2 or 3 TRIPS in 2012! Celebrating my bday DISNEY STYLE - 3/12 & 11/12 and ?? PTRs!

[Lidian]

Sorry to hear you had issues with that Amtrak thing!

Glad it's all resolved and you got the expected price!

Love the flashback pictures!!!!!

 

[kittylady1972]

Sorry to hear you had issues with that Amtrak thing!

Glad it's all resolved and you got the expected price!

Love the flashback pictures!!!!!

Yeah Amtrak is just really a bit behind the times on some of their customer service and their ability to book online...which is nil for what I am trying to do unfortunately!

I had fun going back to that trip and I am REALLY looking forward to our Boardwalk stay now. Actually I'm not sure if I'm looking more forward to that one or our November trip...where we will be staying in a TREEHOUSE!

Now for my next update.....

 

[kittylady1972]

NOVEMBER 2012 UPDATE: So I called DVC Members services this morning. This was the first day I could book part 3 of our November 2012 trip! Part one is our 1st two resort nights booked at SSR in a 2BR Villa, part two is the Disney Dream Cruise for 3 nights leaving Sunday, part three is our last 3 resort nights, Wed - Saturday. I called this morning and SCORE...we have a TREEHOUSE VILLA!!

I'm a wee tiny bit excited about it, can you tell?

I knew our chances were pretty good since I was calling exactly 11 months from our arrival date and at this point the only people who could call for Thanksgiving week are people that have either a November Use Year or a December Use Year with DVC...and we are in that latter group. It's a good advantage...and I am so looking forward to having Thanksgiving dinner in our treehouse!! In a few more days I can book the last piece of this trip, and that would be the train trip back!

MARCH 2012 UPDATE: Ok, so the big news here is that yesterday I was doing some research on our airfare. I may or may not have mentioned we applied for the Southwest Rapid Rewards Visa for my husband a few months ago and were instantly approved. He has no credit cards that are primarily in his name...most are in my name with him as joint cardholder. The bonus was that after first purchase this card gives you 50K Rapid Rewards points on Southwest. Now I should mention that my DH DESPISES Southwest. We had a really bad experience with them back in Jan 2006 which left him quite unhappy. However there are times that for work he has not choice but to use Southwest so we might as well be taking advantage of some free points there. Yes we had to pay the annual fee of $69 I think, but the airfare for EACH of us to Florida would be costing about $200 each...so it's a huge discount. Plus we'll have enough points leftover even after booking to Orlando for ONE more ticket which we hope to use for a trip to California in a few years...or we have two more RT tickets to Florida. Whatever!

Anyway the points were deposited into his account this month. I was checking the value of the tickets to Florida for our timeframe and trying to maximize them. I was going to wait in case they dropped a little bit more, but from what I'm reading Southwest will credit the points back to the account if a lower point fare is released and we call about it, so there was no reason not to book.

Now yesterday the points value did DROP a tiny bit after 3pm...best fares are supposed to be released on Tuesdays after 3pm. So I decided this morning it was a good time to go ahead and secure them. So YES for a whopping $5 each, we now have two RT flights booked to Florida for March!!

The only thing is that I did decided to book them for Saturday night instead of early Sunday morning, since they had a cheaper fare for that timeframe. Now the only problem is that my two younger kids are supposed to have a basketball awards ceremony on that Saturday...but there is no time for it as of yet. The flight is at 7pm, so even if we leave our house by 5:30pm we should be just fine. DH will HATE that I'm going to cut it that close, but I know we won't be checking luggage and we can roll right through security...I think we'll be fine. Of course the other issue...we don't have a room for Saturday night right now.

So that's my next decision...do I just add a room to our current Boardwalk reservation? I have a few points remaining in my DVC account that I could easily use for that. Or we could pay cash and just stay in another room either on or off property. I just don't know right now...but it might be nice to just add an extra night so we'd be all checked in by Saturday night and could officially start our vacay on Sunday!

