Sept / Oct 2011

[battymum]

Got all my ADRs. We've got 15 bookings total. You can tell we're on DxDP! Even got Ohana the first day we're there at a decent time (for us). Only one ADR was out by more than 10 minutes was Akerhaus Princess Lunch Norway where the time was 6.30pm rather than 6.

Also managed to score the Private Pontoon for Illuminations.

Off to bed now, will update my pre trip properly tomorrow after some rest!

A hint, if you haven't booked your Princess lunches yet make sure you have your credit card handy, and put a 0 in front of your postcode. For example 2200 becomes 02200.

Kylie,

Can you post a link to your pretrip report? I would like to read it.

Thanks

Lisa

 

[darren123]

I was not planning any trips this year funny how things turn around. We are going to take our Granddaughter to Disneyland in September for 5 days, Done all the planning booked the Hotel,Tickets and Transfers just waiting now for VAustralia to put up the specials on airfares I know the days of $1000 flights are over and prices now are around the $1250 mark.

 

[kylieh]

Kylie,

Can you post a link to your pretrip report? I would like to read it.

Thanks

Lisa

Here it is.... http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2650751

There are heaps of changes as it progresses

 

[battymum]

Thanks, all caught up!

 

[WAMUMOF4]

Thanks Marvel!
Booked the Car hire today decided to go with the USAcarhire.co.uk sent them a message asking them to charge us in full so i am hoping they will do it tonight whilst the $(pound) is so good one more thing done

I have never been before, so am no expert, but we have no intention of using morning EMH. My theory is that we will be at RD at one of the other parks while all the disney guests are still at the morning EMH park. Hopefully the offsite guests will still be making their way in.
We will probably use the evening EMH at MK on Sunday, but expect it to be crowded and will be at a water park through the day. Maybe EPCOT on Friday, but will probably be off site for the day.

Thats the theory anyway!

Ok I just figured we would use them because the Early morning was so good at DL that was why i finally decide to stay onsite to use the EMH if we don't use them it doesnt matter will see how we go. I am thinking that on our first day as it wont be a full day we will go to a water park and then to Disney Quest has anyone been to it and is it good or not?

 

[marvel]

no worries, my kids really enjoyed disney quest two years ago. The missus had the morning off so I took the kids, it's a few floors of different types rides, arcade type games, so a bit old fashioned compared to todays technology. I suppose it depends on how many days you have there, we had 12 days last time, this time only 7, so probably will give it a miss.

 

[WAMUMOF4]

no worries, my kids really enjoyed disney quest two years ago. The missus had the morning off so I took the kids, it's a few floors of different types rides, arcade type games, so a bit old fashioned compared to todays technology. I suppose it depends on how many days you have there, we had 12 days last time, this time only 7, so probably will give it a miss.

We have 6 day hopper passes with 6 days of water park or disney quest but i miscalculated a day when we ordered them which is why i figured we would go to one of the water parks and Disney quest the 1st day we wil be coming fron Nick resort and i figured it could be our chill day
I need to try and plan one in somewhere on the trip!
I know we won't have time to see everything but that just leaves room for another trip back is how i am looking at it
Though DH is saying we might go to Phuket next year does he not realise there is no Disney there What is he thinking

 

[hellosue]

Though DH is saying we might go to Phuket next year does he not realise there is no Disney there What is he thinking [/QUOTE]

Sorry did he mean Hong Kong? At least there is a Disney there! and shopping tooo...

 

[marvel]

Are any of you using touringplans or tourguidemike to plan which days to go to which park? I did last time and it did give us a good plan for which park to avoid. I think it is about $10 or so.

And howabout our dollar !

 

[kylieh]

Are any of you using touringplans or tourguidemike to plan which days to go to which park? I did last time and it did give us a good plan for which park to avoid. I think it is about $10 or so.

And howabout our dollar !

We're using TouringPlans.com I also purchased TourGuide Mike but it wasn't for me. I like being able to look at figures to help evaluate what's going on. There is RideMax as well, but that only works within a couple of months of date you want, ie, can't plan now for September. RideMax is based on figures as well, and we used that when we went to DL.

