As you all know, I have a 4 year old and a 4 month old. I'd really like to schedule a trip to DisneyWorld with my family but I've heard so many confusing things about planning the trip I thought I'd ask here because I know several of you have visited and some more than one time. 1. Meal plans. I've read many people say this is a must. Why is it or if you believe the opposite why is it not? 2. Theme parks. I know that DisneyWorld is a massive resort with several different theme park attractions within it, or at least that is what I have always assumed it was. When visiting and buying tickets, do you buy tickets for each theme park or does one ticket cover the costs of all of them? 3. I've been looking at booking through Southwest Vacations. I've priced a trip for the 4 of us at $2500 staying at Animal Kingdom lodge. Is that a fair deal? I'm sure there are tons of other things I am not even thinking about so if you have any additional information or tips, please share them.
You're doing it right. For the multiple parks question there's a Park Hopper option that lets you save lots if you order online (if you haven't, already). See if the vacation plan from SWV has this option. Also, consider resting in between park visits to go to Orlando's International drive, out dining on the town, walking the park, etc., to get away from the DISNEY stuff.
Email me through the board sometime. I'd be happy to answer questions and provide some other thoughts.
Why not just answer them here, in case other people want to know? With your method, only you and the OP will reap the benefits. Help OTHER peeps out.
My wife and I took our 3 year old back in March and we had a blast. I also asked around and got some advice from some of the guys I work with that took their kids. So here goes... 1) Meal plans are a must, since you do get a savings by going through the plan than buying food outright at different parks and areas. The other alternative is to pack your own lunch everyday, if you plan on going to the Wal-Mart nearby. If you do the meal plan, make reservations at the different restaurants ahead of time. It's is what they don't tell you, especially during high volume times, you may not get into certain restaurants (dine-in) option vs. snack or fast meals. I'd suggest reading up about it and looking through the package they send you when/if you book the trip. 2) Depending on what you book, you can get a pass that will allow you entry into almost every park (typically the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, etc). Since we had a little one, we spent most of our time at the Magic Kingdom. We also visited Animal Kingdom, Downtown Disney and Epcot. We were there for five days and had a four day pass, so one of the days we drove to Kissimmee to see an Astros spring training game. We booked to stay at the Polynesian and got the four day park pass included in our stay, but you have the option to add to your park visits. 3) That depends, is that just your stay at the hotel or does that include park passes as well? We booked through my wife's ex co-worker that is a Disney travel agent. They planned out he details, all I did was hand over the credit card. In total our trip came out to around $3700.00 and that's because I wanted to stay on the monorail (which is all I kept hearing from people who'd gone before). My advice would be to decide what parks you want to visit ahead of time so you cafigure out what kind of park pass to get. If you go to the Animal Kingdom, go early when the animals get fed, it's the best time to see them. When you go to the Magic Kingdom, buy the week long pass for the stroller (sounds like you'll need a double stroller), it'll save you a couple of bucks and should be transferable between the different parks. If you stay at the Animal Kingdom, you'll have to take the bus system to the different parks, get there early and know that it can take up to an hour to an hour and half to get to your destination and that depends if you need to take a connecting bus, boat or rail to get to your destination, with two little ones, you may need to plan accordingly on duration of park visit, meals, nap times, etc. Take lots of pictures. Disney has a photo pass system where you are given a card and then you hand it to all the different photographers when you get pictures taken. Of course, they charge an arm and a leg to purchase these pictures. I took my own camera and the cast their is more than gracious to allow you to take your own pictures. If you're going to take pictures with the different characters, do not be discouraged by the lines you'll see at the entrance to the Magic Kingdom. There are brochures at the entrance of the Magic Kingdom that tell you what time and where the characters will be available for pictures. For the rides and attractions, Disney has a fast pass system where you use your park pass and slid eit in a machine to get tickets for a ride/show at a later time. It works pretty well and beats standing in line for over an hour and watching the people who got fast passes pass you by. I don't know how many rides you'll get on with a four month old, but you cold use the extra. Park pass (between you and your wife) to get passes on the fast pass system. You can only have one set of fast passes at a time, but like I said you can get one set and your wife the other set that way you can from one ride to another immediately. We had a blast on our trip and I can't say enough good things about the hospitality we received from everyone at Disney. Like I said we spent most of our time at the Magic Kingdom. I underestimated how huge Epcot was, but there wasn't a whole lot there for my little one. Animal Kingdom was pretty cool, especially seeing the animals early (can't stress this enough). We had dinner in Downtown Disney one night and did souvenir shopping there. The Wal-Mart just off the complex has a dedicated Disney section that you can get souvenirs from and at a fraction of the price. Hope some of this was helpful and hope you and your family have a great time, the look on your child's face will be worth the price of the trip, I know it was for me.
