New Ytest
Sign out
Bimmerpost
Login
BMW E39 5-Series Forum | 5Post.com
BMW Garage BMW Meets Register Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read  
Go Back   BMW E39 5-Series Forum | 5Post.com > BIMMERPOST Universal Forums > Off-Topic Discussions Board

Closed Thread
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
      06-23-2022, 01:36 PM   #45
Alfisti
Brigadier General
6453
Rep
3,009
Posts

 
Drives: 2008 Saab 9-3 Combi
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: Toronto, Canada

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by dreamingat30fps View Post
I believe it's standard to tip the mouse 30% for mediocre service and 50% for ok service.
Tips, auto-added tips, resort fees, taxes, usage fees, towel fees etc... you guys know how to surcharge I give ya that.
Appreciate 1
happyjack1657.00
      06-23-2022, 01:44 PM   #46
2000cs
Captain
3447
Rep
1,004
Posts

 
Drives: Potato
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: USA

iTrader: (1)

When I was 9 my dad had a job interview trip in Newport Beach, CA. He brought me on the trip and we stayed at the Disneyland Hotel. He gave me a book of ride tickets (park was free then), and each morning I would get on the monorail, ride it into the park, and spend the day going on rides, etc. I must also have had some cash to pay for food/drinks. He spent those days interviewing. As a 9 year-old living in Memphis, that was magical.

He took that job and we moved. As a teen my friends and I went about every weekend to see the bands and go on a few rides. Again, the park was free then, so we only had to buy tickets for rides and buy food.

Disney is so expensive now I don’t know if we’ll go back to any of their parks. But then the grandkids aren’t old enough to ask yet.
Appreciate 1
wtwo317873.00
      06-23-2022, 01:55 PM   #47
happyjack
Captain
happyjack's Avatar
United_States
1657
Rep
922
Posts

 
Drives: '21 F87 M2C 6MT
Join Date: Nov 2017
Location: old line state

iTrader: (0)

Garage List
only additional advice that i'd offer or emphasize is that you'd better plan, plan, PLAN this trip. disney has changed A LOT in the last 10 years and from everything that i've heard recently from families taking young kids for the first time is that you'd better have every day mapped out, and all of your "must" rides and meals reserved well in advance.

if you show up there these days without the reserved rides, it's highly likely that you wont be riding much of anything except the carousel and peter pan because everything books in advance...or you end up in a 3 hour line.

that said...5-6 year olds have decent energy but if you're there for a week, it's good to plan an off day, or a couple of off-afternoons where you just chill at the hotel pool and let the kid(s) decompress with some unstructured fun. the early excitement of walking into the park and seeing everything for the first time will wane by 300 - 400 in the afternoon. plan a later afternoon break back at the hotel and then schedule the time to be back in the park for a ride or two after sunset and to watch fireworks.

staying on a disney property does bring perks WRT meal plans and refillable drink cups, parking, shuttle buses, etc...for a first timer, it's definitely better to stay on the property.
__________________

my garage: '23 G05 xDrive40i m-sport; '21 F87 M2C, 6MT; '17 F25 x-drive28i SAV; '15 F55 mini hatch 5-door
retired: '87 E30 MT 'vert; '92 E36 sedan; '99 E36 MT 'vert; '06 E90 x-drive sedan; '07 E83 x-drive30 SAV; '09 E91 x-drive wagon; '12 E89 Z4 MT M-sport; '15 F22 sport line
Appreciate 1
wtwo317873.00
      06-23-2022, 02:43 PM   #48
XutvJet
Major General
5488
Rep
5,336
Posts

 
Drives: 2011 Cayman Base, 2016 M235
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Kansas City

iTrader: (-1)

I'm south of Saint Augustine, FL at the moment. We're about 1.5 hours north of Disney. Been here nearly two weeks on the beach with about 60 relatives. My kids are 13 and 17 and we've come here every year since they've been born. They've never been to Disney. They used to ask when they were much younger but then their friends started going and they all said the same thing, prepare to wait and wait for hours for everything. My kids weren't interested after hearing that. They have a ton of fun at the beach, at the pool, and the other stuff we do.

