January 2009. . . Calling all Snowbirds ~ Part I !!!

[Momof2Disneyboys]

I just joined this site after reading so much and now I am getting even more excited. We are going to WDW Jan 2-9 2009 with my best friends family and I can not wait to get to start planning. This will be our first trip to WDW and Florida but our friends have been there several times. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated

WELCOME My3guysinne! I'm so excited for you going to WDW for the first time!!

We are here anytime if you want to chat and share plans! We love to give suggestions!

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Good morning Snowbirds!

Well, I wish I would have read Katiebugsmom's post last night before I purchased my airfare!! Now I am terrified!!

AirTran didn't have any morning non-stop flights, so we decided to back it up a day and leave the night before - Jan 20. There's a 6:30 flight out of Pittsburgh. We don't care how late we get there, because that day wasn't planned anyway. But now I am scared of delays and cancellations and layovers! Katiebugsmom, did I know you were from Pittsburgh too??? Can't remember. Anyway, what have I done??? We have flown with AT twice. In 2005 & 2007. Both great experiences. Last year SW had lower rates so we flew with them. We had an experience similar to yours on the way back (no layover though), long delays. Plus broken luggage on top of that! So, we really didn't want to fly with them again unless we couldn't find a decent price anywhere else. That's why we jumped on the $85 from AT. Now I'm wondering if I made a mistake???

 

[emh1129]

I wish I could surprise DS with a trip to Disney but I could never keep my big mouth shut. DS is the only person that is willing to talk about Disney with me, so I take advantage of it as much as I can!

That's how it is here, too. My ds and dd are WAY more into the planning than even my DH is
We love to talk about it every evening. I would never be able to keep it a secret, I just don't have the willpower!

 

[MY3GUYSINNE]

Thanks I love reading everyones blog......has anyone heard when the pricing is coming out for sure yet?

 

[MY3GUYSINNE]

Ok here we go for questions....Being our first time there were do you suggest that we adr for. I have 2 boys 12 & 7 plus we have another family going also with 3 kids. 7 9 & 11.

 

[holleetigerlilly]

Ok here we go for questions....Being our first time there were do you suggest that we adr for. I have 2 boys 12 & 7 plus we have another family going also with 3 kids. 7 9 & 11.

Well, classic characters for boys are always a good idea. Tusker House at Animal Kingdom, Chef Mickey at the contemporary, Crystal Palace in MK (winnie the pooh characters).

If there are any young girls in the party, the princess breakfast at ashkerus is pretty good. 12 year old boys don't usually mind the princess either (despite their arguments).

There are also LOTS of great places in EPCOT that aren't character dining places. Check the menus for what looks good!

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Ok here we go for questions....Being our first time there were do you suggest that we adr for. I have 2 boys 12 & 7 plus we have another family going also with 3 kids. 7 9 & 11.

Chef Mickey's and Crystal Palace both have great food, excellent service, and all the favorite characters! We plan to try the Tusker House breakfast this time. I haven't been to 1900 Park Fare yet, but that might be a good option for you too, Cinderella for the girls, and the mean step-sisters to entertain the boys! My boys also love the Ohana character breakfast with Stitch! And Sci-Fi Dine In was a winner with them too! They loved eating in a car!

Good luck with all your decisions and let us know if you need anymore help!

 

[KatiebugsMom]

Awww.....Shelly I wish I had posted it sooner. I only saw some of the Airtran questions yesterday and I thought I should advise of my saga... and my dilemma now.

Yeah I advised earlier I lived in the South Hills. We need to meet up sometime before the trip!!!

You know any carrier can have a bad day for a customer, and I have flown 4 times with Airtran before and really like them. But what really ticked me off is that my original booking was a direct flight from Pit to MCO from 6PM - 8PM so Atlanta was not a factor. Then they cancelled it, put me on connecting flights thru one of the busiest airports in the country and with one issue caused headaches for so many......Airtran cancelled 150 flights that day, FYI - Delta had cancelled 400. Both carriers hubs are through Atlanta.

On a happy note though we made friends with a Make a Wish family who no one called to tell them the 6AM flight was cancelled so they were in the airports from 5AM until we all landed together in Orlando at 10PM.


PS when we landed into Atlanta and I saw nothing on the ground or grass.......

 

[KatiebugsMom]

Ok here we go for questions....Being our first time there were do you suggest that we adr for. I have 2 boys 12 & 7 plus we have another family going also with 3 kids. 7 9 & 11.

