To not go to Disney World when we go to Florida?

[SarahFx]

We are going to Florida for the first time next month with son who is 5. He's not a big traditional Disney fan but does like Monsters Inc, superheroes etc.

I'll make it clear this isn't my type of holiday, I prefer a beach holiday and I'm not majorly looking forward to this holiday but its been paid for by my FIL as it's his wish to send DS to Florida.

All has been paid for and we have tickets for Legoland, Seaworld & Aquatica but I just don't want to shell out the £900 for Disney tickets and was thinking we could just visit a big Disney shop and take some photos.

Those who have been, would we really be missing out?

[WorraLiberty]

Why does your FIL want to send a 5yr old to Florida?

Is it because he thinks he'll enjoy Disney?

Also, is that really how much it costs to visit the theme park for one day??

[HarryTheHungryHippo]

£900! why is it that much?

[Tee2072]

How many members of your family are there for it to cost that much?

[AnneEyhtMeyer]

Are you just trying to make a point to your FIL?

It does not cost £900 for Disney tickets. If you bought 2 adult and 1 child 14 day tickets to all their parks it would cost £745 in 2014. If you only go for a few days you can make that considerably cheaper.

[VileWoman]

OMG. DH has been saying Disney World is an essential part of childhood. Not at that price it isn't!

FWIW I have never been to a Disney resort and I am a relatively functioning adult who does not resent my parents for this obvious gap in my childhood.

[Hulababy]

I assume the £900 is for the whole group/family and for the whole duration, not just Disney for one day each - unless there are several of you.

Universal Studios has Marvel superheros btw. Disney has Monsters inc, Star Wars, etc.

IME there is not much more to Orlando than theme parks. And tbh a Disney shop is really not the same as the Disney theme parks

How about the Space Centre? And a day trip to the coast - about an hour away.

[Jewels234]

Could you do a Disney water park? Much cheaper...and actually amazing (I was in Blizzard Beach two weeks ago!). x

[RosieLig]

Seems a shame to me. There's no way it costs £900! Just go to one of the parks for the day instead.

I get the feeling there's a bit of IL history here. Do you not want to go to Florida?

[littlewhitebag]

Of course you would be missing out. Why go all the way to Orlando and not go to a Disney park? You don't have to shell out for a multi park ticket. Do a bit of research and work out what he might like. The Magic Kingdom is amazing for small children and mine liked Animal Kingdom at that age too. Epcot is much too grown up. I am actually not a huge theme park/Disney fan but the Magic Kingdom made me cry when i first walked in. It just seemed so .... magical! I think it possibly blows kids minds. Look online for ticket deals before you go.

[Hulababy]

Ticket prices here: www.undercovertourist.com/orlando/attractions/tickets.html

We have used this company a couple of times and no others have too. Not £900!

[elastamum]

I cant see why it should cost £900, but if you go to Orlando I do think that you might be missing out. The magic kingdom is great for little ones and the animal kingdom if anything is even more fun. There is a huge dinosaur park with a giant sandpit and the safari ride is great.

Go on line and look at all the rides and attractions and work out which things you can all go on. You might find you enjoy it more than you expect to

[McNewPants2013]

there is no way i could go to Florida with my DC and not go to disney world. I don't think they would forgive me either.

[CocacolaMum]

I took ds to Disneyworld when he was 5 (my gran paid) and it was seriously fucking awesome! I would love to take dc now but its not really financially viable. If my IL's were offering I would jump at the chance

[Taz1212]

You can buy a one day ticket for just over $100 pp if you just want to go to the Magic Kingdom for a day. You could do that and go to Downtown Disney another day to wander around the shops.

I would personally not miss WDW with a 5 year old if I were going all the way over to Orlando! If you do go, however, check the Halloween party nights. You could either just go for the Halloween party (less expensive than an all day park ticket and you get in at 4:00- there's trick or treating, special parade, characters and fireworks) or get a normal ticket and avoid the party (you are kicked out at 7:00 on party nights if you don't have a party ticket).

[AnneEyhtMeyer]

Totally not the point, but littlewhitebag loads of people say that about Epcot, but there is actually loads for small children to do - Donald Duck Three Cabelleros ride, Figment ride, really great character meets at the Character Spot, Spaceship Earth, Turtle Talk with Crush, the incredible enormous fish tanks, The Nemo ride, Ellen's Energy Adventure, Maelstrom ride in "Norway", the model trains in "Germany", also Soarin and Test Track dependent on height.

[belatedmaybe]

By the sounds of it this is something you are going to do once so I would say shelling out for day passes to a couple of the parks most to your ds taste would be the very least you can do.

Look on it as paying it forward for the holidays he will doubtless go on that aren't really his cup of tea (most of us remember at least one family holiday our parents loved but we hated! )

[SarahFx]

There are two adults and one child going on the holiday and I can't find anything less than a week pass, we are going for two weeks. To make it worth the money I just think you would have to be Disney mad and want to go more than a couple of days.

There's no IL history, I'm very grateful to FIL for paying for the holiday even though it's not my thing. We've just saved for months for our spending money and I hate to say goodbye to a chunk of it. Maybe we will buy a two day ticket when we get there if that's possible. Thanks for the advice.

[CoffeeTea103]

Wow you seem really selfish and ungrateful. Your post was entirely about how you don't want to go and what you would prefer.
You may not want to but surely it will be quite an experience for your DS as well.
And most of the trip has been paid for already! The other posters have pointed out it doesn't need to cost that much anyway.

[Ifcatshadthumbs]

Think you are being a bit snobby and mean spirited tbh. Your FIL has been very generous to pay for you to have a holiday I think you could suck up a couple of days at Disney for your son's benefit.

[AnneEyhtMeyer]

Well if it is two adults and one child, booking tickets from Disney themselves on their website would cost £745 for unlimited entry to all their parks and water parks for 14 days.

Clearly you haven't looked, and are just trying to justify not going.

[holidaybug]

You'd be missing out big time. Disney's the main deal in Orlando and is way better than the other parks for that age group (and for the parents too).

[SarahFx]

Just looked up Disney Halloween parties and they do look great. Maybe we will go for a couple of days.

[Happypiglet]

Anne I agree epcot was fab. Turtle talk with Crush was one of the first things we did at Disney and it blew my kids and my minds... I knew then that WDW was going to be awesome... They could just not understand how Crush talked to people in the audience and therefore assumed he was actually there and sentient... One of my holiday highlights!
Go to a Disney theme park...seriously....they are incredible...

[Taz1212]

Hulababy has posted the link to undercover tourist. You can buy a one day ticket from them. Or, the Halloween party is $62 (plus tax) per adult and a bit less for kids which will give you entry from 4:00 on the party nights. Either option is nowhere near £900!