Information on taking a trip to disney world?

Question

Hello, Me and my husband decieded to drive to disney world this summer in June. We are going to see if we can get a few friends to go to to cut down costs. SO I figure 5 adults only. We are going to drive there from Ohio, and take about 2 days to get there and stay at a hotel one night during the drive. We are going to look into getting a vacation home down there and splitting the costs. Also gas costs. Um... what is the best way to go about tickets to the theme parks? We want one to every single place. Whats the best way to have directions there and know where to go and what times? I went to disneyworlds website and its so confusing. I just want tickets for all 5 of us to every place down there ahead of time so we have a map and just drive!! Please give me your advice and what I should do, and any additional info to help out. Thanks

Answer 1

I kept looking at your question and wondered if I should respond. So, here I am LOL. I have driven from Indianapolis, through Nashville and through Atlanta to Orlando. Mapquest shows that route to be out of your way. If you do go that way, be careful of Atlanta. Their rush hour traffic last almost the entire day. It ranks as one of the most congested cities in USA. If you go the way Mapquest shows, you pick up I-95. I-95 in the Jacksonville Fl. area seems to be always under construction. Be careful. If it is around rush hours you might want the alternate route 295. It is longer but can be easier to drive. Usually I drive from Mass. and get gas in New Jersey, Virginia (prices can vary alot in Virginia) and Georgia ( one of cheapest gas tax in USA). The Hess station in WDW seems to have competative prices for Orlando. There is usually police within a few miles of the state borders, so slow down at the border areas.
If you are going in June you should already have your sleeping quarters by now. You will get the best value for your dollar by staying outsided of WDW (Walt Disney World). WDW charges higher prices than comparable sleeping quarters outside their property. WDW rooms do have perks but Disney doesn't give them away for free. If you can spend the extra money, staying inside is always a more relaxing vacation but it does cost more. Some of the perks are access to early entry (one park opens an hour early just for WDW guests), extended evening hours (1 park stays open 3 hours longer in the evening), the ability to charge things to your room key, the ability to have souvenirs and purchases sent to your hotel for pickup and guaranteed entrance to the parks. Also, if your party wants to split up it is very difficult to do with only one car. If some what to go back to the room and some want to stay in WDW, then you start having problems. However, with 5 people a vacation home is a reasonable alternative. Disney will charge you $10 to park your car in their parking lots at the parks. Save your receipt so you can move your car to a different lot during that day, sometimes you will want to change parks. Parking at downtown disney is free.
Tickets. If you purchase your tickets ahead of time you can save a few dollars. Mousesavers.com and allearsnet .com have a comprehensive section on tickets, WDW has 4 major theme parks (Magic Kingdom, Epcot. Disney Studios, Animal Kingsom) and 2 waterparks (Typhoon Lagoon, Blizzard Beach). You don't mention how long you are staying but one week is not enough to see everything. Make sure you get the pass hopper option. It allows you to move to a different park during the day. Disney parks have different opening and closing times. You can start your day in one park then move to a different park that closes later. If you chose to stay in a hotel within WDW you can purchase the Disney Dining Plan, If you like to eat, and are staying on-site, this is cost effective in most cases.

Orlando also has Universal which has 2 parks (Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure) and Sea World which has Sea World and Discovery Cove (swim with the dolphins). Each park can take a day if you want to see everything.

