park pass help please!!!

[jweiss]

I'm still somewhat new to DVC and WDW. The size of WDW alone still overwelms me!!! We're gonna be at BCV for six nites at the end of this month. We definitely want to do the two water parks and AK, as those are the three parks we haven't done yet. We'll probably also do Epcot and maybe MGM. I have no idea what kind of pass to buy, or where. DS in CA does not sell WDW passes.....only Disneyland. We have AP passes for Disneyland, but they aren't good at WDW. What pass do I want to buy and should I buy it at BCV???? It'll be one adult, a 13 yo, a 12 yo, and an infant. THANKS for your help.

 

[RobDoc]

Welcome Home!

You can get a 10% DVC discount at the resort on UPH passes. These will get you into all Theme Parks, Water Parks, Disney Quest and Pleasure Island for all days of your stay.

If you intend to go to some of the other Orlando area attractions, the UPH may not be for you- since the UPH won't carry over any unused days for a future trip. In that case, a 6 day parkhopper may be best for your situation.

If you will be returning to WDW within the next 12 months- an AP would likely be best- since the break even point for that type of pass is around 8 days.

Here is a listing of <a href="http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/tickets.htm">WDW Ticket Prices.</a> Be sure to figure in the 10% discount from the UPH when comparing rates. (DVC will also allow you to drop first and/or last days from that pass if needed.)

Enjoy!

 

[tjkraz]

Just to add a bit more information to Doc's post, the Park Hopper passes give you unlimited admission to the FOUR main theme parks--Magic Kingdom, Epcot, MGM and Animal Kingdom--for the number of days purchased. If you buy a 6 day Park Hopper, you will get 6 days to visit those theme parks. The days do not have to be consecutive, and they also do not expire. If you only end up going to the parks on 5 days this trip, you can save your tickets and use that last day during a future trip.

The Hopper passes also include park hopping priviledges. If you want to visit the Magic Kingdom in the morning and then head over the Epcot at night--no problem. You're only using one "day" from your ticket.

The waterparks are a bit different. Admission to the water parks and Pleasure Island comes in the form of "Plus" features on some hoppers. If you buy a 6 day Park Hopper PLUS (which normally comes with 3 Plus features), you actually get 6 days at the four main theme parks, PLUS three VISITS to the water parks or Pleasure Island.

The Plus features stand on their own--independent of the theme park days. With a 6 night / 7 day trip, some folks will elect to schedule a "non theme park" day to relax a bit. If you want to do this, you could use one of your Plus features to go to a water park in the morning, and then perhaps spend the evening at the Downtown Disney marketplace (no admission charges) or just enjoying your resort. On a day when you only use a Plus feature and do not enter one of the 4 main theme parks, you do not burn a day on your "Hopper" pass.

Honestly, you may want to just consider the UPH that Doc mentioned since it's your first trip. The UPH basically means that you can go wherever you want, whenever you want for the duration of your trip. Once you get the lay of the land, you will be better prepared to decide which type of ticket to buy in the future.

The UPH also includes unlimited admission to DisneyQuest at Downtown Disney, which your kids would probably love. It's basically a huge video arcade, and then some. You can't use the Plus features on a Hopper pass for admission to DisneyQuest--the only way to get in is either with the UPH or to buy single-day passes which run about $30 per person.

Hope that helps. It can be a bit confusing until you get the hang of it. Don't be afraid to ask more questions.