hotel selection - july
we are making our first visit to vancouver this july 4-7th. i am having a hard time selecting a hotel, the prices are much higher then i expected. we arrive by train late (11 pm) on thursday 4th, plan to sight see downtown and stanley park area on friday, renting a car and doing a fishing trip out of mission on saturday that will be almost all day, and then leaving on a train back to seattle on sunday afternoon around 5 pm.



i have basically boiled down to a hotel like coal coast harbour or possibly holiday inn broadway. the later is just over $300 cheaper overall. based on what our plans are, is it worth the extra $$ to stay downtown vs using the train?
either are good choices, but if price is a concern, then the hi broadway is a good choice. nothing is too far away in vancouver - transit is easy.
hi bill, thanks for visiting the disney parks moms panel with your question. don't worry about the fact that your budget dictates a stay in a value resort. this is walt disney world, and even the least expensive resorts are immaculate and well-themed. we visit often and frequently stay in a value resort so that we have more money to spend on food and other entertainment. our favorite value resort is pop century. we like the location, the food court and the fact that it does not share a bus with any other resorts. when we choose one of the all-star resorts, we usually pick all-star sports for a couple of reasons. first, it often is a few dollars a night cheaper. but most important, it is the first stop on the all-star resorts bus route, both enroute to the parks and at the end of the evening. i hope that helps you make your decision. i know that you will have a wonderful time with your family no matter which resort you choose. please let me know if i can answer any other questions for you as you make your plans. i'm happy to be able to help. wilma hi chrystal! those are wonderful locations to enjoy a hearty breakfast before adventuring out into the parks! you will be catching the bus from port orleans french quarter to each of your breakfast locations. the bus will usually make several stops within your resort, depending upon which bus stop location you will be using from your room location. also, realize that you may have to wait as long as 20 minutes to catch your bus, depending upon your timing of arrival at your stop. the buses generally begin running one hour before park opening each day, so check the park schedule. once everyone is loaded, the bus ride itself could last 10 to 30 minutes, or more, depending upon how many resort stops it makes. the routes are subject to change at any time, so i can't give you exact estimates on this. keep in mind that you will also have to go through the park entrance upon arrival, having your bags checked, ticket processed, etc...so allow enough time for that, as much as 30 minutes or more, although it could be much quicker, depending upon the crowd level for the day. most days, if you will allow yourself approximately one and a half hours of travel time, you will be fine! i recommend you check with a cast member at your resort for their recommendations, as well. they may be up to date on route changes, park times, etc... have a magical time! hi kerri - greetings from massachusetts! i think the answer to your question will depend on a few things. first of all, when are you arriving on sunday? if it's later in the day, then perhaps it would be better to go on monday. also, will you be able to take advantage of the extra magic hours, or will your family want to go to bed early? there will likely be more crowds on sunday, especially with the magic hours, so i'd only recommend it if you think you'll be there until the park closes. i hope that helps! have a great vacation! take a cruise from san diego. holland america line travels to mexico for 7 - 10 days from san diego. great food, great prices, and lots of touring in each city they stop in. i just went on the 7-day and i loved it. i got to see puerto vallarta, mazatlan, and cabo. mazatlan was my favorite. so beautiful and cultural. don't go through a travel agent that is going to charge you for their services. most agents are paid from the company they book you with and should not be over charging you for the same thing you could book on your own. they will charge an extra fee for airline reservations just because the airlines do not pay them commissions anymore. if you go on a cruise you can call the company direclty. hi shabana, i completely understand how you are feeling; there's a lot to consider when planning a walt disney world resort vacation, and it can be overwhelming. i'm happy to help you with my recommendations! my first suggestion would be to stay at a walt disney world resort hotel. guests staying at walt disney world resort hotels have access to complimentary disney bus transportation. you can also enjoy extra magic hours where each day, select attractions are open longer at one of the theme parks. i would also recommend purchasing park hopper option tickets. in my opinion, the park hopper option is worth every single penny; especially when you have young children. during my family's many visits, we have loved having the flexibility that a park hopper ticket provides. you can start your day at one theme park, head back to your resort for a nap or pool time, and then end the day at any other resort you wish to. one of my family's favorite value resorts is disney's art of animation resort. each themed section completely immerses you in a beautiful storybook landscape. your kids will love the larger than life characters that are showcased throughout the resort and enjoy splashing the day away in the big blue pool. if by all inclusive you mean adding the disney dining plan to your resort stay then, in my experience, i would only add it if you have big eaters and your family eats 3 meals per day. when my children were younger, we did not add it since our children were snackers and did not necessarily eat three meals per day. they were more focused on the fun and not the food. that said, there is a quick service dining option that you may want to consider. please stop back by the disney parks moms panel should you have any more questions! magical wishes, susan mike: although i'm all about the dining at disney, if i were in your shoes, i would definitely downgrade from the deluxe dining plan to the regular dining plan and opt to upgrade your room, especially because of the ages of your children. you'll save over $75 a day, not to mention the time that you'd lose in the parks by table-dining three meals a day on the deluxe plan. that would more than cover the upgrade from the value all-star sports to a moderate resort like caribbean beach resort with its fun pirate pool and lake setting or port orleans (french quarter or riverside) with its large pool and boat to downtown disney. and both moderates give you an additional 50 square feet of room space. it's a no-brainer to me, especially with children, but click here to see some other reasons why a downgrade may be a better value for your family. wishing you a magical vacation! whitney walt disney world ticket prices don't really go down, but disney does release special offers for us floridians from time to time. my guess is that you might be referring to one of these, the florida resident summer fun ticket offer that disney released a few weeks ago. looking at ticket prices starting next monday, i think you could save some money if you were able to take advantage of this deal, since you'd only pay about $54 per day on a 4-day ticket rather than $67 for a regular florida resident ticket for the same dates. disney's policy is that ticket purchases are typically non-refundable, so i'd give guest relations a call and see if a cast member can offer you any options. hi, jeanie! congratulations on your upcoming disney cruise -- it really is a dream-come-true vacation for my family and me. i can't wait for you and yours to have a turn to sail! once you've paid for your cruise reservation in full, you've covered the large majority of your on board expenses -- most meals, entertainment and accommodations. there are a few extras for which you might want to budget: alcoholic beverages, smoothies, specialty coffee drinks and a few room service items adult dining at remy or palo treatments and services at the spa or salon port adventures pre-packaged snacks at the buena vista theatre and walt disney theatre photos purchased from shutters photography services arcade games internet usage and cell phone plans gratuities & tips hair braiding souvenirs laundry services or guest laundry usage for the six of us, i usually count on spending about $1,000 extra in addition to our cruise fares -- if that helps you plan. have a wonderful day and a magical vacation. bon voyage! andi hi barbara, there is seasonal pricing at all the disney resort hotels. most dates in january will be less expensive than if you visited over the christmas season a few weeks earlier. pricing for 2015 is not yet available online. this should happen sometime in late july or early august. in the meantime, you can check prices for january over the phone by calling 407-wdisney. a reservationist will be able to tell you room rates for a variety of dates, allowing you to compare pricing for different travel dates. good luck with your planning. please let us know what else we can do to help. if you're wanting to stay at a value resort hotel, i'd encourage you to look into the family suites at disney's art of animation resort or disney's all-star music resort. they both offer rooms that sleep up to six guests with two bathrooms, kitchenettes, and plenty of room to spread out a bit.