First Family Trip to Disney

[mommyof3sons2004]

Ok all you Disney experts I need some HELP!! My husband, myself, our 19 yo son, 17 yo son, and twin 6 yo sons are going on our first big Disney trip. We are going to be in Orlando from July 23-30 and I need tips/ideas/suggestions. We are considering renting a house so we can cook meals to save on money and we can get enough beds (no sharing and real beds not sofa beds) - it looks to be cheaper than a hotel also (but willing to consider other options).

We are not opposed to doing timeshare tours for tickets, accomodations, etc. We are driving so transportation is not an issue.

We want to go the MK, both Universal parks and Sea World (all one day only each). Please let me know what tips you have for the parks as well (what to take/not take with us). We are on a limited budget but want to have the most fun we can for the money!!

My husband is NOT excited about this trip because he feels like he is robbed at these places - so trying to make it as painless as possible. Please give my you expert advise!! Hope I have given you enough information to help. Thanks so much! L

 

[rvchat]

My dh wasn't excited first trip either. NOt due to robbing issues but other issues.

he is a huge fan now. fwiw. Melted his heart.

Ok all you Disney experts I need some HELP!! My husband, myself, our 19 yo son, 17 yo son, and twin 6 yo sons are going on our first big Disney trip. We are going to be in Orlando from July 23-30 and I need tips/ideas/suggestions. We are considering renting a house so we can cook meals to save on money and we can get enough beds (no sharing and real beds not sofa beds) - it looks to be cheaper than a hotel also (but willing to consider other options).

We are not opposed to doing timeshare tours for tickets, accomodations, etc. We are driving so transportation is not an issue.

We want to go the MK, both Universal parks and Sea World (all one day only each). Please let me know what tips you have for the parks as well (what to take/not take with us). We are on a limited budget but want to have the most fun we can for the money!!

My husband is NOT excited about this trip because he feels like he is robbed at these places - so trying to make it as painless as possible. Please give my you expert advise!! Hope I have given you enough information to help. Thanks so much! L

 

[ccgirl]

Ok all you Disney experts I need some HELP!! My husband, myself, our 19 yo son, 17 yo son, and twin 6 yo sons are going on our first big Disney trip. We are going to be in Orlando from July 23-30 and I need tips/ideas/suggestions. We are considering renting a house so we can cook meals to save on money and we can get enough beds (no sharing and real beds not sofa beds) - it looks to be cheaper than a hotel also (but willing to consider other options).

We are not opposed to doing timeshare tours for tickets, accomodations, etc. We are driving so transportation is not an issue.

We want to go the MK, both Universal parks and Sea World (all one day only each). Please let me know what tips you have for the parks as well (what to take/not take with us). We are on a limited budget but want to have the most fun we can for the money!!

My husband is NOT excited about this trip because he feels like he is robbed at these places - so trying to make it as painless as possible. Please give my you expert advise!! Hope I have given you enough information to help. Thanks so much! L

Have you included travel days? Not sure how you will fit in 6 parks if you have two travel days as well. I would rent a house off site. When your DH sees how little you can spend on an entire house he won't feel so robbed. I would pack lunches to bring to the parks. Bring a soft sided cooler. Freeze water bottles the night before. They double as ice to keep the sandwiches cold and when they melt it will be nice cold water.

Be sure to use fastpasses to maximize your time so you are not standing in long lines. For WDW, break it down by day. 4 day passes are only $247. That breaks down to just under $62 a day. How much is a day at an amusement park near you?? With so little time and you trying to fit in so many parks I wouldn't waste my time on doing timeshare tours. They often take 3 hours. Be sure to take the water spray fans from Walmart. They are only $4 there and $16 in the water park and it gets hot!!! Also, bring some of the inexpensive rain ponchos in the case of rain.

Hope this helps.

 

[shoppingqueen]

Do the YES program, you can get tickets for the whole family for almost half price.

 

[mommyof3sons2004]

Sorry - I didn't make it clear - yes I have accounted for travel days so we will be there from Sat to Fri basically and plan to go to a park on Sun, Mon, Wed, and Thurs (taking Tues and Fri for the beach and relaxation).

Also any suggestions on which parks (MK, both Universals, and Sea World) on which of the four days listed above?

Also - what is the YES program?

 

[mrsklamc]

Here's the YES program schedule so you can compare it to your dates/ages:
http://www.disneyyouth.com/individual-enrollment/catalog/

Windsor Hills is our favorite place to rent a home, for your size family I would check availability at 5mins2disney.com

I think you are trying to fit too many things in as well- I recommend making a list of what your priorities are in each park, and what you can pass on. Get the unofficial guide to wdw (the one that looks like a big white Bible) and follow the touring plans.

