6 down, 1 to go: Completing my DVC mission! An April '13 PTR...TR LINK p. 16

[wdwgirl03]

I'm so excited about all the new stuff to see, too! I mean, yeah, I agree about the Captain Jack thing. But seriously, ANYTHING is better than the Narnia experience. That was just awful. I hate saying that about a Disney attraction but it's the truth... hahaha. And I love the Narnia movies too! So yeah, that was just a flat out disappointment.

Hopefully I'll have a trip to look forward to here soon! I mean... April seems like a wonderful time to go!!!

I agree, I think that's why I like most attractions/resorts. It's hard not to like anything Disney.

Yes, April is definitely a great time to go. I still say you should come with me.

 

[Pinkocto]

I don't remember the Prince Caspian attraction being that bad, but I really loved seeing the costumes at the end. The new one is pretty cheesy but worth doing at least once. Part of it is absolutely amazing.

 

[PlutosRHM55]

Joining in! Looks like this will be one exciting trip! I feel my absence on the DIS has really made me miss out on so much (did not know about the Zebras and removing "Little Red" from Kilimanjaro), but I'm excited to hear about it all up close and personal in your next TR!

 

[Nermel9]

Yay, you're in double digits now! I know I'm a few days late! I think I'm at 53 days til my trip, I can't wait! All the sudden it seems so real that I'm going again so soon!

I really want to see the new Jack Sparrow thing too, but if it's anything like the Narnia thing, I'll be kind of annoyed, I mean, that was beyond awful!

I can't wait for the new Test Track! I'm not excited about designing my own car though. I just want to ride the ride, can I skip that part?

You are going to LOVE New Fantasyland! It's unbelievable!

 

[MiaBella05]

joining in

 

[wdwgirl03]

I don't remember the Prince Caspian attraction being that bad, but I really loved seeing the costumes at the end. The new one is pretty cheesy but worth doing at least once. Part of it is absolutely amazing.

Aww, really, some of it is cheesy? Oh well. That's good to hear that part of it is really good.

Joining in! Looks like this will be one exciting trip! I feel my absence on the DIS has really made me miss out on so much (did not know about the Zebras and removing "Little Red" from Kilimanjaro), but I'm excited to hear about it all up close and personal in your next TR!

Welcome! It should definitely be another great trip. I am very excited to complete my DVC tour by staying at Bay Lake Tower. Yeah, I don't remember when they announced that but there was something in one of our DVC Files magazines about it.

Yay, you're in double digits now! I know I'm a few days late! I think I'm at 53 days til my trip, I can't wait! All the sudden it seems so real that I'm going again so soon!

I really want to see the new Jack Sparrow thing too, but if it's anything like the Narnia thing, I'll be kind of annoyed, I mean, that was beyond awful!

I can't wait for the new Test Track! I'm not excited about designing my own car though. I just want to ride the ride, can I skip that part?

You are going to LOVE New Fantasyland! It's unbelievable!

Yes we are, 94 days to go!

Yeah, I really don't know what I was expecting with the Narnia thing but it just wasn't all that great.

haha, you probably could skip it. I have a feeling we'll do it once to see what it's like and then go back to doing single riders.

I am sure the new Fantasyland is going to be awesome. I wish I was going with my parents in a couple weeks (when they take Emma down for her CP) so I could see it then.

joining in

Welcome!

 

[wdwgirl03]

Hi everyone! I hope you all had a great Christmas/holiday! Ours was good...I got a few nice Disney themed presents too which is always fun. Once Christmas is over it's always kind of depressing but it also means we're getting closer and closer to our trip. We are finally in the double digits now...94 days to be exact!

In all of my PTRs I like to do some sort of countdown. I thought for this PTR it would be fitting to look back at all of our DVC trips and share some highlights from those visits. To start the countdown/flashback, let's start with our very first visit as Disney Vacation Club members back in 2006!

DVC Flashback #1: October 2006

Before I get to the trip highlights, I guess I should go back to January of 2006, which is when it all really started. My family had just returned from a holiday trip to Disney World (and Universal Studios...this was actually the only time we ever stayed offsite). When we got home, I remember how Dad started talking about joining DVC. At the time I really didn't know too much about it but I was all for it if it meant going on more Disney trips. I also really didn't believe that he would actually buy into it. Maybe my dad can offer more insight into the whole buying process but from what I remember it didn't take too long for him to decide to purchase. So after a few weeks, we were officially Disney Vacation Club Members at Saratoga Springs! Of course, once we were members, we started talking about our first trip as part of DVC. We would finally be welcomed home in October of that year.

