Moved from AKL...going to BC and SAB! Superdetailed plans second family trip.

[TxRabbit]

Hello everyone!

This is me totally addicted to these boards...and having the time of my life doing it. I should be doing laundry, cleaning the kitchen, sweeping up the dust bunnies from the two lovely ..maybe you know the drill if you also do those things that make your house a home? Or at least try anyway, right? Back to the DIS...I love it here...it is like my happy place...others are just as obsessive with their planning as I am! What's not to like? And...BONUS...there are just as many acronyms floating around here that I can compete with my DH's work jargon! (Seriously, it took me forever to figure out what MNSSHP was)

Here I am attempting to entertain you with the agony and ecstacy that is my planning our WDW vacation. I hope that you may pick up a tip or two from me (even if it's what NOT to do) and may drop a hint or two of your own as the days go by. I will warn you...I can be a bit talkative...a little wordy...and perhaps a bit too detailed.

Here are the bare minimum details:

We are going Aug. 19 to 25. We just missed free dining I am hoping this will work in our favor, with slightly fewer crowds, especially if others were able to change their travel arrangements and maybe other school districts started earlier in August than ours. We'll see I suppose.

We are staying at AKL. We stayed there in March, 2007, on our first family trip to WDW (DH and I went to MK and Epcot for one day on our honeymoon in 1997). We loved our vacation, although we didn't spend much time at the resort. This trip will be longer than the last, and I am planning on scheduling in more down and free time, which always sounds funny to me...I am scheduling free time. There were many activities that we did not participate in at the resort and this time, I fully intend to take advantage of them. We booked a standard view room...and I won't lie...I am really hoping for an upgrade when we check in. We stayed pool view last time, which I thoroughly enjoyed, but because of budgetary reasons...no view booked this time. Keeping our hopes high!

My family is traveling...

Me...DW35...planner, researcher. I am the one with the camera and I really have to make an effort to get in the pictures. I love WDW. I love the total break from reality that seems to occur when going there. It really is it's own world...kind of like entering a snow globe for a brief period of time. I love that! That's what vacation is all about.

DH34...his idea of a vacation is not having to make any decisions. He just wants me to tell him where and when. He also loves being in the Fantasyland that is all of WDW.

DS6...our beautiful, wonderful, funny, imaginative, cautious, battle-loving, teen-age talkin', flexible, cranky when hungry, silly when tired, soon-to-be up-and-coming first grader. Seriously, some kids are just worth their weight in entertainment value alone.

My goal for this trip is to have a total vacation...lots of fun, lots of relaxing, lots of entertainment, good food...and somehow to get to the end of the vacation and not feel like I need a vacation to recover from my WDW trip!

Coming up next, the ADRs, P&PP, and more! Hope to see you next time...

 

[TxRabbit]

I forgot to mention that we have 7-day water parks plus NO park hopping tickets and are doing the DDP.

We have such an exciting week planned! But I tend to think any and all weeks in Disney are exciting. Here's the low down:

Sun Aug 19, Arrival Day
7:25 am departure from Houston
10:53 am arrival at MCO!
ME to AKL

Optional Plans: depending on how long ME takes, whether or not our room is ready, and how hungry we are for lunch

1. We could grab a bite to eat at Mara and then enjoy a poolside afternoon, also taking advantage of any resort activities planned this day

2. We could go to BB for the afternoon, grab some food there, (I remember reading somewhere about great donuts at BB...anyone?), coming back to the resort in plenty of time to get ready for...

6:25pm ADR Citrico's (never been...so excited to try it )

I don't want to spend the money for a cab, so to make the transporation a little more interesting...I want to take the bus from AKL to MK, then ride the monorail (which we have never done before) to GF. I am hoping to be able to get in the front. It's pm EMH at MK that night, so I am hoping that we will be going against the flow of traffic and will have a good shot at getting to ride in front. I know that GF is one of the last stops from MK around the loop, but I have no idea how long that takes...anyone know how much time I should allow for this?

