Decisions, Decisions, Decisions...A PTR? (I found dole whip! update 8/19)

[bstarprincess37]

Soooo, this will be my 3rd trip to Disney and a second for my DH. We took a very short trip in May and want to return for 10 magical days this Thanksgiving -( yes, truly excited as we will get to check out all the Christmas magic!)...We have our flights all booked, (which I am thrilled about because we booked them with rewards points ), and we have our dates all set, but I cannot for the life of me make up my mind on where to stay...

I asked DH, but given he is not quite as much of a crazed fan of Disney as I am, and tends to make decisions just by numbers, I thought I would put out a thread and hope that some wonderful person(s) from the DIS would help me out. I love planning, but somehow am not so great at making decisions .

Sooo, here's my question:

Would you:

A) Book now, and save some money staying off-site at Bonnet Creek and have lots left over to spend on dining, shopping, etc.


B) Wait a bit to get a free dining offer (most likely quick service since we will have to stay value) and then book to stay the week at a Disney Value resort (most likely All Star Music).

OR

C) Get the free dining for the first 5 days of the trip staying at a value and then move to Bonnet Creek for the rest of the week.

I am really going back and forth on this one. I have only stayed a short stay at Coronado Springs and have yet to really experience a full vacay on site. But I also know my DH's tastes and he may not be so impressed with a value and his enjoyment of the trip means more Disney in the future.
So, any suggestions???

 

[bstarprincess37]

No suggestions??? Any suggestions for another forum thread to post my question on?

I thought about posting on the Disney resorts thread but thought it might be a bit biased and the question also deals with an off property resort...

So far I am leaning towards a split stay but I am not sure if it is worth giving up the free dining if I can have it the entire stay.

TIA!

 

[bstarprincess37]

​

Thanks for stopping by for my PTR!

Okay, so, still working on the whole, where we are going to stay thing...but I figured I would just go on with the PTR...and since I love Disney magic, musicals and theatre...lets start this show off right!

Brittany

​

I'm Brittany. I'm 26 years old, currently a stay at home wife, but am interviewing for a new position as a preschool teacher.

My favorite Disney movie would have to be Princess and the Frog. Its not yet a classic, but as I was born in Louisiana, raised Cajun and love the beautiful job Disney did portraying my place of birth, it is definitely my current favorite. My DH jokes that they must have secretly modeled her character and beauty after me...however, I think Princess Tiana may have a bit more sassy to her that I don't quite have .

My favorite more "classic" Disney movies would have to be either Beauty and the Beast or Pocahontas as I spent many of my childhood years dancing and singing to the tunes of the beautiful soundtracks.

Other things I enjoy are any type of travel, watching broadway shows, epic movies and books (such as Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings) and probably anything to do with children and or babies...I admire the way children are so hopeful, full of dreams and creativity...perhaps this is also why I have fallen for Disney

Israel​

This, is my Prince Naveen... He is 27, currently working for a venture capital fund (for all those non-business minded people out there like me - he raises money to invest in new businesses). He is also currently starting his own business and is pretty much into anything related to entrepreneurship.

He would say his favorite Disney movie is Lion King or perhaps the Toy Story Movies. We watched Toy Story 3 together and I looked over and I am quite certain I saw a tear (shhh...don't tell him I saw )

Other things he enjoys are good sci-fi movies (he really enjoyed Star Tours and seeing some of the Star Wars weekend on our last trip). Like, me he also enjoys a good action flick or epic movie, and although he is not quite as in love with Disney as I am, after seeing The Carousel of Progress during our last visit, he has "Theres a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow" set as his ringtone


Well, thats all of the cast for now...We had invited my sister and BIL to come, but given that they just had a new baby, it looks like it will be just DH and me

 

[OrangeJuice]

Hey! Great start to your PTR. I've never been to Bonnet Creek but I have stayed in a value resort before. I really enjoyed my stay at All Star Sports because of the disney "feel" of the resort and the resort transportation. I did find the rooms to be a little small and the beds to be way to small (they are on the small size of double beds). The Bonnet Creek resort seems to be really pretty and spacious. I think it would depend on what you prefer.

Looking forward to hearing more about your plans

 

[hellocactus]

Hi! I can't wait to read more of your PTR! Your husband sounds a lot like mine! He is also an entrepreneur/owns his own business and he loves the Carousel of Progress, haha. And I am still a bit more of a crazed Disney fan than he is, but he's come a looooong way!

