Need assistance with trip timing

[ChrisMouse]

Hi Everyone!

We are Florida DVC members who haven't been to DLR since 2006. I grew up living in San Francisco and going to DLR several times per year, but it's a whole different animal now than it was then, and a lot has changed with the AP's since 2006, so I need some help with my planning. I've read Hydroguy's new thread and am still thrown for a loop because of the WoC opening.

My life is complicated because DH works for the police department and has to bid for his vacation time. It's pretty much a given due to seniority issues that he will NOT get the good AP--blocked weeks in the summer, spring break, or Christmas (and of course the WDW vet in me cringes at the thought of doing Disney at these times anyway, even though I have read that DLR's crowd patterns are totally different...) I guess it's hard to teach me new tricks!!

Here's my problem. Ages ago I booked a stay on my points at the Villas at the Grand Californian for May 10-16. Of those days, only the 14-16 are blocked out for SoCal AP holders, PLUS it is now clear that WoC will be brand spanking new and PACKED. Correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounds like this will draw day-long crowds on May 10-13 because even AP holders will have to get there early to get their ShowPasses and then hang out until later.

(Correct me if I'm wrong on any of the above).

Ok, so...here are my choices.
1). I can keep my trip in May as planned, and do some other sight seeing on May 10-13 (DS 9 wants to go to Legoland, DH wants to hit Knotts, etc. As a Disney purist, I would prefer to just stay put at DLR, but the crowds could be a deterrent)

2). I can reschedule my trip for November and go during blocked out days Nov 11-13...not really enough days for me, but maybe we could include Nov. 6-7 and do our other sightseeing in the middle...??

3). I can cancel altogether for 2010, and hope that DH gets a good spring break, summer, or Christmas week when he bids for his vacation. Unfortunately, vacation bids don't happen until November, so it would be VERY up in the air, and we might have trouble with our points expiring before we could get a ressie. (Being DVC members we are long-term planners...planning AT LEAST 7 months in advance and often 11).

4). I could always just skip our plans for a DLR trip this year and go to Florida again in either May or November...hoping to fit DLR in sometime in late 2011 or early 2012. We wanted to get DS to Legoland while he is so thoroughly obsessed with Legos, which is why we thought DLR would be a fun alternative for us this year.


Input anyone?? TIA for your advice!

 

[HydroGuy]

Hi Everyone!

We are Florida DVC members who haven't been to DLR since 2006. I grew up living in San Francisco and going to DLR several times per year, but it's a whole different animal now than it was then, and a lot has changed with the AP's since 2006, so I need some help with my planning. I've read Hydroguy's new thread and am still thrown for a loop because of the WoC opening.

My life is complicated because DH works for the police department and has to bid for his vacation time. It's pretty much a given due to seniority issues that he will NOT get the good AP--blocked weeks in the summer, spring break, or Christmas (and of course the WDW vet in me cringes at the thought of doing Disney at these times anyway, even though I have read that DLR's crowd patterns are totally different...) I guess it's hard to teach me new tricks!!

Here's my problem. Ages ago I booked a stay on my points at the Villas at the Grand Californian for May 10-16. Of those days, only the 14-16 are blocked out for SoCal AP holders, PLUS it is now clear that WoC will be brand spanking new and PACKED. Correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounds like this will draw day-long crowds on May 10-13 because even AP holders will have to get there early to get their ShowPasses and then hang out until later.

(Correct me if I'm wrong on any of the above).

Ok, so...here are my choices.
1). I can keep my trip in May as planned, and do some other sight seeing on May 10-13 (DS 9 wants to go to Legoland, DH wants to hit Knotts, etc. As a Disney purist, I would prefer to just stay put at DLR, but the crowds could be a deterrent)

2). I can reschedule my trip for November and go during blocked out days Nov 11-13...not really enough days for me, but maybe we could include Nov. 6-7 and do our other sightseeing in the middle...??

