We're Poor and we wanna go...

[momtoo3boys]

We are a family of two Adults and three children (9,6 & 6 yr.s). The only option for staying on site that I see is Port Orleans Riverside with that discount code. We don't have a credit card though :( . We're expecting an income tax return but I don't want to spend the whole thing at Disney! graemlins/mickey.gif We're in North Mississippi and would be driving about 13 hours. Anyone here ever driven this route? I've been working at this from every angle I can think of :confused: . I'm a long time lurker graemlins/notworthy.gif and since I just took the plunge and joined thought I'd say howdy all! I'll post back when I have some more coherent questions (getting late here)! graemlins/sleepin.gif
Donna

[Edzter86]

Welcome to Intercot! graemlins/muscles.gif Glad you decided to join us! ;)

You must be traveling to WDW by 7/3, to take advantage of the discount code you mentioned--Have you considered staying at one of the All Star Resorts? (http://www.intercot.com/resorts/disney/default.asp) They offer you all the benifets of staying onsite at the minimal price, even cheaper than Port Orleans Riverside.

We just recently stayed at the All Star Sports Resort. It was wonderful. For a detailed description of the resort, here is an exerpt from my trip report:


We said good-bye to George and went inside the All Star Sports hotel lobby. It is extremely colorful. Balloons were hanging from the front desk. The cast members were all wearing vivid color shirts and had name tags that displayed their name, their favorite thing about Disney, and the 100 Years of Magic logo.

Some say the rooms at the All Stars are too small. We found them just fine. The room consists of a small table and 2 chairs, several dresser drawers, a TV with remote, 2 double beds, clock, phone, Bible, closet area, sink and mirror outside the bathroom, and toilet/shower behind a door. The room met our needs.
smile.gif
Let us know if you have any other questions! smile.gif

[faline]

Welcome to Intercot! graemlins/mickey.gif

I'd suggest you start your vacation planning by figuring out when you can go, the cost of the accommodations you want, the cost of the park passes, food, gas and tolls to get there and any extras (with three boys the age of your children, they will want some autograph books or a stuffed animal or something). Once you get a rough estimate of your total costs, you can begin planning where you will stay and all the other details of your trip.

Keep the questions coming. Folks here love to assist!

Good luck with your planning!

[Altair]

You can stay off site in Kissimmee for as little as $25 a night off peak and the rooms will still be nice. You will still only be a few miles from the parks.
Eat most meals off site and you can save lots of money that way also. graemlins/mickey.gif

[Minnie Meshoe]

You don't have alot of options being a family of five and wanting to stay
on site. Other than a deluxe and getting two rooms at the all stars hotels,
your choice is POR. Look at staying off site. Your costs for accomodations will
be much less expensive. Although you will not have the luxury of staying on
site, you will at least be able to afford to get there and enjoy your times in
the parks.

[Beckybalz]

Though you would probably need some assistance in order to bid properly, Priceline is a great way to get an off-site room inexpensively. Some people have been getting the Swan and Dolphin for only $69/night and those resorts can hardly even be considered off-site! But the fact that you do need a credit card for that would be a problem. Maybe you could borrow someone's and give them the cash for it? I have also stayed at the Hyatt Orlando and Renaissance Worldgate for about $35/night through Priceline and those are both great places. The cheapest I have ever stayed onsite was $49/night at the All-Star Music resort. This was a trip I took in September 2001. Good luck in planning your trip! smile.gif

[Flower]

I don't see that you would need a credit card at all. When I made ressies I never give them my credit card number on the phone. They send me the paperwork which I receive within 2 weeks. There will be a statement which tells you when you have to have a deposit in by. The deposit needs to be sent back to them in the form of credit card, money order or cheque - and you can definetly send more than the deposit to get it out of the way! If you only send the deposit final payment will be due either prior to your trip or at check-in (Depending on if the ressie is with CRO or their travel company - long story!)

At check-in you may have to give them a cash deposit on the room for extras: phone calls, roomservice,etc but I believe you can decline these services - ask when you make the ressie. Disney offers a chance for you to use the room card as a credit card inside the parks and at the gift shops - essentially they put a $1500.00 'hold' on your credit card so you can charge up to that on your room. It is a convenient feature and you get an itemized bill at the end of your stay. This is not a necessity and we rarely take advantage of this feature. It gets too easy to just 'put it on the room'. I have also heard of people getting 'mysterious' charges on their statement for stuff they did not partake in.

