I'm not sure I can wait! Dec 2010!

[stephielela]

ok, so for our trip, we are planning on doing a full day at each park, a half day at epcot on our arrival day, a half day at magic kingdom on our departure day, and then a short day at the "other" park, to check out the new wizarding world of harry potter. so , without assigning an order or actual dates, here is the schedule...

Arrival Day:
Take first flight, get into MCO by 11 am.
Epcot:
Late lunch at biergarten
commence drinking around world (accomplish 1/2)
Dinner at Le Cellier

Full day Animal Kingdom:
Tusker House Breakfast (prior to park opening)
tour Animal Kingdom
Back to Hotel to shower/ relax
Dinner at ohana
DTD for some shopping

Full day DHS:
arrive in time for rope drop
tour DHS
late lunch/early dinner at 50's Prime Time Cafe
back to hotel for nap/swim time (if warm enough)
Return to DHS to see Osborne lights, and possibly Fantasmic

Full day Epcot
arrive in time for rope drop
tour future world
lunch at Les Chefs de France (Candlelight processional Package)
Candlelight processional
finish drinking around the world
dinner at Rose and Crown timed for Illuminations

Full MK day:
breakfast at Crystal Palace (prior to park opening)
break at hotel midday/early afternoon
dinner at Cinderella's Royal Table 5pm (ish)
MVMCP!

Universal day:
get to park before opening
tour major rides at WWOHP
check out other roller coasters/ seuss landing (for DS)
lunch and shopping in WWOHP
Head back to hotel to change, meet babysitter
adults to Cali Grill for dinner (timed for wishes)

Departure day MK:
finish up any rides or shopping at MK
lunch at Liberty Tree Tavern
take last flight out

Day after... spend day in bed depressed at lack of Disney magic

 

[stephielela]

My parents got their Disney Visa's in the mail, so we went ahead and booked this morning! We are currently booked Dec 13-22 at CBR, though we will only be staying 6 nights total. I actually wasn't thinking, and I should have booked the 11th-22nd, since the 11th is the earliest possible scenario if my sister doesn't have finals, but for some reason I wasn't thinking clearly. We got the 30% discount from my pin code, but only for the nights before and including the 16th, the other nights are regular rate. Hopefully we will be able to go early or we will get a better discount with different dates... who knows, I'm just glad it's official!

 

[jenseib]

Yay! Thats wonderful news!

 

[stephielela]

well, i haven't updated lately, mainly because there is nothing to report, lol. when you trip is still 9 months away... there is only so much you can do! i have now booked fot the 11th-22nd, and we will got the earleist 6 nights possible... which means i need to make a chart of all the ressies we want and every possible outcome so that the day i can make adr's (june 14) i can make them for every possible alternative, and then cancel the ones we won't be using once my sister knows her dates... it's going to be complicated... plus i can only book the first 10 days, so i will have to wait to book adrs for the last 2... ugh so confusing! lol.

i do want to add the the wishes dessert party to my plans, so i hope they are doing it again by then! it was so great on our last trip.

 

[stephielela]

well, there is still not much to update, but at least we know for 99% certain what our dates are going to be! unfortunately my sister has 2 finals on the 15th of Dec, so there is no use in us showing up in orlando before the 16th... which means that my pin code is pretty much useless! i am still holding out hope that my parents get a decent deal with their disney visa, or that maybe i could get another pin, but i doubt there will be much in the way of discounts fot the week we will be there... but in any case, our official dates are Dec 16-22! at least we know, and at least we are going! now i have to calculate the number of days till ADRs!

 

[jenseib]

Can some of you check in a day early to get the discount?

 

[KathyRN137]

Hey, Stephie, glad you've got your dates set!

If you think you've got a tough time waiting... remember me! I've got to wait until December 2011!!

CBR is a great resort for kids... we stayed there on our first-ever trip to Disney in '03.

Are you planning to get the Pirate-themed room for DS?


Kathy

 

[stephielela]

Hey, Stephie, glad you've got your dates set!

