Tag Archives: Disney Special Event Tickets

7 Things to Know Before Your Walt Disney World Vacation

Posted on by
Reply
  1. You will walk and be on your feet a lot. Walt Disney World is big and even getting from the transportation to the turnstiles will be a walk. Of course while in line you will also be on your feet.  The best help for this is to wear comfortable broken in shoes and socks and make sure to take breaks!  Check out Shannon’s article on prepping to walk.
  2. You cannot avoid the lines. You can use FastPass, but you will still be standing in lines for your FastPasses. You’ll definitely spend time waiting in the standby lines and if you need food, chances are good you will wait in line for a little bit there as well.  Just go in knowing that you will stand in some lines just about everywhere at Walt Disney World.
    DSCN2631
  3. FastPass is free and easy to use. FastPass is included with your park ticket, so use them! And they are indeed easy to use.  You get to choose an initial 3 but after that you can make more, one at a time.  FastPass gives you a lot of flexibility to change plans on the go using the My Disney Experience app.

 

  1. There are a few ticket options. Choosing the best ticket option for your party can require some planning, but knowing what options are available are important. There is the base ticket which is 1 park per day, or the Park Hopper which allows you into multiple parks per day.  Then there is the Water Parks, Fun, and More ticket which allows you entrance into the two Disney water parks as well as mini golf, Disney Quest and other extras.  Knowing what you will use on a vacation can save you a lot of money.

 

  1. Check the park hours and know about special events. You will want to do some research on these events as they can have an effect on hours and closures. For instance starting in September and October Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party and in November and December, Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party will cause the Magic Kingdom to close at 7pm.  This can really change your plans if the park closes much earlier than expected and you will be unable to see fireworks during your visit.  Other special event such as Food and Wine, and Flower and Garden can have an effect on crowds as well.

img_0087

 

  1. Don’t overlook attractions. It is easy to judge an attraction but a spin on the People Mover can be relaxing and fun. These smaller attractions can end up becoming favorites if you give them a chance.

 

  1. You can and should enjoy your resort. The resorts are so well themed, they have amazing pools and some cool amenities. Many resorts have multiple restaurants and bars so there are great places to get bite to eat or drink.    It is very tempting to spend all your time in the parks, but the resorts have great activities such as movies under the stars, campfires with s’mores, and fun games around the pool that you should make the time to check out.

 

 

 

How to Allocate Park Days at Walt Disney World

Posted on by
2

Planning a vacation to Walt Disney World is very subjective because each family will have their favorites.  Family dynamics and ages are going to vary.  As travel planners we all get asked by our clients, how to allocate the number of park days over your vacation.  Granted having a Park Hopper ticket option will help you get to all the parks, but you have to factor in travel time from park to park and see if it is worth it to park hop.  A Park Hopper ticket option allows you to visit more than one park a day.  If you are short on time this might be a good options.  It is also a great option for couples and solo travelers.

Here is a breakdown of how I would use my days at Walt Disney World.

1 day ticket: (I know the horror!) but you will have to choose ahead of time if it will be at Magic Kingdom or Epcot, Hollywood Studios, or Animal Kingdom because the pricing is slightly different.  But this is a no-brainer for me: Magic Kingdom

IMG_1553

2 day ticket:  Magic Kingdom & Epcot.  Unless you have a person who is into Star Wars than I would suggest Hollywood Studios.  But with Magic Kingdom and Epcot having the most attractions these will give you the most bang for your buck.

3 day ticket: Magic Kingdom, Epcot and Hollywood Studios.  Sure you may prefer to hit up Animal Kingdom but I feel that Hollywood Studios still has more to experience on a short trip.

DSCN3453

4 day ticket:  Visit each park one time for first time visitors.  If you have been before or aren’t interested in Hollywood Studios or Animal Kingdom I would suggest 2 days at Magic Kingdom, 1 at Epcot and then 1 and either Hollywood Studios or Animal Kingdom.

5 day tickets: With 5 days I would check out Magic Kingdom twice and all of the other parks once.  I believe this a fairly common arrangement for many people taking a 5 day vacation and it gives you plenty of time in Magic Kingdom plus a visit to each other park.

IMG_5026

6 day tickets: Magic Kingdom and Epcot twice with a single day spent at both Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios.

7 day tickets: Here is where it gets tricky.  I would go with 3 days at Magic Kingdom (taking it easy), 2 at Epcot and again 1 at both Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom

8 day tickets: You could visit each park twice, or go to Magic Kingdom 3 times, Hollywood Studios and Epcot twice and Animal Kingdom once.

597

9 day tickets: Magic Kingdom and Epcot 3 times each, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom get the rest so I would probably go with 2 Hollywood Studios days and 1 Animal Kingdom day.

10 day tickets: So many days to use up here!  Magic Kingdom, and Epcot 3 times each, then Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom twice.  What a fun vacation that would be!

You may find having the Park Hopper is also a great advantage especially with longer trips.  You may want to pop over to Animal Kingdom in the morning and then finish the evening with fireworks at Magic Kingdom.  And of course if the weather isn’t cooperating a Park Hopper is really handy.

Do take into consideration when planning your park days special events like hard ticket parties, events like a runDisney race.  Or if it is near a holiday or school break the parks can get very crowded so it is important to look ahead for what is going on at Walt Disney World before planning your park days.  And of course a great travel agent can help you with this!

Do you have a favorite combination of parks to visit on a vacation?  We would love to hear it!

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party Review

Posted on by
Reply

If you’ve listened to our podcast, you’ll know that I’ve talked extensively about how much we loved Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, but I can’t quit talking about it so here we are.

If you’re not familiar, Magic Kingdom in Florida hosts this hard ticket event on certain nights during November and December.  There are special fireworks, parades, and even lots of goodies included in the price of admission.

Low Crowds

First things first, this is huge.  Are there still a lot of people there?  Yes, but the party is a hard ticket event and only so many tickets are sold so you’re guaranteed to have fewer people in the park and that really helps.  The park felt so much more open and spacious without the mass of bodies you typically encounter on a normal park day.

Once Upon A Christmas Parade 

This parade was amazing!  The floats are really well done and the characters are all in their holiday best.  They include some of the lesser known characters like Wreck It Ralph which we loved.  My youngest daughter is 4 and she just loved the parade.  Watching her during it was definitely worth the price of admission.

They run the parade twice during the party so if you miss the early show, be sure to get a spot for the later one.

Cocoa and Cookies

Another fun part of the party is the cocoa and cookies they provide as party of admission.  There are several locations set up throughout the park and you can walk up and get some treats.  We happened to get ours at Tomorrowland Terrace and there was no line.  The cocoa and cookies were both delicious.  They also had cold apple juice because this is Florida and it’s not always cold enough for cocoa!

 

No FastPasses Needed

One of the best parts about the Christmas party (and this goes hand in hand with the low crowds) is that no FastPasses are offered during the party because you don’t need them!  We walked on almost every single ride we wanted because there really weren’t any lines.  The only attraction we wanted to do and decided not to wait for was Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and that wait was only 30 minutes, which is practically nothing.

Special Family Memories

At the end of the day, my favorite part of the Christmas party was the special time I got to spend with my family.  I don’t know if there was extra magic in the air or what but we just had the best time.  No one fought, no one complained, everyone was cheerful, the weather was great.  I would absolutely recommend this party to anyone looking for a special experience at Disney.  Disney at Christmas is already amazing so this is just the shining star on top.

MVMCP