides, cuisine....

Don't have much time to plan the trip, but I will certainly take feedback to alleviate some of our research.

[lswartz]

If you camp at Disney World you won't need that rental car. All transportation is provided & you may still be able to get in the parks 1 hour early. It costs more to stay on Disney property, but I highly recommend it.

[NanaKaren]

What a great surprise for your girls and a wonderful way to end the camping year!

Husband and I honeymooned there almost 40 years ago and took our kids when he retired from the Navy.

Not familiar with the resorts other than what I hear - they are wonderful!

Recommendation: When you get on line for the monorail, ask if you can ride with the engineer. We did both times - they can accommodate 4 comfortably! Great information received from the engineer, too! Also, one of our boys rode in the wheelhouse across the lake back to parking area.

Another thing we found was viewing the parade from the top of the train station - great seats and small crowd. Of course, being down curbside is great too!

Hope you and yours have a marvelous time!

[pdchristensen]

Originally Posted by lswartz

If you camp at Disney World you won't need that rental car. All transportation is provided & you may still be able to get in the parks 1 hour early. It costs more to stay on Disney property, but I highly recommend it.

Not camping...Flying down to Orlando from Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada.
We were looking at the Disney Properties, but had a hard time finding a decent size 1 bedroom suite with separate bedroom & kitchen facilities.
We like the idea of being able to cook some meals for our selves.

[pdchristensen]

Originally Posted by NanaKaren

What a great surprise for your girls and a wonderful way to end the camping year!

Husband and I honeymooned there almost 40 years ago and took our kids when he retired from the Navy.

Not familiar with the resorts other than what I hear - they are wonderful!

Recommendation: When you get on line for the monorail, ask if you can ride with the engineer. We did both times - they can accommodate 4 comfortably! Great information received from the engineer, too! Also, one of our boys rode in the wheelhouse across the lake back to parking area.

Another thing we found was viewing the parade from the top of the train station - great seats and small crowd. Of course, being down curbside is great too!

Hope you and yours have a marvelous time!

Thanks.....I heard they may have put an end to riding in the monorail front end after an accident a few years back ? Which parade & train station are you referring to - Is it in a theme park ?

[hockeytownmom]

Take the camper!!! Ft. Wilderness is awesome!


If you don't take the camper I'm sure you'll still have a great time!

[NanaKaren]

The train station is the Main Street Station. There's a circle in front of it. They may not have the daytime parade, but if they do the train station is a really good viewing point. There is usually a parade each night in the park.

Sorry to hear about the monorail - hope it is still available.

[hockeytownmom]

Nope, no more front car riding on the Monorail.

[Cajun Po-Boy]

Gonna have a blast!
Awesome surprise gift for the kids...take it slow as the whole property will overwhelm ya, most of all have fun and enjoy!

BTW
If you do decide in the future to bring RV, Fort Wilderness Campground in Disney is AWESOME

[pdchristensen]

Originally Posted by hockeytownmom

Take the camper!!! Ft. Wilderness is awesome!

We would love to take the camper, however I do not have the vacation time It would take us 3 days to drive down and 3 days to drive back)

[lswartz]

Originally Posted by pdchristensen

We would love to take the camper, however I do not have the vacation time It would take us 3 days to drive down and 3 days to drive back)

Time is usually the problem. It would be a long drive for me & I am in MD. You are a lot farther away than I am. Flying is the best solution.

[Arefbee]

You are AWESOME parents!
Have a great time, all the parks are fantastic. You won't see it all (unless you can move there) so check out some of the million or so web sites devoted to touring the area and pick and choose.

[Kariworld]

www.fortfeinds.net is a great Ft. Wilderness website. Though you aren't camping there, they have a lot of information regarding the parks, resorts and other things as well. You can also check out www.allears.net. There's so much information there that it's almost overwhelming. But, you'll find a lot of useful tips.

We live in central Florida, and just spent 4 days at Disney this past week. We camped at Ft. Wilderness and spent a lot of time at the parks. You're going at a perfect time of year, weather wise. Have fun!!

