Are you serious? We get to go back? – Nov PTR ~ Update 3/5 A real update, I swear!

[Sunset Cliffs]

By the way, Alison, I love this photo of Dylan. All the stripes make it a very cool picture!!

We were at a friend's house and he was just hanging out in that chair. I'm so glad that I had my camera. He looks like he's lounging at a beach house.

I loved the pics from the past! Thanks for sharing!

Angelyn has raided my mom's photo albums so she has quite a few pictures like this from our childhood. It's fun to have them to look at.

I"m here, I"m here...

Hey girl! Thanks for stopping by!

Love the old pics!!

They are fun, huh? I'm sure that there are more to come...

 

[canopynut66]

[HI! im tonya! a fellow Disney Planner and Addict!! LOL! thats so great you were able to fit in a vacation for the holidays! haven't been there during the holidays in a longgg time,, we usually go during the Value season so we can stay longer.. i leave in 6 days!! YAHOO!! however next years trip will be for the holidays! no matter what!!! i must see those lights.

so.. any ADR's yet?? where r u staying?? details please haha look foward to more

You will miss the lights this year but the Osborne Xmas Lights in HS start November 10 this year and the first MVMCP stars November 8. Most decorations for Xmas are up week or so before Thanksgiving also for future reference

 

[Sunset Cliffs]

You will miss the lights this year but the Osborne Xmas Lights in HS start November 10 this year and the first MVMCP stars November 8. Most decorations for Xmas are up week or so before Thanksgiving also for future reference

Thanks for the date on the Osborne lights. I hadn't looked into that yet, and I was keeping my fingers crossed that they would be completed by the time we got there. Our trip is going to be at Thanksgiving time, so we will be sure to see them.

 

[Sunset Cliffs]

Now that the intros are out of the way, I can tell you more of the story of how we all started to feel the gravitational pull of WDW. When my sister Angelyn called to start planning her trip, I immediately referred her to Disboards and I hoped that she would not be overwhelmed. She, of course, does something that I’ve never done before… she goes and finds a board about Discounts and starts reading about how to try to get PIN codes from Disney.

She went on the Disney website and played around with the pricing for different packages but didn’t book anything. They sent her a survey, asking her why she hadn’t booked anything, so she told them that it price was too high for her budget. Two days later, Disney emailed her a PIN code for the 20/30/40 discounts to stay at the hotels on property.

Some of you know that Todd & I have NEVER stayed on-property before. We own a timeshare through Interval International, and it has been fully paid for a long time. That means that we only have to pay a trade fee and we get a 2 bedroom condo for a week at practically no expense. As much as I have wanted to stay on-property, it doesn’t make sense to pay Disney pricing when we have very nice accommodations for almost no payment.

Here are a couple of pictures of our condo from our last trip at the Sheraton Vistana Resort.

Pretty nice, right? So it is hard to complain about not staying on-property when we have as much space as we do, along with a full kitchen. But I have always wanted to stay at a Disney resort. When Angelyn told me about the code that she got, it started the wheels turning in my mind.

We started searching for timeshares online and focused on the dates around Thanksgiving. None of our “usual” places had any availability, especially since we would need two 2-bedroom condos since we have 8 people going on the trip. So we branched out, looking at places that were a little farther away than we were used to. We ended up finding a great deal at the Marriott’s Grande Vista, which is located off International Drive, kind of near the Premium Outlets that we like to shop at. It is a little farther away than I would have liked, but the pictures look pretty amazing. (I borrowed these pictures from online).

They had availability for us to all check in on Thanksgiving day and stay for a week. Angelyn’s family would take one of the 2-bedroom units and our family would share the other 2 bedroom with my parents. It wasn’t ideal to be checking in on Thanksgiving day, because that meant traveling the day before Thanksgiving (or the day of it), when it is crazy at the airports and the tickets are super expensive. We started to justify a longer trip, since we were getting such a great deal on the condo (or, as one person on the Dis that I know refers to as Fuzzy Disney Math )We started plugging in the dates around our current trip to check the prices on the Disney resorts, using the PIN code.

As a result, we found some really good deals on a few different resorts. So we decided to go for it! I have been waiting a long time to actually say, WE GET TO STAY ON-PROPERTY AT WDW!!! Not only do we stay get to stay on-property, we are going to try out 2 of the resorts.

