Hi guys! This is a great thread idea! I'd love to join in!
DH and I haven't been to Disney since we were both 5, so 32 and 29 years. I'm really excited about the trip. I'll actually be paying it off tonight. I've been planning for a year and a half. We orginally intended to go in January but DH was laid off in May last year which put a kink in our plans. We started out as cheaply as possible. We were going to take our pop-up camper, camp at Ft. Wildreness and fix all our meals at the campsite. We then decided that we didn't want to tow the camper 9 1/2 hours so I looked into staying off-site and cooking and/or eating off site. By the time we booked I decided to go with a value resort and a quick-service dining package. I then mentioned to DH that I wasn't looking forward to sleeping in a double bed. We upgraded to a moderate resort the next day.
We then started looking into doing some character meals out of pocket but discovered that the cost to upgrade to the standard dining plan would only cost around $50 more than the cost of three meals OOP. So we upgraded the dining plan.
I then found a good price on a flight so we added airfare. It's acutally worked out really well for us. DH has been awesome and took on a second job so we could pay for the trip in cash and, as we've know what we would be able to afford, we've slowly added in some "luxuries".
1.Who are you going to Disney with? When are you going and how did you choose your dates?
It will be me, DH, DD (5) and DS (2). We're going May 19-26th. We chose that time because DD's last day of preschool is the 17th. We knew this would be our last chance to get to the parks while the crowds were a little lower since she starts kindergarten in the fall. We also wanted to go before DS turns 3 so it's a little cheaper.
2. Has anyone made ADR's yet? Did you get what you wanted? What did you pick?
If you haven't made your ADRs yet, what are you planning & when is your 180 day mark?
My ADRs were done probably about 85 days out when we upgraded our dining plan. I got what I wanted - maybe not the best times but we're working around that. I looked at CRT but read that a lot of people like Akershus just as much if not more; not to mention the times that we available were waaaaay too late in the evening. We have:
Dinner at Rainforest Cafe at DTD; dinner at Akershus; dinner at Crystal Palace; a Fantasmic dinner package at Hollywood & Vine; dinner at Boma; breakfast (but really brunch/lunch) at Chef Mickey's; dinner at 1900 Park Fare; and lunch at Biergarten.
We're eating mostly at buffets because DS isn't included on the dining plan since he's under 3. This way we can just let him sample things from our plates.
3. What resort or hotel are you staying at? How did you decide on it & what are you most looking forward to there?
We're staying at Coronado Springs. We decided on it because it was one of the cheapest moderates when we decided to upgrade, it has queen beds, and the Unofficial guide shows that it has quick transportation to the parks. A lot of people on the official CSR thread have said it feels more like a deluxe. I'm looking forward to the ambience there the most. I was worried that our resort looking too over-the-top wouldn't let my kids wind down.
4. If you are staying onsite, will you do online checkin?
I don't think we're doing online checkin. A couple of people told me that it's nice to have a CM go over your things with you if you've never been before.
5. Are you keeping your trip a surprise?
YES!!! I'm hoping I won't slip up. It would be so easy now that we're in the downhill stretch. Our plan is to not tell the kids until the morning we leave (so they'll sleep the night before). I'm planning on making a "can't wait to meet you" letter from Mickey along with "my first trip" shirts and putting them all in a box for the kids to open.
6. How will you get to Walt Disney World and how do you plan to get around once you're there?
We're flying down and will rely on Disney transportation completely.
7. What is your favorite classic & new Disney movie?
Does The Little Mermaid count as a classic? The times I've seen it is in the triple digits. For their new movies it's a toss up between Tangled and Cars. Tangled is the first movie I saw in 3D - DD and I got in for a sneak preview. I held out on letting the kids see Cars for a long time because I had it set in my mind that it was stupid.
We caught it on tv one night and I fell in love with it. I love the message that it has behind it and the detail that it has.
I am excited!!
So I called at 7:00 and was answered ASAP. Got everything we wanted and the 2 big ones I got the times I really wanted. CRT and Chef Mickey. So it was a good day. I am glad that is over.
Now I just have to pay it all off. I did CTR for 8 people and it was over 350.00$ ouch. I am glad I not paying for it all.
)
