Double the Anniversaries, Double the Fun! Jan 2013 PTR | TR HAS STARTED! 2/13

[wuzzy6]

Option A - IF!!!!! you can swing the extra expense AND you aren't going to have any trouble taking the extra day off work.

If you have any reservations about either of those two things, definitely go with Option B. You can always catch a little snooze in the lobby if your room isn't ready and you're sleepy!

Good luck!!!

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Totally option A. I just think the extra layover/time and then arriving so early when your room might not be early vs. a straight flight, having a relaxing arrival night/dinner, and then being well rested to hit the parks the next day sounds much better!

But...I will ALWAYS go for the extra day if you ask me! I would go an extra day over and over until I was there for a YEAR if I could!

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

I'm going with option A. A value resort will be fine for a night. I wouldn't go through the hassle of adding on a night, dining plan, etc. Just value resort it and get some rest, IF taking an extra day off work isn't a big deal.

And was that nerdy reference just for me? Because I feel like it was, and I'm going to tell myself that it was like my own personal little shout-out.

 

[mouseketeer70]

If you can take another day off without hassle and can swing the added expense I'd go for option A and stay at a value. That way you wouldn't have to ask for more points or worry about dining plan for that night.
Option B isn't terrible though! If you consider time to get off plane, get through airport, Magical Express, and breakfast there is a very good chance your room will be ready when you finally get there! Or close to it. Plus the time of year you are going ups those chances. We have checked in The Boardwalk at 8:30 a.m. in late May before and our studio was ready! I just reported we would be checking in that early so maybe that helps. And the money you would have spent on that Value room could go towards shopping
Either way, remember YOU WILL BE IN DISNEY WORLD!

 

[danimaroo]

ah, see, we love how long Arkham Horror takes to play. We've never played any of the flying fish games, but I always wanted to demo them!

I totally think you should take the earlier flight in. Connecting flights make me anxious, since there are more things that can go wrong. That, and you can't really argue with more time in the 'World. It sucks that you'd have to take an extra day off work, but with the other one you said you'd have to leave early anyways... just my $0.02! and maybe if you book a flight now, and the red eye becomes available, you can just switch?

It's been awhile since I've played it! It's not to say that I don't enjoy long board games, but that one I think took longer since we were still learning the game itself. Flying Frog (Hahaha I'm laughing at myself for calling it Fish, I'm a goob), makes some fantastic games!

I agree with the connecting flights thing! I mean, we'd only have a 1 hour layover in San Diego, and that doesn't seem like a whole ton of time! And like you said, MORE TIME IN DISNEY WORLD! It's really the whole extra day off that made me a little nervous... But like you said, we'd have to leave early anyway for Option B!

We made a final decision, which I will post about tomorrow. But thank you for the advice; it seriously helped!

If you can take an extra day off work, I would go with Option A. If you want to hang onto the extra day, I'd go with Option B. I think that's what it would come down to if it were my decision. I much prefer to take non-stops, but I also like hanging onto my vacation days if possible (actually, I did it so much this year that it's where my DLR trip was born...I had to use them or lose them!)

When I flew from Rochester, NY (where we used to live) to Orlando, Jet Blue used to have direct flights and then they moved to all their flights going through JFK...I love Jet Blue, but we started flying AirTran instead. There's something to be said for a direct flight!!

Oh, and I started my DLR TR on my blog!

Yeah it's tough, because the hardest part is the whole extra day off. I feel a little guilty taking off 7 days from work... but then I realize that I have the full on right to take off that time, soooo yeah, haha. The non-stop is SUCH a huge plus, especially for such a long-distance flight. The fact a direct flight there is 5 hours is kind of crazy!

I looooove JetBlue, and so wish that they had a direct flight from Seattle to Orlando, but they don't. Wompwomp.

My opinion is you should do the first one! You'd have to take the day off work, but yall were able to pull it off last minute last year, right?

Value resorts aren't that bad, I promise! Plus, one night wouldn't hurt. AND hello, extra time at Disney!

Ahhh I know, Option A does sound way better! We were able to pull it off last second, but I was working at a different company at that point. That and my job was WAY less busy than my current job, haha.

