A couple of logistical questions

CTDisneygal

Earning My Ears
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Jan 20, 2020
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Edited to add: I meant Express Unlimited Pass. Not exactly sure why I have Front of the Line(FOtL) stuck in my head

I apologize if any of this doesn't make sense. First, I am doing about eight different things at once and second, I am confusing myself with all of the numbers and options now floating around in my head,
We are headed to Orlando in April. Our original trip was just Disney (it was a postponed trip), but it's now going to be a US/WDW split. (our niece is competing in a cheer competition that week).

It's my husband and myself as well as our 9 year old. He loves Jurassic Park, has just started going on roller coasters and adores Hogwarts.

My first question. I am planning on getting an annual pass, since I have four trips to Orlando this year and probably a few early next year, I was just going to get my husband and son tickets through the competition link, since they are discounted and neither of them will be back to Orlando in the immediate future. Is this okay or do we all have to have the exact same ticket?

My other immediate questions pertain to resort/FOTL. Obviously we all know the deluxe resorts come with the express pass, but they also come with a $700+/ni price tag. Is the FOTL pass essential? I am not going to do a throw away room. If I am paying over $800 with tax for a room, I am sleeping in it for sure! So that means if i book it, we'd be switching to step down category after. I've done split stays at WDW and it's worked out fine even if it isn't my favorite way to vacation, but they transfer your luggage to the next resort for you. Does US do that or do I have to bring it all over myself?

We'll have five days and I am not one to attempt to do everything, we have five days there and also really enjoy water park/pool time. He's 9 and will have more trips in the future. Is it essential to have the FOTL pass or can we do without. I could also purchase it for one day if we stay at a lower category resort. I guess I am asking: if the FOTL is essential for at least a day, which is the easiest solution: a split stay or purchasing for one day? The time of year is the week following Easter and probably the tail end of spring break season up north.

I'm just not certain how to work this so that I am not unnecessarily adding $5k (exaggeration, a little bit) to an already paid for trip, especially considering I have my fourth kid heading off to college in the fall,

If you made it this far and even remotely follow my logic, thanks so much and I appreciate the help. Questions in bold. Other stuff provided for context.
 
Last edited:
You can have different tickets, they don't care.

If you're getting an AP anyways (good choice!), keep an eye out for AP rates for the hotels to bring the price back towards reasonable. I don't believe they have been released through April yet.

While I believe there was luggage transfer from some resorts at one time, last time I asked there was no luggage transfer (this was Portofino to Sapphire Falls). However, Uber is a viable option, or certain resorts are walkable to each other.

I never believe EP is essential. It is certainly nice to have, and more so when the parks are busier. When in April are you going? Any time around Easter will be busiest - this is also when some APs are blocked out, so double check dates.

If you are fine with heading to the parks fairly early, and/or enjoying the parks in the evenings when crowds start to ebb, I think you'll do fine. Especially for a trip with 5 days, you'll have plenty of time to do things. That mid-day is a nice time to go and enjoy the pool, have a leisurely lunch, catch a show. If you're staying onsite, transportation back to the hotel is super easy & efficient, which makes a pool break even more enticing. Anything in the "exploring" category also doesn't require EP, so if you are planning to do the Harry Potter spells, really check out the nooks & crannies of the park, etc, the EP won't help with that. The hotel EP also does not include Volcano Bay.

But, if you can hit a good AP rate for a premier hotel, that EP for 2 days is very very nice. IMO, it is worth the hassle of changing hotels (I also don't book a throw-away room - nor do I pay $500+ for a hotel room...). It means you can really focus on those rides that build longer lines and re-ride to your heart's content. Then the rest of the trip, you can be more thoughtful about how you hit rides, and save the shows/exploring/Volcano Bay for non-EP days.
 

I read in some threads recently that there is no set luggage transfer option, but that they will do it sometimes depending on how busy they are.
 
You can have different tickets, they don't care.

If you're getting an AP anyways (good choice!), keep an eye out for AP rates for the hotels to bring the price back towards reasonable. I don't believe they have been released through April yet.

While I believe there was luggage transfer from some resorts at one time, last time I asked there was no luggage transfer (this was Portofino to Sapphire Falls). However, Uber is a viable option, or certain resorts are walkable to each other.

I never believe EP is essential. It is certainly nice to have, and more so when the parks are busier. When in April are you going? Any time around Easter will be busiest - this is also when some APs are blocked out, so double check..
Thank you so much for all of this info. It would be the week following Easter. Our US dates are 4/19-4/23. Will definitely utilize Uber for the transfer if we end up goin that route. I'll check on the AP block out dates, since that would obviously not makes sense to do if it is blocked out.
 














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