As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.
So it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our long-running forums. They came online in 2000 and brought together so many wonderful Disney fans. We had friendships form, careers launch, couples marry, children born ... all because of this amazing community.
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There are other changes as well.
Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:
We go on to the joy and through the tears
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Moving on with the current of the years.
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It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
But eventually, we must move on and move forward. It is the right thing to do.
So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.
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So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!
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G'day, we are travelling from Australia in February visiting NY, Orlando and Miami. It is pretty unlikely that we will be able to visit again so this is our family trip of our lifetime. We have 10 nights in Orlando and want to know what is the absolute musts for us to do. There is myself and partner with my two teenagers 15 and 12. I want one day out to visit the Manatees but the rest is up for planning. I was thinking of a 5 day MYW pass but unsure whether to get hopper option. The rest for Universal/Seaworld and or Busch gardens. We are staying off site for budget and room size reasons. We are hiring a car for the orlando/miami part of our trip. Also which travel guides would be best for us to get and forums to look at? Thanks for all your help. Janet
Welcome!!! My suggestion is that you read all the sections of this board. It has a ton of information. That's how I learned most of my information.
I personally like to read Passporter book and Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World. They are invaluable in my opinion.
My family and I are great fans of hoppers but in your case you really might do better to stay in one park each day. February is usually a quiet month outside of Presidents day.
I would also consider getting on the touring plans website to check the best days to visit. You will want to avoid the am extra magic hours for sure.
Welcome! My fav books are Passporter, and WDW-The Unofficial Guide, which also has sections on Universal and SeaWorld. The Unofficial Guide also has a great web site called Touringplans.com Another good web site is Mousesavers.com
For a first visit to WDW, 6 days is good, because you won't be back you'll want to see as much as you can, so I'd recommend
2 days MK
2 days Epcot
1 day DHS
1 day AK
And I'd get park hoppers. Since you aren't staying on site, I'd do some research, and avoid going to parks that have Extra Magic Hours (EMH). Those parks are open 1 hr earlier or 3 hours later then the hours for the general public, so they will get more crowded as the day goes on. Touringplans has a great Crowd Calendar, recommending the best park each day. WDW is huge, and you need more time here then the other 2- Sea World & Universal.
Universal you can do in 2 days, 1 day a park, and SeaWorld can be 1 day, leaving you 1 day for Manatees!
When we go to WDW we stay on site, and if we go to SeaWorld there are hotels within walking distance. I think there may be a Residence Inn near SeaWorld.
Near Universal there is a Hyatt Place quite close by, it has a bedroom, and living room with pull out. So if you got 2 queens, your 12 yr old could share the room with you, and the 15 yr old could have the pull out in the living room.
There is also a Hyatt Place on International Drive close to Sea World.
Welcome to the boards! (another fellow aussie here and I feel it's like home)
Do you really need to stay offsite? I know there are cheap options offsite (vacation homes etc and super cheap motels) but the trade off in my opinion is NOT worth it...You will spend time travelling to and from the parking lots, paying for parking and not being able to utilise the extra magic hours that on property guests get to stay in the parks. And you will not qualify for the magical express (free bus to/from airport).
I suggest you stay on site at a value resort (Pop century is my fav) if only for the WDW portion of your stay. You can then take advantage of on property transport, no parking fees and the extra hours available to resort guests in each park. Then rent a car and stay off site for the non disney time. For us, the extra cost is absolutely worth it. Let's face it you spend an awful lot of $$$ just on airfares - save yourself the time and hassle. Once you stay off site you can then enjoy the cheaper food options of the chain restaurants, be able to go wherever because you have the rental car and sleep in late because you don't have to "fit it all in" as you will feel whilst in Disney because there is so much to do!
If this is your first WDW visit, allow at least 7 days to fully explore the parks and downtown disney. Personally my family pays the extra $50 per person to get "Park Hoppers" because we want to be able to change plans if someone gets too tired or sick, a show/parade/fireworks is cancelled due to rain, or if we just find something better to do - we can then go back another time. Without hoppers it's one park per day and no you can't just use another day off your tickets to gain entry to a different park!
