OOG-Uhhhh-Chokka! Hooked on a (Disney) Feeling-Apr '15 PTR -*No We're NOT - NEW 9/15*

[My_Pal_Pluto]

Hooo Hooooooo ... hey there DIS friends ... much like Ahhnuld said to Richard Dawson in The Running Man, "I'll Be Back!", so were my words and intentions on past Board forrays.

Welll, this time I'm here to stay as the Hower's (that's us) embark on a fantastical voyage back to the House of Mouse in April 2015.

Much has happened already including "Those dang PSSA's", "A group of 5, ummm, those are our only choices", and "We're flying, no we're driving, no we're flying, no we're ..."

So tune in, jump on board, be a "subber" ... and let's plan, laugh, and experience the ups and downs of a Disney Pre-Trip planning extravaganza together.

The PTR Contents:
So ... who are these "Howers" and why are they on My Boards?
Those #$@&*! PSSA's
Those are our ONLY choices??
NO We're NOT ... OH YES, apparently WE ARE!!??!

Here's a sneak peak of the gang!!

We're Baaaaaaa-aaaaaaaccckkkk (accck-ackk-acckk *cool echo* ... *cough* ... sorry, too much)

 

[My_Pal_Pluto]

Hello All ... to continue, it's only fitting that I give some introductions ... more about personalities later, let's get down to some deets:

Daddy Hower (aka Disney Robb):
6 foot something and filled with Disney cheese danishes (seriously, addicted)
Fave Ride: Pirates of the Caribbean (have you SEEN the hair on that Pirate's leg?)
Fave Restaurant: Raglan Road (mmmmm ... Gerrrrrrrrr's)
Fave Park: Epcot

Jamie (aka Tinker's Wish):
A little shorter than Disney Robb (and the kiddos, truth be told) - never met a Brown Ale she didn't like - least not yet!
Fave Ride: ROCK n' Roller Coaster (scream it at me Steven ... "3 - 2 - 1 ... y-y-y-y-y-yowwwwwwwww")
Fave Restaurant: Raglan Road (are you seeing a theme here?)
Fave Park: Magic Kingdom (Goooood Morning ... Good Morrrnninnnngg)

THE TRIPLETITOS!!

Gavin (aka G-Man):
The oldest of the three ... by two minutes - wears a sign, "will work for Griddled Greek Cheese"
Fave Ride: Splash Mountain (he's a B'rer Rabbit type)
Fave Restaurant: Wanna guess, huh huh do ya ... yep Raglan Road
Fave Park: Hollywood Studios (at least I think)

Madeleine (aka Maddie or Princess La P):
The middle child ... well, I guess that's all relative ... had so much room in the womb she could've been served cocktails - loves any "extra 5 minutes of sleep" she can find - oh, and cats - YIKES the cats!!
Fave Ride: Tower of Terror (this after she spent her first three trips refusing to ride it)
Fave Restaurant: Garden Grill (what, you knew ONE of us had to be different, why not the girl)
Fave Park: Hollywood Studios (no quippy comments here ... oh wait, unless it counts as one to say no quippy comments?)

Ethan (aka ET or NeetNee):
The young steadfast one - the one the Doc's said wouldn't make it ... the one that refused the Doc's and now thrives on proving everyone else wrong
Fave Ride: Test Track (let's take it out for some turns)
Fave Restaurant: WAS Cape May Buffet ... now ... *drumroll* ... Raglan Road
Fave Park: Epcot (Food and Wine and Flower and Food junkie!!!)

And there ... my dear Dis Friends ... is your first (or second, if you remember me from back around 2012) introduction to this Hower clan!! Hope you'll join in on the Plan (*gasp* .... he did NOT just rhyme in his post ... !)

 

[Gracefulskinny]

Looks like a fun PTR! I'm headed down about a month behind you so it will be fun to follow along with someone else.

 

[My_Pal_Pluto]

Looks like a fun PTR! I'm headed down about a month behind you so it will be fun to follow along with someone else.

