In one of my very first posts, I gave you the skinny on the different ticket options available. (If you need a refresher, check out the "That's the Ticket" post.) There are three options to choose from. You can add all of them, just one or two, or none to your base ticket.
This time the only option we'll be adding is the Park Hopper option. We're going in February, so it will be much too cold to visit the water parks (adios Water Parks & More option!); and since we're really trying to save on this trip, we won't be needing the No Expiration option either.
I think I've mentioned that my favorite option is the Park Hopper. I use it every time I visit the parks. This option gives me the freedom to jump around to multiple theme parks in the same day, so that I can see what I want to see when I want to see it. It helps add great flexibility to my vacation schedule. Let me give you one example.
Since this is Kayla and Ashley's first visit, the first thing I really want them to experience is that walk down Main St. at the Magic Kingdom. I can't tell you how excited I am to see their faces when they see Cinderella Castle for the very first time. There's just something about that walk that is profoundly magical, and I can't think of a better way to start off our Disney adventure.
But I've got a plan, and you can't see Illuminations fireworks at Magic Kingdom.
So after that inaugural walk, we'll hit a couple of classic attractions (Peter Pan!!) and then catch the monorail to Epcot. We'll spend the rest of the afternoon and evening enjoying the attractions there, and then end our first day with the brilliant Illuminations of Earth firework show. Without the Park Hopper, we would have to stay at Magic Kingdom for the rest of the day, or would have to go straight to Epcot to begin with. And another great plus: if at lunch time, we decide we need a break, we can head back to the hotel, take a nap and then head right back to Epcot without having to buy another ticket. It's like having a skeleton key that unlocks all the doors to all the parks any time you want :).
~*What do you do with that half-day at Disney?*~
This is a question that's crept up on more than a few of our vacations. From where we live, Disney World is about a 9 or 10-hour drive, depending on traffic. Usually we leave very early in the morning, around 2 or 3 a.m. to avoid rush-hour in Atlanta. Traffic is almost never an issue that way, but it does give us a somewhat annoying arrival time, around mid-afternoon. So, do you spend the full price of admission just to enjoy a few short hours at the parks?
As hard as it is for me to step on Disney property and not race to the Magic Kingdom, I have to say I can't validate paying full price for less than half the time. A few times in the past, we have paid for that extra ticket day, but not anymore. Why pay extra when there's plenty to do at Disney that doesn't require theme park admission! Case in point: Downtown Disney.
If our travel schedule causes us to arrive with only a half-day for our first day of vacation, we get settled into our hotel room, then head to the Downtown Disney area. There's plenty to do there for the rest of the evening. You can go shopping, try out some great restaurants, do a little dancing, catch a movie or a show. If you're tired from traveling, end the night early and rest up for a full day in the parks.
Another way to avoid unused park hours is to simply adjust your travel schedule. For our next trip, we're planning on leaving a few hours earlier than normal so we'll arrive mid-morning. That way, we'll still have plenty of time to enjoy the parks that day.
Now we're getting to the fun stuff! It's time to start planning out our days :). See ya real soon!
Miranda
Showing posts with label tickets. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tickets. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Sunday, March 13, 2011
That's the Ticket!
Your tickets are your keys to the World, and there are so many keys to choose from.
Disney offers a variety of ticket options and packages so you can build a vacation to suit your needs and budget. It’s kind of like building a hamburger. You start with the bun and the meat, and then layer on as many extra goodies as you want. The “bun” of your Disney hamburger is the Magic Your Way Base Ticket. This $82 ticket is for one park for one day. You can add options to this base ticket to suit your needs.
Add-on Ticket Options
* Water Park Fun & More option gains you admittance to Disney’s two water parks, as well as Disney’s virtual theme park called Disney Quest. This option is only available when you purchase tickets for 5 days or longer. It costs about $54 per person for a 5 day ticket.
* No Expiration option allows you to save some of your days for another vacation. My family and I have done this a few times. Let’s say you can only stay at Disney for 4 days, but you have extra money and can afford the 7 day tickets. You can go ahead and purchase the 7 day tickets with the No Expiration option, only use them for 4 days, and then the next year you can go for 3 more days and it will already be paid for (your tickets will be, but not your hotel). This option costs about $142 per person on a 7 day ticket.
* Park Hopper option allows you to visit multiple parks in the same day. I always purchase this option because it offers so much flexibility to your vacation schedule. Without this option you can only visit one park per day, and once your ticket is scanned, you can’t leave the park and get back in. With Park Hopper you can start your morning at one park, leave at lunch time and head to another park to catch a parade, then leave and go to another park that night for the fireworks. This way, you won’t waste a minute of the magic, and it allows you to see more in fewer days. It costs about $54 per person for a 5 day ticket.
Disney offers a variety of ticket options and packages so you can build a vacation to suit your needs and budget. It’s kind of like building a hamburger. You start with the bun and the meat, and then layer on as many extra goodies as you want. The “bun” of your Disney hamburger is the Magic Your Way Base Ticket. This $82 ticket is for one park for one day. You can add options to this base ticket to suit your needs.
