Not waiting for Disneyland to open, going to WDW in 2021 instead! June 2021 PTR

[OregonMomToWDW]

Sorry Disneyland, but we just cannot wait any longer. We are going to WDW!
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Hello. My name is Shannon and it has been quite some time since I have done a pre-trip report. Have I stopped going to Disney? Not in a million years! We have had many trips since my last PTR, I just didn't do reports.

A little background on me. I used to live in Oregon, but I moved north, November of 2019, to Washington State. I am just too lazy to change my DIS username. My kids have grown older and all but 1 have moved out. Not really, I am the one that moved to Washington and my adult children, Jacob and Marissa, decided to stay in Oregon where they were raised (and have jobs and friends). I have one daughter, Chelsea, that lives with me and she is 17. We have done many trips to Disneyland and WDW. This trip will be different. We are bringing new people.

The first new person is my boyfriend, Terry. He has been to Epcot, once, a very long time ago. He has also been to Disneyland, but not since California Adventure first opened (before CarsLand). We are bringing, his daughter and her husband and their 2 children. His daughter has been to Disneyland once. The others have never been. We had planned the big trip to Disneyland for June 2020. As you might have guessed, it got cancelled. The daughter was going to be 5 months pregnant when we went. Now, we will be taking a baby! I have never taken a baby, so I am watching all the Youtube videos I can.

With everyone, that will be 3 men, 3 women, 1 teenager, 1 boy and 1 baby. I can do this. I hope.

I was going to post pictures, but the latest ones I have on my computer are from a 2017 trip. I will try to get more recent ones from my phone downloaded to my computer.

Here is an old one from 2017 (Jacob, me, Marissa and Chelsea)



Next up: Why did I choose June 2021 to go? It is hot!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Following along!!!! I am coming out of my "covid disney depression" and trying to look ahead to a trip for myself in 2021. So, I am following along to see how your planning goes!

I have never taken a baby, so I am watching all the Youtube videos I can

We didn't take my youngest as a baby, persay but my youngest was just shy of 3 on our very first visit. I think having a baby in toe will make you all slow down but in a good way. Really enjoy the trip. (hopefully, at least)

With everyone, that will be 3 men, 3 women, 1 teenager, 1 boy and 1 baby. I can do this. I hope.

You can do it!!!!

 

[kclark9830]

We're going in June too! Looking forward to hearing your plans.

 

[OregonMomToWDW]

Following along!!!! I am coming out of my "covid disney depression" and trying to look ahead to a trip for myself in 2021. So, I am following along to see how your planning goes!
Glad to have you here.

We didn't take my youngest as a baby, persay but my youngest was just shy of 3 on our very first visit. I think having a baby in toe will make you all slow down but in a good way. Really enjoy the trip. (hopefully, at least)
I took my youngest when she was 3, for the first time. I think I am ready to do a slower trip and just enjoy experiencing it with some first timers.

 

[OregonMomToWDW]

We're going in June too! Looking forward to hearing your plans.

Glad you are here. It is our first time going in June!

 

[OregonMomToWDW]

Why did I choose June 2021 to go?
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When we first planned on our trip to Disneyland, we had decided on June. June in California is different then June in Florida. When trying to decide when to book for WDW, there were a lot of deciding factors. We have only ever gone to WDW, as a family, during Labor Day weekend. My kids' school started the Wednesday/Thursday after Labor Day. Lower crowds, extremely hot and humid, but we had fun. The school in Washington starts the week before Labor Day. Also, Chelsea is in Marching band and if they (Washington state) allows Marching band to ever begin again, she usually has Marching band camp in August. So far, playing an instrument or signing is not permitted inside of a school. Even if she gets to go back to in-person instruction, we have been told that they will not be allowed to play their instruments. Another reason August is out, is that my older daughter, Marissa, will be leaving to get her Master's degree in Wales. She will be gone for a year. Anything after August is out.

I thought about Spring Break. I should note that I have taken Chelsea out of school before for a Disney trip. She missed 2 days and it was horrible trying to catch up. We really need to go when there isn't school. In Washington, even in Oregon, we don't have week-long vacations for Fall or President's Day. It is too far to fly for a 3-day weekend. Especially, since flights don't get us there before 5 pm and we have to leave usually around 10-11 am; only allowing for a full day in the parks. Back to Spring Break. The airline I use, Alaska, jacks up the price to everywhere over Spring Break. With 9 people (Yes, we are getting a seat for the baby because holding him on a lap for 5-6 hours does not equate to fun to me) flying, I can't afford $800-$1,000 per person.

