September/October 2013 check in

[Jade+3]

Oh my sis is not a planner. Neither is carlo or his brother. But they all have very distinct ideas about what makes a trip fun. none of them want to plan or organise etc. But they want me to incorporate all of their disparate views/wants etc into account.

Yes my sister travelled with me last year as did carlo. Last year she just wanted to do wwohp and gave me free reign for the rest of it. Wishing it was like that this year

My DH has no interest in planning, then in the last week, or when we get there he will have these bright idea's of all these things he wants to do. Drives me insane. MIL and FIL are coming with us this trip. They are agreeing with everything I suggest, though are not really understanding the whole ADR thing.

 

[alicia1506]

My DH has no interest in planning, then in the last week, or when we get there he will have these bright idea's of all these things he wants to do. Drives me insane. MIL and FIL are coming with us this trip. They are agreeing with everything I suggest, though are not really understanding the whole ADR thing.

lol. yeah i sat down with all of them last night and just hashed it out, money and expectations and what not.

so our plans have entirely changed. even the time of year has changed. we are now doing:

sept 20: bne - lax - mco
sept 21 - 28: dcl eastern caribbean
sept 28 - oct 1 - universal studios & shopping
oct 1 - 7: dlr including halloween party
oct 7-9: lax - bne, arrive home.

so no dismeet with australiankaren and no wdw this trip, just dlr. and an eastern caribbean, not a western. lol.

but these plans are now concrete

 

[battymum]

If you could push it back a couple of weeks, you will probably find much cheaper airfare, as I think those dates will be right on school holiday dates. (At least in NSW)

 

[Caroline NZ]

lol. yeah i sat down with all of them last night and just hashed it out, money and expectations and what not.

so our plans have entirely changed. even the time of year has changed. we are now doing:

sept 20: bne - lax - mco
sept 21 - 28: dcl eastern caribbean
sept 28 - oct 1 - universal studios & shopping
oct 1 - 7: dlr including halloween party
oct 7-9: lax - bne, arrive home.

so no dismeet with australiankaren and no wdw this trip, just dlr. and an eastern caribbean, not a western. lol.

but these plans are now concrete

We will be starting our holiday the same day as you ( but we don't hit DLR until the 10th Oct)

 

[Minniemum]

If you could push it back a couple of weeks, you will probably find much cheaper airfare, as I think those dates will be right on school holiday dates. (At least in NSW)

Alicia, in Vic the govt schools break up on Fri 20/9/13 and the independent schools a week earlier on Fri 13/9/13. The past few years both Qantas and Virgin have increased their prices from Melb based on the independent school dates. Like battymum, I'd float the idea of moving your dates forward with Carlo and the others. Last year we flew on Tuesday Sept 11, if we'd gone any later than Friday Sept 14 the flights were at least $600 more per adult.

 

[australiankaren]

Oh my sis is not a planner. Neither is carlo or his brother. But they all have very distinct ideas about what makes a trip fun. none of them want to plan or organise etc. But they want me to incorporate all of their disparate views/wants etc into account.

Yes my sister travelled with me last year as did carlo. Last year she just wanted to do wwohp and gave me free reign for the rest of it. Wishing it was like that this year

How about she toddles off home early and you guys stay another week and do wdw and shop til you drop....if my dh said no wdw and no shopping I'd be "shopping" for a new DH......

God, no wdw.......i need a lie down

 

[australiankaren]

lol. yeah i sat down with all of them last night and just hashed it out, money and expectations and what not.

so our plans have entirely changed. even the time of year has changed. we are now doing:

sept 20: bne - lax - mco
sept 21 - 28: dcl eastern caribbean
sept 28 - oct 1 - universal studios & shopping
oct 1 - 7: dlr including halloween party
oct 7-9: lax - bne, arrive home.

so no dismeet with australiankaren and no wdw this trip, just dlr. and an eastern caribbean, not a western. lol.

but these plans are now concrete

Just saw the updated plans.....no CP for lunch?????? That just sucks...but hey, its always been about me.....

 

[KiwiMouseGirl]

49 weeks and counting! WooHoo!

