January 2010. . . Anyone else going???

[pianoronni37]

Just had to celebrate...

50 Days (tomorrow)!

50 Days (tomorrow)!

50 Days (tomorrow)!

(I'll be at work then school all day, so the celebration won't happen tomorrow... but I love an early celebration!)

 

[Jazzygirl72]

Oh me neither KarlaG4kids! LOL! But I'm more of a Disney enthusiast than he is, although I've definitely won him over with our last trips...minus the crazy commando touring plans.
Truth be told, I'll probably be a bit more excited than him but I don't care! I got a great rate on AKL and airfare! And I promised him after the last trip that the next one would be more relaxed so I'm going to try to stick with that. ahem.

 

[Monny2AE]

thats DH's birthday. We are celebrating mine there...the 27th

We're celebrating my DH's on the 27th too!!! What a good wife I am planning a Disney trip on his birthday

I'm at 53 days!!! I feel like it's getting so close now. Almost time to make that final payment- the only part of planning I DON'T like! Better get planning!

 

[drakes]

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I better get planning too... I was going to call in for final payment and arrange our ME today!
I am so excited to tell DD- I have to admit keeping it a surprise is not much fun, because I love her help when we plan!

 

[Mndisneygirl]

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I better get planning too... I was going to call in for final payment and arrange our ME today!
I am so excited to tell DD- I have to admit keeping it a surprise is not much fun, because I love her help when we plan!

Is yours a Christmas surprise? Only a few weeks to go! I wish I could go with just my daughters, but my DH would be SOOOO jealous!

 

[TwistofLemon]

WOW! How in the heck have I missed this thread? I mean, I have spent hours and hours reading here on the dis...okay, days even.

Please count me in for Jan 4 thru 9 at POFQ! I'll be with my son the first two nights, then I'm going to dump his butt at the college program, and have some solo time for ME.

Yes, I'm so proud and happy for him to be accepted into the CP (but I'm really happier to have some alone time at my happy place)

Anyway, we just have the one ADR for breakfast at Boma on the 5th. That's at 8:15. I don't have any other definite plans for meals. Heck, I don't even know which day I'm doing which park. Guess I should get busy planning, huh?

I'm going to catch up on this thread, and see if there's any possible dis-meets in my future. I'd love to get together for a ride or a meal if there's any other solos going?

 

[KarlaG4Kids]

Oh me neither KarlaG4kids! LOL! But I'm more of a Disney enthusiast than he is, although I've definitely won him over with our last trips...minus the crazy commando touring plans.
Truth be told, I'll probably be a bit more excited than him but I don't care! I got a great rate on AKL and airfare! And I promised him after the last trip that the next one would be more relaxed so I'm going to try to stick with that. ahem.

You can do it. I promised DH that on our last trip I would chill a bit and not be a physco touring nut. I did really good and we had a great time. It helped that we were returning in January so I didn't feel like I was missing anything for long. HA HA. It is kind of nice to relax and go a bit slower.

 

[Jazzygirl72]

Yeah quite honestly it was exhausting the last time...but the payoff was we did great in terms of waiting in line...and this during PEAK crowd times! LOL! Being that it's Disney, I HAD to book some ADR's though. Like for instance I KNOW he'll want to see Fantasmic so I booked the dinner package since it will be down to two nights/week at that point and harder to get into. I made a few others and will let him choose which ones we keep. I also have all the park hours organized so we can choose what days. He's not much of a planner so he'll probably say, "whatever you think.."
But NO commando this time, I swear!

 

[Lizziejane]

It's official...as of this morning, I can now tell everyone that we're going to WDW next month!!!!

 

[Jazzygirl72]

Congrats! I noticed your Pre-trip report about drinking around the world. We attempted that last time but were too tired. Maybe this time!
I definitely plan on spending some quality time at the new tequila bar in EPCOT!

 

[drakes]

It's official...as of this morning, I can now tell everyone that we're going to WDW next month!!!!

Yippee to us all! Next Month we're all going to Disney World!

 

[Oshawa]

Yippee to us all! Next Month we're all going to Disney World!

We are so excited!! I think my boys are more excited about the trip than Christmas.

 

[sillyyankee]

Yippee to us all! Next Month we're all going to Disney World!

