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

[stephielela]

I have heard these are great! I also recieved a coupon for 20% off in my welcome paperwork, so I think we are going to book one for our MK/MVMCP day at the GF. Does anyone know if they get the holiday decorations in the photos?

I am starting to like my schedule more and more, of course, nothing will be final until 1. tickets go on sale for MVMCP (I based my predicted dates off of the past 3 years schedules) and 2. ADR's are made! But I really hope it works out the way I planned!

 

[DisneyFirefly]

This trip looks like a lot of fun, too! You're gonna have a busy few months!

 

[stephielela]

This trip looks like a lot of fun, too! You're gonna have a busy few months!

Thanks! Yeah, I am hoping that a year of AP trips will be enough to keep my happy till my DS turns 5 (he just turned 2) and I can take him on our 2 week extravaganza! I really should consider just moving there...

 

[DisneyFirefly]

Thanks! Yeah, I am hoping that a year of AP trips will be enough to keep my happy till my DS turns 5 (he just turned 2) and I can take him on our 2 week extravaganza! I really should consider just moving there...

I miss Orlando I lived there for a while when I was working for Disney, and I just absolutely loved it. I'm hoping to eventually move back. It was the plan, but now that things have changed in my life, it's no longer a plan and is now just an option. But yeah, if I had the money, I'd totally buy an AP and go down every few months

 

[exwdwcm]

Hi- consider me subbed- your little boy is so cute! mine is about the same age (2.5)!

Loving your plans so far!!! We are staying at BLT, as new DVC members, so i've been researching more on the Contemporary too (since we've never stayed there either). I know they have a great little quick service place- contempo cafe that is located on the same floor as Chef Mickey's. They just recently moved it in the past few years up there, it used to be located downstairs near the lobby. I hear they have a great variety of stuff, similar to the other resorts- baked goods, a grill for burgers etc, and the refillable mugs etc. Plus i like the open feeling up there, with the monorail whizzing by!

For Babysitting- I can HIGHLY and personally recommend KIDs Nite Out. It is also recommended by the boards here. We used them twice on this last December trip. We had booked them in advance to watch the three kiddos on our trip- who were 2, 3, and 6. The first time we had booked them so all of us adults could have dinner at Shula's at the Dolphin (fantastic!!!) and drink around Epcot. The sitter was college aged, arrived on time, came with a suitcase full of toys, puzzles and coloring books. They are all CPR/First aid trained and certified. They will stay as long as you need them. there is a minimum time limit too. check out their site for more. We were gone from about 4:30pm-11pm and they kids did great. We had ordered room service pizza for them and she fed them all. They stayed in the room the entire time and had a ball.

the kids enjoyed it so much, that we booked the sitter again later in the trip for our dinner at Le Cellier on the fly. We actually called about 5 hours before we needed the sitter and had no problem getting one. the 6yo was asking to have the babysitter come back, she loved it so much!! lol. if that doesn't speak volumes, i don't know what does! We will definitely consider using them again in the future. The kids clubs at the resorts are great too, but the kids must be 4yo and potty trained for that and we had a 2 and 3yo, so that wasn't an option for us. it wasn't cheap, but we loved using Kids Nite Out.
http://www.kidsniteout.com/svcs_sitter.aspx

On missing Harry Potter, iw ouldn't stress about it too much- my guess is that it is going to be super busy this year since it is just opening. I plan to wait until the 'buzz' has settled down a bit in a year or so before we go visit it and can enjoy it more. let them work out all the kinks and stuff too first!

 

[stephielela]

Hi- consider me subbed- your little boy is so cute! mine is about the same age (2.5)!

Loving your plans so far!!! We are staying at BLT, as new DVC members, so i've been researching more on the Contemporary too (since we've never stayed there either). I know they have a great little quick service place- contempo cafe that is located on the same floor as Chef Mickey's. They just recently moved it in the past few years up there, it used to be located downstairs near the lobby. I hear they have a great variety of stuff, similar to the other resorts- baked goods, a grill for burgers etc, and the refillable mugs etc. Plus i like the open feeling up there, with the monorail whizzing by!

