First WDW trip+Harry Potter in Universal

[littlefirebird99]

Hi everyone!
So next summer a really close friend of mine is graduating. She's a year below me and this summer my grandparents are gifting me four days in Disneyland with my parents. Well she and I are planning for next summer just her and I going to WDW for four days and one day in Universal Studios to check out the new World of Harry Potter. We want to make it as affordable as we can since she's going to be fresh out of high school and I won't exactly be king midas moneywise. but this is something we're willing to work hard for. any tips on where to stay? we'd like to stay in one of the resort hotels with Disney but which ones do you reccomend? transportation tips? good deals? any advice helps. thank you!

[ChipmunkStar]

If you want to make your stay very affordable and stay on Disney property, and won't be spending too much time in your room anyways, I'd reccomend the Value Resorts (All Star Movies, All Star Music, All Star Sports, or Pop Century).

If you want a bit more space to spread out, then I'd go for a Moderate Resort (Caribbean Beach Resort, Port Orleans French Quarter, Port Orleans Riverside, or ). There's a bit more space to each room individually, and the resorts have a bit more theming to them (and are less likely to be occupied by the Pop Warner groups during competition times).

If you stay on Disney property, you will be given transportation to each of the Diseny theme parks, Downtown Disney, and the water parks via their bus service. To get to Universal, you will need to purchase transportation by means of renting a car, taking a taxi, or arranging transportation through Mears or a car service.

Google "transportation from Disney World to Universal" and you should come up with plenty of info. To see the resorts and get a better idea of each, I'd suggest checking out allears.net. It has pictures of the grounds of every resort, inside the rooms, and it has menus for dining so you can plan on how much to save for food as well.

Good Luck. :)

[SuefromRI]

The best value for a resort at WDW is at one of the values. There is plenty of room for 2 people. Bring stuff for breakfast in the room to save money. Eat at counter service restaurants or table service for lunch is less expensive. Share an entree, etc. If you sign up for the newsletter at Mousesavers you will get info on discount codes for room rates and tickets. If you stay on property you also currently get free shuttle from the airport, as well as to all the parks. To get to Universal you will need to take a Mears taxi or bus. Since you are under 25 it is difficult to rent a car, plus expensive to park at Universal.

[mom22gls]

The really expensive aspect of your trip, on a daily basis, will be your park passes. Look on this site, under the general information section, and you can review the pass pricing. The cost of the passes are heavily loaded to the first three days, after that, each additional day is a lot cheaper. It's probably the same at Universal, but I haven't looked into their park pricing in many years. That fifth day of vacation, at Universal, will cost you more than just staying at Disney. Which is not to say don't go, of course, but look at the entire cost of the trip, including transportation, and look for ways to trim the budget in every way. If your parents are AAA members, through them, you can get a discount on your passes; very likely at Universal as well as Disney, if you don't find a great deal on a package, that includes passes. A value resort at Disney will suit your just fine. If you are not tied to a school schedule, you may have more flexibility in planning your trip, and can work around any deals you can find. If you are able to go when kids are in school, the crowds will be much lower, also.