Have 527 Days Until Our Vacation, But I Need Some Disney Magic Now!*22 DAYS TO GO!!!!

[DMGeurts]

I think you will be totally fine taking her out of school for the day and a half that you ned to - especially at that age. Definately make sure her teacher knows ahead of time though.

Look at how fast your next trip is coming Corri!!! I remember when you started this PTR, and it was sooo far away - now it's just barely over a year! Whoot!!!


D~

 

[Corrine 1973]

I think you will be totally fine taking her out of school for the day and a half that you ned to - especially at that age. Definately make sure her teacher knows ahead of time though.

Look at how fast your next trip is coming Corri!!! I remember when you started this PTR, and it was sooo far away - now it's just barely over a year! Whoot!!!


D~

That's what I am think as well. It will also be the same year Liam was in when we ended up taking our trip last year. I had planned taking the trip when school had let out but then we had the big snow storm out here and they used up two snow days. I ended up talking to his teacher explaining to her what happened. She told me it wasn't a problem. They basically only play games on the two days of school anyway. It would be nice if she got his old teacher.

I know the trip is just over a year away. Time has simply flown by, but there is a lot of time still to go. Next step: Book the trip when August comes around. But first I need to decide where to stay. Do I want to do another Mod, or should I save a couple of bucks a try out the new AoA. I guess it depends on the discounts. What do you all think?

 

[DMGeurts]

I dunno... What Mod are you thinking this time?

D~

 

[Corrine 1973]

Well being a all girls trip, and my little girl still being little enough to appriciate it, I was thinking if I go Mod it would be one of the Royal Rooms at PORS. If I go with the AoA I think I would request a Little Mermaid room.

 

[Lidian]

Corrine, I think you'd be fine with pulling her out for the 1.5 days. Regardless of the grade. Those last couple of days is usually class/locker/desk/personal clean-up ... socializing ... etc. Not always, but usually. I'm not even sending my DS tomorrow and it's the last day of school. DD will go, but they're doing a special event she wants to participate in.

As far as resorts go, book what you can afford in the case there are NO discounts. Then once discounts are released, look to see what would be best. I usually prioritize my Values and Mods in case something is booked. But definitely book what you can't live without as soon as possible, and if you have to change for a promotion, then go with what's next best on the list.

This way, you get bases covered and you're ready for a promo, or settled in case there are none. Odds are high there will be some type of promo, but none of us can depend on it ... because it may be something we don't qualify for. Sigh.

But still anxious to hear what you decide off the bat, and how it ends up once it nears time!

 

[Corrine 1973]

Corrine, I think you'd be fine with pulling her out for the 1.5 days. Regardless of the grade. Those last couple of days is usually class/locker/desk/personal clean-up ... socializing ... etc. Not always, but usually. I'm not even sending my DS tomorrow and it's the last day of school. DD will go, but they're doing a special event she wants to participate in.

As far as resorts go, book what you can afford in the case there are NO discounts. Then once discounts are released, look to see what would be best. I usually prioritize my Values and Mods in case something is booked. But definitely book what you can't live without as soon as possible, and if you have to change for a promotion, then go with what's next best on the list.

This way, you get bases covered and you're ready for a promo, or settled in case there are none. Odds are high there will be some type of promo, but none of us can depend on it ... because it may be something we don't qualify for. Sigh.

But still anxious to hear what you decide off the bat, and how it ends up once it nears time!

Just wrote something and it disappeared. Don't you just hate it when that happens. But then I am still getting used to my brothers laptop so maybe I did something.

I have pretty much decided to take my DD out of school for those two days. But than with a year still to go I might make a change, you never know. I guess you will all have to just stayed tuned.

I have decided on a resort. . .for now. I will tell you all this is my next post which will have some more decisions about the trip.

I am not counting on a pin or other special, but I really hope I get one. FD,
% off resorts, Kids stay and play for free. . .I don't care what it is as long as it is saving me money.

