~Snowbird Chat~

[Disney Mommy 3]

I'm going to have to crunch the numbers I think. We usually eat pretty cheap and don't do too many TS so I'm not sure if free dining will be the best savings for us. I just wish I knew if the 4/3 was a definite so I'd know what numbers to crunch.

Of course you should do the Dec week...that's when I am going!!! I really do like Jan, but Mike just loves Christmas stuff so much, that he really wanted to go then. So,....hope we get some kinda deal!! The FD or a discount on our room would be awesome. Hopefully after July 26, which is the deadline to do the Aug-Oct FD, we will start seeing what's gonna be available to us for Nov-Jan!!! If we can't get something that week, and a better deal comes out for Jan, he may want to switch. But I don't know...he sure does like the christmas party too!! If you have never seen it decorated for Christmas, it's a must do!!!!!

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Are those Mondays, Tuesdays or Thursdays possibly Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party nights? On those nights there is no regular Wishes.

I think you are right! That makes sense because the 7:00 closings start in mid-late Sept and go through October.

I was surprised to see though that DHS closes at 7:00 in October with the exception of EMH. . . From what I remember Oct is a pretty busy month. . . Wonder what the November hours will bring. . . .

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Please tell me your thoughts...Dec 5-13 vs. Jan 23-30???
I'd rather go the last week in Jan but free dining is tempting. And if no discounts are released for Jan then our trip is off. But I'm worried I'll book Dec and a better deal will come out for Jan. Ugh!!! I just wish Disney would let me know they're offering for Jan. I'm sure it's going to be something with the economy dragging and it being the slow season and all. Plus DS would only miss 4 days of school if we go the last week in Jan. and I could keep the trip as the kids Christmas surprise present. Then again I've always wanted to see Disney decorated for Christmas. Don't get me wrong I'm so happy to be finally getting codes but darn it they are tempting and make me go back and forth all the time.

Hmm. . . that's a tough one! I know, because I am in the same boat!

For us I have figured that Free Dining, 40% off a room, or the buy 4 get 3 free with the $200 gift card are all very comparable savings. That is if we are staying at a Moderate resort. If you change to Value or Deluxe it throws the numbers off! So, I didn't really foresee them offering anything better that 40% off the room or the 4/3 deal with the gift card in January, so that's why we are leaning towards the November trip. It will cost us roughly the same either way, and we have always wanted to try mid November. But, we still aren't sure if DH can get that time off from work yet. I told him he needs to get an answer this week so I know when we are going!

 

[snykymom]

Okay back to Disney talk...you'll never believe it but DH and I are questioning using the pin code I got yesterday for free dining into December.

Please tell me your thoughts...Dec 5-13 vs. Jan 23-30???
I'd rather go the last week in Jan but free dining is tempting. And if no discounts are released for Jan then our trip is off. But I'm worried I'll book Dec and a better deal will come out for Jan. Ugh!!! I just wish Disney would let me know they're offering for Jan. I'm sure it's going to be something with the economy dragging and it being the slow season and all. Plus DS would only miss 4 days of school if we go the last week in Jan. and I could keep the trip as the kids Christmas surprise present. Then again I've always wanted to see Disney decorated for Christmas. Don't get me wrong I'm so happy to be finally getting codes but darn it they are tempting and make me go back and forth all the time.

Just a reminder that Pop Warner's at Disney during that week in December. Just in case that matters to you.

 

[danceintherain]

Okay, this may be a stupid question but - are they not showing Wishes every night at MK??? I was looking at the October park hours/daily schedules and it only shows Spectro & Wishes 4 nights a week. . . Spectro doesn't surprise me, I knew they cut that back, as well as Fantasmic. But Wishes? For October is shows Spectro & Wishes on Sun, Wed, Fri, and Sat. But neither on Mon, Tues, or Thurs. . .

In January I am pretty sure Wishes was shown every night, but Spectro & Fantasmic were only 2 nights a week. . .

