Disney... Party of Three! - Rescheduled Date TBD (New 9/21 - New PTR Link)

[SimplyGoofy]

I just realized you had added a new link to your signature when I was replying to your comment on my thread and knew I had to jump over here.
A daughter's first trip!! How exciting!! This will be quite the memorable trip for you.

Alicia! Thank you so much for joining in!

I take much inspiration from your trips with your littles in planning my own! I know there will be obstacles but I'm excited about all the magic and memories, too.

The Polynesian is an awesome choice as far as transportation goes. Not having to get the baby out of the stroller, fold it up, and load onto a bus is pretty priceless. However, all that extra room you would get at AoA would be nice, as well. You would be able to spread out your luggage and kid toys while still having a dedicated sleeping area for either just you two or you both and M.

I really think it's the best choice for M's current age as MK has the most ride options for her. You are right, however, that the multiple rooms at AoA would be pretty awesome, too! Really, both options are wonderful and I'm very lucky that I have flexibility in what we'll choose.

I'm sure whichever resort you decide you will be happy with. They each provide their own unique experiences. My only piece of advice would be choose which one you think G would like the best, since this your campaign to get him back for future trips.

THIS IS THE BEST THOUGHT EVER. Honestly, one of the additional perks of the MK resort area is the proximity to Fort Wilderness and their boat rentals. G would love to rent a kayak!

Can't wait to follow along with your planning!

Cindi! Thank you so much for joining in on this report!

I don't think it's been mentioned here yet- but the Skyliner is now open- connecting AoA (and Pop) to Hollywood Studios and Epcot- and looks really easy to bring a stroller on!

That's certainly true! Epcot has great appeal for both the dining and several of the attractions. Sadly, I think we'll spend the least amount of time in HS as there are hardly any attractions for M - but I hope to go there at least once so I can ride the Tower of Terror (my favorite Disney ride!).

OK, I'm not missing out on this!

Ariane! Thank you so much for joining in!

Yay!! I didn't realize all this I love going on our adult only trips but going with kids is incredible! I still remember the first couple trips with the boys when they were little It's going to be such a special trip for all of you!

It's been a crazy few years, but all in the best way. It will be a different trip but still incredibly magical. M really enjoyed riding on the cart behind the tractor at the apple orchard and LOVED riding on the train (also at the orchard), so I have high hopes for the Disney attractions! It will be wonderful to see her take it in and enjoy everything!

lol, it's funny because I don't remember it being difficult traveling with the kids to Disney when they were little, although Ricky was my tough one and he was already 4 on our first trip. Chris was 11 months and then 14 months and then 23 months and it seemed easy! Yeah you have lots of stuff to bring but you're used to it anyway. I don't even remember making our plans based on them, we just did what we wanted to do and if they ended up needing a break we took it!

Thank you for that! I'm sure the challenging moments fade with time, but you're exactly right that we're already used to traveling with all the extra stuff. I'm definitely keeping M in mind with our plans (and making sure I have mid-day breaks for naps), but I think we can also plan many things that she'll be happy to go along with.

It was my favorite nighttime show and I will miss it terribly. I know many people seem to like HEA, but it just won't be the same!

As for your resort choice, hmm......POFQ is my favorite mod but like you said you'll have the least space. We've only stayed in a LM room at AoA but part of me kind of wants to try a suite? So I think that's a good choice. But is it weird choosing that over the Poly lol? We aren't fans of the monorail but it's certainly super convenient for strollers. Before I was a TA we rented points quite a few times and it can really make those resorts affordable! We went through private owners from the DIS often but also used David's once or twice and were happy with them. Good luck deciding!

I think POFQ will be an excellent choice down the line, especially when we're not worrying about a stroller. AoA is such a lovely resort and the room in the suites would be AWESOME. I know your favorite resort is Wilderness Lodge (and I loved my stay there, too!), but the appeal of the monorail trumps that MK resort as a choice.

Thank you for another vote for David's! It sounds like that would be my best bet for renting points!