It's funny, I have no issue with Values! Growing up, we stayed at Carribbean (moderate, but I LOVED that resort) and then All Star Music and I thought they were amazing! I think if we go back without DVC points, we'll probably do a moderate... but we were thinking if we do one night in a Value, we'd LOVE to see AoA!

And um, heck to the yes, one extra Disney day... So very tempting!

I would so go for the extra day (as long as your able to get it off work?)

Haha I know, it just sounds way more appealing! I bet you guys think I'm crazy for not just going with that option right away! It's the work thing that left me a bit hesitant... but we figured some stuff out so I'll be posting about it tomorrow!

 

[danimaroo]

Option A - IF!!!!! you can swing the extra expense AND you aren't going to have any trouble taking the extra day off work.

If you have any reservations about either of those two things, definitely go with Option B. You can always catch a little snooze in the lobby if your room isn't ready and you're sleepy!

Good luck!!!

Yeah, it's just hard! Though I'd feel awkward sleeping in the Beach Club lobby, hahaha. Previous years we've been lucky in getting our room early, but watch this be the year when we weren't able to check in right away!

Thank you! We figured things out so I'm excited to share our plans with you guys!

Totally option A. I just think the extra layover/time and then arriving so early when your room might not be early vs. a straight flight, having a relaxing arrival night/dinner, and then being well rested to hit the parks the next day sounds much better!

But...I will ALWAYS go for the extra day if you ask me! I would go an extra day over and over until I was there for a YEAR if I could!

I knoooow, that first night and having it be relaxing just sounds so nice! You are totally thinking what I'm thinking, Karen!

The only reason I wasn't immediately jumping at the extra day was because of work. Ohhh if only we didn't have to worry about work.

I'm going with option A. A value resort will be fine for a night. I wouldn't go through the hassle of adding on a night, dining plan, etc. Just value resort it and get some rest, IF taking an extra day off work isn't a big deal.

And was that nerdy reference just for me? Because I feel like it was, and I'm going to tell myself that it was like my own personal little shout-out.

Haha, yeah, totally! We were thinking about doing AoA if we did a Value, it just seems like such a neat resort! But on the flipside, if they're cool with us using points for an extra day, I'd much rather just do that so we don't have to worry about switching resorts on our first full day in the parks.

Not gonna lie, I was hoping someone would notice my nerdy reference and I KNEW you'd totally comment on it. So basically, you might as well consider it as a total shout out in disguise.

If you can take another day off without hassle and can swing the added expense I'd go for option A and stay at a value. That way you wouldn't have to ask for more points or worry about dining plan for that night.
Option B isn't terrible though! If you consider time to get off plane, get through airport, Magical Express, and breakfast there is a very good chance your room will be ready when you finally get there! Or close to it. Plus the time of year you are going ups those chances. We have checked in The Boardwalk at 8:30 a.m. in late May before and our studio was ready! I just reported we would be checking in that early so maybe that helps. And the money you would have spent on that Value room could go towards shopping
Either way, remember YOU WILL BE IN DISNEY WORLD!

Yeah, I was thinking that, but the nice thing about extending our stay is not having to switch resorts on our first full day in the parks. It'd be nice to just get up and do our thing and feel settled in our home for the next 10 days, you know? At the same time, if the points didn't work out, I'm totally happy to stay at a Value for the night, no problemo!

B really isn't that bad! In the past though, we'd arrive around 6:30am at Orlando, and get to our resort by around 7:30ish. Last year we got our room right away, which was AMAZING. The bad part of B is the added hours of travel, having to fly down to San Diego, only to take a flight that is the same length as flying from Seattle to Orlando. Lame-o! I'm a direct flight kind of gal.

But like you said, in the end, we will be in Disney World! I just have a hard time saying no to an extra day there! Haha.

 

[smile4stamps]

I'm all for the extra time at WDW!!!

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Personally, I'd go with option A - it's with the airline you like, and you'll get a bit more Disney time. I'd just book a value for that first night so you wouldn't need to worry about split stays/extra dining plan! But I understand if you don't want to take another day off of work, and option B really is a good option too!

 

[danimaroo]

I'm all for the extra time at WDW!!!

Haha, so are we! I just can sometimes be a little worry wart about work, but yeah. We've made our decision, which I'll post about here shortly.

