Oh dear...which passes to purchase?

[LisaDougKaylee]

Ok, why is this so confusing to me? I am so lost on what passes to buy for our upcoming trip. I have my mother telling us one thing, another telling us this,... yada yada yada. Only problem is, these people haven't been to Disney in a decade plus! I know they are only trying to help, but I'm just getting more confused. I thought some of you out there might have words of wisdom being the experts you are.

We'll be there 8 nights/nine days. Our flight down arrives in Orlando @ 10:20am and our flight back to Boston departs @ 7pm, plus figuring the time to claim/check luggage, transfers, etc. We will be staying on site, the two of us and a 7 yr old. We don't plan on doing any of the non-disney parks. We don't have much of an itinerary planned yet, still trying to convince you know who that even a basic plan of attack is neccessary, though he disagrees. (I have 'til Sept to get trhough to him, which I know I will, as he'll have no choice!!!) The one thing I have gotten him to concede on is skipping a park(s) the day we arrive and heading to DTD and getting the lay of the land at the Contemporary, swimming etc. Right there, thats one day we don't need a pass for.

I was thinking, maybe a 7 day Park Hopper Plus would suit us just fine. Leaving us another non-park day, either in the mddle of the trip, in case we need a break, or for the last day. I guess I'm asking, do we really need a length of stay pass? I'm just thinking of the money we could save if we really don't need it.

I've learned so much from these boards and mousesavers!! Without the two, We'd have just booked the whole package online at disney's web site, paying so much more than we have to!!!

Sorry this is so long, just trying to give all the info needed, so you all can get a clear picture! Thanks So much!!!!!!

 

[InstImpres]

I personally am not a fan of LOS. The way I see it, it is use or lose and you never know what may happen. We lost out 2 trips ago becuase someone got six and 2 of us stayed in the hotel. It made the cost per day much more than necessary.

I would recommend a 7 day plus pass. This way you also can have water parks. You can actually get 10 days out of this and anything unused can be saved for a future trip. I bought mine from Paramount. They were the most reasonable and gave a free breakfast voucher. It isn't listed that way on the site anymore but when I called and asked for it, I got it. (Saved an extra $30 per adult at the new princess breakfast with it )

Try http://reservations.paramountinternationaltravel.com/DisneyOrderTickets.asp

Good Luck

 

[BrianD]

I agree. Go with the 7 PHP.

 

[tjkraz]

I'd say you're on the right path.

One thing to note regarding any PLUS passes is that the Plus options do NOT count against the days you are entitled to admission in the four main theme parks.

To illustrate, the 7 day PHP you mention typically includes 4 plus options. That gives you 7 days at the main theme parks, in addition to 4 visits to the water parks and PI. If you choose not to visit a theme park on a day, and just go to Blizzard Beach, that does NOT use up a "day" from your 7-day pass. It only uses one of your PLUS options.

Hope that makes some sense. Suffice it to say that if you've got a couple of "non park" days in your itinerary, you could save your plus options for those days and keep yourself from going through withdrawl.

The only other option you may want to investigate is an annual pass. The breakeven point on the AP is typically 8-9 days based upon everything that I've read. If there's a chance you will be returning NEXT year--even if it's about 50 weeks from your currently-planned trip--your AP will still be good.

Just be aware that there are two different brands of APs. The Premium AP includes unlimited admission to the water parks and PI, while the cheaper version just covers the four main theme parks.

 

[Colexi's Mom]

I would go for the 7 day PHP. The UHP passes are overpriced, and unless you're going to go to the parks everyday, which is sounds like you are not, you're paying for something you're not using.

 

[TRAPPED-PARENT]

I've been to WDW many times and I agree with the above in that 7 day park hopper plus is the way to go. Most likely you will have a day or two left on the passes and maybe a plus or two. These are good forever!!

I am also not a big fan of the LOS passes as I cannot imagine having the energy needed to get your money's worth!!!

We usually try not to have more than one or two park days in a row because you will just be worn out. Use those pluses to break up park days with a visit to a water park!!!

 

[jody]

I have been trying to decide which passes to buy too, and I think we will get the UPH. It will be me, DH, DD-12 and DD 15. We will have 7 nights. From what I understand, if we buy the passes at check-in, we can drop the first or the last day. We will drop the last day. The kids will definitely want to do Disney Quest and this is not an option on the PHP. Everyone talks about having days left over to use on another trip but it's been 6 years since we've been to Disney and it's doubtful we'll get another family trip in before the kids are in college. I like the flexibility of being able to go wherever we want, whenever we want that you have with the UPH. I don't want to buy a pass that won't allow us to go to a park every day and then decide that we would like to go to a park every day.

 

[TRAPPED-PARENT]

Jody -

You're right that the LOS is more convenient, however, because I try to be frugal and still have fun, I'm afraid I'd be tempted to run the family ragged trying to get my money's worth!!! LOL

PHP are a better option for us because it forces us to fit in relaxing days in between the park days, making for a much more relaxing and enjoyable visit.

We, however, are lucky enough to be able to go "almost" every year so previous year's tickets have enabled us to take some trips where we didn't have to buy new tickets. (and I think this is why we've been able to afford to visit WDW more)

Have a good time on your trip!