FEBRUARY 2008 WDW travelers post HERE!!!

[lori1043]

Mostly New Orleans and surrounding area people in WDW for Mardi Gras ony go as far as wearing our purple green and gold on that particular Tuesday. We did that last time and saw loads of other Mardi Gras people-most from down here but some from other places just joining in the fun. I think Pleasure Island may do something that day-not much else-pretty mild and normal. Universal Studios puts on a Mardi Gras parade, I heard-but I am sure it is not like it really is. We saw a Mardi Gras "Band" in DL and it was okay-definitely not close to the real thing. I really don't think there is any other big crowd things happening there in the first 10 days of Feb. I looked up almost everything I could find-although I did not see the AC guys convention! I am hoping for low crowds, but expecting average. It really is a nice time of year to go. Feb and October are great and even parts of March(we took 2 trips in March and crowds were low to average both times) but I think it is more hit or miss then.

If anyone finds out about any other goings on in Feb-let us know!

 

[Grumpy's Wife]

ETA: So, is Pres Week Feb 18-20? Also, how are you all celebrating Mardis Gras at Disney? Just wondering what to expect if we end up there on Feb 5.

Another one who will be there for Mardi Gras week. I've been on three different trips to Disney when Mardi Gras did not fall on Presidents Week. While you will see so many New Orleans area people I have always found the crowds to be average to low. I've never waited more than about twenty minutes for anything during Mardi Gras. I hope I'm not going to jinx us now by saying that but we have found that for us it's the best time to go. Hope to see you there.

 

[missmdr]

Subscribing...

 

[pixieprincessmom]

We are going on the Disney Cruise on Feb. 3 (have to love Mardi Gras break). I am trying to talk DH into Thurs.and Fri. at Disney and drive home Sat. I CANNOT be that close and not go to WDW. Staying only 2 nights may finally give us the oppurtunity for a nicer hotel.

 

[lori1043]

BUMP!!! getting LOW on the page!

 

[lori1043]

This thread is looking for potential interest in a fridge swap in July and the first week in August-help them, Please!!!
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1434385

 

[the organizer]

Actual Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) is Feb. 5 of 2008. We are from Louisiana also and will be at POP 2-1 to 2-8-2008!! Can't wait. We have never been!!

 

[homeschoolmomof4]

Hi there!

New to posting to the boards here and wanted to come out of lurkdom to introduce myself! I'm a homeschooling mommy of 4 kids aged 4-12. We're planning on going to WDW the last week in February and are hoping to stay at the WL again. AAA and a CM at Disney have both told me that the new packages are coming out in June. I'm hoping ya'll can clarify some things for me as I'm a little confused on the discount thing. If I book rooms only through Disney now and then want to use my AAA discount later, that would mean that I could not book the dining plan etc through a AAA package? Am I understanding this correctly? Thanks for any help you can offer!

 

[zazou]

I'm hoping ya'll can clarify some things for me as I'm a little confused on the discount thing. If I book rooms only through Disney now and then want to use my AAA discount later, that would mean that I could not book the dining plan etc through a AAA package? Am I understanding this correctly? Thanks for any help you can offer!

I would really love to know too! first timer and I'm a little confused too! Why are you booking the room so early? is there any advantages?

 

[lori1043]

Hi there!

New to posting to the boards here and wanted to come out of lurkdom to introduce myself! I'm a homeschooling mommy of 4 kids aged 4-12.

I HS too!! I have 2 kiddos-DD9 and DD7. We live in south La. (about 40 miles above NOLA)
HS'ing has been such a blessing!!!
Have fun in your planning and thanks for the info about packages coming out in June! i also have AAA but also will have an AP-going with whatever is cheaper for us!! Let me know what you find out and I will post what i hear too!
Lori

 

[bhoffman]

I would really love to know too! first timer and I'm a little confused too! Why are you booking the room so early? is there any advantages?

You can book "early" to reserve a room or rooms then later if/when discounts come out you can adjust the price of the room to the lower rate. This way if lower rates come out you don't have to fight for a reservation and worse yet, maybe being too late they might be sold out when discounts are announced.

