Nancyg56 brought up something that was important for our stays. Letting the kids run off energy! You'd think, with all the walking and excitement, that they wouldn't need play breaks to run but they really do. Hit any playgrounds you walk by, find open areas where they can play, and just allow that free time to work off the mental anxiety of so much stimulation. You ALL will have a better time and less meltdowns.
The only reason we haven't tried the Cabins is because we don't want to sleep on a pull-out sofa...that's not even queen sized. The real beds are in one room and we'd end up putting the kids in there while we relax in the living area, or on the porch. So, the sofa bed would be ours by default. Meh.
I've priced 1 BR DVC and never felt like I was getting a deal, compared to studio pricing. THEN, I'd have to hope for availability. Saratoga Springs seems to be the only one that usually has rooms.
I've found that resort stays are close to, or more than, tickets for the 5 of us. My usual way to reduce the overall cost is to get tickets from Undercover Tourist, book the room under the best discount I can find, and pay for food OOP (this has always been less than the regular dining plan). I've often upgraded to an Annual Pass (just for me) to take advantage of room/merchandise/food discounts, Tables in Wonderland card for more food discounts, and then plan to go the next year!
Disney Visa offered free dining for most of August, so 4 of us are doing that instead of a room discount. We're all "Disney adults", with the higher costs associated with that. We're sticking with the regular plan but Disney always offers upgrades for those who want more meal credits.
5 day Parkhopper for 4 Disney adults 2242.88
6D/5N Room an AKL (since DH is staying home) 2348.10
Dining plan 0 (theoretically saving ~1500 but we would've spent closer to 1000 - still more than general public room discount)
The only reason we haven't tried the Cabins is because we don't want to sleep on a pull-out sofa...that's not even queen sized. The real beds are in one room and we'd end up putting the kids in there while we relax in the living area, or on the porch. So, the sofa bed would be ours by default. Meh.
I've priced 1 BR DVC and never felt like I was getting a deal, compared to studio pricing. THEN, I'd have to hope for availability. Saratoga Springs seems to be the only one that usually has rooms.
I've found that resort stays are close to, or more than, tickets for the 5 of us. My usual way to reduce the overall cost is to get tickets from Undercover Tourist, book the room under the best discount I can find, and pay for food OOP (this has always been less than the regular dining plan). I've often upgraded to an Annual Pass (just for me) to take advantage of room/merchandise/food discounts, Tables in Wonderland card for more food discounts, and then plan to go the next year!
Disney Visa offered free dining for most of August, so 4 of us are doing that instead of a room discount. We're all "Disney adults", with the higher costs associated with that. We're sticking with the regular plan but Disney always offers upgrades for those who want more meal credits.
5 day Parkhopper for 4 Disney adults 2242.88
6D/5N Room an AKL (since DH is staying home) 2348.10
Dining plan 0 (theoretically saving ~1500 but we would've spent closer to 1000 - still more than general public room discount)
