NEWS FLASH: You must be 4YO to go to Disney! Oct '11 PTR, 10/24 WE'RE BACK! p 18

[3princesses+aprince]

Oh i've looked into the pirate rooms before too. They look awesome. If a room discount or free dining comes out I would definitely try to switch over. That would be a nice experience. Like you said though, that resort is big. More walking than at the All stars. For that price difference though, i'd switch. If it was a couple hundred, i'd say use it as spending money , but for just around 100 bucks, i'd get the pirate room.

And that's great that Caden wants to ride Dinosaur. I really LOVE that ride and cannot wait to ride it again.

 

[-Hope-]

Those pirate rooms ARE really cool. I've never actually stayed in a mod but from the pics the rooms don't really look all that different from the values as far as size is concerned so it really is the theming you're paying for. Of course CBR has a beach to sit and relax which would be lovely but with a little one you might not actually do much relaxing. I'm not really much help, lol! I'm naturally inclined to save when I can and I'd probably opt to save the money and use it to pay for some extras like Pirate League before MNSSHP. It would be awfully tempting to upgrade though...

 

[Pixiedust530]

I can't help with any knowledge on CBR but just know that there are lots of us hoping to save some money in October with a discount. A small part of me hopes the discounts skip our week though to avoid crowds. I know the last pin that I got on a post card just before our trip had a percentage off but a two week period containing our trip was blacked out of it. Then when the day I went to make our reservations the regular Savannah room selection completely disappeared from AKL. It was there the night before. I checked before I left and the TA had the same thing on her screen (she didn't believe it and called Disney to make sure). No regular Savannah view. We had to pay extra for the Arusha Savannah view. The AAA travel agent said that there was some kind of big convention happening that week (hence no discount and limited rooms) and the weekends would probably be more crowded as well as evenings at F&W. We do most of our touring during the day so I was okay with that.

Still, fingers crossed for a discount. I think Caden would be just as happy with a giant Toy Story figure outside of his room. Especially since he doesn't know about the pirate beds.

I had heard about the convention. I wonder how much that will impact the mods....especially the pirate rooms. Hmmmm???? We will do most of our touring during the day too so I'm not too worried about the crowds in the evenings.

Oh i've looked into the pirate rooms before too. They look awesome. If a room discount or free dining comes out I would definitely try to switch over. That would be a nice experience. Like you said though, that resort is big. More walking than at the All stars. For that price difference though, i'd switch. If it was a couple hundred, i'd say use it as spending money , but for just around 100 bucks, i'd get the pirate room.

And that's great that Caden wants to ride Dinosaur. I really LOVE that ride and cannot wait to ride it again.

Thanks for the advice! For some reason, I'm beginning to think the size isn't really a huge factor. We can always drive to the big themed pool.

Those pirate rooms ARE really cool. I've never actually stayed in a mod but from the pics the rooms don't really look all that different from the values as far as size is concerned so it really is the theming you're paying for. Of course CBR has a beach to sit and relax which would be lovely but with a little one you might not actually do much relaxing. I'm not really much help, lol! I'm naturally inclined to save when I can and I'd probably opt to save the money and use it to pay for some extras like Pirate League before MNSSHP. It would be awfully tempting to upgrade though...

CBR actually has the largest rooms of all the mods. They are 340 sq. ft. compared to 260 sq ft. in the values. My grandparents are traveling with and my grandma would LOVE to upgrade to a mod. I originally told her we just couldn't afford it. She has offered to watch caden a night or 2 so Wayne and I can enjoy some alone time. That would probably be the only time I would use the beach...maybe just for a moonlit stroll. I already have $$ set aside for The Pirates League (assuming they extend the hours on MNSSHP night and I can get an appt after our 4pm entry to MK on the night of MNSSHP) and for a build your own light-saber. I have additional speding money as well, but these are the 2 things I KNOW will be extras/surprises. This is SOOOO tough!

 

[jc040404]

Wow! I've missed so much since I decided to follow along! I'll just chime in from here though.