As far as rooms and your family size, if you stay on-site POR will be your best bet as they offer rooms with 2 doubles & a trundle bed. POR is my favourite resort!

There are many off-site hotels with cheap rates & you can often find them with kitchenettes which will also save on the cash flow. You will have to check though and see what the rate is to put an extra cot in. In the end it may be just as cheap to stay at POR with the discount codes.

[mitcam]

I have never driven but I do have some suggestions! In addition to investigating outside park options check out the Grosvenor Hotel it is right next to Marketplace (walk to Downtown Disney) you can pick up Disney tranportation there it is a little bit of a haul getting around this way but you won't have to pay the parking fees daily by driving into the parks - while staying offsite

They have a family suite and you can find specials online through them as well as calling directly. I will tell you it is an older hotel, they are just getting around to renovating but location is great for kids your age if you can't stay on site!

All star rooms are very small, but they are great bang for the buck! Also, we planned lunch and breakfast in our room a couple of days so that we could afford a couple of character breakfasts while we were there! I find that I can swallow the price of the room alot better than the price of the tickets! It is cheaper to buy them off site so if there is a store near you look into that!

Also, if you are a teacher, nurse, government employee you get a discount at the Dolphin or Swan (proof required) We once shortened our trip so we could go so consider making it a 5 day instead of 6 or 7 but really plan what parks you want to focus on so you get all your wants in!

We have 2 boys ages (now) 4 & 6 they have been twice and we focus on MGM and MK!

Good Luck

[Flower]

About your drive question, we do not travel with little ones, but our drive is 22 hours. We go straight through switching drivers every 3 or 4 hours & stop for 2 meals. I could only wish for a 13 hour drive!

Inquire with your friends/colleagues to see if anyone may have a tv/vcr combo that plugs into the lighter. This way the kids can sit in the back and watch Disney movies! A friend of mine said he bought his for about $250 Canadian so you can probably get them cheaper in the US.

[Calla212]

I have driven this far and farther! I grew up in Oklahoma and we went to WDW every year. I know that as a child I always slept the majority of the way. So maybe if you ware your kids out the day before, and get a super early start 13 hours won't seem like an eternity. Also make sure to stock up on some activity books, travel games, and books for those old enough to read. It really does make the time go faster.

We always took my Aunt's Van until we got one of our own, but we would sleep in the van at RV camp sites and then stayed off the property at an economy hotel. I do believe I have stayed at every motel 6 and motel 8 between OK and FL! Nowadays most of these economy hotels are very nice and clean so there is nothing wrong with them! As my Mama says.... "A shower and a bed! That's all we need!"

Hmmm Maybe thats why as an Adult I always want to stay at the nicest hotels!?!?

I recommend staying off the property if you really are trying to budget your money. I have only stayed on the poperty once in my entire lifetime! And it was for 2 days out of a 7 day trip. I do not feel like my trips to WDW have ever been hindered or less than when we did stay on the property.

Another way to save some money while you are in the park is to bring a water bottle with you. Drink water! It's thirst quenching and free it you bring your own. I know my mother always did that. Plus don't forget the umbrellas and rain ponchos from home! The yellow micky mouse ones are cute but not worth the $.

Hope this helps some. graemlins/silly.gif

[Beast_fanatic]

Just wanted to suggest that All Star Vacation Homes (http://www.allstarvacationhomes.com/) might be a great option for you. They aren't on-site, but they are nearby and are one of Intercot's sponsors. That way, you'd have a kitchen and could eat many meals on the cheap as well as having plenty of room for everyone (mom and dad would even get some privacy)!

Another thing that you might consider is contacting Intercot's official travel agency, Magical Journeys travel (http://www.yourmagicaljourneys.com/), to see what kind of deal they can work up for you. They don't charge any fees, and they always try to find the best deal for you!

[momtoo3boys]

graemlins/clappy.gif Hi, thank you everyone who responded to my post. My dh called and booked us a room at Riverside for May 26 too the 30th for 598.00 with that code. I kept stressing CRO and so he was versed in how to go about everything (thanks to everyone here and there). The CRO Person said wow, most folks don't know how too ask and she also said ya'll must have done your homework. He said we wouldn't need tickets cause we're getting them ordered from another site (don't know if it's alright to post, so I won't). So far, our trips going to be about 1368.00 without gas, food, and a few extras. We're getting a park hopper with a water park option. Looks as if we're really going to have to plan to get it all in! I'm just too excited!
graemlins/muscles.gif Donna

[faline]

Congratulations on your upcoming trip! We'd love to hear how it all goes!

