Fellow Dis’ers, I need some vacation/resort input

[ead79]

Hi Janet! The trip to the Haunted Mansion Ball sounds fabulous! What a great time you will have! I probably would consider hopping over to a MK resort for a few days around Halloween so you can have easy access to the park.

 

[Janet2k]

Ead79, you just brought up an excellent point -- I should be considering a Magic Kingdom Resort for both the 30th AND the 31st. The "999 Haunted Haunts Ball" is on the evening of the 30th. I am really looking forward to attending it with my daughter, and hopefully I'll get to meet a few of my fellow Dis'ers!

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

I agree with all the decisions you have made (dropping the Grand Plan, staying at BCV's, No boys allowed), and I also think resort hopping over to the GF for Halloween would be a great idea! You'll be closer to MK, to V & A's, and also you and DD could go to the spa!!! That would be great!!!

Have a great vacation!

 

[Minybear]

Janet2K

Ok it looks like you want to do resort hopping (again). Now we need to figure out which resorts you want to. I would suggest for your 1st portion of you and your daughters stay of course stay at the BCV studio for 3 nights and then go to the GF for 3 nights and then AKL concierge for the last 3 nights (don't forget to do the Sunshine Safari if you stay over a Tues or Sat night).

Let us at the Dis figure out your stay . Just sit back and start reading. We are all here for you.

 

[Janet2k]

TigrLvsPooh, thanks for the vote of confidence! I had forgotten that a month or two ago I was toying with the idea of my daughter getting a My First Facial (or whatever it is officially called) at the GF’s spa. I’ll have to try to figure out when we can fit it in.

Minybear, I’m taking you and my fellow Dis’ers up on that offer to plan my vacation! The more I think about things, the more I’m afraid that resort hopping just might not fit in with my plans after all. Why? Read on…

I will be calling soon for PS reservations to the Wonderland Tea Party, the Pirates Cruise, and the Grand Adventures In Cooking Class (for my daughter). I also will get a reservation to the GF tea for two (as we have never done it), and a reservation for two to Victoria & Albert’s (as my daughter has never done it). I already have reservations for the Hoop-Dee-Doo and the Polynesian Luau (since my husband won’t be with us on this trip, I can drool over the male dancers’ legs without him nudging me and telling me to stop enjoying the show so much). I also have tickets to one MNSSHP and will be adding a second MNSSHP to our itinerary. I already have reservations for the 999 Haunted Haunts Ball. If I can figure out what days we’ll be doing all of the above on (and more), hopefully it will become clear to me what days we should consider staying at the GF and/or AKL. However, if our activities get scattered about over the entire vacation (which is seeming highly likely just by looking at the events that I stated above), then I might decide to just keep us put at the BCV (all of our running around might make it very difficult to resort hop – finding the time to pack would be impossible, arg!). What does everyone think? Would it be easier to just keep my daughter and I put at the BCV (it might keep us less frazzled)?

 

[MJS]

I just saw this thread for the first time, and I am sorry that you are facing so much right now Janet2K. I think that you need some Disney magic. What about a cabin for you and your DD? I know that you love the AKL, but FW is so special and peaceful.

On second thought (and on a lighter note ), I cannot believe that you aren't jumping at the chance to stay in the RPC again You and your DD could be pampered by those warm, personable CMs there! Trick or Treat!

 

[LAinSEA]

What a special time you both will have - she'll remember it forever!

During our meal at V & A's on our "honeymoon" in Nov. 2000 there were 2 boys both under age 10 dining with their grandparents. They were dressed so elegantly and so well behaved. They came up to harpist to request a song for their grandparents and had the biggest smiles on their faces!

They were a great memory from our trip - something out of another era. I'm sure that the chef and staff there will just spoil your daughter the way she ought to be.

Your son will probably be wanting a "spring break trip" to WDW soon enough...wanting to dance at the beach club on PI. Don't worry he'll miss the magic and his gals while you're away (and your hubby to!)

and please take care of yourself - don't let life get you down. there is always tomorrow for dreams to come true...

