January 2009. . . Calling all Snowbirds ~ Part V

[Dancegrl624]

Happy Anniversary Meghan!

Thanks!

Happy Anniversary Meghan & Tony!!!!! And I am just rejoicing with you watching your ticker move down!!!!!

Thank you. I'm hoping that ticker moves quickly!

Happy Anniversary Meghan! You guys make the cutest couple.

Aw...thanks.

 

[Monny2AE]

Good morning everyone! Well, today my DH and I are celebrating 7 years of marriage. It's a beautiful day today too. 83 degrees!!! We went to The Melting Pot for dinner on Saturday night and had a wonderful time. We really won't see each other today, so we needed to pick a day to go out. Maddie has Irish dance class at 5:15 and that's usually when my DH gets home from work. Then, he has grad school at 6 and that's when dance is over. I have my tap class at 7:45pm til about 9pm so it's a long day! Well, I'm off to take Madison to school and then call Disney to try and make some ADR's again! Wish me luck!

Happy 7 years to you and Tony!!! I'm crossing my fingers you get our ADR's. Keep trying!

Congrats Kim! 10 days! Oh, my heavens.... what a good time!!!! I have found that waiting and planning is half the fun.

The waiting is not so fun but the planning is loads of fun! Is it too early to get out my secret WDW tub and start filling it yet?

 

[Dancegrl624]

Happy 7 years to you and Tony!!! I'm crossing my fingers you get our ADR's. Keep trying!

Thanks! I did manage to make 2 more ADR's today, but they weren't for our first choices. We made a list of 2nd, 3rd and 4th choices the other day. I want to leave for vacation at least having something! I plan on calling back when I can. Thank goodness for free long distance!

 

[Monny2AE]

Found this thread and it cracked me up!
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2160788

Thanks! I did manage to make 2 more ADR's today, but they weren't for our first choices. We made a list of 2nd, 3rd and 4th choices the other day. I want to leave for vacation at least having something! I plan on calling back when I can. Thank goodness for free long distance!

I'm glad you got those 2 at least

 

[danceintherain]

Happy Monday to all my Snowbirdy friends! It's going to be a hot one here...again. We kinda skipped spring and went straight to summer these past couple of days.

My exciting news!!!!! (It may not sound all that exciting but getting my dh to talk Disney has been like pulling teeth lately. Why talk about it if we can't afford it right now is his motto.) SO we had a big Disney talk this weekend and we are definitely going December 2010 which seems waaay far away but when we go we're going to try to make it a 10 day trip instead of 7. DH didn't like how we felt so rushed and tried to squeeze everything in and still missed so much. I'm still trying to push for something a little sooner but financially it's probably not going to happen. Oh and my idea of a secret savings to save up for the trip is out the window. I can't keep a secret from him to save my life. Check out my sad little ticker...oh boy this is going to be a long countdown!

We skipped spring too... except last night we got a thunderstorm so we're back down to 40 degree temps today. I had to pull out my coat and find a hat. I'm sorry you don't get to go until next Christmas, but at least you have a plan. I'm trying to get as many trips as possible in while I have my Annual Pass, but after it expires it will probably be a LONG time until we get to go back.

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

Yikes! Talk about uncertainty around here! We are still tossing up the Philly idea, but with this darn Swine Flu (Tx schools around San Antonio closing), we think maybe just sticking around our own backyard this summer would be best. At least until they get this thing under control. Not to cause panic or alarm for any of you, but that's our decision. One thing we had considered was a cruise-but all the cruises out of Galveston make at least one stop in Mexico-----we sure don't want to do that.

so....talking to mike today about it, and he says he really might want to do disney at Christmas this time! Wow! I don't know! I kinda like getting Christmas behind us, and putting all that stuff up before our trip. On the other hand, that first week of Dec seems to be a bit better weather/crowd wise than our last Jan. trip. I know the 4 for 3 had a lot to do with it, but I still couldn't believe how many people we encountered.

