What should we have planned 2 months in advance?

[Stryker]

We're going to DL the week of May 9-16. So far we've booked our flights & hotel (del sol). That's it.

We don't have park tickets, shuttles, or anything else bought or reserved yet. We're planning 4 day park hoppers, one day at universal & one free day that might include a beach day (tour bus?), &medieval times.

Should we be booking this stuff in advance or can we just play it by ear once we get there? I've never been there as an adult & I'm not sure how to go about this. We'll be coming from Canada.

 

[Canuck16]

Purchase your park tickets before you go so that you can go straight to the gates instead of having to go to the ticket booth first.

We have always drivien to Universal from Disney so not sure about shuttles but I would suggest booking that before you get there as well.

Also, if you are thinking of eating at a specific TS restaurant make a reservation about 6 weeks before you leave as that will give you lots of selections for times.

Have a wonderful trip!!

 

[starshine514]

Disney ticket prices just increased, so they are unlikely to again before your trip. I'd be watching for deals (fourth day free might be available from a third party seller like Orbitz. Don't know if there are exclusive deals for Canadians). I would buy in advance, if possible. Just to save time at the park.

Research the shuttle options and figure out which ones you prefer, find coupons, etc. you'll definitely want to schedule your return trip, but scheduling your trip from the airport is generally optional.

I would book Medieval Times in advance.

Figure out how you're getting to Universal and go from there. If you aren't renting a car, then some planning is required for non-Disney excursions (including the beach).

 

[nikkislaght]

I second booking Medieval times .. we tried on a Friday for the Sat.. no way in hell they had seats... booked out for the following 4 weeks.. might be different at your time of year.. by why chance it.

Allanahiemtours do trips to U/S , transport and tickets in... they will pick up from your hotel,, take to central location to transfer to bus that will take you.

I use wildatwork to get my Disney and Knotts tickets.. they are currently running about $27 dollars cheaper than Disney... and yes I have used them for the last 6 yrs without trouble , I print at home and take straight to the gate.

if there is a restaurant inside Disney that you really really want to eat at , then I would book.. no point it worrying about if you would a table or not..

We rented a car last year for San Diego Zoo.. day at Huntington Beach and day at Knotts.. so much easier than shuttles or the ART..

 

[bcwife76]

We live near Vancouver!
You should probably book your shuttle beforehand so that's all ready to go and you don't need to worry about it. Since the tix have already had their price increase you can buy those whenever but I would suggest buying them BEFORE you leave home so that you can pay in CDN$ - have you thought of getting the city pass? Costco has them and they include 3 days at Disney and one day at Universal and/or Seaworld.

The Orange county tourism website has several coupons and always has Medieval Times

 

[keltiesmom]

If you are an airmiles collector you can redeem your airmiles for disney parkhoppers. We ordered 4 and saved a lot of money. You can also order them from orbitz and if you go through ebates you can get cash back, right now orbitz is running buy 3 get the 4th free promo too.

 

[Stryker]

We live near Vancouver!
You should probably book your shuttle beforehand so that's all ready to go and you don't need to worry about it. Since the tix have already had their price increase you can buy those whenever but I would suggest buying them BEFORE you leave home so that you can pay in CDN$ - have you thought of getting the city pass? Costco has them and they include 3 days at Disney and one day at Universal and/or Seaworld.

The Orange county tourism website has several coupons and always has Medieval Times

We'll be flying out of Vancouver we did hear about the costco pass but I'm pretty anti-Seaworld & I don't think there's an option that comes without it. Might have to check out the orbitz site.

Thanks everyone. Guess we better start seriously planning this week.

 

[riftguy]

we did hear about the costco pass but I'm pretty anti-Seaworld & I don't think there's an option that comes without it.

When I was pricing our trip it worked out considerably cheaper to buy the Citypass from Costco and just skip Seaworld ($369CAD + $50CAD($40USD)2day upgrade to the Disney hoppers to turn them into 5 days = $419CAD for 5 day hoppers to Disney + Universal) than it did just purchase tickets for Disneyland ( $315USD=$398CAD)and Universal ($92USD=$116CAD) -- $419CAD vs $514CAD per Adult.

You should look into it...

 

[valiamo]

We're going to DL the week of May 9-16. So far we've booked our flights & hotel (del sol). That's it.