I've been to Disney twice. Once in 1983 at 9 right after Epcot was built and again in 1990 at 16. I don't remember a thing. Disney World and that system is an entirely different animal now. Sounds like total and utter chaos to me. Thank god the wife and kids aren't interested. Five family members got tickets to Universal for today. $400 a person and they have no speed pass. And it's 100 today. Yikes!
Appreciate 3
wtwo317873.00
2000cs3447.00
Tommy-G4467.00
      06-23-2022, 03:02 PM   #49
floridaorange
Colonel
floridaorange's Avatar
United_States
10015
Rep
2,658
Posts

 
Drives: 2013 bmw 320i xdrive
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: orlando, fl

iTrader: (1)

Chiming back in - as someone pointed out - it is a lot of fun to go with your kid, I took my son at that age and pushed him all over the park in a stroller. I didn't bring my wife and we got a lot more done that way - perhaps a divide and conquer approach might work better for you guys too…. Bringing a smaller child is kind of asking for it. Have the wife go shop with the little one at Disney Springs. While you guys run all over the Magic Kingdom.. Bonding time!

As for locals telling you how awful Orlando is - we have a lot of haters here who don't really know how to live well. I feel sorry for them, stuck renting an overpriced apt or condo in metro west working some dead end job.

My family has been here for 3 gen's, have a big family all over Florida, it's fantastic if you are well connected or have a great job.
__________________
Stage 2 BM3

Quote:
Originally Posted by GrussGott View Post
Sounds pizzagatey.
Appreciate 1
wtwo317873.00
      06-23-2022, 03:15 PM   #50
3.0L
Colonel
3.0L's Avatar
8904
Rep
2,011
Posts

 
Drives: M235i, 20k miles
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: California

iTrader: (0)

Took my 4 grand kids (and their parents) to Disneyland in Anaheim some years back... for 1 day.

One day was more than enough. Not only was it very expensive, it was also VERY crowded. Late in the afternoon my wife and I "camped out" at a snack bar near where the current live band elevates out of the ground while grand kids continued having fun. It was one of the few places where we could find some relief from the crowds.

I'll never go back. Disneyland isn't as much fun, like it was in the late '50's.
__________________
///M235i | Mineral Grey Metallic | Premium Package | Technology Package | Driver Assistance Package | Dakota Coral Red/Black Leather | Harman/Kardon Premium 360 watt sound system | 8-speed automatic

When writing your life's plan, use a pencil with an eraser
Appreciate 1
wtwo317873.00
      06-23-2022, 03:53 PM   #51
infinitekidM2C
Major General
infinitekidM2C's Avatar
United_States
4186
Rep
5,727
Posts

 
Drives: 2019 M2 Competition
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Orange County, CA

iTrader: (4)

Garage List
I have a family of four and went a couple years ago. You can dm if you have any specific questions. I stayed at the Grand Floridian. 10K should be fine. I didn't go on the cheap and stayed a week or so.

With respect to planning, 6 months in advance is probably the minimal for the hotel but you're going in the fall so that might help. Stay inside the "world" trust me. And try to get a hotel with monorail access.

You're in that grey zone with your kids' age. Any younger and it's too much as there's still a lot of walking and you'll probably be doing stuff each day. But she's probably super into Disney right now so may as well strike while the iron's hot.
Appreciate 1
wtwo317873.00
      06-23-2022, 03:59 PM   #52
happyjack
Captain
happyjack's Avatar
United_States
1657
Rep
922
Posts

 
Drives: '21 F87 M2C 6MT
Join Date: Nov 2017
Location: old line state

iTrader: (0)

Garage List
Quote:
Originally Posted by infinitekidM2C View Post
You're in that grey zone with your kids' age. Any younger and it's too much as there's still a lot of walking and you'll probably be doing stuff each day. But she's probably super into Disney right now so may as well strike while the iron's hot.
this is an excellent point. i dont remember the ride height restrictions, but if you're only going to do disney once for your kids, then maybe wait until they can ride all the "big kid" rides?

