Feeling overwhelmed !!

[J63holland]

Our family will be camping in FW in mid-January for seven nights. I've never been to Disney as an adult, and I'm feeling very overwhelmed by all there is to do. I know that we can't do it all, but I do want to make the most of our time there. Our sons are 9 and almost 6. I'm thinking that they won't be too interested in Epcot or MGM. And, I'm thinking we would enjoy a day at Sea World and Universal (I know this is not part of Disney). In January, it will probably be too cold to go to the water parks, and I would like at least one day to spend at the campground (just to recuperate). Any suggestions on which park passes to get. Quite honestly, I find comparing the passes very confusing. I know that some expire when we leave, and others never expire. Any suggestions you have would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.

 

[We4mickey]

Well lets see here......
Passes Do you plan on going back to WDW??? If so and you can afford it get the passes that are 5-7dayhopper passes.They are good forever. What I have found is that when your children are along and they are young you see things through there eyes. Ok Magic Kingdom yes,MGM yes,Universal yes,Epoct,Sea World, if you can I would do them next time you come to WDW. And yes you can do waterparks in Januray. In the campground there is so much to do and see,you do need a day or two take it all in. We have also found it nice to bring your bikes along to ride around the grounds.I could go on forever any other ?? let me know and I'll try to help you out.This is just my two cents.....

 

[Andrew_Lubow]

I agree with We4Mickey. At the very least get 5-7 day Park Hopper Plus passes since you're not planning to spend all your days at the Disney Parks. The unused days never expire on them. Just one tip tho. Mark the number of unused days on them when you leave Disney for your own reference. One other question? Would you retum to Disney for another vacation within a year? IF YOU PLAN TO consider an Annual Pass (unlimited admission to the theme parks only). You'll find that if you expect to be at the parks 8 or more days a year it pays to get them plus depending on the season you can get up to a 45% discount at the Disney resorts for a room.

 

[J63holland]

Thanks for the information. I am leaning towards the 5 day Park Hopper Plus pass, and then individual day passes at Sea World and Universal Studios. One question though...is there any advantage to buying the passes in advance, or should I just get them at Fort Wilderness? Thanks for your help.

 

[campingcorgi]

There's no real advantage to buying your passes in advance, unless there should happen to be a price increase in between. You may want to check into getting the Disney Club card--you can save $ on all your passes and sometimes on your site. It costs a little, but it saves me a lot!

I think your boys would enjoy MGM, Epcot may be iffier. Have you checked WDWIG for information? It's a great site with lots of helpful tips!

Barbara
186 days to go

 

[Andrew_Lubow]

If you belong to AAA auto club you can pick up discounted passes at their local offices.

 

[Cold Iron]

Everyone has good advice for you, and I will offer one more suggestion. If you have room in your luggage, go ahead and throw in the bathing suits anyway. You may get lucky and hit a warm spell in the weather. We have been able to swim at WDW in Dec. a time or two.

Cold Iron

 

[WorknFires]

Hi, one more thing. You didn't say how you were camping (i.e. tent, trailer, motorhome or cabin) but regardless be sure you don't pay anymore than you have to. If you haven't already, get the winter bargain code from mousesavers.com We, too, will be at Ft Wilderness in Jan from the 12th to the 20th.

I highly recommend the Hoop De Doo, especially for kids the age of yours. It seems a bit expensive but for the show and the all you can eat food, it's great. Pay with AmericanExpress and one of the shows gives you a 20% discount.

I'm gonna buy a lime bow from a local florist to hang outside my trailer.

Hope to see you there,
Cheryl

 

[Grumpy92]

First take a deep breath this is a vacation not a marathon. You are going to love the campground. Dont forget your bikes. FW is a great place to rollarblade or ride bikes. Dont miss Chip & Dales campfire. I would suggest the 4 or 5 day pass. They give you flexibility and if you dont use all the days they are good for future visits. The weather in Fla has not been consistent these last few years. So it may not be as cold as you think in Jan. As for passes their is no advantage to buying passes early unless you are AAA member, which gets a discount. Otherwise passes can be purchased at the Front desk at C/I or at Guest Services found at Pioneer Hall.
You might want to check on Universal passes they offer AAA discounts as well.
As for EPCOT your children may enjoy it more then you think. Each country in world showcase has kids stops where they can learn about the culture and do a craft. Great entertainers such as the moving statues and the beefeater brigade. There is lots of hands on activities in future world especially the old communicores, living seas and the life pavillions. When you arrive you will recieve a packt of info read over it and it might give you a better ideal.

