Our little thread of BIG changes, the neverending saga of the Resort Changers

[Mousemommy1]

Did I even post my latest RC here....

Instead of my YC/WL split...

I've moved the party to
A week at Old Faithful Club, look out WL here we come

I like it....I like it a lot!!!

 

[pixarmom]

Magic, thanks so much for the report and the photo!!!

Hey girls!

Heading out tomorrow for the first half of our first drive to WDW. By this time Saturday I hope to be relaxing in World Showcase drinking away the pain

Beach Club here we come!

Have a great trip!!! Drive safely! Report often!!

I think I am finally happy with my ADR's....after soooo many changes.

Now, our "final" lineup is:

Via Napoli lunch
Ohana dinner
Narcoosee's dinner (date night)
Le Cellier dinner
Be Our Guest dinner
Trail's End dinner

Love this list!!!

Hi Everyone!!
Add that to the room rate at Hyatt and we would save $49 by staying at POFQ. SO, of course we'll stay at Disney Resort!!!! Yay!! Well last night we got to talking about getting a one day ticket to Epcot instead of going to DTD.....even better!!! Now, it just dawned on me that we should stay at an Epcot resort....not sure if I can talk DH into that one, lol.

Love the 1-day epcot ticket, and of course you should stay in an epcot resort! (Keep in mind, though, I'm the one who started with POR for later this month, and now we're booked Poly CL - serial upgrader here.)

Did I even post my latest RC here....

Instead of my YC/WL split...

I've moved the party to
A week at Old Faithful Club, look out WL here we come

Yay! Snack room for Pas kids!!! Easier trip for pas!!!

 

[pas130]

Saturday Greetings!

Spring is arriving in central NC...for two days...then snow!! But looking at the extended forecast for April, things are looking up! Warmer days on the way after this upcoming week.

Have a great week of ch ch changing!

and more

Snow here Tuesday BUT today is a Spring day!!!

Sounds good to me!!

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I like it....I like it a lot!!!

SO excited!!

Yay! Snack room for Pas kids!!! Easier trip for pas!!!

I am thrilled!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[dimndgal1]

We got some developments here as well!

So, August is all set. But April, we were planning on Disney/cruise/Disney....well with the summer DCL itineraries coming out next week, DH is thinking we should do April all Disney, and then summer 7 night cruise....hmmmmmmm, next week should be interesting.....

OOOH - that would be AWESOME!!!! And think of all the changing you could do with next April!

Did I even post my latest RC here....
Instead of my YC/WL split...
I've moved the party to
A week at Old Faithful Club, look out WL here we come

W00t! FOOD, FUN, and OLD FAITHFUL!

Saturday Greetings!
and more

and Spring thoughts!!!

~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~
So, lots of potential changes!!!
First, I was totally unsettled with WL for the week in Sept - like a true military wife I'm not used to staying in one place so long! While I sat looking at pics of the EPCOT resorts, DD6 pointed out the BW. She said "that's so pretty!" and I said I really wanted to stay there but b/c of her clown thing we avoided it. She scoffed and said "Mooooom, that was totally when I was a baby... like 4!" I was skeptical so showed her the pool and video and she said after going to the circus last year she was 'over' clowns...
SOOOOO, my TA is now working on a WL/BW split for Sept! Not sure how it will work out with F&W but hoping to hear back in a bit! It fits well with plans: we would move our 'down' day... check out and drop bags, head to Sanaa for lunch, then to BW after. We do have MK AM EMH one morning but the rest of the plans are for EP and HS so that's not too shabby! Hoping it works -- LOVE the look of BW and think it would settle my antsy-ness.

Also, we're talking about really trying to talk fam into cruise for Christmas. We've got 6 of the 8 adults so HOPING it works!!!

HAPPY SATURDAY!

 

[pas130]

OOOH - that would be AWESOME!!!! And think of all the changing you could do with next April!



W00t! FOOD, FUN, and OLD FAITHFUL!



and Spring thoughts!!!

~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~
So, lots of potential changes!!!
First, I was totally unsettled with WL for the week in Sept - like a true military wife I'm not used to staying in one place so long! While I sat looking at pics of the EPCOT resorts, DD6 pointed out the BW. She said "that's so pretty!" and I said I really wanted to stay there but b/c of her clown thing we avoided it. She scoffed and said "Mooooom, that was totally when I was a baby... like 4!" I was skeptical so showed her the pool and video and she said after going to the circus last year she was 'over' clowns...
SOOOOO, my TA is now working on a WL/BW split for Sept! Not sure how it will work out with F&W but hoping to hear back in a bit! It fits well with plans: we would move our 'down' day... check out and drop bags, head to Sanaa for lunch, then to BW after. We do have MK AM EMH one morning but the rest of the plans are for EP and HS so that's not too shabby! Hoping it works -- LOVE the look of BW and think it would settle my antsy-ness.

