Almost FINAL Update - Racing Against the Mickey Clock - A PTR for the Crazy!

[heathers4um]

Hiya Dis Friends! Welcome to my last minute PTR! I'm so excited! I'm so overwhelmed!

Some of you may have seen my prior post about how *someone* didn't book their 2012 vacation points...so really, if you think about it, we had NO choice, right??

I just locked it in, BUT I had to borrow most of my 2013 points to finish the reservation off which means, as you all know, if for whatever reason this falls through, we lose not only the 2012 that went unbanked BUT the 2013 I just borrowed! *puts my optimistic mickey ears on and forges ahead*

It will be me42, DH40, DS20, DSD11 (first time and birthday!) and DNiece12 (first time). DSD11 is my DH's DD, and we had to get permission from her mom to be away for her actual birthday. And DNiece and God-daughter is DH's sister's DD, who would never get there if we didn't take her. We are happy to take on that obligation! She's DSD's bestie, they are both at our house every weekend and it just feels complete to allow her to experience the magic with us.

At first, due to finances and time constraints, I was suggesting we do more than the normal few nights on our own like we usually do - something quieter and more economical but...we have been talking forever about taking the girls, and going back ourselves, but life got in the way over the last couple of years and since we couldn't see us going back without them after promising them all this time, we decided that although we are totally unprepared and its so last minute, we will take this as a 'meant to be' situation and bite the bullet and just GO! Life's too short not to take the Mickey by the horns and stare down into the magical abyss that is our happiness!

I have the logistics basically set: 7/25-7/31, flights JetBlue for only $210 ea, OKW in a 2-bdrm, and I think I have decided on the PH, Waterparks & More bundle. We are also doing the DDP, and I will order breakfast and snack stuff, water and juice pouches for the villa. And beer and wine.

So far, the only real direction I have is to alternate days with park visits, waterparks and DQ, and resort time. Like the day we arrive, we land at 9 am so we have the whole day. Maybe just chill at the resort and soak it in, utilize the amenities and have a nice dinner. The next day a park early until after lunch, then back to the resort for a swim, shower and nap, then back out to parks that night and for dinner. The next day maybe do a waterpark in the morning, back to resort for naps/showers and DQ at night, or if we are all still standing upright, we can do a park instead - dinner wherever I can get ADR's. I know I will have to make ADR's and soon - there are only a few places I want to make sure I hit and for the breakfast places, when we head out early, hopefully I can get those ADR's when the morning crowds pile in after EMH after we hit a few attractions, get fastpasses and all that. The others I will just make sure that's the park we head to that day/evening. Its funny how we plan our vac around food. Advise?

So maybe rotate that schedule and end with a resort day and if they like it well enough, DQ before we leave the last day. We don't have to be at the airport until 7pm or so, flight leaves at 9. We will have a 6 day ticket, with that comes 6 fun visits to use so while I want them to see as much as they can, I don't want to kill ourselves either. Is the 6-day ticket over-enthusiastic? No moodiness or meltdowns allowed...and I'm talking about the adults.

I have to make plans for our owners locker to be dropped off and make sure their carryons are packed with their bathing suits, a change of clothes and the like, advice is appreciated as I want to be super organized. Are there any checklists, spreadsheets and itinerary planning docs floating around that I can download? Have I missed anything obvious, or does this sound crazy to you??

Please follow along (read: let me drag you with me through the craziness) and help me - I have never thrown such a big vac together in such a short amount of time! It's usually just a couple of us and its been so long since I've brought along little first timers! I hope I can do it!!

 

[heathers4um]

So I went online last night to begin the ADR journey - I was surprised at the choices and decent sitting times at this late in the game to be honest. The problem with that is I had more to choose from. I know...we should all have such issues...

So after mapping out one TS a day, I realized that in our 6 night-7 day stay, there are more restaurants than we have time for. Its always like that for us - for one reason or another, we can only go just shy of a week at a time. So all of this brings me to a couple of questions to ponder:

~if I added on another night or two, could I borrow from my 2014 points with my UY being Aug, or do I need to be on the night of 8/1 to do that? I am sure I know the answer to this is yes, the night of 7/31 needs to be in the UY of 2013 but I only have 16pts left for 2013 now. Advice on how to get around this, maybe book a standard room for the one night or maybe get transferred points or rent the few I need to bridge the gap? This is once a few years trip - I want to make it worth it!

