First Trip, Tickets question

[gibbo01]

Hi all, Long time lurker but first time poster.

We have decided to do the "disney" thing next year for the first time and have booked a 3 week stay at Blue Heron Beach Resort in late May

2 Adults and 2 kids 9+6

We obviously want to do all we can!!

I have done alot of reading on here and was just wondering if anyone could advise me if my ticket choices are correct.

Disney Ultimate 21 Day
Orlando Flex Ticket 14 day
Discover cove Dolphin swim Inc Busch Gardens( prob wont use it but get seaworld with flex ticket)
Gator land inc Airboat ride.

Have priced all this up and it comes to about £3500

Is this my best combo and more importantly value for money!!

Thanks.

 

[WiganTony]

Hi,

It may be worth pricing up separate Universal Tickets instead of the Flex Ticket and upgrading Discovery Cove to include BG, Aquatica and Seaworld.

For May this year DC Ultimate tickets (DC, SW, BG and Aquatica) are $289 (approx £180) so for 4 = £720.

Note that Universal have increased the ticket prices on their website, but you can still get a 14 day 2 park ticket from some sellers for around £80 so £320 total.

For Disney, it may be worth considering a 14 day ticket rather than 21 days. You could use your combination of tickets to start them at different times (all have 14 day validity) to cover your entire holiday. Currently Disney (and others) are offering a 14 day ticket for the price of a 7 day, approx £210 = £840 in total.

So for Disney, Universal/IoA, Seaworld, Busch Gardens and Aquatica would come in at around £1880 (all adult tickets but at 2010 ticket prices though!!). Just Gatorland to add on.

As I said earlier, if you stagger the start dates of your tickets, you will cover the full 3 weeks e.g.

Day 1 - start Universal tickets (valid to day 14)
Day 4 - start SW/BG/Aquatica tickets (valid to day 18)
Day 7 - star Disney tickets (valid to day 21)

HTH

 

[gibbo01]

Thanks Tony

Back to the drawing board i go.....
Thought i had it sussed as well!

 

[WiganTony]

No problem - it's a bit of a minefield out there regarding tickets!!!

Should have said that if you want to get some water park action in early on your holiday. may be worth activating your SW/BG/Aquatica tickets first then you have a full 7 days potential of water parks before the Disney Water Parks come "on-line" when you activate the Disney tickets. Then activiate Universal/IoA from Day 4 and Disney on Day 7.

 

[gibbo01]

Yeah we were just discussing that one,
thanks for the DC tip its saved us a few hundred in total doing it this way, im sure we will spend it somewhere else

Gatorland seems expensive for what you get? can you do the airboat ride somewhere else or are you limited to gatorand?

cheers

 

[Pooh's-Honey-Pot]

Welcome to the Dis!

I'm appalling with tickets, I usually book them with Virgin for ease so I won't butt in there! But regarding Gatorland, we thought it was pants and a complete waste of half a days vacation!!There are a few pits / cages full of alligators that you can look at, and some wrestling / showing of them a couple of times a day . . . that's about it! We paid extra to go on a train ride around the park . . . 45 minute wait . . . which took us literally around the edge of the park where the only things to look at were . . . posters advertising the park on big billboards!!!!!!!!! You should probably try it for yourself, but we would never do it again - half a day to go mini-golfing or shopping instead! I don't remember an airboat ride though, so maybe they have improved things (or do you mean the one at Boggy Creek - I think thats nearby?)

 

[loobylou44]

Yeah we were just discussing that one,
thanks for the DC tip its saved us a few hundred in total doing it this way, im sure we will spend it somewhere else

Gatorland seems expensive for what you get? can you do the airboat ride somewhere else or are you limited to gatorand?

cheers

We did an airboat ride at Boggy Creek Airboats 4 years ago and really enjoyed it, so you could look at their prices.

 

[gibbo01]

Thanks all i will check out boggy creek and see if its suitable for us

Sorry just a random question.. my dd is 10 whilst out on hols do i get her a a kids ticket or adult? as the age range says 9?

 

[WiganTony]

Go for the child ticket. Disney are very good at upgrading from child to adult, and I haven't heard of any instances where they have charged to do this.

We had a 7 day ticket from 2005 that we upgraded to non-expiry when DD was 7, and we only used them last year (DD 11) and we didn't get charged.

