Taking my nieces back to WDW and on DCL! *5/9 Excursion time!

[BelleBway]

Quick Table of Contents

• 2010-04-04 Is it ever too early to start a PTR? I say NO! (this post)
• 2010-04-12 I did it! I made a DCL reservation!
• 2010-04-29 What could be better than a WDW/ DCL vacation with the nieces next yr?
• 2010-05-08 Fairytale Birthday Trip is ON!
• 2010-09-01 Long time, no post... time to start thinking of dining reservations!
• 2010-09-14 It's 180 days... ADR time!
• 2010-11-06 Some random updates...
• 2010-11-22 How about a discount...?!
• 2010-11-27 I have a plan (or plans)
• 2010-12-06 Birthday trip is canceled
• 2011-01-30 NYE report on telling the girls about the trip! (finally)
• 2011-02-15 Less than 6 months... and counting!
• 2011-04-01 WDW hotel reservations have been made!
• 2011-04-23 We interrupt this pre-TR for a moment of cuteness
• 2011-05-09 Excursion time!

Background:

The Phillies won the world series in 2008. Aside from the fact that I LOVE mentioning this... especially since I was there... I'd told myself that if they won the world series, I would take my nieces to WDW. So that's exactly what I did in summer 2009. (PTR for that trip is at http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2214652)

It was supposed to be a once in a lifetime thing.

But then before we even came home, the girls started talking about how they wanted to go back...

And I recently started to realize that I was never happier than when I was planning the WDW trip....

So what choice do I have but to start planning a sequel for summer 2011? And not just a repeat of last summer's trip, that would never do... not when DCL has a new ship that I'm dying to experience... So this time I'm planning WDW and a Disney cruise as well! And maybe even a hop over to IOA to see Harry Potter world if I can swing it...

Cast of characters:

Me: Single, never married... software developer, lover of travel, the Phillies, ice skating, and all Disney theme parks worldwide... trip planner and blogger extraordinaire (at least in my own mind )

The nieces (aka lucky beneficiaries of the fact that I never had kids)

J: will be turning 14 in summer 2011. We spent her 12th birthday in WDW and though she can sometimes be a bit moody, she was basically awesome for the whole trip. J is super intelligent, analytical, sensitive and could swim in a pool for hours.

M: will be 10 in summer 2011. She provided us with some... challenging... moments on the last trip but she will be 2 yrs older so we're hoping that she will be easier to deal with. M is typically vivacious and strong willed and could swim in a pool for hours.

(yes, they wanted way more pool time than I'd anticipated so I'm figuring they will flip over Castaway Cay... since even I love it there and I am totally not a beach person)

Sometimes they get along fabulously; other times they clash. Some family members were overly worried that things wouldn't work out last trip... I'm hoping that they won't worry as much next time since all 3 of us came back having enough of an awesome time that we're more than willing to do it again. The 2 girls are both growing up so fast so I figure that if we want to go again, we should do it sooner rather than later. I love spending time with them, and the feeling seems to be mutual.

Current plans and decisions that need to be made

The biggest challenge I am wrestling with is whether to take a 5 day cruise or a 4 day cruise. The 4 day would be way cheaper, especially since we could go in late Aug after the rates seem to go down. Beyond that... I think the girls would love being able to go to Castaway Cay twice on the 5 day and I'd rather have more time on the ship and Castaway Cay.

2nd biggest decision would be the choice of Disney hotel... this is somewhat limited by the fact that the girls would not want to share a bed. The bunk bed room at AKL worked out great, although it seemed far from most of the parks especially MK. The girls seemed to like GF when we went there for dinner, and I've never stayed there so that's an option; I'd also like to try Bay Lake tower. Since rates aren't even out for 2011, I figure I have some time to decide. Definitely hoping for a good promo- I got a 40% off room PIN last time.

3rd decision would be whether we can swing a night at Universal- I'm thinking we'd fly in on a Sat and hit IOA and then leave on the cruise Sunday and then stay at WDW afterwards. I'd rather do the parks first, but since both cruises I am looking at leave on Sundays, doing WDW afterwards would probably work better in terms of minimizing time off from work.

Tentative plans for the cruise are to do the dolphin swim in Nassau and parasailing and snorkeling at Castaway Cay.

I have so much pre-trip planning excitement, I figured I'd start a thread in hopes that I can share my enthusiasm with others as I work out all the details. So let the planning officially begin!

 

[LuvEeyore]

okay, I'm in!! Got room for more??
My vote would be a 7 day cruise and 1 day at IOA and 1 at WDW unless you skip IOA all together. Do the 5 day if not 7. Have you been on a Disney Cruise? Go it will be great and things to do together and separate places you can go while the girls are in the clubs.

