Disney park tickets

[Scanner]

DisneySteve,

I know you can make an arguement for park hopping but to present the counterargument (and it's up to them - they are trying to save money) I was just pointing out that you can really, really do the Magic Kingdom in 3 days.

Remember, at least 3 hours would be taken up for parade + fireworks over the 3 days. It doesn't sound like much but it eats into attraction time quickly.

They have young kids which means naps.

Maybe they'll actually want to sit down to a meal instead of a hotdog + soda at every meal.

They could do

DAY 1: Mickey's Toontown + Fantasy Land + Fireworks (skip the parade) + Breakfast at Crystal Palace
DAY 2: Adventureland and FrontierLand + Parade + Lunch at Aunt Polly's while kids explore Tom Sawyer's Island
DAY 3: Tommorrowland + Liberty Square + Mainstreet USA + Lunch at Liberty Tree Tavern

This would allow for naps and just taking a slow pace and even doing BuzzLightYear's Space Ranger spin 2x, as it's probably my favorite attraction, maybe a tie with Mission Space in EPCOT.

I have just made the mistake before of consuming Disney attractions like an alcholic in a corner tavern. Remember, this is supposed to be a vacation for the parents and not be an "attraction-a-thon." Just offering an alternative.

PS: One more thing. . .sometimes lines are mysterious at Disney. We went on an offweek once and the lines were generally short. But my wife wanted to ride Dumbo. That was a 45 minute wait for 1 attraction and all for what was basically a NJ Boardwalk ride (but she wanted to do it with our first child - I can see her point - you go to Disney to ride the teapots and Dumbo).

I am just letting you know it can be, as much as you plan, often unpredictable what you will get through, and I am one to actually write out an itinerary..

[hawkster]

I love me some Disney talk; thanks too Steve I never knew that site existed, will have to check it out. In regards to the comments above I want to state a few things. I have always considered my self a cheap-o when going to Disney and have done complete trips for under $1500.00.

I have been to Disney about 16 times over the past 10 years, never have we stayed in the park. Mainly the reason is because we like the option of seeing and driving around the Orlando area as well. Now keep in mind when we visit we drive our own car down on a quick little day trip. Typically we will always stay in a Hampton Inn, mainly because they are nice and clean and also because they have the free Hot breakfast that saves us some cash as well.

As far as park hoppers, non park hoppers, etc, when we go to the parks we will always spend 2 full days at the Magic Kingdom, then venture off to other parks on different days. I get a pretty nice discount on my tickets; my total for 2 adults and 1 child is $590.00 for a 4 day park hopper.

I guess my point is this, it will cost you what, $125-150 to rent a car for the time you are there to stay off site; that would be my bet.

[disneysteve]

I know you can make an arguement for park hopping but to present the counterargument (and it's up to them - they are trying to save money) I was just pointing out that you can really, really do the Magic Kingdom in 3 days.

Remember, at least 3 hours would be taken up for parade + fireworks over the 3 days. It doesn't sound like much but it eats into attraction time quickly.

They have young kids which means naps.

Maybe they'll actually want to sit down to a meal instead of a hotdog + soda at every meal.

They could do

DAY 1: Mickey's Toontown + Fantasy Land + Fireworks (skip the parade) + Breakfast at Crystal Palace
DAY 2: Adventureland and FrontierLand + Parade + Lunch at Aunt Polly's while kids explore Tom Sawyer's Island
DAY 3: Tommorrowland + Liberty Square + Mainstreet USA + Lunch at Liberty Tree Tavern

This would allow for naps and just taking a slow pace and even doing BuzzLightYear's Space Ranger spin 2x, as it's probably my favorite attraction, maybe a tie with Mission Space in EPCOT.

I have just made the mistake before of consuming Disney attractions like an alcholic in a corner tavern. Remember, this is supposed to be a vacation for the parents and not be an "attraction-a-thon." Just offering an alternative.

PS: One more thing. . .sometimes lines are mysterious at Disney. We went on an offweek once and the lines were generally short. But my wife wanted to ride Dumbo. That was a 45 minute wait for 1 attraction and all for what was basically a NJ Boardwalk ride (but she wanted to do it with our first child - I can see her point - you go to Disney to ride the teapots and Dumbo).

Scanner - I agree completely with absolutely everything you said.

There is no "right" way to do Disney. That's one of the things we love about it. Every trip is different. There is something for every age, every taste, every interest and every pace. Some do commando trips, some do highly planned out trips, some do more casual trips and some just like to meander and see whatever they see.

You touch on a VERY important point and one that I always mention to folks with young kids. You must go at your child's pace! We see so many parents dragging around exhausted, cranky, crying, sunburned kids who look so pathetic but the parents seem to have the attitude that "you're going to have fun if it kills you." That's no way to vacation.

Disney World is HUGE. You absolutely can not see the whole place in a week. Two weeks would make a good dent but still not cover it all. So you need to decide what sites, attractions and experiences are most important to you and focus on covering those things.

