NGKUR: DisneyWorld Tips or Advice

[NariaDreaming]

Mar 5, 2015 17:04:06 GMT -5 ****** said:

pinkcat the boardwalk has a bus that goes resort to park but we went late at night so busses stop running. We had a rental car and just drove there after leaving Magic Kingdom. They had several taxis out front also so you could always take a taxi back to your resort.

Late night you can take a bus from any of the boardwalk area resorts to Downtown Disney and transfer to a bus or water taxi back to POFQ from there. DTD buses run until 2AM most nights.

ETA: We typically rent Disney Vacation Club points if we're not using my travel agent discount. You can use a "broker" like David's DVC, or rent directly from an owner. You typically pay $10-$15/point, and depending on the resort, a studio room (which is plenty big for 2-3 adults) runs from 9-35 points a night, depending on the time of year and the resort.

Renting points allows us to stay at the deluxe resorts for a fraction of the cost. We're doing 4 nights at Old Key West for $650 in May.

You do give up a bit of control and flexibility, since rentals are typically non-refundable. You also don't get daily housekeeping. But honestly, the amenities you get with a deluxe hotel (kitchenette in room, access to free laundry rooms, fantastic pools, great restaurants) far outstrip the negative of not having your bed made up every day.


ETA #2- I just played with numbers for a random 5 days/4 nights in June. The costs for a deluxe studio for that time period are as follows.

Animal Kingdom- $910
Bay Lake Tower (Contemporary Resort)- $1120
Beach Club Villas- $1092
Boardwalk Villas- $924
Grand Floridian- $1372
Old Key West- $910
Polynesian - $1372
Saratoga Springs- $980
Wilderness Lodge- $1050

It looks like Caribbean beach is $178/night and POFQ is $196/night.

At those prices, especially since you're looking for evening entertainment, I would HIGHLY recommend trying to get a studio at Boardwalk Villas, or at Beach Club. You're right at the back entrance to Epcot, which means you can hop over to the World Showcase for dinner, and you're on the boardwalk for evening entertainment. You've also got a boat or a walking path to Hollywood Studios.

Plus, the pool at Beach Club will BLOW YOUR MIND. It's several acres large

[pinkcat]

Mar 6, 2015 12:26:25 GMT -5 NariaDreaming said:

Mar 5, 2015 17:04:06 GMT -5 ****** said:

pinkcat the boardwalk has a bus that goes resort to park but we went late at night so busses stop running. We had a rental car and just drove there after leaving Magic Kingdom. They had several taxis out front also so you could always take a taxi back to your resort.

Late night you can take a bus from any of the boardwalk area resorts to Downtown Disney and transfer to a bus or water taxi back to POFQ from there. DTD buses run until 2AM most nights.

ETA: We typically rent Disney Vacation Club points if we're not using my travel agent discount. You can use a "broker" like David's DVC, or rent directly from an owner. You typically pay $10-$15/point, and depending on the resort, a studio room (which is plenty big for 2-3 adults) runs from 9-35 points a night, depending on the time of year and the resort.

Renting points allows us to stay at the deluxe resorts for a fraction of the cost. We're doing 4 nights at Old Key West for $650 in May.

You do give up a bit of control and flexibility, since rentals are typically non-refundable. You also don't get daily housekeeping. But honestly, the amenities you get with a deluxe hotel (kitchenette in room, access to free laundry rooms, fantastic pools, great restaurants) far outstrip the negative of not having your bed made up every day.


ETA #2- I just played with numbers for a random 5 days/4 nights in June. The costs for a deluxe studio for that time period are as follows.

Animal Kingdom- $910
Bay Lake Tower (Contemporary Resort)- $1120
Beach Club Villas- $1092
Boardwalk Villas- $924
Grand Floridian- $1372
Old Key West- $910
Polynesian - $1372
Saratoga Springs- $980
Wilderness Lodge- $1050

It looks like Caribbean beach is $178/night and POFQ is $196/night.

At those prices, especially since you're looking for evening entertainment, I would HIGHLY recommend trying to get a studio at Boardwalk Villas, or at Beach Club. You're right at the back entrance to Epcot, which means you can hop over to the World Showcase for dinner, and you're on the boardwalk for evening entertainment. You've also got a boat or a walking path to Hollywood Studios.

Plus, the pool at Beach Club will BLOW YOUR MIND. It's several acres large

Wow- great to know! Thanks for all the advice, we will definitely be looking into renting the DVC points!

[NariaDreaming]

Mar 6, 2015 13:41:38 GMT -5 ****** said:

NariaDreaming I'm gonna have to research this "rent DVC points" i read a little something about it on a blog but was skeptical of it. It's good to hear that it really is legit

David's is a super reputable company, though I've never used them myself. I've also rented points from The Timeshare Store (you have to sign up for their email list).

I typically rent directly from owners. I go through the MouseOwners message boards (www.mouseowners.com) and request a signed contract from the party I'm renting from. And I never send payment to a private owner until I have the Disney reservation confirmation in hand and I can call Disney to confirm that it's booked in my name.

[abi]

MH and I were just there in August, but I've been multiple times. It was definitely a different experience planning the trip myself and being in charge of our days. We stayed for a whole week and used the transportation and dining plan. We stayed at one of the value resorts which was fine even though I really wanted to stay at Port Orleans Riverside. We did everything with our magic bands. We flew, so we checked in with them at the Orlando airport to ride the bus there then used them for everything after that.

A word of advice on the transportation: Make sure you have enough time scheduled for getting places. If you're planning on eating in the Magic Kingdom at 5 but are in Epcot, make sure you leave Epcot by at least 4 if not earlier. Park hoppers are nice, but you don't want to do too much hopping or you'll spend your whole day on travel time.

If you like pineapple, be sure to grab a dole whip at Aloha Isle in Adventureland! You can also find them at The Polynesian.

Be Our Guest has a lot of hype, but I wouldn't put it in my favorite restaurants. My top pick is the Sci-Fi Dine in Theater in Hollywood Studios. The booths are in cars and you watch clips from sci-fi movies while you eat. If you like Japanese, Teppan Edo in Epcot comes with a fun little show from your server. I haven't eaten there (my parents have), but Wolfgang Puck in Downtown Disney has great "personal" pizzas that can easily be split between two people.

I looove talking about Disney World, so if you have any specific questions feel free to PM me!