A Disney-addicted mom plans a trip in August, 2010! *New pics #574*

[dismagiclover]

Thank you! I didn't realize mousekeeping would be so expensive. I need to look into that. My DH has never been as excited about DVC as I am. I probably would have done it already! Can you ever buy BCV or Boardwalk from Disney? Or only on resale?

Amanda

You can buy any of the resorts direct from Disney, but they are way more expensive. I think BCV and BWV are $106 a point with a mininum buy in of 160 points. Or if you do buy a small resale you can then add on in smaller increments of at least 25 points. And don't forget the maintainance fees you have to pay every year. At the BWV they are currently a bit over $5 a point, but they go up every year. The maintainence fees were one of the big reasons my DH didn't want to buy more points. He didn't want to make long term commitments for our money. He figured paying cash to buy was fine because it was a one time thing, but maintainence fees are forever (actually until 2042.)

 

[dismagiclover]

I found this thread with daily housekeeping prices. Not cheap.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1797747&highlight=daily+housekeeping

 

[carissanboys]

I bought a small. I suspect it'll be a little tight across the chest but it should fit. I'm pretty small (I'm somewhere between a 4 and 6 petite - although closer to 6 these days) so it should be ok.

Amanda

I keep waiting for them to get more sizes in stock, but I'm not holding my breath.

 

[lexmas]

I'm trying to figure out the logistics of buying an AP because I've already purchased packages!

You can just upgrade your tickets at the concierge desk at any point during your stay. That is what we will be doing as well.

 

[DrMomof3]

You can buy any of the resorts direct from Disney, but they are way more expensive. I think BCV and BWV are $106 a point with a mininum buy in of 160 points. Or if you do buy a small resale you can then add on in smaller increments of at least 25 points. And don't forget the maintainance fees you have to pay every year. At the BWV they are currently a bit over $5 a point, but they go up every year. The maintainence fees were one of the big reasons my DH didn't want to buy more points. He didn't want to make long term commitments for our money. He figured paying cash to buy was fine because it was a one time thing, but maintainence fees are forever (actually until 2042.)

Hmm. A lot to think about. The mousekeeping is an issue for me. I know I sound snobby but I also know that I'll be doing ALL of the clean-up. If we don't get any mousekeeping, it'll take away from my relaxation. $60 per day to clean a 2 bedroom is super pricey!!!
What made you choose Boardwalk over Beach Club? I'm a little torn. I was thinking that SAB would push me toward BCV but they don't have Grand Villas if we want to take the extended family....

Amanda

 

[DrMomof3]

I keep waiting for them to get more sizes in stock, but I'm not holding my breath.

I would have preferred a medium but I didn't want to risk them selling out completely!

Amanda

 

[DrMomof3]

You can just upgrade your tickets at the concierge desk at any point during your stay. That is what we will be doing as well.

The only question is that I bought convention tickets for the April trip and people weren't sure if I'd be allowed to upgrade those...

Amanda

 

[dismagiclover]

Hmm. A lot to think about. The mousekeeping is an issue for me. I know I sound snobby but I also know that I'll be doing ALL of the clean-up. If we don't get any mousekeeping, it'll take away from my relaxation. $60 per day to clean a 2 bedroom is super pricey!!!
What made you choose Boardwalk over Beach Club? I'm a little torn. I was thinking that SAB would push me toward BCV but they don't have Grand Villas if we want to take the extended family....

Amanda

To be honest all things being equal we probably would have chosen Beach Club. We love Stormalong Bay. But BWV is cheaper on the resale market plus 50 point contracts don't come along real often and when they do they get snatched right up so we grabbed the 50 point BWV contract when we saw it. Plus BWV does have a standard view option which is less points than BCV and that was a plus. We've never actually stayed at BWV. Our first trip there is next January for the marathon so hopefully we like it. The good thing about DVC is you can also book other resorts at 7 months so we're planning to use our points to book at all of the resorts eventually. Home resort is only really important if you book during a high DVC travel time. Most times you can get the resort you want at the 7 month window.

 

[lexmas]

The only question is that I bought convention tickets for the April trip and people weren't sure if I'd be allowed to upgrade those...

Amanda

Hmm, not sure about that, but I can't see why not. I'm sure you could just call disney and ask. Or your Travel Agent, if you have one.

 

[klacey1]

Scarsdale is just lovely-- I grew up here in Westchester and just had fabulous teachers. DBF and I are definitely going to raise our family here. If you look at the NYS Dept. of Ed "School Report Cards," the test scores in Westchester are much, much higher than the NYS average. I don't have enough great things to say about the public school system!
Mousekeeping is one of the biggest reasons I know we have no plans to buy into DVC. I think we MAY rent points in 2011 at BLT, but that's even up for debate. There are so many resorts we love and want to stay at-- that aren't DVC (GF, Poly, the Contemporary tower, etc.) For us it doesn't make sense-- and I just really appreciate made beds and empty trash cans at the end of the day! Our trip is a break for me having to do all of that at home.

