OFFICIAL April 2012 DISers! 2 months and counting!

[pwdebbie]

It is looking less and less likely that we will be able to go in April. We had agreed not to go away again for a long stretch until our dog has died. She hasn't handled our short trips when we leave her home (two-nighters to visit my parents who live five hours away) well recently. Our dog sitter (daughter next door) is too busy to give her the time and attention she needs (two walks a day, out an additional four times). I really did not expect our beagle to live this long as she nearly died before we took our last trip (2010). She'll be 15 in June, so I thought it was reasonable to agree to no more trips before she died. Well, the dog is healthier and perkier now than she was three years ago, other than not liking when we are gone and / or not getting the proper care while we are gone. So it is looking more and more like we are canceling our April 16 to 27 trip. I'm giving her until April 1 and then I'll be cancelling. This was supposed to be our 35th anniversary trip. Maybe I'll shoot for the 36th anniversary now.

 

[ddluvsdisney]

Six weeks from right now I will be tucked into bed at POFQ trying to sleep because the next morning will be our first full day of vacation!

I just spent way too long reading reviews of all the new restaurants we're going to try, and I have to say the one that got me the most excited was Jiko! DH and I are eating there alone as our 5th Anniversary dinner (a little early, since our Anniversary is 5/19, but hey, when in Disney...celebrate!)

Then I see all these other restaurants and I want to eat there TOO and we've already got a ridiculous number of ADRs. There's nothing I'm willing to give up, though, so our adrs are what they are Getting very excited!

Too many restaurants- NOT enough time!!
I always have this problem.

 

[ddluvsdisney]

It is looking less and less likely that we will be able to go in April. We had agreed not to go away again for a long stretch until our dog has died. She hasn't handled our short trips when we leave her home (two-nighters to visit my parents who live five hours away) well recently. Our dog sitter (daughter next door) is too busy to give her the time and attention she needs (two walks a day, out an additional four times). I really did not expect our beagle to live this long as she nearly died before we took our last trip (2010). She'll be 15 in June, so I thought it was reasonable to agree to no more trips before she died. Well, the dog is healthier and perkier now than she was three years ago, other than not liking when we are gone and / or not getting the proper care while we are gone. So it is looking more and more like we are canceling our April 16 to 27 trip. I'm giving her until April 1 and then I'll be cancelling. This was supposed to be our 35th anniversary trip. Maybe I'll shoot for the 36th anniversary now.

Sorry about your trip and your dog. It's so hard having a sick dog. I uderstand not wanting to go. In 2009 our lab was diagnosed w/ cancer, about a month before our trip. He ended up passing a couple of weeks later. Our trip was bittersweet that year. Hope everything works out.

 

[ddluvsdisney]

Ok, this is the LAST time I will post about THIS!

I finally bought the flights, AND we are staying the extra day!! Our final dates are now 4/21 - 4/28. Our big plan (thanks to DBF) is to avoid the parks at all costs on the weekends!! HA. So now I have to re-do a couple ADRs and re-plan which parks, which days, but in theory it will look like this

Sat 4/21 - arrive: Resort day
Sun 4/22 - Maybe DTD, explore a different resort?
Mon 4/23 - park day
Tues 4/24 - park day
Weds 4/25 - off day
Thurs 4/26 - park day
Fri 4/27 - park day
Sat 4/28 - Resort day: leave

When we went in October we stayed 7 nights, and it was a little too long for my DBF (he has a prosthetic leg and got a blister towards the end), so we are banking on the rest days in the middle helping with that.

Excited to have a semi-final plan. Thanks for everyone's input!!

for staying an extra day!!
$400 really isn't that bad coming all the way from CA I would think. Like I said before, those are pretty normal fares around here during spring break. It's so damn cold up here usually during the winter that we can't wait for spring to go to Florida!

 

[auprincess]

Ok, this is the LAST time I will post about THIS!

