Braving 10,000 miles (and the crowds) for Disney!! Dec 24 - Jan 5 PTR =)

[Minxe]

yes, you read that right.. how many miles to Disney World? a cool 10,000 if you're coming from the sunny lil island state of Singapore. (and let's try not to even think about the dollars involved, this is disney we're talking about! )

anyway. so this is the second time i'm attempting a PTR. i did up a first one last may but the trip never worked out, boo hoo. it's a sad sob story, so i won't bore you with the grisly details. i'll be honest and admit that i have no idea how to go about this PTR, so i'm really just winging it. if you don't mind the bumps, hiccups and potential gridlock ahead, just buckle yourselves up nice and snug and get ready. it's going to be one hell of a ride!

first things first. a getting to know you session.

~*~The Happy Bunnies~*~

1 & 2) the ones who started it all - my lovely, annoying (!!), inexplicably wonderful parents!

where would i be without my gorgeous mum and my dear old dad? they were the ones who brought disney into my life, making me one lucky ducky. don't be fooled by the bespectacled severity that my dad tries to portray - the moment we step pass the turnstiles, he's this disney kid that's raring to hop on the wildest rides in the park. my mum's usually hot on his heels, and she's planning to be extra vigilant this time, since he suffered from a heart attack last year. thankfully, he's all better now, and although he'll have to pass up many old favourites (tower of terror ranks at the top of his list), he's happy enough to be back with the mouse!

my mum's the practical one in the party. she keeps us all in line, and whips us into tip top shape. so imagine our surprise when we entered the park for the first very first time some years ago and she did a skip and a hop and a swift beeline for the first character that she saw. she's a little mouse who squeals her head off just looking at splash mountain (we secretly think that it has something to do with her curls and make up although she's never cared to validate that claim).

2) my prince charming hereafter known as Mr C.

what disney fairytale trip would be complete without my prince? i met him on 12 march 2007 and we've been a blissful couple ever since. he's somewhat a disney virgin though. his first true disney encounter happened on our 2008 Japan trip where we visited Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea. he liked it well enough, so fingers-crossed that this trip will utterly convert him.

my handsome darling's 23 years old and is currently majoring in Computer Science at our local university. we got engaged back in march this year, so this is really kinda like our belated engagement trip. fireworks of love, anyone? he's the epitome of awesome-ness and i love him.

3) the disney girl, born and bred

and of course, me. i'm the official kid of this party. 23 years young, and an incorrigible disney fan. i've lived and breathed disney throughout my childhood and this will be my fourth trip to the world. my last trip took place quite a long time ago, when i was still an innocent, sweet little gem of a 14 year old. this trip though, i'm the official butt-whacker aka the relentless, regimental itinerary crafter. yay, me!

while i'm not fluttering happily around disney, i have a degree in english literature and am currently in teacher's college, studying to be a mother hen to the little tweets. but that's boring compared to disney, so we'll leave it as that.

so yay. that's us!

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now that introductions are out of the way, here are the slightly more technical details.

this is a somewhat last minute trip, so take a deep breath, and make sure that you're sitting down.

the only form of planning that we've done so far is booking the air tickets. there. i've said it. now am i allowed to hyperventilate?

but we're going to get through this with sheer determination and loads of reading up, mostly carried out by yours truly. here's a little checklist of the merry things that i'll be busying myself with for the next couple of days.

1) deciding on where to stay.

we'll probably be staying off-site to save ourselves some moolah (those plane tickets = ). we're looking at booking a suite of some sort with two bedrooms and most importantly (for my cooking mum) a kitchen. i've tried to persuade her not to cook on a vacation but her argument prevails - we're asians, we need our rice! not to mention our chilli sauce, but that's another story.

currently, i've short-listed some maybes:

i) celebration suites (formerly known as suites at old town)

ii) royale parc suites

okay, yeah. 2 maybes. if it's any excuse, my school term just ended today, and the amount of assignments they delegate to us starving and suffering student-teachers would make any human weak in the knees. i'll get down to searching soon. tomorrow.

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2) deciding on what and where to eat

since we'll be there for two of the most special occasions in the year, i'm definitely looking at getting at least an ADR or two for the family. we won't be on the disney dining plan, so probably we'll only be getting a couple.. so i'll have to choose wisely! the most likely candidate that i'm eyeing is Boma for either breakfast or dinner. some of the other places that i'm interested in are:

i) rainforest cafe -- might be overrated, i know, but i thought it might be a kick for the animal lover of a mr c.

ii) t-rex cafe - this is purely self-indulgent. i love dinosaurs.

iii) sci-fi dine in theater - probably for snacks or a light lunch. i know the food there isn't the best, but i'm a sucker for themed restaurants (can't you tell from my list so far? *beams*)

iv) yak and yeti - maybe.

i don't think we'll be doing any character meals although a secret part of me really wants to. told you that i'm a kid at heart.

i'll be looking out for more choices, but i'm really looking forward to are the giant turkey legs!! *gobble gobble* also, i'll be keeping a lookout for counter-service options and a nearby grocery store to satisfy the mummy.

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3) itinerary

yech. tomorrow, tomorrow. this is going to be really tricky to pull off. i took a quick peek and apparently, level 10 crowds are waiting to welcome us so i'm going to have to be really careful about this.

and in case you're still with me on this (i know i'm terribly long-winded), would it make a big difference if i invested in tour guide mike or would i be okay relying on the unofficial guide and its website? i haven't really looked at tour guide mike in detail but it has enough raves to get me tempted.

