September TR... UPDATED on July 11th, 2009--FINAL DAY POSTED.

[natale1980]

What type of tickets did you get? Also, are you talking in Canadian $$ or American? Your prices seem a bit high but it might just be the exchange?

QUOTE]

I was thinking same thing for cost. It seems high.

-nat

 

[Disney Brat]

We too are plauged with high plane ticket prices! From Winnipeg to Orlando our price per person was between $650-$700!! (Cheapest prices, some were much higher!) So we have decided to fly out of Minneapolis (8 hour drive) but our tickets were just under $300 each, so it was a huge savings for us! Even factoring in gas it will be a savings of about $800!

 

[Raecheal]

What type of tickets did you get? Also, are you talking in Canadian $$ or American? Your prices seem a bit high but it might just be the exchange?

QUOTE]

I was thinking same thing for cost. It seems high.

-nat

It is all Canadian prices. Our park tickets were looking at the 7 or 8 day with hopper and possibly a water park options. I heard mapleleaftickets had pretty cheap park tickets? I have also gotten some information from the Canadian disney store and have browsed on the disney website..

 

[Raecheal]

We too are plauged with high plane ticket prices! From Winnipeg to Orlando our price per person was between $650-$700!! (Cheapest prices, some were much higher!) So we have decided to fly out of Minneapolis (8 hour drive) but our tickets were just under $300 each, so it was a huge savings for us! Even factoring in gas it will be a savings of about $800!

It is so disappointing that it cost so much money to fly to orlando. In 2006, it was almost 200 dollars cheaper.

I'm glad you found an alternative way and were able to save soooo much money. thats great!! congrats. Unfortunetely for us, there really wasn't much of one...I tried my best to get the cheapest flight.

 

[Raecheal]

Hello!

You're trip looks great so far. We will be there the exact same dates but this year we are staying at POFQ. We stayed at POP last year and really liked it. Need a bit more room this year with DS and grandma too!

In addition to what Disney Brat said about Free Dining, the cutoff date was arriving in WDW on Sept 20th.

What type of tickets did you get? Also, are you talking in Canadian $$ or American? Your prices seem a bit high but it might just be the exchange?

Also, are you taking DME from the airport?

CAn't wait to hear more...

It is in Canadian dollars. I know when i looked at the grand total when i posted that i could have passed out. Although we have been trying to get the lowest and best deals (in canadian dollars)!!

We have booked the DME... I''m def. sad we missed the free dinning.. it would have saved us close to 700 dollars

Tickets are the only thing i haven't purchased yet, not to sure where the cheapest area is to get them? not to sure wheather we will get 7 or an 8 day ones.. with or without waterpark. We have planned to go to a waterpark this time around... any suggestions would be soooo helpful!!!

 

[Raecheal]

Hi there!! I just found you! Your plans sound great so far!! Now I will try to explain the Free Dining...During the slower time of mid august through mid to late Sept disney offered free dining to guests. THey offered a code that was to be quoted when booking. There was only a select amount of rooms available for the free dining. To take advantage of the free dining, guests also had to buy at least aone day pass to the parks. I believe the cut off for applying the code to ressies was the end of June. I hope that makes sense...

Can't wait to read more!!

THANK YOU so much for taking the time to explain it. I'm def extremelly sad that we missed out. Dbf is alll about saving $$, sometimes i feel liek i'm not saving enough $$ to make him happy..

 

[Disneychix]

ok, looking at your itinerary it doesn't look like you'd need park hoppers. That could be one way to save $$.

You have the EPCOT segway tour and then AK in the pm. Why not EPCOT all day. Then you have another day of all MGM, no hopping needed. You also have a day of MNSSHP. Those tickets are extra and allow you to get into the park at about 4pm. Technically you wouldn't need a park ticket this day if you wanted to just wait till 4pm to go to the party. Also, I wouldn't waste a day of park hopping only to go to the party in the PM and still have to buy another ticket for that. Maybe you could do the water park that morning and go to MNSSHP that pm?
Maybe you can just get a 5 or 6 day non-hopper ticket and save some money?

 

[Raecheal]

ok, looking at your itinerary it doesn't look like you'd need park hoppers. That could be one way to save $$.

You have the EPCOT segway tour and then AK in the pm. Why not EPCOT all day. Then you have another day of all MGM, no hopping needed. You also have a day of MNSSHP. Those tickets are extra and allow you to get into the park at about 4pm. Technically you wouldn't need a park ticket this day if you wanted to just wait till 4pm to go to the party. Also, I wouldn't waste a day of park hopping only to go to the party in the PM and still have to buy another ticket for that. Maybe you could do the water park that morning and go to MNSSHP that pm?
Maybe you can just get a 5 or 6 day non-hopper ticket and save some money?