Also, we're talking about really trying to talk fam into cruise for Christmas. We've got 6 of the 8 adults so HOPING it works!!!

HAPPY SATURDAY!

Nice!!! That's a Kook split..she will be doing it in June MK/Epcot resort...perfecto

And a Christmas cruise would be AWESOME

 

[DznyCrzy11]

Love the 1-day epcot ticket, and of course you should stay in an epcot resort! (Keep in mind, though, I'm the one who started with POR for later this month, and now we're booked Poly CL - serial upgrader here.)

Well yesterday afternoon I told DH we should just stay at an Epcot resort and he said no. So then....I came up with the idea of staying at All Star Sports. We would save $89 staying there instead of POFQ which would cover all by $6 of one of our Epcot tickets. Plus I thought, we're not going to spend much time at the resort. We have not stayed at a value since 2008 and have been spoiled by the Poly since 2010 so I had to convince myself of that one, lol. So I text my husband and he said "ok", I'm thinking great we'll just stay at Sports and save some money that way. Then last night we were talking and he says he doesn't know if he wants to stay there!!! Back to square one!! I said, let's just spend the money and stay at an Epcot resort. His repsonse........we'll see!!!!!!!

Our flight does not get to MCO until a little after 2:00 pm and we were planning on spending all day at Epcot until they close at 11:00 pm and then the DCL bus will pick us up the next morning, not sure what time, I'm guessing 11 or 12. That would still be enough time to enjoy an Epcot resort, right???

 

[pixarmom]

Well yesterday afternoon I told DH we should just stay at an Epcot resort and he said no. So then....I came up with the idea of staying at All Star Sports. We would save $89 staying there instead of POFQ which would cover all by $6 of one of our Epcot tickets. Plus I thought, we're not going to spend much time at the resort. We have not stayed at a value since 2008 and have been spoiled by the Poly since 2010 so I had to convince myself of that one, lol. So I text my husband and he said "ok", I'm thinking great we'll just stay at Sports and save some money that way. Then last night we were talking and he says he doesn't know if he wants to stay there!!! Back to square one!! I said, let's just spend the money and stay at an Epcot resort. His repsonse........we'll see!!!!!!!

Our flight does not get to MCO until a little after 2:00 pm and we were planning on spending all day at Epcot until they close at 11:00 pm and then the DCL bus will pick us up the next morning, not sure what time, I'm guessing 11 or 12. That would still be enough time to enjoy an Epcot resort, right???

I love this story! It has resort changing and it has a husband changing his mind . . . gradually! It also has WDW/cruise plans! When we planned our August 2011 cruise, we started with one night in a hotel near the port. Changed that to two nights. Then changed that to BWI! Then upgraded to BWI CL. Then added BC CL after the cruise. Then decided against space center in favor of typhoon lagoon. It was hard being so close to Epcot with no tickets (we were in between APs at the time and my husband only agreed to stay on property if no parks - he decided TL didn't count!)

So as for the morning of the cruise from the Epcot area, YES you have plenty of time to enjoy the resort!!! We originally planned a breakfast ADR at Cape May. Then we upgraded to CL and planned breakfast in the lounge and pool time. What actually happened is our DCL transportation notice advised us our pickup time was 12:45pm, so we ended up enjoying our BWI boardwalk view balcony, walking around crescent lake, shopping and lunch at Beaches N Cream. It was wonderful! I highly recommend it!

On the other hand, any Disney resort is fun pre-cruise, so it will be great wherever you stay!!

 

[Sue M]

Did I even post my latest RC here....

Instead of my YC/WL split...

I've moved the party to
A week at Old Faithful Club, look out WL here we come

nice!

 

[Koh1977]

I think we're all set now!

7/11-7/16 WL CL

7/11 - Epcot
Akershus 5:15pm

7/12 - Animal Kingdom
Mickey's Backyard BBQ 6:30pm

7/13 - Magic Kingdom
Liberty Tree Tavern 12:55pm

7/14 - Hollywood Studios
Hollywood & Vine 12:30pm

7/15 - Magic Kingdom
Crystal Palace 8:05am
Wishes dessert party

7/16 - leave :-(
Chef Mickey's 11:00am


Is it summer yet??

