Last Minute Trip

[danceintherain]

So DH came to me a few days ago to let me know that he's almost definitely deploying at the end of September. He suggested that we go on a family vacation before he leaves. (our last family vacation was in 2013 before our baby girl was born) So I asked him where we would go, and he said, "Well, why not Disney."
So my wheels start turning, and I'm trying to figure out how to manage a trip with less than 2 months notice...possibly only a few weeks.
Our choices are either
August 5-11th:
PROS - Before DS4 starts Kindergarten (on the 18th)
- DH thinks he should be with his unit in the month before he leaves
- I may be able to pull off a surprise for DS4 if I don't have to keep it to myself for more than 2 weeks
CONS - Airfare is slightly more expensive (although I'm happy with how inexpensive it looks)
- hotel a bit more expensive
- crowds
- the heat
- It's practically tomorrow, and we don't have ANYTHING booked. We've haven't been since they introduced MBs so that's a completely new planning style I'd have to research and apply
- we only have $2800 in the budget for a vacation right now, usually we spend at least $3500 when we go to Disney. My trip I had planned for December last year was going to be closer to $5000.
We JUST started budgeting last month, so I'm not willing to pull more money from other places, but we could probably have the money built up in a year from now to do a nicer trip. However, we would have to pay airfare for DD1. It would have to be a Value resort (never done that) we might not be able to get a rental car, and we would have to cut back on our table service meals. Although, I may be able to divert some family photo funds for a MM, since we always get so many photos together when we're at Disney.

September 6-12:
PROS - After school starts for everyone.
- Holiday weekend, so DS would only have to miss 4 days, if we pay more for airfare we might be able to get him only missing 3 days. He also has an early release day that week so 2 1/2-3 1/2 days
- lower crowds
- more time to plan
CONS - DS4 would miss a few days of school
- the heat
- again super short notice, but not as short as the beginning of August would be.
- the same budget restrictions as above, but maybe a slightly less expensive time to go

So, what would you do? Would you choose one option over the other? Would you go at all, or plan for when you could plan?
Thanks!

 

[Fizban]

I would suggest the September trip and look into Value resorts. You can book ASM for $79.00 a night or Sports for $84 to help with the budget issue (and that's without any reductions like AP or resident ). The crowds will be lower somewhat but the heat (hey its Florida) is going to be normal heat. Missing a few class days at the beginning of the school year is less impacting than later.

 

[hiroMYhero]

Because your DH needs to be with his unit during the month leading up to deployment, August is really your only option.

As soon as you have your tickets or confirmation numbers linked to your MDE account, book your FPs. You don't need to wait on the room reservation because you'll be less than 30 days out.

Is Shades of Green not an option rather than a Value?

Hope everything works out for your family. Please thank your DH for his service to our country!

 

[danceintherain]

I would suggest the September trip and look into Value resorts. You can book ASM for $79.00 a night or Sports for $84 to help with the budget issue (and that's without any reductions like AP or resident ). The crowds will be lower somewhat but the heat (hey its Florida) is going to be normal heat. Missing a few class days at the beginning of the school year is less impacting than later.

Thanks. That's what I figured about missing school. I didn't want to pull him out the very first week, because learning your seat assignment is a big deal for Kindergarteners. He also did most of the year last year in PreK (we moved in March and I opted not to put him in for the last 2 months here) so he's probably not already behind.

We will qualify for the Armed Forces Salute discount, which I think is 30% off at the Value resorts, if there's availability. I got a quote from my TA for the August dates, so I hope there's still availability for September, if we go that route. She said she's been getting a lot of requests from military, so the availability changes daily. At this point, we don't even know if DH will be approved for either, but he thinks he will. He's asking his bosses today.

Right now my projected costs are:
Hotel - POP - $738.74
Airfare - $850 (Sept might be a little cheaper if I book quickly enough)
Tickets - $531 (AFS base tickets - I'm not sure if we'd even want hoppers or WP&M)
That leaves - $725 for food. According to my calculations and the Dining Plan Calculator that should be just enough for 2 inexpensive TS and every other meal at CS plus a few snacks thrown in. DH doesn't "snack" for meals., so the DP usually ends up costing us more.
If we go in September, we may be able to either get a rental car, or add a few more TS.