Also don't rule out Coral Reef as an entertainment experience, especially with boys. The food is really good and for kids it is really neat to eat while watching fish, sharks and sealife swim in front of you. Also a well timed ADR about 5-6PM you may also catch divers swimming with the fish. Good entertainment for all ages.

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Yeah, I remember you being from the South Hills now. Sorry! Are you near the South Hills Mall? Love that place!

It seems that there are horror stories out there with most airlines these days. We had an awful time with SW. Hopefully things will run smoothly with AT this time as it has in the past. (Although we have never had an evening flight down ) I'm so sorry you had such an bad experience. If we end up with a stop in Atlanta and/or a layover I will freak! How did they not call that family you met??? That's scary too. I guess I will have to keep a close eye on their flights the closer it gets. . .

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Also don't rule out Coral Reef as an entertainment experience, especially with boys. The food is really good and for kids it is really neat to eat while watching fish, sharks and sealife swim in front of you. Also a well timed ADR about 5-6PM you may also catch divers swimming with the fish. Good entertainment for all ages.

Oh yeah, we went to Coral Reef in 2007. It as a lot of fun and very entertaining. We thought the food was just okay though. Same with the Garden Grill, the characters were awesome, the food was just okay.

 

[emh1129]

Also don't rule out Coral Reef as an entertainment experience, especially with boys. The food is really good and for kids it is really neat to eat while watching fish, sharks and sealife swim in front of you. Also a well timed ADR about 5-6PM you may also catch divers swimming with the fish. Good entertainment for all ages.

Very true.. this was one of our favorite meals of our trip last December. The kids loved the fish and DH and I thought the food was fantastic. Service was the best we've had anywhere.
We're planning to go there again this trip & I can only hope it will be as good this time around!

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Okay, so I just called to add a day to our trip and got actual 2009 room rates this time. $149 a night for a moderate. I think that's the same as the 2008 price. He said that the 2009 packages will definitely be out TOMORROW!

 

[2disneygirls]

Okay, so I just called to add a day to our trip and got actual 2009 room rates this time. $149 a night for a moderate. I think that's the same as the 2008 price. He said that the 2009 packages will definitely be out TOMORROW!

Oh that's great news!

 

[BellaSoleil]

Hi! I've been lurking for a while and I'm officially joining in.

DH and I are going Jan. 3-9 and splitting a stay between AK and WL. The AK part is a surprise for him.

Our Plans:

3- We are taking the last flight in, so we will just be going straight to sleep.

4- Breakfast @ Boma, MK, Dinner @ O'Hana

5- AK, Lunch @ Yak and Yeti, Dinner @ LeCellier

6- Breakfast @ Chef Mickey's, DTD, Dinner @ HoopDeeDoo

7- Breakfast @ Akershush, Epcot, MK

8- MGM, Lunch @ 50's Prime Time, Dinner @ Teppan Edo

9- MK

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Bellasoleil! So glad you decided to join us!

Looks like a great plan you have and a surprise for your DH!!

I will get you added to the list!

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Shelly, your comment cinched it for me -- I am going for the cheaper dining plan and encouraging my folks to do the same. We can always treat ourselves to a celebratory table-service oop.

Thank you for your help!

I didn't mean to change up all of your plans!!

We too are now thinking about ditching the DDP. . . We had to add an extra night onto our ressie because of flying in late the night before. So that will also mean adding another day to the DDP if we get it, so we would have to double up with 2 TS's in one day since we obviously can't do a TS the night we fly in and we can't do one on the last day because of an early flight home. I do realize that we could use a TS credit at a CS place, but then you don't really get your money's worth!

So the DDP is up in the air for us as of now. If we don't do it I will have to cancel most of our ADR's. We would probably only do about 2 of them without the DDP. We will see. . . .

 

[amreli]

Okay, so I just called to add a day to our trip and got actual 2009 room rates this time. $149 a night for a moderate. I think that's the same as the 2008 price. He said that the 2009 packages will definitely be out TOMORROW!

So exciting!!! I'll be up bright and early.

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

I am still not going to book my package until at least Oct/Nov after I wait and see what codes/discounts come out. I have my room ressie, so I am guaranteed a room at CBR! I am just very curious to see what the DDP prices and options are going to be like, then we can figure out what will be best and most cost efficient for us.

 

[BellaSoleil]

Okay, so I just called to add a day to our trip and got actual 2009 room rates this time. $149 a night for a moderate. I think that's the same as the 2008 price. He said that the 2009 packages will definitely be out TOMORROW!

That's great to know! I'm keeping my fingers crossed for tommorow!