SOARIN' to our family vacation at WDW - Jan '10 at AKV

[willonlyflytodisney]

HI there!!!!

This is my first trip report so here goes!!
In this PTR, you should expect lots of DIY planning notebooks and binders from someone slightly OCD, the process of renting DVC points, the experience of a collegeage DISer bringing her parents back to the World for the first time in over 15 years, but most importantly - a very interactive PTR, where I will always ask for advice from you fellow DISers!
I will include our cast, our hotel information, transportation to Disney, our Disney history, ADRs, our (planned) itinerary, Budgeting, pictures of my DIY Magical Notebook, my DIY Planning Notebook, losing weight for our trip, and any other mousecelleanous things we love about Disney!!

We are very excited about our upcoming trip!
It seems like forever away, but it's almost 6 months!!
Our trip will be from Jan. 3rd to Jan 10th (or Jan 2nd through Jan 11th for me and my DBF (darling boyfriend) - see details later!) and we will be staying at the Animal Kingdom Villas - Jambo House.
We are not DVC members, and we have rented points, saving us a ton of money. I will explain why we chose this option in a future post.

So, for Post #1 - Let's meet the Cast!!!


This is Me, Stacey:

I'm a 19 year old Dis-a-holic! I took a couple trips when I was little, but last July, my DBF, Edward, took me back for our 1-year anniversary and I've been addicted ever since. I'm going to be a transfer sophomore at Emerson College studying Performing Arts Management, so I'll be just starting out in the fall. (But that doesn't mean I'm not incredibly excited about it!!!) There will definitely be posts about my experience as a transfer student and college in itself.
I love all forms of the arts! I love sketching, playing the piano and autoharp, singing, acting, stage managing. But, most of all I love Production Managing, which is the field I hope to go into one day. If not, law school, here I come! Besides that, I'm very big on planning! This doesn't mean I get all when things don't work out the way I planned them to, but I like to have structure. This is why I have and will be doing almost 90% of the planning for this trip, which I have absolutely no problem with!

Next up is my Darling Boyfriend, Edward:

He is also 19 – born a day before me. (Our parents also have the same first names and our babysitters grew up in the same town in Columbia… trust me, we checked family histories before we started dating ☺ ) Edward is going to be a sophomore at Boston Conservatory studying Musical Theater. Yes, we know we will both be living in boxes. He used to go to Disney every year with his family. He was the one who really introduced me to loving DisneyWorld, and he also introduced me to DISBOARDS!
Edward hopes to one day be an actor. He loves singing, acting and dancing, and is very good at all three, if I don’t say so myself (but I’m probably bias ☺ ). He especially loves tap dancing and teaching. He would make a wonderful teacher. Edward loves to be busy, but prefers to live in the moment than to spend time planning (something I admire in him and wish I could do). He can be wise and intelligent at one moment and cute and adorable at another. He works incredibly hard at everything he does, and I am madly in love with him.

Edward and I met two summers ago at a summer program called Carnegie Mellon Pre-College. We met on the first day in this large meet and greet, but barely said two words to each other. Somehow, fate wanted us to meet again, as it turned out we were living on the same floor, a few doors down from each other. This July, we will be celebrating two magical years together. We’ve seen each other during some of the worst times of our lives and some of the best. Some people said we’d never survive going to two different colleges, but we believed that our love could make it work – and it did! Edward always makes me feel like I don’t need Disney to make all my dreams come true. ☺

Next up, parents:

My mom, Cathy:

(sorry I couldn't find a more recent photograph haha)
My mom hasn’t been to Disney for quite a long time. Her business has brought her all over the world. In fact, that’s how I got to go on my first Disney trip. (My mom still remembers how I complained that she was off at business meetings during a lot of the trip. But, we wouldn’t be at Disney at all if Mommy didn’t have to go to those meetings! My mom and I have a great relationship. I was always a kid that wanted to be on my own, and my mom respected my individuality and gave me my freedom, within reason, of course. My dad is her second marriage, but I am her only child. I get all of my planning skills from her, as she is completely OCD about everything.
My mother never lies about anything – which is great because I always get her honest opinion, but not so great when she tells me I look hideous! Ah, well, what are mothers for? ☺ She is the reason that I want to be a mother when I get older, especially to have a daughter.

