Looking forward to a crowd-free Disney Trip! **Update 9/4**

[photographymom517]

September 14
* Arrival at MCO
* Dinner at Teppan Edo
* Fireworks at 9pm Epcot

September 15 -- Hollywood Studios
* Breakfast @ Starring Rolls
* Lunch @ Mama Melrose’s
* Parade
* QS dinner

September 16
* Cape May Breakfast
(got rid of Photo Session...but I might add it back ;-) of course I don't know what I'm doing...lol)
* Lunch at Boardwalk (ESPN or Kouzzina)
* Free afternoon
* MNSSHP 4pm-midnight

September 17 -- Epcot
* Lunch at QS
* Dinner at Mexico

September 18 -- Animal Kingdom
* Tusker House
* QS lunch
* Park closes 5pm

September 19
* Lunch at Chefs de France (Epcot)
* after lunch, go to Downtown Disney
* Eat dinner at either Earl of Sandwich or Wolfgang Puck Express

September 20
* Either spend the day at Epcot or at resort
(or visit another park 1/2 day & Epcot 1/2 day)

September 21 -- Magic Kingdom
* Crystal Palace Breakfast
* QS lunch
* Garden Grill dinner @ Epcot

September 22 -- Hollywood Studios

September 23
* Park or BC in morning
* Departure Day

---------------------------------------------------------------​

So here's my next question!!!

Which water park do you suggest for a toddler???

Blizzard Beach or Typhoon Lagoon???

And why or why not???

Also, what's the easiest way to get from Epcot to Downtown Disney? I can't remember if there's a bus that can take you directly there or do we need to go back to our resort?

 

[SoonerGirl]

I'm just reading through the last couple of pages wondering how many times your tentative plans are going to change between now and when you can make your ADRs I'm totally like that too, make a plan, think better of it and start all over again!

I've never been to either of the water parks so I'm no help there.

I don't know if there is a bus from Epcot to DTD, but if you are having lunch in France I think it would probably be faster to just walk back to the BC and catch a bus there anyway.

 

[photographymom517]

I'm just reading through the last couple of pages wondering how many times your tentative plans are going to change between now and when you can make your ADRs I'm totally like that too, make a plan, think better of it and start all over again!

I've never been to either of the water parks so I'm no help there.

I don't know if there is a bus from Epcot to DTD, but if you are having lunch in France I think it would probably be faster to just walk back to the BC and catch a bus there anyway.

I've changed around the park days at least 10 times already...but only posted changes 3 times!

The sad thing is that I've changed it that many times within 24 HOURS!

Thankfully I make ADR's on the 18th (next Friday) so after that, I guess I'll have to keep the changes to a minimum! What's really odd is that when I just logged onto DIS, I looked at my original schedule & I'm thinking about just going back to it! One of the reasons I was changing things around is because I'm not sure if we're going to Fantasmic or not...and if we aren't, I don't want to go to DHS on a Fantasmic day (due to higher crowd levels). We want this trip to be all about really, really low crowds...but I just talked to my mom & she said they went to the park with EMH's almost everyday of their trip and the crowds were still very low (they go every year in September).

I'll try to post a "somewhat final schedule" by next Wednesday!

 

[Mindy5767]

I forgot... are you park hopping? Because if you do hop, then if you are done with the park you're in, you can always go someplace else. We ALWAYS have hopping, whether by AP or regular park hoppers. I don't like not having the option to switch parks.

Also, if you're at another park, and its Fantasmic time, you could swing by DHS and hit all the good rides while everyone is jammed into Fantasmic!

 

[DevonsDisneyMom]

Chiming..... ding..... REALLY I can't believe you had such a bad experience at Cape May. It was one of our most favorite Character meals ever. The food was yummy, there was so much to choose from. Our character interaction was great. Our favorites are Cape May, 1900 Park Fare and O'hana. The food selection at O'Hana is not as good as the others, but the character interaction and the little kid parade with the maracas is alot of fun and the atmosphere just takes you away. O'hana has delicious Hawaiian bread and tropical juice. I could eat just that and be happy... of course the sugar high would be like

I am thinking that one can really accidentally hit an off day at any restaurant or experience or really hit it well! My MIL even loved Cape May and she's not even Disneyfied!

