OT: Disney

[temery]

I'm trying to help someone book a Disney trip for January. His wife died unexpectedly, and we've raised money to send him, an adult child, and two kids, 5 and 7, to Disney.

The sister of a friend who is a "Disney Specialist" travel agent sent me these options (six days), which does not include travel:

Grand Floridian Resort
Outer building garden view room
$5356.66 with no meal plan
$6099.08 with Quick Service
$6369.06 with Plus Dining Plan


Polynesian Resort
Standard view room
$4687.27 with no meal plan
$5429.69 with Quick Service
$5699.67 with Plus Dining Plan


Contemporary Resort
Garden wing garden view room
$4453.27 with no meal plan
$5195.69 with Quick Service
$5465.67 with Plus Dining Plan

I have no idea if these are good prices or not. Bottom line: I'm using my credit card rewards points for flights, but the rest is a bit more than we've raised. Any suggestions for cutting the costs, but still staying on Disney grounds, which I'm told is ideal?

All suggestions are welcome. It'll be their first trip, and I've never been to Disney, so I have no knowledge of what they have to offer.

Thanks,

Tom

 

[NYCSUGrad]

I'm trying to help someone book a Disney trip for January. His wife died unexpectedly, and we've raised money to send him, an adult child, and two kids, 5 and 7, to Disney.

The sister of a friend who is a "Disney Specialist" travel agent sent me these options (six days), which does not include travel:

Grand Floridian Resort
Outer building garden view room
$5356.66 with no meal plan
$6099.08 with Quick Service
$6369.06 with Plus Dining Plan


Polynesian Resort
Standard view room
$4687.27 with no meal plan
$5429.69 with Quick Service
$5699.67 with Plus Dining Plan


Contemporary Resort
Garden wing garden view room
$4453.27 with no meal plan
$5195.69 with Quick Service
$5465.67 with Plus Dining Plan

I have no idea if these are good prices or not. Bottom line: I'm using my credit card rewards points for flights, but the rest is a bit more than we've raised. Any suggestions for cutting the costs, but still staying on Disney grounds, which I'm told is ideal?

All suggestions are welcome. It'll be their first trip, and I've never been to Disney, so I have no knowledge of what they have to offer.

Thanks,

Tom

Tom, I have some travel connections on Linked In, but they may be more cruise oriented. However if one is a Disney cruise it might be relevant if combined with the park.

But I have more than 3000 connections and some are kind of interesting so please feel free to send me an invitation and I'll accept. That goes for Fishy and the older members of your board too (i.e. Husky Cuz, Mauconn and the like)

 

[NYCSUGrad]

And of course the members of THIS BOARD can send me an invitation for Linked In!

 

[SUOrange44]

I'm trying to help someone book a Disney trip for January. His wife died unexpectedly, and we've raised money to send him, an adult child, and two kids, 5 and 7, to Disney.

The sister of a friend who is a "Disney Specialist" travel agent sent me these options (six days), which does not include travel:

Grand Floridian Resort
Outer building garden view room
$5356.66 with no meal plan
$6099.08 with Quick Service
$6369.06 with Plus Dining Plan


Polynesian Resort
Standard view room
$4687.27 with no meal plan
$5429.69 with Quick Service
$5699.67 with Plus Dining Plan


Contemporary Resort
Garden wing garden view room
$4453.27 with no meal plan
$5195.69 with Quick Service
$5465.67 with Plus Dining Plan

I have no idea if these are good prices or not. Bottom line: I'm using my credit card rewards points for flights, but the rest is a bit more than we've raised. Any suggestions for cutting the costs, but still staying on Disney grounds, which I'm told is ideal?

All suggestions are welcome. It'll be their first trip, and I've never been to Disney, so I have no knowledge of what they have to offer.

Thanks,

Tom

Tom...I spent the better portion of 2015-2016 arranging a Disney trip for my family with a then 8 and 6 year old. I would be happy to talk about tips and strategy at length with you or the folks you are trying to arrange it for.

Couple of quick tips though...First, see if they can price out the Yacht Club/Beach Club for you. The pool itself is absolutely unbelievable and they will want that type of option over an extended stay. They are within walking distance of Epcot and Hollywood Studios, there are boat options as well and the bus service to the Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom were frequent, quick and on time.

Tell them to back sure they call one of the companies to arrange a stroller rental for the five year old. I was super skeptical but it was entirely worth it. With the amount of walking, heat, late nights, etc. they will want it. It also gives them a great place to put their stuff, water that they can bring into the park, etc.

