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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To ask how the hell you plan a Disney holiday

29 replies

disneydreaming101 · 29/12/2022 13:45

We really want to go to Disney preferably this June before DS starts school.

How the hell do you plan this holiday! I don't understand it at all, have we left it to late to plan and book?

Do you book through a travel agent?

Help!!!

OP posts:
purplecorkheart · 29/12/2022 13:46

Are you talking about Disney in the States or Paris?

HermioneWeasley · 29/12/2022 13:48

If Florida then start with hotel or villa, and do you want to drive/hire a car.

I think thr park reservation system will be lifted by next June. It will be very hot and humid in June - can you go any earlier?

disneydreaming101 · 29/12/2022 13:48

Florida. We could go may?

OP posts:
OrigamiOwls · 29/12/2022 13:51

If it's Disney world you're planning on visiting then I think you've missed the best offer (that's always for booking made the year before) but they are still running a few nights free offer.
Decided if you want to stay onsite or off-site - your group size/preferred sleeping arrangements will probably influence this.

Upthereinthesky · 29/12/2022 13:53

Visit the forums on The Dibb - literally the Disney World planning bible 👍

Milkand2sugarsplease · 29/12/2022 14:02

I have loved planning our 2 trips. Had as much fun planning them as we had there.

We chose to stay on Disney property in one of the hotels both times for ease but there are literally loads of options/prices both on and off site.

Are you thinking you want a villa or a hotel for starters.

Just Disney or Disney & Universal?

Other attractions too - sea world, discovery cove, nasa, gator world etc?

Theyearsareshort · 29/12/2022 14:04

I booked through virgin but you can book direct with Disney. Before you do decide do you want to stay on or off site? How long do you want to spend at Disney and do you want to do anything else ie universal studios? Set your budget and dates. We just got back from Disney a few weeks ago and had a lovely time.

EarlofShrewsbury · 29/12/2022 14:04

When you say start school, do you mean he will be 4?

If so I would get a villa, one with a pool so you can have chill out stay at home days. Disney is a lot for a child that age.

disneydreaming101 · 29/12/2022 14:07

The only reason we have said before September 23 is because otherwise we are restricted to school holidays which means more money and more people!

Think though it may be that we left it too late so annoying as I've been looking for ages but always put it off

To answer some questions it would be 14 days, we are easy about where we stay (maybe leaning towards a villa as would mean some more down time), budget is a bit Non existent until we get some firm numbers.

Looks like we need to plan better and look into school holidays of the future

OP posts:
OrigamiOwls · 29/12/2022 14:15

I'd recommend disboards, as a fountain of Disney information.
You haven't left it too late, you've missed the best UK offers, but there is still time to book.

Lindtnotlint · 29/12/2022 14:19

You absolutely haven’t left it too late. Book flights, book a villa, buy 14 day Disney tickets, reserve a car. Done. No need for lots of stress or a travel agent.

lots of planning after that to work out which parks when (and reserve days) and then book dining (which you need to do 60 days out). But you can totally go in May if you want to!

Blackcountryexile · 29/12/2022 14:29

It was several years ago but we stayed in lovely houses in the VIsta Cay complex near Universal but not too far from Disney. You would need a hire car.
We booked through one of the in store Virgin agents and she was very helpful with all our planning. I think you can book virtual appointments with them.
Tui use Vista Cay as well.

Billoddiesbeard · 29/12/2022 14:30

Thoroughly recommend the Dibb forum. Lots of useful advice, planners and there's always someone able to answer any question (however daft you may think it is).

Mostwonderful · 29/12/2022 14:42

@disneydreaming101 first things first, how many of you and is there a budget? Which parks are you hoping to do? There are the four Disney parks, two Universal parks, Seaworld, Busch Gardens and a few water parks too.

We always go May, it is quite warm and humid but liveable. We went this May 2022 before DD started school in the September. We spent all our time in the Disney parks, 13 days- 13 hour days. It was hard on her and we ended up getting her a pram while over there 🤪 We also had a 4/5 month old with us but she was the easier of the two.

sleepyfelines · 29/12/2022 14:44

If you're on Facebook, there's a group called "it's Orlando time" which is very useful.

Otherwise...

1- do you want to stay on site or off? Off site is cheaper, but you'll (realistically) need a hire car to get around. Staying onsite is more magical for the kids, and includes free and frequent transport to all Disney parks. Different hotels have different benefits, eg Caribbean beach has a gondola that connects to Epcot and Hollywood studios- very convenient.

2- what parks do you want to do? Disney is great. I'm guessing your kids are under 5, so universal probably isn't for them- most rides are bigger and the themes are aimed more at an older crowd- Harry Potter etc. There are some strong opinions about seaworld but their shows are fantastic.

3- are you going to pay for genie+ and lightning lane to skip queues (at the risk of being attached to your phone all day) or are you just going to go with the flow? If your kids are younger then the smaller rides do often have shorter queues so may not be worth the cost.