After dinner, I think we might just check out GF. My son really likes to play arcade games, so we might check out the arcade there, too, then wander around and admire the grounds as we make our way back to the boat dock to take the boat back to MK. Wishes starts at 9:00 pm that evening, and so there is a possibility that we might see them at some point in our travels from GF to AKL. I will just keep that in mind as we plan on having a very low key evening.

AKL has many different resort activities, and some for nighttime only...does GF have anything like that? Anyone? We didn't go to any other resort than AKL on our other trip, so I am looking forward to exploring a bit. Any input on fun things to do at GF would be greatly appreciated!

Viewing Wishes is not high on the priority list. Getting to bed at a decent time is, after our early wake up for travel, travel, sun and water, yummy dinner, etc., we will be ready to get some rest. We are waking up early tomorrow for an 8:00am ADR at Donald's Breakfast in AK, so we need a good night's rest.

I'm just going to post day by day, because I really would like some feedback for our plans...please say hi and jump on in.

 

[KMZOB]

I'm so excited to read about your plans! Your excitement is coming out loud & clear in your posts!

I don't know how long you should expect to travel to your ADR...but "OurLaughingPlace.com" has a great time estimator:

http://www.ourlaughingplace.com/asp/twiz.aspx

It's worth checking it out. I used it to determine times when we went on our trip in November.

 

[TxRabbit]

Ooooo, thank you, KMZOB, that link is wonderful!

Well, it looks like I need to allow 55 to 65 minutes for travel time. I can see why some might opt to take a taxi. We shouldn't be totally sick of Disney transportation on our first day, but then we will have spend a bit of that first day traveling, so maybe it would be worth it to pay for the taxi? Decisions, decisions. This is why I didn't visit any other resorts on our first trip!

 

[KMZOB]

I can completely relate. We went in November and I did not venture outside of our hotel or the parks for food. I am being brave this time and made reservations for Chef Mickey's. I want to take the Monorail too..for my DS3's sake of course! I think he will get a kick out of it. But the amount of time it will take does play on the mind. I've considered getting a taxi to the restaurant...and taking the Monorail back. You have to get there and come back!!

 

[TxRabbit]

Well, KMZOB, this time I am being totally adventurous, I've booked Citrico's at GF, Spoodles at BW, and MBYBBQ at ??? Three resort dining experiences! But I'll be gettting to figuring that out as the days go by.

 

[TxRabbit]

So, we will be starting this day off early as well. We have an 8:00 am ADR at Donald's Breakfastosaurus, which is before the park is technically open. I do believe that there is some sort of transportation provided for those with the early ADRs. I remember reading that somewhere, anyone?

While it is tempting to think about rushing through breakfast and getting a prime place in line to get on EE first thing...and we definitely want to ride EE this trip, because we couldn't last trip (FP all gone and stand-by line was just too long), I am not convinced that we will actually do that this morning. I have heard that character interaction is great at Donald's and so I am not inclined to rush. DS just might be tall enough to ride Primeval Whirl this time, and he really thought that looked like fun, so we just might do that first! DS also loved the Boneyard, so we might head there for a spell while either DH or I runs over to get us EE FP. Depending on the return time for that...we can plan our morning in AK.

I have a concern about EE with DS6. He did ride Dinosaur, ToT, and Space Mtn on the last trip. He closed his eyes a lot in Dinosaur, ToT was okay (he said, once you know what to expect, it's not too bad), and SM was herky, jerky. Then I discovered YouTube. People have actually filmed the ride! This may be a total spoiler for some...but for others this could save the day...let DS know what to expect...and possibly let him enjoy the ride a bit more. I've asked if he is interested in seeing it...he is...but I think I will show it to him when we are getting closer to our departure date. Just a little tip from me to all the Mommas out there that are undecided about whether or not your DS or DD is ready to ride a thrill ride. I searched and found that several of the questionable rides had been filmed.