Really sorry to hear the circumstances they are going. If you contact Disney, I would not be surprised if they try to do a little something special for the kids.

SUOrange44

 

[cto]

Fishy knows a lot about Disney tours. You should ask him. His family has taken several of them.

 

[AZOrange]

Try costco

 

[Shrmdougluvr]

I am buy no means a WDW expert, but we have done some variation of a Disney trip in 2013, 2016, 2017, and will again this February. What you and your friends are doing is tremendous. These are my general thoughts:

• I have never stayed in the Polynesian, but did stay in the Contemporary and Grand Floridian years ago. Generally, the Grand Floridian is considered WDW's flagship resort and you pay an according premium. IMO, they all feel a bit isolated even though they are on the monorail. However, if they want to spend most of their time at Magic Kingdom, they are the most convenient;
• I second SUOrange's recommendation of one of the Yacht or Beach Club (sister resorts). They share a lot of amenities, including the best pool at WDW, and are walkable to EPCOT and Hollywood Studios (or you take a water taxi). You take Disney buses pretty much everywhere else (i think except Fort Wilderness, where you have to get a connection to a boat);
• If they can go off peak, it is a better value, and much easier to get around the parks. Two years ago we did a full week two weeks after the upstate NY February recess. It was incredible how much quieter and more navigable the parks were (and the hotel was less expensive).
• IMO, a lot of the food is overpriced and lackluster. I've never done a meal plan, but a lot of others certainly do. They may be able to eat for cheaper given the relative young ages of the kids just buy paying their own way;
• I've never done this, but a lot of families rent vacation club points and use them for there stay, which can be a real value.

Edit: I cut down my initial post because much of it didn't answer the initial questions about cost savings. Here are a few more thoughts:

• The travel agent priced only "deluxe" options - i.e. among the most expensive. They also have moderate and value resorts. I stayed at the Caribbean a while back and it was quite nice. Some people will tell you need is a quiet/clean place to sleep and change, but i believe there is a real value in location of resort and appearance too;
• Among the deluxe resorts, the Yacht Club is generally less expensive then the Beach Club, even though they are essentially identical resorts. Also, i believe the Animal Lodge and Wilderness Lodge are both less expensive.
• If you know people with Starpoints or Marriott Rewards points, you may be able to book a room at the Dolphin or Swan using those points. The hotels are quasi-disney hotels, with many of the same benefits, like transportation and 60-day fast pass options, but are completely bookable with reward points. We are staying 5 nights at the Dolphin in February and all it is costing us is the Resort Fee and taxes because we used a credit card sign up bonus.

 

[pfister1]

I'm trying to help someone book a Disney trip for January. His wife died unexpectedly, and we've raised money to send him, an adult child, and two kids, 5 and 7, to Disney.

The sister of a friend who is a "Disney Specialist" travel agent sent me these options (six days), which does not include travel:

Grand Floridian Resort
Outer building garden view room
$5356.66 with no meal plan
$6099.08 with Quick Service
$6369.06 with Plus Dining Plan


Polynesian Resort
Standard view room
$4687.27 with no meal plan
$5429.69 with Quick Service
$5699.67 with Plus Dining Plan


Contemporary Resort
Garden wing garden view room
$4453.27 with no meal plan
$5195.69 with Quick Service
$5465.67 with Plus Dining Plan

I have no idea if these are good prices or not. Bottom line: I'm using my credit card rewards points for flights, but the rest is a bit more than we've raised. Any suggestions for cutting the costs, but still staying on Disney grounds, which I'm told is ideal?

All suggestions are welcome. It'll be their first trip, and I've never been to Disney, so I have no knowledge of what they have to offer.

Thanks,

Tom

Haven't been in awhile but I think of those hotels options as being higher end because they have monorail stops at/in them. I think you might be able to save a little money going to on property hotels that aren't on the monorail, but on the bus service to the parks e.g. Port Orleans or Coronado Springs. If you are going to Animal Kingdom or Hollywood Studios you are taking buses there anyway. I think you definitely want to do a meal plan if you can swing it. A lot of information at this website www.allears.net

 

[Shenexon]

One of the wonderful things about Disney is the variety of hotels they've built over the years. I've stayed at a lot of them and while I like the monorail resorts a lot, every one of their resorts has something unique and cool. When they were younger, my kids liked the pools more than the parks so we spent a lot of time at various disney pools. Personally, I wouldn't just look at the high-end resorts but would price places like Coronado Springs, Caribbean Beach, and Port Orleans resorts. Each resort has its own selection of food and some are better than others. We went to Port Orleans for several years because we liked their dining hall. I like the Riverside part more than the French Quarter part. I never opted for the meal plans as it seemed limiting and generally not optimal for my family's dietary preferences.

