Planning possible April 2025 visit

[LKing]

I am a Disneyland Magic Key holder who visits the California parks at least once a week. I haven't been to WDW in over 15 years. The last time we visited, our kids were young, we had just finished a Disney cruise, and we stayed in a VRBO. It was great to have a space where we could decompress from the crowds and hustle and bustle of the parks. Plus, it had a washer/dryer and we could take a break from restaurant food.

I will be attending a conference at the Hyatt Regency Orlando next April and am considering adding days to the beginning to visit WDW again. My kids are grown and out of the house, so it will just be my spouse and me. I need some guidance on things to consider regarding staying on site or off site. I don't care about a "Disney bubble" but I am concerned about the time and effort that it takes to get from point A to point B. We are somewhat spoiled in California with the parks being adjacent to each other. Plus, we have free parking at Disneyland, so we don't have to worry about that expense.

As far as tickets, I see people referencing third party sites (ex. Undercover Tourist) but I have never used them. Thoughts about the pros and cons? Are there times of year when WDW runs promos or discounts?

Finally, I'm sure there are threads with "not to miss" attractions at WDW compared to DLR. If anyone has links to to helpful threads that they can share, I would very appreciative.

 

[Massachusetts]

Assuming no car rental, Poly seems to be best for travel times for all WDW parks. If your more focused on Epcot or HS then the BCV, BW or RIV

 

[starry_solo]

What do you want to see/experience at WDW? That might give us an idea of what to recommend.

 

[LKing]

We are adults in our late 50s who know Disneyland like the back of our hands. We like Disney history and nostalgia. We will have four days and want to see the attractions that we don't have in CA. This includes both rides and entertainment. Off the top of my head, we haven't done Avatar, Test Track or Tron. I often see people coming to the DL forum asking what is unique to DL. I'm flipping the narrative and asking what is unique to WDW?

I am a little stressed about the whole dining reservations process. I would like to include some nice meals but don't want to take time away from seeing the parks. I'm used to quick service at Disneyland. I've heard that WDW quick service isn't as good. How many reservations should I make over the four day period so that I'm not left eating corn dogs? Any restaurants not to miss?

 

[_19disnA]

If you have a rental car then staying off-site is no big deal. Over the years we have stayed both at Disney and also at various nearby locations. I don't feel you lose out on anything staying elsewhere. We find most Disney park food to be pricey. Many places have good QS meals and you can check the online menus on the official Disney website to see what the choices are along with prices. Disney parks are HUGE so you should expect to do a LOT of walking. Ride lines for the most popular rides tend to be long and parks usually have huge crowds. Those factors mean it will take more time to do various rides and it isn't just a matter of walking from one ride to the next.

We would tend to do TS meals for dinner that were NOT at a park. Disney Springs has a lot of good choices as well as many restaurants in the area not associated with Disney. Restaurant reviews tend to be all over the map and if you don't know the preferences of those people they may be the type who like to complain about everything or want to bash the entire meal since they happened to run out of bread sticks.

Disney has 4 different parks and depending on what you want to see/do that can take several days to accomplish.

 

[VeronicaZS]

I highly recommend the Epcot /Hollywood studios resort area which will give you walking or boat access to 2 parks that they don’t have in DL. I would hate to deal with a car on vacation if I didn’t have to but that is a personal choice. Prices are outrageous but it sounds like you are open to other options and Marriott’s Swan and Dolphin resorts in the same area give you almost all of the same perks as Disney deluxe hotels. Also, the Flower and Garden Festival will be going on in Epcot and if you get hoppers you might enjoy visiting Epcot more than once.
I wouldn’t stress about food. With a little research and planning you’ll see there are lots of good options, even quick service.
There have been ticket deals for the past 2 years but who knows if they’ll do it again next year. You can see the details on the Disney special offers page.
I exclusively use third party ticket resellers and I’ve never had a problem. There may be differences in how they handle ticket changes/ refunds but I’ve always purchased from whoever had the cheapest tickets which I determine using the touring plans Disney ticket price comparison calculator. I don’t see the point in paying full price.

 

[LKing]

Thank you! We are debating the Epcot/HS region vs staying off site at a hotel with a shuttle and use points. If we stay off site, we can purchase ILL with the money saved.

We go to Disneyland A LOT. Many times we go for entertainment, festivals, ambiance etc. and don't go on any rides. I don't feel that I need to DO it all, but I want to SEE it all. We are thinking of getting a four day ticket and doing one day in each park. I don't think we will need a full day in MK or HS as they are pretty similar to what we have here. On those days, we might go to Disney Springs or have a nicer dinner.

Is the Disney special offers page on the Dis Boards or somewhere else?

 

[VeronicaZS]

Thank you! We are debating the Epcot/HS region vs staying off site at a hotel with a shuttle and use points. If we stay off site, we can purchase ILL with the money saved.

We go to Disneyland A LOT. Many times we go for entertainment, festivals, ambiance etc. and don't go on any rides. I don't feel that I need to DO it all, but I want to SEE it all. We are thinking of getting a four day ticket and doing one day in each park. I don't think we will need a full day in MK or HS as they are pretty similar to what we have here. On those days, we might go to Disney Springs or have a nicer dinner.

Is the Disney special offers page on the Dis Boards or somewhere else?

4 days, 1 in each park is how we do WDW now that we have been so often.

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/special-offers/

 

[thanxfornoticin]

Thank you! We are debating the Epcot/HS region vs staying off site at a hotel with a shuttle and use points. If we stay off site, we can purchase ILL with the money saved.

You certainly will save some money doing that. Just keep in mind (although you probably know), if you're off-site, you'll only have access to ILLs at park opening. On-site guests will get a 90-120 minute jump on buying them. If it's not crazy busy, that shouldn't matter, but you might need to adjust the return time options based on availability. I certainly wouldn't stay on-site just to improve my ILL options, though......

 

[LKing]

Thank you, I understand that there is a chance that we will not be able to get on some of the ILL rides. We are okay doing single rider when available. Do you know if there is a thread somewhere that lists rides with single rider?

We are looking at going either the first or second week in April. Easter is April 20. We'll have a combination of weekdays and weekends (Sat-Tues) and can adjust what parks we go to depending on crowds. That's the next step - figuring out if it is better to go the first weekend or the second weekend. My gut instinct is that the second weekend would be farther away from spring break travelers.

In California, Sundays & Mondays tend to be the busiest park days. At WDW, are weekends more busy than weekdays?

 

[DebLovesPooh]

Through Easter will still be Spring Break crowds. Tron and GOTG are still virtual queue and ILL only, so if you’re not familiar with those, it is worth reading up/watching YouTube about those. They are absolutely worth the effort. I think the off-site shuttles vary on frequency and cost. I would research those as well before you consider going off site without a rental car.

As for rides, Animal Kingdom is wonderful and if you’re rarely at WDW, add both Pandora rides, Safari, Everest, and Dinosaur to your ride list. Epcot is my favorite. GOTG is amazing and we always ride Test Track, Remy, and Frozen. Block off time to walk around the showcase, check out the food booths, topiaries, and stores. MK will be mostly the same as DL. On that day, I would take the boat to Wilderness Lodge and see Hoop Dee Doo. It’s so much fun and easy transport from MK.