New here..Bought PPAP and Going for first time 7-8Jan with friend need help

[LifesABeach1983]

Hello Everyone!

I just moved to Florida recently, and bought the PP-AP(yesterday). Wooohooo! My first trip to Disney World is scheduled for 7/8 Jan with overnight stay on the 7th at an off resort hotel. I am going with a friend, and it will be her birthday on the 7th. We are both in our early thirties, and it is both of ours first trip.

I have been reading as much info as possible to try to get a grasp on what to do and where to go for those two days. She is buying a 4 day ticket, i'm not sure yet if it will be park hopper or not. Regardless, the other two days she will be using later in the year.

My questions for my new friends here are:
1. Assuming she gets the non park hopper, which two parks would give the best overall experience? i.e. Fireworks, parade, characters, rides, attractions.
2. Which two parks would provide the best experience when considering thrill rides only?
3. Are there any special birthday opportunities at Disney?
3a. Are there any can't miss performances, parades, fireworks, or special features?
4. I read noticed the dessert thing for fireworks, but haven't had time to research it. Is it too late?
5. I assume from reading here that I need to link her tickets to my Disney account somehow in order for us to make FP reservations together. Is that correct? Is it too late to bother with FP?
6. Are there any perks as a PPAP holder that i can take advantage of besides the obvious restaurant/merchandise discounts?
7. Is there a strong argument for her to pay the extra money for the park hopper?
8. Will there be any difficulties/hurdles/challenges because I have the PPAP and she does not?
9. Let me know if there is something important im not considering.

Sorry for all of the questions, I will be reading up on all of these things as much as possible in the meantime, but I wanted to get the questions out now because time is running out!

THANK YOU!

 

[hiroMYhero]

She is buying a 4 day ticket, i'm not sure yet if it will be park hopper or not. Regardless, the other two days she will be using later in the year.

She should only buy a 2-day ticket. All tickets expire at Day #14 after the first use - she would not be able to save any ticket days for use later in the year.

 

[LifesABeach1983]

She should only buy a 2-day ticket. All tickets expire at Day #14 after the first use - she would not be able to save any ticket days for use later in the year.

Thanks for the reply! I forgot to mention she is a Florida resident. I believe Florida resident 4 day tickets expire 6 months after first use. Please let me know if I am incorrect. Appreciate you looking out!

 

[brittanidp]

It's not too late for fastpasses. It's amazing how many people don't know how they work. We were there last week and someone in the standby line stopped us and asked how fastpasses work. It was day 2 before my husband even understood that we weren't paying for each one! Get your first three of the day done early and then keep adding them after those are all used. You don't want to wait in standby lines your entire trip!

 

[Lightsoutx12]

Imo I think the one park you can not miss is Magic Kingdom. I feel like it has a balance of everything a park needs. It has the nostalgia, thrill rides, slow rides and overall just a lot of fun. There is also a parade as well as fireworks at night. For thrill rides you have the three mountains (Space, Thunder and Splash) and The seven dwarves train ride. Then you have haunted mansion, pirates and buzz lighter as the "slow" rides. As for a second park I would have to say it's a close tie between Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios.

For Hollywood studios you have Rock n rollercoaster, Tower of terror and star tours (star wars ride) toy story mania and the great movie ride. Overall for thrill rides only the rollercoaster and tower of terror are the only options they are great rides though, you also have the night time show Fantasmic and the Star wars fireworks (if they are back up during that time?) So good options there

Animal Kingdom has Expedition Everest, the river rapids, and dinosaur for thrill rides and they are good rides too. However to my knowledge I believe their night time show Rivers of Light is still experiencing issues and isn't going on right now or when you are coming in. But the park is full of shows around such as Lion King and It's tough to be a bug.

Epcot is also an option however they really only have 2 thrill rides, test track and mission space (I don't consider soarin a thrill ride ) Both are excellent rides but if you suffer from motion sickness make sure you go on the less intense version of the ride, Cast members can help you choose which to go on. Epcot does not have many rides but they do have a lot to explore with all the countries around and different drinks available at each one you can try and drink around the world!

