Booking a trip, advice desperately sought

Hello All

So speaking with disney gave me some more options but not to many. But it did open up the option of off schedule flights so I can do some price comparisons. However now saratoga springs and and old key west have appeared on the site! hooray. I can see why so many of you were suggesting them. Deluxe resort, nicer dining plan, near the springs etc. I think despite the distance from the MK these now are high up the list for how nice they are, and sheer value for money. On looks and rooms my wife prefers OKW but the closeness to Disney Springs for Saratoga is appealing. How long a walk is it from SSR to disney springs?

So now onto gathering prices. Looking like I'll just book flights separately unless some great deal appears.

A friends also pointed me at a DVC points rental site too so exploring that as another option.

thank you again all for your help so far.
 
I wanted Old Key West for the space - but made a mistake when booking and ended up at Saratoga Springs. SSR was lovely. And close enough (5-15 min walk depending where you are) to Disney Springs that we walked back and forth multiple times over our two weeks. It was really nice to have DS right next door - especially with all the fabulous dining options. Also, Turf Club at SSR is REALLY good! One of my favourite restaurants in WDW. Also, SSR has much better QS options. I think we would have struggled a bit with limited breakfast options at OKW.
 
thats useful to know thanks. Less quick service options maybe a issue with the children. All these little tips end up creating one huge great ball of knowledge!
 


Sorry all another question. Have been comparing prices with Port Orleans just to get an idea of how things compare. Cant get quotes for the french quarter but riversides about fairly cheaply. Does anyone know rough walk times from riverside to french quarter? thanks
 
Sorry all another question. Have been comparing prices with Port Orleans just to get an idea of how things compare. Cant get quotes for the french quarter but riversides about fairly cheaply. Does anyone know rough walk times from riverside to french quarter? thanks

5-10 minutes depending on what part of POR you're in. It's a lovely walk along the river.
 
Keep in mind that both POR and POFQ are moderates and if u are booking free dining, they get the quick service dining plan and u have to pay to upgrade.
 


Keep in mind that both POR and POFQ are moderates and if u are booking free dining, they get the quick service dining plan and u have to pay to upgrade.

Thanks yes had spotted that and priced up the upgrade to the meal plan. Just to really spanner my works a french quarter room just appeared in very early sept.... risky due to hurricances but soooo tempting as that was my first resort choice. and thanks that looks a nice short walk
 
french quarter is nice as it's a more compact resort so easy to navigate...

if you're thinking about OKW vs SSR, go with SSR.....as another poster noted, it has much better quick service options than OKW...
and the pools are great..

as i've mentioned numerous times, we just were at SSR for 3 weeks..
we were in the grandstand section with a nice pool and kiddie water play area right outside our door..
it was great..

and we were only about a 5 minute walk to the lobby/main pool/quick service..

the main pool has two slides - one for older kids/adults that's a lot of fun.
and a smaller one, also into the pool that my 3.5 year old grandson must have gone down over 100 times...
he LOVED it..
didn't even mind walking over in the intense heat to get there...
this pool is also zero entry which he also loved...

and if we had been even more adventurous, there's another set of buildings (paddock) that has a huge slide into the pool as well as a very large kiddie water play area with multiple slides..

all in all, the resort has 4 pools, one playground, a quick service food area, a fantastic community hall (with lots of activities), free marshmallow roasting over a firepit, etc etc.
and they have a boat that takes you over to disney springs (the grandkids LOVED that boat)...
and you can walk over as well..(we did that both going the official way, and the unofficial way)...

i believe port orleans also has a boat to disney springs...it's been a while since we stayed there, but i think so...
we've stayed at POR at least 4 or 5 times over the years and really loved it...the only downside to POR is how spread out it is...
that's why i would stay at POFQ if we stay there again...compact is better..
and that's the only downside to SSR actually - how huge a resort it is...

.
 
french quarter is nice as it's a more compact resort so easy to navigate...

if you're thinking about OKW vs SSR, go with SSR.....as another poster noted, it has much better quick service options than OKW...
and the pools are great..

as i've mentioned numerous times, we just were at SSR for 3 weeks..
we were in the grandstand section with a nice pool and kiddie water play area right outside our door..
it was great..

and we were only about a 5 minute walk to the lobby/main pool/quick service..

the main pool has two slides - one for older kids/adults that's a lot of fun.
and a smaller one, also into the pool that my 3.5 year old grandson must have gone down over 100 times...
he LOVED it..
didn't even mind walking over in the intense heat to get there...
this pool is also zero entry which he also loved...

