Single Dad Help with trip..

[Gaprofitt]

Hey All,

I have a ton of questions and could use some help from the Disney Guru's. My son turns 4 on 9/10 so I'm taking him to Disney world with his grandparents. We will be staying offsite to save some money in a condo but they have a shuttle to a from the park. I can cancel it and i'm open to options but it's about $129 a night for a 2 bedroom condo. My parents likely will not go to the parks as they are older and are not in great enough health to walk around a bunch. More on that later.

We will be arriving, driving down most likely from Atlanta around 5 pm on Wed the 9th and departing on Sunday the 13th.

Here are my questions:

• Based on my reading I was thinking Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom and skip Epcot and the Hollywood Studios as we can't do it all in four days. Thoughts?
• Where should I purchase tickets? What discounts are available? Should I opt for fast passes or should crowds not be that bad?
• I'd like to do something special on this birthday if possible, character dinner, etc. What are my options?
• Can my parents do anything in the park for a discount? Ticket good after 6 pm until close, etc? They don't want to pay full admission.
• Does anyplace have mini golf in the parks? My son is an avid Golfer?
• We go to six flags often and I never use a stroller, worth bringing one anyway? Can I store it somewhere if we don't need it?
• $129 a night for a really nice Condo property seems really good, can I get something comparable with two bedrooms in the park? The place is called Lighthouse key, $587 out the door for 4 nights.
• How do I go about planning other events? Fireworks shows, etc..

Thanks so much for any help, looking around I am a bit overwhelmed but just decided to do this for my little guy for his Birthday..

Greg

 

[caroline1851]

• Based on my reading I was thinking Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom and skip Epcot and the Hollywood Studios as we can't do it all in four days. Thoughts?
• Where should I purchase tickets? What discounts are available? Should I opt for fast passes or should crowds not be that bad?
• I'd like to do something special on this birthday if possible, character dinner, etc. What are my options?
• Can my parents do anything in the park for a discount? Ticket good after 6 pm until close, etc? They don't want to pay full admission.
• Does anyplace have mini golf in the parks? My son is an avid Golfer?
• We go to six flags often and I never use a stroller, worth bringing one anyway? Can I store it somewhere if we don't need it?
• $129 a night for a really nice Condo property seems really good, can I get something comparable with two bedrooms in the park? The place is called Lighthouse key, $587 out the door for 4 nights.
• How do I go about planning other events? Fireworks shows, etc..

Greg

Too rushed to fit in all parks in 4 days. Definitely need 2 days at MK. If he's into Star Wars though, you might want to make a point of going to DHS... plus TSMM is super fun! Maybe get there for Rope drop one day and just spend a few hours, then have your fp+ scheduled for another park and hop over there.

Not sure about best way to buy tickets. I've always stayed on site and bought through Disney.

There are several character meals. I think Crystal Palace with Pooh, Tigger, etc. is convenient at MK and it's a great idea to get an ADR for around 12:30 or 1:00 when you'll be hot and tired and be able to enjoy a relaxed lunch with characters in the AC.

Not sure about 1/2 day discount tickets, etc. I don't think that's available, but I don't really know.

Disney World has 2 mini golf places.

The stroller thing is tricky. My daughter was 2 and never used one, walked the whole time (other than FW at Epcot) but hten when she was 5, we rented one everyday. I'd say, don't bring one and you can always rent one there if you need to.

No, there is nothing that's 2 bedrooms for that cost on Disney Property. That's cheap.

when my kids were younger, we didnt' go back out at night. We got to parks for RD, did stuff until they were tired (usually 3pm) then left, went back to resort for swimming, dinner etc and early bedtime. that was the only way they were able to do it again the next day. My last trip was just ds13 and me. We went out for RD, stayed until middle of day, went back to hotel for nap,, relaxation in AC then back out around 6.

 

[Gracie09]

I would look at undercover tourist for discounted tickets but I don't think there would be much for two day tickets. There are not half day tickets unless you buy through a convention but those I believe are limited to Epcot. Yes to reserving fo. Why not it's free and you can do some great rides with minimal wait- key when you have a short period of time. What characters does your son like? You can see the fab five at chef mickeys and tucker house. Your parents could join you at chef mickeys without a ticket because it's in a hotel not a park. If he likes dinosaurs you can try t-Rex in downtown Disney

 

[Theaberdeenkid]

• Based on my reading I was thinking Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom and skip Epcot and the Hollywood Studios as we can't do it all in four days. Thoughts?

