Orlando/Disneyworld Thread (Part 3)

jimihat

triggerrabbit wrote: »

Hi can anyone recommend a website that i can get cheaper tickets for the theme parks from? My party will have 2 adults and an 11 and 2 year old. Thanks for helping

Here’s a tip for you which I don’t think is highlighted well enough in any other guide book that I’ve read:-

BUY YOUR THEME PARK TICKETS FROM A RELIABLE UK VENDOR BEFORE YOU TRAVEL!

In Orlando you will see roadside shops and stands selling tickets, often disguised as “Tourist Information” sites, even people selling Disney World / Universal tickets at the entrance to a restaurant or even in your motel lobby. The people there will usually start to quiz you about tickets you already have and offer you others in exchange, i.e. 1 day Disney pass for a 7 day universal pass or something. LEAVE WELL ALONE, they have been known to be selling old tickets with no free days left on them or even stolen tickets which won’t work when you get to the park. The other thing you’ll see is a single day admission for Disney World etc for $25 (the ticket price at the gate is about $65), this will almost always be tied in to you going on a hard-sell timeshare trip, again LEAVE WELL ALONE unless you like high pressure sales tactics.
Last year during my 2 visits to Orlando the news channels were full of stories of ticket dealers being arrested or people paying a few hundred dollars for they’re family’s tickets only to find that those tickets actually don’t work.

If you have a voucher rather than actual tickets you then to queue up for your tickets once you get to Disney, Sea World, or Universal. These queues can be VERY long at peak times; not ideal when you have excited children (or adults!) with you. Do you really want to start off the day with a 20 minute queue????

atro1

triggerrabbit wrote: »

Hi can anyone recommend a website that i can get cheaper tickets for the theme parks from? My party will have 2 adults and an 11 and 2 year old. Thanks for helping

Have a quick look at page 1 of this thread.
I totally agree with Jimihat leave all these shysters alone.
Whoever you choose, be it Undercovertourist, Themepark tickets direct try getting Attraction Tickets Direct to pricematch. I have used ATD for many years alnog with Ticketmania. And they have always pricematched and given a little extra.

Mr_Lahey

jimihat wrote: »

Here’s a tip for you which I don’t think is highlighted well enough in any other guide book that I’ve read:-

BUY YOUR THEME PARK TICKETS FROM A RELIABLE UK VENDOR BEFORE YOU TRAVEL!

In Orlando you will see roadside shops and stands selling tickets, often disguised as “Tourist Information” sites, even people selling Disney World / Universal tickets at the entrance to a restaurant or even in your motel lobby. The people there will usually start to quiz you about tickets you already have and offer you others in exchange, i.e. 1 day Disney pass for a 7 day universal pass or something. LEAVE WELL ALONE, they have been known to be selling old tickets with no free days left on them or even stolen tickets which won’t work when you get to the park. The other thing you’ll see is a single day admission for Disney World etc for $25 (the ticket price at the gate is about $65), this will almost always be tied in to you going on a hard-sell timeshare trip, again LEAVE WELL ALONE unless you like high pressure sales tactics.
Last year during my 2 visits to Orlando the news channels were full of stories of ticket dealers being arrested or people paying a few hundred dollars for they’re family’s tickets only to find that those tickets actually don’t work.

If you have a voucher rather than actual tickets you then to queue up for your tickets once you get to Disney, Sea World, or Universal. These queues can be VERY long at peak times; not ideal when you have excited children (or adults!) with you. Do you really want to start off the day with a 20 minute queue????

I personally recommend you have a look at usatips4brits.co.uk ; there some good advice on there and links to good reliable cheap ticket vendors.

On the flipside i always sell my tickets to these guys, you get about $10 per days left. If like me you go off season and have finished with your ticket (3 of us) by day 8 thats $180 back.

jeanniebeanie_2

Mr Lahey, how do they check the number of days you say are left is true?

blue_monkey_2

mumsy22boys wrote: »

Hi All you helpful people out there. Just booked my villa to go August next year. Looking at flights all coming in at approx £3,000. I have been looking on the virgin fly drive website.

