Walt Disney World

[Brianfo]

My wife and I will be taking 2 small children to Walt Disney World in Florida in 2 weeks. I get to go as a bonus thru my work. We are staying at the Hilton. My question is what is the weather like down there in January? Any good ideas on what to see and do with twins that are 2 years old? I am kind of looking forward to it. A chance to get out of Iowa in January. Oh well, enought blabbing. Any responses are greatly appreciated.

[007]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

Jewru hates wasting daylight almost as much as he hates spending money

[Silock]

Originally Posted by 007

Unless things have changed, the last time I checked their winter hours they closed around 7pm. I like having those extra 2-3 hours at the end of the day. You can get quite a bit done there.

Only Animal Kingdom closed that early, and now with Pandora and the nighttime safari, it's staying open later, too.

Most of the fireworks shows aren't until 8, and Illuminations is at 9. Plus extra magic hours in the evening in whatever park has them that day.

[BucEyedPea]

Originally Posted by Deberg_1990

Headed down tomorrow for 8 days or so.....Anyone else going this summer?

I'm already here. Heat isn't brutal yet, but I'm on the coast and Orlando is always worse, but at least it's not July or August, which will be like saunas.

[Bowser]

Originally Posted by BucEyedPea

I'm already here. Heat isn't brutal yet, but I'm on the coast and Orlando is always worse, but at least it's not July or August, which will be like saunas.

Shit, it's already like a sauna here in KC. Heat indexes are supposed to be flirting with 110 the next couple of days. Never thought that taking a vacation to Florida in the summer to escape the heat could possibly become a thing, but it might.

[ct]

Originally Posted by Deberg_1990

Headed down tomorrow for 8 days or so.....Anyone else going this summer?

next summer, daughter's 21st bday trip

wife's family has a bit of tradition they took each kid to vegas for 21st bday. we did that for our oldest, but the middle daughter has no interest, wants WDW instead. I'm cool either way, big disney nut!

where are you staying?

[BucEyedPea]

Originally Posted by Bowser

Shit, it's already like a sauna here in KC. Heat indexes are supposed to be flirting with 110 the next couple of days. Never thought that taking a vacation to Florida in the summer to escape the heat could possibly become a thing, but it might.

Central Florida will fool you at certain times. I get a Gulf Breeze which helps. But it's been 87 at times in July, when Boston nearly hit 100 one year...and that's on the coast too. Tho' it's a city so it's a heat sink. I found Grande Isle Nebraska insufferably hot and humid near the end of August last year, when I expected it to be cooler and less humid than here. I mean it's much further north.

Orlando, on the other hand, is literally stultifying in July and August. It's inland. I did Bush Gardens one year when family came down in July which is further inland even from downtown Tampa, than my location. Just brutal. You move very slowly and take breaks in the children's sprinklers.

[scho63]

I was at Disney World when I was around 16 years old with our family. We did it as a Christmas trip around Dec 1979. Was pretty damn cool. A lot smaller than today obviously. I learned how to juggle on that trip and also met former NBA star and NJ Senator Bill Bradley with his wife and two kids on the tram from the parking lot.

I am curious to anyone who has just been there with a family of 4 or 5 and maybe a total of 2-3 days, what the hell did it cost you? We had the luxury of staying at my grandparents house in Ft Lauderdale for free so no hotel bills.

Not including airfare, what did it cost?
$1,500 or more?
$2,500 or more?
$4,000 or more?

What do they charge per day into the park?
What does that include?
Other things to pay for to enter?

[BucEyedPea]

Originally Posted by scho63

I was at Disney World when I was around 16 years old with our family. We did it as a Christmas trip around Dec 1979. Was pretty damn cool. A lot smaller than today obviously. I learned how to juggle on that trip and also met former NBA star and NJ Senator Bill Bradley with his wife and two kids on the tram from the parking lot.

I am curious to anyone who has just been there with a family of 4 or 5 and maybe a total of 2-3 days, what the hell did it cost you? We had the luxury of staying at my grandparents house in Ft Lauderdale for free so no hotel bills.

Not including airfare, what did it cost?
$1,500 or more?
$2,500 or more?
$4,000 or more?

What do they charge per day into the park?
What does that include?
Other things to pay for to enter?

I was wondering myself what the fare is for MK now, especially since I get a Florida resident rate.

Gee, I thought it would be much higher than this.


https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/tickets/

[WhawhaWhat]

Originally Posted by scho63

I was at Disney World when I was around 16 years old with our family. We did it as a Christmas trip around Dec 1979. Was pretty damn cool. A lot smaller than today obviously. I learned how to juggle on that trip and also met former NBA star and NJ Senator Bill Bradley with his wife and two kids on the tram from the parking lot.

I am curious to anyone who has just been there with a family of 4 or 5 and maybe a total of 2-3 days, what the hell did it cost you? We had the luxury of staying at my grandparents house in Ft Lauderdale for free so no hotel bills.

Not including airfare, what did it cost?
$1,500 or more?
$2,500 or more?
$4,000 or more?