I think the Halloween party is the best excuse. They showed Wishes every night last week, and Spectromagic twice a couple of times, so it would be strange if they only did a couple times a week in October. I do not pretend to understand the innerworkings of the Disney mind though.

Hope everyone has had an enjoyable weekend. I saw Harry Potter yesterday. It was good but lots was missing from the book. Guess that's what I get for being a book worm. I never like movies of books I've read. The books are always better.

Okay back to Disney talk...you'll never believe it but DH and I are questioning using the pin code I got yesterday for free dining into December.

Please tell me your thoughts...Dec 5-13 vs. Jan 23-30???
I'd rather go the last week in Jan but free dining is tempting. And if no discounts are released for Jan then our trip is off. But I'm worried I'll book Dec and a better deal will come out for Jan. Ugh!!! I just wish Disney would let me know they're offering for Jan. I'm sure it's going to be something with the economy dragging and it being the slow season and all. Plus DS would only miss 4 days of school if we go the last week in Jan. and I could keep the trip as the kids Christmas surprise present. Then again I've always wanted to see Disney decorated for Christmas. Don't get me wrong I'm so happy to be finally getting codes but darn it they are tempting and make me go back and forth all the time.

I saw Harry Potter last week, and I was satisfied, but only because I wasn't expecting much. I think they chose to emphasize the special effects more so than the storyline, which tend to appeal to those who have not read the books better.
We were originally planning on going for the midnight showing, which was the evening we got back from Disney. I, however, convinced my family that it would be better to go the next morning, because the midnight showing was $10 a piece, while the 9:30am showing was only $5 a piece. It was slightly odd, but I suppose they must make their money where they can, and we still had an almost packed theatre, so I suppose many others realized the same thing.

As for your trip, you could go ahead and plan for December, then watch the subsequent discounts. You may find that a better deal is released for December for your family. Also, you could be watching airfare (if you plan to fly) and see which time period has the better deals. I doubt the economy will recoup well enough by January for Disney to feel safe enough to reduce discounts THAT much. However, they may feel confident enough to raise room rates again in January, which could make a difference, but that information should be released relatively soon.
Look at the numbers and decide what looks better. You can look at approximately 40% off a room or the 4-3 deal as the best case scenario, then compare it to Free Dining for your family. If you think you could get your money's worth with Free Dining, then take advantage of it.

 

[crzyred]

Good afternoon everyone! I'm super excited right now. My sister and I just booked our cruise for June 26, 2010 around the Hawaiian Islands!!!!!!!!!!!! Now I just have to pay for it...

OK, so I know how much everyone just loves questions of the day, so here's one for ya...
Q: If you could travel to any Disney Park worldwide, which would it be and why?

A: For me, I want to go to DisneyLand Paris. I may claim to not be a big girly-girl but I am a romantic at heart. I just think it would be so amazing to walk through a magical, make-believe world knowing that you are in the most romantic city. I don't know, I'm wierd and crazy...

 

[danceintherain]

Good afternoon everyone! I'm super excited right now. My sister and I just booked our cruise for June 26, 2010 around the Hawaiian Islands!!!!!!!!!!!! Now I just have to pay for it...

OK, so I know how much everyone just loves questions of the day, so here's one for ya...
Q: If you could travel to any Disney Park worldwide, which would it be and why?

A: For me, I want to go to DisneyLand Paris. I may claim to not be a big girly-girl but I am a romantic at heart. I just think it would be so amazing to walk through a magical, make-believe world knowing that you are in the most romantic city. I don't know, I'm wierd and crazy...

Lucky you!

I would pick DisneyLand Paris as well... I think... really I would probably pick Walt Disney World, but of all the others Paris would most likely give me the opportunity of traveling more around Europe, though I wouldn't mind traveling more around the other areas.

 

[letthewookiewin]

Congrats on being so close and getting magical mail!!!

I was looking into the picnic thing at AK for our next trip too. It looks like a lot of food for a counter service credit. If you try it be sure to share how it was! I'm hoping the Wishes Dessert party is extended into Jan. Did you see the pictures of all those desserts- they look heavenly- YUM!!!

