Basic information

[bigowl]

My wife and I are thinking about taking our 12 year-old granddaughter and a friend of hers to Disney World. We do not know anything at all about the resort, except that everyone loves it and says there is more to see and do than you ever have time for. Once you have the tickets to get into the parks, do you then pay separately for each ride? If so, how expensive are the rides? And how many rides could you expect to take in a day, including waiting time? Thanks for any info for a total newbie.

 

[fan_of_small_world]

First off, welcome to the DIS! You will find an amazing amount of information here on everything to do with Disney World!

To answer your specific question regarding tickets, you do not have to pay for rides once you have entered the park. You admission ticket allows you to ride rides, see shows, and watch parades and fireworks.

Waiting times for rides depend on several things, including what time of year you go and what time of day it is. Wait times can be as low as 5-15 minutes during slower times of year, and over an hour at the busiest times. What time of year are you thinking about going, and how long do you think you might stay?

A great book to buy is The Unofficial Guide to WDW. You can find it in the travel section in Borders or Barnes and Noble or at Amazon online. It is written pretty tongue-in-cheek, so if you like that kind of writing style you'll love it (it's my favorite planning book). It covers everything, including getting there, getting around, hotels at Disney and nearby, tickets, how to see the parks, dining options, and pretty much anything else you can think of.

Most of all, come here to the DIS with your questions! There are lots of Disney-planning-addicts here, and helping others plan their trips is our second favorite thing (planning our OWN trips being our #1 favorite thing!).



Also, you can check out www.disney.com and click on the "travel" tab at the top of the page. That is Disney's own website and can give you a lot of info too.

 

[CleveRocks]

WELCOME!

There is a dizzying amount of information on Walt Disney World.

There are 4 theme parks. You buy generic admission to "the parks," not separate tickets for each park. Once you enter a park, the only extra charges would be if you want to buy food or souvenirs. There is never ANY extra charge for any rides or attractions or shows.

Staying at a Disney resort (their name for a hotel) gives you some extra advantages, such as free transportation (bus rides) and luggage delivery between the airport and your resort (a service called Disney's Magical Express), extra time in the parks exclusively for Disney resort guests, free bus transportation between your resort and the parks, and so on.

The resorts cover a wide range of prices, from the least expensive Value resorts to the middle-of-the-road Moderate resorts to the most expensive Deluxe resorts. In terms of amenities, room size and location, you get what you pay for. But even the least expensive resorts, the Value resorts, are clean, comfortable and safe, and thousands of people stay there every day and love them.

One thing most people don;t realize about going to WDW is how much space it takes up and how much walking there is to do. A WDW vacation can be absolutely exhausting. If you have the luxury of time, try to spend at least a day when you are not going to a theme park, or at least not going to one until late in the day after a relaxing morning and afternoon being lazy around your resort.

HAVE FUN!

 

[Perditamarie]

What a super trip for all of you...a little bit of planning will make it fantastic.

I second the idea for the Unofficial Guide...it is very comprehensive and explains the four Disney parks, two water parks, Downtown Disney Shopping district, various resorts on-site (Disney owned hotels with perks - Magical Express from the airport to your resort, extra hours in the park, package delivery, Disney transportation system, Disney dining plan, etc) as well as off-site (non-Disney hotels).

If you haven't already, log onto disneyworld.com and order the planning dvd to give you an idea of WDW.

Also, make sure you get power of attorneys for each girl to authorize you to travel with them and have medical care provided if necessary.

Happy planning..and post your questions on these boards for a bunch of helpful info.