Oh and in other news...I also changed my dining ressies a bit, and am contemplating a few more changes. Staying at Boardwalk makes me want to book more dining closer to that area for convenience...and I snagged a LeCellier ressie for one of the days of our trip! Tune in as I give you my NEW plan for March 2012!!

 

[kittylady1972]

The NEW and IMPROVED March 2012 Plan

SATURDAY MARCH 3rd:Arrival day! We are due to arrive in Orlando by 9:25pm and I have also reserved our rental car already. With any luck, we'll be on our way to Disney by 10pm and hopefully checking into our studio villa at Boardwalk by 11pm!

SUNDAY MARCH 4th:My original plan here was checking in in the morning and then heading to a park. Now we have the whole day to to whatever we want! I think we'll do Hollywood Studios for a bit in the morning, then hop a boat to EPCOT for the afternoon. I have a 4:25pm Dinner at LeCellier booked, so we can head back to EPCOT at anytime and maybe have a light lunch or just snack until dinner.

MONDAY MARCH 5th: Since DH really does not want to do the longer 4-park Backstage Magic Tour, we'll probably book the Keys to the Kingdom Tour for this day. So spending a little more time at MK this day and then back to EPCOT. Perhaps I can squeeze in breakfast at the Main Street Bakery? I have a VERY late dinner at Rose & Crown Pub (almost 8pm) for this evening. So my thoughts are just having appetizers and dessert here and hopefully that will last through Illuminations at 9pm where we can watch from here!

TUESDAY MARCH 6th: I think this will be our Animal Kingdom Day. I have been reading more about the Wild Africa Trek Tour and people are advising that you do it closer to 2pm if you want to see the big cats when they are more active. So we'll try to book a late tour here. Since this does include a meal, and I had a dinner planned for Jiko this evening, I've cancelled Jiko.

WEDNESDAY MARCH 7th:I think after a few park days, this will be a good day to just do the Around the World tour at EPCOT on a Segway. We have a 1pm lunch at Marrakesh for this day...never tried it!

THURSDAY MARCH 8th: Happy Birthday to me! Nothing set in stone, I was considering booking breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Table but EEEK that price is just SCARY! I just don't think I can do that. Maybe for lunch it would be a little more reasonable? Maybe if I added the dining plan I wouldn't mind as much? Anyway I figure we may need to spend this last morning at Hollywood Studios as it would be our only chance to do rope drop there and ride TSM. Then afternoon at EPCOT and I have a lunch at Chef de France booked...for now! Our flight back home leaves at 6:35pm so we will have to be out of EPCOT and on the road by about 4:30pm at the latest, but knowing my DH it will be closer to 4pm. We'll arrive home by 8:40pm.

 

[kittylady1972]

Did you see that previous post? Yes might as well ignore it...I've already changed the plan again. Why or why can't I just leave the dining ressies alone for once? Guess that makes me a DISer true and true huh?

The NEW and IMPROVED March 2012 Plan - TAKE TWO

SATURDAY MARCH 3rd:Arrival day! We are due to arrive in Orlando by 9:25pm and I have also reserved our rental car already. With any luck, we'll be on our way to Disney by 10pm and hopefully checking into our studio villa at Boardwalk by 11pm!

SUNDAY MARCH 4th:Ok, I think perhaps we'll hit the Studios early in the morning on this day, just to make sure we get in some of the good rides. I must ride TOT a few times! I'm thinking afterwords we'll hit MK as well. Right now I've cancelled all plans for meals so we have NO dinner plans this day. Perhaps we'll just head back to our resort and maybe head over to Beaches and Cream for dinner?

MONDAY MARCH 5th: Since DH really does not want to do the longer 4-park Backstage Magic Tour, we'll probably book the Keys to the Kingdom Tour for this day. So spending a little more time at MK this day and then back to EPCOT. I've moved our Marrakesh lunch to 1:45pm this day. It's our first time trying out this place, and I'm waivering between lunch and dinner here, but right now it's lunch.