If you think you've got a tough time waiting... remember me! I've got to wait until December 2011!!

CBR is a great resort for kids... we stayed there on our first-ever trip to Disney in '03.

Are you planning to get the Pirate-themed room for DS?


Kathy

Hey Kathy! Yeah, that is a long wait, but just think, by then there will probably be even more stuff to see!!

We stayed at CBR the first time our family ever went when I was 6, and I absolutely loved it then. There has been some talk of having to switch to something cheaper since my pin code isn't valid for the dates we are going, but I think we are going to hope for a Visa discount, or maybe even an extension of the military discount. I really want CBR, but any trip to Disney is worth it, even if we can't stay there...

I thought about the pirate room, but I read a review that said the beds were really uncomfortable! I hope they figure out a wat to fix that problem, but unless we get a sweet discount, I don't think I can justify spending the extra $ this time around. DS is only 2, so he won't care that much, and his room at home is pirate-y themed (though no where near as cool as the CBR pics!)

 

[stephielela]

So after some discussion last night, we are beginning to rethink the day at Universal... it's going to be upwards of $400 just for the few hours we are going to spend there, and while we are huge HP fans, I'm just not sure that justifies the cost. I know that the theming will be awesome, and I will definitely want to go there, but there is only the one new ride, and while it sounds awesome, it just doesn't seem logical to spend that kind of money... plus we are already thinking that without a discount we won't be able to stay at CBR, but if we cancel Universal, then that savings on top of the fact we wouldn't need a rental car... that could be enough to keep us at CBR. Not to mention we were already facing a jam packed schedule, so this would give us a little freedom... but I really love HP! It's a dilemma! The other problem is that rumor has it the ticket prices to Universal will go up once WWOHP is open... and we are not going to buy our park tix before that I'm sure... What do you guys think?

 

[jenseib]

So after some discussion last night, we are beginning to rethink the day at Universal... it's going to be upwards of $400 just for the few hours we are going to spend there, and while we are huge HP fans, I'm just not sure that justifies the cost. I know that the theming will be awesome, and I will definitely want to go there, but there is only the one new ride, and while it sounds awesome, it just doesn't seem logical to spend that kind of money... plus we are already thinking that without a discount we won't be able to stay at CBR, but if we cancel Universal, then that savings on top of the fact we wouldn't need a rental car... that could be enough to keep us at CBR. Not to mention we were already facing a jam packed schedule, so this would give us a little freedom... but I really love HP! It's a dilemma! The other problem is that rumor has it the ticket prices to Universal will go up once WWOHP is open... and we are not going to buy our park tix before that I'm sure... What do you guys think?

Ticket prices for Universal already went up. ALOT. It used to be $99 for 7 days hopper. I don't know the exact costs now, but that price is about what a 1 day 1 park ticket is now. It went up in Feb. I think. (Maybe Jan) I was hoping to get DH to do a mini vacation htere this year, so I was watching the Universal board, and it went up when day while I was actually pricing out a trip. So I doubt the ywill go up again this year. I think that was the price hike for Harry Potter.

 

[jenseib]

I forget, which resrot is your origional plan to be at?

 

[stephielela]

Our original plan, the reservation we have now, is at CBR. After disucssing it with the family, we ahve decided to stick with that resort, and cut out the 1/2 day at Universal. I really want to see the WWOHP, but seriously, including the car rental we are talking $600 for like 4 or 5 hours. We figure we will obviously be back in Florida in the future, so we are waiting. I am kind of hoping that they continue to add to WWOHP as time goes on! Plus after I took a second glance at our itinerary, I realized that as of now we have no overlapping parks, so we don't actually need the park hopper option. It kind of goes against what we normally do, but the PH option is $200 more total for the 4 of us that we could save... so we will probably cut it too. This added to cutting the car rental and Universal should just about pay for the price difference of the resort!