although...i still remember how much my then 4 year-old daughter LOVED seeing princess belle and wanted to go see every one of belle's live reading sessions...and we wouldnt have had that moment if we had waited until she was 10-12 years old.
__________________

my garage: '23 G05 xDrive40i m-sport; '21 F87 M2C, 6MT; '17 F25 x-drive28i SAV; '15 F55 mini hatch 5-door
retired: '87 E30 MT 'vert; '92 E36 sedan; '99 E36 MT 'vert; '06 E90 x-drive sedan; '07 E83 x-drive30 SAV; '09 E91 x-drive wagon; '12 E89 Z4 MT M-sport; '15 F22 sport line
Appreciate 1
wtwo317873.00
      06-23-2022, 04:39 PM   #53
wtwo3
Major General
wtwo3's Avatar
17873
Rep
5,463
Posts

 
Drives: 23 X7 40i; 23 M3; 24 cooper s
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: IL

iTrader: (0)

Garage List
Quote:
Originally Posted by MoeTE87 View Post
Wife and I are in the same boat. Our daughter will be turning 5 next month and we have been working with a Disney vacation planner for the past 6months or so. The latest price quote for a 2 bedroom suite on the grounds, $20k. Wife and I almost flipped our shit we couldn't believe it. Mind you, that is with my parents, her parents and us. All passes to the different resorts and stuff. Plus, that price didnt even include, food, drinks or airfare.

We had some friends that recently went and said it's not worth it right now. They paid top dollar and hardly any special attractions were open and they felt short changed.

We were thinking about going April 2023 but have reconsidered going and looking at lake houses and a boat instead since we would rather spend that $20k on something better than giving it to someone for 5-7 days.

Best of luck!
hot DAMN $20k??

I'm hoping since it's just 3 of us (my son will be 1.5 years so he won't count) that makes a dent in the pricing.

So ticket pricing it seems like will be ~$1.6k for 2 adult adults and 1 child 3-9 for 4 days. Maybe $6k for resort stay for 7 nights? Besides that I feel like I SHOULD be able to fit in food and other miscellaneous things for under $3k.
__________________
2023 BMW X7 xDrive40i
2023 BMW M3 6MT
2024 Mini Cooper S Convertible

'20 BMW m340i... '20 BMW X5 40i... '16 Infiniti Q50 RS 400... '10 Lexus RX 350... '08 Lexus IS 350... '00 Nissan Maxima... '93 Nissan Maxima
Appreciate 0
      06-23-2022, 04:51 PM   #54
wtwo3
Major General
wtwo3's Avatar
17873
Rep
5,463
Posts

 
Drives: 23 X7 40i; 23 M3; 24 cooper s
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: IL

iTrader: (0)

Garage List
Quote:
Originally Posted by infinitekidM2C View Post
I have a family of four and went a couple years ago. You can dm if you have any specific questions. I stayed at the Grand Floridian. 10K should be fine. I didn't go on the cheap and stayed a week or so.

With respect to planning, 6 months in advance is probably the minimal for the hotel but you're going in the fall so that might help. Stay inside the "world" trust me. And try to get a hotel with monorail access.

You're in that grey zone with your kids' age. Any younger and it's too much as there's still a lot of walking and you'll probably be doing stuff each day. But she's probably super into Disney right now so may as well strike while the iron's hot.
Yeah honestly I would have held off (or not gone at all) if it weren't for my daughter being in her Disney phase and asking me about it. Doesn't help that her other 4 year old friend just got back from Disney. I figure with her turning 6 by the time we do go, that'll be a good age for her to enjoy it to the fullest.

