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Hey pinkie, have you been to Madam Tussards in London? There a mini ride in there to do with London history and it's in a black cab which moves on a track. It's a bit weird but with Disney magic sprinkled on and some imagineering it would be good!
Tim, the last post asking about how did you find good deals etc was aimed at you but forgot to put your name! Sorry! Any tips though? I normally go with Virgin
Hi Becky, it helps that it is just me & Kerrie (no kids) we do own DVC which brings with it discounted annual passes which then brings discounted room rates for cash bookings and being able to get a Tables in Wonderland card (20% off most table service restaurants and a few counter service) so for May for instance we have 5 nights at All Star Sports on a cash booking that Suzy at Mousefan travel has applied an annual pass discount to followed by 3 nights on the Disney Dream in a cat 11A cabin, this includes $100 on-board credit and a 10% discount from booking on-board on our last cruise (and then transferred to Suzy at Mousefan) also when you take into account the food and entertainment on-board and compare it to what you would spend on land it makes the cruise itself quite reasonable. After the cruise the rest of the stay is at Kidani Village and Bay Lake Tower using our DVC points. DVC is great for us when you look at the accommodation you can stay at for the next 45+ years and some of the discounts that come with it, it is actually really good value, our standard annual pass with discount is only a bit more than an ultimate ticket and renewal price is about the same as an ultimate and were going to get 3 trips out of the 1 pass :thumbs:Quote:
Originally Posted by Captain_Becky
The ONLY thing that makes trips a bit pricey is the flights, I usually aim to try and get them for around £500 each and have managed this for May and Oct (still waiting for next March to be released) although we would go indirect if need be.
I will admit the Fantasy inaugural is expensive but that's a one off and were going to have to do some extra saving. I must admit we don't have many indulgences at home everything is about planning the next trip to WDW :mickeykid
I know the flights are expensive! I been flying with virgin to collect airmiles to save money on a future trip. I don't have DVC but would love to! Never quite got how it all worked, don't you need a large deposit to start it?
I am looking to go on DCL but with a WDW stay too, flights included then i was allowing money for food for the WDW stay and tickets was coming at over at £1900 each!
Also what is the tables in wonderland? Is it for DVC members only?
If you bought DVC direct from Disney and took out a 10 year loan with them (might not always be the best option but still gets you DVC :yahoo:) for 160 points you would be looking at around £1200 for the deposit and a monthly payment in the region of £150. Obviously 160 points might not be enough it depends what type of accommodation you want, where you want to stay, what time of year and for how long :dizzy: Your only other cost would be annual dues, on 160 points at Bay Lake Tower your looking at about £420 a year (at the moment)Quote:
Originally Posted by Captain_Becky
On your next trip I would definitely take the DVC tour, just ask at any of the kiosks and they will arrange to pick you up from anywhere on property and drop you off again after the tour (probably with some fast-passes or even occasionally gift cards) there is absolutely no hard sell and you will be able to go into detail of how the whole thing works, trust me the guides won't be upset if you say no or you need time to think about it :)
There are a couple of things to consider, if you are happy staying off-site or at Disney value resorts it probably isn't the best option for you if however you like staying at Disney deluxe resorts or really really wish you could (which was us) then it can be a great way to make these affordable (especially for longer stays U.K. visitors normally take)
Probably the biggest factor for me was thinking about what a stay at Pop Century was going to cost me in say 20 years time, there is a very good chance that it will cost the same or more than what it does now to stay at say the Beach Club, but I've already paid for the Beach Club (and other resorts) now at todays prices, so it doesn't matter what they will cost in 20, 30 or 40 years time as I've already paid for them now, even taking annual dues into consideration I think it makes perfect sense for me :) and will definitely be getting more points at some time.
For your Disney cruise it might be worth looking at booking everything separately rather than a package, flights with Virgin (or B.A) when there is a sale on or when they first become available or even look at in-direct or Thomson etc flying into Sanford.
Then book say 5 or 6 nights at a resort followed by a 3 or 4 night cruise followed by 5 or 6 nights at resort (maybe try a different one) if you book a package you will be paying 3 or 4 nights for accommodation that will be sat empty.
If you did a 4 night cruise then a 10 day MYW ticket might be better value than an ultimate ticket as you will be away for 4 days anyway.
Or if 1 member of your party buys an annual pass you could then get resort discounts and other benefits and if you go every year you could time next years trip slightly earlier and get 2 trips from the 1 pass, making it a lot cheaper than an ultimate ticket :)
I book my cash stays and cruises with Mousefan (Suzy is great :) )
For your first cruise I would also go for a lower category cabin as there is so much to do on-board you will hardly be in the room.