Add-on Ticket Options
* Water Park Fun & More option gains you admittance to Disney’s two water parks, as well as Disney’s virtual theme park called Disney Quest. This option is only available when you purchase tickets for 5 days or longer. It costs about $54 per person for a 5 day ticket.
* No Expiration option allows you to save some of your days for another vacation. My family and I have done this a few times. Let’s say you can only stay at Disney for 4 days, but you have extra money and can afford the 7 day tickets. You can go ahead and purchase the 7 day tickets with the No Expiration option, only use them for 4 days, and then the next year you can go for 3 more days and it will already be paid for (your tickets will be, but not your hotel). This option costs about $142 per person on a 7 day ticket.
* Park Hopper option allows you to visit multiple parks in the same day. I always purchase this option because it offers so much flexibility to your vacation schedule. Without this option you can only visit one park per day, and once your ticket is scanned, you can’t leave the park and get back in. With Park Hopper you can start your morning at one park, leave at lunch time and head to another park to catch a parade, then leave and go to another park that night for the fireworks. This way, you won’t waste a minute of the magic, and it allows you to see more in fewer days. It costs about $54 per person for a 5 day ticket.
Ticket & Hotel Packages
Disney offers packages that include hotel and tickets. There are also options that add dining to the package as well. (I’ll briefly touch on that here, but I’ll post a whole blog devoted to dining plans later, as well as one on hotels.) Packages include a minimum 3-night/4-day stay at a Walt Disney World Resort hotel and base theme park tickets. The price for each type of package varies depending on which hotel and ticket options you choose.
* The Magic Your Way Package is the most basic package on the menu. It includes base theme park tickets and hotel stay. For a family of four at a value resort for the minimum stay costs around $1,350.
* Magic Your Way Plus Quick- Service Dining includes base tickets, hotel, and 2 quick-service meals and 2 snacks per person per day. This is the smallest dining plan that Disney offers. For a family of four at a moderate resort for the minimum stay costs around $1,950.
* Magic Your Way Plus Dining includes base tickets, hotel, 1 table-service meal, 1 quick-service meal and 1 snack per person per day. For a family of four at a value resort for the minimum stay costs around $1,800.
*Magic Your Way Plus Deluxe Dining includes base tickets, hotel, 3 meals and 2 snacks per person per day. For a family of four at a moderate resort for 6 nights/7 days it costs around $3,800.
* Magic Your Way Premium includes base tickets, hotel, 3 meals and 2 snacks per person per day, unlimited use of Disney recreation and tickets to Cirque du Soleil. For a family of four at a deluxe villa resort for the minimum stay costs around $4,000.
* Magic Your Way Platinum includes everything in the Premium package plus pre-arrival planning services, a fireworks cruise, reserved seats at Fantasmic, spa treatment, turn-down service and more. For a family of four at a deluxe resort for the minimum stay costs around $5,200.
Disney offers packages that include hotel and tickets. There are also options that add dining to the package as well. (I’ll briefly touch on that here, but I’ll post a whole blog devoted to dining plans later, as well as one on hotels.) Packages include a minimum 3-night/4-day stay at a Walt Disney World Resort hotel and base theme park tickets. The price for each type of package varies depending on which hotel and ticket options you choose.
* The Magic Your Way Package is the most basic package on the menu. It includes base theme park tickets and hotel stay. For a family of four at a value resort for the minimum stay costs around $1,350.
* Magic Your Way Plus Quick- Service Dining includes base tickets, hotel, and 2 quick-service meals and 2 snacks per person per day. This is the smallest dining plan that Disney offers. For a family of four at a moderate resort for the minimum stay costs around $1,950.
* Magic Your Way Plus Dining includes base tickets, hotel, 1 table-service meal, 1 quick-service meal and 1 snack per person per day. For a family of four at a value resort for the minimum stay costs around $1,800.
*Magic Your Way Plus Deluxe Dining includes base tickets, hotel, 3 meals and 2 snacks per person per day. For a family of four at a moderate resort for 6 nights/7 days it costs around $3,800.
* Magic Your Way Premium includes base tickets, hotel, 3 meals and 2 snacks per person per day, unlimited use of Disney recreation and tickets to Cirque du Soleil. For a family of four at a deluxe villa resort for the minimum stay costs around $4,000.
* Magic Your Way Platinum includes everything in the Premium package plus pre-arrival planning services, a fireworks cruise, reserved seats at Fantasmic, spa treatment, turn-down service and more. For a family of four at a deluxe resort for the minimum stay costs around $5,200.
Later, I’ll talk more specifically about the first three dining plans and the different types of resort hotels, but for now you can have idea of what each package includes and costs. As always, you can find more info on the Walt Disney World Resort website. See the Links panel at the right for the URL.
Now that we've got the business part out of the way, I thought I'd share something with you guys. I told you in the first post that I've been going to Disney World since I was 3 years old. Here's a photo from my very first visit in April of 1990. I remember it every detail like it was yesterday, and so will your little ones!
Have a good one!
Miranda
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