Ideally I would have knocked both kids out in one trip if we waited till my daughter was 9 and son was 5. But good to know that $10k is fine. Some of the numbers being thrown around here gave me heart palpitations
__________________
2023 BMW X7 xDrive40i
2023 BMW M3 6MT
2024 Mini Cooper S Convertible

'20 BMW m340i... '20 BMW X5 40i... '16 Infiniti Q50 RS 400... '10 Lexus RX 350... '08 Lexus IS 350... '00 Nissan Maxima... '93 Nissan Maxima
Appreciate 1
      06-23-2022, 04:53 PM   #55
wtwo3
Major General
wtwo3's Avatar
17873
Rep
5,463
Posts

 
Drives: 23 X7 40i; 23 M3; 24 cooper s
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: IL

iTrader: (0)

Garage List
Quote:
Originally Posted by happyjack View Post
this is an excellent point. i dont remember the ride height restrictions, but if you're only going to do disney once for your kids, then maybe wait until they can ride all the "big kid" rides?

although...i still remember how much my then 4 year-old daughter LOVED seeing princess belle and wanted to go see every one of belle's live reading sessions...and we wouldnt have had that moment if we had waited until she was 10-12 years old.
I think I was reading most of the "big kid" rides have a height requirement of 48". She's a pretty tall 4 year old at 42" right now, so I'm hoping by the time she's 6 she'll hit that 48" mark.

Now if she's brave enough to ride some of those big kid rides.... that remains to be seen.
__________________
2023 BMW X7 xDrive40i
2023 BMW M3 6MT
2024 Mini Cooper S Convertible

'20 BMW m340i... '20 BMW X5 40i... '16 Infiniti Q50 RS 400... '10 Lexus RX 350... '08 Lexus IS 350... '00 Nissan Maxima... '93 Nissan Maxima
Appreciate 1
happyjack1657.00
      06-23-2022, 05:36 PM   #56
UncleWede
Long Time Admirer, First Time Owner
UncleWede's Avatar
United_States
17880
Rep
9,376
Posts

 
Drives: G01 X3 M40i Dark Graphite
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Oxnard, CA

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by wtwo3 View Post
Now if she's brave enough to ride some of those big kid rides.... that remains to be seen.
So, she'll be riding with Mom then, got it
__________________
I have romped on her and I giggled like a drunk infant the entire time. - Sedan_Clan
Appreciate 0
      06-23-2022, 05:42 PM   #57
infinitekidM2C
Major General
infinitekidM2C's Avatar
United_States
4186
Rep
5,727
Posts

 
Drives: 2019 M2 Competition
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Orange County, CA

iTrader: (4)

Garage List
Quote:
Originally Posted by wtwo3 View Post
Yeah honestly I would have held off (or not gone at all) if it weren't for my daughter being in her Disney phase and asking me about it. Doesn't help that her other 4 year old friend just got back from Disney. I figure with her turning 6 by the time we do go, that'll be a good age for her to enjoy it to the fullest.

Ideally I would have knocked both kids out in one trip if we waited till my daughter was 9 and son was 5. But good to know that $10k is fine. Some of the numbers being thrown around here gave me heart palpitations
At 6 she'll be loving it.
Re the price, you can go crazy anywhere. Just be mindful. We only ate dinner out and usually packed food for lunch. So first thing we did was order groceries from instacart. You get sick of eating out anyways.
Appreciate 2
wtwo317873.00
happyjack1657.00
      06-23-2022, 07:19 PM   #58
wtwo3
Major General
wtwo3's Avatar
17873
Rep
5,463
Posts

 
Drives: 23 X7 40i; 23 M3; 24 cooper s
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: IL

iTrader: (0)

Garage List
Quote:
Originally Posted by UncleWede View Post
So, she'll be riding with Mom then, got it
Her riding with mom means I get stuck with the infant
__________________
2023 BMW X7 xDrive40i
2023 BMW M3 6MT
2024 Mini Cooper S Convertible

'20 BMW m340i... '20 BMW X5 40i... '16 Infiniti Q50 RS 400... '10 Lexus RX 350... '08 Lexus IS 350... '00 Nissan Maxima... '93 Nissan Maxima
Appreciate 0
      06-26-2022, 10:28 AM   #59
Tyga11
Lieutenant Colonel
3227
Rep
1,606
Posts

 
Drives: M4 Comp
Join Date: Jul 2019
Location: Arizona

iTrader: (0)

Not trying to derail your thread OP but I couldn't imagine spending $10k+ on a week in Disney World. Just seems like a crazy amount of money and I wouldn't be able to enjoy myself unless I'm getting some crazy VIP experience. Do you at least get to cut all the lines for that kind of money?

