A Supersized, Extra Loud, Magical Christmas..

[AB6876]

Welcome…This is my first attempt at a PTR. I have been mostly a lurker (well that is because I read during the day at work on my iphone while on conference calls and between meetings (shhhh don’t tell ) …. And it is not really user friendly to post).
I figured I would pass the time I have to wait until my next Disney Trip by posting a pre-trip report. I also figured it would help me keep organized with my trip planning…

First off…introductions and back story. Our family, I sure hope this picture link works.



First there’s me.
I am the Disney Trip planner, however in real life I am not much of a planner..actually more of a fly by the seat of my pants type. Not super organized nor do I enjoy being like that, well except for my Disney trips. My friends and family make fun of my uber planning for Disney… My husband and I are DVC members and have been since 2008. We bought into DVC on the last day of our most magical vacation to date at Disney. I love DVC and we have gone on three trips as DVC members. Unfortunately due to circumstances beyond our control we have had to cancel our last two Disney trips.
My husband…
He is wonderful…although I know I don’t tell him enough. He loves Disney almost as much as I do, however he is not big into planning, but appreciates my work doing so. He would rather be surprised, which is strange because he HATES surprises in real life.
My son…
He is 7 now and started going to Disney when he was 3. He loves Disney. He is a serious thrill seeker, and has been for almost 3 years. He is quite tall for his age and at 4 could ride most rides at Disney. His favorite ride is ToT, although he loves Space Mountain and the EE. He is SO looking forward to rockin rollercoaster this trip. He also loves the shows and is just as happy sitting through the FoLK, Nemo etc.
Our quick background story..
I did not grow up a Disney fan, we went to Disney one time when I was 16, then one day as an adult during a work conference. One of my co-workers actually talked me into it and I had fun. I knew I always wanted to take my child(ren) at some point but until that day I was ok with traveling elsewhere..Well got married, had a baby and work transferred us to a different state(s). Needless to say we were busy. My husband had never been to Disney so I mentioned we should try to get our son there at some point. Our first trip as a family was when my son was 9mo and we only went for one day to MGM we stayed with my family in a nearby timeshare so we were off property and it was fun, nothing special. Plus it was August, and so freakin hot, that may have had something to do with it. It was decided when my son was 3 we would go to Disney and do it right, we would stay on property. This ended up being a last minute trip, and we stayed at All-Star Movies in April ‘07. It was just the three of us so it was fun, although all of us ended up with strep throat by the last day . Like I said it was last minute no planning other than a few ADR’s made at the hotel when we got there. My son LOVED All-Star movies (waking up to a huge Buzz made it magical for him). After that trip I got the planning bug and bought the unofficial guide for our next trip, which we booked about a month after we returned. I was hooked on planning, I read about every ride and how to avoid wait times etc. We splurged and stayed at Wilderness Lodge in April of 08’, did the dining plan, made, cancelled, made new ADR’s and everything. We planned to meet friends down there a few days so my son would have some play time. Well as you may have guessed we had a WONDERFUL time. We bought into DVC, which I had never heard of before, and planned our early Christmas trip with Developer points. After this trip I was officially hooked. I loved it…….
We have stayed at ASM, WL, POP, SSR, OKW and BLT. I/We have been during January, April, May, July, August, Nov (Thanksgiving), early December. Before my son started school, we tried to go during the off season, however with school, sports and life it now seems we are somewhat restricted to busy times, not my first choice, but better than no Disney right??
So that leads us to our next Adventure…
We are once again being transferred, but this time back home to New England……we have done a 10 year tour of the South (well that is what I call it) including VA, TN, TX, GA and we are ready to head back home. It looks like we will be moving in the next couple of months so we will keep somewhat busy hahaha. Well all this moving back home has got us thinking about family. We have never invited my family to Disney with us. Shame on us, I know. I am one of five children (four boys, one girl) and parents that are still together. We figured what better way to celebrate Christmas, a home coming and all that Jazz than a trip to Disney. Yes you read that right, we are braving the crowds with 10 people during Christmas.
Family background…
My parents, they are great. Maybe not in the traditional, pixie dust since, but hey we’re yankee’s right??? They love their kids, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE their ONLY grandson oh yeah and their dog too, and well.. like everything else, including each other (well maybe it is more tolerate lol).
My brothers, well there are four of them ranging in age from 30-20. They all are so different which is one of my favorite things about each of them. They each have a different relationship with my son, and provide many, many hours of entertainment to anyone in a four mile radius. They are loud, obnoxious but all have a softer side (I think).
The plans……
Ok, so we plan to stay for one week starting on the 23rd of December staying until the 30th . Right now we have a two bedroom, and a studio booked at SSR, however I may change that at the 7 month mark, if I can get something better. I actually like SSR, but like to stay different places. I also have some concerns about transportation as one of my brothers is in a wheelchair full time, and my dad, well he doesn’t recognize this but has trouble walking long distances (rheumatoid arthritis and other issues). I see an ECV in his future if he wants to keep up with his grandson.
So that is us in a nut shell. 10 people, including 8 males, 2 females and a whole lot of laughs..
Like I said earlier, I want to do a lot of planning to make this trip extra magical for my family, as they have never really DONE DISNEY the right way. This PTR will keep me on track and accountable for that . Hopefully, you will feel compelled to join in and help me with this or find a minute of entertainment here and there. Lol
Thanks for reading…say hi if you can…but lurking is cool too….

