July? In Florida? With kids? In 43 days? Are you insane? Okay - let's go!!!

[eyeheartgoofy]

Okay. This trip will be our third trip to the world as a family. Our third trip was not SUPPOSED to happen until March/April 2008. Then, one day, while reading the Disboards I happen upon the code thread for July 2007. I see Beach Club for $195 a night with an AP and think, "Gee, that would be awesome. Too bad we aren't going in July."

Then, I start thinking (dangerous, that thinking) that maybe we could go in July. DH has 9 days in July off from work and we have no plans for those 9 days. We live 10 minutes from an airport that Allegiant flies out of and how expensive could those tickets be? And we are DVC members, with some planning, rearranging and cash nights we might just have enough points to squeak out 6 nights in a studio at Saratoga Springs.

So, now you know how my mind works - I went from thinking that $195 a night for the Beach Club is an awesome deal to, "Hey, we can stay in Saratoga Springs for 6 nights in July and it will be awesome!" All over the course of about 18 minutes.

So, I look up the flights on Allegiant. $79 each way X 4 = not too bad. Plus airport is only 10 minutes away and we have always wanted to try Allegiant because of the nonstop service. Then I call DVC member services - they have studio availability at SSR and OKW for the entire stay. Nothing at VWL. BCV for the Sat only and BWV for Sat and Sun. I don't book anything, but file it all away for later.

Later that evening, I bring up the subject with DH (who looks at me like I have just fallen off the deep end). DH just said, "Are you Serious??!! Florida in July? With the girls??" So, I think about it and agree with him that it is a BAD IDEA. I'm bummed, but start to look up local destinations for an overnight trip or something. I convince myself it is, indeed, a BAD IDEA to go to Florida in July.

Next morning, I tell DH that I must have been hitting the crack pipe a little too hard, because Florida in July with 2 little ones is a VERY BAD IDEA. A hot, sweaty, miserable BAD IDEA. DH looks at me and says (with a little disappointment in his voice), "Oh, I was starting to look forward to a trip."

WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY,DEAR? YOU MEAN I HAVE PERMISSION TO BOOK A TRIP FOR JULY??

And so begins the story of our July, 2007 trip. Planned a mere 43 days out.



Let me introduce ourselves:



Me- 35 yr old Disney planner. PLANNER. As in plans in ADVANCE. Does not schedule last minute trips. Buys airfare 11 months out. Has husband's work/holiday schedule mapped out for the next 4 years. DOES NOT PLAN TRIPS A MERE 43 DAYS OUT!!!

DH- 34 yr old. All around nice guy. Goes along with all my plans and pretends to listen to my constant dialogue (or is that a monologue because I'm doing all the talking??). Likes Disney and thinks WDW is great family vacation destination!

DD - 5 years old. Loves the princesses. Would wear a skirt and flip flops every day of the year if I let her (flip flops in the snow? Yes, she has asked!) - girly, girl! Loves Splash Mountain and Goofy's Barnstormer. Likes to stand back a bit and observe.

DD - 3 years old. Likes Disney well enough - does not (yet) seem to be as thrilled as her sister about the place in general. Does like princesses, but also loves to play "bad guys" and chase us around the house. A charmer, for sure.

 

[ktink]

How exciting! Can't wait to read more!

 

[eyeheartgoofy]

When I left off (about an hour ago), I had just introduced the cast. Now, I think a little Disney history is in order. Specifically, my Disney History. My painful, sorrowful Disney history ~~~~~

Picture it. The year is 1985 (or possibly 83 or 84, I was in junior high) and I'm looking forward to a trip to Florida over Christmas break to spend a week in Grandma's trailer park. Yahoo! FLORIDA!!! SUN!!! And BEST OF ALL - after years of begging and pleading, DAD HAS DECIDED WE CAN GO TO DISNEY WORLD!!!! My geology loving, crowd hating, camping loving, Dad has agreed to a day at DISNEY WORLD!! A DAY AT DISNEY WORLD (because that was what the Magic Kingdom was to me back then, DISNEY WORLD. Yeah, Epcot existed, but it wasn't DISNEY WORLD, it was just Epcot. Blahh.).