Don't forget to get DD a birthday badge from Guest Relations as well.

 

[gibbo01]

Nice one thats a relief

Was going to do DC for her birthday as a surprise, they probably dont give one out there? i might ask anyway, she may get a treat of somesort you never know!

Cheers

Mike

 

[WiganTony]

May be worth mentioning it to them before you travel.

You could also splash out on a birthday package where a dolphin will deliver a birthday greeting - details here.

 

[gibbo01]

Cheers Tony,

Your just trying to make me spend more money are'nt you

 

[wayneg]

Sorry just a random question.. my dd is 10 whilst out on hols do i get her a a kids ticket or adult? as the age range says 9?

Go for the child ticket. Disney are very good at upgrading from child to adult, and I haven't heard of any instances where they have charged to do this.

We had a 7 day ticket from 2005 that we upgraded to non-expiry when DD was 7, and we only used them last year (DD 11) and we didn't get charged.

Disney policy is tickets work on age at start of the vacation, if a 2 year old turns 3 while out here then they will continue to be free the whole stay, same for a 9 year old turning 10, they stay a child for that trip.
If you feel happier changing the ticket then go to guest services they will upgrade free.
We still have a couple of old child tickets with unused days, changed one last year when Matt was 14, upgraded it to adult ticket free of charge.
Disney will not penalize a child for growing up.

 

[jharrowell]

Thought,

Would it be worth getting an AP?

Given how long you are in the states and the fact that you are staying off-site, the free parking alone has got to leave you with a saving, then add on the 10% at some restraunts and the ability to get a TiW card for 20% off, the 20% off at World of Disney, etc. It could be a good deal.

 

[gibbo01]

Dam i aint even looked at AP's

Back to the drawing board i go,

At first glance they look very expensive?

How much is the daily parking?

Also what it a TiW card?

 

[gibbo01]

Look and ye shall find!!

I am not sure the AP would be a good deal for us to be honest.

£1500 for 2 adults 2 children. including water parks.
free parking
Tiw Card

Against £900 for 21 day ultimate
£10 ish per day for parking
no TiW card?

Is this correct or have a missed something obvious, i usually do!!!

 

[jharrowell]

Only thing to remember is that you'd only need 1 AP for the group, and it's the perks that make it worth it.

If you are staying off-site then parking at WDW is now either $12 or $14 per day.

If you visit WDW for 10 days furing your trip... Well you can do the math.

TiW is Tables in Wonderland card, what used to be the Disney Dining Experience card. It gives you 20% off at nearly all of the Table service restraunts at WDW a big saving and believed by most people to be a better deal than getting the DDP.

Still not sure if the maths work out better, but you get one AP (Might need to be a PAP if you want to do the waterparks) and the $75 for the TiW (At least it was $75 last time I got it), the rest you get the ultimate tickets. You can only get the TiW card if you are an AP or a FL res so if you intend to eat a lot of TS meals and don't get the DDP, it can be a real saving by the end of the trip. (I managed to save double the cost of the card in one meal once, though admittedly there were 8 of us).

 

[jharrowell]

Me again,

The AP option has been niggling at me so I did some maths myself.

1 Premium Annual Pass + 1 Adult 21 Day Ultimate + 2 Child 21 Day Ultimate:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
£1099.94

Parking Free (saves £140, it is $14 per day)
Total: 1099.94

2 Adult 21 Day Ultimate + 2 Child 21 Day Ultimate:
------------------------------------------------
£942

Parking (Assuming 10 days) £88
Total: £1030



So it's slightly more expensive at this point, but it doesn't factor in savings on TS meals or savings on souveniers at the World of Disney.

So if you wanted to do a fair few sit down meals or wanted to buy stuff to bring home it may work out more cost effective to get 1 AP.

 

[gibbo01]

Thanks

Thats has cleared it up a bit more.

I probably wont be doing many TS meals but certainly a few will be had? maybe at lunch times instead of dinner?

But i imagine when my DD and DW see the souveneirs the discount maybe worth it!!

I will look into it further, it does look like the better deal on paper

 

[gibbo01]

Here i go again!!!

Could i get a childs AP and get all the same benefits!! cheating i know, but every little bit helps.