I'm pretty sure Wishes was every night too. Strange but perhaps it's the Halloween stuff

Hope everyone has had an enjoyable weekend. I saw Harry Potter yesterday. It was good but lots was missing from the book. Guess that's what I get for being a book worm. I never like movies of books I've read. The books are always better.

I agree the movies don't compare to the books at all. They practically cut my favorites (Fred & George) out of the movies.

I saw Harry Potter last week, and I was satisfied, but only because I wasn't expecting much. I think they chose to emphasize the special effects more so than the storyline, which tend to appeal to those who have not read the books better.

Honestly I used to get a lot more disappointed in the movies than I do now. I saw an interview with J.K. and she said that they only put things in the movies that are important to keep the movies going to the end. Basically if it's not crucial to the Harry/Voldermorte story line, it's left out. I think they leave a lot out b/c it will confuse the people who didn't read the books. Personally, I look at them as two seperate entities. I would love them to put all the details in the movie there is in the book. While I would be willing to sit through an long epic "Gone With the Wind" length movie, I don't see many teens doing it. I wish they would do it like they did the LotR. While shooting, shoots extra scenes and then put them in an extended edition for those of us that love the books. I'm just glad they kept the ferret scene and the one with Hermione punching Draco in. My main disappointment with the movies now comes from not having John Williams do the score.

Okay back to Disney talk...you'll never believe it but DH and I are questioning using the pin code I got yesterday for free dining into December.

Please tell me your thoughts...Dec 5-13 vs. Jan 23-30???
I'd rather go the last week in Jan but free dining is tempting. And if no discounts are released for Jan then our trip is off. But I'm worried I'll book Dec and a better deal will come out for Jan. Ugh!!! I just wish Disney would let me know they're offering for Jan. I'm sure it's going to be something with the economy dragging and it being the slow season and all. Plus DS would only miss 4 days of school if we go the last week in Jan. and I could keep the trip as the kids Christmas surprise present. Then again I've always wanted to see Disney decorated for Christmas. Don't get me wrong I'm so happy to be finally getting codes but darn it they are tempting and make me go back and forth all the time.

Would it be possible to put down $200 on the Decmeber trip and keep both ressie's? Then when it comes time to pay off your December trip, if they haven't announced anything for January you could cancel the January trip and put all that money on the December trip. The only problem with that is, I don't know how hard it will make getting airfare.

Good afternoon everyone! I'm super excited right now. My sister and I just booked our cruise for June 26, 2010 around the Hawaiian Islands!!!!!!!!!!!! Now I just have to pay for it...

OK, so I know how much everyone just loves questions of the day, so here's one for ya...
Q: If you could travel to any Disney Park worldwide, which would it be and why?

A: For me, I want to go to DisneyLand Paris. I may claim to not be a big girly-girl but I am a romantic at heart. I just think it would be so amazing to walk through a magical, make-believe world knowing that you are in the most romantic city. I don't know, I'm wierd and crazy...

Grats of booking the cruise!! I would love to go to Hawaii, but DH thinks it would be to expensive. Well mainly he's thinking about food costs once we get there. I would love to have a Puka dog, they just look so good.

OMG, that QotD is hard. It's right up there with "Out of your children, which is your favorite?" When it comes to the international parks I also look at the side trips we could take.
Hong Kong there is the great wall of China and the Forbidden City. Also that my youngest son is interested in China. However there is the downfall that he thinks the Chinese government is hiding all the living dragons, and should be overthrown for it. (I don't know if I've said this before on this thread, but my youngest son was diagnosed with mild Autism Spectrum Disorder.)

Paris there are all the museums, the Eiffel Tower, Champs-Elysees, Versailles, and all the wineries.

Tokyo you could go during when the cherry blossoms are in bloom, and I have always dreamed of going to Japan for that. Then the fact that my family loves anything and everything Japanese. My youngest wants to live in Japan to "learn the honorable way of the Samurai". Honestly I could spend a week in Japan just watching a master swordsman making swords.

