"I can't believe we're staying here!" An Feb'16 DLR PTR (TR link Post #355)

[franandaj]

Yup. Shot gun = first dibs.

I always thought it meant the front seat of the car.

It's odd, it was never really in my sights - but now that it is...so excited.

I can't wait to see pictures. With only studios and 2 bedroom units I'm not sure when we'll get there. It will have to be a trip where we take someone along.

Your ADRs sound good.I really want to try Beaches and Cream, and I wouldn't say any of those are lesser choices. Via Napoli has some great food! That's another one that I can't wait to get back to.

 

[PrincessInOz]

What a great mountain to go skiing on. Sorry about your trip hassles. I hope insurance comes through.
Your ADRs look great! I'm sure you'll enjoy all those meals; and I'll enjoy the food porn.

 

[skier_pete]

Wow! Gorgeous mountain pics!! I do miss seeing the mountains... I moved across the state and the things they call "mountains" over here are just really big hills.

Fun ADRs! Its about breakfast time and you're making me hungry thinking about pizza and Mexican!! lol!

I love the mountains more than anything. (well, maybe Disney) Copper was fantastic. 12,000 feet of elevation was a bit rough on the lungs though.

We had the same problem this morning. I got all my ADRs that I wanted for our first half by calling, but feel a bit bummed to wait until the 5th to book all our MK days. You'll like Beaches and Cream, we had a great lunch there on our last visit. It is so small for a Disney restaurant, it's sort of refreshing. I didnt book it this time. Wonder if I should. Save room for ice cream!!!

Yeah, looking forward to Beaches & Cream. Don't think we'll get a kitchen sink though!

I always thought it meant the front seat of the car.

Yeah, "Shotgun" is definitely calling the front seat of the car, but I would also use it to call "dibs" on something.

I can't wait to see pictures. With only studios and 2 bedroom units I'm not sure when we'll get there. It will have to be a trip where we take someone along.

Your ADRs sound good.I really want to try Beaches and Cream, and I wouldn't say any of those are lesser choices. Via Napoli has some great food! That's another one that I can't wait to get back to.

They may be studios, but they are like 450 Square FEET. Even seem to have a double bathroom. No kitchen though. I still wonder if they'll put in a Phase ii.

By "lesser choices" I guess I more meant "prime ADRs", not really the places everyone screams to get in. I like anytime we get to try new places, and really most of these are new or long time coming. (BOG we've only done dinner.)

 

[skier_pete]

What a great mountain to go skiing on. Sorry about your trip hassles. I hope insurance comes through.
Your ADRs look great! I'm sure you'll enjoy all those meals; and I'll enjoy the food porn.

We'll be sure to take lots of pictures!

 

[Tinker326]

We did Via Napoli for carb loading the night before the 1/2. It was the first time I have eaten there too & I would not hesitate to go back. It was very, very good! So I think you made a good choice!!!

And I still think Beaches and Cream has the best burgers on property.

I let Rebecca pick all our food for her trip and we are stuck with T-Rex (really?), Tepan Edo (her fathers influence), Akesauraus (the only one I highly approve of) & one unknown still...

 

[skier_pete]

We did Via Napoli for carb loading the night before the 1/2. It was the first time I have eaten there too & I would not hesitate to go back. It was very, very good! So I think you made a good choice!!!

And I still think Beaches and Cream has the best burgers on property.

I let Rebecca pick all our food for her trip and we are stuck with T-Rex (really?), Tepan Edo (her fathers influence), Akesauraus (the only one I highly approve of) & one unknown still...

I actually wouldn't mind checking out TRex, but DD is afraid of the place. Fine with me, I loathe spending money/time at DTD since they closed PI. Teppan Edo is fine, but I can get the same meal at home for half the price. DD loves Teppan eating, but I won't let her go there. Akershus (whatevs) is a fun time. We seriously considered Akershus along with Cape May Cafe (BF), Ohana (BF), CP, and GG but DD says she doesn't care about doing character meals, and at the prices they charge we decided against it. If she came out and said she wanted ONE character meal, I would probably do it, but she has been saying "no".

The best burger I ever had on property was the Caribbean/Plantain burger at CBR. Then they got rid of it. Would love a good burger. You've probably convinced me to give it a try.

Heard many good things about Via Napoli, but again just not a smart choice on the DDP, which we generally go with. Really looking forward to this one, but I have pretty high standards for italian food.

 

[RunnerMommyof4]

Loving your pre trip report especially since we have never been to WDW and want/need to rent a 2 bedroom villa due to our size. You've given me so much to think about!

 

[skier_pete]

Loving your pre trip report especially since we have never been to WDW and want/need to rent a 2 bedroom villa due to our size. You've given me so much to think about!