 

[austraveler]

We're using TouringPlans.com I also purchased TourGuide Mike but it wasn't for me. I like being able to look at figures to help evaluate what's going on. There is RideMax as well, but that only works within a couple of months of date you want, ie, can't plan now for September. RideMax is based on figures as well, and we used that when we went to DL.

I love touring plans. We used them last April and were so impressed I bought the book (the unofficial guide). It is very funny and has real statistics to back up all the recommendations. On a day rated 7, we walked on to every ride in the magic kingdom with no more than a 5 or ten minute wait.

 

[WAMUMOF4]

Sorry did he mean Hong Kong? At least there is a Disney there! and shopping tooo...

Maybe when i book the flights I can say OH look at this we had to go via Hong Kong what a shame we will have to go to the Disneypark on our stopover Not quite sure how that will work from Perth but you never know

The $ keep climbing

 

[Travel Mum]

I have joined Tour Guide Mike and Touring Plans. I must admit I haven't spent much time on Touring Plans yet since I joined but plan to use them for our ride orders in each park. TGM has annoyed me and many others in the October Vacation Club because, although the Disney agents calendar has been released for October, his Least Crowded Park charts are not yet out. My ADR date is tomorrow so it's very frustrating and I half feel like asking for a refund (like many others intend to do) but I do like the TGM forums and read them every day as they are very helpful. For the Least Crowded Parks, you actually just need to go to the free Easy WDW site and it's all explained very well.

 

[battymum]

Travel mum,

How did you go with your ADR's?

 

[Travel Mum]

Battymum, my agent says she has got exactly what we wanted cheer2 except for the Fantasmic dining package. Apparently that was not available to book online and so she had to call but the CM on the phone told her that it was not available for booking yet. My agent says she will keep trying and I sure hope we get it because there is no way we are going to go to Fantasmic unless we are on a dining package. And, if we don't do Fantasmic that night, it might change my whole touring plans!!

 

[Travel Mum]

P.S. Battymum, I did mention to my agent that your agent Alison from Dreams managed to get the package for you !

 

[battymum]

I will cross my fingers for you!

I think Allison called ours in, I didnt ask her too much, pretty sure she said she would call them in, I didnt ask what time, I left her with it.

Have you tried booking it yourself to see if its online.

 

[Travel Mum]

Darn it, Michele could only get a 3.30 pm MM booking for us She had real trouble with it firstly saying it was not available to book online (at 6am) so calling at 7am and the castmember saying that Sept/Oct dates were not available yet. Then, when I told her how Alison had got yours for you Battymum, Michele rang back the next day telling the cm about that and asking the cm to put my date in. Well, that worked but the only one left was 3.30 pm. I'm so disapointed (not with Michele but with Disney) because Michele was right there on the phone when my ADR window opened and my Fantasmic day is at 180+7 so I thought my chances were good. Darn that first Disney castmember!!

I'll have to re-think whether we will do Fantasmic because I really only want to go in for the dinner and see it as we will be touring HS on another less-busy day. Going in that early really mucks up the rest of the day plus 3.30 pm is such a stupid time to eat a big meal.

 

[battymum]

Sorry to hear that, Travelmum

What did you plan on doing for the rest of that day? Although that is an early dinner.

What I didnt realise is that you eat then get a voucher for entry to the theatre, so you can do something else before the show, I thought you had to go straight there.

 

[Travel Mum]

Battymum, the rest of the day was either going to be a waterpark day or a day back at a park we wanted to visit again. I got advice on the TGM forum that I need another RD day at MK with my children so we might possibly have done that even though it's an EMH morning. I definitely wanted to do something for the first half of the day and then go back to POR after lunch for a break before heading off to HS for dinner and Fantasmic.

I did know that, even with a 4.50 pm dinner we'd have a gap between the dinnner and going in for the 8pm show at 7.30 pm so I figured we'd do a show or something not very popular that we'd missed on our HS day considering the park will be packed that day/night. However, with a 3.30 pm "dinner" (really a huge afternoon tea), we'll have at least an extra hour to mill around in the packed park so that's a reason why it's not as appealing.