You have a different problem than I do. My goddaughter will tell her parents that she isn't going with them if I were planning a Disney cruise or trip at the same time they were going on a vacation and she says that she would sleep in the floor to get to go to Disney.

Have fun with the girls and the planning. I am single and I take my Goddaughter with me at times and have since she has been little. Over nights away from home without being able to get home quickly started about 3 years ago and she loves it. She is starting to like to help with the planning.
This year I will have a different problem, her boyfriend lives 5 minutes from WDW!!! She lives in Virginia.

 

[BelleBway]

okay, I'm in!! Got room for more??
My vote would be a 7 day cruise and 1 day at IOA and 1 at WDW unless you skip IOA all together. Do the 5 day if not 7. Have you been on a Disney Cruise? Go it will be great and things to do together and separate places you can go while the girls are in the clubs.

I was on the Disney magic back when it was new; The Dream doesn't do 7 day cruises in 2011... and I already am worried about the cell phone bills being at sea for 4/5 days. M was constantly txting home during vacation... and the only reason J didn't was because her phone broke the first day after she was trying to use it in the rain.

I wish the 5 day was less expensive; but the price difference is quite a bit Although I could theoretically get an inside room to save... but I get claustrophobic and loved my veranda on the Magic.... I want it all, darn it!!!

I am leaning toward the 5 day... and just blindly hoping that I can magically afford it! *says a little prayer that we pleaaaaaaase get the bonuses that my boss was considering...*

The 1 day at IOA came about because I didn't want to fly down on a Sunday morning for a Sunday cruise; so first I thought of flying in on Saturday and staying overnight somewhere (airport/Port Canaveral/WDW)... and then I thought we could stay at Universal (with front of the line passes) The kids love Harry Potter and so do I; J would also love the coasters at IOA.

You have a different problem than I do. My goddaughter will tell her parents that she isn't going with them if I were planning a Disney cruise or trip at the same time they were going on a vacation and she says that she would sleep in the floor to get to go to Disney.

Have fun with the girls and the planning. I am single and I take my Goddaughter with me at times and have since she has been little. Over nights away from home without being able to get home quickly started about 3 years ago and she loves it. She is starting to like to help with the planning.
This year I will have a different problem, her boyfriend lives 5 minutes from WDW!!! She lives in Virginia.

My nieces had never been on vacation before so I don't have any problem with vacations possibly conflicting. Their parents have been talking about how money is tight since they moved into a nicer house in a better school district; meanwhile I don't have kids so it works out that I can borrow theirs to spoil a little! (when I asked about next summer, their parents gave me carte blanche to take them whenever and wherever I want; they win too because they get some quiet time together) This time I will get the kids a little more involved in the planning since they've been there before.

I LOVE hearing from other people who go to WDW with kids who aren't their children. How old is your goddaughter?

Oooh that reminds me that I still need to upload a video they took at WDW to YouTube... they actually asked me about it yesterday.

 

[Bummbok]

I would mention that WL also has bunk bed rooms...and it's ALOT closer to MK...just a short boat ride away...

 

[BelleBway]

I would mention that WL also has bunk bed rooms...and it's ALOT closer to MK...just a short boat ride away...

D'oh! I've actually stayed in one of those rooms and it was in the initial list in my head, but somehow it never made it to the spreadsheet. Thanks for the reminder!

 

[BelleBway]

Just added a photo from last summer's trip to my initial post so y'all can see who we are. I love seeing other people's photos but I'm sorta nervous about posting my own...

I've been on YouTube uploading videos the girls took from my small camera tonight. It's funny, I was just thinking about how I'd been meaning to upload them, and then J asked me about it on Saturday. I was so glad she asked, because it indicates that the trip still means something to her. The videos are so adorable- lots of giggling. Definitely makes me feel that whatever the price and whatever I need to sacrifice to save... whether we end up on the 4 day cruise or the 5 day cruise... whether we stay at GF or at motel 6, it will all be worth it. (but, umm, we still won't be staying at a motel 6 )

 

[BelleBway]

Well the title says it all- I have a reservation for me and the girls on a 5 night cruise next summer! I am a little about the cost but I can always switch to a 4 night if I really have to, right?

Meanwhile... I took the girls to a skating show this wknd. In the car, they were complaining about how their parents never take them to Disney 3D movies. They will flip when they find out that there are 3D movies on the cruise. Among so many other things. But I'm not planning to tell them yet, though I made a mental note to take them to Toy Story 3 when it comes out. It's always awesome spending time with them, and I feel so lucky to have them in my life.

