my totally locked in, no changes, set in stone, please help me thread

[alicia1506]

ok. so. the last 10 months or so of planning this trip have been an exercise in frustration.

and not least because of the aussie dollar. and my usa TA leaving with no warning. and the travel agency giving me a brand new TA out of the blue. and the new TA has no idea what i have been planning/dealing with (maybe a good thing as the previous TA might have left due to all my changes, whocansay? lol)
and travellers that don't care where we go as long as we do a billion different things in super expensive places for practically no money whatsoever.

so... ahem. moving along.

i am pretty sure i have come up with a final plan. one that involves almost no one getting their thing their way, and me getting 1 thing my way, but that should result in a minimal fuss, minimal effort, minimal hassle, stress free, pain free trip.



so. i am asking for all you WDW veterans, dlr veterans, seasoned travellers and wonderful ANZAC disboarders to please... gimme your opinion. I likely can't move much around, but if you have thoughts on various ways to improve/refine/adjust etc, i welcome the feedback.

so:
oct 18 - virgin australia flight bne - lax, then 4 hr layover, delta flight lax - mco direct, check in to wdw (ASMu 2 x standard rooms)
oct 19 - day 1, head down to universal, day trip, dinner at bubba gumps
oct 20 - day 2, head down to universal, day trip, dinner at margaritaville
oct 21 - day 3, MK in the morning (maybe hop to epcot during the day) back to MK for celebrate parade, MSEP, wishes etc
oct 22 - day 4 - AK to begin with, MK for MNSSHP at night
oct 23 - day 5 - DHS & fantasmic at night - this is also Carlo's birthday, so will have to plan something awesome here. he really wants to do TSMM
oct 24 - day 6 - epcot & illuminations at night
oct 25 - day 7 - AK in the morning, then MK for ADR @ CRT, then DHS to finish with fantasmic if missed on day 5
oct 26 - day 8 - port canaveral cruise embarkation
oct 27 - day 9 - at sea
oct 28 - day 10 - grand cayman - island tour port adventure
oct 29 - day 11 - costa maya - chacchoben ruins port adventure
oct 30 - day 12 - cozumel
oct 31 - day 13 - at sea
nov 1 - day 14 - castaway cay
nov 2 - day 15 - cruise debarkation, flight (carrier to be determined) mco - lax, check in to desert inn, DCA until world of colour @8pm, then DLR until midnight
nov 3 - day 16 - DCA (pixar parade @5pm) then hop to DLR (soundsational parade @630pm, fantasmic @9pm)
nov 4 - day 17 - DCA to start, then hop to DLR. leave at 6.15pm, DLRE at 6.40pm, LAX - BNE
nov 5 - day 18 - international date line
nov 6 - day 19 - arrive BNE
nov 7 - day 20 - recovery
nov 8 - day 21 - return to work for 1 traveller
nov 11 - day 24 - return to work for other travellers


so... thoughts, comments, viewpoints etc welcome. oh, and we are buying wdw hopper tickets with the no expiration option and using them at dlr to save us a bundle in ticket fees.

i know we don't have much time, and we certainly won't be able to do/see/incorporate everything, but i think we will get enough time to get a bit of a feel for the place

 

[PrincessInOz]

Nice looking plans; despite the rocky planning period.

How are you planning to get to/from WDW to UO? Assuming that there are 4 of you and that one of you is prepared to drive, it might be worth hiring a car for the period. Cabs could cost around $40 one way.


If your fellow travellers have not been to WDW before, I might be tempted to just stay at MK for the full day (Day 3); or start at Epcot and then head to MK for the afternoon.

Looks like a great cruise. Have you sorted out ADRs yet?

 

[Sugarglider]

oh, and we are buying wdw hopper tickets with the no expiration option and using them at dlr to save us a bundle in ticket fees.

when it comes to daily park choices I usually check out Touring Plans or easy wdw - is that what you have based these on?

I noticed you have picked up MNSSHP -which is GREAT! are you sure it is on the night you have chosen?
Also remember that the Epcot Food & Wine festival will be on - so perhaps put a bit of extra time in Epcot - or keep some time for a special lunch/event/presentation thingy.
I reckon AK is a 1 day park - which you have on Day 4. So you could use day 7 to go food and wine. (unless you are doing a superfantastic AK tour?)

 

[Aussie Wendy]

Alicia-you're a SEQ-ite-are you able to make the Dismeet in August-haven't heard from you?