TUESDAY MARCH 6th: I think this will be our Animal Kingdom Day. I have been reading more about the Wild Africa Trek Tour and people are advising that you do it closer to 2pm if you want to see the big cats when they are more active. So we'll try to book a late tour here. Since this does include a meal, there are no additional meals planned for this day...for now

WEDNESDAY MARCH 7th:I think after a few park days, this will be a good day to just do the Around the World tour at EPCOT on a Segway. I've decided I want to spend my last night in Disney enjoying Illuminations and I was trying to decide between Rose and Crown (we've eaten there before) or someplace new. I've decided to try Bistro de Paris instead! We have a 7ish dinner planned for here, so we should be able to catch Illuminations from here, or at least that's my hope!

THURSDAY MARCH 8th: Happy Birthday to me! Nothing set in stone, I was considering booking breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Table but EEEK that price is just SCARY! I just don't think I can do that. I think that instead maybe we'll head to MK and have breakfast at the Main Street Bakery and just enjoy spending a little bit of time there for my birthday. I figure our vehicle will still be parked at our hotel, so we should finish up the afternoon at EPCOT. Therefore I've arranged for lunch at LeCellier in the afternoon. I always like to do some last day shopping at EPCOT as well, so this should work out.

Our flight back home leaves at 6:35pm so we will have to be out of EPCOT and on the road by about 4:30pm at the latest, but knowing my DH it will be closer to 4pm. We'll arrive home by 8:40pm.

 

[kittylady1972]

Another Day, Another Plan
Ok, so when I told my DH last night that I had dropped our Rose & Crown Ressie there was an outcry...but Sticky Toffee Pudding! That's really what he wants, and I think we can squeeze in dessert there. Then I just filled in the rest of the week with ressies so here we go...again!!!

Another Day, Another March 2012 Plan

SATURDAY MARCH 3rd:Arrival day! We are due to arrive in Orlando by 9:25pm and I have also reserved our rental car already. With any luck, we'll be on our way to Disney by 10pm and hopefully checking into our studio villa at Boardwalk by 11pm!

SUNDAY MARCH 4th:Ok, I think perhaps we'll hit the Studios early in the morning on this day, just to make sure we get in some of the good rides. I must ride TOT a few times! I'm thinking afterwords we'll hit MK as well. I've decided to add a Signature Dining ressie in here to start off my week. So now we have a 6pm dinner at the Flying Fish Cafe...never tried it!

MONDAY MARCH 5th: I'm hoping to book the Keys to the Kingdom Tour this morning. We'll have the rest of the day to spend at MK. I've booked an early dinner at a favorite...the California Grill. I really was planning on not eating there for this trip...but I've changed my mind. I might change it back though.

TUESDAY MARCH 6th: This is hopefully going to be our Animal Kingdom Day. I have been reading more about the Wild Africa Trek Tour and people are advising that you do it closer to 2pm if you want to see the big cats when they are more active. So we'll try to book a late tour here. This tour does include a meal. So I've decided it's okay to book Rose & Crown for this evening for apps and deserts so DH can get his Sticky Toffee Pudding!

WEDNESDAY MARCH 7th:I think after a few park days, this will be a good day to just do the Around the World tour at EPCOT on a Segway. I've decided I want to spend my last night in Disney enjoying Illuminations and I was trying to decide between Rose and Crown (we've eaten there before) or someplace new. I've decided to try Bistro de Paris instead! We have a 7ish dinner planned for here, so we should be able to catch Illuminations from here, or at least that's my hope! I also have a lunch planned for Marrakesh. I'm thinking I probably won't eat a whole lot here, but at least dinner is late so it's okay if I do.


