A Little Freaked Out - Opinions needed please

[szyper]

We decided to go to WDW in October and my sister mentioned that her family was also going in October, so we started planning together and even got our brother interested. We are set to go Oct. 22-26 and just bought our plane tickets. We will be staying at OKW, as my sister is a DVC member.

That being said, I am a little freaked out now. My aunt is telling me that it is going to be very hot still at that time and my husband thought we were spending almost $3000 for a week, not four days (since we are at OKW we had to stay the same length as my sister). Last time we went it was early January. It was still very hot and muggy, very crowded, it rained, and I got the stomach flu (kids got it on the way back). So, I thought we would try a different time of year.

Now I am wondering if we would be better to try January again. October seems so expensive and I am worried about crowds and heat (I would honesty love if it was about 60 degrees when we went, not that that's possible).

Can plane tickets be changed or would we have to eat the whole amount? Would January be better all around? Are we missing out by not going for a week? We swore we would do it on our terms next time around (went with husband's family last time) and here we are again. Ugh!

Sorry this is long - thanks for any input!

[KAT1811]

Not too sure about October but I am sure that it will not be 60s! LOL! We go in November and for the first week of our last trip it was beautiful mid to low 80s and the next week it was cooler low 70s and our last full day was in the 60s. That being said there can always be uncharacteristicly hot or cold days, one never knows.

As far as going for 4 days, not me, I find it hard to get everything we want to do in in the two weeks we are there. IMHO if I were you I would go when you want, with your family, and stay longer at a moderate or value resort.

We stayed at the All Star Movies last year for two weeks for the first time ever by ourselves and loved it! We are heading to OKW this year again for two weeks by ourselves and are really looking forward to it. Good luck!

[dmerchant]

We have been twice in October each time the weather has been very hot. (95 - 98) We went in November the week after Thanksgiving. Crowds were down and the weather was perfect (80's). Sorry!! can't help with your airline tickets.

[spoiledraf]

Never been in January but have been in early October and it's not terribly hot, or crowded. There will likely be more people than January but still, very short lines and little need if any for fast passes. The people I know who have gone in January have dealt with some miserable weather so I personally would never go that time of year.

[cmsizzlin]

We were there Mid October 08 and it was extremely hot and humid. It was also extremely crowded but maganable for us we just went with the flow.

[Strmchsr]

:welcome: to Intercot!!!

Check the historic weather conditions page in Info Central for exact conditions during that time for the last 5 years. Actually, last year 2 days during that time frame were in the 60s. You just never know, but, late October is almost never what I call "hot". I'm also from southern AL, so our definitions of hot might be different but those exact details will give you a better idea.

Crowds are larger than they used to be due to the MNSSHP, F&WF, and many schools now having fall breaks. So, expect crowds, but there isn't an "uncrowded" time at WDW any more. If you have a plan and use fastpass you'll be fine.

January would save you money as it's value season and I think October is considered regular season. That might make a couple of hundred dollars difference.

Plane tickets can be changed. Depending on the airline, there's usually some sort of fee (maybe $50) but you can change the flight without eating the entire price. If you're flying SWA it's no problem to change.

The key is going on your terms. If you feel you're not going to get the vacation you want, then don't go. It's too much money to have a bad experience.

[Laura670]

I have never been in Oct either actually we are going in Oct this year for the first time.

As for the plane tickets it depends on the airline. I know that Delta charges $100 to change each ticket and USair charges anywhere from $50 to $100 but Southwest doesn't charge anything they just give you a credit good for a year. I hope this helps!

[DizneyRox]

$3000 for 4 days? Wow, someone call the cops and report a robbery! You can do better than that, I'm sure.

[buzznwoodysmom]

$3000 for 4 days? Wow, someone call the cops and report a robbery! You can do better than that, I'm sure.

That's what I was thinking!!!! Unless that $3000 includes your plane tickets and the dining plan you are getting ripped off big time.

