Disney World Blog Discussing Parks, Resorts, Discounts and Dining | Only WDWorld

You Can Now Make Disney World Dining Reservations Online

2009-06-26T06:06:00.015-04:00

The long awaited ability to make Disney World Dining reservations online is now here!

You can make your dining reservations by going to the Official Disney World website at: http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/restaurants/

Once you are here you can search for the restaurants that you are interested in. The table service restaurants that take reservations will have a small orange box at the bottom of the restaurant picture that says "Book A Reservation" (as shown below).

During this process you may log in to the Disney World site and enter your vacation information, but it is not required. If you do enter your vacation information then any Dining Reservations that you make will be added to and stored with your other trip reservations.

Just like the call in system, you are allowed to make reservations up to 90 days prior to the date you wish to dine.

Once you have chosen a restaurant, you will be brought to a screen to select:

A date or date range of up to 5 days
Desired Time (system will search for desired time and a range of plus and minus one hour)
Size and make up of your dining party.

Once this information is entered you may click on the "Check Availability" Button.

The system will then search for openings based upon the search criteria that you entered. If there are any openings at the desired Disney Dining Restaurant, it will return with your options.

It will also show if other restaurants in that geographic area also have openings for the range that you selected.

Note: that if you select a range of dates the priority is given to the first date and if it finds openings on that date, it will not show openings on the later dates.

You can make your selection from the options shown or you can modify your search criteria to look for another date or time range.

After each selection is made it is put into a shopping cart, just like any online shopping experience. This allows you to make several reservations at once if needed.

Just repeat the process until you have made all of your reservations.

When you are ready to check out. you can review your shopping cart to make sure that you want to keep all of the reservations.

As you check out, you will see if any of the reservations require a credit card to reserve them and if any special conditions exist. Most reservations do not require a credit card and are free to make.

If you did not enter in your vacation information or if you are not staying at a Disney World Resort, don't fear.

To complete the reservation, they only ask for your name, email address, and contact number while you will be at Disney World.

After completing the reservation, you will be given confirmation numbers. Keep these in a safe place and make sure that you bring them with you on your vacation in case there are any issues.

Overall the system looks user friendly and is a welcome addition.

If you still wish to call to make your Disney Dining Reservations you still can. The number to call is: 407-939-DINE.

Finding Cheap Walt Disney World Park Tickets

2009-06-17T14:48:00.005-04:00

It appears that everyone is searching for cheap Walt Disney World Tickets. The high cost of the theme park tickets to this popular Florida vacation destination leads to over 500,000 internet searches per month to find the best discounts on Disney World tickets.

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All of these different variations with one goal in mind: Paying the lowest price possible for Walt Disney World tickets.

What most people don’t realize is that with Disney’s current Magic Your Way ticket system the way to save money is not by finding the lowest cost ticket seller, but by planning your vacation so that you can get the best ticket deal.

Disney Park Tickets
Here’s how it works: Disney World sells tickets directly and they also sell tickets to legitimate resellers who buy blocks of tickets in bulk. Examples of legitimate resellers include: AAA and Undercover Tourist.

If you shop around you may be able to get at most 2% - 5% off of the Disney World price. If you see a price discounted more then you are probably not buying legitimate tickets. They are nearly impossible to detect before you get to the park gate and then you are out hundreds of dollars.

There is an easier way to save money on your Disney World park tickets.

Money Saving Strategy
The best way to save money on tickets is to understand Disney’s pricing system and plan your vacation accordingly.

Disney uses a tiered pricing system that depends upon the number of days that you plan to visit.

For 1 to 3 days you will average around $74 per day.

Starting at day 4 through day 10 you will see dramatic reduction in the per day costs for the tickets (see table below). By planning to visit Disney World for a minimum of 6 days and up to 10 during one visit instead of multiple shorter visits , you can save a lot of money.

For a family of 4, with 2 adults and 2 children between the ages of 3 – 9, the cost of tickets for one 6 day visit is $830 versus $1,564 for two 3 day visits.

The savings is $734. Also with the longer vacation, there is less need for the $50 person Park Hopper add on, that you would be tempted to add when you take the shorter trip and want to do everything. Add that to the original savings and you are talking about a total ticket savings of $1,134!

