DIS Dad and his 40" Shadow's May '09 Wilderness PTR

[colinsdad]

First off, thanks for stopping by my PTR. I am especially excited about my upcoming "Boys Only" trip to Disney with my DS4 as we will be staying at the Villas at Wilderness Lodge for the very first time.

I plan on discussing my daily plans, events, DIS Meets, ADR's, DDP strategies and even transportation. I may even break down my Supercalifragilisticexpialladocious Microsoft Excel spreadsheet if anyone out there has any interest or has spreadsheetitus like myself.

So pull up a chair, a cup of joe or popcorn if you'd like because its all about to start.......NOW.

 

[bama4ever]

I'm in! I have a spreadsheet for our upcoming trip, too!

 

[colinsdad]

Chapter 1: 40 inches

The Cast:
Me - Jason (39) aka "colinsdad" member of the DIS Dad's Club (and WDW Mickey Mom's Club believe it or not)
DS4 - Colin (4 going on ?) aka "mini-me", and "my 40" shaddow"

My DS4 and I have been on 3 previous "Boys Only" trips to WDW. The above picture being one of those trips where we had front center seats to the HDD Revue, which by the smile on his face you can see he loved.

However this Wilderness Trip will be the most exciting one to date (at least for him) because he has finally hit that magical Disney milestone. He is 40 inches (now actually 41") tall.

What does that mean for my little guy. Well now he is able to ride:
SPLASH MOUNTAIN
BIG THUNDER MOUNTAIN
TEST TRACK
SOARIN'
TOWER OF TERROR
STAR TOURS

On our last trip in September my little guy was bummed out that he couldn't go on a few of these rides with his DD. So not to let a disappointing moment go to waste, I told my DS4 that he needed to eat all his veggies so he'd get to 40" by the next trip. What a big day it was for him when the tape measure hit 40".

Knowing my DS4, I'm guessing he'll like Soarin' the best, after all doesn't every little boy wish he could fly?

Next up - Chapter 2: How this trip happened

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Checking in!

 

[englishrose47]

Checking in too!!Great pix of the 2 of you!! Now I know who to look for at The Dole WhipMeet!!

 

[colinsdad]

Chapter 2: How this trip happened

While you can never get enough of a good thing, doing 2 trips in the same calendar year at WDW and 3 trips within 12 months is a lot for me (I wish I knew this was going to happen because I should have gotten an AP!).

Well anyway, we had just got back from the Boardwalk Villas in September '08, when I started looking for '09. When I saw an opening for the Beach Club Villas for the week which included my DS's 5th BD I was estatic . I had always said that I'd like to take him to Disney for a birthday, so that on top of seeing that the BCV (my holy grail of timeshare trades) was available I jumped on it. We are not DVC owners (we traded through II).

Picture of Colin at Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party in September '08.

So I just got back from WDW, made my reservation for the BCV, and I'm all set for '09. May is not even on the radar.

So how did this trip happen?

Well I got some really bad news from II and turned it around quickly. My timeshare company II (Interval International) was dropped by Disney as of January 1, 2009. Since Disney would honor any II trades that were already in the II inventory, I checked online and saw that I could trade into the Villas at Wilderness Lodge in May using only an Accomodations Certificate (bonus week). Since I figured I probably would never stay there otherwise and since DVC would not be a trade option again, I justified the extra trip this year.

The certificate got me a Studio unit w/ mini-fridge, microwave, sink, queen bed and and pull out couch for $199 for the week plus a $95 DVC resort services fee. So for $294 ($42 per night) its pretty much a no brainer. The other nice thing is that since I traded with DVC, they treat me like an owner and will let me add the DDP without having to purchase any ticket package.

So now its early December and I'm thinking about that 180 day ADR mark. OMG, I think it's passed , I'd better get on the ball. Well I go to my trusty DIS and find out the ADR's are changed now. I actuallly have to wait till February to make them. Oh well. Plenty of time to prepare now.

