Another question regarding hotels and such that will probably turn into a debate

[ohanafamily]

Hi Snacky,

I just called DTA, and got a hold of someone who worked both DTA and CRO. I found out that the CRO isn't going away, some of the same people answer the phones for both areas. They don't need to close the department because it doesn't cost anything to keep it open.

OK, AAA rates for next September/October for the Poly (including tax) 299 a night (Garden View), 365 a night (Lagoon View). AP discounts may be available to, but you will need to check 2-3 months out.

If you are a member of the Disney Club, go buy a voucher for your AP before the price goes up and your discount goes away. the AP start date doesn't start until you redeem the voucher.

it was like $30 more a day to get a low end package that included park passes...

Additionally, there will be some "Great Specials" with the new Disney Visa Card.

If you do book it this way, I would wait until the last possible moment to change to Dis Savers (as there may be an additional discount available and with the Dis-savers and save a $15.00 transaction fee)



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[SnackyStacky]

Wow! All the help and advice!

Being a Disney Resort Fan, I know the excitement you are feeling, and I think that you are a bit concerned that it will be a let-down from what you expect...something about wanting the honeymoon to be perfect.

Not at ALL! I don't expect perfection. I know we're probably going to fight! I swear we'll take the parks lightly, but I'm such a ride fiend that I can see us bickering about that already. My expectations of the trip are simply to have a grand time with my new wife!

My point is that there will be little things that go wrong but the evening as a whole will go perfectly because IT WILL BE YOUR WEDDING. YOU WILL BE GETTING THE WOMAN YOU LOVE FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE. nothing else really matters.

I'm already ready for the glitches. My sister got married last October, and all those little things happened. I actually don't care about the actual ceremony. I've made that no secret to her. I love her, and feel like we're married already, so the ceremony and reception are just grand icing on the cake. I'm grateful that our families are able to help us with it, and that is good enough for me!

As far as the honeymoon, there will be a random cast member that will mouse off to you (did I just create another quotable expression?) They may try and put you into a smoking room. The animals may boycott your view, or decide to mate in front of your window. It happens, and being in car #1, I generally deal with it; it's a lot more important on your honeymoon. These things add character to the trip; again in a few months you will find that these are the things that make your memories more vivid and fun.

This actually brings me to a question....both Lisa and I are allergic to smoke, and we simply can't be in a smoking room. She will have asthma attacks, and my eyes will start to hurt. Is there anyway they can guarantee non-smoking if it's for health reasons? Other than that, I'm good with whatever may come.

I also feel that you are afraid that you will like AKL and not be able to go back to the resort again. You will always call AKL your resort, and it will be a place that you will talk about going back to. Trust me on this,whether or not you ever go back to WDW AKL will be a special happy place for you. Honeymoons do that to you. Additionally, you at least have caught the Disney Bug. It has infected you and maybe you feel that she might not love Disney the same way you do. If she doesn't, you will make less trips but still visit.

Well, yes and no. I know money won't be tight forever, but both of us are BARGAIN HUNTERS. We get the thrill from the kill. We had a reservation at Port Orleans Riverside last year in September, and were looking forward to it IMMENSELY. But the courtyard had a $25/night special. It was TOO much, so we cancelled Disney, and booked courtyard. And no worries about her not loving Disney as much as me. She learned her lesson. We went on a vacation this past summer. I lobbied for Disney World, but she won out and we rented a beach house in North Carolina. It was TERRIBLE! She swore she wouldn't not listen to me again.

Key Items: It will be the trip of a lifetime, and above all else you will be happily married to the love of your life.

That's what excites me the most!

One suggestion if you can't get that nagging thought of the Poly out of your mind. Should an AP discount end up being offered for your dates you can always change your reservation if you so desire.

I'm actually considering a split stay if they release AP rates for our dates.

My only point was that it provides an additional special Disney touch when you can use some of their neat forms of alternate transportation.