Next up, my father, Steve:

My dad is a big teddy bear. He loves kids, hence why he enjoys Disney World so much. He is definitely a big kid at heart. My dad has three other kids from his first marriage, but they are all much older. My sister and my youngest brother are married with children. My dad loves being a grandpa! He works very hard all year long, and he deserves a vacation like Disney World.
My dad is where I get my artsy and creative side. He has a great imagination and tells great stories. Unfortunately, we’ve heard most of them before… MANY times ☺. I’m excited to take him back to WDW because the last time my parents were there, Animal Kingdom hadn’t been created yet.
My parents love theming, which is why we are staying at the Animal Kingdom Villas.
We decided to go on our trip when we realized that in this recession, we all needed a little pick-me-up and a little happiness. What more perfect place than the happiest place on earth?
I hope our trip is as terrific as I am planning it to be!
Next installment will be about our hotel!
For now – when are you fellow DISers going back the Disney World? Why did you choose that month?

Part 2 - Hotels!

 

[Raecheal]

Great Start to your PTR.. I def. understand what it's like to be a disalcoholic... The photos of you and Edward to sooo cute.

I can't wait to read about your OCD plans..

I'm in...

 

[willonlyflytodisney]

Great Start to your PTR.. I def. understand what it's like to be a disalcoholic... The photos of you and Edward to sooo cute.

I can't wait to read about your OCD plans..

I'm in...

Nice to know I have a visitor!
The pictures of you and your DBF are quite cute as well!

 

[willonlyflytodisney]

Part #2 - Hotels!

When my parents and I decided to first take this trip as the four of us, we ran into a problem. Where do we stay?

DBF and I stay at the Pop Century because not only is it cheap, but we find the theming fun. It also doesn't matter to us where we stay because we are in the parks ALL the time. My parents, however, are more Contemporary people. They used to take me to the Deluxe resorts whenever they visited Disney.

The other problem is that my dad cannot be accommodated in a double or queen bed with my mother. He needs a king bed. Unfortunately, there are few rooms that have a King bed AND something else.

So we eventually decided that we would stay in two rooms at a Moderate Resort. This would be an even line between Deluxe and Value. It would also give DBF Edward and I privacy, while still allowing us to share the vacation with my parents. Two rooms was going to cost us a lot more than we thought, but it was the only way we could figure it out without paying twice that amount for a suite.

Then along came the DISboards... I had been a member for quite some time, but I discovered the Disney Vacation Club threads. Now, we do not travel often enough to become a member, but I saw a thread called Rent/Trade points, and I looked into it, trying to find out what it meant.

I explored the stickys at the top of the page and did some research on my own. I found that MANY people do this ALL the time. We have a timeshare in Puerto Rico, and we had heard about people renting them out when you couldn't go, but we had never done it. Who knew it was so popular??
In the villas, there are Studios, One-Bedrooms, Two-Bedrooms, and Three-Bedrooms. Well, a Two-Bedroom sounded great! We’d each have our own bathroom and we’d be out of each other’s hair! There is also a hierarchy of rooms. For instance, a Value view vs. a Standard room. We decided to stick with the value, just to keep the price down.

We discovered that people were willing to charge $8-$12 a point for us to use their points. We looked up a point chart online, which tells you how many points each night at different DVC (Disney Vacation Club) properties are. (http://www.wdwinfo.com/disney-vacation-club/DVCpoints.shtml)

We discovered that the cheapest for a week was Animal Kingdom Villas at 189 points. AKV is one of those hotels that DBF Edward and I have dreamed about since it came into existence. It is stunning and beautiful in every way and we vowed to get there one day, even if it was after we retire.
We looked online and after a long search we finally found someone willing to rent us their points. Unfortunately, they told us that for the week we wanted to go, a Value or Standard 2-Bedroom was unavailable.