Here is the breakdown for my family. We are going to make it a 14 day trip (2 full days of travel on each side of it from the West coast). We are going to start our trip at Port Orleans Riverside for a few nights,

then switch to the Marriott for a week, then we are splurging for 2 nights at….



The Animal Kingdom Lodge!!

We were able to use the 40% off discount rate at the AKL. The week after Thanksgiving, the published rates from Disney drop very low. With the combination of the already low rates, PLUS the 40% off, we were able to justify staying here for 2 days. I can not even tell you how excited we are about this trip. After our last trip, we didn’t know when we would get to come back. Now, we get to stay for almost 2 weeks while getting to stay on property at TWO Disney resorts. I never imagined we would get to do something like this.

My parents are staying at all of the same places that we are. Angelyn’s family has a slightly different plan. I will let her reveal it to you (or if she doesn’t check in for a few days, I will let you know!)

Since we don’t know the layout of either the POR or the AKL, I’m not sure what area of the resorts to request our rooms. Has anyone stayed there or have any suggestions for me? We will be renting our own car, so being close to the bus stops is not necessarily a major priority for us.

Next up, dates & travel details…

 

[*dreamit*doit*]

Oh my goodness, Alison!!!!! I'm so excited for your trip!!!

for staying on-property!! You will love it! I know exactly what you mean, though, about the timeshare situation. My parents own one through Interval, too, and it's hard to justify when you are staying for practically nothing in a nice 2bdr condo, that you're going to pay for a hotel. But, there is something about staying on-property that is just....magical, I guess? Since we like to go several times a year, we use the one week with Interval and then stay on-property the others. By the way, the Marriott Grande Vista is in a great location (and you can see the fireworks from SeaWorld). We stayed there many years ago, but have stayed just across the street the past two summers at the Marriott Harbour Lake. Very easy to get to Disney property and not traffic congested, at all (take Int'l Dr.).

Loved that blast from the past with those pictures!

Disney war room! 3D map!

 

[eandesmom]

Alison! I am so excited for you I can't stand it!

I FDM!

And a sisters trip,

Dylan is getting so big! Adorable as ever. AKL seems so "you"!

 

[tinkgurl]

Woo! You get to stay on-site! AKL is just SO nice!

 

[praisehisname]

Great news about getting to stay on-site! I've never stayed at those resorts, so I can't offer suggestions, but I'm very excited for you!

 

[Dugette]

You finally get to stay on property! I am so excited for you! Gotta love that Fuzzy Disney Math!

Good resort choices. And the timeshare looks beautiful too. We've stayed at both WDW resorts. We were at POR for a week in January and AKL for a few days in June. Really liked both places. (Although we liked AKL more, but both were ).

For room requests:

POR we were in the Partierre Place building, which was one of the mansions and just across the river bridge from the main building. We really liked that location, as it was close to the main building and also close to POFQ (a nice stroll for a beignet in the morning). But I hear that other Dis-ers like the other section (the Alligator Bayou/non-mansions). I don't know much about that. But we were quite happy with our location: the mansions are pretty to look at and the river is right there in front of you.

AKL: did you get a savanna-view room? I hope so, it's totally worth it! We LOVED stepping out on the balcony and watching the giraffes, zebras, etc! The rooms themselves are beautiful too. We made our room request based on the Unofficial Guide to WDW's recommendations. It was 3rd-4th floor, Zebra or Kudu Trail, facing the inner savanna, I believe. We ended up on the 4th floor in Zebra Trail, facing the inner savanna. We were quite far down the hall, but the view was fantastic! Also, having several great restaurants right in the same resort as you is awesome! (Boma, Jiko, Sanaa, not to mention Zebra Domes from Mara!)

You'll love the resorts, I think!

Angelyn, thanks for the fun pictures from the past! Also, I love the picture you painted of the WDW-planning "war room"!

 

[tinkgurl]

By the way, Kristen and I posted an update of our AK morning the other day!

 

[Purple Opal]

I just have to say that we totally rocked those matching lime green trench coats when we were kids. I love that picture.

As for our nifty sweaters in the other pic.... I have no words. Can we blame it on the '90's?

You know, until you mentioned it I hadn't really noticed that those are the SAME green jackets! The other photo I have of us wearing them, we are like 2-3 years old! Either we stayed VERY short or else we wore those jackets long past their prime.

I think the sweaters are Cosby-era hangovers

Alison! I am so excited for you I can't stand it!

I FDM!

And a sisters trip,

Dylan is getting so big! Adorable as ever. AKL seems so "you"!