Overall any park you choose would be a good choice as they are fantastic parks. My suggestion is to go to the Magic Kingdom and then choose any park after that, I just feel it is a necessity to see the Magic Kingdom during any trip though that is just my opinion. Hope this helps!

 

[Accident]

I strongly recommend picking up the book that josh from easywdw wrote. It's call the easy guide to your walt disney world visit. This book isn't a general tell me what everyone else has already told me book and basically your questions aren't really quick and if you combine them your saying "tell me everything I need to know about disney". This book is great at that including how to go around the different parks.

https://www.amazon.com/*****************************/dp/1683900200/

 

[LifesABeach1983]

It's not too late for fastpasses. It's amazing how many people don't know how they work. We were there last week and someone in the standby line stopped us and asked how fastpasses work. It was day 2 before my husband even understood that we weren't paying for each one! Get your first three of the day done early and then keep adding them after those are all used. You don't want to wait in standby lines your entire trip!

Thank you, I booked some fast passes today. I'm not sure the selection/timing was best, but it will at least ensure we don't have stand in EVERY line. Details below. I think I can rebook them too, I just wanted to get something locked in.

 

[LifesABeach1983]

Imo I think the one park you can not miss is Magic Kingdom. I feel like it has a balance of everything a park needs. It has the nostalgia, thrill rides, slow rides and overall just a lot of fun. There is also a parade as well as fireworks at night. For thrill rides you have the three mountains (Space, Thunder and Splash) and The seven dwarves train ride. Then you have haunted mansion, pirates and buzz lighter as the "slow" rides. As for a second park I would have to say it's a close tie between Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios.

For Hollywood studios you have Rock n rollercoaster, Tower of terror and star tours (star wars ride) toy story mania and the great movie ride. Overall for thrill rides only the rollercoaster and tower of terror are the only options they are great rides though, you also have the night time show Fantasmic and the Star wars fireworks (if they are back up during that time?) So good options there

Animal Kingdom has Expedition Everest, the river rapids, and dinosaur for thrill rides and they are good rides too. However to my knowledge I believe their night time show Rivers of Light is still experiencing issues and isn't going on right now or when you are coming in. But the park is full of shows around such as Lion King and It's tough to be a bug.

Epcot is also an option however they really only have 2 thrill rides, test track and mission space (I don't consider soarin a thrill ride ) Both are excellent rides but if you suffer from motion sickness make sure you go on the less intense version of the ride, Cast members can help you choose which to go on. Epcot does not have many rides but they do have a lot to explore with all the countries around and different drinks available at each one you can try and drink around the world!

Overall any park you choose would be a good choice as they are fantastic parks. My suggestion is to go to the Magic Kingdom and then choose any park after that, I just feel it is a necessity to see the Magic Kingdom during any trip though that is just my opinion. Hope this helps!

This was fantastic advice!! Thanks so much for taking the time to write it out. She got the non-park hopper pass and we decided to do Magic Kingdom on Saturday and Hollywood Studios on Sunday. I have some ADR and FP done for Sat, and FP done for Sunday. I don't plan on doing any ADR for Sunday unless its strongly recommended by somebody as part of a show(like with the terrace fireworks dessert option).

MK
AM Free time
11 AM FP Pirates of the Caribbean
12 PM FP Big Thunder Mountain
130PM ADR Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade Dining Package
3PM VIP Viewing Festival of Fantasy Parade Dining Package
3:30 PM FP Space Mountain
4th FP maybe splash mountain or seven dwarves?
7:45 PM Fireworks Dessert Party with Plaza Garden Viewing


DHS
9:30 AM FP Rockin Roller Coaster
10:30 AM FP Tower OF Terror
2:30 PM FP Star Tours

I strongly recommend picking up the book that josh from easywdw wrote. It's call the easy guide to your walt disney world visit. This book isn't a general tell me what everyone else has already told me book and basically your questions aren't really quick and if you combine them your saying "tell me everything I need to know about disney". This book is great at that including how to go around the different parks.

https://www.amazon.com/*****************************/dp/1683900200/

Thanks! I bought the kindle version. Hopefully I can get some good info from it!

