In September we will be going to Disney World with my wife's family (10 adults, 6 kids). Her parents are pretty much paying for the whole thing, or at least the basics (airfare, hotel, tickets, free dining plan). I imagine I'll be returning to this post as the planning progresses, but the first question I have is about the Park Hopper and Water Parks option for the tickets. We will have 5-Day "Magic Your Way" tickets. To add the Park Hopper option (visiting multiple parks in a day) is $55. Adding the Water Parks option is also $55.

Is it worth the extra money for these features, given that we'll be there 5-days (one of those days is a half day, the day we arrive) with a large family?

since you aren't paying for a lot of it, I would pay the extra dough for a little added entertainment. It also depends on the age of the kids you'll be with, and if they are yours. If you and your wife don't have any kids, or kids that are old enough to move around easily then definitely pay a little more. If you have little kiddos, then maybe not.

If you have never been enjoy!

I guess I should add that info. The wife and I have no kids and we're 26/28. We went to Disneyland a couple of years ago and we both went to Disney World once when we were kids. All of the kids are our nieces and nephews ranging from 5 to 11 and none of them have been before.

We enjoy the park hopper option. It does give you quite a bit of freedom. We would usually start out the morning early to hit some rides that had long lines then have lunch and head to another park.

We would often end the evening at Magic Kingdom to see the fireworks or Epcot to see the fireworks and get a variety of options for dinner and drinks.

Definitely get the park hopper.

+1 hopper
meh on water parks, enough to do already.

I would recommend the Hopper. Looks like you are traveling with alot that have never been before and it will give you the opportunity to see more.

We always do the hopper since we typically eat dinner in world showcase every night. But it is very convenient.

We always get the park hopper. It gives you the freedom to not be tied to one park a day and go back wherever and whenever you want.

You probably do want the Park Hopper, but with 4 and a half days, it's a close call. Hopping from park to park takes time--minimum 30 minutes to an hour or more. Without the Park Hopper, you could go to Magic Kingdom on the day you arrive and then spend one full day at each of the four theme parks. Animal Kingdom closes earlier than the other parks, so -- WITH the Park Hopper, you could hop to one of the other parks to finish out the evening -- WITHOUT PH, you can go to Downtown Disney or your hotel pool. It really depends on how gungho you are for the theme parks. Are you (and enough others in your group) going to want to be at Animal Kingdom when it opens in the morning, and then leave AK to hop to the Magic Kingdom to close it down at 10, 11, or midnight? And then get up and hit another park early the next morning? Is dining a big part of the trip? If so, you may want the option to hop to Epcot which has far better dining choices (but realistically, you won't have much opportunity to do this in 4 days).

As for the waterparks, they look like a lot of fun, but my family has never wanted to give up a day at the theme parks to go to a waterpark.

PS: I highly recommend the Unofficial Guide to WDW--even if you don't follow it's touring plans, it has the best unbiased info. Also check out websites like allears.net and mousesavers.com

If you're staying on-site, I'd definitely go the extra few dollars and get the hopper option. This way if you get stuck at a park with your nieces/nephews that you don't particularly like, you'll be able to hit up another one after hours...

"God is the only comfort, He is also the supreme terror: the thing we most need and the thing we most want to hide from" - C.S. Lewis

No question, park hopper

We'll be staying on-site at the All-Star Music Resort. Included in the package is the Quick-Service Dining Plan that includes 2 "quick-service" meals and 1 snack for each person, each day.

So, for dining, 2 of our meals each day will be covered, so maybe we can scatter in some special things like a character breakfast one day and a few "nice dinners".

My wife and I would certainly be willing to go everywhere and do everything, but we also realize that it's a family trip so it will be important to go at the pace of the other kids and family units. Since it's still pretty early in the planning, I'm not sure how much the other family units will want to split up. I also don't know how much they're willing to spend. $55/tkt for me and my wife is easy a no big deal to me, but $55/tkt for a family of 4 becomes a little more complicated. Also, one of the family units consists of a single mom (essentially) and two kids so that's even tougher.