Up next: Chapter 3: The Long ADR Wait

 

[colinsdad]

I'm in! I have a spreadsheet for our upcoming trip, too!

Thanks for stopping in. My next post, Chapter 3: The Long ADR Wait will definately get into my spreadsheet. Too many days to plan really got me going this time.

Checking in!

Thanks for checking in. I hope at some point I can get you off the "maybe" list for the Dole Whip.

Checking in too!!Great pix of the 2 of you!! Now I know who to look for at The Dole WhipMeet!!

I know what you meen about knowing who to look for.

Quick story about the pix. One of the main things keeping me from posting some and doing a PTR is because I lost all my pix when my last computer crashed shortly after returning from our last trip . Lucky for me, I have a very good friend who is a computer guy and he was able to recover all my lost data (which now I know needs to be backed up ). Although he is good, he's a bit slow. I just got them back 3 days ago and he had my broken computer for about 4 mos. No complaints here though. He's a lifesaver giving me back my memories!

Many more pix to come.

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

You are going to love the Wilderness Lodge. We stayed there in July 07 and it is now the resort that I feel is my "home" at WDW.

 

[saratogadreamin09]

Subscribing



Your very lucky you got into the beachclub, its almost impossible for members to get into!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[alan_renfroe]

Hey Jason! The Renfroes are subscribing! Looking forward to meeting you and "mini-me."

Alan

 

[MaryAz]

Hi Jason
SO happy you started a PTR! Great pics of you and Colin, my DD Avery was looking at your report and wanted to say hi to Colin, she says " Hi Colin, I'm Avery. I am excited to meet you but I am a little shy when I meet new people. Your friend Avery" Now back to reading...

 

[MaryAz]

Can't wait to see the spreadsheet. That is so great about getting your computer fixed and memories back. We would love to do the Dole Whip meet since this is our first trip but our tickets don't start until the 17th. Maybe everyone will have so much fun they will want to do it again. Avery is at 42 inches and super excited to try all the rides. Even the ones I am to chicken to do!

 

[englishrose47]

Hi Jason just checking in again!! I first went to Disney in 2007 andbecame addicted to Disney and the Dis !! I hav always stayed a Pop and love it there !! I usually vist other resorts for dinner and enjoy checking them out In May I want to check out AKL some more when I do breakfast at Boma on the 17th!! I am soo excited about all the Dissers I'm gonna meet this time ! I met a few last year and it really made the trip!!!

 

[MaryAz]

Hi again
You may want to move this over to the pre trippie forum-others may have trouble finding it...I followed a link.

 

[colinsdad]

You are going to love the Wilderness Lodge. We stayed there in July 07 and it is now the resort that I feel is my "home" at WDW.

I have ALWAYS wanted to stay here, but it was never available to trade into for DVC. So this will definately be a special trip.

Subscribing

Your very lucky you got into the beachclub, its almost impossible for members to get into!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As I said in my PP, to me BCV is the holy grail of timeshare trades! I'd never even seen it as a choice (until that day) and what were the odds that it would be the week of my DS's 5th BD in the year of "What Will You Celebtrate?". Chapter 3 coming tonight.

Hey Jason! The Renfroes are subscribing! Looking forward to meeting you and "mini-me."

Alan

Us too. Thanks for checking on my PTR.

Hi Jason
SO happy you started a PTR! Great pics of you and Colin, my DD Avery was looking at your report and wanted to say hi to Colin, she says " Hi Colin, I'm Avery. I am excited to meet you but I am a little shy when I meet new people. Your friend Avery" Now back to reading...

Hi Avery!

Can't wait to see the spreadsheet. That is so great about getting your computer fixed and memories back. We would love to do the Dole Whip meet since this is our first trip but our tickets don't start until the 17th. Maybe everyone will have so much fun they will want to do it again. Avery is at 42 inches and super excited to try all the rides. Even the ones I am to chicken to do!

Stay tuned for Chapter 3 which I hope to have on tonight (when I get a few minutes). It will cover my spreadsheet. And don't fret over the Dole Whip, because the MMM will be great!!! And France has the adult equivalent of the Dole Whip; The Grand Marnier Slushie.