For each adult the per day rate for the 6-day trip is: $37.50; for the 3-day trip:$70.67 or $87.34 with Park Hopper option. The savings is 47% compared to the 3-day or 57% for the 3-day with Park Hopper.

Summary

If you want the best deal on Walt Disney World park tickets then plan your trip to be from 6 to 10 days and avoid paying extra for the Park Hopper option.

You will save far more money by understanding Disney’s ticket pricing and planning to use it to your advantage, then you will by comparison shopping discount ticket brokers.

Is The Disney Dining Plan A Good Deal? Part II

2009-06-01T17:40:00.003-04:00

In Part I (Is The Disney Dining Plan A Good Deal? Part I), we explored whether the Disney Dining Plan made good sense to add to your Walt Disney World Vacation options if you only had Adults in your group.

Here in Part II, we will look at: How the Disney Dining Plan rates for Children (Ages 3-9).

In order to compare the Disney Dining Plan (DDP) to paying Out of Pocket (OOP), we need to make a couple of assumptions:

Eat at one Table Service Restaurant per day
Eat at one Quick Service Restaurant per day
Child will order off of the Children’s menu for all meals
Order one Snack per day
Gratuities are not included

For the comparison we again chose 13 Table Service and 13 Quick Service Restaurants that are amongst the most popular at Disney World. We have included several Character Dining Experiences that you would be likely to visit if you were vacationing with Children.

Despite concerns that the Children’s menus at Walt Disney World are quite limited, you will see that the entrée choices for the comparisons are quite varied. If you have a picky eater, don't fear, most places will have the option for at least one of these child favorite entrees: macaroni & cheese, chicken fingers, or pasta with or without tomato sauce.

Please note that a beverage is included with the cost of all Child meals.

Here is what we found:

The average Child Table Service meal costs $11.56 and goes up to $12.64 during Seasonal Pricing times (which includes much of the summer and around Holidays). You will see that the Kid friendly Character Dining Buffets like Chef Mickey's and Hollywood & Vine cost more than the $10.99 per day charge for the DDP.

The average Child Quick Service meal costs $5.18. A great variety of foods can be obtained for your child that likes more than just Mac & Cheese and Chicken Fingers. Of course if you like Mac & Cheese and Chicken Fingers those are available in many places as well.

The average Snack costs $2.93. The snacks range on the low end for a soft drink to $4.00 for some of the frozen treats that children crave when visiting Disney World.

The total food cost paying OOP for a Child comes to $19.67 or $20.75 during Seasonal Pricing times.

You can clearly see the Child rate of $10.99 per day for the Disney Dining Plan is a great deal. Even if you always choose the lowest price option you cannot feed your child that cheaply at Disney World, by paying OOP. If you have children, ages 9 and under the DDP becomes a great deal saving $9.00 - $10.00 per day per child.

If you have children that are closer to the upper end of the age range and are bigger eaters, make sure that you plan Table Service meals at the buffet restaurants. This will ensure that your child will get plenty of food to eat. Some of the Children’s Meal portions are small and big eaters may not get enough food.

Summary

If you have Children travelling with you the Disney Dining Plan becomes an even better value. If you plan on eating at one Table Service restaurant per day, then the Disney Dining Plan makes a lot of sense for you to consider. You should at least break even with the adult’s meals and will definitely come out ahead with the child’s meals.

To learn more about the Disney Dining Plan check out: Only WDWorld’s Disney Dining Plan Information & Fact page. It has all of the current pricing and Dining Plan details, as well as, a list of all of the current Dining Plan Restaurants.

Is The Disney Dining Plan A Good Deal? Part I

2009-05-28T18:30:00.009-04:00

The Disney Dining Plan is popular, and it allows you to try Disney World’s wonderful restaurants, but…Is the Disney Dining Plan a good deal?

That is the question that Only WDWorld set out to answer.

How do you define a good deal?

Disney claims that the Dining Plan can be a 30% savings vs. paying out of pocket (OOP) for the meals. Others will say that when they are not on the Disney Dining Plan they never order desserts, especially at lunch. So what is the best way to compare?

Here is how we decided to do our Financial Comparison to see if the basic Disney Dining Plan is a good deal:

Assume the following:

Eat at one Table Service restaurant per day.
Order only entrée and soft drink (no desserts).
Choose only entrees at the low end to middle of the pricing for the restaurant (No steaks).
Eat at one Quick Service Restaurant per day.
Order only entrée and soft drink (no desserts).
Avoid the very pricey dining options if available.
Order one snack per day
Did not include Gratuities in the analysis since Dining Plan doesn’t include them either.