If you have any questions - much like "JoshandEvsmom" - I would be happy to answer them. The DIS boards is a great resource for info for first timers. There are certainly cheaper ways of staying with a large family off site of Disney (you could probably get a 3-bedroom unit for 1/2 the price off-site), but if you want to stay on-site for the experience and are looking for something like a villa, the best way to do it is to rent the points through DVC! I would generally recommend someone new to it to rent through a service similar to David's (the one advertised here on the DIS), though I can tell you I have no experience with them. The time I rented I did it directly. However, there are risks when renting directly from an owner that are taken out of the equation when renting from David's. You can often get the points slightly cheaper directly. (I believe David's charges 14 a point.)

Getting into Old Key West, Saratoga Springs, and Animal Kingdom Villas are usually the easiest to get into. Old Key West is the cheapest and also has the largest sized studios. A lot depends on the time of year you go. As I said, if you have specific questions, feel free to ask / Private Message me. If you are looking for opinions, the DVC boards here have a lot of helpful folks as well.

 

[Tinker326]

I actually wouldn't mind checking out TRex, but DD is afraid of the place. Fine with me, I loathe spending money/time at DTD since they closed PI. Teppan Edo is fine, but I can get the same meal at home for half the price. DD loves Teppan eating, but I won't let her go there. Akershus (whatevs) is a fun time. We seriously considered Akershus along with Cape May Cafe (BF), Ohana (BF), CP, and GG but DD says she doesn't care about doing character meals, and at the prices they charge we decided against it. If she came out and said she wanted ONE character meal, I would probably do it, but she has been saying "no".

The best burger I ever had on property was the Caribbean/Plantain burger at CBR. Then they got rid of it. Would love a good burger. You've probably convinced me to give it a try.

Heard many good things about Via Napoli, but again just not a smart choice on the DDP, which we generally go with. Really looking forward to this one, but I have pretty high standards for italian food.

TRex is much like Rainforest- you do it once and then it's all good! B isn't even the dino lover- it's Sarah- so I'm surprised she picked here...

I agree about Teppan Edo- but it's a must do for everyone else in my family- always!

I can't say anything about Via's 'Italian Food' as I only had their pizza and their dessert. But the pizza was very good- I thought.

And hopefully the burgers at Beaches haven't changed now that I recommended them!
Now a Plantain burger sounds yummy!!! I would totally try that if I came across it!

 

[RunnerMommyof4]

If you have any questions - much like "JoshandEvsmom" - I would be happy to answer them. The DIS boards is a great resource for info for first timers. There are certainly cheaper ways of staying with a large family off site of Disney (you could probably get a 3-bedroom unit for 1/2 the price off-site), but if you want to stay on-site for the experience and are looking for something like a villa, the best way to do it is to rent the points through DVC! I would generally recommend someone new to it to rent through a service similar to David's (the one advertised here on the DIS), though I can tell you I have no experience with them. The time I rented I did it directly. However, there are risks when renting directly from an owner that are taken out of the equation when renting from David's. You can often get the points slightly cheaper directly. (I believe David's charges 14 a point.)

Getting into Old Key West, Saratoga Springs, and Animal Kingdom Villas are usually the easiest to get into. Old Key West is the cheapest and also has the largest sized studios. A lot depends on the time of year you go. As I said, if you have specific questions, feel free to ask / Private Message me. If you are looking for opinions, the DVC boards here have a lot of helpful folks as well.

Thank you! My DH has fallen for BLT, the monorail, the whole package ( he loves the design). I've explained we are going to have to pay more money for this convience but he said it'll be worth it. I joke this may be our 1st and last visit, he never goes anywhere twice so maybe it's worth it. I guess I'll be looking more into renting DVC points. Thanks again for your help!

 

[skier_pete]

And hopefully the burgers at Beaches haven't changed now that I recommended them!
Now a Plantain burger sounds yummy!!! I would totally try that if I came across it!

The Plantain burger was soooo good. I was very disappointed that they had taken it off the menu in 2013.

The good news though is your statement of "best burger on property" doesn't exactly give it high competition, so I won't expect miracles.

Thank you! My DH has fallen for BLT, the monorail, the whole package ( he loves the design). I've explained we are going to have to pay more money for this convience but he said it'll be worth it. I joke this may be our 1st and last visit, he never goes anywhere twice so maybe it's worth it. I guess I'll be looking more into renting DVC points. Thanks again for your help!

Yeah, you certainly won't be going for the budget Disney trip if you are renting a 2-bedroom at BLT. You are looking at 300-400 points for a lake view (unlikely to be able to get a standard view), at $13 - $14 a point...that's, well a lot. However, it's still less than paying Disney prices, which would run you $800-1000 a night.