I finally bought the flights, AND we are staying the extra day!! Our final dates are now 4/21 - 4/28. Our big plan (thanks to DBF) is to avoid the parks at all costs on the weekends!! HA. So now I have to re-do a couple ADRs and re-plan which parks, which days, but in theory it will look like this

Sat 4/21 - arrive: Resort day
Sun 4/22 - Maybe DTD, explore a different resort?
Mon 4/23 - park day
Tues 4/24 - park day
Weds 4/25 - off day
Thurs 4/26 - park day
Fri 4/27 - park day
Sat 4/28 - Resort day: leave

When we went in October we stayed 7 nights, and it was a little too long for my DBF (he has a prosthetic leg and got a blister towards the end), so we are banking on the rest days in the middle helping with that.

Excited to have a semi-final plan. Thanks for everyone's input!!

LOoks like a great plan!!!

Has anyone started having Disney nightmares? I've had 2 already. One was Kim Possible related where I was in a hall of a high school trying to figure out how the communicator works. The other I realized my touring partners,(have no idea who they really were) were having lunch when I realized we missed rope drop. Ahhhh the stress of a Disney vacation

Agghhh, no nightmares yet. Although I'm sure I'm giving them to my hubby with all my disney talk!!

It is looking less and less likely that we will be able to go in April. We had agreed not to go away again for a long stretch until our dog has died. She hasn't handled our short trips when we leave her home (two-nighters to visit my parents who live five hours away) well recently. Our dog sitter (daughter next door) is too busy to give her the time and attention she needs (two walks a day, out an additional four times). I really did not expect our beagle to live this long as she nearly died before we took our last trip (2010). She'll be 15 in June, so I thought it was reasonable to agree to no more trips before she died. Well, the dog is healthier and perkier now than she was three years ago, other than not liking when we are gone and / or not getting the proper care while we are gone. So it is looking more and more like we are canceling our April 16 to 27 trip. I'm giving her until April 1 and then I'll be cancelling. This was supposed to be our 35th anniversary trip. Maybe I'll shoot for the 36th anniversary now.

I'm sorry...I don't know what to say. I'm glad your dog seems to be doing well, but I know your disappointed. 36 has a nice ring to it!

AFM, one of the ladies in my moms group is planning a Disney trip! I'm excited for her, but more excited that I have someone to talk Disney with!

 

[wakica]

Sat 4/21 - arrive: Resort day
Sun 4/22 - Maybe DTD, explore a different resort?
Mon 4/23 - park day
Tues 4/24 - park day
Weds 4/25 - off day
Thurs 4/26 - park day
Fri 4/27 - park day
Sat 4/28 - Resort day: leave

The 27th will be our first park day - we will be in MK that day Any idea of which parks which days yet?

Has anyone started having Disney nightmares? I've had 2 already. One was Kim Possible related where I was in a hall of a high school trying to figure out how the communicator works. The other I realized my touring partners,(have no idea who they really were) were having lunch when I realized we missed rope drop. Ahhhh the stress of a Disney vacation

Wow, I've never had Disney nightmares!! LOL and I hope I don't start. I've never been planning this much in advance so who know - this might be the time.

It is looking less and less likely that we will be able to go in April. We had agreed not to go away again for a long stretch until our dog has died. She hasn't handled our short trips when we leave her home (two-nighters to visit my parents who live five hours away) well recently. Our dog sitter (daughter next door) is too busy to give her the time and attention she needs (two walks a day, out an additional four times). I really did not expect our beagle to live this long as she nearly died before we took our last trip (2010). She'll be 15 in June, so I thought it was reasonable to agree to no more trips before she died. Well, the dog is healthier and perkier now than she was three years ago, other than not liking when we are gone and / or not getting the proper care while we are gone. So it is looking more and more like we are canceling our April 16 to 27 trip. I'm giving her until April 1 and then I'll be cancelling. This was supposed to be our 35th anniversary trip. Maybe I'll shoot for the 36th anniversary now.

