ultimate vs. ap

[lmmollohan]

OK everyone...here is my question. We are going to Disney World in September of 2002 for 10 nights. We will be arriving around noon and our plan is/was to get ultimate park hopper passes. We want to be able to do it all!

I have heard, and correct me if this is wrong, that we can buy ultimate passes for 9 nights and 10 days and have them end at mid-night of the day before we leave instead of mid-night on the day we leave because it would be cheaper and we will not be using them that day at all since we are leaving at 6 am. Is this true?

We are also considering one person in our party buying the premium annual pass instead so that we can get the discounts but not all have the extra cost of the passes. Is it true that if we buy an annual pass for me that I could get the discounts for the lodging, restraunts, etc. for our group while they all have the ultimate passes? And if so, can we buy the cheaper childs pass for my son and still get the discounts?? Has anyone heard of this or tried it?

Also, we are planning on staying at Fort Wilderness at a campsite and wondered if the AP ever offer discounts for there. We will still consider getting them even if the answer is no because we would like to do a split trip and spend the last 3 days at one of the resorts.

I appreciate the help! Thanks.

Lisa

 

[Humpbacks1962]

Yup. The APs will pay off after a week, plus you get yearly offers and discounts during your trip that you won't get with the length of stay pass.

Wanda

 

[Nita Petes]

My DH & I are planning a trip in 2002, Sept or Nov.
We have never stayed on site before, so this is a must this time. This trip will be the honeymoon we never had.

I like the idea of the Discovery Magic thing, but feel it is way over priced since we will be going to Universal while we are there. Also the first day we plan to hangout around the resort and pool. We also want to go to BB & Disney Quest (I think, never heard of it before coming here).

So any advice on how to do this trip? We plan to stay at Disney 5nights/6days & then go to Universal for 2 days.
I would love to stay at the Poly since it is as close to Hawaii as I will ever get, but if I have too All Stars will do.

Since it is only my DH & I going, we really don't need a lot of room, but I do need handicap facilities. DH wants to stay at a monorail site, but again, price is way too high I imagine.

Would we be better off to purchase hopper plus tickets or could one of us purchase AP to get discounts on the other stuff? Do AP holders get discounts on LOS passes?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[lmmollohan]

Nita,

I am kind of answering my own question by answering yours but I have been doing some research and thought I would share.

When my hubby and I sat down and realistically(sp?)
discussed what we would and would not do at Disney for the 10 days we are beginning to lean towards the Park Hopper Plus passes instead of the los (changed to Ultimate Park Hopper). It will save money on ticket costs and we will be hard pressed to use it all even with the 10 days. We want to spend some time just at the pool, Disney Boardwalk, Downtown....you know, the places that do not require a pass of any sort.

The only reason we were leaning towards the AP was for the discounts they offer but there is no guarentee that they will offer the discounts we want at the time we will be there. I recommend you check out www. mousesavers.com because they offer alot of the same kind of discounts that the AP offer without buying anything.

If you are planning on spending 2 days at Universal while staying at a Disney site and you have the Ultimate Park Hoppers than you are paying Disney to go to Universal Studios. That would please Disney but it is not the best idea for you.

By the way....the Poly is on the monorail system so that would please both you and your DH but it is a bit pricey, however there are discounts to be found. If you do end up staying at the All-Stars instead remember to look for deals even though it is already low priced.(comparatively speaking that is). You can always visit the Poly and eat at O'Hana's and pretend you are staying there.

What ever you do you will have a great time. Have fun planning.

Lisa

 

[Buzz2001]

Good info on this link below for AP's vs LOS

http://michaelsvips.com/waltdisneyworld/tickets/intro.htm

 

[MinnieMe5678]

The Disney Club Card is giving me 20% off our hotel reservations. We are staying at two "Deluxe" resorts during the "value" season this year. I saved $83.25/night at the Contemporary Tower Concierge, and saved $89.91/night at the Boardwalk Concierge. They also booked cheap airfare on a big airline company, discounted the park hopper tickets (only 5%), and gave us a discount on a car rental.

www.disneyclub.com
1 (800) 933-3975

All of the Disney Vacation Packages ARE overpriced. I have always been better off buying the hotel, tickets, food & activities separately.

For people that want to stay in the All-Star Resort. I have never been there, but I hear they are small and only have double beds.

 

[Nita Petes]

Originally posted by lmmollohan
If you are planning on spending 2 days at Universal while staying at a Disney site and you have the Ultimate Park Hoppers than you are paying Disney to go to Universal Studios. That would please Disney but it is not the best idea for you.

By the way....the Poly is on the monorail system so that would please both you and your DH but it is a bit pricey, however there are discounts to be found. If you do end up staying at the All-Stars instead remember to look for deals even though it is already low priced.(comparatively speaking that is). You can always visit the Poly and eat at O'Hana's and pretend you are staying there.

