3rd Annual We are "NEVER" going to Disney in the summer again"

[dtr_angel]

I'm so sad your TR is done Do you have any other trips 'in the hopper'?

 

[natebenma]

I refuse to believe that this trip report will ever end. At least not until you're ready to start the next one...
We went to Disney in late August. Crowd levels were delightfully low. We had some rain/thunderstorm almost every afternoon. 2 or 3 daysvwere brutally hot and humid but overall enjoyable!

Amanda

I'm so sad your TR is done Do you have any other trips 'in the hopper'?

Thanks, guys!

Well, originally I thought that my next TR would be

"I have more pictures of my meals than my kids- is that wrong?!?"

But after 3 trips in 3 years to to Disney, Mark and I decided we would take a break. Plus Nate goes to Disney in May 2012 for his 8th grade graduation. We are in negotiations about whether I will accompany him as chaperone. He mostly doesn't want me there, and I don't want to stay at the AllStars, so I am thinking of being a quasi-chaperone- I will stay at the BC and meet the kids at the parks when they go.

We do, however, have a summer trip in the hopper and I WILL be writing a trip report-

The current working title is

"Slipping Disney a Mickey- we have dates with Harry and Shamu"

Look for it sometime in late July or early August!

I am a huge Harry Potter fan! My oldest son was really into HP (we had two fabulous HP themed BD parties for him) and I want to get him to the Wizarding World of HP before we totally lose him to teenhood. It is happening much faster than I ever believed possible! My younger son is just starting to get into the books and is really enjoying them.

So we are skipping Disney and doing a 5 day/4 night trip to "The Other Orlando"

Right now, we are staying at the Portofino Bay hotel at Universal. The good news is that guests of the resort get early entry to HP and front of the line access for the popular rides. Yay!

But I am having some serious buyer's remorse. The PBH is more Grand Floridian and this is not our style. Plus I have read a couple of really bad reviews of the hotel. The Hard Rock or Royal Pacific are probably better suited to us, but there were availability and some other issues when we booked. Still, I may see about changing where we are staying.

This is a whole new World for me, so to speak. I know very little about Universal, so I have been trying to gather info. There is a Universal forum on the DIS, but nothing like the main boards.

BTW- did you know that you don't need to make dining reservations for even the most popular Universal/Islands of Adventure in advance?!? That is SOOOOOOOO wrong!

 

[LovintheLodge]

Hey Dee! I enjoyed your trip report. I will definitely be looking for your trip report from your 'other' (haha) destination. My kids (especially my son) loves HP. My daughter wanted us to go there one day during our August WDW trip last year, but I figured it would be soooo busy given it just opened that June. We would like to get there sometime, maybe do a trip like you have planned, but I don't know when! During our 2005 WDW trip, we went to US/IOA for two days (but stayed at WL with free dining). Next time I would stay onsite just to get FOTL!!

Kerry

 

[natebenma]

Hey Dee! I enjoyed your trip report. I will definitely be looking for your trip report from your 'other' (haha) destination. My kids (especially my son) loves HP. My daughter wanted us to go there one day during our August WDW trip last year, but I figured it would be soooo busy given it just opened that June. We would like to get there sometime, maybe do a trip like you have planned, but I don't know when! During our 2005 WDW trip, we went to US/IOA for two days (but stayed at WL with free dining). Next time I would stay onsite just to get FOTL!!

Kerry

Thanks Kerry-

Poking around the Universal Boards- there is a deal being offered by Dreams Unlimited- One day park ticket to either US or IOA (aka HP) with r/t transport to and from a Disney resort, for around $115.

But obviously, I think staying on site is worth it for the early entry and FOTL benefits. Plus we haven't done these parks so there will be plenty for us to explore. We enjoy Sea World, too and it has been 7 years since we have visited.

BTW- your comments on the BC thread about your absent minded son. NOT REASSURING!!!

 

[xDisneyAngelx]

Hey,

I just got done reading your 2010 trip report and I loved it! I especially love the food pictures. You guys are a beautiful family and it seems like you all have a great time at Disney. I hope to hear more reports soon I will be going in July to celebrate my 22nd birthday. Well anyway just wanted to comment on your trip report. Have a magical day!


