How is a Disney Trip Like a Writing Desk: A PTR through Wonderland UPDATED: 9/18/10

[If U Had Wings]

I think POP is a great choice for the two of you. I really liked the grounds there when I went visiting on my December trip. It had been my first choice for that trip, but I gave up my ressie there to take advantage of the better deal at Sports. I've heard they've started renovating POP rooms with flat screen tvs recently. Just remember the past few years they've been randomly upgrading people to OKW from POP during free dining. It wouldn't be the Poly, but you never know about an upgrade.

Do you think the bus lines are going to bother him at all? I never minded the lines in the morning, but some of those night lines could be a bit crazy. I'd definitely budget in some cab money. I'd hate to see him develop a hatred for the parks because of the buses.

 

[Tinkerbellarella]

I've heard they've started renovating POP rooms with flat screen tvs recently.

That's true. I've seen pics of the renovated room and the furniture is less bulky and there are flat screens. Smaller than what's at the deluxe properties but very nice.

Just remember the past few years they've been randomly upgrading people to OKW from POP during free dining. It wouldn't be the Poly, but you never know about an upgrade.

I'm not 100% sure I'd care for that. For some reason that resort doesn't speak to me in the least, you know? But an upgrade is an upgrade and I'm not going to turn down any room in the World.

Do you think the bus lines are going to bother him at all? I never minded the lines in the morning, but some of those night lines could be a bit crazy. I'd definitely budget in some cab money. I'd hate to see him develop a hatred for the parks because of the buses.

Likely, no. We'll have cash on us if it's that bad but, given that it's just the two of us and when it comes to stuff like that we usually have patience in spades, I'm not too worried. It might be jumping ahead a bit, but we have some time scheduled to return to the room so that we're not totally overwhelmed at the end of the evenings. I think warning him ahead of time makes the difference too.

That has always been a big sell for me in terms of staying at the monorail resorts, particularly the Poly. There are SO many ways to get "home" other than say, just the resort loop or the direct bus. You can take a bus to the TTC and walk. You could monorail it to the GF and walk.

And we simply may luck out. When Missy and I went (albeit a week later than this trip) during FD in 2008, we almost never waited more than 25 minutes for a bus/monorail at park closing. Schools are in session, so the promo attendance seems to be lower anyway, and this year seems to be particularly slow. All the values still have FD availability. I think the results of the economy and the pull of the masses over to US/IOA for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter are starting to show.

All that to say...

I'm not going to worry too much about it. We'll have a back-up plan. Let go, and let God.

 

[GaRain]

dear joss whedon,
please create another vampire/demon/tall, dark and soul-less loving series (that doesn't suck). Or just bring back buffy.
Thank you,
tinkerbellarella

amen!!!

 

[All7OfUs]

My DH and your BF sound a lot alike in so many ways. Mine takes a lot of convincing too in all things Disney, and I think if he were to ever go back again, it'd only be to make me happy. Also, the whole warning thing.... Takes like mentioning something a zillion times, and warming him up to new ideas for a long time for him to "get on board" with anything. I guess it's a know before you go mentality??

 

[Tinkerbellarella]

My DH and your BF sound a lot alike in so many ways. Mine takes a lot of convincing too in all things Disney, and I think if he were to ever go back again, it'd only be to make me happy. Also, the whole warning thing.... Takes like mentioning something a zillion times, and warming him up to new ideas for a long time for him to "get on board" with anything. I guess it's a know before you go mentality??

I have this theory, about men? Yeah. Particularly my man, such that if my dialogue does not include one or more of the following words or phrases, I'll likely have to repeat myself, at minimum, three times:

*bacon
*football
*mold
*paintball/airsoft
*steakhouse
*Dory threw up in your flip flops again
*Powerball
*UFC
*bee
*chocolate
*blow stuff up
*OUCH (NOTE: this one may also need to be accompanied by either whimpering or tears or, if I'm in another room, followed up by: "Babe, do you think this needs stitches/a cast/surgical tape/a rabies shot?")

Craziness. And yet all this does is make me love him that much more.