Hi Jason just checking in again!! I first went to Disney in 2007 andbecame addicted to Disney and the Dis !! I hav always stayed a Pop and love it there !! I usually vist other resorts for dinner and enjoy checking them out In May I want to check out AKL some more when I do breakfast at Boma on the 17th!! I am soo excited about all the Dissers I'm gonna meet this time ! I met a few last year and it really made the trip!!!

I've heard Boma's BF is awesome. We stayed at POP for what was one person short of a Grand Gathering (Me, DS, 3DB's and 2DS's) in '07 and loved it. We would definately go back again. Now that I can't trade into DVC if we stay on property it will probably be at POP!

Hi again
You may want to move this over to the pre trippie forum-others may have trouble finding it...I followed a link.

I think that's a great idea. Do you (or anyone happening to be reading this) know how to do this??


To Be Continued.......Same DIS time, Same DIS Channel

 

[colinsdad]

Chapter 3: The Long ADR Wait

When I left off, the trip was booked and I had a chill go down my spine when I realized I was already within my 180 day booking window . Then I was happy to find out that the rules had been changed and Disney was only doing ADR's 90 days out. (I found out later CRT and CM were still 180, but thankfully that didn't affect me).

So with the lodging booked, I moved onto flights. My only real options traveling from Boston and wanting to go non-stop with my DS is either Delta or Jet Blue (I could go to MHT for SWA but they don't have hotel airport check in ). Delta already had its schedule out and was about $40 more than I normally pay. Jet Blue hadn't released its schedule yet. Do I chance it? What if JB prices aren't the normal $99 each way, or what if other people jump on them on release day? Well I couldn't wait (or more like didn't want to wait) to have a flight to MCO so I went with Delta. Great flight, leaving at 7:00am and getting me to MCO by 10:20am. So I can enjoy day 1 there (which I'll get into later with my Day Plans, and Day 1 is AWESOME).

So with lodging and flights booked by December 9th, now what? I couldn't make ADR's untill February 15th.

Now came the Long ADR Wait.

Well to "pass" the time, I created my supercalifragilisticexpialadocious Excel spreadsheet. The first worksheet is pretty boring (maybe they all are ) in that it details all the reservation info and costs. Disney Reservation number and DVC phone numbers. Then a breakdown of the exact costs by category: Lodging (timeshare Certificate fee, DVC Resort services fee) Flights and Dining/Activities (DDP, OOP meals, tour fees, and anticipated tips). Tips? you say. How would you know the exact cost of that? Well thats where worksheet 2 (Restaurants) comes into play. This sheet breaks down every restaurant that I considered eating at. Then, using the most recent menus, I figured out what I would eat there for an entree, drink and dessert using the DDP. I even added in appetizers or soups that I would pay OOP for (for example the Cheddar Cheese Soup at LC). Then using these calculations I figured which meals were the best value if I had to choose between them. Of course this being a "Boys Only" trip, I tried to gear the choices to things my DS4 and I would both like.

One of the things that I've learned by doing my spreadsheet are my "Rules of the DDP". Its kind of long, but since I think its good infomation I'll post it as Chapter 4: DDP do's and don'ts IMHO.

Having all this information, I was able to narrow down our choices to what I think are very good selections and based on the $356.86 cost of the DDP ($279.93 for me and $76.93 for Colin) I expect to save $184.82 over what I would have paid for these meals OOP ($102.66 for me and $82.16 for Colin). I also wanted to note that the TS portion of the cost is $341.77. Almost the entire cost of the DDP.

Worksheet 3 simply known as "The Plan" includes all the dates we will be there, EMH's for all parks on those days, and times for all parades, fireworks and Fantasmic shows. I had about 2 weeks between Disney releasing the May park hours and having to make my ADR call. Using "The Plan", I was able to map out our days accordingly and see if my ADR choices would fit. I had to do some tweaking, but I think I got it right.