My best friend got to go to DISNEY WORLD every single year (she spent a day at MK every winter when she went to visit her grandmother's trailer park). I was sooo jealous. She had leg warmers and got to visit DISNEY WORLD!! My world sucked! No Disney, no leg warmers. Mean, mean, mean parents. My best friend did bring me back a pair of mouse ears one year - that was kind of cool.

So, anyway, the magical day of our Disney day trip finally arrived. Dad, who had no idea what he was getting us into, decided we would visit on Dec. 28. Yep. Three days after Christmas. Lambs to the slaughter. Baah, baah... Really, Dad was pretty good planner (he would drool over our AAA trip planners for months before each summer camping vacation)- he read the AAA blurb and decided we should arrive at park opening. You know, to beat the crowds.

Well, we left Grandma's in plenty of time to arrive for park opening - HAD IT NOT BEEN THE BUSIEST DAY OF THE YEAR! We ended up parking in the Goofy section and headed into a jam packed park. JAM PACKED. It was awful. My brother and I rode Small World and Space Mountain. That was it. We left by 1:00pm with my dad shouting obscenities and expressing his profound regret that Mr. Walt Disney was already deceased. Dad later coined the following phrase:

***Warning*** NOT FOR SENSITIVE EARS ***WARNING***

"I'd go spit on Walt's grave, but I don't want to stand in another &**& &**&&%% line!"

Yes, I know. It WAS awful. I was mortified. My mother wasn't speaking to him. My brother wasn't speaking at all. I was crying. People everywhere (because there were people EVERYWHERE) were glaring at him and covering their children's ears. Dad was so delirious with anger that he started laughing like a maniac on the shuttle to the "Goofy Grass" section. Seriously, he was laughing this strange laugh that didn't sound "normal." The only photos we have from this trip are pictures my dad took of the hoards of people - he figured nobody back home would believe him without photographic evidence. Sigh. I vowed, that one day (cue inspirational music) I would return to Disney World and stay in a HOTEL to boot!!!