 

[Grumpy92]

First take a deep breath this is a vacation not a marathon. You are going to love the campground. Dont forget your bikes. FW is a great place to rollarblade or ride bikes. Dont miss Chip & Dales campfire. I would suggest the 4 or 5 day pass. They give you flexibility and if you dont use all the days they are good for future visits. The weather in Fla has not been consistent these last few years. So it may not be as cold as you think in Jan. As for passes their is no advantage to buying passes early unless you are AAA member, which gets a discount. Otherwise passes can be purchased at the Front desk at C/I or at Guest Services found at Pioneer Hall.
You might want to check on Universal passes they offer AAA discounts as well.
As for EPCOT your children may enjoy it more then you think. Each country in world showcase has kids stops where they can learn about the culture and do a craft. Great entertainers such as the moving statues and the beefeater brigade. There is lots of hands on activities in future world especially the old communicores, living seas and the life pavillions.
The studies has the muppets, backstage tour, Indiana jones and star wars rides. THey also have the funniest restaurants such as the Sci Fi Drive In and the 50s Prime Time Cafe. When you arrive you will receive a packet of info, read it over and it might give you a better ideal of what is offered in the parks. Disney has really worked hard to make the studios and EPCOT kid friendly.

 

[J63holland]

Thanks everyone for your great advice. I know that I need to slow down and relax, but there is so much to see and do. I'm sure that I will pack everyone's bathing suits...just in case. Cheryl, we are camping in a pop up camper, and we will be there the same week as you. See ya there!

 

[WorknFires]

LOL I should've figured the pop up out from your signature! That's cute. I've never done the hayrides, the campfire or the petting area at FtW, so those are must do's on my list. I've sent you an email, maybe we'll be able to meet up.

Cheryl

 

[Gemm01]

Hi Jodi,

I can understand your feeling a bit overwhelmed. Thought I might tell you about our experience this past July. We have a pop-up as well (2001 Coleman Sante Fe). We were also scheduled for a 7 night trip. I had considered all that you are considering. Here's what we finally ended up doing. After much thought and research we opted for the 5 day hopper pass. My thinking was that we wouldn't go to a park the day we arrived or the day we were leaving and I would leave a day open in the middle for sleeping in, campground activities, laundry and Downtown Disney, etc. I didn't feel we would have time for the pluses included with the plus pass. This worked out pretty well. We were on the move all the time. We didn't even want to stop and eat sit down meals because we were afraid of missing something. After we had gone to the parks a couple of days we starting kicking around the idea of upgrading our hoppers to annual passes and that's exactly what we did before we used our 5th day. We also extended our stay by 3 days. We had the best time. The campground is the best we've ever been to and we have been camping for years.

We are now planning a trip for Christmas. There was no availability in campground so we will be staying at Port Orleans Riverside. We haven't decided for sure yet but we may go back one more time before our pass expires in July.

Sorry this is so long.

Jennie

 

[tim5055]

Jennie,

We also have a 2001 Santa fe and love it!!

If I were you I would keep checking for FW, things open up every day.

Special pricing has just been released for full hookup campsites during the Christmas period. Check the mousesavers.com web site for details.

We will be there about 2 weeks before Christmas (14 days - 55 minutes from now to be exact).

 

[Gemm01]

Tim,

We love our Sante Fe as well. We had a Coleman Taos before the Sante Fe but out grew it. We took our last trip in it 2 summers ago. We were so cramped that we came home completely emptied it and traded for the Sante Fe. Before that we were tent campers. Keep in mind that in the 15 years we've been married we've gone camping for every vacation.


My original plan was to keep checking the campground for availability however, my kids were very excited about the possibility of staying in one of the hotels. Ahhhhhh!! to have the restroom right there. After considering it for a few days we decided to splurge. I feel pretty confident that we will be back at the campground before our passes expire in July. We really enjoyed the campground and I'm looking forward to going back.

Jennie

 

[J63holland]

Jennie:
That sounds great that you had the flexibility to extend your stay. Unfortunately, we won't be able to do that, and it is very unlikely that we will be able to return within one year ( it has taken me seven years to get my husband to agree to this trip, and it was only after we bought the camper that he finally agreed !!) I'm sure we will return, but probably not for a few years.

Cheryl:
You mentioned that you sent me an email, but I haven't received it. It would be great to hook up with someone who knows what they are doing!

Thanks everyone.

 

[Gemm01]

Jodi,

I hope whatever you decide works just perfectly for you. FW can be a majical place.

I also wanted to say not to count out MGM or EPCOT. We really enjoyed both very much. The truth is we never left the "World" while there. You can't imagine how much there is to keep you busy while there.

Good luck and have fun planning. I know I am.

Jennie

 

[WorknFires]

Hmmmm wonder what I did wrong. It's worked for me before. Oh well, here's my email address:

worknfires@aol.com

drop me a line if you like and be sure to put DIS in the subject and we can email each other until time for WDW and then meet up. I was lucky enough to meet Krissalee on our last trip to WDW and I'm pretty sure she'll vouch for me if you'd like a reference.

Cheryl