Originally Posted By dagobert My girlfriend and I are getting married this year and in January we plan a honeymoon trip to WDW and Universal. And we do a Disney Cruise. Now I'm having some questions concerning WDW. - Which of the Moderate Resorts do you recommend? We are currently thinking of the Coronado Springs? - Does Disney offer discounts or do they have special offers? - Is it better to book far in advance or should we wait a little longer to book? - Is it very busy in terms of attendance in January at WDW? - Should we rent a car? We need to get to WDW, Universal and to the DCL terminal. Thanks for your help!
Originally Posted By mousegeezer I haven't stayed at Coronado Beach. But, if you want peaceful beauty, I would recommend Port Orleans Riverside. I have stayed at Deluxe resorts and really like POR better. After new years it will be pretty quiet at the parks. Happy honeymoon!
Originally Posted By DouglasDubh All of the moderates have their pros and cons. My wife and I honeymooned at Carribean Beach, and it was nice. My kids really enjoyed the pool at Coronado. If you plan to spend some time in Downtown Disney, French Quarter might be your best bet. Once you're past the first weekend, January tends to be slow, although not as much as it used to. Parks generally run short hours, but that's not so bad. We tend to go in January. The marathon weekend can get crowded - as well as MLK weekend. Those might be good days to relax at the resort or pool, or go to Sea World or Busch Gardens if you have time. I usually rent a car, but recently we take the magic express in, then rent a small car from one of the rental agencies in the hotels by downtown Disney. They usually aren't too expensive and some times you just don't want to do the bus, especially if you are staying at a moderate, where that is the only option. Parking at the parks is free if you are a guest at a Disney resort. If you want to go to Universal, you might want to consider staying a couple of nights at the Royal Pacific. It's usually not much more than a Disney moderate, and you get free front of the line passes and early entry to Harry Potter world. I'd make reservations as early as possible, but make sure they can be cancelled without a charge. Most can. Then keep checking back and rebooked if the price is less.
Originally Posted By DouglasDubh Forgot to mention that French Quarter might be the best bet because it has a boat to downtown Disney.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros Of the Moderates, I've only stayed at Port Orleans Riverside, but I consider it my home away from home. I expect my upcoming trip in January to be my 5th time staying there. It's got lovely grounds that really make you feel like you're nowhere near the hustle and bustle of the parks. Both Port Orleans resorts are along the river and have boat service to DTD, and a nice path connecting them. From what I've heard Caribbean Beach is laid out strange, so you could end up with a room far from dining. Coronado Springs tends to get more convention guests, but I don't think that would bother me any Disney does offer discounts, but not for all dates. I would expect that there will be some sort of special offer during January, but they might not announce it until late fall. You can always call WDW and have them apply it to your existing reservation at no extra charge It's good to book in advance if you have a specific room type/location that you want, but no real advantage (other than peace of mind) if you just want something standard. Booking in January is tough, since they release the entire calendar year's rates at the same time, usually in early/mid summer. This means that December is book-able for about 18 months, but the window is much shorter for guests in January (which is kind of annoying when you're trying to plan a budget). Keep in mind that resort guests can now make FP+ reservations 60 days in advance of their trip (and off-site guests beginning at 30 days), so you will probably want to take advantage of that. Typically January is a light time after the New Years folks go home. Marathon Weekend (Jan 7-11 and the surrounding days) brings in crowds of runners, but their touring habits typically mean that the early and late hours of the parks are less busy than usual. There's a Federal holiday on the 19th which might bring in bigger weekend crowds, but the weekdays will be pretty quiet For renting a car, I would say that you'd really only need that to get to Universal or another off-site location. DME is great for getting to/from the airport, and it's probably cheaper to use Disney's transportation from WDW to the cruise than to rent a car and pay to park it while you're away. As previously mentioned, there are options in DTD, as well as near the Magic Kingdom parking lot (which is supposed to have special options for picking up/dropping off from Disney hotels)
Originally Posted By Autopia Deb My cousin an I are sharing a rental car on our next trip, but only because we have dining reservations EVERY night and we don't want to leave the parks 90 minutes or two hours before dinner. Normally when staying on property I don't bother with a rental car.
Originally Posted By CuriousConstance They have offered free dining plan in January for a few years now, so that might be available. They will apply it to an existing reservation, if it's not offered when you book.
Originally Posted By Princessjenn5795 "My girlfriend and I are getting married this year and in January we plan a honeymoon trip to WDW and Universal. And we do a Disney Cruise." Congratulations!!! "- Which of the Moderate Resorts do you recommend? We are currently thinking of the Coronado Springs?" I absolutely love Port Orleans Riverside, and it is pretty romantic too, especially if you are in the Magnolia Bend section (which you can request). The grounds are really lovely. "- Does Disney offer discounts or do they have special offers?" They offer discounts on trip packages at different times throughout the year. They have released discounts through the end of summer, but it may be a little while before they release them for after the first of the year. You can book your reservations as soon as they release the rates for next year (I am not sure if they have yet or not), and then you can call back and have them apply discounts if they become available. You just have to put down a $200 deposit and have the trip paid off within 45 days of your stay. "- Is it better to book far in advance or should we wait a little longer to book?" See question above "- Is it very busy in terms of attendance in January at WDW?" I haven't been in Jan, but from what I hear the crowds die down a lot after the first of the year "- Should we rent a car? We need to get to WDW, Universal and to the DCL terminal." My family doesn't rent a car. We use the Magical Express from the airport, and then use the Disney transportation (buses, boats, and monorail) at the resort. We take a taxi to Universal. For us, because we stay for about a week and a half, it would cost us more to rent a car. Plus, I honestly don't want the hassle of having to drive around the resort and deal parking and all that. I do know a few people who do prefer to rent cars though. I guess it just depends on your personal preferences.