 

[Corrine 1973]

So I wanted to post an update of my plans. As you all know my trip isn't for over a year yet so things may (and will) change between now and than. But least I have a place to start.

So I have decided to still go from May 26-June 2. Those are basically the same dates I went with my DS last year and they really worked out for us.

I know you are anxious to see what resort we are going to stay at, so before the anticipation make a few heads explode let me release you from your agony. As of this moment I am planning on stay at Art of Animation. The reason for this decision is because I really think my DD will like the brightly colored scenery. We will be requesting the Little Mermaid room. I was also thinking about the royal romes at PORS, but with what I hear from others about how big the resort is I am rethinking that. I am kind of leaning toward POFQ is I ended up changing my mind to do a Mod. But once again that can change.

I have a basic idea of what parks I want to go to on each day and what resteraunts I want to eat at but I don't have that information in front of me so it will have to wait. All I can tell you is that I plan on spending one day at IoA. Plus all this information can change when the dates are available on touring plans and I can get an idea what the crowd levels might be like.

So that's it for about now. Just one more thing before I go. As you all know I have been saving money for the trip by putting aside a little money every week. Well I opened up a savings acount so I would not spend the money on something else. I opened up an account last month and they have been putting aside $40 every other week. The other day I brought in some change to add to the account and as of Thursday I have just under $450 dollars in the account plus I have a GC that still has over $55 dollars on it. So that means I have a grand total of almost $500 dollars in my Disney fund. I also just made a couple of dresses for a friend who is going on a disney cruise next month (jealous I am) so she owes me $15. (I know $15 for 3 dresses is not enough. But the material didn't need to be hemmed and was already shiired(SP?) so I only had to do the side seams and add some ribbon to tie around the neck for the 2 for the little girl.)

 

[Terkina]

The Little Mermaid rooms at AoA is the farthest from the main building. When I heard that I decided that AoA was not a resort for me.

Your Disney fund is really growing

 

[DMGeurts]

I really like your plans so far Corri... I think AoA is a great place for you to stay.

D~

 

[oopsiDAISY]

OMGoodness~ how did I miss your return to the Disboards??? I am so excited to see you back, Corri! I am so jealous that you have plans in place and that you have $$$ towards your trip! I am happy for you...but jealous! So glad to see you are gonna try AoA. Can't wait to see your pictures and to see if you try the food court. I have seen blogs, etc about the menu for their food court and it all looks so delicious!

I will say about the size of POR~ the Royal rooms are in the Magnolia Bend area, which is much smaller than Alligator Bayou, so you may still want to consider that.

I have looked into AoA for our next visit, but for now POR is cheaper for us since we would need a family suite at AoA. POR won't work for us when DS grows out of the trundle, but we will cross that bridge when we come to it.

Ohhh, I am just so happy to see you back on the Dis!!!

 

[Corrine 1973]

The Little Mermaid rooms at AoA is the farthest from the main building. When I heard that I decided that AoA was not a resort for me.

Your Disney fund is really growing

Hmmm, something to consider!

I really like your plans so far Corri... I think AoA is a great place for you to stay.

D~

AoA does sound like a great place to stay for my fun loving soon to be seven year old girl. Of course there is still so much time and I have been known to change my mind before.

OMGoodness~ how did I miss your return to the Disboards??? I am so excited to see you back, Corri! I am so jealous that you have plans in place and that you have $$$ towards your trip! I am happy for you...but jealous! So glad to see you are gonna try AoA. Can't wait to see your pictures and to see if you try the food court. I have seen blogs, etc about the menu for their food court and it all looks so delicious!

I will say about the size of POR~ the Royal rooms are in the Magnolia Bend area, which is much smaller than Alligator Bayou, so you may still want to consider that.

I have looked into AoA for our next visit, but for now POR is cheaper for us since we would need a family suite at AoA. POR won't work for us when DS grows out of the trundle, but we will cross that bridge when we come to it.