Another concern I have is that if we go with early August, I have no idea how FP+ will come into play. I won't mind if we have to skip stuff. We did so during our last trip without problems. Mostly we'll be encouraging the kids to have as much fun as possible, so if that means we play at the splash pad for hours, so be it. DS4 gets really nervous about trying new things as it is, and I don't want to pressure him on vacation. Granted, I got him to ride the Barnstormer during our last trip, and he LOVED it. If we have to skip something like the Mine Train this time though, we will survive.
We may skip Epcot altogether in favor of an extra day at the Magic Kingdom.

 

[danceintherain]

Because your DH needs to be with his unit during the month leading up to deployment, August is really your only option.

As soon as you have your tickets or confirmation numbers linked to your MDE account, book your FPs. You don't need to wait on the room reservation because you'll be less than 30 days out.

Is Shades of Green not an option rather than a Value?

Hope everything works out for your family. Please thank your DH for his service to our country!

Yesterday he said they're probably pushing back the departure date to October. Really it will depend on what his bosses say. He's transferring to a new unit this week, so he missed the opportunity to take block leave with everyone else last month. He says he went over there to visit yesterday and it's a giant mess. So yeah...he probably does need to spend as much time with them as possible, so I'll be open to whatever option he gives me.

Shades of Green is booked completely a few days a week every week for the next few months. I checked there first. Also, due to his rank, we would be paying around $130/night anyway, so it's not the best choice during value season, and definitely not a better choice that a Value resort most times of the year.

 

[Tatertot75]

I'll be there during your potential August time (the 6-10th). I was poking around on MDE this morning thinking about changing FP+ times for our Epcot day (the 6th), and Soarin' and Test Track both still have a lot of availability throughout the day. 7DMT and Anna & Elsa are filled for our MK day (the 7th). We'll be at AK on the 8th, and Safaris and EE were both available. For Sunday the 9th, TSMM and RnRC both have good availability.

We're just a party of 2 though, so YMMV.

 

[Hootch]

I would do September if it is an option relative to his unit. Crowds and prices will be lower. Missing a few days of kindergarten is not going to impact his education. It's more about socialization which is part of a Disney trip.

On your budget, I don't know if you have taken into account the money you would have already be spending. We spend more money than usual for meals on vacation, but roughly half of that we would have spent at home anyway. (We apparently eat out too much.)

 

[Praying Colonel]

So DH came to me a few days ago to let me know that he's almost definitely deploying at the end of September. He suggested that we go on a family vacation before he leaves. (our last family vacation was in 2013 before our baby girl was born) So I asked him where we would go, and he said, "Well, why not Disney."
So my wheels start turning, and I'm trying to figure out how to manage a trip with less than 2 months notice...possibly only a few weeks.
Our choices are either
August 5-11th:
PROS - Before DS4 starts Kindergarten (on the 18th)
- DH thinks he should be with his unit in the month before he leaves
- I may be able to pull off a surprise for DS4 if I don't have to keep it to myself for more than 2 weeks
CONS - Airfare is slightly more expensive (although I'm happy with how inexpensive it looks)
- hotel a bit more expensive
- crowds
- the heat
- It's practically tomorrow, and we don't have ANYTHING booked. We've haven't been since they introduced MBs so that's a completely new planning style I'd have to research and apply
- we only have $2800 in the budget for a vacation right now, usually we spend at least $3500 when we go to Disney. My trip I had planned for December last year was going to be closer to $5000.
We JUST started budgeting last month, so I'm not willing to pull more money from other places, but we could probably have the money built up in a year from now to do a nicer trip. However, we would have to pay airfare for DD1. It would have to be a Value resort (never done that) we might not be able to get a rental car, and we would have to cut back on our table service meals. Although, I may be able to divert some family photo funds for a MM, since we always get so many photos together when we're at Disney.

September 6-12:
PROS - After school starts for everyone.
- Holiday weekend, so DS would only have to miss 4 days, if we pay more for airfare we might be able to get him only missing 3 days. He also has an early release day that week so 2 1/2-3 1/2 days
- lower crowds
- more time to plan
CONS - DS4 would miss a few days of school
- the heat
- again super short notice, but not as short as the beginning of August would be.
- the same budget restrictions as above, but maybe a slightly less expensive time to go

So, what would you do? Would you choose one option over the other? Would you go at all, or plan for when you could plan?
Thanks!

First, thank you to your husband for his service.

I'd choose September 6-12 for a couple of reasons:
--Crowds will be much lower than August 5-11 ( 1s and 2s with a 3 and a 5, vs. 8s and 9s for your August dates)
--Shades of Green is running a room special: $89-$115/night, depending on your husband's paygrade. And that's an actual cost, since SoG doesn't charge tax. I'd much prefer SoG over a value, even if you can only get it for a few days of your trip.

