January 2009. . . Calling all Snowbirds ~ Part V

[Momof2Disneyboys]

That's exactly what we thought too! Our days at AK and HS were just as crowded, if not more so (lots of tour groups) but then our days at MK and Epcot were much better, especially Epcot. Toward the end of the day we sat on the curb by UK eating fish and chips and it was one of the most relaxing parts of our vacation. There was hardly no one around, the temp was in the low 70's...it was exactly what we'd pictured our Jan. trip to be like. The other days was much hotter (not that I'm complaining since we had several inches of snow back home), but just not what I expected!

Yeah maybe it wasn't actually that crowded, but it sure seemed crowded to us after being there in May the previous 2 years! We had to get fastpasses for all the big attractions because waits were usually 60-90 minutes. Our DHS day was a nightmare. Wall to wall people. Never seen anything like it before. AK wasn't too bad. Epcot was busier than I expected. And we had one slow day and one busy day at MK. I think it was the tour groups, the 4/3 deal, and we went too close to MLK day. Oh well, we did enjoy the weather better. It was nice to not be sweating through our entire vacation! So we'll give January another try! We will just go a week later and hope for the best! We will also avoid DHS on Fantasmic days!

 

[Mndisneygirl]

transportation from MCO - We have only used ME. Othewise, we've driven.

Crowds - we had very good luck on our trip 1/27 - 2/1. I had Tour Guide Mike's recommendations and although I didn't follow them to the letter, they seemed to be very accurate. Generally, he says avoid EMH parks when possible. The numbers for crowd levels were spot on too. The problem was that we only had one day to see Fantasmic so it was super crowded at DHS. Even though it rained! We would be okay with a.m. EMH, but often skipped p.m. EMH parks since our kids weren't going to stay up past 10 anyway. The interesting thing about January is that the park hours are shorter, and this year, they cut back on the number of nights for some of the night-time shows. So sometimes if you want to see those, you end up in a crowd.

Our next trip will be a bit messy to organize, since we're going in Dec. and trying to see MVMCP and the Candlelight Processional. That's two nights booked for something specific. Luckily the CP runs every night. The party is only two of the four nights we're there.
Now to plan the ADRs!!

Have any of you been to MVMCP? I've been reading about it on some other threads. I have to go, just trying to decide what night. Sunday or Tuesday are our only choices and Sunday is the day we arrive. We are probably driving down since our kids are off school Friday, so I'm hoping we get there early and won't be too tired.

 

[Mndisneygirl]

So we got a piece of Disney mail the other day.



It was a pin code for discounts in June. (Can't use it)



It was addressed to my MIL.

 

[danceintherain]

I wish I was planning another trip for January, but my AP will be expired by then, and I have no idea even where we'll be.

Our crowds weren't bad. Definitely better than the last time I was there. Of course anything's better than New Year's Eve.

We did have some trouble with the tour groups. It's like they don't know how to go around in smaller groups.
Fantasmic was horrible. We had the worst trouble with the DHS busses in the first place, and then when we went to see Fantasmic we got there later than I had wanted to (we had FPs for TSM from earlier in the day) and they were already announcing that it was standing room only. There were still plenty of seats, but the Tour Groups were trying to save a ton of space for each other. I'm cool with somebody put a few items across a few seats to save for a few additional people, but after that it's highly frustrating, especially when it was apparent that the people they were saving for weren't even in the amphitheatre yet, and there were other people trying to sit down.
For our next trip I'm thinking about doing the Fantasmic Dinner Package, but also I want to avoid DHS on Fantasmic days, so I'm torn.

We actually had the worst luck with DHS overall, even though it turned out to be DH's favorite park. It was partially because that was the park he was interested the most in, so he wouldn't go by my Touring Plans. He HAD to ride Star Tours even though I told him the wait would be shorter later.

Sitting here writing this makes me want to do a Trip Report, so maybe I'll finally start that...

 

[hmbbears]

Hi everybody!

I just found this thread and I am so happy that there are others out there planning for January. I would love to get to know all of you and join in on all the Snowbird discussions. My husband and I will be celebrating our 25th Anniversary at WDW Jan 8-13,2010! We will be staying at the Wilderness Lodge which is where my husband has always wanted to stay. We have been planning this for several years and it is finally now begining to feel real.