Ohhh, I am just so happy to see you back on the Dis!!!

Thank you Ooopsi, it is good to be back. I am still taking things one day at a time, but it feels good to try to start planning my trip with my DD next year. I need to really sit down and do some research in these next couple of months to see if AoA is really what I want to do. Honestly a little extra walking would be fine just to see my DD's eyes light up when she walks into her special room for the week. It will be nice once I start seeing some reviews for AoA so we now what to expect.

I will probably give Mia a few choices that I approve of and see what is her favorite. But than money does have to be a concern (doesn't it always) Hopefully a good pin comes out for that time.

Oh and I also have some good news. I had made a comment that I wanted to lose some weight when I came back from my trip in march. Well I must admite that it didn't go to far from there. I continued to eat badly and drink way to much soda. But my brother's death has opened my eyes. I need to get healthier for my sake and my childrens sake. So on May 2 I logged on to a web site called Myfitnesspal. There I track my calories, my exercise, and make friends how encourage me to keep going. As of today I have lost almost 7 pounds. My goal is to be at least another 40 lbs lighter for the trip. Wish me luck.

 

[Corrine 1973]

OK, so the more reserch I do the more confused I get about what resort to stay at. I had my heart all set on AoA, but now I am not sure. I am just so confussed.

It will definatly have to be a value or a Moderate because me budget can not even come close to how much I would need for a Deluxe. Maybe one day after I win the lottery. But than I will have my DVC and I can stay at one of the DVC resorts.

1. Pop- Stayed there in 2011 and loved it. Pros: The food court was great, the room was clean and comfortable, colorful theme that my DD would love. Cons: Only basic pools, have already stayed there and might want to try something else, does not have a fridge.

2. Art of Animation Pros: New resort, Brightly colored theme that my DD would love. Cons: The only Standard rooms are furthest from Bus stop, basic pools, possibly not available for any specials coming out.

3. All Stars (If I did it would be movies). Pros: Brightly colored themes DD would love. Cons: Not a big fan of the Themes, basic pools, heard complaints about bus service, smallest rooms for any Disney resort.

4. Port Orleans French Quarter Pros: Compact resort, Pool with a slide, hot tub, rooms have queen sized beds, had fridge. Cons: Wasn't a fan of the food court, not sure if I could afford if I don't get a pin.

5. Port Orleans River Side Pros: Looks beautiful, Mia would love the royal rooms, pool with slide, rooms have queen sized beds, has fridge, Cons: Very big resort, would need a pin to be able to afford.

6. Other Mod resorts. Don't know alot about them. Have heard some good things about them and some bad thngs about them (especially bus service.)

So I am really confused on what to do righ now. I can go with a value and maybe upgrade if I get a good pin that allows me to afford something else. But than I have the problem that what I want isno longer available. Or I can do all the reserch I can in the next month (with the help of your advice) and stay at the place I want to. Hope I get a good pin to help me afford it and do my best to be able to afford it. HELP!!

 

[oopsiDAISY]

It really is a hard choice, Corri! Just remember that whatever you choose...you will be at Disney with your little princess!!! Remember that you are really going for the parks, not necessarily the resorts. They are just a little more pixie dust sprinkled on top of an already magical vacation.

Seriously? This is called the DISboards and the pixie dust smillie is gone?!? GRRRR!!!

 

[Lidian]

Corrine ~ from what I understand ALL value resorts are getting Fridges. All of the values are 260 square feet (unless you go with a suite). You could always book a preferred (to be near the food court) and request to be close to transportation as well. I'm not sure about the bus situation for AoA, but Pop probably has better buses than the other AS resorts.

As far as the moderates go, I'd go with either the PO ones. If you choose CSR or CBR, I'd book preferred and request to be near transportation. Last I read, CBR does not have Queens, but they are supposed to eventually get them. I'm guessing that they may get it in the fall this year, but it's still technically rumor.