We could do Christmas, but Marissa wouldn't be there. It is really busy and I am turning 50 and always dreamed about spending my 50th birthday in WDW in 2021 and staying at the Contemporary. I don't want to have that many rooms at the Contemporary. I don't want to rent a DVC villa, because if I should have to cancel, it really could put the owner in a bind and there is no telling if I even could get my money back. *A little side note - I did buy a DVC resale contract for BLT and I am planning on going for my birthday. Just a much smaller group.

That pretty much leaves summer. School gets out June 17th. I don't want to go too close to 4th of July. Plus July is supposed to be even hotter than June. So, we will be leaving on Father's Day for 7 nights.

Up Next: Where should we stay? What is even available?

 

[karalecia26]

I found your PTR! Yay for us June peeps! We have never taken a trip with an infant before, but I completely agree with you on getting seat for the baby. There is no way that I would hold a baby for that long, and plus they probably wouldn't want to be held for that long of a time. Our last full family trip was in June and it wasn't too bad temp wise. My favorite time to go is December because most of the time it isn't too cold but isn't too hot, but prices are crazy for a full family! Good luck on your planning!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

The airline I use, Alaska, jacks up the price to everywhere over Spring Break. With 9 people

I hate that!!! I get why but it really sucks. We were going to go over Spring break last year and I looked at flights for about 5 seconds before I said NOPE!

School gets out June 17th. I don't want to go too close to 4th of July. Plus July is supposed to be even hotter than June

Our very first trip was in June and it wasn't too bad. I mean it's Florida... so it will be hot but it's not horrible. We went in August and THAT WAY HOT!!!!! June will be great! Just pack ponchos!

Can't wait to hear where you are staying!

 

[OregonMomToWDW]

I found your PTR! Yay for us June peeps! We have never taken a trip with an infant before, but I completely agree with you on getting seat for the baby. There is no way that I would hold a baby for that long, and plus they probably wouldn't want to be held for that long of a time. Our last full family trip was in June and it wasn't too bad temp wise. My favorite time to go is December because most of the time it isn't too cold but isn't too hot, but prices are crazy for a full family! Good luck on your planning!

So glad you found it. Happy to know the temps in June isn't too bad. I am also excited to be there at Christmas.

 

[OregonMomToWDW]

Our very first trip was in June and it wasn't too bad. I mean it's Florida... so it will be hot but it's not horrible. We went in August and THAT WAY HOT!!!!! June will be great! Just pack ponchos!

Can't wait to hear where you are staying!

Good to know about June. I am expecting hot, and if it is less hot than August, we should be good. Ponchos are definitely going to be packed!

I will post soon about where we will be staying.

 

[OregonMomToWDW]

Where should we stay? What is even available?
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So many options, but not really. When I first planned the Disneyland trip, we were going to stay at a Good-neighbor hotel right across the street. Nothing fancy. Then, when we cancelled and decided to do it later, we decided to do Grand Californian. I was so excited to stay there. However, we never got to book it. When I planned the first trip, I had everything except the park tickets. I figured that when Disneyland did open, people that already had tickets, would get priority. Another reason to switch to WDW.

There are 9 of us. We didn't want a 2 or 3 bedroom suite, because not everyone knows each other and we thought we might all enjoy time away from each other. Which means getting 3 rooms. We thought about the family suites at Art of Animation and while it would be cute for my boyfriend's daughter's family, the rest of us weren't thrilled. We also didn't want to do Little Mermaid suites. The kids and I have stayed at Pop Century and loved it. Except, my son refused to share a bed and slept on the floor the 8 nights. I didn't want a repeat of that. None of my kids will share a bed, so I need a room that has 3 sleeping options. That ruled Pop Century out, unless I wanted to book 4 rooms. Nope.

Since we were going to stay deluxe at Grand Californian, I started down the deluxe route. We were going to do 5 nights. Since we are traveling to Florida and there are more parks, we wanted a longer trip. That priced us out of the deluxe (unless there is a room discount that gets released). I am open to looking again if there is a good room discount. We stayed at Beach Club our first trip, and I would stay there again.