Yikes!!! First timers, and since my 2 ADRs were made a month ago, i have done no planning!!

Is UG park itineraries the best for first timers?

thanks!

 

[KarlaG4Kids]

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy....NEXT MONTH IT IS!!!!

 

[drakes]

Yikes!!! First timers, and since my 2 ADRs were made a month ago, i have done no planning!!

Is UG park itineraries the best for first timers?

thanks!

For my First time as an adult I read the UG, we did not follow a touring plan, however we did follow their advice on the popular rides with typically long waits. However our first trip we were very flexible, we knew what we wanted to see and tried to accomodate what we could, this worked for MK and EPCOT, but at DHS and AK we did not succeed in getting it all done, not that we were disappointed with that, but it was surprising as these parks appear much smaller and easier to navigate. We also did take the time to go back to the room for a break. This past Jan 2009- we went commando and did not stop (except when we ate)- we got far more accomplished, every one was happy (except when we had to leave). I really don't know how to tour this time.
My advice for first timers, know what are your must do attractions, know how to use fastpass, know the park maps so you know where you are going and where you can go to eat, enjoy yourself - take it all in. Know what is important for you and your family, not what the book says is important. Some people skip parades, our family could watch them all day every day- there is something for everyone, reading and knowing what you would like and how to get there is the key.

Enjoy your trip !

 

[Jazzygirl72]

Hey fellow Mass yankee!
Your question has a complicated answer and I agree with Drakes. List out your priorities and then start the planning. And, um, start NOW. Once the holidays hit you won't have time.
Even though I'm a old pro at Disney, I still use touring plans and other sorts of planning spreadsheets. Last year I went during THE busiest time of year...right after Xmas...so using the touring guides was a MUST. It was commando, and exhausting, but we didn't wait more than 45 min in line the whole trip. That's pretty much unheard of. Admittedly I was ready to collapse and was glad I buffered in a day of rest into the trip. Also, it was my first time doing the whole shebang...resort/dining plan/tix package...and it was worth every penny! It was also a learning curve. Now I know what to expect with the extra magic hours and such. THIS time, I'm totally taking more advantage of the evening ones. It will allow us to go in later and not have to get up early every day. There are lots of good spreadsheets from folks on here if you do a thread search for them. I also used some passporter sheets that a friend sent me. I got a small 8x5.5 binder and kept all my stuff in there. It was SO handy. I had everything from the park hours, our ADR's, touring plans in there...and also all the DDP restaurants and snack options. I alos had park hours in a spreadsheet, which I would be more than happy to send you since someone on here sent it to me. I also got a neat DDP tracker of cute Mickey faces. We crossed off a face every time we ate a meal or snack. It was a fun way to keep track.
The possibilities are endless but as Drakes said, prioritize and depending on your length of stay, maybe accept that you'll have to save stuff to go back for another time. Nothing wrong with that!!!

 

[jeanylaser]

YAHOO! next month is going to be my birthday in Disney! I can't wait to stay in the pirate theme in CBR!

 

[MelXThree]

woot woot I got my papers today woot woot!!!!

Can't wait to get out of this cold and into to the nice Flordia weather

 

[sillyyankee]

Drakes and Jazzygirl (hello fellow Mass DISer)

Thanks very much for the information. Those are my goals, but i have been getting sidetracked with the abundance of information available. Having a bit of an overload to say the least

I would love any spreadsheets that you may have, my homemade chart is sorely needing something! Please send them on if you can.

Thanks very much! I appreciate the feed back and will be prioritizing starting this week. I only have 4 books on WDW, so I am sure I can read up on something!

One last question...are the customizable maps available through WDW internet worth the effort, seems to take quite some time to pick attractions to put on the map?

Thanks again, have a great night!

 

[stitchaholic]

hi sillyyankee,

not sure if you have an iphone,but you can download a disney GPS application
it's pretty neat.

I agree with the others that some planning is in order or you may not get the most out of your trip,Disney can be overwhelming if you are not prepared.
read those books, make those ADR's.

last year we planned out every day, but when we got there,we kind of threw it all up in the air and did what we felt like doing (except ADR's,we kept to those) but that is only after having been before, the first time calls for commando style,but don't worry,you may tell yourself it's the trip of a lifetime,but if you are on here,you are one of us...and you will be back