When you say you are choosing off site due to room size, do you mean sharing with teenagers? If so the rooms at value resorts are smaller than moderate or deluxe rooms but camparable to cheaper offsite rooms. And really if it's only for a few days/week, it's okay when you are on the go and just sleeping/showering in the room.
If you have managed to read this far - congrats! I hope you enjoy your planning and continue to hang out here gaining lots of travel tips...check out the budgeting and tip forums. Good luck!
The other 3 days can be spent (not my preference) at Universal Studios (2 parks there), seeing a dinner show (heaps to choose from), touring the tacky tourist spots (Wax museum, wonderworks, skull kingdom, anything on International Drive) and shopping at the outlets and sports stores (great bargains to be had with our $ so good at Nike, Reebok and Premium outlets)...Then there is always a day trip to Tampa to their funparks...gosh so much to do!
I'd definitely get a PassPorter, as it will be invaluable in planning your Disney portion of your stay.
With 10 days, I think you're doing the right thing allowing five days for the non-Disney parks, as Universal deserves at least two days and a day each for Busch Gardens and SeaWorld will work. Ideally, six days at Disney is good - as I always say one day each for the Studios and Animal Kingdom and two days for the Magic Kingdom and Epcot, but I'm sure in five days, you'll get to see a lot of things.
Despite the fact you say it's a once in a lifetime trip (and with that length of flight, I don't blame you! ), it's worth keeping in mind that you won't be able to see and do everything - I don't think any of us on the boards have done so yet, despite the number of Disney trips we've all taken.
Welcome! In addition to the good advice given, I would recommend Allears.net as a "go to" site. I find their site especially helpful when making dining plans (they have menus for all Disney restaurants).
Thank you to everyone that has replied. I will definitely look into the sites you suggested. Would have loved to stay in resort and have looked for deals but I either need two rooms or 2bedroom which is restrictive. We do have shuttle for Disney Parks from resort. I will keep looking though just in case some winter specials come up. I think we will do the hopper option as there are a few good deals for extra days on a MYW pass at the moment. If possible, I will look at split week with part at WDW and then offsite. Thanks again and look forward to reading the forums.
Would have loved to stay in resort and have looked for deals but I either need two rooms or 2bedroom which is restrictive. We do have shuttle for Disney Parks from resort. I will keep looking though just in case some winter specials come up.
Keep checking. The % off deals (if offered) can make a big difference. But if you do stay offsite, I think I would look into renting a car. Not all shuttles are created equal and I have heard some off site resort shuttles offer limited times for pick up.
allears.net is another invaluable site when I am planning. Deb Wills provides pictures and great descriptions of everything. Sounds like an amazing trip!
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Saturday, October 9, 2014 - Kaitlyn and I before the Happy Haunted 5K at ESPN Wide World of Sports
Thanks, just waiting on reservations at WDW as reservations are down. We are getting a rental car for part of Orlando as we are driving to Miami after Disney week. Let you know how it goes. This has been invaluable to me and hope it all works well. If we can get our reservations we get a dining plan for free as well. Thanks again.
Welcome aboard. You mention that you do have shuttles to/from parks from your off site hotel. I must warn you that many of those shuttles are very restrictive on times. You may find that you have to cut a day shorter than planned for some days. You might consider keeping the rental car for the entire visit to the Orlando area for that reason. I personally would recommend hoppers. Once you buy 5 days, the cost of adding extra days is very minimal, so you might consider that just so you can pop into a park one evening if so desired, etc.
Thanks, I did get onto Disney World and we have now booked 2 rooms at the Pop Century Resort for 5 nights with hopper passes and we paid the bit extra on top of the free dining plan to have a full dinner each night. I agree it will definitely be worth it. We are then renting a car and staying offsite to visit other attractions and drive to Miami after our stay. Now all I have to do is book the restaurants - everybody wants something different
Not long to go now. I used the information in the forums and lists to book our restaurants. Looking forward to getting my passporter. Everybodys help has been great. I am so glad we booked into Pop Century. I believe it has saved us a lot of hassle and the staff at the Walt Disney World Travel company and dining plan have been terrific. Only problem has been sorting out time differences to make calls. Hope everyone had a good xmas and have a great new year.
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), it's worth keeping in mind that you won't be able to see and do everything - I don't think any of us on the boards have done so yet, despite the number of Disney trips we've all taken. 
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