Disney World.?

Question

We have not been to Disney World before and may go in mid August, is this a good time? What is the weather, crowds, costs and hurricane season like, anything closed at that time of year?

We have a 12 year old boy, what may he like to do and what will us adults like?

Does it costs lots to enter each park and how much? Is there a ticket that can be used for all parks or is it best to figure out which park you want that day to save money.

I really want to make this a blast for us all but want to be sensible and not be in debt when we come home.

If you have any tips please write them out.

Is there anything else in the area of the park, say within an hours drive, that we could do as well?

We already have a relatives rental to stay at and saved some money there.
We may be there 1-2 weeks.

Answer 1

August can be pretty busy, especially if you go in the beginning of the month. A lot of families are trying to get vacations in before the kids have to be back at school.

Weather wise it can be pretty warm, it is one of the warmest months for Orlando. It also can be rainer this time of year. But, Orlando usually gets a little rain mid-afternoon anyway. They are usually quick and don' last too long. You can get into a store, do a little shopping and it will usually be over. Sometimes during August you will get longer rain showers.

Costs are going to be, depending on when you go, probably the highest. But, since you won't be staying onsite, that really isn't the case. Tickets, dining, souvenirs, etc. are all the same price no matter what time of the year you go. You just save money on air and rooms if you go during value season. Toward the end of August, Disney usually offer onsite guests free dining, since you are entering hurricane season, so that is a really great deal. But that is usually the last week or so of August.

A 12 year old will probably enjoy a lot of the things at Disney, most everything will be good for his age. I highly recommend the water parks and Disney Quest because of his age. These are two extra things that are a ton of fun and he at the perfect age for them, they are fun for the adults as well. If you plan to visit the water parks or Disney Quest, I would look into the Water Park add on for your ticket, it is a little less than the cost of two visits and really saves you money to get in. ESPN zone will also be fun for him at the Boardwalk. At the parks, there is a ton to do, innoventions for one would fun as well.

For adults, Pleasure Island and Downtown Disney are nice. Cirque is a really great show as well, not always as much fun for the kids, but great for adults. With a nice meal it makes for a wonderful evening. Of course there is a ton of shopping and other things in the Orlando area to do.

A one day tickets is over $70 for adult and just under $60 for kids. So, it can be a little expensive. But, if you plan to visit more than one time, you really should look into the tickets that you can buy ahead of time, you can also buy them at the park, but you save a little more by buying them in advance. If you get a ten day ticket the cost averages down to like $20 or so per day. Since you will be there for a while, that is the way to go. You can also add on the hopping and waterpark and more option on. I've included a link to a site that breaks down the ticket options, add ons, etc. for adults and kids, it will really save you a lot of money if you don't buy your tickets one day at a time.

Since you have a places to stay, that will save you money. The only thing you need to pay for is your tickets and food. Tickets will run a couple hundred a person, depending on what you get. Dining can be as expensive or as inexpensive as you like. You can eat offsite, onsite, counter-service, table service, snacks, etc.

There are so many tips, it is hard to just list a few. There are a lot of great books, Passporter and Birnbaums are two great resources to look at, also the site I gave you in the sources has a lot of information. Tips on specific things would be a lot easier to write out for you. Too much at once can overwhelm you!

There is a ton of stuff in the area, you also have Universal, Islands of Adventure, Sea World, tons of shopping malls, both City Walk and Downtown Disney, lots of restaurants, putt-putt courses, arcades type places, tons of water parks, etc. and that is just the beginning.

If you have any questions or want some tips, please e-mail me. I go to Disney all the time and I am happy to help.

I hope this helps get you started, have a great time!

Answer 2

Disney World has 4 theme parks (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios) and 2 water parks (Blizzard Beach, Typhoon Lagoon), while Disneyland just has 2 theme parks (Disneyland and California Adventure). Since Disney World has 4 theme parks, it's bound to have more rides. However, Disneyland resort does also have some great rides that Disney World does not have, like the Matterhorn, Indiana Jones, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, Alice in Wonderland, Pinocchio, Roger Rabbit, Finding Nemo, California Screamin', Goofy's Sky School, Grizzly River Run, Little Mermaid, and Mickey's Fun Wheel. So, Disneyland isn't just a smaller version of Disney World, there's a lot of different stuff. So, if you're a Disney fan who's been to Disney World, Disneyland is worth checking out as well. Especially since a lot of people will go to Disney World and will go to just Magic Kingdom--Disneyland's magic kingdom is bigger and better (and the original), so I'd prefer to go there if I'm just going to one park.

Answer 3

Ok lets start with August. It is HOT. And it rains. If you are not used to the heat, you might consider a different time of year if you can. If you decide this is the best time you want to buy a poncho for every one and keep it with you at all times. Rain in Florida can come on suddenly. The good thing is though that it will usually rain about 20 minutes and clear out, so duck into a shop and look around and then you should be good to go. Also watch your soda intake. I am a big Coke drinker, but we learned if you are going to keep up the pace of a Disney trip in the heat of summer, you need to drink water. Lots of water. So have your soda or tea at meals, otherwise keep it water.