What time of year are you looking at going? Certain times of year it may be very difficult to get into BLT. Mostly Oct-Dec you would need to rent points from a BLT owner to get a room, because by the time things open up to everyone at the 7 month mark, it will be difficult to get in. Many dates for this time of year in 2015 are already full.

At most other times of the year, you would probably be OK renting from a non-owner, but would still need to book in there right at 7-months out. BLT is very popular and dates fill in quite rapidly. From Jan-Sept, the only dates you would have trouble with would be the Jan Marthon, the Princess Marathon in Feb (last weekend in feb) Easter, and 4th of July.

 

[RunnerMommyof4]

Thank you I was budgeting $5k for our hotel reservations. And we are going the 1st week in June of 2016. I'll definitely keep watching the boards for someone whose home resort is BLT, since that was the recommendation

 

[skier_pete]

Thank you I was budgeting $5k for our hotel reservations. And we are going the 1st week in June of 2016. I'll definitely keep watching the boards for someone whose home resort is BLT, since that was the recommendation

First week of June you should be fine in BLT - Lake View at 7-months. I've been surveying all the resorts and BLT had studios fully available at 7 months, so definitely would also have 2-bedrooms. That would run you 357 points for 7 nights in a 2-bedroom before June 10th. You can do the math. If you want to save a little money on a standard view (315 pts for 7 nights), then you'd definitely need a BLT owner. (Working the DVC system can be tricky, and even trickier for someone renting - which is why its best to find pts at the resort you want and book early.)

 

[skier_pete]

So, today is the 2nd day for booking ADRs, as we are 180 days out from our 2nd half of the split stay. I went on-line this morning again, and was able to get the system to work, although it gave me a ton of glitches including "can't find that" and "try again later".

We added 3 ADRs to our current stable:
Be Our Guest @ 12:!5 on 9/4/15 - This allowed me to cancel the ADR that I didn't want for 9/3/15, this is our first full day at the Poly, and will definitely be time for some BOG.

Kona Café @ 7:45 AM on 9/6/15 - Our only breakfast ADR. (We usually break fast in our room.) I thought we should do one, and seeing how we are at the Poly I Thought this would be a great chance to have some breakfast before heading to the park. I've always wanted to try Tonga Toast.

Tony's Town Square Tavern @ 12:00 PM on 9/7/15. We decided to try yet another new location. (I think 4 of our 7 ADRs are new to us - with BOG lunch being also kind of new.) This is the only TS place in MK we haven't tried before. I've never been one for having Italian on vacation, I grew up with GREAT Italian restaurants, but we thought this would be a fun way to close out the trip and add another restaurant to our list.

So -with that the long-range plans are almost complete. BUT wait, we don't' yet have our tickets!!!

Well,we are trying something new here as well. One of the hidden gems of Disney is the "Youth Education Services" (YES) program. It's designed so teachers can bring group to Disney to take classes, but there are windows during the year where the program is open to individuals.

Though I have known about this program for a while, we haven't been able to take advantage of it because the classes are offered from JUNE - October & Jan/Feb. BUT this trip is timed to take advantage.

So, when you sign your kids up to a class, not only do you get to participate in the program, but the ticket prices for the kids are greatly reduced! We will be able to get a 8-day Park Hopper with Water Parks for DD for only $298, which is about $150 less than the full price ticket. Even the parents who chaperone (a parent must accompany the child in the class) get a slight discount.

The only bad thing we found is the week leading up to labor day the classes are a bit sparser than usual. Here are the two classes we think dd will be trying.

Principles of Animal Behavior | Individual Enrollment: Disney Youth Education Series
Explore the fascinating and surprising world of animal behavior. See exotic animals in their natural habitat and engage in hands‐on activities to learn how they survive and thrive.

For groups of 9 or fewer.

Program Overview

Inspire students to actively participate in wildlife preservation as they study animal behavior. Take an expedition with your students through the 500 acre habitat that is Disney's Animal Kingdom® Theme Park to explore the intriguing world of animal behavior. During this interactive survival adventure, students will study, categorize and analyze data on animal behaviors and adaptations.

Key Learning Points

During this interactive field study, students will:

• 
  
• Observe, discuss and understand the significance of animal adaptations and behaviors and categorize them based on these behaviors.
  
• Explore the natural world by observing, categorizing, collecting and analyzing data, and communicating findings.
  
• Discuss challenges to the survival of certain animal species.
  
• Become aware of the great diversity and interdependence of living things.
  
• Comprehend that behavior is a response to the environment and influences growth, development, maintenance and reproduction.
  
• Understand the global impact of human actions on the environment and think in new, more comprehensive ways about the role of conservation in their own lives.
  

Disney's Animal Kingdom® Theme Park is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

Everyday Chemistry 201 | Individual Enrollment: Disney Youth Education Series
Gain a greater understanding of modern chemistry and its practical application through observations and hands-on experiments within Epcot®.