On another note, I was looking into the no expiration option, since I am going back to disney for the marathon 3 weeks after our trip, and after pricing it all out, I found it was actually cheaper to get an annual pass!!! I am so excited about this, because I was already toying with the idea of going in October since my Disneyland/San Diego trip seems to be in jepordy, and since flights from here to Orlano run like 12 times a day, and are often super cheap! Not to mention I have a pin code good for October, and ds will still be 2 so he won't cost me anything for tickets... I am so excited, I have always wanted to have an annual pass... I'd prefer to live in Florida and have one so I can just drive over for the weekend, but this is better than nothing!

 

[stephielela]

Every year for Christmas, my sister and I combine funds to book a room for my parents at a nice hotel, for an evening away. It all started the year I worked for a world class resort in California, and the tradition stuck...

Since we are arriving at Disney the last day my pin code is good, we had decided we would apply the 40%, and the $100 (after the 20% pin) my parents would have been spending at CBR for that night and pay the difference for them to stay at a deluxe resort. I was originally thinking GF, but after number crunching and looking at all the deluxes, I found that the CR is way cheaper, so cheap in fact, that we could afford to get both rooms there the first night! This is ideal because I am planning on scheduling an early morning ADR at Crystal Palace, and we will be able to walk right over and not have to worry about getting my parents to switch resorts etc. The only downside is we will have to send someone to CBR to check in the rooms for the rest of our stay so that we can get our tix and meals for that day, but I figure one person cabbing it over early and meeting us in time for breakfast is still simpler than trying to both link up. Plus I have heard that they will transfer our luggage for us... is that true? I just think it would be a great way to start off our vacation... and while the CR isn't my dream deluxe, it's better than a sharp stick in the eye!

I can see how a split stay would be kind of difficult, and I'm not sure I would want to do it if we were staying in one place more than a day, but since we will only be there one night, we just won't unpack or anything. Plus if we are both there it makes it easier to take the ME to the same place, check in and get our tix ASAP since we will have a lunch ADR planned...

What do you think?

 

[stephielela]

So, I guess my PTR title hit the nail on the head! As it turns out, I can't wait!

The original plan was for me and DS to take a trip to Southern California (SD Zoo, Universal, Sea World, and of course Disneyland) in October with my BFF Melissa. I lived in CA fro 6 years, and had only been to DL and US, and she had never been to either. Unfortunately due to money issues, and vacation time issues, it looks like that trip has been axed.

The upside? Well, since I had already determined I would be buying an AP, I figure I will just get it in September, and go to WDW for 4 days the last week that prices are low That combined with the pin I have (20% off value resorts) plus the decent odds free dining will be offered (if not, there's always the Tables in Wonderland card) means we will be *probably* going September 27th-30th!

Flights seem to run from here to MCO every other hour or so, so i figure we will catch an early flight in, and a late flight back, and experience Disney at a whole new time. I am hoping my BFF will be able to join us, but I haven't heard back from her yet. We will be finally attending the MNSSHP (I have been DYING to see it, Halloween is my FAVORITE holiday of all!) and just having a slow paced trip. I made a few dining reservations, but nothing too serious, just late lunches on a few days, we will probably be doing mostly CS food, which is fine with me. I will be starting a PTR for this trip as soon as I find out if Melissa is going or not!

On another note, I called Disney reservations today and booked 2 rooms at the Contemporary Resort for the 16th and the rest of the nights at CBR (17-22) The CR rooms were $108 more each than what we would be paying for CBR which is perfect for a Christmas present for all of us! It sucks that we will have to head to CBR to check in before we can go to MK, but it makes me think I might move our scheduel around a bit to fully enjoy our time at CR... I will have to take a look!

 

[DenishaT]

I stumbled on your ptr and wanted to say yay!! Glad everything is working out! If you're a sushi fan, you will love Cali Grill! DBF literally dreams about the sushi from there.

 

[stephielela]

I stumbled on your ptr and wanted to say yay!! Glad everything is working out! If you're a sushi fan, you will love Cali Grill! DBF literally dreams about the sushi from there.