For Babysitting- I can HIGHLY and personally recommend KIDs Nite Out. It is also recommended by the boards here. We used them twice on this last December trip. We had booked them in advance to watch the three kiddos on our trip- who were 2, 3, and 6. The first time we had booked them so all of us adults could have dinner at Shula's at the Dolphin (fantastic!!!) and drink around Epcot. The sitter was college aged, arrived on time, came with a suitcase full of toys, puzzles and coloring books. They are all CPR/First aid trained and certified. They will stay as long as you need them. there is a minimum time limit too. check out their site for more. We were gone from about 4:30pm-11pm and they kids did great. We had ordered room service pizza for them and she fed them all. They stayed in the room the entire time and had a ball.

the kids enjoyed it so much, that we booked the sitter again later in the trip for our dinner at Le Cellier on the fly. We actually called about 5 hours before we needed the sitter and had no problem getting one. the 6yo was asking to have the babysitter come back, she loved it so much!! lol. if that doesn't speak volumes, i don't know what does! We will definitely consider using them again in the future. The kids clubs at the resorts are great too, but the kids must be 4yo and potty trained for that and we had a 2 and 3yo, so that wasn't an option for us. it wasn't cheap, but we loved using Kids Nite Out.
http://www.kidsniteout.com/svcs_sitter.aspx

On missing Harry Potter, iw ouldn't stress about it too much- my guess is that it is going to be super busy this year since it is just opening. I plan to wait until the 'buzz' has settled down a bit in a year or so before we go visit it and can enjoy it more. let them work out all the kinks and stuff too first!

Welcome!! Glad to have you!

I had just realized that the Contemp Cafe replaced the Concourse Steakhouse! I read a review that said it was pretty tastey and had plenty of options, and I agree, that open feeling up there is nice! Now I'm wondering, since we are doing a split stay, can we use the mugs from CR at CBR? I mean I know they all look the same, and since it is the same trip, I wouldn't think it would be considered breaking the rules? We def will not be buying identical mugs at both resorts, that would be silly!

I had heard a lot of good things about Kid's Nite Out, and was pretty settled on it, until I started thinking. I am moving our Cali Grill res to the night we are staying at CR, since we can spend time relaxing before dinner etc. And because of the minimum requirements for KNO... I am thinking we will just take DS with us to dinner. Am I crazy? i just figure with 4 adults, we can keep him busy and take him out to the terrace to run around... he is pretty well behaved and if necessary, I can always bail early from dinner and take him back to the room. I just have a hard time spending $75. I don't know, I haven't made up my mind completely yet, so thanks for the info!! I'm glad you had a good experience with them!

I am glad we are ditching WWOHP for the time being, it frees up a lot of time and money for us. Don't get me wrong, I HP, but this is going to make our itinerary much less cluttered and more relaxed! I think we will wait till the kinks are worked out and the craze dies down a bit!

 

[DisneyFirefly]

I don't think you're crazy for considering bringing your son with you to dinner instead of paying $75 for a babysitting service That's probably what I'd do

Your reasons for skipping the HP park are actually quite similar to our reasons for skipping it. It'll be about six months after opening, but it's still going to be insane.

As for the refillable mugs, as far as I know, you can use the same ones. I'm not sure, though, as I've never had one.

 

[stephielela]

Well, I got lucky and sure enough, the 19th is the last day for MVMCP. Does anyone know why they stop it so early in the month? Is it because the parks are just too crowded after that to close them early for the party? I just think it's wierd that in the week leading up to Christmas there aren't any parties, or any after, like with MNSSHP. Oh well, the date we needed is there! Now we just have to buy the (super expensive) tickets. I'm pretty sure this is the last time we will be doing this part until DS is much older. It's hard to justify spending $60 a person I want to go this time, since I know he will enjoy it, and it may be the last holiday season we go to Disney (I'm getting more into the idea of fall trips) and because I want to compare the MVMCP and MNSSHP.

I have recieved coupons in the mail for 20% off the photo sessions! I am pretty sure we will be going to GF for ours, which is perfect since we can take a break midday on our MK day, head back to the resort to freshen up, then go to GF for photos before our ADR at CRT. I suppose if we opt for photo session at the Boardwalk, we will do it our first day instead, but I'm pretty sure my mom wants GF, and that's a-ok with me!

