Budget tips, for Colonial Willaimsburg/Bush gardens

[here757]

How far is all this from Washington DC????

from dc to williamsburg is about 2,5 to 3 hours by car..

i grew up in the williamsburg area..
during the summer there are no cheap hotels in williamsburg. its a huge tourist area.
might wanna consider staying in newport news, or yorktown area.

busch gardens.. lol i worked there as a kid. its tons of fun. lots to do and something for everyone.

while there make sure you get a chance to see the prime outlets . they are on richmond road.

and there is also a ripleys museum on that same street.

there is also yorktown beach. small and not so crowded. james town settlement.

and if your really bold there is virginia beach. that is about an hour out of williamsburg

 

[lisaross]

i just went on Orbitz..i'm looking to go in July - it says $50.00 a night which is still good, but if i add the kids its about 65.00 did u add the kids for 40 night?

also on bW site its 62.99 w/AAA - wonder if they match Orbitz price?

Are u sure that u can cancel up to 3 days in advance?

i'm thinking for that price book 3 nights..i'll probably do 1 day at BG and the other day - just wing it - miniature golf - pool for a bit - outlets..

Yes, and yes!

 

[lisaross]

just looked into this hotel..was thinking of Best Western, but this is cheaper - just a couple of questins..we are also going in the summer - was the pool clean?

also, can u tell me what they serve for breakfast? any hot food?

thank u - such decisions...

lisa

We stayed at the Super 8 Historic this past summer and it was nice. It was very clean, the pool was nice, and it was only a few minutes from everywhere we wanted to be. We loved BG!

 

[my2redheads]

We, too, are planning a Williamsburg vacation! My 7 year old dd does not want to go to WDW She wants a historic vacation.
Does anyone know/think the 7 in 1 ticket is worth the extra money?? It is the same as the bounce ticket but adds admission to Jamestown and a few others.
TIA.
I am looking at the King's Creek Plantation. The rate was about $130.00 for a two bedroom cottage. I thought that was pretty good and definitely "budget" compared to the Great Wolf Lodge!

 

[marcyinPA]

i just went on Orbitz..i'm looking to go in July - it says $50.00 a night which is still good, but if i add the kids its about 65.00 did u add the kids for 40 night?

also on bW site its 62.99 w/AAA - wonder if they match Orbitz price?

Are u sure that u can cancel up to 3 days in advance?

i'm thinking for that price book 3 nights..i'll probably do 1 day at BG and the other day - just wing it - miniature golf - pool for a bit - outlets..

I did not add the kids in. On the Best Western site, it says that kids stay free with a paying adult.

The way I read it : "Cancellations or changes made within 3 days prior to 4:00 PM local hotel time on the day of arrival are subject to a $49.12 charge. Cancellations or changes made after 4:00 PM local hotel time on the day of arrival are subject to a 100% charge. We are sorry but refunds are not available for early check-out.".....this they will charge you $49.12 if you cancel within three days of your trip. I hope I read that right!

I don't plan on canceling, but in an emergency situation, I'll just eat the $50 if I read the policy wrong.

 

[musical2]

We aren't going this summer, but we are going to spend the week in Williamsburg during our girls' spring break from school the last week of March. It may be a bit cool, but we've been there before during this week. We always have fun at CW, and we love BG. It is indeed a very beautiful park. We will be staying at the Marriott Manor Club timeshare in a 2 bedroom unit, so I don't know too much about the price of hotels during this week. But there are plenty of restaurants that we like. Plus, since we have a kitchen we usually eat all our breakfasts in the unit.

 

[marcyinPA]

We, too, are planning a Williamsburg vacation! My 7 year old dd does not want to go to WDW She wants a historic vacation.
Does anyone know/think the 7 in 1 ticket is worth the extra money?? It is the same as the bounce ticket but adds admission to Jamestown and a few others.
TIA.
I am looking at the King's Creek Plantation. The rate was about $130.00 for a two bedroom cottage. I thought that was pretty good and definitely "budget" compared to the Great Wolf Lodge!

How many days are you planning? We are going Monday-Friday, and it will be about a 6 hour drive for us. I figure that we'll just have enough time to do the three attractions that the bounce pass includes. Much more than that might not be very relaxing!

 

[RN2012]

We are also going this summer ...is the bounce pass available to everyone or only VA residents? TIA

 

[andrews1ma]

I am subbing to this one. My DH and DS 10 also decided no Disney this year...wahhhh

Decided to do Williamsburg in the spring for 4 or 5 days so would love to hear some good tips, advice etc...

We had gone to Williamsburg a long time ago- before DS was born so this will be his first time. We would like to do Busch Gardens as well so I am going to look into the "bounce" pass? I think that is what it is called. Does anyone know how much ( sorry if it was mentioned ) and if it is worth it if we are only going for 4-5 days.

On a side note- just wanted to share that we stayed at the Wiliamsburg Lodge ( we splurged..no kids back then) and although it was in a great location for the Historic area- it was really not worth the money spent. Just in case anyone was toying with the idea of going Deluxe/Moderate vs. the Value route ( just wanted to throw in a little disney lingo to make me feel better).
I have been reading reviews on hotels in the area and read that the Hampton inn and Suites in the Historic Area got some nice reviews and it is not overly expensive. If anyone has stayed there recently would love to hear your feedback.

thanks!

 

[marcyinPA]

We are also going this summer ...is the bounce pass available to everyone or only VA residents? TIA

The bounce pass is available to everyone!

 

[marcyinPA]

I am subbing to this one. My DH and DS 10 also decided no Disney this year...wahhhh

Decided to do Williamsburg in the spring for 4 or 5 days so would love to hear some good tips, advice etc...