So… back to square one!
But wait! If we upgraded to a Savannah view, instead of a Value view, it would be 272 points. That’s a lot more points. But, at $8 a point, it would still be cheaper than getting two rooms at a Moderate. Hmm….
So, we found someone to sell us their points at that low a price, and we booked it!
We now are confirmed for a 2-Bedroom Savannah View at Animal Kingdom Villas! I’m very excited to wake up and see animals out my window.
I will explain the details of renting points from a DVC member in a later post.
What hotel are you fellow DISers staying at?

 

[jockey]

We rented points for our stay a few weeks ago from a Diser and it worked out really well. We also stayed at AKV, I want to go back her in Jan but DH wants the CR, we may even rent points for BLT.

Have a great trip

 

[Raecheal]

Part #2 - Hotels!DBF and I stay at the Pop Century because not only is it cheap, but we find the theming fun. It also doesn't matter to us where we stay because we are in the parks ALL the time.
We now are confirmed for a 2-Bedroom Savannah View at Animal Kingdom Villas! I’m very excited to wake up and see animals out my window.
I will explain the details of renting points from a DVC member in a later post.
What hotel are you fellow DISers staying at?

Dbf and I usually stay at Pop Century as well.. it's cheap and we love it.. it actually doesn't feel like where in Disney until were all set up in our room.

but ohhh... I would love to try AKL just once.. I'm glad you ended up with a Savannah view...

 

[MadilynnsMomma]

After checking out (and LOVING!!!) your homemade planner you can count me in on this PTR!

SUBBING

 

[willonlyflytodisney]

Hey guys!

Sorry for the delay in posts. I just started working at a day camp and taking care of my girls while planning a Disney trip is not going as smoothly as planned.

Since we got our confirmation today from our DVC Renter, I thought I'd get back to the planning.

Be sure to check out my homemade planner in my Signature!

I'm also working on a notebook for my parents that explains every ride so that we can decide as a family which ones we want to go on!

So, here's the next installment. I'll try to have as many as I can this weekend so that I can just start writing updates!

This entry is about TRANSPORTATION!!

Our family's mode of transportation is actually quite interesting.

My parents will be flying down to Orlando from New York, and they are very excited. However, my BF Edward and I have different plans.

As you can tell by my username, I'm not very keen on being thousands of miles off the ground for a long period of time.

It all started a couple years ago when I went on a trip to Paris with a close friend. We took a small trip to Malta on a small plane. Apparently, it is known for turbulence. We, of course, didn't know that.

... two hours later I was kissing the ground I walked on

I had never been so scared in my life. My whole trip in Malta was haunted by nightmares of falling. I could barely make it on the plane home. I cancelled my trip to Italy planned for the next year.

With some help of a doctor and some meditation CDs and books, I decided to take some Valium and hop on the plane to Disney. BIIIG mistake. A doctor had done something to me called "tapping", which made me relaxed about booking the flight and thinking about the flight. But, on the flight - didn't help at all. I don't remember much of it because of the Valium, but Edward says I was a total wreck.
The last part of the Disney trip, I was so worried about the trip home that I wasn't able to enjoy some of our vacation.

So, I know it's been over a year since we've gone. But, it was my freshman year of college this year and I transferred and blah blah blah. Basically, there wasn't a lot of thinking about flying in the near future.

When my parents decided to book a trip for January, the first thing that came to my mind was the flight. I'm switching to a new school this year (which I'm SO excited about) and I don't want to worry about taking seminars or classes or therapists. I just want to enjoy my time and go to Disney.

So after some careful planning and realizing that it was cheaper to take a train than to fly, BF Edward and I will be taking Amtrak to Florida - both ways.