Personally, I'd go with option A - it's with the airline you like, and you'll get a bit more Disney time. I'd just book a value for that first night so you wouldn't need to worry about split stays/extra dining plan! But I understand if you don't want to take another day off of work, and option B really is a good option too!

Yeah definitely, Option A means more Disney time which is always a plus! We'd prefer to do the points, so we don't have to switch resorts on our first morning, but the Value is pretty easy to pull off as a second option. B is a good option because then we're not taking off another day... which is why I was confused, haha. But we've got it sorted out now!

 

[marDgreen88]

Ahhh I know, Option A does sound way better! We were able to pull it off last second, but I was working at a different company at that point. That and my job was WAY less busy than my current job, haha.

It's funny, I have no issue with Values! Growing up, we stayed at Carribbean (moderate, but I LOVED that resort) and then All Star Music and I thought they were amazing! I think if we go back without DVC points, we'll probably do a moderate... but we were thinking if we do one night in a Value, we'd LOVE to see AoA!

Oh I know, but wasn't Matt working for the same company? I mean, it's your vacation, you should be able to get one day right?? Not that I know anything haha.

I understand not wanting to switch, but you'd barely have to unpack for one night anyway. You could have a separate bag just for stuff you'd need for the night. You'd get to check out a new resort and then feel like you were going home to the Beach Club! It all sounds winning to me. Haah but then again I've always wanted to do a split stay. I guess I'm just weird.

 

[danimaroo]

Oh I know, but wasn't Matt working for the same company? I mean, it's your vacation, you should be able to get one day right?? Not that I know anything haha.

I understand not wanting to switch, but you'd barely have to unpack for one night anyway. You could have a separate bag just for stuff you'd need for the night. You'd get to check out a new resort and then feel like you were going home to the Beach Club! It all sounds winning to me. Haah but then again I've always wanted to do a split stay. I guess I'm just weird.

Yeah he was! And it helps we have the same boss. But that's also kind of a weird problem we have... since we work at the same company and in the same department, HR was kind of weird about us taking vacation together, saying we couldn't be out at the same time. Fortunately our boss has no problem with that, which is what ultimately matters!

It's funny because we did a split stay on our honeymoon and it ended up being kind of a pain, since we had to check in over at OKW, wait in line, get settled in our room, unpack, etc. At least this time we wouldn't have to unpack, like you said!

I think I'm weird in that I prefer staying at one resort so it feels more like home from the very start. It seems like a lot of people enjoy split stays, so I'd say I'm probably more the weird one here!

 

[danimaroo]

Welp, number one. You guys all rock. I appreciated all of the thoughtful responses to our little flight dilemma, for real!

Secondly, in no surprise whatsoever, you all leaned in the direction Matt and I were leaning towards... Option A! I mean, hello, it means extra time in Disney World, haha.

It probably seems like a no-brainer to most of you guys for various reasons, but the big con to Option A was the whole taking another day off of work.

I was a little concerned about not having enough vacation, but then realized that I totally do... but then my next concern was making sure I had enough vacation in case we want to do both a Disneyland and Disney World trip later next year, aaaand I'm a-okay! I basically forgot that I work for an awesome company and get lots of vacation.

The other concern was seeing if we could extend our stay by a day, or if we'd have to get a separate room at a different resort.

I had no problem staying at a Value resort; we were actually thinking about doing AoA for that first night!

However, I'd rather not have to worry about changing resorts on our first full day (going from Grand Floridian to OKW on our honeymoon was kind of a pain), so obviously extending our stay at Beach Club Villas sounded a bit more appealing.

Soooo, after Matt and I discussed it, we emailed back and forth with Bruce and Amy yesterday, expecting for them to decide to take a different flight from us (if we were to take Thursday off and do Option A) due to their own work maybe not letting them take off an extra day.. but fortunately it sounds like they both really like the idea of taking that morning flight to Orlando and would be okay taking off Thursday.

Matt and I decided at that point we'd take off Thursday for sure, and then discussed whether or not to book our flights now or wait.

Here's the only bummer; when I looked at the cost of the flights yesterday morning, it was $383 per person, which is super cheap for direct flights on Alaska to Orlando.

