The true cost of a WDW Vacation - a post mortem analysis

[Thomas998]

Originally Posted by Jerren

The cabins have their own parking spots, right in front of the steps to the deck. And just a side note the Family suites at the All Star Music do have a small kitchenette area in them as well.

The cheapest for a family of 5 is the Port Orleans riverside in the alligator bayou as long as one of them is under 5 foot tall there's no problem getting 5 in a room.

According to Disney the reason they have so many rooms that only support 4 vrs 5 guests is a matter of Florida Law, they limit the number of people based on the square footage of the rooms themselves The had to recieve special permission to do the trundle beds at POR.

I'm sorry but that's a cop out by Disney. Yes there are laws on the number of people per square foot... but Disney was aware of those laws and could have simply made some rooms bigger. Instead they use th excuse to push families with 5 into more expensive suites.

[flynnibus]

Dealing with the # of people in a room is not unique to Disney. Other places even charge per person, in addition to the limit on the people in the room.

In the All Star rooms - there isn't any room for a 5th person anyways. So I don't think its worth arguing about. Yes, Disney could have made the rooms bigger, instead they made SOME of the rooms bigger and rightfully so charge more for them as they will accommodate more people.

[Yackerz]

Does MiceChat give any discounts for any hotels in / near WDW?

[Barbaraann]

I have always thought that Disney World designed their rooms with one goal in mind, and that is the best way to make the most money.

[NeverNeverland]

Yackerz, are you planning a WDW trip?

MC offers a discount to the Swan and Dolphin. Not sure about any others!

[Joe User 99]

Originally Posted by Psyure

I hear ya there, man. The less I have to worry about... the better. I've got nothing but good stuff to say about DME and the resort buses! We really didnt need a car. Wait times were minimal and they drop you off right in front of the parks in stead of having to hike from the back of the parking lot. When we checked out they even printed out our boarding passes at our resort! Thats huge! And don't forget about Extra Magic Hours!

Yeah, our family of 5 stayed at Port Orleans Riverside, and while the Trundle bed was a bit small for my 10 year old, we made due. Yeah, the in resort Airline Checkin was wonderful. not only did they print our boarding passes, but we checked in our luggage right there too! So, we didn't have to haul it back to the airport either.

I agree, the DME and resort buses were not bad. Some better than others. I think my favorite resort bus ride was late one night after catching Bowling for Soup play at House of Blues at Downtown Disney, we caught a bus around midnight, and it was pretty barren. But the driver was a blast. Mr Trivia! He spent the entire trip giving us Disney resort and bus system trivia. I must say it made the trip much more enjoyable.

And to those talking about renting a car? During our week long stay, we never left the property, so there was no need. We took resort busses everywhere.
However, we are probably going back next summer, and want to venture out into the rest of Orlando this time, so we may rent one for a day or two.