plan looks great I am soooooooo happy for you guys
Kris
Glad the check finally came! It took 38 weeks but I notice your countdown is now 38 days!!
Normally I think driving is worse than flying, but for your family it sounds less stressful to do it at your own pace.
PHXscuba
I'm so glad you finally got that check from the IRS!!!!!! I know that was a long, stressful wait!
So happy you were able to get the rooms at PPH! Sounds amazing!
When does DL let you book CP?
Cant wait to hear all the fun details of your trip when you return. It will be Dec before we know it
Laurie, I am so happy that this finally worked out for you! After the year you have had you sure deserve this trip! And yay for Derek's discount to get that awesome room!
WDW will still be there in the future. I believe everything happens for a reason so there is a reason that it wasn't supposed to be this year. Your DL trip sounds fantastic!
I think the Dick Van Dyke CP nights will be extremely popular. He seems to be the first choice of a narrator to see for many people. I think the mobs of people standing around the whole area - both the people who are supposed to be there and the onlookers jockeying for a position from afar - will be large.
You'll be getting a dining package so at least you will have actual seats and a good view. I have a feeling that the area set aside for AP holders who don't want dining packages will be a madhouse. The AP holders don't have to pay to view the CP, according to what I saw on the Parks Blog, but I assume they will have to register for the date/time they want and hope to get chosen (just like the other sort of lottery/sweepstakes situations that have come up for the CP) when the info is released in the next few days. The viewing area for the AP/non-dining package folks will be in some sort of distant standing location, I'm certain - like a holding pen! Fun fun fun!
My nights are going to be the Kurt Russell nights. I assume those will be a madhouse too because those are the very first nights the CP will be available to the public and many AP holders will opt for the free viewing, as well as the fact that Kurt has a Disney background. I'm going to try to get into the CP on the first available night - December 3rd - as soon as the Blog tells us how to sign up for it. I have a feeling I will regret this decision later - I envision that I will be standing there, far away from the stage, smooshed in with the other AP holders.
Even though your viewing situation for the CP will be much different (and better) than mine, at least I can let you know how much of a madhouse the whole Town Square/Main Street area is when the CP takes place so you'll know what to expect!
On another note... You're skipping Mrs. Knott's chicken dinner, too? I didn't see it when I looked at your new plan last night.
I had a thought about your updated itinerary. You know, Hollywood is not far at all from Third Street/The Grove. Hollywood Blvd. is too far for me to walk and get there in 15 minutes, but by car it is not far at all. Here's how it works:
The Grove/Farmers Market are located at Third Street and Fairfax. Heading north up Fairfax from there, the next major streets one would pass are (in this order) Beverly, Melrose, Santa Monica, Sunset Blvd. and...Hollywood Blvd. Hollywood Blvd. runs parallel to Third Street, so all you'd really need to do is turn onto Fairfax from Hollywood and drive down to Third Street - and there you'd be! It's pretty close.
Anyway, I brought that up just in case you decide to leave your dinner options open after Madame Tussaud's. You could possibly drive down to The Grove, have dinner, see the snowfall and beautiful tree (a good way to get everyone excited for Disney's snow and trees!) and try a Sprinkles Cupcake! And then I could come and meet you all too!
Right now, assuming that my booked (and paid for) PPH dates remain the same, I'd be back home on 12/5. So I'd be home at least a couple of days before you got down to this area. It's unlikely I will change my dates to one week later...but if I DID suddenly switch my reservation to one week later, then I'd be checking into the PPH on the same day you're checking in!
So, it's more food for thought...just in case it can be worked out.
I had planned on that Weds for the CP and then they announced the narrators and I almost passed out when I saw it was Dick Van Dyke!! I sure hope we're able to secure the dining package for seats. I also imagine this won't be cheap...... Oh well!!
Mrs Knott's bit the dust too......but there is some talk of canceling our plans on the last Saturday we're there since Derek will be leaving in the morning. We're thinking of leaving it open and we could possibly hit it up for lunch (that is if it's open for lunch). I think the zoo is gonna drop off the "to do" list too. We might drive to a beach or just chillax for the day before heading home.........who knows.
