You could pay for your trip by bringing over a couple of NAINA festools and flogging them!

Sorry can't help with the travel info other than a colleague has been with his young family to Orland and always stays at the Disney hotel. Says it is just so much more convenient.

Enjoy the trip!

We are going this winter (taking our daughters for the first time!) and are staying in a villa.  But it's primarily because it's a mini family reunion and we'll have about 8 adults and a few children.

We've gone in the past and I have to say staying in the Disney resort has two distinct advantages:  1) they allowed you into the park early (I think it was an hour early).  So much shorter lines (nearly non-existent during that hour), and 2) I recall there was sort of an 'express' line for Disney resort guests.  That doesn't seem to be the case anymore.

Anyway, here's a quick synopsis of the pros of staying at a Disney hotel.  FYI, we didn't think the themed room was special or particularly nice, and we weren't there very much.  It just had 'perks' that were beneficial.

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/resorts-benefits/

I live in Florida and have gone more times than I can count.  Port Orleans is a great moderate resort in the park with a really nice swimming pool.  We have stayed in and out of the park.  It all depends on what your families needs are.  I would recommend a book before you go.  The Unoffical Guide to Walt Disney World.  I have the link from Amazon below, its a great time saver and it will help you plan a strategy for tackling the parks and cut down on the time you spend in line.  Remember Disney World is run like a military base, things happen on a schedule, the book helps you figure out their schedule.  For saving money check out Mousesavers.com and for what is happening at the park go to Mouseplanet.com

I would also recommend that a month before your visit the family start taking walks together and work up your mileage.  No two ways about, a trip to Disney World is hard work, with a lot of walking.  You will have a better time if you get use to walking.

http://www.amazon.com/Unofficial-Guide-Disney-World-Guides/dp/0470460261/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1288727901&sr=8-1

The only Woodworking Store I am aware of is the Woodcraft Store, but that is in Maitland North of Orlando, It would be a 40 minute drive from Disney World on the other side of Downtown Orlando.  You could check out Winter Park area, take a boat ride on the lake of Winter Park, great area and you can save big on stuff to do there instead of the Mouse.

 

Where are your priorities, man??? 

    

We went and stayed in the Orleans Riverside resort which was a middle class accomodation.  I really recommend staying in the Disney resorts if you go.  Life was nice and easy taking their buses everywhere, and having only a swipe card in your pocket.  If you are getting a meal package which includes dinners, do a lot of online research before hand, and book ahead for the ones you think you really want to go to.  Some are mediocre, others are great.  I was glad my wife did this, and she was pretty good at staying away from the lousy ones.  For example, all the ones steps from our room in our location were awful, except for the breakfast.  I got addicted to their carrot cake down there.  It was yummy.  Had grits for the first time, can't say I was impressed.

One of the best ones for our dinners, with a huge variety, was at the Animal Kingdom themed resort called Boma.  Had a watermelon salad there that blew me away along with a lot of good stuff there.  There were a lot of restaurants available to us, but few that we could chose of this caliber from our meal program.  This was by far the best overall one, for food qulaity, massive selection, and unique offerings for a buffet although you could order a la carte as well.

On our last nite, we went to one of the first class restaurants for the clams they seemed to specialize in.  Overnite we were all sick as dogs.  Sheets had to be changed a few times it was that bad.  In the morning, we were making our way through the lobby frantically trying to figure out which bus to get to.  I asked a staffer who was speaking with two trainees, if she could help with finding my bus, or running out and asking the driver to hold on for us while my wife caught up, as I struggled with my 3 year old on my shoulder and the huge valise and bags I was hauling.  She brushed me off with "oh sir, you just need to walk out there..." as I turned to walk away in disgust, my son spews out the milk he just tried drinking a half hour before all over them.  I blurt out loudly "Yep, good ole Disney food", just as a flurry of folks were coming into the lobby to start their vacation gazing on in horror.  It was priceless!  Now suddenly the staffers all wanted to help me and my wife.  Thanks son! 