That leaves moderate resorts. We have stayed at Port Orleans Riverside twice, but it wasn't open. That leaves Coronado Springs and Caribbean Beach. I looked at resort and room tours at each. I was leaning toward Coronado Springs, but when I checked on room availability, they didn't show anything that would sleep my 3 kids in their own bed available for my dates. That left Caribbean Beach. I have heard horror stories of buses taking forever and it being too big. However, it had a room type that would suit each family. I am scared of heights and usually hate being in a cage hanging from a wire. I hate Ferris Wheels, I hate snow lifts, I hate Mickey's Horror Wheel at California Adventure. Can I do the Sky Liner? I sure hope so, because that is where we are booked. Hoping more of the dining options open. Hoping I don't freak out on the Sky Liner, because a Lyft or Uber is not an option with 8 people and a baby for the 3 days of park days we have planned for Epcot and Hollywood studios. We will also see how terrible the buses really are. While I am hoping for Aruba, I hear that Martinique is better for catching a bus. We booked a 5th sleeper standard view room for my kids. A regular standard view room for Terry's daughter and her family. Terry and I booked a standard King room. I told our travel agent (and friend) that they didn't need to be together or even in the same building but the same location would be nice. I am hoping to request a ground floor for the room that has a baby, mainly so stroller doesn't have to be lugged upstairs.

Again, if a room discount comes up, we might change. Not sure if I would switch if Port Orleans decided to open. I might just take a room discount if offered at Caribbean Beach and save some money to use on food.

Food is the one thing that really is so up in the air. I will be watching closely what decides to open in the next few months. I have some time before the 60 day window opens.

Up Next: Should we all have separate MDE accounts and try to link them or since they are new, should I add them all to my account and link all reservations? I hope I picked correctly.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

However, it had a room type that would suit each family. I am scared of heights and usually hate being in a cage hanging from a wire. I hate Ferris Wheels, I hate snow lifts, I hate Mickey's Horror Wheel at California Adventure. Can I do the Sky Liner? I sure hope so, because that is where we are booked.

So, we have stayed at Caribean Beach 3 times. Once before the renovations, once while they were building the skyliner and then most recently last December. And we loved it there. The upgrades they have done there are fabulous. We had great CM interactions the whole time. And the new lobby area is beautiful. The quick service is decent. And I feel like all of the buildings are close to something. One might be far from the main building but close to the skyliner. There are bus stops around the resort, so it isn't too bad.

If you like Port Orleans Riverside, I don't think you will feel like Carribean Beach is much bigger. Riverside is pretty big as well.

I have heard horror stories of buses taking forever and it being too big.

So, the Riveria took up some of the space that Caribean Beach had, So, I think it's not as big as it used to be. Or at least the rooms that were the fartherst away are now the Riveria. We stayed in the Aruba section in December and I honestly think it is the best locations. We were building 51 and it was equal distance to either Skyliner station and a quick walk over the island to the main building and pool. And I would think Jamica would be my second pick, personally...

Martinque I think is all perferred rooms. And the bus goes there first for pickups, I think? But if you are there and you DO want to take the skyliner, you will basically have to go to the Riveria skyliner stop and transfer to the main station or walk the longestt walk around. Honestly we didn't have any issues with the buses. No more or less than any other resort we have stayed at. The buses are fickle and you just never know. They also know have the bus times on the app which is great, you can try a gauge when to head down to the bus stop with it. It isn't 100% accurate, but it def helps with waiting for what feels like forever.

he 3 days of park days we have planned for Epcot and Hollywood studios.

If you guys are JUST going to Epcot and HS, this resort will be perfect! The ride to HS is sooooo short. If you can't ride the Skyliner, you could always send everyone on the Skyliner and just you take an uber... Maybe that could be an option. But I will say, we loved the Skyliner. But I don't have any issues with heights or small spaces. I would def give it a try if you can!

request a ground floor for the room that has a baby, mainly so stroller doesn't have to be lugged upstairs.

A ground floor room is def a must for the stroller. There are no elevators at that resort.

 

[OregonMomToWDW]

So, we have stayed at Caribean Beach 3 times. Once before the renovations, once while they were building the skyliner and then most recently last December. And we loved it there. The upgrades they have done there are fabulous. We had great CM interactions the whole time. And the new lobby area is beautiful. The quick service is decent. And I feel like all of the buildings are close to something. One might be far from the main building but close to the skyliner. There are bus stops around the resort, so it isn't too bad.

If you like Port Orleans Riverside, I don't think you will feel like Carribean Beach is much bigger. Riverside is pretty big as well.


So, the Riveria took up some of the space that Caribean Beach had, So, I think it's not as big as it used to be. Or at least the rooms that were the fartherst away are now the Riveria. We stayed in the Aruba section in December and I honestly think it is the best locations. We were building 51 and it was equal distance to either Skyliner station and a quick walk over the island to the main building and pool. And I would think Jamica would be my second pick, personally...