That, my friends, was my first trip to Disney.

~~~~~

Our real first trip to Disney was in January 1998. DH and I spent 6 nights in the Wilderness Lodge and loved the place. I had my unoffical guide and my Birnbaum guide. We had a great time.

Our second trip to Disney was in August 1998. Yep. Seven months after the first trip (because the 80's trip doesn't really count, much, does it?). We had just purchased a new home, bought a new car and bought a lawnmower for the new house - perfect time for a last minute Disney trip, wouldn't you say. We were a little strapped for cash, so we charged the trip. Six nights at CBR. We were in Trinidad. I hated that trip. It was hot and we were in Trinidad. Trinidad is aprox. 2 million miles from the main lobby and everything else. Did I mention we were in Trinidad? I believe it was Trinidad South. If you want isolation - Trinidad is your place! It was the last stop on the bus route - often the full bus would whiz by us and we were stuck waiting for another bus. Also, we charged the trip - I hate credit. We came away with a slightly sour taste for CBR. Okay, we hated it and vowed only to stay in hotel style resorts. Also, we vowed to never charge another trip.

Our third trip was in Feb 1999. We stayed 4 nights at the Polynesian and experienced a 3 night Disney Cruise. I think the cruise was on the Magic. Honestly, I don't remember much from this trip. Our camera was stolen in the Poly lobby while we were waiting to depart for the cruise - so I don't have any photos to jog my memory. I do remember being very surprised that the Poly was comprised of multiple buildings (how did I not know this??? - especially after the vow I made regarding CBR). I got seasick on the cruise and it was cold the day we were at Castaway Cay. So, not a great trip. In fact, it was our last trip until 2006.


Our fourth trip was in Jan 2006. It was only 3 nights, but it was our first family trip. At the time, our girls were 20mo and 4 1/4yr. We rented 3 nights in a studio at the Villas of Wilderness Lodge. We had a great time. My parents even drove over (from their "retirement community") and spent the night at WL (and got an upgrade from standard view to an awesomely, awesome pool, lake view - Dad is no longer a WDW hater ). The girls loved it. We loved it. We decided a longer trip was in order.

Our fifth trip was in Jan 2007 (yes, 5 months ago). We rented 5 nights in a one bedroom at VWL from the same guy who rented us the studio the year before. Mom and Dad joined us for 2 nights in a studio. It was great - a one bedroom was WONDERFUL with the kids. We discovered the joys of ADR's and ate dinner at Crystal Palace and had breakfast at CRT. Girls still talk about CRT and DD3 still runs around whacking people with her "wand" while yelling, "Bipity Bopity Boo!" A great trip, but we decided we needed 7 nights next time. Ended up buying a small DVC contract for VWL through resale.

Our next trip was planned for March/April 2008. Trip is still planned - plane tickets have been purchased, our one bedrrom at VWL is reserved. We are still going, but it won't be the 6th trip -


NOPE! BECAUSE THE 6TH TRIP IS NEXT MONTH

Stay tuned, I hope to udate you on our flight information, hotel and ADR's next time. And maybe let you know how the packing is going.

And, did I mention, that the kids HAVE NO IDEA we are going to Disney next month? No idea!

 

[eyeheartgoofy]

Thanks for reading, ktink! I love reading trip reports. I just found yours and will be following your adventures at Poly, or is that Pop, or is that AKL ... Love it!

 

[ktink]

OMG!! I'm cracking up. That sounds like something my dad would say.

 

[eyeheartgoofy]

It was about one day after the AP rates for Beach Club came out that DH said he would like go to WDW.

The Room
About 30 seconds after DH tells me a trip would be nice, I was on the phone with a Disney Reservation Specialist (this was May 25th - a little over a week ago!). I called to ask about rooms at Beach Club with the annual pass discount - all they had was standard. Yahoo!!! Score!!! I had been watching a Beach Club AP thread and people were mentioning that only water view was available. I was hoping for the much cheaper standard. So, I booked a room for 6 nights.

Our reservation is actually a split reservation, but they are listed as continuing reservations so I'm hoping we don't have to switch rooms. The first night of our trip (July 7) is regular season, so the rate was $302.62 (including tax) per night. The next 5 nights of our trip are during value season and the rate drops to $218.25 (including tax) per night. I remember reading somewhere (Unofficial guide, I think) that the price of your room is determined by the season in which the first day of your reservation falls. So... booking all 6 nights with a reservation starting on July 7th would have run us an extra $500 for the stay. I verified this with the reservation specialist and he made two reservations and told me there was a possibility I would have to switch rooms - but, he was making a note on both reservations that it was a continuing reservation. I did have to put 2 different deposits down - one for the first night and one for the next 5 nights. No biggie. Just hope we don't have to switch rooms.

The Flight

I booked it through Allegiant Air. $79 per person each way on the way down, $119 (or $99, I can't remember) on the way home. They charge you for each piece of luggage and for securing assigned seats - so it is not as cheap as it seems. Still, at roughtly $250 a person, it was the cheapest flight I could find within an hour of our house (and the only nonstop with availability).