 

[alicia1506]

thanks for the suggestions re school holidays and flights.

we're flying from bne so i don't know about school holidays here, will have to look those up... [edited to add: just checked & the day we fly out is the last day of term... checked vaustralia and right now, all dates in sept are showing for the same price range. guess i'll have to play the waiting game. we have flight credit from our cancelled trip this year, so it shouldn't be a problem for us, but if it ends up being too $$, we might just downgrade our staterooms on board the cruise to make up for the $$ hike in airfares... decisions, decisions]

those are really the only dates we can do the trip. october includes my dad's birthday and carlo's birthday and we have family commitments here for those. august = my SIL's birthday and the first weekend in sept = father's day, so that's out for us. end oct/nov is out due to katrina and calin's work commitments, and we don't want it any earlier in the year so ... this has to work for us

i've decided i'm going shopping in orlando no matter what. i'll dump them at the hotel and then just go shopping on my own. same in anaheim, i'll leave them to dlr for a day and just run off to the shops on my own if i have to. i'm not passing up bargains for clothing and shoes and so on and so forth just because they don't want to come with me... this trip i've made it very clear that while we are all on the same itinerary and same accomodation etc and same schedule... i have every intention of all of us going off and doing our own thing if necessary to avoid people being disappointed. i intend to come back with at least some jewellery, clothing, shoes etc.

i think my sis just has buyer's remorse. she bought a lot of clothes and then has not worn them since coming back or decided they are too small/too big/don't sit right etc. sigh. the fantastic heels she bought for like $15 on sale are too big now... trying on shoes after your feet are swollen from walking around theme parks all day = not the smartest decision... i think that is driving a lot of her anti shopping mood. i am sure once we are there, she'll change her tune

and after feeling torn in two on the last trip and spending so much time and effort managing other people's moods and feelings etc, this time i'm going to be selfish and in my own little bubble and not let that kind of stuff affect me... well. i'll try anyways.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

lol. yeah i sat down with all of them last night and just hashed it out, money and expectations and what not.

so our plans have entirely changed. even the time of year has changed. we are now doing:

sept 20: bne - lax - mco
sept 21 - 28: dcl eastern caribbean
sept 28 - oct 1 - universal studios & shopping
oct 1 - 7: dlr including halloween party
oct 7-9: lax - bne, arrive home.

so no dismeet with australiankaren and no wdw this trip, just dlr. and an eastern caribbean, not a western. lol.

but these plans are now concrete

Alicia, I'll see you on the Sep 21st cruise . Out if interest, what cabin category have you booked?

The flights are more expensive around that time, but the cruise and disney accommodation is cheaper than most other times of the year. I figure that in the long run these factors even each other out. Also, it's going to be hot enough as it is. Not sure I'd be keen to go any earlier.

Are you sure you can't convince the family to stay on at WDW for a few days for the Epcot Food and Wine Festival? If I can get the free dining plan, I plan on forgoing all sit down meals for a day and using my snack credits to snack my way around the world. Yummo! Can't wait!

 

[alicia1506]

Alicia, I'll see you on the Sep 21st cruise . Out if interest, what cabin category have you booked?

The flights are more expensive around that time, but the cruise and disney accommodation is cheaper than most other times of the year. I figure that in the long run these factors even each other out. Also, it's going to be hot enough as it is. Not sure I'd be keen to go any earlier.

Are you sure you can't convince the family to stay on at WDW for a few days for the Epcot Food and Wine Festival? If I can get the free dining plan, I plan on forgoing all sit down meals for a day and using my snack credits to snack my way around the world. Yummo! Can't wait!

wow. great that you'll be on board the cruise too we should do a mini dismeet if you're up for it i really hate that our plans have changed yet again, but if we go earlier, we will miss mnsshp at dlr. even as i type this, i really, really am looking for a way to change our plans to include wdw. at first i was resistant. wdw was huge and the whole adr thing was a huge mental block for me but now that i am comfortable with the idea... i really want to go... maybe i should amend the trip to include wdw and spring it as a 'surprise'... hrmm. food for thought. sorry for the stream of consciousness rambling there...

we haven't booked our cabin yet, but i have priced out 2 x 8b/8c/8d, 7a and 6a cabins (need 2 cabins for the sleeping configurations) -- now it's just a matter of seeing which of those categories is available. i have a quote put together from my Dreams Unlimited consultant, and we'll probably book in the next few weeks, as i want to lock in the prices asap.

do you participate in the big dismeet with the other cruisers, and the FE? it seems like fun, but also a lot of effort/time/luggage space for FE gifts...

