For my first proper post in my Disney series I thought it would be good to share how we booked our tickets. Booking tickets that are so expensive can be a daunting experience so I wanted to share how we did it.
First thing to note is that we aren't staying on Disney property. It is something that I want to do but as we are taking my great aunt and uncle with us we thought that they would prefer a nice quite villa where they can relax and do what they want. Also I do think that the Disney overload may send my dad slightly demented - just slightly though.
Staying on Disney property provides guests with lots of little extras such as Extra Magic Hours, dining plans and being around the magic 24/7.
However, don't be fooled it's just as great staying off property as it is staying on.
So how did we go about booking our tickets?
Step1: Research
The first thing that I did was some research. It involved lots of googling and writing notes. I looked up lots of sites that sell Disney - and Universal - tickets. This included the actual companies themselves. After lots and lots of research I eventually decided to go with American Attractions. They were offering a great price and included some really great extras for the price.
Step2: Keep an Eye on the Exchange Rate
It's a really good idea to keep an eye on how the exchange rate is as the price of the tickets will increase or decrease depending on how strong the dollar is. We managed to buy our tickets when the dollar was a little weaker and this worked in our benefit.
Step3: Have an Idea of What You Want To Do
Before you spend any money, it's always a good idea to have an idea of what you want from your tickets. I knew that I wanted to visit all of the Disney parks and I didn't want to be limited to a small amount of days. We are spending two weeks in Florida, now we won't be at the parks everyday but it's nice to have the option. I also knew that I wanted to include Universal days in the two weeks so it was important for us to have combination tickets.
Step4: Remember Disney Offers
Each year, Disney always releases such as including free dining plans into your stay or in this case you got your park tickets at two weeks for the price of one and this also included the memory maker for free. (I will be explaining the memory maker at a later stage)
Our Tickets...
So after all that what did we get then? Well we picked up the Disney & Universal combo ticket from American Attractions. We managed to pick it up £559 (at last check it is now sitting at £577) and this includes a 14 day ticket for all 6 Walt Disney World parks which are:
Before you spend any money, it's always a good idea to have an idea of what you want from your tickets. I knew that I wanted to visit all of the Disney parks and I didn't want to be limited to a small amount of days. We are spending two weeks in Florida, now we won't be at the parks everyday but it's nice to have the option. I also knew that I wanted to include Universal days in the two weeks so it was important for us to have combination tickets.
Step4: Remember Disney Offers
Each year, Disney always releases such as including free dining plans into your stay or in this case you got your park tickets at two weeks for the price of one and this also included the memory maker for free. (I will be explaining the memory maker at a later stage)
So after all that what did we get then? Well we picked up the Disney & Universal combo ticket from American Attractions. We managed to pick it up £559 (at last check it is now sitting at £577) and this includes a 14 day ticket for all 6 Walt Disney World parks which are:
- Magic Kingdom
- Epcot
- Holywood Studios
- Animal Kingdom
- Blizzard Beach (Water Park)
- Typhoon Lagoon
As well as having access to the 6 parks over 14 days our ticket also includes the memory maker which would have originally cost $199 to add separately.
For this price it also included a 7 day three park ticket to Universal Studios. The 3 parks here are:
- Universal Studios
- Islands of Adventure
- Volcano Bay (Water Park)
After extensive research I found that Harry Potter World is spread across Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure so we required at least a two park ticket and could not get away with one - rather clever on their behalf if you ask me.
PHEW!! That was a lot of information...
I think it's important to note here that, Harry Potter World is the main reason we are going to Universal as we are not really into fast roller coasters and thrill seeking rides like they have in these parks. That being said we haven't been in around 14 years - Back To The Future ride was still there and I am gutted it's gone - so it's all different now, will be good to see how much it has changed.
Although it is a very steep price and there really is no denying that fact, it's not something I could justify doing multiple times a year currently. However, there is so much to experience within all of the theme parks that it really does make up for the initial cost.
It's also important to remember that there are cheaper tickets to purchase and other ways to reduce costs - I am sort of looking for that big wow factor this time as it's been so long since I have been and I want to feel the magic all around me!
It's also important to remember that there are cheaper tickets to purchase and other ways to reduce costs - I am sort of looking for that big wow factor this time as it's been so long since I have been and I want to feel the magic all around me!
We found that American Attractions was the cheapest site to purchase tickets from and although they said postage would take between 12-14 days we received ours in under 2 - which is remarkable for Northern Ireland. We have also received proper tickets rather then e-tickets, which I love.
If you have any questions about the booking experience that I have had let me know in the comments.
Now that the tickets are booked I can plan out what I want to do....
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