 

[sailored]

Holy moly! I’ve kind of been MIA since you were halfway through with your trip report with Anika and not fully browsing the boards. First off, congratulations on getting married and having a baby! I’m so happy for you! Second, I’m excited to get to watch you plan this trip. totally following along! We went in May of this year, it was a lot of fun, but VERY warm. We are use to heat, where we live, it is 100+ degrees every day from like June-October. But, we have a dry heat. So, Florida’s heat tried to take us out lol. But anyway, May was a really great time to visit!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Holy moly! I’ve kind of been MIA since you were halfway through with your trip report with Anika and not fully browsing the boards. First off, congratulations on getting married and having a baby! I’m so happy for you! Second, I’m excited to get to watch you plan this trip. totally following along! We went in May of this year, it was a lot of fun, but VERY warm. We are use to heat, where we live, it is 100+ degrees every day from like June-October. But, we have a dry heat. So, Florida’s heat tried to take us out lol. But anyway, May was a really great time to visit!

It's great to have you along on another report! Thank you so much for joining!

Well, being MIA didn't hurt you too much... I'm still halfway through the trip report with Anika! I'm making better progress now, though, which hopefully makes up for my (rather long) breaks.

Thank you so much! It's been a crazy and awesome few years!

I agree that May is still quite warm at Disney, but it's got to be better than July or August! I think we'll just miss Flower and Garden, which is a bummer, but hopefully we'll have a lower-crowd week. The planning should be fun!

 

[chri3060]

Joining in!! I've also looked into renting points for our upcoming trip in May 2020, but have yet to pull the plug. I'll be interested to see if you end up going that route!

 

[afwdwfan]

Good grief, what has happened to the room prices in the past four years?! Even with using discounts in the past, I can’t remember the rack rate for a VALUE being nearly $200/night!

No kidding! We did a comparison between our stay at a moderate this year vs our stay at a deluxe in 2011. It is just astonishing how much the prices have escalated in less than a decade!!

I joke with my husband that the amount of luggage we require has tripled or quadrupled since we had M, as we now have to bring along a diaper bag, toys, books, food implements, and 1,0001 other things that we never needed to worry about before.

Oh, that's no joke.

So perhaps having multiple rooms is no longer important? Kids change so much so quickly that what doesn’t work now could certainly work months from now.

I can see the benefit, but I don't know that it is worth it. I could see her ending up in your room anyway, as you said. You'll just have to use your judgement, but it would be really nice to have that space and the kitchen area.

Obviously, I’m leaning toward the Poly… but goodness, the price! Renting points seems to be the more economical choice than booking directly, but I’m new to this point renting business. Have any of you successfully rented points? Was it an easy experience?

Well, that's a great choice too! I'm sure MK will be a focus on this trip in particular so it would be great to have monorail access.

Gotta say though, POFQ has been on our short list the last few trips. We've even booked it a couple of times, only to change it because we could get a discount at a deluxe for about the same price of POFQ.

 

[ashw100]

I'm here! I didn't realize you had a PTR started, how exciting! Your daughter is so cute, I hope she falls in love with Disney. My biggest advice for traveling with a child that age is have a plan, but be prepared to through the plan out the window. It really is all determined by them at that age, but you will make amazing memories.

I think you have some great resort choices. I have rented DVC points, and it was very easy and smooth. However we did it to AKL, which I think is much easier to get than Poly. No matter which resort you choose, you are going to have a fabulous time.

Can't wait to see all the plans.

 

[pkondz]

Hi!
I don't normally do PTRs... but logged in so I don't miss out on the TR.

But...

That's an awfully cute photo!!!!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Joining in!! I've also looked into renting points for our upcoming trip in May 2020, but have yet to pull the plug. I'll be interested to see if you end up going that route!

Liz! Thanks so much for joining in!

Our resort plans are still pending. I did go ahead and fill out the reservation request form at David's (goodness, it's a long form!) and they got back to me via email later that day. There is availability at the Poly for our dates, but unfortunately they didn't have enough available points to book our stay. We had the option to cancel our request and get our deposit back or enter a queue to hopefully allow them to book us once points are available. I'm hopeful once the seven month mark hits (next week!) some of the general points for other resorts will allow them to book us. We'll see!