Mindy I was never so disappointed in a Disney establishment then this place! It's a shame b/c I was SO looking forward to eating there!

But like you said it could have just been an off day there. Glad your dining experiences were more enjoyable. I just won't go back there after the terribel experience.

May favorite breakfasts are Tusker House and Boma!

That's so funny that our DHS days are so similar!!! You are completely right, great minds do think alike!!!

Yes, we are doing the character breakfast at Cape May. Thanks for your advice. I honestly don't know what to think because I've heard reviews both ways! I'm sooo confused so I guess I will just have to experience it for myself & then make a judgement!

I changed our schedule...yet again...third time in 24 hours!

I knew I shouldn't have posted anything until after I made it as "final" as possible.

Hey I may have just been there on an off day! I just wanted to make you aware of my experience

More changes!

 

[DevonsDisneyMom]

So here's my next question!!!

Which water park do you suggest for a toddler???

Blizzard Beach or Typhoon Lagoon???

And why or why not???

Also, what's the easiest way to get from Epcot to Downtown Disney? I can't remember if there's a bus that can take you directly there or do we need to go back to our resort?

Ok, so My favorite is TL, but Devon as Lukes age enjoyed BB more! I think that BB had more for the little guys to go then TL.

I think the quickest way to get to DTD from Epcot will be to get on the bus to Saratoga Springs and take the boat over as I dod not believe there is a direct bus from Epcot to DTD.

 

[Mindy5767]

Ok, so My favorite is TL, but Devon as Lukes age enjoyed BB more! I think that BB had more for the little guys to go then TL.

I think the quickest way to get to DTD from Epcot will be to get on the bus to Saratoga Springs and take the boat over as I dod not believe there is a direct bus from Epcot to DTD.

You are correct, from EPCOT to DTD, take the bus to SSR and either walk or take the boat. Its a very pleasant walk as I've done it many times. To take the boat, go through the main check-in building to the back and pass the Turf Club restaurant and go out the back door and down to the boat dock. There is a nice covered deck off the restaurant for a shady relaxed lunch too.

I have not yet tried Boma or Tusker House. I've been wanting to. We had Boma on our list once, and for whatever reason, we had to cancel. I think it was because we were just not hungry enough for a big buffet dinner. Sometimes at Disney...ok... kinda often.... we eat a full meal or a buffet breakfast, and our next meal time comes around and we're just not hungry and we end up canceling. That's why it always pays to call dining from your cell phone within the park and ask what's available if you want an ADR but don't have one. Someone might have just canceled.

 

[ChildAtHeart82]

Wow, your PTR has grown a lot since we left for our trip. I'm all caught up now. Yay for Beach Club! We really want to stay there some day. We spent a lot of time in the Beach Club/Boardwalk area this last trip. It is so convenient to Epcot and Hollywood Studios and there a lot of great places to eat around there.

I think we may have just had a few bad experiences, but the bus situation out of those resorts was annoying for us. The few times we've taken a bus from there, Beach Club, Yacht Club, Boardwalk, and Swan and Dolphin were all sharing buses. It gets to be a long bus ride with that many stops. We still would love to stay there but I know we would plan as much as we could to avoid buses if we did.

I'll try and get going on my trip report so you can see some reviews before it's time for your to make your ADR's. I will say that Kouzzina was amazing and is a now a must-do for us on every trip. Kona was good too. Boatwright's was okay, but now that you're staying at Beach Club I wouldn't go to the trouble of getting there for it.

Now, I'm off to catch up on all of my other subs.

 

[DevonsDisneyMom]

You are correct, from EPCOT to DTD, take the bus to SSR and either walk or take the boat. Its a very pleasant walk as I've done it many times. To take the boat, go through the main check-in building to the back and pass the Turf Club restaurant and go out the back door and down to the boat dock. There is a nice covered deck off the restaurant for a shady relaxed lunch too.

I have not yet tried Boma or Tusker House. I've been wanting to. We had Boma on our list once, and for whatever reason, we had to cancel. I think it was because we were just not hungry enough for a big buffet dinner. Sometimes at Disney...ok... kinda often.... we eat a full meal or a buffet breakfast, and our next meal time comes around and we're just not hungry and we end up canceling. That's why it always pays to call dining from your cell phone within the park and ask what's available if you want an ADR but don't have one. Someone might have just canceled.