Get a travel book (you can get one from the library or buy one from a bookstore). I like the Unofficial Guide to WDW but as natterjack9 responded, Birbaums is pretty good. Both natterjack9 and FineWhine offer very good advice.
The Disboards, wdwmagic are good. I also like allearsnet, mousesavers and wdwinfo. They cover most of the same material but just present it in a different way. They will help you plan your Disney day and they have maps, ideas, must see attractions, and how to get around the 27,000+ acres that is WDW.
FineWhine is correct about being careful of people selling you stuff or sending you to their internet site. Be careful about buying discounted tickets. Many discounted tickets have a sales pitch attached to them. Let me sell you a timeshare and I'll sell you cheap tickets kind of thing.
BTW June can be a busy month at WDW. The first week (end of May to the beginning of June) is Gay week, -not that there's anything wrong with that - LOL, but they do have a calendar of events that will bring more guests to a specific park on a specific day. A simple google search will give you their calendar of events. Schools start letting out in June. When the kids get are out of schools, WDW gets very busy. Learn how to use fast pass, it will allow you to cut down on some waiting. Get to the parks early, when they open, the crowds are light. The crowds build during the day. In the afternoon, when the crowds are heavy, try to take a break (nap time or pool time) then return in the late afternoon or early evening - refreshed and ready for more!
Finally, Whooo LOL, you are right that the official disney internet site just plain sucks.
Have a magical time :)

Answer 2

The first thing to do is make your reservations. If you go to the disneyworld.com website, you can get a quote pretty easily, however I would recommend calling to make the reservations. I just don't trust the internet for stuff like that. The Disney cast members make it easy to make all of the reservations yourself. You can get your passes, room, and even the dining plan (if you want to do that) all in one, and everything is paid for before you leave, and waiting for you when you arrive.

First where to stay. You mentioned a vacation home. I would highly recommend staying at one of the Disney owned properties. Pricewise they are comparable to anything in the Orlando area, and the perks for resort guests are worth it. For example, they offer Extra Magic hours, where one park is open late and one early every day for resort guests. They also do not put restrictions on resort guests enetering the park. If one park is crowded, they do cut off entrance to that park, however not to resort guests. I actually witnessed this my last trip. People were standing in line to get into the Magic Kingdom, however my family and I walked right in. Also, you have unlimited use of the transportation system, so you won't have to drive to the parks every day. ,making things much more convienient. Not to mention the famous Disney customer service. These are only a few of the perks.

For your passes, make sure to get the park hopper option. It costs a little bit more, but worth it. Instead of being stuck with going to one park on one day, you can basically jump between the parks, and come and go as you please. Well worth the price. If one park is crowded and you are a resort guest (like the Magic Kingdom example I used) you can shift gears and jump on the monorail to Epcot center, and go there instead. It gives you the ultimate in flexibility. We like to hit one park in the morning, then a different one in the evening for the nighttime show.

Check out the Disneyworld website again, I put the link that I use most of the time below. There is a ton of great information about the parks and attractions. You can also do a resort comparison to decide which resort is right for you. Also, I would pick up the Birnbaum's guide to WDW. There are tons of guide books out there, but that one has worked the best for us. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. I don't work for any travel agency or anything, I just love to talk to people about Disney and all it has to offer! (I am taking the family back in less than three weeks, and we can't wait!)

Have a great trip!

Answer 3

I strongly recommend that you visit the Walt Disney World official website:
http://www.disneyworld.com
As mentioned before, the advantage and benefits of staying on-site with Disney far outweigh staying off-site both in convenience and total expenses. Here are a few benefits you get from staying on-site with Disney:

- Free Airport Transportation
- Free Airport Luggage Valet Services
- Free Transportation to ALL Disney theme parks, resorts, and attractions.
- Special Early-Entry to select theme parks on select days every week only for Disney hotel guests at no extra charge!
- Concierge Services at ALL Disney resorts for tickets, dining, and any other information you might need anytime.
- And of course, The FULL Disney Experience!