-LA

 

[snowwhitemom]

So sorry for your rough year Janet. I vote ask the sister and children, a chance to make agreat memory with your family and something your dd will never forget. You two can always go, but the MNSSHP would be such fun for all. I lost my sister in 1989 and I only wish that I could take her with me there . No matter what your decision, I hope so much pixie dust comes your way.

 

[Janet2k]

MJS, don’t go tempting me with a FW cabin or a RPC stay (shame on you). By the way, your “trick or treat” comment almost made me pee my pants (that was TOO FUNNY, especially when it was taken in context with what you stated).

LAinSEA, thanks for mentioning one of your Vicky & Al’s experiences. My daughter is younger than those boys, so if she got up to request a song from the harpist, I would imagine that it would be the Barney theme song or something along those lines (hey, can you say, “Stump the harpist?!” hee hee). I still am giving serious consideration as to whether or not I want to go through with that meal. I haven’t been to WDW without dining at Vicky & Al’s, so there is a lot of personal pressure on me right now to go through with our reservation (dining there is a vacation tradition). Especially when I think of the Royal Stilton cheese (a cheese my taste buds absolutely love to hate) and the Grand Marnier soufflé (a dessert my hips absolutely love to hate). Yum! Oh, the pressure. I can’t stand the pressure. Should I or shouldn’t I go through with my Victoria & Albert’s reservation?

Snowwhitemom, I am sorry to hear that you lost your sister. And thank you for your Pixie Dust wishes. I seriously have been toying with the idea of inviting my sister and her children along on my vacation. As some of my fellow Dis’ers know, they have vacationed with my family many times at WDW (most recently over the New Year’s holiday). I usually prefer to have a “group” vacation since I get a lot of pleasure from watching other people enjoy themselves, but this time I am giving serious consideration to keeping the vacation just for my daughter and myself. Of course I did buy Annual Passes for my sister and her children when they vacationed with us earlier this year, so if they came along on my vacation, that is one less thing that I have to pay for. Oh, decisions, decisions! I may broach the subject with her this month. I’ll keep everyone posted.

 

[Janet2k]

The good news is that I survived another layoff at work. The bad news is that I have been miserable ever since. It is so difficult when friends lose their jobs. I pray they find work soon.

Let me change the subject to a lighter note (the Lord knows I need it). I have booked the following PS reservations (I may have a few of the PS’s reversed since I don’t have my itinerary in front of me right now):

Friday: Arrival day (yahoo!)
Saturday: Victoria & Albert’s
Sunday: LTT dinner & MNSSHP
Monday: Nothing (yet!)
Tuesday: Grand Adventures In Cooking Class and Wonderland Tea Party
Wednesday: 999 Happy Haunts Ball
Thursday: LTT dinner & MNSSHP
Friday: Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue
Saturday: Polynesian Luau

I was sad to learn that the Pirates Cruise is under rehab for three weeks in October. It won’t be opening back up until the first week in November. My daughter will miss sailing on the seven seas (lagoon, that is) in search of buried treasure. I guess she’ll just have to suffice with searching through the bottom of my purse for pennies and stale gum.

Okay, I mentioned that I currently have reservations for Victoria & Albert’s. I am giving serious consideration to canceling that reservation. I really think my daughter would go stir crazy if she had to sit still for a 2-1/2 hour meal (especially since she would have to speak in whispered hushes). My husband suggested that I take a coloring book and crayons with me to dinner that night, but I told him that during every single one of our Victoria & Albert’s meals, I do not ever remember seeing a fellow diner pull out a set of Crayola crayons in order to occupy themselves during the long meal. I certainly did not want to be the first guest to do so (plus, I can imagine my horror if she accidentally knocked over the water goblet and it broke). I know that my daughter “really, really, really wants to dine at Victoria & Albert’s restaurant,” and yet I know that she is just a young girl who can barely sit still through her Happy Meal at McDonald’s. Because of all this, I did go ahead and contact the GF’s Private Dining folks regarding a Private Dining Event. They FAXed me all sorts of info regarding meals. Everything looked yummy. I still need to speak with them regarding venue choices. I am leaning heavily towards a dinner along the beach area that will afford us a view of Cinderella’s Castle. I think it would be lovely to view the castle as the sun set. Plus, I will ask for candlelight for our meal and possibly a private butler, too. I think that will give my daughter the “grown-up” feeling that she wants. If I go through with a Private Dining Event, I am wondering if we will get all girly-ed up for dinner or if we’ll just be in our usual tourist clothes. I know that my daughter will want to dress up, but I’m not so sure I will want to pull out the ol’ razor to shave my legs for a dinner along a beach (I will be on vacation after all!).

