The Sunrise Student
aka Sunshine
- Joined
- Sep 25, 2008
- Messages
- 1,823
My Husband “Darby O’ Gill” & myself listen to the pod casts weekly. Actually listening to the Podcast is almost like a religion at our household; my husband has even asked me for a MP3 Player so that he can listen to Podcasts at work. Not surprising since like most of us here on the boards Hubby is a Disney Addict, I too love Disney but, I think Hubby likes planning, listen to podcasts, and reading the boards “the foreplay” just as much as he does the trip itself!
HISTORY behind Jan 2009 Trip Planning:
With my husband’s addictive behavior intact, it was time to go again (this January Trip will be our 4th Trip to the World in 5 years). See, it has been two years since our last trip in Dec 2006 and we stayed at the Shades of Green (SoG) on WDW. Shades of Green (SoG) was our first experience of staying on property and we LOVED it!!!! So much so that we are dying to stay on property again BUT this time we wanted to try a Disney Resort. With this being my 40th Birthday trip (yes I am admitting this), we actually decided to spread the magic to a single friend of ours and drag him along with us since he has never been to Disney World, and only been to Disneyland a VERY long time ago, long before California Adventure Park had even been thought!
With three adults raring to go we set out to start making plans, starting with reserving a room at one of the motels outside the World (to make sure we at least had some where to rest our heads & could be canceled) while I let Hubby go NUTZ trying to see if he could find the best bang for our buck on property. We knew the Disney Resorts were more expensive than SoG, and we knew the room size of SoG is comparable to the Swan, we really didn’t want to stay at a Value Resort because we were spoiled by the SoG room size, that and it was my BIRTHDAY, a BIG ONE, and I, yes I, really didn’t want to stay at what I felt was a kid resort for my ALL ADULT 40th BIRTHDAY trip. Sigh! I know how I sound, spolied rotten, however I am normally a flexable person, but being that this is my big 40th B-Day I am playing it on the spoiled side. Somthing about the BIG FOUR O has made me realize if I don't start asking for what I want, I never will.
We actually bought our plane tickets back in June, while the gas prices were crazy and we found a good deal on tickets.
Then of course we also decided to see Universal Studios/Adventure Island too, so we bought those tickets on a deal early.
Next my husband got it in his head that he want me to have breakfast in the castle on my birthday. The 180 days out just happened to be on a Saturday morning so I was home to watch the three ring circus as my husband prepared for the phone call he’d been training for. And at less that 15 minutes past 7 hubby had the three of us eating breakfast on my birthday in the castle… WOW, I thought Hubby really knows his stuff!
But then there was months of nothing… no deals presented themselves, we had our plane tickets, we had our US/AI tickets we had our money set aside for the Disney tickets but didn’t want to buy them in case we could find a deal that included them, we even let the disney tickets prices rise in the Fall and held our ground.
We continued to search, I even got into the looking as well, and started to get really worried because January codes weren’t coming, NOTHING, not even car rental deal, ZIP, Zilch, for a long time then when the big announcement 4 days/nights 3 free deal came along we JUMPED, my husband ran to get our friend while I got on the phone. I mean I couldn’t have dialed the Disney Reservation Line any faster. By 6 pm (less than an hour after the announcement) we had reservations at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, but were very disappointed that the savanna was closed and we kept hearing the new construction was nosey, not the makings of a dream vacation at a deluxe resort. Our friend wasn’t comfortable with the Grand Floridian and nether was I really, I wanted to relax, and not worry about putting on a suit of armor for presentation to those around me, I do enough of that at work. I am going on a VERY MUCH NEEDED Stress-less Vacation, not to mention the 40th Birthday on top of this and I really just want to relax!
So I got back on the phone again, deciding to try for the Wilderness Lodge, the Disney Travel agent told us we could only get a room with a bunk bed, Ugh… Our friend was jumping up and down telling me to take it and he’d sleep in the bunk bed, and be grudgingly I change our reservation to WL courtyard view bunk bed room. So I get off the phone look at my friend whom is just as tall as I am (6 feet tall) and said there is no way I am letting you stay in a bunk bed.