Program Overview

The world of chemistry is all around us. As students journey through Future World at Epcot®, they will explore how almost everything in and around us benefits from the application of modern chemistry. During this 3-hour program, students in grades 6-9 will experiment and problem-solve as a team to investigate the result of everyday chemical reactions. This program was developed in conjunction with the Education Division of the American Chemical Society.

Key Learning Points

During this interactive field study, students will:

• 
  
• Learn that everything we encounter is made up of chemicals and that while chemistry occurs in science labs, it also happens all around us.
  
• Realize that everything in the world, whether natural or manmade, is composed of one or more of about 100 elements.
  
• Study the chemical make-up of objects.
  
• Be introduced to the versatile elements of hydrogen, carbon and oxygen.
  
• Explore the role of photosynthesis and how it affects people every day.
  
• Develop an understanding of polymers and their types and structures.
  
• Discuss solar energy as an alternative to fossil fuels, a limited resource.
  
• Discover that an understanding of chemistry can aid in producing substitutes for limited resources, reduce waste and improve efficiency.
  
• Examine how chemistry is at work for us every day and continues to yield breakthrough inventions.
  

This program was developed in conjunction with the Education Division of the American Chemical Society.

I haven't booked yet, but soon!

if anyone wants more info on this, go to Disneyyouth.com.

 

[DisneyHoover]

Woah! I had never heard about the Youth Education Services before -- that sounds really cool! And getting a discount on your tickets is a great extra bonus. I'm glad you were able to get the BOG reservation for the day you prefer!

 

[PrincessInOz]

That's an amazing hidden gem. Thanks for sharing. Those programs sound amazing!

YAY for more ADRs. Looks like you're in for another great trip.

 

[franandaj]

Those ADRs sound good. The only one I've eaten at is BoG, it was good, but not spectacular. I've always wanted to try Kona for breakfast. I would go into a diabetic coma if I ate the Tonga Toast! Tony's sounds intriguing but like you, I've got some great Italian places already on my list, so Tony's has never made the cut.

The kids programs sound good, and from what I've heard your daughter is right in the age range where they are still appropriate. A friend of mine enrolled her daughters in it but they were a little old and got bored.

 

[skier_pete]

Woah! I had never heard about the Youth Education Services before -- that sounds really cool! And getting a discount on your tickets is a great extra bonus. I'm glad you were able to get the BOG reservation for the day you prefer!

Definitely a win-win!

That's an amazing hidden gem. Thanks for sharing. Those programs sound amazing!

YAY for more ADRs. Looks like you're in for another great trip.

The YES programs seem pretty cool.

Those ADRs sound good. The only one I've eaten at is BoG, it was good, but not spectacular. I've always wanted to try Kona for breakfast. I would go into a diabetic coma if I ate the Tonga Toast! Tony's sounds intriguing but like you, I've got some great Italian places already on my list, so Tony's has never made the cut.

The kids programs sound good, and from what I've heard your daughter is right in the age range where they are still appropriate. A friend of mine enrolled her daughters in it but they were a little old and got bored.

We enjoyed BOG for dinner, but didn't feel the need to return, so thought we would try lunch. The atmosphere in that restaurant is so perfect!

As far as Kona - well, some changes were just made....see my next post.

The YES classes have a variety of age ranges. These two she seems to be right in the middle. I Think if a class was age 6-12, I would probably avoid it.

 

[skier_pete]

Oops - 12 hours after making ADRs and I'm already changing them! We'd mentioned to DD about if she wanted any character meals, and she said "NO". Today we were skiing and on the lift we were talking about the plans. (She is saying this is going to be the best trip ever because of our fancy hotels!) I told her she should think again if she wants to do one character meal. She thought about it and at first said she wanted the Garden Grille again, but we were going over the different choices, and I mentioned Ohana breakfast with Lilo and Stitch and she said "Ooh yeah, let's do that one!" So, DW and I decided to drop breakfast @ Kona Café in favor of this one.

So there you go, making changes already. Probably won't be the last!

 

[PrincessInOz]

Oops - 12 hours after making ADRs and I'm already changing them! We'd mentioned to DD about if she wanted any character meals, and she said "NO". Today we were skiing and on the lift we were talking about the plans. (She is saying this is going to be the best trip ever because of our fancy hotels!) I told her she should think again if she wants to do one character meal. She thought about it and at first said she wanted the Garden Grille again, but we were going over the different choices, and I mentioned Ohana breakfast with Lilo and Stitch and she said "Ooh yeah, let's do that one!" So, DW and I decided to drop breakfast @ Kona Café in favor of this one.

So there you go, making changes already. Probably won't be the last!

(Although....your DD has great tastes! That's a good change, right?)