Love the DIsney math! It's amazing what a little pixie dust in a calculator can help you come up with. I do hope you get one of your discounts since you want to try CBR so much! We've stayed there twice now and mostly loved it. I didn't go with the pirate rooms though, just standard. The Nemo theme was so bright and cheery! The pirate buildings are reeeeally far away from everything, so be prepared to walk if you get one! We walked the resort one morning, but skipped the longer journey out to that section. Have you looked into the kids' pirate cruise there? It's just under 37 bucks and for kids 4 & up. My little guy(4) LOVED it. (Hope I'm not pushing the dream too much by suggesting, but thought I'd ask!)

Whichever resort you end up in, I know you'll have a wonderful time!

 

[msmith1026]

Joining the party late! I love your PTR, and we told our daughter that you have to be 5 to go to Disney, so your PTR Title had me hooked from the start!

 

[Pixiedust530]

Wow! I've missed so much since I decided to follow along! I'll just chime in from here though.

Love the DIsney math! It's amazing what a little pixie dust in a calculator can help you come up with. I do hope you get one of your discounts since you want to try CBR so much! We've stayed there twice now and mostly loved it. I didn't go with the pirate rooms though, just standard. The Nemo theme was so bright and cheery! The pirate buildings are reeeeally far away from everything, so be prepared to walk if you get one! We walked the resort one morning, but skipped the longer journey out to that section. Have you looked into the kids' pirate cruise there? It's just under 37 bucks and for kids 4 & up. My little guy(4) LOVED it. (Hope I'm not pushing the dream too much by suggesting, but thought I'd ask!)

Whichever resort you end up in, I know you'll have a wonderful time!

I am somewhat of a math nerd anyway, so Disney math and Pixie Dust in my calculator is just super fun....but a little messy (that pixie dust gets EVERYWHERE)

I saw that the pirate buildings were really far away, but I don't mind that really! I did a little research on the pirate cruise for kids....do they go without the parents? I am the furthest thing from being overprotective, but I don't think I could let him on a boat without me. I used to be a lifeguard and have witnessed too many water accidents to even consider letting him on the water without me. I'm sure he would be just fine, but I don't think I could do it!

Joining the party late! I love your PTR, and we told our daughter that you have to be 5 to go to Disney, so your PTR Title had me hooked from the start!

So glad to have you along! As parents we just have to come up with all sorts of little stories for our kiddos!

 

[jc040404]

I did a little research on the pirate cruise for kids....do they go without the parents? I am the furthest thing from being overprotective, but I don't think I could let him on a boat without me. I used to be a lifeguard and have witnessed too many water accidents to even consider letting him on the water without me. I'm sure he would be just fine, but I don't think I could do it!

They do go alone. I am a super overprotective parent, but felt okay with how it was handled. There were two CMs watching over the kids, with everyone in vests. I'm sure he'd be fine and have fun, but I can totally understand your feelings on it.

 

[exwdwcm]

I remember those sticker books in the 80s- i love them and collected stickers- remember the good old scratch and stiff stickers? those were my favorite!

We will be at 'Ohana at the same time, well same night- our ressie is for 5pm i think since we are doing MNSSHP that night. congrats on getting all the ADRs you wanted.

lol at your disney math! i hope something good comes out for you that you can utilize to upgrade to CBR. the only bad thing i have heard about those rooms is the mattress issue, but you've already heard it too- otherwise, they look fantastic to me and i would definitely pay an extra $113 to upgrade to CBR from a value!

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

I say go for it if it's such a small amount more! FD is now released for September, and I'm not sure if they will release for October, BUT, you can almost always find a way to get a room discount. Do you ever get pins emailed to you? If you don't, go to the WDW site and price (AND SAVE) a few vacations in your dates range, hopefully you will get on their email list!

 

[3princesses+aprince]

Well, with free dining being released for September, you have a good chance of getting it in October. Now you just have to wait!

I'm with you on the kids going alone on the cruise. Even though, i'm sure they'll be fine, they do those cruises all the time. NOPE! There's always those freak accidents....