Is the Farmer's Market open on Sunday mornings?? Derek's flight doesn't come in until almost 1pm so we might be able to hit it before heading to Anaheim.
YES YES YES......move your trip one week later!!! It would be awesome!!!!
I'm guessing that what might happen is that Disney will offer free viewing/standing to those who have AP's but who don't want a dining package. Then they will probably offer dining packages to AP holders at a 'discount.' And then there will probably be dining packages with no discount of any kind - that the non-AP public can buy.
If Disney charges a realllllly crazy amount for a dining package (either an AP package or otherwise), fewer folks will be inclined to buy them. There are not a whole lot of actual seats available for this thing, so I think you're right that the packages will not be cheap. They have to keep them limited. As long as the CP is being held in Town Square, the seating is very limited.
When people see what we expect will be the crazy CP dining package prices, they will likely try to get in on the free AP viewing like I am doing. But that will also be limited, because there just are not too many places to stand without creating a nightmare. I don't want to stand way back on Main Street, behind thousands of people, to see the CP - I could do that without an AP!
So...it will be very interesting to see how this all pans out! It may be interesting in a good way...or interesting in a not-so-good way!
Yes, Farmers Market is open on Sunday mornings. Du-Pars is a popular place to eat breakfast (and pie)! The Grove may or may not open at the same time, or an hour later (hours are often extended during the holiday season).
By the way, there was some sort of shooting near Hollywood/Highland last night - I don't know the details but I got an ABC news alert that said that 3 people were shot.
I may or may not keep my existing PPH dates - if I find out that my "friend" who messed everything up at DLR last year is back at DLR during my dates, I will be trying to switch to your week! If I find out that she is scheduled to arrive the following week (when you guys will be there), I'll keep my existing dates!
Laurie - just realized we will be there at the same time. Didn't really click until I went on the "who's going in Dec" thread to post my dates - just booked a few days ago. Will be there 12/9 - 12/11 with my sister at DLH concierge. Just a quick trip to see the holiday decorations because I miss them!
Awesome!! Maybe we can meet up at the tiki bar (by Tangaroa Terrace) for a drink!!
Sorry your trip had to be changed to DL. We are still heading East to WDW at the same time. But DH thought it could be fun to go to DL in March! So we might be doing both parks 4 months apart. Love that man!
Looking forward to reading your PTR!
I have been (impatiently) waiting for the dining pkg announcements and wondering how we will be able to book them (through dining, etc.) and then on the blog some guy posted that they are cancelling them, which threw me into a tizzy, but I talked to a rep this morning who said they just haven't offered them yet, and that they will be offered via dining when available! I'm not sure this will happen at all, especially if the price is outrageous, but we'll see. Most importantly, we will be at Disney, regardless!
Good for you going with the Dis Divas again in Feb! Wish I could be there, my TA is having their annual seminar again around that time, but with me taking time off work to go this month/Dec, it won't be happening I look forward to the day when my husband and I are tooling around in our home on wheels during the retirement years, camping out at Fort Wilderness and leisurely heading to the parks with our AP's!!
I never even saw anything in a blog about cancelling the CP dining packages (which Kelly mentioned above). Where was that posted?
I can see how the CP dining packages would have to be very limited - and, thus, probably even more expensive than a World of Color dining package. The seats are just not plentiful enough. If I recall - and I could be wrong - when the CP dining packages were sold in the old, old days, I think the package prices were something like $60+ each. Again, I could be wrong on that but that figure seems to stick out in my mind.
It's the free AP viewing that will probably attract the bulk of people. And now we are at November 5th, with the first 'available-to-the-public' CP being on December 3rd...and yet, as far as I've seen, we still don't even know how the AP viewing is going to be set up! Have I missed something?
Will the AP viewing be limited to a certain number of people? Is it going to be a lottery sort of situation? Can the AP holders sign up for more than one CP if they want to see more than one CP, or is it one sign-up/CP per person? Are the AP people going to actually have a general area reserved just for AP holders to stand in, or will it be a free-for-all, with every man and woman for himself/herself, trying to jockey for positions in Town Square?
How is it possible that Disney/TDA could not yet have all of this sorted out?