We used to stay in the Disney Sports Resort or whatever it was called. It's probably a dump now but it was $100 a night or maybe even less 20 years ago and was fine. My dad used to take me to Waffle House every morning for breakfast and sometimes we just stayed in a Howard Johnson.

Had the time of my life I don't think 5-6 year olds will care about staying in the fancy disney resort paying $900 a night for a room and they rip you off for food / etc.

If you're a baller though do what you please lol
Appreciate 1
wtwo317873.00
      06-26-2022, 11:32 AM   #60
wtwo3
Major General
wtwo3's Avatar
17873
Rep
5,463
Posts

 
Drives: 23 X7 40i; 23 M3; 24 cooper s
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: IL

iTrader: (0)

Garage List
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tyga11 View Post
Not trying to derail your thread OP but I couldn't imagine spending $10k+ on a week in Disney World. Just seems like a crazy amount of money and I wouldn't be able to enjoy myself unless I'm getting some crazy VIP experience. Do you at least get to cut all the lines for that kind of money?

We used to stay in the Disney Sports Resort or whatever it was called. It's probably a dump now but it was $100 a night or maybe even less 20 years ago and was fine. My dad used to take me to Waffle House every morning for breakfast and sometimes we just stayed in a Howard Johnson.

Had the time of my life I don't think 5-6 year olds will care about staying in the fancy disney resort paying $900 a night for a room and they rip you off for food / etc.

If you're a baller though do what you please lol
Times have definitely changed. I have stayed in a Howard Johnson or two back in my younger days when we first moved to the US.

The fancy resort isn't for the kids, that's for my wife and I at least we'll have a nice place to come back ro every night after a day full of chaos.

I do agree $10k for a week at Disney is insanity... but seems that's the going rate for a luxury trip down there. Of course you can probably slide that scale +/- $5k.

Let's see what we get. I've reached out to one of those Disney vacation planners (they don't charge anything for their services so I figured why not). I let her know our budget is $10k, so we'll see what we get for that. If it's nothing special I may tighten that budget a bit.
__________________
2023 BMW X7 xDrive40i
2023 BMW M3 6MT
2024 Mini Cooper S Convertible

'20 BMW m340i... '20 BMW X5 40i... '16 Infiniti Q50 RS 400... '10 Lexus RX 350... '08 Lexus IS 350... '00 Nissan Maxima... '93 Nissan Maxima
Appreciate 1
Tyga113227.00
      06-26-2022, 12:42 PM   #61
TXSTYLE
"Salud"
TXSTYLE's Avatar
United_States
13653
Rep
4,662
Posts

 
Drives: F01 & F15 / Mineral White
Join Date: May 2013
Location: The GYM! (The Burbs - N TX)

iTrader: (0)

Lightbulb

Quote:
Originally Posted by wtwo3 View Post
I'm not a fan of Disney World... tons of screaming children makes my skin crawl... but my daughter is approaching 5 years old and keeps asking when we're going to "Dimsey". Just had a newborn 2 months ago, it's a bit too early for us to go travel there for daughter's 5th bday. So thinking about potentially travelling travelling there for her 6th birthday in late fall 2023.

1) How soon is too soon to start planning a trip to Disney? I've heard of resorts and some of the popular restaurants (something about dining in a castle) that get booked up immediately as they become available, so in an effort to make this a "magical" experience for her, I'm willing to begin the process as soon as necessary.

2) Has anyone ever used one of those Disney vacation planners? Any good? I'm seeing the "Vacationeers" as one of the top rated Disney trip planners, so considering talking to them.