One thing I'm wondering is if we could make our own park-hopper tickets. Each family can go to a different park and then we can switch tickets later on in the day...maybe buy a few park hoppers to add flexibility. Are the tickets transferable like that or are they linked to your identity somehow?

They are linked to you

Buy the WDW lines app. Very helpful for line management.

Gig 'em Aggies!

I would wait until you get there to make that decision because you can add park hoppers to your ticket at any time during your trip. You just go to guest relations at the parks and they can add it on there. It costs the same whether you buy it ahead of time or on your last day - still $55. With such a short trip, I personally would concentrate on one park each day and then enjoy the pool, downtown disney, etc... Dh and I went in 2002 for 5 days (back when our tickets included park hoppers automatically) and we only hopped on the 5th day, but we could have easily skipped that hop and had just as good of time. We went again in 2008 for 8 days with our kids and didn't hop then, but I was willing to pay the money if I felt we needed too. We never felt the need. As far as the waterparks, you won't have time with such a short trip. If you do want to go last minute, a one day waterpark ticket is $41 so it's still cheaper to pay there then add the WPM option. The WPM option is best for longer trips where you can go multiple times.

Also, check out some great free sites like www.easywdw.com , www.disboards.com , www.mousesavers.com and many more. Use the crowd prediction calendars/ best days to help plan the best days for each park (easywdw). There is also a paid site called tourguidemike.com that is great. Mike was away for awhile, but he's back and updating his site with lots of great info and his best day parks calendars are great.

I agree with AW96 about waiting until you're there to decide on the PH option. This will also allow you to see the actual park schedules--opening hours, Extra Magic Hours, and show times--which will factor into your decision.

At WDW the tickets are linked to each individual. You have to put your finger in a scanner at the turnstile and first time you use a ticket, it is linked to your biometric and no one else can use it.

I'm usually pretty hard core about getting the most bang for my buck, even if it involves draggin my SO along.

But in such a short time frame and with a big family in tow, I'd just be happy to go along with the group. In fact, since someone else is springing for it, I'd almost go out of my way to make sure they are having a good time by offloading as much of the family mgmt crap as possible.

Thanks for all of the help so far. Keep it coming.

Is it feasible to go through an entire park in day? Are some of the parks smaller or bigger than a days worth?

I've made a preliminary plan based on Magic Hours and the different shows/fireworks according to the schedule on easywdw.com. Obviously it will most likely change between now and then, especially when you throw in the kid/family factors, but hopefully we can keep the concept.

Tues - Wild Card since we'll only have the late afternoon and evening. Maybe do one of the bigger parks. Maybe Hollywood Studios so we can watch Fantasmic the first night. Maybe Downtown Disney or Boardwalk.

Wed - Character Breakfast (somewhere, maybe Chef Mickey's), Epcot (Magic Hours begin at 9pm), IllumiNations that night

Thurs - Magic Kingdom (EMH @ 8am), Main Street Parade @ 8pm, Wishes Fireworks @ 9pm

Fri - Animal Kingdom (EMH @ 8am), Hoop-Dee-Doo (or some other dinner show like the Luau) that evening

Sat - Hollywood Studios (EMH @ 8am), Fantasmic @ 8pm.

By doing it this way, we can maximize the EMHs and we won't have to do a Park Hopper, and that extra money can go toward the Character Breakfast and the dinner show. What do you think?

I assume they got this promotion....

http://slickdeals.net/f/4027710-Walt-Disney-World-FREE-DINING-aug-25th-through-sept-29th-with-6-day-stay


I would get the park hopper, it frees up your options and I would not want to stay at one park for 12 hours straight... and going to Typhoon Lagoon needs to be on your list. The wave pool is unbelieveable. Blizzard Beach has ice cold water, not a fan.


Downtown Disney has some great restuarants, we ate at Portobello's and it was great, priced a little higher than Olive Garden. For adults DTD is very cool.

Try to eat at Le Celiere at Epcot in Canada..get the filet...take your checkbook unless you get it on the DP, it's one point at lunch, 2 at dinner.

The fireworks are great MK, and the laser show/fireworks at Epcot are worth seeing.
Dinner at the Castle is also top notch but very expensive w/o the dining plan.