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[bhyer]

I am so glad I came across this thread. Seems like a lot of people who have a LOT of experiences at WDW
So, I'm hoping maybe somebody can share some "Disney Wisdom" with me that might make it easier to settle on a "final" plan. Yes, I know - I might change it many times before the actual date arrives!! All this and I haven't even started to make dining plans yet!!

My 26 year old daughter and I are planning our first trip to WDW.
We have been to Disneyland three times and stayed at the Dinseyland Hotel with the light-up headboards. My daughter is in love with them. Yes, she is 26 but was always delighted to press that button and listen to the music that plays along with the fireworks on the head board. Even in the middle of the night when I was sound asleep......

We only have certain months we can go and so had to choose between January/February or May. May seemed a bit hot for us so we choose the dates according to when Touring Plans looked like there were a set of days with lowest crowds in Jan/Feb. We wanted 10 full days in the parks, 3 days at Universal and 2 rest days. Soooo, we decided on January 27 to February 12, 2015. Sooooo freaking excited!!!! And of course there is a Disney commercial playing these days advertising a sale for this summer - that just happens to show the Contemporary, the Royal Guest Rooms AND the Beach Club.

At first we were thinking to rent DVC points and stay at the same resort for the entire 16 nights. We aren't much for packing & moving. Then I got nervous about locking into that a year ahead of time.

Then we discovered the POR Royal Guest Rooms and my daughter just knew she wanted to stay there. So we were going to do that for the entire stay.

Then I was reading how if you want to do Universal for three days it's best to stay on-site at a Universal hotel. And no - I have totally no idea which resort to stay at in Universal although thinking Hard Rock is closest so maybe we just do that.

We didn't want to miss out on the really low crowd days at WDW that happen to be right at the beginning of our trip or at the very end of our trip (cause it would have made sense to do Universal right at the beginning or end).

Sooo, we were thinking to go to Universal in the middle of our trip (when Disney days looked the most crowded) for three nights and since that meant changing hotel that maybe we should stay at a different Disney Resort when we got back from Universal for the last five nights of our stay.

This is where I'm stuck.

Some folks say the Contemporary is awesome because you can walk to the MK. And that the monorail is much easier than buses. But then again, monorail can be broken down but you can still walk!

Some folks say try a Boardwalk area hotel because the location is awesome for walking to EPCOT. I was kinda thinking the beach club but then again I'm not sure how much we would actually use the pool.

On our last five days of the trip we will likely have one rest day.
Spend two days at MK. Not entirely sure how we will spend the other two - perhaps revisiting what we liked best at Epcot and DHS.

So many folks say it's wonderful to be able to walk to Epcot but I'm having trouble picturing what that park is like. I totally get MK and DHS (cause that is so much like Disneyland) and AK is obvious. Is Epcot mostly about the restaurants?

When we went to the Disneyland Resort last time we spent 3 days at California Adventure and five days at Disneyland. My daughter never tires of the princesses and atmosphere. We stayed at the parks all day every day and only came back to our rooms when we were so exhausted we HAD to sleep.

Any suggestions on whether we should try a different hotel for the last part of our stay? Or perhaps we should just head back to the POR Royal Guest Room?

I KNOW we will have a ton of fun no matter what - just trying to make a somewhat educated choice!! And I would dearly love any advice!!

Thank you in advance!

 

[Koh1977]

Bhyer - I would definitely spend the last 5 nights at a different hotel since you'll be moving anyway! If you know for sure you'll be spending at least 2 days at MK and 1 rest day during that time, I'd go with an MK resort (like Contemporary, Poly, Grand Floridian, or Wilderness Lodge). That being said, I LOVED the Beach Club and we didn't even use the pool except for once. The walk to Epcot wasn't as fun in August, but I think it'd actually be nice in Jan/Feb. You walk in the back of Epcot actually, in the World Showcase part, perfect for dining and drinks and some princess meet and greets actually. I always loved walking around World Showcase when I was a bit younger without little kids. And the view of the lake from Beach Club is so serene. As for convenience, I still say the Poly is the best in that regard. So close to the TTC and a monorail or ferry to MK and the monorail to Epcot (without having to transfer monorails!)