 

[If U Had Wings]

I had to laugh about the inclusion of bacon on your list. That is so true. I've yet to meet the man who doesn't have a compulsive desire to add bacon to just about anything. Are they all bred to crave that or what?

 

[Tinkerbellarella]

I had to laugh about the inclusion of bacon on your list. That is so true. I've yet to meet the man who doesn't have a compulsive desire to add bacon to just about anything. Are they all bred to crave that or what?

BF calls bacon "the candy of meats". He will eat it any time, any way. Including chocolate covered. Yes, he's tried it and no, I'm sadly, not kidding.

 

[If U Had Wings]

BF calls bacon "the candy of meats". He will eat it any time, any way. Including chocolate covered. Yes, he's tried it and no, I'm sadly, not kidding.

I don't think I can find the words to say how much this turns my stomach. I hopw you didn't have to witness the eating of chocolate covered bacon.

 

[Tinkerbellarella]

I don't think I can find the words to say how much this turns my stomach. I hopw you didn't have to witness the eating of chocolate covered bacon.

I didn't. He did it in the kitchen at work. They love him there. They'll make him anything.

 

[pooh'smate]

Well I thought I had subscribed to your ptr but I guess I hadn't. Well I am here now. You can check out POP for me. We are staying there on our trip and I am worried about the bed. We too have a queen and could use a king. I, like TK, would love to have dd sleep with dh so I could have the bed to myself and like TK again, she will end up with me and my dh will get the bed to himself. I hope you get all your room requests. Looking forward to more updates.

 

[Tinkerbellarella]

Well I thought I had subscribed to your ptr but I guess I hadn't.

This has happened to me now on two other TRs/PTRs so no worries. Welcome!

You can check out POP for me. We are staying there on our trip and I am worried about the bed. We too have a queen and could use a king. I, like TK, would love to have dd sleep with dh so I could have the bed to myself and like TK again, she will end up with me and my dh will get the bed to himself.

I've stayed there before and can outright and honestly tell you that the room would be small for a family of 4. Not tiny but you'd all be in each other's space at one time or another. For 3, more comfortable. For two adults, and adult and a child (or even two kids), or a solo traveler, they're fine.

My gripe with the room size, if one could call it a gripe, is that there is only one sink vanity, not two. However, BF and I have the tiniest of tiny bathrooms at home, so we're used to sharing and being all up in each other's personal space.

 

[Pollito916]

BF calls bacon "the candy of meats". He will eat it any time, any way. Including chocolate covered. Yes, he's tried it and no, I'm sadly, not kidding.

There's no puking smilie - this is the closest I could find

That said - my DH would probably try it too. And I'm pretty sure my son would LOVE it, if I let him try it. That sounds like a good father-son activity.

 

[Tinkerbellarella]

"I need a pig here! I love a warm pig belly for my aching feet." ~ The Red Queen

That would be me. In the back. With a question. Or three.

This won't be your full update for the week. That's coming sometime later. But we were musing some transportation options and I'm looking for some input from all my intelligent, witty, smart, beautiful, Disney-wise readers.

Buttering you up? NO. NEVER.



So, transportation question #1:

Southwest Airlines is now offering an early bird service that allows you to check in for your flight not 24 hours in advance but 36. It's $10 per ticket each way. Have any of you used this? We would likely only consider it for the flight down as it would be a hassle for the flight back and really, when you're leaving Disney, who cares where you sit on the plane. EVERYTHING is sad at that point.

While I wouldn't pay OOP for this, we happen to have a $66 credit with SW, so I don't mind so much. Thoughts?

It may also help to know that I am normally up with the birds the day before the flight to get us all checked in and ready to go. We usually end up in the first group of 5-10 people to get on the plane. When TK and I went in May, I was the FIRST person on the plane. I can be a little anal about being in Boarding Group A on my flight down. Weird? Yes.

I'm just not certain about how many people would realistically be taking advantage of this and whether or not it's really worth the $20.

Transportation query letter B:

The plan, as it stands, is to use ME for our transportation to/from the airport.

Yes, ME, for a value, during FD.



