I said we wouldn't do Disney again. I lied. April Vacation - 4 Days Left! 4/17

[Steppesister]

I think I'll jump on in and hang out...

I have a ton going on today, as we leave for 3 days tomorrow, but promise I'll be back to read as I can.

I saw the term Newbie... WELCOME to the Boards!

 

[SarahDisney]

Wow, that's a great discount - awesome!
I think you're right about Memory Maker being the difference - you may have been quoted the price without Memory Maker on the phone. I can see why it's bothering you, but I'd definitely say don't look a gift horse in the mouth.

But seriously ... that's a great discount!

 

[TheLittleKatie]

Love the Alex and Ani bracelets you got for Christmas! They're really pretty. I got the silver Cinderella castle Alex and Ani from WDW, but there are a lot of nice ones, you'll be so spoiled for choice when you get there

And I bet that was a GREAT Christmas surprise - making all that money back on your package!! So, did you book your trip, then just call Disney to switch to the offer? Our offers are different here in the UK, we booked with '4 nights free' which equalled about 30% off, but if a better offer comes out do you think we'll be able to switch?! 30% off is still great, but I think last year we got between 35-40% off

I hope you all had a great Christmas!

 

[ursalita]

I think I'll jump on in and hang out...

I have a ton going on today, as we leave for 3 days tomorrow, but promise I'll be back to read as I can.

I saw the term Newbie... WELCOME to the Boards!

Thanks for dropping by and for the welcome.

Wow, that's a great discount - awesome!
I think you're right about Memory Maker being the difference - you may have been quoted the price without Memory Maker on the phone. I can see why it's bothering you, but I'd definitely say don't look a gift horse in the mouth.

But seriously ... that's a great discount!

You're right, it's a great discount and I don't want to minimize it. I just like numbers and when they don't add up right it bugs me. I think I'll let this one go and just be happy we saved so much $$.

Love the Alex and Ani bracelets you got for Christmas! They're really pretty. I got the silver Cinderella castle Alex and Ani from WDW, but there are a lot of nice ones, you'll be so spoiled for choice when you get there

And I bet that was a GREAT Christmas surprise - making all that money back on your package!! So, did you book your trip, then just call Disney to switch to the offer? Our offers are different here in the UK, we booked with '4 nights free' which equalled about 30% off, but if a better offer comes out do you think we'll be able to switch?! 30% off is still great, but I think last year we got between 35-40% off

I hope you all had a great Christmas!

Thank you! I love them, too. I'm not one to wear a lot of jewelry but after a few days of wearing these I love the sound they make.

It was an amazing surprise! I booked the trip in November right after I got the flights. I knew the flights would be difficult to book because of the April school break here. I ended up with flights that weren't ideal (boys will miss one day of school) but were priced significantly better. Then I booked our hotel hoping that there would be some discounts offered later on. I was assured that I could apply any future discounts to that reservation and I'd done the same last trip when I gambled on free dining but didn't win. I got a room discount instead.

Calling Disney today was a little weird because the representative didn't say for sure we'd get a discount, just said it was based on availability. Then she gave me a new price but never said what discount we received so I'm not sure if I got 30% or 35% or some other number. I'm kind of a numbers gal so I wish I could run the numbers but I'm not really sure what we got since there was also a 1-day free park ticket deal, too.

But to answer your question, yes. From my experience Disney will apply any future discounts to your existing reservation as long as there is availability. I didn't understand that at first but they must make only a certain number of discounts available. I think I lucked out because we booked YC. I think there were fewer discounts available for other resorts.

We had a great Christmas, thank you. I hope you had a great Christmas, Katie.

 

[ashw100]

Glad you got your discount. The numbers definitely do not add up. They upped the MM price to 169 so I am not sure if you purchased it before it was raised a few weeks ago. I went online and did the prices that way I would know what the numbers were. Maybe you want to check. They screwed up my package originally and my TA had to go back and fix it later in the day. This is my third experience booking on a discount day and it has been kind of a mess. Even still you are saving a lot of money so it all works out in the end, right?