Martinque I think is all perferred rooms. And the bus goes there first for pickups, I think? But if you are there and you DO want to take the skyliner, you will basically have to go to the Riveria skyliner stop and transfer to the main station or walk the longestt walk around. Honestly we didn't have any issues with the buses. No more or less than any other resort we have stayed at. The buses are fickle and you just never know. They also know have the bus times on the app which is great, you can try a gauge when to head down to the bus stop with it. It isn't 100% accurate, but it def helps with waiting for what feels like forever.


If you guys are JUST going to Epcot and HS, this resort will be perfect! The ride to HS is sooooo short. If you can't ride the Skyliner, you could always send everyone on the Skyliner and just you take an uber... Maybe that could be an option. But I will say, we loved the Skyliner. But I don't have any issues with heights or small spaces. I would def give it a try if you can!


A ground floor room is def a must for the stroller. There are no elevators at that resort.

Thank you so much for your thoughts. I was thinking that Riverside had lots of bus stops too and seemed big. So, if we can do that and enjoy it, then Caribbean Beach would be enjoyable too. I requested Aruba when the reservation was made. I will probably send in room requests once we get closer. Jamaica was my 2nd choice. We are spending 2 days at Magic Kingdom and 1 day at Animal Kingdom. I personally probably wouldn't want to spend 2 days at Magic Kingdom if I wasn't going with people that haven't been and a young child. I am really hoping to switch one of the days for Magic Kingdom with another day at Epcot. The Flower and Garden will still be happening, and I love that festival!

 

[OregonMomToWDW]

My Disney Experience
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I am so torn as to what to do about My Disney Experience. When Marissa was DCP (Disney College Program), she had to have her own account. We went to visit her and she was able to buy a discounted pass for Jacob. She then set him up on her account and assigned the ticket. We tried to link, but it was so hard. We called IT multiple times and although we were linked, I was unable to make FPs for him. Since she was going to be working, she wasn't available to make the FPs either and Jacob ended up with zero FPs. We did call and they were able to make FPs for him that sort of matched up with the rest of us, except for Flights of Passage. Even though it all worked out, I still get a headache when I think of linking accounts. We explained to the fast pass CM at FoP and they let Jacob ride with us, and it wasn't a big deal, but it felt like a big deal at 4 am (West Coast) when I had to make the FP selections and in the days that followed with IT. As of now, we don't need to worry about FP selections, so I may not even have to deal with that.

The other reason I don't want to link, is because the family we are taking doesn't trust the internet. They just finally began to start ordering from Amazon themselves. Before then, we ordered for them and had it delivered to our house.

The reason I do want them to have their own account is because everything is mobile order now. We are paying for everything except food for them and my adult children. If we are all on my account, do I have to make 3 different order or more to allow everyone to pay for their own?

So far, I have them all listed on my account with me making the plans. All their tickets are on my account. I made park reservations. I just don't know if that is the right thing to do. Also, if we do want to split and link them, I don't know how to do that.

Real life update: I am getting my first dose of the COVID19 vaccine tomorrow morning. I do work in healthcare but we aren't being forced to get them. We are allowed to decline, but even though I am scared to get one, I want one. I hope that it will allow things to start getting back to normal. I want my daughter to be able to go to school in person. She had one trimester at her new school last year, before it all shut down. She lives here with pretty much only myself and my boyfriend as companions. That isn't much fun. I want my other daughter to be able to go through with her plans to study in Wales. Travel has to open up in order for her to be able to go. I want my Dad to be able to look for a new church in this community that he just moved here to be near us. Right now, we can have church but it is limited and you have to make a reservation. He doesn't want to take a seat from a regular attendee. Luckily, his old church is online and he can still attend church, but I know he would like to make friends. All of these reasons are my Why. Plus, I have lost 50 pounds since August and I really need some new clothes and I would love to be able to try them on. My son is wearing threads of shorts because he needs to try on before he buys. He won't go and buy and then try on at home and return if they don't fit. He wants to try them on in a dressing room. He needed new shorts last summer (he wears shorts year round). So, tomorrow at 9 am, I will face my fears and get the first shot over with.