No kidding! We did a comparison between our stay at a moderate this year vs our stay at a deluxe in 2011. It is just astonishing how much the prices have escalated in less than a decade!!

Andy! Thanks so much for joining in! I've really appreciated all the tips about traveling with kids from your trip reports, so I look forward to having you along as I make our trip plans.

But yes, the resort prices are CRAZY! What on earth is going on?! No wonder people complain about the cost of a Disney vacation (and why some folks aren't able to swing it). I'm hopeful that once the SWGE craziness calms down the resort prices will too, but that seems unlikely with the 50th anniversary around the corner.

Oh, that's no joke.

Don't get me wrong - I was never a super efficient packer, but the amount of extra stuff that is now "required" is crazy. At least it's nice that as she gets bigger the extras seems to diminish!

I can see the benefit, but I don't know that it is worth it. I could see her ending up in your room anyway, as you said. You'll just have to use your judgement, but it would be really nice to have that space and the kitchen area.

We stayed in a one-room "suite" on our vacation last week and M slept in the other "room" (although she could still see us as she was about ten feet away). It worked out really well and she only woke up once on the first night there.

I no longer think the multiple rooms are as important (especially if we have a balcony - we sat out there on our vacation during all of her naps!), but I agree the kitchenette would be really nice!

Well, that's a great choice too! I'm sure MK will be a focus on this trip in particular so it would be great to have monorail access.

I think the lure of the monorail may win out as long as we can find a room at a reasonable (for Disney) price. My husband is not exactly excited about the cost of the Poly accommodations, but he was okay with me looking into renting the points.

Gotta say though, POFQ has been on our short list the last few trips. We've even booked it a couple of times, only to change it because we could get a discount at a deluxe for about the same price of POFQ.

It's always appealed to me too, especially since POR is my favorite moderate. I'm sure we will end up choosing it in the future once M is a little older!

I'm here! I didn't realize you had a PTR started, how exciting! Your daughter is so cute, I hope she falls in love with Disney. My biggest advice for traveling with a child that age is have a plan, but be prepared to through the plan out the window. It really is all determined by them at that age, but you will make amazing memories.

Ashley! Thanks so much for joining in!

Thank you! We certainly think so, but we are a bit biased.

I think that's exactly what we have to do - have the plans but allow more flexibility than in the past. Thankfully M is pretty agreeable as long as you feed her and make sure she gets her nap and bedtime at about the right time. We can always adapt our plans for the subsequent days if the first few days don't go as well as we'd hoped!

I think you have some great resort choices. I have rented DVC points, and it was very easy and smooth. However we did it to AKL, which I think is much easier to get than Poly. No matter which resort you choose, you are going to have a fabulous time.

Our resort plans are still pending - David's shows availability at Poly but they just don't have the points to book the reservation. We'll see! I think I'd be willing to be more flexible on which resort if M was a little older, but I'm not as excited about GFV or BLT as the Poly and I think the MK monorail resorts are our best bet.

If the Poly doesn't work, I'm sure we'll pick something that will work out just fine!

Can't wait to see all the plans.

Thanks! I look forward to making them! (And changing them, and changing them again...)

Hi!
I don't normally do PTRs... but logged in so I don't miss out on the TR.

Pkondz! Thanks so much for joining in!

Isn't the reason most of us join PTR's for the TR link?! You're welcome to just read along for the planning portion and I look forward to your joining on the TR!

That's an awfully cute photo!!!!

Thanks! It's always great to get a photo with M smiling.

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Our Resort is Booked!
a.k.a. A Lesson in How to Handle Anxiety

Who knew trying to figure out Disney accommodations was so difficult?! I apologize for the wordy post – pictures of the excitement to come at the end!