If there is a particular theme your friends are fond of, the themed resorts offer their own joys. My kids and ex-wife just got back from a trip to Disney and stayed at the Art of Animation resort. It's relatively new and got good reviews from them. There are quite a few resorts on the cheaper end that can be a lot of fun if you're into the theme they portray. I liked the buses fine but they got very crowded at times so choosing travel times can make a difference between feeling happy at the end of the ride or being pissed at the world.

If you want to cover their meals but aren't sure about the meal plan, you can also leave a card on file that they can charge meals to, but it can also be used to charge souvenirs to so beware. Disney will send purchases to their rooms or ship them home as well. They're very good at making it easy to spend money, but also do the customer service thing right.

In the end, you won't be able to cut back on the cost of admission to the parks or food costs for the most part, but the type of resort can change the price significantly. My family liked staying at each of the resorts so am not sure you need to start them with the high-end ones. I think my favorites were Port Orleans Riverside and Coronado Springs but can't say I've ever stayed at one that I didn't enjoy, though the room sizes and how many they slept sometimes made the deluxe resorts a better value. Here's a list:

Name Opening date Theme Number of rooms Resort Area
Deluxe resorts
Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge April 16, 2001 African Wildlife preserve 1,307 Animal Kingdom
Disney's Beach Club Resort November 19, 1990 Newport Beach cottage 576 Epcot
Disney's BoardWalk Inn July 1, 1996 Early 20th Century Atlantic and Ocean City 378
Disney's Contemporary Resort October 1, 1971 Modern 655 Magic Kingdom
Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa July 1, 1988 Early 20th Century Florida 867
Disney's Polynesian Village Resort October 1, 1971 South Seas 492
Disney's Wilderness Lodge May 28, 1994 Pacific Northwest, National Park Service rustic 729
Disney's Yacht Club Resort November 5, 1990 Martha's Vineyard Resort 621 Epcot

Moderate resorts
Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort October 1, 1988 Caribbean Islands 2,112 Epcot
Disney's Coronado Springs Resort August 1, 1997 Mexico, American Southwest 1,915 Animal Kingdom
Disney's Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter May 17, 1991 New Orleans French Quarter 1,008 Disney Springs
Disney's Port Orleans Resort – Riverside February 2, 1992 Antebellum South 2,048

Value resorts
Disney's All-Star Movies Resort January 15, 1999 Disney films 1,920 Animal Kingdom
Disney's All-Star Music Resort November 22, 1994 Music 1,604
Disney's All-Star Sports Resort April 24, 1994 Sports 1,920
Disney's Art of Animation Resort May 31, 2012 Disney and Pixar animated films 1,984 Wide World of Sports
Disney's Pop Century Resort December 14, 2003 20th Century American pop culture

 

[maxxyz]

I'm trying to help someone book a Disney trip for January. His wife died unexpectedly, and we've raised money to send him, an adult child, and two kids, 5 and 7, to Disney.

The sister of a friend who is a "Disney Specialist" travel agent sent me these options (six days), which does not include travel:

Grand Floridian Resort
Outer building garden view room
$5356.66 with no meal plan
$6099.08 with Quick Service
$6369.06 with Plus Dining Plan


Polynesian Resort
Standard view room
$4687.27 with no meal plan
$5429.69 with Quick Service
$5699.67 with Plus Dining Plan


Contemporary Resort
Garden wing garden view room
$4453.27 with no meal plan
$5195.69 with Quick Service
$5465.67 with Plus Dining Plan

I have no idea if these are good prices or not. Bottom line: I'm using my credit card rewards points for flights, but the rest is a bit more than we've raised. Any suggestions for cutting the costs, but still staying on Disney grounds, which I'm told is ideal?

All suggestions are welcome. It'll be their first trip, and I've never been to Disney, so I have no knowledge of what they have to offer.

Thanks,

Tom

All three of these resorts are great. Lots of things to do at the resorts to keep you busy on non-park days, including good pools, activities, and great restaurants. All three have a Monorail station which is a big plus. January is usually the least expensive month to go to Disney, so that will help and the parks will be less busy (relatively - there will still be lots of people). Does the price include park tickets? Is it a "Magic Your Way" package? If so the price is pretty good.