 

[mrsklamc]

Oh I didn't realize- you are only going to MK? Then you should have time for those 4 parks.

 

[My3kiddos]

I agree that you should stay off site because it would be cheaper. We stay in Clermont in a 4 bedroom house for way cheaper than a hotel would cost us (there is 6 of us too). Everyone has their own space and it has its own pool so the kids can swim whenever they want. We usually do Disney and Universal. My suggestion for Universal is go on a rainy day if you have a rainy day. We have the past 2 years and it was deserted! We went to see Harry Potter on a non-rainy day and while it was cool to look at I am not in to Harry Potter enough to wait 2 hours just to get in the gift shop or that long in the blazing sun to ride the ride.

 

[mrsklamc]

I know that for some people, the Magic Kingdom IS WDW so if this is your only shot at the parks I see how you might have your heart set on it- but I have to say that with sons that age and a husband that isn't won over, I would suggest doing Epcot instead. Mission Space, Soarin', Nemo, Fast Track, Turtle Talk with Crush and Innoventions would go over far better with those ages in my family than MK.

Also if you are only spending one day at Disney I would suggest I-drive accommodations instead of what I previously said. Windsor Hills is better for a Disney-oriented trip.

 

[mjkacmom]

You are doing the Orlando attractions the most expensive way possible. The first few days on the tickets are the most expensive - after than, you add extra days for a few dollars a day. If we wanted to go to Universal, we'd do all days there, or maybe a combo week of Universal and Sea World (I think Sea World is more than a one day park - all of them are more than one day parks). As for the beach, I wouldn't bother, however, I do live an hour from the ocean. Remember, it's going to be very hot, and very crowded, so you might need several hours of breaks in your days.

After researching on these boards, I think I'd stay at either Windsor Hills or Bonnet Creek.

 

[vitfamily]

They sell a combo ticket that gets you Universal and Seaworld plus 2 water parks. I have never purchased it but looked at it a couple years ago. Here is the link http://tickets.visitorlando.com/Universal-Orlando-Orlando-Flex-Ticket/

 

[Band mom!]

I know that for some people, the Magic Kingdom IS WDW so if this is your only shot at the parks I see how you might have your heart set on it- but I have to say that with sons that age and a husband that isn't won over, I would suggest doing Epcot instead. Mission Space, Soarin', Nemo, Fast Track, Turtle Talk with Crush and Innoventions would go over far better with those ages in my family than MK.


I agree with this also, my DH and boys love Hollywood Studios first and Epcot close second. (I personally LOVE Epcot most)


We also love Universal, but scrapped SeaWorld last trip and spent last 2 days (15-day vaca) on beach before returning home. It was nice relaxing way to end our busy summer holiday.

 

[4forMe]

Sorry - I didn't make it clear - yes I have accounted for travel days so we will be there from Sat to Fri basically and plan to go to a park on Sun, Mon, Wed, and Thurs (taking Tues and Fri for the beach and relaxation).

Also any suggestions on which parks (MK, both Universals, and Sea World) on which of the four days listed above?Also - what is the YES program?

First of all, welcome to the DIS!

Regarding which parks to go to which day, I believe I had read somewhere that Seaworld is least busy on Mondays. MK doesn't have magic hours on Wednesday, so I would do that on Wed. and leave the remaining days for the Universal Parks. It is essential to be at the parks as soon as they open. You are going during a very busy time of the year (we went that same week during our trip in 2008). Not to scare you, but Brazilian tour groups will be everywhere. As long as you get to the parks early and follow a good touring plan, you will be fine.

I would suggest you go out and buy or get from the library the most current copy of The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World. The book also includes chapters on Seaworld and Universal. Read the sections for each of the parks you want to visit and decide as a family which rides are most important to you. Then follow the touring strategy outlined in the book. Learn how to utilize fastpasses at MK to make the most of your day.

Since you are going during a very hot and rainy time of the year, be prepared with ponchos and stay hydrated with lots of water. We had rain daily starting after 2 p.m. (some were major downpours). You may also want to consider bringing a double stroller if your twins tire easily as it's over $30 to rent one at the park. I brought ours during our last trip for our youngest who was five and was glad I did. I used the other seat to store our soft sided cooler filled with cold water bottles (you are allowed to bring these in the park).

I strongly suggest you consider renting a 4-5 BR pool home. We usually stay in Windsor Hills and rent through www.floridasunvacationhomes.com. My DH doesn't enjoy Disney and the king size bed, pool and spa, and flat screen TV with cable make the trip tolerable for him.