So I could probably eliminate Hong Kong since my youngest son hates their government. That leaves me with Tokyo and Paris. If I couldn't split the stay between the two, it would depend on the time of year we would be able to go. If we could go while the cherry blossoms are in bloom, we would go to Tokyo Disneyland. If we couldn't go during that time, we would go to Disneyland Paris.

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

Just a reminder that Pop Warner's at Disney during that week in December. Just in case that matters to you.

We have been there one other time during PW..it wasn't that big of a deal. We did see them in the parks a couple of times,or at a resteraunt. They did chant LOUDLY down the sidewalk that day, but they didn't make the park attendance swell, that we noticed!! I think the big thing is if you stay where they are staying. I knew that was the week when we planned, but we are going anyway. They are usually pretty busy with their own stuff.

Crzyrd~ Yeah for you!!! How fun!!!!!! I don't know about the QOTD...probably WDW followed by Paris!!

 

[danceintherain]

Honestly I used to get a lot more disappointed in the movies than I do now. I saw an interview with J.K. and she said that they only put things in the movies that are important to keep the movies going to the end. Basically if it's not crucial to the Harry/Voldermorte story line, it's left out. I think they leave a lot out b/c it will confuse the people who didn't read the books. Personally, I look at them as two seperate entities. I would love them to put all the details in the movie there is in the book. While I would be willing to sit through an long epic "Gone With the Wind" length movie, I don't see many teens doing it. I wish they would do it like they did the LotR. While shooting, shoots extra scenes and then put them in an extended edition for those of us that love the books. I'm just glad they kept the ferret scene and the one with Hermione punching Draco in. My main disappointment with the movies now comes from not having John Williams do the score.

My Mom tried to argue that there were a lot of important things left out of the movies that could confuse people. She wouldn't agree that if she didn't know about those parts, then they wouldn't matter.
I've seen movies based on books that are much worse. I was absolutely horrified at the movie that was supposed to be based on Ella Enchanted. I fell in love with that book when I was 11 years old, then they didn't even seem to TRY to follow it. Maybe they thought if they did it would be too close to other renditions of Cinderella, but all they did was dash my hopes.

So I could probably eliminate Hong Kong since my youngest son hates their government. That leaves me with Tokyo and Paris. If I couldn't split the stay between the two, it would depend on the time of year we would be able to go. If we could go while the cherry blossoms are in bloom, we would go to Tokyo Disneyland. If we couldn't go during that time, we would go to Disneyland Paris.

They probably ARE hiding all the dragons.

Reading your contingencies made me reconsider mine. I would only go to Disneyland Paris if it was during the Springtime, because when I went to Paris a couple of years ago it was in the Fall/Winter (November...brr) and Logan wouldn't let me go to Disneyland. (ok...so he rationalized that we shouldn't spend/didn't have the money, and that "shouldn't his first Disney experience be the real thing?"...this was right after I started planning our Honeymoon)
While we were there I was amazed at how beautiful the city was, but I could tell that it would be even prettier if all the flowers were blooming.
Logan did promise me that he would take me back in the Springtime, so I'm sure I can work in a Disneyland trip at that time.

 

[letthewookiewin]

ok, I thought I would ask this question here, before I asked it on the boards at large and possible set myself up for flamming. I have been doing some Disney math and trying to see if this would work out cheaper for us. I know that sometimes AP holders get some really good deals on packages and/or resorts. I was wondering if it would be worth it for one of us (probably me) to get an AP and then hope they have a good AP only discount for next November. Anyone ever had AP's before? Anyone think it would be worth it? Do they typically have AP discounts during everytime of the year? Honestly at this point if we could get a really good AP discount (if I get one) we would move the trip back to December, or anytime between October to December that a good discount was available for.