Lisa,
Thanks so much.
When we visit Universal, we plan to check out of Disney and get a room at Universal. *Ü*

I went to several web sites that had photos of some of the rooms in all of the resorts. DH looked at them with me. Now he wants to stay at the WL. ROFL

Me, well I am afraid of the All Stars because of the crowds & my chair. Of the moderates I looked at and read about, I felt I could be happy with either PO resorts. Then I saw the CBR (I forget the abbreviation for it, but not the mexican resorts, the other one).

I have been reading these boards like crazy and haven't seen much about those resorts. I know one site said they have the largest rooms of the moderates. I am just concerned about long bus waiting times, etc.

We will spend more time at the MK and MGM than anywhere else. Although DH said BB was a must. *Ü*
I guess my main concern is trans. and room due to my chair.

Another ? When I book the room, (yes you convinced me to forget the LOS passes), should I tell them then I need a handicap room or wait & put it as my number 1 request when I fax them later? Does anyone know if they charge you more because of the need for a handicap room?

Okay, I am writing a book so I will stop for now. Thanks again for your help and to everyone for their help. *Ü*

 

[Disneydenise]

They donot charge more for a handicap room. I think if it is a #1 Priority you should put that request first. The Handicapped room we were in was equipped with a roll in shower stall. We didn't need the facility and I donot know much about the special needs of such but for the one night that we were there I felt very grateful for my ability to use a lipped shower stall. If you feel that it would be easier for you to have a lower floor room I would make the request when you are making your ressies. The on and off on the elevators can get to be a pain too. I am not sure how many rooms they have at the Poly we were in the DXL when they gave us our Handicap excessible room and it was on the third floor. I just thought that it was a bit inconvienient for a compromised person. Wheelsie on the Disabilty board has lots of good advice and can answer many questions. Have a wonderful trip and a happy marriage. I think if you can afford the Poly (they have some good discounts now) I would go, we had a wonderful honeymoon there.

 

[lmmollohan]

Nita,

I have never stayed there but have heard (often) that the Carribean Beach Resort is very spread out and so it may not be as pleasant as it appears. That was one of my first choices until a friend stayed there and said they had to take a bus just to get to the pool and restraunts.

Of the moderate, Port Orleans would be my first choice but I speak from ignorance. Go to the Resort section of this forum and I bet you will find out more than you ever dreamed possible.

Good Luck and glad I could help.

On a personal note...is this a trip celebrating an aniversary or just a late honeymoon? Just curious. Have fun.

Lisa

 

[Nita Petes]

Originally posted by lmmollohan

On a personal note...is this a trip celebrating an aniversary or just a late honeymoon? Just curious. Have fun.

Lisa it will be both. *Ü*

It will be the honeymoon we never had. When we got married we both had lids, so no honeymoon. Now all the kids are grown and the "ours" of his, mine, & ours is now 21. LOL

It will also be our 25th wedding anniverary. Gosh that makes me feel really old to say the years. LOL

Of the PO resorts, which would recomend? Any particular building? Do the PO resorts have elevators?
Also, DH is a smoker, but hopefully by the time we go he will have kicked the habit. He is down a carton lasting 3 weeks now.

Thanks for all your help. *Ü*

 

[Nita Petes]

Originally posted by Disneydenise
They donot charge more for a handicap room. I think if it is a #1 Priority you should put that request first. Wheelsie on the Disabilty board has lots of good advice and can answer many questions. Have a wonderful trip and a happy marriage. I think if you can afford the Poly (they have some good discounts now) I would go, we had a wonderful honeymoon there.

Denise,
Thanks so much for your help.

Yes handicap room is the #1 priority. I will make sure to list it first.

I will check out Wheelsie on the disability board. Thanks for mentioning that.

Poly is my #1 wish, but just getting to stay onsight at WDW is a dream come true.

 

[BevS97]

HI,

we just got back from the CBR - and it is beautiful, I don't know about in a wheelchair, but we were in Barbados 13, one of the farthest buildings and we did not feel the need to get a bus to the pool or food court - it never even crossed my mind, it was a pleasant 5 minute walk. (maybe a bit more, but not 10 minutes).

We got LOS passes and I thought they were great, it totally made our vacation to be able to go to MK for the evening, or even an hour one day, and to typhoon lagoon for just a couple of hours and not have to worry about 'wasting' a day. For 10 days I would look at the AP again, I think somewhere around 8 days it becomes a better deal to buy an AP.

Bev

 

[SueM in MN]

You can follow the link in my signature to get to the disABILITIES Board.
There are different types of accessible rooms at WDW resorts. Some are totally accessible to a wheelchair user with roll in showers and others are better for a person who uses a wheelchair for distances, but can walk some. You should make the request for an accessible room when you make your reservation. you can also contact WDW RESORTS/SPECIAL RESERVATIONS
(407) 939-7807 [voice]
(407) 939-7670 [TTY]
for help in getting the type of room you need.
We have stayed at PO/DL with our daughter who uses a wheelchair, but she was small at the time with a little wheelchair. Some adults (including Wheelsie) have found the resort to not meet their needs real well. Carribbean Beach has the largest rooms of the moderates. It is a large resort, but is well laid out. If you request an accessible room close to the food court, you will be close to everything.