No matter what you decide, it sounds like you two are going to have a wonderfully magical trip!

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[LisaTC]

Hmmm...POR is awesome. But you will be leaving anyway, so I think a MK resort like the contemporary, if you wish, is good advice. You'll have had your experience in the Royal rooms and Epcot may be a bit confusing to you & since you are very familiar with Disneyland, you would likely prefer to be near MK.

I'm glad to have found this thread, too. Very friendly. The POR thread is friendly, too. Take advantage of these threads. The others can leave you feeling like you've been throttled sometimes, but this thread is very helpful and nice!

 

[dimndgal1]

Our flight does not get to MCO until a little after 2:00 pm and we were planning on spending all day at Epcot until they close at 11:00 pm and then the DCL bus will pick us up the next morning, not sure what time, I'm guessing 11 or 12. That would still be enough time to enjoy an Epcot resort, right???

I think so!!!

I think we're all set now!

7/11-7/16 WL CL

7/11 - Epcot
Akershus 5:15pm

7/12 - Animal Kingdom
Mickey's Backyard BBQ 6:30pm

7/13 - Magic Kingdom
Liberty Tree Tavern 12:55pm

7/14 - Hollywood Studios
Hollywood & Vine 12:30pm

7/15 - Magic Kingdom
Crystal Palace 8:05am
Wishes dessert party

7/16 - leave :-(
Chef Mickey's 11:00am


Is it summer yet??

Like it!!!

bhyer - I like the idea of splitting Disney with Universal... I think for that long a stay it will help thigns feel fresh and I also think you can benefit from splitting some time in different resorts.

I will admit for DL people, Epcot can seem confusing/intimidating but I also have been told it's where a lot of DL folks spend tons of time because it is different. That said, Port Orleans Riverside with the Royal Rooms is closest to Epcot so it's not a bad jumping of point for seeing 'the world'. There is also a boat to Downtown Disney from POR which is a great way to spend some time as well.

My opinion would be to do POR and some of the 'new' places at the start of your trip and then move to a MK resort (like Contemporary) for the last half. Reason being that you can decide if you want to spend more time in the 'unique' parks after you get back from Universal or focus the majority of your time at MK and experience the similarities/differences. Also, if you are planning on having a down day, I'd pick the more deluxe resort to do it -- and being on the monorail loop will open lots of dining choices for that down day close by!

For Universal, I'm sure you know - HARRY POTTER FIRST! Oh my goodness does that area become a madhouse! We saw hour waits for the HP attractions and almost nothing for the rest of the parks! It was wild. I think the different feel of Universal will also be fun to experience in the middle of Disney... both place are great but sooo different!

Have a blast and never hesitate to ask for our opinions -- we can talk you into or out of anything and sell any resort!

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

UGH! Poopy F&W raining on my split-stay parade! No military rate rooms available under CL at EPCOT resorts. BLEH!

So, I'm thinking MM ADR has to go... DH just feels it's a waste to eat there when we have some world class Italian so close in DC. TA thinks we should do Brown Derby but I'd rather wait until December when we can kick the kiddos to grandma/grandpa and enjoy ourselves. So, I'm thinking 50's PT but DH looked at the menu and was like "really?" I pointed out we're already thinking of getting shakes there and the ambiance is part of the fun but his hesitation is making ME hesitate. Thoughts?

*sighs* and cruise is going over like a ton of bricks. BIL is adamantly saying no and my MIL doesn't want to upset anyone by pushing it. I'm just frustrated because SIL is conceding by going to Disney at all (she is NOT into Mickey and has been trying to get us to do an all-inclusive somewhere tropical) and I feel like a cruise is the best of all worlds without dealing with the stress of the crowds and toting infants around the parks. oh well, c'est la vie!!!

Now to go stare at my Sept plans and find a way to perk back up.

 

[Mousemommy1]

Well, I think we officially put a nail in the coffin of any CL this trip....

We finally bit the bullet and bought a new set of living room furniture....

While I absolutely LOVE the set we picked out, and will be so grateful to get rid of the ragged sectional we've had for years....the cost pretty much took away any chance of CL upgrade....such is life....