25 years ago my husband and I found out that I was 6 weeks pregnant. I told my doctor, "that is wonderful, I am six weeks married!". So, our married life has always been totally family oriented. We decided that on our 25th we wanted to have a big celebration of family. We have invited our family and so far there our six others going with us. The wierd thing is that I do not think any of our children will be able to attend. My DS1 is an up and coming comic and January is a very busy time for comics so he is afraid to commit right now. My DD and SIL are both stationed in Iraq and will not be back until April 2010. My DS2 will be in college at that time and he does not know if he will be able to go either. I wish my wonderful children could go with us but they really want us to be there on our actual Anniversary date of Jan.12th and they say they will be really mad at us if we change it. They have also been two other times and they are not as WDW obsessed as we are!

So, right now my Best Friend who also happens to be my niece by marraige, her husband (My husbands nephew), their two wonderful sons (our great nephews) and my husbands Sister and BIL are all planning to attend. My Brother and SIL and my 4 nieces are probobly going to go but do not want to commit right now due to the economy. Hopefully we will be a big, fun group of 14 but right now we are a big,fun group of 8!

Well, I sure made that short amount of information into a long story. Sorry about that! I just wanted to introduce myself and ask to join in on the fun!
I hope to get to know all of you and plan our wonderful trips!

Heather

 

[PEANUT1]

Hi Heather!! Welcome to the group!

We will be there the same time as you..we are going Jan 9-15th.

I was reading everyone else talk about the crowds and wanted to chime in.
The past 3 years it seems like the parks are more crowded whenever we go. We have been in Oct/Nov/Jan/May...none of the times were crazy busy, but busier than I ever remember them being in the past. I think that alot of it has to do with our economy. We are seeing alot more foreigners coming to disney because they can get a great deal because our dollar is worth very little right now.

Also all of the great deals disney is having....I don't see a foreseeable drop in park attendance any time soon....so I plan to just do my thing, arrive early to the parks before rope drop so I can enjoy my trips as much as possible.

GOOD NEWS Hubby and I talked and decided that we are going to make 2 trips to Disney in 2010. We are doing January and also December...I have never done the christmas thing at disney so we are going to go probably the second week of December (Guess I better get an annual pass Better start saving now!!

 

[MAGGIED]

We have been married 23 years; that sounds like a long time!

We had a rough couple of weeks. My grandmother's health declined over the last weeks and then she died last week. It was good to see family from around the country at her services. I miss her.

So sorry to hear of your loss....

I have also been married 23 years... and we dated for 5 years before we got married.... wow.. that seems like a long time ago!!!

Mid May was less crowded than January. One year the weather was perfect - mid 80's, cooling into the 70's in the evenings. The other year (last May) it was extremely HOT! Mid 90's everyday. But no real rain to speak of on either trip. Most wait times were at 20 minutes or less!

I am hoping we will have nice weather like that next month when I am there... I have been in August.. thats pretty hot.. and the end of June... which was hot also... so hoping for nice weather in May!!! Looking ahead at weather.com it says it should be high 80's the whole time we are there!!!!

Fun Question: If you could make ADR's today, what would you make?

Yeah QOTD!!!

We would pick:

Calif Grill for dinner
CRT for breakfast
Grand Floridian tea
Le Cellier
Coral Reef
Crystal Palace for breakfast

GOOD NEWS Hubby and I talked and decided that we are going to make 2 trips to Disney in 2010. We are doing January and also December...I have never done the christmas thing at disney so we are going to go probably the second week of December (Guess I better get an annual pass Better start saving now!!

Lucky you....two trips!!!.. I would love to go to Disney at Christmas... can't talk my family into it....

 

[hmbbears]

Andrea, Thank you for the warm welcome! Glad to hear you will be down there the same time we are! That gives us to things in common. My daughters name is Andrea also.

I am so excited about this trip I can't stand it. I have no idea what I would do if I was going twice in 2010, especially one time at Christma.

Are you worried about being there during the Marathon? I think it will be fine but just wanted another opinion.
Have a great day.

 

[Hoosier Mom]

Does anyone know the price of an annual pass....we are paying for 5 days in the parks. How much more would an annual pass be?

Good news. We were going to try to fly in EARLY on our first park day....but we decided to fly down a day early and take our time. Then we'll be fresh as daisies to transfer to Disney the next morning. Yippee. Let the vacation begin early.

Cheryl

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Hi everybody!

