~Snowbird Chat~

[crzyred]

Thanks so much for the well wishes everyone. We are sitting here waiting to be discharged. Everything went perfectly and are so proud to welcome Chase Jennings G. To our little family. He was 7 lbs, 9 oz and 18.5 inches long. He's so tiny compared to Rylan but is absolutely perfect. I will get pictures up when I'm home.

I can't wait to get him his first pair of Mickey ears!

Welcome to the world Chase!!!

 

[Pluto_fan]

Thanks so much for the well wishes everyone. We are sitting here waiting to be discharged. Everything went perfectly and are so proud to welcome Chase Jennings G. To our little family. He was 7 lbs, 9 oz and 18.5 inches long. He's so tiny compared to Rylan but is absolutely perfect. I will get pictures up when I'm home.

I can't wait to get him his first pair of Mickey ears!

Welcome, Baby Chase!
Congratulations Mindy and family!

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

I'm back Snowbirds!

Disney was wonderful as always. We really liked November. Wait times were way shorter than what we experienced in January. Great weather, except for that awful wind from tropical storm Ida. POR and OKW are both very nice. I will get to all my reports eventually. Maybe after I get out from underneath this mountain of laundry!

Hope all is well with the Snowbirds. I haven't had time to read back through all the pages, but I see we have a new baby Snowbird! Congratulations Mindy! Welcome Chase!

 

[letthewookiewin]

Have any of you ever rented DVC points? I thought about doing this and now I'm not sure, but the DH thinks if we can find a good company it would be a good idea. I think he just likes the idea of us having our own bedroom while the boys are in the living room.

My only problem with it is that we wouldn't be able to add the dining plan to our tickets until we checked in. That means that meals like CRT and the Candlelight Processional package would have to be paid for OOP then refunded once we got the dining plan added to the tickets. DH said that if that was the way we had to do it, we just wouldn't eat at the castle. We can always see the CP without the package, it would just mean that we would have to wait in line longer to see it. If we get a 1 bedroom at BLT it's only 277 points for 7 nights at $10-13 per point. Basically I would be giving up dinner at CRT for a 1 bedroom villa with a great view. So what would you ladies do? Rent the DVC points and book the 1 bedroom, have a seperate bedroom(with King sized bed), extra bathroom, and washer/dryer but give up on the CRT dinner or book a normal room through Disney. The DVC point renting option would have the boys on a fold out couch, but they are still at the age where they think that is really cool. I did look at booking the BLT 1 bedroom from Disney, but it's anywhere from $1,000-1,800 cheaper to rent the DVC points. Luckily since we aren't going until December 2010 we have until January to decide, but since I want a MK view at the BLT I have to have my mind made up and money paid right on our 11 month out day to make sure we get the view I want.

 

[Mndisneygirl]

Have any of you ever rented DVC points? I thought about doing this and now I'm not sure, but the DH thinks if we can find a good company it would be a good idea. I think he just likes the idea of us having our own bedroom while the boys are in the living room.

My only problem with it is that we wouldn't be able to add the dining plan to our tickets until we checked in. That means that meals like CRT and the Candlelight Processional package would have to be paid for OOP then refunded once we got the dining plan added to the tickets. DH said that if that was the way we had to do it, we just wouldn't eat at the castle. We can always see the CP without the package, it would just mean that we would have to wait in line longer to see it. If we get a 1 bedroom at BLT it's only 277 points for 7 nights at $10-13 per point. Basically I would be giving up dinner at CRT for a 1 bedroom villa with a great view. So what would you ladies do? Rent the DVC points and book the 1 bedroom, have a seperate bedroom(with King sized bed), extra bathroom, and washer/dryer but give up on the CRT dinner or book a normal room through Disney. The DVC point renting option would have the boys on a fold out couch, but they are still at the age where they think that is really cool. I did look at booking the BLT 1 bedroom from Disney, but it's anywhere from $1,000-1,800 cheaper to rent the DVC points. Luckily since we aren't going until December 2010 we have until January to decide, but since I want a MK view at the BLT I have to have my mind made up and money paid right on our 11 month out day to make sure we get the view I want.