 

[DrMomof3]

To be honest all things being equal we probably would have chosen Beach Club. We love Stormalong Bay. But BWV is cheaper on the resale market plus 50 point contracts don't come along real often and when they do they get snatched right up so we grabbed the 50 point BWV contract when we saw it. Plus BWV does have a standard view option which is less points than BCV and that was a plus. We've never actually stayed at BWV. Our first trip there is next January for the marathon so hopefully we like it. The good thing about DVC is you can also book other resorts at 7 months so we're planning to use our points to book at all of the resorts eventually. Home resort is only really important if you book during a high DVC travel time. Most times you can get the resort you want at the 7 month window.

Good points! I've heard good things about BWV. We've never stayed in the Epcot area but I think I'm going to love it!!!

Hmm, not sure about that, but I can't see why not. I'm sure you could just call disney and ask. Or your Travel Agent, if you have one.

I'm just going to ask when I'm there in 2 weeks! Did I mention TWO WEEKS???

Scarsdale is just lovely-- I grew up here in Westchester and just had fabulous teachers. DBF and I are definitely going to raise our family here. If you look at the NYS Dept. of Ed "School Report Cards," the test scores in Westchester are much, much higher than the NYS average. I don't have enough great things to say about the public school system!
Mousekeeping is one of the biggest reasons I know we have no plans to buy into DVC. I think we MAY rent points in 2011 at BLT, but that's even up for debate. There are so many resorts we love and want to stay at-- that aren't DVC (GF, Poly, the Contemporary tower, etc.) For us it doesn't make sense-- and I just really appreciate made beds and empty trash cans at the end of the day! Our trip is a break for me having to do all of that at home.

Westchester is very nice! Education is very, very important to us and that's why we chose Scarsdale. My DH grew up here and loved it.

I totally agree that a trip should be a break. We stayed at a vacation home last August (my parents' friends have a house in Maine). The house was lovely and we had fun BUT I was cooking 3 meals per day and cleaning up after 3 children + my DH. Not a break for me!!!

Amanda

 

[BabyEeyore]

Just had to say... YAY for 2 weeks!!!

 

[lexmas]

My goodness, two weeks! SO soon! That's so exciting!

 

[cdotla]

I just registered for the Disney half-marathon! OMG! I can't even believe it!!!

WOW! Good for you Amanda!!!

I am just getting caught up on your report. So many developments...last time I checked in you were still powerless! Yay for power!

As for DVC...I have done some math, and my personal thought is that unless you are paying cash, you are better off renting points. However, with renting you have to be willing to accept some amount of risk. I have never rented, but I plan to in future. However, I will be a nervous reck until we are given a key to the unit at check in!

The other thing that keeps me from buying is the fact that the DVC rooms don't get upgraded or refurbed as much as non-DVC, the lack of housekeeping as you mentioned, and the lack of 2 real beds in the studios and 1 bdrms, which would be the units we would be most likely to rent.

As you mention, it wld also bother me missing out on the great deals released to the general public, such as free dining or buy 4, get 7, ect.

All that said, if BLT rooms looked like the Contemporary rooms, or if the Poly had DVC, I would be buying in a heartbeat!

As for the Toy Story game on the Wii, we LOVE it!!! I think it even has some better games than the real thing. If only it came with the ride vehicles for use at home!

Yay for San Fran! I was there briefly 2 years ago, but really want to go back. Especially to see the Disney Family Museum.

Can't believe you are only 2 weeks away from Disney!!!

 

[DrMomof3]

Just had to say... YAY for 2 weeks!!!

We'll be finishing up dinner at Yachtsman at this time in 2 weeks. Probably eating Tom's birthday cake!!!

My goodness, two weeks! SO soon! That's so exciting!

I know. I'd better get my act together! I need to figure out our touring plans bc it's gonna be crowded...

WOW! Good for you Amanda!!!

I am just getting caught up on your report. So many developments...last time I checked in you were still powerless! Yay for power!

As for DVC...I have done some math, and my personal thought is that unless you are paying cash, you are better off renting points. However, with renting you have to be willing to accept some amount of risk. I have never rented, but I plan to in future. However, I will be a nervous reck until we are given a key to the unit at check in!

The other thing that keeps me from buying is the fact that the DVC rooms don't get upgraded or refurbed as much as non-DVC, the lack of housekeeping as you mentioned, and the lack of 2 real beds in the studios and 1 bdrms, which would be the units we would be most likely to rent.

As you mention, it wld also bother me missing out on the great deals released to the general public, such as free dining or buy 4, get 7, ect.