 

[bhyer]

Bhyer - I would definitely spend the last 5 nights at a different hotel since you'll be moving anyway! If you know for sure you'll be spending at least 2 days at MK and 1 rest day during that time, I'd go with an MK resort (like Contemporary, Poly, Grand Floridian, or Wilderness Lodge). That being said, I LOVED the Beach Club and we didn't even use the pool except for once. The walk to Epcot wasn't as fun in August, but I think it'd actually be nice in Jan/Feb. You walk in the back of Epcot actually, in the World Showcase part, perfect for dining and drinks and some princess meet and greets actually. I always loved walking around World Showcase when I was a bit younger without little kids. And the view of the lake from Beach Club is so serene. As for convenience, I still say the Poly is the best in that regard. So close to the TTC and a monorail or ferry to MK and the monorail to Epcot (without having to transfer monorails!)

No matter what you decide, it sounds like you two are going to have a wonderfully magical trip!


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Thank you so much! I hadn't even though of the Poly - at first I had written it off thinking it too expensive but for only the last five nights I might be able to make it work. I'll have to do a little research on that one.

 

[bhyer]

Hmmm...POR is awesome. But you will be leaving anyway, so I think a MK resort like the contemporary, if you wish, is good advice. You'll have had your experience in the Royal rooms and Epcot may be a bit confusing to you & since you are very familiar with Disneyland, you would likely prefer to be near MK.

I'm glad to have found this thread, too. Very friendly. The POR thread is friendly, too. Take advantage of these threads. The others can leave you feeling like you've been throttled sometimes, but this thread is very helpful and nice!

I am going to take a closer look at the resorts near MK. So you don't think it's crazy to switch hotels twice? Does going to Universal in the middle of the trip sound ok? Everyone is so nice here. So pleased. Although geez, I find it hard to pull myself away from Disney research to live my regular life I think I may be slightly addicted!

 

[bhyer]

bhyer - I like the idea of splitting Disney with Universal... I think for that long a stay it will help thigns feel fresh and I also think you can benefit from splitting some time in different resorts.

I will admit for DL people, Epcot can seem confusing/intimidating but I also have been told it's where a lot of DL folks spend tons of time because it is different. That said, Port Orleans Riverside with the Royal Rooms is closest to Epcot so it's not a bad jumping of point for seeing 'the world'. There is also a boat to Downtown Disney from POR which is a great way to spend some time as well.

My opinion would be to do POR and some of the 'new' places at the start of your trip and then move to a MK resort (like Contemporary) for the last half. Reason being that you can decide if you want to spend more time in the 'unique' parks after you get back from Universal or focus the majority of your time at MK and experience the similarities/differences. Also, if you are planning on having a down day, I'd pick the more deluxe resort to do it -- and being on the monorail loop will open lots of dining choices for that down day close by!

For Universal, I'm sure you know - HARRY POTTER FIRST! Oh my goodness does that area become a madhouse! We saw hour waits for the HP attractions and almost nothing for the rest of the parks! It was wild. I think the different feel of Universal will also be fun to experience in the middle of Disney... both place are great but sooo different!

Have a blast and never hesitate to ask for our opinions -- we can talk you into or out of anything and sell any resort!
[/QUOTE]

Thank you so much for the advice! I am thinking more towards a MK resort now as several people on this thread have recommended that scenario And although I think I would love Epcot I'm not so sure my daughter will be as sold on it as I am. She is all about the castle and the princesses. So now I have to decide which MK Resort. Geez, life is so rough.......

 

[Koh1977]

I am going to take a closer look at the resorts near MK. So you don't think it's crazy to switch hotels twice? Does going to Universal in the middle of the trip sound ok? Everyone is so nice here. So pleased. Although geez, I find it hard to pull myself away from Disney research to live my regular life I think I may be slightly addicted!

You have definitely come to the right place then!! I so want to be a Disney travel agent and say the heck with teaching. I can talk Disney all day every day basically! And many times I know more than my TA I think! But he's awesome because he deals with my changes, better than DH sometimes! ;-)

Poly is expensive, BUT they've had pretty good discounts lately and I think Jan/Feb is a good time cost wise to go too...? We're staying at WL for the first time this summer, and I'm hoping it's just as awesome (just in it's own nature-like way).

As for POR, I think almost every trip we've gone on with the kids has started at POR, just never seem to follow through with it and end up switching to a deluxe...

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[Koh1977]

If she loves the castle so much, maybe see if you can snag a theme park view at Contemporary? It's on my bucket list too! (Actually all the deluxes are really...and POR).

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[Koh1977]

Dimndgal - I nixed MM and the Fantasmic package. Decided we'd just go to the later show instead...doing Hollywood and Vine for lunch for the characters instead.

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