At the time, my sister Claire and I were both in college and every October we had a short fall break. We figured that would be a nice time to go because it would also mean we'd get to experience some of the fall events for the first time as well. To get an extra day on that trip, we skipped our classes (well, atleast I did...) so we could fly out in the afternoon. Dad came with us...he was actually going to be spending a good week and a half in WDW because Emma's break for Teacher's Convention was the following week. So my mom, grandma, and Emma were going to be meeting him there.

Since our flight was in the afternoon, we didn't make it to Orlando until later in the evening. I remember driving under the WDW arch (I can't remember if this was before Magical Express or if we just didn't use it yet) and being a little disappointed it was dark out. It was also a little disappointing that it would be dark when we arrived at SSR for the first time. But I was still so excited!

At check-in they gave us "1st visit" buttons (kind of funny, but after all it was our 1st visit "home") and we quickly made our way to our room. We dropped off our stuff and actually took one of the boats over to DTD right away. This is really random, but I remember as we were waiting for the boat, there were these tiny frogs all over the place which sort of creeped me out (especially after one jumped onto a boy who was also waiting for the boat). I don't know if it had anything to do with the heat/humidity because on that trip, Orlando was having record high temperatures for October. It honestly felt like it was the middle of summer.

Anyway, after a quick visit to DTD, we returned to SSR to get ready for the parks the next day!

I'll try not to get into too much detail, so some of the highlights from the trip were:

Being a part of the "Year of A Million Dreams" Celebration

On one of our first rides of the trip (the Haunted Mansion), we were greeted by a CM who handed everyone a YOAMD pin lanyard with a couple pins!

Our first ride on Expedition Everest

We were the only people on the bus to the Animal Kingdom. The driver started talking to us and asked us if we had been on Expedition Everest yet. Since it had just opened, we said no. He started telling us about the ride and then gave us a special fastpass so we could ride it with no wait. Definitely a magical moment.

Attending Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party

This was our first experience with one of Disney's special events and it did not disappoint! We got such a kick out of seeing everyone dressed up in costumes, riding the rides with short wait times, and of course seeing the Boo to You parade and Hallowishes.

(Because we were there for MNSSHP, we were also there during the F&WF...but at the time I don't think we really knew all that much about it, and I don't think we even went to Epcot that much! After all, we only had 3 full days).

So even though it was a short trip, it was a great trip full of firsts. Another highlight, atleast for our Dad, was getting to attend the PGA golf tournament (I can't remember what it's called these days) one morning while Claire and I went to Hollywood Studios and also playing a lot of golf in between the time when Claire and I left and Mom, Emma, and my grandma arrived. We loved our new "home" and couldn't wait to return again!

 

[shalom]

Art of Animation Resort

OK, so this isn't technically an attraction, but ever since I saw pictures of the resort I knew I had to check it out.

I totally count the resorts as attractions. But I'm more into the "little things" than the big name attractions, anyhow.

The "new" Test Track is getting really mixed reviews, but hubby's a big Tron fan so I'm guessing he'll like it.

I'm really looking forward to seeing the Fantasyland expansion, too.

 

[marDgreen88]

The look back at your first trip 'home' was so fun! That giant inflatable Timon and Pumbaa is awesome!! I bet the Year of A Million Dreams was incredible.

 

[wisblue]

Has Emma found out which park she will be in yet?

Because Emma's role is in Merchandise, she will not necessarily be in a park. She could be in one of the gift shops at a resort or one of the Disney owned and operated stores at Downtown Disney.

She did say that she told the interviewer that she would prefer working in a place that's busy, so if they consider that she may be more likely to end up in one of the major stores.

 

[wisblue]

The DVC purchase process ended up being a pretty easy decision for me because by that time it was pretty obvious that, even though Sarah and her sisters were grown or growing up, they still loved visiting WDW. So, I had no apprehension about making a 49 year purchase because I figured at least one of them would be more than happy to use the points for many years to come.

