early entry

[sjams]

We are taking our DD and DS in June for the 1st time....They will be 4 and 7. Is staying at a WDResort worth the extra $ and is the early entry worth the extra $? We have looked into renting a car and staying at a resort in DD and driving to the parks each day. Just not sure what to do? Can anyone help me out here...it is all on my shoulders to make this a "magical" vacation...

 

[Got Quattro?]

staying on property is definately worth paying the extra $$...but only when you shop smart, and find any and discounts that apply.

I would never ever pay rack rates, nor should any sane person.

Early entry is not even on the list of pros for staying on property.

In fact, most people on this board would even recomend that you do not go to any park that has an early entry day, because the crowds are larger in comparison to other parks.

 

[pattiken]

We recently returned from a stay at POR and used the early entry. We found it very convenient because you are far into the park before the other guests are let in. We also would hed back to the resort pool in the afternoon when parks and heat were to bad.
We had a rental car and found it useful going to out of way parks. The buses were fantastic and never packed. We were also there around the time that Jeanne came through so the parks were not that busy.
We also loved POR and would definelty stay there again.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

Depends on you and your family, but I do put a value on early entry. We usually take advantage of EE, especially at the MK. We sometimes switch parks midday, but don't always. I would switch parks if I was taking a mid-day break, anyway or if the first park got real busy.

This last trip (just my DH and myself) we only did one EE and that was because we wanted to go to MGM on our last day and it happened to have EE that day. We did evening activities, unlike when we have our kids with us, so didn't want to wake up that extra hour early.

Are you and your kids normally early risers? June will be hot so it might be nice to go to the EE park, stay several hours, take a break, and then go back to a different park. That way you'll be in the room during the hottest part of the day. I'm assuming with kids who are 4 and 7 you won't be out until late in the evening.

Personally, with only 4 in the family I would stay onsite. You can stay in any resort and can try to secure a discount rate.

T&B

 

[lovesdisney44]

I agree with TiggerandBelle - what you may want to consider if you have a budget is to get into one of the Budget Resorts - if you use a discount code, they're quite affordable - and staying onsite is so worth it.

1. The magic never leaves, your surrounded with Disney Magic 24/7.

2. You never have to fight traffic when leaving the parks.

3. EE as mentioned before. Even if you only go for 4 hours - you can get ALOT done in that 1 hour before the park opens to the public.

4. Access to (I forgot what it's called - someone help with the correct name, please) the night where you can purchase an additional ticket for $12.00 per person to stay in the Magic Kindgom when the park closes for an extra 3 hours and ride the most popular rides. You still have to use a regular ticket to get in for the day, but it's well worth the $12.00/person to walk on all the most popular rides. We do this every time we go (family of 4) and will continue to do so!

5. Disney Transportation - Nice to get carted around!

Good luck on your decision!

 

[Sandi]

It's E-Ride night. We always do it when we have the opportunity.

I also think Early Entry is a great benefit and we use it nearly every day. We always take a break in the mid-day and go to a different park after our break. It works out great. It is much easier to get to your WDW resort in the middle of the day compared to going to a non-WDW hotel.

We paid rack rates the first time we went -- before we found these boards. Even at rack rates (1995), it was worth it with our young DD. Now that I know how to get discounts, we'll never pay that much again. But, when you don't know, it doesn't hurt so much.

 

[swilphil]

If you are going in late June, I would recommend doing EE just to get an hour in the parks without the afternoon heat. The advantage of staying onsite is being so close to the parks that you can return midday when it's the most hot and crowded. We stay at the Swan/Dolphin, which is on Disney property but not disney owned. It's right next to Epcot and MGM and you can walk to those two parks, or take a boat. The Swan/Dolphin have more discounts (usually around $150) than the Disney deluxe hotels. We didn't have to rent a car because of the location so we saved some money there. We only did EE at MK because at the other parks there are only a few rides open for EE and they weren't things my kids would go on. If you do EE, you'll need to switch to another park around noon to avoid the crowds.

 

[SonicLogic]

In my experience, WDW never checks your resort ID for early entry.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

I have most certainly had my resort ID check for EE! Not every time at every park, but enough that I would never take the chance trying to get the perk if I was not staying onsite (even if I was able to do something so unethical...).

T&B

 

[disneyag]

We've had our resort ID's checked a few times in the last couple of years for Early Entry. I think with 4 and 7 year olds, you would get a lot done at the MK early entry. You can always leave the EE park once crowds form.

Disney transportation is great with little kids. Either hop on a monorail to your hotel, or a bus. No parking hassles.

Disney magic 24/7 is really fantastic. We'd never consider staying off site.

Early entry is free to all Disney resort guests;E ride night costs about $12 per person. E ride night offers access to certain rides at MK for 3 hours after closing on specific nights.