#82 Mar 2015 Disney Comments and Tips

Disney Parks are very expensive and we tried to utilize our time and money effectively. We hope these tips might be useful to others contemplating or planning a trip to Walt Disney World.

We separated our days at Disney with other venues such as Kennedy Space Center. There was so much to see and do but not enough time or energy for everything.

Magic Kingdom was a great starting point to get into the Disney mood. Some of the rides have not changed in decades and the animatronics could be updated in all the parks.

Every park entrance had maps and event schedules. The map for Hollywood Studios was confusing but the others were very helpful.

There were very few “fast, scary” rides in Disney World. Many people said Universal Studios was better but that was also expensive and we had tickets for Disney so did not explore Universal Studios.

We knew in advance that our interests would be different so planned to spend time as a family but also go our separate directions as our attention dictated.

TEXTING. We already had a US SIM card in our phone. Dave and Lindsay added international texting on their phones. That was invaluable to stay in touch. We could not always hear a phone ringing but texts were easy to spot and convey a quick message. When we were at the Disney parks we arranged meeting times and places easily.

PARK ADMISSION was expensive but did cover most rides and exhibits. When we got our tickets there was a special; buy 4-day passes and the fifth day was free or only minimally more expensive. We didn’t expect to use 5 days but we had that option. Ralph and I used the fifth day to return to Epcot the following week. Our RV was parked an hour from Disney.

There were some discounts available but they saved only a few dollars per ticket. We stopped at an OFFICIAL State Tourist Information Center and they recommended two reputable ticket agencies on International Drive in Orlando. Be wary, as there are many Disney ticket scams. AAA may offer a small discount.

Once the ticket is activated it must be used within 14 days. The days on the ticket can be extended for an additional fee at the park. In previous years multi day passes had no expiry date. That has changed.

We found several helpful hints on mousesavers.ca. There were other sites as well, and each had tidbits, which helped in the planning.

FOOD AND DRINKS were pricey in the parks. Before ordering we watched dishes being prepared and tried to determine if we could share meals such as ordering an entrée and soup.

We took water bottles with us and refilled them at water fountains in the park.

We were in a timeshare so had breakfast before going to the park.

When we left the park before the evening entertainment we bought supper at the grocery store deli and took it back to the timeshare or went to a family restaurant. Golden Corral was a reasonably priced buffet close to Disney.

PACE YOUR TIME AND ENERGY during the day. Each park was huge and there was a lot of walking. Three of the four parks had evening entertainment. We arrived at the parks late morning, which allowed a slow start to the day and energy to enjoy the parades and fireworks later in the day.

PARK HOPPER passes were available for purchase but the parks are spread out and we felt time would be wasted just getting from one park to another. Disney World was much, much larger than Disneyland.

FASTPASS was free and allowed us to book rides in advance and avoid waiting in line. The popular events were booked early so we tried to plan ahead. FastPass could be setup online or at kiosks in the park. You could assemble a group for booking and still book for part of the group as well. We could book 3 FastPass events per day, however, when we had gone on those three rides we could book more rides if they were available for FastPass. After the first day Lindsay found the booking relatively easy on her phone. The program was intuitive and helped plan our day.

FastPass+ costs extra for events such as prime seating for the fireworks.

PARKING was $17 per day but could be used in any of the parks on that day. Many hotels offer shuttles, usually free, but might only take you to a central Disney transportation hub where you would board another shuttle to each park. That could take up a lot of time and energy depending on your endurance.

In our early planning we were going to use the free shuttles to the park. Our Suzuki does not accommodate five people. When we considered the extra time involved with the shuttles we rented a van for the week. That gave us the flexibility to go to and from the park when we were ready. The van also allowed us to easily go out for supper, Wild Florida Airboats and Wildlife Park, etc.

We drove to the parks each day. There were very efficient parking attendants who directed us along rows that accommodated at least 75 vehicles. Every one of the 5 days we were directed to the end of the row. It was a long walk after a long day, even a week later when we went back to Epcot with the Suzuki.