3) Any other tips? We'd probably be doing a 7 night, 6 day trip. 4 days at the parks with a couple down days to mentally recover from screaming children. Thinking of a budget under $10k for 4 of us (me, wife, 6yr old daughter and 1.5yr old son at time of travel).
First of all.... Your opening comment is absurd. Obviously, kids and children = DISNEY!

Now then... You absolutely must use a
expert Disney Travel agent. I can't even get into all of the benefits why. But I will simply say that it is of zero additional cost to you! Disney compensates then.

I can speak from very recent experience since my family of 4 recently went. We stayed at the Polynesian for 5 Days. It was a magical experience and worth every nickel of the $10k we spent.
We will do it again and use the same agent too.
Appreciate 1
wtwo317873.00
      06-26-2022, 01:11 PM   #62
F30lolz
I can haz cheezburger?
F30lolz's Avatar
6799
Rep
3,677
Posts

 
Drives: 14 Sahara/08 335xi/22 Maverick
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: Miami, FL/Shelbyville, IN

iTrader: (0)

Garage List
Quote:
Originally Posted by wtwo3 View Post
I'm not a fan of Disney World... tons of screaming children makes my skin crawl... but my daughter is approaching 5 years old and keeps asking when we're going to "Dimsey". Just had a newborn 2 months ago, it's a bit too early for us to go travel there for daughter's 5th bday. So thinking about potentially travelling travelling there for her 6th birthday in late fall 2023.

1) How soon is too soon to start planning a trip to Disney? I've heard of resorts and some of the popular restaurants (something about dining in a castle) that get booked up immediately as they become available, so in an effort to make this a "magical" experience for her, I'm willing to begin the process as soon as necessary.

2) Has anyone ever used one of those Disney vacation planners? Any good? I'm seeing the "Vacationeers" as one of the top rated Disney trip planners, so considering talking to them.

3) Any other tips? We'd probably be doing a 7 night, 6 day trip. 4 days at the parks with a couple down days to mentally recover from screaming children. Thinking of a budget under $10k for 4 of us (me, wife, 6yr old daughter and 1.5yr old son at time of travel).
My wife, son (15) and I will be going to Disney around the same time as you (October 2023) for a week but we’re staying at the campsites and will tent or pop up camp it for 7-8 nights and do 3 park passes for roughly $1900. Been to Disney maybe 30 times but the last was March 2021 and stayed at the Coronado Springs Resort which is considered moderate but the main tower can be considered deluxe. I’ve attached some pictures below.

1) IMHO I would start looking into resorts now to get a feel of availability and figure out what’s priority. Value, moderate or deluxe resort? Close to Magic Kingdom or any particular park? When booking, they require $200 down so you can pay it off up to 30 days before your check in date.

2) I have zero experience so I cannot be of any help.

3) Download the Disney app so you can get a feel of the map of where everything is located and it’ll give you current wait times for all the rides. You’re allowed to bring in your own food and drinks as long as they aren’t in glass so I pack a backpack with water/juice and some snacks. Normally, we’ll have a ‘quick service’ meal during lunch. October isn’t that bad but IMHO the best time to go is the 2nd week of January. Went a few times during that timeframe and there were zero lines but this was back in 2005-2015 as since then we’ve been going around Feb/March and September. Your son won’t require a ticket so he would be free for all park entries but he won’t remember anything unfortunately. We took our son the first time when he was 2.5 years old but remembers little things surprisingly.

I’m assuming you’ll be flying into MCO (Orlando International Airport)? Too bad they did away with the Magical Express where they pick you up in a Disney shuttle bus (was operated by Mears which is a huge transportation company in the Orlando area) and delivered your bags straight to your room (IIRC) all for free. Planning on renting a car from the airport or paying for a shuttle? Disney charges at least $15 to $25 per night for parking at one of their resorts but they’ll waive the minimum $25 theme park parking per day. Funny, they didn’t charge us parking when we stayed at the Coronado Springs Resort.

Feel free to send me a message if you have further questions. Sorry, not sure why I don’t have any interior pics ATM.