We will last however long the fun lasts and then we are going to hit BB. I am hopeful that we will ride KRR right before we leave. And then transition the day into more water ride fun at BB! We have never been to a water park, so whether today or yesterday was the first day...it should be highly enjoyable. Again...we will go for as long as it is fun. Just being in the water should be great...whether or not we hit the big slides there or not.

After BB, we have options again. This is pm EMH at AK, so we could go back there in the evening. I was thinking it might be nice just to go there to eat at Tusker House, but then I learned they would be closed. I was so looking forward to the salmon...so somethings may depend on whether we got to ride EE earlier in the day...how we are feeling...do we just want to eat poolside from Mara at AKL, play some arcade games and call it a night?

The touring strategy for the early part of our week is to get up early, but also to get good sleep at night. It's vacation! I like sleep! So our evening plan will keep in mind that we will be hitting am EMH at MK the next day. And I want to be there early this time! Because last time...we missed half of it!

 

[TxRabbit]

DH has to work a bit tonight so I thought I would just post another day's plan. I don't know how interesting my plans are to others, but this is a very valuable process for me for analyzing our plans and putting my thoughts together. I am enjoying it!

So here is another early morning planned, am EMH at MK! As funny as it sounds, we didn't really spend too much time in Fantasyland on our last trip. A little unbelievable, I know, especially with DS6, but we hit Tomorrowland during the am EMH and had a blast over there! We did ride the Tea Cups, and on a different night we rode Snow White and I't a Small World. Can you believe it? That's all we did in Fantasyland! Other lines we just too long...So we will go there first thing on this trip! And we will get there eeeeeeaarrrrrlyyyyyyyy!

I am planning on a grab and go breakfast this day. I think I will bring some things for breakfast to have in the room. DS loves bagels and peanut butter, DH too. That will travel well. I like cereal. I am thinking about prebagging a serving and bringing boxed soy milk (hey, it's what I eat), which I will be able to keep in the fridge after opening. For any and all room breakfasts, this should suffice. I would like to also bring along some sort of fruit. I think that citrus would travel the best, but DS doesn't like citrus. I think there is fruit available at Mara, but that would be a poor use of snack credit IMO, because I think it is only $1. If I packaged apples properly, they might make the trip okay, and DS would eat those, and I could buy a couple of bananas, which would definitely not travel well. Mara is open late, so I think I would grab some the day before for this morning.

Again, we will only stay at MK for as long as the fun lasts. Judging from the last trip, I think we would be ready to go shortly after lunch. We'll be ready for an early lunch. I wonder when the CS open for lunch? Anyone? I am thinking Columbia Harbor House for lunch for DH and myself, but I think DS would prefer a hot dog at Casey's, so we might swing by Casey's and then meet up at CHH to actually eat. Not sure, exactly. We will contemplate getting a FP for Splash Mtn before lunch, and riding that before leaving for the day.

The afternoon will be our choice of either going back to BB or just hanging out at the pool, which ever sounds the best to us.

Dinner is 6:40 pm at Spoodles. I am thinking that the best way to get there is to take the bus to MGM and then take the boat to the BW. I know we could do the same thing at Epcot, but on the map, it doesn't look so easy to walk from the bus area to the boat area. It looks like you have to be in the park to do that. Does anyone know about this? I might have to ask over on the Transportation board. After dinner, I thought we would just wander around the Boardwalk area and see what that is all about and take the stroll over to Epcot to board the bus for home.

Another easy low key night. You might be noticing the theme here. Last trip, we tried to get up early, and it was rough. We tried to rest in the afternoon, and that wasn't very successful. Then we would go back out to the parks, generally a different park from the morning (park hopping) and would stay for the nighttime show and pm EMH. It was a pseudo commando style, and it was okay for the 4 days we were touring the parks. We had fun, but I think I would like to be a little more laid back in the evening this time. Besides, I don't know if DS just isn't into fireworks or what, but halfway through Wishes, he said, Okay, I'm done with the fireworks now. And we were in a prime viewing location. I really enjoyed these nighttime spectaculars, but I think that we will save seeing them again for a different trip. But don't you worry, we do have two great night time activities planned toward the end of our trip...

