Disney Tickets???
Moms View Message Board: General Discussion: Archive August 2008:
Disney Tickets???
Yes in the middle of our crazy move, we are taking the kids to Orlando. We had the trip planned and paid for a year ago, so we really have no choice ...
Where's the best (least expensive) place online to get tickets for the attractions? Is a park hopper pass a good idea?
I've never been to Disney with kids ( ages 6 and almost 4). What should we not miss? Should we take them to Universal or MGM or are they just too young?
Any advice would be appreciated 
Thanks,
Ame
I love Disney. I am not sure what the cheapest place to get tickets is. My kids have been going to Disney since they were 2.Magic Kingdom is the most geared toward little kids, but all the DIsney parks are great. Animal Kingdom is fun as well, though not one of my favorites, to me it is just a big Disney zoo LOL. We have done all 4 Disney parks with the kids. We have also been to Universal Studios as well(not part of Disney). It depends on how many days you have there, on how many parks you can see.
We like the park hopper tickets, but single day tickets is fine as well. If you have never been, I think single day tickets would work as you want to see everything you can and not miss anything.
With us, we like park hoppers because we have been so many times that we pick and choose what we want to see and do at each park, then hop on over to a different park. We always schedule down time at the hotel mid day as well. It helps us recharge and a quick dip at the pool.
Thanks, Jackie. That's what I was thinking of doing. I don't want to go crazy doing and seeing everthing. Don't want to need a vacation after my vacation. We are there for a week and I just want the kids to get a feel for it. I want it to be fun, not excruciating.
Did you get your park hopper passes on line or in Orlando?
Ame
OMGGGGG!!! Had I had ANY!!! CLUE how outrageous Disney admission prices were I would NEVER have planned to go! $276 for ONE adult for a non park hopper pass for 4 days (+2 "free"). Kids' prices are not that much less! Holy Cow!!! It costs less to FLY there than to get in!!
Sorry for the vent, but I am just shocked! I could take my kids to Europe for what this "little" trip is going to cost us.
Now I really just don't want to go ...
Ame
Honestly, and I know all the disney lovers will disagree, but my kids were around those ages when they went the first time. They don't remember Animal Kingdon, MGM,or EPCOT that well. They do remember Magic Kingdom and Typhoon Lagoon. Personally, I'd go to MK for 2 days and do one of the water parks.
Ame, when are you going?? Are you going after school is back in session? If so, it will not be as busy, so you could do without the hopper passes. If you are going to be there for a week -seven days, then I would plan on a couple of swim/relaxing days.
I would plan 2 days at Magic Kingdom. Also, if your dks are into Playhouse Disney, I would plan a day at Disney Studios. I would get the Unofficial Guide to Disney book. It explains each park, and goes over each ride in the parks, and gives you a description. You can go through it, and decide what rides you want to do. I would also come up with a simple plan. Decide what park you are going to go to each day, and then pick the rides you "must" do. Disney is very big, and it can be overwhelming. If you don't have any idea what to expect, or what is there, you are going to be "overwhelmed" and have a bad time. If you are going when it is warm, I would also plan a water park day if your dks are swimmers.
I know it is expensive, but if you have a plan, and go with the flow, and know you aren't going to see everything, you will have a great time.
Ame, what do you mean by a four day pass with (+2 free)?? Do you mean it's really for six days?
I am one of those who think a Disney vacation is actually a bargain. What you get for the money is pretty good!! Once you are in that park there is SO MUCH offered, and it's all included except for food and gift shop items.
Are you staying in a Disney resort? If so, you'd be better off buying a Magic Your Way package. I have a vacation there coming up in two weeks. We purchased the package and are getting 10 day hoppers for three adults and one child. The tickets alone are only $900 something. Think about that....TEN DAY HOPPERS for THREE adults and ONE child....it's only a bit more than what you're being quoted for two adult FOUR day NON hoppers and two children!
So if you're staying on site I'd seriously rebook a package and if you're not staying on site you may want to look into that as it's SOOOO much more convenient and fun!