THURSDAY MARCH 8th: Happy Birthday to me! Nothing set in stone, I was considering booking breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Table but EEEK that price is just SCARY! I just don't think I can do that. I think that instead maybe we'll head to MK and have breakfast at the Main Street Bakery and just enjoy spending a little bit of time there for my birthday. I figure our vehicle will still be parked at our hotel, so we should finish up the afternoon at EPCOT. Therefore I've arranged for lunch at LeCellier in the afternoon. I always like to do some last day shopping at EPCOT as well, so this should work out.

Our flight back home leaves at 6:35pm so we will have to be out of EPCOT and on the road by about 4:30pm at the latest, but knowing my DH it will be closer to 4pm. We'll arrive home by 8:40pm.

 

[EastYorkDisneyFan]

I'd stick with the rose and crown if getting a view from the restaurant for ilunminations is a priority, as I don't know if there is one from bestro de paris

 

[kittylady1972]

I'd stick with the rose and crown if getting a view from the restaurant for ilunminations is a priority, as I don't know if there is one from bestro de paris

Thanks! I don't think it's really that big of a deal. The view isn't a huge deal...I'm kinda looking forward to trying Bistro even though DH is NOT really!

 

[kittylady1972]

NOVEMBER 2012 UPDATE: MISSED OPPORTUNITIES ALREADY

So this week we've been out of town visiting my parents in NC. Needless to say, I have not been on the computer too much except a few times in the evening. That means, I have not had the chance to book our Autotrain return trip for November...and now it appears I've missed the chance.

I checked one night this week and the rooms were still a reasonable price...but it was late and I didn't bother to book them thinking they'd still be there for a few more days.

VERY BAD MISTAKE! I checked yesterday and the prices for the rooms were about 2-3 times more expensive. There is just NO WAY we'll spend that kind of money for the train. It's just not worth it.

So the other option would be for us to travel coach instead, which is not bad at all. After all, we'd be returning back home so we could nap when we got home and being well rested isn't that big of a deal. However I still haven't booked anything...need to discuss it with the other family members.

There's a good chance we'll be driving home instead, which would be fine. Heck I'd even be okay with driving and stopping along the way...still cheaper than the train with rooms.

On another note, there is a good chance that we just might have some additional people for our November trip. My mom, who has absolutely refused to even consider a cruise due to the fact that she gets motion sickness pretty easily, is actually now considering joining us for the cruise. Seems she was reading up about the Disney Dream ship and realized just how large it really would be...and thinks perhaps she could handle it. It's not a done deal yet, but it's a good possibility. That would be cool.

That means we may need to get them a room for a few nights as well, as they'd probably hang around for a while. We'll see what happens.

 

[kittylady1972]

NOVEMBER 2012 POSSIBLE ADJUSTMENT
So my brain started working on overtime this weekend and I thought to myself...what happens if we start our train trip on Sunday instead of Saturday after Thanksgiving? An extra day in Disney for Thanksgiving wouldn't be horrible right? Plus the rooms on the Autotrain for the trip back are a little more reasonable if we leave a day later. They still aren't the bargain they are for our trip down, but if we can save about $150 per room to leave later and travel coach...why not?

Now I've emailed the remaining parties involved to get their take on it. For them, it's no big deal I'm sure. For us, it just means the kids miss that first day back at school after the long Thanksgiving break and it means they will have missed a total of 3 days in November instead of 2 days. Although if we wanted to, we could actually have them attend school on the Thursday that we plan to leave and just pull them out at noon...which give them credit for that school day.

I called DVC and we could extend our treehouse stay. I'd probably have to really book this Amtrak thing FAST because I imagine the rate could go up again. Plus we'd need to make a decision on the rooms.

I'm thinking the extension sounds pretty good to me!

 

[kittylady1972]

ONLY ME...MISSED OUT ON ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY - NOVEMBER 2012 TRIP UPDATE

So yep, logged into Amtrak this morning to check on the rates and wouldn't you know it...the cost for the rooms for that Sunday-Monday timeframe has increased again! CRAZY!!!