We are located about 10 minutes (via back roads, so no traffic issues) from the airport, but have never flown Allegiant. Allegiant doesn't run every day, so you kind of have to plan your trip around their flight days. In the past, we have actually driven an hour to another smallish airport that offers a daily, nonstop flight to Orlando via NWA. With kids, we don't like making connections. That stems from the fact that we missed a connecting flight the first time we flew with our girls. Anyway, an hours drive for a nonstop flight definately beats a one stop flight from an airport 10 minutes away - at least in our book. The nonstop gets you there a heck of a lot faster too! ANYWAY - I'm making a short story long again - we are flying Allegiant and I'm excited to try flying from such a close local. Of course, I really wish we lived within reasonable distance from one of those BIG CITY airports that offer Dings and Dongs and all those fancy CHEAP flights. I'm so jealous when I read of these $100 round trips!!! So, so jealous!!! Our flight is due to arrive in Sanford around 10:00am - we could be at the Beach Club by noon!


Transportation To The World

Of course, flying Allegiant leads to a problem. No ME from Sanford. We have to rent a car or hire a Florida Towncar. The cheapest standard SUV I have found so far is over $400 with fees and everything (minivans are even more)- I don't know if we can get all of our gear into a car. Although, DH used to have an Impala and you can fit a CRAPLOAD into the trunk of an Impala. The website for Florida Towncar says their fee is $180 round trip, with an additional $10 charge for a 30 minute stop at a grocery store. I assume taxes and tip would add on to that bill. DH is favoring Florida Towncar - I don't know. No reservations are made yet. I'm hoping for a rental car code before I make a final decision - all the current codes seem to expire at the end of June.

Well, that is it for this little segment. Next up admission tickets and ADR's (or lack thereof).

I am finding this pre-trip writing to be fun. At the moment, I seem to be talking to an audience of 2 (myself and ktink
). But that is okay, considering most of my Disney conversations are with myself! It feels so good to share! DH likes Disney, but he doesn't care for the details. "Just tell me when and where," is what he likes to say. That is great in one sense - I can plan whatever I want. But, it kind of stinks when I get no input and can't make up my mind!!!

 

[eyeheartgoofy]

Admission Tickets

Okay. Even though I booked a room with an Annual Pass rate, I don't have an annual pass. Obviously, I have to get one by the time we check in - so, it seems pretty cut and dry. We will be visiting again at the end of March/ beginning of April 2008 - AP's for all of us make sense. AP's wills cost us $1256 (plus taxes - I think the total is $1340.64) for the four of us with the DVC discount.

The other option I have been *thinking/obsessing* over is the 10 Day No Expiry Park Hopper and More. This will cost us nearly $400 more, but we will each get 6 extras - extras we would use for water parks. I figure this option would allow us 5 days of parks for the next 2 trips, 1 water park day each trip and still leave us with 4 NON-EXPIRING water park admissions at today's prices. I checked into prices and a water park admission for one day is over $100 for the four of us - so the non-expiry thing could save us some cash over time. Then again, will we really visit a water park every time? The only time we visited a water park in the past was during our August CBR visit - we visited Typhoon Lagoon twice and loved it - but haven't been back since.

The more I think about it, the more I think we will just go with AP's. DH thinks a water park would be great this July - but, the main reason we are staying at Beach Club is to try Storm Along Bay. I think SAB will be water park enough for the girls at this age.


ADR's

We don't have the dining plan because you can't get DDP and the annual pass rate. Until our last trip, we had only experienced 2 table service meals in the parks. Coral Reef and Nine Dragons in Epcot. I was a big fan of breakfast and lunch in your room and quick service for dinner.

Last trip, we made two ADR's prior to departure. Dinner at Boma and a 8:10am breakfast at CRT on a day the park opened at 9:00am. We had a really good time - Boma was a treat and we all enjoyed dining in the castle. We also ended up eating at Crystal Palace - it was a last minute ADR. It was a cold, rainy afternoon and I didn't want to leave the hotel, so I asked DH to visit the lobby Concierge to see if we could eat dinner at Whispering Canyon Cafe. Well, the cafe was booked solid until 8:30pm. But, because of the rain, Crystal Palace and CRT were both open for dinner that night. We went with CP because two castle meals in one trip seemed a little greedy. The moral of the story - we discovered a love of leisurely WDW meals in the evening and breakfast before park opening.

So, we booked a few ADR's. And re-booked. This is what we have so far, but I am 99.9% sure they will be changing.

7-7-07 - No ADR, plan to try Beaches and Cream for an early dinner.
7-8-07 - 8:05am Crystal Palace for breakfast. Park opens at 9:00am!
5:40pm Clam Bake at Cape May
7-9-07 - 4:45pm Princess Storybook Dinner at Akerhus
7-10-07 -No ADR
7-11-07 -5:15pm RESERVATION at CRT, also 5:05pm at Tony's
7-12-07 - NO ADR
7-13-07- We are leaving - may look into Character breakfast.

I will probably cancel 7-8-07 Cape May. Really don't need 2 sit down meals in one day. I made the Cape May reservations a few days before I thought to try an early CP ADR. I haven't been reading good things about Cape May.

Will definately keep Akerhus - we will be staying at an Epcot resort, so it will be convenient and the girls will love it.

May cancel CRT. I was just so dang excited to find availability (and at a time that works for us) that I took the reservation. I had called on a whim to see if CRT had breakfast or lunch availability on any of our MK days - they had lunch at 2:30pm one day and dinner at 5:15pm another day. I'm thinking 2 princess meals in one trip might be over the top.

Also, will probably cancel Tony's even if I cancel CRT. I just wanted to eat in MK that night and made Tony's reservations before I found the CRT availability. I haven't been reading great things about Tony's either. Then again, I read a lot of negativity surrounding the CRT breakfast and we really enjoyed ourselves.

There you have it. Our ADR's. Sort of.

Still to come - packing and the girls still don't have a clue.