Mid-Atlantic Changes for 2012?

[preedymtnwest]

Hi -

We're new to ABD, but are DVC members and Silver Castaway. I know a lot of people say they wouldn't pay ABD prices for US trips like Mid-Atlantic, but next year is my 50th birthday and I was born in PA and lived in Arlington, VA, but have lived in the Seattle area for the past 40 years. My kids have never been "back east" and at their ages (DS(14) and DS(11)), I really think we'll ALL have a better time with the Disney difference. I plan to arrive in PA a couple of days early and stay in DC a couple of days after to do some things on our own.

I just looked at the 2012 dates (finally posted!) and they have changed several of the aspects of the tour that I had become familiar with (looking at last year's itinerary). Any thoughts on the new itinerary? I'm psyched about the addition of Monticello and Gettysburg (my grandparents are buried there and we planned to go anyway), but I know the kids will be bummed we're not staying at Great Wolf (we have been to the one near us) and I'm bummed we're not doing Williamsburg.

I haven't found a lot of info on Mid-Atlantic on this forum, so I'm thinking it's not that popular? But 5 of the tours say "waitlisted" already.

Any input on the new itinerary, and if it's worth it to wait for Costco deals (not on their website for 2012 yet) or just book so we get the dates we want, would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

 

[DisFan10]

We did this tour ("Spirit of America") in 2007 and I know that the Great Wolf Lodge was a big hit with the kids. I'm surprised that Disney dropped that hotel and consolidated the lodgings to just two hotels. While the Mayflower Hotel in Washington D.C. is nice, it is definitely not as "kid friendly" as Great Wolf. However, I think you'll have a great time nonetheless.

 

[abbyjt]

About the Costco thing, we already booked through Costco for Greece. The agent said the new deals were not announced yet, but that we would get whatever deal they had for next year. She thought it would be similar to last year.
If you want a waterpark during your trip, come out to Dorney Park in Allentown during your days before the trip in Philadelphia. It's about an hour drive north of Philly.
There is plenty to do in Philly without leaving the city too.

Also, the trip does not take you to the capitol or the white house. To see those you need to contact your congressperson way before. The capitol is pretty easy to get a tour. You need to apply very far in advance to get a whitehouse tour. The capitol is a great tour. We couldn't get into the white house a few years ago, when we went to Washington on our own.

 

[preedymtnwest]

Thanks for the info, DisFan10 and abbyjt. I think we're going to go for it! Any Disney trip is better than none and we don't have a previous experience to compare it to anyway, so I don't know why I'm worried about it!

We have a Disney Visa, but with the Costco incentives, I think we'll finally get a Costco AmEx and put the trip on that because it's 0% APR for the first six months, plus the rebate and gift card...Just my small way of justifying the expense!

Cheers!

 

[sayhello]

I just got back from Knights & Lights, and we had the coordinator for European ABD's on our trip. He also worked on the Mid-Atlantic trip. I don't recall why he said they were no longer going to Great Wolf, but as best I remember, the reason they are not going to Williamsburg any more is because people that they surveyed said that Williamsburg was getting too "unreal", and that they'd rather see actual historical sites. Apparently the hotel in DC is really well situated to be a "base of operations" for the day trips. He seemed really enthusiastic about the new itinerary.

Sayhello