Your best bet is to get to any park at opening, walk fast/run to get fast passes, ride the rides in the morning and enjoy the rest of the day at shows/eating. You are smart to plan it out but you will be overwelmed when you get there, just relax and have fun. Learn the fast pass system.
Seems like the rides at Hollywood and Epcot have the longest wait times, so the FP is essential.




[This message has been edited by aggiepaintrain (edited 3/6/2012 3:10p).]

I preface this to say that I am a planner and we hate to wait in lines. Depending on the time of year that you are going (When is your trip?), doing EMH parks will not be fun. If you are going at a busier time, EMH parks will be really crowded. We never go to the park that has the extra magic hours each day because that park will be SO crowded b/c of all the people who want to go to EMH too. Others parks will be MUCH less crowded and you can get more done there (even without the hours) because the crowds will be smaller there. For our family, we maximize our day by hitting rope drop (rope drop means being at the park entrance at least 20 minutes before opening). When you get there that early, you beat the crowds and can get A LOT done those first few hours while everyone else trickles in. (ie...We can do all of Fantasyland in one hour where you might have to wait almost that long for one ride later in the day.) We follow a plan the first few hours to get a lot done and then we have freedom to go with the flow. We hit some non-headliners in the early afternoon(when it's crowded) and grab more fastpasses before taking a break back at the resort for Pool/ rest time. Then we return in the late afternoon for the rest of the day for rerides, parades, fireworks, etc... We follow this plan for MK and Epcot and it works well. We don't always break at AK and DHS because AK is a shorter day and DHS has lots of shows and places to rest. MK and Epcot are hard to do in one day, but with good planning it can be done. If I knew your dates, I could help you more.

That's probably more than you want to know, but it's what works best for us. There are websites that explain this philosophy much better than I did - esp. Tour Guide Mike. I believe easywdw.com explains this too.

I don't know the ages of the people in your group, but evening EMH will make for very LONG days and then you will miss the rope drops where you can do the most stuff in the shortest amount of time. If you really want to do EMH, then I would definitely get park hoppers as you don't want to be stuck in that park all day since it will be so busy! You could go to a recommended park (See TGM, easy wdw, etc) all day for smaller crowds and then hop at night if you really want to do them.

I am planning another family trip for May so I'm knee deep in all of this right now. I hope this helps. I also recommend checking out the sites mentioned for a wealth of information. We followed Tour Guide Mike last time (small fee) and had a great trip. This time I'm also using easywdw.com (free)to plan. The two seem to think a lot alike.

If I can help with anything else, please let me know.

Just saw that your trip is in September which is a slower time. I don't know how much the free dining promo effects crowds. Also, you got free quick service dining plan which is great. However, if you are planning more than one table service restaurant or character meal during your trip, you should consider upgrading your dining plan to the regular one for a small fee. It will be much cheaper than paying for several table service meals out of pocket. It's very easy to do by phone.

Thanks AW96. Keep the details comin'. I love it. I may not be able to take it all in right now, but later in the planning I'll come back to this page and digest it all.

I tried to include as much detail in my original post, but the trip is September 18-22nd. Kids range from 5-ish to 11-ish. The adults are mainly mid-30s to mid-40s. My wife was an oops-baby so we're 26/28 with no kids. The grandparents footing the majority of the bill are mid-60s. Her dad is fairly disabled, but I don't think he'll slow us down too much since he'll likely stay in the hotel room...but still, that adds some to the equation.

definitely learn the FP system and definitely understand that they are now enforcing return times on FP's. It will definitely affect some of the strategies you see online or hear from friends, as you will no longer be able to return after your designated time.

Also, keep an eye out, as the new FP system may be just around the corner.

To answer the park hopper question, I think it is a no-brainer. You will definitely want to switch parks one day, if not all days. In our 5 trips, I can not recall staying at one park for more than a 6 hour window.

The waterparks are a lot of fun, but you could probably just buy those if/when you get there.

I just looked up your dates on easy wdw and you are going at a very slow time so it will be much easier touring. Take a look at this link for some great info for your park days. It will help with planning and making ADR's for meals if you choose sit down meals. The parks will be slower, but free dining tends to make the restaurants busier. You can start making ADRs 180 days out. http://www.easywdw.com/category/calendar/09-september-2012-crowd-calendar/ Sorry I don't know how to make the links active.