Thanks for the ideas. I"m def. going to re-look our itenerary with Dbf tonight and see if we could buy a non-hopper ticket instead. that would def save us some $$.
Also i still haven't bought our tickets for the MNSSHP because dbf doesn't want to go to this.... but I really really do.. hmmm

 

[Raecheal]

Alright... All i want to do is go SHOPPING.
It def. is my addiction. I really have been wanting an Ashley Paige bikini for the longest time. Now that i've lost 30 pounds and would like to lose another 20-30 i'll be in the best shape of my life. Here is my shopping list so far to get ready for our upcoming trip.

Ashley Paige bikini
New Crocs (which i am going to buy today)
some sort of brown shirt to go with my khaki skirt i just bought
M.A.C. Make up ( for my grad i got my face done, so i have a list of products they used on me which i still need to get)
animal print bag
sunglasses
2nd cheap bikini
sun dress
opi nail polish (light pink)
backpack for disney
water bottes
small fan
glow sticks
travel size hairstraightener
water proof face spray
new gold earrings (i recently lost mine)
shorts
new memory card for camera
card for daniel (i'll explain later)

 

[chai latté]

Just thought I'd browse through some pre-trip reports, and yours caught my eye! I love Ottawa.....I went to university there, and although it's been many years since I've been there, I miss it!

Anyhow, have you looked at purchasing tickets through Undercover Tourist? They offer free shipping to Canada, and their prices look good. If you sign up for mousesavers newsletters, they also usually have a link to even further discounted tickets through Undercover Tourist.

I agree with a previous poster that maybe you'd want to consider just getting a base ticket. I'm going to WDW with my DH in September as well, and we cut down on costs by doing that. Sure, it might only be about $100 overall, but that's more to go towards shopping!

 

[Raecheal]

Just thought I'd browse through some pre-trip reports, and yours caught my eye! I love Ottawa.....I went to university there, and although it's been many years since I've been there, I miss it!

Anyhow, have you looked at purchasing tickets through Undercover Tourist? They offer free shipping to Canada, and their prices look good. If you sign up for mousesavers newsletters, they also usually have a link to even further discounted tickets through Undercover Tourist.

I agree with a previous poster that maybe you'd want to consider just getting a base ticket. I'm going to WDW with my DH in September as well, and we cut down on costs by doing that. Sure, it might only be about $100 overall, but that's more to go towards shopping!

where did you go to university carleton or ottawa? I'm def. going to look into the cheapest tickets i can get... although planning this trip i knew i was going to be looking at anywhere from 3000 to 3800. This time around where doing some extra tours.

 

[chai latté]

I went to school at Ottawa U. I have very fond memories of skating on the canal during the winters!

What other tours are you considering aside from the Segway tour? (which looks very cool I have to say!)

 

[Raecheal]

I went to school at Ottawa U. I have very fond memories of skating on the canal during the winters!

What other tours are you considering aside from the Segway tour? (which looks very cool I have to say!)

We are doing the Segway tour and the Aqua Seas tour at epcot. Originally we wanted to do the dive quest.. but we wont get our dive cert. in time.

I want to add the not so scrary halloween party but we will have to see...

 

[YorkieMommyKandis]

Hi Raecheal! I just wanted to say hello and let you know I have found and am reading your pre-trip report. I am all excited because my husband and I are staying at the Pop in September too, the 3rd-11th! I also wanted to tell you that my husband is the same way about trips! I am counting down the days...my husband could care less really! He actually prefers getting home and knowing we got home safely and that the house hasn't been robbed...he's a crazy man. But he does let me handle 100% of the planning and that's okay with me. Oh and I have also lost exactly 30 pounds, since January 1 and I also want to lose a little bit more before Disney but I have been slacking as well. We were lucky enough to get the free dining, so I figure I better lose some more before we go so I will have a little wiggle room, LOL! Well I look forward to reading the rest of your trip report, and seeing what you get when you go shopping...I need to do that too but I'm also working with a budget here.

 

[Raecheal]

Hi Raecheal! I just wanted to say hello and let you know I have found and am reading your pre-trip report. I am all excited because my husband and I are staying at the Pop in September too, the 3rd-11th! I also wanted to tell you that my husband is the same way about trips! I am counting down the days...my husband could care less really! He actually prefers getting home and knowing we got home safely and that the house hasn't been robbed...he's a crazy man. But he does let me handle 100% of the planning and that's okay with me. Oh and I have also lost exactly 30 pounds, since January 1 and I also want to lose a little bit more before Disney but I have been slacking as well. We were lucky enough to get the free dining, so I figure I better lose some more before we go so I will have a little wiggle room, LOL! Well I look forward to reading the rest of your trip report, and seeing what you get when you go shopping...I need to do that too but I'm also working with a budget here.