 

[WanderlustNZ]

wow. great that you'll be on board the cruise too we should do a mini dismeet if you're up for it i really hate that our plans have changed yet again, but if we go earlier, we will miss mnsshp at dlr. even as i type this, i really, really am looking for a way to change our plans to include wdw. at first i was resistant. wdw was huge and the whole adr thing was a huge mental block for me but now that i am comfortable with the idea... i really want to go... maybe i should amend the trip to include wdw and spring it as a 'surprise'... hrmm. food for thought. sorry for the stream of consciousness rambling there...

we haven't booked our cabin yet, but i have priced out 2 x 8b/8c/8d, 7a and 6a cabins (need 2 cabins for the sleeping configurations) -- now it's just a matter of seeing which of those categories is available. i have a quote put together from my Dreams Unlimited consultant, and we'll probably book in the next few weeks, as i want to lock in the prices asap.

do you participate in the big dismeet with the other cruisers, and the FE? it seems like fun, but also a lot of effort/time/luggage space for FE gifts...

Absolutely, would love to have a mini dismeet.

To be honest though, I'm not keen on the whole FE thing. Three reasons. One is like you say - not enough room in the luggage. Secondly, I just know my DH would think it was ridiculous. I'm hoping to convince him a Disney-orientated holiday is fabulous, not cheesy, so will avoid any activities that create confusion. LOL. Lastly, and it might be being completely paranoid, but I'm a bit funny about the whole putting our names on the door thing. I read another thread lately where people were saying how dangerous it is to advertise your family members names (particularly kids) on a door. A few of their reasons gave me food for thought including the fact that it makes it easier for weirdos to approach your child like they know them. As unlikely as this is, I'd rather not take any chances.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3017388

You should definitely keep working on your family with the whole WDW thing. Am I correct that you're a bunch of adults (no kids). If so, I'd use Epcot to sell the idea to them. If I was traveling without my son, it would definitely be the park I'd most be looking forward to because of the food, drink, entertainment, and largely adult vibe that the World Showcase creates. Perhaps tell them that even though the majority of what is found in the MK and HS can be found at DL (including a Halloween party), there is only one Epcot.

We have one of the 8a "mini-suites" booked. I'm so excited that I don't even mind that it has no split-bath, or that we won't have a verandah. I think those massive windows look great. If it's not too personal, can I ask if Dreams Unlimited is giving you an onboard credit with your booking? I keep wondering if I made the best choice by booking directly with Disney.

 

[alicia1506]

Absolutely, would love to have a mini dismeet.

To be honest though, I'm not keen on the whole FE thing. Three reasons. One is like you say - not enough room in the luggage. Secondly, I just know my DH would think it was ridiculous. I'm hoping to convince him a Disney-orientated holiday is fabulous, not cheesy, so will avoid any activities that create confusion. LOL. Lastly, and it might be being completely paranoid, but I'm a bit funny about the whole putting our names on the door thing. I read another thread lately where people were saying how dangerous it is to advertise your family members names (particularly kids) on a door. A few of their reasons gave me food for thought including the fact that it makes it easier for weirdos to approach your child like they know them. As unlikely as this is, I'd rather not take any chances.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3017388

You should definitely keep working on your family with the whole WDW thing. Am I correct that you're a bunch of adults (no kids). If so, I'd use Epcot to sell the idea to them. If I was traveling without my son, it would definitely be the park I'd most be looking forward to because of the food, drink, entertainment, and largely adult vibe that the World Showcase creates. Perhaps tell them that even though the majority of what is found in the MK and HS can be found at DL (including a Halloween party), there is only one Epcot.

We have one of the 8a "mini-suites" booked. I'm so excited that I don't even mind that it has no split-bath, or that we won't have a verandah. I think those massive windows look great. If it's not too personal, can I ask if Dreams Unlimited is giving you an onboard credit with your booking? I keep wondering if I made the best choice by booking directly with Disney.

lol. i was hanging out for the 8a mini suites ourselves (specifically wanted the 2 windows and no split bath) but alas they are all booked out *you lucky one, you!!!*

we are therefore looking at either going up a category (7a, navigators verandah) or down a category (8b, 1 window with seating). dreams unlimited do give an OBC and combine it with the disney OBC. for our 8b staterooms (bearing in mind we have booked 2 rooms due to sleeping configurations) + port transfers + pre-night at mco hyatt regency = in the $6-7k range which gives us $300 obc + $25 obc from disney per stateroom for a total of $350. which will essentially cover our cruise tips: $84 x 4 = $336.00

the link to the OBC calculator with Dreams Unlimited is here:
http://www.dreamsunlimitedtravel.com/cruise/specials.htm