With a 5 & 7 year old, I would not recommend the Grand Floridian or Polynesian for a first time trip. They are more "adult" oriented. The Contmporary is not as pretty but is very kid oriented, and is literally a 100 yards from the Magic Kingdom which is a great convenience.

Are they restaurant people? If so the plus dining plan will allow them to go to the table service restaurants as well as quick service. If they aren't, the quick service meal plan will save them a lot of time. Personally I like the plus plan, and their are a lot of kid friendly buffet type options with character meal times so you can get an easy photo opportunity for the kids with Mickey or Goofy or Peter Pan etc.

But these are three of the more expensive options. Did you travel agent offer a package for Caribbean Beach or Coronado Springs? Not as nice, but still Disney resorts and much less expensive. They don't have as many activities, but in theory all they'll do at the hotel is sleep.

Hope this helps. Highly recommend this website www.allears.net. It's a non-Disney produced site that's clunky but is but incredibly informative, especially with date related stuff like special opportunities, refurbishments, etc. The guest reviews have some great insights.

 

[AZOrange]

I am buy no means a WDW expert, but we have done some variation of a Disney trip in 2013, 2016, 2017, and will again this February. What you and your friends are doing is tremendous. These are my general thoughts:

• I have never stayed in the Polynesian, but did stay in the Contemporary and Grand Floridian years ago. Generally, the Grand Floridian is considered WDW's flagship resort and you pay an according premium. IMO, they all feel a bit isolated even though they are on the monorail. However, if they want to spend most of their time at Magic Kingdom, they are the most convenient;
• I second SUOrange's recommendation of one of the Yacht or Beach Club (sister resorts). They share a lot of amenities, including the best pool at WDW, and are walkable to EPCOT and Hollywood Studios (or you take a water taxi). You take Disney buses pretty much everywhere else (i think except Fort Wilderness, where you have to get a connection to a boat);
• If they can go off peak, it is a better value, and much easier to get around the parks. Two years ago we did a full week two weeks after the upstate NY February recess. It was incredible how much quieter and more navigable the parks were (and the hotel was less expensive).
• IMO, a lot of the food is overpriced and lackluster. I've never done a meal plan, but a lot of others certainly do. They may be able to eat for cheaper given the relative young ages of the kids just buy paying their own way;
• I've never done this, but a lot of families rent vacation club points and use them for there stay, which can be a real value.

Edit: I cut down my initial post because much of it didn't answer the initial questions about cost savings. Here are a few more thoughts:

• The travel agent priced only "deluxe" options - i.e. among the most expensive. They also have moderate and value resorts. I stayed at the Caribbean a while back and it was quite nice. Some people will tell you need is a quiet/clean place to sleep and change, but i believe there is a real value in location of resort and appearance too;
• Among the deluxe resorts, the Yacht Club is generally less expensive then the Beach Club, even though they are essentially identical resorts. Also, i believe the Animal Lodge and Wilderness Lodge are both less expensive.
• If you know people with Starpoints or Marriott Rewards points, you may be able to book a room at the Dolphin or Swan using those points. The hotels are quasi-disney hotels, with many of the same benefits, like transportation and 60-day fast pass options, but are completely bookable with reward points. We are staying 5 nights at the Dolphin in February and all it is costing us is the Resort Fee and taxes because we used a credit card sign up bonus.

Agreed on lackluster food. I don't know if all Disneys are the same but DL allows you to bring in food which I'd recommend. I'd stay away from meal plans

 

[HoustonCuse]

I'd echo the words about resort level. The quoted options are high end. Do the prices include park entry/park hopper or no? If those prices include park admission for the whole crew, then I think they are really good prices. To lower costs go to one of the lower tier hotels. We stayed at Art of Animation last summer. It is not fancy but has cool theming and the pool is pretty cool. Food is mediocre at this resort but not bad. For a price comparison, we were there I think 7 days and including park admission each of the days for 3 of us and no meal plan it was right around $4k.

The hotel choice hinges on whether the big thing is a resort experience or the park experience. If it is the parks then really all you need in your hotel is a place to crash. All of these places have access to the parks via monorail or disneys extensive bus system. You'll wait a little longer for buses to/from the lower end resorts but it's not a big problem.