Now stop that. I'm SO lured by the thought of someone else handling my luggage once I hand it over in Providence. SO LURED. If I thought I could get away with just having my luggage take ME while we took a cab, I'd do it. But I play by the rules and you aren't supposed to do that. Plus, Disney knows all and I have a feeling (NOBlackEyedPeas) that if I "cheated" our luggage would go the way of the DoDo.

Also, we have the first flight of the day, so we're scheduled to arrive in Orlando at or around 10 a.m. While I'm sure there will be a crowd, I think it will be slightly advantageous that an entire day's worth of travelers won't have come in. KWIM? We won't be in a superhuge hurry, so there's that.

Also? I'm feeling cheap about the whole transfer thing.

BUT

We want to have our own water and some cereal in the room. And I don't want to pack it. And I'm clueless about the cost of shipping it myself (though I did get a price through Amazon for a 24pk of water and 12 cereal cups for $55 with shipping). So, I was thinking of booking a car service one-way so that we could stop at a store and pick that up. In reality, though, I think that will be more expensive than the shipping option since the car will be about $80 one-way PLUS the cost of the groceries.

If anyone has any experience with the shipping option, please chime in. I'm 75% convinced that that's what we want to do. I'm kind of curious to see what it's like.

Finally, I've never used ME before. I know there are horror stories, but for every one of them, there's probably 10 or 20 or 100 people who've had no problem. We'll either be wearing our park clothes or packing them in our carry-on and, like I mentioned above, aren't afraid of a little wait.

If you do have general experience with ME and can spare me anymore horror stories, please share!

Finally, non-transportation question I just remembered #I:

For those of you who have used the online resort check-in service, can you let me know how that works? Do they take into consideration the room requests on the reservation? How does it work when you arrive? What's your overall feel of the whole thing?

Ok, I think that covers the small trip-related crises playing ping pong in my head at the moment. ALL input is welcomed.

 

[Tinkerbellarella]

There's no puking smilie - this is the closest I could find

That's how I feel too. He assures me it's fantastic.

That said - my DH would probably try it too. And I'm pretty sure my son would LOVE it, if I let him try it. That sounds like a good father-son activity.

What is it with boys and their bizarre gastrointestinal adventures???

 

[Lady Lallie]

I have used the early bird check in for both the way down and the way up and I LOVE IT.

In May 2009, my mom & I got stuck in the very back of the plane and I HATED it. It took forever and a day to get off the plane and I was so over traveling at that point.

So I used it in January so that didn't happen again. Plus the times of my flight to check in 24 hours before always seem to be when I'm commuting to work and I like to be as close to first on the plane as possible.

Now for our upcoming trip in September, for right now I'm not paying for the way to Orlando because I will be able to do the check in from home since I'm not working the day before we leave. I might change my mind when it gets closer but right now I'm saving us the $20. I'm without a doubt doing it for the way home though. I do not want to be in the back of the plan, nor do I want to sit away from Marc. I think Marc would have a panic attack if I wasn't able to sit next to him on the plane...me...I might like it. But I don't want to hear about it after the flight.

Wow. Can I rant or what?

So, DO IT. That is my opinion.

I have had ZERO bad experiences on Magical Express. I've used it my last three trips. I think it's a great money saving option. Just pack some extra clothes in your carry on and you'll be fine.

Plus it's Disney. If your luggage goes missing, they will make it right.

 

[jenjolt]

If I had the option of choosing my seats first I would so go for it!! Actually I might be flying Southwest for the first time in October (first time flying to Disney for me) so I will most likely take that option so I can be one of the first ones on and first ones off!! The less time on a plane for me the better!!

Another option you might consider is Garden Grocer or a grocery delivery service! I'm not sure how much they run or if they have a minimal amount, but it is something I will definitely be looking into for future trips! If not I think the shipping option sounds the best and I have had friends who have done it with absolutely no problem at all!

 

[Pollito916]

For SW - I heard some co-workers saying the other day that for about $20 per ticket, you can upgrade and get an automatic A without having to check-in online at exactly 24 hours ahead...I haven't done it myself yet though. I should probably check their website.

