Tassle to the Castle - A May '24 WDW PTR!

[TimeToDoTheMustDos]

HELLOOOOOO HUMANS! (aaaaaah!)

Welcome to my May '24 PTR, and my first EVER PTR!

Despite this being my first post and first PTR, I'm no stranger to Disboards! Back in the day (aka 2011-2014ish), my mom was an active user! She wrote several TRs and PTRs, all of which serve as extremely fond memories for our family. In fact, we've been re-reading them in preparation for our upcoming trip! So, I thought to myself, "Hey, I'm an adult now. Why don't I write my own trip report for the upcoming vacation?"

And so, here we are! I'm writing on a forum for the first time in well over six years. So...please bear with me

SO, it's best to start with an introduction of why this trip is happening, right?

Well, to put it simply, I'm graduating high school! And in addition to celebrating a (very successful, if I may toot my own horn) graduation, I'm celebrating getting into my dream college AND getting into its honors program! This is all a major deal to me, and truly, I have to thank my parents here. None of this would've been possible without them, seriously. They've been there since day zero, always encouraging me to pursue my dreams and passions.

This Disney trip is a celebration of DREAMS COMING TRUE! It's going to be a freakin' party!

Our last family WDW trip was in August/September of 2022. It was our first time visiting since 2017, and truly launched our whole family back into our deep WDW love. This trip, unfortunately, will likely be the last WDW trip for a while. With the rising prices, it was a struggle to afford this trip. So, we're considering this trip a last hoorah for a good few years! Tons of celebrations, rope-drop days, and bajillions of snacks are on the horizon...

BUT FIRST: a PTR!

And what better way to start than with some introductions, right?

-Brandon (43) aka Dad: Engineer by day, Disney Dad by night. He's the resident photographer/videographer, though he no longer carries a bulky DSLR camera like he did back in the day lol. He loves all things vintage Epcot, Horizons, and Spaceship Earth!
-Jennifer (41) aka Mom: The most badass Disney planner in the game! She's responsible for 95% of this trip going smoothly. We very much tag-team planning Disney trips. Her love of Disney Parks started with our first trip in 2009, and has grown ever since! For the purposes of this PTR and the future TR, my mom uses a scooter during most park days for issues with long-term mobility. She loves Epcot, the Night Blossom drink at Pongu Pongu, and misses Illuminations: Reflections of Earth every day.
-Julia (18) aka me!: Lifelong Disney nerd, and the resident high school grad! Disney planning is my passion. I love Enchanted Tiki Room, Tomorrowland, waving my arms during Fantasmic, and everything in the Land pavilion.
-Brynn (16): The middle sibling, and the world's biggest IASW fan! For the purposes of this PTR and the future TR, Brynn is on the autism spectrum, and we will have a DAS pass in her name. She loves IASW, Space Mountain, and Patrick from Soarin'.
-Sawyer (13): The baby brother. Though he didn't join the Disney fun until 2011, he's got such a love for it all! He loves Monster's Inc. Laugh Floor, the Cars franchise, Muppets, and dragging me on rollercoasters.

So, with introductions and formalities out of the way, time for the five Ws of this Disney trip!

-Who? The five wild members of our family!
-What? Disney World 2024!
-Where? Pop Century and Polynesian!
-When? May 15-25th
-Why? GRADUATION BABY!!

Bear with me as I struggle my way through forums. How do I insert images? How long will I take to write? Guess we're gonna find out together

See you in the next installment!


Tassle to the Castle: Chapters
-Part 1: Introductions (that's this one!)
-Part 2: The Endless Hotel Debate
-Part 3: Crowd Meters
-Part 4: I'm Getting Real Hungry...
-Part 5: Time to Do the Must-Dos!

 

[Mollydolly334]

I have definitely read your mom’s TRs in the past (recognized the names) We’ll be there at the same time!! Can’t wait to read all about it!!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

WHAT?! Oh my goodness, I LOVED your mom’s trip reports and I absolutely remember them and your family! How are you old enough to be graduating from high school?!

Congratulation on your upcoming graduation, Julia, and all the exciting things to come.

I’m so excited to hear about your plans. Perhaps we’ll see you at the Polynesian - we’ll be arriving there on the 23rd!

