Leaving in a couple of weeks, some random questions!

[moesy4]

1. My mom is coming with and using 3 days off an old ticket from 2001. I know she has to go to guest services to exchange and activate, but the first day she is coming with us is our MK day where we are planning to start at 8 am and I don't want to spend an hour waiting at GS. I have read Disney Springs has GS that is usually quiet, what are there hours? Her other option would be to "follow" us on our first day to Epcot and do it there, but she doesn't need to redeem her ticket to use that day, does she? We are going to Epcot and the HS and then she is joining us on our 3rd day which is MK.

2. How much time do you typically give yourself to get from the bus stop to inside the parks (through security and bag check?) We are doing around RD most mornings if that makes a difference, but don't "need" to be there for a PPO or anything where we would need to have a buffer to make sure we were there on time.

3. We are doing a split stay and I have purchased gift cards to pay for most of our purchases. Our first stay is 3 nights and second is 7 nights. should I just use gift cards for the first 3 days or is there a certain time frame I could pay off our balance to make sure our card isn't charged?

 

[W.E.D.]

I can only speak to #2. I usually figure the bus ride is 15 - 20 minutes. If you don't have anything specific to arrive for, that's a nice average time to figure on. You might want to adjust if you're going during a heavy time.

 

[tobikaye]

1. I have read Disney Springs has GS that is usually quiet, what are there hours?

I do not know exactly, but I would guess they open around 9 am or 10 am and close during the normal closing hours of the stores. I think that is 11 pm right now.

2. How much time do you typically give yourself to get from the bus stop to inside the parks (through security and bag check?)

Depending on where you are staying and where you are going the drive time can be anywhere from 5-20 minutes. I usually add about 5-15 minutes for security/bag check and any lines for going through the actual entry. Just do not forget to add time for waiting for the bus to arrive.

3. We are doing a split stay and I have purchased gift cards to pay for most of our purchases. Our first stay is 3 nights and second is 7 nights. should I just use gift cards for the first 3 days or is there a certain time frame I could pay off our balance to make sure our card isn't charged?

I cannot answer this one for a split stay. I just usually use my gift card/credit card to make purchases rather than charging to the room. I am about 50/50 on what to do on my next trip, but right now, if I go with gift cards, I will probably just pay with the gift card and save myself the trip to the front desk.