We got our tickets at Disney.com or something like that.
We went this summer with my sister who has a 6 yr old boy and twin 4 yr old girls. They loved Magic Kingdom and MGM. MGM has a Playhouse Disney show which they loved because they watch those shows all the time. They also like the Muppet 3D show and the Monsters Inc. Show ( i think that was at MGM). They can do a lot of things at MGM, more than I thought! My kids who are 7 and 9 also love it. We saw a lot of the things my nieces and nephew did but we also saw the High School Musical show/parade. and several other things. Mine also loved the Tower of Terror although your kids are probably to young for it.
Magic Kingdom is awesome for any age.
I can't believe you didn't check the prices before you decided to go. This is Disney, nothing is cheap. Keep that in mind when you are down there.
We stayed at a house off the property, this way we didn't have to buy the food for every meal. We planned for our meals to eat at the house and when we were going to eat at the parks. It worked out great that way.
We were down there for a week, but went to the park for 4 of the days with some break days in between. (we did the park hopper, in my mind it's the best way to go) This worked out very well because we were exhausted from walking around the parks all the time.
One thing you must do, is bring or rent a stroller for both kids.
Have fun!
The five day Magic Your Way tickets (2 adults and 2 children) will cost us $818 for non-hopper, non-water park passes. I'm guessing this is what we'll do, since we live near a great water park and have season passes to that. We are staying at a timeshare resort (non-Disney)that I traded my Cancun timeshare for - Cancun is looking real good about now ...
I am just really sorry I had no idea how much this cost. I am not a big theme park person. I am basically going while my kids are still little enough for the experience to be magical.
I don't even want to think about adding Universal tickets and I wonder how much entrance to the Kennedy Space Center is....
Thanks everyone. Debbie, thanks for the calming words and recommending the book. I will get it.
Kate, we may be there at the same time ... we are going from 8/23 to 8/30.
Ame
Yes Ame, we're going from August 23 to September 2! I wish I had known you were going way back when they were offering free dining for this time period. Although to get it you would have had to stay at a Disney resort.
The kids will love Magic Kingdom and some things in all the other parks. When I have a bit more time I'll go thru each attraction and give you my opinion on which ones you should go to, based on their ages. We've taken my girls several times and they absolutely adore it and my first was three the first time and my second was four the first time. They both have incredible memories of it. I think you'll have a great time actually!
My ten day hoppers are so cheap due to the number of days I purchased. Once you hit about five or six days, each extra day you add is like $2 extra per day per person.
What book are you getting? 'The Unofficial Guide to WDW' by Bob Sehlinger?? That's the one I'd recommend, but get it today and start reading as there's a LOT in there!
You all know that I am not a Disney lover and Ame, you just experienced part of why. Yes, instead of going to fake countries in Epcot you could really go to Europe (if you are a cheap, savvy planner) for the same price. The tickets are outrageous and then you have theme park food (read: expensive and frequently unhealthy) and souvenirs.
Hope you have a great time anyway! I'm sure the kids will at least enjoy seeing all of the characters and you will have some good family time together.
Also Ame, Karen saved a big Disney thread you should find. I'm not sure if it would show up easily in a search or if you'd have to wade thru a million posts that just HAPPEN to have Disney in them. The search feature here is much, much too broad. When I try to find posts *I* made, I put in 'Kate' as an author and it brings up all of Kernkate's posts which drives me crazy! So you may want to ask Karen if there's an easier way to access that all encompassing thread as it's a great tool for you.
Biggest tip is to get there before it opens each morning so you can get as many rides out of the way as possible before the crowds pick up. Also, since you aren't on Disney property you can't participate in Extra Magic Hours AND since you don't have hoppers, you really really really should AVOID the parks that have these!! They get CROWDED and without the hoppers you'll be STUCK having that particular park option only.