 

[AB6876]

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[AB6876]

Ok so the resort decision.....
As you probably know DVC is a bit of a game when it comes to where you
are going to stay outside your home resort. You may or may not get the
reservations you want, you may have to change dates or be flexible or
even do a split stay.
Given there are 10 of us, a split stay is not really an option. Too
confusing, too many people, and I would have to listen to too much
complaining if you ask me. We are booked at Saratoga Springs, for a two
bedroom lock off, and a deluxe studio. Honestly, I like Saratoga
Springs. It is convenient to DTD, it is new(er) the beds are
comfortable, the rooms are clean and the grounds are pretty. My only
concern is that we have two people with mobility issues and the plan is
to use the busses. That being said, the buses at Saratoga are difficult
at busy times. We can make it work and will if we need to however I am
looking at my options as far as where is the best place to stay for all
of us.
My first thought is the Boardwalk Villas. It is right there on the
boardwalk, within walking distance from DHS and Epcot. The Boardwalk
atmosphere at night is beautiful. We have enough points to stay in the
same accommodations (one two bedroom and one studio) as Saratoga Springs
for the same length of time. The problem with this is that only
includes a standard view room, which I know during the Christmas
holidays will be VERY hard to come by. There will have to be some
serious pixie dust to allow for that to happen.
Here is the point breakdown for the BWV. We have 551 points available
to us.
Disney's Boardwalk Villas * *Two Bedroom Villa - Standard View
12/23/2011 * *12/30/2011 * *395 * *
Disney's Boardwalk Villas * *Studio Accommodation - Standard View
12/23/2011 * *12/30/2011 * *139 * *

Total points required is 534. Yeah I know, stupid to even tempt myself
with this, however it is always worth a shot right? Given split stays
are out for us, it would have to be an all or nothing type deal. I just
would fall over if I called member services and they had this available
at the seven month window.
The other option is to shorten our stay by one day and choose a
preferred or boardwalk view. I would rather not shorten our stay,
however I really do think, if that resort and rooms are available it
would make since to shorten it by one day. It also allows us to fly to
MCO on a Saturday rather than a Friday which can be easier at times.
I brought this subject up to my husband and he suggested that we fly out
Friday and go to a Value and transfer over to whichever DVC resort we
end up at. Normally, I would have been heck yeah!!! But all 10 of us
traveling together this would be a nightmare. I can just hear the
problems and complaints now. I want this to be magical, not
troublesome. Some people just don't understand seeing new Disney
resorts, enjoying every day there etc. I fear this would be the case if
we attempted to do this.
So, my is plan now just to wait to the seven month mark, and see what we
can get. If we shorten the trip by one day this also opens up Beach
Club Villas, and even Wilderness Lodge. So who knows where we will end
up? I've decided I am not going to stress over this too much. I am going
to go with the flow and allow for things to happen. We will see what we
get, and worst case scenario is that we stay at SSR for one week. Not
too Shabby if you ask me!!!