Cast:
Aisling 42
DS 18 Chad
DS12 Jesse
DM Millie 60
This was our 3rd trip to our beloved WDW, and the first time I planned/booked everything on my own. DH chose not to come with us, all Disneyed-out from our last trips, poor pathetic thing! So I invited my mom, who had never been to WDW.
I started my countdown clock at 228 days, and got to work. I booked AKL concierge for 7 nights, but ended up changing it to a non-c savannah-view, and to stay our two last nights at CR Tower. We'd never stayed at either of these resorts, so we were all way excited. When I first called about the CR tower, I was told there was no room available. I immediately called back, and another CM "found" one. So I grabbed it right away. After I booked it, I called back again just to make sure CRO really had my tower ressie, and they did!
I first booked with a AAA code, and went from rack rate to $286/night for 3 adults and 1 junior for AKL, and $345/night for CR-tower. This was way more than what I wanted to spend, but I was willing. I guess I knew in my heart that a code code would come out and help me!
Then, I booked plane tickets, and it took me a while of patient gambling/waiting for decent airfares to come out. My instinct paid off, and I got us RT on Song, out of LGA at a nice early 6:30 AM and back at 6:15 PM into JFK for $172. I booked as one-ways, because at first, only the flight out was low, so I grabbed it. I waited for the return fares to drop, and about a week later, they did. I had the seats I wanted, up front, 5E and 5F, and Chad wanted the exit seat and got his desired 10F. He had the 3 seats to himself for the flight! I booked my tickets in early May, which was cutting it close, but I watched the Song site everyday, noted the seating charts to see how the plane was filling, and just played their game.
The flight home was 6 A,B, and C, up front where I'm most comfortable. So my air was happily taken care odf, with my getting everything exactly as I wanted.
My mom will not get on an airplane, so I checked Greyhound and Amtrak, and found Greyhound to have the best times corresponding to our flight arrival and departure. I bought her ticket online, RT, for $211 plus $15 service charge, since it was considered a "gift ticket". Huh?? Whatever!! She was to leave the morning before us, out of Port Authority here in NYC, and arrive in Orlando 23 hours later, 3 hours before our flight was to arrive. I prayed that there would be no delays and throw off my precision planning!
Next I got our park tickets. I ordered through WWoS and paid $173 each, incl. tax and shipping, for 5-D PH with DQ and 1 water park included. The tickets came in 4 or 5 days.
Transportation was next. I used Mears, Tiffany, and Cartier in the past, but this time went with Southern Elegance Limosines because of what I've read here on the Dis. We wanted a limo this time, not a towncar, and SE had the best price, $180 plus tip. I liked it that they didn't automatically add their own tip, which is a major turn-off for me. Their e-mails were prompt, and I even spoke several times on the phone, and the people were friendly and professional.
I booked Happy Limo to meet my mom at the bus station, and they charged $55 including tip to take her to MCO arrivals to wait for us. I used happy because every other company I called said they didn't service ther Greyhound station, this included Southern Elegance. I asked for a short grocery stop for her, to buy a drink or a sandwich after being on the bus for 23 hours.
I paid for both cars in advance with my credit card. I wanted to get some last-minute Disney Reward points!
Then an AP code came out. I didn't have an AP, but would surely buy would have bought one to save a lot of money on the rooms. I called and modified with the AP code to AKL $235/night , and CR-t for $306, including tax.
My PSs were next. I got an Illuminations Cruise my third try, a Wishes Cruise, Princess Storybook Breakfast, Whispering Canyon, a massage for Chad, Parasailing for me and Chad, the Segway Tour for Chad (Chad, Chad, Chad, Marcia, Marcia, Marcia, I know LOL!!), the Ice Cream Social, Fantasmic Dinner Package at Mama Melrose, Cirque du Soleil, the HOBlues Gospel Brunch, and the special Cinderella's Glass Slipper and the Dalmation Dog Bones at the Grand Floridian Cafe.
For Cirque, I wanted first row center, and Disney connected me with the theater directly, because you cannot get first row seats on Disney's web site. I got the seats I wanted easily by talking to Conan. For the Slipper and Dog Bone desserts, I called the Grand Floridian, and they connected me to their special dining department, where I gave my requests. I asked to have our names written in chocolate on the plates, and Heather was very nice. They were $8.99 each.
I continued to have hope in a room-only general public code, and low and behold, it came out shortly before my trip! I called CRO, and modified AKL-S to $243/n, and CR-T to $313/night. This was including the extra $25/night for the extra adult, since Chad is now 18. I was actually paying a bit more with the code than with the AP rate, but it worked out better for me that I didn't have to spend around $400 for an AP. I simply bought myself a ticket from WWoS for $173.
Si I was all set, just waiting and watching the planning video every day. My sons were so excited, and so was mom. We did our last minute shopping, started packing about 2 weeks before, and saved all our quarters to see how much we'd have after 2 weeks of waiting, just for the fun of it. We ended up with $35 dollars worth!
Oh, that reminds me, a week before my trip, I called and had my Disney Visa Rewards Dollars transferred to my Rewards card. I had ordered the card a month before with the minimum $20 worth, just to have it in my possession. I had a whopping $408 free money to take with me to spend in WDW, just for using my Disney Visa card all year!!!
I made my manicure/pedicure appointment, since it's a tradition for me to do this only once a year! I always do my own nails, but going to Disney is worth it for me to start my vacation feeling like a pampered princess!
Mom came down from upstate NY a week before our trip, just to share the excitement all together, and the countdown clock started to say 6,5,4,3,2,1...