We had gone to Williamsburg a long time ago- before DS was born so this will be his first time. We would like to do Busch Gardens as well so I am going to look into the "bounce" pass? I think that is what it is called. Does anyone know how much ( sorry if it was mentioned ) and if it is worth it if we are only going for 4-5 days.

On a side note- just wanted to share that we stayed at the Wiliamsburg Lodge ( we splurged..no kids back then) and although it was in a great location for the Historic area- it was really not worth the money spent. Just in case anyone was toying with the idea of going Deluxe/Moderate vs. the Value route ( just wanted to throw in a little disney lingo to make me feel better).
I have been reading reviews on hotels in the area and read that the Hampton inn and Suites in the Historic Area got some nice reviews and it is not overly expensive. If anyone has stayed there recently would love to hear your feedback.

thanks!

I researched the bounce pass, and even though it is for 7 consecutive days, it's a GREAT value even if you only go for 4 or 5 days. It's $98 for adults, and $82 for kids 6-17. It includes unlimited admission and parking to BG, WC, and CW.

I priced a one day ticket to BG, ages 9 and up is $61.95. For one day at WC, ages 9 and up is 37.95. Parking is $12.

So, for a family of 4, the bounce pass route would be $360.

If you only went one day to BG and one day to WC, it would be $423.60. This doesn't even include admission to CW.

 

[andrews1ma]

I researched the bounce pass, and even though it is for 7 consecutive days, it's a GREAT value even if you only go for 4 or 5 days. It's $98 for adults, and $82 for kids 6-17. It includes unlimited admission and parking to BG, WC, and CW.

I priced a one day ticket to BG, ages 9 and up is $61.95. For one day at WC, ages 9 and up is 37.95. Parking is $12.

So, for a family of 4, the bounce pass route would be $360.

If you only went one day to BG and one day to WC, it would be $423.60. This doesn't even include admission to CW.

Im sold! Bounce pass is definitely the way to go imo as we do want to do as much as possible- sort of like Disney Commando Style! my gang will be regretting this if they thought I was going to ease up
I'll have them wishing they were back at Disney in no time

 

[fac]

you may want to look into skyauction.com for timeshare condo...

 

[mebbradley]

I would definitely go with the bounce package.

There is so much to do!

If your kids like fish, and they like feeding fish, PM me and I can tell you a hidden secret about Williamsburg and some fabulous fishies

 

[lisaross]

i booked the Best Western through them..it was 62.00 a night - includes a hot breakfast!

We will only be for 3 nights so we are booking the combo w/Busch Gardens and Water Country...i know my kids they will not care about educational stuff on vacation!

 

[kcromley]

a few budget tips-I stayed at Wydham's Kingsgate condos for around 400 dollars/week for a two bedroom condo with kitchen, and then used the money I saved to splurge on some great events in CW itself. Do at least one tavern meal-the atmosphere alone is worth the experience. Also, really consider doing the nighttime programs-yes, they cost extra, but are worth every penny-probably the best thing we did there. At the CW site, you will find a list of programs for when you are visiting, and different programs appeal to different ages, interests, etc-the witch trial is particularly well-reviewed, but we loved our theatre program and the ball at the governor's palace will be a lifetime memory for my girls. If your kids are young (under 10 or so) have them dress in period costumes (rent them there); it gets such attention from staff and other visitors. Finally, I found that the experience is greatly enhanced if you participate fully-go ahead and make bricks for the brickmaker, string beans for the farmer, set type for the printer, etc-the interactive nature of CW is what makes the place so special. Check out the forums section on tripadvisor for more good tips.

 

[disney4us2002]

My kids adored BG but absolutely hated CW. They had zero interest in educational learning on vacation, lol. For anyone else with similar children, there is this deal:


Busch Gardens and Water Country USA Discovery Ticket

Experience two times the adventure – at only a fraction of the price. When you buy online, save $10* on our Discovery Ticket which gives you unlimited admission to both Busch Gardens and Water Country USA for up to 7 consecutive calendar days. It’s the perfect way to discover both parks with more flexibility and more value.

http://commerce.4adventure.com/EStore/Scripts/Skins/BGW/ticketsmultipark.aspx

That ticket is $69.95 online. That is an awesome price!

 

[dismom301930]

We, too, are planning a Williamsburg vacation! My 7 year old dd does not want to go to WDW She wants a historic vacation.
Does anyone know/think the 7 in 1 ticket is worth the extra money?? It is the same as the bounce ticket but adds admission to Jamestown and a few others.

We went to Williamsburg last summer and my 3 DDs (9, 7 and 5) LOVED it. We did the regular Bounce Pass (which was wonderful!) and paid separately for Jamestown and Yorktown (the visitor centers, not the historic sites). We all thought Jamestown was fantastic and would love to visit again. We all felt Yorktown was a little bit of a letdown after Colonial Williamsburg and Jamestown. There wasn't nearly as much to see there as the other two. It was also at the end of our week, so we had seen a lot of "living history" already. We have never been to the actual historic sites, though, so if you want to visit these then I think the 7-in-1 ticket is probably a good deal. It might be too much for a seven year old, though.

 

[kcromley]

we also enjoyed the visitors centers at yorktown and jamestown; less so the actual historic national park sites, so I think I wouldn't get the 7-1 package for my family. We did break up the trip with a half-day or so at BG (which was fine) and a full day at WC. Still, our best family memory was CW in the early morning when only the costumed interpreters were present and my children felt they had stepped into an American girl storybook. At one point, a staff member even pulled out a flute and they danced in the streets while we awaited our carriage ride. great memories.

 

[LisaInNc]

Busch Gardens is a LOT of fun....but no fast pass