I'm a little nervous about a 21 hour ride. But, with some movies and Harry Potter, I think it will be fine. Besides, I've always been one to love long car rides.

I hope it's not as bad as some people's experiences have been.

Anyone else used the train/heard from anyone who has?

 

[Raecheal]

Nice to know I have a visitor!
The pictures of you and your DBF are quite cute as well!

I must have missed this... Thanks!!

Hey guys!

I'm a little nervous about a 21 hour ride. But, with some movies and Harry Potter, I think it will be fine. Besides, I've always been one to love long car rides.

I hope it's not as bad as some people's experiences have been.

Anyone else used the train/heard from anyone who has?

21 hour ride... well like you I love long car rides as well.. I'm sure it will fly buy.

 

[MadilynnsMomma]

I'm a little nervous about a 21 hour ride. But, with some movies and Harry Potter, I think it will be fine. Besides, I've always been one to love long car rides.

I hope it's not as bad as some people's experiences have been.

Anyone else used the train/heard from anyone who has?

I've taken the train 2 or 3 times from Boston to Omaha, Nebraska. I really think you will love it! The ride is fun, you feel like you are in a slower time, where time wasn't money. You can sit back and enjoy the ride. They have cars that are called the sight-seeing car and the seats face outward so you can watch the scenery go by. These are usually located near the dining car, so grab a snack and enjoy the ride! Sleeping in the seats sucks... but eh, what can ya do!?

 

[willonlyflytodisney]

I've taken the train 2 or 3 times from Boston to Omaha, Nebraska. I really think you will love it! The ride is fun, you feel like you are in a slower time, where time wasn't money. You can sit back and enjoy the ride. They have cars that are called the sight-seeing car and the seats face outward so you can watch the scenery go by. These are usually located near the dining car, so grab a snack and enjoy the ride! Sleeping in the seats sucks... but eh, what can ya do!?

Ooh! The sight-seeing cars sound fun!

I plan on bringing snacks and meals. Any ideas?

I know I'm bringing a collapsible cooler with breakfast food and snacks but I don't know what to bring for meals or if it's worth it to just buy the meals from the dining car?? Hmmm

 

[MadilynnsMomma]

Ooh! The sight-seeing cars sound fun!

I plan on bringing snacks and meals. Any ideas?

I know I'm bringing a collapsible cooler with breakfast food and snacks but I don't know what to bring for meals or if it's worth it to just buy the meals from the dining car?? Hmmm

It's been years since I rode the train... this was my parents ideal way to send the kids from one parent to the other. I think I was 13 the first time I rode out with my brother, then 15... what were my parents thinking? LOL

I say wing it, don't worry about packing meals. Pack along some snack-y things to munch on, but leave the meals to Amtrak and the cooler at home. When we went I remember seeing people eating "plates" of food that were brought to them. We lived on quick pizza and burgers from the snack car. If memory serves me, the food wasn't bad - nothing to write home about - but not bad! I can't speak for the plated meals, but the snack-y junk was good

 

[willonlyflytodisney]

It's been years since I rode the train... this was my parents ideal way to send the kids from one parent to the other. I think I was 13 the first time I rode out with my brother, then 15... what were my parents thinking? LOL

I say wing it, don't worry about packing meals. Pack along some snack-y things to munch on, but leave the meals to Amtrak and the cooler at home. When we went I remember seeing people eating "plates" of food that were brought to them. We lived on quick pizza and burgers from the snack car. If memory serves me, the food wasn't bad - nothing to write home about - but not bad! I can't speak for the plated meals, but the snack-y junk was good

So I did some research HERE and I looked at menus and such

I thought it was so much more expensive than it actually is. I mean, it's not cheap, but it's definitely do-able.

We'll pack water and snacks and such, but we'll definitely leave the meals to the train.