One of these nights, I want to do the nighttime viewing of the animals with the night vision goggles. This might be a good night for that, especially if the BW area isn't really all that exciting. Or perhaps, that would be good yesterday night, when we really have flexible dinner plans. I can see that I need to make a schedule that shows the available options for the optional times See you next time...

 

[TxRabbit]

Day 4 also dawns bright and early, with plans to hit am EMH at BB, which is 8:00 am. If we have gone here earlier in the week, it is always going to generally be after lunch, so this would be our only time to go early in the day. This might be the day that we really concentrate on trying to ride the big slides, if lines have been long earlier in the week.

Breakfast would be another grab and go room based breakfast.

Lunch will probably be a two part deal, some sort of something to eat in the late am at BB, and definitely some tasty food in WS at Epcot. I really want to try Tangierine Cafe, but I think DS might enjoy the Teriyaki chicken from Japan more than the TC menu. I'm not sure which DH would like to try more. We might just do some sort of combo again since the countries are right next to each other.

Then we can spend the afternoon enjoying Epcot. We didn't see much in the WS last trip. I will check out the schedules for the day, see if there is anything that I would really love to see. I want to plan an enjoyable somewhat meandering time in Epcot. Of course, I would love to ride many rides in FW, too! But we'll see how the crowds are. Epcot had pm EMH the night before and will also have pm EMH the following day. Epcot is the recommended park for today, so we will see how that goes. I think that this is a good day to just rent a stroller and plan an easier, people watching, street entertainment, look in the shops kind of afternoon.

Dinner is at 6:30 pm at San Angel's Inn in Mexico. I am really excited to see the atmosphere here. Then we'll be heading home after dinner. We'll probably hit the arcade and then hit the sack.

 

[TxRabbit]

Day 5: MGM and MBYBBQ

I am just in a total posting, writing mood, so I will go ahead and post Day 5 and 6.

Here's where the early am eases up a bit. I have no plans for this am! We will be staying out a little later tonight, so we can sleep in a bit this morning.

I am thinking that we will actually do a CS breakfast at Mara. Take a very relaxed approach to this day. Maybe go for a morning swim in the pool. Check out the resort some more. Maybe go on a hidden Mickey hunt...they have a hint sheet available at the front desk or gift shop. It's more scheduled free time.

The constraint comes at 1:30 pm, where we have an ADR at the SciFi DriveIn. Milkshakes and burgers...here we come!

We didn't see a single show last time, well, except Fantasmic! so I'll check the schedule for the shows. We'll probably pick up a FP for Indy or Star Tours before heading into lunch. We'll be at MGM until it's time to leave for MBYBBQ.

I am aware that the BBQ does not have reserved seating and that people get there early, so we will too! I need to get clear on the transporation to the BBQ. I think you have to get on a shuttle or something once you get to WL? I'll find out. The BBQ ends at 9:00 pm. I wonder when Wishes starts this night and if we would have a chance to see it somehow on our travels back to AKL. Can you see Wishes from WL? What is the transportation from WL to MK? More stuff to add to the research list.

Day 6: P&PP!!!!!!

This is our final night in WDW. but boy are we going to have FUN!!!

We were probably up a little late last night. We will definitely be sleeping as long as we want this morning, especially since we will be closing down P&PP this night!

Again...another free morning for us. Again...a little pool, a little arcade, a little relaxing. We'll probably do donuts for breakfast this morning. You can get a whole box of Entemann's donuts from the gift shop for 1 snack credit. I'm sure we'll do a Mara lunch.