If you want a bargain cruise this years Westbound Transatlantic on the Disney Magic can be had for about £1000 for 2 adults, say £1000 for one way flights back and that is an amazing trip for £2000 (we did it last year it was fantastic)
The Table in Wonderland card is available to Annual Passholders, it costs about $75 and gives you 20% off most table service restaurants (including alcohol) and some counter services, I find it works better for us than the DDP now :)
Well done you on the podcast :cookie: I remember listening and it opened my eyes to the intricate details in the pavillion so I cant wait to look round again. As to a ride in the pavillion I think a boat ride (a la small world style) where you would go through the various historical ages of British History... Sorry Im a teacher and at times it does get all about the learning!Quote:
Originally Posted by pinkemma666
Captain Becky - I'm a bit spooked by the fact that Madame Tussaud's have a black taxi cab ride, I've never been and had no idea!! Perhaps I'm more of an imagineer than I thought!
TheLionKing - I think we have found our resident UK travel adviser!!!! ;)
MissMey - A ride through historical ages of British history would be great! I bet it would teach some us of some facts as well as the guests from other countries!!
I'm loving the way this thread is bringing us together; to share comments, thoughts and tips :thumbs: ....now we have our own little UK WDWRadio family xxxxx
:wave:Hello fellow UK'ers, I'm Diane and I'm another Norwich resident. I've been to WDW 10 times...and no, it isn't enough. :lol:
That would be me. :grin:Quote:
Originally Posted by pinkemma666
What an excellent idea! :thumbs:Quote:
Originally Posted by pinkemma666
Norwich really is the epicentre of UK Disney fans! :)
In the words of Alan Partridge... "Norwich IS an attitude". LOL!
Hi Diane :wave:Quote:
Originally Posted by Piglit
I've thought of a couple of things for the U.K. pavilion, the first slow and relaxing, how about a London eye type thing the views of WDW would be amazing and if you could be on it when Illuminations was on WOW (also a great place to propose etc or arrange special moments with WDW, and 2 a bit faster but a type of dark coaster based on a London Underground subway train :)
I've been busy this week-end and have picked restaurants for this Oct/Nov (chose and booked this Mays ages ago lol)
Cara, how do you find being D23 member in the U.K? I only ask as I have seriously been thinking about joining but don't know how many events I would be able to attend, the most annoying thing when I looked was that the postage to the U.K. was nearly as much as the membership :no:
But then there is a 10% DVC discount at the moment and a part of me feels I need it in my life :lol:
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheLionKing
It is a lot of money, but I feel it is well worth it for the magazine and the free little gifts that you receive with the magazine.
And of course, there is the off chance you maybe able to attend some of the events!
Hello to my Disney nuts mum, Piglit :wave: Welcome to the UK WDW Radio fan group! :hurray:Quote:
Originally Posted by Piglit
tim,
thank you SO much for advice! I will do a DVC trip now, my parents was going to do one few years back but never got round to it. Wish they had now!
The cruise all seperate? I will look into that.
Annual passes sounds good too - have been twice in one year on more than one occasion.
Also talking about the D23 - I still find nothing for UK residents to get it.
Im all alone down in Surrey! Where are all the WDW fans?! I know there is more!
Hi! I think being an international member of D23 really depends on what you plan to get out of it. I agree that the postage is ridiculously expensive, but the magazines are beautiful and getting the free gifts and annual presents are great. I've also been lucky enough to attend some D23 events, which means I'm also making more use of my membership. My biggest complain, however, is that the postage for D23 merchandise is TOO high. There was a pin I wanted to buy a few months ago which was $25 and then another $25 just to post it - that, in my opinion, is a complete rip-off. Also, most (if not all) the competitions are not open to any members living outside of the US, which I think is very unfair. That aside, I love the feeling of being part of an exclusive club and wear my D23 t-shirt with pride in the parks. I just hope that they expand the club in the future to make it more accessible to fans outside of the US, as there are plenty of us and we'd like to be included in EVERYTHING it has to offer.Quote:
Originally Posted by TheLionKing
I'll have to have a think about the D23 membership, I had a look at the silver membership but the postage is the same price AS the membership :omg: which makes gold membership (that has the same postage cost) look better value as at least you get the magazine and gifts mailed to you, I might wait until there's an event I know I can make it to and join that year :scratchin