~are we totally crazy to only do an ADR for the night we arrive (I got O'hana's) and go with the flow for the rest of the trip? I just hate being nailed down the whole trip - what if we don't want a TS that night and we want to order pizza in the villa instead? Or we decide after a break in the afternoon to just head to DQ and we want a QS at EOS or WPE?

~has anyone ordered pizza in your villa instead of going out? I know its an option but how do you do it?

Thanks, Dis'ers...

 

[heathers4um]

I have figured out the night of the 31st - I think we may purchase one time points to bridge the gap if we extend the trip out. But now we wait to see what the airfare does! *crosses fingers*

And if we do the extension, that's going to up our DDP costs to almost 2500. With DSD11 and DN12, who do not have mature palates, I don't think its going to be worth the convenience. I would rather get the TiW card, allow them to get apps or order from the kids menu, and there's so much food a couple of us adults can order an app and a dinner and share if we feel like it - the bonus to that is we can imbibe a bit on the discount too!

Currently waiting to hear from other OKW'ers what the cab fare is and where the best place to food shop is near there. I am looking forward to not being a slave to ADR's every single day and to having a nice glass of wine back at the villa while I start dinner for the family on the off days.

 

[DisneyHeather]

It sounds like it's going to be a fun trip How exciting to be taking a couple of first timers.

Have you thought about using Garden Grocer or We Go Shop to get groceries for the villa? I've used We Go Shop once and she was great. Got all the stuff I asked for and then we called when we got our room and she delivered it all. That way we didn't need to worry about a car or a cab.

 

[heathers4um]

It sounds like it's going to be a fun trip How exciting to be taking a couple of first timers.

Have you thought about using Garden Grocer or We Go Shop to get groceries for the villa? I've used We Go Shop once and she was great. Got all the stuff I asked for and then we called when we got our room and she delivered it all. That way we didn't need to worry about a car or a cab.

I actually have used GG before and loved them - but this time, since I'm not too sure whats left in our Owners Locker for things such as personal hygiene products, household things like coffee filters and the like (I lost my list before I could enter my inventory), and because the family likes to have certain specific things on hand (plus I admit I enjoy food shopping), I figured I would take a ride myself to insure we have all we need/want. Besides...this may be the only time I get to myself the whole time we are there.

I have begun a list on GG and it keeps growing - for some reason it looks like there's way more on it than we need, (not to mention some of the stuff isn't the brands/flavors we usually get) so the visual of the cart may help me to not over-buy, assuring myself I can always go back if absolutely necessary. It sounds as though I am a food snob but its really more that I don't want to have things delivered and have little noses stuck up, or worse uneaten, because they look different or aren't what they are used to. Of course, this is all dependent on whether we will be extending our stay - for just the 6 nights I may just get the DDP. Do you think it would be worth it to do this even if we don't extend?

 

[DisneyHeather]

I have begun a list on GG and it keeps growing - for some reason it looks like there's way more on it than we need, (not to mention some of the stuff isn't the brands/flavors we usually get) so the visual of the cart may help me to not over-buy, assuring myself I can always go back if absolutely necessary. It sounds as though I am a food snob but its really more that I don't want to have things delivered and have little noses stuck up, or worse uneaten, because they look different or aren't what they are used to. Of course, this is all dependent on whether we will be extending our stay - for just the 6 nights I may just get the DDP. Do you think it would be worth it to do this even if we don't extend?

It depends on if you and your family really like the table service dining I'd guess. I've never done table service before. My trip I'm planning for this year will be the first time I try some of them and I'm not doing the dining plan because I think I can eat for much less than it would cost for the plan. I don't think I'd like being tied down by a bunch of ADR's and it sounds like maybe you don't either so maybe think about TIW like you said earlier and then you can do either choice.

