Disney Fastpass+ at Walt Disney World

[Colonel_SoB_fan]

Hank why do you have to be wealthy to enjoy Fastpass +?

[Hank]

I believe all of this will lead to higher prices. Fast Pass doesn't cost extra, but someone's gonna pay for putting that system into place. Then, it seems to me that a relaxing day at a park turns into a big game by having to make "reservations" to enjoy certain attractions.

This is how I've felt in visits to WDW and it's my opinion. Just how I feel.

[Colonel_SoB_fan]

Every addition leads to higher prices.

Kings Island will charge more for Banshee and make you use lockers. It's all i perception.

[Hank]

King's Island is getting price prohibitive for me, too!

[RailRider]

I found Disney very stressful when I visited without a plan. Once I did some research and developed a touring plan I fell in love with the place. Both the original and the Kingdom. We have had some of our most relaxing vacations at Disney.

[medford]

I believe all of this will lead to higher prices. Fast Pass doesn't cost extra, but someone's gonna pay for putting that system into place. Then, it seems to me that a relaxing day at a park turns into a big game by having to make "reservations" to enjoy certain attractions.

This is how I've felt in visits to WDW and it's my opinion. Just how I feel.

The cost of fast pass was already figured into the cost of admission. From the cost of maintance, new installations, character costumes, parking lots, transportations, to advertising, salaries, state, local and federal taxes and everything in between, its all factored into the cost of your admission, and anything they anticipate the average park attendee will purchase inside the park. If taxes are raised, the costs to attend the park will rise, because they don't pay taxes, their customers pay the taxes. If they expand into a big new area at the cost of millions and millions of dollars, those costs are ultimately paid by the park attendees. If they spend 1.5 billion on a fastpass+ system, those are ultimately paid for by the park attendees. If you believe otherwise, they've done a brilliant job of selling you a bill of goods. Similar to the pop at Holiday World, they want you to feel like you're getting "something for free" because it helps install better sense of goodwill and happiness, but in reality those costs were already accounted for the minute you paid for admission.

[shark6495]

I understand everyone's limitations. I have been there, but God willing, I dont return there, or at least for a while. But I am one staff reduction away from being there. My wife and I have made many sacrafices to be able to be where we are now. I lived in one room apartments where I didnt turn on the heat (look at the How cold have you been thread for details), I lived in a renovated hotel room with no stove. I have been there. If I could afford a pizza it was because I made it stretch into 3-4 meals.

You dont have to be wealthy to afford Disney, or KI, or anything else. Save up. Set a goal. Even if that goal is 2-3 years in advance. My wife and I planned our Universal trip over a year in advance. We skimped, we saved, we made hard decisions. Do we want a new mattress or Universal. Do we want a refinished basement or Universal, etc. Same thing now, we are planning our Disney Trip. We began planning it last fall (almost 2 years in advance.) We know its expensive but we are planning on staying on site, getting a photo package, and maybe a meal plan (still havnt decided if thats worth it).

I get when people say they cant afford things, but Im sorry I dont feel for ya. I feel for ya if you cant afford food or a place to stay but there are many ways to work around that. I worked 2 jobs working almost 75 hours a week. This is how I was able to save up for some vacations.

This is just my opinion, but there are people who find reasons of why they cant/dont/wont and people who find ways.

[thedevariouseffect]

Btw, am I the only one what looks at WDW, but sees WD, and immediately thinks Western Digital?

[shark6495]

I think WWWD, What Would Walt Do.

[CedarPointer]

I think WWWD, What Would Walt Do.

I bet they could power The Walt Disney World® Resort with the power generated by Walt spinning in his grave over MyMagic+™.

[The Interpreter]

Or not. What Disney wants you to think Walt was and what Walt was are two very different things. To put it mildly.

[shark6495]

Many things can be said about Walt Disney. Some true, some false. No one can take away the man knew how to hook the public and had some brilliant ideas that helped transform America (in good and bad ways).

[upstop]

Walt idolized Thomas Edison, who in reality was not all that wonderful a person. Just ask a certain circus elephant and several botched electrocutees.

[CedarPointer]

Or not. What Disney wants you to think Walt was and what Walt was are two very different things. To put it mildly.

True...

"People can buy Pepsi-Cola®, but they can't pee in the street." -Walt Disney

"If we can dream it, we can do it." -NOT Walt Disney, actually (source)

[PhantomTheater]

Now the Horizons song is stuck in my head, Cedarpointer.