Also at slow times, the park hours are cut back and special events don't run every night. (like parades, fireworks, Fantasmic, etc...) This makes the days where the special shows are playing even more crowded at that park since all the people w/o park hoppers will be there all day long. Being there at such a slow time, it might not matter as much, but park hoppers would give you the flexibility. Still I would wait to add them on much closer to your trip or when you actually need them.


kwammer - I've been reading about the new FP situation for a while and I know tomorrow is the 1st day of enforcement. It should be interesting to see how this works out. Since I still have smaller children and we do parent swaps, we don't collect as many FP throughout the day as some did. Plus in 2008, we got dream fast passes for MK day coming off Small World as part of their promotion that year. That was so cool! We DO maximize fast passes, but parent swaps and having 5 FP when we might only need 2 or 3 each time gets an extra ride out of them. Still we like to do rope drop, break, and go back at MK and Epcot so there will definitely be some adjustments and maybe less nighttime rides for the big rides.

I'm gonna be there the week after you. The planner lady my wife is using has said to not worry too much about planning around the crowds. That part of the year is just not crowded enough to worry about the lines.

Lots of good advice so far. I suggest using the Disney Magical Express to get to and from the Disney property. No rent car - no hassle. Just go down to the level where you retrieve your luggage to arrange for round-trip passage. We've used it every time we've gone, and it simplifies getting to and from the airport. Besides, you'll be so busy at DW, and they have a great transportation system, that you'll not need a rent car.

https://www.tourguidemike.com/

Use this website. You have to subscribe to it, but it has very good information in it, especially about what parks to visit on the specific dates of your vacation.

This guy know his stuff.

Consider the annual pass and look at the discount on your rooms with the AP rate. Determine which comes out cheaper.

Oh, and watch out for the South Americans, especially Brazilian tour groups. We went at the end of January the last time and all of the parks and resorts were much more crowded that we expected because of many folks from SA.

[This message has been edited by 76Ag (edited 3/14/2012 11:08a).]

Keep up the info.

Wife and I are taking our daughter, son-in-law and two granddaughters (4.5 & 3) November 10- 15. Staying at near-by timeshare.

Right now just know we have to do the Princess breakfast at the castle.



[This message has been edited by Clavell (edited 3/16/2012 8:46a).]

Skimmed the replies, can't believe no one has recommended Unofficial Guide. Buy it, do it! Cuts down on wait times and has recommendations on what day to visit which park.

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Right now just know we have to do the Princess breakfast at the castle.

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If that's the case, make sure you know the exact date you are allowed to make reservations(180 days prior) and have it on the calendar. Tables will go fast and the folks who are staying onsite have an advantage in getting tables.

You can actually book more than 180 days. Resort guests can start booking reservations 180 days prior to their ARRIVAL, but they can make reservations for up to 10 days after their arrival, so essentially 190 days. Take advantage of that. Schedule this breakfast for later in your trip as it will go fast but use your cushion to help you.

Also be at your computer at 6am on the morning of your 180th day to try to reserve online. Online reservations open up an hour prior to phone-in.

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You can actually book more than 180 days. Resort guests can start booking reservations 180 days prior to their ARRIVAL, but they can make reservations for up to 10 days after their arrival, so essentially 190 days. Take advantage of that. Schedule this breakfast for later in your trip as it will go fast but use your cushion to help you.

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Yep..that's why I mentioned that he would be at a disadvantage since they are not staying at a Disney property. The only upside is that they are going during a pretty slow week, so they may get lucky.

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You can actually book more than 180 days. Resort guests can start booking reservations 180 days prior to their ARRIVAL, but they can make reservations for up to 10 days after their arrival, so essentially 190 days. Take advantage of that. Schedule this breakfast for later in your trip as it will go fast but use your cushion to help you.

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Yep..that's why I mentioned that he would be at a disadvantage since they are not staying at a Disney property. The only upside is that they are going during a pretty slow week, so they may get lucky.

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Oops, sorry. Missed that part in the replies. That's what I get for skimming.