Really glad I didn't make any changes to our room now. We are still checking out on Saturday as planned...and taking the Autotrain home...this time in coach seats. I think we will all survive even if DH isn't so sure about that!

Now stay tuned as my next update will be for my all too close MARCH 2012 trip...where I made a TON of meal changes again yesterday...go figure!!

 

[kittylady1972]

A NEW YEAR & A NEW PLAN - MARCH 2012 TRIP UPDATE

SATURDAY MARCH 3rd: Arrival day! We are due to arrive in Orlando by 9:25pm and I have also reserved our rental car already. With any luck, we'll be on our way to Disney by 10pm and hopefully checking into our studio villa at Boardwalk by 11pm! (I'm considering dropping the rental car...we'll see)

SUNDAY MARCH 4th: I think the plan will be to hit EITHER Hollywood Studios OR Magic Kingdom. Right now, I'm leaning towards Hollywood Studios for a few reasons. First it will be closer to our next stop and 2nd because we will have the next day to spend at MK. So we'll need to hit TOT, RnRC and of COURSE finally try the new Star Tours! If my stomach can handle it, we'll try it more than once! Amazingly yesterday I snagged a LeCellier dinner reservation so around 3pm or so we'll make our way over to EPCOT. We'll have dinner at 4:30pm at LeCellier and THEN I've make a 7:50pm ressie at Rose & Crown Pub...for dessert only and maybe just for DH but hopefully we can view Illuminations from there!

MONDAY MARCH 5th: I'm hoping to book the Keys to the Kingdom Tour this morning. We'll have the rest of the day to spend at MK. We'll be able to check out some of the new Fantasyland stuff and of course ride the newly relocated Dumbo at least ONCE! I plan to have lunch at one of my favorites here...Columbia Harbour House! I've also booked dinner this evening at the Flying Fish Cafe...we've never tried it and I've heard good things about it. If we are still up for it, we may head to Hollywood Studios for the evening after dinner...if it's still open.

TUESDAY MARCH 6th: This was going to be my Wild Africa Trek Tour day...but I'm really considering NOT doing this one to save some money. I'm not sure yet though. Either way, the park for this day will be Animal Kingdom and the evening right now is still open.

WEDNESDAY MARCH 7th: I think after a few park days, this will be a good day to just do the Around the World tour at EPCOT on a Segway. I'm hoping to book the early morning tour for this day. We have a 12:45pm lunch at Marrakesh, which is another new place for us. I'm really not sure I'll be eating a whole lot here. We can do some more touring and riding in EPCOT and then hop on the monorail to monorail where we'll head to the GF for a dinner that evening at Citricos...another new one for us. I'm hoping to then leave via monorail and spend my last evening at the MK.

THURSDAY MARCH 8th: Happy Birthday to me! Nothing set in stone, I was considering booking breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Table but EEEK that price is just SCARY! I just don't think I can do that. I think that instead maybe we'll head to MK and have breakfast at the Main Street Bakery and just enjoy spending a little bit of time there for my birthday. I figure our vehicle will still be parked at our hotel, so we should finish up the afternoon at EPCOT. Therefore I've arranged for lunch at Coral Reef...we've never tried it...for later in the afternoon. I always like to do some last day shopping at EPCOT as well, so this should work out.

Our flight back home leaves at 6:35pm so we will have to be out of EPCOT and on the road by about 4:30pm at the latest, but knowing my DH it will be closer to 4pm. We'll arrive home by 8:40pm.

 

[thewigs007]

Whenever finding a good (great) rate, always book right then. Chances of the rate increasing is very good. If you have a decent cancellation window, why wouldn't you book. You can always change.

 

[kittylady1972]

DECISIONS, DECISIONS...why is choosing meals so hard??

Ok so I keep revisiting my plans and trying to come up with ideas in my mind about what I plan to do. It's not just about making the dining plans...it's about making sure they make sense with the parks and things I want to do and/or see that day!