I broke down and went on ebay to get a few Vera Bradley mini hipster purses for our trip as well! I have decided to ban myself from ebay, since my competitve nature worked against me, and I ended up with 4 instead of the 3 I needed, but lesson learned. I read on another thread (about which bag is the best to carry at WDW) that this bag was popular, so I hopped onto the VB website to look at their clearance items. Naturally, all the reall cheap mini hipsters were "temporarily unavailable online" so I waited a few days and checked again, same message At that point I decided I would need to look elsewhere, so I went to the VB store nearby and of course, they had NO sale items! Who does that? So I finally gave up an scoured ebay and found ones to bid on. After several days of waiting and watching I ended up with 4 (3 that I really like) Why so many? Well, I figured that one would be a great mother's day gift for my mom. We are celebrating mothers day by shopping for dresses for a wedding at the end of the month, and these bags are also perfect for serious shopping trips. I got one for my sister as an early bday present because she is going to Paris for 6 weeks for a study abroad program, and then a week in Rome. These bags are great for that because they are very secure, and lightweight, and since she will be in Rome in July, it will probably get sweaty, and they are washable. The 4th is going to my BFF as a late bday present because she is going with me on my fall trip with my DS to the world. So there you have it. A very long explanation trying to justify my ebay addiction, and compulsive shopping habits Now that you all know I'm crazy, I hope you will still read my reports!

 

[stephielela]

I don't think you're crazy for considering bringing your son with you to dinner instead of paying $75 for a babysitting service That's probably what I'd do

Your reasons for skipping the HP park are actually quite similar to our reasons for skipping it. It'll be about six months after opening, but it's still going to be insane.

As for the refillable mugs, as far as I know, you can use the same ones. I'm not sure, though, as I've never had one.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure I can find something more fun to do with that extra money

I don't mind crowds or hectic trips, but I just feel like I want to be able to relax at least a tiny bit, and skipping HP is going to help. I know this will not be our last visit to Orlando, so we will see it eventually, and maybe it will be even better by then.

I'm def planning on only buying the mugs at CR and taking them to CBR. There is no reason to have to pay twice if its the same trip. That would be cra-azy!

 

[DisneyFirefly]

Well, I got lucky and sure enough, the 19th is the last day for MVMCP. Does anyone know why they stop it so early in the month? Is it because the parks are just too crowded after that to close them early for the party? I just think it's wierd that in the week leading up to Christmas there aren't any parties, or any after, like with MNSSHP.

The reason they stop the parties early is because during the week of Christmas, they run the Christmas entertainment instead of the everyday stuff I believe it usually starts one to two days after the last party, but I don't remember right now (brain is dead).

 

[exwdwcm]

Welcome!! Glad to have you!

I had just realized that the Contemp Cafe replaced the Concourse Steakhouse! I read a review that said it was pretty tastey and had plenty of options, and I agree, that open feeling up there is nice! Now I'm wondering, since we are doing a split stay, can we use the mugs from CR at CBR? I mean I know they all look the same, and since it is the same trip, I wouldn't think it would be considered breaking the rules? We def will not be buying identical mugs at both resorts, that would be silly!

I had heard a lot of good things about Kid's Nite Out, and was pretty settled on it, until I started thinking. I am moving our Cali Grill res to the night we are staying at CR, since we can spend time relaxing before dinner etc. And because of the minimum requirements for KNO... I am thinking we will just take DS with us to dinner. Am I crazy? i just figure with 4 adults, we can keep him busy and take him out to the terrace to run around... he is pretty well behaved and if necessary, I can always bail early from dinner and take him back to the room. I just have a hard time spending $75. I don't know, I haven't made up my mind completely yet, so thanks for the info!! I'm glad you had a good experience with them!

I am glad we are ditching WWOHP for the time being, it frees up a lot of time and money for us. Don't get me wrong, I HP, but this is going to make our itinerary much less cluttered and more relaxed! I think we will wait till the kinks are worked out and the craze dies down a bit!

