And now, back to more important matters: Planning for DISNEY!

[suffolkprincess]

When we went to the Polynesian in November 2006, our house was on the market and we were beginning to despair of ever selling it. We decided not to plan Disney for November 2007 yet, in case, since we didn't know what would be happening with our move.

January came, which is the month when I had planned our Nov trip the year before. (Oh, yes. Yes indeed. And yet, even with *11* months of planning and DIS ing, I never got bored with my Disney hobby... ) Couldn't plan yet, house still on the market.

February... nope.

March... and, nope. But we did sell the house and the closing was set for the end of April. DH was concerned about money given the choices of homes we were looking at buying, so I just waited, said nothing, and hoped for DD4 to bring up Disney, thus reminding Daddy... and I stopped checking the DIS everyday, because it wasn't as much fun without a trip in the works.

April came, and with it the closing of our house and beginning of negotiating on a new house. (Meanwhile, we live with DMIL [dear mother in law]) Still, even though the date for booking ADRs for a November trip was fast approaching, I had to wait because we still had no idea what the money was going to look like, if we'd have *any* vacation budget for Nov 2007...

May came, and with it my 180 day date for the imaginary trip I had been not-planning. But, we did get a house under contract, and a closing date set, and now we could get a feel for our budget. For Memorial Day weekend we traveled to a wedding in DC (and stayed at the FUN, AWESOME Hotel George-- highly recommend for some couple time-- lots of nice touches for a very nice price) and on the ride back....

DH: "I think we should go to Disney this year."

Me: "We could go for DD's birthday and do free dining."

DH: "I think that is too soon."

*beat*

DH: "And we can't go in November since we are going to Alabama for Thanksgiving."

Me: "you're probably right."

*beat*

DH: "What about now? How is May?"

And that, my friends, was ALL I needed to hear.

So, I got back on the DIS and checked some other sources and discovered that, in fact, crowds in May are similar to November, and the weather is generally good (we wanted warmer weather for more pool action) and that the prices are reasonable. (Well, Disney reasonable.)

And then I read some mention of love bugs and got a touch concerned, and I remembered that DD4's recital is always in May. This means that the first Sunday we are tied up with pictures, and the third Saturday is the actual recital. Plus, she really shouldn't miss dance class right around recital time. (Clue to unlocking the enigma that is me: I'm a pleaser. Want to please the teacher, dancing or otherwise. Yeah, she'll be 5, and I know for a fact that she won't exactly be leaping en pointe in a crucial pas de deux but, hey, dancing school and recital ain't cheap. I want everyone involved to get their money's worth, AND there is the pleasing thing I already mentioned...)

So, for now we are considering the week of May 5-11 2008 and only being there 6 full days and 6 nights (supposing we fly in bright and early that Monday) with a return trip on Sunday-- Mother's Day. She would miss one dance class but it wouldn't be the very last dance class before recital. The other dates under consideration are May 18-25, 2008; which means we are leaving the morning after Recital. That might not seem to be an issue, but, well-- Recital is a big deal. We get very into it, and everyone is generally tired afterward what with the recital itself, going out for dinner/ ice cream after, and being "too excited to sleep"-- the overstimulation of the entire group if we combined Recital with the Day Before Disney? I don't think it can be measured with existing technology. Also, going that week means we return home the Sunday of Memorial Day Weekend, which is probably not terrible. The upside is that we can go Sunday- Sunday AND have that Monday to recover at home! But we also have Memorial Day weekend crowds starting, I am guessing, on that Friday. So two days of the trip will be very crowded-- never a plus. Our final choice would be to fly IN on May 25 (Sunday of Memorial Day weekend), and flying back home on Saturday, May 31.

Whew! Lots to consider.

So, I am hoping for some feedback here from any 2007 Mayers out there as we contemplate the timing for our May 2008 trip. I am actually more concerned with bugs than with crowds, silly as that might seem....

I know DH is excited because he has asked me every day this week what I have learned new on the DIS that day!

Last night he talked about what he wanted to do at Disney right through CSI (a rerun, but new to us.) So far we have decided to definitely:
1) Stay at the Polynesian again
2) Spend more time riding things in EPCOT
3) Go to MGM
4) Not go to Sea World (although I really hope to change his mind)
5) Do the Luau again (in hopes DD stays awake for it this time)
6) Limit the character meals (we tend to, basically, go to all of them )
7) Try to have a dedicated "resort day" and rent a boat

So, there we are so far. I plan to post weekly... If I have anything to say...

Next time I will introduce the cast of characters and tell Our Family's Disney Story!

 

[OhMari]

Did you go on vacation this year, or are you planning this trip for May 08.
Thanks
OhMari
Trip Report Moderator

 

[suffolkprincess]

May 2008.

I will change the original post to reflect that more clearly. Thanks!

 

[suffolkprincess]

We took a little hiatus from planning, and now... we're committing.

So, let me give you the scoop:

Cast:
Me: Mom and Planner and (erstwhile) DISer 35 years young and loving Disney World! (I picked Tinkerbell because I'd like to think I make things magical for my daughter...)
DH: Dad and Co-Conspirator, 37 years old and another one who loves Disney. And wants to go fishing there this year… (and he's a wizard because he makes things magical for DD and I both)
DD: 5, Princess and Tinkerbell and HSM fan who has just discovered the joys of Radio Disney, and who cannot wait to go back—she still talks about our November 2006 trip to the Polynesian (totally a princess.)