 

[homeschoolmomof4]

I HS too!! I have 2 kiddos-DD9 and DD7. We live in south La. (about 40 miles above NOLA)
HS'ing has been such a blessing!!!
Have fun in your planning and thanks for the info about packages coming out in June! i also have AAA but also will have an AP-going with whatever is cheaper for us!! Let me know what you find out and I will post what i hear too!
Lori

Hey there Lori!

Thanks for the welcome! I'm homeschooling all 4 of my kids and have been doing so for about 8 years now. I love the flexibility that homeschooling affords us, like taking Disney trips when everyone else is in school!

I've got my AAA TA on speed dial at this point! She's already told me that she'll call me as soon as the 2008 rates are released. I can't wait to get our next trip planned out. We were just there in February and we have decided just recently to make it an annual trip for our family. We all work hard and we need to play hard too. KWIM?

Erika

 

[theparsons]

Subscribing to this thread as well...we're still moving our dates around a little but the plan is mid-January to mid-Feb...we have to be back for Valentine's Day (I think hubby would be mad if we weren't, lol) and we have season tickets to the ballet on the 16th....so that kinda puts an end date of 13th on the calendar, but I can't decide when in January to arrive. The marathon is Jan 12/13 and I understand they close parts of the parks, so that doesn't thrill me (no offense, just not interested in watching people run, lol).

I didn't know about Mardi Gras until I saw this thread......not being from LA I guess is my excuse for lack of knowledge! WHen I told my girls that we'd be there at Mardi Gras, they wondered if people would be throwing necklaces, lol. Hmmmm, guess we will need to do a little lesson on Mardi Gras eh? (Yep, I homeschool too).

WHen you guys say "low to average" crowds...what does that mean? This is our first trip to WDW (we had AP for Disneyland last year), so not sure what to expect. In DL we went the two weeks right after Thanksgiving....no crowds, no waits for most rides, and even the biggies like Star Wars and Buzz were 20-30 minutes, it was grand! Went again in late Feb then in late September and early October, then last trip was just before Thanksgiving before the AP expired, lol. None of those trips were crowded. THere was ONE day in the Sept/Oct trip that was awful....we wondered if the entire Southern California school districts had all let out for one day or something....we left by lunchtime and did other things the lines were hours long. Went back the next morning and it was back to short lines. Never did find a CM that knew where the crowd came from!

Ok...enough rambling here. I got questions to ask, so I'll post them elsewhere.

Thanks in advance to all your experienced WDWers to sharing your knowledge and experience....it has given me so many things to think of, things I hadn't even known to consider!

 

[8EONUE8]

Subscribing to this thread as well...we're still moving our dates around a little but the plan is mid-January to mid-Feb...we have to be back for Valentine's Day (I think hubby would be mad if we weren't, lol) and we have season tickets to the ballet on the 16th....so that kinda puts an end date of 13th on the calendar, but I can't decide when in January to arrive. The marathon is Jan 12/13 and I understand they close parts of the parks, so that doesn't thrill me (no offense, just not interested in watching people run, lol).

I didn't know about Mardi Gras until I saw this thread......not being from LA I guess is my excuse for lack of knowledge! WHen I told my girls that we'd be there at Mardi Gras, they wondered if people would be throwing necklaces, lol. Hmmmm, guess we will need to do a little lesson on Mardi Gras eh? (Yep, I homeschool too).

WHen you guys say "low to average" crowds...what does that mean? This is our first trip to WDW (we had AP for Disneyland last year), so not sure what to expect. In DL we went the two weeks right after Thanksgiving....no crowds, no waits for most rides, and even the biggies like Star Wars and Buzz were 20-30 minutes, it was grand! Went again in late Feb then in late September and early October, then last trip was just before Thanksgiving before the AP expired, lol. None of those trips were crowded. THere was ONE day in the Sept/Oct trip that was awful....we wondered if the entire Southern California school districts had all let out for one day or something....we left by lunchtime and did other things the lines were hours long. Went back the next morning and it was back to short lines. Never did find a CM that knew where the crowd came from!