Which is why I'm having such a hard time with my LAST two days there. I'm keeping Marrakesh for lunch...since we know we want to try it. However I think after EPCOT I'll want to head to the MK for the night for my LAST night at Walt Disney World. I just love the park at night. So even though I have a reservation at Citricos right now, I'm debating cancelling it.

On the pro side of keeping it: another nice dinner for my last night at Disney, at a place we've never tried...could be nice.

On the con side: It will be a long dinner, and maybe I just want to get myself over to the MK one last time. I wouldn't mind doing a counter service like Columbia Harbour House for dinner. I LOVE that place. Plus of course CHEAPER. I have yet to tally out my potential food costs but that's next on my list. I need to see if we'll be doing okay using our TIW discount or if I'd be better off booking us the dining plan for our four nights.

I still have a little bit of time to decided and I also know there are plenty of sitdown places where we would NOT need a reservation to eat that evening. I LOVE Captain's Grill and it's right at our resort. We've walked in there plenty of times without a ressie and I'm sure if I wanted a sitdown meal we could just do that. Or hit Beaches and Cream for dinner.

Why does food have to make this so difficult? It's just FOOD! RIGHT??

 

[Lidian]

I totally feel you and understand completely.

However, that said, I can't wait to hear what you decide!

 

[kittylady1972]

MARCH 2012 UPDATE: MORE DINING DECISIONS
So really I mean it...I'm done with the dining reservations...I am sure of it! Does anybody believe that? I really do think I'm happy with them now...so here is the final dining breakdown:

SUNDAY: Dinner at LeCellier, Dessert at Rose & Crown Pub
MONDAY: Dinner at Flying Fish Cafe
TUESDAY: Lunch at Sanaa
WEDNESDAY: Lunch at Marrakesh
THURSDAY: Lunch at Chef de France


LeCellier is a repeat but I have not eaten there since November of 2007...so it's been a while. I remember enjoying the meal then...but we also had the dining plan at the time, which was new, and included appetizer (on the regular plan) so that helped in the enjoyment. Rose & Crown Pub is a repeat but we are only going because my husband INSISTS on trying their Sticky Toffee Pudding. He discovered this treat on a recent trip to England and he's been wanting it again. I tried making it one night, and while it turned out okay, it wasn't the same...and it was so messy that I REFUSE to try again...plus I didn't like it. No chocolate...that's not a dessert to me!

So about my LAST night at Disney...I have figured out what I want to do that night but the problem is...I still can't book it! I've decided I really want to go ahead and spring for doing the Fireworks Dessert Party at the MK that evening! We can have a light dinner somewhere and then save room for all the DESSERT we can eat! What a great way to end the last night of a trip right? However it's still not available to book, online or on the phone, so hopefully when it does finally open up (latest rumor is possibly the end of this month) I will be lucky enough to snag a ressie for that night. If not I'll take ANY night that week...even if it means moving around my current plans...again! We will see what happens.

And my other decision...is that I think we will end up springing for the Deluxe Dining Plan for our 5 nights...or at least the regular dining plan. I just realized as I was typing this I had estimated it for 4 nights...but I'm there for five...so it's more expensive than I had planned. I still think it just might be worth it to go with the regular dining plan...and then pay out of pocket for some of the other meals. Looks like I may need to do some further calculating on my spreadsheet to determine my plan. As I have it right now, I'm estimating I'll pay out of pocket about $500 for just the sitdown meals alone that I have schedule...using my TIW discount. The regular dining plan is $515.40...but of course with 5 sit-down meals scheduled and two of them being signatures...we'd have to pay out of pocket 2 of the restaurants. I just might have to cancel one of my sitdown meals...and I'd probably cancel Sanaa and just do a counter service that day instead.

Deluxe dining would cost us about $850...and we could use it to cover all of our meals plus snacks. I was also thinking if we did that, we could even then afford to do some nice sit-down breakfast meals instead of hitting the counter service every morning...and DH loves a good breakfast meal! However do we need it? Probably not. Did I mention I'm still trying to lose at LEAST 10 pounds before this trip in March? I don't need to pack it back on while there!