 

[OregonMomToWDW]

DISCOUNTS!!!​

I have been waiting for discounts to be released for my dates. I was happy with the ticket discount, but really wanted that room discount. Well, the room discount was released on the same day as the ticket discount. 20% off at moderate resorts. Yes. Fabulous. And none available. My wonderful travel agent was able to get the ticket discounts. Instead of paying for 6 days, we only have to pay for 4. With 8 of us, it is about $400 in savings. Not too bad. A few meals or a couple of light sabers. I still want the room discount, though. I was thinking once people see deluxe cheaper, then maybe they will move and something will open up at Caribbean Beach. I have been checking everyday. So has my travel agent. Well, yesterday afternoon, I checked and there was a King room available. I have a King room booked. I emailed and IM'd my travel agent. I didn't hear back and I was trying to remain calm. I knew there was a time difference and I contacted her about when school was out and she would be picking up kids or I don't know. After I made dinner (hours later), I checked my phone and she had a message that I should check my emails. I signed back onto my work email and low and behold she had booked the King room at the discount! Since there are only 2 of us in that room, the room discount was much better than the ticket discount. I am beyond excited she was able to get me the room discount on that one room. 2 more to go. Today, there was a discount on the Pirate room, but other than the 5 year old (6 by June), none of us want to stay in a pirate room. Smaller beds. Farther away from everything. Won't sleep my 3 kids (they won't share beds). We didn't want 1/3 of the family to be on the other side of the resort. We are hoping for Aruba or Jamaica. I know, everyone seems to like Martinique, but I want to be closer to the skyliner. I will keep checking everyday. Now my hope is that other people might switch over to that Pirate room and they will open standard rooms to a discount. Not sure if the 5th sleeper category will open. Maybe people will cancel if they think Tron isn't going to open this year. I don't think it will open. I have my fingers and toes crossed. Or if I really wanted to be optimistic, maybe the dining plan will miraculously be re-implemented and they offer free dining. One can dream.

 

[lvcourtneyy]

Following! We went in June 2019 and stayed at CBR. We stayed in Jamaica and I thought it was a good location. We did have bus issues but the skyliner wasn't open then. I was also scared initially to go on the skyliner but I've gone on and it was fine!

 

[OregonMomToWDW]

Following! We went in June 2019 and stayed at CBR. We stayed in Jamaica and I thought it was a good location. We did have bus issues but the skyliner wasn't open then. I was also scared initially to go on the skyliner but I've gone on and it was fine!

Glad you are following along. Glad that you were fine with Skyliner. I am hoping I will end up fine with it.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Thank you so much for your thoughts. I was thinking that Riverside had lots of bus stops too and seemed big. So, if we can do that and enjoy it, then Caribbean Beach would be enjoyable too. I requested Aruba when the reservation was made. I will probably send in room requests once we get closer. Jamaica was my 2nd choice. We are spending 2 days at Magic Kingdom and 1 day at Animal Kingdom. I personally probably wouldn't want to spend 2 days at Magic Kingdom if I wasn't going with people that haven't been and a young child. I am really hoping to switch one of the days for Magic Kingdom with another day at Epcot. The Flower and Garden will still be happening, and I love that festival!

Personally, I think you will be pleasantly suprised with Caribbean Beach. (At least I hope you will be!)

With little kids, Magic Kingdom is def at least a 2 day park. But you never know! All kids are different.

 

[OregonMomToWDW]

When will Alaska flight prices be reasonable?​

I have been stalking Alaska flight prices for a good long time now. They were $800+ per person and then down to $700 plus. After the new year they went down to $574. Hopper kept telling me to wait, they will go lower. I got tired of checking every day and seeing the $574. Now, this is a round-trip, direct flight from Oregon to Florida. We do have to pay a lot to fly. I was worried that if I waited too long, that there would be zero chance of us getting 9 seats anywhere near each other and since we have a baby going and a rather busy 6 year old, that the parents might need reinforcement. I had a $2k credit from the cancelled Disneyland and I didn't want to pay too much more for the flights. Then on Wednesday, I got a little notification from Hopper saying that while the flight price did go down to a decent price, they still felt it could go lower. Nope, not for me. I am buying now. I had to do it in 2 transactions. 7 + 2. Couldn't do it all at once. Now, if I had 1 more person going, I could have used the group sales number. I have an Alaska credit card, which allows up to 2 free bags and that extends to the people in your party, as long as they are on the same reservation as you. So, I did not book the companion fare, because that would only allow me to book myself and one other person, screwing 5 people out of free bags. We aren't all going to check 2 bags each, which means we should be able to check all bags for free. Which can amount to quite a bit with 9 people. The middle seats are no longer blocked, so that did allow us to book 3 people to row and we have one entire row and have either the 3 seat section in front of us or behind us for the trip. I spent about $1500 additional on top of the credits including trip insurance. I never usually buy it, but with another family going, who know what might happen. Another thing to check off of my list.

 

[DLo]

Following along. Looking forward to reading more.