 

[Lightsoutx12]

This was fantastic advice!! Thanks so much for taking the time to write it out. She got the non-park hopper pass and we decided to do Magic Kingdom on Saturday and Hollywood Studios on Sunday. I have some ADR and FP done for Sat, and FP done for Sunday. I don't plan on doing any ADR for Sunday unless its strongly recommended by somebody as part of a show(like with the terrace fireworks dessert option).

MK
AM Free time
11 AM FP Pirates of the Caribbean
12 PM FP Big Thunder Mountain
130PM ADR Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade Dining Package
3PM VIP Viewing Festival of Fantasy Parade Dining Package
3:30 PM FP Space Mountain
4th FP maybe splash mountain or seven dwarves?
7:45 PM Fireworks Dessert Party with Plaza Garden Viewing


DHS
9:30 AM FP Rockin Roller Coaster
10:30 AM FP Tower OF Terror
2:30 PM FP Star Tours

That looks to be a pretty solid schedule. You were able to book a 4th fast pass? To my knowledge I believe there are only 3 available unless there is some sort of promotion going on. In that case I would say personally go for Splash mountain just because I like that ride. Although by then the sun would be down and it might be a little cold so that might not be the best idea. I hope you have a great time though!

 

[wdw&sonny]

Congratulations on moving near WDW. That's my retirement plan.
Since you are an AP holder, don't try to do it all. Relax and enjoy.
BUT...you are on these boards and obviously and obsessive planner (like all of us here).
So, I would suggest hitting Peter Pan then SDMT at rope drop and getting many short rides done before 11am. I would not count on a SDMT as a 4th FP. They will likely be gone.
At HS, hit TSM first thing. Stay for Fantasmic and Star Wars fireworks. Dine at Sci Fi or 50s Prime Time.
I would not bother with the park hopper for just a 2 day trip.
Otherwise, you sound like you have a good grasp of things.
Go slow and enjoy it.

 

[LifesABeach1983]

That looks to be a pretty solid schedule. You were able to book a 4th fast pass? To my knowledge I believe there are only 3 available unless there is some sort of promotion going on. In that case I would say personally go for Splash mountain just because I like that ride. Although by then the sun would be down and it might be a little cold so that might not be the best idea. I hope you have a great time though!

I was definitely thinking of trying to do splash mountain right after the parade. Do you know if it is a soaking wet type thing? It's not going to be super warm the days we are there, so I don't want to ruin our evening being cold and wet.

For the 4th FP I had read it in several spots, but maybe it was old info. Here is a link to one post discussing it. I think the idea is that once you use one of your first three in the park, you can book a 4th. Sorry I don't have an "official" link.

http://www.disboards.com/threads/4th-fp-availability-at-mk.3417203/

 

[LifesABeach1983]

Congratulations on moving near WDW. That's my retirement plan.
Since you are an AP holder, don't try to do it all. Relax and enjoy.
BUT...you are on these boards and obviously and obsessive planner (like all of us here).
So, I would suggest hitting Peter Pan then SDMT at rope drop and getting many short rides done before 11am. I would not count on a SDMT as a 4th FP. They will likely be gone.
At HS, hit TSM first thing. Stay for Fantasmic and Star Wars fireworks. Dine at Sci Fi or 50s Prime Time.
I would not bother with the park hopper for just a 2 day trip.
Otherwise, you sound like you have a good grasp of things.
Go slow and enjoy it.

