Jees, how many of you were there?

It is free for some hotels 2018 certain dates - not Easter for example
It is not available free for the cheapest hotels they give free breakfast instead.

Think it might depend on the hotel you book too...don't think the moderate ones get it free

Agreed. I too booked this deal last year at £3300 for 2 adults and 3 kids but £4300 for next year :-(

The meal plan is brilliant though. Likewise came away with bags and bags of sweats but also bought adult meals with the kids allowance as they don't differentiate.

​It isnt far off that due to weaker pound is it? perhaps more like 20%? Holiday in 2012 was around £1500 would be more like £2200 next year.

​They are blaming it, plus tickets have an increase anyway. But they know people will still pay these prices.

I was wondering that


I don't think you literally did :stuck_out_tongue:

Took mine when he was 4. Makes a huge difference once they're a certain height (think it was 102cm) because it opens up so many more rides. People do give you weird looks when you take the 4 year old on Tower of Terror though.

In terms of whether this is worth it, there are cheaper ways of doing Disney by staying off-site. But if you like eating then you'll spend a load extra eating lunch in the park etc. Doing it with the dining plan means you're paying a lot more up front but then you just don't have to worry about this stuff when you're out there. Staying onsite also means you don't need a car, if you're happy to stay within the Disney complex whilst you're there. Even "free" cars included in packages can end up costing a bunch once you add on the various required insurance bits. If you want a hassle-free holiday then I can recommend this.

For such an expensive holiday I'd wait until your child is a bit older. We are going later this year on the equivalent deal to this and my daughter is 7. She will be just big enough to be able to go on the majority of the rides if she wants to (1.22m for a lot of rides). We went to Disneyland Paris when she was 3 and she doesn't really remember any of it!

If you do decide to go, there are definitely cheaper ways of doing it but as 'turnma' said, this is the most hassle-free option.

Taking a 2.5 yr old would be a waste in my opinion pal, Florida can be baking hot and would irritate a young child(it can irritate anyone) but most important would be that it's s heap of cash for a holiday your child won't really remember! 7-8 onwards would be ideal ages for kids in my own opinion.

Sorry don't agree took my boys twice when they were 4 and 6 if you wait till 10 they won't find the rides as exciting as when younger also the parades when your younger is like Xmas when older It's more like 'hurry up I want to go on a ride' I think it's a lot more fun when younger they really believe in all the characters it's fun don't worry about going when young it's when there older they will Not be caught up in the alleged magic of the place

people said that to me why ? i took my girl when she was 23 months and 34 months and got some great photos also under 3's get in free . And i enjoyed it too .

We've stayed in Port Orleans twice, it's brilliant.

We stayed at Coronado Springs last year and have booked again for that this year (with the dining plan) it's a massive hotel resort with good facilities (apparently slightly better food court than other moderate hotels because it has a conference centre attached.) It's also a 5 or 10 minute drive (car or free bus) from Disney Springs (free parking and loads more restaurants to spend your dining points on)

The year before these we went to Disney All Stars (Movie) which is a budget hotel without the dining plan. Although it was cheaper initially we ended up spending quite a lot of money on drinks and food at Disney- we only ate snacks in the Parks but even that was expensive. We tried to eat meals off-site to make it cheaper (but then you need a car.)

We used a lot of our dining credits on Starbucks frappuccinos, you have to get large too right? Because it's better value for money :smile:

Cool story, maybe you should post that on a deals website so we can all take advantage of the deal..oh wait :stuck_out_tongue:

Staying a villa is not a fair comparison we have done both villa great for extra space own pool and full kitchen, but you don't get into the parks early or stay late that is just for Disney guests, you pay $20 a day for parking and you are not onsite at Disney which is an experience. We love the Disney restaurant for the theming but if we stay off site we generally don't eat in Disney as it's too expensive upgrading the quick dining plan to the Disney dining plan is great value.