Crowds can be pretty heavy because a lot of people are trying to get a vacation in before school starts. It doesn't really slow down until after Labor Day. So there will be some long lines, but you can use the fastpass system and it will help. Hurricane season is an issue. You will just have to watch the weather. Also they are really good at handling this kind of thing, so if you are there, they will close the park for a day and then be good to go the next day.

The price per day drops dramatically the more days you go, so it really depends how many days you are planning to go to the Disney parks. A 2 day ticket averages 88.40 per day while a 10 day ticket costs 25.40 per day (with the park hopper option)Definately get the park hopper option. If you go to one park and it is super crowded hop on a boat or the monorail and go to another. Go to Animal Kingdom all day and when it closes at 5 head over to Epcot for Illuminations. The park hopper option adds $40 to each ticket but it is really worth it.

Visit http://www.allearsnet.com/ they have pictures of the hotels, menus with prices, info on the parks, everything. Scroll down to the bottom and click on Anitas Answer. She is amazing. She answers questions about visiting the parks and is a really good resource.

There is tons to do in the Orlando area. Universal, Sea World, Wet and Wild, Bushe Gardens, dinner shows, TONS. If you are looking for good ideas you can call the Orlando Chamber of Commerce and they will send you all kinds of flyers.

I am sure there are all kinds of tips people will give you, but one that we have found invaluable is the Fantasmic Dinner package at Mama Melroses. You get a good dinner at a reasonable price, and they take you into Fantasmic without waiting in the long line for hours. You can check on it with Disney Dining, and All Ears Net has info on it too.

Have a great time.

Answer 4

August is hot and very very very very very humid. You can probably expect a short afternoon thunderstorm. August is part of hurricane season with early to middle September being the peak of hurricane season. Crowds are manageable and is August is considered to be moderate.
The tickets vary in price. Tickets start with the basic one day admission to one park. There are additional options such as Park Hopping or tickets that never expire or water park admissions etc. AAA offers discounted tickets. If you get them from Disney you can save some money by getting them in advance. You would need to decide what is right for you.
I like to get the Park Hopping ticket. It allows you to go from one park to another park throughout the day. The parks open and close at different times. So you could start your day at a park that opens early and finish your day at a park that closes late. If thepark you are in is too crowded, you can "hop" over to another park. The more days you buy, the "per day cost" gets cheaper.

Nasa, Universal Studios, Islands of Advetures, Seaworld, We tn Wild are all within and hours drive. Busch Gardens is closer to 90 minutes away.

Walt Disney World is Huge. Don't underestimate the size of Disneyworld. It is 27,000 acres about 43 square miles. You can easily spend 2 weeks there and not see everything. You can also spend only 4 days there and hit the major attractions.
Last year Disney offered a free meal plan during August. If you payed "rack rate" for your one site room, they offered a free counter service meal, a snack, and a sit down meal. This made it very difficult to eat at the restaurants if you did not have an advance reservation.
Tips: read books or web sites. Get to the parks early. Enjoy the mornings when it is a bit cooler and less crowded. Leave the parks in mid afternoon when it is the most crowded and very hot and humid. Return to the parks in the late afternoon or early evening.
Be prepared to walk. If you are not used to walking start now! You can easy walk 5 to 10 miles a day within the parks. Wear comfortable and SENSIBLE shoes. Use sunscreen on exposed skin. IF it's sunny, the sun will be brutal. Bring sunglasses, hat, poncho
Remember, you are on vacation. If you try to do too much in a day, you will be very tired and sometimes people get cranky and lose their tempers.

Answer 5

Mid-August can be very hot and humid in central Florida, if youcan handle that fine. Stay in a Disney property on site, for a bargin I suggest Pop-Century. Clean bright rooms pleasent staff, low cost reataurant although heavy on fried foods, try the fruit salads and garden salads to keep your energy up. Take advantage of the free soda and coffee refills by purchasing the never empty cup upon arrival. Buy the all parks pass's us the free shuttle buses which are clan and run on time between parks, take advantage of the early entrance opption to parks on selected days. I would suggest a meal at the Brown Derby while pricey the place is an almost exact copy of the original L.A. establishment I hung out at as a 20 something except there is no bar. Also the restaurant at epcot especially the Canadian one are excellent (pricey as well). Don't burden your relitives live on site and if you do Disney right 2 weeks leaves you little time for anything else in the area. Enjoy Disney is truley a slice of Americana that everyone should do once

Answer 6

You will find the best answers to your questions by going to http://www.mousesavers.com and http://www.allearsnet.com These sites have an answer to all things Disney.

From my experience August is extremely HOT. 100' or so everyday. Very crowded, except the last week. Everyone is getting ready for back to school, so that's usually a good week to go.
I know you mention that your staying at a rental, but in my opinion to get the most for your money....Book a Magic your way package (go to one of those sites to get all the details) Basically, it includes your hotel, park passes, transportation to and from the airport (with certain airlines only) and transportation to and from all the theme parks and restaurants. I think you should also include the meal plan. IT IS SO WORTH THE MONEY!

