Planning for 2018

[mdsouth]

The price increase from 2017 to 2018 is a big one. I know I have read several thread that have said the same thing.

With Disney here in the US the discounts come out to the public about 3 to 4 months ahead of the date of the trips but they only include certain dates and are typically 15 percent off a value and 20 to 25 percent off the moderates and 25 to 30 percent off the deluxe resorts. Dining is not included in the discounts unless the discount is for dining to be included but then the room portion is not discounted at all. So the discounts come out to be about the same.

Most of June and July is not included in the discounts. When the discounts do come up you have to jump on them quickly to get the dates and resorts you want since they only have a limited number of rooms available. Right now people here in the US are still waiting for the discounts for this summer to be posted.

 

[mdsouth]

If I would go to Rose and Crown, I would probably try the Shepherd's Pie, NY Steak with Yorkshire Pudding or the Welsh Burger Pub Burger. But I have no idea what
Welsh Rarebit Sauce and Branston Mayonnaise are so that would be a total new experience for me.

I don't think that I have ever had Yorkshire pudding either. But I am one that does like to try new things. I do like to have some idea what I will be eating and have something about the dish that I already know and like but I like to try items with different seasonings or veggies or other things that I haven't had. This is the opposite of what my husband and kids like to do. They like to go with something they know they like. It is why I think it would be fun to go to WDW with people who like to experience and try new foods.

 

[AcrossthePondNic]

If I would go to Rose and Crown, I would probably try the Shepherd's Pie, NY Steak with Yorkshire Pudding or the Welsh Burger Pub Burger. But I have no idea what
Welsh Rarebit Sauce and Branston Mayonnaise are so that would be a total new experience for me.

OK as you will have seen Shepherd's pie is minced lamb in gravy topped with mashed potato instead of pastry. More common is cottage pie, which is beef instead of lamb. Yorkshire pudding is flour, milk and eggs made into a batter, there's that word again, like a more savoury pancake recipe and then baked so that it rises. My family love them with a roast dinner and my son is mad about them with sausages. If the sausages are cooked into the batter mixture so it comes out as one dish it's called 'toad in the hole'. Welsh rarebit is an old Welsh dish which is basically a kind of posh cheese on toast. It is normally cheese with Worcestershire sauce and English mustard sometimes with an ale mixed in I think. I've never seen it on a burger before but I can see that it could give a little bit of a kick to a cheese burger. I'm assuming that Branston is just referring to the brand of mayo. The main one is Helman's over here and Branston are more known for their ploughman's pickle (chutney type thing) but it may be a seasoned mayo. That was the one that caught my eye.

If these prices don't move we are going to have to seriously rethink our plan.

 

[MamaBelleRN]

Hi! I have not stayed at either resort that you are considering. I am following along since I am planning a possible 2017, more likely 2018 trip. The last trip was in 2014. I tend to go every four or five years but am on DIS a lot. I am looking for someone else to plan with who hasn't been in awhile and does not get to go often.

Most of the PTR reports are posted from people who go often. They are interesting to read but sometimes hard to relate to since they go so much.

I was in WDW around the 4th of July and it was HOT and MUGGY. I expect August to be the same. Depending on the time in August you may have less crowds to deal with than you would going in July.

Me too!!! I love WDW, but with our family size (we're having our fifth babe in March ) it takes longer than I'd like to save for our trips. Our first family trip to WDW was in October 2015 and I was hoping to go every other year. While I was really hoping to make this year work, a 2018 trip is much more feasible. This year I will be taking 12 weeks of unpaid maternity leave and likely go back as PRN working only one to two times per week (I am a RN). It would be tight making the finances work. Alas, I'm thinking it will be November/December 2018 trip. Lots of time for planning fun

 

[morrik5]

Hi everyone. I'm new here and I'll start by saying this is my pre pre-planning as I can't settle on dates yet.

We live over in the UK. Me and my DH visited WDW in 2001 just after we married, staying at POFQ then 2 years later at POR. After that kids arrived and no more trips until late April 2015. All 4 of us went for our first family trip and stayed in a RR in POR and had a great time. Our eldest has Aspergers and so we did a lot of planning and it really paid off.

When travelling from the UK they release a good booking offer this time of year for the next year, free dining, $200 spending money and memory maker. We don't get the same room discounts available to us over here as in the US so this package is a really good deal in our humble opinion. That being said the best time for us to book is when that deal is on or as a last minute thing if deals appear through travel agents, last minute doesn't work in our house too well, and having done the maths, if it wasn't on we'd probably still pay for the dining plan as paying as we go wouldn't save us much and only make us say no to more at the time because we'd be watching the pennies.