[hockeytownmom]

Originally Posted by Kariworld

www.fortfeinds.net is a great Ft. Wilderness website. Though you aren't camping there, they have a lot of information regarding the parks, resorts and other things as well. You can also check out www.allears.net. There's so much information there that it's almost overwhelming. But, you'll find a lot of useful tips.

We live in central Florida, and just spent 4 days at Disney this past week. We camped at Ft. Wilderness and spent a lot of time at the parks. You're going at a perfect time of year, weather wise. Have fun!!

Yes, even if you're not taking the camper, you can still tour Fort Wilderness. Christmas decorations will up and most campsites are decorated. And Fort Fiends.net is great! So much information there.

[mhartzel]

We went a few years ago and stayed at Hawthorn suites by Wyndham. Got a two room suite for less than $80/night. Had our own kitchen. The hotel was only 4 miles from Wal-mart and 1 mile from the main Disney entrance.

We also rented a car. Being a GPS to assist with navigating.

You CAN bring your own food and water into the park. We shopped for groceries, ate the generous complimentary breakfast at the hotel, then packed our lunches and additional water bottles for the day. This saved us a bunch of money.

[JFM-jr]

All the parks will be decorated for the holidays it will be awesome. Osborne spectacle of dancing lights in Hollywood Studios DO NOT SKIP THIS if you visit that park it runs from Nov 9th to Jan 4th and is a real treat. I am a Disney Vacation Club member and recovering addict. Probably covered every square inch of that place trust me if this is your 1st trip you will need a vacation when you get home! I have never stayed outside of Disney property it is a different experience when you stay in a Disney resort (different on your wallet as well) but in my opinion well worth it. How old are your kids?

[pdchristensen]

Thanks to all for their great ideas & feedback. I am compiling a lot of notes

[lswartz]

Originally Posted by JFM-jr

I have never stayed outside of Disney property it is a different experience when you stay in a Disney resort (different on your wallet as well) but in my opinion well worth it.

I have & you are correct about staying on Disney property. We started earlier in the morning, took breaks during the day (lunch etc.) & went back late afternoons or evenings for fireworks. We never had to fight the traffic, parking, etc. which discourages you from going back for evening shows. The breaks during the day really helped, since you are already at Disney you don't feel like you have to stay when you should take a break.

[JFM-jr]

The buses from each resort to each park run every 15 mins. There will be a bus stop within a few hundred feet of of you no matter what resort you stay at. You wake up walk a few hundred feet from your room and there will be a bus coming along within 15 mins for whatever park your viviting that day. It really is nice to be able to catch a mid day bus back to the resort where the kids can swim and you can have a cocktail and relax eat etc before heading back for the many night time events. Night time events Magic Kingdom = wishes and it is also spectacularfireworks show at Cinderella castle, Hollywood studios = Fantasmic another great live show mixed with animation EPCOT = illuminations another do not miss event

[pdchristensen]

Originally Posted by JFM-jr

I have never stayed outside of Disney property it is a different experience when you stay in a Disney resort (different on your wallet as well) but in my opinion well worth it. How old are your kids?

Well I hope things work out for us regarding accomodation. We really wanted to locate a "suite" accomodation complete with separate bedrooms & a kitchen. (as we prefer to do our own meal planning rather than eat restaurant food the whole time). Could not find a WDW resort that had that could provide that kind of accomodation, unless we booked 2 rooms or were willing to consider around $500.00 per night.

We ended up booking a 2 bedroom kitchen suite at a facility called the World Quest Resort just off Continental Gateway Drive in Orlando. It is right on the edge of the WDW resort complex. Has anyone on the forum stayed there before ? The rate for the room was $109.00 per night. One bedroom has 2 twin beds for our girls & we have a separate master bedroom with king size bed. We are just a short way from a Walmart Supercenter, so groceries for the week will be easy.

Yes, I agree that travel logistics to/from the resorts will be more difficult than staying on site - so I guess that is the price we will have to pay as the savings in hotel accomodations is around $2,500 to stay outside the resort in the "type of suite" we prefer.

I will be renting a car for $100.00 for the week, so at least I am somewhat in control of our travel logistics for going to/from resort area. I know I will have to pay for parking at the resort. Any tips on "parking strategies" ?