Mike is a Christmas dude---he just loves it, so, if that's when he would rather go, we'll go. Oh, SHELLY~ He said definitely the Beach Club! Girl, you gotta go there!! Anybody else, teetering on some other time that Jan? We'll have to see!! I am gonna start looking at crowd predictions and see if we are swayed one way or another!!!! I may have to redo my ticker before long!

 

[snykymom]

Excitement here today! Daughter says she might want to join me at Disney in September, and I think I've figured out a way for her to do it! School will have started already, but she doesn't have any Friday classes. She could join me Thursday night and leave Sunday night and not even miss any school!

Now I just have to determine how best to do the tickets, and whether, since it's now two of us, we do better with Free Dining than with my bounceback!

Question, though - I want to go longer than she does. I know we both need a one-day ticket. But what do I do about check-in? We won't be together.

 

[Monny2AE]

so....talking to mike today about it, and he says he really might want to do disney at Christmas this time! Wow! I don't know! I kinda like getting Christmas behind us, and putting all that stuff up before our trip. On the other hand, that first week of Dec seems to be a bit better weather/crowd wise than our last Jan. trip. I know the 4 for 3 had a lot to do with it, but I still couldn't believe how many people we encountered.

Mike is a Christmas dude---he just loves it, so, if that's when he would rather go, we'll go. Oh, SHELLY~ He said definitely the Beach Club! Girl, you gotta go there!! Anybody else, teetering on some other time that Jan? We'll have to see!! I am gonna start looking at crowd predictions and see if we are swayed one way or another!!!! I may have to redo my ticker before long!

Let me know how the first week is this year because we'll be there next year the same time! I'd love to see Disney at Christmas!!!!


DIY Network is showing an episode of Yard Crashers and it's all about Disney Epcot!!!! It's also playing later so I set my DVR to catch the first 20 minutes I missed. Go set your DVR's!!!

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

Kim, we have been the first week of December twice. It was soooooo pretty. One year it was warm-ish-----t-shirts/jeans or capris, and the next year it was cold! We had to buy tobagoons and gloves! That year we definitely got the hot chocolate at the Christmas Party. That 2nd time(06) was more crowded than the same time in 05. Weird. I think T-Day being closer to the end of the month makes a difference.

Make sure that you try to look at the resorts close to you--they all have really pretty decor for Christmas.

 

[Mndisneygirl]

I'm a little late - but Happy Anniversary Meghan and Tony!! I'm dying to try the Melting Pot! I have a gift certificate too - and they're opening another one really close by, so maybe that's where we'll go to celebrate our anniv next month!

We're going to be at WDW from 12/6 - 12/10 this year before a 3 day cruise (our bounceback deal). I've been reading about crowds etc. Apparently it is pretty good the week right after Thanksgiving. You get all the Christmas shows, decorations, etc. Plus the prices aren't super bad like the holiday weeks. The week we're going is when Pop Warner is there. I heard (from the DISboards of course) that the parks aren't too bad but if you stay at All Stars or POR, that's where they are and it gets crazy. We'll be at Bay Lake Tower, so it shouldn't bother us. I'll let you all know after how it went! Tickets for MVMCP go on sale on Friday, so I'm trying to decide which night to go. We only have three or four days to hit the parks, so it's going to be rough. We're skipping AK this time unless we get hoppers, which we might do. I hate not knowing schedules way in advance so I can plan!! I guess now everything comes out at the 90 day mark so I have to wait FAR TOO LONG to know the park hours, shows etc. Although I called today to ask some questions about MVMCP and the CM told me that typically during more crowded times, they do run shows like Fantasmic more nights a week. Let's hope so!!

 

[Dancegrl624]

I'm a little late - but Happy Anniversary Meghan and Tony!! I'm dying to try the Melting Pot! I have a gift certificate too - and they're opening another one really close by, so maybe that's where we'll go to celebrate our anniv next month!

Thanks Sheree! You should definately try the Melting Pot. It's very cozy and the food is delicious. Just be prepared to be there for a few hours because you get 4 courses. It's definately nice to not feel rushed. They encourage you to take your time and enjoy!