Thanks to all of your feedback I decided to give the DVC point rental a whirl. Almost two weeks ago I filled out the (very long) request form on David’s Vacation Rentals and hit submit. They got back to me later that day letting me know that the Polynesian Villas had availability for our dates (which I’d already somewhat confirmed with the DVC Availability Tool), but unfortunately they did not currently have enough points to book our stay. I had the option to cancel our request and get our deposit returned or could choose to enter the queue for points to become available. I’d sent my request before the 7-month mark so I figured I’d sit back and wait for that date to arrive and gave the okay to be placed into the queue. Surely once anyone’s DVC points could book the resort David’s would be able to complete our request?

Fast forward a week and I had another email from David’s in my inbox. They notified me that the 7-month mark had arrived, but unfortunately they STILL didn’t have available points to book our stay.



I was honestly a bit taken aback. I thought this whole points rental business was supposed to be easy! A few Google searches later I learned more about being placed in the David’s queue and also learned that renting points may not be as straightforward as I thought. Based on some of the message boards I read (which may or may not be accurate), DVC owners are able to pick which rental point requests they wish to work with. If it does work this way, I certainly understand that DVC owners would want to choose the request that would make the best use of their points (based on resort, point amount, dates needed, etc.). However, I worried my request for a high-demand resort in late May with a wonky number of points may not be appealing to DVC owners.

Maybe a dream stay at the Poly would indeed remain a dream.

It was time to look into alternative options.

I did have a bit of luck in that regard. David’s Vacation Club Rentals FAQ made it quite clear that your information in MDE needed to match your resort guest information. Since I have not been to Disney World in three years and have a new last name and address (and two new family members!), I dutifully updated everything in MDE. While on the Disney site I also did a few searches with our projected travel dates and clicked around at a few resort options to get an idea of the cost.

Imagine my surprise (shock!) when we received a pin code addressed to G that encompassed our travel dates. I didn’t know they even sent pin codes anymore – I’ve never gotten one! Not only that, the offer was AWESOME! It was a room-only offer and included 30% off most of the deluxe and villa resorts, 25% off at the moderates, and 20% off at the values. It made the crazy Disney resort prices a bit more palatable. Maybe we could make something else work (and still not pay full price!).



Unfortunately the Poly (both resort and villas) only allowed a 15% savings, so it appeared that option just didn’t make sense from a financial perspective when they other deluxes had much larger discounts. They also didn’t have any available rooms at Port Orleans French Quarter for our savings code, so that one was out. I then looked at the AoA suites – did any of you know that you can stay at the Boardwalk for THE SAME PRICE as a suite at AoA?! You can stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge (a personal favorite of mine) for LESS. Maybe none of my original ideas would work… perhaps a stay at the Epcot area resorts or at the Animal Kingdom Lodge (M LOVES animals!) would be our best bet.

Since the pin code gave me some great backup options, I decided to give the Poly one last shot. There is another point rental business called DVC Rental Store that is also highly recommended. I submitted a similar long request form to them on over the weekend. They had a notification on their website that they had a larger-than-normal number of rental requests so it may take longer than usual to get back to people.

Sigh.

Imagine my surprise when I heard back from a wonderful gal the very next morning. They confirmed availability at the Poly (whew – still available!) and confirmed I needed to make an initial deposit to move forward and allow them to put my request out to the DVC members. I submitted the payment on their website a few hours later. The same gal (my travel contact) confirmed she had received notification of my deposit and hoped to get back to me later that night or the next day.

Considering my experience at the other point rental business, I didn’t hold my breath. Still, I figured with requests out to BOTH point rental businesses I had a better shot at someone selecting my request.

Well. This morning I received another general email from the DVC Rental Store. The beginning of the message? “Congratulations Jennifer!”

I about had a stroke.

In less than a day THEY SECURED MY REQUEST!!!

I received an email from my travel contact about 15 minutes later with all the reservation information, including my reservation number. As per their instructions I plugged it into MDE – and (not surprisingly, but I honestly thought it was too good to be true!) it worked!

I may have done a happy dance around my family room.



