Another overwhelmed newbie with questions

[lalasmama]

Background: 3 first time visitors-- me 42, hubs 47, teen 17. We're DLR peeps-- I'm there several times a year, and hubs and teen have gone several times each. Teen has begged to go to WDW for several years, and we've "poo-poo'ed" it since it wasn't our home park. We decided to surprise her with a WDW trip for her high school graduation... then her Europe trip though her school was cancelled, so we thought we would move up the surprise trip. So, we're at 79 days away, and I'm starting to figure everything out. Hoping we aren't "too late" starting the planning!

So, onto the questions:

(1) Number of days needed? We've got, basically 1 week and a weekend. We're looking at June 18 to June 20-something. I understand we won't see everything. Can we see a lot, or get the general flavor of a park, in a day? I've read that a break/resort/pool day is pretty important, so I'm trying to factor that in as well. We're trying to decide between 5 or 6 days; thinking 1 day for each park, 1 day for a water park, and 1 day for rest/hanging out at the resort. No park on arrival day or departure day.

(2) Tickets: Hubs is retired military, and we qualify for the Salute tickets. I'm trying to figure out the Park Hopper vs the PH+. I understand the PH+ will give us the option to do the water parks (Blizzard Beach at this point). Is this correct? I think I just saw a thread that said something about the ability to use a PH+ over more than the number of days on the ticket. So, let's say I buy a 4 day PH+. Day 1: MK. Day 2: HS. Day 3: AK. Day 4: Epcot. Am I understanding that we could use the PH+ option to go to a water park on Day 5, or does the PH+ part of the ticket need to be used on a day that we are also in a park? In other words, could I do the 4 days in regular parks with a 4-day PH+, and then Day 5 at Blizzard Beach?? This seems "wrong" to me since I'm doing a 4-day PH+, so I'm trying to understand it. Should I be looking at it like 4 days in the parks, plus 4 additional activities that can be done at a different time? Do the PH+ things need to be done before we've gone to the parks for the last time?

(3) Magical Express. Did I read correctly that it's stopping 1/1/2022? So, it will still be going in June of 2021? And there's not a charge for this? Does it stop at each hotel on-site, or will we need to take additional transportation to get to our hotel area?

(4) I'm sure this is going to sound completely silly. I know the Skyliner and Monorail are transportation vs attractions, along with several other modes of transportation that are available over the whole resort area. Do people spend time just riding the transportation options on a non-park day? Like just riding the different transportation options to see different locations? I guess, I'm kinda thinking it would be fun to just ride all the different options, and finding places to eat while doing this, without a specific destination. Or is it something more like riding my local city's bus system where I'm going to want to be on and off the transportation as quickly as possible?

Thanks for answering my newbie questions! I'm trying to get all this figured out in the next day or two, so I can get plans made a little more.

 

[rwdavis2]

Where are you staying? I didn't catch that in the post.

The more days the better and less hectic. You don't have to try to cram a lot in with just a few days. Some days you can sleep in and go to the parks later where some days you'll want to be there when it opens. I'd take 2 days for MK, then at least one for the others. Probably 2 for DHS to have better odds for Rise of the Resistance. Our last trip was 8 nights and never took a full day off. Sleeping in then going to a park, or going to park then doing the pool, or a day where we fit in Disney Springs.

Can't help on PH.

Magical Express is free and takes you to your hotel. At the airport you board the bus that goes to your hotel.

Yes, those are transportation. It's a waste of time just to ride them for fun. IMHO, Going to WDW and not spending most of your time in the parks is a waster. Again, IMHO, I don't find the hotels attractions in and of themselves unless you're at AKL. Universal has nicer hotels and better service.

 

[GBRforWDW]

I'm going to partially address number 2 first.
2. If you haven't bought your tickets and booked park pass reservations, do it asap as Hollywood Studios is almost sold out for the dates you mentioned already. Got a couple days of availability so get it added while you can. https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/a...ckets,resort,passholder&defaultSegment=resort

1. You can certainly get a lot done in one day at each park, but just know you'll be walking close to 10 miles per day. It's really a lot. Since you're coming from the west coast, I'd recommend Epcot for your first park day as it has the latest opening time. I would also put the water park and resort days in between park days just to get a break.

3. Magical Express has many buses at the airport. They put people from about 3 different resorts on a bus and the bus drops each guest off at their resort. And yes, it'll still be running in June.

4. Yes, you can explore WDW via multiple modes of transportation. Anything outside of the park is free to use, whether you're a resort guest or not. I haven't done it myself, but I'm sure it'd be fun to explore every mode of transportation.

 

[lanejudy]

#2: Tickets:
A 4-day ticket allows you to enter one of the major theme parks on 4 days within a 7-day period. If you buy tickets that start on 6/18 you will have through 6/24 to use those 4 days. The theme park days are days and without the park hopper option you cannot go to more than 1 park on the same day (no using 2 entries). That's for a base ticket (no hopping) or a park hopper ticket.

A park-hopper plus ticket or water parks & sports add-on allows you the same 4 theme park days, plus 4 "minor" entries to waterparks, mini-golf, Oak Trail golf or ESPN WWoS -- and it allows an extra day in the timeline to use it. So with a PH+ ticket starting 6/18 you have through 6/25 to use all entitlements (theme park days and plus entries). (caveat that a theme park reservation is required in addition to the ticket for entry to one of the 4 major theme parks)

You mention retired military -- contact Shades of Green to find out the ticket options available to your party.