With P&PP tickets, we can get into MK sometime after 4 or 4:30. Not sure exactly when we'll head on over, but definitely before our 6:25 pm CP ADR! We are going to totally pork out at the buffet! We are definitely going in costume. DS was Jack Sparrow for Halloween...but I think the costume would be way too hot in August, so I am not sure how, but he will definitely be a DH will be a too. We threw a big pirate themed crazy fun treasure huntin' birthday bash for DS in Jan. DH will wear what he wore then, cut off jeans that are very ratty, his shirt from his Scottish kilt costume from the Renaissance festival, a bandana around his head, and some sort of belt. DS really wants me to be a because I am a girl. But that is just not really my style...I want to be a ! But I have no idea what to do. I could wear what I wore for DSs birthday party, buuuuuuut, I dunno, I would like something a little different, a little more girly than what I had worn for the birthday, but not too girly, because I'm not that kind of girl. Anyway, the family is totally excited for this cloud9:

We will just totally go with the flow on this one. The one thing that I will not get my hopes up for is meeting Captain Jack. If, but some strange and unusual happenstance, I walk by and the line isn't too long, then we might jump into it. BUT, my hopes are pretty low for that to actually happen...so, I will remain content with the fact that we caught the Pirate Tutorial on our last trip. It was very funny. We were very fortunate, while DS was not picked to be one of the participants in the street show, he was picked to partake in receiving the official certificate and taking his oath to serve Captain Jack!

I am sure, absolutely positive actually, that our flow will take us to funnel cakes in Sleepy Hollow at some point...assuming that it is open for the party. I plan to pack some sort of something significant snack wise in case we need more sustanance as the evening wears on. But I need to put together my credit count and see if we could swing by the taco place, at least for DS, because he is the one that will most likely need something a little more like real food around 10:30 or so. Despite what food DH and I are capable of packing in at the buffet, DS has the wonderful habit of stopping eating when he is full. He doesn't stuff, so he gets hungry more often, so I need to definitely take this into consideration and avoid the cranky, hungry boy late at night, and keep the fun rolling. More planning here.

As I said, we will be here till closing. I so can't wait for it!

 

[TxRabbit]

So, departure day comes...I am sure that we will be quite tired from the party the night before. Hooray for black out curtains!!!

We are going to sleep in today. It just hit me that I should probably do a little packing before rolleyes1 since I want to sleep in and we have to check out.

We are so fortunate to have a late departure flight...5:55 pm. Last time we departed at 7:00 am ME picked us up at 4:00 am Never again, said I, never again. Also, we could not check our baggage at the hotel because our airline was not a participant in that part of the program and also, our flight was too early to be able to do so. So I saved the letter that came from ME with our 4:00 am pick up notification to make sure that we would be able to check our bags at the resort when we departed. Ahhhhh. I would post the airlines from the letter here, but I can't find it at the moment. I'll post that info when I find the letter...it's around here somewhere.

Anyway, I have absolutely NO PLANS for today. I thought that I would just leave it open for us to be able to do what seemed best, whether it was going back to one of the parks or swimming in the pool. Whatever. We'll see what we feel like doing when this day comes.

All our TS credits are used, so no ADR for today, which is just as well. I didn't want to be tied down to any location for anything today.

More than likely, we will picked up by ME at 2:55 pm. So, if we get a late start, we really won't have time to do much. I can't imagine wanting to go back to MK after last night. MGM really isn't my favorite park, so I don't think that would be in the running. It would most likely be a toss up between Epcot, DAK, the pool, and perhaps BB. The pool would be the least hardship, then DAK, then Epcot, then BB. But we'll just have to wait and see, now, won't we?

If you've been keeping track, you'll see that we have more TS selections than we have credits. I'll explain how I am going to do that next time!

 

[TxRabbit]

WOW! It has been a long time since I have posted...not that I haven't been thinking about our vacation...I just needed a break after getting most of the planning done. A little time to step back...then I could come back and look at the plans and see them a little more objectively...and now I really need to look them over...because we had to change resorts

Construction at AKL was always something of a concern for me. After a lack of hanging out at the resort on our spring vacation, I wanted to plan more down time, more resort time, and I did wonder how the construction would affect that. Well, I was reading too many accounts of the dreaded phone call coming from guest services asking people to move. I had to be proactive, I called guest services. They said that our ressie would be affected and we should move. I have read that some have protested and are planning on staying, but I take a different approach. This is just an opportunity...so what are our options? We could choose between Beach Club, Yacht Club, Boardwalk Inn, and Wilderness Lodge. Well, after reading about Stormalong Bay, we have got to try Beach Club. The additional benefit is that they are honoring the price of our current ressie at AKL, so it isn't costing us any more to be in the more expensive resort. I did ask if it would be possible to stay at Poly, just to ask. And it wasn't possible because we had a std view booked, and Poly has Garden view as the lowest. It has to be a lateral move. So, there you go.