 

[Steppesister]

I've been lurking on here for awhile and thought it would be fun to try a PTR. I'm absolutely obsessed with planning this trip so I'm going to channel some of that into this report. I hope I do this right.

I am Colleen, the planner of the family. My DH is Jamie, he tolerates my obsession but he has a really good time on our trips. DS Aidan will be 9 and this will be his 4th trip, DS Sam will be 6 and this will be his 3rd trip. Here we are last October:



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You're a lovely family, and it's lovely to have just-as-obsessed company to hang out with!!

 

[Steppesister]

I've been reading through these boards quite a bit in preparation for the trip. One of the things I've been doing is making a list of things we haven't experienced yet that we are going to try to do this time. Here's my top 10 (in no particular order):

1. Hall of Presidents
2. PhilharMagic
3. Turtle Talk
4. Main Street Electrical Parade
5. Fantasmic
6. Illuminations
7. Rope Drop at all parks (or any park)
8. Animation Station
9. Jedi Training
10. Test Track

Looking at this list I can't believe we've been 3 times as a family and haven't experienced some of these things.

Those are all awesome offerings! The only one we've not done is the Jedi Training, but we don't have little ones that are super interested in Star Wars.

You will LOVE Philharmagic! WOW! What an attraction. One of our absolute faves. And the MSEP still brings tears to my eyes as I grew up with that as a child in CA. Not to be missed!!

 

[Steppesister]

Tuesday: Flying Fish @7:15

This is the day we arrive so we're not doing a park this day. My plan is to check into the room, familiarize ourselves with the area, and get in some pool time. I know that after the New England winter the boys will be DYING for the pool. This night we will have our one and only signature meal. I thought I'd be going with California Grill but after reading numerous dining reports I know this is the best restaurant for our family since we all love fish.

I'm most excited to see how this one goes for you. I've read several reviews and am seriously considering this one for us too....

 

[Steppesister]

I am so excited about this trip! I did some more meal planning. I've already made my table service reservations but there are a lot of quick service places I want to try. I looked at our schedule and tried to plan all of our meals for the trip. This is what I came up with:

All very good choices for sure! And you're right- EPCOT just can't be beat for variety and options. For DHS, I'd totally do Starring Rolls again; the sandwiches for lunch were to die for! But yes, the breakfast fare also looked fabulous. And we loved sitting under the umbrellas taking it all in.

 

[Steppesister]

Saturday, April 25th. Hollywood Studios
B: Captain's Grille @10:30
L: Skip
D: Mama Melrose's Fantasmic! Package @5:10

This is where I made my biggest changes. We haven't seen Fantasmic! so that's a big priority for me this trip. I considered the Fantasmic! package but I thought Hollywood Brown Derby was too pricey, Hollywood and Vine buffet does not appeal and the characters are too young for my boys, and I am really picky about Italian food since there are fantastic Italian restaurants where I live so Mama Melrose's was out. After I'd made my plans for the day I read a couple of recent reviews for Mama's that were very good. One of them was from someone from my area with an Italian family. If they loved it, surely we would enjoy it as well. So I booked an early Fantasmic! dinner package. That got me thinking about breakfast/lunch. I'd read good things about breakfast at Captain's Grille and but hadn't considered it since we don't usually eat a big breakfast. With the early dinner reservation we can hit the park at RD for Jedi training and some rides before we break for a late breakfast at Captains Grille then return to HS for the day. Perfect!

Oh wow, those are big changes, but I can totally see why. I've not read any reviews on Capt's Grille, but will now! Looking forward to your take on it.

 

[ursalita]

Glad you got your discount. The numbers definitely do not add up. They upped the MM price to 169 so I am not sure if you purchased it before it was raised a few weeks ago. I went online and did the prices that way I would know what the numbers were. Maybe you want to check. They screwed up my package originally and my TA had to go back and fix it later in the day. This is my third experience booking on a discount day and it has been kind of a mess. Even still you are saving a lot of money so it all works out in the end, right?

