First Florida Cruise - Looking to stay after the cruise

Hello everyone, I am going to cruise on Disney Fantasy on September 27, 2014. There is still plenty of time for planning and wanted to ask for some advice since I am thinking of spending 4 or 5 days after the cruise is over in Florida, DisneyWorld.

So, far this is what I am thinking of doing:

Day 1 - September 26 - Depart to Florida from Phoenix, stay at the airport Hotel and take shuttle to cruise terminal

Day 2 - Cruise starts....YES...

Day 8 - Return to port - Take shuttle to one of the Disney Hotels inside DisneyWorld.

Day 8 - Day 13 - Stay at DisneyWorld Hotel inside park...

What I am most interested is good value and price. We don't plan to stay at the Hotel for long periods of time rather just come and rest and perhaps go to the pool for a few hours....

Any advice as to where to stay inside DisneyWorld is welcomed.

Thanks everyone.

I deleted the email because I have no current plans for Disney but you may want to check with a travel agent who specializes in Disney. I believe they had some great specials on dining and accommodations for booking s through the end of May (I believe).

I would look at the disney packages on line for staying at one of the hotels on site.

Keith

It depends on your dates. If you are going at a time when WDW has free dining, I'd stay at either a value resort (All Stars, Pop) which gives you the counter service dining plan or at a Moderate resort which gives you the regular dining plan.

If you are not there during a free dining time, I'd rent DVC (Disney Vacation Club) points and stay at one of their "villas." The smallest studio unit has a microwave and mini-fridge, which can save you a small fortune on food at WDW. These are NICE rooms, bigger than a standard hotel room. We love Animal Kingdom Lodge (which has regular deluxe rooms and DVC Villas), but there are also locations all around the "world." This is usually the cheapest way to get a great room.

OK, I'm going to ask a couple questions. Is your main interest convenience or cost? How many of you are there? The reason I'm asking is that I saw your comment about staying at the Hyatt MCO and taking the DCL bus to the cruise terminal. No question, this is the most convenient way to do things, but it is also the most costly. There are hotels in the airport area (Hyatt Place is one, but there are at least 2 others) that offer cruise packages that include a shuttle from the airport to the hotel, a stay at the hotel, breakfast the next morning, and cruise transportation one way or round trip for about the same price as the DCL shuttle alone! Other options would include renting a car and driving yourself to the cruise terminal (very easy drive, and a one way car rental is a good bargain) or using a towncar/limo service which costs about as much as a DCL shuttle for 4 people. There is NOTHING wrong with your plan. As noted, it is the most convenient, but also the most costly. And DCL transfers are the same cost per leg whether booked one way or round trip--that means you can make one choice to get to the cruise terminal and a different choice to get from the cruise terminal to WDW. The good news is that Disney's Magical Express will transport you from any WDW resort back to MCO at no charge.

We did very much the same thing but did WDW first. We stayed at Pop Century. We could not get a dining package at the time we went but my daughter had it the time before and said it was a good deal.

There are a couple of travel agents that specialize in Disney. We used one of them. The TA gave us OBC so I would definitely recommend using one.

The Value resorts are just that--a good value. We've just found that for about the same price, we can stay in a deluxe villa using DVC points. Also, the value resorts are the longest bus ride to the parks (says the woman who likes AKL which is almost as long). We just like the convenience of the kitchenette as it can save a small fortune on food.

There is nothing wrong with the rooms in the value resorts. They are a little more basic than the more upscale places--a hanging alcove with rod rather than a closet that closes with doors, a little less upscale quality of toiletries, etc. NOTHING that bothers me at all! Just no fridge, microwave, toaster, etc. And the values have a food court area but no sit down restaurant at the resort. Again, not a big deal.

And yes, there are some great TAs out there who give excellent service and offer onboard credits as a "thanks" for your booking. There are also some who give great credits but have forgotten the service aspect. Shop carefully.

Disney has the salute the military special also .... $156 for a 4-day wdw ticket and discounts on Disney resorts. Maybe you or someone in your party that's traveling with you is in the military or has served in the military. Offer ends September 30, 2013 .... we changed our 2014 WDW/Disney cruise to September 201: to take advantage!!

One factor is the age of the youngest. The standard rooms at the values only sleep 4 and the suites can be expensive. Port Orleons(moderate) have some rooms with a small bed that can sleep a small child raising the occupancy to 5. Outside of that to sleep 5 you would have to look at deluxe or as PP posted renting points.

Hi everyone....thanks so much for all of you responses....here are some additional comments.

1. Yes, we plan on staying at the Hyatt Hotel or airport Hotel and take a shuttle to the terminal. Any suggestions for other hotels near by that do offer breakfast and shuttle packages?

2. I am looking for cost savings. I don't mind staying at a value resort. To me and my wife it is important to stay inside the park. So, I was thinking of the new hotel called World of Animation or something like that. However, reading some of the posts above it appears that New Orleans is also a choice because we are a family of 5.

3. Number in our party is 2 adults and 3 childrens ages 13, 13, and 10.

4. So, I have also read that airfare tickets usually are best 4 or 5 months prior to departure. Has anyone booked airfare recently?

5. Lastly, Once our cruise is complete. We plan on taking a shuttle to the Disney World resort of our choice. Any suggestions? Or, other alternatives?

Thanks again to all for providing such valuable information.

1. Hyatt Place NW (NOT Hyatt MCO) and Wyndham offer a cruise/breakfast/transportation to the port one way or round trip package. Hyatt Place was much better. I've read that the Hampton now has this package also, but no personal experience. When we did it, for 2 people it was $121. The transportation is the same whether you use it one way or round trip. They also have a complimentary shuttle to/from MCO. So you get off the plane, claim your luggage, and call the hotel. THey tell you which parking slot the driver will come to.

I recently priced it at $189 for 4 people at the Hyatt Place NW. They DO run out of slots, so suggest booking it early.

2. Most (or all) of the Value resorts will only sleep 4. Consult with Disney to see if they will allow a cot to be rolled in, but I don't think they do. With 5 of you, a higher level of hotel might be the better deal.

4. Airfare stinks. If you book Southwest and see a better price later, they will issue a credit that you can use on a future flight for up to a year. They also allow 2 checked bags free.

5. For 5 people, you'll find that the DCL shuttle is not usually the best choice. There are many towncar/limo services in the Orlando area that will cost a bit less and operate on YOUR time schedule. Happy Limo, FL Tours, Tiffany Limo, Southern Elegance......

Another option is a one way car (or in your case, mini-van) rental. You can pick it up at Cape Canaveral and drop off at a location near WDW. For instance, Budget has an outlet in the Doubletree hotel by Downtown Disney. All have shuttles to the port and to WDW. This costs less than a shuttle/towncar/limo, and allows you to stop at a grocery or Wal-mart if needed!

A hint on cruise booking. For a family of 5, you need a cat 4 or nicer. These are costly rooms. You might find it costs less to book 2 cabins. Yes, you must book one parent in each room and pay adult fare for the first child in the room, but no one cares where you SLEEP, only where you book. You can look at connecting cabins (with an interior door between) or an outside cabin for the parents with an inside across the hall for the kids. It depends on the dates, but this can be cheaper than a cat 4 and definitely gives you A LOT more space (double the bathroom, closet, TV, etc).

Hopefully it's okay to post this information on the forum. Two great resouces for information on Walt Disney World are the book "The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World" (use newest edition) and the podcasts of "WDW Today". Hope you find this helpful!