We did the breakfast at BOMA in December!!! I totally recommend it!

 

[stephielela]

I have no idea which waterpark is better... I have never made it BB and I went to TL when I was 6 I think. Jack seems to enjoy the part about BB more on the plannign DVD...

 

[photographymom517]

I forgot... are you park hopping? Because if you do hop, then if you are done with the park you're in, you can always go someplace else. We ALWAYS have hopping, whether by AP or regular park hoppers. I don't like not having the option to switch parks.

Also, if you're at another park, and its Fantasmic time, you could swing by DHS and hit all the good rides while everyone is jammed into Fantasmic!

Mindy I was never so disappointed in a Disney establishment then this place! It's a shame b/c I was SO looking forward to eating there!

But like you said it could have just been an off day there. Glad your dining experiences were more enjoyable. I just won't go back there after the terrible experience.

May favorite breakfasts are Tusker House and Boma!

Hey I may have just been there on an off day! I just wanted to make you aware of my experience

More changes!

Ok, so My favorite is TL, but Devon as Lukes age enjoyed BB more! I think that BB had more for the little guys to go then TL.

I think the quickest way to get to DTD from Epcot will be to get on the bus to Saratoga Springs and take the boat over as I dod not believe there is a direct bus from Epcot to DTD.

You are correct, from EPCOT to DTD, take the bus to SSR and either walk or take the boat. Its a very pleasant walk as I've done it many times. To take the boat, go through the main check-in building to the back and pass the Turf Club restaurant and go out the back door and down to the boat dock. There is a nice covered deck off the restaurant for a shady relaxed lunch too.

I have not yet tried Boma or Tusker House. I've been wanting to. We had Boma on our list once, and for whatever reason, we had to cancel. I think it was because we were just not hungry enough for a big buffet dinner. Sometimes at Disney...ok... kinda often.... we eat a full meal or a buffet breakfast, and our next meal time comes around and we're just not hungry and we end up canceling. That's why it always pays to call dining from your cell phone within the park and ask what's available if you want an ADR but don't have one. Someone might have just canceled.

Wow, your PTR has grown a lot since we left for our trip. I'm all caught up now. Yay for Beach Club! We really want to stay there some day. We spent a lot of time in the Beach Club/Boardwalk area this last trip. It is so convenient to Epcot and Hollywood Studios and there a lot of great places to eat around there.

I think we may have just had a few bad experiences, but the bus situation out of those resorts was annoying for us. The few times we've taken a bus from there, Beach Club, Yacht Club, Boardwalk, and Swan and Dolphin were all sharing buses. It gets to be a long bus ride with that many stops. We still would love to stay there but I know we would plan as much as we could to avoid buses if we did.

I'll try and get going on my trip report so you can see some reviews before it's time for your to make your ADR's. I will say that Kouzzina was amazing and is a now a must-do for us on every trip. Kona was good too. Boatwright's was okay, but now that you're staying at Beach Club I wouldn't go to the trouble of getting there for it.

Now, I'm off to catch up on all of my other subs.

We did the breakfast at BOMA in December!!! I totally recommend it!

I have no idea which waterpark is better... I have never made it BB and I went to TL when I was 6 I think. Jack seems to enjoy the part about BB more on the plannign DVD...

Hey guys!

I completely apologize for grouping everyone's posts into one response. I'm just going to respond to you all at once. Its just been a rough day for me, but I really wanted to write back. This is just the quickest way today considering my stress level...apologizes to everyone!!!

We're still "thinking about it" but I'm pretty sure that we've just decided to skip the water parks this trip. I can't remember the exact amount, but its somewhere around an extra $230 for the "and more" option. We aren't planning to go to Disney Quest because after researching it, I just don't think we'd get our monies worth. Luke likes the resort arcade, but he even gets bored with that after an hour or so. (I think we actually spent only about 30 minutes in the arcade at CBR in June!)

"If" we do keep the water park on our schedule, we'd only have enough room for 1 water park day. I looked up prices for the three of us to get a 1-day pass to a Disney water park & it is much less than $230. I believe adult tickets were around $48 and children are around $38-41 (so a total of around $137). If we go to a water park, it will be a last minute decision & we'll just buy tickets at our resort & pick them up at the window. Because we're staying at the Beach Club & have 24/7 access to Stormalong Bay, I highly doubt that we're going to a water park! We just looked up alot of the rides/attractions & think it would be more beneficial to wait for a future vacation when Luke is older & we can all enjoy it together.

