Planning a vacation to take my son to Disney World... any deals to be found?

[Bugsy732 1]

So i'm planning a trip to take my son to visit the Mouse in FL. Anyone one know of any discounts to be had for park tickets or anything cool down there? 

 

 

 

btw... As far as my wife is concerned.... We're going to see the Mouse and his friends... We're not going to the Spikes Tactical Factory store or anything liek that.... lol

 

[remixer 1,645]

How olds your son?

[jrfly3006 42]

www.Mousesavers.com compiles alot of the discounts in one spot.. If you plan on staying on Disney property dont overlook their value resorts..very nice places and you get some nice perks for staying with them...also the last 3 times i went down there, booking through Disney gave me the cheapest price on a rental car I could find..

[Bugsy732 1]

How olds your son?

 

LOL... he's too young to really know any better or even remember he was there. He'll be 11 months when we go. Her Parents have a place in Lake Ochechobee (sp) and want to see us so we're killing two birds with one stone. It would be cool down the road to say he was there and stuff. Going to see her parents for a few days (get some fishing in) then all of us are doing a disney visit for a few days while we are there..... and in no way shape or form going to the Spikes factory store... nah.. i wouldnt do that.........

[remixer 1,645]

humm at 11 months he really wont do to much except get some nice pictures for the albums

[Bugsy732 1]

humm at 11 months he really wont do to much except get some nice pictures for the albums

Yep. 

[boo 6]

I strongly suggest you get one of those guides that structure your visit (for Disney World, not the Spikes Tactical Store ) and tell you exactly where to go, what attractions/rides to visit, and in what order. It will have itineraries based on how how many days you'll be there and the ages of the people in your group. It might seem strange to structure yourself while you're on vacation, but they really do work. Otherwise, you're going to spend most of the time standing in lines and pissed off.

 

I used The Unofficial Guide to DisneyWorld by Bob Sehlinger

[HBecwithFn7 296]

So i'm planning a trip to take my son to visit the Mouse in FL. Anyone one know of any discounts to be had for park tickets or anything cool down there? 

 

 

 

btw... As far as my wife is concerned.... We're going to see the Mouse and his friends... We're not going to the Spikes Tactical Factory store or anything liek that.... lol

 

Are you flying or driving?

 

If driving, consider the "Auto Train" out of the DC area. I use it all the time when I go to Fl. for cave diving.  In fact, the trains #2 constituencey are Disney families.  #1 are the "Snowbirds" who travel south for the winter and back home north for the summer.

[djg0770 481]

Her Parents have a place in Lake Ochechobee (sp) and want to see us so we're killing two birds with one stone.

 

If YOU want to take a day or a half a day to do some hog hunting, I can recommend an outfitter on 8000 acres of cattle land.

[Bugsy732 1]

If YOU want to take a day or a half a day to do some hog hunting, I can recommend an outfitter on 8000 acres of cattle land.

 

That would sound like a awesome day trip for me and my father in law but i'm pretty sure my wife would not appreciate your generous offer! lol.

[djg0770 481]

The reason I mentioned it was because the outfitter is adjacent to the rez On the lake.

[AlDente67 563]

I'd heartily recommend Universal on a VIP pass for a day, but that would be wasted on a child that young (maybe in 7 or 8 years).

 

The Disney scene used to be different when they introduced FastPass.  Few knew about it or understood how to use it to maximize the number of rides in a given day.  These days, everyone does.  I can go into greater detail if the numerous guides don't give you all you need, as we did all the parks with a larger toddler and another in a stroller, then a few years later when they were older. 

 

Some basic points I want to point out...

 

1) Nobody can discount entrance passes more than a few bucks.  Disney is tight that way. AAA, the usual guide sites.  Can't hurt, but you won't find a half-price pass anywhere.  Also, the per-day average is much better after the 3-day mark, no matter where you score the tickets.  Tough to tote around an 11-year old (I've done that too) for that long.  It gets old fast.

