Second Walt Disney World Trip
Second Walt Disney World Trip
Overview
Once again, we decided to go during the value season in September to avoid the long lines. We went with another couple with a child. So we had four adults and two children. We stayed 7 nights and spent 6 days at the park. We were able to get the 50% airline discount on the room, and we were also able to get the Military discount on Tickets through Shades of Green. These discounts were available because we had someone who worked for an airline and another who worked for the Department of Defense (DoD) going with us.
Rooms:
We originally were going to stay in one of the Cabins at Fort Wilderness, the only Home Away from Home that offered the Airline Discount during our travel period. The rooms appear small for 4 adults and 2 children, but how much time do you plan on spending in the room? We wanted something with a full kitchen to save money on meals. Plus, Fort Wilderness has tons of activities available.
However, due to one of the dangers of going so late in the season, we ended up being upgraded to another room. The danger, Hurricanes, and if you recall, the Hurricane Season of 2004 was an extremely devastating season. Disney allowed us to cancel without penalty or upgrade at no extra charge to a 2 2-bedroom condo at Old Key West Resort because Hurricane Ivan’s path could turn toward Orlando. We decided to take a chance, and it worked out for us because the Hurricane missed Orlando, and we had fantastic weather the whole week we were there. (Our thoughts are with the communities affected by the storms; we hope for a swift recovery.) The campground was closed for precautions, so we never saw it firsthand.
Our room at Old Key West was great for the rate we got it at! It had two separate bedrooms: one with a King-Size bed and one with two Doubles. Also, there was a fold-out sleeper in the living room. Most importantly, it had two full bathrooms, which we would not have had in the Cabin. Being another Home Away from Home, it had a full kitchen.
Tickets:
As for tickets, we got the Stars and Stripes tickets from Shades of Green. This is the Ultimate Hopper Pass offered by Disney at a discounted price for the Military. There is one massive advantage to the Stars and Stripes over the Ultimate Hopper Pass: you do not have to buy the tickets for the “travel days”. With the Ultimate Hopper Pass, you must purchase tickets for the day you check in and the day you check out. If you check in late and out early to travel, this could be a couple of wasted tickets because you are paying for time at the park you are not using. You can do a check-out and check-back-in trick (see below) to get around this, but that is another thing to worry about.
Split-Stay Trick for Ultimate Park Hopper Passes
If you only want a UPH for part of your stay, you can always split your stay into two or more reservations and add the UPH to only one of the reservations. This allows you to take advantage of the advance purchase discount.
Advantages of Staying at Disney:
The “Magic Hour” and Disney Transportation are the most significant advantages of staying at a Disney resort. The Magic Hour was a great way to get the “big must-ride” rides out of the way. I would imagine this being an even bigger advantage during the peak season. We stood in line for only 10 minutes for one ride the whole week we were there. In fact, the longest wait times we had were at the water parks.
We were all a little disappointed with the Disney Bus Transportation. It seemed like we were always waiting for a Bus, which gets old quickly after repeating this between 2 and 6 times daily. It’s a shame the MonoRail does not run between the Resorts and Parks. I am not sure if the wait times we had are the same for all resorts. (We would love to hear from you about your experiences.)
Another advantage, although it was not available during our visit, is the E-ride. When you check into your Disney Resort, find out if there will be any E-Ride nights during your stay. This is a night that the major attractions at the Magic Kingdom will stay open for an extra 3 hours for Disney resort guests. Wait times will be very short as the tickets are limited to the first 5,000 guests. It is a $12 charge and is only held at certain times of the year. Well worth the price
Also, if you purchase souvenirs at the parks, you can have them delivered to your room for free. This is another perk available to those who stay at a Disney Resort. Just so you know, they need a couple of days to deliver it to your room. So, check with the Front Desk of your resort to get a better idea of how much time is needed.
About the Parks:
We started each day at the park with the Magic Hour and saw the four major parks. We would spend four hours at that park, then return to our room for lunch and relax. Then we would hit a different park later that day. The only exception to this was Animal Kingdom, and we stayed longer at that park for two reasons. Once the park does not stay open as late, it’s best to do it in one day. The second reason was that we could eat there cheaply (check out the tips section for more info). This schedule worked well for us.
The days we went to the water parks, we did it differently. We took a cooler with drinks and lunch and spent the first half of the day there. Then we returned to the room, changed, and hit another park. I enjoyed Blizzard Beach, which was much better than Typhoon Lagoon. If you can only get to one water park, go to Blizzard Beach. The only thing I liked about Typhoon Lagoon was the wave pool, which was awesome, but its rides are disappointing. Had we gone to Typhoon Lagoon first and then Blizzard Beach, I might not be so down on it. Of course, if you’re going to relax and lie out in the sun, either would be fine. Thinking back, I would spend around 4 hours at Blizzard Beach and a couple of hours at Typhoon Lagoon (playing in the wave pool and checking out the swimming with the sharks snorkel pool).
We also visited Downtown Disney a couple of times in the evening and spent a few hours at Disney Quest. This is a pretty cool arcade. Once you pay to get in (included in the Ultimate Hopper/Stars and Stripes, or you can use an option on a Hopper Pass), the games are free. I can see a teenager enjoying this place. They have some interactive games that you don’t see at most arcades. We also enjoyed the many shops at Downtown Disney.
