Help me be magical in Disney World for under 1300 dollars.

November 25, 2007 6:15 PM

My girlfriend and I are thinking about going to Disney World next summer from June 27th to June 30th. We would like to do the on-site hotel, park hopper tickets, and flight from Philly for under $1100 dollars. Is it possible? Does anyone have any suggestions for saving money on park-hopper tickets, or on the on-site hotels? The $1100 doesn't include food and such - only hotel, tickets, and flight. Thanks!
posted by EduTek to travel & transportation (13 comments total)

$1100 apiece or total for the two of you?
posted by onalark at 6:18 PM on November 25, 2007

$1100 total for 3 nights.
posted by EduTek at 6:19 PM on November 25, 2007

I booked my recent Disneyworld trip through AAA and saved $400 (about 10%) off the total cost for hotel and park tickets. We got a better deal on the flights booking them through the airline, but that was probably just the luck of the draw. I'd check out http://www.mousesavers.com/ and similar sites for current deals; Disney fans are a fanatic bunch and there's no shortage of information out there.
posted by bizwank at 6:46 PM on November 25, 2007

Thanks bizwank, I just submitted a request to AAA for rates.
posted by EduTek at 6:59 PM on November 25, 2007

Is that the one in Florida or California?I get those parks confused. In Florida, they have extremely cheap tickets for sale to Florida residents but you have to buy them in advance. The California Disney might have the same thing, maybe post a request on craigslist and see if anyone knows about cheap tickets they could buy for you using their in state ID.
posted by 45moore45 at 7:04 PM on November 25, 2007

We stayed in an on-site hotel this past April and I discovered once we got there that we could save quite a bit on park tickets if we were willing to sit through a timeshare presentation. We only had a two days there though, so we didn't want to waste the time. Might be an option if you don't mind zoning out for a couple hours.
posted by web-goddess at 7:09 PM on November 25, 2007

check out Disney's website...the 'value' level hotels are sort of Holiday Inn quality, but also Holiday Inn prices...does it have to be in June? January is way off season and cheap and NO LINES. If you are staying on the property the hopper tix tack on to your room for really short money.

reg
posted by legotech at 7:34 PM on November 25, 2007

The DVC (Disney Vacation Club) timeshare presentation is apparently only one hour with no pressure to buy anything, or so I've heard.

I've been to Disney World twice this year.

Your room would be about $110+ tax a night in a value resort, since that's peak summer time. Park tickets have gone up, but count on spending at least $500 for two 3 or 4-day park hopper tickets. Base tickets would save you a little money if you only wanted to visit one park per day though.

You might save enough money staying at an offsite hotel to make the budget work, but staying onsite gives you free bus to and from the airport as well as just makes things simpler.

There are specials throughout the year though, so check the disneyworld.com site. They've sent us info special via email and postal mail, so you might sign up. Sometimes the hotels have discounts, but usually in off season.

But one of my favorite info sites is here if you'd like to read more about everything available: http://www.allearsnet.com/

We bought our tickets through their recommended discount seller, but I shopped around first.
posted by cmgonzalez at 7:43 PM on November 25, 2007

web-goddess & cmgonzales: Received a negative on the timeshare idea.

legotech: We can only go on those specific dates because i'm in grad school and working full time, as is she.

We were definitely looking at the value resorts, the sports, movie, etc. themed places.

Thank you all for the help.
posted by EduTek at 7:50 PM on November 25, 2007

Warning: the cheap "value resort" motels (which may, you know, actually called hotels, but are so not...) are tremendously crappy. We walked into our room, turned around, walked out and checked into a very nearby hotel with a parkhopper bus.

It was a MUCH better, much cheaper decision. And the ride to the resort proper is no longer from the strip hotels than it is from the low-end on-resort ones.

It also meant we at least at the option of walking down the strip for off-resort eating options. Thank god. So if you're looking to save money, you might want to consider that option.

I say this as someone who LOVES Disney. Just not so much the low-end hotels there.
posted by DarlingBri at 7:51 PM on November 25, 2007

To save on room costs: Couchsurfing.org? Especially for a 3 day trip. Maybe see if the host would like to join, offer a free pass or something? My wife and I are usually able to do trips like this on the cheap because we're willing to hole up with a stranger or take a chance on a crappy motel. If you're only going to be there for 3 days and spend most of it at the park, why not?
posted by GilloD at 8:36 PM on November 25, 2007

DarlingBri - I actually loved the All Star Movies hotel. Don't go for the main "preferred" side. Stick to the Mighty Ducks side. It's quiet there, has its own smaller pool, and is still only a 5-minute walk from the main building.

My only complaint was that a rather loud family checked in and decided to go into the (closed) pool at 1 am and start shouting and splashing about loudly. I called the desk and they took care of it right away.

I've stayed in 3 and 4-star hotels before, but this one was rather pleasant. Especially on a short trip, a Disney hotel is really just a place to sleep.

For comparison, I also stayed in one of the DVC resorts this year, which normally costs $300 a night (we won a contest). Each has its advantages. The DVC hotel was lovely, quiet, and homey. Having our own kitchenette with microwave and fridge was neat.

But the All Star hotel actually had a more fun environment, nice pool right outside our balcony, and the restaurant was both open later and wasn't a 15-minute walk from our room.
posted by cmgonzalez at 1:18 AM on November 26, 2007

check out allegiant air. you have to book through their website. they have disney packages. they haven't opened dates yet for july but in may you can get a hotel and flight for a whole week for 588 a person. you would have to fly out of allentown though
posted by meeshell at 6:42 AM on November 26, 2007