Getting ready to book for WDW in September

[jlt19]

We're not staying on site. It's just so much cheaper/free to use my Hilton points. So I'll be buying tickets either from Undercover Tourist or Disney. Is there any advantage to buying from Disney? Are prices set to increase to where we should buy sooner vs later? I just hate to buy something that isn't refundable so far away.

[TamiTaylor]

Dec 29, 2019 19:17:29 GMT -5 jlt19 said:

We're not staying on site. It's just so much cheaper/free to use my Hilton points. So I'll be buying tickets either from Undercover Tourist or Disney. Is there any advantage to buying from Disney? Are prices set to increase to where we should buy sooner vs later? I just hate to buy something that isn't refundable so far away.

If you have a possibility of needing to changing dates, I know Disney has the flexible date option. Not sure if UT has that. I would buy tickets soon vs later because I have a feeling a price increase will be coming shortly after the beginning of the year.

[pinkpeony08]

I did just buy tickets on undercover tourist- If you buy the paper tickets that come via mail, they are fully refundable for 90 days.

[jlt19]

It's way over 90 days. And really, I don't plan on changing dates, but September is hurricane season, so you never know. And when we're talking about $2k, I'd like to not lose out on that! Stupid credit cards all getting rid of their trip insurance. Not that I know if theme park tickets were included any way.

[curbsideprophet]

You should be able to apply the tickets to the cost of a future ticket. That is how it has worked in the past with expired tickets.

[jlt19]

Ok, question number 2:

If you were going to Orlando for a week, probably Sat-Sat, would four days in the parks be too few, assuming you spent a day at a waterpark as well? Is one day at each park enough if the crowds aren't awful (sept)? I ask b/c the current deal seems pretty good, 4 days at the parks for $1453 for the four us, vs. $1751 at the regular prices.

OR if we decide to just get a few more days, say a 7 day ticket, is the hopper pass worth it? I'm guessing we couldn't buy a 7 day pass and still use "two" tickets on the same day at two different parks?

We're not going to be going someplace just to eat or anything b/c we're not big eaters nor does anyone in my family other than me care about cuisine. They'll all be fine with hot dogs and pizza all week. So I'm really not seeing why we'd do the hopper for an extra $340 when going from, say a 6 day to a 7 day, is a total of $20 more. If we only spend half a day at one park, so be it. Go to another tomorrow. Plus, we'll be either using a hotel shuttle or our car, so not sure how transportation would work from one to the other.

I'm rambling, but trying to "talk out" the logistics in everything.

[daisyduck]

Dec 30, 2019 23:29:50 GMT -5 jlt19 said:

Ok, question number 2:

If you were going to Orlando for a week, probably Sat-Sat, would four days in the parks be too few, assuming you spent a day at a waterpark as well? Is one day at each park enough if the crowds aren't awful (sept)? I ask b/c the current deal seems pretty good, 4 days at the parks for $1453 for the four us, vs. $1751 at the regular prices.

OR if we decide to just get a few more days, say a 7 day ticket, is the hopper pass worth it? I'm guessing we couldn't buy a 7 day pass and still use "two" tickets on the same day at two different parks?

We're not going to be going someplace just to eat or anything b/c we're not big eaters nor does anyone in my family other than me care about cuisine. They'll all be fine with hot dogs and pizza all week. So I'm really not seeing why we'd do the hopper for an extra $340 when going from, say a 6 day to a 7 day, is a total of $20 more. If we only spend half a day at one park, so be it. Go to another tomorrow. Plus, we'll be either using a hotel shuttle or our car, so not sure how transportation would work from one to the other.

I'm rambling, but trying to "talk out" the logistics in everything.

I've gone to Disney the last three years in September, usually from Sat-Sat or Sat-Sun. I would definitely want 7 day tickets over 4 day tickets. We are usually in the parks from RD to fireworks and even then it's hard to do everything in one day. I'd get the 7 day tickets and go to MK for at least two days.

I always have hoppers or an annual pass that lets me hop, but we rarely actually go to two parks on the same day. My DH likes having the flexibility and I humor him. If it were up to me, I'd save the $340 and skip the hopper especially since you are staying off property.

Make sure to look at the prices carefully though. I think in order to get hoppers you have to get the "water parks and more" option on the tickets. Since those tickets would include the water parks, the price difference might be less than you think (7 day non-hopper + water park vs 7 day hopper with water park).

[mccallister84]

We went in October for 8 days and got 8 day tickets with hoppers. For us, we were only paying for two tickets (since both our girls were under 3) so the price differential going from 6-8 days plus hoppers wasn’t as bad. However, we only hopped once and that was with staying at the Grand Floridian. We thought maybe we’d go to the MK in the evening since we were literally a 3 minute monorail ride away. Everyone was just so exhausted - the only reason we even hopped that day was because H had a hometown friend who was in for the Halloween party before leaving on a cruise so it was the only way to see her.

[jaycee]

Dec 30, 2019 23:29:50 GMT -5 jlt19 said:

1. would four days in the parks be too few, assuming you spent a day at a waterpark as well? 

OR if we decide to just get a few more days, say a 7 day ticket, is the hopper pass worth it? 

1. Yes that would be too few days for our family (2 boys ages 6 and 8).  We bought a park ticket for every day we were there because the cost per day goes down dramatically and some days we just used our 3 Fps and that was pretty much it.  We did not go to the waterpark when we were at Disney because we have lots of water parks at home and our purpose of the park was to experience the parks.

2. We stayed for a week and did not get the park hopper.  Transportation at Disney can take so so long and it didn't make sense for us and the way we like to tour the parks.



What about just a 7 day no hopper pass? 

[curbsideprophet]

I don’t think one day at each park is enough. What do you want to see/do at each park? Maybe if you plan to go open to close with no breaks you could get most of what you want to do in, but it would be long days. I would sooner spread it out over multiple days.

We typically get hoppers and have APs right now but don’t hop every day. Plenty of people make it work without hopping though. I would price out 7 day non hoppers. We have not done the water parks so hard for me to say if they are worth adding.

[TamiTaylor]

I would do 7 day non hoppers. Never done the water parks because we live right by an amazing water park so we don’t ever think to go while at Disney.