[Voicetek]

I understand everyone's limitations. I have been there, but God willing, I dont return there, or at least for a while. But I am one staff reduction away from being there. My wife and I have made many sacrafices to be able to be where we are now. I lived in one room apartments where I didnt turn on the heat (look at the How cold have you been thread for details), I lived in a renovated hotel room with no stove. I have been there. If I could afford a pizza it was because I made it stretch into 3-4 meals.

You dont have to be wealthy to afford Disney, or KI, or anything else. Save up. Set a goal. Even if that goal is 2-3 years in advance. My wife and I planned our Universal trip over a year in advance. We skimped, we saved, we made hard decisions. Do we want a new mattress or Universal. Do we want a refinished basement or Universal, etc. Same thing now, we are planning our Disney Trip. We began planning it last fall (almost 2 years in advance.) We know its expensive but we are planning on staying on site, getting a photo package, and maybe a meal plan (still havnt decided if thats worth it).

I get when people say they cant afford things, but Im sorry I dont feel for ya. I feel for ya if you cant afford food or a place to stay but there are many ways to work around that. I worked 2 jobs working almost 75 hours a week. This is how I was able to save up for some vacations.

This is just my opinion, but there are people who find reasons of why they cant/dont/wont and people who find ways.

Several years ago and I was sitting on a beach in Michigan and I overheard two ladies talking about a Walt Disney World vacation. One of the ladies commented that her family would never go to Walt Disney World because they "couldn't afford it." She next stated that to go on a Walt Disney World vacation it would cost upwards of $10,000. I'm not sure who she talked to about this or where all she's planning on visiting during this trip, but if you're spending $10,000 on a Disney vacation, you're spending too much.

I went with a group of friends and we stayed on Disney property and ate our meals in the park. With gas, hotel, tickets, and food, and souvenirs, I spent under $600. That was doing Disney without a budget in mind.

Two years ago I went on a family vacation to Disney World with my mom, sister, niece, nephew, and my then girlfriend. My mom has never had much money, but she saves every year for a family vacation. That year we did Disney on a budget. We stayed off site and packed food and drinks. We did a Disney family vacation between $1,000 - $2,000 including gas and everything.

If you really want to do something, it can be done. All it takes is a little time and self control. Plan ahead and save your money. You might not be able to do it right this second, but if you're patient, you will eventually get to do it. A lot of people don't think that way, and that's the problem.

[TTD-120-420]

Does that include plane tickets or did you drive?

[Voicetek]

I mentioned that it included gas, but I guess that could've meant gas to drive around the area. We actually did drive all the way down though.

[shark6495]

600$ When did you go? HOw long did you stay?

But I agree. For 3 people, staying on a property for 8 days, with tickets and gas to drive down, its going to run just north of 2000$

[Voicetek]

600$ When did you go? HOw long did you stay?

But I agree. For 3 people, staying on a property for 8 days, with tickets and gas to drive down, its going to run just north of 2000$

When I went for $600, it was Spring of 2004. We stayed at the Disney All-Stars Resort and we were there for a week. We also bought a 4-day park hopper pass. Now the hotel rooms were shared with 2 people per room, so the cost per night was split in half. We also chipped in on the gas. So the entire trip cost me under $600.

When I went with my family, we stayed off Disney property and packed lunches and drinks. We only spent 3 days in the parks and we shared the cost of the tickets. My mom paid for everything else and I know it was under $2,000.

[malem]

^ A 4-day park hopper ticket cost $202 in 2004, and unused days never expired.

The same ticket now costs $338, and unused days expire in two weeks unless you pay significantly more.

[Voicetek]

^ Oh I never had to worry about my park hopper pass expiring. I always use every single day that it's good for. I'd never really buy a ticket for more days that I'd be able to go for. So I wouldn't have to worry about my park hopper ticket expiring or paying more to keep it from expiring.

