Honeymoon May 2018 - Trip planning help

JesseR

Earning My Ears
Joined
Oct 16, 2011
Hello all, sometime lurker here, and several years listener to The Dis Unplugged. Last trip was in 2012 with three friends and it went spectacularly - stayed off-site at a timeshare resort (Marriott Cypress Harbor - very nice) and drove down (36 hours straight!).

This time, I'm going with just one other person - my fiancee and soon-to-be wife (Sept 30th is the date!). We're both Disney fans, but I am a theme parks fanatic. She has never been, and we agreed it would be fantastic to have our Honeymoon in Orlando. To that end, I am planning a trip for April/May 2018. I'm pricing things out, and so far the best value has been to stay off-site of course, with some good prices available through Costco travel at Sheraton Vistana Villages Resort. I have also priced out on-property at both Disney and Universal, renting DVC points, and renting timeshare off-property. I want to go for around 10 days. We want to see Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom, with Hollywood Studios being a maybe. We also want to see both Universal parks (with a cross-park ticket to ride Hogwarts Express - we're both also Harry Potter fans) and Sea World, and maybe have a day at Cocoa Beach and/or the Space Center. We'd like to have a car while we're there, regardless of whether we stay on or off property, as we'd like that freedom. Maybe another time we'll stay in the bubble. I'm pretty familiar with the general theme park tips. We're of the general opinion that the hotel room need not be luxurious, but the ability to make breakfast in our room before rushing off for rope drop is very attractive. Also, this is our honeymoon - I'd like to have at least some ability to make the trip just a little bit more special. We'll have to decide how much the (significant) extra cost is worth the theming and the perks of on- vs off-property. I do admit the perks are enticing, but dang, the price difference is painful for two Canadians who are just starting a life together, and the exchange rate is horrible right now. We're forgoing a major wedding registry and instead asking guests to contribute to the honeymoon if they want to give us a gift.

My requests for help comes down to:
where do Canadians go for good hotel deals?
Good flight deals?
Good rental car deals?
In what circumstances is it worth it to go through a travel agent? Meaning, if I'm not staying on-property, is there any point?
Has anyone stayed at the Sheraton Vistana? The reviews seem pretty great.

Thanks! Love the boards and the community!

Jesse
 
My requests for help comes down to:
1. where do Canadians go for good hotel deals?
2. Good flight deals?
3. Good rental car deals?
4. In what circumstances is it worth it to go through a travel agent? Meaning, if I'm not staying on-property, is there any point?
5. Has anyone stayed at the Sheraton Vistana? The reviews seem pretty great.

Thanks! Love the boards and the community!

Jesse

1. Orbitz or Trip Advisor will give you a good sounding board for what's out there in the area. I personally like the value resorts on site as we are in the parks all day. What you would like will dictate what you pay there is something for everyone in the area.

2. Depends where you are flying from. There are lots of airfare finding websites some people like Google flights. Others will chime in with more suggestions.

3. I personally like the deals I get with Costco (if you have a membership).

4. I prefer to do all the booking myself. It's so easy with all the info on the web. I would suggest Touring Plans (,com) if you need help deciding what to do in the parks and in what order. The end of April/beginning of May is not super busy in the parks but do make up a plan of some sort so that you get to see and do all you want to do in the parks.

5. I haven't but I too have read good reviews.

Do some research and come back with directed questions and the good people here on this board will chime in with advice for you.

Congratulations on the upcoming wedding :tinker::earsgirl::earsboy:.

My DH and I went to Orlando for our honeymoon thirty years ago. We're headed back to celebrate #30 in September.
 
The Sheraton Vistana from what I understand from what I have read and heard is a fantastic place. If you don't mind having a cleaning service daily it might be the right choice for you.
For flight deals we fly out of the US. We are luckily close enough to the border that we can get there pretty fast

With it being your honeymoon what ever you book don't forget to tell them. Tell anyone really. We did our honeymoon many years ago at WDW and we had many upgrades etc because it was our honeymoon.
 
We have stayed at Vistana many times as we are Starwood owners. Love love the resort!
 


My requests for help comes down to:
where do Canadians go for good hotel deals?
Good flight deals?
In what circumstances is it worth it to go through a travel agent? Meaning, if I'm not staying on-property, is there any point?
Has anyone stayed at the Sheraton Vistana? The reviews seem pretty great.

Hotel deals - we typically just use whatever is the best deal through the Disney site - if the dollar stays as horrific as it is now I'd consider using Expedia because you will be quoted in Canadian dollars vs US and is a lot less misleading.

We've found, lately, our best flight deals are found on Google Flights (flights.google.ca). We've been finding cheaper flights RT from Toronto than we've been finding out of Buffalo from Southwest or JetBlue lately, especially taking the exchange into account. Shop around for your flights, and when you find a price your comfortable with BOOK IT, you may never see it again.