What is FDM? Just curious

And sister's trip - Yay!! We love vacationing with Alison & Todd. They like to have fun and aren't afraid of challenges or surprises. That is a good attitude to have when travelling...

You'll love the resorts, I think!

Angelyn, thanks for the fun pictures from the past! Also, I love the picture you painted of the WDW-planning "war room"!

We are looking forward to the resorts. Although, I must say, my belongs to the Grand Californian at Disneyland.

I think it is easy to see why That's why it was very difficult to choose from those available on property at WDW. There was a big part of me that wanted to do Wilderness Lodge becuase of the similarites and same architect at GC. But we decided to branch out...



And thanks to all for the on the photos. Glad you liked them!

 

[eandesmom]

I think the sweaters are Cosby-era hangovers

What is FDM? Just curious

FDM

Fuzzy Disney Math

(I'm a big fan of it)

 

[Sunset Cliffs]

Oh my goodness, Alison!!!!! I'm so excited for your trip!!!

for staying on-property!! You will love it! I know exactly what you mean, though, about the timeshare situation. My parents own one through Interval, too, and it's hard to justify when you are staying for practically nothing in a nice 2bdr condo, that you're going to pay for a hotel. But, there is something about staying on-property that is just....magical, I guess? Since we like to go several times a year, we use the one week with Interval and then stay on-property the others. By the way, the Marriott Grande Vista is in a great location (and you can see the fireworks from SeaWorld). We stayed there many years ago, but have stayed just across the street the past two summers at the Marriott Harbour Lake. Very easy to get to Disney property and not traffic congested, at all (take Int'l Dr.).

Loved that blast from the past with those pictures!

Disney war room! 3D map!

I remember the pictures from one of your last trips where you showed an awesome timeshare. That is the problem, they make the timeshares too nice (it's a good problem to have). That's neat that you have stayed at that Marriott before. Thank you for the tip about taking Int'l Dr. Todd & I were just talking about that a couple of hours ago, which way would be the fastest. I always hear "Int'l Dr." and I immediately think of stop lights & traffic. But I realized that I have driven on this part of it before. It's hard to tell distance when you are looking at a map, but have never driven it.

Alison! I am so excited for you I can't stand it!

I FDM!

And a sisters trip,

Dylan is getting so big! Adorable as ever. AKL seems so "you"!

Ha, ha. FDM! I wrote that part for you. You inspired me to make it fuzzy and look to add on more days.

Dylan is so big. He is definitely not the little kid we had on our last trip. We are very excited about AKL. It is the place where we like to hang out on each trip because it's so laid back. We love watching the animals and not feeling rushed to go anywhere. I forgot to mention that we got a Savannah view too, so we are planning some good balcony time.

Woo! You get to stay on-site! AKL is just SO nice!

I'm so excited about it! We really considered all of the deluxe places but this one has been a standout to us for a while, just because of it being so unique. We think Dylan will love getting to watch the animals and (hopefully) get to swim in that big pool.

Great news about getting to stay on-site! I've never stayed at those resorts, so I can't offer suggestions, but I'm very excited for you!

Thank you! I'm starting to get excited about the down time that we will get to have at the resorts. Just to take the time to walk the grounds and see all of the little details that we would not normally see.

 

[Sunset Cliffs]

You finally get to stay on property! I am so excited for you! Gotta love that Fuzzy Disney Math!

Good resort choices. And the timeshare looks beautiful too. We've stayed at both WDW resorts. We were at POR for a week in January and AKL for a few days in June. Really liked both places. (Although we liked AKL more, but both were ).

For room requests:

POR we were in the Partierre Place building, which was one of the mansions and just across the river bridge from the main building. We really liked that location, as it was close to the main building and also close to POFQ (a nice stroll for a beignet in the morning). But I hear that other Dis-ers like the other section (the Alligator Bayou/non-mansions). I don't know much about that. But we were quite happy with our location: the mansions are pretty to look at and the river is right there in front of you.

AKL: did you get a savanna-view room? I hope so, it's totally worth it! We LOVED stepping out on the balcony and watching the giraffes, zebras, etc! The rooms themselves are beautiful too. We made our room request based on the Unofficial Guide to WDW's recommendations. It was 3rd-4th floor, Zebra or Kudu Trail, facing the inner savanna, I believe. We ended up on the 4th floor in Zebra Trail, facing the inner savanna. We were quite far down the hall, but the view was fantastic! Also, having several great restaurants right in the same resort as you is awesome! (Boma, Jiko, Sanaa, not to mention Zebra Domes from Mara!)