Mindy -- Park hopping -- YES!!! We haven't done this in the past, but my parents have every year. Whenever I've gone on trips in the past with my parents or friends or school, we have ALWAYS used park hoppers! I've been to Florida over 10 times in my life & to Disney 5-6 times...whereas Luke & my husband have only been to Disney with me twice! I've gotten park hoppers every trip except the past 2.

I absolutely them, but to be honest, the past 2 trips they really weren't necessary. Because we traveled to Disney during 2 of the busiest seasons (Spring Break & mid-Summer!) we didn't have the chance to do everything at the parks...even going to each park two days! The first trip, we didn't purchase the dining plan and last year, we used the QSDP. However, with the regular dining plan (and being sooo close to Epcot!) I definitely think park hoppers are a MUST for us!

I think that everyone uses the park hoppers in different ways, but for us, we will be eating at Epcot almost every single day! My parents get the park hoppers & their main use of them is to go to EMH's and ride all the "most popular rides" and then go to another park (once the first one gets busier!) Then they go wherever they want for the evening to see fireworks or ride more or to go to evening EMH's!

Our favorite park is Epcot & the majority of our dining options are at Epcot as well. I think it will be great to experience an entire day at one park, go back to the resort to rest for awhile or swim at the pool, and then head over to Epcot to eat dinner or watch the fireworks!

Also Mindy -- great idea about going to DHS while Fantasmic is going on! We could probably ride the most popular rides without a wait time! I'm still shocked that ToT had a 15 minute wait time in June when everything else had over a 100 minute wait...but maybe that's why! I never thought of it before, but it makes perfect sense. I bet people were lining up for Fantasmic & that's why ToT had such a short wait!

Reese -- Thanks for sharing your experience at Cape May! I completely understand why you wouldn't want to try it again. Its just like I was saying...when we have a bad experience at a restaurant, its soooo hard to get that negative out of our head. Bad food or bad service is very, very hard to get over! Trust me, I've had it happen many times on vacation & at home

Thank you both for the directions from Epcot to Downtown Disney! I changed our plans again so I can't remember if we're still splitting up the day between the two, but at least I know how to get there if we need to! I would love to have the opportunity to take a walk from Saratoga Springs to DTD! Its so much fun visiting the other resorts!

ChildAtHeart82 -- Welcome back!!!!!! Let me know as soon as you start your trip report! I'll try to keep an eye out for it!

You honestly didn't miss much...just me changing my plans a gazillion times!!!

Thanks for the info on the buses at BC. You know? I agree with you...sometimes its just a bad experience & sometimes it works out fine. When we stayed at CBR last trip, every single person I talked to on the DIS said they had nightmare experiences with the buses!!!

At CBR, it depends on what park you're going to as to where the bus route starts picking up resort guests. We got very lucky *most of the time* because every time except for maybe twice, we were either the last stop or we only picked up guests at maybe 1-2 stops (mostly this was because no one was waiting at the bus stop because we went to the parks at odd times!) The longest time it took to travel around the resort picking up other guests was around 10-15 minutes. There were only 2 days that this mattered --- photo session day & MK fireworks the last night.

I'll have to look it up & see if the bus route at BC is similar to that of CBR. If so, I'll write down the pattern the buses take! Thank you for the heads up!!! We'll most likely always walk to Epcot & take the boat to DHS. We may even walk to Epcot & get on the monorail to head over to MK. We'll only be using the buses to go to DTD, MK, and AK. I will have to investigate! Thanks again for the info!

Also, thanks for letting me know about Kouzzina! I'm definitely keeping it on our list! Just curious, what did you get to eat there? I might have to wait & read about it on your TR, right?

You better hurry up & write your entire trip report before this Thursday night...I make ADR's on Friday & need those dining reviews!!!! (just joking, of course!)

Steph & Reese -- thanks for the info on the water parks! I'll keep it in mind for the future & for this trip if we decide to go to TL or BB!

My mom came over to my house & picked up Luke. She's going to keep him at their house for a few hours so I can get some stuff done around the house. I'm going to attempt to work on my ADR's (again...for the 500,000 time!!! LOL) and catch up on some subs! I will keep you guys posted!

