thegajone Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 I'll be meeting with my travel agent tomorrow to get it booked and I'm excited! We looked at pretty much every possible option (all the Disney resorts, the US resorts, local hotels and Airbnb) and have tentatively decided on a 2 bedroom villa at the Saratoga Springs resort, unless the travel agent has a better idea. There are some VERY affordable options on Airbnb but ultimately we opted to stay on property for the "full Disney experience" -- which unfortunately also means full Disney price but we haven't stayed at a Disney resort since '96 so we decided to just go for it! I'll post updates as they happen, more for myself as it'll be nice to read back on the experience well after it's over Sent from my SM-G925V using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purdude86 Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 The villas at Saratoga Springs are nice as well and plenty of room. My family were vacation club members there so stayed at that resort a few times. They have a great pool and facilities around the resort as well and very convenient to Downtown disney, can grab a boat or walk across a footbridge to it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegajone Posted February 25, 2016 Author Share Posted February 25, 2016 I knew as soon as I created a thread we'd already call an audible lol. We made a last-minute change and opted for a family suite at the Art of Animation resort. It's definitely smaller than the 2-bedroom villas at Saratoga Springs, but we think we can make it work for the $1,800 (!!?!) it saves us. The total cost for airfare, room and park tickets is a whopping $4,850. That does not include US tickets which we are estimating at around $800 based on what certified 3rd party vendors are offering, though my mom thinks she can get us free tickets through a friend. You can certainly go cheaper than that (getting 2 standard rooms at a value resort would have saved another $800 or so, but there is no guarantee that our rooms would be anywhere near each other; additionally, renting a house through Airbnb would have cost half what we paid for our room, even after you factor in renting a car, parking & gas), but you can also go significantly more expensive, but I feel good about our decision. I did a lot of research and analyzing of the meal plan options, but ultimately determined that it doesn't fit our situation very well so we passed. Now that it's official I am super excited. In about a week I'll be able to make our fast pass selections! Sent from my SM-G925V using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegajone Posted May 8, 2016 Author Share Posted May 8, 2016 Just bumping this so I'll see it later and remember to post a recap, lol. Still down here and having an amazing time! The weather has been absolutely perfect the last 3 days but it is supposed to heat up today, but even if it's hot, how can you beat spending Mother's Day with your mom at Magic Kingdom?! Even if you're 31 and 51 years old, I can't think of a better Mother's Day plan! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoddaH1994 Posted May 8, 2016 Share Posted May 8, 2016 Just make sure you use your MyWDW experience to your advantage. Book your Fast Passes. Make your food reservations. If you have the option to preorder your food selections, do it. I ate at Be Our Guest the other day and was able to bypass a long line of other people who also had reservations because we had preordered our food online. Oh, and have fun!!! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
upstop Posted May 11, 2016 Share Posted May 11, 2016 I am right now! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
upstop Posted May 12, 2016 Share Posted May 12, 2016 Boddha is correct. With the DisneyWorld app for annual pass holders, you get most of the advantages, even if you are staying offsite. You can select up to three Fast Passes for a single park (no park hopping for FastPass) on a given day. You can add your CC for purchases or reservations and select your meal in advance. I did this for Be Our Guest as well.... Btw... It's a must see attraction in my book. You must purchase to enter the building, so if you want, you can go minimal and look around. It's incredibly beautiful inside. I made Fast pass reservations for Fantasmic and nearly 2/3 of the stadium was Fast Pass holders. Get it early if you can! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabe Posted May 12, 2016 Share Posted May 12, 2016 Boddha is correct. With the DisneyWorld app for annual pass holders, you get most of the advantages, even if you are staying offsite. You can select up to three Fast Passes for a single park (no park hopping for FastPass) on a given day. You can add your CC for purchases or reservations and select your meal in advance. I did this for Be Our Guest as well.... Btw... It's a must see attraction in my book. You must purchase to enter the building, so if you want, you can go minimal and look around. It's incredibly beautiful inside. I made Fast pass reservations for Fantasmic and nearly 2/3 of the stadium was Fast Pass holders. Get it early if you can! I've never experienced Disney charging guests the price of a meal just to look around. If you just wish to peruse the rooms without eating, simply go to the host stand outside either just before or just after lunch has ended. They'll likely accommodate you. Avoid going during the height of the lunch and dinner rush since the servers are busy getting orders in and out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
upstop Posted May 13, 2016 Share Posted May 13, 2016 Good point to go post lunch and post dinner. At the time I went , They would not let anyone near Be Our Guest without a reservation and menu and as you entered you ordered and paid before you can go any further. It's most likely because the attraction is overwhelmingly unique, and beautiful and popular. It was worth the meal price to get to sit and actually enjoy the surroundings. Besides, who wants to eat with tourists crowding around their tables snapping pictures. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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