 

[Aussie Wendy]

NB-no comment on your plans-let greater experts make the call. Sounds hectic going to and from UO 2 days in a row but guess due to the demands of your compatriots you aren't staying there? Hiring a car (but will 1 be enough?) does sound a possible option. Otherwise sounds like fun and the cruise should be nice and relaxing for you!

 

[alicia1506]

Nice looking plans; despite the rocky planning period.

How are you planning to get to/from WDW to UO? Assuming that there are 4 of you and that one of you is prepared to drive, it might be worth hiring a car for the period. Cabs could cost around $40 one way.


If your fellow travellers have not been to WDW before, I might be tempted to just stay at MK for the full day (Day 3); or start at Epcot and then head to MK for the afternoon.

Looks like a great cruise. Have you sorted out ADRs yet?

hey PIO, thanks for the reply - yes, we had planned on cabs (and built it into the budget) as we aren't driving or hiring a car. that way, we are not tied into a schedule (as we would be going with one of the shuttle services). I am tempted to just stay at MK for the first day at wdw (day 3) but wanted epcot to be an option in case they want variety

we are hoping for qs FD for our dates (fingers crossed, the FD threads all show our dates as being within the FD window if it's offered to the public), so we just have the 1 specialty ADR at CRT in MK on 25th oct (which was originally our 1 and only day in wdw).

when it comes to daily park choices I usually check out Touring Plans or easy wdw - is that what you have based these on?

I noticed you have picked up MNSSHP -which is GREAT! are you sure it is on the night you have chosen?
Also remember that the Epcot Food & Wine festival will be on - so perhaps put a bit of extra time in Epcot - or keep some time for a special lunch/event/presentation thingy.
I reckon AK is a 1 day park - which you have on Day 4. So you could use day 7 to go food and wine. (unless you are doing a superfantastic AK tour?)

hey sugarglider.. thanks for the feedback about F&W, i keep forgetting it's on while we are there... yes, i subscribe to touringplans.com so i have based these around their expected crowd levels/parks to avoid listings etc. also have checked waltdisneyworld.com for MNSSHP tickets and dates, and confirmed it's on for a few days we are there, the 22, 24 and 25th also on 19th or 20th (1 of the 2) but i would prefer to wait until i've been into the wdw parks before attending MNSSHP

I also thought AK was a 1 day park, but want to give the option of a repeat (short) visit in case they are getting too much MK and epcot/dhs etc. i would also ideally love to work in some time at the outlet mall & a quick jaunt around some of the other resorts in there too... ahh, if only no superfantastic AK tour, just trying to do EE, MJT, KS and a few other animal/safari general rides etc.

Alicia-you're a SEQ-ite-are you able to make the Dismeet in August-haven't heard from you?

hey Aussie Wendy thanks for the invite -- I didn't want to rsvp and then have to uncommit, so am still waiting for my work roster to be released will def let you or Marlea know when i know

NB-no comment on your plans-let greater experts make the call. Sounds hectic going to and from UO 2 days in a row but guess due to the demands of your compatriots you aren't staying there? Hiring a car (but will 1 be enough?) does sound a possible option. Otherwise sounds like fun and the cruise should be nice and relaxing for you!

our original plan had us staying onsite at UO, staying onsite at WDW, staying across the street at DLR and staying in much nicer & fancier staterooms on the cruise... darn dollar and the above mentioned ... issues... caused a few changes and tightening-of-belts-style measures, so it's actually cheaper to stay onsite at wdw and go to UO for the 2 days than it is to stay onsite at UO for the 2 days then switch to WDW, lol. funny how the pricing works out sometimes but thank you for the feedback. that whole pro/con hectic/relaxing thing has been doing my head in for the last several months, lol

 

[WanderlustNZ]

Let me guess; the one thing you got your way was more time at WDW? I'm pleased to see that you have more time there. I couldn't have gone all the way across the continent and then only had one full day at WDW.

I'm just curious about your comment about releasing free dining to the public. Have they released October free dining to other groups (Visa holders, annual pass holders, florida residents etc)? I've been trying to keep an ear to the ground about FD, as while I'm not eligible for it, it will somewhat affect the crowds while I'm there.

Also, what cruise stateroom have you changed to?

 

[cola]

First thing, just accept WDW is so HUGE you won't get to everything, it doesn't matter!