When February 15th came and the Long ADR Wait was finally over, I hit the phones and called WDW-DINE at 7am.....

Next up - Chapter 4: DDP's do's and don'ts IMHO

 

[OhMari]

Your alright here, since you are just only a few weeks away from going.
Sorry, I didn't PM you back, computer froze up, when I tried responding.

So you are on the Mom's Panel, huh. Or did I read that wrong.

 

[colinsdad]

Chapter 4: DDP do's and don'ts IMHO

These are the rules I follow when using the DDP (regular). These tips help me plan out my TS ADR's and where I'll be eating at lunch too.

When following these DDP "rules" you should always be ahead even when you factor out the price of the CS desserts (which I don't particularly want each day, and skipped all but a few days on my September '08 trip. I did have Mickey Ice Cream bars with my CS lunch at the waterparks though!!).

1. Always use DDP Adult TS credits on DINNER.
If you want to book a Character BF or 2, pay OOP because an adult CBF is 18.99 for most of them (much less than the cost of an average dinner). Note: If you want to use your Adult TS for Character BF's, you likely will not come out ahead on the day (but it should still be within $7 of the daily plan cost).

2. Addendum to #1: If you have kids with you at the Character BF use their Child TS credits for these meals while you PAY OOP. This is because a child CBF is usually 10.99 (while child TS dinner is usually $7.49). Of course you will have to pay OOP for 2 of their TS dinners during the stay if you do this.

3. Never (repeat Never) use 2TS for any meal.

4. Always use CS credits on LUNCH.
Same principle as #1, but this time since lunch costs more on average than breakfast.

5. Use snack credits on BF items, not snacks. Most items under $4 qualify for a SC. You can get a nice coffee roll or mickey muffin at MS Bakery, Boardwalk Bakery or Starring Rolls each morning for a snack credit. Use another credit to split an OJ, pay OOP for a coffee and you'll be set. Since you get 7 SC's each, you should be set for BF for about 4 days using the SC's in this way. The days you aren't using SC for BF items pay OOP or go to a character BF and have some fun following rules #1 and #2.

DIS-claimer: I may not be following Rule #5 exactly on my next trip as 1 SC will surely be used for a DOLE WHIP on May 16th and 1 SC will be used for a Napoleon in France on May 17th. Those days will be covered later.

Next Up - Chapter 5: ADR Day Has Arrived!

 

[colinsdad]

Your alright here, since you are just only a few weeks away from going.
Sorry, I didn't PM you back, computer froze up, when I tried responding.

So you are on the Mom's Panel, huh. Or did I read that wrong.

Thanks for the reply. Just wanted to make sure I was in the right spot.

And I'm not on the Mom's Panel. Tried and denied.

But since I did try, I was invited to be in the Mickey Mom's Club (which I accepted).

I actually just submitted an application to the Mickey Mom's Club (and was selected) to host a "What Will You Celebrate?" In-Home Celebration which I'm doing next Saturday. I'm expecting the package on Monday. Can't wait to see what is in it.

 

[OhMari]

Thanks for the reply. Just wanted to make sure I was in the right spot.

And I'm not on the Mom's Panel. Tried and denied.

But since I did try, I was invited to be in the Mickey Mom's Club (which I accepted).

I actually just submitted an application to the Mickey Mom's Club (and was selected) to host a "What Will You Celebrate?" In-Home Celebration which I'm doing next Saturday. I'm expecting the package on Monday. Can't wait to see what is in it.

Okay,
Thanks for clarifying everything, sometims, I speedread too fast.

I got one of those In-Home Celebrations.
I pretended I didn't get it, if I invite people over and tell them about WDW, they will think I am more crazy, than I actually am. WDW is my secret addiction. My parents, sisters and in-laws just shake their heads when we go, they don't understand, I've tried, but they don't get it. I have a few friends that call me up when they want to go to WDW.

But my dh has an uncle and aunt that totally get WDW. They even scored a upgrade at the The Floridian last Fall. He called me from Disney and told me how he got upgraded to Conciere Club level.