 

[stephielela]

I think you are making the right decision about the water park fun & more option. I liked Disney Quest, but even for us before Jack we didn't spend a ton of time there. I bet Luke would have more fun at a waterpark when he's older. Plus with Stormalong Bay, I am sure you won't need a waterpark day.

 

[Megablocks]

I definitely think cutting out the water parks and more option is a really good idea. We've never been to the water parks, because we honestly just don't have a ton of interest in them, plus when we go, sometimes it's just too chilly even for us! I'm glad you went with the hoppers, too -- we can never go without. On our '09 trip, we went to AK, rode EE and Dinosaur (my sister was especially traumatized by Dinosaur), and felt like we needed something nice and calm after those so we went to Epcot just to ride SSE.

Hoping tomorrow is better for you!

 

[PopArtGal]

Hi cutie!

Like I told you in previous conversations, a toddler might not see the difference between a pool and a waterpark, if he's never been before. It also may be easier for you to supervise Luke at a pool, for the moment

Busses... I've had so many different experiences. Our worst was from DTD to the GF. Since we were staying at the CR, and our bus was full, we figured we' take the GF bus that was not full, and monorail it back to the CR. Like a man told us:It was the bus ride from hell" lol They were doing maintenance in the tunnel in front of the CR...there was flooding. So it was almost single file all the way there for a while. Combined with crying kids, and standing room only. Being bumped into by careless people and all. At least we saw Wishes from the bus lol

 

[photographymom517]

I think you are making the right decision about the water park fun & more option. I liked Disney Quest, but even for us before Jack we didn't spend a ton of time there. I bet Luke would have more fun at a waterpark when he's older. Plus with Stormalong Bay, I am sure you won't need a waterpark day.

Thanks Stephanie! I'm glad that you agree with my decision. Since Jack is the same age as Luke, I was really hoping you would respond to that question!

I was a little concerned about Disney Quest for a number of reasons to begin with. First of all, because when I'm in Florida, I want to spend very little time inside. I don't mind being indoors at restaurants or rides/shows, but I don't want to spend an entire day/afternoon inside playing video games. I just figured if it didn't interest me, I could go shopping at DTD while my husband stayed at DQ with Luke. (Hmmm...DQ now I'm hungry for ice cream...LOL)

Honestly, I was just agreeing to the water park & Disney Quest for my husband. He suggested them so I said I'd add them into the plans.

I usually try to incorporate a few of his ideas so I can sneak a few of my own things in....shhhhh! Like last trip, he didn't want to do the Photo Session (and I'm sure he'll be thrilled that I've planned it again this trip!) so I just kept saying "I know you don't want to do this, but I made dining reservations at this place for you & scheduling this for you, etc" (sometimes I swear that reasoning with grown men is like reasoning with children! )

For this year's photo session, I plan to use the excuse that Luke is growing up soooo fast & I really want to capture every moment. Not that I don't have like 10,000 pictures of him already, but I did skip his Christmas, birthday, and Easter pictures this year. I'm hoping to also use the excuse that I want to use the FL pics for our Christmas cards! I think it should work because my husband loooooves Florida so much! Plus this year the photo session will be alot easier to get to...all we have to do is walk downstairs to the BC lobby!

I really think that Stormalong Bay will be enough for Luke. Its hard enough keeping track of him at the pool. I mean, I stay right beside him at all times when he's in the shallow section of the pool (never taking my eyes off him!) and one of us holds him when we're in the deeper parts. He was making us very, very nervous last trip though because he wanted to stand on the side of the pool & jump in. He wanted one of us to catch him & then he'd do it again...and again...and again...and again. He wanted to keep doing it fifty times but we had to make him stop at one point. He was just making us too nervous. We take his arm swimmys (I don't know the proper term, thats what we call them...lol) and his swim ring. Its also great that the Disney resorts will provide a safety vest for kids. The smaller ones fit Luke perfectly!

But even with all that safety equipment on, he still makes us both nervous! He's just too brave in the water & doesn't understand. I don't want him to be afraid, but being a little cautious would be nice!

