Orlando/Disneyworld Thread (Part 3)

LucyLocket

mollieflossie wrote: »

I have saved £700.00 in vouchers to spend on a trip to Disney next year with OH and two grandkids 10yrs and 6 years. I need advice about the best way to spend these. Do i go for 1. the more expensive option and stay at a disney resort 2.stay in a villa or 3. stay at a cheaper hotel. I have also read that some book with Virgin and then stayed at a different Hotel as this was more cost effective. Any advice appeciated

I've enjoyed several free holidays with Mr T and I would say the most important thing is to check that Virgin / Cosmos, whoever you propose to use your vouchers with are offering a decent price in the first place. Often they seem over priced and if they are over priced by £700 or more your vouchers become pointless.

So first I'd price check with other tour operators and also perhaps look into building your own package, although this may offer less protection in the event of an emergency eg ash clouds.

Holiday costs are hugely higher in school holidays. If you are willing to take kids out of school it is much cheaper. Incorporating the February, May or October half term is a bit of a compromise to keep school time loss down.

Choosing accommodation depends largely on your family's preferences. If you would like to stay onsite you will benefit from disney transport and privileged park access called extra magic hours. The value hotels are the allstars and pop century. There are opportunities to receive one of the disney dining plans for free over a wide range of 2011 dates if you stay at moderate or deluxe level and buy park tickets at the same time.

Offsite hotels are available throughout Kissimmee, Lake Buena Vista and International Drive. Many offer park shuttles. Idrive has easy access to public transport but it can be a long haul to get to Disney that way. They can be very inexpensive eg £20 or £30 a night through sites like monarch hotels , hotelopia, alpharooms bookit etc. I like to split the stay and go to Idrive to be near sea Wprld , Discovery Cove and Universal Studios and Lake Buena Vista to be by Disney.

I don't know much about villas but I know lots of people love the space and privacy they provide and I believe they can also be good value.

I think Virgin / Cosmos often over charge for better hotels so I have heard of people booking the cheapest hotel with Virgin and then paying separately for the hotel of their choice and still making a saving.

Apologies for the long post . Disney is my favourite thing :-)

mollieflossie

Thanks LucyLocket I haven't converted the vouchers yet so have in fact £2800 to spend would you still give the same advice

KarenG

mollieflossie wrote: »

Thanks LucyLocket I haven't converted the vouchers yet so have in fact £2800 to spend would you still give the same advice

It still depends....

Remember your vouchers have a "value" so for instance you can use them in tesco for £700 (not the best value!) or sell them on eBay converted which usually net you about double the value (£1400). That would be like cash for you then, to potentially book elsewhere than Virgin Hols,

So the question you must ask yourself is, will the price you pay through using Virgin Holidays be cheap enough after you have factored in the cost of your £2800 in Deals?

I'm too lazy generally and just save my vouchers until I have (strangely, just like you - £2800 for my family of four). But I do so knowing I am paying over the odds to book through V Hols.

Lucy's done a great summary of the pros and cons of each type of holiday. I like to stay onsite at Disney but it is not for everyone.

S_Wales_Saver

Zoe

Never flown with Virgin, but after flying with Monarch, 28 hours delay going, one day and night of our holiday missed and with it our only chance to see Spectromagic :mad:, I would pay a lot extra NOT to fly with them again!! Poor customer service, as you say no leg room, charged for DVD sets to watch the film and didn't have ANY food on the way back - a 11 hour journey as we diverted to Gander!! HTH

jackieblack

Sloganjerry wrote: »

I'm hoping to book a day at Discovery Cove when we go to Orlando later this year. I was looking at the 'Ultimate ticket' as it also includes Aquatica, Seaworld & Busch Gardens. The only thing is it's asking for a date for our visit and I'm just wondering if anyone knows if I'll only then be able to use this ticket for the other venues after this date? I want to go for my OH birthday so want yto book that day but it comes at the end of our 2 weeks there.

Any advice would be much appreciated. Cheers!:beer:

KarenG wrote: »

I'm almost certain that the date is just for DC itself, as that has to be confirmed in advance for availability (the other parks you can just turn up) - but which company is it so people can say yes or no for certain?

Sloganjerry wrote: »

Thanks KarenG - I'm booking Discovery Cove Ultimate Adventure ticket with Floridatix.

When we went, we bought the ultimate package direct through DC website and printed out the confirmation/tickets.
We showed the printout at customer services at the first park we went to (Seaworld) and the date was entered into their computer and the two weeks entry started from that day, you then have to do this at each park until you've been to DC, our DC day was at the start of our second week and then when you 'check in' at DC they give you plastic tags to wear around your neck that you can use at the entry stations of the other parks until the two weeks is up.
We also paid a bit extra for a parking pass that let us park for the two weeks at all the parks covered by the ultimate package for the equivalent of about 2 1/2 days parking fees.

