US/IOA Offsite During Spring Break

[GinaBean]

My sister is interested in taking her kids to US/IOA during Spring Break (April 18-22), but they will not be staying onsite. She has two kids; a boy (9) and a girl (6) who are both big Harry Potter fans.

They have never been, and they need to keep expenses down. I do not know for sure if they will be able to purchase Express Passes or not, but I am thinking that she said that they would not.

Is it possible to enjoy the parks during this time staying offsite with no EP? I am afraid that they would not be able to get on many rides.

What offsite hotels would you recommend? I suggested Hawthorne Suites, but I would like to hear what others would recommend.

I suggested the 3 day Costco tickets, but they only plan on going to the park two days and probably won't go back for awhile. Is there a better (more affordable) option for a family of four on a buget?

I would love to hear everyone's budget friendly suggestions.

Thanks

 

[goofy4tink]

Well, it's going to be busy, that's for sure. I know that I'm booked at the Royal Pacific on the 14/15...and at this point, there are no rooms available there, and it isn't even Easter week yet!!
You can get 2 day/2 park passes for about $140. I have looked at other hotels in order to save some money and found some that are around $100 a night, and some less.

Will they be able to do a lot??? Depends on what they want to do. The Harry Potter stuff is going to be crowded, really crowded. The other attractions will be as well. The lines will be long, so she should be prepared for that. That is the only reason I am 'probably' going to keep my ridiculously expensive room at the Royal Pacific....I can get FoTL for both days..and then use it as many times as I wish for most attractions.

Spring break/Easter week is going to be a tough time to be budget-minded and still have a good experience.

 

[GinaBean]

We are going that week as well, and we are also staying at the Royal Pacific. I have been a few times before, but we also stay onsite for the EP. I am afraid that if they do go, they will not be able to do much other than wait in lines most of the day.

 

[GinaBean]

I have another question. Which part of the week is usually the busiest? I was thinking that if they went early in the week of April 18-23 that it might be less crowded. Does this sound right, or is there no uncrowded time during that week?

 

[damo]

I don't think there will be much difference any day during the spring break. Make sure you let them know that they will have to wait to get into that section of the park (most likely will have to get a return time ticket) and then they will have to wait to experience each attraction in the Wizarding World.

 

[Taylor'sMom]

How good a vacation a person has has a lot to do expectations and good planning. You'll constantly see on these boards that 2 different families were at WDW (or US) during the same week. One family can say it wasn't crowded and they didn't spend much time waiting in lines. Another family can say the same week was wall-to-wall people and they waited in line for everything.

The best thing you can do for your friend is to arm her with reasonable expectations and the knowledge of a sensible approach. If you sleep in until 10 and arrive at the parks at 11 you're headed for a miserable trip filled with lots of waiting. If you get to the parks an hour early and head directly to the headliner attarctions (and have researched enough to know what to expect) than you'll likely have a better outlook on your vacation.

 

[ttree]

What about the universal partner hotels? Much cheaper than on site and can still get in one hour early. Unsure if you need a package to get that deal but worth looking into.

 

[Metro West]

How good a vacation a person has has a lot to do expectations and good planning. You'll constantly see on these boards that 2 different families were at WDW (or US) during the same week. One family can say it wasn't crowded and they didn't spend much time waiting in lines. Another family can say the same week was wall-to-wall people and they waited in line for everything.

The best thing you can do for your friend is to arm her with reasonable expectations and the knowledge of a sensible approach. If you sleep in until 10 and arrive at the parks at 11 you're headed for a miserable trip filled with lots of waiting. If you get to the parks an hour early and head directly to the headliner attarctions (and have researched enough to know what to expect) than you'll likely have a better outlook on your vacation.