Someone can correct me if I'm wrong but I thought if you used those one day passes and went through the turnstile you could upgrade them. I didn't know there was a ticket that couldn't be upgraded. Bummer.
$17 for parking.
That is pretty step! Ouch! I remember the first year I went there in 2002 and stayed off site and it was $10.
Your condo looks lovely. I do have to agree that the extra space is awesome. We stayed at a timeshare called the Polynesia Isles last June and it was wonderful to have all that space (not to mention that I paid about $100 a night with tax for it).
Gavin is just too cute and he really does look like a young man in that one photo of him using his new plate.
I think the reason it could not be upgraded was because it was a comp ticket. I just wish I would've thought of that! Parking has really increased over the last 10 years, almost doubled now. But when you figure in how much you are saving per night staying off site vs on, an extra $17 a night for parking stuff puts you ahead.
Thanks! He's growing up too fast!
Mary Ellen, I think the problem is that they were comp tickets. Those cannot be upgraded. Any purchased ticket can be upgraded at any time, but you have to go through the turnstiles at least once to retain any kind of discount you may have gotten. As long as they are used once, Disney will credit you the current gate price of the ticket, not the price you actually paid. Hope that makes sense!
On to the updates...
Seems like a pretty busy travel day! But that all tends to go out of your mind as soon as you head inside those magical gates, doesn't it?
The condo looks wonderful. I would have been pretty upset about the rocker myself, if I had specifically called and asked about that. I hope it didn't affect your trip at all!
Can't wait to see what y'all got to do on your first night!
Yes I wish I would've consider that since they were comp tickets they would not be upgradable. Oh well!
You're right. All the stresses of the day melted away as soon as we were there! Luckily Gavin did fine without the rocker but I definitely would've picked another unit had I known.
Seriously, Gavin sounds like one of the best car travelers on the DIS! I am very jealous; Landon forces us to drive at night while he sleeps. He loses it if he's stuck in a car seat for too long.
Your condo looks wonderful! Plenty of room and a very cozy atmosphere. I have to say, I might consider WH in the future because of what you said about the rocking chair.
In May, it took us almost an hour and a half to get Landon to bed because we didn't have our chair. Even nursing him didn't help. Eventually, Alex had to take him outside to a balcony with chairs to rock him!
So I completely understand the importance of that rocker! Smart thinking on your part to call and double check.
Whew, 17 dollars for parking. Thank goodness for annual passes, you'll get your money's worth from them with parking alone.
I always say that Gavin more than makes up for being a terrible sleeper in other ways
We absolutely loved Windsor Hills. I have nothing negative to say about it or staying off site in general! That stinks that you had so much trouble getting Landon to sleep without a rocker.
We are definitely coming out ahead with the AP! On this trip alone it saved us $119 on parking. In December we will save at least that much again.
Gavin's dimples are so adorable!
I was excited for you guys when you were pulling up under the MK gates!
Thanks! That was an awesome feeling!
wow - after all that your "are we there yet?" comment seems apropo!
Very cute that you have the year-over-year pictures of Gavin in Nemo shirts!
Bummer about not being able to upgrade the tickets like you thought you could. I guess it makes sense since they were comp tickets and not ones you purchased but still stinks that your plans were messed up. At least you got your $17 refunded for parking! ... and hay, you were in the Magic Kingdom!
BTW - your condo looks pretty nice - I know you wanted the rocker but at least in the photos the furniture looks nice
Definitely felt like saying "are we there yet" all day, lol. Actually it wasn't so bad on the way there, on the way back though... another story
I think I was more mad at myself for not checking or thinking to check to see if those tickets could be upgraded. Oh well, I guess eventually we will find a use for them?
It was really nice! I was bummed about the rocker but the new furniture looked so much nicer.
Yay, you made it to Disney!
The condo looks really nice! Too bad it didn't have the rocker, though.
Awww, that is a really big bummer about the tickets not being upgradable, though! I would have been
And, really, what does a non-local do with a 1-day park-hopper anyway?
All I can think of is maybe use it on the way to/from something else in Florida (like a cruise). Weird. Sorry that you lost your FP+ reservations too.
Love all the Gavin pictures! Crazy how these kids are growing up!
Not having the rocker was definitely a bummer. Luckily it wasn't an issue and Gavin did fine without it.
I have no idea what we will ever do with 1 day park hoppers, LOL. I can't see us going to Disney for one day only when it's about a 16 hour drive each way. Would not be worth the cost of airfare for 1 day in Disney, haha. I also can't see us going to Orlando for a week and only doing 1 day at Disney but who knows. It has no expiration so I guess we will eventually figure it out. I guess if we do a cruise out of FL that would make sense to do a day in Disney before or after.
Thanks! I keep telling him not to grow up but he's not listening!
You are
almost inside those gates!! I wouldn't have thought about those tickets not being upgraded to an AP as well. I still have 2 1-day PH tickets that I've never used and had forgotten we'd gotten a few years back.
Those are sdorable selfies of you guys on the tram.
Your condo is spacious! Bummer about no rocking chair though.
So close to being in the MK! Like Dugette said, what does a non local do with 1 day park hoppers? I'm sure we will use them eventually just not sure when.
Thanks! Luckily Gavin did fine without the rocker. We really enjoyed all the space in the condo. I can see why you love staying in 1 and 2 bedroom DVC villas!
Looks like a fun dinner and its always good when a little guy eats well! Great pictures of Gavin with the characters! What a fun way to kick off your trip!