I definitely think cutting out the water parks and more option is a really good idea. We've never been to the water parks, because we honestly just don't have a ton of interest in them, plus when we go, sometimes it's just too chilly even for us! I'm glad you went with the hoppers, too -- we can never go without. On our '09 trip, we went to AK, rode EE and Dinosaur (my sister was especially traumatized by Dinosaur), and felt like we needed something nice and calm after those so we went to Epcot just to ride SSE.

Hoping tomorrow is better for you!

Thank you Meghan! I appreciate that so much! I am having a much better day. My mom took Luke for a couple hours last night to give me a break from everything. Its the first time in probably over a year that I've had an afternoon completely to myself. Normally when my parents or MIL babysit him, I have somewhere to go. It was nice to just be able to sit here for a few hours without having any other commitments (although I did end up doing laundry & cleaning the floors...lol) I was just very stressed about a million things going on. I'm better now!

Park hoppers are amazing!!!

My family & I used to get them every vacation. We never knew about ADR's in the past, but it was nice to go from park to park. We usually used them to spend the day in one park & then see fireworks or a show at another park. Having the dining plan, I can't see "not" having hoppers, you know? They just make things soooo convenient! We will being right beside Epcot & I know we'll stop over there multiple times when we're at the resort & need somewhere to go!

I love what you did on your 09 trip! You are completely right though...sometimes after an eventful afternoon, its nice to just go on a slow, relaxing ride!

Hi cutie!

Like I told you in previous conversations, a toddler might not see the difference between a pool and a waterpark, if he's never been before. It also may be easier for you to supervise Luke at a pool, for the moment

Busses... I've had so many different experiences. Our worst was from DTD to the GF. Since we were staying at the CR, and our bus was full, we figured we' take the GF bus that was not full, and monorail it back to the CR. Like a man told us:It was the bus ride from hell" lol They were doing maintenance in the tunnel in front of the CR...there was flooding. So it was almost single file all the way there for a while. Combined with crying kids, and standing room only. Being bumped into by careless people and all. At least we saw Wishes from the bus lol

You are definitely right about the water parks!

Stormalong Bay has water slides & a huge area with water & sand for kids. There's also a lazy river & the regular pool area. The lazy river might not be quite as big as the area at the water park, but I'm sure Luke won't notice a difference. Since we'd only have time for 1 day at a water park, I definitely would rather use the money elsewhere on our trip. I really only agreed to the water park for my husband & after telling him that we'd basically have to take turns watching Luke while the other person rode some of the adult rides, he agreed that its a waste of money this trip. We'd spend 2-3 hours there tops & that's just not worth it.

Buses...I know! The experiences that I've had have been all over the place! For the most part, they've been enjoyable & without issues...but there are always those few bus rides that are just horrible!

Your experience sounds awful! I know it sounds selfish but I hate standing-room only! On Luke's first trip, he was only 10 months old so one of us carried him on the bus. The one time, I tried to sit on the floor with him instead of standing (I thought it would be safer) but the bus driver yelled & said it was against policy to allow me to do it. I shouldn't admit this but I waited until we started driving & 2 guys stood in front of me to "hide me" from the driver so I could sit on the floor! We all discussed it & they agreed with me that it was safer for me to just sit on the floor.

On our past trips, we've dealt with very cranky rude people on the buses. I *think* it was because of the heat or humidity or long days or whatever! But we got very lucky this past trip. We met alot of really great people on the buses. We also had a man give up his seat to allow Luke to sit down. His wife even offered to give up her seat for me to sit beside him, but I assured her that he would be fine. If I would've taken her seat, their son would've been sitting alone with both of his parents standing. I didn't want to do that to the little guy (who looked scared to death to sit beside me anyway! lol) It ended up working out fine. Luke liked looking out the window & I stood right in front of him to make sure he sat in the seat. The mother of the little boy also took time to talk to Luke on the ride to the parks which I thought was nice. On another bus ride, we had another couple with 1 child talk to us like we were old friends! And of course I've talked a million times about the very, very nice older couple from TN that Luke and I met on the way to MK our last night!

I'm really crossing my fingers & hoping we have excellent experiences on the buses this trip too! Luckily we won't be using them unless we go to DTD or Epcot. I think we'll just take the monorail from Epcot to MK on our 2 MK days.

 

[photographymom517]

Ok, I believe this is a similar version to my last "final plan" that I posted last week. As we all know, I make ADR's this Friday morning. Today I spent a few hours researching the various restaurants & changing around a few last details. There are still some blank spaces in our plans, so any suggestions are appreciated!