I have never rented DVC points, but do know someone who has and thinks it's great. Although I never asked her about the dining plan so I don't know if they did it or not.
Here's my thought - have you ever eaten at CRT before? I haven't and am planning to for my next trip (when I don't have 12 people!) regardless of how old my kids are or how much it costs! But if you have never done it, would it be possible to save a little extra $ and pay OOP? If you've done it before, I say go with the villa and sacrifice CRT. The villa would be for the whole trip and CRT is just one meal. just my $.02

 

[Lil'Mermaid75]

I want a new (fake) tree and I want it pre-lit. I'm tired of arguing every year with my husband when we string lights!

I'm with ya!!! It's always such a process. Every year its the same thing. Every year, I end up saying..let's just buy the darn prelit one!

 

[Northern Disney Girl]

I'm back Snowbirds!

Disney was wonderful as always. We really liked November. Wait times were way shorter than what we experienced in January. Great weather, except for that awful wind from tropical storm Ida. POR and OKW are both very nice. I will get to all my reports eventually. Maybe after I get out from underneath this mountain of laundry!

Hope all is well with the Snowbirds. I haven't had time to read back through all the pages, but I see we have a new baby Snowbird! Congratulations Mindy! Welcome Chase!

YAY Mama Snowbird is home! So glad you guys had a great trip Shelly! Can't wait to hear all about it!

 

[crzyred]

Have any of you ever rented DVC points? I thought about doing this and now I'm not sure, but the DH thinks if we can find a good company it would be a good idea. I think he just likes the idea of us having our own bedroom while the boys are in the living room.

My only problem with it is that we wouldn't be able to add the dining plan to our tickets until we checked in. That means that meals like CRT and the Candlelight Processional package would have to be paid for OOP then refunded once we got the dining plan added to the tickets. DH said that if that was the way we had to do it, we just wouldn't eat at the castle. We can always see the CP without the package, it would just mean that we would have to wait in line longer to see it. If we get a 1 bedroom at BLT it's only 277 points for 7 nights at $10-13 per point. Basically I would be giving up dinner at CRT for a 1 bedroom villa with a great view. So what would you ladies do? Rent the DVC points and book the 1 bedroom, have a seperate bedroom(with King sized bed), extra bathroom, and washer/dryer but give up on the CRT dinner or book a normal room through Disney. The DVC point renting option would have the boys on a fold out couch, but they are still at the age where they think that is really cool. I did look at booking the BLT 1 bedroom from Disney, but it's anywhere from $1,000-1,800 cheaper to rent the DVC points. Luckily since we aren't going until December 2010 we have until January to decide, but since I want a MK view at the BLT I have to have my mind made up and money paid right on our 11 month out day to make sure we get the view I want.

We rented DVC points in Jan. and LOVED IT!! We stayed at Saratoga Springs and had a view of DTD. We were within 5 minutes of walking to DTD and spent more time there than we had expected.

One of the great things we did was order groceries. Simple things like eggs, cereal, bread. We figured if we had a kitchen, why not make use of it. It also helped us cut down on expenses. We had breakfast in the room and then normally only ate one meal in the parks (again, helps with costs, but if you're doing the dinning plan that's not an issue I guess.)

We had 5 adults in our room and found the villas to be a great size for everyone. The laundry was wonderful since we didn't pack a lot knowing we had the option to do laundry.

After doing the DVC we have basically decided that we will mostly likely always try to do this. We aren't extremely picky about what resort we stay at, so for us it will be fun to hop around and try some.

 

[drakes]

Welcome Chase Jennings! Hope you had a save delivery!

Welcome back ShelleyLoving the tidbits of your trip we've already heard!