 

[Dasha Hermosilla]

Go with TiW instead of the DDP. We just did our first trip using it vs DDP and enjoyed the flexibility of being able to order what we wanted and skip meals if we wanted. We struggled to get QS meals in each day so not having to force a QS meal into people was very nice.

 

[heathers4um]

It depends on if you and your family really like the table service dining I'd guess. I've never done table service before. My trip I'm planning for this year will be the first time I try some of them and I'm not doing the dining plan because I think I can eat for much less than it would cost for the plan. I don't think I'd like being tied down by a bunch of ADR's and it sounds like maybe you don't either so maybe think about TIW like you said earlier and then you can do either choice.

I love to eat out at WDW - the service, the food and the ambiance (whether it be child spirited or more adult), I totally think its part of it all! The DH...eh, not-so-much most of the time. He's not crazy for the food but will go if its what we are doing. He would LOVE to have a couple of homemade dinners at the villa. He does enjoy ESPN and few other places we have been like Kona, CP, Boma, Wolfgang Puck Express, Sci Fi Diner, Plaza, Via Napoli, Planet Hollywood and I think he liked The Turf Club at SSR. I've made a list of TiW restaurants that I THINK they will enjoy to keep on hand to go from - some we have tried, some not yet:

Beaches & Cream - new
Cape May Cafe - new
ESPN - a regular
Ohana - new
Kona - been for bfast, loved it
Whispering Canyon Cafe - new
Be Our Guest - new
Crystal Palace -a regular
Plaza - been for lunch, enjoyed it
Tony's Town Square - been once before yrs ago
Biergarten - been once before, loved it
Coral Reef - been yrs ago, limited menu I think but enjoyed it
Le Cellier - been for dinner, loved it
Tokoyo Dining - new
Tuuto Italia - new
Via Napoli - went last time, loved it
50's Primetime - new
Sci Fi Diner - a regular, love it
Tusker House - new
Fulton's Crab House - new
Portobello - new
House of Blues - been once before, enjoyed it
Planet Hollywood - a regular
Splitsville - new

The more I think of it, the more I think TiW is the way to go, with supplements from the villa.

 

[heathers4um]

Go with TiW instead of the DDP. We just did our first trip using it vs DDP and enjoyed the flexibility of being able to order what we wanted and skip meals if we wanted. We struggled to get QS meals in each day so not having to force a QS meal into people was very nice.

I believe you are right! The girls will like the CS meals as they are geared more for them, we aren't that crazy about them and would rather forgo them for something better later and if they have already eaten they can share an app to nibble while we eat our meals. I think the flexibility is going to be key to keeping everyone happy!

 

[heathers4um]

Oh dear...I'm baaaaack! But I have updates!!

I just extended our stay and didn't have to buy additional points - by using the 2012 for the July nights, I moved our arrival date to the 26th instead of the 25th, and had to use the remaining 2013 points and borrow some from 2014 to use for the Aug nights. We are officially booked from 7/26-8/3, still in a 2 bedroom in OKW. I have additional kids coming - DH's DS21 and his DGF21 will be joining us and we are SO excited! Plus, that gives me and DH help with the kiddos so maybe we WILL get some alone time!

We have decided NOT to do the DDP but to get the TiW card instead. First off, DH reminded me how sick of park food he got on our 6 day trips in previous yrs. This is a 9 day trip. We have a full kitchen, and isn't part of the villa experience using it? We have picky eaters on our hands. I don't want to be slaves to ADR's but will make exception for DSD11's birthday dinner, of course, and a couple here and there throughout! I have begun my GG order and although we are up to $350 its still way cheaper than the DDP. I have breakfasts covered, some lunches and 2 dinners, with snacks and drinks - both adult and child types - and a few essentials like laundry detergent since with 7 people there will be laundry going on!

I have to still change my O'hana's reservation that I made on our original arrival night to another day during the trip, and add on 2 more to our existing reservation for DSD11's birthday at 1900 PF. I hope they can still accommodate - if not I will be back to the drawing board on that. Any advice on what other character restaurants would be good for that?

 

[heathers4um]

Ok folks - here's my GG order...thoughts?