and if we had been even more adventurous, there's another set of buildings (paddock) that has a huge slide into the pool as well as a very large kiddie water play area with multiple slides..

all in all, the resort has 4 pools, one playground, a quick service food area, a fantastic community hall (with lots of activities), free marshmallow roasting over a firepit, etc etc.
and they have a boat that takes you over to disney springs (the grandkids LOVED that boat)...
and you can walk over as well..(we did that both going the official way, and the unofficial way)...

i believe port orleans also has a boat to disney springs...it's been a while since we stayed there, but i think so...
we've stayed at POR at least 4 or 5 times over the years and really loved it...the only downside to POR is how spread out it is...
that's why i would stay at POFQ if we stay there again...compact is better..
and that's the only downside to SSR actually - how huge a resort it is...

.


Thanks for that. We did a bunch of research on ssr vs okw last night and came to the conclusion we preferred SSR by a Long way as it suited our needs far better.

I am exploring the fact some POFQ rooms seem to have appeared but likewise agree that I'd prefer FQ over riverside. If FQ doesn't pan out I think SSR will be the one as it seems there are no other non club level deluxe rooms to be found for my time frame, with the free dining offer, except for animal kingdom lodge (which is just a bit to far away for us this time).

And yes FQ does have a boat.
 
Well French quarter is now looking like a reality. Two quotes both similar one a shade cheaper which is working out very reasonable with a garden view room in mid sept.

One of the companies will add flights (thought they aren't released yet) for around £2700 ish.

I realise it's hard to predict flight prices but is that sensible or am I likely to do better? Gut feeling from searching around is yes I can but only by a bit. Can anyone offer some guesstimates on flight prices?
 
Worth mentioning that Old Key West and Saratoga are moderates - I think you mentioned they were deluxes?

Flight prices - I have booked 2 holidays at that time of year, stalking Virgin for best prices and my feeling is that £400 economy, £800 premium economy is about the lowest I could find, per person. Also I have always booked through Disney UK directly (hotel, flights, tickets), as their prices seem to be good and I like that if you book the package with them it is ATOL protected and you only have to deal with Disney. Also good cancellation policy, and no payment in full until around 2.5 months before, which isn't bad if you're looking for in advance. But I always get trip insurance too!

Hope that helps.
 
Actually think I'm wrong there - they ARE deluxes, I'm confused as they don't show up as deluxe hotels on the UK website because they are under the studios, villas etc. section - sorry!
 
Worth mentioning that Old Key West and Saratoga are moderates - I think you mentioned they were deluxes?

Flight prices - I have booked 2 holidays at that time of year, stalking Virgin for best prices and my feeling is that £400 economy, £800 premium economy is about the lowest I could find, per person. Also I have always booked through Disney UK directly (hotel, flights, tickets), as their prices seem to be good and I like that if you book the package with them it is ATOL protected and you only have to deal with Disney. Also good cancellation policy, and no payment in full until around 2.5 months before, which isn't bad if you're looking for in advance. But I always get trip insurance too!

Hope that helps.

Is £400 about the going rate or a rare offer? Just curious as if the £2700 is about right I'll just book it, but if its likely I should pay nearer £2000 then I'm happy to book myself. Proving hard to find a going rate especially as the flights arent due out for another month and a bit. Any guestimates are welcome

**edit** looking in May which I'd guess would be a similar time price wise I see flights for sub £400 at the moment so think I'll risk it and book my own.
 
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I've usually booked as soon as the UK offer comes out in April for the following year using a cash back site which pays the deposit should we have to cancel for any reason. As we fly Edinburgh/Gatwick/MCO using BA I wait until they have a sale, check the flights I want then ring Disney to add those flights to our booking which means just paying a further £50 per person deposit and balance due whenever the room balance is due. Usually it's just been an extra £10 or so compared to booking the flight direct with BA. Last year though having a few Avios I used them and two return flights were just over £500 travelling in May.

Incidentally we always stay at POFQ and our favourite location is the back of Building 4 which overlooks the car park but with lovely garden area between the rooms and the car park and a short cut to the bus stop. Hope this helps.
 
thanks EdinburghLass thats great info :) should be about a month and a week until my flights come out and can book. Plan to add to my reservation if price is comparable.
 
hi, hope all your plans are coming together.

We have stayed a few times at POFQ with our children although a few years older than yours at the time. They loved the pool and the rooms are lovely. We love that you can get a boat to Disney Springs and the fact that this resort is so small they only have one bus stop, which means the bus is empty when it arrives. Garden or pool view are more expensive, personally I wouldn't book it as the rooms are the same.