MK & AK are good choices.


Where should I purchase tickets? What discounts are available? Should I opt for fast passes or should crowds not be that bad?

Undercover Tourist for tickets, also try AAA.
Always use Fastpass+.

• I'd like to do something special on this birthday if possible, character dinner, etc. What are my options?

Try Tusker House in Animal Kingdom or Crystal Palace in Magic Kingdom.

• Can my parents do anything in the park for a discount? Ticket good after 6 pm until close, etc? They don't want to pay full admission.

No.
If you were going a few days later you could get tickets to the Halloween party and get in at 4 PM at MK.
Also be aware you can rent scooters for your parents so they don't have to walk, stand in line.

• Does anyplace have mini golf in the parks? My son is an avid Golfer?

Yes, see link
http://www.wdwinfo.com/recreation/minigolf.htm
Be aware that this will be an extra cost.

• We go to six flags often and I never use a stroller, worth bringing one anyway? Can I store it somewhere if we don't need it?

Not really. WDW is big your best bet if bring a stroller is to push it around with you.

• $129 a night for a really nice Condo property seems really good, can I get something comparable with two bedrooms in the park? The place is called Lighthouse key, $587 out the door for 4 nights.

Nope, not even close. For that price your only option on site will be a value resort.

• How do I go about plann
• ing other events? Fireworks shows, etc..

Touringplans.Com
Easywdw.com
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com

 

[tiggergal15]

One main tip I have ....you won't even come close to even half of what Disney has to offer so with that in mind...breathe... . OK now on to the real help.
1. No discount tickets ..sorry
2. Disney has several golf options. Look on their website.sorry cant post links on my phone.
3. Get your son a Birthday button to wear.. Special things happen when you do. Random acts of Disney magic might be bestowed on your son. He also will get free cupcakes at resteraunts!
4. The price you are paying is less than disney resorts unless you want to stay in one room. Staying onsite had its own perks tho so it might worth thinking about.
5. You can rent scooters and strollers. Your son might need one at Magic Kingdom...it tires most adults.
6. There are several character meals. Go to the Disney website or allears.net. they have a listing of those. You need to make reservations for most so as soon as you can call and see what's available. Some are outside of the parks so you could include the grandparents and not pay for a ticket.
7. Keep researching and ask ...we are here to help!

 

[tiggergal15]

Look on the disney website for the park hours...there you will find firework info and other events and times...

 

[Jedimom]

If you're planning on doing 2 park days, best to order tickets from Disney directly since there's no discount offered elsewhere. If 3 park days, Undercover Tourist is going to be slightly cheaper. Unfortunately no discounts for partial days that I'm aware of.

Definitely do Magic Kingdom. Keep in mind Animal Kingdom has short hours -- I want to think they close by 5? Don't rule out Epcot. My kids absolutely LOVED Epcot and chose to do a repeat day there over anywhere else. It's got a nice indoor area with lots of activities for young kids, and quite a few other rides also geared for the younger crowd IMO. Check out the WDW website and compare the rides and attractions at Animal Kingdom vs. Epcot -- see what you think of both.

$129/night isn't bad -- might be able to get better yet offsite somewhere else if you're really trying to save money. But the price seems reasonable enough. You won't find anything onsite for that.

My advice for anyone travelling with young kids is to take it slow. Don't try to cram too much in, make your plans flexible. Reduces the chance of a meltdown. I'd say if you can afford to, add days to your trip and take things slow. Tickets aren't much more in price once you hit 3 days anyway.

Have fun!!

 

[Karel]

Check on that shuttle to the parks. I was at a hotel where the shuttle went over once in the AM and came back once in the PM. If you missed it, that was it, find another way to get there.

Take a stroller. It's a lot of walking.

 

[Hezzy04]

As for your parents...since it seems like they won't be doing parks, I would recommend doing a character meal at a resort. That way, you could all go. At age 4, I'm thinking your son might love Chef Mickey's. The food is ok, but the experience is excellent! Went with my 3 and 4 year old in May and it was completely worth it as soon as I saw the expressions on my kids faces!

 

[MouseLovingMom]

You need my Disney Planner! She is AMAZING. She has helped me with every detail of our 1st trip coming up in November. If you would like her contact info let me know she is FREE and amazing.

 

[MouseLovingMom]

Also I am new on here and feeling crazy someone tell me how to change my picture please.