Really price it out...We have a time share and have used it for our Disney vacations in the past. When we added all the expenses up, it really doesn't save that much money. If you're going to stay off Disney property, you'll have to rent a car, unless you're driving your own car there (which you'll still need to buy gas). Then, you'll need tickets. There are a lot of ticket options go to http://www.mapleleaftickets.com/Index.htm to get prices. You have to pay for all the food you are going to eat. Disney has so many themed restaurants that can cost you a lot of money. To save money there, you have to go the areas local restaurants. Just another hint....Disney Dining Reservations should be made months in advance to get into the restaurants that you want and at the times that you choose. They book up fast.

My favorite restaurant....Chef Mickey's!

Don't forget to check out Disney's new photopass CDs. That is SO WORTH THE MONEY also. You know how you always get stopped when entering theme parks to take those group shots and they are always too expensive to buy, well....take all the pics you want around the parks. You will get a card with a number to look up your photos and for $120 you can purchase a CD with all the photos you took, up to 300 photos per CD. So, you can get all the pics at the entrances, at character meet and greets or ask a photographer to get a pic of you wherever you wish.

There is so much to consider when planning a trip to Disney and it can be overwhelming. Just go to those sites that I listed and you will find everything you need to know.

Also, Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure and SeaWorld are within a 1/2 hour of Disney.

Good luck and I hope you have a great trip.

Answer 7

For your twelve year old boy I would recommend things such as Splash Mountain and Space Mountain. It costs about $60. There is a ticket that can be used for all parks in one day. You buy a regular ticket, but get the Park Hopper option on it. You can go to all four parks in one day, but you have to buy one of these tickets each day for each person. If I were you I'd do 1 park a day though. It saves you money and is more fun because you have time to do whatever you want. Check it all out at http://www.waltdisneyworld.com ! Hope I could help. Good luck and have fun!

Answer 8

DIsney is hot and crowded in august, but so is the rest of Orlando. admission to the park isn't cheap, last time we went I think it was about $100 per person for a day. You can buy a pass to go to all the disney parks, I think it's called the play four days pass, so you get addmission to all their parks for 4 days. I don't know how much that costs, or if it's just for FL residents or not. Around that area, there is also a lot of stuff to do that isn't so expensive. There is mini golf just about everywhere you turn, WonderWorks is fun. Old Town in kissimmee has carnival type rides, and lots of fun little shops. If you want to take a drive to the beach, you can go east or west and get there in about an hour either way.

Answer 9

August is a fine time to go. I went to Walt Disney World in August of 2005 (14th-22nd) and in August of 2006 (1st-11th). The summer months, though hot and at times very crowded, are just the most convenient times for me because I'm a young adult still in school. I've had wonderful experiences both times. I'm from New Hampshire, so I'm definitely not used to the hot temperatures, but I love it! I was so worried that the heat would be too much to bear - everyone else makes it seem to awful. Of course, it's hot, but it's not bad at all. Any indoor area is obviously air-conditioned and there are fans at any outdoor queues. Also, a lot of people say that it rains a lot, but it's never rained for more than a total of two hours during either of our entire vacations. This year we've booked our trip for July, though.

It costs almost $70.00 including tax for a single ticket to a single park. You can purchase a single ticket good for a certain amount of days if you'd like, and you can also add the Park Hopper Option which would allow you to visit as many of the four theme parks as you'd like in a day. Walt Disney World is an entire Resort. It's not a single theme park, and it actually contains four different theme parks. I suggest trying to spend at least a week at Walt Disney World if you can. All four of the theme parks are wonderful, and there's also two water parks and Downtown Disney. You can even stay at one of the resort hotels right on property.

There's a lot of other things to do within an hour of Walt Disney World, too. There's the Universal Studios theme park and the Islands of Adventure, which I don't care for since they really don't compare with the Walt Disney World theme parks. There's also Sea World and Discovery Cove, too, which are awesome. At Sea World you can see all sorts of aquatic animals - killer whales, beluga whales, dolphins, sharks, sting rays, manatees, seals, etc. And at Discovery Cove (a sister park of Sea World) you can actually swim with dolphins, sting rays, tropical fish, and there's much more to do. Take your time at the Walt Disney World theme parks, though. They're incredible!

Hope I could help! Feel free to email me if you have any other questions.

Answer 10

hi rosey, i cant answer all your questions but hopefully i can give you advice. we booked a villa for 2 weeks mid June then searched the Internet and travel agents for a good deal for a fly-drive package, eventually opting for airtours (we're from England). since then I've been on yahoo answers just about every day and had some fantastic advice and been given some very valuable tips, they have all been a godsend !! i feel as if i know so much about Orlando even though i haven't yet set foot in the place! we are a family of 2 adults and 2 children and i think its cost us a little over £3000 for 2 weeks accommodation, fly-drive, tickets to swim with dolphins in discovery cove, 7 days to sea world or Busch gardens, 3 days in the universal parks and 7 days in the Disney parks with 6 in the water parks etc, included. i think yahoo has saved me a fortune! good luck! sue