4- are you eating in the parks or not? Eating in Disney is arguably more convenient but the food is more expensive than out of the parks and not a great deal of variety. Lots of burgers, chicken strips etc. You can take packed lunches in but then you have to carry them around all day (and prepare them in the first place- much easier if you're staying in a villa vs a hotel).

5- how well will your kids cope with the walking/heat? The parks are huge. Fairly common to see kids up to 5/6 in push chairs- added bonus of somewhere to put bags etc.

6- are you going to go to the parks early, go back to hotel for lunch/nap and then go back to a park on the evening? Makes the day easier for kids but only really doable if you're staying in a Disney hotel with the free buses.

7- which parks are you most interested in? Look at maps/rides/shows in advance to plan what your "must dos" are.

8- currently you have to book days in the parks in advance (brought in to restrict numbers when covid started). This MAY be lifted but probably safer to book days and then not need them rather than the other way around. Once you've visited the park you've booked, you can go to another park after 2pm (but only if you've been to the one you booked!)

9- are there any experiences you particularly want- dinner at Cinderella's castle, makeover at bibbity bobbity boutique? These need to be booked well in advance

10- any sit down Disney restaurants you want to eat at need to be booked in advance- can book up to 180 days in advance. If you're staying onsite you can book for your entire stay 180 days before check-in, if you're staying off site you can only book a day at a time (obviously can book all in one go if it's less than 180 days)

11- most hotels (including Disney) charge per night for parking a hire car there- this isn't usually included in your initial booking and is paid on either check in or check out

12- get your ESTAs sorted before you book anything- having the same name as someone on the no-fly list can cause major problems. If you need a visa it can take many many months and your flights/hotel are very unlikely to be refunded if you don't get it in time

13- most Disney tickets include "memory maker", which is the official photos taken on rides and around the park. Make sure to collect them at each ride (usually by scanning your ticket) and download them from the app when you get home- they're only available for around 45 days

Can you tell what my favourite holiday is!!

yodaforpresident · 29/12/2022 14:49

It is possible to stay onsite but not in Disney hotels (but still have the magic hours). We always stay in the Waldorf, which is amazing, and I know there are 2/3 other hotels to choose from including a Hilton.

roses2 · 30/12/2022 08:57

We're planning on going end August 2023. I wasn't planning on booming until ~Easter. Is that leaving it too late?? One year in advance seems a bit much.

burnoutbabe · 30/12/2022 09:01

I am going in jan 23, I am booking it this week!

I'd use a crowd checker to see when best to go in next 8 months and if it's quiet it should be easy to book flights and hotel as less demand. Try virgin holidays for sone price guidance.

leftitabitlate22 · 30/12/2022 09:03

Be careful of timings you want to avoid Easter and US spring breaks. Join forums like trip advisor and the dibb and ask lots of questions.

ExtraOnions · 30/12/2022 09:15

We stayed onsite at Animal Kingdom Lodge .. loved it.

We booked via a travel agent, who had a Disney Expert … probably paid a bit more, but took a lot of the stress away.

We also bought the most amazing book that covered Disney and Universal .. told you which order to do the parks in to miss the queues, and allsorts of hints and tips (I am trying to remember the name of it)

ExtraOnions · 30/12/2022 09:17

The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2023 (Unofficial Guides) amzn.eu/d/1cdMdQB

it was this one …

Icecubelettuce · 30/12/2022 09:32

There is a fantastic USA specialist travel agent called Bon Voyage, they put together a brilliant deal for us. They are so knowledgeable and can talk you through all the options. You can also ring them while you're there if you have a problem or question. And you get ATOL package holiday protection. It was marginally more than doing it ourselves.

BorgQueen · 30/12/2022 09:33

Well firstly, don’t go in June. The weather ( huge rainstorms every afternoon) will ruin all your careful planning , which is the single most important aspect since Disney took away all spontanaity and forced people into prebooking even park days.

October into November is my favourite time, Halloween then Xmas decorations, lovely weather.

My tip, if you want to stay onsite is to rent DVC points, you can get a lovely apartment/villa for less than the price of a moderate hotel. You still get the perks of being onsite ( such as they are these days).

Get on youtube to learn about Genie+, Allears, Brogan Tate, DFB are all good.
Touring plans is hugely helpful for a small subscription.

roses2 · 30/12/2022 13:53

Thank you @BorgQueen ! I've never heard of Disney Villas before. I was planning a mix of villas and hotels as we plan to sit our two weeks across both Disney and Universal. Disney Villa looks perfect!

Tryingformore1 · 30/12/2022 13:58

This June?! Good luck, most spend years planning, you’ll need park reservations, probably Genie plus and LL reservations due to going in peak season, dining slots will need to be booked.

we tend to stay on site using points rental companies, so save a lot of money that way too.