Disney

"Our family loves Disney vacations and over the years we have done trips to Disneyland and Disneyworld with kids (we have 3 of them now) of various age ranges, from as early as 6 months to 8 years. To try and answer some of your questions:

(1) We're very concerned about our budget - is it worth the extra money to stay "on site." Because this is peak season, the cheapest Disney resort hotel is $155/ night.

I would say there is a definite advantage to staying on site if you have a toddler. Even at the cheapest (i.e., furthest) away Disney resort they are really great about the transportation. We stayed at the All Star Resorts last September, with kids ages 2, 5 and 8, and I was actually amazed at how frequently the buses came. They know that those are the budget hotels and that they are popular for that reason and they really seemed to try and offer lots of buses. The only bummer to the bus transport (as opposed to the monorail (expensive!) hotels is that you have to fold down your stroller to board the bus. But with one child and grandparents to help carry, that should not be a problem.

The hotel itself (All Star) is very basic, no real frills, but the food court is huge and we had no problems. It can be very crowded, but all of them will be when you go, I believe.

(2) How inconvenient is parking if we opt to stay off site

We have never done this at Disneyworld, but did at Disneyland once. It was ok. The lots are far away so you have to take the tram once you park, so it is another "wait in line" on top of everything, but Disney is pretty good about accommodating everyone. I understand it can add up, though, to park there every day. And it makes leaving and coming back more difficult. Some off site hotels offer transportation, but it is much more erratic and less frequent than the Disney transports.

(3) Does anyone have recommendations of good places to stop along the way? I particularly like "quirky" tourist attractions (think largest ball of twine).

We flew each time (we were further away -- are moving to VA in Jan), so I can't help you there. When I was a kid and lived in PA, we used to take the autotrain -- which I LOVED -- not sure if they still have that and whether it is cost effective if you add up gas prices/hotels along the way.

(4) Any ways to avoid crowds at the park? For instance, is Disneyworld LESS crowded on Christmas Day than it may be the rest of the week? If so, should we aim to drive down as quickly as possible and then meander back home after?

You can check allearsnet.com -- a great site with all things Disney. Check on their "when to go" section.

(5) Does it make sense to purchase a park hopper? They seem much more expensive - is it worth the difference in price?

It is nice to be able to jump from park to park, which we have always done. But that is because we stayed on site and for disney guests they open certain parks early or late. So, we would spend the day at the less crowded park (you can check the allearsnet for best days to go to which park) and then go over to the other park that is open late. But, we are die-hard park goers. lol If you don't plan on staying out late, one park a day is fine. Especially at such a busy time as when you will be visiting. When there are more lines and crowds you are more likely to stay just at just one park and not take the extra time to travel to another one.

(6) How many days would you recommend staying? We're not sure if we should plan on 2 or 3 days.

With a little one, I would say the longer the better. That way you don't feel like you have to do everything you wanted to do in one day. You can take it slower.

(7) Should we purchase the meal plan with our tickets?

We did this years ago and thought it was a waste of money, but they have changed it and made it more user-friendly, offering more choices of where to eat. We did it last September on the new plan. I would recommend it. You can eat two big meals for one of the plan meals (and you get like an appetizer, entree and dessert). And you still get a snack as part of the plan. With so much to do, you can work around just breakfast and a late lunch/dinner with snacks in between. We ate a meal at the French restaurant in Epcot for the 5 of us that was over $150 with a coupon. That one meal alone would have cost more than the whole package almost. I found with the new system they have it allows you to eat better food because you can pick anything off the menu when you are using the plan meal -- not just the cheapest."