Ok...enough rambling here. I got questions to ask, so I'll post them elsewhere.

Thanks in advance to all your experienced WDWers to sharing your knowledge and experience....it has given me so many things to think of, things I hadn't even known to consider!

We were at WDW this past 1/27 - 2/3 and the crowds were really small. We never waited more that 20 minutes for any ride.

We booked the trip (room, tickets, and DDP) through AAA. We got 15% off our room rate at POR. Total trip, including airfare, for the five of us was $3900.

 

[lori1043]

I beleive, Parson family-that beads will be thrown in a parade at POFQ-you'd need to call for the time. At DL, they had a NO style band that was singing mardi gras songs and NOLA songs that was kinda' funny-so out of place though(even though it was in NO Square). Mardi Gras time in 2005 was moderate crowds, I'd call it (been there in a low crowd season-weekend of marathon 2003) but Daytona 500 was also at that time too(which it is not at that time in 2008). So I'd call it 20 minutes waits-maybe 30 on big rides-for Mardi Gras time. Hope I am right!!

Should you look up Mardi Gras for a small unit study you will find just HOW it all is religiously based(Catholic) and it all revolves around Kings Day and Easter. I grew up down here(I am now about 40 minutes north of NOLA) and I love the heritage of it all, but don't frequent parades like I used to. We may do one or 2 and then MG day parades. Hey... it 's FREE entertainment!!! Good for a HS'er!! Not many Christian HS'ers "do" MG b/c of all the negative horrible stuff that happens in the FQ sometimes on MG. I am sure there are other reasons for some, but we still enjoy it in bits and pieces, for what it is-FREE fun!! (and we are Christian, not Catholic though)

I love the freedom HS'ing gives us too- DH , whom was very nervous about doing it at first, loves the flexibilty and lack of fighting homework down at the end of a long day!! And WDW not in summer is always a plus.
Lori

 

[wendypooh]

We just decided to book AKL for Mardi Gras!!!! Whoo Hoo!!!!

We'll be there from Feb. 3rd - 8th ~~ Keeping my fingers crossed for some discounts!!

 

[lori1043]

We are really hoping for the Pirate and Princess Party.-saw a few weeks ago it was extended for some dates in the fall-REALLY want it for FEB!!!-Lori

 

[lori1043]

Bump!!!
Lots of WDW talk today amongst our family and if you saw the paper(for those NOLA Dis'ers on this thread) there was a big article in the travel section about DISNEYLAND!! I wanted to jump in and add some stuff to it though! I have to say that I really LOVEDE DL and will never forget it and I WILL go back with my children one day! It has a different "feel" than WDW, as much as I love WDW!
My SIL and brother are going to WDW w/out thier DD3 for free dining in September(taking advantage of an AP). My cousin, her DH and thier son(2) are going to WDW in September for free dining. I am thinking that since I will have an AP for our next year trip that we can make another small trip IF they offer free dining again in 2008.
Looking more and more forward to February 2008 as the days go by!

BTW-how far in advance do you get your AP, if you have gotten one before? I will also be getting the DDE to go with it and know I need to have the AP to get that and that needs to be bought about 4-6 weeks before you leave.

Any answers are welcome!!!
Thank you-Lori

 

[homeschoolmomof4]

We are really hoping for the Pirate and Princess Party.-saw a few weeks ago it was extended for some dates in the fall-REALLY want it for FEB!!!-Lori

That would be awesome!! I would be a very happy mommy if that happens!

 

[Wingedheart]

We are looking to book two trips next year--one in Feb or April, whichever is cheaper (better rates/season) and one in August during value season.

I have two questions:

#1 - If I'm going to book a room now, just to be sure I get the rooms, what would the latest possible date I could book to try to get the value season rate?? My kids are off school the 18th-22nd, but I am willing to pull them out of school for a couple days to get value rates rather than PEAK!!! Should I book for dates before Valentine's day, etc??

#2 - Which offers the better discounts on rooms? AAA or the AP? I don't have either, but I would consider either to get the room discounts! And, with AAA can you book whole packages (room/tix/DDP)??

Thanks!!