What do they charge per day into the park?
What does that include?
Other things to pay for to enter?

https://www.undercovertourist.com/or...-world-resort/ - I bought tickets from this website last time and they worked perfectly with no issue. You just link the tickets to your armband thing online.

3 day ticket would be $306.95 per person and that is without the park hopper. $361.95 with park hopper. Cheapest Disney hotel is probably a little over $200 a night.

[Bowser]

Originally Posted by BucEyedPea

Central Florida will fool you at certain times. I get a Gulf Breeze which helps. But it's been 87 at times in July, when Boston nearly hit 100 one year...and that's on the coast too. Tho' it's a city so it's a heat sink. I found Grande Isle Nebraska insufferably hot and humid near the end of August last year, when I expected it to be cooler and less humid than here. I mean it's much further north.

Orlando, on the other hand, is literally stultifying in July and August. It's inland. I did Bush Gardens one year when family came down in July which is further inland even from downtown Tampa, than my location. Just brutal. You move very slowly and take breaks in the children's sprinklers.

Yeah, central Nebraska is basically the waiting room to hell in the summer months.

The older I get the more I understand retirees living in the northernmost climes in summer and in Arizona/Florida in winter. I hate the extremes of temperature and would move to San Diego if I could afford it.

[DaneMcCloud]

Disneyworld and Disneyland have become outrageously expensive.

From 2010-2014, we had the Premium Annual Pass, which had no blackout dates and was only $239 per year with parking included.

Now, it's $639 for the Deluxe Annual pass and it doesn't include parking, which is $15-20 dollars, depending on where you park and has about 100 blackout dates.

A 5 day Park Hopper is $594 dollars.

What's made matters far worse is that before 2015, the annual passes had to be paid in full but that year, Disney began accepting monthly payments. The wait per ride used be about 10-15 minutes but now, it's 45-60 (if not longer).

[scho63]

Originally Posted by WhawhaWhat

https://www.undercovertourist.com/or...-world-resort/

3 day ticket would be $306.95 per person and that is without the park hopper. $361.95 with park hopper. Cheapest Disney hotel is probably a little over $200 a night.

So a rough calculation in my head would be:

$360 x 4 = $1,440 for tickets for 4 people
$360 x 5 = $1,800 for tickets for 5 people

Let's say average hotel at $250 a night for 3 nights =
$750 if 4-5 people can stay in one room
$1500 if you need 2 rooms

Lastly food:
4 people x 3 days x $60 a day/person = $720 total
5 people x 3 days x $60 a day per person = $900 total

So roughly
4 people: $2,950-$3,600
5 people: $3,450-$4,200

Not a cheap vacation if it costs another $1,000-$1,500 for airfare and not a single souvenir bought.

That would buy me a hell of a lot of escorts, cigars, and good booze!

[Bowser]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

Disneyworld and Disneyland have become outrageously expensive.

From 2010-2014, we had the Premium Annual Pass, which had no blackout dates and was only $239 per year with parking included.

Now, it's $639 for the Deluxe Annual pass and it doesn't include parking, which is $15-20 dollars, depending on where you park and has about 100 blackout dates.

A 5 day Park Hopper is $594 dollars.

What's made matters far worse is that before 2015, the annual passes had to be paid in full but that year, Disney began accepting monthly payments. The wait per ride used be about 10-15 minutes but now, it's 45-60 (if not longer).

Yeah, that's some bullshit. It's not like Disney isn't making a ****ing mint off of their Marvel and Star Wars properties that they have to go and fleece the people flocking to their parks. I get wanting to make money, but let's not **** your customers into the ground for that almighty dollar, perhaps?

[scho63]

Originally Posted by Bowser

Yeah, that's some bullshit. It's not like Disney isn't making a ****ing mint off of their Marvel and Star Wars properties that they have to go and fleece the people flocking to their parks. I get wanting to make money, but let's not **** your customers into the ground for that almighty dollar, perhaps?

Nobody is forcing you to go so they can raise the price to whatever they want. That's America and capitalism at it's finest. If they charge $500 a day, guess what, a hell of a lot of people stop going and then the price goes down.

It's not like some government entity who forces you to buy something say like healthcare, jack up the prices, give you fewer choices, take away what you had, raise the deductible to super high levels and then threaten to fine you if you don't buy it.

[manchambo]

Originally Posted by scho63

So a rough calculation in my head would be:

$360 x 4 = $1,440 for tickets for 4 people
$360 x 5 = $1,800 for tickets for 5 people

Let's say average hotel at $250 a night for 3 nights =
$750 if 4-5 people can stay in one room
$1500 if you need 2 rooms

Lastly food:
4 people x 3 days x $60 a day/person = $720 total
5 people x 3 days x $60 a day per person = $900 total

So roughly
4 people: $2,950-$3,600
5 people: $3,450-$4,200

Not a cheap vacation if it costs another $1,000-$1,500 for airfare and not a single souvenir bought.

That would buy me a hell of a lot of escorts, cigars, and good booze!

The food estimate is WAY low, unless you eat most meals outside the park. But your wife and kids are gonna want to eat at some fancy place in Epcot, then you have to do a character dinner, then eat in Snow White's castle. Those meals run north of fifty per person.