attraction/tour ticket purchase

Old Nov 17th, 2014, 09:01 PM
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attraction/tour ticket purchase

Hi, we are planning our holiday for Sept/Oct 2015. We are from Australia. We are visiting LA, Las Vegas, San Fransisco, over to Orlando then to Hawaii. I have been doing my research regarding the purchase of tickets for the usual attractions/tours, and have found its much cheaper to buy tickets online than having our travel agent arrange them for us, but we have also been told we would probably get them even cheaper it we hold off and organise what we want to do once we get there ie ticket booths? Hotel lobby tour desks, people handing out brochures/pamphlets in the street. Would this be correct? Some of the things we'd like to do is walk of fame, venice beach, santa monica, LA city tour/stars homes and beaches, front of the li e passes for Disneyworld, city tour and Alcatraz, Pearl Harbour, helicopter over the Grand Canyon, would love to catch the Michael Jackson Cirque show if still going .... I don't want much do I Any suggestions would be much appreciated.
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Old Nov 18th, 2014, 05:09 AM
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Wow. You have a lot planned. I can't speak to the LA area attractions although I am guessing most of those can be done on your own and you don't need tickets. Someone else can chime in there.

Disneyworld does not have "Front of the Line" passes. You can get FastPasses for certain rides but you don't pay more for that. Mousesavers might offer a slight discount on tickets but as a rule Disney does not discount tickets so there really aren't deals to be had. Go to disboards and read up on Disney over there. The people on that forum are fanatics but they can answer any question you might have and if there is a deal, they will know about it.

You can reserve tickets to Pearl Harbor (Arizona Memorial) two months in advance for a nominal fee. I strongly encourage you to do that in order to avoid the really long lines there.

Good luck with your planning.
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Old Nov 18th, 2014, 06:38 AM
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If you are going to be at Disneyworld and want to see a Cirque show then I strongly suggest you look into the Cirque show "LaNouba" which is "resident" at Disney. Now, if it just HAS to be Michael Jackson then have at it.
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Old Nov 18th, 2014, 06:39 AM
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You don't need tickets for the Walk of Fame, Venice Beach, or Santa Monica. There is an amusement park on the Santa Monica Pier that has some pretty tame rides for which you have to pay.
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Old Nov 18th, 2014, 06:50 AM
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Book your Alcatraz tour tickets well in advance of your visit. I've seen too many disappointed people who waited until they got to SF to get tickets only to find they were sold out for the entie length of their stay.
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Old Nov 18th, 2014, 07:29 AM
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What's the allure of Disney World?

If you're going for the rides themselves, that's not worth going all the way across the country to visit because (1) Disneyland is in Anaheim; (2) any Six Flags park will have better thrill rides than a Disney park (including Magic Mountain, which is just outside LA). If you're going for the Disney experience, that's all well and good, it's your money. But do look into Disneyland to see if that will fit your needs.
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Old Nov 18th, 2014, 07:35 AM
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Most attractions in the US do not need to be booked in advance, at least not very far. You must reserve a free ticket to the Getty Villa in advance if you wish to visit it.

Of course, if you want show tickets or reservations at hot restaurants, book those in advance, but usually not more than 3 months for shows, nor more than a month for restaurants.

Walt Disney World is a special case, and it's busy almost year-round, but by mid-September it might not be so bad because US schools are back in session and there are no holidays. The last two weeks in October, however, are extraordinarily busy there, and there's a weekend in early October that tends to be busy (around Columbus Day weekend), but weekdays are quieter than weekends (since schools are in session). Nevertheless, if you are staying in WDW and in one of its hotels, make your reservations far in advance so you can make dining reservations, reserve rides, etc. Some of these experiences can be booked 3 or 4 months out. But there's no advantage in doing this through a travel agent. Rather, do it online yourself, and do it directly with Disney. Guests who stay at WDW hotels get privileges that guests not staying on site miss out on, so that's a consideration, but it's very expensive to stay on-site.

Alcatraz must be booked far in advance, at least weeks.
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Old Nov 18th, 2014, 10:45 AM
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For San Francisco (and probably other places) there is a website that sells half price tickets in advance. They require a sign-up, but it you only look without buying anything, it's free.

https://www.goldstar.com/

I know they sell tours, bay cruises (like dinner cruise).