Have any of you held (or seen) a Private Dining Event outside on the grounds of the GF? I would love to hear what you did (or saw) and your feelings regarding it.

 

[LAinSEA]

just might be the way to go...a grown-up picnic on the beach and no pressure to "behave" for a 2 1/2 meal...

I'm sorry to hear about your company's layoffs, my DH works for Boeing, they are still facing round after round of layoffs. He's survived 4 major layoffs in 15 years there...knock on wood...but still I think its worse to be not laid-off - survivors guilt is a very unpleasant thing to have to deal with and it lasts until the next round.

wishing I have another WDW vacation to plan - it will probably be another year and a half before we go again (unless I can talk my sister into changing her wedding plans from Maui to WDW - which would be much more fun for the entire wedding party, kids and all).

take care,
LA

 

[Janet2k]

LAinSEA, I’ll keep my fingers crossed that your husband won't have to worry about his job. And I agree with you about the survivor’s guilt. My husband watched as my sister and son (who was an infant at the time) were run over by a car. It was a typical fight-or-flight kind of response, and he did what his instincts told him to do, which was to jump out of the way of the car. Of course he had nightmares for months and was very depressed because he thought his instincts should have been to push my sister and our son out of the way of the car. The basic Superman syndrome. I wasn’t there to witness it, thank the Lord, but did see the aftereffects on the local news that night (luckily, my son was unharmed, but my dear sister was another story). Sorry to digress. I haven’t thought about that day in a long, long time.

What’s the latest with my upcoming vacation? I added an Ice Cream Social to my itinerary. It sounds like fun and the photos of the ice cream sundae that you get look scrumptious -- yum! Anyhow, by looking at my current itinerary, I don’t see where I can fit two nights in at the GF. Before I added that second MNSSHP, I think a shoe-in for the GF would have been the nights of the 30th and 31st. With the MNSSHP on the 27th, that shot my whole plan to heck. Now that I have decided that I can’t fit the GF in, I guess I should cancel my current Grand Plan vacation package (I was holding out on canceling it until I decided what to do about the GF). Maybe next year I can attempt another Grand Plan, but I’ve read that the vacation package names have changed for 2003, and a credit-card type of vacation package name (that is “Platinum, ” “Silver,” or “Gold”) just doesn’t sound as romantic as a “Grand Plan” vacation package. Shame on you, Disney, for messing with something that wasn’t broken.

 

[PatriciaH]

Have a GREAT time on your girls only trip I took my little sister in 93 to celebrate her graduation from grade school. I am 10 years older that her. She was 13 at the time. We had a wonderful time and got to do a ton of stuff in 5 nights.

-Patricia

 

[queenofhearts]

Hi Janet2K! I am so sorry to hear about the tragedies that you and your family have suffered through lately. You have been a TREMENDOUS help to those of us on these Disboards - unselfishly dedicated to helping others build the most magical memories possible. It's so hard to understand why bad things happen to beautiful people.

I also think this is the perfect opportunity for just you and your DD to go to WDW. My mother, my sister, and I went to Virginia for a day to see the Faberge Egg exhibit, and just that time together with the other women in my family was an unforgettable memory. I'm trying to plan another trip for the three of us soon, but now that we all work, it's so hard to coordinate schedules. Do this trip with you DD now, while she doesn't have to worry about asking for vacation, prioritizing responsibilities at work and home, or leaving her own family. It will be here before you know it!