Aisling 42
DS 18 Chad
DS12 Jesse
DM Millie 60
This was our 3rd trip to our beloved WDW, and the first time I planned/booked everything on my own. DH chose not to come with us, all Disneyed-out from our last trips, poor pathetic thing! So I invited my mom, who had never been to WDW.
I started my countdown clock at 228 days, and got to work. I booked AKL concierge for 7 nights, but ended up changing it to a non-c savannah-view, and to stay our two last nights at CR Tower. We'd never stayed at either of these resorts, so we were all way excited. When I first called about the CR tower, I was told there was no room available. I immediately called back, and another CM "found" one. So I grabbed it right away. After I booked it, I called back again just to make sure CRO really had my tower ressie, and they did!
I first booked with a AAA code, and went from rack rate to $286/night for 3 adults and 1 junior for AKL, and $345/night for CR-tower. This was way more than what I wanted to spend, but I was willing. I guess I knew in my heart that a code code would come out and help me!
Then, I booked plane tickets, and it took me a while of patient gambling/waiting for decent airfares to come out. My instinct paid off, and I got us RT on Song, out of LGA at a nice early 6:30 AM and back at 6:15 PM into JFK for $172. I booked as one-ways, because at first, only the flight out was low, so I grabbed it. I waited for the return fares to drop, and about a week later, they did. I had the seats I wanted, up front, 5E and 5F, and Chad wanted the exit seat and got his desired 10F. He had the 3 seats to himself for the flight! I booked my tickets in early May, which was cutting it close, but I watched the Song site everyday, noted the seating charts to see how the plane was filling, and just played their game.
The flight home was 6 A,B, and C, up front where I'm most comfortable. So my air was happily taken care odf, with my getting everything exactly as I wanted.
My mom will not get on an airplane, so I checked Greyhound and Amtrak, and found Greyhound to have the best times corresponding to our flight arrival and departure. I bought her ticket online, RT, for $211 plus $15 service charge, since it was considered a "gift ticket". Huh?? Whatever!! She was to leave the morning before us, out of Port Authority here in NYC, and arrive in Orlando 23 hours later, 3 hours before our flight was to arrive. I prayed that there would be no delays and throw off my precision planning!
Next I got our park tickets. I ordered through WWoS and paid $173 each, incl. tax and shipping, for 5-D PH with DQ and 1 water park included. The tickets came in 4 or 5 days.
Transportation was next. I used Mears, Tiffany, and Cartier in the past, but this time went with Southern Elegance Limosines because of what I've read here on the Dis. We wanted a limo this time, not a towncar, and SE had the best price, $180 plus tip. I liked it that they didn't automatically add their own tip, which is a major turn-off for me. Their e-mails were prompt, and I even spoke several times on the phone, and the people were friendly and professional.
I booked Happy Limo to meet my mom at the bus station, and they charged $55 including tip to take her to MCO arrivals to wait for us. I used happy because every other company I called said they didn't service ther Greyhound station, this included Southern Elegance. I asked for a short grocery stop for her, to buy a drink or a sandwich after being on the bus for 23 hours.
I paid for both cars in advance with my credit card. I wanted to get some last-minute Disney Reward points!
Then an AP code came out. I didn't have an AP, but would surely buy would have bought one to save a lot of money on the rooms. I called and modified with the AP code to AKL $235/night , and CR-t for $306, including tax.
My PSs were next. I got an Illuminations Cruise my third try, a Wishes Cruise, Princess Storybook Breakfast, Whispering Canyon, a massage for Chad, Parasailing for me and Chad, the Segway Tour for Chad (Chad, Chad, Chad, Marcia, Marcia, Marcia, I know LOL!!), the Ice Cream Social, Fantasmic Dinner Package at Mama Melrose, Cirque du Soleil, the HOBlues Gospel Brunch, and the special Cinderella's Glass Slipper and the Dalmation Dog Bones at the Grand Floridian Cafe.
For Cirque, I wanted first row center, and Disney connected me with the theater directly, because you cannot get first row seats on Disney's web site. I got the seats I wanted easily by talking to Conan. For the Slipper and Dog Bone desserts, I called the Grand Floridian, and they connected me to their special dining department, where I gave my requests. I asked to have our names written in chocolate on the plates, and Heather was very nice. They were $8.99 each.
I continued to have hope in a room-only general public code, and low and behold, it came out shortly before my trip! I called CRO, and modified AKL-S to $243/n, and CR-T to $313/night. This was including the extra $25/night for the extra adult, since Chad is now 18. I was actually paying a bit more with the code than with the AP rate, but it worked out better for me that I didn't have to spend around $400 for an AP. I simply bought myself a ticket from WWoS for $173.
Si I was all set, just waiting and watching the planning video every day. My sons were so excited, and so was mom. We did our last minute shopping, started packing about 2 weeks before, and saved all our quarters to see how much we'd have after 2 weeks of waiting, just for the fun of it. We ended up with $35 dollars worth!
Oh, that reminds me, a week before my trip, I called and had my Disney Visa Rewards Dollars transferred to my Rewards card. I had ordered the card a month before with the minimum $20 worth, just to have it in my possession. I had a whopping $408 free money to take with me to spend in WDW, just for using my Disney Visa card all year!!!
I made my manicure/pedicure appointment, since it's a tradition for me to do this only once a year! I always do my own nails, but going to Disney is worth it for me to start my vacation feeling like a pampered princess!
Mom came down from upstate NY a week before our trip, just to share the excitement all together, and the countdown clock started to say 6,5,4,3,2,1...