All that said, if BLT rooms looked like the Contemporary rooms, or if the Poly had DVC, I would be buying in a heartbeat!

As for the Toy Story game on the Wii, we LOVE it!!! I think it even has some better games than the real thing. If only it came with the ride vehicles for use at home!

Yay for San Fran! I was there briefly 2 years ago, but really want to go back. Especially to see the Disney Family Museum.

Can't believe you are only 2 weeks away from Disney!!!

Thanks for your thoughts on DVC. I suspect we won't do it. We've always gotten good deals on our Disney trips. When we stayed at SSR we had buy 4 get 3; at the Contemporary we had free dining; and for BCV we have 40% off. The biggest thing for me is that I know we like have more than one room. Which means villas or getting 2 rooms. My DH is 6'4" and 280 lbs. Sleeping in a double bed with him is NOT an option. Which means deluxe resorts or villas. We can't reasonably do 2 moderate rooms and have us comfortable.

Amanda

 

[DrMomof3]

Just did my week 6 day 2 work-out. That's my last interval work-out. Starting Monday it's all running. Yikes! It felt pretty good today even though I didn't feel like doing it.

I worked on our trip plans last night. I found all of our ADRs and Tom's golf reservation (for while I'm at the conference). I need to look at the weather reports and start packing soon. Especially with Passover and Easter coming quickly (we celebrate both so it's a hectic time). I am taking 2 days off next week to hang out with the kids so it should be ok. And I'm pretty good about staying on top of the laundry and stuff.

We land at MCO around 11:30am. We'll take DME to YC and check in. I'm hoping our room will be ready but it doesn't matter too much. We'll probably grab some lunch and then head to the parks. My plan was to go to MK that day because of PM EMH but they added AM EMH because of the crowds. Not a good sign! Especially since we (obviously) can't get there for rope drop. On the other hand we won't have kids which is somewhat freeing. Unless it's pouring rain Tom and I will be happy to have some adult time together, even if it's just standing in line! I think that DHS has AM EMH also so that's not a good choice. And our ADR for dinner on Saturday is at Epcot so we're pretty tied to Epcot on Saturday (unless we are able to get APs on Friday and then we'll gain park-hopping ability).

Anyway we'll hang out at MK for a few hours and then head back to YC for dinner at Yachtsman at 7:05pm. I can see a possibility where we don't even go to MK before dinner and just enjoy the pool and Boardwalk area if we get really delayed (between the flight and DME). I'd like to leave MK by 5-ish to make sure we have plenty of time to shower and dress nicely for dinner. I told them it's Tom's birthday. If it's just the 2 of us, is there a reason to order a nice cake??? I'm sure we'll head back to MK after dinner (probably changing back into park clothes - maybe something warmer because it looks like it's still chilly at night and I'm always cold!). There are PM EMH until 2am. We're not late night people (well Tom is but I'm definitely a morning person and the kids get up really early, too) so I don't know how long we'll last. We don't usually stay for late-night fireworks since my kids are early to bed/early to rise types so it'll be a treat to see Spectro and Wishes.

Saturday will be an Epcot day. I'm excited to have a full day at Epcot with no kids! We'll probably use the Unofficial Guide touring plan (for both days) since the crowd calendar is at a 9. One advantage of YC is we can pop home for a nap (or a work-out) in the afternoon. We have a late ADR at Bistro de Paris. If we're lucky we'll get a window table and watch Illuminations (which I've never seen!). Then we'll collapse.

Sunday my conference starts early (7 or 7:30am?) so I'll be up, showered, and dressed in a suit. Tom's tee time is 9am so he'll probably want to leave the hotel shortly after I do. There is a mid-morning break in the conference so I'll probably wait until then to check-out. Our flight home is super late and I have a very early day on Monday morning. UGH!

Please share any thoughts or opinions!
Amanda

 

[dismagiclover]

It's a quick trip, but it sounds great. I think if I were you I would just take it easy around the boardwalk and pool after you arrive. With the crowds MK will be a madhouse and if you're going over after dinner you can enjoy it then. That is great you'll be able to do Spectro and Wishes. I just love Wishes! And Saturday will be great. Just think you can actually browse around the World Showcase without kids. That sounds heavenly. And such grown up and yummy ADRS!

ETA: Great job on the run too!

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Whoohoo! Congrats for finishing week 6, I'm 5 weeks behind you! Week 7 is fun, I was amazed that I could run the whole time, I'm looking forward to getting back to that. I just have to watch the runners knee.

 

[lexmas]

That sounds really great. It will be so much fun for you to explore disney without the kids...take all the time shopping you want and stay out really late without worrying about whose schedule you're messing up!

 

[-Hope-]

That sounds so great- a nice relaxing ADULT weekend. *insert wistful sigh*