He kept insisting it was fine, cause he and my husband really liked the idea of staying at the WL.
The spirit of my determined planning husband must have rubbed off on me, because while he and our friend were chatting about how great the Wilderness Lodge was going to be I picked the phone back up and called the Disney Reservation Line, AGAIN. I waited on hold for 30 minutes this time and paced the house waiting for the Disney Travel Agent’s magical voice, and as soon as I heard her finish her greeting I spoke as calmly as I could; I started to expound my dilemma, including letting her know that this was my 40th birthday and I really wanted to console myself with a hot chocolate in front of that huge fireplace on my birthday.… She giggled at this and said let me see what I she could do, a few minutes later she had us booked at the WL with two queen beds courtyard room… I about fainted!
And couldn’t have thanked the woman more! Here I was staying at the Wilderness Lodge Deluxe Resort for 10 days for the price of 7 and my tall friend wouldn’t be cramped in that bunk bed, and it was cheaper that the original reservation with bunk beds!
Doing the Happy DANCE, Doing the Happy Dance…
Next we found a code for a full size rental car for the price of a economy…. Now we are set…
We are planning to run for Disney Studios Thursday (arrival day), the first night after we check in to make sure we get to see Fantasimic because they have cut back to two nights a week and we want to make sure we see it one of those nights and not get rained out on all three times.
So we are all set… so we thought…. Here’s the bad things…. we are going from the 8th to the 18th of January. This means the Disney Marathon is going on… Next my Birthday is on Thursday the 15th and Breakfast is at the castle *smile* BUT the “Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World” says Magic Kingdom isn’t the place to go that day, on top of that we will behind the curve, not being there for the rope drop for planning tours so I was thinking just to jump the monorail in MK and head to EPCOT. If the Monorail runs late enough and the boats from MK run back to the WL that late, or we just grab our rental car.
So I finally get to my question after my book… Beyond my Breakfast at the castle we have nothing planned for my Birthday….. HELP…. what do you think about EPCOT for the rest of the day?
What would you do if it was your birthday and you were celebrating the BIG ONE at the World????
Thanks for taking the time to read this book. And thanks In advance for any advice you can give us...
HISTORY behind Jan 2009 Trip Planning:
With my husband’s addictive behavior intact, it was time to go again (this January Trip will be our 4th Trip to the World in 5 years). See, it has been two years since our last trip in Dec 2006 and we stayed at the Shades of Green (SoG) on WDW. Shades of Green (SoG) was our first experience of staying on property and we LOVED it!!!! So much so that we are dying to stay on property again BUT this time we wanted to try a Disney Resort. With this being my 40th Birthday trip (yes I am admitting this), we actually decided to spread the magic to a single friend of ours and drag him along with us since he has never been to Disney World, and only been to Disneyland a VERY long time ago, long before California Adventure Park had even been thought!
With three adults raring to go we set out to start making plans, starting with reserving a room at one of the motels outside the World (to make sure we at least had some where to rest our heads & could be canceled) while I let Hubby go NUTZ trying to see if he could find the best bang for our buck on property. We knew the Disney Resorts were more expensive than SoG, and we knew the room size of SoG is comparable to the Swan, we really didn’t want to stay at a Value Resort because we were spoiled by the SoG room size, that and it was my BIRTHDAY, a BIG ONE, and I, yes I, really didn’t want to stay at what I felt was a kid resort for my ALL ADULT 40th BIRTHDAY trip. Sigh! I know how I sound, spolied rotten, however I am normally a flexable person, but being that this is my big 40th B-Day I am playing it on the spoiled side. Somthing about the BIG FOUR O has made me realize if I don't start asking for what I want, I never will.
We actually bought our plane tickets back in June, while the gas prices were crazy and we found a good deal on tickets.
Then of course we also decided to see Universal Studios/Adventure Island too, so we bought those tickets on a deal early.
