Something a Bit Special

As mentioned in my previous post (ooof! Six days ago? Sorry! We are on vacation in Europe!) we are looking to do a few extra things with our budget this trip.

Here are a couple of the things we are hoping to include:

After Hours. We have been reading up about these and watching videos (mostly from the TimTracker) of what these could look like and because they are limited number events, the crowds and wait times are hugely reduced, even in the peak summer season. This is a big draw for the whole of our family!

These are separately ticketed events and cost $125 (approx £101) plus tax per person. They include entry for 3 hours (the hours depend on the day and the park AFTER the park has closed. Also usually you can get in for an extra couple of hours with the regular park goers too.)

As they are late nights and we have two quite young children, we have already decided that we will definitely be doing the three parks, with some relaxation days at the resorts or the water parks in between.

We were considering a non-private VIP tour in the Animal Kingdom as it is our favourite, but after weighing up what we could find as pros and cons (outlined below) we decided on the After Hours for this one too. Unless we are missing something massive, the only con we found was that it would be a third very late night for the girls.

VIP (ultimate nights of adventure)

• Cost: $249pp
• Time: early evening (5pm)
• Length: 4 hours
• Ride access: Expedition Everest, Kilimanjaro Safari, Flight of Passage, Na’Vi River Journey, DINOSAUR and Rivers of Light show Only
• Lines: None. VIP access.
• Food: signature snacks and a specialty drink
• Perks: guided by a cast member. Possible behind the scenes info/goodies.

After Hours

• Cost: $125pp
• Time: late night 9/10pm
• Length: 3 hours (optional extra 2 hours)
• Ride access: Expedition Everest, Kilimanjaro Safari, Flight of Passage, Na’Vi River Journey, DINOSAUR, Rivers of Light show, Pandora Drummers, Mickey & Minnie Adventures Outpost, Tree of Life Awakenings, it’s Tough to be a Bug, TriceraTop Spin and more (perhaps not Kali River Rapids which is our favourite.)
• Lines: little to no wait time
• Food: unlimited ice cream, popcorn and bottled drinks

Perks: limited event means much smaller crowds.

Speaking of water parks, this brings us to our next special treat: We will be heading to Typhoon Lagoon and/or Universal’s Volcano Bay, and if we can get one, we will be getting hold of Beachcomber Shack (a cabana) for the day at Typhoon Lagoon (these are approximately $349 – approx £282) or the equivalent at Volcano Bay – still pricing this one up.

Next up, we thought we might treat ourselves to the Fireworks and Desserts party one night. We love the fireworks and we love desserts – this seems like a no-brainer! It will be lovely to have a really nice viewing place for the fireworks too. Although I have to admit, last year we were stuck in a little corner and still had a really good view. Unlike at Disneyland Paris, we didn’t have any problems with our view watching any of the shows at all, so no cause to complain at all!

And last, for now, we have the two park VIP at Universal Studios. We have a few more places planned into our trip this time around and as much as we loved Universal, we managed to do both parks in one day, twice! So we have decided to VIP it this time, so we are able to front of the line it for the rides that are included, get breakfast and dinner in with the price of the tour AND once the tour is over with the guide, from what I have gathered, we get unlimited ride express passes for the rest of the time. Well worth the money!

Just talking about it here is making me very excited! Yay! It’s still all so far away though!