Please Help me Decide on Whether to Go to Disney or Somewhere Else....

[Arielfan98]

I am visiting my parents down in Orlando in late June. Since they moved 10 mins from the magic, hotels are not the issue. I am traveling with my boyfriend and we are a young couple with a tight budget. I am eligible for military discount and AAA discounts. Even with discounts, it appears it'll be about $400 for the two of us to get 1 adult park hopper each. I also looked into Universal and same thing....about $200 each for 1 day. With our budget, we can afford at least 1 park day, but the prospect of having to choose between Disney and somewhere else pains me. Last trip, I was VERY impressed with Universal even though it was my first time, BUT I am not a fan of coasters and as I'm sure most of you understand, WDW is a nostalgia thing.

So my question is: If you were me, would you choose your park day at WDW, Universal or somewhere else (ie. SeaWorld?) Not going to lie, SeaWorld and LegoLand do not thrill me, but I've never been.
Are there any alternatives I am not thinking about? Thank you!!!

 

[crazycatstacy]

Are you military that you can get the military salute tickets?

 

[Arielfan98]

Are you military that you can get the military salute tickets?

Yes, but we only have limited days there. We really couldn't spend more than 2 days in the parks.

 

[Dumbo777]

If you are thinking about doing Disney, I would definitely budget in lightning lanes. We just got back from 8 days at Disney this past weekend and we couldn’t get anything done without lightning lanes.

 

[Arielfan98]

If you are thinking about doing Disney, I would definitely budget in lightning lanes. We just got back from 8 days at Disney this past weekend and we couldn’t get anything done without lightning lanes.

Thank you for the suggestion. I forgot those were factors now and I haven't been to Disney during the peak of summer in a long time.

 

[alohamom]

One other thing you might want to consider, if you have not already, is the cost of getting there and back from your parents house.
If you are driving, parking has gone up and is tiered so if you want to park close it is almost $50 for the day. less if you park far out.
If you are planning on using an uber, factor that in and know that there is surge pricing for certain times of the day, like the evening when the park closes.

 

[mcottingham]

Go to universal and forget Disney

 

[Arielfan98]

One other thing you might want to consider, if you have not already, is the cost of getting there and back from your parents house.
If you are driving, parking has gone up and is tiered so if you want to park close it is almost $50 for the day. less if you park far out.
If you are planning on using an uber, factor that in and know that there is surge pricing for certain times of the day, like the evening when the park closes.

Luckily my parents are AP so we get free parking. Thank you though.

 

[RoseGold]

I would wait and see if they are going to release a hard ticket. They might launch a villain party, or even start Halloween that early. If I'm spending that much, I'd rather do it at the hard ticket event.

But honestly, if you are on a tight budget, I'd think about skipping Disney. Spend your precious money and vacation time with your family. You don't need to go to a theme park to do that. I would imagine you have more important goals, and this is a lot of money. Disney will still be there next year, or several years from now.

 

[gottalovepluto]

You know in general what you're looking at so I really think only you can answer this q. (I cannot imagine going to Legoland as an adult though, at least SeaWorld has animals). Prices at Diseny have gone up on food and merch so keep that in the back of your budget mind. As far as new stuff Tron won't be open yet but RAT is and Guardians will be.

I'd probably save the money now and sketch in Disney and UOR for next year. With how much prices of life are going up on a tight budget I'd be happier having the cash in my pocket for 2022. If it's still available by 2023 you could use it towards fun next year and instead of being torn about which park, you could do both.

 

[ScottOKW2K]

Try this - go to Discovery Cove. I am eligible for military discounts and for late June I was seeing pricing for their Dolphin Swim package with three additional parks as low as $268 per person in June. If you do this without the Dolphin Swim the lowest price in June is $198. You could literally do 2 weeks of fun - no admission or parking fee - for your target cost. Do the 3 parks and not the two as the two park selection is only slightly less expensive and does not include parking.

And I've done Discovery Cove before. It's worth the $268 alone.

Signature Dolphin Swim Package + 3 Parks

Swim with dolphins and enjoy an all-inclusive day at Discovery Cove, including access to all the experiences and amenities included with Day Resort Packages. Plus, unlimited admission and free parking to SeaWorld, Aquatica, and Busch Gardens during your vacation. All prices and price ranges are subject to change until purchased. 14 consecutive days of unlimited admission activated at first park visit.

 

[ScottOKW2K]

I don't know if you are active duty military or not but if you can purchase tickets at Shades of Green they do have some military pricing. They have special military pricing on a number if places to go. There is a lot there so you may have more choices than you realize.

Here's a link to ticket prices,

 

[SwanVT2]

Try this - go to Discovery Cove. I am eligible for military discounts and for late June I was seeing pricing for their Dolphin Swim package with three additional parks as low as $268 per person in June. If you do this without the Dolphin Swim the lowest price in June is $198. You could literally do 2 weeks of fun - no admission or parking fee - for your target cost. Do the 3 parks and not the two as the two park selection is only slightly less expensive and does not include parking.

And I've done Discovery Cove before. It's worth the $268 alone.

Signature Dolphin Swim Package + 3 Parks

Swim with dolphins and enjoy an all-inclusive day at Discovery Cove, including access to all the experiences and amenities included with Day Resort Packages. Plus, unlimited admission and free parking to SeaWorld, Aquatica, and Busch Gardens during your vacation. All prices and price ranges are subject to change until purchased. 14 consecutive days of unlimited admission activated at first park visit.

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I agree wholeheartedly with this suggestion. The food and lazy river alone are amazing!!

 

[mistysue]

I feel like the fact that you posted this on a Disney forum might tell you where your heart rests before any of us even entered the conversation.

 

[Judique]

I feel like the fact that you posted this on a Disney forum might tell you where your heart rests before any of us even entered the conversation.

I agree with this. That said, my daughter is going on a Disney cruise and then using my DVC for a few days at Disney afterwards with her two children aged 5 and 6.

She is sort of overwhelmed by the price of tickets just for 1-2 days for 3 people. The pricing structure is not friendly for people that just want a day or two.

Other family have AP's, if I read correctly, so it probably will be Disney. Maybe they could do something like get the Chase Disney credit card and use the signup bonus towards tickets. Look for the $300 sign up and it will be 251 clear plus some points.

 

[Arielfan98]

For those who want to see my final decision: My Decision