To complete our analysis we compiled a list of meals from 13 Table Service and 13 Quick Service Restaurants that are amongst the most popular in Disney World. There are restaurants chosen from each of the 4 theme parks, as well as, some of the most popular resort dining locations, and some at Downtown Disney. These are ones that you would most likely be eating at during your vacation.

We chose a balanced selection of entrée choices so that we could eat well, but avoided the priciest options at each meal.

We did the analysis for Adult Meals and then repeated it separately for Child Meals (presented in Part II).

Here is what we found:

The average Adult Table Service Meal costs $26.90, and increases to $29.06 during the Seasonal Pricing times which includes much of the summer and around Holidays. By choosing the lowest cost entrees the costs were kept down at some of the traditionally pricey restaurants such as: Le Cellier, Chefs de France, and Coral Reef. If you opt for one of the more expensive choices your costs will increase. If you eat only at the buffets and character meals, you will average $30+ per meal.

The average Adult Quick Service Meal costs: $10.10. The entree selection is greatly varied from Burgers and Pizza to Salads and Grilled Chicken w/Rice & beans. You will see that the costs are very similar throughout.

The average snack costs $2.93. The snacks range on the low end for a soft drink to $4.00 for some of the frozen treats that are popular during the hot Florida days.

The total for an Adult for each day averages $39.94 or $42.09 during the Seasonal pricing times. The basic Disney Dining Plan costs $39.99 for 2009 with no increase during Seasonal pricing times. We were pleasantly surprised to find out how close paying out of pocket without the “extras” comes to the price of the Disney Dining Plan (DDP).

The DDP gives you the flexibility to order anything on the menu at the given restaurants, including steak. At Le Cellier, the Filet Mignon entrée alone costs $34.99.

The DDP also adds in dessert for both the Quick Service and the Table Service Meals. Often there is an option to get the dessert to go if you are not hungry at the time.

Summary

If you enjoy eating at a Table Service restaurant once a day during your vacation, then you should really consider the Disney Dining Plan. The analysis shows that by ordering carefully and avoiding desserts you still will only break even with the DDP cost.

We feel that the ability to relax and order whatever you want off of the menu without looking at prices is definitely a benefit to allow you to enjoy your vacation.

The indulgent inclusion of desserts twice a day may be over the top, but again it is a Disney World vacation.

Treat yourself during your next vacation knowing that even if your party only consists of Adults ( ages 10 and over) the Disney Dining Plan is a good deal.

Part II will address the Analysis of the Child Meals on the Dining Plan

Only WDWorld's Top 7 Money Saving Tips at Disney World

2009-02-27T18:59:00.008-05:00

In this time of financial uncertainty, it is always helpful to know a few ways to save some money. Now I am not condoning the extreme low budget vacation where you get water with lemon and add sugar to make free lemonade. I am going to talk about real ways to have an enjoyable vacation and save a lot of money by making some simple choices and decisions.

So here are 7 of the top ways to save money on a Walt Disney World Vacation now.

Plan your trip to ideally be 7 days long. Disney World has set their pricing structure such that you get the greatest benefit at about 7 days. The tickets are the most expensive part of your trip and choosing 7 days will help you maximize your value for ticket purchases. Also consider purchasing your tickets ahead of time at the Disney World website or a reputable dealer like Undercover Tourist (see links on this page!)

Take advantage of the Buy 4 and Get 3 Free Deal from Disney. (learn more about the deal here: Disney Vacation Discount ). Disney World consistently offers their best discounts on their resorts. It is in your best interest to take advantage of their best resort discounts and stay on Disney property to be able to use all of the amenities that they provide to resort guests. THis particular deal has been extended into August.

If you are flying, use the MCO airport and take advantage of the Magical Express service. This service can save you well over a hundred dollars or more by not needing to get a rental car or pay for a towncar or shuttle. The added benefit of not having to go to baggage claim in Orlando is also very nice. You may see some good airfare deals to the Sanford Airport, but after you factor in the extra transportation costs, I think you will definitely come out ahead flying into MCO and using the Magical Express.