 

[ScrabbCuse]

I consider myself to be a Disney fanatic. I even got married there a few years back. The resort options you listed are all in the deluxe category. You would probably cut off half the cost if you priced out a moderate or value resort.

Of the deluxe resorts, I'd recommend Wilderness Lodge. It's a short boat ride away from the Magic Kingdom and is usually much cheaper than the other deluxe resorts. It feels pretty secluded even though it's literally 5 minutes from the park.

All the moderate resorts are great although I'd only recommend Caribbean Beach if you have a car. It's an enormous resort and has its own shuttle bus within the resort to get around. Coronado Springs is a little quieter because it has a convention center so a lot of adults without children prefer it. Port Orleans is probably the best moderate resort for children.

The value resorts lack some of the luxuries of the other resorts but are the most kid friendly. Each one has multiple pools and activities for children. I really liked both Art of Animation and Pop Century.

I don't recommend the food plan as more than likely, a portion of it will go to waste.

 

[General20]

I'm trying to help someone book a Disney trip for January. His wife died unexpectedly, and we've raised money to send him, an adult child, and two kids, 5 and 7, to Disney.

The sister of a friend who is a "Disney Specialist" travel agent sent me these options (six days), which does not include travel:

Grand Floridian Resort
Outer building garden view room
$5356.66 with no meal plan
$6099.08 with Quick Service
$6369.06 with Plus Dining Plan


Polynesian Resort
Standard view room
$4687.27 with no meal plan
$5429.69 with Quick Service
$5699.67 with Plus Dining Plan


Contemporary Resort
Garden wing garden view room
$4453.27 with no meal plan
$5195.69 with Quick Service
$5465.67 with Plus Dining Plan

I have no idea if these are good prices or not. Bottom line: I'm using my credit card rewards points for flights, but the rest is a bit more than we've raised. Any suggestions for cutting the costs, but still staying on Disney grounds, which I'm told is ideal?

All suggestions are welcome. It'll be their first trip, and I've never been to Disney, so I have no knowledge of what they have to offer.

Thanks,

Tom

Every Disney resort from the cheap to the expensive is nice. When you are booking a resort its ALL about the location. Disney buses you for free to all their theme parks, but nobody wants to spend their time at Disney waiting for buses. You can avoid needing to wait for the buses if you book the right resort.

If you are going to pay for a premium resort price (close to the prices you listed) you want to be at either the Beach Club, Boardwalk, or Yacht Club (in that order). These places are walking distance to EPCOT or a quick walk to the monorail to Magic Kingdom, or a quick boat ride to Hollywood Studios. You only need to wait for a bus when you go to Animal Kingdom which is far away from the rest (I recommend going to Animal Kingdom early one day and seeing everything the park has to offer in one day). The rest of the parks, its best to hop around and do them small pieces when you have fast passes booked and during magic hours (hours in the morning and night where the park is only open to people who stay on premises, and there are few if any lines)

You can save a bunch of money by not going to a premium resort. If you do, you will have to take the bus to every park, but of the non-premium resorts the nicest and the shortest bus ride, fortunately, is the same one, Caribbean Beach.

Long story short, if you want to spend the money your agent suggested and give them the best possible experience go for Beach Club or Boardwalk. If you want to save a bit of money go to Caribbean Beach. This will give them the best possible experience with the least amount of waiting and travel.

EDIT: Also don't do the meal plan, its not worth it and restricts you. Better to just give them the money to buy meals, they don't even need to carry around the money, they can pay on their wristbands and settle up at the hotel desk at the end.

 

[maxxyz]

Every Disney resort from the cheap to the expensive is nice. When you are booking a resort its ALL about the location. Disney buses you for free to all their theme parks, but nobody wants to spend their time at Disney waiting for buses. You can avoid needing to wait for the buses if you book the right resort.

If you are going to pay for a premium resort price (close to the prices you listed) you want to be at either the Beach Club, Boardwalk, or Yacht Club (in that order). These places are walking distance to EPCOT or a quick walk to the monorail to Magic Kingdom, or a quick boat ride to Hollywood Studios. You only need to wait for a bus when you go to Animal Kingdom which is far away from the rest (I recommend going to Animal Kingdom early one day and seeing everything the park has to offer in one day). The rest of the parks, its best to hop around and do them small pieces when you have fast passes booked and during magic hours (hours in the morning and night where the park is only open to people who stay on premises, and there are few if any lines)

You can save a bunch of money by not going to a premium resort. If you do, you will have to take the bus to every park, but of the non-premium resorts the nicest and the shortest bus ride, fortunately, is the same one, Caribbean Beach.