CaroB_2

jackieblack wrote: »

When we went, we bought the ultimate package direct through DC website and printed out the confirmation/tickets.
We showed the printout at customer services at the first park we went to (Seaworld) and the date was entered into their computer and the two weeks entry started from that day, you then have to do this at each park until you've been to DC, our DC day was at the start of our second week and then when you 'check in' at DC they give you plastic tags to wear around your neck that you can use at the entry stations of the other parks until the two weeks is up.
We also paid a bit extra for a parking pass that let us park for the two weeks at all the parks covered by the ultimate package for the equivalent of about 2 1/2 days parking fees.

I'd second that, our Ultimate tickets were purchased through Travel Republic and we just printed out the confirmation and went to Guest Services at the entrance to SeaWorld, where they gave us a 'temporary' pass to use before we got the lanyard plastic pass at DC. However, my temporary pass worked better than the plastic one so I just used it at Aquatica, SeaWorld and Busch Gardens instead. We also only needed one ID per order (i.e. not necessarily one per guest, although best to take ID just in case).

FH_Brit

KarenG wrote: »

I hope this isn't the old "park at Downtown Disney for free" trick. If so, yes you will save $14 each day you visit a park. You will also have to endure up to an extra two hours on a bus crammed with sweaty resort guests. Fine if you are prepared to do that.

For the high cost of travelling all the way to Florida and buying park tickets, I don't see this as money saving, as you end up missing out on stuff as you waste so much extra time travelling. I'd rather pay the $14 and have the extra two hours in the park.

If it's another tip (annual pass purchase?) then do share it.

Here's How ....... I had thought to ask for PM to avoid WDW seeing that the info has got out and "shutting" the route - but with second thoughts - how do I know thw PM'er don't work for WDW! ! ! Duh! - Silly me!

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WDW Car Parking

Head for Magic Kingdom

As you approach the car park payment booths bear left (towards the Grand Floridian Hotel on World Drive).

When you approach the WDW Speedway on right, and the Hess (Petrol Station) on your left, use the Hess as a "roundabout (Car Care Drive & back onto World Drive (Duel Carridgeway).

As you re-join World Drive, go (almost) straight across onto a slip road that is still World Drive and it loops round to the left joining the traffic that has already passed through the payment booths.

From here you can join the WDW transportation to the other parks. The only down side is that you have to allow travel time to the other parks.

I am sure if too many people "find out" this information WDW would put up a barrier or something - so enjoy free parking.

ran1gers2001

Can anyone tell me what the difference is between the Flex tickets and the Orlando Combotickets apart from the price? I've always got the Flex Tickets before but now they are about £20 dearer and seem to be pretty much the same.

Cheers

Sloganjerry

Don't know if it helps anyone but I originally priced Flextickets plus @ £191 per person that would take us to everywhere we wanted to go (mainly going for Harry Potter World in Universal) plus my OH wanted to swim with dolphins at Discovery Cove as a birthday treat. So this was priced up as an adult swim. All in all it came to £350 pp. After some research and thinking I've managed to now book the 2 park bonus ticket for £83 pp and the Ultimate Adventure swim at DC for £160 pp coming to £243 pp. The only difference from this and my original tickets is that Wet n Wild is missing - which I'm not that bothered about anyway as we have Aquatica inc. and we will be hard pushed to fit everything in as it is. I know this only works if you intend to go to DC but worth a thought for those considering it.

Mr_Lahey

FH_Brit wrote: »

Here's How ....... I had thought to ask for PM to avoid WDW seeing that the info has got out and "shutting" the route - but with second thoughts - how do I know thw PM'er don't work for WDW! ! ! Duh! - Silly me!

---

WDW Car Parking

Head for Magic Kingdom

As you approach the car park payment booths bear left (towards the Grand Floridian Hotel on World Drive).

When you approach the WDW Speedway on right, and the Hess (Petrol Station) on your left, use the Hess as a "roundabout (Car Care Drive & back onto World Drive (Duel Carridgeway).

As you re-join World Drive, go (almost) straight across onto a slip road that is still World Drive and it loops round to the left joining the traffic that has already passed through the payment booths.

From here you can join the WDW transportation to the other parks. The only down side is that you have to allow travel time to the other parks.

I am sure if too many people "find out" this information WDW would put up a barrier or something - so enjoy free parking.

I thought the route to Magic Kingdom was just one road and if you bear left you still have to go through the ticket booths. There is no bypass. Unless you are talking about approaching from another way?