Awesome ... so glad you're jumping onboard with the PTR Graceful Skinny ... I'm going to head over and sub on yours as well ... maybe we'll glean some tips

 

[My_Pal_Pluto]

I've found, through much trial (and even more error) that, when it comes to Disney planning, YOUR best laid plans seldom become the plans that are - in actuality - the best.

"So it goes" with the initial stages of planning the Hower clan embarked upon for this upcoming sojourn (cue dream sequence)

It was a day like any other day ... the thoughts of a trip to Mickey's land had been batted around and - whether it was one too many IPA's, or a final glass of Cab on the patio (those are usually the circumstances for our scheming and dreaming), by the time our heads hit the pillow that late June-ish night, we were going to Disney (head up from pillow, uncue the dream)

I began with my usual immersive fervor the next day - it takes me all of 2 seconds to turn up my "Disney Volume" to 10 - and I began to pour into the obvious Question Numero Uno ...

"When should the Howers visit our favorite magic-laced world?" (no, not that one ... that's mostly from past college days)

After I'd re-subscribed to Touring Plans, set-up the My Disney Experience App on my phone, and combed through the crowd calendars, I landed on a trip in mid March *WOOT* ... yep ... THAT's when we were going to Disney.

Like a gleeful pre-teen girl hearing Elsa belt the notes of "Let it GO!" for the very first time, I squealed with delight (I know, a bit melodramatic, run with me here ) as I began to tell others of our plan ... the "others" included:

• Jamie (my wife), Tinker's Wish
• Effie - my cousin, the Disney Travel Specialist
• Mom & Dad (cause you know, gotta hope for Christmas gifts surrounding Disney)
• My ex-wife (we'd need her blessing to pull the kids from school)

Then ... the responses began to pour in *gasp*

Cousin Effie said, "ROB, that is a VERY busy time at Disney (the crowd calendar didn't seem to think so ) AND, it's a peak season for expense ...

My ex-wife added, "You DO know that's during PSSA's right (DANG standardized testing demon) and the school VERY much frowns upon anyone missing those.

All my happiness ... had turned to sadness ... so it was BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD (he he, that whole tale was built JUST so I could finally have a reason to use that chalkboard emoti-smiley)

OK Crowd Calendar, work your magic ..... BOOM!!! The winner is ... the week AFTER the week after Easter ... i.e. - in this case - April 11th through the 18th, 2015



My kiddo's school calendar from the last couple of years told me PSSA's were held in mid-March ... the crowds thinned this week ... the weather is a typically steady mid 80's with lower rainfall ... and ... peak season pricing is no longer in effect ... YESSSSS ... now THIS would be our week!!!

Flash forward to mid-August (yes, several planning items have occurred during this flash ... however, we'll pause in the wormhole to re-visit those in future posts) ... the school calendar's arrive ...

PSSA's have been moved in 2015 ... to ... (wanna guess) ... Mid-April, beginning with the week we've now placed a deposit for at Disney

My response was not without a rather vulgar exclamation or two (or three) ... but, taking it all in stride and KNOWING we did not want to try to go at another time ... I sent the school a letter to find out how my kiddos can be excused for PSSA's ... as I type this we're three weeks since sending that letter, and no reply. So yes, if you're at Disney World in April 2015, I will be the parent being hauled away by the truant office from Central Pennsylvania

 

[Gracefulskinny]

Ah the wonderful evils of standardized testing. Good luck with that battle. That is one that I am glad I don't have to deal with for a good long while if ever (we are thinking of homeschooling.) Unfortunatly with the federal funding tied to the results of that standardized testing I don't see much luck in your future with getting out of them.

Do you have a back up plan yet?

 

[My_Pal_Pluto]

Do you have a back up plan yet?

Agreed ... they are evil ... in answer, nope ... no back-up plan and don't intend to make one. Honestly - how ridiculous that they change the testing dates? But even moreso - this is gonna sound a bit harsh on my part - but if they won't given an 'excused absence', we're at the point of willingly bearing the consequences (see, I wasn't kidding about being hauled away by the truant officer)!!