 

[Monny2AE]

DIY Network is showing an episode of Yard Crashers and it's all about Disney Epcot!!!! It's also playing later so I set my DVR to catch the first 20 minutes I missed. Go set your DVR's!!!

I didn't get a chance to watch it last night but I recorded it. In case you missed it...

http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/press/article/0,,DIY_13703_5942328,00.html

"Encore presentations of Yard Crashers: Disney Epcot will air on Thursday, April 30 at 9 p.m. ET, Saturday, May 2 at 8 a.m. ET and Sunday, May 3 at 7 p.m. ET on DIY Network."

Kim, we have been the first week of December twice. It was soooooo pretty. One year it was warm-ish-----t-shirts/jeans or capris, and the next year it was cold! We had to buy tobagoons and gloves! That year we definitely got the hot chocolate at the Christmas Party. That 2nd time(06) was more crowded than the same time in 05. Weird. I think T-Day being closer to the end of the month makes a difference.

Make sure that you try to look at the resorts close to you--they all have really pretty decor for Christmas.

We're going to be at WDW from 12/6 - 12/10 this year before a 3 day cruise (our bounceback deal). I've been reading about crowds etc. Apparently it is pretty good the week right after Thanksgiving. You get all the Christmas shows, decorations, etc. Plus the prices aren't super bad like the holiday weeks. The week we're going is when Pop Warner is there. I heard (from the DISboards of course) that the parks aren't too bad but if you stay at All Stars or POR, that's where they are and it gets crazy. We'll be at Bay Lake Tower, so it shouldn't bother us. I'll let you all know after how it went! Tickets for MVMCP go on sale on Friday, so I'm trying to decide which night to go. We only have three or four days to hit the parks, so it's going to be rough. We're skipping AK this time unless we get hoppers, which we might do. I hate not knowing schedules way in advance so I can plan!! I guess now everything comes out at the 90 day mark so I have to wait FAR TOO LONG to know the park hours, shows etc. Although I called today to ask some questions about MVMCP and the CM told me that typically during more crowded times, they do run shows like Fantasmic more nights a week. Let's hope so!!

We'll probably stay at ASMo this time. Budget-wise a value resort is the way to go for us and then we can stay a little longer. We've only ever stayed at CBR so I hope it's not a huge difference going from a mod to a value. We don't use the room much anyway and spend most of our time in the parks. At least I have plenty of time to decide!

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

You should definately try the Melting Pot. It's very cozy and the food is delicious. Just be prepared to be there for a few hours because you get 4 courses. It's definately nice to not feel rushed. They encourage you to take your time and enjoy!

DH and I are considering the Melting Pot for our anniversary dinner in a few weeks! We've never been there. It sure sounds good!

 

[danceintherain]

Yikes! Talk about uncertainty around here! We are still tossing up the Philly idea, but with this darn Swine Flu (Tx schools around San Antonio closing), we think maybe just sticking around our own backyard this summer would be best. At least until they get this thing under control. Not to cause panic or alarm for any of you, but that's our decision. One thing we had considered was a cruise-but all the cruises out of Galveston make at least one stop in Mexico-----we sure don't want to do that.

so....talking to mike today about it, and he says he really might want to do disney at Christmas this time! Wow! I don't know! I kinda like getting Christmas behind us, and putting all that stuff up before our trip. On the other hand, that first week of Dec seems to be a bit better weather/crowd wise than our last Jan. trip. I know the 4 for 3 had a lot to do with it, but I still couldn't believe how many people we encountered.

Mike is a Christmas dude---he just loves it, so, if that's when he would rather go, we'll go. Oh, SHELLY~ He said definitely the Beach Club! Girl, you gotta go there!! Anybody else, teetering on some other time that Jan? We'll have to see!! I am gonna start looking at crowd predictions and see if we are swayed one way or another!!!! I may have to redo my ticker before long!

