What is the best value at WDW ?

sag746 · Post by **sag746** » Dec Wed 31, 2008 7:25 am

My wife and I would like to spend 5-7 nights at a WDW hotel. I am a Florida resident. Is there any way to get a discount beyond the Florida Resident deals. They are always offered when we can't get off from work.
We stayed three nights at the Wilderness Lodge pre Christmas and it cost us $240 per night. That's a little steep. Also, 12/19/2008 at Mickey's Very Christmas was totally booked and no fun to be at. There must have been 50000 people there.
Thanks

MW1218 · Post by **MW1218** » Dec Wed 31, 2008 9:18 am

Well, as far as I know, you can still take advantage of the Buy 4 Nights, Get 3 Free deal being offered by Disney. I think it's in effect at all of their resorts, and is all over their main webpage.

sag746 · Post by **sag746** » Dec Wed 31, 2008 11:18 am

Thank you
Hopefully I can use their date restrictions
SAG

DisBeamer · Post by **DisBeamer** » Dec Wed 31, 2008 5:26 pm

I don't know how it would add up versus Florida Resident rates, but AP discounts are usually pretty good. Granted, those have date restrictions on them as well and you have to wait for them to be offered. That 7 for 4 deal is still being offered until Jan 20th, as far as I know, and the dates run through early June.

This doesn't apply specifically to room rates, but since you're a Florida resident, do you have the dining experience card (now aka Tables in Wonderland)? You could cut back on some of the food costs that way to make up for higher accommodation rates.

My other suggestion is probably duh-obvious, but you could try looking at moderate and value resorts to look at too?

(This from the girl who can't make herself stay at a value, but it's worth mentioning ...

).

Post by **horizons1** » Jan Thu 01, 2009 11:29 am

I echo DisBeamer. An AP discount would probably be better, and not everyone in your party needs to be an AP holder.

spodie · Post by **spodie** » Jan Thu 01, 2009 12:00 pm

Also, 12/19/2008 at Mickey's Very Christmas was totally booked and no fun to be at. There must have been 50000 people there.

Was MVMCP still going on as the hard-ticketed event? Although no one knows exactly how many tickets they sell for each party, the best educated guesses are somewhere around 10,000-15,000 tickets/party. We were there on December 15 (which was sold out), and I thought the crowds were very managable. There were a lot of people around the Main Street area early on, but the lines for the attractions were no longer than 20 minutes. Now, the lines for the earlier shows I noticed were a little on the long side, so that's maybe where you would think that it was crowded. However, since my sister and I are older, we didn't necessarily have to see the shows and we had a great time watching the fireworks, parade, and riding the rides.

chh · Post by **chh** » Jan Thu 01, 2009 9:59 pm

pirates and princess party was also a very good value; and crowds were light.

sag746 · Post by **sag746** » Jan Fri 02, 2009 6:44 am

Thank you

This is probably a stupid question, but what is an AP card?

Thanks

SAG

spodie · Post by **spodie** » Jan Fri 02, 2009 10:20 am

sag746 wrote:Thank you

This is probably a stupid question, but what is an AP card?

Thanks

SAG

AP = Annual Pass. It works out for some families to buy just one so they can take advantage of the many discounts it offers (hotels, dining, etc).

MW1218 · Post by **MW1218** » Jan Mon 05, 2009 11:22 am

Also, just a note for the OP and the thread title, the best value in Disney World is BY FAR the ice cream sandwich at the Liberty Square snack shed just inside the land from the castle. It's as big as your head and very affordable!

dwellsbct · Post by **dwellsbct** » Jan Sat 10, 2009 4:32 am

Here is my thought on this topic:
I love WDW and would go every other weekend if I could but I can't... so when I do go I try to make my dollars stretch. I love to stay on property but to pay my monthy apartment rent for 1 or 2 nights in a deluxe resort is out of the question. So I stay in a value resort. My favorite is POP Century in a "prefered" room. Face it , your resort room is a place to shower and sleep. If I want to enjoy the ambiance or food at a fancy resort well I take a bus or two and POOF! I'm there and when I'm done I go back to my "value" room and sleep.
I know this won't work for everyone but it worked well for me as a single guy and it is working now with me and my fiance'.

MadEye · Post by **MadEye** » Jan Sun 11, 2009 4:27 pm

Does AAA still get you discounts? I know they are still at the car care center by the Hess at the exit of MK parking lot, but the discount policy may have changed. Anyone know?

Post by **js3901** » Jan Sun 11, 2009 4:47 pm

MadEye wrote:Does AAA still get you discounts? I know they are still at the car care center by the Hess at the exit of MK parking lot, but the discount policy may have changed. Anyone know?

last time I was there (December 06) they gave a discount on Hotel only (not on tickets) of about 20%. Then, there were discounts on things like tours (15%), some dining (5-10%), and I believe some shopping (5-10%). I'd have to dig out my planning materials from back then to confirm those percentages. I haven't checked current prices and such through AAA, but I did check in early 2008, and the discounts were still there.

Post by **Len90** » Jan Mon 12, 2009 1:32 am

js3901 wrote:
MadEye wrote:Does AAA still get you discounts? I know they are still at the car care center by the Hess at the exit of MK parking lot, but the discount policy may have changed. Anyone know?
last time I was there (December 06) they gave a discount on Hotel only (not on tickets) of about 20%. Then, there were discounts on things like tours (15%), some dining (5-10%), and I believe some shopping (5-10%). I'd have to dig out my planning materials from back then to confirm those percentages. I haven't checked current prices and such through AAA, but I did check in early 2008, and the discounts were still there.

Here's a neat little thing: When you book your Disney vacation through AAA you get the AAA Diamond Card. This card offers you a lot of discounts at Downtown Disney. The best discount last year with this card is you get 10% off your purchase of $50 or more at the World of Disney. I did recently check to see if there is still a card for 2009, and there is. The card is part of the AAA Magic Your Way package so there is no cost for the card, you just have to book directly through AAA. (On a side note, your luggage tags that come with the Magic Your Way Package will say AAA vacations instead of Walt Disney World Travel Co.)
As for AAA pricing on resorts, I believe it is around 10-15% off the regular price during peak season.

figment · Post by **figment** » Jan Fri 16, 2009 3:31 pm

What is the best value at WDW ?

If you do your research and plan your trip using all available discount codes and tour guide info, you will feel like the entire trip is great deal.
Unfortunately, it usually takes several practice trips before you really figure out how to make the world work for you. But once you do, the value of your entertainment dollar goes a long way. All you have to do is compare the costs of hotels and shows and theme parks outside of WDW to those you find in the world. Then you realized that for your entertainment dollar, WDW is a darn good deal.
And YES LOL, I honestly believe that.