[medford]

according to Walt Disney World's website:

a 4 day park pass, is $279 for an adult, $260 for a child ages 3-9

a 5 day park pass is $289 for an adult, $270 for a chile ages 3-9

a 6 day park pass is $299/$280

taxes for all of those is roughly $70 a ticket ($75 for a 6 day pass)

So in figuring the cost of a WDW vacation, assuming your looking at a minimum 4 day window, but you're going to be in town longer, there is minimal savings/ticket if you don't extend your ticket package out the full time that your down there (Obviously if you know for certain that if you go down for a week, there will be at least 1 or multiple days you're going somewhere else, say like Universal or out to the ocean/gulf, then it would be a waste of money to spend the extra day, but if your going to remain on property the entire time, even a day spent at the pool can turn into a quick evening at one of the parks, so I'd go for it. In either case, when it comes to budgeting, it doesn't make a big difference to the overall budget.

so, if we pick the 5 day package in the middle , and I look at my family of 4, that is $1,190.68 including tax.

I happened to look at hotel packages the other day, and it seems that a middle of the line disney hotel room, that would fit a family of four was running approx. $160 a night, plus taxes. If I figured I needed 6 days of a hotel, to spend those 5 days in the park, that would run me another $1000+ by the time I factored in taxes. Add it up, and you're looking at over $2,000 before you start talking about gas, transportation costs, food, souveniors, etc... Obviously you can find ways to save over the average person, find a hotel room w/ a microwave and/or sink so that you can make some cheap lunches, breakfastes or dinners in your hotel room. $10,000 would make for a very nice, plush vacation at WDW for a family of 4, but as its something on my mind to do in the next 2-4 years, I've been tucking about $4000-$5000 into the back of my mind budget.

[Voicetek]

Any family who wants to do a WDW vacation on a budget, I'd recommend looking into a hotel called Seralago. It's in Kissimmee about 10 minutes from the parks. They also have bus services to and from the park. They have some very reasonable rates and offer free breakfast buffet passes to their guests. We're not talking about fruit and cereal, we're talking about a full-blown breakfast! We stayed here when my family went down a couple years ago. My wife and I also drove down to Florida for 1 night during our honeymoon. We booked this place for 1 night and they were running a special. $50 per night for a king bed and the room also had a mini fridge. We both got free breakfast buffets the next morning before we went to the park. $50 for a nice room, big bed, and free breakfast. You can beat that! It's not super extravagant, but it's no dump either. I'd say it's the perfect budget resort for a family who's looking to do Disney and also save a few bucks. The resort also has a swimming pool and game room area for the kids. I've been there twice now and love it. I'd definitely go back and definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a nice place to stay.

Check them out here

[BB1]

-3 picks, that's about how much I usually gotat WDW.

- 5 for deluxe? Score for me!

-Basically a easy way of credit fraud/marketing? It couldn't be!

BB1, a Disney enthusiast who is displeased, though, will commune the establishment in the right season.

[Voicetek]

-3 picks, that's about how much I usually gotat WDW.

- 5 for deluxe? Score for me!

-Basically a easy way of credit fraud/marketing? It couldn't be!

BB1, a Disney enthusiast who is displeased, though, will commune the establishment in the right season.

Exactly. Depending on when you go, you don't even need Fastpasses. I went with my family back in 2000 during the first week of December. There was hardly anyone there. The longest line was for Splash Mountain and that was 15-20 minutes. When my wife and I went to Magic Kingdom during our honeymoon, it was mid November. On our way to the park, I was laying out the Fastpass plan. I knew where I was going, when, and everything. We got there and spent the whole day. We only Fastpassed one thing and that was Peter Pan. We didn't even need them. If at all possible, I think the best thing to do is go when crowds are light and Fastpasses aren't even an issue.

[shark6495]

There are few "houses/condos" you can rent. They sleep 10-12 for about $1100 for the week. There is significant savings there

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Gabe]

For those interested, tripadvisor's reviews on said hotel below:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g34352-d88087-Reviews-Seralago_Hotel_and_Suites-Kissimmee_Florida.html

[Voicetek]

^ It amazes me sometimes to read reviews for various hotels, especially this one. It's like people have stayed at 2 separate hotels or something. Some love it, some hate it. Some say it's clean, some say it's dirty. Some say the hotel staff was friendly, some say they weren't friendly at all. It boggles the mind. All I can say is that I've been to this place twice now in the past 3 years and each time I went it was a great experience. But keep in mind, you do get what you pay for. This is not a $200 a night resort. It is a budget-friendly, family hotel near Disney. However, each time we went, the staff was friendly and the rooms and facilities were clean.

[jcgoble3]

The collective intelligence of TripAdvisor reviewers is comparable to that of Yahoo! Answers, and not in a favorable manner. I generally ignore TripAdvisor.