Disney World

hey everyone, we were thinking of taking our boys to disney world in a few months. they'll be about 4 1/2. is that a good age. we were thinking to go for 3 days and visit magic kingdom and mgm studios. i've been checking out prices and to go for 3 days comes out to about $3000!! Has anyone taken their preschoolers and does anyone have any tips about getting a better deal. If anyone knows of a good hotel or a good website to get some discounts, I'd really appreciate it. thanks

 

$3000 for 3 days ?? Call WDW travel .. I just got a 9 day 8 night, with transportation, park passes AND dining for $2600.
IF you do go for only 3 days be sure to see Animal Kingdom .. my boys love it.
4 1/2 is a GREAT age to see Disney .. mine have been going every year since they were born and every year they enjoy it more and more .. they'll be almost 4 1/2 when we go in Sept. and they are very excited.
Please check out the Disney web site .. I found the best deals though them.

 

QUOTE(Moodyzblu @ May 28 2008, 12:14 AM) [snapback]796068[/snapback]
$3000 for 3 days ?? Call WDW travel .. I just got a 9 day 8 night, with transportation, park passes AND dining for $2600.
IF you do go for only 3 days be sure to see Animal Kingdom .. my boys love it.
4 1/2 is a GREAT age to see Disney .. mine have been going every year since they were born and every year they enjoy it more and more .. they'll be almost 4 1/2 when we go in Sept. and they are very excited.
Please check out the Disney web site .. I found the best deals though them.


I saved a ton of money for our Disney trip by visiting mousesavers.com - they have lots of tips for both parks.

Best,
Mia

 

QUOTE(Mia D @ May 28 2008, 12:15 AM) [snapback]796070[/snapback]
I saved a ton of money for our Disney trip by visiting mousesavers.com - they have lots of tips for both parks.

Best,
Mia

Thats an excellent source !

 

We went 2 years ago, right before the boys turned 4 and we all had a blast! We paid for 7 days, including the dining plan, $2200. You may want to check into where you are planning to stay--there is a HUGE price difference between the different levels of hotels--we stayed in the Pop Century, one of the value resorts, and had a great time!

 

I live in Orlando...if you would like to stay outside of the park hotels, PM me and I can give you some recommendations (or if you have one you are interested in, I can tell you about it).

Also, we go to Disney frequently...there's so much that a 4 1/2 will LOVE. I can give you more details if you would like.

 

We are taking are 4.5 yr old boys this October. We're going for 5 days/4 nights at the Grand Floridan, round trip air for 4, meal plan and 4 day hopper ticket passes for just under $4,000.

While its expensive, we wanted to stay on property along the monorail route. Certainly, lodging adds a BIG difference in package pricing. I found better pricing through our AAA travel agent vs. the DisneyWorld website and other travel websites that I checked. I also purchased air on my own and saved some that way.

I know that Disney is offering some deals on packages right now if you book by JUNE 22. It's available if you book your stay from Aug 24- Sept 20. This is usually a slower time with school starting and it being hurricane season. They have been running this promotion the last couple years and the crowds during this time have increased big time. They basically offer a FREE dining plan with hotel and ticket purchase. I believe they also discount some lodging also. You can check out the disney website for more details. http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/ Have fun!

 

Personally, I'd skip MGM and head straight for Animal Kingdom. MGM is kind of, well, boring (and I love Epcot) and in my opinion wouldn't be that much fun for a 4 1/2 year old and Animal Kingdom would be more interactive for ones that young.

 

I ditto what a lot of pp have said...visit the Disney and mousesavers websites...that'll help a lot. Magic Kingdo, MGM (b/c of playhouse Disney) and parts of Epcot would be my pics. We took our eldest dd when she was 4, and she LOVES Epcot...there are a few rides right there at the entrance that she loves. We were trying to go back this summer, but couldn't swing it. While talking about it she mentioned that she wants to go back to Epcot to ride those rides! I really wasn't impressed with Animal Kingdom except for the Tree of Life. We actually didn't spend a lot of time there. DH would rather go to Tampa and visit Busch Gardens instead. However, to each his own...it's really whatever you think your 4-1/2 year old would like. I'd say go and see what areas work for you. Then hop around if your 4-1/2 gets tired of a particular area. I love the park hopper passes b/c you can go to one park and then hop to another in the same day. As far as hotels, there are some basic hotels on site that are inexpensive that would reduce your cost. However, if you want a really nice hotel then you'll pay a higher cost for them. When we were there we stayed at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, which was wonderful. The nice thing about staying on site is you get extra time in the parks...either an hour in the morning or in the evening depending on which park you are in. If you stay off site, you wouldn't be able to do that. Through mousesavers you can get a discount for the higher cost hotels and then pay for your tickets separately, and sometimes that is the way to go if you can get a great deal on your hotel. Just do the research and get what's best for your family. GL and have a great time! HTH!