Aug 23--Hollywood Studios has morning hours AVOID THIS PARK ON THIS DAY
Aug 24--MK has evening hours AVOID THIS PARK ON THIS DAY
Aug 25--AK has morning hours and Hollywood Studios has evening hours AVOID THESE TWO PARKS ON THIS DAY
Aug 26--Epcot has morning hours AVOID THIS PARK ON THIS DAY
Aug 27--AK has evening hours AVOID
Aug 28--MK has evening hours AVOID
Aug 29--Epcot has evening hours AVOID
Aug 30--Hollywood Studios has morning hours AVOID
If you're doing beach days or Kennedy Space Center or whatever, I'd do those on the days I told you to AVOID THE MK. Don't waste GOOD MK days on non Disney activities. Tuesdays and Wednesdays typically are good MK days any time of year.
Ame,
You are going at a good time crowd wise. Most southern schools are back in session. It will be very HOT, and the humitity is terrible. So, I would go early, take a break at lunch, swim, nap etc, and then go back in the early evening. I would avoid parks that have early entry for resort guests. They will be able to get in earlier then you, so there will already be crowds when you get there. The Unofficial Guide will let you know what parks have the Extra Magic Hour for resort guest. With kids, we found it a pain to hop, so we didn't when they were little. The Unofficial Guide will also tell you what days are best to go to what parks. So, once you decide which parks you want to visit, you can just plan on which day to go to each. We stayed off-site on our last trip. If a park had extra magic hours at night, I would pick that park for us for the following day. So, let's say, Magic Kingdom had extra park hours for resort guests on Monday night, we would go to Magic Kingdom on Tuesday morning. I think it worked great as far as crowds.
Even being a non amusement park type, I think you will have a great time. Your kids are at a great age to go. With a little bit of planning, you will have a fun time. And, if it makes you feel better, I am not the type to go to Six Flags or amusement parks like that. But, I love Disney, mainly because my dks have such a great time there. We always have a wonderful vacation when we go!
Florida schools are back in session August 18.
I am so glad we get Florida resident rates. Our annual passes are what you are quoting for a week.
Disney is a lot of fun. You will be happy that you took the kids!
DH and I are going in December, we booked through smallworldvacations. We got 7day hopper passes. If you do a Magic Your Way and go in September, you can get free dining. I have the Disney info that I saved from before, I will post on a separate thread.
" The tickets are outrageous and then you have theme park food (read: expensive and frequently unhealthy) and souvenirs. "
actually if you look, you can find heathier choices. I ate several turkey wraps there, they were good. You can buy one and split it with your dh to save money.
When you go, please try not to agonize over the price of everything or you will not enjoy yourself. Have a plan of what you will spend and stick to it, and just have fun!
Kennedy space center is about $40 per person which is why we decided against it.
We are staying in an efficiency, so we are planning to do breakfast and dinner at the resort. Can you bring food with you into the Disney parks, or do you have to buy what is there? I am thinking I can do grilled chicken bites and sandwiches and veggies as snacks.
Thanks, everyone. I think I'm over the sticker shock . As you know, we are in the final stages of building a house, planning a move and have had our current home on the market for over a year. So, I don't mean to sound cheap, but every dollar counts.
Honestly, if we had not already booked the flights and the kids were not looking forward to it, I'd scrap the whole thing.
I picked up the Unofficial Guide to WDW With Kids, tonight. Thanks for the recommendations.
Ame
Ditto Bellajoe. Yes, you can go to Europe much cheaper if you do e-savers especially, but at 4 and 6yrs old, they could care LESS about Europe! I wouldn't focus on Epcot while you're there. Definitely teh Magic Kingdom, and maybe Animal Kingdom. Have a wonderful time! Some of the best food I've ever had was at Disney, but we love the restaurants. You should never think about the $$ on a vacation, is my motto.
Okay Ame, for your kids I would make sure you do:
Magic Kingdom: Fantasyland: Dumbo, Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh, Small World, Mickey's Philharmagic
Toontown: tour the houses and ride the Barnstormer roller coaster
Liberty Square: Will they be scared of the Haunted Mansion? Your three year old might....it's mostly in good fun but there is lots of darkness...