Second thing - there is no allowance for jet lag, that's one of the drawbacks of a local TA, they don't get it. Most of the effects that get called jet lag are just sleep deprivation and dehydration. One of the four of you will be a complete cranky pants at some stage the first 3days. If you keep to WDW someone can at least go back to the room really easily rather than being trapped at US being a cranky pants. Much easier to deal with dummy spits when you can say 'go get free Disney transportation' rather than 'go pay outrageous taxi fare' Doing US a few days later will also mean a break from the mouse which could help sanity levels. Also Universal City Walk on a Saturday night will be a BIG challenge with jetlag and after a day at the park, it's way too many locals.

I think 2 rooms is a great idea.

 

[areweindisneyyet]

First thing, just accept WDW is so HUGE you won't get to everything, it doesn't matter!

Second thing - there is no allowance for jet lag, that's one of the drawbacks of a local TA, they don't get it. Most of the effects that get called jet lag are just sleep deprivation and dehydration. One of the four of you will be a complete cranky pants at some stage the first 3days. If you keep to WDW someone can at least go back to the room really easily rather than being trapped at US being a cranky pants. Much easier to deal with dummy spits when you can say 'go get free Disney transportation' rather than 'go pay outrageous taxi fare' Doing US a few days later will also mean a break from the mouse which could help sanity levels. Also Universal City Walk on a Saturday night will be a BIG challenge with jetlag and after a day at the park, it's way too many locals.

I think 2 rooms is a great idea.

Nice advice Cola.

 

[australiankaren]

Do the cooking course if you can...it was fantastic....you cook, you drink, then you lounge around the pool........awesome....so much fun even for us no cookers in the group. Includes transport to and from boat.

 

[platypus67]

That's going to be a busy trip. Looks good though I wouldn't be able to do Universal the morning after arriving, preferring to stay closer to have the option to return to the room if the jet lag hits mid afternoon. I guess it all depends how well you handle the flying and jet lag.

Have a fantastic trip!

 

[alicia1506]

hey all,

thanks for the concerns re jetlag.

last trip, we only experienced the jetlag immediately after landing, and once we all slept the first night, no issues whatsoever.

there are some of us (myself included) that can be a total cranky pants at any given day/time/drop of a hat, regardless of jetlag and/or level of sleep, so that's not really as much of a concern for us. i am hopeful that we will be able to manage after our 24 hours of flying/layovers a decent night's sleep, but if not, well, they just have to power through, as we have a very limited window in which to see/do everything on the list, and no room for adding more days due to work commitments of some of our travellers.

universal on the first 2 days is the group consensus at this stage, mostly because universal is a park where we have been before, we don't need to see/do everything, we are comfortable just sitting and relaxing and people watching with a frozen butterbeer in hand, and it allows for a seamless wdw experience later on.

actually, the bit i got my way about was the dcl cruise. it's the same cruise we had originally booked last year & then cancelled due to my illness, and since dcl is discontinuing that itinerary later in the season (before we will be able to go back, barring lotto wins), it was our last opportunity to do that cruise. so that's the most $$$ part of the trip, the dates are inconvenient, the timing is weird and all the rest of it, but i don't care, as we're doing it and i'll get to see/climb my mayan pyramid. there were lots of other cruises we could have/should have done, certainly some that were only a fraction of the price, but that's the one part i put my foot down about, and managed to get my way. we were originally in a cat 5e extended verandah (2 x staterooms) but to maximise savings, i downgraded us to the 2 x 11a (inside, magic porthole) staterooms. i don't mind the accomodation change (well, i do, but not really that much) as it means i still get the itinerary i wanted

the extra time at wdw didn't hurt either

i think this trip now feels like a logical progression to me, rather than the cobbled-together higgeldy-piggeldy trip it felt like to me in previous incarnations. it also means that rather than trying to do mco - lax, then lax - bne on 2 different carriers on our last day, and hope and pray everything goes according to plan, we will now be in dlr and only require a quick bus trip up to lax... also means our last days in the usa will be at our happy place, and our last memories will be of dlr, instead of a 24 hour flight

 

[Marlea98]

Do the cooking course if you can...it was fantastic....you cook, you drink, then you lounge around the pool........awesome....so much fun even for us no cookers in the group. Includes transport to and from boat.

and don't forget to waste away at margaritaville that's where i'll be

 

[alicia1506]

Let me guess; the one thing you got your way was more time at WDW? I'm pleased to see that you have more time there. I couldn't have gone all the way across the continent and then only had one full day at WDW.