Sadly, we can't book for next year so to cheer myself up I'm looking at our options for 2018.

We loved late April, the crowds were OK and the temperature was too. No need to use the a/c at night. The kids schools have shortened their Easter hols from 3 to 2 weeks which means if we go at Easter again, it would be the busier weeks and less time to recover from jet lag. The only other times they are off for more than 2 weeks are Christmas and July through August. Christmas is not an option so we are looking at late August because we hear July is really busy. Based on next years prices, if they don't change too much we might be able to stretch to either YC or Poly. YC appeals because we can walk to more stuff including restaurants and its near HS. Our eldest loves ToT and RRC.

Any thoughts on those 2 resorts? Also, we've been in late July as a couple, is late August roughly the same feel humidity wise?

Would have posted a couple of photos from our trip but couldn't figure out how

We camped in our RV in August and would not recommend it again. The humidity is soooo hot, and the temperature was about 104+ degrees F everyday. We too are planning our 2018 visit but have settled already on late April after the Easter break and the weather should be much nicer.

 

[AcrossthePondNic]

Me too!!! I love WDW, but with our family size (we're having our fifth babe in March ) it takes longer than I'd like to save for our trips

5 little ones. Wow, you will have your hands full. I can understand the need to look at 2018. Where do you tend to stay? Do you go for the villas for the extra room?

We camped in our RV in August and would not recommend it again. The humidity is soooo hot, and the temperature was about 104+ degrees F everyday. We too are planning our 2018 visit but have settled already on late April after the Easter break and the weather should be much nicer.

I've been at the end of July / beginning of August before but it will be new to the kids at that level of humidity. Unfortunately we have little option. I think I said in an earlier post, my ideal would be to go in April again or in October but now that the kids no longer get 3 weeks at Easter we can't do April and they only get a week in October. The two weeks we get at Easter tend to coincide with your spring break so really busy and they need a couple of days to recover from the jetlag before going back to school. There is no time for us now apart from July and August when we get long enough away from school to do it. When we went in April they missed some school so we arrived as spring break and most of the UK schools were finishing and that was great but now they are older we won't pull them out of school again. I wish we could go at a quieter and less humid time. But no, we've accepted we can't so summer it is. As long as the prices improve or a good deal comes out. Will you be staying in the RV for your April visit?

 

[mdsouth]

More common is cottage pie, which is beef instead of lamb. Yorkshire pudding is flour, milk and eggs made into a batter, there's that word again, like a more savoury pancake recipe and then baked so that it rises. My family love them with a roast dinner and my son is mad about them with sausages.

I think I would probably prefer cottage pie too with the beef. And now that I know what Yorkshire pudding is, I will add that to my definite list of things to try at EPCOT. Thanks for the details.

I'm assuming that Branston is just referring to the brand of mayo. The main one is Helman's over here and Branston are more known for their ploughman's pickle (chutney type thing) but it may be a seasoned mayo.

Helman's mayo is one of the top brands here in the USA too. I have it in my frig at home.

I wish we could go at a quieter and less humid time. But no, we've accepted we can't so summer it is.

This is me too! I would love to go during another part of the year, but since my son is now in college and my daughter is in 8th grade - junior high and I am a junior high teacher, we just can't take time out of school to go. I am going to plan for June just to try to avoid some of the heat if possible. But it can be CRAZY hot and humid in Florida anytime in June-July-August. The one time we went in early May it was CRAZY hot then too!

 

[mdsouth]

Me too!!! I love WDW, but with our family size (we're having our fifth babe in March ) it takes longer than I'd like to save for our trips. Our first family trip to WDW was in October 2015 and I was hoping to go every other year. While I was really hoping to make this year work, a 2018 trip is much more feasible. This year I will be taking 12 weeks of unpaid maternity leave and likely go back as PRN working only one to two times per week (I am a RN). It would be tight making the finances work. Alas, I'm thinking it will be November/December 2018 trip. Lots of time for planning fun

It is nice that you joined AcrossthePond's pretrip report. With a fifth babe on the way, I can see why you are planning on a 2018 trip instead of 2017. It is a nice trade off to postpone a trip to WDW in order to stay home longer with your brand new little one and your other kids too.

I appreciate the work you do as a nurse. Thanks!

So, what resort do you think you will stay in? The rooms at POR hold five and since it is a moderate resort it might fit into your budget pretty good. I have stayed at PORFQ and really liked it. We swam in the pool at POR when we were there and explored the resort a bit. It seems really nice and has a very relaxing scenery.