[Zippy 1]

We went for 10 days in early November 2007 and stayed at POR and paid less than $3000 with the dining plan. The weather was beautiful low 80's we had a blast.:mickey: This did not include airfare.

[szyper]

We are splitting a two bedroom at OKW with my brother's family (so we're paying half) with the dining plan and 5-day hopper passes. I think our total is about $2800 for 2 kids & 2 adults (+ 1 infant) including airfare for Oct. 22-26. I priced out POR for the same time and it was about the same price. Are we paying too much?

[sainter]

As other have said unless you are flying Southwest you will be charged a change fee. It is $75 per ticket on AirTran.
We have gone in Oct many times and the weather was beautiful! Sure a warmer day here or there, though not 60's usually either. That is by far our favorite month to go!!
I would look at what you are paying for though, $3000 sounds like a lot! How many are in your family?
I would stay at a moderate or value and go for a week, but then you would be paying those change fees too...
If you want to give more details on that $3000 I am sure the Disney experts here can give you ideas about how to cut that down!

[Tink-N-Me]

MONTH OCTOBER
TEMP (AVERAGE) - HIGH: 85ºf / 29.5ºc
TEMP (AVERAGE) - LOW: 65ºf / 18.5ºc
RAINFALL (AVERAGE) - IN INCHES: 2.4
COMMENT ABOUT THE MONTH: Another quiet month

Based off information provided under info central here on Intercot. Being from the south myself, its not so much the temperature, as the humidity that causes the problem. I have been in October and didn't find the temperatures unbearable (humidity is usually less at that time of year). Since the parks close a little earlier at that time of year, we went back to the hotel for dinner and swimming. The evenings were mild enough for me to merit skipping the pools although they are heated. However, the coolness didn't bother the children they swam anyway.

[MickeyandTink]

We are splitting a two bedroom at OKW with my brother's family (so we're paying half) with the dining plan and 5-day hopper passes. I think our total is about $2800 for 2 kids & 2 adults (+ 1 infant) including airfare for Oct. 22-26. I priced out POR for the same time and it was about the same price. Are we paying too much?

Are you paying too much? Without knowing from where you're flying it's hard to say. For our family of four, unless we can catch a good airfare special, $1200 just for airline tickets is not a bad price. So given your circumstances, $2800 may be a very fair price.

Can you do it for less? Sure, but it all depends on how important things are to you. If you forgo parkhoppers, that will save you just over $200, but you lose the flexibility to go to more than one park a day. If you can go during late August to Early October and stay at a Disney hotel, you can take advantage of Free dining. That would save about $100 a day for a family of four (assuming the kids are 9 or under). Other times of year have various room discounts that could save you money as well.

However, if you do cancel out from the trip with your brother's family, you also have to decide what repercussions that may cause. They may be fine with it, or it may cause them financial hardship without having you there to help with the costs. And, would you all get along ok while you're there. We're going with DW's mom and step-dad on our trip this year (separate rooms at same hotel) and I think it will be great. Other members of her or my family would make for a nightmare trip.

[KAT1811]

. . . or it may cause them financial hardship without having you there to help with the costs.

From how I understand it the other half of the party are the DVC owners so any accomodation costs would be costs (DVC maintenance fees) they would have to pay regardless. Unless they are renting points from another DVC owner.

[SFD998]

The last time I did OCT was 08 and I don't recall the weather being that bad. I may be comparing it to the year before in September and it was almost unbearable (Mid 90's).

I am going the nearly the same dates 21-26 and airfare (not including changing the dates) was about $800 for 4 from NY. We always take the earliest flight out (arrive by 10:00) and latest back (closest to 8:00 we can get) to get the most out of the trip so it is a bit more than 5 days.

Jet Blue charges $100 per ticket to change the flight.