You can also probably get cheaper rates renting directly by owner through www.vrbo.com. Here is an excellent thread regarding renting a pool home:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2623627

Hope this information helps! Good luck with planning your trip.

 

[4forMe]

This thread does a great job explaining how Fastpass works and includes pics! All the essential information is on page 1 of this thread:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2669735



This link offers possible MK touring strategies using Fastpass:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2676096&highlight=fast+pass

 

[auralia]

you will be spending 80$pp for one day in the magic kingdom to contrast a 10 day ticket is about 270 ish pp so you can see where the price per day really goes down with time. i would personally pick either disney or universal and just stick with one one day for disney is such a huge tease! although perhaps you will get to come back sooner knowing how much was missed since disney has 4 theme parks and 2 water parks and the water parks are amazing and i'm a water park junky so i have been to lots...

your best prices on tickets are going to be from undercover tourist.... the time share presentations are awful and I hear they have been keeping people there for 4+ hours and sometimes not making good on the tickets if you are spending that much money to be there do you really want to waste that amount of time doing those things also they are very high pressure sales people and generally have a minimum income requirement to attened... many a person has gone for free tickets and come away with a time share they were never going to buy (not saying you'd be one of those people but those salesmen are very mean).

 

[wvgalcraig]

the biggest tip i could give is remember: you can't do everything in one trip. it is easy to get overwhelmed. try and relax and if you miss something that just means when your husband becomes a fan (and i'm sure he will) you'll have another reason to plan another trip.

another website i go to is allears.net it is amazing.

 

[Marionnette]

I have to echo what others have said. If your husband thinks that he is being robbed at the theme parks, he is certainly going to have his point proven when you spend $79-$87 per person for admission into the MK for one day!

But if visiting all those parks during this trip is the way you want to do it, then try to get the best possible price for those tickets. Stay offsite, because it makes no sense to be in Disney World when you be visiting USF/IOA and SW.

The cheapest ticket for SW would be to sign up for Southwest Airlines' Rapid Rewards, even if you don't ever board a SWA plane. Show your RR card at the gate and get 20% off the price of your ticket. They often offer a second day for free!

There are a lot of places that you can do a timeshare presentation and in exchange for tying up pretty much an entire day, you will get 2 Disney tickets. So you would still need to buy another 4 tickets averaging $80+ each or else do a couple more timeshare presentations and waste a couple more days of vacation listening to a sales pitch. Or you could make a donation to the Walt Disney wing of the Florida Children's Hospital and you will get 4 complimentary 1 day tickets plus $40 in Planet Hollywood gift cards. http://www.fhfoundation.com/Disney/330level/330level.htm

Discountorlandovaction.com sells a 4 park bundle o' fun ticket that is actually 2 tickets in one bundle. It includes unlimited admission to Sea World/Aquatica for 14 consecutive days and 3 days of 1 park per day at Universal. I haven't compare the prices with the cost of an Orlando Flex ticket. But it's something to consider if you want to extend your stay or spend more time at the Universal parks.
http://www.discountorlandovacation....affl=&cip=173.49.240.31&act=&aff=&pg=specials

Personally, I would either choose Disney or USF/IOA/SW just to save the money. All of those parks frontload the cost of their passes so that if you're only visiting for a day, you're paying a heck of a lot more per day than if you do multiple days at their parks.

 

[mommyof3sons2004]

Thank you so much for all of the wonderful information/ideas/tips - please keep them coming - I am learning so much!! I am so excited for this trip!!

 

[elainesj]

I agree with everyone - you are doing Orlando in the most expensive way possible- just one day at each park.

BUT, it really doesn't get any better at Disney until you've been there 3-4 days. 2 day tix are not much less than 1 day tix.

 

[rigs32]

Why are you set on doing all parks? Will this be your only trip to Orlando ever?

If you figure ~$80pp/day times four parks = $320pp for tickets

A 4 days Disney ticket is $247. 5 days is $252. 6 days is $258.

My advice? stick to Disney for this trip. Buy the 6 day tickets - on the "relaxation days" go to a park for 1/2 the day or just after dark when a park is open until 10 or 11pm.

I think you mentioned the beach. Remember that the beach is an hour from Orlando. That's a lot of time and gas. Your kids would probably have more fun riding Splash Mountain or Kali River Rapids multiple times.


If you are dead set on trying to do MK, Universal, and SW, please let us know cause you're going to get a lot more posters trying to convince you otherwise.