The first time we went we had the dining plan,we found this very restrictive as you have to book in advance and you don't always get the times you would want. We found the children didn't always want to eat at the time we had booked or half way through the day we would want to change our plans and go to another park or back to the hotel as the children were tired or wanted to go swimming etc, it so much more relaxing with the quick service plan, we ate when we were hungry in whichever park we we in, also your children will be on the child menu and there's really not much if any difference to the choices they will get. Although with the dining plan you can book character meals, but we found it easier to just book a couple oop.

Have you tried Kyak for flights? they are supposed to be good,telling you the best time to buy for the lowest price based on previous years sales. I'v not tried them myself but plan to check them out for my booking for 2018 (staying at POFQ free QSDP :))

good luck with your planing and have a lovely time

cal
 
hi, hope all your plans are coming together.

We have stayed a few times at POFQ with our children although a few years older than yours at the time. They loved the pool and the rooms are lovely. We love that you can get a boat to Disney Springs and the fact that this resort is so small they only have one bus stop, which means the bus is empty when it arrives. Garden or pool view are more expensive, personally I wouldn't book it as the rooms are the same.

The first time we went we had the dining plan,we found this very restrictive as you have to book in advance and you don't always get the times you would want. We found the children didn't always want to eat at the time we had booked or half way through the day we would want to change our plans and go to another park or back to the hotel as the children were tired or wanted to go swimming etc, it so much more relaxing with the quick service plan, we ate when we were hungry in whichever park we we in, also your children will be on the child menu and there's really not much if any difference to the choices they will get. Although with the dining plan you can book character meals, but we found it easier to just book a couple oop.

Have you tried Kyak for flights? they are supposed to be good,telling you the best time to buy for the lowest price based on previous years sales. I'v not tried them myself but plan to check them out for my booking for 2018 (staying at POFQ free QSDP :))

good luck with your planing and have a lovely time

cal


Thanks for the info Cal. Glad to hear my thoughts on the resort and what I'm expecting are spot on. We've gone with the upgrade to the standard meal plan but fully expect it to get bounced around and changed. I more wanted the option to sit sometimes and trade them in for character shows. I'm expecting to end up with a lot of reservations changing but having planned Disney holidays before I'm sure I can figure a way to make it work. Or we can take the boat down to springs and use the credits there at times. I'm planning the itinerary to be very flexible so don't plan to book to many sit down meals we can't change unless I know we're likely to be in a park at the right time (e.g. First day we do Mk)

Yea tried kayak and skyscanner but it's too early for flights it seems
 
Im afraid there is no such thing as a very flexible itinerary whilst on the standard DP.

Most of the popular, family restaurants ( especially character dining ) are hard to get ADR's so as time gets closer they can be hard to amend. You should ( MUST ) prebook all the credits you have and not plan to just ' wing ' it

We had the DP last year and loved it although it was a nuisance being tied down to dining reservations.
We have upgraded the DP for next year, the pros outweighed the cons :)
 
Im afraid there is no such thing as a very flexible itinerary whilst on the standard DP.

Most of the popular, family restaurants ( especially character dining ) are hard to get ADR's so as time gets closer they can be hard to amend. You should ( MUST ) prebook all the credits you have and not plan to just ' wing ' it

We had the DP last year and loved it although it was a nuisance being tied down to dining reservations.
We have upgraded the DP for next year, the pros outweighed the cons :)

I did look at the deluxe plan but with my children's appetite I'm not sure we'd get through three credits per person per day. Heck even me and my wife will snack for lunch rather than have a full meal after a hearty breakfast.

My children will be three and six and while they like the odd character dining experience it's not as high on their must do's as other kids yet. I've no doubt we'll do some we jus won't be scrabbling to make it to every last one.

So I don't plan to wing it :D I do plan to be realistic about what table service bookings I setup. E.g. Eat earlier some days. Plus I'll make a list of "must books" then see how they fit in, slim the list down if need be, and then put those in on some of the nights. Then on other nights make reservations we can hopefully move or cancel if we end up in another area of the park. Just a matter of being flexible for the kids to ensure they don't get too tired etc. Just basically make it as flexible as it can be within the system.

Plus there's Disney springs near the hotel. I need to look that up as the Disney site seems to only list one Disney springs restaurant in the meal plan but the podcasts I listen to suggest otherwise.

Also out of interest how are regular restaurants (ie not signature ones or dinner shows or buffets) about kids sharing a meal? Sometimes mine will ear a whole one to themselves but 8 times out of 10 they share at a restaurant due to portion size. Was wondering how happy places are for you to split a meal only using one credit.
 

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