Originally Posted By Princessjenn5795 "Forgot to mention that French Quarter might be the best bet because it has a boat to downtown Disney." Riverside does as well. I personally think Riverside is the more romantic and honeymoony of the two.
Originally Posted By dagobert First, thanks for all your help and comments!! Since the majority recommends the Port Orleans, I think we will take this one. We are not sure about renting a car, but I guess we will use the Disney Transportation System. It worked fine for us in 2008. The only reason we thought about renting a car was, because my girlfriend is vegan and wanted to check out the local Whole Foods Market (we loved that store in Chicago). When we arrive at the airport, we will take a taxi to Universal and then another taxi from Universal to Disney World. Has anyone here ever stayed in the Hard Rock Hotel at the Universal Studios? I'm a big fan of the Hard Rock Cafes and maybe we will stay there during our time at USO. We have never been on a cruise, so the Disney cruise will be our first. Is it worth to take a stateroom with a veranda? Thanks again for answering my questions!
Originally Posted By Boardwalkbum First off......Congratulations!! >>Has anyone here ever stayed in the Hard Rock Hotel at the Universal Studios? I'm a big fan of the Hard Rock Cafes and maybe we will stay there during our time at USO.<< I have stayed and I highly recommend if you've got the budget. VERY Rock N' Roll atmosphere. Like music blasting in the elevator (not to mention the pool....like underwater) atmosphere. Kinda like staying backstage at a concert except no cables to potentially trip over. Having said that..... Seeing as it's your Honeymoon, Portofino Bay is basically the same price (slightly more expensive) and is a very romantic place. It is kind of the polar opposite of HR atmosphere wise so it sort of depends what you're looking for. I haven't stayed at the Royal Pacific although I have friends that swear by it.
Originally Posted By CuriousConstance I've never been on a Disney cruise, but we took a cruise last year to Alaska, and we did not have a veranda. After not having one, and experiencing what it was like sitting on public decks out in the open, I can say that if you can afford it, I would definitely go for it. Having that to sit on privately, anytime of the day or night would be amazing!
Originally Posted By CuriousConstance You could order room service, and have a private breakfast outside along side the ocean!!!!!
Originally Posted By Mickeymouseclub I have stayed at the Portofino (once) and Hard Rock (4 times). And plan to stay at HR again in January right after NYE at Bay Lake Tower. I think you will have more fun at the Hard Rock if you like to spend time at the Pool and enjoy drinks or eating poolside. The Portifino is beautiful but more European vibe. The Hard Rock is elegant in a modern way. Plus the PH is further away from the attractions, much easier to walk to Uni from the HR . They both offer water taxis. If for some reason you decide to stay at Disney property and just go to Uni for a day. I recommend taking a taxi really early and having the breakfast at the Hard Rock Hotel. Later when it is time to leave the taxi can pick you up there after you have had a relaxing drink poolside to extend your day. I would def get a cabin with the veranda if you can afford it. I have only been on one Disney Cruise but it was a long cruise thru the Panama Canal (100th Anniversary this August by the way) . I did not have the veranda just the large porthole view. If I could afford the veranda I would def make that upgrade next time. I will mention one more thing about the room service CC recommends. I did not know it but room service is complimentary every night if you want it. I do not know all the details but def ask !!!! Happy romantic planning wishes to you and yours!
Originally Posted By seafairy1622 congratulations and what a wonderful way to spend your honeymoon! I have stayed at all the moderate and Port Orleans Riverside is my favorite too.
Originally Posted By dagobert I get the impresseion that the Port Orleans Riverside is a fan favourite and we should take it. I'm still torn between the Port Orleans Riverside and the Coranado Springs, but the latter one is tucked away, while the other one is near DTD. However my girlfriend has the last word, so it will be the Port Orleans Riverside.
Originally Posted By Autopia Deb I've never stayed at Coronado Springs, but my understanding is it caters somewhat to the convention crowd and less to tourists and park goers. Also for me, as a Californian in a town that loooves its Old Spanish Territory style architecture, the theme doesn't spell vacation to me it spells "down town", meh. But Port Orleans Riverside? I really loved staying there! I loved the quiet walkways and all the trees. French Quarter's pool gets all the press, but we really preferred the on at Riverside. I've never spent so much time in a resort pool on a Disney trip. I'd be staying there this trip, but it's my son's special trip and he wanted to try Caribbean Beach. And congratulations!!!
Originally Posted By FenwayGirl We stayed at Coronado Springs last year. While it is a beautiful resort ...probably wont stay there again. It is huge, a convention site and just doesnt feel as "Disney" as other hotels. Love POR....
Originally Posted By dagobert So I guess we will take the POR. We have leaned more towards that hotel and it's a fan favourite here on LP, so I think it's a good choice. Thanks again!
