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Pat-n-Eil
11-10-2005, 02:58 PM
I recently broached the idea of taking a friend of mine to Disneyland.

He hasn't been there since the first opening of Space Mountain in 1977. This is going to be sort of a "guy's trip". My wife gave me her blessing to pursue the idea. It'll be the first time I've just gone to Disneyland with a buddy instead of a family trip.

I should say, he's had kind of a bummer of a year personally but he seems pretty eager to go have a nice little vacation. Our birthdays are both in March so we thought we'd set it up for next March. We are thinking about early March - the 4th through the 6th in an attempt to be able to visit both the reopening Haunted Mansion and the going down for refurb Pirates of the Carribbean. (If we have to choose, we'd shoot Pirates).

I figure this trip would be leisurely. Ride rides, enjoy lobster nachos, have a couple drinks, take in Aladdin.. And of course, do the rides we'd like to do in both parks. We'll likely arrive around noon on the 4th.. Enjoy the parks that day, the 5th and some of the 6th before we headed back home (about 8 hour drive).

I see that the prices of staying at a Disney property go up substantially after January. My AAA pricing says I could get Paradise Pier for two nights and a 3 day parkhopper for two for about $600. This includes the AAA enhanced FastPass.

But I can get Park Inn Anaheim or Best Western Park Place Inn for closer to $470 - both in January and in March.

But in March, that price for Paradise Pier goes to $715 & while I want to give my friend a top notch experience - that's a pretty penny to pay just to get an enhanced FastPass.

I'm assuming that the crowds will be manageable as I think we're missing spring break

So here, finally, is my question. Do you think the cost for a Disney Property through AAA (Disney Travel) might come down if I wait for a last-minute deal? Otherwise, we'll take the $250 savings and spend it on meals & entertainment. :)

Micki0624
11-10-2005, 03:54 PM
If you can't find any last minute deals. Try getawaytoday.com they are one of the cheapest. It includes hotel and tix.

DangerMouse
11-10-2005, 04:33 PM
Do you really think you will NEED enhanced fastpass during such an off-peak time? If you know the ins and outs of the FP system, and the park is even moderately busy, you will be fine without the enhanced feature. You could even look into purchasing ridemax and use that for one morning in order to maximize your rides.

I'm going the week prior to that and am going ahead and making reservations at the HoJo. If anything pops up on Expedia last minute for on-site, I'll jump on it.

I don't have a clue about last minute deals through AAA, though, or if they even offer them.

jeffat2
11-10-2005, 05:25 PM
I looked at getaway todays web site and it shows that jan-3-april 27 they have tickets for park hopper 3 day at 119.00 . its called everyone plays for the kids price ,and they have a hotel (sheraton anaheim) that is the third night is free. the site is getaway today.com Hope this helps . Jeff

disneyhound
11-11-2005, 05:12 AM
I looked at getaway todays web site and it shows that jan-3-april 27 they have tickets for park hopper 3 day at 119.00 . its called everyone plays for the kids price ,and they have a hotel (sheraton anaheim) that is the third night is free. the site is getaway today.com Hope this helps . Jeff I was wondering why/how getawaytoday is offering "Kids Play At Adults Prices" deal, but Disney's website does not list the same ticket deal. Is there an error at getawaytoday, if not, why wouldn't Disney be offering the same deal? It's a great promotion to lure visitors... Is this deal only available at getawaytoday? I haven't seen it elsewhere.

MickeyandMe
11-11-2005, 08:04 AM
The "Kids Play at Adult Prices" and "Kids Free" deal is available through Disney, it is just not available on their website at this time. You just have to call to get it.

And for the original question about the AAA pricing - no, those prices should not go down. They have their prices for the hotels set in advance for the year and they definitely should not go down - they shouldn't go up either, but they might get sold out!

Pat-n-Eil
11-11-2005, 08:18 AM
Do you really think you will NEED enhanced fastpass during such an off-peak time? If you know the ins and outs of the FP system, and the park is even moderately busy, you will be fine without the enhanced feature. You could even look into purchasing ridemax and use that for one morning in order to maximize your rides. ...

This is exactly my line of thinking. Do I really need Enhanced during this time.. well, no - not if the crowds are decent. And I have thought about ridemax too. I've heard it really does work. I could save some decent money by not booking into a disney property, that's for sure.

HydroGuy
11-11-2005, 09:15 AM
This is exactly my line of thinking. Do I really need Enhanced during this time.. well, no - not if the crowds are decent.I never thought I would hear you say this about EFP! ;)

kc10family
11-11-2005, 12:39 PM
Here is my take on it.
1st you have a bit of time of you are not going until March, so you have a little time to research.
2nd take a look at different places than AAA. While they are good sometimes other groups have a better deal. (key word “sometimes”)
http://www.wdwinfo.com/disneyland/
http://www.getawaytoday.com
http://www.kingdommagictravel.com/ (I just used them, Ask for Michelle 1-866-972-6244 ext 716)
http://www.themagicforless.com/dl/specials.shtml
http://www.dreamsunlimitedtravel.com/packages/
http://www.wdwvacations.com/

Most places will hold your requests for about 10-14 days. It seems like a lot to do, but I figure I want my vacation to be the best it can be, so a little extra time on my part is fine.

I have used AAA many times for our trips to Disneyland and I do like them a lot, this time I just wanted to try something different. If you do go with AAA try Tracy in the Livermore office (1-888-937-5523 ext 2370) she was very helpful with our trip in Sep.

Good luck to you and I hope you have a Great Disney Day!!!