The question is will be spend an additional $300 in meals and snacks because if so then Deluxe Dining makes sense. If not, then maybe regular dining is the way to go instead...as that would still cover most of our meals plus most of our snacks and other counter service options. We would really be left with paying OOP for one meal as I'd cancel one of the lunch meals. We'll pay OOP no matter what for Rose and Crown since we really only plan to do drinks and dessert there.

So there we have it...my next big decisions will be Dining Plan...yes or no...and also HOPEFULLY booking the Fireworks Dessert Party. Wish me luck!

 

[kittylady1972]

Ok, so what's it been...a whole 20 minutes since my last post and my promise of NO MORE ADR changes? Well guess what???

I decided to go ahead and check and managed to snag the only lunch ADR available for the week for LeCellier...on Sunday! So it's a 2:30pm ADR and lunch is served until 3pm...I am HOPING that means we will get the LUNCH prices and menu...and then can use dining credits for this meal instead. Anyone know my chances for that?

I figure we'll show up a little bit early so as to make sure we are seated early. As a party of two that shouldn't be too hard, right?

This means if we go with regular dining, we can cover all but ONE of our current ADRs so if I cancel Sanaa for lunch...it would cover all of them. We'd still pay OOP for appetizers...which I know we'll order...but that's okay. I still think we'll come out ahead this way. Plus the earlier lunch ADR for Sunday gives us more time to recover and walk off lunch before our Rose and Crown Pub drinks and dessert ressie.

 

[kittylady1972]

NOVEMBER 2012 PLAN UPDATE

Ok, so the problem with reading the boards here is that, while it helps make some decisions, it opens up new thoughts and ideas as well...which means more options...which means more decisions to make and my latest one is now regarding the cruise portion of our November trip.

My plan all along has been to stay on the boat at the Bahamas Port...and just enjoy it...since everything is free. Then I read some other Disney Dream Trip Reports...and read about the Blue Lagoon Dolphin Encounter in particular...and now I'm convinced that I want to try that. That means...more money to shell out!

Obviously I have plenty of time to think about this and save for it...which is a good thing. However I definitely think, after reading many reviews, that my kids would LOVE this experience and so I will be adding it to our TO DO list for November 2012. Hard to believe we are now only 10 months away from our cruise, give or take a few days!

************************************
MARCH 2012 TRIP UPDATE
I'm down to about 50 days for my March trip and still have some details to work out there as well. No dates have been released for the Fireworks Dessert Party for March...and so that's my next goal. I also need to work on scheduling the tours that I want to do, but since I have to pay them in advance, and this month I just made payment #1 of 18 orthodontic payments for my DS 11 to get braces...which were put on this week...I'm in no rush. We also just bought a new King Mattress for our bed so that next credit card bill will be OUCH! It also contains my Disney DVC Dues for the year. We have money for both of these big ticket items but I'm just trying to let the credit card cool off a bit for now.

Trying not to make any more changes to my plans or ADRs for now...at least until I book that Dessert Party! If I can't get the night I want (Wed) I'll take any available night...then move other ADRs as necessary!

 

[kittylady1972]

Ok AMTRAK you are KILLING ME!

On a whim I decide to check our November travel schedule again. If you recall, we are taking the train back but ended up booking coach seats instead of rooms because it was so darn expensive for the rooms returning the Saturday after Thanksgiving...one of the most busy travel holidays of the year...go figure!

Anyway the prices...a bit more reasonable again. The problem? We really need to decide soon. What would this mean for us?

Well I THINK at minimum it would cost another $700 or so for us. What's in that cost? We would book two family bedrooms on the return trip...we've never stayed in those before...and we'd pay for half of MIL and FILs room. We'd also need to book another night in our treehouse...and we don't quite have the DVC points to do that. We'd need to borrow some from Disney, which we can do...at a cost of $345 and we'd split that cost with MIL and FIL as well.