[project15]

How are the lines at disney and what would be the best time to go? My wife has been wanting to go with some friends.

[disneysteve]

How are the lines at disney and what would be the best time to go? My wife has been wanting to go with some friends.

There used to be something called "off-season" but in recent years, Disney has done a great job marketing the resort and the off-season has gradually faded so that most times are now fairly busy. Things like the free dining promo brought a lot of people at times that normally would have been dead. That said, the traditional off-season is still slower than the peak season. So from Labor Day to just before Thanksgiving, in between Thanksgiving and Christmas (not including the holiday weeks) and after New Year's until Spring Break are the best times to visit.

We go the first week of November each year and never wait in a line more than 10-15 minutes and that's the max. Most are shorter. You do need to know how to time your itinerary to avoid getting to certain attractions at certain times. You also have to be willing to bypass an attraction if the line is too long, knowing you may or may not get back to it. Using the FastPass system is also a must, as is avoiding whichever park has early entry for resort guests each day.

[flavor]

I appreciate everyone's advice. Very helpful. Here's what we've decided.
We're going mid March for 6 nites, staying at a non Disney, offsite property in the Lake Buena Vista area. We read many reviews about the hotel and they all are ok. We will be renting a car, because with small kids will be easier getting around, than relying on shuttle busses, especially on the way back to the hotel, when we're all tired. We want to spend 3 days at Magic Kingdom only, because we want a somewhat relaxing vacation, and don't want to feel rushed to see everything in one or two days. If our kids love a particular ride, no problem, line up again for a 2nd time. It's not like we'll never come back to Disney. I'm sure we'll be back if not every year, but probably every other. The reason we're going to Disney is because of the kids. Our oldest looks so forward to meeting the characters.
We don't want to spend so much on this vacation, because we're planning on having another vacation later in the summer. Our estimated vacation total would be $2,600. That includes vacation package (airfare & hotel), cancel waver, rental car, fees & gas, park parking, park tickets and all meals.

One thing though. We're really shocked as how expensive the park tickets are.

[Scanner]

They are expensive.

One thing to continue the discussion on park hopping. . .and I used to be on the disney forums a long time ago and forgot my user name/password. . .I think Disney should interconnect all parks via monorail.

Who wants to ride the bus between MGM and Magic Kingdom? It would be nice as a next step for Disney to link the major 4 and maybe even the water parks via monorail.

Anyway, with 3 days, you'll do a lot. If characters are important, try scheduling a character breakfast at Chef Mickeys - you could walk to the Magic Kingdom from there.

[disneysteve]

We're really shocked as how expensive the park tickets are.

The MYW tickets are designed to encourage guests to stay longer. The more days you buy, the less you pay per day. So a 1-day ticket is $71 but a 10-day ticket is only $22.50/day which is pretty cheap IMO.

[disneysteve]

I think Disney should interconnect all parks via monorail.

Who wants to ride the bus between MGM and Magic Kingdom?

The cost to extend the monorail is prohibitive. They've talked about it for years but it'll never happen.

We hate riding the buses. It is far quicker and easier to drive from place to place. That's why even if we do stay on site, we always have our own car.

[Scanner]

Okay, the hotel is cheap. It's about $150 to rent a car for a week.

What's it cost to park?

[disneysteve]

Parking at Disney is $11.00/day. Keep in mind that you only pay on the days you go to the park. In the OP's case, that would be 3 days, so $33.00.

[flavor]

We want to have at least one meal with the characters. In our research we found out that MK offers them at Cinderella's Royal Table, Liberty Tree Tavern and at the Crystal Palace. Do we have to call these places from home before the trip to make reservations? How expensive can these meals be? Can we meat any of the characters by walking around in the park? Thanks.

[disneysteve]

We want to have at least one meal with the characters. In our research we found out that MK offers them at Cinderella's Royal Table, Liberty Tree Tavern and at the Crystal Palace. Do we have to call these places from home before the trip to make reservations? How expensive can these meals be? Can we meat any of the characters by walking around in the park? Thanks.

Cinderella's Royal Table is THE hardest to get reservation at Disney. You need to call exactly at 9am exactly 180 days out and hope you get through, so don't count on that one. If you are lucky, it is $31.99 adult/$21.99 kids.
Crystal Palace is $18.99-$27.99 adult/$10.99-$12.99 kids (serves all 3 meals). Liberty Tree is characters at dinner only, served family style for $27.99 adults/$12.99 kids.

Another option is to hop the monorail over to Contemporary, Polynesian or Grand Floridian for one of their character meals.

Again, I'd refer you to disboards.com. Click on the link for Dining and you can see all the options, get info on making reservations, read menus, see prices, etc.

You absolutely DO NOT need to spend the money for a character meal to meet and greet characters. They are all over the park. There are numerous designated character greetings spots where you can see the characters, get autographs, take pictures, etc. and it is free (with park admission).