My only suggestion is to hire a handicap person as a tour guide. http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/disney_world_srich_kid_outrage_zTBA0xrvZRkIVc1zItXGDP
Thanks for the information, very helpful. Are the rides that important? It seems there is much more to experience there than just rides. I mean, if I wanted to ride rides I would just go to Six Flags during a weekday.
I can recommend the Unofficial Guide To Walt Disney World for you to start reading now. It has a ton of info in there. If you follow the plan it has the wait in lines will be minimal. Those plans are worth the book just by themselves. There are plans for when you have children with you and when you don't. It sounds like it would be great for you. It lets you know the best way to go about getting the most for both you and the kids. I can't recommend that book enough. It really is amazing. I'm not really that big on the shows, but the kids may love them. The one I recommend for everyone is Fantasmic. That show was amazing. If you can do the deal where you have a dinner reservation and show seats included that's a great deal and will save you time.
My little one liked the Barnstormer, the Dumbo carousel, the Peter Pan flight, the Little Mermaid ride, etc. We went with another couple and their child (who is five) and wanted to get on the rides, so we naturally got on them as well. All things being equal, we could've had just as much fun experience without the rides, but it didn't hurt either.
That is the one. Truly amazing and will help you make sure you have very minimal line waits. Tons of good advice but mainly it gives you all the information you need and you can make your own informed decisions. Also follow MadMax's advice. When I went a few years ago, he emailed me some great tips, and I used them. I was not disappointed at all. I think the one restaurant he recommended was my favorite one, and I wouldn't have chosen it just going by the menu and information online. Have fun. I get so envious when people get to go to Disney World. It's a blast. If you're staying at the Animal Kingdom take advantage of the deal where Disney gets your baggage for you. It's really nice to get off the plane and not have to worry at all about baggage claim.
The rides are completely different from what you'd get at Six Flags. Seriously, it's not apples/apples. If you're not interested in the rides..which are the main attractions at the parks...I'd find another place to vacation. Just sent you email through the board by the way
Yes. I enjoyed the Cups a lot. I mean, A LOT. :grin: But seriously speaking, there are some experiences in Disney rides that you would probably not find anywhere else. For example, the Toy Story ride at MGM Studios... it's unique. It's one of the main places to visit there and the fast passes run out fast. LASTLY: use Fast Pass whenever possible. I thought you didn't want to. Seriously, why not leave the suggestions and answers here? Has the BBS become an "ask a question and get answered OFF the board so we don't help many more" place?
Great Thread... Perfect Timing for me.. Im going to Disney next week and would love to hear peoples experience and suggestions... does anyone have website that will offer the park theme tickets/ or park hopper...
Pun My one piece of advice......EASY PASS!!!!!!! Seriously, so worth it. and also, I shouldnt have to tell you this...but Similar Threads down below has a list of other Disney threads. Some other great tips and tricks in them. I learned a ton here before we went. Also, I guess staying at a Disney themed resort would be great for the kids, but they are pricey....I found a place nearby(near the Medieval Times style restaurant) that was more like a timeshare thing...the prices were cheaper than other places in the area, the only deal is you have to listen to a 10 minute sales talk to get you to buy a timeshare. That was a minor annoyance, but the place was super nice and clean....just a couple miles from Disney. Its a thought if you want to cut a few costs...cause I guarantee the Disney resorts are all sorts of overpriced, but good for the real young ones since Disney sends some of their characters over to the themed resorts to interact with the kids. Have a safe trip Pun, your kids are gonna love it.