By the time we made the decision to do Thursday and book our flights (which was 2 hours later after I'd first looked), the flights had suddenly jumped to $484 per person!

UGH! The problem is, for some reason the flight is pretty booked (odd since I looked a few days ago and it wasn't), and we wanted to get good seats (aka not stuck in the center!), so we decided to just deal with it and buy our tickets at the higher price. The good news is, we paid for my seat using my miles I've earned, so we only actually had to pay for Matt's seat.

The OTHER good news is that I remembered that you can used Yapta.com to keep track of your flights you purchase, and if the price drops at any point, Yapta will alert you so you can basically fill out the "Low Fare Guarantee" form and get a refund of the difference in fare.

Seriously, USE YAPTA.COM if you want to save on your flights! It's the best website ever for either getting great airfare OR getting refunds when fare drops in price!

ANYWAY, we were pretty excited to have our flights booked and paid for... AND we're getting extra time in Disney World!

Oh, and we requested off that Thursday and our boss okayed it no problem. We'll be out 7 days but it's at a slower time of year for me work-wise, I'll be back before the end of the month (I have to do billing for my clients at the end of the month so it can be a little crazy), so I'm actually feeling pretty okay about taking off that time.

The last thing we had to do was talk with Matt's parents about using extra points to extend our stay. They were totally cool with it, since there are some leftover anyway from the trip they're taking... so Matt called this morning and booked us for Thursday the 17th, as well at Beach Club!

We also added an extra day of DDP, but we're actually happy with that, because we figure we'll be hungry upon arrival, so dinner will definitely be a must!

The current plan is to do Cape May Cafe for dinner that night. I actually just booked that ADR now for 8pm. We considered doing some place in DTD, but then realized doing dinner at the resort would be our best bet so we don't have to worry about trying to get to DTD ASAP to make a reservation.

We also figure we'll use our CS credit for that day the following morning for breakfast (I'll talk about that when I start discussing our first few days of plans!)... and we aren't too upset in having an extra snack credit to use, either, later on in the trip. Pretty sure an extra Dole Whip has my name on it!

Sooo yeah! Thanks to all of your advice, and also us having a hard time saying no to extra time in Disney World, plus a direct flight, we are now arriving Thursday instead of Friday!

 

[wuzzy6]

I just let out a little SQUEEEEE!!! Not only do you get an extra day at Disney, but you also get a night at BC - HOLLA!!!!! I'm really glad y'all were able to make it work!

ETA: Yes, I really did say "HOLLA." Yes, I'm almost 41.

 

[smile4stamps]

Wo-Hoo!! Bummer on the flight cost going up so fast. Thats always the gamble when you are undecided! It's also why I love southwest. No change fees! Bad side about SWA is no direct flights across the country!

 

[MrsBearcat]

1 more day at Disney and a extra Dole Whip! I'm so jealous! No really I'm glad you work for an awesome place. My boss is a Disney fanatic so I kid you not its easier to get time off for Disney than it is to get a sick day But I love it that way.

 

[mouseketeer70]

Yay! Sounds perfect!! Glad it worked out the way you really wanted!
Oh and thanks for the tip about Yapta.com. I will have to check it out!

 

[smile4stamps]

That was funny!! I went to check out YAPTA.com... I get there and I'm like hmmm... That looks a lot like kayak! (Which I currently use to track flights).

So I looked in the address bar and it is kayak.yapta.com lol No wonder it looked like kayak!

 

[DanniDeer]

I don't want to be a creeper, but I saw you're also on the SpaceCoast, so I followed you on Twitter I'm Kat228 on Twitter.

Not creepy at all! Followed you back!

 

[Aussiesalad]

An extra day at Disney is always a good thing
Eeeeeek how exciting for you guys!!

Thanks for the tip about YAPTA!

 

[marDgreen88]

I just have one question...

What's a YAPTA???

Juuust kidding. (I mean, I don't know the answer. But still.)

Hoooooray for more time in Disney! There is NOTHING BETTER. Oh wait, yes there is. More Disney food and an extra night in your favorite Disney resort. Yeah, that's better.

Flying is the most ridiculously expensive thing. As if going on vacation wasn't expensive enough already? Hopefully your YAPTA will work it on out for ya! (I seriously keep wanting to say 'raptor.' MY MIND???)