Dreaming of Disney

[NLD]

Welcome to my pre-trip planning thread!

First, the cast of characters:

Me: Nicole, age 29
Dh: Matt, age 31
Dd: Elise, age 4

Second, the tentative plan:

We are planning our first ever family vacation to Disney World! Our tentative dates are May 2-9, 2009. We'll probably stay onsite. However, we haven't booked... YET! So those dates are subject to change.

Stay tuned for more!


Here's a pic of us, August 2008. Elise is wiggly!

 

[NLD]

In anticipation of this thread getting lengthy, I'm bookmarking this post for a table of contents.


Table of Contents

Basic Introduction

Previous Disney Experience

More About Us

Preliminary Planning Considerations: Resort? Parkhopping?

Changing Our Dates: Goodbye Spring, Hello Autumn!

Anal Retentive Planning, Complete with Color Coding (aka, trying to pick fall travel dates)

Decision Made: We're Booked!

It's Official: Deposit Paid

Sidenote: My Little Ariel

Dreaming Up Possible Itineraries!

 

[NLD]

Now for some background on our previoius Disney experiences:

Matt (dh) has never been to any Disney park. (Unless you count in utero!) Neither has Elise (dd). Matt is not exactly over-the-moon excited about this trip, but after several years of nudging, he finally agreed to let me plan and book a trip for '09. He had wanted to hold out until Elise was old enough to remember the experience.

Elise, on the other hand, is ecstatic! She'll be five when we go. She's been a Disney princess aficionado since the age of two. She has already informed us that she does not want to leave Disney World once we arrive, and that she'd like to live in the castle!

As for me... the first ten years of my life were spent in Southern California, twenty minutes from Disneyland. So I've been to DL innumerable times. But back then, there was no California Adventure, we didn't stay overnight, we brown bagged our lunches, and all-in-all a trip to Disney was a one-day experience. The last time I was at DL was summer of 2000, on a vacation back "home" to California.

I have been to Disney World exactly once. My grandparents took my little sis and I in the mid-1990s, when I was a... sophomore?... in highschool. To be honest, I was underwhelmed with the experience:

1. It was January, and it was COLD. I'd packed shorts and tee shirts, plus two sweatshirts and one pair of jeans. The shorts stayed in the suitcase. No swimming. Lots of shivering.

2. We stayed off-site. My grandparents had a timeshare. Don't get me wrong, the timeshare was perfectly lovely. But something about leaving Disney each day at 6:00 to eat at Cracker Barrel and then back to the timeshare... well, it just didn't feel magical.

3. I was totally unprepared for the differences between DL and WDW. Fantasyland at MK... My favorite part of DL as a child was going into the castle and looking through the windows at the "story" of Sleeping Beauty. And the ride fronts... oy. That cheap imitation of Small World at DW just doesn't cut it. In short: for me personally, the charm and magic were totally lacking at MK. Finally, the parks seemed so inaccessible! After you parked you couldn't just walk up to the parks...

4. Heck, I was a teenager... with my grandparents and little sis. With such a large age span, our priorities were different. Again, don't get me wrong, I was grateful they'd taken us. We just did things very differently. In my DL days, we'd go sun-up to midnight, cramming in as many "big" rides as we could. At January in WDW, the parks closed early, the "big" rides were spread across more parks, and my grandparents wouldn't last staying out late, anyway.


Okay, enough negativity! Now for our upcoming trip, having discovered the DIS boards, I'll be better prepared. Hopefully I'll know how to make our first family vacation to WDW a completely magical one. Dh and dd won't have DL to compare with the MK; and I know going in, this time, what some of the differences are.

Besides... this time I'm going as a mom! And the missing magic from WDW's Small World will be made up 1000 times over in the smiles and squeals of my little girl.

 

[NLD]

More about us:

We live in southern PA. I'm a transplant; Matt is home-grown. We've been married almost six years.