I'm SO sorry to hear about your canceled trip and your dogs bad health It's SO hard to see a pet suffering. Are you sure you couldn't find someone to watch the dog? We usually get my husbands parent to live in our house while we are away. They are not used to a big house as they are in an apartment so we make sure it's all nice and neat and tidy for them before we leave and it's like a nice hotel stay for them (especially b/c they don't travel).

 

[wakica]

OH and Figmentswife!!! I LooooooooVE the shirts

 

[figmentswife]

April 27 - Arrival Day - Resort Day
April 28 - Animal Kingdom - Dinner at Garden Grove
April 29 - Hollywood Studios
April 30 - Epcot
May 1 - Magic Kingdom
May 2 - Magic Kingdom
May 3 - Epcot
May 4 - Magic Kingdom
May 5 - Animal Kingdom
May 6 - Hollywood Studios
May 7 - Epcot

As of yesterday's easywdw.com & touringplans.com these are the best dates I could come up with making sure that our friends get to go to each park - they will only do 4 days in Disney (April 28, April 29, May 2, May 3) and being that Epcot is the "best" park every day we are there, and Magic Kingdom is not good most days -

Only the 1 ADR - and we are only doing this one because we want our friends to get a Character meal and we get half price at Swan/Dolphin

 

[auprincess]

I thought I posted, too ~ Figments wife ~ the shirts are great!!! I have slowly been working on my sewing pile, but I still have so much left to do!! I hope to have some pictures to share soon, too!

 

[Lisha428]

Count us IN for April 2012! Can't believe it's almost here! Planned a quick last-minute trip...I'm a little nervous because we've never stayed offsite before but I got a killer deal on Hotwire for a 2BR Condo 5 minutes from the parks, so I had to go for it. Still excited to get there though!

 

[Kathymford]

Has anyone started having Disney nightmares? I've had 2 already.

I keep having one recurring one and that is we get to WDW and the one thing I forgot to pack this time is our AP...!!

for staying an extra day!!
$400 really isn't that bad coming all the way from CA I would think. Like I said before, those are pretty normal fares around here during spring break. It's so damn cold up here usually during the winter that we can't wait for spring to go to Florida!

I paid a little less in Oct, but I guess that's because it was Oct. Oh well...just glad it's done.

The 27th will be our first park day - we will be in MK that day Any idea of which parks which days yet?

I have to sit down and re-look at our schedule. I think we are doing MK on Tues 4/24, but I'm not counting out doing a 2nd day at MK!!

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

I first booked our rental minivan two months ago, and since then I've been doing daily price searches in the evening. Since then, I have rebooked the rental ressie twice - started at about $650 and today found a really good deal at Dollar, down to $350 for an 8 day rental!! Don't know why minivans are so much more expensive, but now I've got it down to a price that's comparable to an SUV!

Has anyone started having Disney nightmares? I've had 2 already.

Mine aren't much of a nightmare, but I do have recurring dreams that involve our Disney trips. The funny thing is that the Parks in my dreams look nothing like the real thing. They're sort of like the cheap counterfeit versions. And, we're always starting our touring late at 6-7pm.

 

[bobbigrl27]

April 27 - Arrival Day - Resort Day
April 28 - Animal Kingdom - Dinner at Garden Grove
April 29 - Hollywood Studios
April 30 - Epcot
May 1 - Magic Kingdom
May 2 - Magic Kingdom
May 3 - Epcot
May 4 - Magic Kingdom
May 5 - Animal Kingdom
May 6 - Hollywood Studios
May 7 - Epcot

As of yesterday's easywdw.com & touringplans.com these are the best dates I could come up with making sure that our friends get to go to each park - they will only do 4 days in Disney (April 28, April 29, May 2, May 3) and being that Epcot is the "best" park every day we are there, and Magic Kingdom is not good most days -

Only the 1 ADR - and we are only doing this one because we want our friends to get a Character meal and we get half price at Swan/Dolphin

I set up a spreadsheet for our vacation and marked the best days in green, the neutral days in yellow and the worst days in red. I figured I would print it out and take it with me in case we decide to change plans and go to a different park. We have 2 ADRs made so far. a lunch at Sci-Fi Dine in and a character breakfast at Tusker house. I was pleasantly suprised that my DD (10) wanted to do a character breakfast. I was afraid she was getting too "grown up" to enjoy it.