(Also, you have two options to attach pictures. The easiest is to attach them directly on the DIS by clicking the photo icon, choosing drop image, and picking the image you want from your computer or tablet. The only negative is you’re limited to 10 photos per post. If you’d like more photos for each post, which is likely more important for your TR than your PTR, you’ll need to upload them to a third-party site and insert the link under the same photo icon. I also initially struggled with adding photos but it’s very easy once you figure it out!)

 

[DLo]

Following along . Can’t wait to read more

 

[TimeToDoTheMustDos]

Previously on the PTR, I re-introduced myself and my family to the Disboards! While I'm still figuring out photos (thank you to those giving forum advice and joining my misadventures ), I'm going to persist and keep writing! It's eight days until we leave—can I finish this PTR before then?? We'll see.

Alright, it's time for either the easiest or most difficult decision of your WDW planning: where the heck are you gonna stay?!

Many months ago, long before it was time to actually book hotels, my mom and I set out on a quest to make a spreadsheet of Disney World hotels. This served two purposes: helping us figure out our hotel priorities and keeping us entertained while we waited to hit that wonderful 180 day mark

That being said, the spreadsheet did NOT make anything easier.

We knew off the bat that it would be cheaper overall to do a split stay for our trip. During our last trip, we managed to get an INCREDIBLE discount for the Contemporary Resort's Garden Wing. Contemporary will always be my favorite WDW hotel, but sadly, prices did not get discounted for Contempo this year, and paying the tower price was a bit out of reach. Oh, well. It just meant we had to get creative.

And thus, the Great Hotel Debate began.

It's hard to count how many hotel combinations we cycled through. CBR and Poly? Pop and Contempo? ASMu and CBR? Around and around we went, debating what would work best for our family of five. We would have a hotel combo in mind for a few days, then change our minds once we remembered that "x hotel has a better pool" or "y hotel is being refurbished."

Finally, on January 3rd, 2024, Mom and I sat down with notebooks, pens, and a laptop, and decided to finalize our hotel reservations.

The first half of our stay was split between two options: Pop Century and Caribbean Beach Resort. Two very similar hotels, but different enough to keep us on our toes!

Pop holds deep nostalgia for us. It was the first Disney hotel we stayed in, waaaaaay back in 2009! My parents will never forget my three-year-old self saying, in the most Southern accent, "Look, it's the P-O-P hoteyal!" Yes, the spelling was intentional to convey the Southern-ness of it.
Meanwhile, we've also stayed in CBR previously. We liked that one a lot too, and the newly added benefit of the Skyliner hub station definitely served as a sweet incentive.

Buuuuut...my heart got set on staying in Pop Century early on. I can't help it—the nostalgia got to me! So that settled the first half: five nights at Pop Century. Mom called Disney Customer Service to book two connecting rooms (five people, all of whom are over 13, equals a desire for wiggle room ). After a successful phone call, the first half of our trip was done!

The next half-hour consisted of Mom and I debating hotels back and forth; meanwhile, Mom scrolled various DVC rental websites trying to see if there were any stellar deals. After a bit, Mom gasped, which I deeply hoped meant that she had good news. And good news she did!

Someone was selling their DVC room stay at the Polynesian Resort for exactly the dates we needed. And the best part? It was only $2,500 for those five nights!!

With no hesitation, I told Mom to book it. We had stayed in the Poly only once, several years prior, and loved every MINUTE of it! It was stressful as we waited for the transaction to go through, but once it did, we all did a little happy dance. Our Disney hotels were booked

But, that's not the only choice left to be made for this graduation blow-out trip...

Up next: struggling our way through park tickets and outfit plans. I do hope I'll see you all next time

 

[SimplyGoofy]

I’m also a huge split-stay fan and have done them my last three trips (including our upcoming one).

I think nostalgia was the right choice and I’m sure you’ll love your stay at Pop. It’s a great resort and I’ve always enjoyed my stays there.

And HOORAY for the great deal at the Poly! Renting points is a huge cost savings - that’s amazing that you found an existing reservation for the exact dates you needed. It was meant to be!

We’ll be at the Poly villas the last few days of your trip - please say hello if you see us! (You can find pictures of us in my PTR.) I’d love to compliment your mom on her wonderful trip reports!

 

[kclark9830]

HELLOOOOOO HUMANS! (aaaaaah!)

Welcome to my May '24 PTR, and my first EVER PTR!