Regardless of where you go, if you want to be near food, book preferred. Granted, if you stay at CBR, the walk isn't bad from Aruba 51 to the food court, nor the bus stop, but it was still much further than I would have wished. However, the walk was scenic and nice. If you want/need to be near food, I may pass on AoA since the LM rooms are pretty far out. Granted, it may not be a horrid walk either, and there could be a bar at the pool to refill mugs or something.

I know that some of the value resorts have already gotten fridges (I saw an April TR that showed a fridge in her Pop room). And I did read that all values ARE getting them. I don't know about WiFi (if that's important to you).

So now, what are your new Cons now that you know fridges will be in the Values.

 

[Corrine 1973]

It really is a hard choice, Corri! Just remember that whatever you choose...you will be at Disney with your little princess!!! Remember that you are really going for the parks, not necessarily the resorts. They are just a little more pixie dust sprinkled on top of an already magical vacation.

Seriously? This is called the DISboards and the pixie dust smillie is gone?!? GRRRR!!!

You are right oopsi, I am worring to much about my resort choice when most of the time is spent at the parks. I have been doing reserch all morning and think that I have it narrowed down to two.

I found the pixie dust smilie in the more section. Do we not have the same smilies?

Corrine ~ from what I understand ALL value resorts are getting Fridges. All of the values are 260 square feet (unless you go with a suite). You could always book a preferred (to be near the food court) and request to be close to transportation as well. I'm not sure about the bus situation for AoA, but Pop probably has better buses than the other AS resorts.

I remember reading before the trip last year that Pop was large by just a couple square feet but can't seem to find it now. Maybe it was just my mind playing tricks on me for everything I am looking at today says 260 feet. I have heard alot of bad things about the buses at All Stars. Alot of the time they use the same bus and start at Sports so by the time they get to the other resorts they are quite full. I am planning on doing a prefered room if I end up doing a Value (did last year and it was great) but it will not really matter at AoA. Only Little Mermaid will have single rooms, all the rest will be suites. Or at least that is what I am reading in the few forum sites I have been reading.

As far as the moderates go, I'd go with either the PO ones. If you choose CSR or CBR, I'd book preferred and request to be near transportation. Last I read, CBR does not have Queens, but they are supposed to eventually get them. I'm guessing that they may get it in the fall this year, but it's still technically rumor.

Regardless of where you go, if you want to be near food, book preferred. Granted, if you stay at CBR, the walk isn't bad from Aruba 51 to the food court, nor the bus stop, but it was still much further than I would have wished. However, the walk was scenic and nice. If you want/need to be near food, I may pass on AoA since the LM rooms are pretty far out. Granted, it may not be a horrid walk either, and there could be a bar at the pool to refill mugs or something.

I know that some of the value resorts have already gotten fridges (I saw an April TR that showed a fridge in her Pop room). And I did read that all values ARE getting them. I don't know about WiFi (if that's important to you).

So now, what are your new Cons now that you know fridges will be in the Values.

Thanks for all the great information Liddy. I knew that Disney was talking about free Wi-Fi for all the resorts but didn't know if they implemented it yet. Did a little reserch today and they have. I didn't do alot of things online in march but I did do things on my Kindle a few times.

I didn't know about the fridges, but that is great news. Having a fridge in the room will definatly be a plus.

So where am I right now? Well for Mods I am still liking the Royal rooms at POR, though the regular rooms look nice also. I like how they have queen sized beds and little extra room (still unsure if this trip is alone or with two more people). I also think the room decorations will make Mia feel like a princess. But than the purple at POFQ would do that as well so it really depends on what discounts are given.

As for Value, I wwould havee to stay with Pop. I really loved it last time and think Mia would love it as well. I prefer the inside decorations of the Mods, but I think Mia would still like the brightly colored rooms. Plus that would give me a couple extra dollars for some extras such as BBB.

Right now I will have to say that I am leaning toward Pop. It's hard for me to spend extra money on something when I could spend less on a very nice room. Plus free Wi-Fi and a Fridge helps that decision as well.

 

[Lidian]

Corrine, your plans sound great so far! I think I'd pick POP over the other values as well. I really want to stay at POP. SO BAD. That said, I think the Royal Rooms would be amazing, and I'd be so jealous if you booked one! Your DD would flip over it! (But she'd flip at any of the resorts, regardless of what you picked -- because it's mommy-daughter time at WDW!!!!!)

Anxious to hear more!

(And I had never seen anything about Pop being bigger. Maybe someone said it felt bigger because of the decor? All the books I've ever read stated all the values were 260sq feet. And yes, the LM rooms are the only non-suites at AoA.)

 

[Corrine 1973]

Corrine, your plans sound great so far! I think I'd pick POP over the other values as well. I really want to stay at POP. SO BAD. That said, I think the Royal Rooms would be amazing, and I'd be so jealous if you booked one! Your DD would flip over it! (But she'd flip at any of the resorts, regardless of what you picked -- because it's mommy-daughter time at WDW!!!!!)

Anxious to hear more!

(And I had never seen anything about Pop being bigger. Maybe someone said it felt bigger because of the decor? All the books I've ever read stated all the values were 260sq feet. And yes, the LM rooms are the only non-suites at AoA.)

Yea some one must have lied to me because they really wanted me to stay at Pop. I had originally booked at All Stars Sports because there was nothing available in the Special I was using for Pop. I remember reading all about the diffrent values and one of the things that sold me was that Pop were a little bigger so when it opened in the special I was doing I jumped on it. I was so sure of this, but now I can't find any proof. I guess I am getting old.

So I just was on the WDW website looking at diffrent things and one of those little boxes appeared asking if I wanted to talk to someone, so I thought what the heck. So I asked when I could book my trip for next year. Here is what Bart wrote.

We book 499 days in advance and you can book a room-only reservation now by calling the Disney Reservation Center at 1-(407) 560-CHAT (2428). Then when our 2013 Magic Your Way Package is out (sometime in mid to late summer) you can call them back to book the Magic Your Way Package with your reserved room and cancel the room-only reservation

I am still thinking on waiting until the MYWP's are out, but it is good to know that I can make a room only reservation if I wanted to. The price of the room only reservation's down payment is the price of first night plus tax.

I also just bought some really cool Mickey plates and silverwear that I am planning to use for Disney Movie Nights. I will have to take a picture of them so I can show you how cool they are.

 

[oopsiDAISY]

Everything I have heard about POP has been fantastic. I agree that it sounds like it would be the best value to stay at. We stayed at ASMu in 2011. We can't stay at POP since there are 5 of us.

We enjoyed ASMu. Our room was very close to the main pool, but on the outside of the building, so we didn't have to deal with the noise of the pool late at night. We liked that. We did not enjoy the amount of cheerleaders staying the weekend we were there.

We disliked that we were NOT close to the POR main pool when we stayed there, but the resort had so many other pros that we definitely want to stay there as long as Gabe will fit on that trundle! Perhaps next time we will spring for a preferred room to get closer to the pool...

 

[Corrine 1973]

So I wanted to take a moment to point out something in my Siggy has changed. Nothing huge, just one little number. The number of oldest DS's age from 9 to 10. My little boy has officially turned double digits and I am so happy for him, though it has made me realize how quickly time flies by.

Nothing huge planned for today. He invited his best friend over for cheese burgers and fries (he chose this). For Dessert I bought ice cream cake. And than we will head of to the school for a dance hosted for the principle who is moving to a new school next year.

Tomorrow to head off to Six Flags Great America for some mother and son time. Also going to spend some time at the water park there.

 

[Lidian]

Happy Birthday to Liam!