Grand Kids to Disney in June

[Elwoodj]

Is there any such thing as discount tickets to Disney Orlando and Sea World? If so how do you qualify for them?

[Tvov]

ArticFox 676 wrote:
Disney and AAA not longer partner on discounts as of Jan. 2015.

Well, that's too bad! I was going to mention to the original poster to check with AAA.

Also try checking Disboards and FortFiends forums for info.

[Esacnj]

Recently returned from my 10th visit and won't be back for a while. My complaints:1. With fast pass you can get on maybe 3 attractions/rides a day. At $100- per day to get into a park that's $33- per maybe 5 minute ride. Having to use all 3 fast passes before booking 4th is a joke as the kiosk lines that you must wait in are crazy long. 2. I stayed in Ft. Wilderness and on arrival day went to Trails End for dinner and was told no walk ins, reservations only. Went to concierge to check for cancellations and was told none. While being told this, one in my party was checking app on phone and found a cancellation. The concierge couldn't find it. What's with that? 3.With every dinner reservation I made it came up on my phone listing me and someone else's names, who I never heard of. I checked with town hall and they had no answer as to why. I also checked @ each restaurant and none could answer. Makes me wonder about your security on their apps. 4. It stinks that if all you want to do is go into a park for dinner, you need to use a park entry. There should be a way to handle this. 5. An older couple camped near us and the day after their arrival were joined by 3 other families for the weekend. And we wonder why the pool was packed. I doubt WDW would allow 4 families to share a single hotel room. And WDW just announced another price increase.

[redhooker]

Beaker wrote:

First, the fastpass system is great.

For some.

For others, like me, it sucks.

Totally understand the sentiment, as it took a while for us to adapt. But the stats don't lie and the standby lines are actually less time compared to pre-fastpass so if you don't use the FP system you would be worse off if it were never implemented. The fastpass users are being manipulated to spread out the lines-and are not taking up space in the standby lines. An average ride runs close to 8,000 people a day through the FP line that wait about 10 minutes (a busy day at MK is like 80,000 people) so to me it is impressive. The alternative is every rider waits the full time for a ride. If you learn to work the system it makes for a much better day. We usually ride 5 to 8 rides and only spend a total of just over an hour in line.

[Beaker]

First, the fastpass system is great.

For some.

For others, like me, it sucks.

[redhooker]

Just gonna post some good fyi about disney, as we are pretty well versed in the park (10+ year annual pass holders).

First, the fastpass system is great. Once you buy your tickets online you can book 3 fastpasses online up to 30 days in advance. If you are not familiar, here are a couple insights on those:

1. The attractions are easy to understand. But there are also "fastpass" for fireworks & parades. You might wonder how the heck that works but Disney recently built beautiful "lawns" all around the front of the castle strictly for fastpass holders, and it is a comfortable front row picnic style seat that is tough to beat.

2. There is a possibility there will be no fastpass available for a ride you want. Don't fret, if you are resourceful you can go up with your whole party, and ask for a "child swap" pass. Then 1 or 2 persons can wait in line, and later up to 4 other people can return to the ride and go through the fastpass line (I may regret hooking this info up here, this is an expert level move).

3. PIck your fastpass rides based on the need. All the coasters are good candidates except barnstormer. That one is usually 20 minutes on standby. No FP needed for Dumbo, or the little mermaid. If you arrive early, you can expect to get 2 rides in with reasonable lines if it's prior to 10am, even on the busiest of days-right now everyone runs to the mine train. So plan your route accordingly. With this info we can usually get 5 to 7 rides in with minimal waiting, and that is on "busy" days at MK.

If you are not staying on property, and plan on dining there (character dining is great at least once with the kids), if you make a breakfast reservation at one of the central hotels like Poly, Cont, GFL, you can drive right up and just park there for free for the day (at the parking toll just tell them you are en route to the resort reservation). You will park just feet from the door and ride the monorail right into MK. We love the Ohana breakfast btw. If you plan your day right with a couple shows and the fastpass rides you will not be worn out and the whole experience will actually be enjoyable for the grownups as well as the kids.

[ArticFox_676]

Disney and AAA not longer partner on discounts as of Jan. 2015.

[Helmsey]

We have used Undercover Tourist for a couple years now, they are my first stop when shopping for Disney tickets.

[Gene_Ginny]

AAA in my area has discounts on multi day park passes.

[lj_cox]

We've used Undercover Tourist for discount tickets a few times - good service decent prices.

Staying at Fort Wilderness is great, and not just for the transport that lets sore-footed folks easily go home to rest. It also means free parking if you choose to drive to a park, and your in-park purchases can be sent to the campground gift shop for pickup so you don't wind up carrying bags all day.

If you don't want to stay at Fort Wilderness, we also like Bill Frederick Park (in Orlando) and Lake Louisa State Park (may be too far out, roughly 30-40 minutes to Disney.)

Finally, I highly, highly recommend buying a membership to touringplans.com. They rate the attractions based on age level, and have plans for seeing the parks without a ton of waiting in line. When we've followed their advice we rarely wait in long lines and usually have a great time. Their best tip is to get to the parks early and then leave the park around lunchtime, go rest and refresh and come back in the afternoon when everyone else is leaving for the day. Works like a charm.

[PghBob]

We go a couple times per year. *When* you go matters a lot. You will hit Disney at a busy time, and relatively hot weather. With that said, the kids will likely love the trip. Are you staying at the Fort Wilderness Campground? It's expensive for a campground, but much cheaper than most of the hotels on property. Staying on property gets you free Disney Transport to and from anywhere on site. If you choose to go, make your meal plans ASAP. Even the restaurants book up quickly. BTW, try the Trail's End Rest. at the Fort Wilderness Campground. Breakfast and Dinner served Buffet style. You can even order pizza and beer and sit on the porch in a rocker. It's likely the best deal you can find on property. Good luck with your trip.

[DancinCampers]

Military specials if you qualify.

Read all you can about the new fastpass system. In my cursory look, I feel it is squeezing a lot of people out of the popular attractions if you don't book a package early.

[DutchmenSport]

There are a couple ladies I work directly with. The one is a mother, the other is a grandmother. Both have girl kids between 4-6 now. They go to Disney about twice a year with the kids. Usually travel together. The last few times they have gone, they've complained about how LONG the lines are, pretty much at any day of the week now. They were lucky to get into only 1 major attraction as they waited in line for hours the last time.

Just something to think about. Do you really want to go there?

[Elwoodj]

The kids are 9 and 13 years old.

[Dick_B]

How old are the grand kids? They have to be large enough for some of the rides and if they are too small they are just a burden and get very little out of the trip.

[MrWizard]

should get more responses here

moved from technology