 

Hi! We just took the boys in April and they were 2 1/2. They loved it, so i KNOW a 4 1/2 will. We are bargain shoppers-- and i have been to disney 5 times. This was our first time taking the kids. Here is what i have to offer...
1. Stay in the park/on-site -- If you fly in, disney will transfer you from the airport to your resort AND your bags. They will mail you these luggage tags to put on your bag, and you never have to even mess with them at the airport at all! Once you arrive in orlando, they take care of all of it, and deliver your bags to your room for you later that day. Disney's Magical Express is what it is called. And if you intend on just doing disney, you do NOT need to rent a car at all because you have access to the disney transportation while you are there. If you do decide to rent a car-- if you stay in the park, you will have free parking at all of the parks during your stay-- which is about 11 bucks at each park!

2. There is NO bad resort to stay at at disney! We usually stay at the value resorts (82.00 a night)-- i have stayed at All Star Movies, and POP Century.. both great! We stayed in All Star Movies in april and ended up being in the "Toy Story" section and my boys LOVED it-- there was a park right next to our room and we were right next to the fantasia pool. The food is good in the value resorts as well and perfect for the meal plan. You can also purchase a souviener cup for 11 bucks and it is unlimited free refills at the resort for the entire time you are there.

3. The meal plan is a must, unless you are staying somewhere with a kitchen. I have done disney 4 times without the meal plan and this time we did it with it and it was awesome! One reason i liked it, is because price doesnt matter-- it is broken down by meal "types" For example, you can use your table service meal option at a cheaper place or a fancy place and it doesnt matter! Without the meal plan, i know we would not have eaten as healthy-- we would have tried to cut cost and eaten hotdogs and snacks, but with the meal plan, for the same and even lesss money, we were able to have nice meals with salads and vegetables. It was NOT that much more money, and def, saved us money in the long run and we got WAY better food than we would have ordered without it.

4. You can get the ultimate park hopper pass, which is only good for the duration of your stay. I believe this saves some money. The down side is that you cannot "save" your unused days like you can with a traditional one. But honestly, it cost more to add that option to your passes, and the chances of you NOT going to the park one day is pretty slim.

Overall, 3k for 3 days is high... we didnt spend that much including airfare for 5 for 5 days! Go to www.disneyworld.com and start from there. Don't book your airfare on there-- book it seperatley and that will save you money. You can always call 1-407- WDISNEY and book that way as well.

Oh yeah-- make your reservations for food ahead of time!! I DID NOT do this when we went in april because i assumed it would not be crowded, and we had a heck of a time getting tables! You can book your meals by calling 1 407 WDWDINE

one more cost to think about-- stroller rental-- the price went WAY up to rent a stroller in the park-- while they are great and you dont have to lug yours around on the buses and stuff, it can get $$$. We brought our combi SBS stroller day 1 to Animal Kingdom-- BIG mistake. I wish we would have rented one there. The reason was because there was lots of transferring to train rides and shows that didnt allow strollers and we kept having to fold it up and our stuff would fall out-- anyway, i recommend renting one at animal kingdom. MGM, was do-able with our own stroller because there isnt much transferring at all. We ended up renting one at Magic Kingdom because it was just easier. I think MGM was great for my kids because that is where ALL the playhouse disney was-- playhouse disney live on stage, Handy Manny, Little Einsteins, You can Meet the Incredibles in the Animation Studios, you can also meet the characters from CARS over by the Backlot tour. There is a HUGE playground - Honey I shrunk the Kids to play on - there is a cool Stunt show that your boys might enjoy-- although its loud! There is the Indiana Jones show. My kids are really into all those things so MGM was great-- plus we got to ride aerosmith rockin rollercoaster and tower of terror! Your boys are probably tall enough for everything-- 40 inches is the height requirement for almost everything. There is also a High school musical live show and beauty and the beast live show that is great-- AND a Pixar Parade in the afternoon with all the Pixar characters -- a hit for my boys!
Animal kingdom was fun as well for us-- we did the safari, and spent LOTS of time in DinoLand-- Huge really cool play area, some smaller rides in that section. Everest is a cool ride. Do NOT miss the Nemo show at animal kingdom-- it was great! There is much more walking at animal kingdom, and i do not think it will take an entire day to do it-- you could do a waterpark the second half of the day or even go to epcot the second half of the day.

Of course Magic Kingdom is magical-- Peter pan, pirates of the caribbean and toon town goofy's barnstormer was the big hits with my boys. If your kids like trains, there is the Main train when you com in that is a great ride and can take you to other areas of the park without walking!
Casey's on main street has pretty affordable hot dogs/fries that are good.

We flew Southwest airlines for 87.00 each way! Always check them-- they are always having internet deals.

Good Luck!