Park passes for DISConII?? (long)

[KimRaye]

Just wondering what everyone else is buying. I know many of you have AP's but, for us 1st timers (to DISCon) or those w/o AP's, how many days are you purchasing?

I think I've read a lot of threads and posts and, I've read you can do mini-meets w/o any cost but, if the meets are IN the parks, than you need a pass so, it does cost something.

Did most of you find yourself IN the parks, in need of a Pass everyday?

I'll be there 12/3-12/8. I THINK I'm covered for 12/3 by having a MVMCP ticket but, I'm still not sure. Dinner is supposed to be at Chef Mickey's before that, if I get there in time.

So, I need 12/4-12/8, right? To cover the supposed 'closing ceremony'? Or, do I need a pass for 12/8? Don't know where it's held (or, was held last year).

I know a 5 day is a better value and, if I don't use it for DISCon, I can use it any other time but ~ How many 'days' are you buying for DISCon?

Is Disney Club the way to buy a Pass also? I mean a recommended way?

Thanks one & all! Can't wait to MEET ya'll! (That's Tricianese!)

Kim

 

[RaySharpton]

Good morning, Kim. I don't have very many answers for you, but I'll try.

I don't know what the official plans are for this year. But last year, on the first day of registration we went to the Beach and Yacht Club to register for DIS-CON-I, which didn't require park entry.

Later that evening, we came back to a dining room in the convention section of the Beach and Yacht Club where we had the opening ceremony, had some snacks and drinks, Pete gave a slide show and a raffle for prizes. I remember NurseKim won a chocolate bar about half her size...lol. And Patinmn won a beautiful snowglobe. I can't remember the other prizes. All these things didn't include park entrance.

That afternoon, Taryn, planned a solo DIS-meet inside EPCOT at the Norway pavillion. I couldn't walk that far. That would have required park entrance.

Later that evening, after the opening ceremony, some DISers went inside EPCOT to watch Illuminations. Others went to the bridge outside EPCOT to watch Illuminations. And afterwards, I think that many went on to Jellyrolls on the Boardwalk.

On the last day, the closing ceremony was held at the same place as the opening ceremony, which didn't require park entry.

Later that night, many DISers that were staying another day had dinner at the Crystal Palace and stayed for MVMCP. The nice thing about that was that we just had to show our priority seating number to enter the Magic Kingdom befor the MVMCP started. So all that most people needed was a MVMCP ticket.

I see on December 3, 2002, you are going to MVMCP. This will be a great time to meet and greet and get to know many DISers before the official registration.

Last year, we had a dinner the night before the official registration at the Wilderness Lodge's Whispering Cafe, followed by a holiday resort tour which didn't require a park entrance. Bo that was so much fun.

Not every DIS-meet has to require a park pass.

If you have any ideas for any greet and meet DIS-meets that don't require park entrance, I encourage you to start a thread here, or let Marsha know.

I know we need more ideas for DIS-meets that include families with children, too.

I plan on buying an annual pass, but I don't know exactly how to get the best deal. I'm sort of hoping that WDW will offer some kind of a sell on WDW tickets and passes.

I'll tell you what I use to do to save money. I usually only go to WDW in December. So, I would buy an annual pass and go in the second week of December. Then next year, I would use the same annual pass and go to WDW near the first week of December, before my annual pass expired. That's why I haven't been back to WDW since DIS-CON-I, but I only had to buy an annual pass every other year.

I do know that sometimes, we would go to more than one park in one day. So maybe you might think about getting a ticket that lets you go to different parks in te same day.

I hope that other DISers will have some
more information.

I can't wait to see you Kim.

Sincerely, RaySharpton

 

[Patrick IL.]

Kim the MVMCP is a ticket to the event but you still need to gain admission to the park using a pass or ap so you will need to get one for 12-3. I use the disney club to purchase the passes /ap becouse you get a slight discount using the disney club. Also rememeber the dc card gets you 20% off at all S/D resturants except Shulas, that does add up after a couple days trust me.
For Ellen I will probably get the 4 day hopper Wed-Sat, I will most likley renew my ap. Last year closing ceremony was at YC so a park pass was not needed for that event. I am guessing it will be at S/D this year so the same situation would exist.

 

[RaySharpton]

Good morning, Patrick. Let me know if you find a good deal on an annual pass.

Please correct me if I'm wrong...which I am frequently...lol. But you don't need an annual pass or any other ticket, except the MVMCP ticket to enter the park for MVMCP.

Now if you want to enjoy Magic Kingdom before the MVMCP starts, then you would need another pass.

If Crystal Palace was going to be open, you could make a priority seating for 5:00 P.M. and enter by showing your priority seating number and your MVMCP ticket. This worked great last year. We all got to relax, having dinner inside the Crystal Palace. The manager gave us a wrist band for MVMCP, and we got to relax on the porch while all the others waited in line outside the MK gates.