I'm planning to give them invitations on New Years Eve which will be exactly 2 yrs after I gave them invitations for last summer's trip. I plan to bring over my scrapbook to remind them of how much fun we had last time (not that they need reminding)- which means that, umm, I actually have to finish it by then... To that end, I created 6 new pages this weekend. I forgot how much fun it was to work on!

So I've officially started on the magical path once again... I'm excited and scared at the same time, but basically in my happy trip planning place ready to spread some more pixie dust! Only, umm, 16 months to go...

 

[ZeroToHero]

YAYYYYYYYYYY! Haha. I'm so glad you're going back!

Did you look into a Back-to-Back at all? It would be a 4 day and then a 3 day (or vice-versa) which might be cheaper than a 5 day, and you still get 2 hits at Castaway Cay.

Either way, they're going to have an awesome time! I know that my family is going on a B-to-B in August of 2011... 21st to the 28th, I believe. I think you'll be getting off right before us, if you're going the day I think you are.

This PTR makes me think I should start mine, haha. If you're doing this over a year out, I only have about a month before my May Trip.

 

[BelleBway]

YAYYYYYYYYYY! Haha. I'm so glad you're going back!

Did you look into a Back-to-Back at all? It would be a 4 day and then a 3 day (or vice-versa) which might be cheaper than a 5 day, and you still get 2 hits at Castaway Cay.

7 days is too long- especially if I want to also do some days in WDW. I'm not even sure how I will get the girls to survive 5 days without their cell phones, let alone 7. (actually I am trying to avoid thinking about how they may want to talk to their parents every day) And then I also figured that everything (dinners/ shows) would be re-runs on the 2nd cruise of a BtoB, whereas I'm sure they do different stuff for each night of the 5 days.

I also sorta didn't want to go on J's birthday for a 2nd time, out of fairness to M. And I think going a couple weeks earlier might help prevent the "this trip is ending AND i've got to go back to school in a few days" tears from last trip. I think they only have 4 and 5 nighters over the summer.

Either way, they're going to have an awesome time! I know that my family is going on a B-to-B in August of 2011... 21st to the 28th, I believe. I think you'll be getting off right before us, if you're going the day I think you are.

This PTR makes me think I should start mine, haha. If you're doing this over a year out, I only have about a month before my May Trip.

I think I am just a little overexcited. I definitely want to read your PTR if you start one!

I was thinking of the 21st cruise, and it's still the "backup" plan if I can't swing this financially for some reason. When I was researching, I saw you on the roll call and thought that would have been fun if we were on the same cruise.

I can't wait... and I don't want to think about the fact that it's another 8 months before I tell them... and then about another 8 more til we go.

 

[BelleBway]

So I didn't think there could be anything much better than planning my WDW/ DCL vacation...

Until my mom insisted on doing something special for my birthday next yr. What to do, what to do.... err, what about a trip to WDW? (And while we're at it, what about getting me an AP for my birthday?) At first my mom was rather wistful that she would love to go back but she wouldn't be able to do it, and couldn't we go to Vegas instead because she had an awesome time using an ECV there. (umm, my birthday- my choice?) But then I found lots of resources on accessible rooms, ECV rentals, etc.

So now my mom is pretty much set on taking me to WDW for my birthday... only 10.5 months!

So stay tuned... this PTR may end up being double the fun...

 

[BelleBway]

I'm in a very happy Disney place this week because mom said the birthday trip is ON!

And we've made a decision on the resort for this trip. We're staying at the Grand Floridian! I've never been there, and in fact it's pretty much the only deluxe/moderate I haven't stayed at- it works out nicely that I saved it for a special occasion. And hopefully we can get a discount code because we want to go allllll the way overboard and do RPC club level. Don't have reservations yet- waiting for 2011 rates to come out.

We're planning to stay 6 nights... and, ummm, I've already started planning things out. I've decided on a few "must do" ADR's as well as some I'd like to fit in if I can. I also decided that I want to hit all 4 parks on my birthday so I can go on all my favorite rides.

Meanwhile, I was excited to check my mailbox yesterday because it contained a welcome booklet for my DCL cruise with the nieces! Only 1 yr from tomorrow til I can book our excursions.

 

[ZeroToHero]

Wow! That's so exciting! And I'm jealous - the Grand Floridian is beautiful.

Is Boma on that list of must-dos?

 

[BelleBway]

Is Boma on that list of must-dos?