I'm sure it must be the MM. We (luckily) purchased it before the price went up so the representative must not have included it in her total. I'm happy with the discount so I'm not going to go through the hassle of calling back. The cynical person in me figures that is what they are counting on but I'm really trying to be positive about it. It definitely worked out well in the end.

You're a lovely family, and it's lovely to have just-as-obsessed company to hang out with!!

Aww, thanks.

Those are all awesome offerings! The only one we've not done is the Jedi Training, but we don't have little ones that are super interested in Star Wars.

You will LOVE Philharmagic! WOW! What an attraction. One of our absolute faves. And the MSEP still brings tears to my eyes as I grew up with that as a child in CA. Not to be missed!!

The MSEP is the only part of Disney that I have clear memories of when I visited as a child so I'm really looking forward to seeing it again.

I'm most excited to see how this one goes for you. I've read several reviews and am seriously considering this one for us too....

Me, too. I don't want to spoil it if you're planning on continuing to read through but we decided to book the boys into the Kids Club that night so DH and I are going for a date night at Disney.

All very good choices for sure! And you're right- EPCOT just can't be beat for variety and options. For DHS, I'd totally do Starring Rolls again; the sandwiches for lunch were to die for! But yes, the breakfast fare also looked fabulous. And we loved sitting under the umbrellas taking it all in.

Unfortunately I don't think Starring Rolls will work out for a meal this trip but I'm hoping I remember to stop in for a snack since I've heard so much about the cupcakes. Is it also the place to get the carrot cake cookie? Yum!

Oh wow, those are big changes, but I can totally see why. I've not read any reviews on Capt's Grille, but will now! Looking forward to your take on it.

I've read a few positive reviews on Capt's Grille breakfast and I like the fact that you can do the buffet or order off the menu.

Thank you reading along!

 

[erinmarie2224]

Following along too. Just caught up and your trip sounds so fun! We did YC for the first time this fall and loved it. I feel like this is our "home" resort going forward. I'm sure your boys will love the pool and slide from the pirate ship.

We really liked the BC Marketplace - Found the sandwiches to be really good since it's not a typical QS.

Fellow Rhode Islander here too. but live in Boston now. Disney does have some really nice Alex and Ani bracelets - a nice early mother's day gift for you.

 

[weeniecat2442]

Hello Colleen and everyone!
Happy New Year!!

im pretty bummed out today! my poor mum broke her foot in three places Christmas nite (She was going downstairs for a late nite xmas cookie!). She had a surgery yesterday and goes back for another in a week or two. Due to her injury and time to heal we will be postponing our March 28th Disney ladies trip. We are all very sad, as we have been planning for a year now and have everything booked. But we want her to be 100% so she can enjoy our vacation.
glad we opted for the trip insurance!
Not sure when we will reschedule for yet but at least it gives us a good reason to have more planning parties!
have a great new years!

 

[ursalita]

Following along too. Just caught up and your trip sounds so fun! We did YC for the first time this fall and loved it. I feel like this is our "home" resort going forward. I'm sure your boys will love the pool and slide from the pirate ship.

We really liked the BC Marketplace - Found the sandwiches to be really good since it's not a typical QS.

Fellow Rhode Islander here too. but live in Boston now. Disney does have some really nice Alex and Ani bracelets - a nice early mother's day gift for you.

Thanks for stopping by. I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed YC, that makes me feel pretty good about my choice. I remember reading some negative things so I'm interested to hear you like BC Marketplace. I'm sure we will find ourselves needing to grab a bite while at the resort so I will keep it in mind. Another RI'er. I was just in Boston Monday night. We caught the Art of the Brick exhibit at Faneuil Hall. We were not impressed with the exhibit but it was beautiful decorated for the holidays.

Hello Colleen and everyone!
Happy New Year!!

im pretty bummed out today! my poor mum broke her foot in three places Christmas nite (She was going downstairs for a late nite xmas cookie!). She had a surgery yesterday and goes back for another in a week or two. Due to her injury and time to heal we will be postponing our March 28th Disney ladies trip. We are all very sad, as we have been planning for a year now and have everything booked. But we want her to be 100% so she can enjoy our vacation.
glad we opted for the trip insurance!
Not sure when we will reschedule for yet but at least it gives us a good reason to have more planning parties!
have a great new years!