 

[figmentswife]

I set up a spreadsheet for our vacation and marked the best days in green, the neutral days in yellow and the worst days in red. I figured I would print it out and take it with me in case we decide to change plans and go to a different park. We have 2 ADRs made so far. a lunch at Sci-Fi Dine in and a character breakfast at Tusker house. I was pleasantly suprised that my DD (10) wanted to do a character breakfast. I was afraid she was getting too "grown up" to enjoy it.

I am checking about once every 2 weeks on easywdw & touringplan right now, I will check more & take a REAL hard look about 2 weeks before we leave and make a plan. Also, I have the touringplans app on my phone, and we will check it daily.....We changed our minds about what park to go to the next day twice in October, and it was great to look at the app and see the 10 day forecast and have it help us decide which park.

 

[wakica]

April 27 - Arrival Day - Resort Day
April 28 - Animal Kingdom - Dinner at Garden Grove
April 29 - Hollywood Studios
April 30 - Epcot
May 1 - Magic Kingdom
May 2 - Magic Kingdom
May 3 - Epcot
May 4 - Magic Kingdom
May 5 - Animal Kingdom
May 6 - Hollywood Studios
May 7 - Epcot

We have a few days when we may be in the same parks...
Apr 28 is also our full AK day so we will be there between 8 and 8:15am

May 3rd might possibly be a repeat of Epcot for us - late aft/eve for Ill

May 4th might be out repeat MK day - late aft/eve

May 5th we will be Ak but no chance of running into you b/c we are there LATE in the day to run the EE 5K challenge. Start time is 9:30 pm a bit late but we are really looking forward to enjoying this park and EE in the dark

Count us IN for April 2012! Can't believe it's almost here! Planned a quick last-minute trip...I'm a little nervous because we've never stayed offsite before but I got a killer deal on Hotwire for a 2BR Condo 5 minutes from the parks, so I had to go for it. Still excited to get there though!

Glad you found a great deal We lucked out on a smilar deal - dirt cheap, 3 2 bedrooms and bathrooms, kitchen, living room, balcony and a great pool and 2 min from the entry to the world. it's SO refreshing to find a good deal isn't it?

I first booked our rental minivan two months ago, and since then I've been doing daily price searches in the evening. Since then, I have rebooked the rental ressie twice - started at about $650 and today found a really good deal at Dollar, down to $350 for an 8 day rental!! Don't know why minivans are so much more expensive, but now I've got it down to a price that's comparable to an SUV!

wow! Glad you kept at it!!! That's a HUGE difference in cost!! Think of all the extra money you can now put towards more Disney fun!!

I set up a spreadsheet for our vacation and marked the best days in green, the neutral days in yellow and the worst days in red. I figured I would print it out and take it with me in case we decide to change plans and go to a different park. We have 2 ADRs made so far. a lunch at Sci-Fi Dine in and a character breakfast at Tusker house. I was pleasantly suprised that my DD (10) wanted to do a character breakfast. I was afraid she was getting too "grown up" to enjoy it.

We do something like this too. I have our days all planned out but make up a chart a few days before we leave that tells us all green, yellow and red parks each day just in case we need to switch things up for any reason. It's definitely nice to have that flexibility.

 

[momtwoboys]

I love looking at others plans, it helps sometimes! We are trying to decide on either a 7 day base ticket or 8 day base ticket. We go every year and do not try to cram too much in. Any help with ideas? Here is what we have:

April11th- arrive at MCO 9:15 AM! Plan was to hang out at resort have lunch, hit the pool. Dinner at Boma. Will we miss not going in to MK? Crowd level for that day is a 10 would it be pointless to enter the park late morning?