No. As much as I am dying to go back, mom has mobility issues- while she said she is ok with buffets, I really think she just said that not to disappoint me. Even so, I'd still consider it but it's kinda far out and mom isn't even too keen on going back to AK. Although she said that she'll go there because she wants to go back to Pizzafari.

Right now my top list is: Citricos, Narcoosees (both of these are new to me), 1900 Park Fare (breakfast this time- have only done dinner before), Tokyo Dining (new to me; I loooooove Japanese food and there's nothing for my nieces there), and 50's Prime Time (hello again, PB&J milkshake and smores!). Oh and I absolutely must have breakfast at the castle on my birthday. I'd also like to fit in Le Cellier which I somehow love even though I am not a steak eater.

Unlike my niece, I love getting a fuss made over me, so I will be sure to list my birthday all over ADR's and stuff, and will wear a birthday pin. I somehow never thought I'd be in WDW on my bday- even though I've been to DLP and TDR on my birthday in previous yrs.

One cool thing is that this will mean that mom and I will have done all 3 monorail resorts together.

 

[LuvEeyore]

BelleBWay,
My goddaughter is 15 will be 16 in October. She doesn't know it yet but her Mom is going too. We probably won't tell her till I go pick her up and her Mom is going to come out with her carry on and ask "Aren't you taking me?"
This trip is July will be a mother daughter trip, Me, my Mom, my best friend and her daughter.

 

[ZeroToHero]

Hey, even without Boma, that's still a great line-up! I've only done 1900, 50s, and Le Cellier, but my parents loved Narcoossee's when they went. I forget if they did Citrico's too though.

You will have a blast, that's for sure. And I agree - put info about your birthday everywhere, if you're not shy about it!

 

[BelleBway]

You will have a blast, that's for sure. And I agree - put info about your birthday everywhere, if you're not shy about it!

Of course I'll have a blast- how can one go to WDW and not have a completely amazing time?!? And, umm, I'm kinda already having a blast planning both trips.

 

[ZeroToHero]

That's true! Planning it is at least half the fun!

I need to get into planning mode today! Pull things out, start putting them in a suitcase... I was so busy with school I wasn't able to get exciting about planning.. and now it's almost here!

 

[BelleBway]

My mom called WDW today.... aaaaaaand....

We officially have hotel reservations at the Grand Floridian, RPC level, deluxe room lagoon view for my birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yeah, umm, I'm a little excited... I grew up dying to stay at a monorail hotel; well, I've done that but I never thought I'd stay at the GF... much less at concierge level...

*fingers crossed for some discounts to come out later*

This may be one of the last trips I take with my mom, since she's had increasing mobility issues, and I think she wants it to be extra-special so she's going all out.

 

[ZeroToHero]

Oh man, that's going to be so fantastic! Just the description of the level you booked is making me having wistful thoughts of the Grand Floridian. I'm probably going to go look at pictures now!

 

[BelleBway]

So I've ignored this thread for way too long.... but now it's coming up on dining reservation time already for the birthday trip! I have the next 2 weeks to decide, but I think I'm sticking with my original choices mentioned earlier. The most critical thing is breakfast at the castle on my birthday.

I'd mentioned something jokingly to mom about how I wanted a tiara , and I think she's actually going to get me one. I'll wear it for sure, although probably not all day just out of sheer practicality/comfort.

A couple weeks ago, I saw the March hours. And I glanced hopefully for Fantasmic to pleasepleaseplease be performed on my birthday. But of course it wasn't; I hadn't seen it scheduled for Wednesdays so I wasn't too shocked. After spending about 5 minutes being bummed, I figured I'd do the Wishes Dessert Party. (assuming that's still around) It was good enough for my niece, it'll be good enough for me!

And then I checked the hours again tonight.

I had to read the page at least 3 times. And check other sites. Because they now have Fantasmic scheduled on my birthday!!!!! I'm such a sap that I am crying, and therefore figured I needed to share my excitement with anyone and everyone who might be reading this. Assuming that stays true... wow, if that's not Disney magic, I don't know what is!

Meanwhile, plans for trip #2 still march along as I count down to when I will tell my nieces and dream up a creative way to tell them. J keeps saying things that make me think "omg, she is going to totally flip when she finds out what I have planned" She's officially a teenager now Hopefully she doesn't grow up too much in the next year.

In between making dining reservations and telling the nieces, I have a trip to Kenya coming up which is one reason why I've neglected this thread a bit. And I'm finishing up on the scrapbook from last summer's Disney trip. So lots going on in Belle's world of travel... and I wouldn't have it any other way