Frontierland: If they like roller coasters Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is good and Splash Mountain is good. My DD at three hated Splash Mountain but my almost five year old loved everything. Country Bear Jamboree is here...boring but safe!
Adventureland: Pirates of the Caribbean, Jungle Cruise, Alladin's Magic Carpets
Tomorrowland: Buzz Lightyear, Tomorrowland Transit Authority
If you go to Epcot:
Test Track for your six year old, Nemo, Turtle Talk with Crush, Spaceship Earth, Honey I shrunk the Audience, Cranium Command, Soarin', Universe of Energy has cool dinosaurs, but the whole thing is 45 minutes long and once in you CAN'T leave...it's not all dinos and they might get bored fast.
I hate Animal Kingdom so it's tough to find things to recommend:
Safari, Camp Mickey Minnie....Dinosaur is VERY DARK AND SCARY!! There are some Pocohontas and Lion King shows here they might like, Triceratops Spin.
Studios:
Voyage of the Little Mermaid, Playhouse Disney, Toy Story Mania, Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground, Muppet Vision (very LOUD), your six year old might like Tower of Terror but it is DARK during the drops.
I didn't check the height requirement on any of these so make sure you do ahead of time.
They WILL check your bags each time you enter but I've heard if you don't bring ridiculous amounts of food in they don't say anything. We take water bottles in but nothing else so I can't give you personal experience. Stroller rental is PRICEY so bring your own.
We drove over to Kennedy Space Center one day and dd was only 5. DH loved, loved loved it. The rest of us really enjoyed it even dd. It is really pretty cool. I was surprised that dd and I had as much fun as we did. And we also really like Seaworld in Orlando. Disney World stuff is alot of fun and so awesome, but there is more to do in Orlando than just Disney.
Kate, do you know if there is a specific rule about not bringing food? I wouldn't want to go nuts prepping just to get the bag checker that day who goes with the letter of the law.
I think I feel better about this trip, but next year we are going to Sicily. It will be much less expensive ...
Ame
Ladies, I bumped up the *Disney Again...* thread so there's a lot of previous info there....
We take food in. I always have, and no one has ever said anything to me. I take stuff because of ds(his reflux) I take snacks like peanut butter crackers, granola bars, gold fish, grapes, and apples. I also take a peanut butter sandwich for ds. NO ONE has ever said a word to me. I usually don't take a lot of water because it makes our bag too heavy. We usually just take one or two bottles that we carry in with us.
I am with Pamt...I just don't feel the love for Disney like others do. When we went a few yrs ago I remember posting to vent about the ridiculous pricing. ugh!!! I would MUCH rather go to a beach, mountains for snow skiing, lake, deep sea fishing, snorkeling, Italy, France, Mexico, etc...and sit on a beach and watch the sunset for free!!! LOL Than to spend the money for Disney ever again. Now, if I lived in Florida and it was convenient..then I am sure we would go from time to time. However, I am just one of those that didn't quite feel that magic feeling some people get when they visit. I felt that, 'I am being ripped off big time feeling'. ROFL My youngest ds enjoyed it (he was 5 when we went). My preteen said he didn't care for it (he had his 12th bday at Disney).
Good luck with your planning and had fun!!
You are just not allowed to bring in Coolers of food. YOu can bring some PB&J's in a backpack with crackers and drinks and they don't care.
Big Disney lover here. Yes it is expensive, it can be the biggest rip off of your life or the best vacation money you ever spent and it all depends on how much you do your homework before hand. Disney is not a place to just show up at. Go to www.wdwinfo.com and read the discussion boards. Undercover tourist has tickets a little cheaper, tickets are rumored to go up soon (if they haven't already) Your kids are a great age and if you have a good plan of attack so you minimize waiting you will have great time. But I can't stress this enough. Do your research! A great book to get is the Unoffical Guide to Disney. Very helpful and it has touring plans. Good luck.
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