***SEE YOU REAL SOON***

 

[natebenma]

Hey,

I just got done reading your 2010 trip report and I loved it! I especially love the food pictures. You guys are a beautiful family and it seems like you all have a great time at Disney. I hope to hear more reports soon I will be going in July to celebrate my 22nd birthday. Well anyway just wanted to comment on your trip report. Have a magical day!


***SEE YOU REAL SOON***

I'm so glad you enjoyed my trip report!!! I appreciate your kind comments.

Food pictures are my favorite too! I think I got hooked on the DIS by looking at everyone's food pictures!

Have a fantastic trip in July! Hope you have a few fun meals planned.

 

[jenneth79]

Loved the TR!
Ok.... next pre-trip report? ;-)

 

[xDisneyAngelx]

I'm so glad you enjoyed my trip report!!! I appreciate your kind comments.

Food pictures are my favorite too! I think I got hooked on the DIS by looking at everyone's food pictures!

Have a fantastic trip in July! Hope you have a few fun meals planned.

Thank you so much! I will have a great time well....minus the heat I got hooked on DIS by my mom she's been a member for a while and she showed me the sight and I fell in love with it. I love reading the trip reports to see how much fun everyone has. We have reservations for Kona and Boma. We will be staying in the AKL Savannah View. My mom is a DVC member so we will be staying where the DVC members stay in the Jambo House. She doesn't like Kidani cause they only have one place to eat and its very small so she wanted to stay in Jambo.

 

[DrMomof3]

I'm a huge HP fan and the only thing that has kept me from Universal is the fact that my kids are too short to ride the HP rides. I can't wait to hear about your experience.

Amanda

 

[natebenma]

Loved the TR!
Ok.... next pre-trip report? ;-)

Not sure if I'm going to write a pre-trip. As I have said, there is not much to plan. You don't have to make advanced dining plans (although I will be researching restaurants) and with FOTL and early entry and 2 plus days to tour the parks (We will have a 4 day ticket to US/IOA and 2 day ticket to Sea World ), we don't really need a decent touring strategy.

Maybe as we get closer I can share what I learn, but most likely it will just be included in the TR.

And with all the time I spend over at the Beach Club forum, I am kind of reluctant to even post a ticker. I told Teena about the trip but I don't think she has quite come to grips with the fact that I am staying off site, and I haven't told her yet that we aren't going to Disney at all!

Thank you so much! I will have a great time well....minus the heat I got hooked on DIS by my mom she's been a member for a while and she showed me the sight and I fell in love with it. I love reading the trip reports to see how much fun everyone has. We have reservations for Kona and Boma. We will be staying in the AKL Savannah View. My mom is a DVC member so we will be staying where the DVC members stay in the Jambo House. She doesn't like Kidani cause they only have one place to eat and its very small so she wanted to stay in Jambo.

Kona and Boma are two of my favorites!!!

AKL Savannah View sounds awesome!

I'm a huge HP fan and the only thing that has kept me from Universal is the fact that my kids are too short to ride the HP rides. I can't wait to hear about your experience.

Amanda

I think I will manage to snap a picture or two (or ten) (or 1,000) to share with you all!

And seriously, if any of you are planning HP birthday parties, I would love to share my ideas, which included invitations on parchment with burnt edges (note to self and others, burn the edges AFTER it comes out of the printer), a game of Quiddich, identify the disgusting substances and a genuine O.W.L. test for the party guests to complete.

I was so proud of myself and the beautiful decorations at my house until one of my "friends" walked in and said, sniff "So where's the enchanted ceiling?"

 

[Mndisneygirl]

Thank you so much! I will have a great time well....minus the heat I got hooked on DIS by my mom she's been a member for a while and she showed me the sight and I fell in love with it. I love reading the trip reports to see how much fun everyone has. We have reservations for Kona and Boma. We will be staying in the AKL Savannah View. My mom is a DVC member so we will be staying where the DVC members stay in the Jambo House. She doesn't like Kidani cause they only have one place to eat and its very small so she wanted to stay in Jambo.

we just stayed AKV Jambo with savannah view and LOVED IT!!!!! I'm writing a TR (just started) and will have lots of info for you if you're interested. We just bought an add on contract for AKV!
I agree with your mom - Jambo is more convenient!