Matt is a computer programmer (software developer). He loves 80s music, ethnic foods, technology, and movies. Oh, and politics. Some of his favorite bands are Depeche Mode, The Cure, Cocteau Twins, Skinny Puppy... the list could go on and on! (We think we own about 800 to 900 cds! )

I work in mental health, for an advocacy and recovery-education nonprofit. In my spare time I'm on the internet, painting or drawing, or reading. (English literature major in college.) OH, and I just got a DSLR for a birthday present, so I'm taking pictures these days, too. I also love movies. A good date night for Matt and me might include popping some popcorn, huddling on the couch in front of an Oliver Stone film, and then a fierce debate on the front porch about the merits and flaws of the film.

Elise is four years old and an absolute ray of sunshine. She's a "girly girl" and loves pink, makeup, dresses, and princesses. She's rather shy (like both her parents!) and slow-to-warm-up in new situations. She's pretty smart and extremely articulate about her feelings. High emotional intelligence. She's very active and loves to climb and play at the park.

 

[NLD]

On to the planning....

Matt is leaving the planning up to me. He doesn't seem to care at ALL about the details, other than to say he doesn't want to go in the dead of winter. (And neither do I.) Also, he sometimes has issues with crowds.

The Reasoning Behind Our Dates

As mentioned previously, we're tentatively planning our trip for May 2009. Possibly May 2-9. I'd like to go for eight days/seven nights budget allowing. My reasoning is this: I'm not sure how Matt will react to Disney. He might not love it... So I don't want to book TOO long of a trip in case he's getting restless by the end.

On the other hand, I want enough time that we don't feel rushed. Seven nights/eight days will give us four full park days, plus one full "rest" day, plus one additional full day to return to our favorite park/s. And then we'll still have arrival and departure days to fit in a few extras. (Probably more park time.)

We're choosing May for a combination of weather and crowds. We definitely want it to be hot enough to swim... but I understand that FL in the summer can be brutal. And May is supposed to be the best springtime month in terms of crowds.


The Resort Dilemma

It looks like Coronado Springs (CSR) will be our resort of choice. However, I've vascillated between everything from CSR to Pop Century to Wilderness Lodge to the Port Orleans resorts to Contemporary to The Polynesian. Still, I keep coming back to CSR in the research.

Pros for CSR:

-the theming (reminds me of "home"--the southwest)
-supposedly decent bus transportation
-that pool!
-the Dig Site
-the grounds look absolutely beautiful
-designated smoking areas
-the price

Pop was the only value I really considered. The All-Stars just don't appeal. But at this point I think it's ruled out. I want us to really RELAX at the resort, and Pop just doesn't seem as relaxing as CSR. Plus no refrigerators in the room. Plus no water slide. And finally, we're not big fans of "over the top" decorating styles... so the more subtle theming of the mods and deluxes appeal more.

As for the deluxes... I'd love to stay at a monorail resort, but yikes! to the prices. And the deluxe theme that most appeals isn't even on the monorail (Wildnerness Lodge). WL is less pricey than other deluxes, though, so it's been on the short list. And yet, it seems the DSAs aren't as plentiful at WL as at CSR. (Yes, we are both smokers.)

So I think CSR will win out. Its big drawback is that the only transportation is buses; otherwise it offers everything we want, and at a moderate price.


Parkhopper Ponderings

To parkhop or not: that is the question. We may just get base tickets and upgrade while there if needed. However, I know my dh, and he'll balk at the price if we do it that way. So if we're going to hop, it'd be more enjoyable for all of us to buy hoppers upfront.

And yet, I don't know that we need to hop. The only time I foresee us potentially wanting to hop would be on our last full day, which would be reserved for returning to our favorite attractions... and possibly on the AK day, if the park is closing early and we're not ready to retire.

It definitely would be nice to have the freedom, from day one, to hop. But if we don't use it, I'll kick myself for spending the money.

Ah, the dilemma.

 

[Alysa]

Hey - love your report so far!
Hopping is hard for a little one. I'd day skip it and save the money.
Looking forward to reading more!

 

[NLD]

Hi Alysa,

Thank you for stopping by! You bring up a good point about hopping being hard on kids. Also, it just seems to take up extra time?