After I finished dancing, I did the other business matter of submitting payment. The DVC Rental Store only requires a partial payment once you receive your reservation confirmation, with the remainder to be paid 45 days prior to check-in. The DVC Rental Store also allows you to purchase a Point Protection Plan (basically, travel insurance), which allows you to get at least a partial refund if you cancel at least three days before your trip. The earlier you cancel the more you’ll be refunded. Since I have a risk-adverse husband, I went ahead and paid for the Point Protection.

I also went ahead and canceled my request with David’s. They confirmed my cancellation and I’ll receive my deposit refund within a week.

The lesson to be learned here? If one plan doesn’t work, try another! It may have been a little risky to have requests out to both point rental companies, but all we would’ve been out is a minimal deposit ($100 for one company and $120 for the other) if I didn’t manage to cancel the other request in time. Both companies were very nice and were great about keeping me in the loop, but I would go back to the DVC Rental Store in a heartbeat! My experience there was so easy and efficient and I loved having a specific travel contact. It may have been luck that the Rental Store came through ahead of David’s – but I’ll take it!

(One additional bonus is because we booked with the DVC Rental Store I was able to use my Disney Visa. David's is based in Canada, so we would've used my husband's credit card with no international transaction fees. Hooray! More Disney reward dollars for me!)

After all of that craziness, we get to look forward to seven tropical nights at:

THE POLYNESIAN VILLAS AND BUNGALOWS!!!

I get to walk through these doors AS A RESORT GUEST:

I get to enjoy these views and ambiance AS A RESORT GUEST:

And walk through this lobby AS A RESORT GUEST:

We can swim in the volcano pool! We can walk across the resort if we go to breakfast at Kona or dinner at ‘Ohana! I have a semi-decent chance to visit Trader Sam’s! We'll have a large guest room with a split bathroom, a patio or balcony, and a kitchenette!

Not to mention… a resort with MONORAIL ACCESS TO THE MAGIC KINGDOM AND EPCOT!

Excuse me while I sit here and recover from these heart palpitations. It hardly feels real.

To say I'm excited may be the UNDERSTATEMENT OF THE YEAR.

 

[sahu]

Congratulations! I love the Poly and know you'll love staying there too!

 

[Eeyore daily]

Congratulations! I’m glad it worked out for you! I’m hesitant to use David’s because of the international transaction, this helps a lot! I’m so excited for you!

 

[Isabelle12345]

Congratulations! This must have been stressful but the end result is truly exciting!!!
I would love to stay at the poly one day but can’t justify the Disney Prices... maybe some day I will look into renting points too!

 

[Isabelle12345]

David's is based in Canada

So I guess if I book with a Canadian credit card I have no international fees? Good to know! (I am Canadian)
Thanks for the info!

 

[pkondz]

Isn't the reason most of us join PTR's for the TR link?! You're welcome to just read along for the planning portion and I look forward to your joining on the TR!

Thanks! It's always great to get a photo with M smiling.

And congrats on getting the Poly!

 

[chri3060]

Congratulations!!! It's always been a dream of mine to stay at the Poly, I can't wait to hear about your experience!!

 

[missangelalexis]

Congratulations on getting the Poly booked! I'm glad it all worked out in your favor- so exciting!!

 

[ariane37]

So happy for you!! It's always exciting to try a new resort and especially one that's been on your bucket list I've stayed there twice, love the rooms!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Congratulations! I love the Poly and know you'll love staying there too!

Thanks for joining in!

Thank you so much! I'm SO EXCITED about staying at the Poly! It's such a beautiful resort and I think we'll love being so close to several other great resorts (and their restaurants!) and IN VIEW of the Magic Kingdom!

Congratulations! I’m glad it worked out for you! I’m hesitant to use David’s because of the international transaction, this helps a lot! I’m so excited for you!

Thank you! I wasn't so sure it would work out, but I'm THRILLED that it did! I think it will be a great place for us with a toddler!

I wasn't thrilled about the international transaction fees, but it's not really a big deal if you have a credit card that doesn't charge international transaction fees. Many travel credit cards have that perk. Even if you do have to pay the fees, it's usually about 1-3% of the transaction which isn't too bad. Still, I was happy that my husband's card would've kept us from paying the additional ~$80 if we had booked with David's.