I understand completely. Last time we were there, we took the boat from the Riverside to Downtown Disney. It was LOVELY! But we both really enjoy the African feel of the AKL more than the transportation. Not just the animals, but the overall African craftsmanship. Believe me, it was none too easy to make a resort decision. It was just a matter of deciding what was most important to us.

As for honeymooning at Disney, we did the same and it was incredible. Not sure what kind of packages they are offering nowadays, but we had some kind of "gold" honeymoon package that provided the room (GF), three a day meals, unlimited recreation, and a couple other perks at a great rate. Of course that was 12 years ago and it was some kind of Amex package. The only bad thing about the package was...........ALL WE DID WAS EAT, EAT, EAT!!!

I looked at their honeymoon packages, and they're just outrageous. Plus, I know that Disney World with children is a COMPLETELY different experience, so we want one last trip after the honeymoon before we have kids so we can do what WE want, on OUR schedule, and not what the kids want on the kid's schedule. So we're buying annual passes, and the honeymoon packages come with the UPH.

OK, AAA rates for next September/October for the Poly (including tax) 299 a night (Garden View), 365 a night (Lagoon View). AP discounts may be available to, but you will need to check 2-3 months out.

I actually have the AAA rate for the AKL, and actually, the Lagoon view isn't that much more than we're paying for AKL deluxe savannah. It's about $50 more/night, but that adds up to $500. So for now, I'll stick with what I have, and like I said, consider a split stay when/if AP rates come out.

I'm not a DC member, so I have to pay full price for AP. I also applied for the Disney Visa, but student and previous credit card debt have precluded me from getting one.

I REALLY appreciate your thoughts, help, and advice Kidds and David!!!!!!! It's really helpful!!!!!! Keep it coming!

 

[DisneyKidds]

I'm actually considering a split stay if they release AP rates for our dates.

Go for it if you have the chance. We have actually split stays on our last three trips. Last May it was BCV and Poly (only one night). Before that we split between BCV and VWL. The trip before it was CS and VWL. It is like two resort vacations in one and the variety is nice. If this proves to be a rare on-site trip you will appreciate getting two different flavors. The transfer is easy, especially if you have a car. Since we always have a car we check out of one resort, pack everything in the car, and go check in at the next. With kids we don't find it difficult, so for a happy honeymooning couple it would be a piece of wedding cake. If our room isn't ready bell services holds the bags and you have full access to them. We prefer to move everything ourselves rather than let bell services handle the transfers. If Disney transfers your bags you won't have access to them for a number of hours and you won't know for sure when they will arrive. If you get lucky enough to have a room ready when you transfer yourself you can get everything in your new room and have a seemless transition into the second part of your vacation.

I suppose you could say we split our honeymoon stay, even if out of necessity. We didn't want to waste a package day for our arrival day so we stayed one night at the CBR before we transferred to the GF the next day to start our package. That one day/night at CBR provided one of the most endearing Disney memories of our honeymoon..........strolling into Old Port Royale, Little Mermaid music playing, tropical atmosphere, our first stroll on Disney property as a married couple.........yup, those rose colored glasses fit pretty darn well and that is a memory I cherish to this day and am reminded of every time I hear that music. Staying at two different resorts alowed that moment to happen. To be honest, we didn't even have park admission for that day we arrived and we still had a "Magical" time exploring around the MK resort area, seeing the Water Pageant, MK fireworks from a beach, etc. We have our VWL reservations all set for this Nov/Dec. Now I have to decide how many, if any, of the nights I have reserved at the Poly I want to use if we decide to split this stay, which I am leaning towards doing.

 

[ohanafamily]

Have them put it in your record that you are allergic to smoke. We stayed once in BCV and they put us in a room that can be either way. Since we were staying on a split stay and were only there for 2 nights we didn't complain. I should have, I had a headache for the next 2 days. Complain if it isn't right. Remind them it is your honeymoon and the cover-up smell is not an option.



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