 

[Nermel9]

If they offer free dining for your dates, I say definitely upgrade to a mod! If it was a few hundred $$ I'd say don't bother, but the price increase really isn't that much, so why not? And if they don't offer it, ASMo sounds awesome, the Toy Story section sounds great!

 

[exwdwcm]

crossing my fingers for FD for you!

 

[Pixiedust530]

Just a little Disney Magic to share today!

I've been so involved in my Disney planning in recent weeks that wayne (my DBF) is getting tired of hearing about it all. We will be talking about something completely unrelated and somehow I will find a way to bring Disney into the conversation. I've been telling him over and over that "All Roads Lead to Disney"!!

Anyway, we live in KY so the Kentucky Derby is a HUGE event for us every year. I am not much of a gambler but I always place a couple bets on the KY Derby....it's just tradition. I read the names of all 19 horses in the race to Caden and he picked "Stay Thirsty" and "Pants on Fire" so I boxed those 2 horses in an Exacta. I ALWAYS pick my horses strictly on their name, and while I though Pants on Fire was a cute name, Caden had already picked it. Not to mention there was a much more obvious choice for me..... Animal Kingdom! Yep, the horses name is Animal Kingdom. How could I not bet a horse with a Disney name? I decided to bet $2 Across the Board (Win, Place and Show) on Animal Kingdom. He was a longshot, but so what?

I was at a Derby party, watching the race, and the 16 horse crossed the line and NO ONE had any idea who the horse was. The lightbulb came on and I was like "Hey, that was Animal Kingdom, that was MY horse!" The official results and payouts were posted, and I won $76.40....on a $6 bet! WooooHoooo! I would expect nothing less from a Disney themed horse! So now I have a little extra cash to put back for our trip!

Isn't he a beautiful horse?

 

[exwdwcm]

LOl, i bet many a dis'er had bet on that horse too simply by the name. so funny, isn't it! congrats on the win!!! more disney spending money, right?

and too funny on always bringing up disney or everything relating to disney. my sis and I are the same way. We can be at the mall in a bathroom and hear the music playing int here and say, hey, this sounds like disney music in the bathroom at the parks or something. we relate everything back to disney!

 

[-Hope-]

Awesome!

 

[mousescrapper]

I was at a Derby party, watching the race, and the 16 horse crossed the line and NO ONE had any idea who the horse was. The lightbulb came on and I was like "Hey, that was Animal Kingdom, that was MY horse!" The official results and payouts were posted, and I won $76.40....on a $6 bet! WooooHoooo! I would expect nothing less from a Disney themed horse! So now I have a little extra cash to put back for our trip!

that is beyond awesome...YAY for you...my brother was there and I am sure he had txted me to pick a horse I would have done the same thing

 

[stephielela]

woo hoo! Way to go to follow your instincts! It's always nice to have a few unexpected dollars for your trip!

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

How cool is THAT!!!!!! All roads DO lead to Disney.

 

[Tink2Day]

Just a little Disney Magic to share today!

I've been so involved in my Disney planning in recent weeks that wayne (my DBF) is getting tired of hearing about it all. We will be talking about something completely unrelated and somehow I will find a way to bring Disney into the conversation. I've been telling him over and over that "All Roads Lead to Disney"!!

Anyway, we live in KY so the Kentucky Derby is a HUGE event for us every year. I am not much of a gambler but I always place a couple bets on the KY Derby....it's just tradition. I read the names of all 19 horses in the race to Caden and he picked "Stay Thirsty" and "Pants on Fire" so I boxed those 2 horses in an Exacta. I ALWAYS pick my horses strictly on their name, and while I though Pants on Fire was a cute name, Caden had already picked it. Not to mention there was a much more obvious choice for me..... Animal Kingdom! Yep, the horses name is Animal Kingdom. How could I not bet a horse with a Disney name? I decided to bet $2 Across the Board (Win, Place and Show) on Animal Kingdom. He was a longshot, but so what?