I just found this thread and I am so happy that there are others out there planning for January. I would love to get to know all of you and join in on all the Snowbird discussions. My husband and I will be celebrating our 25th Anniversary at WDW Jan 8-13,2010! We will be staying at the Wilderness Lodge which is where my husband has always wanted to stay. We have been planning this for several years and it is finally now begining to feel real.

25 years ago my husband and I found out that I was 6 weeks pregnant. I told my doctor, "that is wonderful, I am six weeks married!". So, our married life has always been totally family oriented. We decided that on our 25th we wanted to have a big celebration of family. We have invited our family and so far there our six others going with us. The wierd thing is that I do not think any of our children will be able to attend. My DS1 is an up and coming comic and January is a very busy time for comics so he is afraid to commit right now. My DD and SIL are both stationed in Iraq and will not be back until April 2010. My DS2 will be in college at that time and he does not know if he will be able to go either. I wish my wonderful children could go with us but they really want us to be there on our actual Anniversary date of Jan.12th and they say they will be really mad at us if we change it. They have also been two other times and they are not as WDW obsessed as we are!

So, right now my Best Friend who also happens to be my niece by marraige, her husband (My husbands nephew), their two wonderful sons (our great nephews) and my husbands Sister and BIL are all planning to attend. My Brother and SIL and my 4 nieces are probobly going to go but do not want to commit right now due to the economy. Hopefully we will be a big, fun group of 14 but right now we are a big,fun group of 8!

Well, I sure made that short amount of information into a long story. Sorry about that! I just wanted to introduce myself and ask to join in on the fun!
I hope to get to know all of you and plan our wonderful trips!

Heather

Heather!!

So glad you joined us! How exciting to be celebrating your 25th anniversary at WDW!!

We look forward to chatting and planning with you!

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

January 2010 Snowbirds


Bellasoleil Jan 2-8 POP
Hmbbears Jan 8-13 WL
Peanut1 Jan 9-15 THV
Kazooie01 Jan 20-27 CSR
Lizziejane Jan ??? BWV
Momto2prncchrmgs Jan 23-30 POP
Dancegrl624 Jan 23-30 ???
Momof2disneyboys Jan 23-31 ???
Disneymommy3 Jan 23-31 ???
Hoosiermom Jan 25-30 WL

 

[Mndisneygirl]

Welcome Heather!! And congratulations on 25 years - that's awesome! I'm sure whoever gets to share it with you will have a great time!

Andrea - two trips in 2010! Just like me in 2009! We went in Jan and are going back for Dec to enjoy the holiday stuff! I will do some research while I'm there and report in for you.
Oh - as for the AP - I know the rates are posted somewhere on the DIS site. I looked because I thought we might do that. In the end we are getting military tickets for Dec. Basic (no discounts nothing extra) are $469 adults and $414 children.

 

[danceintherain]

Andrea, Thank you for the warm welcome! Glad to hear you will be down there the same time we are! That gives us to things in common. My daughters name is Andrea also.

I am so excited about this trip I can't stand it. I have no idea what I would do if I was going twice in 2010, especially one time at Christma.

Are you worried about being there during the Marathon? I think it will be fine but just wanted another opinion.
Have a great day.

I was there during Marathon weekend this year, and it really wasn't that bad. It was a little more difficult to navigate through the parks during marathons, but not bad. Also, they did close down some roads during the marathon that would make it more complicated if you drive, but we rode the busses everywhere and didn't notice a difference on how long it took to get from place to place.
My DH was a little upset that I didn't let him run in the marathon though, so we might just have to return to let him do it at some point.

Does anyone know the price of an annual pass....we are paying for 5 days in the parks. How much more would an annual pass be?

Good news. We were going to try to fly in EARLY on our first park day....but we decided to fly down a day early and take our time. Then we'll be fresh as daisies to transfer to Disney the next morning. Yippee. Let the vacation begin early.

Cheryl

Annual passes are around $500 with tax ($499.49 to be exact)... An Annual Pass figures to be about double what you pay for a base ticket no matter how long you go if you don't add Park Hopping or Water Parks.
Thus, if you're going for 5 days with any extras and are already planning another trip within the year, then an Annual Pass could be right for you.

A 5 day Park Hopper costs $289.68 while a 5 day ticket with no extras is $236.33. Basically, if you go on two 5-day trips within a year without any extras then it would be more for an Annual Pass, but even if you just add Park Hopping which is useful, especially if you get EMH, then you'll be saving a little, but only if you make it back within the year.