 

[CynBeth]

With this being your first time I would skip the water park and rest day and do as many park days as you can.

 

[Tom_E_D]

Background: 3 first time visitors-- me 42, hubs 47, teen 17. We're DLR peeps-- I'm there several times a year, and hubs and teen have gone several times each. Teen has begged to go to WDW for several years, and we've "poo-poo'ed" it since it wasn't our home park. We decided to surprise her with a WDW trip for her high school graduation... then her Europe trip though her school was cancelled, so we thought we would move up the surprise trip. So, we're at 79 days away, and I'm starting to figure everything out. Hoping we aren't "too late" starting the planning!

So, onto the questions:

(1) Number of days needed? We've got, basically 1 week and a weekend. We're looking at June 18 to June 20-something. I understand we won't see everything. Can we see a lot, or get the general flavor of a park, in a day? I've read that a break/resort/pool day is pretty important, so I'm trying to factor that in as well. We're trying to decide between 5 or 6 days; thinking 1 day for each park, 1 day for a water park, and 1 day for rest/hanging out at the resort. No park on arrival day or departure day.

(2) Tickets: Hubs is retired military, and we qualify for the Salute tickets. I'm trying to figure out the Park Hopper vs the PH+. I understand the PH+ will give us the option to do the water parks (Blizzard Beach at this point). Is this correct? I think I just saw a thread that said something about the ability to use a PH+ over more than the number of days on the ticket. So, let's say I buy a 4 day PH+. Day 1: MK. Day 2: HS. Day 3: AK. Day 4: Epcot. Am I understanding that we could use the PH+ option to go to a water park on Day 5, or does the PH+ part of the ticket need to be used on a day that we are also in a park? In other words, could I do the 4 days in regular parks with a 4-day PH+, and then Day 5 at Blizzard Beach?? This seems "wrong" to me since I'm doing a 4-day PH+, so I'm trying to understand it. Should I be looking at it like 4 days in the parks, plus 4 additional activities that can be done at a different time? Do the PH+ things need to be done before we've gone to the parks for the last time?

(3) Magical Express. Did I read correctly that it's stopping 1/1/2022? So, it will still be going in June of 2021? And there's not a charge for this? Does it stop at each hotel on-site, or will we need to take additional transportation to get to our hotel area?

(4) I'm sure this is going to sound completely silly. I know the Skyliner and Monorail are transportation vs attractions, along with several other modes of transportation that are available over the whole resort area. Do people spend time just riding the transportation options on a non-park day? Like just riding the different transportation options to see different locations? I guess, I'm kinda thinking it would be fun to just ride all the different options, and finding places to eat while doing this, without a specific destination. Or is it something more like riding my local city's bus system where I'm going to want to be on and off the transportation as quickly as possible?

Thanks for answering my newbie questions! I'm trying to get all this figured out in the next day or two, so I can get plans made a little more.

As lanejudy explained, a 4-day park-hopper-plus entitles you to 4 theme park days and 4 water parks and sports visits (or entries) in an 8-day period. You can use your park hopping privilege to go to multiple theme parks in the same day (after 2:00 except for the first park, which must be the park you have a park reservation for) and it counts as only one theme park day. If you go to a theme park and a water park in the same day, it counts as one theme park day and one water parks and sports visit. If you go to more than one "water parks and sports" venue in the same day, it counts as a visit to each of them.

Disney's Magical Express is free to all those staying at Disney-owned resorts. But you do have to make a reservation for it. If you didn't ask for DME when making your resort reservation, call 407-939-1936 or fill out the form here: https://secure.reservations.disney.go.com/ibcwdw/en_US/dme/dmeform

"Resort hopping" is an oft-used way for people at WDW to spend their "rest" day. It's especially popular in the Christmas holiday season (to see the decorations), but you'll be six months too early for that. Feel free to use all forms of Disney transportation to travel around. Since you asked about DME, I assume you will not have a rental car on this trip. However, if you change your mind and decide to rent a car, please be advised that there may be a problem with driving to and parking at another Disney resort unless you have an ADR (advanced dining reservation) at the resort you're going to. So, it might be best to stick to Disney transportation on your Resort Hopping day even if you do have a rental car. You might consider using your PH+ to visit Fantasia Gardens mini-golf course while visiting the Epcot resorts area. I believe a PH+ visit entitles you to one round of mini-golf before 4:00.

 

[wiggy500]

You're going to get a lot of different opinions on how many days you need. Four park days, one water park day, and one rest / resort day sounds lovely to me. You can certainly feel like you've done a fair portion of each park in a day. I've never done the water parks there because I'd rather focus on the theme parks, which I can't experience near home.

As others have said magical express will take you to your hotel for free. At least it will this year.

People absolutely take the non-bus modes of transportation just for the fun of taking them. I would find ways to work taking the transportation into something you'd like to do. Maybe you take the skyliner to park hop from Hollywood Studios to Epcot. Or on a non-park day take the bus from your resort to the Magic Kingdom and take the monorail around to each resort.