Edit: $3k cost for 8 nights at the Coronado Springs Resort with 2 Disney parks and 2 day/2 park pass for Universal and that included our food and transportation cost. Again, this was March 2021 when they were doing massive discounts to get people out from under the lockdown.
Attached Images
     
__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by RaptorKTM View Post
Also our E90 330 and 325 will soon have some sort of boost. So there is actually more of a chance to get more hp out of a 330 then a 335 in my opinion

Last edited by F30lolz; 06-26-2022 at 02:50 PM..
Appreciate 1
wtwo317873.00
      06-26-2022, 03:07 PM   #63
wtwo3
Major General
wtwo3's Avatar
17873
Rep
5,463
Posts

 
Drives: 23 X7 40i; 23 M3; 24 cooper s
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: IL

iTrader: (0)

Garage List
Quote:
Originally Posted by F30lolz View Post
My wife, son (15) and I will be going to Disney around the same time as you (October 2023) for a week but we’re staying at the campsites and will tent or pop up camp it for 7-8 nights and do 3 park passes for roughly $1900. Been to Disney maybe 30 times but the last was March 2021 and stayed at the Coronado Springs Resort which is considered moderate but the main tower can be considered deluxe. I’ve attached some pictures below.

1) IMHO I would start looking into resorts now to get a feel of availability and figure out what’s priority. Value, moderate or deluxe resort? Close to Magic Kingdom or any particular park? When booking, they require $200 down so you can pay it off up to 30 days before your check in date.

2) I have zero experience so I cannot be of any help.

3) Download the Disney app so you can get a feel of the map of where everything is located and it’ll give you current wait times for all the rides. You’re allowed to bring in your own food and drinks as long as they aren’t in glass so I pack a backpack with water/juice and some snacks. Normally, we’ll have a ‘quick service’ meal during lunch. October isn’t that bad but IMHO the best time to go is the 2nd week of January. Went a few times during that timeframe and there were zero lines but this was back in 2005-2015 as since then we’ve been going around Feb/March and September. Your son won’t require a ticket so he would be free for all park entries but he won’t remember anything unfortunately. We took our son the first time when he was 2.5 years old but remembers little things surprisingly.

I’m assuming you’ll be flying into MCO (Orlando International Airport)? Too bad they did away with the Magical Express where they pick you up in a Disney shuttle bus (was operated by Mears which is a huge transportation company in the Orlando area) and delivered your bags straight to your room (IIRC) all for free. Planning on renting a car from the airport or paying for a shuttle? Disney charges at least $15 to $25 per night for parking at one of their resorts but they’ll waive the minimum $25 theme park parking per day. Funny, they didn’t charge us parking when we stayed at the Coronado Springs Resort.

Feel free to send me a message if you have further questions. Sorry, not sure why I don’t have any interior pics ATM.

Edit: $3k cost for 8 nights at the Coronado Springs Resort with 2 Disney parks and 2 day/2 park pass for Universal and that included our food and transportation cost. Again, this was March 2021 when they were doing massive discounts to get people out from under the lockdown.
Awesome thanks for all the suggestions! Glad I'm not crazy in beginning the planning process now.
__________________
2023 BMW X7 xDrive40i
2023 BMW M3 6MT
2024 Mini Cooper S Convertible

'20 BMW m340i... '20 BMW X5 40i... '16 Infiniti Q50 RS 400... '10 Lexus RX 350... '08 Lexus IS 350... '00 Nissan Maxima... '93 Nissan Maxima
Appreciate 0
      06-26-2022, 03:32 PM   #64
DocL
Captain
DocL's Avatar
United_States
1923
Rep
863
Posts

 
Drives: 2018 M3
Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: Delray Beach

iTrader: (2)

We used to go every other weekend to Disney World when my kids were younger, and they were free at their age. My wife and I had annual passes which we definitely got our money worth. We never stayed on Disney property because we needed a larger room, and don't like to eat out all the time.