 

[xDisneyAngelx]

we just stayed AKV Jambo with savannah view and LOVED IT!!!!! I'm writing a TR (just started) and will have lots of info for you if you're interested. We just bought an add on contract for AKV!
I agree with your mom - Jambo is more convenient!

If you can send some info on AKV that will be awesome! I never stayed there before (only visited). I've always stayed at the Value Resorts. Once my mom became a DVC member we stayed at OKW in Dec '10 but what sucked was that we didn't get the renovated room :-(. But the view was nice we had a view of the golf course. Anyway got to go....talk to you later

 

[counselormom]

I know you aren't doing a pre-trip report for your Universal/ Sea World trip but I would love to read the details as you get closer. Ashton has ask that if we go back to Disney that we spend some time at Universal as well so I will be looking forward to reading about your trip. I agree with you on Portofino, it sounds really nice , but I think we are more of an HRH kind of family too.

 

[natebenma]

I know you aren't doing a pre-trip report for your Universal/ Sea World trip but I would love to read the details as you get closer. Ashton has ask that if we go back to Disney that we spend some time at Universal as well so I will be looking forward to reading about your trip. I agree with you on Portofino, it sounds really nice , but I think we are more of an HRH kind of family too.

Monday July 11- Friday July 15

Ok- so here is a little more "NON-pre-TR" info on our upcoming "Other Orlando trip"

Tickets:

We are going to purchase 4 day park-to-park tickets ("hoppers") from Undercover Tourist:
$146.95 adult. The 4 day ticket is just $4 more than the 2 day, so it is worth it to us to get the flexibility.

SeaWorld tickets are $79.95 for a single day, but there is a buy one day, get the next day free offer, so it is really a two day ticket. There may be discounts out there through McDonalds or AAA or other sources, so I will be checking into that.

This will give us lots of flexibility for doing half days or evenings at the park.

Here is my proposed schedule so far:

Monday: Flight is 7 am to 10 am. Spend afternoon at Universal Studios

Tuesday: Early Entry at Harry Potter/Islands of Adventure. Lunch or Dinner- Mythos

Wednesday: Sea World

Thursday: Whichever park(s) we want to go back to. We could easily hop from park to park, or even do a half day at SeaWorld

Friday: Our flight is at 6 PM, so we have a morning to spend at one of the parks.

My 10 year old son is also a Titanic freak, so I am thinking of taking him to the Titanic Experience for a couple of hours- kind of an interactive museum- which is on International Drive.

So here is the dilema. We were not going to go to Disney this summer. We decided this at the end of last years trip. We were ok with this decision. I swear!

But once this trip was booked (my family refer to it as "Mom's trip") all my family talks about is how much they want to go to Disney. And I tell them "We weren't going to go to Disney" and they answer "But we're going to ORLANDO now", so that means Disney.

And my husband is the worse one of the bunch!!!

So now Mark is encouraging me to look into the logistics of spending a half day at the Magic Kingdom (travel options and costs, ticket prices). I have checked the hours for that week, and MK is open until 11 each night. So we could go from like 5 to close and have 6 hours at MK.

We figure we can decide last minute if we want to do this- so it would be a surprise for the boys.

So- should we or shouldn't we?

I realize that this is like asking a carnivore if we should order the steak or salad or an art enthusiast if we should visit the Louvre while we are in Paris.

So lay it on me!

For the record, I think we have enough to do to keep us entertained, but what do I know?

 

[natebenma]

I know you aren't doing a pre-trip report for your Universal/ Sea World trip but I would love to read the details as you get closer. Ashton has ask that if we go back to Disney that we spend some time at Universal as well so I will be looking forward to reading about your trip. I agree with you on Portofino, it sounds really nice , but I think we are more of an HRH kind of family too.

You may have seen this reply a few posts ago, but this seems like an excellent deal combining a Disney vaction with a day at Universal or IOA

Poking around the Universal Boards- there is a deal being offered by Dreams Unlimited- One day park ticket to either US or IOA (aka HP) with r/t transport to and from a Disney resort, for around $115.