Think I'm leaning towards non-hoppers.Though that'll probably change 1,000,000 times between now and May.

 

[NLD]

It's not a Disney vacation, but... we are off to the beach tomorrow! (Really, today!)

We're going to our usual spot, Ocean City, MD. Very excited. Just need to remember the camera!

 

[Alysa]

I does take up a lot of time I think. The only time it is useful is when you are going to go to one park, then go back to the hotel for a swim, then go to another park for dinner...

Have fun at the beach!!

 

[Jenvenza]

Great start! And have fun at the beach tomorrow!

 

[NLD]

Hi Jenvenza, thanks for stopping by!

Well, we're back from the beach. We had fun... but each day we were there, I kept thinking about Disney! Mentally wondering, "I wonder how the buses here compare to Disney." Or thinking, "All this walking is good for us, we need to get in shape for Disney!" Or musing, "If Elise likes the boardwalk rides, just wait till she tries Peter Pan at Disney!"

I seem to have been officially bitten by the Disney bug!

 

[NLD]

It's been a long time since I've posted here!

Had a talk with dh yesterday. May is not going to work for his schedule. That's the bad news.

The good news is he said I can book the trip this weekend, I just have to schedule it for late September or later.

So it looks like we'll be going in the fall of '09!

I am now frantically trying to pick a week. It's so overwhelming! The current crowd reports are a little scary... not sure which week to pick to avoid some of the crowds!

 

[mickimousemama]

Very Exciting!!! I can't wait to be able to start a trip report.. I think a year out is too far tho so I am trying to wait patiently LOL (we are going October 24-Nov 1 2009

 

[NLD]

Hi mickimousemama,

Well, this pre-trip report is a year out, now! I say start one whenever you want! We can read each other's and sympathize over the wait.


What made you pick Oct 24-Nov 1? That week is in the running for us. Have you been that time of year before?

 

[NLD]

Okay, I'm losing it.

I spent yesterday researching fall weeks. Last night I dreamed about WDW. Something about the WL and calendar pages... Well, guess this thread is titled appropriately!


Maybe getting the craziness out of my head and onto the computer screen will help:


Possible weeks: pros & cons

Sept 19-27: low crowds, might barely get free dining, lower rates, definite swim weather, MNSSHP?; humidity, high hurricane potential, pulling Elise from kindergarten for a week before she's settled in a routine

Sept 26-Oct 4: historically low crowds, lower rates 1/2 week, def swim weather, MNSSHP, Matt's birthday (Celebration theme); Yom Kippur holiday might increase crowds, hurricane potential, still early in the school year for Elise, Matt's birthday (he'd prefer not to be there on bday)

Oct 3-11: possibly lower hurricane/rain potential?, Columbus Day on 12th would give "recovery day" before returning to school/work, def swim weather, MNSSHP; Columbus Day on 12th might drastically increase crowds

Oct 10-18: diminishing hurricane/rain potential, diminishing humidity and temps?, def swim weather, Elise only missing 4 school days (due to Columbus Day), MNSSHP; Columbus Day on 12th might drastically increase crowds

Oct 17-25: hurricane threat almost gone, lower temps, swim weather, MNSSHP; unsure of crowds, diminishing park hours

Oct 24-Nov 1: hurricane/rain threat gone, lower temps, swimming still likely, MNSSHP, nice break from cold PA weather; unsure of crowds, our anniversary Nov 1 (would spend on plane), shorter park hours

Oct 31-Nov 8: better weather, swimming still likely, nice break from cold PA weather; would miss MNSSHP, would miss trick-or-treat at home, Jersey Week (crowd levels), park hours potentially slightly longer than last week of Oct, still down from Sept?

Nov 7-15: better weather, might get MVMCP?, nice break from cold PA weather; no MNSSHP, not sure about swimming, not sure about crowds, park hours up from end of Oct but down from end of Sept?

Nov 14-22: MVMCP, potential for resort holiday decs?, nice break from cold PA weather; risking chillly temps, not sure about crowds, not sure how I feel about TDay being the week after (might appreciate returning to 3-day work week, might feel silly), park hours up from end of Oct but down from end of Sept?