 

[MadilynnsMomma]

So I did some research HERE and I looked at menus and such

I thought it was so much more expensive than it actually is. I mean, it's not cheap, but it's definitely do-able.

We'll pack water and snacks and such, but we'll definitely leave the meals to the train.

Those prices look pretty good... I'd love to take the train again... to anywhere!

 

[MadilynnsMomma]

BUMP - where'd ya go?

 

[willonlyflytodisney]

Hi everyone!!!

Sorry for the delay - Just moved into a new school so things have been hectic.

Most importantly - I have finished my Disney Planner.


A new entry will be coming soon along with pictures of my planner!!


Hope everyone had a terrific summer!

 

[willonlyflytodisney]

Just a quick update to say 94 Days to Go!

We are waiting for park hours to come out so that we can book our ADRs!!!!




Next post will be past trips - the hours don't come first- then it will be our Itinerary!!!!

 

[MadilynnsMomma]

Oh man... I hated the waiting game for park hours! Hard to believe it's only been a month since I was waiting!

Hang in there

 

[willonlyflytodisney]

Okay! So I know I should have been updating this more often to show you the previous 19 Itineraries I had created, but college often takes priority to Disboards

But, I figured I needed to update as the only thing left to book is our train tickets!!!

Here goes!

Saturday, January 2nd
3:15pm - DBF and my Train leaves for Orlando!
We stay on the train allll day

Sunday, January 3rd
11:15am - M&D flight leaves
12:55pm - DBF and my Train lands in Orlando!
Car picks Edward and I up at the Train Station, we pick up groceries and head to Animal Kingdom Villas!
2:03pm - Flight arrives in Orlando!
M&D take Magical Express to Animal Kingdom Villas!
We spend the afternoon unpacking and watching the animals outside our room!
Then we take a bus to Magic Kingdom to catch the Monorail to the Contemporary - the Monorail is my dad's only memory of the Dis!
7:40 - At the Contemporary - we eat at California Grill
After Dinner, we take a bus from the Contemporary to Hollywood Studios to see the last of the Osbourne Lights!
It will be a busy night there because of the weekend and it is a Fantasmic night
Then we head back to the hotel - where waiting for my parents will be lots of decorations and surprises - more on that in another post!

Monday, January 4th
Wake up at 6:45/7:00
Eat breakfast at the hotel
Get on a 7:30 bus to Animal Kingdom for EMH!
Spend the morning in AK! - Must See rides at a later post!
Lunch at Flame Tree BBQ
Afternoon at AK
3:45 - Jungle Jammin' Parade
Since AK closes at 5pm today, we head to DTD
Dinner at Wolfgang Puck Express
then back to the Hotel for sleep!

Tuesday, January 5th
Wake up at 6:45/7:00
Get on a 7:30 bus to Epcot for EMH!
Spend the day at Epcot - especially at Soarin'
Lunch in whatever country we please!
7:00 -Dinner at Cantina de San Angel - getting our best seats for Illuminations!
Sit and talk while we wait for Illuminations at 9:00

Wednesday, January 6th
Wake up whenever we want!
Relax at the hotel and the pool
Brunch at Boma
Head over to DTD and eat dinner at Earl of Sandwich!
9:00 - La Nouba!

Thursday, January 7th
Wake up at 6:45/7:00
Take a 7:30 bus to MK for EMH!
Spend the day at MK
No specific dining reservations all day

Friday, January 8th
Wake up at 7:45/8:00
Take an 8:30 bus to HS
Spend the day at HS
3:00 - Block Party Bash
7:05 - 50s Primetime Cafe Dinner! - trying to get a cake for my parents

Saturday, January 9th
Wake up at 7:45/8:00
Take an 8:30 bus to MK
Spend another day at MK
Do everything we haven't done yet - ride Space Mountain again and again
End the night with our favorite spot - right by the train station at the front
Sit and enjoy our last night with Spectro at 7 and Wishes at 8 - all sitting in the same spot

Sunday, January 10th
10:45 - M&D's flight leaves Orlando
1:26pm - M&D's flight lands
1:59pm - DBF and my train leaves Orlando
Then, we stay on the train all dayyyyy

Monday, January 11th
11:36am - Edward and my train arrives back home!