As for ME, I've never used it. We always rent a car b/c DH is too controlling and hated the buses the one time we took them.

And sadly, I haven't been back to WDW since they started the online check-in. Though I did go to DL twice, so I'm not totally deprived.

 

[Tinkerbellarella]

I have used the early bird check in for both the way down and the way up and I LOVE IT.
...
Now for our upcoming trip in September, for right now I'm not paying for the way to Orlando because I will be able to do the check in from home since I'm not working the day before we leave.

See, this is what I'm thinking. I like the idea of it, but I'm home the day before we leave and can easily be up to check in for a 7a.m. flight, KWIM? I may wait and make it a last minute decision.

I'm without a doubt doing it for the way home though. I do not want to be in the back of the plane, nor do I want to sit away from Marc.

The more I think about it, the more I might do it for the way home. This is a little bit of a spoiler, but the 24 hour window will fall in the middle of our dinner at Epicot. If I threw the other 12 hours in, I'd be able to get up and check us in in the morning. Hmm... :

Thanks for getting those wheels turning LL! I had it backwards!!!

I have had ZERO bad experiences on Magical Express. I've used it my last three trips. I think it's a great money saving option. Just pack some extra clothes in your carry on and you'll be fine.

Plus it's Disney. If your luggage goes missing, they will make it right.

Thanks, that put me at ease a bit.

If I had the option of choosing my seats first I would so go for it!! Actually I might be flying Southwest for the first time in October (first time flying to Disney for me) so I will most likely take that option so I can be one of the first ones on and first ones off!! The less time on a plane for me the better!!

You can't actually choose your seats in advance, it just gets you a better position in line to choose a seat once you're on the plane.

Another option you might consider is Garden Grocer or a grocery delivery service! I'm not sure how much they run or if they have a minimal amount, but it is something I will definitely be looking into for future trips! If not I think the shipping option sounds the best and I have had friends who have done it with absolutely no problem at all!

I found a great thread (thanks to TK) on the Resorts board about shipping to the resort, specifically shipping water, and using things like wegoshop and Garden Grocer. I'll definitely be foregoing the car service at this point since these services trump in terms of price.

If anyone would like me to post the threads that I found, let me know!

For SW - I heard some co-workers saying the other day that for about $20 per ticket, you can upgrade and get an automatic A without having to check-in online at exactly 24 hours ahead...I haven't done it myself yet though. I should probably check their website.

They don't have it quite right. I believe they are confusing two things:

1. SW's Business Class ticket - it guarantees you an A boarding section, usually as one of the first 15 people on the plane (if there are no Business Class people travelling than the person with A16 is the first person to board - that was me in May). It also gets you a cocktail and...something else, maybe? It was MUCH more expensive ($345 each way v. $124-$157 each way for our tix).

2. Early Bird Check-in - it would be $20 RT and while it doesn't guarantee the A group (it's in the fine print) you're pretty likely to get it.

 

[Tinkerbellarella]

Just a wee bit more info. on the whole shipping/food order situation...

Garden Grocer will deliver the water we'd want, two boxes of cereal and bananas ( ) for $30 with the delivery charge! I think that'll be the way we'll go.

 

[ZZUB]

I don't know how I ended up over here. Except someone gave me a tip that there were a few of my friends lurking around these parts.

I couldn't find any of them.

But your PTR, struck me as amusing. And I actually have some thoughts on your ME question. It doesn't suck. It's not horrible. And it can't be beat for the price. It has two things going for it: 1. It's free. 2. It is VERY nice to drop off your bags and not have to wait for them at MCO. 3. It's also free.

I just read an excellent thread on this over on the transportation board. I think the poster's name is Goofy4Tink and she kind of hit the nail on the head: while it does take somewhere around an hour to get from your plane to your resort, it takes equally as long to take a car or rent a car when you consider the time spent waiting on your bags and walking to your preferrred mode of transportation. However, if you opt for non-ME travel, you kind of keep moving and so it probably feels faster (that part is my own analysis).