 

[KimRaye]

WOW! Thanks Ray! I've relied upon and, found much info from your siggies so far! This just adds more help!

And, Patrick, I was wondering the same darn thing about 12/3!? If I don't enter MK until MVMCP time, why do I need a pass for that day? It IS an event, that I paid sep. for so, why the pass?

If dinner on 12/3 IS at Chef Mickey's, I don't need a park Pass for that, do I?!

I'm getting DISCon overload and the ONLY thing I have is MVMCP tic for 12/3! Go figure! (I think my roomie MIGHT have something to do with my excitement/anticipation AND, Questions!) LOL

Thanks Everyone!

 

[figmentvi]

Ray you are correct. You will only need the MVMCP ticket to get into MK the night of the party.

My 2 DD's will be getting 5 day park hoppers (for 12/4-12/8). My oldest daughter Holly is a military dependent and will be getting her's and her sister's ticket from the SOG ticket office in the CR.

KimRaye....Unless you planning on visiting another park on 12/3, you won't need to use your passes until 12/4. The party starts at 7:00 and I'm going to be making the PS for Chef Mickey's for around 5:00 pm. You can most certainly come to the restaurant anytime between 5:00 and say 6:30 pm.

I'm also going to have a meeting spot inside the park for everyone who is not going to dinner, to meet up with all of us who are.

The most likely spot will be the picture taking spot in Liberty Square. It was a great place to have your picture taken and be in place for the first parade. But all that will be determined as we get closer.

So anyway, I think you'll be just fine with a 5 day hopper.

 

[RaySharpton]

You don't need admission to get into Chef Mickeys, Kim. It's located in the Contemporary Resort on the monorail line.

I forgot where you were staying, but most people take the WDW fom there resort to Magic Kingdom and either walk or take the monorail to the Contemporary Resort.

I hope that you can make it to Chef Mickeys, but if you don't and you want to do some neat stuff. Ask the castmember if yo and the girls can ride in the front of the monorail with the driver. It's pretty cool, and they might receive a certificate, too.

You can also ride the monorail around to the Grand Floridian and see their huge, beautiful 4 to 5 story lobby christmas tree and gingerbread houses.

Or at the Contemporary Resort, go up to the top floor, where the California Grille Restaurant is located. As you get out of the elevator, follow the wall on your right and around the corner out on the observation deck for a beautiful view MK, GF, and lake.

But I know that you will have a wonderful, magical, Disney night at MVMCP.

 

[Marla Hellwig]

What I did last year was just get the length of stay pass for Wednesday through Monday - since my flight arrived late Tuesday and left way too early the next Tuesday.

This year I think I will plan on getting an annual pass as I am right now planning on going back next summer with Kara.

I was able to get a discount with the length of stay pass with my Disney Club Card - I purchased it at Guest services there at the Dolphin - not at the check in desk

 

[December99]

Oh...and now she's blaming her roomie on her excitement!!!! ROFLBMO...I wonder who that could be and why she's making her so excited!!!!!!!

Kim....I think I'm going to go ahead and get a 5 day hopper plus because I don't know if I'm going to get some park in on the 9th or not before heading back to the airport. But given that we will probably go again in 2 years....I know my pass will get use.

If you're confused about the MVMCP...just call CRO and ask them. They will tell you. I think I asked when I purchased my ticket but I can't remember if I did or not.

And if you think you will be cutting it close getting to Chef Mickey's...we can always just drop you off at the Contemporary and then I can handle checking your bags and stuff into the resort. That's no biggie!!!

Can you guys see commando mode coming out of her?????? Hmmmmmmmmmm....... <i>rofl</i>

 

[Barb]

I was with Patrick on this one. I thought you still needed park entrance along with your MVMCP ticket. That might be if you were eating at a MK restaurant before the actual time of the party, like we did last year. I can't remember.
KIm, there are a few options for you, as far as tickets go. You can go with the park hopper ticket, who's unused days never expire. Or, you can do the Length of Stay pass, which is good from the moment you check in until midnight of the day you leave. It's now called the Ultimate Hopper Pass. You buy that right when you check in. Or you can go with the AP. There are two different APs. There is the regular AP which is good for just the 4 main parks. And, there is the Premium AP which gets you into everything and anything at WDW. (Pleasure Island, Wide World Of Sports and the water parks) Pete does have a great chart for all these tickets with price comparisons, too. That might help you make a choice.

 

[NancyIL]

I think some of the confusion is because last year Disney insisted that you had to have MK admission to eat inside the park before MVMCP started. That turned out NOT to be the case on the night I attended (Dec. 2), because they were letting people into the MK around 4:30 with only the MVMCP ticket, but you can't count on that happening this year. Since you'll arrive on the 3rd, you probably won't go into the park until MVMCP - so you WON'T need to use a day of admission. Depending on the time of your flight home, you may or may not want to go into a park on the 8th.