I was doing some research last night on flight info. We basically have 2 non-stop options via our airport...AirTran or Southwest. We flew AirTran twice and Southwest once in June (on our Disney trips). IMO, AirTran has bigger seats & they have newer planes, but I preferred the customer service of Southwest especially their flight attendants. I liked that AirTran assigns seats as soon as you check-in online, but Southwest does the family boarding so its not that bad to get a seat (until Luke turns 10 & we no longer can do family boarding). We had a full plane in June & were still able to sit together. So as anything, there are pro's & con's to both. AirTran always ends up being about $150 more for the flight there/back plus we have to pay for luggage which ends up being at least $60 each way. My #1 choice is Southwest because of the customer service & free luggage!

I have been reading about so many people getting free flights. We don't fly often (usually once a year) but I was hoping for at least a discount. I couldn't find my log-in information for my Rapid Rewards through Southwest. I was so frustrated...I couldn't even get them to email me my user-name or password!

Finally I figured out that the info was probably with my trip planning stuff from last June...and yes, I still have all of it in a Disney tote bag in my office!

I ended up finding the number & logged onto SW's site. Well, bad news...I need ALOT more points before getting a free flight. I actually only have 2 credits and for anyone who knows how the new program works, I need 16 total credits! I could apply for a credit card through SW and get 20,000 points automatically added to my account, but there's an annual fee for the credit card. I refuse to pay an annual fee for a credit card

So, I gave up on the free flight. But I found a website that offers to email you discounts when the airlines offer them. Sometimes the offer is only good for a day, sometimes only for a few hours, so you have to constantly check your email. With my schedule and a toddler, I doubt I'll be checking my email a million times a day but hopefully I can get lucky & log-on at the right time! The current offer for my airport (non-stop flight) is $55 per person via Southwest...so it would cost us about $330 total which is unheard-of in my world of searching for airfare!

When I search on my own, the cheapest I can get is around $900 for Southwest and $1000 plus luggage for AirTran. There are a few other airlines that fly out of our airport, but they are only $200 cheaper and its not worth it for us to have a second stop...we prefer to only take-off once!!! We're both big chickens when it comes to flying!

The current offer that would be about a third of our usual airfare is only good for flights until June 1st and there are other requirements. You have to fly out on a Wednesday or Thursday and you can return anytime within the next 10 days. This would be perfect for September because we'll be flying out on Wednesday & coming back 10 days later. I'm just really, really hoping that this offer will be available in June. Usually they post about 3 months ahead of time. The good part is, if I wait to try to get this offer & its not available, from past flights I've noticed the airlines drop prices about 90 days out. So we'd still be able to get a slight deal even if its not a third of the cost.

This post is really long so I'm going to post our schedule in the next post!

 

[stephielela]

Tell me more about this website!!!??? $55 per person each way would be awesome!!!

Jack is the same about pools. He wants to jump in repeatedly! We got season passes for Christmas to our local aquatic center, so I am looking forward to that. They have a kiddie section with kid sized water slides that Jack can go on all by himself (with me standing at the bottom). He loves it. I am specifically devoting more time to swimming this time at Pop, and Jack is getting a new set of Mickey swim trunks, flip flops and sunglasses for his birthday!

 

[photographymom517]

So here is an updated schedule of what I currently have planned.

Wednesday September 14

* Arrival at MCO (I want to try to get a flight arriving around 10:30am)
* Leave carry-on bag at resort & either swim or head to Epcot
* Dinner at Teppan Edo around 5:30pm
* Stay for Illuminations

Thursday September 15

* Eat breakfast at Starring Rolls Cafe (hopefully around 9am)
* Lunch at Sci-Fi Dine In around 11:30am
* Countdown to Fun Parade at 3pm
* Dinner at QS (probably Fairfax Fare)
* Ride or see shows during Fantasmic (to get shorter lines!)