We don't have park tickets, shuttles, or anything else bought or reserved yet. We're planning 4 day park hoppers, one day at universal & one free day that might include a beach day (tour bus?), &medieval times.

Should we be booking this stuff in advance or can we just play it by ear once we get there? I've never been there as an adult & I'm not sure how to go about this. We'll be coming from Canada.

If you are getting the photopass, do it 14 days in advance and save about $30. We used it on our last trip and had around 150 photo's, including loads of ride photos.

Depending on your arrival time (if before 9 PM) you can get the Disneyland express for around $20 each. We hired a private car for $125 and were very happy with the service, including a stop for a case of water on the way into the hotel.

Book your Medieval times in advance, you can get a good discount from their website.

Check with ARES for park tickets, we got 4 day passes for the price of 3 day passes, and exchanging the voucher at the park was very easy (just make sure EVERYONE is at the ticket booth, as they need to see all of the guests.

 

[cindernat]

Sorry to hijack the thread but I just looked up the Medieval Times (had never heard of it). I'm intrigued - do people recommend it?

 

[offwithyourhead]

Get your park tickets ahead of time so you don't have to wait in the lines.

DEFINITELY prebook your shuttles to and from the airport. That way you have a locked-in fare and they can't just give you an outrageous number once you get off. It happens a lot apparently.

Get yourself familiar with the dining options outside the parks. It's not necessarily something you need to do reservations for, but planning ahead and knowing where you can go for what food and reading reviews on it ahead of time will save you stress, irritation and make sure you don't waste your money on crappy food. I only bought one meal in the park and 2 dole whips during my 2 week trip, and let me tell you that the last thing I would have wanted to do was wander aimlessly after leaving the park looking for somewhere to eat dinner.

 

[Carolynleanne]

We'll be flying out of Vancouver we did hear about the costco pass but I'm pretty anti-Seaworld & I don't think there's an option that comes without it. Might have to check out the orbitz site.

Thanks everyone. Guess we better start seriously planning this week.

Are you a Vancouverite?? I had to giggle when you said you're anti-Seaworld. Pretty standard opinion for these parts
PS - I'm a Vancouverite!

 

[RemainSeatedPlease]

Sorry to hijack the thread but I just looked up the Medieval Times (had never heard of it). I'm intrigued - do people recommend it?

I would recommend doing it once. It's an interesting and unique experience that can be a lot of fun, especially with certain groups. There are a lot of groups that go for birthdays/other celebrations and have some drinks in the bar beforehand, then really get into the show, chanting and cheering for their knight. I don't drink myself but I still find it to be fun. But, if you aren't willing to play along then you probably won't enjoy it much.

 

[JadeDarkstar]

I recommend mid evil times, and yes book early. Also check getawaytoday.com they have buy 3 get 4 day ticket or buy 4 get 5 day ticket deals for 6 more days.

 

[CassieScraps]

I recommend mid evil times, and yes book early. Also check getawaytoday.com they have buy 3 get 4 day ticket or buy 4 get 5 day ticket deals for 6 more days.

I 2nd this! Best ticket deal available!

 

[Stryker]

Sorry to hijack the thread but I just looked up the Medieval Times (had never heard of it). I'm intrigued - do people recommend it?

This will be my first time but I hear it's pretty fun. I imagine it will be a bit cheesy but as long as your group is willing to play along it could be a lot of fun. Hopefully anyway!

 

[Stryker]

Are you a Vancouverite?? I had to giggle when you said you're anti-Seaworld. Pretty standard opinion for these parts
PS - I'm a Vancouverite!

Haha nope im from Prince George. Maybe it's a BC thing lol

 

[Stryker]

I 2nd this! Best ticket deal available!

Thanks for all the advice everyone. Medieval times is now booked & currently looking into shuttles & tickets

 

[cindernat]

Ok thanks for the recommendations guys, we'll see how we go!

 

[pinkprincess30]

I have researched all the DLR ticket options and way.com is the least expensive by far! Even better than the buy 3 get 4th day free deals through getawaytoday.com and orbitz.com. And you can go straight to the turn-styles with them (no waiting at the ticket kiosks).

I would personally try to book anything and everything you can ahead of time. It sounds stressful to me to arrive and not know I have all tickets/reservations ready to go. It's kind of nice to do all the work from home then ENJOY the trip to the fullest, knowing all the details are planned out.

Have fun!