Using a travel agent might be beneficial even if you're not staying on property - helpful to have a second pair of eyes to keep everything organized. Especially with wedding planning, we booked a cruise for our honeymoon just because by the time we got close to the wedding we were too fried to worry about anything else and that seemed like a one stop shop to us....and that overplanned overworked feeling lasted for a couple months after the wedding to be honest.
 
You have not mentioned where your coming from. If your close to the boarder flying out from there might can be better for price. It is a special time, so for the more than a value and less than a moderate, I would rent points from a DVC member. Studio would suit you. You can make breakfast as you mentioned. With the pull out couch it gives you more room and sitting area. And it is nice to be in the Bubble.
 
I want to add that the time you are going is slower for the parks, but high time for DVC if you are going the rental route. With Wine and Food on at that time, if there is a specific resort try contacting an owner around 12 months out to reserve at 11 months.
And if your planning US then stay onsite there as well. The fasspass for them is worth staying onsite for the perk.
Have a great Honeymoon
 


We're coming from Halifax Nova Scotia. Looking at prices, 10 days at Sheraton Vistana Villages through Costco is $1500 less than the least expensive DVC rental (A studio at Animal Kingdom Lodge) I found on dvcrequest.com, and still about $900 less than Pop Century. I'd love to stay in the bubble and get access to the perks of staying on-property (at Disney or Universal), but is it worth the extra $900-$1500? The last time I went we stayed off-property and at the same time of year (last week of April, first week of May) and had almost no issues with crowds (taking advantage of touringplans.com's crowd calendars and touring plans, doing rope drop).
 
Okay! I have been given permission from my fiance (I know, I know) to spend a little more on the trip, so a Disney hotel becomes a real possibility. We can stay at cheaper off-site resorts for future trips. POP Century is my current choice for a value and Port Orleans for a Moderate. Any experiences or opinions on Riverside vs. French Quarter? Is there another Value resort that people think might be worth it? Opinions on Pop Century? Now, it is our Honeymoon so I am leaning towards one of the moderates. Any experiences to share for those getting extra pixie dust for special occasions? How much ought I depend on something happening spontaneously or should I endeavour to arrange things myself? I plan on getting the buttons and my fiance wants to get the wedding ears to wear.
 
Some questions:

Can anyone recommend a travel agent that specializes in Disney and Universal, and that deals with Canadian travelers?

Considering a split stay Disney/Universal, any advice experiences about doing so?

We wanted to rent a car, any advice on whether to get one at MCO or outside the airport?
 
I would recommend to stay at least part of your trip on-property at Universal for the days you're planning on visiting the parks there. All on-site properties give early entry to one of the Harry Potter worlds which is a big bonus to do those attractions before the regular park guests. Also if you stay at a Deluxe or above property (Royal Pacific, Hard Rock or Portofino Bay) it also includes free express passes during your entire stay (including day of check-in and check-out).

They are literally minutes from he parks, great resorts, and have the included perks.
 
I have contacted a travel agent and am currently sharing all my planning ideas with her. I am considering a split stay, Port Orleans Riverside/Loews Royal Pacific, so we can get the perks and parking at both properties.
 
Now that package prices are out we're getting a concrete idea of what the cost will look like and we'll have to justify what is worth the extra moneys. We'll keep you updated on what our plans work out to be and what our itinerary is. Maybe even a trip report eventually!
 
Okay! I have been given permission from my fiance (I know, I know) to spend a little more on the trip, so a Disney hotel becomes a real possibility. We can stay at cheaper off-site resorts for future trips. POP Century is my current choice for a value and Port Orleans for a Moderate. Any experiences or opinions on Riverside vs. French Quarter? Is there another Value resort that people think might be worth it? Opinions on Pop Century? Now, it is our Honeymoon so I am leaning towards one of the moderates. Any experiences to share for those getting extra pixie dust for special occasions? How much ought I depend on something happening spontaneously or should I endeavour to arrange things myself? I plan on getting the buttons and my fiance wants to get the wedding ears to wear.

If you are looking to save on your room, I would say to go with Pop Century over POR unless you are planning to have quite a few non park days. The price difference is like $100USD between the two which to me isn't worth it unless you are planning to actually spend a good chunk of your time at the resort. Pop is also in the process of remodeling all their rooms and the price can't be beat right now. You get a queen sized bed with a mini fridge and coffee maker like a lot of the moderates at a value price.

Also Priceline is having a sale right now on Universal hotels. We saved $400 on our four night stay at Royal Pacific for next April. I know Cabana Bay was on sale too if you want a somewhat cheaper room that is on site.
 

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