A salute to all theme parks but mostly Disney

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Ask/Tell > Tourism & Travel > A salute to all theme parks but mostly Disney

KittyEmpress: Dec 30, 2012; Jam Buddies

Okay, this is kind of a large thing to ask, but the subject came up today for me, when I learned about Shades of Green.

My mother is turning 60 next year and has wanted to go to Walt Disney World since it opened, as she lived 40 miles from Disney Land and has gone 30+ times in her life, but has never managed to have enough money to go.

I am going into the navy this year, though as an enlisted so I will not exactly be rich.

I still want to take her to Walt Disney World for his 60th birthday, as that is a big date. So I have a few questions.

1. How big of a difference, quality wise, is Shades of Green from the rest of the Disney Hotels? If I want to make it big, should I spring for one of the more expensive ones? I'm sort of hesitant to do so because I know my mother enjoys shopping, and the extra money saved on hotels would be good for letting her buy lots of knick-knacks.

2. How much should I expect to spend time wise if I want to be able to show her all four parks?

3. How much money should I expect to spend not including travel or souvenirs, with SoG or other more recommended hotels. I'd like for us to go around September to October, because my mother's very sensitive to humidity and heat.

I know all of these will change by the time that it's next year, but the fact is that I'll be making about 1500 a month on average for the next year, so I'll need to start saving soon. I know it's a little outside my means and should wait, but while my mom is still active (2+ mile walks every day) I don't want to risk her getting to where she wont enjoy it as much before we go. So hey, if I have to budget myself and barely have any money until then, that's fine.

# ¿ Jul 29, 2013 07:15

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# ¿ May 2, 2024 22:25

KittyEmpress: Dec 30, 2012; Jam Buddies

Nathilus posted:

2. Count me in with the lot that says 5 days. One day per park and the extra spent shopping or park hopping or at shows or whatever.

3. Depends! Dining Plan or no? How long are you going to stay? What options do you want, such as park hopper access? For five days, room at a mid-rate place and park tickets will be under 2k, perhaps significantly so at that time a year. You could end up getting away with paying 14 to 15 hundred dollars, particularly with the discount from Shades of Green.

As for her health and keeping her refreshed, 5 days gives you plenty of time for breathers. It's still going to be hot in September and likely even October. Sorry, that's the middle and south of Florida for you. I'd recommend going late October or even early November if possible. The EPCOT food and wine festival starts up around then and is awesome, plus it might be significantly cooler. Regardless, there are plenty of shady spots to duck into for a moment and a brief nap or dip in the pool back at the hotel are great uses of a few hours in the middle of the afternoon.

Hopefully the four day parkhoppers are still around next year, which is likely what I'd end up getting if so. That'd let me do the five day thing, with four days of parks and the last day for shopping at Downtown Disney.

Are the dining plans worth getting? Would I pay more for dining plans than I would for regular food on average?

# ¿ Jul 29, 2013 21:52

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Ask/Tell > Tourism & Travel > A salute to all theme parks but mostly Disney