However be very careful when you book as there is massive construction work particularly at Caribbean beach resort and Coronado springs and Disney are being very bad about it.

Those prices are pretty much spot on unfortunately.
Personally I wouldn't go without the dining plan, you will spend a fortune otherwise if you plan on paying for your meals in a Disney park.
14 days wont be enough to go to all those places and enjoy them, you would be very rushed and miss a lot just to get around them all.
Also I would avoid SeaWorld (personal reasons but watch the documentary Blackfish)

I disagree with the comment above that these prices seem spot on. Tickets are always going to hurt, they are expensive and vary little between companies so you will have to pay that unfortunately.

The Disney hotel sounds steep to me. Depending on when your going and where you want to stay on site as obviously it varies by hotel but we are staying in a moderate august next year which we booked yesterday and we paid just over 4 for hotels and tickets for a family of 4.

Prices have gone up year on year obviously with this year being the biggest jump in price we can remember but even still that hotel price strikes me as steep.

All depends on what budget you have. I try and do it as cheaply as possible. I bought this book when we went first, it was very good and full of info - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Brit-Guide-Orlando-2017/dp/0572046286/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1490962826&sr=8-1&keywords=florida+guide+book+2017

This website is useful, in particular the day planner to plan in advance what day to go to certain parks, you can then book the disney fast passes 30 days before each day attending - https://www.thedibb.co.uk/forums/busy-day-guide.php

I have been 3 times, the first time was a once in a lifetime holiday, saved my tesco clubcard points for years to get £2200 off a virgin package, in the days when Tesco Clubcard was worth doing, sadly no longer. So had to go back!! The other two times we went, I bagged some last minute deals, booking a few weeks before the holiday on one occasion. If you book a deal without flights, you could get stung by having to pay a premium. If you have already paid for the hotel etc, ending up paying £500-£800 each for the flights. If your visiting Universal a lot, the Disney meal plan may not suit if your not near Disney for an evening meal. Although we had a villa, we didn't use the kitchen much, eating out all the time.

Here are some costs to factor in, except for food/drink and general spending money.

Disney/universal tickets for 2018 - £670 each
Hotel before flight plus parking for 2 weeks - £150 + Taxi to airport from hotel and back £30
SUV car hire £350 + extra car insurance £30 (covers tyres, breakdown etc)
ESTA £40 for four
Parking at the theme parks are $20 a day (£15), free if staying in one of their hotels

A bottle of water in a park is £3, or the same bottle from a supermarket is 10p, Gatorade bottles were 35p in a supermarket so we froze bottles and carried them in a rucksack, so saved £30 a day by doing that for a family of 4 . We did go to cici's pizza which is unlimited food and drink for £7.50 each, a cheap meal.
Get a fee free credit card for paying for everything, and a fee free cash machine bank card.

​unsure if this is permitted but I'm the manager of an independent travel agency... been many times. feel free to call me on 01282831212 (stayed at Disney Caribbean Beach last year and had the dining plan). ask for Paul.

Iv ebeen to wdw about 7 times and these prices are increased to cover dining and no way is it worth the amount they state. Generally you pay the same for the room if one or 4 people are staying in it and that's why i would book the room seperate. I would suggest looking at the thomson website as they have some brilliant deals or book the flights and hotel seperate yourself. There is no advantage through booking the hotel with disney.


I'd recommend to stay at pop century as it offers the best value for the cash. You can get a parcel of food delivered to your room via amazon. I usually get cereal and snacks as it will save you a fortune throughout your stay. You can get a refillable mug for $15 which allows unlimited soft drinks at any disney hotel but not the parks.

I wouldn't worry about the weather as its either ridiculously hot or raining for most of the year. August will be very hot and start getting extremely humid in the latter half. April may is a good time to go as is November. As for the amount of time, i'd say 14 days if you can. Even then you wont get to see and do everything because there is so much. You can see the rest on future trips :smiley: