Help....Official December 2015??

[squeegee]

Jen55:
I know that they can change reservations to add discounts if they come out. They should be able to refund you a difference. There are some things about room only to package changes that require rebooking, but I haven't done it, so I don't know the finer points. There are probably other threads on the board that are dedicated to that sort of thing.

 

[Jenn55]

Thanx. I'll take a look around. I'm hoping the free dinning isn't the same dates next year as it is this year or it won't happen when I'm planning on being there! The week before and the week after but not my week! So hopefully it changes!

 

[squeegee]

I don't know that the dates change all that much, but it would be worth researching what the dates were the past few years. It could save you a chunk of cash if you shift your dates. Would have to do the math, but that's one of the benefits of being so far out.

 

[Jenn55]

I'm actually looking at that now. Because you can't look at December 2015 yet, I'm looking at December and November 2014, but I'm shifting my dates. Like I was looking at dec 1-9th, but next year the 1st is a different day of the week then this year obviously, so I'm shifting my dates so I look at the 2-10th so the days of the week stay the same, as I know prices tend to be higher for weekends and that way I can try and get the closest possible price at the moment to how much it's gonna cost later. It is nice to be so far out and have so much time to move things around. When I started planning for our jan 2014 trip, I originally looked in April 2013 but didn't really start to buckle down till August when I knew I had both passports done and even then I didn't do my airfare till October. And I got all my ADR's i wanted , but this time around I have a timer set for 190 days at 10 min before 6am so I can get all my papers together and be ready to go right at 6am when I can reserve them! My second option is November 11-19th 2015, I'm hoping to do it around MVMCP, the Candlelight processional in Epcot and the Osbourne lights in HS - that was the on,y one we were able to make it to back in January. So I'm really hoping it stays around for 2015 cause it was amazing.

 

[squeegee]

I'm hoping the feee dining doesn't change dates too much. I really want to stay in a royal room, though, which will probably be excluded anyhow. Keeping my fingers crossed that the pins continue coming.

 

[Jenn55]

I'm hoping for a pin as well.. I've started making lists of possible dinning locations and alternate dates as well see how it goes!

 

[squeegee]

I know that nobody knows how the pin system works, but do folks keep getting pins even after they've booked?
I've got a disney TA friend who says yes, but would like more assurance. I'd like to hear from folks who have gotten usable pins after booking.
I'd love to book early, but don't want disney to say "we've already got her money, why send a discount? Bwaaa haaaa haa haaaa."

 

[Jenn55]

I know that nobody knows how the pin system works, but do folks keep getting pins even after they've booked? I've got a disney TA friend who says yes, but would like more assurance. I'd like to hear from folks who have gotten usable pins after booking. I'd love to book early, but don't want disney to say "we've already got her money, why send a discount? Bwaaa haaaa haa haaaa."

I may have gotten one, I honestly can't remember, but I do know it got a crap load the first like 2 months after I got back. And I was like nooo I can't use it yet. I'm hoping for some to come in!

 

[Kristin5]

Can I join in?

We're planning a WDW trip for December 2015. We're coming from Australia and previously have only been to DL (several times), but are looking forward to experiencing all that WDW has to offer. Because we are travelling so far, we are planning a 2 week stay in Orlando (also going to Denver, Washington and NY).

At the moment, we are thinking of staying at Pop Century, as going by this year's dates, we'd be able to get free dining. We will be there from December 15 to December 29 - can't wait to see Disney at Christmas (but a bit worried about crowds!) Another option is renting points at AKL, but I have read that these go really fast and need to be booked 11 months out. I don't think we'd be ready to book then, as free dining at Pop Century works out cheaper for us (only if we get the free dining though - hotel only would be cheaper renting points at AKL), so is probably our preference. But not sure when free dining specials are released?

There are 3 of us - me, my husband and our son who will be 9. He knows all about the planned trip and has been pouring over the maps for months!

 

[squeegee]

Howdy!
The first/last/only time we've been to the world was right after Christmas 2008, until after New Years 2009. We were there 10 days. I don't remember the crowds being all that bad, but I'm sure things have changed.
As much as is like to stay at AK some day, I worry about how far out it is. We'll be on disney transport. I guess the busses can be terrible or great anywhere, though.

 

[Jenn55]

Can I join in? We're planning a WDW trip for December 2015. We're coming from Australia and previously have only been to DL (several times), but are looking forward to experiencing all that WDW has to offer. Because we are travelling so far, we are planning a 2 week stay in Orlando (also going to Denver, Washington and NY). At the moment, we are thinking of staying at Pop Century, as going by this year's dates, we'd be able to get free dining. We will be there from December 15 to December 29 - can't wait to see Disney at Christmas (but a bit worried about crowds!) Another option is renting points at AKL, but I have read that these go really fast and need to be booked 11 months out. I don't think we'd be ready to book then, as free dining at Pop Century works out cheaper for us (only if we get the free dining though - hotel only would be cheaper renting points at AKL), so is probably our preference. But not sure when free dining specials are released? There are 3 of us - me, my husband and our son who will be 9. He knows all about the planned trip and has been pouring over the maps for months!

Certainly join in! I dont want to be there for Xmas, so I was looking at dec 1-9th, moving over to universal the 9-13th, but now I'm thinking of doing 2 trips, the 1-13 at disney then maybe universal in 2016. But if the past few years have been any indication, I'll miss out on both promotions, but I rather not deal with the crowds over Xmas. I'm budgeting for dinning and full rack rates but hoping for a deal!

 

[Kristin5]

Squeegee, I hope crowds are low like you remember them! I was reading the unofficial guide and it was saying that the busiest time is the 2 weeks after Christmas - this was enough to scare me into changing our dates (originally we were planning December 23rd to January 6th), and the lucky bonus is that this way we (hopefully) get free dining.

We were planning on going to the Mickey Christmas party, but I read that it's not necessary if you are there Christmas week, because they have the special fireworks and parade then anyway, as part of your usual ticket.

Our 10th wedding anniversary is on NYE, which we were going to celebrate at WDW (now we will be in Washington DC instead).

Jenn, the free dining really wins me over. From what I've worked out, it is worth around $1400 to us, and with DS being a very fussy eater, I can rest easy without thinking of all the money he is wasting when he refuses/hardly eats anything! Also, with our dates, at least we'll have over a week before Christmas, when crowds aren't at their peak.

We are planning on fitting in 1 day in Universal (a tour where they pick up from WDW hotels) and another day at Kennedy Space Center. I don't think 1 day at Universal will be enough, but think it is all we can spare. I have already worked out a rough itinerary (my family and friends all think I am nuts, planning ahead so early - but a lot of the fun for me is in the planning!)

Another thing I am worried about is the weather - we will have to pack warm clothes, which takes up so much room in the suitcases. And we need to have enough room for Christmas presents! LOL

 

[Jenn55]

Squeegee, I hope crowds are low like you remember them! I was reading the unofficial guide and it was saying that the busiest time is the 2 weeks after Christmas - this was enough to scare me into changing our dates (originally we were planning December 23rd to January 6th), and the lucky bonus is that this way we (hopefully) get free dining. We were planning on going to the Mickey Christmas party, but I read that it's not necessary if you are there Christmas week, because they have the special fireworks and parade then anyway, as part of your usual ticket. Our 10th wedding anniversary is on NYE, which we were going to celebrate at WDW (now we will be in Washington DC instead). Jenn, the free dining really wins me over. From what I've worked out, it is worth around $1400 to us, and with DS being a very fussy eater, I can rest easy without thinking of all the money he is wasting when he refuses/hardly eats anything! We are planning on fitting in 1 day in Universal (a tour where they pick up from WDW hotels) and another day at Kennedy Space Center. I don't think 1 day at Universal will be enough, but think it is all we can spare. I have already worked out a rough itinerary (my family and friends all think I am nuts, planning ahead so early - but a lot of the fun for me is in the planning!) Another thing I am worried about is the weather - we will have to pack warm clothes, which takes up so much room in the suitcases. And we need to have enough room for Christmas presents! LOL

When we went in January, 2014 we did 2 days at the park and it wasn't really all that long to be honest. And there was only 1 harry potter section at the time and DS is a huge harry potter fan, We've had to practically ban the last 2 books as he keeps trying to sneak them into the house from the school library, he's only 8.5! And I told him he's too young for the darker parts the later novels. My sons very picky as well and were only going to be saving like 40$ if we do the plan verses paying out of pocket, so I'm hoping for free dinning but not getting my hopes up. We were there the 2-11th of January and it wasn't as busy as I imagined especially after the first few days. There were still decorations and we made it just intime for the Osbourne family lights which was a massively amazing experience. But I have their weird Xmas lights thing.. I love them. I was extremely disappointed in the weather in January. We left the house at 2am for a 6.30 flight and I checked the weather literally 30 min before we left to make sure I didn't have to repack. It told me nothing less then 15 Celsius the entire time. Well.. The only pants and sweaters we had where the ones we wore from toronto on the plane.. It was 6 degrees both days we went to universal and my son was incredibly unimpressed with me! He didn't enjoy himself as much as he would have because of the lack of warm clothing. But then again in toronto at the same time they were having -40 celcius so I guess I shouldn't complain to much! We did Kennedy when I went with my parents 13 years ago, I was 15 and I loved it but I'm a space junkie lol, it's a good time tho! I've already started planning but haven't told anyone yet, our last trip was a surprise Xmas present for my son so e and majority of the family didn't know until Xmas day when he opened it. This time I'm gonna wait until like oct to tell him!

 

[squeegee]

The visit we had wasn't cold, with the exception of the fireworks cruise we did at night (froze our tushies off!) Most of the time, I wore jeans and a T-shirt, and sometimes a hoodie. No sweaters, long johns, or hats, even.
Hoping for much the same next year. I think Florida weather tends to run similar to our texas weather, but they've got more rain.

 

[Kristin5]

When we went in January, 2014 we did 2 days at the park and it wasn't really all that long to be honest. And there was only 1 harry potter section at the time and DS is a huge harry potter fan, We've had to practically ban the last 2 books as he keeps trying to sneak them into the house from the school library, he's only 8.5! And I told him he's too young for the darker parts the later novels. My sons very picky as well and were only going to be saving like 40$ if we do the plan verses paying out of pocket, so I'm hoping for free dinning but not getting my hopes up. We were there the 2-11th of January and it wasn't as busy as I imagined especially after the first few days. There were still decorations and we made it just intime for the Osbourne family lights which was a massively amazing experience. But I have their weird Xmas lights thing.. I love them. I was extremely disappointed in the weather in January. We left the house at 2am for a 6.30 flight and I checked the weather literally 30 min before we left to make sure I didn't have to repack. It told me nothing less then 15 Celsius the entire time. Well.. The only pants and sweaters we had where the ones we wore from toronto on the plane.. It was 6 degrees both days we went to universal and my son was incredibly unimpressed with me! He didn't enjoy himself as much as he would have because of the lack of warm clothing. But then again in toronto at the same time they were having -40 celcius so I guess I shouldn't complain to much! We did Kennedy when I went with my parents 13 years ago, I was 15 and I loved it but I'm a space junkie lol, it's a good time tho! I've already started planning but haven't told anyone yet, our last trip was a surprise Xmas present for my son so e and majority of the family didn't know until Xmas day when he opened it. This time I'm gonna wait until like oct to tell him!

My son (turns 8 in October) isn't into Harry Potter at all (and DH and I haven't seen the movies/read the books either) and I am thinking that I won't introduce him to it because then he might want to go to that section, but we won't have time! LOL Bad mum, I am! This way, we should be able to see all we want to see at Universal in the limited time we have (and from what I gather, the crowds will be at Harry Potter).

I love Christmas lights too! Lights are not very popular here in Oz (with only a handful of houses in every street being decorated - and then, not very well) but I lived in Canada for 1 year, and have wonderful memories of a white Christmas with each and every house lit up! I will have to research what you are referring to with the Osbourne Family lights...

And I hope it isn't as cold as when you were there in January! 6 degrees is freezing, for us. A really cold day for us here is 9-10 degrees (which we had yesterday!) - I was thinking Florida would be around 18 - 20 degrees during the day at Christmas time.

We are all 'space junkies' too, so very much looking forward to Kennedy Space Center. Looking to maybe do a combined tour with the Everglades included (but not sure if DS will go for that - he's not one for fast rides so the airboat thing might not suit him).

Good on you for being able to keep the secret - I would find it impossible! I am so excited, I just keep blabbing about it! These 18 months will go soooooo slow (lucky we have a South Pacific cruise booked for October, so I have something to look forward to in the meantime).

 

[Kristin5]

The visit we had wasn't cold, with the exception of the fireworks cruise we did at night (froze our tushies off!) Most of the time, I wore jeans and a T-shirt, and sometimes a hoodie. No sweaters, long johns, or hats, even.
Hoping for much the same next year. I think Florida weather tends to run similar to our texas weather, but they've got more rain.

That weather, I could deal with! I was planning on jeans and t-shirts with a hoodie for night (of course, we'll need jackets and scarves for NY, Washington and Denver though). But with global warming supposedly happening maybe it'll be closer to 30 degrees Celsius in FL next December!

 

[Jenn55]

My son (turns 8 in October) isn't into Harry Potter at all (and DH and I haven't seen the movies/read the books either) and I am thinking that I won't introduce him to it because then he might want to go to that section, but we won't have time! LOL Bad mum, I am! This way, we should be able to see all we want to see at Universal in the limited time we have (and from what I gather, the crowds will be at Harry Potter). I love Christmas lights too! Lights are not very popular here in Oz (with only a handful of houses in every street being decorated - and then, not very well) but I lived in Canada for 1 year, and have wonderful memories of a white Christmas with each and every house lit up! I will have to research what you are referring to with the Osbourne Family lights... And I hope it isn't as cold as when you were there in January! 6 degrees is freezing, for us. A really cold day for us here is 9-10 degrees (which we had yesterday!) - I was thinking Florida would be around 18 - 20 degrees during the day at Christmas time. We are all 'space junkies' too, so very much looking forward to Kennedy Space Center. Looking to maybe do a combined tour with the Everglades included (but not sure if DS will go for that - he's not one for fast rides so the airboat thing might not suit him). Good on you for being able to keep the secret - I would find it impossible! I am so excited, I just keep blabbing about it! These 18 months will go soooooo slow (lucky we have a South Pacific cruise booked for October, so I have something to look forward to in the meantime).

Most of the crowds will be with harry potter more then likely. My sons anti rollercoaster and I may have fibbed a bit for some of the rides at both parks and said they were fast roller slater to get him on them.. Bad mum indeed lol, he wasn't impressed with me. He loved the transformers one, went on it twice and I had to persuade him 3 times want gonna happen! The line was just too long at that point. We keep our lights up all year around and just don't plug them in cause it's easier.. But I also go haywire with them in the house too! Check out the wdwinfo.com - under events, click on Christmas and it will show u the Osbourne lights and the history of them. Their at Hollywood studios, unusually until jan 5th or 6th. We went the day after we landed and my son was tired and I was like nope we ain't leaving till mummy's got her light fix! It was the thing I was looking forward to the most, that and the Main Street electrical parade at magic kingdom. 6 degrees is cold for us as well, I mean it's no -40 but when ur told by the weather channel 15-20 and it shows up at 6.. It's not pleasant. And to make it worse Sunday we went to animal kingdom and it was 29, sunny.. Gorgeous... Monday at universal.. 6.. I was not impressed! But I heard from some locals it was a chiller January then normal so I'm hoping for warm weather in December!

 

[Jenn55]

That weather, I could deal with! I was planning on jeans and t-shirts with a hoodie for night (of course, we'll need jackets and scarves for NY, Washington and Denver though). But with global warming supposedly happening maybe it'll be closer to 30 degrees Celsius in FL next December!

The weather isn't bad as long as ur dressed for it and prepared, we went with just shorts and tshiets and on,y had 1 pair of jeans and 1 sweater each so it wasn't pleasant. But I think as long as ur prepared it shouldn't be too bad.

 

[Kristin5]

Most of the crowds will be with harry potter more then likely. My sons anti rollercoaster and I may have fibbed a bit for some of the rides at both parks and said they were fast roller slater to get him on them.. Bad mum indeed lol, he wasn't impressed with me. He loved the transformers one, went on it twice and I had to persuade him 3 times want gonna happen! The line was just too long at that point. We keep our lights up all year around and just don't plug them in cause it's easier.. But I also go haywire with them in the house too! Check out the wdwinfo.com - under events, click on Christmas and it will show u the Osbourne lights and the history of them. Their at Hollywood studios, unusually until jan 5th or 6th. We went the day after we landed and my son was tired and I was like nope we ain't leaving till mummy's got her light fix! It was the thing I was looking forward to the most, that and the Main Street electrical parade at magic kingdom. 6 degrees is cold for us as well, I mean it's no -40 but when ur told by the weather channel 15-20 and it shows up at 6.. It's not pleasant. And to make it worse Sunday we went to animal kingdom and it was 29, sunny.. Gorgeous... Monday at universal.. 6.. I was not impressed! But I heard from some locals it was a chiller January then normal so I'm hoping for warm weather in December!

Your son sounds a lot like mine...fussy eater, hates roller coasters (I lie to him too, to get him on roller coasters!) And mine loved the transformers ride at
Universal LA last year. He is now looking forward to the spiderman ride, which I showed him on YouTube yesterday. He doesn't like the Simpsons, because even though he knows it's just a screen, to him it still feels like a roller coaster).

Will definitely check out about the lights - another thing that DS will like too (DH, not so much!). But for now, best get to bed. Good night! (It's half past 12 here).

 

[Kristin5]

Oops, I lied, I just had to check out about the lights before I went to bed and all I can say is WOW! Cannot wait to see that display in person!