Thanks a lot for the input and rope drop suggestions. So much on my mind I hadn't really gotten to that yet. I convinced the lady to go on Friday night, so hopefully we can make rope drop on Saturday without having to get up at 5am. I definitely want to have extra time to leisure around and see characters or a show or something....you know just run into the unknown.

I will check out the HS suggestions, thanks so much! I haven't even had a chance to peek at those yet, just a bit overwhelmed.

 

[gap2368]

She should only buy a 2-day ticket. All tickets expire at Day #14 after the first use - she would not be able to save any ticket days for use later in the year.

Thanks for the reply! I forgot to mention she is a Florida resident. I believe Florida resident 4 day tickets expire 6 months after first use. Please let me know if I am incorrect. Appreciate you looking out!

if she has the 4 day FL pass then yes you can use them with in 6 months with a few black out dates It dose say one park per day so not park hoper.

from Disney


Important Multi-Day Ticket Details

Blockout Dates for Florida Resident 3-Day & 4-Day Tickets

Florida resident tickets that are purchased as part of the Florida Resident Early Summer 2016 Room Offer expire 6 months after first use or by December 14, 2016, whichever comes first; they are not valid for admission on any of the following blockout dates:

• July 1, 2016 - July 4, 2016

Florida resident tickets that are not purchased as part of the Florida Resident Early Summer 2016 Room Offer expire 6 months after first use or by December 17, 2017, whichever comes first; they are not valid for admission on any of the following blockout dates:

• July 1, 2016 - July 4, 2016
• April 8, 2017 - April 21, 2017
• June 5, 2017 - August 10, 2017

 

[TinkLoverSam]

You can book a 4th (and more) fp same day after you scan in for your 3rd fp but getting 7DMT for a 4th is unlikely at best. Splash may be possible and you usually don't get soaked on it even in the summer and I'm pretty sure they turn down the splash in the winter because nobody wants to be cold and wet. I think they even turn down the splash after dark in the summer because there isn't any sun to dry you off.

 

[Lightsoutx12]

Thanks a lot for the input and rope drop suggestions. So much on my mind I hadn't really gotten to that yet. I convinced the lady to go on Friday night, so hopefully we can make rope drop on Saturday without having to get up at 5am. I definitely want to have extra time to leisure around and see characters or a show or something....you know just run into the unknown.

I will check out the HS suggestions, thanks so much! I haven't even had a chance to peek at those yet, just a bit overwhelmed.

You definitely get wet but not an overwhelming amount like some other water rides (River rapids at AK, jurassic park at universal) HS is a great place to wander around too if you're a star wars fan. They have the Launch Bay where there is a lot of items from the movies and things like that.

 

[brittanidp]

Thank you, I booked some fast passes today. I'm not sure the selection/timing was best, but it will at least ensure we don't have stand in EVERY line. Details below. I think I can rebook them too, I just wanted to get something locked in.

You can change them as needed depending on what's available Have fun!

 

[brittanidp]

This was fantastic advice!! Thanks so much for taking the time to write it out. She got the non-park hopper pass and we decided to do Magic Kingdom on Saturday and Hollywood Studios on Sunday. I have some ADR and FP done for Sat, and FP done for Sunday. I don't plan on doing any ADR for Sunday unless its strongly recommended by somebody as part of a show(like with the terrace fireworks dessert option).

MK
AM Free time
11 AM FP Pirates of the Caribbean
12 PM FP Big Thunder Mountain
130PM ADR Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade Dining Package
3PM VIP Viewing Festival of Fantasy Parade Dining Package
3:30 PM FP Space Mountain
4th FP maybe splash mountain or seven dwarves?
7:45 PM Fireworks Dessert Party with Plaza Garden Viewing


DHS
9:30 AM FP Rockin Roller Coaster
10:30 AM FP Tower OF Terror
2:30 PM FP Star Tours




Thanks! I bought the kindle version. Hopefully I can get some good info from it!

You should do seven dwarves as soon as you get to the park, the line will just get longer and longer and there will more than likely not be any fastpasses available for that