Airfare - $800
Dining plan - $510
Car rental - $275
Airport parking - approx $100
Hotel - DVC member charges - couldn't give you an exact number
Tickets - AP holder - Have to renew during the trip - with DVC discount about $1300

Total cost Approx $3000

[Figment78]

Okay, I ran the math for you....

Tickets: 2 adults, 2 children, 5-day park hoppers = $1072
Dining Plan: 2 adults, 2 children, 4 nights = $408

Assuming your airfare is around $250/pp = $1000

$2800 -1072 -408 -1000 = $320 remaining, which you can attribute to accomodations.

Your sister's DVC maintenance dues for OKW are $4.73 per point. To stay at OKW from Oct 22-25 "costs" them 160 points. This equates out to $757. Assuming that she is "charging" you based on maintenance fees, your half would be around $378.

So given these loose calculations - you are paying accurately.

Staying at a moderate for 4 nights in october would be around $765 before any discounts.

HOWEVER, if you wanted to stay for 1 week in October (7 nights) instead of 4 nights and wanted to stay, on your own at, a moderate resort, your cost for accomodations would be $1339 (after tax), before any possible discounts. In value season, that figure would be $1173. The increase in tickets when you go from 5 days to 8 days is very minimal. Your dining costs would also go up about $300.

So to conclude this portion:
Oct w/sister, 4 nights = $2800
Oct w/out sister, 4 nights = $3245*
Oct w/out sister, 7 nights = $4119*
Value season, 7 nights = $3953*
(*no room discounts or package discounts figured in. It would be likely you could find a discount.)

So you can see that your sister's DVC is definitely saving you money. But it is also up to you whether you would have a better experience at a different time of year, or by yourselves.

CAVEAT: All this is based on my assumption that your plane tickets are around $250 each and that your sister "owns" at OKW. Otherwise, my math goes out the window! :blush:

WEATHER NOTE: Oct 22-26 can be pleasantly warm, or windy and chilly. Very unpredictable. I was there that time last year and it was chilly and overcast. but I've been in early october/september when it was very hot, and very pleasant also.

*** What the PP is referring to about causing "financial hardship" to your sister's family is that DVC members face strict rules about when they can use or lose their points each year. If you cancel on them, I assume they would not be getting a 2bedroom on their own, which would then cost them fewer points. If they are beyond their "banking" window, they will lose those points unless they can use them up before their Use Year ends. It's complicated and confusing, but it is worth mentioning so you know how your dilemma affects your sister as well.

[Disney Doll]

We were Jan/Feb people until we went last Oct the same week as you for our son's 1st birthday. We loved it. It's not 60, but most days it wasn't hot. We could swim and it was definitely shorts weather, but it was comfortable. I will not go in summer because I hate the heat, but October was fine. It did rain a couple of days, but it was never too chilly. We loved being able to take part in the Food and Wine Festival at EPCOT and the Halloween party at MK. October is my new favorite month. I think the price you quoted sounds reasonable being that it included everything. You may be able to do it cheaper in value season at a value resort with some type of discount rate, but you wouldn't save that much and anytime you get to stay in a nicer hotel with somebody's DVC points it's a good thing.

[Harkleroad]

Over the last few years we have been in June, Nov., and Dec. Honestly the weather is anyone's guess. I live in South Mississippi so hot is nothing new. We stopped going in June because it was just too hot and found the winter months much better. That being said in Nov. & Dec. one day we wore shorts and tee shirts and the next jeans and coats. Best tip - layer. That way you can remove or add as needed.
As far as the price is concerned not including airfare we are going for a week Sept. 27 - Oct. 3 and for 2 adults 1 child (1 infant) with free dining at All Star Movies for $1600. That is what we paid for 4 days last Thanksgiving.
Now length of stay is a big deal to us. We always stayed for a week or so and had a great time. Our Thanksgiving trip was a last trip before or 2nd baby and was too short. We decided we would rather go value and stay longer. It is much more enjoyable to us to have at least five full park days so we can take our time & not feel rushed.
Hope this helps.