as long as your cruise is not fully paid, you can transfer it over to Dreams Unlimited and still take advantage of the OBC offer. also, my understanding is that Dreams Unlimited are still offering free gift bags in all cabins for all bookings made through them for 7 night caribbean sailings out of port canaveral. the gift bags are tote bags with the Dreams Unlimited logo. contents differ depending on your family's makeup (ie 2 adults + 2 kids will get different gifts than 2 adults alone etc) but usually include highlighters, antibacterial gel, those to-go drink cups that are moulded plastic and keep hot stuff hot and cold stuff cold, water bottles, sunscreen etc. basically lots of little extras that you might need during your vacation My TA is Dan Fronckowiak who has been so patient and kind and understanding with us through all of our questions, changing options, cancelling our 2012 cruise etc. I can definitely recommend him

my family (yes, we are 4 adults this trip. still no kids just yet) are essentially calling this the lazy trip. they want 'moments and memories, not to be rushed around' according to their comments when i ran various options past them. they love the idea of wdw, but since they found out that mk and epcot etc are at least a 20 min bus ride away from the hotel (AoA) at wdw, versus across the street at disneyland, they unanimously voted for disneyland only. hence pushing the dates back to coincide with halloween time at disneyland and the first halloween party there... we will miss the friday 13th celebrations this way but they are happy, so i guess that's the way it will be...

i did run a comparison quote including wdw, but we would have to drop to a 3 or 4 night bahamas cruise, and i really would prefer the eastern or western caribbean to the bahamas itinerary...

so it looks like our plans are pretty solid now

 

[alicia1506]

Just saw the updated plans.....no CP for lunch?????? That just sucks...but hey, its always been about me.....

well, it is still doable... just not at wdw.

just checking through itineraries for our cruise and noticed we will be in St Thomas on sept 25 and from what the RCL website tells me, so will you...

dcl is there from 7.45 - 3.30 and rcl is there from 11 - 7 ... so there is a 4.5 hour window where we will be in the same time and dimension in relative space

 

[WanderlustNZ]

lol. i was hanging out for the 8a mini suites ourselves (specifically wanted the 2 windows and no split bath) but alas they are all booked out *you lucky one, you!!!*

we are therefore looking at either going up a category (7a, navigators verandah) or down a category (8b, 1 window with seating). dreams unlimited do give an OBC and combine it with the disney OBC. for our 8b staterooms (bearing in mind we have booked 2 rooms due to sleeping configurations) + port transfers + pre-night at mco hyatt regency = in the $6-7k range which gives us $300 obc + $25 obc from disney per stateroom for a total of $350. which will essentially cover our cruise tips: $84 x 4 = $336.00

the link to the OBC calculator with Dreams Unlimited is here:
http://www.dreamsunlimitedtravel.com/cruise/specials.htm

as long as your cruise is not fully paid, you can transfer it over to Dreams Unlimited and still take advantage of the OBC offer. also, my understanding is that Dreams Unlimited are still offering free gift bags in all cabins for all bookings made through them for 7 night caribbean sailings out of port canaveral. the gift bags are tote bags with the Dreams Unlimited logo. contents differ depending on your family's makeup (ie 2 adults + 2 kids will get different gifts than 2 adults alone etc) but usually include highlighters, antibacterial gel, those to-go drink cups that are moulded plastic and keep hot stuff hot and cold stuff cold, water bottles, sunscreen etc. basically lots of little extras that you might need during your vacation My TA is Dan Fronckowiak who has been so patient and kind and understanding with us through all of our questions, changing options, cancelling our 2012 cruise etc. I can definitely recommend him

my family (yes, we are 4 adults this trip. still no kids just yet) are essentially calling this the lazy trip. they want 'moments and memories, not to be rushed around' according to their comments when i ran various options past them. they love the idea of wdw, but since they found out that mk and epcot etc are at least a 20 min bus ride away from the hotel (AoA) at wdw, versus across the street at disneyland, they unanimously voted for disneyland only. hence pushing the dates back to coincide with halloween time at disneyland and the first halloween party there... we will miss the friday 13th celebrations this way but they are happy, so i guess that's the way it will be...

i did run a comparison quote including wdw, but we would have to drop to a 3 or 4 night bahamas cruise, and i really would prefer the eastern or western caribbean to the bahamas itinerary...

so it looks like our plans are pretty solid now

I was really lucky getting one of the four 8a mini-suites. I was originally trying to decide between 3 Fantasy cruises (the 21st one or the 2 after). The 21st cruise was the only one with any of the four cabins left, and I suspect they may have been released by someone who had cancelled their booking. I snatched up mine, and within just a couple of days the other 2 were gone. Keep an eye out just incase any are released by passengers changing their mind.
I'm not 100% sure, but if it was me, I would probably consider booking the cheaper 8b. I think those family rooms with the huge window look awesome. Also, you never know, they might need one of those rooms for a family of 5 and upgrade you for free. Alternatively, I've heard of people getting some really good upgrades by upgrading cheaply at the port when they arrive for the cruise.