Does this seem right to you all? Seems loads to me! lol.:eek:

How many of you are there though? I have booked my flights and tickets via a 'flydrive' package but without accomodation, on the VH website and I got 10% discount so it worked out cheaper than buying flights on the Virgin Atlantic website. We paid around £1900 after discount for the flights - showing as £2400 on the VA website - this was in October for 2 ad 2 ch.

Mr_Lahey

jeanniebeanie wrote: »

Mr Lahey, how do they check the number of days you say are left is true?

They ask for proof of when you arrived so just take your flight ticket.

After i have been to the theme parks i am only interested in the waterparks, however i go to the US several times throughout the year and often make my way to Florida for a few days, it makes sense for me to have an annual water park pass which i have.

I have traded my tickets in twice and both have been at the same place - Head up towards where Arabian Nights is which is just about in Celebration, you will see a big Nike shop. In the parking lot is the typical spherical ticket office.

stressedalot

blue_monkey wrote: »

My answers are in red

What resort are you stay on?

I would also recommend the Disney photopass (I think the other parks have them too), we are going to do these rather than risk hubbies expensive camera, plus it means we all get into the shot which you do not do otherwise. We never understood how it worked when we went last time because it was quite new but we was gutted when we got home with about 30 pictures on it and realised we had wasted such an opportunity for some great pictures.

Thanks for your help blue_monkey we are staying at Port Orleans FQ
Is Disney photopass not really expensive?

blue_monkey_2

stressedalot wrote: »

Thanks for your help blue_monkey we are staying at Port Orleans FQ
Is Disney photopass not really expensive?

You should be OK for food there - the value resorts are dire IMO - the but bear in mind that the disney food is really expensive. Might be better to get some throwaway bowls and cutlery from Walmart and get boxes of cereal instead.

I guess it depends what you deem as expensive I guess. Without it we take a camera and one of us is not in shot as someone has to take the picture, plus hubbies camera bag was huge so it meant lugging it around and wasted a hand luggage option and then worrying in case it got nicked or broken. They use those big Nikon cameras in there, the pictures we got were amazing and you can add lots of Disney borders around them - they never had thjis when we went but from the pics online you can add things in like tinkerbelle standing on the kids hands too. The pics my daughter got from meeting the Princesses were such good high quality and it is all done for you so rather than affing around with cameras you get to watch her enjoying it.

They are $150 for the pass but as his camera was £500+ to replace for us it is worth the money and is already in our budget.

Here is the gumpf: http://www.stitchkingdom.com/disneysphotopass/

We'll take out point and shoot for the shows and the like because we already have all of those pictures from last time!!

eripmav

In comparison to other places to eat in the US, yes Disney is expensive but compared to here in blighty it's cheap! I've always found the food at whatever resort I've stayed at (Pop, All Stars and Port Orleans French Quarter) to be excellent. POFQ is rather limited though choice wise, that was my only downer. The resort's stunning, so tiny compared to others and if you want an insight into how nice the place is, walk over to Riverside and see the madness of their foodcourt and shop! Although much bigger, it's a nightmare!

This year Old Key West and the full dining plan, can't wait:)

jeanniebeanie_2

Mr_Lahey wrote: »

They ask for proof of when you arrived so just take your flight ticket.

After i have been to the theme parks i am only interested in the waterparks, however i go to the US several times throughout the year and often make my way to Florida for a few days, it makes sense for me to have an annual water park pass which i have.

I have traded my tickets in twice and both have been at the same place - Head up towards where Arabian Nights is which is just about in Celebration, you will see a big Nike shop. In the parking lot is the typical spherical ticket office.

Thanks for that. I know exactly where you mean, but I guess it wouldn't work for us because we will be the US for 17 days, but only in Orlando (driving there) for the last 7, so flight evidence wouldn't do it.