Springtime surprise challenge

[5xdisneyfans]

This will be my first RunDisney challenge and was curious what everyone does as far as park tickets/ days? I will need to purchase tickets but I cannot decide on how many days I want to buy with the runs. I am staying a total of 8 nights so I will have 4 park days ( 19-22) for sure. I am just not sure if I want to buy tickets for the expo, 5k and 10k day. Expo day won’t have a full day with being at the expo all morning and not wanting to be up late. The 5k and 10k I don’t want to over do it with getting up early and needing to get to be at a decent time. It feels strange to not do parks for that many days. The price between the 5,6 and 7 day tickets are not a big difference. $50 more for 7 day vs 5 day. What do all you more experienced challenge people do that don’t have an AP? Thanks

 

[jmasgat]

I have always gotten tickets for my entire stay. The 5k and 10k are over before parks open, so I do my usual park touring (in early, out by early afternoon.) Getting the longer ticket (even without park hopping) gives you the flexibility to spread your park time out according to how you feel and not feel like you are trying to cram it all in to just a few days.

 

[Herding_Cats]

As one of the [seemingly] few people in here that also doesn't have an AP, I totally understand trying to figure this out.

I feel like for my family it comes down to 2 things: how often do we go to Disney (every year? for long or short trips? or every few years) and how tired am I willing to be. Also, are there new things I want to ride/experience and/or are there a bunch of things closed for refurbishment or replacement?

Tickets are NOT cheap. When DH and I go during MW, they are one of the biggest expenses we have. I agree with @jmasgat that having more days will [theoretically] give less pressure to do the open-to-close park days because you have more time to fit things in. But also, if I buy an 8 day ticket I WILL 100% go to a park even when what I really want or need to do is take a day off and hang out at the resort. Do you have more self-control than me? SS weekend can be really warm, and if you're coming from a northern area where it might still be trying to hang onto winter, the heat can be really tiring, especially when coupled with the humidity.

For this upcoming MW, we are going to start out with a 5 or 6 day ticket and then add on days either with the concierge at the resort (if that's an option), or in DS, or at the ticket booth at the park entrance. It's important to know the "rules" about adding days like you have to add the day(s) before your ticket ends but that way we aren't paying for days that we might not use. You'll still get the prorated price, and can just pay the extra $50 or whatever it ends up being when you're there instead of committing to a bunch of days before you even arrive.

 

[5xdisneyfans]

As one of the [seemingly] few people in here that also doesn't have an AP, I totally understand trying to figure this out.

I feel like for my family it comes down to 2 things: how often do we go to Disney (every year? for long or short trips? or every few years) and how tired am I willing to be. Also, are there new things I want to ride/experience and/or are there a bunch of things closed for refurbishment or replacement?

Tickets are NOT cheap. When DH and I go during MW, they are one of the biggest expenses we have. I agree with @jmasgat that having more days will [theoretically] give less pressure to do the open-to-close park days because you have more time to fit things in. But also, if I buy an 8 day ticket I WILL 100% go to a park even when what I really want or need to do is take a day off and hang out at the resort. Do you have more self-control than me? SS weekend can be really warm, and if you're coming from a northern area where it might still be trying to hang onto winter, the heat can be really tiring, especially when coupled with the humidity.

For this upcoming MW, we are going to start out with a 5 or 6 day ticket and then add on days either with the concierge at the resort (if that's an option), or in DS, or at the ticket booth at the park entrance. It's important to know the "rules" about adding days like you have to add the day(s) before your ticket ends but that way we aren't paying for days that we might not use. You'll still get the prorated price, and can just pay the extra $50 or whatever it ends up being when you're there instead of committing to a bunch of days before you even arrive.

I didn’t realize you can add on days while you are there. That’s good to know. I am the same way if I have 8 days I will use them and probably more than I should to “get my money’s worth”. Definitely something to think about. Thanks

 

[Herding_Cats]

The biggest thing is that you can’t use your last day of your ticket, go to bed, and then try to add another day the next morning. So if you start with a 5-day ticket, and you’re on your last ticket day, be sure to add the 6th day before the park closes for the night.