Buy 6-7 day Magic Your Way Base Tickets. ( Read here). Whether or not you got the package mentioned in #1 stick to the Base tickets and avoid the temptation to purchase the $50 per person Park Hopper add-on. This is a feature that you can do without. Although it certainly does have its benefits, if you do a good job of planning out your trip ahead of time, the Park Hopper is not necessary. Saving $50/person here and there can really add up over the course of a trip. Remember that with a Base Ticket you can still come and go to the same park multiple times during the same day.

Stick to the 4 main parks to avoid the "extra expenses". There are more activities in the 4 main parks than you can do in one week's time. In order to minimize costs, skip the Water Parks, Miniature Golf, Bicycle and Watercraft Rentals and all of the extra expense activities that you can do at Disney World. If you want to get beyond the parks visit the Boardwalk or Downtown Disney, or use the Disney World complementary transportation to have dinner at one of the Resort Restaurants. If you have already paid for the admission to the parks use that admission to the fullest. The extras are nice, but can add a lot of cost to your vacation. Don't forget the parades, nightime shows and fireworks. This is where Disney World separates itself from other "parks".

If you have children in the 3-9 age group most definitely consider one of the Disney Dining Plan options. The $10.99/day fee for children is one of the best deals that you can get at Disney World. If your children are older, but you are concerned about the $39.99/day expense of the regular Dining Plan, you can also consider the Quick Service Dining plan where you get 2 Counter Service Meals plus 2 snacks per day plus a refillable mug for $29.99/day (Maximize Counter Service Value ). You can also utilize your snack credits to buy breakfast items like muffins and danishes to further reduce your food expenditures. Having a known food budget can really help keep expenses on track.

Set an allowance for souvenirs and impulse purchases ahead of time. Determine your budget for those types of items before your trip and make sure that you and the kids stick to it. There is an endless stream of opportunities to buy items on the Disney World property. Accept the fact that you cannot buy everything and set a budget that you can live with. If you decide after the trip that you really wish you would have made a specific purchase, you can call guest relations and they can connect you with cast members that can take your order and ship the item to you. It is not talked about much, but you can do this. Also make sure you keep copies of the Park Guides and Maps to take home. They make wonderful additions to scrapbooks of your trip.

Times are tough, so take advantage of these money saving tips as you plan your next Walt Disney World vacation. Disney World will never be cheap, but being planful and smart can literally save you hundreds of dollars without sacrificing any vacation fun.

As Disney World announces new special promotions and discounts I will post them here.

Planning Which Park to Visit Each Day of Your Disney World Vacation

2009-02-06T18:09:00.004-05:00

One key to successfully planning your Walt Disney World vacation is determining which park you will visit on each day.

By following a few simple steps, you can develop this plan. Doing this task ahead of time can also help you decide where you wish to make dining reservations.

Since Dining Reservations can now only be made 90 days prior to your arrival, you should start this part of the process no later than 100 days prior to your trip.

Here are the steps that you should take to aid you in your planning:
1. Go to http://www.disneyworld.com/ to get the latest information on Park Hours and Extra Magic Hours for each of the Parks.

For an example let’s plan a trip for May 16th – 23rd (roughly 100 days away). We will plan on arriving on Saturday and departing the following Saturday, since that is the most popular day for arrival.

The Extra Magic Hour schedule for that week is as follows:

2. Use an Extra Magic Hour Strategy to plan which park you will visit on which day. I will use the "visit the day after an Extra Magic Hour day" strategy here:

This strategy involves seeing where everyone is going the day before and heading to that park the next day. Rarely do people go to the same park on consecutive days. This example is based upon 2 days at the Magic Kingdom and Epcot, 1 at Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios, and the 7th day spent returning to the favorite between AK and DS.

3. Choose Restaurants that make sense to eat at in or near the park you are visiting each day. Always have a back-up or two in mind when making reservations. Also if you really want to eat at a particular restaurant and it is not available on the day you were visiting that park, see if it is available on another day during your trip and adjust your schedule accordingly. Reservations for popular restaurants fill up fast, so it is strongly recommended that you call for reservations as soon as possible.

Summary

As always this is just a strategy, and you need to adapt it to your personal needs. If you have never visited before this will certainly give you a good plan to try during your vacation. The goal is to try to visit each of the parks on days where the attendance is traditionally lower than other days of the week. This doesn't guarantee short lines, but it will allow you to make the most of your visit no matter what time of year you travel.