 

[MAGGIED]

I just looked on mousesavers and the price for an annual pass is $499.49 for adult and $440.91 for children... if you qualify for military you can go to the Shades of Green and buy them there... they are adult $460 and children $407.... sometimes you can also call your local MWR and get them cheaper than that... we called the Niagara Air Force Base in Niagara falls NY... its about 2 hours from us... they got them cheaper for us.. and then mailed them to us... I just had to fax them a copy of my military ID...

I figured if you are say doing 2 five day trips... your options are:

using ticket prices from mousesavers.com

1 10 day non expiring ticket $252.41 for the ticket, $50 to make it a hopper and $200 to make it non expiring.. total of $502.41.. better off going with the annual pass.

2 5 day passes....$236.43 each, $50 each time for hopping... total of $626.86... still better going with a annual pass

hope that helps...

 

[Momto2PrncChrmgs]

Yeah maybe it wasn't actually that crowded, but it sure seemed crowded to us after being there in May the previous 2 years! We had to get fastpasses for all the big attractions because waits were usually 60-90 minutes. Our DHS day was a nightmare. Wall to wall people. Never seen anything like it before. AK wasn't too bad. Epcot was busier than I expected. And we had one slow day and one busy day at MK. I think it was the tour groups, the 4/3 deal, and we went too close to MLK day. Oh well, we did enjoy the weather better. It was nice to not be sweating through our entire vacation! So we'll give January another try! We will just go a week later and hope for the best! We will also avoid DHS on Fantasmic days!

Yeah, we were there on Fantasmic day too (and we didn't even want to stay for it) and it was HORRIBLY crowded. I got so frustrated at the tour groups standing in line forever to get fastpasses. Very aggravating! If they don't offer a birthday thing for 2010, we'll wait and go the first week of February. I couldn't pass up the extra $75 GC for hubby's bday this year! It was a nice perk even if it was crowded.

 

[drakes]

Should I add you to the list???


January 2010 Snowbirds


Bellasoleil Jan 2-8 POP
Peanut1 Jan 9-15 THV
Kazooie01 Jan 20-27 CSR
Lizziejane Jan ??? BWV
Momto2prncchrmgs Jan 23-30 POP
Dancegrl624 Jan 23-30 ???
Momof2disneyboys Jan 23-31 ???
Disneymommy3 Jan 23-31 ???
Hoosiermom Jan 25-30 WL

Yesterday as I was packing for by business trip I decided Jan is more appealing than August . I think with that idea I was trying to squeeze in a "discount" trip which didn't involve taking DD out of school, as well as offered me a great deal! No matter how much money I saved I don't think we'd be happy with a hot crowded trip. Crowds on the DHS fantasmic night disappointed me, but it didn't ruin out trip.

However Dd will be adult price in january with no luck in sight for any discount. She was spoiled with the WL waterslide, and I think we'll need to do value for this Mom & Me trip. DH did confirm if I selected Jan 2010 he would not be able to go, so maybe it's for the best to get my Mommy & Me trip in there?

I know you'd all encourage me to plan. I guess a plan is not a solid YES. DD would not know, I'd surprise her.

I think my biggest worry is $$$$$$

 

[MindyLuvsMickey]

I'm in serious need of a Disney fix . . .

 

[Northern Disney Girl]

I'm in serious need of a Disney fix . . .

You and me both! My DH just got a little promotion at work and in the back of my head I am thinking....can we afford to do renos on the house AND plan a Jan/Feb trip to Disney in 2010? Somehow I know it won't happen but a girl can dream, right? Here's to hopin'!

 

[MindyLuvsMickey]

You and me both! My DH just got a little promotion at work and in the back of my head I am thinking....can we afford to do renos on the house AND plan a Jan/Feb trip to Disney in 2010? Somehow I know it won't happen but a girl can dream, right? Here's to hopin'!

We certainly can dream! If I thought it would be a good idea for me to do Disney while pregnant, I would so be there. I keep having Polynesian day dreams

 

[Dancegrl624]

Heather-Welcome to our wonderful group!

Shawna-I think they were putting in new carpet or something at Philharmagic in Jan. I read about it somewhere, but I don't remember where.

As far as future ADR's..I have too many to name! As I've said before, we've never been a big TS kind of family. I've pretty much eaten at every single CS place in WDW, so I'd love to try some more TS. We loved CP, so that is a must on future trips.