 

[Hootch]

I know what a Praying Colonel is. I'll be in Danville in October.

 

[danceintherain]

First, thank you to your husband for his service.

I'd choose September 6-12 for a couple of reasons:
--Crowds will be much lower than August 5-11 ( 1s and 2s with a 3 and a 5, vs. 8s and 9s for your August dates)
--Shades of Green is running a room special: $89-$115/night, depending on your husband's paygrade. And that's an actual cost, since SoG doesn't charge tax. I'd much prefer SoG over a value, even if you can only get it for a few days of your trip.

I'll look again. I mostly just glanced through the first time. I think the kids will love the in your face nature of the Value resorts, so this may be a good opportunity to force me to try it while we can still fit "comfortably" in one room. I definitely don't want to switch rooms. We're already planning a shorter trip than I'd like - only a week, instead of 10 days - and moving everyone without a rental car won't be fun for me. We all share a room ok, when we go visit my in-laws, so I think it will be fine.

I'll be there during your potential August time (the 6-10th). I was poking around on MDE this morning thinking about changing FP+ times for our Epcot day (the 6th), and Soarin' and Test Track both still have a lot of availability throughout the day. 7DMT and Anna & Elsa are filled for our MK day (the 7th). We'll be at AK on the 8th, and Safaris and EE were both available. For Sunday the 9th, TSMM and RnRC both have good availability.

We're just a party of 2 though, so YMMV.

That's really good to know! Thank you! Since DD is too little for a lot of stuff that requires FP, we probably will skip quite a bit, unless DS wants to do it. Also, DH and I are getting old and our equilibriums aren't as settled as they used to be. I probably should skip quite a bit so I don't get motion sick. If we go in September, I think it will be easier to beat the crowds in general.
Luckily, I don't have an Anna & Elsa lover...yet...so that will be easy to work around. I actually need to switch DD from watching Sesame Street to watching Disney so she recognizes the characters. The Mine Train would be fun, but we can skip it, or BabySwap it first thing in the morning.
We actually had the most fun, during our last trip, with the Sorcerer's of the Magic Kingdom. It will be fun to get more cards.

I would do September if it is an option relative to his unit. Crowds and prices will be lower. Missing a few days of kindergarten is not going to impact his education. It's more about socialization which is part of a Disney trip.

On your budget, I don't know if you have taken into account the money you would have already be spending. We spend more money than usual for meals on vacation, but roughly half of that we would have spent at home anyway. (We apparently eat out too much.)

It occurred to me yesterday to include those numbers. On Wednesday, when I looked at the budget, we only had $2100, and I decided that it just wouldn't work unless we drove, stayed off property somewhere, and ate from the grocery store. After I thought a bit more yesterday, it occurred to me that I could put in the $150 savings that would go in during the next 2 months, plus the 1 week cut of our grocery and eating out budget. We were actually going to try to cut those back a bit in the next few months, but since DH is leaving, they'll probably stay where they are due to the added stress. I'll reevaluate after he leaves. Also, we just got reimbursement and dislocation allowance for our move in March, and I hadn't input that into the savings portion of our budget, so I managed to bring $2100 up to $2800. It still will be tighter than I would like, but should be fine. We don't typically buy souvenirs, but anything we want can come from our personal/blow money. DS4 also has a birthday next week, and if I call my parents and tell them we're taking him to Disney, they'll probably each give him some money, in lieu of a gift. We were going to have a party for him on August 8th, but he decided he would rather have nicer presents (since we just moved and he hasn't been in school, I've had a hard time securing kids to come). I can buy him a Disney gift card, or some Disney dollars for him to spend while we're there. DD1 is 17 months old. I could give her a straw to play with and she'd be happy.

 

[Praying Colonel]

Sometimes if you call SoG and speak with someone, they have more availability than what is being shown on their website.

But even if you're staying someplace else, I'd still go in September for the low crowds alone.

Either way, enjoy!

 

[kmoore7]

WOW!!!! As if planning a trip isn't tough enough with plenty of time, I can't imagine how to do it with no time.

First, thank you and your husband for serving.Yes, you deserve thanks too.

Second, take a deep breath and relax. You will figure it all out in the end.

Third, I hope you have a fabulous vacation whenever you go.