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4) stuff to bring, buy and pack!

i'm too lazy to type this out in any detail right now, but i'm looking at these basic categories:

i) the bare necessities

ii) the entertainment stuff for the 26 hour long plane flight

iii) my clothes. yes. vainpot and semi-fashion victim that i am, this warrants a completely separate category.

of course, i'll need to have a peek at the weather that we'll be expecting.

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right. this is it for tonight, i think. oh yes!! and i'll be getting my disney ticker after i post this, yay!

tomorrow's going to be a busy day!

if you've braved through my verbal drivel this far, thank you and i hope you stay for a bit!

 

[Minxe]

1) deciding on where to stay.

because i'm feeling a little motivated, here's some very rough research that i did for a possible home away from home.

** cross posting this at a thread at orlando hotels and attractions.

we'll be arriving on 25th Dec (merry xmas!!! ) and will be staying for 12 nights. since we're effectively two couples, rather than pay for two separate hotel rooms, we're thinking of getting a two-bedroom suite so that we'll have our own privacy while living in close proximity.

some of the factors that we're considering:

- cost (since this is a low to mid budget trip, this is a pretty big factor)
- distance from WDW (hopefully there's a scheduled free shuttle)
- some extra pluses: kitchen (my mum) and bathtubs (me) and internet access (mr C).

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1) Royale Parc Suites

price for a traditional 2 bedroom suite: $215.37 per night (average)

blurb from site: Spacious 830 sq. ft. suite, tiled entry, lush carpet, elegant French Empire cherry furnishings, separate living room with queen sleeper sofa,designer lighting, Two Private Bedrooms with (4) double Sleeper Beds by Serta with luxury bedding, 2 French-inspired baths with plush terry, dining area & kitchenette with microwave, refrigerator, stovetop, coffeemaker, dishware, (2) 32" flatscreen plasma TV's, premium cable,free Showtime movie channel, closets, daily housekeeping.

complimentary shuttle: yes (to WDW, universal and seaworld)

internet access: yes

distance to disney: 1 mile ( i think)

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2) Super 8 Motel and Suites

price for apartment suite non smoking: $83.28 (average)

blurb from site: Oversized non-smoking apartment suite with full kitchen. Living room with queen size sofa bed and two private bedrooms. Each bedroom has one double size bed.

complimentary shuttle: don't know

internet access: yes

distance to disney: 9 miles

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3) Celebration Suites at Old Town

price for a deluxe one bedroom suite: $71.20 per night (average)

blurb from site: Enjoy the area's largest one-bedroom suites with over 650 sq. ft. of living space! Our SUITE sleeps up to 6 people comfortably and includes a private bedroom,living room with Murphy bed, large eat-in kitchen with full-sized Refrigerator, Coffee Maker, Dishwasher, Microwave, 2-Burner Stovetop, 2 TV's with free HBO, Patio or Balcony and available WiFi. All within walking distance to the thrilling Old Town Entertainment Complex.

complimentary shuttle: yes (wdw, universal and sea world)

internet access: yes

distance to disney: 2.5 miles

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4) Palisades Resort

price for a two bedroom resort suite: $114.83 per night (average)

blurb from site: Beautifully furnished, One King bed with Master bathroom, dressing area and soaking tub, second bedroom with Twin Beds. Fully equipped gourmet kitchen to include dishwasher, Dining area with dining table & Living area with Queen Sofa Bed, flat screened TV’s, Private Laundry facilities, Private furnished Screened Balcony. (Sleeps up to 6)

complimentary shuttle:

internet access: yes

distance to disney:


this is what i've come up with so far. royale parc is probably a little too expensive for us, so i'm looking at palisades next.. i'll have to run it by the dad and see how it goes.

i don't know if we're going to try windsor hills.. i may send in an enquiry, so we'll see how it goes. i'm not very sure how the booking process goes though; do we liase with the resort itself or the individual owners? also, is there any form of shuttle service out of the resort?

am i missing any viable options?

 

[Minxe]

to get myself into the holiday mood, i thought i'd just post some pictures from our previous disney trip to Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea! we've only got my fiance and myself in the photos because my parents decided to go on a shopping spree instead.

Tokyo Disneyland:

my fiance and i being the silly, happy bunnies that we are in front of the castle.

two happy little critters itching to get into critter country! it was a shame that the weather was way too icy cold to get splashed on splash mountain.

toon town!!

he wishes that his ride was that cool.

Tokyo DisneySea:

at the entrance of the park. he had since succumbed to my insidious demands that we get disney ears too.

in front of the giant volcano which houses one of the coolest disney rides - journey to the centre of the earth.


** urk, forgive me if the photos are too big. i'll resize them as soon as i figure out how.

 

[Minxe]

Itinerary Planning Part 1

so here's a very rough version of an overall itinerary that i came up with based on touringplans.com's crowd level calender.

the reason why i'm pushing to have a look at each of the four parks at the beginning of the trip despite the crowd levels being a nasty 10 is because it'll be my fiance's first trip to WDW and i didn't want him to miss out on the xmas decorations. besides, we'll have an extra day at each park when the crowd levels fall somewhat, so hopefully that will make up for the crowded start.

i haven't really thought about what we'll be doing on the individual days though. i'm toying with the idea of subscribing to either tourguide mike or ridemax to see if i'll have a better chance at surviving the crowds. we'll see how it goes.