That said, I would HIGHLY recommend the DVC Rental Store! They were so nice and so responsive about sending updates and sending all the information we'd need. It seems they assign a particular travel representative to you, which was a nice touch. (Perhaps David's does this as well - it was less clear as I received emails from several people at David's.) It was a bit stressful waiting for the request to come through, but definitely worth it for the savings!

Congratulations! This must have been stressful but the end result is truly exciting!!!
I would love to stay at the poly one day but can’t justify the Disney Prices... maybe some day I will look into renting points too!

Thank you! Yes, I wasn't anticipating how much stress would be involved! I was nervous about missing or accidently deleting an email from one of the rental companies (all communication is via email) and I didn't think it would be a two-week process. Despite that, I'm thrilled it all worked out the way I'd hoped!

As long as you're okay with the studio setup instead of the regular two beds (and dealing with a little stress during the request process), renting points is a great way to go! We saved a bit over 50% off the rack rate by renting points instead of booking a villa directly through Disney - an awesome amount of savings! If the Poly is your goal it may also be the only way to save more than 10-15% as the Poly seems to be excluded from the largest discounts on the promotions I've seen.

So I guess if I book with a Canadian credit card I have no international fees? Good to know! (I am Canadian)
Thanks for the info!

Yes, I would assume you'd be just fine with a Canadian credit card! David's was great and I think they'd be great to work with - the DVC Rental Store just happened to come through first.

David's has some great FAQ's on their site - I'm sure you could confirm any fee questions by reading through them.

And congrats on getting the Poly!

Thank you so much! I'm SO excited and think it will be a great place for our first family Disney trip!

Congratulations!!! It's always been a dream of mine to stay at the Poly, I can't wait to hear about your experience!!

Thank you! If you're willing to deal with a little stress, I'd highly recommend giving the point rental a try! Both companies were very nice to work with and very good at keeping me updated. The savings off of rack rate is awesome - especially for the Poly which seems to be excluded from the largest Disney discounts.

Congratulations on getting the Poly booked! I'm glad it all worked out in your favor- so exciting!!

Thank you! It was VERY exciting - even more than I'd expected!

I was initially disappointed when the point rental didn't come through as fast as I'd expected, but my brain adjusted to the idea of staying elsewhere. It's great to stay anywhere on Disney property, but I'm pretty thrilled that we'll be able to enjoy the location and amenities of the Poly!

So happy for you!! It's always exciting to try a new resort and especially one that's been on your bucket list I've stayed there twice, love the rooms!

Thank you so much! I've been impressed by the Poly since the first time I saw it in 2012, but I never imagined at the time that I'd get a chance to stay there!

The Poly will be an awesome resort for our first family trip - both for the location and the room itself. It will be great to have the extra floor space due to the lack of a second bed and we'll love the split bathroom and the kitchenette. I'd love to stay at all (or nearly all) of the Disney resorts one day and this gets me closer to that goal!

The monorail access and the proximity to the restaurants at the other resorts is pretty awesome, too!

 

[Eeyore daily]

I wasn't thrilled about the international transaction fees, but it's not really a big deal if you have a credit card that doesn't charge international transaction fees. Many travel credit cards have that perk. Even if you do have to pay the fees, it's usually about 1-3% of the transaction which isn't too bad. Still, I was happy that my husband's card would've kept us from paying the additional ~$80 if we had booked with David's.

Oh see I don't have any credit cards so I'd only pay in cash! Thanks for that information.

 

[chri3060]

Thank you! If you're willing to deal with a little stress, I'd highly recommend giving the point rental a try! Both companies were very nice to work with and very good at keeping me updated. The savings off of rack rate is awesome - especially for the Poly which seems to be excluded from the largest Disney discounts.

I've tried multiple trip dates/resorts/ both DVC rental companies that you worked with, but our dates are all booked! But we are planning on going in July for our anniversary, so I'm going to be putting requests in again very soon!