<--- me ... the Disney bada$$

 

[Gracefulskinny]

You tell those school types how it is!

In actual helpfulness, if its been 3 weeks since you sent them a note asking about this you may consider asking again in about a week or two. On the other hand if they don't respond you can show a paper trail that you did what was in your power to contact them and make adjustments.

 

[My_Pal_Pluto]

You tell those school types how it is!

You KNOW it!! I bet especially when they find out I'm a Disney fanatic they'll tremble in their shoes ... if all else fails, I'll threaten them with Pixie Dust!!

I've decided if no word by next Wednesday, I'm unleashing the next wave!

 

[My_Pal_Pluto]

No new post today, just a plea to Never Forget!

 

[Gracefulskinny]

 

[My_Pal_Pluto]

OK ... so we'd decided that the school's plans "be damned", we were going over PSSA's regardless of the truancy fallout ... now ... where would we stay?

As you can see in my signature, we've stayed at quite a plethora of Disney resorts (always on property ... no debate for me) - but for most of those trips we've had a group of 14 including my parents. That may sound daunting - but actually worked out easier from a room selection standpoint (My parents always had their own room, my brother's family would get two rooms - they're a group of seven, so four in one, three in the other; my family of 5 would go 4 in one room - then the fifth would stay in the extra spot in my bro's family's room) ... head spinning yet? So we really had no restrictions.

BUUTTTTTTTTT

This trip, no parents - their health just doesn't allow them to travel to Disney anymore (a VERY said reality for me ) ... and ... my brother's family has also decided not to go (a pretty angering issue for me - but that's for another "vent-filled" post).

That leaves us with 5 ... as identified at the outset of this PTR ... and well, Disney with five - as it turns out - is a pretty limited "room selection" affair.

Before I go into this next line of logic - I want to open up the responses to you, my dear Dis'ers ... yes, we've "decided" on a resort and room choice - but ... I'm ALWAYS open to hearing other's thoughts ... so please, weigh in!!

The options:

1. Art of Animation
2. Port Orleans Riverside, Alligator Bayou room with a Murphy bed
3. Fort Wilderness Cabin
4. All Star Music Family Suite
5. DVC Villa options

So in no order whatsoever, here's how we wrestled this lodging dilemma down:

Disney Villa options - not an option for us this trip ... though don't begin to think I didn't go out and explore renting points ... my parents are being VERY generous in there financial assistance for this trip. But - we honestly want to understand how we can do Disney "on the cheap" (i.e. "how CHEAP can they go"). We want to understand, as we get that Disney itch in the future, how much (quanto queso ... ummm ... how much cheese? ) ... can we actually do Disney for. So ... eliminated DVC

Fort Wilderness Cabin - ET (Ethan for those catching up) thought this would be awesome ... me, not so much so. I understand the location of many of the cabins causes an additional burden of transportation - and/or needing more expense to rent a cart ... and well, truth be told, we're really not "camping" types. Eliminated!!

http://**************.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Port-Orleans-Riverside-Alligator-Bayou-Room-TV-Side.jpg
Photo thanks to **************.net
Port Orleans Riverside​

Port Orleans Riverside - this was a brief contender because we love us some French Quarter and thought, why not give the sister resort (Dixie Landings? *GASP* ) a try. SO I began looking into those 5 person rooms with the pull-down Murphy bed. But ... YIKES ... it looks like you sacrifice a lot of actual room space with that in place, and, we actually thought we'd enjoy having some breakfast items and maybe lunch/snacks back at the room (again, How CHEAP can we go?) - this room has a small fridge, but nothing more. So though the resort seems awesome - it's ELIMINATED!

Photo thanks to the Q family adventures
Art of Animation Resort​

Art of Animation - BAM!! Now we're getting somewhere ... this is the HOT resort right? Awesome theming, great pool (with underwater stereo to boot), family size rooms that sleep up to 6-ish, and a small "kitchen-like" area. Yes, this is one near the top of the kiddos lists as we reviewed where we might stay on our next trip ... oh wait, that demands an aside ...