Friday September 16

* Breakfast at Cape May Cafe @ BC (8:30am)
* Photo Session at BC (10:00am)
* Free afternoon
* Early lunch at Kouzzina around 2:30pm
* Head over to MNSSHP around 3:30pm
* MNSSHP 4pm-midnight (probably grab QS around 7pm or so)

Saturday September 17

* Breakfast at Boardwalk Bakery
* Head to Epcot around 8:30am
* Lunch at QS (Morocco for me, Germany for husband/Luke)
* Dinner at La Hacienda de San Angel 5:30pm
* Evening at Epcot or BC

Sunday September 18

* Arrive at AK around 8:15am
* Tusker House breakfast 8:30am
* QS lunch at Yak & Yeti or Tamu Tamu around 12:30
* 3:45 parade
* Park closes 5pm
* Dinner at Captain's Grill at BC around 6:30pm

Monday September 19

* Eat breakfast at Kona Cafe @ Poly around 9:30am
* Leave for DTD
* Lunch at Earl of Sandwich between 11am-1pm
* Dinner around 6:30pm at Kouzzina

Tuesday September 20

* Walk to Epcot in morning
* Lunch at Chefs de France around 11:30am
* Dinner at Garden Grill at 5:00pm

Wednesday September 21

* Leave for MK around 7:30am
* Breakfast at Crystal Palace 8:30am
* Lunch at Cosmic Ray's around noon
* Dinner at QS at Boardwalk or MK

Thursday September 22

* Leave for Hollywood Studios (no specific time!)
* Eat breakfast @ QS
* Lunch at 50's Prime Time Cafe around 11:30am
* Dinner at QS @ DHS or BC

Friday September 23

* Breakfast at Boardwalk Bakery
* Check out of resort by 11am
* Head to park for the day (probably Epcot) or swim
* Meet the dreaded Magical Express around 4-6pm depending on flight time

So, some of my plans have changed & others have just gotten more specific! I'm trying to work on ADR times. I have a feeling some things might still change. I know we get exhausted after a few park days so I'm worried about the really early mornings being later in the trip. I might switch around some days. I also don't know for sure that MNSSHP will be on that day...I just found it as a projected day on a Disney site (and I can't even remember where I read it ???)

Other than that, most likely this will be our schedule. I will know for sure after Friday. I'm really keeping my fingers crossed that I get the ADR times that I want or within 30 minutes of it.

My 2 questions when looking at my schedule...

1) How long approximately does it take to get from the Beach Club to Magic Kingdom? What's the quickest way? The bus or taking the monorail from Epcot? It will be early in the morning probably before park opening.

2) I'm assuming there's a bus from the Poly to DTD...so my only question here is, where are the bus stops at the Poly? I'm going to look it up on the map, but any advice is always helpful! And also, whats the best way to get to the Poly from BC? I'm assuming heading over to Epcot & taking the resort monorail to the Poly. I've never done this...how do I know the difference between the resort monorail & the park monorail? Are they labeled somehow?

 

[photographymom517]

Tell me more about this website!!!??? $55 per person each way would be awesome!!!

Jack is the same about pools. He wants to jump in repeatedly! We got season passes for Christmas to our local aquatic center, so I am looking forward to that. They have a kiddie section with kid sized water slides that Jack can go on all by himself (with me standing at the bottom). He loves it. I am specifically devoting more time to swimming this time at Pop, and Jack is getting a new set of Mickey swim trunks, flip flops and sunglasses for his birthday!

Sure!

The website is Airfare Deals!

It just depends on your airport because I searched an airport about 3 hours away from us & couldn't find the same deal. I guess all the offers are different

I really, really hope you can find something for airfare that you can use though!!! Keeping my fingers crossed for a deal for you & Jack!

That's awesome that Jack is getting the new Mickey swim trunks & accessories for his birthday!!! Luke has 2 pair that I bought last year so I don't get to go shopping for new ones for him. Although, by September he may outgrow them so we might get something after season on sale! I'll have to watch the Disney site around mid-August or so!

I soooo wish we had some type of water park near us. Unfortunately the closest is 2 1/2 hours away. There are a few pools, but there aren't any water slides or fun things for children. Your local aquatic center sounds awesome!!!

 

[PopArtGal]

I understand what you mean about people talking to you as if you were old friends. It appears I have a face that people relate to. People have conversations with me all the time. I'm there, minding my own business in a line, and people turn around and struck conversations. It's weird sometimes lol And when I tell them I'm a teacher...oh well the conversation never ends. It seems they feel safe with a teacher lol It seems to automatically make me alright hehe