Hi..its nice to meet you. Congrats on loosing the weight, i'm sure you can lose a little bit more before Disney. It is so difficult.. i am having a really hard time getting back on my diet or even getting into the gym. I'm going to try this week...depending on the in-law visit and how my work week goes.
I hear about a budget, anytime i spent a pennie he wants to know where it came from lol Now i just dont tell him, he really doesn't need to know. Like your husband, he doesn't get excited ever. Actually he told me his whole family is like this, but i'm sure he'll get excited once we have arrived and i pull our my itenerary.

is your trip all planned out? got all you adr?

 

[Raecheal]

Good morning... its 8am here. I've been up since the DBF went to work.. I always get up early, anywhere between 4-5:45am.. I haven't always been an early riser, but since i've started working full time and i'm done school it seems to work. I'd like to be able to get up early enough to go for a jog but i haven't gotten to that point yet. anyhoo.. i've been eating my regular breakfast and surfin' the net ever since i got up. I dont drink any sort of caffeine at all..which aways shocks everyone.

I wanted to show yous what i have purchased so far for our trip. I am extremely paranoid of loosing our lugage, as is we each take a suitcase. I make us each pack half of our things in one and the other half of things in the second suitcase. My reasoning here is that incase 1 lugage is lost, both of us will still have clothes, bikinis etc. I also pack a small, very small carry on, with a change of clothes, bikini etc, Enough for a nights stay somewhere and with all electronic equip. I have mentioned this before, but i love M.A.C. Make up, they have these travel size containers that are good for carry on's, i plan on putting some sun screen, moisterizer etc. This way i'll still have some of my daily skin care tools on me. Here are a coupe of photos...

and\

They were so cheap, and will work perfectly. I"m also thinking of getting a bagallinni bag (sorry about spelling)... but if the Dbf wears a small backpack i wont have to carry anything..

 

[Raecheal]

I am so stressed... my Dbf does not want to talk about Disney. I think i'm stressing him out. I"m just second guessing everything that I have planned. I tried to book a couple of more ADR today.. NO SUCH LUCK. Everything is booked up. hmm... the Dbf did so much planning for our first trip.. take a look.

If you look closely, you can see his pen marks, mapping out exactly what ride or show we were headed too at what time.. and incase that didn't work out a Plan B.It was insane the amount of planning he did, although he only booked 2 ADR at the Cinderella's castle and in Germany. I have two so far (rose and crown & Tusker).. but i'd like to add in Coral Reef (which i'm so angry, i just called the lady said she had an opening for 650, then went oh wait.. it's gone) augh. After reading the Dis, i'd love to get him a personalized menu. This trip is a gift from me to him. I"m still trying to get the Disney spirit of Aloha. hmm.. I"m going to have to keep calling and calling and calling. I'm MAY even force the Dbf to call during the day when i'm at work. I am so ....

 

[Raecheal]

Well i just called Disney dining again.. No such luck. I'm going to keep trying every day until i get something. Was just going through our last years photos.. clearly i am avoiding cleaning before the in-laws show up. Here are a couple more. I can't wait to take a whole bunch of new ones
Earls. the best.

 

[natale1980]

If you look closely, you can see his pen marks, mapping out exactly what ride or show we were headed too at what time.. and incase that didn't work out a Plan B.It was insane the amount of planning he did, although he only booked 2 ADR at the Cinderella's castle and in Germany.

WOW!! Thats crazy planning!!! I just go as far as what park we are going to visit that day. But I guess when you have been to Disney over 30 times you don't really worry about missing anything!

-nat

 

[njdisneyfreak]

Hi, Racheal!

I finally made it over to your board. Wow, your stressing, big time! Maybe your DBf doesn't want to get involved with all the planning, because he thinks it has to be crazy detailed like you gave us a glimpse of with the maps. You seem to be doing well, so far. Have you looked into those cost saving ideas that another posted suggested? They sounded good.

Are you never able to call during the day? How about during a break at work? Can you call at 7 a.m., when they open up the call center? Maybe that would help. If you run out of luck, though, there are always a lot of great counter services that you don't have to reserve, and I remember the food at POP being quite good.

Since you're planning this trip for your DBf, I know you mentioned doing the personalized menu. I'm assuming you mean the one at Coral Reef. I totally recommend that. For last year's anniversary trip, I set up the personalized menu and diver with a sign, for my DH. He loved it! You can also order a special cake to be delivered at one of your meals or check out the Disney Florist (they're online) and order a special gift basket of items for him of things he might like. Just some ideas.

I like your PTR so far and really look forward to reading more, as you continue planning. It was also nice to see what you two look like, too.