Long story short, if you want to spend the money your agent suggested and give them the best possible experience go for Beach Club or Boardwalk. If you want to save a bit of money go to Caribbean Beach. This will give them the best possible experience with the least amount of waiting and travel.

EDIT: Also don't do the meal plan, its not worth it and restricts you. Better to just give them the money to buy meals, they don't even need to carry around the money, they can pay on their wristbands and settle up at the hotel desk at the end.

Valuable advice. A few thoughts;

As the General said, location is a prime consideration. I really enjoyed Boardwalk & Beach Club. I would say though that the walk to Epcot is very long for a five year old, especially for the way back where he/she will likely be tired. The boatride to Hollywood Studios is quick & easy. With the kids being 5 & 7, the Magic Kingdom might be the prime park. If that's the case, the Contemporary or the Wilderness Lodge are the first choice if funds permit.

Carribean Beach is less expensive and is in a good location. Haven't been to the Art of Animation resort, but it is less expensive and friends have said it was good.

While the Dining Plans may feel wasteful, in the case (gifting the trip) I would recommend it. It takes alot of the stress out of choosing where to eat. While the quick service restaurants are so-so, there are many table service restaurants that are quite good, and are a big part of the disney experience. And the character breakfasts & dinners are great for the young ones.

If they can, they should go to the Hoop Dee Do Revue. It is really cheesy, and the kids will love it. It's dinner show with the seating a night. It's in the Wilderness Campground area and is accessible by disney bus service.

If the package comes with park tickets for each day, go to a park and then come back to the resort to spend the rest of the day at the pool. Or go to the pool early and then go to the park. They'll thank you for the tip later. Parks will wear them out if they try to do 12 hours every day.

You can't do Animal Kingdom in a day anymore with the opening of the new Avatar section. It will be the most crowded part of the park with the longest lines.

Disney parks take on a whole different look after dark. Pretty cool.

In Epcot, tell them to try the "eat around the world" game. As you go to each country, pick a quick service outlet to buy one meal to share among all four. My kids loved this when they were young and as teenagers.

Park hopping is great (especially if you take advantage of the Extra Magic Hours) but it takes a long time to get from park to park by bus. You may run out of time.

Once again, this is a great thing you're doing.

 

[SUOrange44]

Great tips here...one thing I would say is take a long look at buying gift cards at BJ's or somwhere similar. You pay less than the face value of the card and they can be used pretty much everywhere. I think I saved about $40 just doing that since I knew I was going to be spending the money anyway.

Also, a lot of credit cards allow you to use points for what are essentially cash gift cards. Some have sales where it costs you less points to buy, for example, American Express gift cards. We paid for a large chunk of our seven day stay with points just doing that and ordering the cards when they were charging twenty percent less or so.

I am definitely a proponent of the meal plan. We thought it was really easy to use and well worth it. We did all four parks and ate everywhere from quick service to places like Cinderella's Royal Table and Be Our Guest. As someone noted, it takes some of the stress out of what they are going to do. Plus, if there is stuff remaining on the plan, they can grab a bunch of snacks on the way out for the flight home.

SUOrange44

 

[Hoov50]

If you are still needing some tips and/or advice, my family and have been going to Disney regularly for the past 20 years. Feel free to message me with any questions or just post here.

I'm trying to help someone book a Disney trip for January. His wife died unexpectedly, and we've raised money to send him, an adult child, and two kids, 5 and 7, to Disney.

The sister of a friend who is a "Disney Specialist" travel agent sent me these options (six days), which does not include travel:

Grand Floridian Resort
Outer building garden view room
$5356.66 with no meal plan
$6099.08 with Quick Service
$6369.06 with Plus Dining Plan


Polynesian Resort
Standard view room
$4687.27 with no meal plan
$5429.69 with Quick Service
$5699.67 with Plus Dining Plan


Contemporary Resort
Garden wing garden view room
$4453.27 with no meal plan
$5195.69 with Quick Service
$5465.67 with Plus Dining Plan

I have no idea if these are good prices or not. Bottom line: I'm using my credit card rewards points for flights, but the rest is a bit more than we've raised. Any suggestions for cutting the costs, but still staying on Disney grounds, which I'm told is ideal?

All suggestions are welcome. It'll be their first trip, and I've never been to Disney, so I have no knowledge of what they have to offer.

Thanks,

Tom