Pre cruise resort stay (first time)

[mulansgirl]

My husband, seven month old and I will be going to Florda in May 2008 for the repo cruise and since it is on the other side of the country we are going to make a big vacation out of it, we were thinking five days at the parks then on to the cruise. We will be taking care of the cruise and hotel with DVC points and getting the airplane tickets with creditcard miles.
What I need to know is about the tickets we were thinking of buying the magic your way tickets off the Disney website for two adults for the five days non park hopper it is $412 but for the ten day it is only $432. Would it be possable to get the ticket with more days and give them to someone else for the remander left over days? and is this even a good price it looks pretty good to me. We have DVC, AAA, Disney Visa, and DL PAP (dont think this one will help too much) for any discounts.
Also I am pretty sure I know the answer to this one but will double check. Since we are useing the DVC points for the hotel that means we cannot get the Disney Dinning plan correct?
Also we are thinking of using shuttle and cab services instead of renting a car, is this feasable? We need to get from airport to WDW, around WDW then to the port. Also do we bring a car seat for this? Do planes require them? do cabs supply them? do shuttles supply them? where do we put it on the boat?
I think that is all, thank you.

[Chicago Wookiee]

• Bring your car seat if you rent a car, otherwise don't.
  
  
• You are the only one who can use your WDW ticket as they also get a finger scan to be sure people DON'T do what you have thought of doing.
  
  
• You can take DME (Disneys Magical Express) for free from the airport to WDW and then back and then they also provide a shuttle from the airport to the cruise port. Don't rent a car to get to the port!
  
  
• I'm not sure about the DVC points issue.....

[Drince88]

If you're staying at a DVC on points, that's the one way that you don't have to have a package to get the dining plan.

Also, on someone else using your MYW ticket: In addition to the biometrics mentioned, tickets expire within 14 days if you don't add the 'no expiration' option.

I know DVC offers discounts on APs, not sure about MYW tickets.

Are you sure you don't want to get park hoppers?

If you're getting an airline seat for your child (which, ESPECIALLY for a long flight, I'd recommend), I think you'd want to bring the airline-approved car seat for that, given the age you're talking about.

[Drince88]

oops

[geoffa]

Why not condsider the Annual Pass? The basic is $559 for park hopping and free car parking. The great thing is as a DVC member you get $100 off so it's only $459. It wouls be valid for 365 days but it can't be transferred. If you want the water parks and Downtown Disney included you would have to go for the Premium Annual Pass.

[mulansgirl]

Oh, did not know about the finger scan thing makes sense though.
So far I have not seen anything about MYW pass discounts for DVC, we thought about getting the annual pass to get the discount but that would double our ticket price and I know we will not be comming back again this year. We figured on getting the non-hopper tics because we thought one day at each Epcot, animal kingdom, MGM and WDW itself would be enough and just spend the last day at whichever park needs more exploring and the hopper tickets were almost $90 more for the two of us.
Do you have to pay to get into Downtown Disney? I thought it was like DL's Downtown Disney just a bunch of shops and food.

If we do get an air ticket for the baby what would we do with the car seat after the plane or should I try to find a cheep one at a thrift store to toss/give away after the air plane? so far it does not seem like we will need it after the plane since we want to use the shuttles.
Oh how do you get to each of the parks do the resorts provide shuttles to each park?

I thought that was the case with the DDP. Oh well, thats okay sounded very planned anyway not sure if I could pick my food out early.

Thank you for the answers.

[Drince88]

You don't have to pay for DTD - but it is a LOT bigger than at DL (IMHO) and for some of the clubs on Pleasure Island, you do have to pay.

I didn't even think about what you'd do with the car seat after the plane, since you're only going one way by air. Maybe someone with cruise experience can help with that one.

Yes, there are buses/monorails/boats from each of the resorts to each of the parks and DTD

You CAN do the dining plan if you're staying at a DVC, regardless of how you get your admission media. And even if you decide against it, you still want to consider making your ADRs before you go, particularly for popular locations, or you won't be eating there if it's at all busy, or maybe at very 'off' times.

[mzloolue]

They provide a shuttle from the resort to Port Canaveral?
Is this shuttle only for DCL or is it just a shuttle to the port?

We have a cruise planned for August and we are staying a couple of days at CS before. I am still working on our travel plans and trying to figure out if it would be better to take the DME to CS and then to rent a car to drive to the port or if it would be less expensive to rent the car at the airport.

A shuttle would be great because for our party is 8 people we are going to have to rent two cars. The other shuttle I have priced is $70 per person which is much more than rental cars.

mulansgirl, I would seriously rethink getting hoppers.
I have never spent a whole day in one park. If you run into crowds at one park, hopping is a great option. It is also nice to leave for a bit at lunch and them go back to another park.
Will you need a car seat in your ports?
I would feel much more secure with a little one if I had a car seat with me.
You can probably put it in the closet onboard ship.

[GusMan]

They provide a shuttle from the resort to Port Canaveral?
Is this shuttle only for DCL or is it just a shuttle to the port?

DCL does have shuttle service to and from the resort hotels but they are only for DCL guests.

If you are going with another cruise line, there are car/van services that could accommodate a party of 8.

[efoxx]

mulansgirl
let me see if I can sum this up for you.

Tickets: the best option for you is to buy from a third party source. you don't pay taxes and the prices are often cheaper then disney direct. we use www.ticketmania all the time and they are great. MYW tickets for the length of stay will be best as they are really not transferable.

transportation between WDW, the airport, and DCL: best way for you would probably be DME and the DCL bus. currently DME is free, but expect to pay $46 (I think) per person for the DCL transfer. they will pick you up at your hotel and drop you off at the ship.

transportation inside WDW: sounds like you may be new to this. best thing I can say is study a bit before you go. WDW bears little resembalence to Dland. WDW transportation is easy, and usually convenient, but not always. it is however free.

Dinning: as a DVC member you can purchase the DDP for your length of stay. we talked ourselves out of it on our last trip based on the fact that last time my kids ate mostly kids meals, and we would be charged adult prices for them. not this time, they both ate enough off the adult menu to make the DDP well worth the expense. but then my girls are teens now. either way with two adults you will be able to take plenty of advantage of the DDP

Did I miss anything? oh yes, no you won't need a car seat for the plane, infact if the seat is not FAA aproved they won't let you use it. the DME and DCL buses do not have seat belts so a car seat would be pretty much worthless there also. on the boat there will be no place to store the seat, personally I would leave it at home. yes I know, people will flame me, what about child safety and all, but hey the buses don't have seat belts so it is worthless there, the only way I would get a seat is if you are renting a car.

one final transportation possibility, that would be hiring a town car, the cost for two adults and one child from the airport to WDW then one way from WDW to port canaveral would be in the neighborhood of $225. they could supply the car seat for those legs.

[JeffG]

Did I miss anything? oh yes, no you won't need a car seat for the plane, infact if the seat is not FAA aproved they won't let you use it.

While a car seat isn't mandatory on a plane for a 7-month-old, it certainly is highly recommended, particularly for a cross-country trip. If they do buy a seat for the child (which would be a >very< good idea), then it might not be possible to use it without a car seat. A child that young certainly couldn't be safely strapped into an airline seat without a car seat. As for getting one that is FAA approved, it is very unlikely that any currently available car seat suited for that age that wouldn't be approved. Booster seats aren't usable on airplanes, but those are intended for much older children.

With the unusual circumstances, my suggestion would be to find a lightweight car seat for use on the plane and then have it shipped back home.

-Jeff