We are totally excited about Beach Club though. Although, there doesn't seem to be as much detailed info available on BC. I admit to having some concerns. Not all balconies at BC are full sized with chairs and a table. Apparently some are standing balconies. The full size is important to me. DH and I really enjoyed our AKL balcony after DS had gone to bed. So I remain hopeful that our request will be honored. Also, I read that some rooms actually have double beds and not queen sized beds. Queen beds are more of the major selling points of a deluxe for DH and me. I don't have that request in my ressie yet. One CM I talked to said that she didn't think the resort had any double beds so she didn't want to add that request, but I think I need to call back.

So now, I really need to take another look at our plans and see what affect this move will have. I really think that it won't have much affect. I don't forsee changing any ADRs (not that I think that I really could at this point) but I don't anticipate being upset over any transportation issues.

I am a little concerned about the lack of a decent quick service restaurant. Mara at AKL was excellent with super late hours, it seems. And that doesn't exist at BC. However, I am pumped about having Beaches and Cream at the resort. I think we will definitely be having ice cream in the evenings. I wonder how late they are open. Must look that up. I do need to get my plans in a more concise format, and I figure this pretrip is just the place to get them sqaured away in my mind.

 

[TxRabbit]

I decided to make this a separate post that I could easily update it as I get more info...

So here we go...

Sunday Arrival Day
10:53 am Flight arrives at MCO
lunch: Hurricane Hanna's CS poolside. The kids menu comes with a shovel and pail, very cool. Cheeseburgers on the kids menu, not easy to find actually. DH and I can split something from here or Beach Club Marketplace. We don't need to tank up before our special dinner. 1A CS, 1C CS
Afternoon spent playing at SAB, check into room, shower, get ready for dinner, and get to GF.
dinner: 6:25 pm Citrico's (GF) 4A TS, 2C TS

Monday Typhoon Lagoon and MGM
breakfast: 8:10 am Cape May Cafe(DAK) 2A TS, 1C TS
lunch: ?CS
dinner: ?

Tuesday Magic Kingdom am EMH; SAB afternoon; DTD/DQ evening
Breakfast from the room, bagels, cereal, granola bars, fruit, etc.
brunch: PVH (MK) Plenty to choose from here. Split 2A CS.
dunch/linner: Wolfgang Puck Express 1C CS, 2A CS
snack: 3 snacks

Wednesday Blizzard Beach am EMH and Epcot
Breakfast from the room, bagels, cereal, granola bars, fruit, etc.
Snack: will probably need to grab more snacks at BB. 3 snacks
lunch: Tangierine Cafe and/or Yakitori House 1A CS, 1C CS
dinner: 6:30 pm San Angel's Inn (Epcot) 2A TS, 1C TS

Thursday MGM
breakfast: ?
lunch: 1:30 pm Sci-Fi Drive Inn Theater (MGM) 1A TS, 1C TS
dinner: 6:30 pm MBYBBQ (WL) OOP

Friday DTD morning; SAB afternoon: P&PP tonight!!!
leisurely am.
breakfast: snacks
lunch: Earl of Sandwich DTD
dinner: 6:25 pm Crystal Palace (MK) 2A TS, 1C TS

Saturday (Departure day)
no plans until probable 2:55 pm ME pick up
SAB day
breakfast: ?
lunch: ?

My Tally:
5/12 A CS
3/6 C CS
11/12 A TS
6/6 C TS
9/18 snacks


So, I don't know what I am doing for 5 breakfasts, 6 lunches, and 1 dinner. That's still quite a bit of planning to do. I should have a clue. Must get to work on that...I need to learn more about the offerings at BC.