3). I can cancel altogether for 2010, and hope that DH gets a good spring break, summer, or Christmas week when he bids for his vacation. Unfortunately, vacation bids don't happen until November, so it would be VERY up in the air, and we might have trouble with our points expiring before we could get a ressie. (Being DVC members we are long-term planners...planning AT LEAST 7 months in advance and often 11).

4). I could always just skip our plans for a DLR trip this year and go to Florida again in either May or November...hoping to fit DLR in sometime in late 2011 or early 2012. We wanted to get DS to Legoland while he is so thoroughly obsessed with Legos, which is why we thought DLR would be a fun alternative for us this year.


Input anyone?? TIA for your advice!

On a DLR board like this I suspect you will get lots of votes for #1.

However, I think besides WoC and the AP issues the final reason that would make me change from #1 is the ROA closure.

As much as I would like to vote for #2, with all the new things happening at DCA I would be inclined to go with the tried and true at WDW and do #4. Keep a close eye on these boards and choose a good date in 2011 sometime in the second half of the year after more DCA construction is complete and the APs are blocked and have a great trip.

Finally, I would still think about doing #2 and have that reservation in hand in case you change your mind and decide to go. This is DL's 55th anniversary and some special things may be upcoming we do not know about yet. And a short Nov trip could be a fun way to see them. Then come back in 2012 to after all the new stuff is done at DCA. Then cancel #2 after a few months if it makes sense and go with #4.

HTH

 

[Mugglemama]

we're supposed to do a May trip also, and personally, i'm still hopeful that it won't be horrendously crowded, even though WoC will be running. i'm hoping it's a time when a ton of people won't be making time for DLR....it's after spring breaks, but just before most kids get out of school, so my hope is that lots of parents will have either just taken their kids during spring break, or will be waiting to go once school lets out so as not to have their kids miss any school right at the end of the year.

i don't know, we'll see how it goes. however, if i had the opportunity to do WDW this year instead, i would probably do that (we're hoping to do WDW for the first time next year). because although WoC won't be anything that our family even attempts to make time for unless crowds are very low (getting squashed is just no fun, no matter how pretty the scenery is!), i do imagine it's going to definitely impact crowd levels. ugh.

 

[ChrisMouse]

Thank you both of you for your thoughts (Mugglemama, LOVE your screen name!)

Hydroguy--your thoughts are right on the money. You're right--DL just won't be the same without the ROA. If we were closer, could go more often, etc., it wouldn't be a big deal, but living smack dab in the middle, so far from all things Disney...I just need to optimize our trips, no matter what coast we venture to.

(Don't you just wish they'd decide that our Rocky Mountains would be a beautiful backdrop for a castle of our own? Too bad all this SNOW would be so to clean off Main Street...*sigh*)

As for our vacation plans, I guess the family and I will have to sit down and make pro and con lists and decide what to do. Maybe, just maybe, there will be more magic for us at DLR if we wait...wait for the right time to go and wait for more of the construction to be done. We've never gone in the summer, and if DH could bid for a summer vacation week next year we could stay up late (I just love the parks at night, and our kids will FINALLY be old enough to do some serious night touring!)

Maybe we're just destined for Florida in November. (Not exactly a bad thing ) We'll get several more nights for our points at "home" at OKW than we were getting at VGC, too).

I sure appreciate your thoughts!

Chris

 

[blackjackdelta]

On a DLR board like this I suspect you will get lots of votes for #1.

However, I think besides WoC and the AP issues the final reason that would make me change from #1 is the ROA closure.

As much as I would like to vote for #2, with all the new things happening at DCA I would be inclined to go with the tried and true at WDW and do #4. Keep a close eye on these boards and choose a good date in 2011 sometime in the second half of the year after more DCA construction is complete and the APs are blocked and have a great trip.

Finally, I would still think about doing #2 and have that reservation in hand in case you change your mind and decide to go. This is DL's 55th anniversary and some special things may be upcoming we do not know about yet. And a short Nov trip could be a fun way to see them. Then come back in 2012 to after all the new stuff is done at DCA. Then cancel #2 after a few months if it makes sense and go with #4.

HTH

I followed that perfectly