We camped in our RV in August and would not recommend it again. The humidity is soooo hot, and the temperature was about 104+ degrees F everyday. We too are planning our 2018 visit but have settled already on late April after the Easter break and the weather should be much nicer.

April will be a wonderful time to go. Have you thought about what resort you want to stay at this time?

 

[AcrossthePondNic]

Michele, you and I are in the same boat with being tied to school holidays. It's a shame in some respects, but it's still Disney and most brits go in the summer so we kind of know it's going to be hot. As you say, even earlier in the year can be hot and humid. When we went in 2015 we had a few humid days even then and forecasters were saying it was warmer than usual. I would love to be able to tie it in with the first MNSSHP but I think that might be cutting it fine for back to school and my husband is dubious about whether the kids would be too stressed out trying to see all the special things that happen on the night and disappointed if they don't get round them all. Not to mention the cost of the night.

I just want to be there. I'll be happy with that. I'm missing POR today too for some reason. It's drawing me back in.

 

[morrik5]

5 little ones. Wow, you will have your hands full. I can understand the need to look at 2018. Where do you tend to stay? Do you go for the villas for the extra room?



I've been at the end of July / beginning of August before but it will be new to the kids at that level of humidity. Unfortunately we have little option. I think I said in an earlier post, my ideal would be to go in April again or in October but now that the kids no longer get 3 weeks at Easter we can't do April and they only get a week in October. The two weeks we get at Easter tend to coincide with your spring break so really busy and they need a couple of days to recover from the jetlag before going back to school. There is no time for us now apart from July and August when we get long enough away from school to do it. When we went in April they missed some school so we arrived as spring break and most of the UK schools were finishing and that was great but now they are older we won't pull them out of school again. I wish we could go at a quieter and less humid time. But no, we've accepted we can't so summer it is. As long as the prices improve or a good deal comes out. Will you be staying in the RV for your April visit?

Not sure if your month of April question was for me, but just in case, my husband, myself and son will be staying at a Premium site in our Class A motorhome and our daughter, son-in-law, grandson and granddaughter will be staying in a cabin, all at Fort Wilderness of course. We love how peaceful it is there compared to Pop Century Resort. Enjoy your trip, whenever you decide to go. PS - we work our holiday around our daughter's schedule as she teaches college year-round so it has to be between semesters.

 

[AcrossthePondNic]

Will you be staying in the RV for your April visit?

Hello morrik5 yes that question was for you. It must be wonderful to be able to stay in your home away from home like that. And I haven't visited Fort Wilderness but I would like to. It will be a much more comfortable temperature in April too. We went at the end of April in 2015 and it was a lovely time of year to go. Would happily go at the same time of year again if we could. You will have the Flower and Garden Festival at Epcot which was a lovely addition to our trip.

 

[MamaBelleRN]

5 little ones. Wow, you will have your hands full. I can understand the need to look at 2018. Where do you tend to stay? Do you go for the villas for the extra room?

Yes- our hands and hearts are full For our first trip we rented DVC points and stayed at AKL. We rented a two bedroom villa and brought my
MIL, SIL, and BIL to join in on the fun and help with the kiddos. This worked wonderfully and they all loved WDW too! We will definitely be bringing at least one or two others along on the next trip for the same reasons. However, I'd like to stay longer than the seven nights we stayed on our first trip. I'm planning to rent a four bedroom presidential at Wyndham Bonnet Creek. It was recommended here on DIS and looks like exactly what we are looking for. Plus, the prices are incredibly reasonable. We drive to WDW, so transportation to and from the parks is a non-issue. Still considering a split-stay (on and off site), but with our family size extra room is a must!

 

[MamaBelleRN]

5 little ones. Wow, you will have your hands full. I can understand the need to look at 2018. Where do you tend to stay? Do you go for the villas for the extra room?

Yes, villas/condos for sure. For our second trip we are going to stay offsite at WBC (our first trip was a two bedroom villa at AKL). I got a few quotes from the Disney travel agency *** and looked at renting DVC again, but the prices at WBC are great. It will allow for a longer trip and more extras. I think I like the planning almost as much as the trip itself

 

[MamaBelleRN]

It is nice that you joined AcrossthePond's pretrip report. With a fifth babe on the way, I can see why you are planning on a 2018 trip instead of 2017. It is a nice trade off to postpone a trip to WDW in order to stay home longer with your brand new little one and your other kids too.

I appreciate the work you do as a nurse. Thanks!

So, what resort do you think you will stay in? The rooms at POR hold five and since it is a moderate resort it might fit into your budget pretty good. I have stayed at PORFQ and really liked it. We swam in the pool at POR when we were there and explored the resort a bit. It seems really nice and has a very relaxing scenery.

