Message edited 8/13/2011 12:46:13 PM.

Re: I want to join my family and go to Disney with them.... need help though!

Mousesavers is a great website for savings.

Re: I want to join my family and go to Disney with them.... need help though!

I think it is best to be honest with your family and tell them that the cost is just too high, but that you really want to go and will need to stay at a different resort. Where are they staying by the way? For that much $$ over a long weekend you could book a DVC 2 Bedroom Villa! I am guessing that is what they are doing?

Disney has value resorts (Pop Century and All Star Resorts) which are affordable and fun! If you stay on site then you will have access to Disney transportation which includes free trips to and from the airport- That initself is a big savings. Do you have AAA? If you do you are eligible for discounts on rooms and park passes. In all my trips (15 over the last ten years) it has never been cheaper to purchase a package from Disney- It is always cheaper to book room only ressies and get your passes on your own. Even when Disney offers the free dining the hotel rates are jacked up so high that it's not such a great deal. Booking separately also has much better cancellation policies. ( 5 days full refund as opposed to 30 days)

Another good option is to rent points from a DVC owner. To rent a studio it often costs the same price as a value resort but you are staying in a Deluxe resort. I would either rent points or stay at a value resort if $ was tight,

I I can help you in any way please FM me

Message edited 7/31/2011 4:15:18 PM.

Re: I want to join my family and go to Disney with them.... need help though!

i would definitely stay at a different, more affordable hotel! you can spend all day with them in the parks, and be on your own at night.
definitely look at staying on disney property- you can avoid having to rent a car that way- definitely a plus! we just went in may, and stayed at Pop Century. Its one of Disney's "value" resorts... we really liked it! rooms are a little bit small, but there were 3 pools to hang out in, a nice food court with all kinds of stuff, and direct buses to each of the disney parks right outside the entrance.
we got a good deal from jetblue vacations for 4 nights at Pop Century, plus flights from Newark, NJ. it ended up being about $460 a person.
do you happen to know anybody that works for disney?? anybody that works there can get 3 free Park Hopper passes every day- so that could save you a ton of money! (LOL my cousin AND my friend from growing up both work there- so we didn't have to pay for park tickets)

Re: I want to join my family and go to Disney with them.... need help though!

I wouldn't worry about it if you need to stay in a less expensive hotel - I would still go and have a great time and I wouldn't say anything about not affording the other - you could just say you would like to stay at x instead. You can definitely go for less than 3K for a weekend. Where are they staying the Grand Floridian or Polynesian? You could try the Wilderness Lodge if you want to stay near those (if that is where they are staying) it is the cheapest of the deluxes (along with the Animal Kingdom). Otherwise there are always the moderate or the value resorts which are just fine too.

Check out Mousesavers.com for some tips or hints on how to save some money. You might even be able to find some discounts. If a code is not out at that time - and you have AAA they have room only rates and you can get tickets separately (you can get the AAA rate for room only through disney itself - but if you want a AAA package discount you have to book that through AAA - I would ONLY do that IF you can't get any other discount b.c they are NOT great to book though).

Re: I want to join my family and go to Disney with them.... need help though!

I certainly agree that to spend quality time with your family is not predicated on you staying at the same resort. It is certainly the most convenient, but you can certainly make it work.

I don't want reinvent the wheel as others have explained about the value or moderate resorts that may be a better fit for your budget, but I did have a couple thoughts that you may need to consider.

Although there are higher-priced exceptions, most Disney resorts are single room units. I point this out only because sleeping in the same room with the student you are hosting may be awkward. If that is the case, you do have a few options, but the most budget-friendly may be off-site.

If you plan on spending a considerable amount of time with your family at thier resort, making your way back to your resort may be a multi-leg effort that takes some pre-planning. Disney transporation will not take you directly from resort to resort for the most part, especially between different classes of resort (value, moderae, deluxe). So let's say you were staying at Pop Century and the rest of the famly at the Polynesian. If you wanted to meet them at thier resort you would first go to the Magic Kingdom, then either take a boat or the monorail. It can be done in most cases, you just have to be cognizant of the transportation schedules, park hours, and plan ahead. What you may find is that renting a car or using a cab might be your best bet in the long run - it just depends on what your plans are and where you end up staying.

Again, just some food for thought as you plan.


Bob
Mouse Tales Travel
www.MouseTalesTravel.com
888.883.7940

"LIFamilies Vendor Since 2008"

Re: I want to join my family and go to Disney with them.... need help though!

I'm a DVC member, but my parents aren't. When we priced a room for them in october, it was almost $4K. So I looked into renting DVC points and they got the same room for $1200. We used Scott from DVC Rental