Thanks for the Dreams Unlimited info. I'm going to email them over the next few days to find out the pros and cons of switching my reservation. The main thing I am wondering is if I will still be able to access my reservation through the Disney site and add shore excursions and a pirate makeover for my son on pirate night, when the time rolls around. I understand these things book out quite quickly (particularly as the booking window for first time disney cruisers is smaller than for other passengers :-( ), so I'd like to have some control over when these get booked.

Fair enough about your decision to o DL instead of WDW. There are most certainly some pros to doing this. The biggest ones as I see them are being able to walk into the parks and also the weather. Would take California's October weather over Florida's any day. I last visited WDW so many years ago that I was a teenager and Animal Kingdom didn't exist. It was during Nov and Dec and even then it was really hot. Hot enough for humidity thunderstorms every afternoon. I think the Sep/Oct weather is going to take some getting used to.

 

[alicia1506]

If you book through dreams you still have full access to the disney website and you would still be able to go on and book your port adventures and bbb and make reservations erc. Only thing different to booking it yourself is that a. You get a travel agent who can give tips and tricks. B. You get the free obc and c. They will notify you of all cut off dates and if a better deal comes out they will let you know. Every other aspect of your booking remains the same. Oh and they can do wdw ressies as well

 

[5ofus]

I'm getting annoyed (again!). The hotel our friend is getting married at has all their rooms blocked for our dates. No biggie because my friend mentioned something about them reserving rooms for wedding guests, but we are trying to work out a rough budget and it's not helping! I'm thinking I'm going to go ahead and book HoJos for our tentative dates, that will make me feel better

 

[australiankaren]

well, it is still doable... just not at wdw.

just checking through itineraries for our cruise and noticed we will be in St Thomas on sept 25 and from what the RCL website tells me, so will you...

dcl is there from 7.45 - 3.30 and rcl is there from 11 - 7 ... so there is a 4.5 hour window where we will be in the same time and dimension in relative space

AWESOME...so lunch at st thomas?????? how cool would that be??? our excursion leaves at 3pm I think...so we could be off the boat by 11.30 if your not doing a full day excursion.....or we could meet for coffee before we board on the 22nd......or after we disembark on the 29th.........

 

[alicia1506]

AWESOME...so lunch at st thomas?????? how cool would that be??? our excursion leaves at 3pm I think...so we could be off the boat by 11.30 if your not doing a full day excursion.....or we could meet for coffee before we board on the 22nd......or after we disembark on the 29th.........

Lunch would be awesome. Our excursion will be quick and will book it for the morning. We will be on our cruise from 21 - 28 and then in universal after that

How random ... 2 aussies meeting up 1/2 way round the world i am sure there will be a suitable pub or cantina nearby or even some kind of picnic option. details later

 

[sims11]

Hi everyone,

I've been meaning to come in and introduce myself for ages but kept forgetting. We are planning our 6 weeks East coast trip for September/October 2013 which includes WDW and a 7 night Caribbean cruise on the Disney Fantasy. The rest of our trip will include New York, Washington DC, and Niagara Falls and either L A. or Hawaii as a stop over at start and end.

We are, me (Simone), my daughter who will be 6 at time of travel, and my mum. My brother might also join us in the WDW portion but is yet to commit to anything. We are from Melbourne.

So far I have booked our cruise through Dreams Unlimited, booked some accommodation in New York, looked into WDW accommodation but haven't booked anything and just researching New York stuff. I bought a book off Amazon about WDW with kids but haven't read it as yet.

I have a couple of questions for you all...... 1. Would you/have you considered buying 1 annual pass to make use of the discounts? If I got a discounted room rate (without the annual pass) are the room rates discounted anymore with the AP? 2. Should I book WDW accommodation now and then change my booking when/if specials are released or just wait for specials? And 3. a similar question do I book the dinning package with a hotel booking and just hope for a free dining promo or again just wait and see?

Any info would be a huge help cause I'm a bit like this planning this trip

I look forward to joining you in the planning journey