12th MK
13th AK
14th EP
15th DHS
16th another pool/resort day. But it is rec. day at Ep?
17th AK
18th MK
19th EP
20th flight leaves at 11:00

so 7 day or 8 day? and if you say 8 day, which day would you use that extra?
Sorry to be so long...ready to buy now on UT

 

[pwdebbie]

I'm sorry...I don't know what to say. I'm glad your dog seems to be doing well, but I know your disappointed. 36 has a nice ring to it!

AFM, one of the ladies in my moms group is planning a Disney trip! I'm excited for her, but more excited that I have someone to talk Disney with!

Thanks! My dh is "invisibly" disabled and this beagle has had a special place in his heart. I had to laugh at your final comment. My dh golfs on a little course near us and one of the couples he has gotten to know there arranged for four couples, including us, to go out dinner one night. When we got home, dh asked if I'd talked Disney all night with one of the ladies I'd just met (I don't know any of his golfing pals). I told him no and asked him why -- turns out they are DVCers. Now I'm looking forward to our next meal!

 

[pwdebbie]

I'm SO sorry to hear about your canceled trip and your dogs bad health It's SO hard to see a pet suffering. Are you sure you couldn't find someone to watch the dog? We usually get my husbands parent to live in our house while we are away. They are not used to a big house as they are in an apartment so we make sure it's all nice and neat and tidy for them before we leave and it's like a nice hotel stay for them (especially b/c they don't travel).

The beagle isn't in bad health -- she's better than she was for years. She runs again, loves her walks. Other than sleeping a lot, drinking a lot, and her grey muzzle, you would think she was just a few years old (in 2010 she was nearly dead, but not now). I did consider the possibility of getting someone to stay in our home, but just don't know who and dh doesn't like the idea. We live in an area conducive to day trips to Gettysburg, DC, Baltimore, etc. and our town surrounded by state forest with three state parks nearby as well as the Appalachian Trail -- someone could stay here for free and have a vacation. My parents are in their 80s, so they aren't an option.

 

[pwdebbie]

I love looking at others plans, it helps sometimes! We are trying to decide on either a 7 day base ticket or 8 day base ticket. We go every year and do not try to cram too much in. Any help with ideas? Here is what we have:

April11th- arrive at MCO 9:15 AM! Plan was to hang out at resort have lunch, hit the pool. Dinner at Boma. Will we miss not going in to MK? Crowd level for that day is a 10 would it be pointless to enter the park late morning?

12th MK
13th AK
14th EP
15th DHS
16th another pool/resort day. But it is rec. day at Ep?
17th AK
18th MK
19th EP
20th flight leaves at 11:00

so 7 day or 8 day? and if you say 8 day, which day would you use that extra?
Sorry to be so long...ready to buy now on UT

I'd do 8-day w PHs, if it were me. And on arrival day, since you have dinner planned at Boma, why not go to AK? I think you'll get restless hanging out at the resort all day. (Well, I know I would!) Also, we don't do a resort day. Instead we take breaks every afternoon. It is amazing how refreshed we feel at 4:00 pm after the break. I know for some people this would feel like wasted time but for us, a resort day would feel like a wasted day. I'd be itching to "go do" all day long.

 

[angierae]

Our current plans:

4/1: Epcot pretty much all day
4/2: HS and over to Saratoga Springs for dinner at the Turf Club
4/3: Animal Kingdom, and then the 8pm SoA show
4/4: MK all day for the girls, DH and I will leave and head over to Yachtsman for dinner
4/5: Epcot for breakfast and lunch, dinner is at Captain's Grill. Not sure what we're doing with the afternoon
4/6: No park plans except we want to hit the EMH at MK until 2am!
4/7: Sleep in, lunch at BD and dinner at Ohana, no park plans
4/8: No plans at all (eating OOP)

Now, DH and I want to do the Behind the Seeds tour, and I think the girls do too, so we're thinking we'll do that either Friday afternoon or Saturday or Sunday. The goal as of right now is to take the last three days very slowly so we don't get home from our vacation feeling like we NEED a vacation. We'll see how that works out once we're in the middle of it

We're planning on hitting rope drop every day Sunday-Wednesday. (So once at each park)