 

One thing they offer in most parks is the parent line - Mom waits in the regular line while Dad wanders around with the baby.  When Mom comes out, she takes the baby and Dad goes to the front of the line.  Not perfect, but at least both parents get to have fun without killing 2 hours on one ride line.

 

If the kids are old enough to fit the height reqs, the VIP pass at Universal is the greatest thing in the world.  Stroll up to the front 100% of the time, while waving at the sweaty masses standing in line for 2 hours.  It isn't cheap, but not terrible.

 

2) When we had the kids in the stroller back in the day, we got lulled into the safe Disney environment, especially later at night when we were tired after a 12-hour race to see everything.  At Epcot, we parked our stroller amongst the other 200 of them at the ride entrance, and came out later to find it was stolen.  Wallets, rental keys, baby formula, diapers, stroller, all gone.

 

The Disney security was dismal, but the customer service people were great.  So much more detail in that story, but the lesson is don't get too comfortable.  We learned the hard way.

 

3) Last point for now is to check out the on-site lower end properties.  The extra hour or so of park admission on either side of the schedule is a benefit, and you can easily take a break mid-day going back to your room on the monorail for an hour or so.  Some of the resorts are a little long in the tooth these days, but when I think back, we'd crash in the room, make a few drinks, watch a little TV, and then do another 12-14 hour slog at another park the next day.  It was just a room with decent beds.

[iCARRY 0]

Last time I went down there, I bought universal tickets from Costco and saved a bunch. Good luck getting a Disney discount. I have been thinking about getting the Disney credit card and using that for everything I normally charge so I can add all the points to a nice vacation.

[iCARRY 0]

Also last time I was down there, if you are a veteran and have your military ID you get into sea world for free. I know it's not Disney, but sea world is awesome.

[jerseygti337 0]

All I have to say is good luck, I just got back from there last week with my 5 and 1 year olds…. My 5 year old had a great time, the 1 year old not so much.

[AlDente67 563]

SeaWorld is great, I second that.  Lots of things to see for a young child, and they've been adding newer thrill rides for the older guests.  The Yeti Mountain ride in particular was one where I actually wanted the line to go slower so I could take in all the props.

 

I do miss the free beer pavilion. The new owners turned it into yet another burger & fries lunch area.

[HBecwithFn7 296]

SeaWorld is great, I second that.  Lots of things to see for a young child, and they've been adding newer thrill rides for the older guests.  The Yeti Mountain ride in particular was one where I actually wanted the line to go slower so I could take in all the props.

 

I do miss the free beer pavilion. The new owners turned it into yet another burger & fries lunch area.

 

I think Busch Gardens in Tampa Bay may have the beer thing (but not necessarily free).  It would be a 2hr (or so) drive from Orlando.

[Bugsy732 1]

Thanks for all the great input! as of now it looks like we'll do a 2 day park hopper in Disney and a 1 day universal/islands of adventure and 2 days to kick back in Orlando. We'll be doing 4 days at the lake with her parents and 1/2 a day at spikes.....

 

i belong to the Hilton vacation club so we'll have a 2 bedroom suite with full kitchen. I figured we would do breakfast and dinner at the hotel and a quick lunch at the park. the baby will most likely just do his jars of baby food and formula. the Inlaws are going to be with us for a few days so my wife and i may have them watch the boy while we go out for the night.

 

sounds like my AAA discounts will be the best we can get so far. 

[Recon Racoon 49]

Universal is the bee's knees. I haven't been there in a few years, but when I lived there, we would go to Orlando once or twice a month. It was like going to the shore for us. Lots of great rides in Universal too, especially if you like coasters. They have one thats 90 degrees up, 90 degrees down. Intense stuff. 

[HBecwithFn7 296]

Universal is the bee's knees. I haven't been there in a few years, but when I lived there, we would go to Orlando once or twice a month. It was like going to the shore for us. Lots of great rides in Universal too, especially if you like coasters. They have one thats 90 degrees up, 90 degrees down. Intense stuff. 

 

And (if you or family/kids are in to it), there's the whole "Harry Potter"Experience there, now.