So you’ve booked your Orlando holiday – you are going to have the most amazing time so congratulations on that! We are already excited for you, you have no idea how fantastic this holiday is going to be.
Now – sorting out your theme park tickets can sometimes be a bit confusing and a little daunting. Hopefully our years of experience in trying many different options will save you the time we have spent researching and confusion we have often felt trying to sort them out.
Firstly – if you are staying in a Disneyworld Resort you will already have purchased your theme park tickets (for Disney parks) as part of the package. The benefits afforded to you lucky people staying in a Disney Resort Hotel are fantastic. You can get early entrance to the theme parks which means you can get ahead of the crowds if you have particular rides you want to go on which usually have long standby lines, particularly helpful if you are travelling at peak times of the year.
You can also start booking your Fastpass choices a whopping 60 days before you travel (guests with theme park tickets who are not staying in a Disneyworld Resort can only access the Fastpass system 30 days before travel) – so you are already well ahead of the game! If you don’t know what the Fastpass system is we suggest you research it on Disneyworld’s website to get the full details, but in a nutshell it allows you to start planning your Disney park days and booking rides, experiences and character meet and greets, as well as making dining reservations before you travel. Some of the newest rides and attractions get booked up very quickly and standby lines can be over an hour at peak times, so the Fastpass system is brilliant to ensure you don’t spend your whole holiday standing in line. The Disneyworld App allows you to access the Fastpass system from your phone or tablet so we would definitely advise you to get that set up too. We’ll look more at what else that App can help you with in a future post.
If you are not staying in a Disney park – or if you are and also want to visit other parks such as Universal Resort parks, attractions, experiences etc – then we would strongly suggest you book them in the UK before you travel. The most cost-effective packages are available from Florida theme park ticket specialist companies who offer good prices for various “bundles” of tickets to multiple parks. There are a few to choose from and it is worth checking in with them all. Some allow you to reserve them with a small deposit which holds the price at the current rates even if you are not travelling until the following year. Lots of the companies also offer to price match other companies so it is certainly worth seeing what deals you can get – especially when you are booking for a larger family party. Most of these companies offer extras as an incentive – vouchers to go on airboat rides, dining discounts, shopping vouchers etc – which are worth having. Some of our usual go-to companies are Florida Tix, Attraction Tickets Direct and Orlando Attraction Tickets.
Do your research, check what parks and attractions you would like to go to in advance by looking at Disneyworld websites and blogs to create a wish list of parks, water parks, attractions, experiences and places you want to visit. Once you have your list you can start looking at ticket bundles. It is worth noting that most of the UK ticket companies offer 14 days for the price of 7 which allows you to come and go in and out of various parks every day of your holiday. You may think you don’t need that many days but in the heat of the Florida sun and on crowded days you may find it useful to dip in and out of parks when you have figured out what works for you and your party and how crowded the various parks are on particular days. Also most ticket companies do show prices for 7 day passes but they are generally only around £20-£30 less than the 14 day passes.
So planning is key here – and believe us when we say that the planning part is so much fun! For us it’s the start of our holiday adventure and the start of the excitement – even after over 20 years and many many visits, each trip is as exciting as the last. Disney and Universal are constantly updating their resorts and building new rides, experiences and lands and are constantly evolving as is Orlando itself. Each time we go we find so many new things to enjoy and next time we will give you some tips on planning your days once you get there to ensure you have an amazing holiday.
Happy ticket booking!
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