Planning so far:

1. Can we go, and if so, when?!?!
Well, we have decided that we *can* go to Disney World spring 2008, after much angst and discussion and budgeting and such. And we really NEED to go, because my daughter is such a perfect Disney age (5!) But we can’t go very early in spring due to various obligations. We are fine with taking DD out of Kindergarten for a week for this trip, so school dismissal is not a factor. She also does not have standardized tests to deal with/
All this in mind., we have decided to go either May 25- 31 or June 1-7. And that isn’t really spring in Florida—more like full summer. And yes, we know that the first of the two weeks we are looking at includes Memorial Day, but after reading several trip reports, it seems clear that only that weekend prior to the day and the day itself are affected by extremely high crowd levels. We think we can cope with that, if need be. So we are pricing both weeks and will look at flights for both weeks.

2. Next to choose: which resort?
We stayed at the Polynesian last time and absolutely loved it. The resort itself is wonderful, but the monorail transportation makes it actually a money saver in a way for us because we consider time as money at WDW! Plus, my daughter is 5. She’ll be 5 and a half in June, but still, 5 is old enough we might not be able to get her in a stroller all day and young enough that being able to beat a quick retreat with easy transportation will really enhance the trip. And if we are going in June when it is guaranteed to be hot, we want a great pool. On the other hand, the Contemporary comes in a little cheaper. And it is enough money to consider making a switch. We stayed at POR for our first Disney trip, and we liked it, but we are true believers in the Monorail Resorts. So for now, we are pricing Polynesian and Contemporary and will need to do lots of online research into the pros and cons of the Contemporary.

3. And then—tickets. 5, 6, or 7 days? Water Park Option or not?
We know we want Hoppers, but we think we might go to Sea World (we’ll need one less day of tickets then.) DD loves animals and really liked Sea World when we went there in 2005 (when she was just-turned 3) and still asks about it, plus we have season's passes to Busch Bradens Williamsburg and thus get a break on Sea World tix. Not sure how much, though. Also, we don’t think we’ll go to the parks on our departure day because we have never yet had time for that. If we have extra time, we could do DTD since we have never done that. With the hotter weather, the Water Parks look appealing, but then my daughter is 5 and doesn’t always like water slides and such. And I don’t think we’d ever go more than once to a Water Park… so maybe OOP for that one day would make more sense. So for now we are going with 6 day Hoppers, and weighing water parks and Sea World.

4. On to the really hard part—Disney Dining Plan.
We have done it twice before and feel like we really understand how to (legally) maximize it for our family. We are in general big fans of it because we like an all-inclusive feel to our vacation. But we do not like the changes to the plan for this year—the no tip included thing is a big downer for us and I think I heard that what each meal includes has changed, too. That last might not be an issue since there was always too much food on the other plan. Then, we like the looks of the new Deluxe plan because it appears to be SO easy to plan with, and makes that all-inclusive feel even better. So—I have to research the way that the new plans work, do some spreadsheets with our preferred meals, and figure out what makes the most sense. For now we are pricing everything with the deluxe dining plan figuring its always less painful to *cut* money than to add it!

5. Then there is transportation to WDW—but until we get a few more months of credit card points and SWA releases June rates, we can’t make any decision. So that is postponed for now. We are a 1 and a half day’s drive away, so by planning to check in on Sunday and check out on Saturday we will be able to drive if we need to, but hope to fly instead.

6. Finally: the extras.
Will we do pins this year? Will we do try to do the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique before a CRT meal? Will we make cupcakes with Alice? Or go on a Pirate Cruise? Fishing with or for Dad? How about the Hoop De Do? Or the Luau again? So, once again, doing my research and looking at the prices and how the dining plans relate to things etc etc etc.

So now all we can do is read as much as we can, get our spreadsheets started, and wait to see what kind of prices that AAA comes back with…

 

[Avivasmom]

Sounds like a good plan to me...May is good the Flower and Garden Show is great at Epcot...it can be warm but nothing like July and August.

Cannot wait to read more.

 

[suffolkprincess]

Thanks for reading and replying-- as I go along I am eager to get insight from vets like you. I saw some posts of yours on other threads I follow and you always have something worthwhile to say-- thanks for stopping by here!

 

[klj27]

A long time ago...... in 1995 we were there during the first week of September and found the crowds very manageable. Most of the schools where we live are still in session then.

 

[suffolkprincess]

In the full fever of our preplanning, with a tentative reservation in hand (awaiting our deposit to turn it into a real reservation)....

I found out I was pregnant. With a June 25 due date, making a June 1- 8 trip to Disney out of the question.

So, we took our mentally set aside for Disney money and booked some renovations to the house with the idea that we would want them done before a baby arrives.

And then, the ultrasound to check the heartbeat and we had bad news. While I was in the OR having a procedure done, DH booked the trip.

So, I am home today, recuperating and researching our Silver Lining Disney Trip for June 2008-- the Poly, Deluxe Dining, 6 day hoppers.

And, based on my possibly inaccurate calculations-- just a few more days and we can make ADRs!!!!

So, we're sad, but we have Mickey calling us on Christmas and I have something to distract me.

I'll be calling this the Silver Lining Trip.

 

[eyeheartgoofy]

I'm so sorry for your loss.

I look forward to reading your plans.

 

[Avivasmom]

I am so sorry to hear the news..I can relate to how you feel.

What a great DH to rebook the trip and go all out.

BIG COMFORTING HUGS!