Spending my birthday in Disney! Oct 2010 PTR - UPDATED 10/11 TR STARTED

[Dancegrl624]

Hmm....that is a quite the situation you have. I guess it all depends on what everyone else in your party wants to do. For me personally, I'd choose FD. I'm not big on sharing a space (even a large villa) with a lot of people, so I'd opt for smaller rooms and free food! Plus, we're hardly ever in our room anyways. It's up to you!

 

[ilovefh]

Here is my 2 cents for what it's worth. What were the planned sleeping arrangements in the 2 bedroom and what will they be if you get two rooms?

I have a love/hate relationship with the regular DDP. I love the idea of it when I am planning the trip! When I get there I hate it because I've made all my ADRs well in advance and I hate being tied down! Last time we used it we swore we wouldn't do it again because we felt like all we did was plan around our daily ADR. That said, when they extended free dining I thought, hey, maybe we'll do a weekend this fall even though we live here now! LOL!

The quick service DDP I might be interested in trying. So there, I was absolutely no help! LOL!

 

[jenny105]

Hmm....that is a quite the situation you have. I guess it all depends on what everyone else in your party wants to do. For me personally, I'd choose FD. I'm not big on sharing a space (even a large villa) with a lot of people, so I'd opt for smaller rooms and free food! Plus, we're hardly ever in our room anyways. It's up to you!

I've talked to Kris and my cousin Adam so far and they're pro-switching. They like the idea of free dining and Adam thinks if we do the regular dining plan, the sit down meals will be a down time and we can all talk since we won't be running in 15 different directions. It is partly a family trip after all! I was looking forward to staying at SSR but how much time was I really going to spend there. It's about time I returned to Pop!

 

[jenny105]

Here is my 2 cents for what it's worth. What were the planned sleeping arrangements in the 2 bedroom and what will they be if you get two rooms?

I have a love/hate relationship with the regular DDP. I love the idea of it when I am planning the trip! When I get there I hate it because I've made all my ADRs well in advance and I hate being tied down! Last time we used it we swore we wouldn't do it again because we felt like all we did was plan around our daily ADR. That said, when they extended free dining I thought, hey, maybe we'll do a weekend this fall even though we live here now! LOL!

The quick service DDP I might be interested in trying. So there, I was absolutely no help! LOL!

LOL.

The sleeping arrangements in the villa were me and Kris in the master bedroom, my sister and cousin adam sharing the queen room, and alex on the pullout. Since my sister's friend is now planning on going, I'm thinking we can get 3 rooms, 2 people to a room (me & kris, alex & adam, my sister & her friend). Still plenty of space and no one has to share a bed and it's the same cost as my TA discount at SSR plus tickets. (What we currently have booked now).

The only ADRs I have right now are Ohana and Chef Mickey's. I don't mind working around the ADRs. I usually pick the off, less crowded times for them anyway and it'll give us a break from running around in the heat. I would probably just pick ADRs at the parks I already plan to be at or at resorts nearby.

I have rooms on hold at the Pop Century with the dining promo for now. We'll see what happens!

 

[FauntleroyFAN07]

another 2 cents, and you have to know i have never stayed in the bigger villa type places, but we find that we are hardly ever in our room when we go except to sleep, so the extra room would be wasted on us, so if you want the free dinning go for it, and dont worry about the room.


also your weekend included a stop at cheeseburger in paradise, that equals a GREAT weekend in my book, i love that place, best seat is at the bar while they make the crazy drinks and throw the beers back and forth.

 

[klacey1]

I think switching is your best bet-- make sure you price out staying at a mod and getting the DDP free vs doing QS but having to pay out of pocket. You might find staying at a mod saves you money!
I think honestly, at the end of the long days, people will appreciate the privacy of their own rooms. You can always request connecting/adjoining rooms, too (not that those are always guaranteed).

 

[jenny105]

another 2 cents, and you have to know i have never stayed in the bigger villa type places, but we find that we are hardly ever in our room when we go except to sleep, so the extra room would be wasted on us, so if you want the free dinning go for it, and dont worry about the room.


also your weekend included a stop at cheeseburger in paradise, that equals a GREAT weekend in my book, i love that place, best seat is at the bar while they make the crazy drinks and throw the beers back and forth.