 

[danceintherain]

DH said his bosses said it's fine. He doesn't have official leave paperwork, but I went ahead and bought the tickets (we went to lunch right across the street from the travel office after DS's physical appointment, so I couldn't resist). We'll probably do September, unless something changes in the next few days. Worst case scenario, if for some reason he can't come, I'll just reschedule for after he leaves, so we can use the tickets. I'll just have to find someone who would love to have a mostly expense paid trip to Disney World.
I forgot that they don't offer a base ticket anymore, so I got Park Hoppers. We don't need them, but planning with them may be easier. Now we can definitely do all 4 parks. I considered doing WP&M, but I think with the heat we're going to need the full rest day.

Thus far I've managed to keep it a surprise from DS. They had lots of signage in the travel office, so I just flipped one around to show the person at the desk. Then on the drive home, the radio was announcing a contest they're having for a Disneyland trip, and DS said, "We can go to the airport and fly to Disneyland! I've been there before."
He's going to be soo ridiculously excited. I can't wait.

 

[melifeld]

You will be able to plan the trip, don't worry!

I wanted to direct you to the budget board, if you have not been there before. You said your budget is tight for this trip due to last minute booking. I have been buying discounted Target gift cards, using them to get discounted (5% w/ Red card) Disney gift cards, and have saved an additional 14% off of the discount offer we booked. It isn't a huge amount of money, but doing something like that may give you an extra $200-$300 to spend on your trip.

Just food for thought!

Have a terrific vacation!

 

[danceintherain]

You will be able to plan the trip, don't worry!

I wanted to direct you to the budget board, if you have not been there before. You said your budget is tight for this trip due to last minute booking. I have been buying discounted Target gift cards, using them to get discounted (5% w/ Red card) Disney gift cards, and have saved an additional 14% off of the discount offer we booked. It isn't a huge amount of money, but doing something like that may give you an extra $200-$300 to spend on your trip.

Just food for thought!

Have a terrific vacation!

Thanks. I probably will get a few gift cards. I don't know if I would want all of the money for the trip on them though.
We're really new to budgeting, and it's actually good that we started when we did, because without it, it would be really easy to just drop $5K on the trip without thinking about the long term consequences.
I know it will be a great trip though, and either we'll love the value resorts and want to stay there every time, or know that we'd rather save a bit longer.

I chose Pop Century. It would have been so much easier to show the options to DS and let him pick, but I think he'll love anything and the surprise will be so much more fun for him (this coming from someone who hates surprises). He would literally ask about it every day if we told him about it now though, and then be disappointed that it was so far away, so surprising him is the better plan.

 

[scoobygrl79]

So DH came to me a few days ago to let me know that he's almost definitely deploying at the end of September. He suggested that we go on a family vacation before he leaves. (our last family vacation was in 2013 before our baby girl was born) So I asked him where we would go, and he said, "Well, why not Disney."
So my wheels start turning, and I'm trying to figure out how to manage a trip with less than 2 months notice...possibly only a few weeks.
Our choices are either
August 5-11th:
PROS - Before DS4 starts Kindergarten (on the 18th)
- DH thinks he should be with his unit in the month before he leaves
- I may be able to pull off a surprise for DS4 if I don't have to keep it to myself for more than 2 weeks
CONS - Airfare is slightly more expensive (although I'm happy with how inexpensive it looks)
- hotel a bit more expensive
- crowds
- the heat
- It's practically tomorrow, and we don't have ANYTHING booked. We've haven't been since they introduced MBs so that's a completely new planning style I'd have to research and apply
- we only have $2800 in the budget for a vacation right now, usually we spend at least $3500 when we go to Disney. My trip I had planned for December last year was going to be closer to $5000.
We JUST started budgeting last month, so I'm not willing to pull more money from other places, but we could probably have the money built up in a year from now to do a nicer trip. However, we would have to pay airfare for DD1. It would have to be a Value resort (never done that) we might not be able to get a rental car, and we would have to cut back on our table service meals. Although, I may be able to divert some family photo funds for a MM, since we always get so many photos together when we're at Disney.

September 6-12:
PROS - After school starts for everyone.
- Holiday weekend, so DS would only have to miss 4 days, if we pay more for airfare we might be able to get him only missing 3 days. He also has an early release day that week so 2 1/2-3 1/2 days
- lower crowds
- more time to plan
CONS - DS4 would miss a few days of school
- the heat
- again super short notice, but not as short as the beginning of August would be.
- the same budget restrictions as above, but maybe a slightly less expensive time to go

So, what would you do? Would you choose one option over the other? Would you go at all, or plan for when you could plan?
Thanks!

The September trip looks to have more advantages overall. Thanks to your husband for sacrificing his time and life for millions of strangers, including me.