Breakfast Items:

Eggs
Bacon
Spam
French Bread
Mini Bagels
Cream Cheese
Frosted Flakes
Cinnamon Toast Crunch
Cinnamon Rolls
Yogurt
Eggos
Syrup
Bananas
Fruit Salad
Orange Juice


Lunch Items:

Turkey
Ham
Cheese
Bread


Dinner Items:

Burgers
Buns
Fries
Chicken Cutlets
Marinara
Penne
Garlic Bread

Pork Chops
Yellow Rice & Beans

Chicken Nuggets
Mac and Cheese


Snacks:

Apple Slices
Trail Mix Bars
Granola Bars
Cookies
Scoops
Salsa
Queso Dip
Guacamole
Chips - 50 ct
Pizza Rolls
Soft Pretzels


Beverages:

Mountain Dew
Pepsi
Water
Vitamin Water
Kool Aid Pouches

Lime-a-Ritas
Mikes Hard Variety
Heineken Light
Frozen Drinks


Other:

Milk
Half & Half
Ketchup
Mustard
Mayo
Salt & Pepper
Sofrito
Recaito
Parmesan Cheese
Olive Oil
Coffee Filters
Butter


Things to bring:

Coffee
Avocados
Guacamole Mix
Breadcrumbs
Adobo
Italian Seasoning
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder

 

[heathers4um]

2 more days....and then 9 days of heaven!

So we are almost all set! I have my final details on this last minute trip that I have thoroughly enjoyed planning! I think I'm sad that its almost over even though now its almost time to actually enjoy being there! Only you folks would get that since WE know half the fun is planning, and starting the next one is the only way to get over the end of the current trip, or the Mickey hangover as we call it.

I have put together a vacation binder (the Executive Asst in me comes out even when I'm not at work) with copies of our flight confirmations, crowd calendar, park hours, menus of restaurant we will be eating at and the ones that will make everyone happy for last minute reservations, current reservation confirmations, and copies of our DVC membership card, park tickets, ME vouchers, and once I get it our TiW card. I know that all of that stuff is on my MDE app and my Jetblue app but there's something comforting about having it on paper just in case. Am I missing anything?

I'm just waiting n my new 2013 Passporter and my new camera memory card to arrive today, and I even picked up a pair of those knock off D&G sunglasses because the earpieces are decorated with bubbles that look like hidden mickeys! Who knows if I will wear them but once the girls realize what hidden mickeys are, I wont have a chance to anyway!

We have dinner reservations at BOG the night we arrive (was so shocked and surprised and thrilled to get that out of the blue - must have checked the online dining reservations at the right time, just after they opened the 3rd diningroom), O'hana's the next night, and 1900 PF for the DD11's birthday dinner on Monday. The rest of the nights we will wing it and see whats available at the time.

We got the 7 day PH, WP & More tickets - the kids love waterparks and I figure on a rainy afternoon we can always head to DQ, none of us have been there. We don't really have a set plan for which park which day but I will refer to the crown calendars I have and we do plan on taking midday breaks for pool and rest time. Thoughts or advice?

So I have decided in talking with all of you in several other posts to forgo the GG delivery (I know *gasp*) and rent a car for less than the tip would be to go get my own stuff, which with 7 people is quite a large order. I actually enjoy food shopping, so this isn't a huge sacrifice for me and call me crazy but I'm looking forward to just being out and about in the area. Plus I'm not sure what we have for inventory in our owners locker since I lost the list before putting it into my online dashboard so I want to make sure I have everything we need like coffee filters and a new brita filter, shampoo, stuff like that.

My next (and final!) dilemma is this:

~ do I rent the car for the day we arrive at 11 am and go pick it up after check in do our shopping while the kids are enjoying the pool and risk the room being ready by the time I get back, or

~ do I chill at the pool with the family until its done and do the shopping early the next morning while letting them sleep in for what may be the only time I will allow them to?

~ should we enjoy the resort while waiting for the room to be ready like I had originally planned or

~ do we head to MK and spend almost a full day there since we now have BOG reservations at 6:40?

So many options....we should all have these problems!

Please help me decide - I am clearly confuzzled with all the possibilities swirling in my head. I think my brain is already on vacation!