... the kiddos believe we're going to Disney ... but in 2016. We have several friends who are going next year and the kiddos know that ... sooooooooo ... we've been a bit coniving in telling them we need assistance to help our friends plan ... part of that was, "Hmmmm - they're going with 5 of them and have the following choices for 'where to stay' - what would you guys recommend?" HeHe - it's been fun getting their "weigh in" while not giving away that they're actually planning their own trip!!

OK - back on topic

... so AoA was near the top of their lists. We had actually stayed here for one night (Nemo Suite) back in 2012. Thought the room was "cool", and the resort was pretty nifty (yes, I just used the word "nifty" ). Buutttttttt ... overall, we thought the food court was too manic, and the layout of the room had that initial "wow" factor, but it was inconvenient for us (have you TRIED to actually pull yourself up to the "dining table" that converts into the Murphy?) ... and, we thought the "kitchen-like" space was a bit smaller than what we'd hoped for. So - reluctantly cause this resort's theming is just absolutely beautiful and awesome - it was ELIMINATED!

Photo thanks to wdwinfo.com
All Star Music Resort Family Suite​

All Star Music Resort Family Suite - thusly (yes, another of those weird words I like) we arrived at the All Star Music Resort Family Suite (here-to-for known as ASMRFS - or just ASM for short ) ... and can you believe, THIS turned out to be the top choice for the kiddos too. I believe it has a LOT to do with the fact that they think the room is laid out really cool. We looked at all the pics (like anywhere I could possibly find them) - read the reviews - and ultimately, decided this was the lodging for us - andddddd - it stuck with our theme (Reminder of Theme: How CHEAP can we go?) ... here is a rundown of the reasons we chose ASMRFS (or ASM if you prefer):

• Two bathrooms
• Private space for my wife and I (i.e. a little retreat)
• VERY reasonable pricepoint
• I may be in the minority, but I LIKE the All Star Resort theming!
• A kitchen that has a nice amount of space and storage
• Oh - and bonus - food court REHAB before we go!!!

So there you have it ... weigh in, give us your thoughts, have you been to ASM (and what was your experience), etc and so on and give us yer bom-diggity responses!!

 

[Gracefulskinny]

Totally with you on the Fort Wilderness Front. I am just not a camping type person.

And as sad as I am to say it, I have to agree with your logic on POR. Looking at the floor plans over on Portorleans.org the AB rooms do look tight and there is not much space for a family of 5 to eat a meal in the room.

As far as AoA goes yes the pool looks niffty (see I use that word too! ) but I never understood the appeal of a bed turning into a table myself.

I have stayed at ASM once (Albeit over 10 years ago) and remember enjoying the theme. The bonus of the private space for you and your wife and a freshly rehabbed food court balance out the nifty pool in my book.

In the end I think your need for space wins out over a wonderful overall resort.

BTW... I noticed April park hours came out today!

 

[My_Pal_Pluto]

Totally with you on the Fort Wilderness Front. I am just not a camping type person.

And as sad as I am to say it, I have to agree with your logic on POR. Looking at the floor plans over on Portorleans.org the AB rooms do look tight and there is not much space for a family of 5 to eat a meal in the room.

As far as AoA goes yes the pool looks niffty (see I use that word too! ) but I never understood the appeal of a bed turning into a table myself.

I have stayed at ASM once (Albeit over 10 years ago) and remember enjoying the theme. The bonus of the private space for you and your wife and a freshly rehabbed food court balance out the nifty pool in my book.

In the end I think your need for space wins out over a wonderful overall resort.

BTW... I noticed April park hours came out today!

Thanks for the affirmation on the choice!! I'm feeling good about it but really like to hear others walk through the logic as well!!

LOL - love that you also know how to sprinkle a good "nifty" into the conversation ... and WOOT!! Bonus points for using "albeit"!!

