The insider's guide to the mystery that is WDW Park Tickets

In Sydney this summer we saw the opening of a new Wet and Wild water park. Supposedly the largest W&W in the world. Also, seemingly the most problem prone.

But one of the biggest complaints has been sticker shock. The Season Passes, whilst majorly expensive to buy for a whole family, were sold out in a flash. Visitors are now only able to purchase daily entrance which runs at $70 p.p. + extras like locker hire ($10) and food.

Wet and Wildly expensive

When it comes to tickets for WDW, whilst they still carry the expense factor, there are a lot more options for flexibility. LOTS more flexibility.

There are no greater mysteries than the Gordian knot, the Bermuda Triangle and Disney Park Tickets.  So let's take a wander through the options - and I will limit the options to what is worthwhile during convention period.

Gone in the mists of time

Step 1 - decide how many days you'll be wanting to visit the parks.
 

You may be like Mrs. Banks and her little group who are staying at the Boardwalk Villas and expect to visit the parks most days. Or perhaps you just want to visit for 1 day? (HA HA HA HA HA - good luck with that approach .... oh sigh...)

Tickets are sold from 1 to 10 days entry, and the expiry clock starts ticking from the first day's use, and lasts 14 days. Work out how many different days you wish to enter a Disney Park.

The other joy with multi day tickets is that Disney want you to spend ALL of your holidays in Disney theme parks. So every extra day you add, the per day rate of the ticket drops dramatically. See the image above - it costs you $280 to buy the first 4 days of entry. After that point every extra day is only $10. So lay down another $60 for an additional 6 days, for 10 days in total, for only $340! Those extra days are practically free!

Triple your days for only $60

This is Disney's way of pushing people from coming for a long weekend to coming for a whole week or more.  Once you've got a ten day ticket in your hand, well you might as well just keep entering the Parks day after day with no limits, no rushing, forgetting about time. 

Ummm ... yeah .... our Aussie group - buying the 10 day ticket. 

Electronic swipey entrance now the thing

Step 2 - decide how you want to spend your day and if it is likely you will swap parks during the day

So Disney money spinner no. 2 - the Park Hopper option.

Say you're at the park, and it gets to 1pm and it is really hot! you decide to (OMG) leave the park. But if you just walk out, well you've wasted one of the days off your ticket. And say later that evening when the temperature has dropped you decide you want to go back into a park - but you can't. 

So the Park Hopper option was created.

For a flat fee of a mere $59 (regardless of the number of days) you can come and go from any and all of the parks as much as you want. Go commando and do all 4 parks in 1 day (OK - you can wear underpants, if you must). Imagine 31 million tourists a year paying $59 - and it costs Disney nothing to provide. Sweet, simple earner.

Yep - park hopper option is going onto the Aussie's tickets

RFID "Magic Bands" now carry your tickets (and your room key, dining reservations & charge card)

Step 3 - decide if you want to do something other than a theme park - water parks, golf - real and mini, sports etc

 

Did you say YES! Then you need the "Water Parks and More" ticket option added on. For just a flat $59 you can add 10 more activities to your park tickets. If you are bringing the kids you will want this option. Considering a single entry to a Water Park is $56, this option gets you into both water parks and those mini golf games, and the computer games centre - all the things the kids need to do whilst you collapse from the heat. So it is brilliant value - if you do those things.

 

Us Aussies - nope - not doing any of those. Not a kiddie among us. (childlike - but not that much)

$84 for everything is pretty sweet

And that's it! See relatively painless! (if comparing to a dentist's drill)

So to summarise: the Aussies are staying at Boardwalk Villas for 7 nights, and then we have convention for 5 nights. So they are going to buy a 10 day ticket + park hopper option - which will last them for 14 days and they come and go from Disney whenever they feel like. 

wave your magic band past the special magic band scanner

As for me - I have an Annual Pass - but that's a whole 'nother story. Along with Florida Resident tickets.

 

Do you want to visit Walt Disney World? What is your time frame and what ticket might suit you best? And do you like to do the parks commando style?