To all Snowbirds - I am stressed - I can't see my ticker right now, but I am at that - "oh boy it's almost 60 days" stress, I do need to find the time to cancel some of my ADR's and I am stressed I am going to cancel the wrong ones... I had one day of a double plan- bad diser - I know!

We also have a new puppy - we've had him for 1 week, and we got him the day after our other pup turned 1... They get along great, but it's housetraining 101 all over again, and now that there is paper on the floor, guess who's liking that a bit too much!

Good news and stressful news - I got a lot of Christmas shopping done which included some trip stuff. Just put dollar signs in front of those numbers - Yikes!

 

[letthewookiewin]

We rented DVC points in Jan. and LOVED IT!! We stayed at Saratoga Springs and had a view of DTD. We were within 5 minutes of walking to DTD and spent more time there than we had expected.

One of the great things we did was order groceries. Simple things like eggs, cereal, bread. We figured if we had a kitchen, why not make use of it. It also helped us cut down on expenses. We had breakfast in the room and then normally only ate one meal in the parks (again, helps with costs, but if you're doing the dinning plan that's not an issue I guess.)

We had 5 adults in our room and found the villas to be a great size for everyone. The laundry was wonderful since we didn't pack a lot knowing we had the option to do laundry.

After doing the DVC we have basically decided that we will mostly likely always try to do this. We aren't extremely picky about what resort we stay at, so for us it will be fun to hop around and try some.

If you don't mind me asking, who did you rent them through. I asked a question about the rental process on the DVC boards and a guy PM'd me about his company. DH said that if someone from this thread knew of a company they liked, he wanted me to look into them as well. The thing I like about this company, is that you only pay 50% when you book and then the rest by 60 before your trip. If you don't want to put the info on this thread, you can PM me.

My DH really wants to rent the points, but now we have to settle where to stay. My top three would be BLT with a MK view, AKV with a savannah view, and Boardwalk Villas. They would be followed by villas at WL. My DH doesn't like BLT b/c he doesn't like the shape of the building. He doesn't like the AKV /w savannah view idea b/c he thinks it will smell like poo on the balcony. He doesn't like the Boardwalk idea b/c if the boys want to go to the pool, he's afraid of the pool and the clown slide. I have nothing against the villas at the WL. If I'm going to stay at the WL, I would rather stay at the lodge instead of the villas. I am just going to have to convine him to stay where I want to stay. Oh and I asked the DS and they want to stay at the BLT as well. The plan is to go December 10-17,2010 unless we can't rent the 1 bedroom at BLT /w MK view. If we can't, then we will push the trip back to January 7-14, 2011 and be there for my 35th birthday.

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

My POR review is up if anyone is interested ~ http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=34367073#post34367073

 

[Lil'Mermaid75]

My POR review is up if anyone is interested ~ http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=34367073#post34367073

Awesome review! Love the frog story (just a teaser to get everyone over there!).

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Awesome review! Love the frog story (just a teaser to get everyone over there!).

 

[snykymom]

He doesn't like the AKV /w savannah view idea b/c he thinks it will smell like poo on the balcony .

I don't know anything about renting DVC points, but we just got back from AKL. We went everywhere that there were animals, stood for hours on the observation decks under the balconies (didn't have a savannah view room), and I can honestly say that I never smelled poo anywhere in the entire resort. It really shouldn't be an issue. There's a great thread about AKL here - http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2241828, and it may help your decision-making process.

I loved staying at AKL.

Mindy, CONGRATULATIONS! And welcome, little Chase!

Welcome home, Shelley!

 

[Mndisneygirl]

Hey snowbird friends - I have a question.
I received in my Mickey mail packet a photopass card to preregister before the trip. So I did that. They say they will be sending me special offers via email.
I thought I read somewhere that now only onsite resort guests could preorder the photopass CD. Does anyone know the number to call or is there a way to do it on the photopass website that I didn't see?
One other question - did anyone make little cards to keep track of their dining credits? Not sure I need one, but if someone did and thought it was helpful, I'd love to see it.
TIA!