Siiiiigh. Not sure that helped (yet). Off to research some more....

 

[NLD]

Just got off the phone with Disney (first call ever to them!)

After much deliberation about the week, the resort, and the type of park tickets to get...

We have a package on hold for September 19-26, 2009. Wilderness Lodge standard view room, 8-day base park tickets, dining plan.

Now I just have to remember to pay the deposit by November 1!

The CM also calculated the date I can start making ADRs: February 5.


I am so excited!!!!!!!!!!!

Give me a D, give me an I, give me an S, give me an N, give me an E, give me a Y; what does that spell? DISNEY!

We are going to DISNEY!

 

[NLD]

Deposit paid!

We are really going!

 

[NLD]

Getting into the Disney spirit...

As mentioned previously, Elise loves princesses. Particularly the Disney princesses. Her favorite right now is Ariel, so Halloween was a no-brainer for her.



Here's my little Ariel! Halloween night.

​

 

[NLD]

So I realize it's too early for this, but I can't stop myself! I'm working through possible itineraries already...

Here's what I'm thinking at this point. Any experienced DISers, feel free to comment:

Saturday, 9/19
Arrival. Check-in at Wilderness Lodge. If it's night, hang around resort and go to sleep. If it's morning or afternoon, head to...? (Epcot? Maybe?)

Sunday, 9/20
Magic Kingdom, rope drop until we're tired.

Monday, 9/21
Hollywood Studios, rope drop through Fantasmic! (Or skip Fantasmic???)

Tuesday, 9/22
Animal Kingdom, rope drop until we're done.

Wednesday, 9/23
Open day--sleep in, swim at resort, Downtown Disney, maybe one park (Elise's pick) for a couple hours?

Thursday, 9/24
Epcot, rope drop through Illuminations.

Friday, 9/25
Magic Kingdom (sleep in, get there whenever, Wishes?)

Saturday, 9/26
Departure. Allow Elise and Matt to decide what to do if there's any time prior to departure.



I've got a list of ADRs to try for that correspond to this rough schedule. But not sure if this is too exhausting for Elise (at the beginning of the week), especially if we do MK all day, then HS all day including Fantasmic, and then get up early for AK? That would be three rope drops in a row, plus late nights.

MK could be shortened, but if we want to ride Toy Story Mania AND see Fantasmic, we'll have to do both rope drop and park closing at HS.

Alternate possibility:


Saturday, 9/19
Arrival. Check-in at Wilderness Lodge. If it's night, hang around resort and go to sleep. If it's morning or afternoon, head to...? (Epcot? Maybe?)

Sunday, 9/20
Magic Kingdom, rope drop until we're tired.

Monday, 9/21
Animal Kingdom, rope drop until we're done.

Tuesday, 9/22
Epcot, rope drop through Illuminations.

Wednesday, 9/23
Open day--sleep in, swim at resort, Downtown Disney, maybe one park (Elise's pick) for a couple hours?

Thursday, 9/24
Hollywood Studios, rope drop through Fantasmic!

Friday, 9/25
Magic Kingdom (sleep in, get there whenever, Wishes?)

Saturday, 9/26
Departure. Allow Elise and Matt to decide what to do if there's any time prior to departure.



Yes, I've checked the Unofficial Guide recommended days. But MK has to be our first full day and last day... and Fantasmic! is only running Monday and Thursday nights... so I started to feel like the UG days weren't much relevant for us, anyway. Guess I'll check again just in case.

Well, there's tons of time till I need to pick park days and make ADRs based on those, anyway!

 

[NLD]

Note for myself: ADRs under consideration...


Artist's Point (2 TS)

Le Cellier (1 TS)

Cindy's Royal Table (2 TS) (breakfast or lunch?)

Boma (1 TS)

Sci Fi? or Mama Melrose? (1 TS) (also unsure if lunch or dinner?)

Kona Cafe (or maybe Ohanas? Which is better? More research) (1 TS)