 

[TxRabbit]

Okay, I'm starting to freak out about the whole moving resorts thing...the more I find out about BC, the more worried I become

I don't know what to do...

 

[Avivasmom]

We are staying at Beach Club Villas in November and truly cannot wait. My DD is 6 too and just loves Epcot...we can walk or take the boat there. And Stormalong Bay looks very cool in her words.

I would not worry go with an open mind and it will be great.

 

[mvazul]

We are arriving the day after you leave. You are soooo detailed with all your planning. Honestly, I think you will have a great time at the new resort. I have never stayed there, but I have read alot of good things about it. I wish we could stay there. Maybe one day.

Michelle

 

[momtoccc]

Your trip sounds fun - sorry you got moved to BC but I bet the SAB will be really great.

We are going in Nov with almost 4yo dd... I think I might start a pre-trip report just to get my thoughts down like you did... (and hopefully get some feedback!)

Have fun!

 

[TxRabbit]

I would not worry go with an open mind and it will be great.

You are so right! My mind is open. Infact, I am really excited about the resort. After we got back from AKL in March, we talked about wanting to try all the different resorts just to do it. But when we were looking at prices, AKL is just one of the cheaper deluxe resorts and so we decided to do it again because we didn't spend too much time there. So, money factored in greatly. Now we are getting to try a different, more expensive resort for the same price...so what's not to like? I just don't want to get one of the 40 rooms that actually have double beds...oh, and I want a full balcony. The fact that queen beds and full balconies weren't std at BC was what was throwing me for a loop. But I'm over it. It's all going to be good. I can't wait to swim in that pool. Day one!

We are arriving the day after you leave. You are soooo detailed with all your planning. Honestly, I think you will have a great time at the new resort. I have never stayed there, but I have read alot of good things about it. I wish we could stay there. Maybe one day.

Michelle

I read your pre-trip. You're getting to go during free dining! Like you, I wouldn't have my DS miss the first week of school for vacation, so we are going the week before. I am very hopeful, that if people could, they decided to go one week later to do free dining, and that many others will have started school already and that the crowds will be lighter.

I don't know if I am so detailed. I like to have a basic framework for the day. My family functions better that way...and then whatever happens can happen as we go along. I admit to really getting the food situation in order though. I guess we can see where my priorities are! More info for me makes making decisions on the fly as we tour around easier to make. My DS really does a lot better when he knows what to expect regardless of whether it's good or bad, he can just deal better, so I try to stay one step ahead of him.

Your trip sounds fun - sorry you got moved to BC but I bet the SAB will be really great.

We are going in Nov with almost 4yo dd... I think I might start a pre-trip report just to get my thoughts down like you did... (and hopefully get some feedback!)

Have fun!

I am not sorry. I was starting to freak out, but I am not going down that road. I am glad that I was proactive and have time to get to know what effect this will have on my vacation. Some people found out they needed to move less than 2 weeks before their arrival. This pretrip is great for getting your thoughts in order. I highly recommend it.

 

[WDW Poly Princess]

I stayed at BCV in January, and you really can't beat the location!

One tip- it's much faster to walk down to the Dolphin and catch the boat to MGM from there than to catch it at the YBC stop!

Also, try the gelato in the Marketplace- yummy!

 

[mvazul]

I read your pre-trip. You're getting to go during free dining! Like you, I wouldn't have my DS miss the first week of school for vacation, so we are going the week before. I am very hopeful, that if people could, they decided to go one week later to do free dining, and that many others will have started school already and that the crowds will be lighter.

Thank you for reading mine!! Yes, we are going during free dining. It wasn't planned that way. That was the only week that worked for all three of us. Honestly, I was kind of hoping free dining would start a week later than it is. Yes, I am glad that we will get to eat for free, but having less crowds is much more important to me thatn eating! I'm hoping we didn't make a mistake.