Heats on your Feets in Orlando 2014

This is me

This week, in Australia, summer turned up the dial all the way to 11. And it will last another week!

It was 40 degrees C or 104F here in Canberra today - and forecast for tomorrow - and all weekend

Perfect weather to be in training for conditions in Orlando!!

I doubt it will be quite so scorching - maybe only 35C (95F) but I have the chance to work out my clothing (cotton voile / shorts / sun protection) and especially shoes.

You will need extra comfortable walking sandals. You will be WAY too hot in socks and sneakers.

Keen have been my footware of choice for many years.

They have a running shoe sole for comfort and a waterproof upper. For multiple rides on Kali River Rapids. That's one way to keep cool!

watch out for giant waterfall. (source: disneyride.com)

Many people also swear by Skechers Go Walk (although I have never tried them and don't know if they are waterproof)

better than Crocs

Whatever you choose for your feets, remember something that is not going to make you sweaty and stinky, not going to give you blisters, stays supportive after hours of walking on hot concrete, and can tolerate a bit of water from your day at Typhoon Lagoon water park.

Don't burn your feets on the scorcing concrete paths! (source: themainstreetmouse.com)

And it is not just the heat that makes the concrete painful for your tootsies - the pathways are covered in sand - making them abrasive! Hot and abrasive! sounds like me in the office - but I don't want that for my holiday.

Although of course, you could just join me in an air conditioned bar.

We covered some aspects of dealing with the heat back in winter - when I was wistfully remembering temperatures such as today's!  Go now and re-read that post to kick start your wardrobe planning for Convention.

p.s. go check out Sierra Trading Post for deep discounts on those Keen sandals and other tough footware.

Kill, Refurb, Marry - Aerial Spinners

WTF?

How am I expected to turn this into a decent post?? Oh - you ladies over at Mouse on the Mind and This Happy Place - this month you have decidedly made our topic challenging.

You see, my gentle readers, this months topic is "Aerial Spinners" and in the whole of WDW there are 2.

Ok - let me clarify.  there is Astro Orbiters and then there is Dumbo/Aladdin/Triceratop Spin - which are technically the same ride - they just come in different colours.

But dammit - I need this blog hop to pad out my own haphazard posting schedule. Sigh.

KILL

eeni meeni minee mo ....... need some serious and broader criteria here.

Dumbo - is the original and the best. Iconic. Killing Dumbo would be like an Aussie killing koalas.

Oh wait .... I forgot ...... (OK not an environment blog)

Triceratop Spin is in a different park  - so it has to be Aladdin's Flying Carpets! Come on down!!

Being in the Magic Kingdom, where Dumbo already reins supreme, makes you supernumery. Also, a middle eastern desert theme in the middle of Adventure Land - between the Jungle Cruise and the Tiki Room is too out of place.

Whilst I am on my high horse - spot the one difference between these two shots. Why was this necessary??
(source: top: Walt Disney Co. Bottom: a travel agent I won't ID)

after all that trauma, let's move on to REFURB

There is can be only one obvious example for me: Astro Orbiters!

Your little rockets zoom among the planets (source: wdwguide)

but your seats are too hard. 

And the queuing for your Apollo style launch pad elevator is too slow and cumbersome. 

What give this chap the edge is that the little rockets tilt inwards adding some excitement to the fact that you are already 2 stories higher than Dumbo or Aladdin. 

Fix these minor things, and you will be bellissimo - mwah!

MARRY

There can be only 1 - Dumbo. Since his refurbishment and duplication, Dumbo has increased his cache - making him the money spinner icon of Disney! A girlfriend used to say "it's just as easy to fall in love with a rich man ...." and that applies here. Don't waste your time in the backblocks. Fall in love with the rich dude - he has everything the others have.

Double your Dumbos (oh ... the Kardashian jokes .....) (source: big florida country)

There you have it. Now go and learn some more about these rides and your options for fun in the sun at WDW when we meet up in June.  Click on the links below - which will grow over time!