But if you think you want more time, or two explore both parks, then staying on site for early entry and Front of the Line is the way to go!

I will be sure to post about our adventures, and perhaps post a Non-TR TR... See below...

 

[natebenma]

Monday July 11- Friday July 15

Ok- so here is a little more "NON-pre-TR" info on our upcoming "Other Orlando trip"

Tickets:

We are going to purchase 4 day park-to-park tickets ("hoppers") from Undercover Tourist:
$146.95 adult. The 4 day ticket is just $4 more than the 2 day, so it is worth it to us to get the flexibility.

SeaWorld tickets are $79.95 for a single day, but there is a buy one day, get the next day free offer, so it is really a two day ticket. There may be discounts out there through McDonalds or AAA or other sources, so I will be checking into that.

This will give us lots of flexibility for doing half days or evenings at the park.

Here is my proposed schedule so far:

Monday: Flight is 7 am to 10 am. Spend afternoon at Universal Studios

Tuesday: Early Entry at Harry Potter/Islands of Adventure. Lunch or Dinner- Mythos

Wednesday: Sea World

Thursday: Whichever park(s) we want to go back to. We could easily hop from park to park, or even do a half day at SeaWorld

Friday: Our flight is at 6 PM, so we have a morning to spend at one of the parks.

My 10 year old son is also a Titanic freak, so I am thinking of taking him to the Titanic Experience for a couple of hours- kind of an interactive museum- which is on International Drive.

So here is the dilema. We were not going to go to Disney this summer. We decided this at the end of last years trip. We were ok with this decision. I swear!

But once this trip was booked (my family refer to it as "Mom's trip") all my family talks about is how much they want to go to Disney. And I tell them "We weren't going to go to Disney" and they answer "But we're going to ORLANDO now", so that means Disney.

And my husband is the worse one of the bunch!!!

So now Mark is encouraging me to look into the logistics of spending a half day at the Magic Kingdom (travel options and costs, ticket prices). I have checked the hours for that week, and MK is open until 11 each night. So we could go from like 5 to close and have 6 hours at MK.

We figure we can decide last minute if we want to do this- so it would be a surprise for the boys.

So- should we or shouldn't we?

I realize that this is like asking a carnivore if we should order the steak or salad or an art enthusiast if we should visit the Louvre while we are in Paris.

So lay it on me!

For the record, I think we have enough to do to keep us entertained, but what do I know?

 

[LovintheLodge]

Thanks Kerry-

Poking around the Universal Boards- there is a deal being offered by Dreams Unlimited- One day park ticket to either US or IOA (aka HP) with r/t transport to and from a Disney resort, for around $115.

But obviously, I think staying on site is worth it for the early entry and FOTL benefits. Plus we haven't done these parks so there will be plenty for us to explore. We enjoy Sea World, too and it has been 7 years since we have visited.

BTW- your comments on the BC thread about your absent minded son. NOT REASSURING!!!

The only Sea World our kids have seen was the one in San Diego (2003). They were 10 and 12. DH and I went to the Orlando Sea World a LONG time ago (1988).

Oh and regarding my son...I'm sure I will have more 'scatterbrained' stories before his semester is done mid-May!!

Kerry

 

[HockeyMomR]

Dee -

I totally understand the draw to spend a day at Disney. Certainly think you should spend a day at MK! There is just something about the place.

I don't think I could be that close without driving on Disney property, visiting a park (or maybe two), visiting my favorite resort (even just for dinner) and visiting my favorite greeter (if she was working, which I understand your vacation time she will not). Then I might walk around Epcot and stay for Illuminations....."if you give a mouse a cookie"....

Rebecca

 

[ProudMommyof2]

OK- I am a huge Disney freak but that is an expensive 1/2 day for MK.

Have you considered getting the Seaworld/Aquatica pass for $99 each. You guys seem to love the water parks last summer. You can always go to DTD or dinner at Poly and then fireworks or spend an evening on the Boardwalk.

 

[ProudMommyof2]

Oops- just realized that ticket is for Florida residents only