Is he is good at meals, you should be fine. I LOVE Cali Grill. I've eaten there so many times and it never disappoints. We did take my niece back in 07 and she was 2.5 at the time. She did just fine. lots of families have young children in there. So don't worry about it. My son does awful at long meals (or restaurant meals for the most part)- so we wouldn't take him, but if you have a kiddo that is good at meals, you are golden and shouldn't worry about it. My son just hates sitting that long and then i inevitably end up having to hold him and entertain while my food gets cold. But they definitely can handle kids if you are comfortable with it.



lol at getting 4 bags! i just discovered those bags and they look awesome!!! i might have to look into them. As far ending MVMCP at christmas week- i think it is because they pretty much just start offering everything they offer at MVMCP (holiday WISHES, Christmas parade) and some of those other shows every night that week. So what happens at MVMCP sort of becomes standard for the public that week. THe only thing you really miss is the hot chocolate/cookies I guess. Plus the park hours are opened later too already that week, so you get the extra park hours too.

So really if you are going to the MK at all christmas week, then you will see everything the MVMCP would offer, but for free. there isn't really a reason to pay to go to MVMCP if you are going christmas week (I think anyhow).

 

[stephielela]

As far ending MVMCP at christmas week- i think it is because they pretty much just start offering everything they offer at MVMCP (holiday WISHES, Christmas parade) and some of those other shows every night that week. So what happens at MVMCP sort of becomes standard for the public that week. THe only thing you really miss is the hot chocolate/cookies I guess. Plus the park hours are opened later too already that week, so you get the extra park hours too.

So really if you are going to the MK at all christmas week, then you will see everything the MVMCP would offer, but for free. there isn't really a reason to pay to go to MVMCP if you are going christmas week (I think anyhow).

Hmmm... this is something to consider... after all, the tickets are $60 each and there are 4 of us So I guess if there is a day when MK is open late that is after the 19th, we can expect to see the special parades etc and wishes for free? My mom would love me if that was the case... I will have to look into that! Thanks for the info both of you!!

 

[exwdwcm]

Hmmm... this is something to consider... after all, the tickets are $60 each and there are 4 of us So I guess if there is a day when MK is open late that is after the 19th, we can expect to see the special parades etc and wishes for free? My mom would love me if that was the case... I will have to look into that! Thanks for the info both of you!!

Yes, typically that whole week the park will be open late every night, since it is one of the busiest weeks of the year at WDW. They stay open late to accomodate the larger crowds. it looks like that week last year- hours were like this- so probably very similar this year....for the 'week of christmas'.

The christmas parade runs twice daily during christmas week. Holiday WISHES is nightly (last year at 10pm each night).

sunday- open til 11pm
monday- open til midnight
tuesday- open til midnight
wednesday- open til midnight
thursday- open til 11pm
friday- open til 1am
saturday- open til 1am

So yes, you will see everything you would see at the party. i would keep my $60 a person and see it for free. It is going to be crowded that week no matter what, the parties closer to Christmas (the last few) are usually reallly packed too anyhow.

 

[stephielela]

I mentioned the info to my dad and sister, and my sister was pretty adament about wanting to do it. I set up 3 different itineraries, one for attending the party on the 17th, one for the 19th, and one for not attending at all, and it also seems to work best for our schedule to do it, but we are waiting to buy tickets for a while longer anyways, and if they sell out, we'll live, since we know we can see the parade etc anyways. I think DS would like it, but at least now I am not wedded to the idea. I'll live either way... plus I did want to do a comparison between MNSSHP and MVMCP

 

[stephielela]