I was at a Derby party, watching the race, and the 16 horse crossed the line and NO ONE had any idea who the horse was. The lightbulb came on and I was like "Hey, that was Animal Kingdom, that was MY horse!" The official results and payouts were posted, and I won $76.40....on a $6 bet! WooooHoooo! I would expect nothing less from a Disney themed horse! So now I have a little extra cash to put back for our trip!

Isn't he a beautiful horse?

Congrats! We had Mucho Macho Man. My dear friend didn't have one in the Derby this year so I was free to bet on other horses

You won't get those odds on him in the Preakness Saturday. Maybe another longshot and you can really have a bundle for the Disney trip!

 

[Pixiedust530]

I haven't posted anything trip-related in a while so I thought maybe I should start detailing our day to day plans. I'm sure as I start writing it all out I will come up with some questions. I would love any and all feedback.

Day 1 - Travel/Arrival Day Saturday, October 15

I am so excited about October 15, but I guess I should technically be excited about Friday, October 14. Technically we will be departing on Friday night.

Wayne and I will both be working on Friday. I get off around 3:00pm and will come home and start packing the car. I know me...I will probably have the suitcases packed a week in advance...HAHA! Wayne doesn't get off until 4:30 and he will pick Caden up from after school care and head home. We will have to take one dog to the kennel, one dog to the next door neighbors house and 1 dog to the neighbor down the street. At this point Caden will still have NO idea about the trip. We will have a late dinner (7:00ish) and then I will SURPRISE Caden! (I'm still working out all the details so you will all have to wait a tad longer for all the specifics ) Once Caden has been surprised, we will make his nightly phone call to his daddy, let him share the excitement and then we'll hit the road. My plan is to pull out of the driveway promptly at 9:00pm. Caden's normal bedtime is 8:00pm so I'm hoping that by 10 or 10:30 the excitement will start to wear off and he will fall asleep. Fingers crossed on this one!

We will drive straight through ALL night. We'll stop for breakfast around 7am at either a Cracker Barrel or IHOP. It just depends on what is nearby when we are all awake and hungry.

Depending on how many stops we make (which I am hoping won't be much more than gas since everyone should be sleeping the majority of the trip), how long breakfast takes, and if we encounter any construction or traffic I am hoping to arrive in Disney sometime around noon. I'm not sure who will be more excited to see this:

We'll arrive at All-Star Movies and check-in. It would be nice if our room was ready, but I will hope for the best and plan for the worst. I know Caden will be antsy and ready to let out some energy, so if the room isn't ready we will plan to head to the pool and enjoy the sunshine of beautiful Florida!

Once the room is ready we'll get settled in, unpack, shower and relax for a bit. I might even try to grab a quick nap! My grandparents are flying and their flight arrives at MCO at 3:20pm. They'll be taking Magical Express and I am hoping they arrive at the resort by 5:30. Since we want to get an early start the next morning and I am sure we will all be exhausted from the traveling (especially me since I will do most if not all of the driving) I wanted to plan something fun but low-key and early for our first night. I thought that Caden would be anxious to experience Disney World, so we have 6:45 reservations for Chef Mickey's.

As we are leaving the resort to go to Chef Mickey's, Wayne is going to "forget" something in the room and go back to set up a Welcome Package for Caden. I already have a Toy Story bucket that I plan to fill with all sorts of goodies for him to use on the trip. Some of the items I have already picked up (or will pick up soon): Disney beach towel, Disney sunglasses, autograph book, light up spinning Mickey head, Cars beach ball, glow sticks, and a Vinylmation. I couldn't wait until October to see which Vinylmation Caden got so I was a bad Mommy and opened it and then resealed the box! Since we are going in October I chose to go with the Villians series. He got Kaa from the Jungle Book! It's REALLY cool!

I would love some more ideas of things to include in the Welcome Package! PLEASE HELP!

After dinner at Chef Mickey's we'll be heading straight back to the resort to get tucked in for an "early" night (it will still be later than Caden's normal bedtime). I hope Caden will be asleep by 9 or 9:30 at the latest and Wayne and I will be to sleep by 10 or 10:30. I know I for one will be EXHAUSTED and I want to be well rested for our next day....which includes Rope Drop!