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Hotel Options for Your Disney Vacation

By Dawn on December 5, 2011 Comments { 0 }

Credit: Naomi@TheMagicForLess.com

When traveling to Walt Disney World or Disneyland, which is the better value? Staying in an “ onsite” hotel or an “ offsite” hotel?

Walt Disney World - When I travel (almost from coast-to-coast) to Walt Disney World, I want to make sure that I am getting the most value for the money that I am spending, considering just the airfare is a huge chunk of the trip cost. When I look at offsite hotels, most of them have resort fees, scheduled transportation to the parks, and only three of them have access to Extra Magic Hours (extra time in the parks for resort guests).

What added value do Walt Disney World resorts have?

The first thing is that all of the Disney-owned resorts have access to the Extra Magic Hours. These extra hours in the park can make a huge difference in the amount of attractions and magic that my family can experience. Guests of the Disney resorts who are flying into Orlando International Airport can utilize Disney’s Magical Express service. There is nothing more magical than being able to skip baggage claim in Orlando, riding a bus directly to the resort, and seeing my luggage magically show up in my room later. On my departure day, I get to check my luggage at my Disney resort, hop on the bus, and ride back to the airport. This service is FREE to all Disney-owned resort properties. Another huge reason that I prefer onsite hotels at Walt Disney World is the ability to add on one of Disney’s various dining plans. These dining plans can save money, depending on the meal choices that you make. When I add the continuous transportation around the Walt Disney World property, the onsite resorts really have the extra value that I am looking for.

Disneyland - Unfortunately, Disneyland is not as easy to choose. I will say that I always prefer to stay onsite, but there are so many Disneyland-approved Good Neighbor hotels that are within walking distance of the parks. While Walt Disney World is very spread out and usually requires a bus or monorail to get from the resort to a park, Disneyland is much smaller and within walking distance of many hotels, both onsite and offsite. For the Good Neighbor hotels that are outside of walking distance, there is the Anaheim Resort Transit system (ART). My family recently experienced the ART, and it was pretty good. It is not free, but it is reasonable and convenient. However, I will say that I do prefer to be in walking distance for convenience sake, and there are many options at Disneyland in a wide variety of price points.

Why would you want to book your trip with an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner?

So, why would you want to book your trip with me? Because I want your trip to be the most magical it can be. I want you to have the best cost that I can find, and I want to help you find the perfect place for your family to stay. Not all families are the same, so I want to help tailor your trip to meet your needs. Would you like to start planning your trip for next year and have it ready to surprise your kids on Christmas morning? I would love to help you do that! There is nothing like seeing your children’s eyes light up when surprised by a Disney trip!

Email me at naomi@themagicforless.com to book your trip. Already booked directly with Disney, email me to find out how to transfer your booking.

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I am so thankful to Naomi at The Magic For Less Travel for sponsoring my ticket to The Relevant Conference. She is a homeschool mom as well as a blogger, and is looking forward to helping you with your vacation plans. Naomi will help make arrangements for any special needs that your family may have so you can make the most of your family vacation. Please contact Naomi to book YOUR magical vacation!

categories: Home & Family

Tags: Disney vacations, Disney World, Disneyland, Homeschooling, vacations

Comments { 0 } :

Special Needs at Disney

By Dawn on October 27, 2011 Comments { 0 }

Do you have someone in your family with Special Needs and want to travel to a Disney destination, but you aren’t quite sure how Disney can accommodate your needs?

As the mother of two children with varying special needs, I understand the necessity of making sure that everyone in your family will enjoy any planned vacation. In our family, we have to plan our vacation with the following limitations in mind: sensory processing difficulties, physical limitations that prohibit standing for long periods of time, skin allergies, and dietary concerns.

To start with, we generally go to Disneyland or Walt Disney World at off-peak times when crowds and pricing can be lower. To combat some of my son’s sensory problems, we bring earmuffs (like you can find in a sporting goods store) to deaden some of the noise. This proves helpful during parades, shows, and fireworks. Even with the earmuffs, fireworks are still more than my son can handle, so we find a spot outside of the park to watch the fireworks from.

The last time we went to Walt Disney World, I broke out, presumably, from the chemicals that the linens were washed in. Now, I make a request that the Disney resort hotel rinses the linens a second time without chemicals so that I don’t break out again. It is nice that Disney provides this service for those of us with allergies.

Whether it is a vegetarian diet, gluten-free diet, or other dietary allergies, Disney Parks are the best place to eat. One time, when we ate at 1900 Park Fare in the Grand Floridian at Walt Disney World, the chef came out to ask us about our dietary issues. After talking to us about what we could and couldneat, he went to the kitchen and prepared what was probably the best dish of our entire trip.

This is just a small peek at what resources Disney Parks offer to those who need a little extra assistance. I would be happy to talk with you and recommend options based on your individual situation!

Why would you want to book your trip with an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner?

I will book your trip at the best price that Disney has available at the time and will watch for discounts to come out and apply them to your reservation if applicable.
I will help you with suggestions of resources that Disney offers based on your special needs.
The Magic For Less Travel offers booking bonuses to clients who book a Disneyland or Walt Disney World vacation package. This bonus varies depending on the cost of the vacation booked and the destination.
Receive a shipboard credit of up to 5% of the price of your 2011 or 2012 when you book your Disney Cruise with The Magic For Less Travel. New reservations only.
All this at no cost to you!

Email me at Naomi@themagicforless.com to book your trip. Already booked directly with Disney, email me to find out how to transfer your booking. I look forward to hearing from you!

Disclosure: Naomi and The Magic for Less are my Relevant Conference sponsors for this year. Please contact Naomi for all of your Disney travel arrangements. Thank you!