Needing advice and personal experiences

[Precious_anna]

Hi, so I am going back to Disney world with my family in a few weeks for a birthday and had some questions I was hoping a frequent visitor or just someone who was more familiar with the workings of the park than me could answer or give an opinion on...the last time we went to Disney was back in 2010 so it will be experiencing it for the first time all over again as I’m sure many things have changed over the years. So here are my questions:

Are we allowed to leave the park and come back?/Can you drive away from parking lot and come back? (To get meals etc.)

When are fireworks?

Can we get from apartment to park without driving or parking? We are staying in an apartment close by with a family member who has never been to Disney (they are from up north) and we were wondering if there was any sort of transportation instead of driving over there from the hotel and parking.

Fast passes? This one is pretty open ended. We are debating getting fast passes to avoid lines. What are your opinions? Are they worth the extra money? What are the benefits? How do they work?
Thank you.

 

[Tink_83]

1) yes you can leave the park and re-enter the same day. They will scan your ticket (magic band if staying on-site) and associate to your fingerprints so only you can enter with the ticket...

2) check the park hours on the Disney website (and check close to your stay as hours are updated) for instance on March 8 they are at 8 and on March 10 they are at 9:15... so no set time every day

3) if you are staying offsite at an apartment then you will be arriving by car to the park. It doesn’t have to be your car, you can Uber/Lyft to the park. If your at a hotel that has a bus to Disney that would be a different story - but that really depends on where exactly you are staying offsite.

4) you get 3 fast passes with your ticket per day that you can book 60 days out if on-site or 30 days out of staying off site... after you use your first 3 fast passes you can get additional passes using your MDE app on your phone. They are highly recommended! With staying off site you will have a problem getting headliners but you should still use them and plan accordingly. If you haven’t been in a while I recommend reading the fastpass thread (at least the first few posts) and going to one of the sites that goes into this in depth (easywdw.com, etc) or even considering touring plans (it will help you plan your day or at least get a better idea of how best to arrange your morning so you get a few rides in before the crowds).

Here’s the link the the fast pass FAQ:
https://www.disboards.com/threads/fastpass-frequently-asked-questions.3491680/

Good luck and I hope you have a great time planning and enjoying your trip!

 

[tinkerjo]

Fast passes are free!!!!! I know you have not been in several years but I’m assuming that may have been your only time. Please just take your time, read all these boards, don’t be afraid to ask questions, and do your homework. i know you don’t have much time but it will make your trip much more magical. Even though you technically can leave and come back to the park in the same day, I wouldn’t recommend it if you are staying off Disney. It just takes too long. Eat breakfast in the apartment and pack lunch in ( have everyone wear a small backpack or string bag) Disney allows this and it is a money saver. You can either eat on the run or find a quiet spot for a while if you need a break for a while. I would plan 1 meal in the park. It can be expensive so just research your options first. Every park has value, fast food type venues and more expensive sit down restaurants. How many days are you going and what park(s) are you going to because not all parks have fireworks?? If you look on the WDW website it lists times and you can also get a times guide for parades and shows when you enter the park. Hope you have a wonderful trip!!!

 

[Tink_83]

Fast passes are free!!!!! I know you have not been in several years but I’m assuming that may have been your only time. Please just take your time, read all these boards, don’t be afraid to ask questions, and do your homework. i know you don’t have much time but it will make your trip much more magical. Even though you technically can leave and come back to the park in the same day, I wouldn’t recommend it if you are staying off Disney. It just takes too long. Eat breakfast in the apartment and pack lunch in ( have everyone wear a small backpack or string bag) Disney allows this and it is a money saver. You can either eat on the run or find a quiet spot for a while if you need a break for a while. I would plan 1 meal in the park. It can be expensive so just research your options first. Every park has value, fast food type venues and more expensive sit down restaurants. How many days are you going and what park(s) are you going to because not all parks have fireworks?? If you look on the WDW website it lists times and you can also get a times guide for parades and shows when you enter the park. Hope you have a wonderful trip!!!

Also I second staying in the park especially if you are going to only do 1 day at each park, your looking at a huge time waste especially leaving the MK (like an hour out an hour back in plus time doing what your doing, not worth it at least for my family)... also depending on how much you eat some of the QS meals are rather large and could be split...

 

[Sheila E.]

Hi, so I am going back to Disney world with my family in a few weeks for a birthday and had some questions I was hoping a frequent visitor or just someone who was more familiar with the workings of the park than me could answer or give an opinion on...the last time we went to Disney was back in 2010 so it will be experiencing it for the first time all over again as I’m sure many things have changed over the years. So here are my questions:

Are we allowed to leave the park and come back?/Can you drive away from parking lot and come back? (To get meals etc.)

When are fireworks?

Can we get from apartment to park without driving or parking? We are staying in an apartment close by with a family member who has never been to Disney (they are from up north) and we were wondering if there was any sort of transportation instead of driving over there from the hotel and parking.

Fast passes? This one is pretty open ended. We are debating getting fast passes to avoid lines. What are your opinions? Are they worth the extra money? What are the benefits? How do they work?
Thank you.

If you want to leave the park for meals you can jump on the monorail and get off at one of the resorts on the monorail line and eat at one their restaurants, or to save money eat at the park, my husband and I usually share a meal or sometimes we just get kids meals and you can get a free water cup of water if you just ask for it.