I vote for splitting your trip between the BCV and the AKL Concierge. The BCV will be something new for both of you to try, and the AKL Concierge sounds like your "home away from home." That seems like a good balance. I also think a "My First Facial" at the GF for your DD is a great idea! (Be sure to throw one in for yourself, too. ) Before or after your spa treatments, you and DD could have tea at the GF High Tea. If your daughter doesn't like hot tea, they have "dark tea" for children (which is really just chocolate milk).

I also would not choose to do the Grand Plan on this trip. You can put that $$ towards the next WDW vacation!

Whatever you chose, have a WONDERFUL time! I'll be looking forward to reading a trip report when you return (hint, hint )

 

[LAinSEA]

sounds like a really good time - and something you'll both enjoy.

We really enjoyed our "animal watching time" while at AKL. We actually went out on every fire escape to catch a different vantage point and were rewarded with seeing a 2-day old impala!

Maybe private dining out on your balcony over looking the savannah - a picnic with the animals?

regardless - it sounds like such a fun trip!

better luck is always around the corner - right?!

take care,
LA

 

[Janet2k]

PatriciaH, thanks for the warm wishes. We will definitely have as much fun as you and your sister did on your vacation (or at least I hope we will!).

QueenOfHearts, thanks for the kind words. And thanks for reminding me about the GF Tea. I still haven’t booked that yet and I really must. I was just reading CaliforniaDreaming’s restaurant review from his recent trip and I see that he did the tea. (CaliforniaDreaming, if you’re reading this, please tell me what you thought of it.)

LAinSEA, I wish you had taken a photo from every vantage point of those AKL fire escapes!! I never would have thought to check them out for an animal viewing vantage point. What an excellent suggestion. I will definitely remember that for my next AKL trip.

 

[Janet2k]

Okay, here’s where I’m at currently…

I officially cancelled my GF Grand Plan vacation. To be completely honest, it was very tough for me to do that. If my daughter were a teenager, I would have changed the plan from “four” to “two” guests. But since she is a young girl, keeping the plan did not make any sense. I have stated this before and will state it again, since the GF children’s activities are not covered by the Grand Plan, there wasn’t a whole heck of a lot of activities that she could partake of. Oh, sure, there is unlimited babysitting (either in-room or in a childcare club). But I actually enjoy hanging out with my daughter (boy, can that girl make me laugh), and thus I would never want her to leave my side (okay, there might be moments when she’s driving me absolutely bonkers and I would consider sending her to the childcare club, but those would be the typical fleeting moments that all mothers have regarding their offspring!). Canceling the Grand Plan was the logical thing to do. (Hey, Disney, get a clue and add those fun activities to your vacation package plans.)

One of my fellow GF RPC lovers (you know who you are) has put a bug in my ear about trying the Fort Wilderness cabins. I am seriously pouring over my itinerary and trying to decide if I can fit it in. I am thinking that it might be fun to do it. What do you think? Have any of you stayed in a cabin over there? What was your experience? Could I find enough stuff to do that would keep my daughter and myself busy in that resort area? I don’t know too much about the Fort Wilderness Resort area except that it hosts the Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue (which I have booked). I would love to hear your opinions about that resort.

 

[MJS]

Gee, I wonder who recommended the cabins? I am just doing that so you can check them out for us! Just kidding!

There is alot to do at FW. Birnbaum's book has a great section about FW, and the camping board here is also a good source of info. There are many things to do including the petting farm, horse stables, trail rides, multiple playgrounds, trails (some people say their kids love the golf carts!), cane pole fishing in the canals, the nightly campfire/movie with Chip and Dale (you can make smores!!! A chocolate event! Yippee! ), the BBQ with the characters, etc. Don't forget those great rockers on the porch at the Tavern! Happy planning!