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

Snkymom~ I am sooo glad you said that!!! I have always wondered about it!!! I have friends who have mentioned wanting to stay there & I just cringe! I think...Oh No!! You are gonna have to smell that the whole time!

 

[letthewookiewin]

I don't know anything about renting DVC points, but we just got back from AKL. We went everywhere that there were animals, stood for hours on the observation decks under the balconies (didn't have a savannah view room), and I can honestly say that I never smelled poo anywhere in the entire resort. It really shouldn't be an issue. There's a great thread about AKL here - http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2241828, and it may help your decision-making process.

I loved staying at AKL.

Mindy, CONGRATULATIONS! And welcome, little Chase!

Welcome home, Shelley!

I've been trying to convince him that he was just being silly. I couldn't imagine people would want those rooms if they smelled.

I hope everyone is having a great Wednesday. We started off the day with Chick-fil-A breakfast. I got a small pack of nuggets and a small cup of fruit. DH looked at me like I was crazy when I refused honey mustard sauce. I have to go out later and find a really cute postcard. There is a thread about a little girl with cancer that the person is asking for people to send this girl postcard to decorate her room with at the McDonald house. Since I won't be at WDW until December 2010, I'm going to send her one from TX.

I just wish I knew if Disney was going to do free dining for fall into December of next year. If we could get free dining it would be cheaper to book a room through Disney than to rent points. Of course we would be giving up the 1 bedroom suite, but it would be cheaper and I could still get the MK view at the CR.

 

[crzyred]

If you don't mind me asking, who did you rent them through. I asked a question about the rental process on the DVC boards and a guy PM'd me about his company. DH said that if someone from this thread knew of a company they liked, he wanted me to look into them as well. The thing I like about this company, is that you only pay 50% when you book and then the rest by 60 before your trip. If you don't want to put the info on this thread, you can PM me.

My DH really wants to rent the points, but now we have to settle where to stay. My top three would be BLT with a MK view, AKV with a savannah view, and Boardwalk Villas. They would be followed by villas at WL. My DH doesn't like BLT b/c he doesn't like the shape of the building. He doesn't like the AKV /w savannah view idea b/c he thinks it will smell like poo on the balcony. He doesn't like the Boardwalk idea b/c if the boys want to go to the pool, he's afraid of the pool and the clown slide. I have nothing against the villas at the WL. If I'm going to stay at the WL, I would rather stay at the lodge instead of the villas. I am just going to have to convine him to stay where I want to stay. Oh and I asked the DS and they want to stay at the BLT as well. The plan is to go December 10-17,2010 unless we can't rent the 1 bedroom at BLT /w MK view. If we can't, then we will push the trip back to January 7-14, 2011 and be there for my 35th birthday.

Let me talk to my sister, as she is the one who initiated everything for us. I do remember making 2 different payments to her (which she then sent our payments on to the person).

xxx
Ok so next week is Thanksgiving....seriously?!?!!?
Right now my thermometer says 49 degrees! It's November in WI....no snow on the ground and I only need a sweatshirt on outside (trust me, I'm loving this!!!! ). My dad actually had to mow the lawn on Monday night (and the grass is still green!!) But it makes it hard to believe that the holidays are coming. It also makes me feel lazy. I'm one who always says that I'll have my shopping done ahead of time, yeah haven't even given that any thought yet! Oh well .

 

[letthewookiewin]

Let me talk to my sister, as she is the one who initiated everything for us. I do remember making 2 different payments to her (which she then sent our payments on to the person).

xxx
Ok so next week is Thanksgiving....seriously?!?!!?
Right now my thermometer says 49 degrees! It's November in WI....no snow on the ground and I only need a sweatshirt on outside (trust me, I'm loving this!!!! ). My dad actually had to mow the lawn on Monday night (and the grass is still green!!) But it makes it hard to believe that the holidays are coming. It also makes me feel lazy. I'm one who always says that I'll have my shopping done ahead of time, yeah haven't even given that any thought yet! Oh well .