*Welcome!* Personally I am not a sushi fan, though I haven't really tried all that many types... I just don't like much fish at all. There are plenty of things on the menu at CG to keep me interested though

So, it is official, I am planning a trip for 9/28-10/1 to POP! I have started my PTR, I am going to attempt to insert the link below...
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2444149

Hopefully that worked! I will have itinerary updates for the Dec trip momentarily...

 

[stephielela]

Due to the resort changes, as well as cutting WWOHP from our plans, I have made a few changes to our schedule. Let me know what you think!

Dec. 16th Arrival day
*take early flight, to arrive MCO by noon
*ME to CR!!! I think I am going to wait to surprise my parents until we are getting in line!
*Check in. If room is ready, explore resort and have QS lunch. Does anyone know about QS options at CR? If not, head to DTD for some shopping and maybe Earl of Sandwich.
*Dinner at CG (babysitter for DS). I figured since we were staying here this night, it made sense to have dinner here. Especially since I plan on hiring a babysitter for DS, at least if he freks out, I will be close by Does anyone know firsthand of the babysitting services reccomended by Disney?

Dec 17th
*Sleep in. I think it would be a good idea to be fully rested before starting the heavy park days, and since this may be our only chance to stay here ever, we might as well enjoy the resort, maybe go for a swim if weather permits.
*2 people (probably me and my DDad) will head over to CBR to check in the second reservation.
*Meet at Epcot for lunch at Biergarten.
*World Showcase touring
*Dinner at Le Cellier
*Back to CBR

Dec. 18th
*Animal Kingdom
*Tusker House Safari Breakfast
*Church (off property)
*Ohana dinner

Dec. 19th
* Magic Kingdom
*Crystal Palace Breakfast
*CRT dinner
*MVMCP!

more later!

 

[jenseib]

Every year for Christmas, my sister and I combine funds to book a room for my parents at a nice hotel, for an evening away. It all started the year I worked for a world class resort in California, and the tradition stuck...

Since we are arriving at Disney the last day my pin code is good, we had decided we would apply the 40%, and the $100 (after the 20% pin) my parents would have been spending at CBR for that night and pay the difference for them to stay at a deluxe resort. I was originally thinking GF, but after number crunching and looking at all the deluxes, I found that the CR is way cheaper, so cheap in fact, that we could afford to get both rooms there the first night! This is ideal because I am planning on scheduling an early morning ADR at Crystal Palace, and we will be able to walk right over and not have to worry about getting my parents to switch resorts etc. The only downside is we will have to send someone to CBR to check in the rooms for the rest of our stay so that we can get our tix and meals for that day, but I figure one person cabbing it over early and meeting us in time for breakfast is still simpler than trying to both link up. Plus I have heard that they will transfer our luggage for us... is that true? I just think it would be a great way to start off our vacation... and while the CR isn't my dream deluxe, it's better than a sharp stick in the eye!

I can see how a split stay would be kind of difficult, and I'm not sure I would want to do it if we were staying in one place more than a day, but since we will only be there one night, we just won't unpack or anything. Plus if we are both there it makes it easier to take the ME to the same place, check in and get our tix ASAP since we will have a lunch ADR planned...

What do you think?

I'm totally confused? So are you now going the 16th? I thought you couldn;t go then? So you are stayin one night at CR and then going to CBR?

 

[stephielela]

We were hoping to go before the 16th, but the 16th seems to be the earliest date we can go, based on my sisters finals. We are staying the first night (16th) at CR and then the rest (17th-22nd) at CBR. Trust me, I am pretty confused myself after running so many different scenarios trying to save a few bucks!

 

[stephielela]

Dec. 20
*DHS (to me it will ALWAYS be MGM)
*Lunch at 50's Prime Time Cafe
*Osborne lights!

Dec. 21
*Epcot!
*Late lunch at Les Chefs- we are planning on doing the CP package, and I think I read somewhere you could get in a lunch around 4 and get to the early showing...
*Dinner at Rose and Crown, timed for Illuminations viewing

Dec. 22 Departure Day
*Magic Kingdom for rope drop
*lunch at Liberty Tree Tavern (if time permits)
*late afternoon flight home