The other issue is that online the price is showing one thing for the family bedroom...but when I add it to my cart, the total is $100 more or so per room than it should be...which means something is off. I know in my dealings with Amtrak it will end up being the higher cost...but it's really our only option.

I've emailed DH about it to see what he thinks. Is $700-$800 worth it for one more full day in Disney plus another night in a treehouse PLUS being able to return on the train in sleeper cars instead of in coach?? Stay tuned to find out on AS THE TRAIN ROLLS!

 

[Lidian]

NOVEMBER 2012 PLAN UPDATE

Ok, so the problem with reading the boards here is that, while it helps make some decisions, it opens up new thoughts and ideas as well...which means more options...which means more decisions to make and my latest one is now regarding the cruise portion of our November trip.

My plan all along has been to stay on the boat at the Bahamas Port...and just enjoy it...since everything is free. Then I read some other Disney Dream Trip Reports...and read about the Blue Lagoon Dolphin Encounter in particular...and now I'm convinced that I want to try that. That means...more money to shell out!

Obviously I have plenty of time to think about this and save for it...which is a good thing. However I definitely think, after reading many reviews, that my kids would LOVE this experience and so I will be adding it to our TO DO list for November 2012. Hard to believe we are now only 10 months away from our cruise, give or take a few days!

************************************
MARCH 2012 TRIP UPDATE
I'm down to about 50 days for my March trip and still have some details to work out there as well. No dates have been released for the Fireworks Dessert Party for March...and so that's my next goal. I also need to work on scheduling the tours that I want to do, but since I have to pay them in advance, and this month I just made payment #1 of 18 orthodontic payments for my DS 11 to get braces...which were put on this week...I'm in no rush. We also just bought a new King Mattress for our bed so that next credit card bill will be OUCH! It also contains my Disney DVC Dues for the year. We have money for both of these big ticket items but I'm just trying to let the credit card cool off a bit for now.

Trying not to make any more changes to my plans or ADRs for now...at least until I book that Dessert Party! If I can't get the night I want (Wed) I'll take any available night...then move other ADRs as necessary!

Is it normal for them to not release dates this close? I've never booked the dessert party. I don't even know how much it costs or what it includes. I just know you can see Wishes from a reserved place and get treats.

And I agree, these boards are dangerous and remind you of all the options out there. (As you can see from my PTR.)

Ok AMTRAK you are KILLING ME!

On a whim I decide to check our November travel schedule again. If you recall, we are taking the train back but ended up booking coach seats instead of rooms because it was so darn expensive for the rooms returning the Saturday after Thanksgiving...one of the most busy travel holidays of the year...go figure!

Anyway the prices...a bit more reasonable again. The problem? We really need to decide soon. What would this mean for us?

Well I THINK at minimum it would cost another $700 or so for us. What's in that cost? We would book two family bedrooms on the return trip...we've never stayed in those before...and we'd pay for half of MIL and FILs room. We'd also need to book another night in our treehouse...and we don't quite have the DVC points to do that. We'd need to borrow some from Disney, which we can do...at a cost of $345 and we'd split that cost with MIL and FIL as well.

The other issue is that online the price is showing one thing for the family bedroom...but when I add it to my cart, the total is $100 more or so per room than it should be...which means something is off. I know in my dealings with Amtrak it will end up being the higher cost...but it's really our only option.

I've emailed DH about it to see what he thinks. Is $700-$800 worth it for one more full day in Disney plus another night in a treehouse PLUS being able to return on the train in sleeper cars instead of in coach?? Stay tuned to find out on AS THE TRAIN ROLLS!

I can't wait to hear what you decide! You did cause me to look into Amtrak ... but I couldn't handle a 60 hour trip and it was the same price to fly. (We don't need a car at WDW.) So I didn't even consider looking at the options and such.