Next my husband got it in his head that he want me to have breakfast in the castle on my birthday. The 180 days out just happened to be on a Saturday morning so I was home to watch the three ring circus as my husband prepared for the phone call he’d been training for. And at less that 15 minutes past 7 hubby had the three of us eating breakfast on my birthday in the castle… WOW, I thought Hubby really knows his stuff!
But then there was months of nothing… no deals presented themselves, we had our plane tickets, we had our US/AI tickets we had our money set aside for the Disney tickets but didn’t want to buy them in case we could find a deal that included them, we even let the disney tickets prices rise in the Fall and held our ground.
We continued to search, I even got into the looking as well, and started to get really worried because January codes weren’t coming, NOTHING, not even car rental deal, ZIP, Zilch, for a long time then when the big announcement 4 days/nights 3 free deal came along we JUMPED, my husband ran to get our friend while I got on the phone. I mean I couldn’t have dialed the Disney Reservation Line any faster. By 6 pm (less than an hour after the announcement) we had reservations at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, but were very disappointed that the savanna was closed and we kept hearing the new construction was nosey, not the makings of a dream vacation at a deluxe resort. Our friend wasn’t comfortable with the Grand Floridian and nether was I really, I wanted to relax, and not worry about putting on a suit of armor for presentation to those around me, I do enough of that at work. I am going on a VERY MUCH NEEDED Stress-less Vacation, not to mention the 40th Birthday on top of this and I really just want to relax!
So I got back on the phone again, deciding to try for the Wilderness Lodge, the Disney Travel agent told us we could only get a room with a bunk bed, Ugh… Our friend was jumping up and down telling me to take it and he’d sleep in the bunk bed, and be grudgingly I change our reservation to WL courtyard view bunk bed room. So I get off the phone look at my friend whom is just as tall as I am (6 feet tall) and said there is no way I am letting you stay in a bunk bed.
He kept insisting it was fine, cause he and my husband really liked the idea of staying at the WL. The spirit of my determined planning husband must have rubbed off on me, because while he and our friend were chatting about how great the Wilderness Lodge was going to be I picked the phone back up and called the Disney Reservation Line, AGAIN. I waited on hold for 30 minutes this time and paced the house waiting for the Disney Travel Agent’s magical voice, and as soon as I heard her finish her greeting I spoke as calmly as I could; I started to expound my dilemma, including letting her know that this was my 40th birthday and I really wanted to console myself with a hot chocolate in front of that huge fireplace on my birthday.… She giggled at this and said let me see what I she could do, a few minutes later she had us booked at the WL with two queen beds courtyard room… I about fainted!
And couldn’t have thanked the woman more! Here I was staying at the Wilderness Lodge Deluxe Resort for 10 days for the price of 7 and my tall friend wouldn’t be cramped in that bunk bed, and it was cheaper that the original reservation with bunk beds! Doing the Happy DANCE, Doing the Happy Dance… Next we found a code for a full size rental car for the price of a economy…. Now we are set…
We are planning to run for Disney Studios Thursday (arrival day), the first night after we check in to make sure we get to see Fantasimic because they have cut back to two nights a week and we want to make sure we see it one of those nights and not get rained out on all three times.
So we are all set… so we thought…. Here’s the bad things…. we are going from the 8th to the 18th of January. This means the Disney Marathon is going on… Next my Birthday is on Thursday the 15th and Breakfast is at the castle *smile* BUT the “Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World” says Magic Kingdom isn’t the place to go that day, on top of that we will behind the curve, not being there for the rope drop for planning tours so I was thinking just to jump the monorail in MK and head to EPCOT. If the Monorail runs late enough and the boats from MK run back to the WL that late, or we just grab our rental car.
So I finally get to my question after my book… Beyond my Breakfast at the castle we have nothing planned for my Birthday….. HELP…. what do you think about EPCOT for the rest of the day?
What would you do if it was your birthday and you were celebrating the BIG ONE at the World????
Thanks for taking the time to read this book. And thanks In advance for any advice you can give us...