Unless you are a huge fan of Disney, I would just visit Disneyland and California adventures in Anaheim (near Los Angeles) instead of flying all the way to Florida.
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Old Nov 18th, 2014, 10:51 AM
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I'd visit Disneyland, and avoid the trip to Florida (it will be hot and muggy there that time of year). Did you know that folks from Australia (and NZ) can buy 10 day tickets for a little more than the price of a 5 day ticket? Has to be bought through a travel agent, Flight Centre also carries them.
Helicopter will not take you from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon National Park but to tourist trap Grand Canyon West.
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Old Nov 18th, 2014, 11:14 AM
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If you haven't already purchased your airfare, wouldn't it make more sense to *start* in Orlando, then Vegas, San Fran, LA, and Hawaii before heading home? I don't understand why you would cross the US once to fly to Orlando and then have to fly back across on your way home?
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Old Nov 18th, 2014, 06:00 PM
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thanks for all your comments.
We are wanting Disneyworld over Disneyland as my daughter is a mad Harry Potter fan and its a must for us. Dukey1, we really want to see the MJ Cirque show in Vegas.
thanks again for all the info.
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Old Nov 19th, 2014, 05:07 AM
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Just to be clear, you know that the Harry Potter rides are NOT at Walt Disney World. They're at Universal Orlando, which is about 30 miles away in Orlando. So are you going to Orlando, or are you going to Walt Disney World. The reason I ask is that staying on property at Disney is very expensive and not very accessible to Universal. You must stay at one of the Universal Hotels (though not the wonderful new Cabana Bay Beach Hotel) to get early access to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and you have to purchase a 2-park ticket in order to visit both areas (Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure), which means you really need to spend 2 nights there.
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Old Nov 20th, 2014, 02:05 PM
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How long will you be spending in Orlando?
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Old Nov 21st, 2014, 01:00 AM
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We are in Orlando for 7 nights. Yes realise Harry Potter isnt in with Disneyworld. Thanks for the heads up about having to buy a two park ticket .... this is where I get confused and abit overwhelmed. Although we want Disneyworld AND Harry Potter I know there are a number of other "parks" just not sure where we really should be best spending our time.
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Old Nov 21st, 2014, 05:16 AM
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If you're in Orlando for Disney and Harry Potter, then I think it makes sense to stay 2 or 3 nights at Universal, depending on whether or not you want to see anything else in Orlando, and 4 or 5 nights at WDW.

In Universal, the most convenient hotel is the Hard Rock, but it's not at all cheap. In WDW, all the cheaper rooms are far from most of the parks, so you might consider renting a car for that portion of your stay since you can park at a WDW and the parks for free.

Of course, you can always stay off property, but I don't recommend that for Universal. Having early access to the Wizarding World is really key to having a good time, so I strongly urge you to stay in one of the Universal on-site hotels. But there are a lot of choices as close to the WDW parks as the Value resorts and much cheaper (cheap enough to off-set the additional cost of parking, though not a car rental). Of course, staying at WDW has its own perks that can't be underestimated.
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Old Nov 21st, 2014, 08:37 AM
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Many of the off-site hotels have shuttles to the parks, so if budget is a concern, you do have that option. It sounds as if the trip to Orlando is mainly for your daughter~have her research all of the parks and choose which ones appeal most to her. It's been 10 years since I've been (pre-Harry Potter), but my then 10 year old daughter's favorite was Universal Studios.
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Old Nov 21st, 2014, 08:50 AM
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I'd caution against the idea of relying on the so-called "free shuttles". They're pretty uniformly horrible and inadequate. It's usually better to rent a car or stay on site in Orlando. You can get by with the shuttles, but they limit your opportunities and take a really long time.
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Old Nov 21st, 2014, 09:53 AM
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If you are going to be at WDW during any of the Halloween actvities, I suggest springing for Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party.

It was a highlight of our 3 nights at WDW.

We found staying on property made for a very pleasant experience, although it wasn't cheap. A meal plan was well worth the price, too.
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Old Nov 21st, 2014, 01:40 PM
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One thing to warn about. If you already know about this, all the better.

You'll inevitably find offers for "discount tickets" to amusement parks in exchange for an "informational seminar" about vacation lodging. These "seminars" are actually high-pressure sales events for a timeshare investment, at which you'll almost want to give them your money just so they'll stop pestering you -- which, BTW, is EXACTLY what they're hoping for!

http://travelisfree.com/2013/12/16/7...es-are-a-scam/

You will, indeed, get your discount tickets if you survive this ordeal; but you'd be better off just paying the normal price to visit the place.
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Old Nov 25th, 2014, 01:25 AM
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Thankyou PaulRabe I had heard of this and wont be partaking in this...no time to sit and listen I can assure ��
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