Shhh! but I'm considering surprising my DH with a trip to Disney for his birthday. It depends on a few things panning out over the next few months, but we would probably be there Dec 11-17th or something around there. I would do January again, but my AP only goes through the beginning of January, and I don't want to do actual Christmas and New Year's. His birthday just happens to fall during value season, and I would love to go to a Very Merry Christmas Party.
It will probably be a Value trip, but I'm toying with switching to a Deluxe for part of the trip. I'm probing him to find out which Deluxe he'd most like to go to without letting him know about the trip.

 

[Mndisneygirl]

Becca - I think that would be a great idea! I see from your ticker you were at AKL in January, how did you like AKL? DH says he'd like to tack on a night there at the beginning of our next trip and get a savannah view since we won't be going to AK this time. At least we'd feel like we were there and see some animals!

 

[drakes]

for those of you planning on a Jan 2010 POP trip, can you tell me your reasons for choosing POP.

POP has never been on our list, I think it's the flashy colours that distracts me - but we have stayed at All Stars

 

[EPCOT is a verb]

for those of you planning on a Jan 2010 POP trip, can you tell me your reasons for choosing POP.

POP has never been on our list, I think it's the flashy colours that distracts me - but we have stayed at All Stars

POP is very similar to the All Stars, but we think the bus transportation is slightly better at POP. We also like the location better (the distance to various parks).

 

[snykymom]

Well, gang, I've decided! D will join me for a long weekend in September, which makes Free Dining more of a bargain than my bounceback rate. And I'd rather travel with her in September than by myself in December (she couldn't come then because it'd be in the middle of finals).

So I'm going from Sept. 9 - 15, doing MNSSHP on Sept. 11 so d can see her villains, got into a photopass share before they shut the threads down, so all is good!

 

[drakes]

POP is very similar to the All Stars, but we think the bus transportation is slightly better at POP. We also like the location better (the distance to various parks).

Thank you. I was on the resort FAQ for POP. I'm just not "feeling it" , so many seem to enjoy it. I like the idea of the lake. We stayed at ASMo but the fantasia pool was in refurb, that was what I wanted to see

I'm still trying to plan this Mommy & Me trip, code name MAM in our house!
Everyone's chatter about trips has me in the mode again. We had booked CBR for August, but I cancelled - I got afraid of lines ups and hot weather

Being in the UK last week gave me the travel bug.

 

[danceintherain]

Becca - I think that would be a great idea! I see from your ticker you were at AKL in January, how did you like AKL? DH says he'd like to tack on a night there at the beginning of our next trip and get a savannah view since we won't be going to AK this time. At least we'd feel like we were there and see some animals!

We really enjoyed AKL. The decor is gorgeous! We didn't do a Savannah view, because of the extra price, and I'd take extra days over a special view any time. However, the animals were out pretty often, even just walking by the viewing areas, so I'd definitely think the Savannah view would be worth it.

The pool was really nice too. We only did the pool once though, because every time I've gone swimming over the past year or so I've gotten water in my ear, and haven't been able to get it out for a week. The Mara food was decent, though it lacked for lunch and dinner options, but I loved the fries! They always gave me a ton, so half the time I'd eat all my fries and barely touch the other food I got.

Our dinner at Jikos was good, but I found the food a little spicy. I have no tolerance for spicy food though, so I'm sure most people would have really liked it. Also, the bread and butter assortment they give you is delicious. It was fun to try the different breads.

We didn't end up keeping our ADR at Boma, because we got to the night before with 3 CS and a bunch of snack credits left, so we couldn't justify spending the money on Boma and burning the credits. I was really torn about canceling the ADR, but we weren't going to starve so ultimately the rational side of me won out.
I loved the music that could be heard throughout the resort, and the overall theming. I wish I would have taken more pictures, but I never got around to it. I would love to go back and stay there again.
Also, the staff was really nice. Also, even if you don't think you'll have time for AK during your trip, if you have a park hopper and even just a couple hours, the AK bus ride only takes only a few minutes, because it's literally right around the corner. We went to AK the morning we were scheduled to leave, and we were able to do the last few attractions we had missed, and still made it back a while before we needed to be waiting out front for Magical Express. That was one of the benefits of canceling our Boma ADR for that morning.