We stayed at the Holiday Inn Club Vacations at Orange Lake Resort, which is a ten minute drive to Disney. We aren't timeshare holders, but I signed up for the IHG credit card and rewards program. We would get a two or three bedroom condo unit. They have full kitchens, washer/dryer, two full bathrooms, and are clean and updated. There isn't maid service, but I never liked people entering my hotel rooms to begin with. There is a nice pool on site, and a ton of places on the main road to shop at for food and supplies.

To save money at the park, we would bring our own drinks, food, and snacks. We'd get the kids an ice cream or cookie. Sometimes I would make it out of park only spending $5.00 getting a popcorn as we left for the monorail ride back to where we parked.

Parking has now become another beast of it's own. We used to park at the Contemporary Hotel. We'd pull up to the guard house and say we wanted to eat with the characters. Of course if you don't have a reservation they say you have to valet park. Not me. We'd drive up and pass the valet and then go to self parking because the gates were always up. We could either walk to the park, a five minute walk, or take the Monorail if we didn't want to push the double stroller.

It was also a good place to park because at the end of the day we could relax in the lobby and use the restrooms to clean up. The kids would be asleep before we got them into the car lol.

We haven't gone in a few years because I don't like the way they are getting involved in politics. Just my opinion and I don't want to start a debate.

Thanks for spending your hard earned money in Florida. We appreciate the tourism dollars.

Check out the resort, and feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions. As I said before, we haven't been there in a few years and we used to abuse the Fastpass system, but I think they changed the entire process.

https://holidayinnclub.com/explore-r...ge-lake-resort
__________________
2018 F80 M3. YMB/BLK. ZCP. Three Pedals.
"Education will never be as expensive as ignorance."
Appreciate 2
wtwo317873.00
      06-26-2022, 04:47 PM   #65
Our03z4
Captain
1637
Rep
676
Posts

 
Drives: 2008 BMW Z4 3.0si Coupe,
Join Date: Nov 2016
Location: USA

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by wtwo3 View Post
In our situation those weeklong cottage trips with another family and similar aged kids are in addition to a Disney trip, not in place of one.

It's not so much that I can't tell my daughter no... I tell her no probably too often. But this is one of those things I'd like to do for her since I take special care to not spoil her on a normal basis. My motivation here is that my parents never really took me anywhere special (mainly because we grew up poor). So while day to day living I make sure she understands that she can't have anything she wants (at least as much as a 4 year old is able to understand), for special once in a blue moon type trips like this, I don't mind splurging a bit to create memories for her (even if all I remember is screaming kids and a hole in my pocket).

I always wanted to go as a kid but I grew up poor as well so it wasn't going to happen. I don't feel like I was left out, not one bit. Do I want to go now? Never in a million years.

Save yourself a ton of money and headache and don't go. Everyone I know that has gone with their kids wouldn't go again. They say the crowds are insane and the cost is ridiculous. Even people that love the place aren't happy now and apparently it's getting worse. Maybe consider the cruise, I have heard good things about it. That would still make your daughter happy, keeps the logistics simple and the headaches low.

I might be bias since I grew up only 15mins from a top amusement park. Actually have passes and had them as a kid.
Appreciate 2
wtwo317873.00
DocL1922.50
      06-26-2022, 05:41 PM   #66
Hegge
Banned
880
Rep
790
Posts

 
Drives: 2020 BMW M2 CS
Join Date: May 2015
Location: PA

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by ntg44 View Post
To be fair, he also has 4 kids, within 8-16 year old range, so it's a bit of an unfair comparison. But I know when they go, from what he's told me it's absolutely insane.

But there are so many variables like which hotel to stay at, and attractions visited, so I could very well be wrong.
Tell him to stop having kids.
Appreciate 0
Closed Thread

Bookmarks

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 07:21 PM.




5post
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
1Addicts.com, BIMMERPOST.com, E90Post.com, F30Post.com, M3Post.com, ZPost.com, 5Post.com, 6Post.com, 7Post.com, XBimmers.com logo and trademark are properties of BIMMERPOST