I don't really have advice for you because I have never stayed at either of those hotels! Bonnet Creek looks like a nice place and I have read lots of good reviews of it, but it doesn't have that special on-site feeling, or the convenience of onsite transportation (which my husband really loved)! But you're right that he might not be super impressed with the value! Hmm.

I will say that one thing that really helped seal the deal on our first trip was the free dining package we got. He loved having the dining plan and getting to try all sorts of yummy Disney restaurants. So I kind of like your third option! That way, you get to try both resorts and see what you like, and you're not committing wholeheartedly to one thing. But I am indecisive that way, heh.

Anyway, I will keep following along for sure! I love to read TRs from other couples our own age.

 

[bstarprincess37]

Hey! Great start to your PTR. I've never been to Bonnet Creek but I have stayed in a value resort before. I really enjoyed my stay at All Star Sports because of the disney "feel" of the resort and the resort transportation. I did find the rooms to be a little small and the beds to be way to small (they are on the small size of double beds). The Bonnet Creek resort seems to be really pretty and spacious. I think it would depend on what you prefer.

Looking forward to hearing more about your plans

Welcome! Thanks for the tip about the beds. DH is not a fan of small beds...maybe I can call and request a king???

Anywho, thanks for joining in!

Hi! I can't wait to read more of your PTR! Your husband sounds a lot like mine! He is also an entrepreneur/owns his own business and he loves the Carousel of Progress, haha. And I am still a bit more of a crazed Disney fan than he is, but he's come a looooong way!

I don't really have advice for you because I have never stayed at either of those hotels! Bonnet Creek looks like a nice place and I have read lots of good reviews of it, but it doesn't have that special on-site feeling, or the convenience of onsite transportation (which my husband really loved)! But you're right that he might not be super impressed with the value! Hmm.

I will say that one thing that really helped seal the deal on our first trip was the free dining package we got. He loved having the dining plan and getting to try all sorts of yummy Disney restaurants. So I kind of like your third option! That way, you get to try both resorts and see what you like, and you're not committing wholeheartedly to one thing. But I am indecisive that way, heh.

Anyway, I will keep following along for sure! I love to read TRs from other couples our own age.

Thanks for stopping by! Yeah, I am leaning more and more towards the split stay but I can't let go of the idea of free dining all of my wonderful Disney days

I love reading TR's from couples/people our age too! I will have to check yours out too!

 

[bstarprincess37]

So sorry for no updates. The last month has been kind of crazy and I have gotten some pretty big pieces of news this month

So, I have some bad news...and some good news...

Good news first...Drum roll pleeease....

I

got

a

job!!!​

Yes, I got basically my dream job (well outside of being a fabulously rich actress or stage actor on Broadway ) I got a teaching job at one of the best schools in the area. I am in love with the school - it is a beautiful space...very Reggio, some term for all you teachers out there...

The bad news now...

No

Disney!

​

Bum bum Buuumm!!!

Yes I know, tragedy... Turns out that the job won't allow me to take off the time for my Thanksgiving trip...I am really bummed because I was really truly looking forward to a wonderful holiday at the most magical place - but alas...you can't have your cake and eat it too I guess...

Good thing my plans are refundable

I am looking at rescheduling for March at Spring Break but my hubby would have a hard time taking off the time which means I might have to go solo and having gone once Solo already I am not sure I am up to it. We'll see, maybe we'll experience some crazy pixie dust and my DH will be up for taking the time out to go .

Probably no updates for a bit but I'll try to keep an update out on what is decided. Thanks for reading!

 

[bstarprincess37]

SO...sadly I still don't have any huge updates on my future disney dates. I have started my job, which by the way I love!) and although I have fridays off which essentially means three day weekends, I cannot really justify a 3 night trip to Disney - especially if it means going solo.

However, on a good note...DH and I decided to take a stroll around our local zoo this weekend. This weekend I was really feeling the post Disney trip depression until lo' and behold, beyond the trees I saw an oh so beautiful sight!

A Dole Whip!

DH and I followed the signs to a counter service restaurant and although it was 5 minutes until closing - I approached the counter, fingers crossed and asked in my nicest of voices if they were by any chance still open and selling the frozen ice cream. I asked what flavors there were and sure enough they had my beloved pineapple. They also had a swirl flavor with raspberry and pineapple so DH and I decided we would get one of each and share.

Here are some pics of the goods

Just thought I would share. This may be the answer to my long wait until my next Disney trip. I keep telling myself, that maybe if I close my eyes hard enough and take a yummy bite of my whip, it will almost be like being in Disney again.

Well...maybe not, but it doesn't hurt...and it tastes so yummy too!