After studying how the membership works and comparing the cost of getting a room using points to the cost of paying for a comparable room the traditional way, I determined that the savings would be substantial. I figured that the membership would allow us to make more frequent visits at a much lower cost, and it definitely has worked out that way so far for us.

The toughest part of the process was deciding how many points to buy because that is a function of how often you want to visit and what time of the year you go. I knew that with Sarah and Claire both in education they might have to visit during school beaks, so I picked a number of points that would cover about 2 trips every 3 years during a busy time of the year (Easter or Christmas).

At first we were banking points every year because we ended up taking trips at less busy times, but with Emma's DCP terms we have used up the points, and have pretty much fully borrowed them. We have made a lot more trips to WDW than I imagined when we bought the membership. I have thought about getting more points, but am reluctant to make that commitment unless Emma decides to stay in Florida on a longer term basis. In the meantime I have decided that we can stay at the value resorts if we use up all of our points.

Buying DVC requires a thorough analysis of what you can afford and how committed you are to taking regular Disney vacations. While the points can be used at other places, you really don't get anywhere near the bang for your buck if you use them that way.

I can say that the DVC purchase has been a great value for us, but that doesn't mean that it makes sense for everyone. I see the DVC as our "vacation home" but without the aggravation of having to take care of the property.

 

[wdwgirl03]

I totally count the resorts as attractions. But I'm more into the "little things" than the big name attractions, anyhow.

The "new" Test Track is getting really mixed reviews, but hubby's a big Tron fan so I'm guessing he'll like it.

I'm really looking forward to seeing the Fantasyland expansion, too.

It is always fun going to see what the different resorts are like. I guess they are also attractions!

That's what I've been seeing too. Some people really seem to love it and others not so much. I'm anxious to try it out for myself.

The look back at your first trip 'home' was so fun! That giant inflatable Timon and Pumbaa is awesome!! I bet the Year of A Million Dreams was incredible.

Thanks! The YOAMD was cool...we might've had a couple other magical moments during that celebration too...

 

[wdwgirl03]

Hi DIS friends! I hope everyone is having a good weekend so far. Just wanted to post a quick update saying that we are 85 days away from our trip now...YEAH! Love that it's less than 3 months now.

Also, Emma is now a week away from heading down to begin her College Program, which is also hard to believe. I'm excited for her and am looking forward to living vicariously through all of her experiences again.

Anyway, I wanted to share my new notebook with you. I got the idea from Tammy (aka OneTreeHillAddict). She posted something about various photo books she and her family have made for their trips and I thought that I needed to do that too. So I went onto Shutterfly and created this:

I think it turned out pretty cute! They have all different colors and layouts, and you can choose either lined or blank paper. Now I can write down notes from our trip (and also future trips). I may also use it to get a few character autographs (thanks again to Tammy for that idea!).

Stay tuned for my next DVC flashback and park must-dos!

 

[marDgreen88]

So cute!!! That was a great idea that she had.

 

[Pinkocto]

Nice flashback on the 2006 trip!

 

[RachelNinja]

Your trip is coming up so soon! It's exciting having it ahead of you even though it seems as if it's taking forever now. It's sad because we don't know when we'll be there the next time. April would've been a good week (haha, DISmeet #3?), but Howard's sister is getting married as is my brother around that time. His sister and my almost sister-in-law are also both in education, so that's why they chose times close to that week.

I can't wait to see all the pics you take while you're there!!!

BTW I'd love to stay updated with Emma's blog if you don't mind posting the link or sending it to me!

 

[jwwi]

Really cute photo notebook. It is a really great idea for writing all your notes, that way you can keep doing TR's.

 

[Caretames1]

I'm here!!!

How did I miss this!!!! I need to get my butt caught up with everything here!

I have PDD bad! I'll feel better once I can confirm my Nov dates later this month.

 

[PlutosRHM55]

Love the notebook, Sarah! That is such a creative idea! And I love how you have a picture from each park. Just seeing some of those photos when you're in a different park or in the room will make writing the notes that much more enjoyable.

 

[TinkerbellLuvr7]

I'm here!!

Jealous of BLT!!!

Can't wait to follow along! I'd love to follow Emma's blog as I have lived her life and still continue to live it haha!!! Let me know!!!