You'll love the resorts, I think!

Angelyn, thanks for the fun pictures from the past! Also, I love the picture you painted of the WDW-planning "war room"!

Thank you, thank you for the recommendations! I think that we have already requested to be in the big mansions at POR, just for what you said. Nice views & close to the river to go on walks, etc. Good idea to be closer to POFQ as well. I really want to try the biegnets one morning (at least!)

Yes, I forgot to mention that we got a Savannah view room. I figured we should take advantage of one of the main reasons we are there..the animals. I think Dylan will love being able to go out on the balcony & see the animals. I forgot that the zebra domes are available at Mara!!! woohoo. It's the little things that make me happy.

By the way, Kristen and I posted an update of our AK morning the other day!

I was reading it earlier today but I didn't have time to finish. I will definitely get over there soon!

FDM

Fuzzy Disney Math

(I'm a big fan of it)

Angelyn - She is the person I was referring to. Anything you need to know about FDM, you can ask her. She will make magic happen.

 

[Sunset Cliffs]

We are looking forward to the resorts. Although, I must say, my belongs to the Grand Californian at Disneyland.

I think it is easy to see why That's why it was very difficult to choose from those available on property at WDW. There was a big part of me that wanted to do Wilderness Lodge becuase of the similarites and same architect at GC. But we decided to branch out...



And thanks to all for the on the photos. Glad you liked them!

These are amazing photos. I can never get my camera to take great pictures in that lobby due to the lighting. I think the first picture you posted is my favorite. The piano guy is nice too.

 

[Dugette]

Thank you, thank you for the recommendations! I think that we have already requested to be in the big mansions at POR, just for what you said. Nice views & close to the river to go on walks, etc. Good idea to be closer to POFQ as well. I really want to try the biegnets one morning (at least!)

For what it's worth, I think a lot of the mansions are pretty far from the main building and POFQ, so you may want to make a more specific request if you don't want a long hike. Here's a link to a map of the building locations:

http://www.portorleans.org/maps-and-directions.php

Glad you got savanna view at AKL! I don't think you can go wrong there!

 

[LilAnn]

Oh my gosh, Alison, that's amazing news! That sounds like a perfect mix of resorts! I can not wait to hear what you think about POR. I keep thinking that we seem to be on such parallel paths, it's crazy.

We have actually just booked our flights for a trip back early next year (I hope it won't be too cold) and are thinking of staying at POR. We are trying to take advantage of FD this time around. We've never stayed at a moderate before, so we kind of wanted to try it out. We're also going for a long time, so not sure we can swing a deluxe or the Dolphin again. we also tossed around the idea of staying a few nights at the Sheraton Vistana because my husband is dying to try it out.

Can't wait to hear all about the plans even more now! Plus, I am in awe of those photos of the Grand Californian. Amazing. I need to stay there one of these days.....

 

[eandesmom]

Ha, ha. FDM! I wrote that part for you. You inspired me to make it fuzzy and look to add on more days.

Dylan is so big. He is definitely not the little kid we had on our last trip. We are very excited about AKL. It is the place where we like to hang out on each trip because it's so laid back. We love watching the animals and not feeling rushed to go anywhere. I forgot to mention that we got a Savannah view too, so we are planning some good balcony time.

I'm so excited about it! We really considered all of the deluxe places but this one has been a standout to us for a while, just because of it being so unique. We think Dylan will love getting to watch the animals and (hopefully) get to swim in that big pool.

See and I'm just thinking you'll score on some cool jewelry there

I would have to do Savannah if I stayed there I think. I can't imagine being in that gorgeous place and looking at....a parking lot.

FDM is the best thing ever. It definitely "created" the May trip for me. And PIN codes rock! I'm a bit sad I've not gotten one for 2011...I think they are on to me. I'm not even getting that survey at the end of a mock booking, what's up with that? Those mansions look SO pretty!

 

[tinkgurl]

Dylan will definitely like looking at the animals!

 

[Purple Opal]

These are amazing photos. I can never get my camera to take great pictures in that lobby due to the lighting. I think the first picture you posted is my favorite. The piano guy is nice too.

I can't take the credit. I think that maybe 2(?) out of the 5 are mine (the Christmas tree one and the stained glass door). Some of these were grabbed off the GCH thread here and I think one from Google Images. At this point all the ones I like have gotten mixed together.