I am so sorry to hear about your mom. What a way to finish Christmas. It stinks that you have to postpone your trip but you definitely want your mom to be feeling great when you go. Yay for planning parties and looking on the bright side. Hope you had a happy and safe New Year.

 

[Steppesister]

Unfortunately I don't think Starring Rolls will work out for a meal this trip but I'm hoping I remember to stop in for a snack since I've heard so much about the cupcakes. Is it also the place to get the carrot cake cookie? Yum!



I've read a few positive reviews on Capt's Grille breakfast and I like the fact that you can do the buffet or order off the menu.

Thank you reading along!

We're not huge buffet fans, since we're pretty small eaters, so that option is attractive to us as well.

Hmmm.... ?? Carrot cake cookie?? I must check into this.

 

[ksl5f123]

Congrats on your discount! I don't know if they can break down the percentages on packages. The best you can probably do is take your original price and your new price and calculate your own total package discount.

 

[weeniecat2442]

Happy Friday everyone! Its another cold and somewhat snowy day in RI. Ursalita did your kids get a day off this week due to the cold??
My mom is having her ankle surgery as I type this. Her dr is saying at least 2 months until she can drive and probably a full year of recovery!
I wish I could be day dreaming of being in warm sunny DW in a few months time so I will live through you all

Does your puppy like the snow?

 

[anniebabymu]

Just saw that you had a PTR going on from your post on mine and I just had to join in on the fun! Haven't read anything yet, just wanted to say hi! Gotta go catch up now!

 

[anniebabymu]

Your plans all look wonderful! We went mid-April one year and it was a great time to go! Love your ADR's and your plans for Fast Passes! You guys will have a blast!

I've been reading through these boards quite a bit in preparation for the trip. One of the things I've been doing is making a list of things we haven't experienced yet that we are going to try to do this time. Here's my top 10 (in no particular order):

1. Hall of Presidents
2. PhilharMagic
3. Turtle Talk
4. Main Street Electrical Parade
5. Fantasmic
6. Illuminations
7. Rope Drop at all parks (or any park)
8. Animation Station
9. Jedi Training
10. Test Track

Oh my gosh! You will LOVE Philharmagic! I think it's one of the most underrated attractions! Can't wait to hear how you love it! I also think that your boys will love Test Track! And we ALWAYS do Rope Drop... I feel like if I didn't make it there bright and early I missed out on Disney fun!

Today out of nowhere I decided that we are going to try pin trading this trip. Well, maybe not out of nowhere. I've been reading A LOT of trip reports lately so I'm sure that's where I got the idea. During prior trips I had never been the least bit interested in trading and my sons hadn't expressed interest in it. I think it will actually be the perfect activity for DS9.

Your kiddos will love Pin Trading! I always knew about it, but we had never done it and I didn't think my 6 year old would have any interest in it because she is pretty shy. I didn't think she'd be willing to approach CM's. While we were down there she kept seeing people with lanyards and pins so I explained it to her. She was dying to do it! So grandma and grandpa bought her a pin trading starter kit with a lanyard and two of the same pins and then they also bought her two princess pins to keep for herself. Then on the bus there was a gentleman and his teenage son, who saw Addie so excited about her pins and they approached her and said, "We found this on the floor in our room, would you want it? You just need to buy a back for it." They gave her the pin and she was ecstatic! Then she had a little bit of her money left to spend so so bought a mystery 2-pack. She had about 4 pins to trade for the last few days of our trip and she LOVED it! So for Christmas she got a lot of 75 pins I got off of eBay. I too was hesitant to buy the whole lot of of eBay, but they look legit to me and she's not really going to be "collecting" them. She just loves the trading!

 

[Victoriasmom98]

Hi Coleen!!! . Thought I'd join in!!!!