Thank you! I love working as a nurse, so it's my pleasure

 

[AcrossthePondNic]

Hi MamaBelle RN, I think we're chatting on your planning report now too It sounds like such fun going with extended family. WBC is that close to the Disney resorts? It's name is familiar to me and I was wondering do we drive past it on Disney transportation? We haven't plucked up the nerve to drive in the US so we haven't looked off property.

 

[mdsouth]

Not sure if your month of April question was for me, but just in case, my husband, myself and son will be staying at a Premium site in our Class A motorhome and our daughter, son-in-law, grandson and granddaughter will be staying in a cabin, all at Fort Wilderness of course. We love how peaceful it is there compared to Pop Century Resort. Enjoy your trip, whenever you decide to go. PS - we work our holiday around our daughter's schedule as she teaches college year-round so it has to be between semesters.

As all Disers do, I have made lots of fantasy trip plans and one of them it to stay in the cabins at Fort Wilderness. I think it would seem like two separate vacations in one! Fun in the parks and then the relaxing camping vacation too. I would love to go for two weeks so that we had plenty of time to explore Fort Wilderness. I think it would be fun to have a golf cart to tool around in and go to the campfire.

 

[AcrossthePondNic]

Well I've stopped checking prices and just keep waiting and hoping to see an offer advert on tv soon. So in the meantime, I got an offer of some free 6x4 photos from Photobox. Having also finally got round to uploading and organising all of our trip photos from last time onto our new pc I though it would be fun to print off all the photos for the kids to go in their autograph books.

It's one of those jobs I always intend to do but never get round to. Finally done, and my photos arrive this morning. We bought the Disney photo and autograph books that have a page on the left for a photo and on the right the characters sign.

Hilariously, I spent yesterday afternoon trying to figure out how the plastic pockets for the photos worked. I couldn't find openings in them anywhere. Talk about confused.

Anyone who has read my recent posts will see I'm recovering from a disc prolapse and nerve pain so I'm blaming the tablets.

I knew I was missing something obvious just didn't know what. I even asked on this post if anyone knew what I was missing. I've just edited that now because I've solved the mystery. The opening is on the side. I have no idea why I couldn't figure that out yesterday. But job done. Two nicely completed autograph albums. And a reminder to take a sharpie on my list for our next trip.

All is right with the world again.

 

[mdsouth]

I knew I was missing something obvious just didn't know what. I even asked on this post if anyone knew what I was missing. I've just edited that now because I've solved the mystery. The opening is on the side. I have no idea why I couldn't figure that out yesterday. But job done. Two nicely completed autograph albums. And a reminder to take a sharpie on my list for our next trip.

All is right with the world again.

I am glad I am not the only one that is sometimes challenged by the easiest things. When you buy Sharpies, you should think about getting the ones that click open and closed. That way the characters or their handlers do not have to mess with the caps. I know when we had them in the past the characters liked them. They are a bit pricier than the regular ones but work well.

Going though your old photos and putting the autograph albums together is a nice way to keep the Disney magic going until your trip.

 

[AcrossthePondNic]

When you buy Sharpies, you should think about getting the ones that click open and closed. That way the characters or their handlers do not have to mess with the caps. I know when we had them in the past the characters liked them. They are a bit pricier than the regular ones but work well.

Thanks for the tip. I haven't seen those before. I had a quick search online for them and I'm not sure if they've reached the UK because nothing showed up. I'll keep looking. My husband treated me to a Fitbit last weekend to help me get moving again after hurting my back. It tells me to move if I haven't done 250 steps in the last hour and I have to say, I've had it since Saturday, but I love it. Sounds stupid, but it has actually made me focus more because I can see what I'm doing, or not doing and I needed that shove. I am now getting more mobile again. I'm only working on the steps and I've started slow but I'm feeling an improvement in my back and with the sciatica already. I keep thinking about all that walking round the parks. It's helping to spur me on. My end goal is in sight. I've also found out I've put a lot of weight on these past 6 weeks with being laid up. Disney is so worth getting in shape for. I'm on a mission now. ​

 

[mdsouth]

I am now getting more mobile again. I'm only working on the steps and I've started slow but I'm feeling an improvement in my back and with the sciatica already. I keep thinking about all that walking round the parks. It's helping to spur me on. My end goal is in sight. I've also found out I've put a lot of weight on these past 6 weeks with being laid up. Disney is so worth getting in shape for. I'm on a mission now.

Good for you! I need to get up and get moving myself. Disney is a great motivator!