The other night my family and I had one of our Disney Family meetings. Basically, my sister makes recipes from WDW and I put together a "presentation" for our trip. This is only the second one we have done, the first was when we first decided to go on the trip. I know to most people, this seems incredibly nerdy, but I figure if anyone can appreciate the nerdiness, it's people here on the DIS! You guys can understand how I'm just trying to build up excitement, and keep us going for the next loooong months ahead Anywho, we had a fantastic dinner, and we all sat around and discussed our restaurant choices, which ones might need replacing, since the menus aren't appealing to some of us, our basic itinerary and the budget. My mom works in accounting for a living, so she is big on budgets etc, so she was having trouble reconciling the numbers (that I was very vague about to begin with) with the charges that were already on her Disney Visa. I had told her that in order to use my discount for the 16th (our first night) I had to make 2 seperate reservations for each room and blah blah blah. I tried ot make it complicated sounding, and it was working, but then she said I should just print off a copy of the reciepts sent my the CM. Well, since she was askign for tangible proof (that I couldn't alter) I had to fess up to the Christmas surprise of staying at the Contemporary for the first night. Needless to say they were happy and surprised, mostly at my ability to make stuff sound true when trying to be convincing, but they are totally on board with the idea. In the end it will actually make thigns easier, not having to keep this secret even when the ME paperwork gets here etc. Now I get to go check out the park hours and make sure they don't mess with my plans! Oh yeah, does anyone know about making before the park opens ADR's for days with morning EMH? For example, if we wanted to do Tusker House on 12/20, would we be able to get and ADR for 7 since the park opens for EMH at 8? If not we will def stick to our original plan of not using EMH's for AK and DHS, but if we can, I will just flip those days around and we can take advantage of EMH's for BOTH parks and have more evening time

 

[exwdwcm]

good question on the EMH ADRs, that i don't know.........let me know what you find out- i am just curious!

sorry the surprise was done early, but so glad they liked it!!! they must have been so happy!

NOT nerdy at all..........in fact my family did a monthly newsletter for the 14 of us going this past december. Well really my sister and i did it each month and it was probably 10 pages long each time. We also did disney meetings to discuss plans and let everyone pick dining choices etc. My mom also threw two parties- one Peter Pan themed and one Alice themed for us- and she gave prizes for games in the form of disney dollars. We had themed food, cake etc. It was so much fun. Keep in mind out of the 14, only 3 were children. So nope, disney meetings are not considered nerdy in my book and if they are- then i proudly wear the nerd badge.

 

[stephielela]

NOT nerdy at all..........in fact my family did a monthly newsletter for the 14 of us going this past december. Well really my sister and i did it each month and it was probably 10 pages long each time. We also did disney meetings to discuss plans and let everyone pick dining choices etc. My mom also threw two parties- one Peter Pan themed and one Alice themed for us- and she gave prizes for games in the form of disney dollars. We had themed food, cake etc. It was so much fun. Keep in mind out of the 14, only 3 were children. So nope, disney meetings are not considered nerdy in my book and if they are- then i proudly wear the nerd badge.

I LOVE that!! I wish we had more people going so I could throw a big party! I guess we will stick to our dinners, we have actually found some good recipes that way, the Kona salad recipe we actually used for a big dinner with relatives and was a HUGE hit, everyone wanted copies of the recipe

Once my sister goes back to college, I will probably start doing a brief newsletter as well... if it's not all planned to the minute by then, lol.

 

[stephielela]

good question on the EMH ADRs, that i don't know.........let me know what you find out- i am just curious!

Well, I called this morning (btw at 7:45 it only took 1.5 minutes to get through... good sign for when its time to make ADR's?) and the CM seemed to think that no, they didn't open early for morning EMH's. I asked and she said, yes, they would be open for the EMH, so I said, "Oh, so I would be able to get a 7 am reservation" and she said "No, you could get an 8 am reservation" to which I replied "Well, since I could get an 8 am reservation on a normal day, I thought I might be able to get one an hour earlier if the park was open an hour earlier..." to which she didn't reply at all, so I said thanks for clarifying... but I am not all that clear... However, it is my assumption (from the confusing convo) that you cannot get a 7 am ADR... I think we are going to leave our schedule the way it is, after all, I think being dressed ready and seated in a restaurant at 8 am will be a big enough stretch

 

[stephielela]

I just found out about these!! I looked on the website, and while it is kinda limited, it will do the job! I am going to set "good morning" calls for DS on the morning of each of our trips! I think I will probably set one for my BFF too. What a great way to start out a vacay!!

 

[jenseib]

No on EMH days they do not open resturants earlier than the park opens. Thats why alot of people rather have an ealry ADR on a day thats not EMH. Then there is less people in the park for early pictures.