That's exactly what I was thinking. If I had more time to spend at the resort, I would be considering staying at SSR more. But we're really only going to be there to sleep and maybe use the pool once or twice. I'd rather have the dining plan!

That was my first time at Cheeseburger in paradise! I loved it. We sat outside so I'll have to remember to sit at the bar for next time.

I think switching is your best bet-- make sure you price out staying at a mod and getting the DDP free vs doing QS but having to pay out of pocket. You might find staying at a mod saves you money!
I think honestly, at the end of the long days, people will appreciate the privacy of their own rooms. You can always request connecting/adjoining rooms, too (not that those are always guaranteed).

I priced out the mod but it didn't save me money lol. It's a better deal staying at the value and upgrading to the DDP. So I think that's the way we're going to go.

And I did request rooms near each other! They don't have to be connecting; as long as we're in the same building on the same floor I'll be happy.

 

[ilovefh]

LOL.

The sleeping arrangements in the villa were me and Kris in the master bedroom, my sister and cousin adam sharing the queen room, and alex on the pullout. Since my sister's friend is now planning on going, I'm thinking we can get 3 rooms, 2 people to a room (me & kris, alex & adam, my sister & her friend). Still plenty of space and no one has to share a bed and it's the same cost as my TA discount at SSR plus tickets. (What we currently have booked now).

The only ADRs I have right now are Ohana and Chef Mickey's. I don't mind working around the ADRs. I usually pick the off, less crowded times for them anyway and it'll give us a break from running around in the heat. I would probably just pick ADRs at the parks I already plan to be at or at resorts nearby.

I have rooms on hold at the Pop Century with the dining promo for now. We'll see what happens!

Getting three bedrooms will give you an extra bathroom too! Did you go with Pop? I love it there. if I didn't have DVC I would stay there all the time!

 

[jenny105]

Getting three bedrooms will give you an extra bathroom too! Did you go with Pop? I love it there. if I didn't have DVC I would stay there all the time!

Yup! No question about it, I love Pop, I've stayed there 3 times before. I'm sure the other values are ok but I know and like this one so I'm hesitant to try the others! Currently everything is on hold; I have yet to switch it over officially. I'm still waiting to talk to my sister.

 

[jenny105]

So it is official. After 40 minutes on hold with Disney , we are switched to Pop Century to take advantage of free dining! I'm excited because c'mon it's free dining and that's awesome but a little bummed we won't be staying at SSR. I love Pop but I've stayed there 3 times and I love staying at new resorts! But whatever, we won't be there that much anyway! I'll get over it!

I also put in a request for a king room for my room as well as telling them that it was Adam and Alex's first visit. I'm sure they will love their pins! I expect them to wear the pins at all times! Even in their sleep!

So I've already tackled the task of making more ADRs. Here is how it's shaping up.

10/5 - My Birthday! Ohana 8:05 pm I made a note on the reservation for a birthday celebration. What will they do for this exactly? Just curious! Many Lapu Lapus will be consumed lol.
10/6 - Biergarten 2:00 I've never been here! Lynn (Lynn5700) always raves about it so I figured what the heck, let's try it! I told my sister about it and she said she could probably spend hours in there. Oktoberfest!
10/8 - Sci Fi 2:00 I haven't been here in a few years and I think everyone will like the atmosphere of the place. It's fun! I just know from experience not to get the pasta...
10/9 - Chef Mickey's 11:05 am Perfect way to wrap up vacation! I've never been here and I'm really looking forward to it. You have to have at least one character dining experience! I'm hoping everyone enjoys it!

That leaves us with one extra TS dining credit. I'm thinking I may walk over to Beaches and Cream on Epcot Day and have a late dinner there, followed by ice cream of course! I love that place, it's so cute! Plus I wanted to show Kris Stormalong Bay cause I was talking about it the other night so that gives me an excuse!

The CS places I'm not too picky about but I do have my favorites. Pecos Bill's or Cosmic Ray's in MK, Sunshine Seasons in Epcot, and Pizza Planet in DHS. AK? I never usually do CS there so this will be a new experience! I've got recommendations for Flame Tree BBQ and the Yak & Yeti CS place. Any other suggestions?

