NEED HELP: Confused about tickets & hotels for a 2-3 day trip to Walt Disney World

[gabbarsingh]

Dear All,

I have spent a lot of time going through information on mousesavers.com, threads on Fatwallet etc but have been unable to figure this out.

Me and my wife are going to Orlando and will have 2 complete days and till 3 pm on the third day for Disney World.
Based on my search, it seems that it is wise for us to just buy 2-day tickets and just enjoy Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom on separate days.
When I start searching for 2 day tickets, it is nearly impossible to find any discounts online? Is it wise then to buy tickets directly at the gate?

On the other hand, I can get a 3-day non-hopper package for ~187$ but am not sure if that's the way to go especially with the limited hours on day 3.

If anybody can help me with this, I would be really grateful.

Another question:
I have some points available through a credit card and I can redeem them to stay at Swan/Dolphin Hotels and avail the extra morning/evening hours. I can get a nice off-site hotel for 1/2 the number of points and want to confirm if its worth to spend these points for the extra hours perk? Does anybody have any experience using starwood points for one night and using the extra hour benefits on both the days?

As you can see, acees to all sorts of information about the parks have made it even more confusing for me..
I am grateful to all of you for reading thru this post and helping me out.
Thanks,
Gabbar

 

[aka-mad4themouse]

Me and my wife are going to Orlando and will have 2 complete days and till 3 pm on the third day for Disney World.
Based on my search, it seems that it is wise for us to just buy 2-day tickets and just enjoy Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom on separate days.
When I start searching for 2 day tickets, it is nearly impossible to find any discounts online? Is it wise then to buy tickets directly at the gate?

Disney does not discount the 1- and 2-day passes when they sell them to retailers. They the retailers cannot offer any kind of discount to their customers either. In fact, many will charge more for those tickets than Disney charges at the gate.

On the other hand, I can get a 3-day non-hopper package for ~187$ but am not sure if that's the way to go especially with the limited hours on day 3.

That would be up to you. The difference in price between a 2-day pass purchased at the gate and the 3-day pass that you mentioned above is in the neighborhood of $40 per ticket. Only you can determine whether it's worth that amount to add an additional, partial day,

Another question:
I have some points available through a credit card and I can redeem them to stay at Swan/Dolphin Hotels and avail the extra morning/evening hours. I can get a nice off-site hotel for 1/2 the number of points and want to confirm if its worth to spend these points for the extra hours perk? Does anybody have any experience using starwood points for one night and using the extra hour benefits on both the days?

EMH is not offered at every park on every day. If you happen to be in Orlando on the days when EMH will be offered at the parks that you wish to visit, then it could work to your advantage. You can check the usual EMH days here:
http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/earlyentry.htm
Keep in mind that those days are subject to change without notice. You should also be aware that parks have a tendancy to get more crowded on EMH days than they normally would. Without the ability to hop to another park, you will just have to put up with more crowded conditions if you should choose to go that route.

And not every attraction is open during EMH, so check the links on the above webpage for the individual parks to see what will be open.

 

[tink2dw]

bumping up for for help

 

[jessica52877]

I personally don't think that for only 2 days it would be worth the extra points to stay onsite for EMH. If you were staying longer or had hoppers I might say yes. But with a shorter trip planned, you'll have what you want to do and the parks might not be open EMH the day you plan on visiting.

As for tickets, 2 days is tough, as there aren't any discounts and it ends up costing an arm and a leg. We often do just 1 or 2 days at the parks when going for a weekend, therefore we invest in the 10 day no expiration hopper pass, which for us is worth the money, it lasts us 4 trips always. It is pricey though and not for everyone. If you don't go often probably not worth it.

 

[gabbarsingh]

You guys are awesome.
Thanks a lot for the quick response.

The explanation about cons of EMS was also great. I did not think of that.
I have never been to WDW before but my wife thinks that staying in WDW would add to the experience.
However, I am not sure.
Besides the EMH, is it really worth staying in the WDW hotels?

Thanks,
Gabbar

 

[aka-mad4themouse]

Besides the EMH, is it really worth staying in the WDW hotels?

Again, it all depends on the individual. WDW resorts are more convenient to the parks if you're staying at a deluxe resort. But the value resorts can be located just as far from the parks as some offsite hotels.

Some people like the thought of being immersed in the *magic* 24/7. When you stay onsite, it's all Disney, all of the time. Staying offsite means returning to the *real* world every evening. Although that *real* world can be very pleasant and magical, too.

Onsite rooms will offer less in the way of amenities for a similar dollar amount. You'll get larger rooms, bigger beds and maybe even a kitchenette for what you would pay to stay onsite if you go outside of WDW's borders to find a place to sleep.

FWIW, the Swan/Dolphin are not Disney hotels. They happen to be on Disney property but are not managed by Disney.

 

[gabbarsingh]

Again, it all depends on the individual. WDW resorts are more convenient to the parks if you're staying at a deluxe resort. But the value resorts can be located just as far from the parks as some offsite hotels.

Some people like the thought of being immersed in the *magic* 24/7. When you stay onsite, it's all Disney, all of the time. Staying offsite means returning to the *real* world every evening. Although that *real* world can be very pleasant and magical, too.

Onsite rooms will offer less in the way of amenities for a similar dollar amount. You'll get larger rooms, bigger beds and maybe even a kitchenette for what you would pay to stay onsite if you go outside of WDW's borders to find a place to sleep.

FWIW, the Swan/Dolphin are not Disney hotels. They happen to be on Disney property but are not managed by Disney.

Thanks a lot for the prompt response.
You are indeed correct as I can use my points for Swan/Dolphin which directly implies that they are owned by Starwood.
I will keep your advice in mind when I discuss the final plan with my wife...
From the advice here, it seems that it worth staying off-site. It also makes sense since I will have a rental car anyway...
Depending on how our discussion goes, I might come back with more questions.
Thanks a lot once again for your help and your patience

 

[Happy vacationer]

Just a little positive feedback about staying offsite. We've been to Disney 3 times in the last 8 years. Each time we went we stayed off site and the kids (and us) never felt we were missing any of the Disney magic by leaving Disney property at the end of the day. We spend as much time as we want at the parks and by the time we get back to the hotel we usually "crash" and go to sleep right away so we can enjoy the next day as much as the day we just had. The offsite hotels have had very nice pools and we've managed to save a lot of money by staying off site. I'm sure you can buy her some disney shaped soaps somewhere and put them in the hotel if she is afraid of missing the disney experience. Really, the offsite hotels can be absolutely amazing at a much better price for the $$.

 

[3darlings]

Another idea is to get convention tickets. Those you can get for 2 days and/or a half day ticket. We have used them in the past for short visits. I'm not sure where you find them (we used links from the DIS boards to get ours). If I remember correctly, I think it was suggested that we check the Orlando Convention Bureau website for more info. Maybe someone else can provide more info!

 

[gabbarsingh]

Another idea is to get convention tickets. Those you can get for 2 days and/or a half day ticket. We have used them in the past for short visits. I'm not sure where you find them (we used links from the DIS boards to get ours). If I remember correctly, I think it was suggested that we check the Orlando Convention Bureau website for more info. Maybe someone else can provide more info!

I followed up on your suggestion and checked out the website.
No deal on the tickets. Am I missing something?
By the way, I was able to convince my wife for staying offsite. The postings here helped a lot