I'm just curious about your comment about releasing free dining to the public. Have they released October free dining to other groups (Visa holders, annual pass holders, florida residents etc)? I've been trying to keep an ear to the ground about FD, as while I'm not eligible for it, it will somewhat affect the crowds while I'm there.

Also, what cruise stateroom have you changed to?

re: the FD .. i just checked out the FD thread on the disboards, which says FD may be offered for some extended dates (oct 18-31 are the dates that interest me, lol) and to the general public... nothing has been announced yet

Do the cooking course if you can...it was fantastic....you cook, you drink, then you lounge around the pool........awesome....so much fun even for us no cookers in the group. Includes transport to and from boat.

cool, thanks, i will investigate that

 

[Marlea98]

hey all,

thanks for the concerns re jetlag.

last trip, we only experienced the jetlag immediately after landing, and once we all slept the first night, no issues whatsoever.

there are some of us (myself included) that can be a total cranky pants at any given day/time/drop of a hat, regardless of jetlag and/or level of sleep, so that's not really as much of a concern for us. i am hopeful that we will be able to manage after our 24 hours of flying/layovers a decent night's sleep, but if not, well, they just have to power through, as we have a very limited window in which to see/do everything on the list, and no room for adding more days due to work commitments of some of our travellers.

universal on the first 2 days is the group consensus at this stage, mostly because universal is a park where we have been before, we don't need to see/do everything, we are comfortable just sitting and relaxing and people watching with a frozen butterbeer in hand, and it allows for a seamless wdw experience later on.

actually, the bit i got my way about was the dcl cruise. it's the same cruise we had originally booked last year & then cancelled due to my illness, and since dcl is discontinuing that itinerary later in the season (before we will be able to go back, barring lotto wins), it was our last opportunity to do that cruise. so that's the most $$$ part of the trip, the dates are inconvenient, the timing is weird and all the rest of it, but i don't care, as we're doing it and i'll get to see/climb my mayan pyramid. there were lots of other cruises we could have/should have done, certainly some that were only a fraction of the price, but that's the one part i put my foot down about, and managed to get my way. we were originally in a cat 5e extended verandah (2 x staterooms) but to maximise savings, i downgraded us to the 2 x 11a (inside, magic porthole) staterooms. i don't mind the accomodation change (well, i do, but not really that much) as it means i still get the itinerary i wanted

the extra time at wdw didn't hurt either

i think this trip now feels like a logical progression to me, rather than the cobbled-together higgeldy-piggeldy trip it felt like to me in previous incarnations. it also means that rather than trying to do mco - lax, then lax - bne on 2 different carriers on our last day, and hope and pray everything goes according to plan, we will now be in dlr and only require a quick bus trip up to lax... also means our last days in the usa will be at our happy place, and our last memories will be of dlr, instead of a 24 hour flight

It's good that you're keeping the realities of change in mind. Nothing should ever be set in stone when it comes to holidays, otherwise, I believe, you are only setting yourself up for disappointment. In our first week of our last trip I got sick, the kids were really tired, DH was crabby because the kids were tired and crabby and I turn into the biggest baby when I'm tired and sick, so we added some down days in amongst our park days. But we were at the parks from open to close basically so it was to be expected. DS got a 24 hour bug on the cruise and the day after we arrived in Montana DD got a cold. Someone is bound to get sick, tired or feel overwhelmed, so as long as you are ready for it you should be right.

And make sure you bring back plenty of h2o stuff for all of us

 

[alicia1506]

and don't forget to waste away at margaritaville that's where i'll be

oh, i intend to... we loved margaritaville last time...

 

[Mum from oz]

Sounds like a great logical itinerary. Other than the lack of downtime/jetlag recovery it sounds perfect. And I'm sure if you manage to power on for the first 7 days you'll be fine with the embarkation and a cocktail in hand then a sea day to chillax!

 

[australiankaren]

Sounds like a great logical itinerary. Other than the lack of downtime/jetlag recovery it sounds perfect. And I'm sure if you manage to power on for the first 7 days you'll be fine with the embarkation and a cocktail in hand then a sea day to chillax!

its surprising how the itin changes after you get there to go with the needs and flow of the crew...just assume that things will change, be flexible and enjoy the unplanned surprises, that when the magic really happens