Cool, thank you but no rush. We may not even rent the points. I was doing some price checking today. It's about $800 cheaper to stay in a courtyard view room at the WL than to rent points for a 1 bedroom. I'm thinking it may be the grown up thing to do, since DH is still looking for a job. I'm even thinking about us flying Southwest (as long as they participate in DME and I won't have to pick up my own bags at MCO). I HATE flying Southwest. I'm too OCD and like to know my exact seat. After I book our flight (normally on AA) I check once a week to see how booked the flight is. In fact that is the only reason, the last time we had a WDW trip booked, that I knew they changed our flight times.

I love this time of year. Texas high school playoffs!!! It's as exciting as NFL playoffs. Friday night I may go with my parents to my alma mater's game. Then Saturday night we are going with my inlaws and some other people to see Trinity high school (don't know anyone that went there, but should be a good game) followed by the Southlake Carroll Dragon game (DH went to SL).

**VENT WARNING**
My sister in law finally called me back. We were thinking that if we rented enough points to get a 2 bedroom, they could stay with us and not have to pay for the room. My thinking was that would make the trip cheaper and my brother in law would agree to finally take his son to WDW. His wife said she still didn't think he would go for it. Eventhough he has no problem paying $1,300 for him a new computer and $700 for him a bow flex type thing in one week. A $1,735.57 - 8 day with park hopper and DlxDDP WDW trip is way to much. Anytime we go my nephew gets sad and talks about wishing he could go and it makes me sad. I would love to take him with us, but I know his mom won't go for it b/c she'll want to go with him on his first trip. It's just so frustrating that my brother in law is so selfish. He won't even take his son to cartoon movie b/c he isn't interesting in watching them. Either his wife has to take him by herself, or goes with us or the grandparents.

 

[Pluto_fan]

I'm one who always says that I'll have my shopping done ahead of time, yeah haven't even given that any thought yet! Oh well .

THANK YOU, I am so glad you said that! I was thinking I was the only Snowbird around who didn't have gifts bought, wrapped, and under the tree already!

I love this time of year. Texas high school playoffs!!! It's as exciting as NFL playoffs. Friday night I may go with my parents to my alma mater's game. Then Saturday night we are going with my inlaws and some other people to see Trinity high school (don't know anyone that went there, but should be a good game) followed by the Southlake Carroll Dragon game (DH went to SL).

Fun! I went to HS in San Antonio, and my dad still lives there. They go to ALL the games of my alma mater and he loves to tell me all about them. I don't have the heart to tell him I don't really care! But my stepbrother is coaching there now, so they do have a current personal interest in the team.

**VENT WARNING**
My sister in law finally called me back. We were thinking that if we rented enough points to get a 2 bedroom, they could stay with us and not have to pay for the room. My thinking was that would make the trip cheaper and my brother in law would agree to finally take his son to WDW. His wife said she still didn't think he would go for it. Eventhough he has no problem paying $1,300 for him a new computer and $700 for him a bow flex type thing in one week. A $1,735.57 - 8 day with park hopper and DlxDDP WDW trip is way to much. Anytime we go my nephew gets sad and talks about wishing he could go and it makes me sad. I would love to take him with us, but I know his mom won't go for it b/c she'll want to go with him on his first trip. It's just so frustrating that my brother in law is so selfish. He won't even take his son to cartoon movie b/c he isn't interesting in watching them. Either his wife has to take him by herself, or goes with us or the grandparents.

Ugh, I'm so sorry to hear your BIL is being that way. Keep encouraging your SIL to consider bringing her son and coming with you, leaving BIL at home (with his expensive compter and exercise machine, yeesh). It is very kind of you to offer to cover the room expense! Maybe grandparents would consider chipping in for part of their ticket expense as a Christmas gift?