Despite this being my first post and first PTR, I'm no stranger to Disboards! Back in the day (aka 2011-2014ish), my mom was an active user! She wrote several TRs and PTRs, all of which serve as extremely fond memories for our family. In fact, we've been re-reading them in preparation for our upcoming trip! So, I thought to myself, "Hey, I'm an adult now. Why don't I write my own trip report for the upcoming vacation?"

And so, here we are! I'm writing on a forum for the first time in well over six years. So...please bear with me

SO, it's best to start with an introduction of why this trip is happening, right?

Well, to put it simply, I'm graduating high school! And in addition to celebrating a (very successful, if I may toot my own horn) graduation, I'm celebrating getting into my dream college AND getting into its honors program! This is all a major deal to me, and truly, I have to thank my parents here. None of this would've been possible without them, seriously. They've been there since day zero, always encouraging me to pursue my dreams and passions.

This Disney trip is a celebration of DREAMS COMING TRUE! It's going to be a freakin' party!

Our last family WDW trip was in August/September of 2022. It was our first time visiting since 2017, and truly launched our whole family back into our deep WDW love. This trip, unfortunately, will likely be the last WDW trip for a while. With the rising prices, it was a struggle to afford this trip. So, we're considering this trip a last hoorah for a good few years! Tons of celebrations, rope-drop days, and bajillions of snacks are on the horizon...

BUT FIRST: a PTR!

And what better way to start than with some introductions, right?

-Brandon (43) aka Dad: Engineer by day, Disney Dad by night. He's the resident photographer/videographer, though he no longer carries a bulky DSLR camera like he did back in the day lol. He loves all things vintage Epcot, Horizons, and Spaceship Earth!
-Jennifer (41) aka Mom: The most badass Disney planner in the game! She's responsible for 95% of this trip going smoothly. We very much tag-team planning Disney trips. Her love of Disney Parks started with our first trip in 2009, and has grown ever since! For the purposes of this PTR and the future TR, my mom uses a scooter during most park days for issues with long-term mobility. She loves Epcot, the Night Blossom drink at Pongu Pongu, and misses Illuminations: Reflections of Earth every day.
-Julia (18) aka me!: Lifelong Disney nerd, and the resident high school grad! Disney planning is my passion. I love Enchanted Tiki Room, Tomorrowland, waving my arms during Fantasmic, and everything in the Land pavilion.
-Brynn (16): The middle sibling, and the world's biggest IASW fan! For the purposes of this PTR and the future TR, Brynn is on the autism spectrum, and we will have a DAS pass in her name. She loves IASW, Space Mountain, and Patrick from Soarin'.
-Sawyer (13): The baby brother. Though he didn't join the Disney fun until 2011, he's got such a love for it all! He loves Monster's Inc. Laugh Floor, the Cars franchise, Muppets, and dragging me on rollercoasters.

So, with introductions and formalities out of the way, time for the five Ws of this Disney trip!

-Who? The five wild members of our family!
-What? Disney World 2024!
-Where? Pop Century and Polynesian!
-When? May 15-25th
-Why? GRADUATION BABY!!

Bear with me as I struggle my way through forums. How do I insert images? How long will I take to write? Guess we're gonna find out together

See you in the next installment!


Tassle to the Castle: Chapters
-Part 1: Introductions (that's this one!)
-Part 2: The Endless Hotel Debate
-Part 3: Crowd Meters
-Part 4: I'm Getting Real Hungry...
-Part 5: Time to Do the Must-Dos!

Congrats on graduation!!! Looking forward to reading .

 

[MrsK53113]

HELLOOOOOO HUMANS! (aaaaaah!)

Welcome to my May '24 PTR, and my first EVER PTR!

Despite this being my first post and first PTR, I'm no stranger to Disboards! Back in the day (aka 2011-2014ish), my mom was an active user! She wrote several TRs and PTRs, all of which serve as extremely fond memories for our family. In fact, we've been re-reading them in preparation for our upcoming trip! So, I thought to myself, "Hey, I'm an adult now. Why don't I write my own trip report for the upcoming vacation?"

OMG!! I loved reading your mom's trip reports the last time I was active on here!! I can't believe you're all grown up and writing one of your own. I'm looking forward to following along! Congrats on graduating high school and getting into your dream college!