2 months and 26 days!!

 

[ilovefh]

Nice! Your plans sound good! Out of curiosity how much is it to upgrade to the regular DP?

 

[jenny105]

Nice! Your plans sound good! Out of curiosity how much is it to upgrade to the regular DP?

It was only an extra $50 a person. Definitely worth it!

 

[MyMuse]

Hi! I'm back and caught up.

For my October dates, Continental has a huge sale for Newark to Orlando flights, so I snagged it. I'm leaving Orlando a bit later than I wanted to, but it just means time at Disney.

For my December dates, I fall into free dining, but I think I'll look for discounts instead. The dining plan confuses the bejesus out of me and I'd rather order what I want without stressing out whether I used up all my credits. I'm hoping room discounts come out in the next few days when free dining does down.

 

[Dancegrl624]

Hooray for Free Dining!!! Pizzafari isn't too bad at AK for a CS place. We'd like to try Flame Tree on our Sept trip. Sunshine Seasons is the BEST!!!

 

[jenny105]

Hi! I'm back and caught up.

For my October dates, Continental has a huge sale for Newark to Orlando flights, so I snagged it. I'm leaving Orlando a bit later than I wanted to, but it just means time at Disney.

For my December dates, I fall into free dining, but I think I'll look for discounts instead. The dining plan confuses the bejesus out of me and I'd rather order what I want without stressing out whether I used up all my credits. I'm hoping room discounts come out in the next few days when free dining does down.

Hi!

Awesome for scoring a sweet deal on airfare! When I checked Continental for my trip, the rates were crazy so we're flying JetBlue instead. JFK first-timer. At least the terminal is nice. If we reach the terminal without 3 hours of traffic first.

The dining plan used to confuse me until I had it last year. Now I love it and wouldn't want to go without it! It's just so convenient and it minimizes OOP costs. I really only have to worry about the rental car and spending money now!

Hooray for Free Dining!!! Pizzafari isn't too bad at AK for a CS place. We'd like to try Flame Tree on our Sept trip. Sunshine Seasons is the BEST!!!

Pizzafari, I always forget about that one! I've never tried Flame Tree, may have to check it out this trip. And yes, Sunshine Seasons rocks! They have SO many choices!!!

 

[klacey1]

Yay for free dining! We're also not crazy about the AK CS food, but Flame Tree isn't terrible. I also am in the minority and am a big Disney pizza fan, so I'd recommend Pizzafari. It's the same as at Pizza Planet (our fav DHS, too!!)

 

[jenny105]

Yay for free dining! We're also not crazy about the AK CS food, but Flame Tree isn't terrible. I also am in the minority and am a big Disney pizza fan, so I'd recommend Pizzafari. It's the same as at Pizza Planet (our fav DHS, too!!)

Looks like I may be having a lot of Disney pizza this trip! My last trip was the first time I tried pizza planet, I read about how people hated disney pizza but I liked it!

 

[2_Eagle_Mom]

We LOVE the Biergarten, we go almost every trip. Buffet, beer and polkas, what could be better? The last time we were there Jim got the “Large” beer and OMG it was HUGE!!!

At MK besides Cosmic Ray’s we love Liberty Tree Tavern. Their sandwiches and chili are really good.

 

[jenny105]

We LOVE the Biergarten, we go almost every trip. Buffet, beer and polkas, what could be better? The last time we were there Jim got the “Large” beer and OMG it was HUGE!!!

At MK besides Cosmic Ray’s we love Liberty Tree Tavern. Their sandwiches and chili are really good.

Biergarten sounds like fun! I'm looking forward to it. Do you have a picture of this "large" beer?

I had ADRs at LTT for a Feb trip but those plans fell through and I never got to go! The menu looks good!!

 

[Charlefours]

Congratulations on free dining! Love the idea of going to Beaches and Cream. If we end up adding park days in May, I want to go there. I have been thinking Flame Tree for CS at AK but now that it is closed during my dates, I guess I am back to the drawing board.