Answer 4

My family (me, wife, 2 sons ages 10 & 9) went in July, '08 for 8 days. Here was the cost breakdown: Airfare from Kansas City and rental car using Travelocity: $1300. 7 day park tickets: $1100. We added the water park option, but did not get parkhoppers. Parkhoppers are overrated and not necessary if you have never been to Disney before. They will cost an extra $50 per ticket. Lodging: $150. Yes, only $150. Explanation needed here: My wife's aunt gave us her time share condo at The Fountains Resort as a wedding gift (we had been married the previous year and it was a honeymoon for us, and yes, we took my kids along!) The $150 was for 2 extra nights in an off Disney property budget hotel near the airport. Food/Sovenirs/Gas/Misc.: $850. We didn't go crazy for souvenirs. We all got T-shirts, mugs, DVDs of the boys at Cyberspace Mountain, hats, and so on. We saved A LOT of money because we shopped at a grocery store near our condo, and cooked breakfast and dinner in the condo's kitchen. We bought snacks and gatorade and took them into the parks to tide us over during our park tours. We did eat a few meals in restaurants, but did so off Disney property where the prices are cheaper. Total Cost: $3400 That condo runs $169 per night for guests not in the time share. While this is twice as much as what it would cost to stay in one of Disney's value resorts, I really think it is worth it. We got 2 bedrooms, one with a king sized bed, the other with two double beds, 2 bathrooms, a living room, private balcony, and full kitchen. If you consider that a family of four could spend $100 per day in food alone at the parks, then you can make up the extra cost for the condo in food alone. Plus, you'll be much more comfortable! Have fun!

Answer 5

ok you can buy all the tickets you need over the net, you can also get disney tickets at a disney store...if you want to go to all disney parks then get the magic your way pass for as many days as you are thinking, it will ask if you want to add a park hopper pass or other things..we tried the park hopper pass the 1st time we went and it was just too much to jump parks in a day..by the time you take the monrail and walk to yur car and all in takes up alot of time...so its much easier to stick with 1 park a day...if you want universal tickets go on line to universal studios they have right now a special 2 day/2 park ticket for around $85 per person you can add 20 a person per day and get the dining package which allows you unlimited food universal for the day....this is really reasonable...if you want to go to seaworld and busch gardens they also have a special right now you can get seaworld & bg for $85 a day/per person they even transport you to tampa to busch gardens..i have been doing research myself as we are planning another trip for next year...hope this helps...as far as directions we bought a program called microsoft streets and trips and it gives you detailed directions including any construction..also figures out you gas cost and everything...expedia.com can help you find hotels,villas, condos whatever you want to stay in on the way there and when you get there...streets and trips also will help you figure out which cities to stop and stay the night and tells you what hotels are aorund that area...

Answer 6

Truthfully the answer above gave some very good advice and I would agree with most of it. (And have done most of it). And one thing to remember is that it sounds cheaper to stay off property but when you look at savings/discounts/ not to mention how much nicer and easier it is, it is almost always easier to stay on property. And they have something of every size and price now so look at that first.

The one major suggestion I would add that wasn't included is to use the Disney boards online. They are such amazing resources, from tons of current pictures, menu's, prices, to major things like deals you don't know exist etc. You can web search them (Google things like Disney forums), but the biggies to start out at are;

http://www.disboards.com/

http://www.magicalmountain.net/

http://www.imagineears.com/

http://www.wdwmagic.com/

and there is another one I can't find that is awesome...will come back if I can hunt it down. (Added a few more but still looking for that one!). There are many worth poking at. They are GREAT resources and even though I pride myself on being a knowledgeable Disneyholic I wouldn't plan a trip without checking in and getting the latest. And unlike the official Disney sites they have REAL info, good and bad...so I'd make these my referrence sources!

Just one word of advice...watch out for folks on those boards (and sometimes on here) trying to sell you anything. Skip that, but there is endless free advice from awesome helpful people. Last trip I changed my resort and choose where I requested to stay in that resort (and knew how lol) thanks to the boards and I can't tell you how great that worked out!

Good luck and have a blast!

Answer 7

go to http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/index on the far left go down a little and you will see something that says parks rest your mouse on it and click the park you want to go to then once you do that you will see buy tickets you can see the price range and also you can see calender attractions and much more.

Answer 8

www.ytb.com/awitravel gave me the cheapest price out of 11 different sites. mine weren't disney tickets but you can get tickets to any event there