Did you say APRIL PARK HOURS???? ... Heading out now to look-see! ... next post this afternoon btw!

 

[Gracefulskinny]

Yay bonus points!

I did indeedy. I believe I even saw a preliminary crowd calender over on Easy WDW.

 

[My_Pal_Pluto]

"If uttered once, it's been uttered a thousand times" ... though paraphrased a bit to match my own off-kilter nuance, that cliche applies fully to my utterance of the following:

"I will NEVER again drive from PA to Walt Disney World!" ... "and I MEAN IT!!"

And so we went about our usual planning ... me fervently scouring the airline pricing (you know, setting up that little Southwest chime on the computer, forraging the Allegiant prices, being amused and disgusted over what the major airlines want to charge, yada-yada)

Then IT happened ... I don't know if it was some sort of rotten coffee in the cup (I'll need to check with JJ Tinker Wish to make sure all was fresh) ... or if it was a "turned" Pop Tart ... or maybe some of that funny smoke drifted into my house from the neighbors ... but I found myself *GASP* planning on how I could DRIVE the family to Disney World

To this day I'm not sure where it came from or why ... but it stuck - yep, you heard me ... here is the official announcement

I AM NEVER EVER NEVER DRIVING FROM PA TO WALT DISNEY WORLD ... EXCEPT, OF COURSE ... THIS TIME!!

Whew ... ok ... gonna stop there for today because every time I realize this new commitment, I get a bit verklempt (*subtle mid 90's SNL reference). Tune in next time when I reveal the insane ROUTE I've decided to take my family upon to get there ... I'll include such fascinating things as, "the location of our human refueling; the specific rest stop we'll be enjoying; our meals en route; the first night destination hotel ... and one very unique diversion!!"

 

[Gracefulskinny]

You know driving can be a pain but to me flying is just that much more work. Dealing with the TSA and baggage weights and numbers of bags and set times for flights all adds up to more stress then its all worth.

And if your theme for the trip is indeed cheap as possible then I would probably say that driving is cheaper. Have you compared the prices for flights against the AAA gas calculator yet? I have found that its pretty accurate for us. Maybe seeing how much you'll save by driving will help ease the disappointment of not being able to fly this time.

If you need the link to it just let me know.

 

[My_Pal_Pluto]

You know driving can be a pain but to me flying is just that much more work. Dealing with the TSA and baggage weights and numbers of bags and set times for flights all adds up to more stress then its all worth.

And if your theme for the trip is indeed cheap as possible then I would probably say that driving is cheaper. Have you compared the prices for flights against the AAA gas calculator yet? I have found that its pretty accurate for us. Maybe seeing how much you'll save by driving will help ease the disappointment of not being able to fly this time.

If you need the link to it just let me know.

You've absolutely hit on some of our logic for the trip ... with flying, though it's amazing to arrive in Florida 2 hrs after takeoff, the hassle in advance of the flight - as well as the reality that NONE of it is in your control - leave us feeling like driving should AT LEAST be considered.

And yes ... once we started to run the #'s, comparing flight cost + hotel room at airport + parking + meals + rental car - against - gas price + hotel room + meals ... the savings is really significant if we choose to drive.

So ... drive we shall

 

[Gracefulskinny]

Don't let your enthusiasm at the decision overwhelm you!

 

[ZehnJahren]

Hey there! I'm coming over from my PTR and reading about your plans.

Ooooh you're a brave one facing the PSSA debacle! I, however, firmly believe that a parent has the right to remove their child from school regardless of when it is (unless it's a final exam; I understand those might not be able to be made up). That's YOUR CHILD, and your family, so I say take 'em when you wanna.

You know, I really like the All Stars. ASSports is still very close to my heart, and Mom and I stayed there for just one night when we needed a night before checking into YC. ASSp was my very first onsite stay, and I had a blast that trip.

Finally, I think it makes perfect sense to drive! Just load the kids up on activities and away you go!