[Am I Excited or what]

We are a family of five and find it difficult to stay on-site. So we mostly stay off-site where the hotels do cater for 5

Its not so bad especially if you are driving

The extra money you save by staying off-site pays for a lot of extras during the holiday

Best wishes have a good vacation whatever you do .
graemlins/mickey.gif graemlins/mickey.gif

[Flower]

Congratulations! You will all love POR!!!!

[Munch]

Welcome to Intercot!!!!

And congratulations on your upcoming trip. I think you'll love POR. The atmosphere is low key and casual and there's lots of stuff to do right on the grounds. The kids will have a blast roaming the paths and checking out the swimming hole. As someone mentioned earlier, you can get the trundle bed that slides out from under one of the 2 doubles so it will work for a family of five quite nicely (just don't forget to get the kid off the bed before you slide it back under graemlins/laughing.gif ). And something I think would be a big plus for a family is the double sink!

[Sinewiz]

Hello and congratulations on your upcoming trip! If money is a major concern I would seriously consider staying off grounds in Kissimmee. While I am a big proponent of staying on site the reality is that you can get a nice room with a pool for half of what you will pay at Disneys cheapest resorts. Now most people will tell you all the benefits of staying on Disney grounds and there are quite a few, but if your looking for places to save it's a good place to start. Many of the hotels in Kissmmee are a quick 5 minute drive on to Disney property.
Take care, and have a great time! smile.gif

[Freetime]

I think you will enjoy POR. We will be staying at POFQ in the beginning of May and will be driving from Arkansas, through Memphis and down HWY 78 to Birmingham, catching I20 to Atlanta and I-75 south from there. It is a 17 hour drive from where we are. We are planning on an overnight at Macon for us though. We will be going more leisurely.

A 13 hour drive with the kids can be rough and I would estimate 15 hours with potty breaks and stopping to stretch.

One other thing I would reccommend. We used to be in the Military and had to travel a LOT. We found something that made the trip more pleasant for the kids which made it more pleasant for us. For drinks in the car, give them Sleepy Time Herbal Tea. It is in a green box.. It doesn't knock anybody out... but it does mellow out the kids. It is already sweet, but you may need to add a little sugar (strange it doesn't counter act the sleep part). We also played games with the kids... Like I would put a $1 bill on the dash and told the kids that the first one to find a Red VW got the cash, Or a Jet Plane, Or a Propeller plane, or the Georgia state Sign... the List can go on and on.. it is a good way to give the kids some of their own spending money. Dont' forget to pad the pot for the little ones!

As far as staying cheap, I would plan on at least 1 character meal for the kids. Your breakfasts can be brought from home with perhaps the purchase of some milk or orange juice. don't forget to purchase Mugs at your resort. The mean "free Drinks" for the stay and also would be a good souvenier for each of the kids.

Read the trip reports from other people. Especially if they are going or staying where you did. I just read one yesterday that talked about a campfire and smores making that takes place at POR! I had never heard or read of it before. You may find yourself at the room one night and decide to take the kids there!

I can't think of much else right now though. If you have any questions feel free to post them to the boards. Lots of experience here and we can all stand the information overload as long as it's Disney Related! graemlins/mickey.gif


Tony

[Missouri Bell]

Hello Donna and welcome to Intercot! smile.gif
Have you thought about the Disney Campground? If your family enjoys camping it might be something that could work out well for you.
I use priceline to get very good deals on hotels near WDW but you do need a credit card for them, there are many internet sites though to check for low cost rooms you could book with probably sending them a money order to hold the reservation.
Another possibility would be if you knew of another family interested in going and you combine resources and rent a home near by. It's not as expensive as you might think and you save money by not having so many meals in the parks.
Since you'll be driving down you'll be able to save money by going to off site restaraunts etc.
The biggest expence will be the tickets and depending on how many days you'll be going you might want to invest in atleast 1 annual pass, it can be a childs even and then you don't have to pay the 7.00 parking every day if you're staying off site.
Good luck in your planning and be sure to let us know how it all goes!!

[mulderxcoltrane]

A great travel game to keep kids occupied is "Rubberneckers". It is like the game Freetime suggested where you look for different things while driving like a basketball hoop, a semi, etc. and you get points for each thing you find. It's a set of cards that come in its own small box(about the size of a Walkman). We got ours at Target, but you can probably find them at a Wal-mart also or any store like that. They keep kids occupied for hours(and even adults too! ;) ) We take this game on every long car ride!