And that's our trip!
I'm very excited about absolutely everything.

Now that it is all planned - it comes time to figuring out how to make it special for my parents

Please let me know if you have any ideas about decorating the room or adding little personal touches! I'm very interested in DIY things!

 

[willonlyflytodisney]

Yes, already, only a few hours after the other one - we realized that HS closes at 8 the night we wanted t see the Osbourne Lights... We eat Dinner at 7:40 at California Grill.... Doesn't give us much time. So here is the NEWEST edition.

But, before I do anything else - I just want to give a big thank you to DIS.

Thanks to a WONDERFUL DIS Member, MadilynnsMomma, our trip has been made MUCH more spectacular!!!!!

Saturday, January 2nd
3:15pm - DBF and my Train leaves for Orlando!
We stay on the train allll day

Sunday, January 3rd
11:15am - M&D flight leaves
12:55pm - DBF and my Train lands in Orlando!
Car picks Edward and I up at the Train Station, we pick up groceries and head to Animal Kingdom Villas!
2:03pm - Flight arrives in Orlando!
M&D take Magical Express to Animal Kingdom Villas!
We spend the afternoon unpacking and watching the animals outside our room!
Then we take a bus to Magic Kingdom to catch the Monorail to the Contemporary - the Monorail is my dad's only memory of the Dis!
7:40 - At the Contemporary - we eat at California Grill
After Dinner, we take the monorail back to the MK and walk around for a bit as it is open until 1 am
Then we head back to the hotel - where waiting for my parents will be lots of decorations and surprises - more on that in another post!

Monday, January 4th
Wake up at 6:45/7:00
Eat breakfast at the hotel
Get on a 7:30 bus to Animal Kingdom for EMH!
Spend the morning in AK! - Must See rides at a later post!
Lunch at Flame Tree BBQ
Afternoon at AK
3:45 - Jungle Jammin' Parade
Since AK closes at 5pm today, we head to DTD
Dinner at Wolfgang Puck Express
then back to the Hotel for sleep!

Tuesday, January 5th
Wake up at 6:45/7:00
Get on a 7:30 bus to Epcot for EMH!
Spend the day at Epcot - especially at Soarin'
Lunch in whatever country we please!
7:00 -Dinner at Cantina de San Angel - getting our best seats for Illuminations!
Sit and talk while we wait for Illuminations at 9:00

Wednesday, January 6th
Wake up whenever we want!
Relax at the hotel and the pool
Brunch at Boma
Head over to DTD and eat dinner at Earl of Sandwich!
9:00 - La Nouba!

Thursday, January 7th
Wake up at 6:45/7:00
Take a 7:30 bus to MK for EMH!
Spend the day at MK
No specific dining reservations all day

Friday, January 8th
Wake up at 7:45/8:00
Take an 8:30 bus to HS
Spend the day at HS
3:00 - Block Party Bash
7:05 - 50s Primetime Cafe Dinner! - trying to get a cake for my parents

Saturday, January 9th
Wake up at 7:45/8:00
Take an 8:30 bus to MK
Spend another day at MK
Do everything we haven't done yet - ride Space Mountain again and again
End the night with our favorite spot - right by the train station at the front
Sit and enjoy our last night with Spectro at 7 and Wishes at 8 - all sitting in the same spot

Sunday, January 10th
10:45 - M&D's flight leaves Orlando
1:26pm - M&D's flight lands
1:59pm - DBF and my train leaves Orlando
Then, we stay on the train all dayyyyy

Monday, January 11th
11:36am - Edward and my train arrives back home!


That's all for now! I'll post any more changes as they come up!

Thanks again to MM for the best gift a DISer can give - a tip to save you money!