I must say though that I'm not a fan at all of the Disney line of characters/cartoons (Bugs Bunny rules imo), so the Magic Kingdom type of park was no great thing for me, but the African, Epcot, were more to my liking.  You gotta do the waterparks.  We only had time to do one of them, and the rides have long lineups, but the one we chose had the wave pool that was really huge and fun.  The lazy river was a nice place to semi relax/meander in for long periods.  That was my first water park experience, and now I'm hooked.  Been only to three since, indoor ones, but even for me in the late forties, it's a blast.

One last note, if you have a handicapped person in your group, you get head of the line everywhere you go.  Even getting on and off the buses, the attraction, rides, restaurant seating, everything.  Jokingly now, I figured anyone organizing a group, get everybody to pitch in to bring a handicapped person for free.  Do this, and you've just eliminated all the lineups, and believe me, there are a lot of lineups, although Disney has gotten quite clever over its long history at coralling you along so you don't notice as much.  On the more popular rides, they segment the lineups, so you don't actually become as aware of how many people are really in line.  It's really quite ingenious how they do this to otherwise keep people from getting unruly probably when they see there are thousands possibly ahead of themselves, with fooling you to think there's maybe only a hundred or so visible at a time.

Hope this helps, and hope you have a good stay! 

see if you can make it here....
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/home/index.html

I took my boys when they were young and it was one of the best times I ever had.  We did a package deal and stayed inside the park.  I can't remember the Disney theme hotel, but it was a huge log monster that was wonderful.  We have friends that go every year and they gave us some tips.   I don't know if you have heard of the term being in the Disney zone, but thos folks have entertaining you down to an art.  Every day something to do, and everybody treats you like a god.  I remember my son wanted a grilled chese sandwich and the hotel did not have one on the menu and someone asked what he wanted and I said it was not on the menu and she came back a short time later and gave him a grilled cheese.  I assume you have kids and I'll give you some advice.   We mostly ate in the hotel cafe.  It had most things you would want and to be honest the kds mostly wanted chicken strips and fries anyway and it was rather inexpensive.  We did go out one night there and eat at a big resturant and it was ok.  Secondly, they offer (or at least did) park mugs that you can then refill soda's for free anywhere.   That helped a lot.   Back then we were on a tight budget and every nickle counted.   I was there for a full week and remember being out first thing in the morning and not finishing till the fireworks show at the end of every day.  By the 4th  day both my boys were in bed by 8:00PM.  I wanted to go back for the Fireworks show but the wife said I was killing the boys and to rest a bit.   I was there 7 days and did not see it all.   Enjoy and please spend as much as you can we need it!   

Chris, I went in '96 and stayed at the ex wife's uncles villa in Kissimee, was not a huge fan of disney as we did not have kids but Epcot and the Kennedy Space centre were fascinating places to go to. Seaworld was a great day out and Gatorland was very informative, they had snakes there too!
Went Gator hunting on an airboat, armed with a camera I might add , horse riding locally and had a big Gator wander through the villas back yard!
Had a ride in probably the dirtiest, bouncy and pricey Yellow Cab in history (it was the first time and still is  )
Ate a seafood platter, only to be told it was a dish for two! it was delicious though . Then of course we watched nervously while a Hurricane kept teasing the Gulf threatening to go ashore here there and everywhere, and got treated to the movie Twister on the flight home with added special effects from "turbulence" 

You will have a ball, mate!

What not to do!

Don't believe the car hire place when they say that the car dramatically pulling to the side of the road is a "safety feature of American cars, to prevent collisions with on comming traffic"! as I pointed out if the car goes too far that way we are in the gator's swamp!

Don't refuse the car upgrade after the above as this confuses the heck out of them and takes 3 times longer to get sorted.

Don't forget your on holiday too! Have a great time.
Rob.

Joiner,

I am coming in a bit late on this, but I hope you having a wonderful trip and that the weather cooperates fully.  Florida can be iffy at times.

I spoke to Mr. Obama and told him you were a Democrat.  He said that he wishes you had been here last Tuesday.

Neill