Last year convention passes were available that included plus options for Pleasure Island/Disney Quest - but they expired after a certain amount of time. Towncrier bought a convention pass - so maybe he'll add to this discussion.

I had an AP last year, but I bought a 5-day park hopper plus for DIS-CON so I'll have admission for Pleasure Island. I bought mine from www.floridaorlandotickets.com - and it had 4 plus options instead of the usual 2. It was a better value than the 5-day PHP with Disney Club discount. **Ticketmania also has a 5-day PHP with 4 plus options, and they have free shipping: www.ticketmania.com

 

[Towncrier]

I agonized over this exact situation for DIScon 2001. Here's what happened. We were offered "convention" park passes which were very similar to the old "length of stay" pass but with the "plus" options included (Pleasure Island, waterparks, Disney Quest). The pass was less expensive than anything that I could find online or throught the Disney Club. Since I didn't plan on being back to WDW soon, I decided against the Annual Pass option. My dilemma was that I needed a 6-day pass since I needed to get into Disney Studios the day after DIScon ended for the taping of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. Linda had checked with the convention people at the YC/BC and had been assured that days could be added to the typical 5-day convention pass. So that was my decision.

When I got to DIScon, I found out that Linda had been misinformed and that there was no way to extend the convention pass. So I ended up buying a single day pass for Disney Studios (ouch!). The good news was that, because I had a ticket for the WWTBAM taping, I didn't need a park pass to get into Disney Studios. On my way out of the taping, I stopped at Guest Services and they gladly refunded my money. So the 5-day convention length of stay plus pass worked out.

So if you aren't in a big hurry to get passes, you might want to wait until the formal announcement of DIScon 2002 is made. I assume that there will be some sort of convention pass available again. In the meantime, you might want to check out the link that NancyIL gave. As far as discounted park hoppers, the folks at that link have prices that are hard to beat.

In my case, I ended up purchasing an AP since I know that our family will be going back to WDW next June for 12 nights. And we ended up taking a last minute 5 night trip at the end of June, so we're going to get plenty of use out of our Disney Club discounted Annual Passes.

Good luck in your planning.

 

[Dan Murphy]

I was going to add a bit to this thread, but I think it has been pretty well covered and I will only duplicate and/or confuse, LOL. It took me two days to figure out the LTT PS's, LOL.

Here are two good links, Kim, to help you on ticket explanations

http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/tickets.htm

http://wdwig.com/ticket.htm

 

[NancyIL]

To totally confuse Kim, I have to tell you one more thing! Last fall there was a special promotion at Chicago-area Disney Stores. They were giving a FREE $50 Disney Store gift card for EVERY adult park hopper purchased! I needed EIGHT hoppers for my extended family, so it was well worth the 2-1/2 hour drive to Joliet to purchase the tickets! That was after September 11, so it's not likely WDW will get THAT desperate to sell tickets again.

 

[spiceycat]

Kim - believe to get in the MVCMP you only need that ticket - but you know you will go back to WDW again right - well the pass hopper never expire so I would get the 7-day hopper plus - of course there is the problem of cost - in that case I would definitely wait for Pete to anounce the Dis Con deal - if I remember last year the ticket prices were unbelieveable - really great prices.

 

[December99]

I know that this could be different this year but does anyone recall what the price was last year for the convention pass?

 

[Beanie]

I also have a dilemma here...usually we get into the parks free (thanks to Dad!), but this time, they will be gone on vacation, so I am not sure what we are doing as far as passes go...I was thinking of getting AP's for us, but then we would not use them any other time since we wouldn't need them, so I am not sure whether we will just get a 5 day Hopper Plus or AP's?? At anyrate, this is the first time I have had to actually look at prices...wow! LOL I didn't realize how much you all paid to get into Disney!!

 

[Dan Murphy]

Originally posted by December99
I know that this could be different this year but does anyone recall what the price was last year for the convention pass?

I think convention was $219 last year, Chris, no park admissions included. Park tickets, of any kind, were seperate, and on your own.

Is the DIS Res thing still around, or is that gone now?

When the 'official' info is posted sometime, it will help make a lot of this more clear I think.

 

[luvdsny]

Last Year:

This was my understanding: You needed park admission to get into the park for dinner and/or to attend MVMCP. Your MVMCP ticket was your ticket for your wristband which allowed you to partake in the festivities/rides/etc.

This is what actually happened: I flashed my MVMCP ticket at the front gates of MK and they waved me through (and everyone I was with--a big group). I did NOT need park admission to get in.

Needless to say, I was confused.

We just need more info. from Pete. Does anyone know if he plans on offering park passes at a discount this year?

 

[December99]

Thanks Dan but I know that the conference registration itself does not include passes...someone mentioned on here that there were conference park passes available last year. I was just wondering about what the cost were for those so that I can compare a bit to other park pass sites/information. They said it was a very good rate.

That's what I was looking for...the price for last years conference park passes that were available.