Disney Vacation Planning: Weighing the Pros
and Cons
When I
was a teenager deciding on colleges, my parents encouraged me to make “pro” and
“con” lists for each campus I visited. It’s a habit I’ve developed fully over
the years and now use it for just about every major (and minor) life decision.
It also applies to Disney vacation planning – and so I thought I’d share a few
insights with you here.
Let’s
face it: Disney has nothing if not a myriad of options laid at the feet of
those planning a vacation trip to the House of Mouse. And for those who are at a loss over where to
begin, it can be overwhelming. Below are my personal thoughts/opinions on
resort options, park tickets and extracurricular activities.
Once you've read my list below, feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments
section – I’d love to know what you think!
Resorts
Type
|
PRO
|
CON
|
Deluxe Resorts (e.g., Polynesian,
Grand Floridian, Boardwalk)
|
·
Most are located very close to parks, cutting down on
travel time
·
Overall resort theme with well-appointed rooms and amenities
·
Wealth of on-site entertainment and dining options
|
·
Prices
·
Some hotels (e.g., Animal Kingdom Lodge) require a long
bus ride to parks other than AK
|
Moderate Resorts (e.g., Port
Orleans, Caribbean Beach)
|
·
Less expensive than deluxe resorts
·
Some have updated guest rooms (e.g., Pirate and
princess rooms)
|
·
Limited entertainment and dining options
·
Requires bus transportation to all parks (which can
take up to 30 minutes based on crowd levels)
|
Value Resorts (e.g., All Star
Sports, Art of Animation)
|
·
Less expensive than moderate resorts
·
Some offer family suites to accompany large parties
travelling together
|
·
Limited entertainment and dining options
·
Requires bus transportation to all parks (which can
take up to 30 minutes based on crowd levels)
·
I have heard from Value Resort guests that rooms are
often located VERY far from parking (if you have your own car)
|
Park Tickets
Type
|
PRO
|
CON
|
Base Ticket
|
·
Cost effective; price per day lowers based on number of
days purchased
·
Allows for unlimited exit and re-entry into one of the
four main parks per day
|
·
Limits you to one park per day
·
Travel from the park to other locations (even back to
your resort for a break) can eat into your day and limit your overall park
time
|
Park Hoppers
|
·
Allows you to visit as many of the four main parks as
you wish in any given day
|
·
Cost of adding this option to a base ticket doesn't always
have a good ROI
·
Even the most seasoned travelers are lucky to hit two
parks per day
·
Travel between the parks can be time consuming
|
Water Park and More Option
|
·
For water park enthusiasts, provides lots of options
outside of the parks
|
·
Even more money to spend on top of Park Hoppers
|
Extracurricular Activities
Type
|
PRO
|
CON
|
Group Guided Tours
|
·
Allows for special ‘behind the scenes’ glimpses of the parks;
especially interesting for seasoned park visitors looking to discover
something ‘new’
|
·
Can be expensive (the best tour we’ve found is actually
Behind the Seeds in the Land pavilion at Epcot – low cost, fun and
informative)
·
Many require a lot of walking and standing, not ideal
for all park guests
|
Downtown Disney
|
·
Great way to soak in Disney ambiance without using up a
park ticket
·
Lots of great dining and entertainment options
·
Best shopping on property – everything you could want,
all in one place at World of Disney
|
·
Bus service from resort hotels is time consuming
·
Very loud, crowded on weekend evenings (Thursday,
Friday and Saturday)
|
Disney Water Parks
|
·
A great way to spend a day beating the Florida heat and
not caring what you look like in your bathing suit
·
For those who can spend the extra money, private
cabanas with Cast Member wait service are fantastic!
|
·
Can be a crap shoot from a weather perspective – there are
no discounts if you go to Blizzard Beach in the morning and then it rains all
afternoon
·
Parks have limited hours of operation
·
Can be expensive – additional admission costs over and
above regular park tickets
|
Living in Florida, we usually have Seasonal Passes (upgraded to Annual this year), and rarely hit more than one park each day.
ReplyDeleteOne exception: one year, for passholders, they were offering 4 lithographs, one at each park. So, we drove down (3 hours), hit 4 parks (and a 1-2 rides / shows at each), and drove home that night. It was busy, but do-able. But, I wouldn't recommend that unless you were doing it for a special reason. We were lucky to do 2 things in each park, and wouldn't have been able to do something that required a fast pass.