 

[snykymom]

ok, I thought I would ask this question here, before I asked it on the boards at large and possible set myself up for flamming. I have been doing some Disney math and trying to see if this would work out cheaper for us. I know that sometimes AP holders get some really good deals on packages and/or resorts. I was wondering if it would be worth it for one of us (probably me) to get an AP and then hope they have a good AP only discount for next November. Anyone ever had AP's before? Anyone think it would be worth it? Do they typically have AP discounts during everytime of the year? Honestly at this point if we could get a really good AP discount (if I get one) we would move the trip back to December, or anytime between October to December that a good discount was available for.

No flames here - I did just that! (Actually, I did it more for the TiW card, which was a great buy for us, since we went to V&A last trip.) This year, the AP rates are really stupendous - I got AKL in September for 42% off! I also got an AP PIN for 40% off good on dates including November: 8/23-9/4, 9/6-11/21, 11/29-12/5 and 12/13-12/23. As you may notice in my signature, I couldn't resist and re-booked my December birthday trip to CSR; I got a standard room for $89/night! And I can add a dining plan without buying tickets if I choose. And I do still have the TiW card, which is good for 20% off table service and a few counter service places.

Now, that's the biggest problem with an AP - it burns a hole in your pocket!! I'm "saving" so much money on these trips, but of course I'd save even more if I just didn't go!! One of these day's I'm going to go broke with all these "savings"!

 

[MAGGIED]

Hello Snowbirds.. and friends... just stopping by to say hello.... not sure if I am going in October or not to join my sister... and still trying to convince the DH to go in February... or April... we will see.... hope everyone is doing well...

 

[Northern Disney Girl]

Hello Snowbirds.. and friends... just stopping by to say hello.... not sure if I am going in October or not to join my sister... and still trying to convince the DH to go in February... or April... we will see.... hope everyone is doing well...

Hey Wendy! So nice to "see" you! Hope you are doing well!

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

hey Wendy!! How have you been? you have lots of fun decisions to make!! I didn't do further into Feb because you get out of the Value season... but I bet the weather is great!!!! Glad to hear from you!!

 

[letthewookiewin]

No flames here - I did just that! (Actually, I did it more for the TiW card, which was a great buy for us, since we went to V&A last trip.) This year, the AP rates are really stupendous - I got AKL in September for 42% off! I also got an AP PIN for 40% off good on dates including November: 8/23-9/4, 9/6-11/21, 11/29-12/5 and 12/13-12/23. As you may notice in my signature, I couldn't resist and re-booked my December birthday trip to CSR; I got a standard room for $89/night! And I can add a dining plan without buying tickets if I choose. And I do still have the TiW card, which is good for 20% off table service and a few counter service places.

Now, that's the biggest problem with an AP - it burns a hole in your pocket!! I'm "saving" so much money on these trips, but of course I'd save even more if I just didn't go!! One of these day's I'm going to go broke with all these "savings"!

Thanks for confirming my Disney math. I showed my DH your post, and he said I could get an AP.

 

[Monny2AE]

Thanks everyone for all your thoughts on my Dec vs. Jan dilemma. We're sticking with January for a few reasons. My kids are cheap to feed. If they were older and more expensive to feed it would work but they are 2 and 5 and eat like birds. Heck I usually eat off the kids menu so free dining isn't as big savings for us. A hotel/ticket discount would be better. Plus dh doesn't want too many TS ressie's to have to plan around this time. I think we're going to make this one a little more relaxed than our last trip. So I guess I'll just sit and wait til those Jan deals come out!

Crzyred- Congrats on booking your cruise! I would LOVE to go to Hawaii someday.
QOTD: I would say WDW then Paris. I wouldn't mind seeing Disney put a park in Hawaii though .

Kim (Wookie)- Congrats on getting the approval for an AP. Like you weren't going to do it anyway...you just have to let them think you want their opinions.

 

[mana_liz]

Just wanted to pop in a say "HI". Hope everyone is enjoying their summer.

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

Trying to see if I can figure out this Photobucket thing...YIKES!! i am sooo freaked out!! I can NOT get this thing to work right...let's see if this is right.

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

Okay, we were going out to eat for our 15th anniversary, so my mom came to babysit...I have picture of just me and Mike, but How do I get more than one at a time? This is so confusing to me!!