Thank the Mouse & your Fairy Godmother, we're going for 9 (10!) nights. A Dec PTR

[chrisw127]

DVC is handy. Even though DS likes to gripe about not being able to stay at the Poly on points. We stayed there ONCE. For 2 nights. We booked the cheapest possible room, on an AP discount, mainly because we had a fishing excursion and I wanted a hotel with a dock so we could just walk out and get on the boat. At check-in they upgraded us to club level, so he thinks the Poly is the BEST RESORT EVER!

He has NO concept of using points, and when I try to explain it to him he gets mad and stomps off.

We may be married to the same man. My husband is like that with anything that resembles money--he just knows he doesn't want to spend it, now leave me alone, woman! Anyway, he just goes where I tell him, which works out fine, I suppose.

Did you solve your problem for next year?

 

[chrisw127]

I'm pretty sure that I'm adding that extra day. I've looked at the Crowd Calendar and that Sunday looks pretty manageable, although they usually bump up their estimates of the last weekend before Christmas as it gets closer. Initially, I was considering the Poly, which I know I can get for a discount. I even added 1900 Park Fare for dinner that night, thinking we could just walk on over there (provided Disney hasn't tore up the path and started building the rumored GF DVC between now and then). But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I don't really want to stay at the Poly. What I want is the ability to be able to walk to the Magic Kingdom. What I really want is a theme park view at the Contemporary.

I know. Who doesn't, right?

There's just one thing standing in my way: Money. It's very expensive. Now, the Poly is tempting. The price, while high, is still reasonable. The Contemporary however, is just plain outrageous. I mean, the rooms are gorgeous but just so expensive. But when I started factoring in even a 30% AP discount, the price, while still high enough to give my husband a mild heart attack, is manageable. Normally I would wait a bit to reserve the room, kind of mull it over, but the Contemporary books up so fast, I decided to do it right away. So here's how it stands:

12/9 - 11: Boardwalk Inn
12/11 - 18: Boardwalk Villas
12/18 - 19: The Contemporary

We'll probably fly home on the 19th sometime around mid-day. I made an ADR for California Grill the last night and cancelled the one we had for the night before.

If there's no discount for the room, I'll probably try to get a garden view room, if there's availability. If not, I'll just re-book at any monorail resort (the GF usually has availability) but I am not paying rack rate for a room, not at that price.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

We may be married to the same man. My husband is like that with anything that resembles money--he just knows he doesn't want to spend it, now leave me alone, woman! Anyway, he just goes where I tell him, which works out fine, I suppose.

Did you solve your problem for next year?

It's DS who likes the Poly. DH doesn't care where we stay. He likes Pop.

I will say DH does have a very basic grasp of points. Starting with the fact that you use DVC points at DVC properties. He also understands that we have a certain number of points. He understands that adding more points is expensive. As far as understanding banking and borrowing, use year, and that sort of thing, no.

As it stands now we are doing 6 nights in a one bedroom standard followed by 7 nights in a savanna studio at Kidani next year. June 1-14.

I can see how the Contemporary would have more appeal than the Poly. Before we bought DVC that was my next hotel to try. BLT does nothing for me, but I do like the CR.

 

[chrisw127]

It's DS who likes the Poly. DH doesn't care where we stay. He likes Pop.

I will say DH does have a very basic grasp of points. Starting with the fact that you use DVC points at DVC properties. He also understands that we have a certain number of points. He understands that adding more points is expensive. As far as understanding banking and borrowing, use year, and that sort of thing, no.

As it stands now we are doing 6 nights in a one bedroom standard followed by 7 nights in a savanna studio at Kidani next year. June 1-14.

I can see how the Contemporary would have more appeal than the Poly. Before we bought DVC that was my next hotel to try. BLT does nothing for me, but I do like the CR.

How can you not like BLT but like CR? I would LOVEto stay in a Grand Villa. Or, you know, a one-bedroom.

 

[chrisw127]

I forgot to mention that I signed up to go to Disapolooza, specifically the Wizarding World of Harry Potter event at Universal on 12/10. The Dis is sponsoring an after-hours party with a limit of 700 people, so I'm going with my 8-year old.

I'll probably try to go to the podcast taping while I'm in WDW as well. I'm so excited!!

 

[chrisw127]

Yay, it worked! This is my son Eric in May during Star Wars Weekend. He's my favorite person in the world to take to the parks.

 

[momabaarjo]

Coming along...love following another fellow Christmas time planner!

 

[chrisw127]

Nice to meet you , Tammie!

I see you're going to Universal as well. Have you been yet? It's pretty amazing. I'll go check out your PTR now.

Thanks for reading.

 

[momabaarjo]

Nice to meet you , Tammie!

I see you're going to Universal as well. Have you been yet? It's pretty amazing. I'll go check out your PTR now.

Thanks for reading.

I got to be at USO on opening weekend last June for HP...it was amazing. My 2 oldest are HUGE HP fans...USO is for them!

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

How can you not like BLT but like CR? I would LOVEto stay in a Grand Villa. Or, you know, a one-bedroom.

The room design at BLT is different than CR. And people say the wear & tear at BLT is horrendous. We toured the models last year and we were just "eh". The points required to stay there are higher than other properties, so I just don't see us ever staying there.

I forgot to mention that I signed up to go to Disapolooza, specifically the Wizarding World of Harry Potter event at Universal on 12/10. The Dis is sponsoring an after-hours party with a limit of 700 people, so I'm going with my 8-year old.

I'll probably try to go to the podcast taping while I'm in WDW as well. I'm so excited!!

WWoHP will be much better during a private event than it would be during plain operating hours. We went during the preview for onsite guests last year and it was fine, but the area is too small to handle crowds effectively. As it was, we skipped the Owlery and the Wand Shop because it was too crowded. The crowds combined with the fact that the Forbidden Journey made me REALLY queasy didn't make me want to stand in a LONG line.

The frozen butter beer is THE BOMB. DS liked the pumpkin juice.

 

[momabaarjo]

I don't know why I don't like the Poly. I think it always feels like the place where the Brady Bunch stays when they visit Hawaii.

Dating ourselves aren't we....you know that was my first impression of the whole resort WDW gone Brady Bunch!

 

[chrisw127]

Dating ourselves aren't we....you know that was my first impression of the whole resort WDW gone Brady Bunch!

Hahahaha. It's true. Can't you just see Bobby running with a tiki into the lobby?

 

[chrisw127]

I just found out I'm going to WDW for 5 days in August. It's an agent education program and I'm so excited.

We'll get to tour many resorts and try out some different restaurants, as well as have a tour of the Dream, an Illuminations dessert party, and see Cirque du Soliel.

I feel guilty that I cant bring my kids, but it's going to be great.

I hope. Heh.

 

[teekathepony]

That's cool! Very exciting. I'd love to do the Illuminations dessert party, and I've seen La Nouba twice (and adore it, what a show!)

 

[momabaarjo]

Sounds like fun! Never heard of illuminations dessert party!

 

[chrisw127]

That's cool! Very exciting. I'd love to do the Illuminations dessert party, and I've seen La Nouba twice (and adore it, what a show!)

Sounds like fun! Never heard of illuminations dessert party!

Yes, they do them mostly for weddings, but you can just rent that area out for any sort of gathering. It's by the water and I know they do the UK, France and I think Morocco? Maybe others. I think the minimum is around 20 or so? And the per person cost may be around $35 depending on the dessert buffet you choose. I'm probably totally off on these numbers, but it's really not that expensive to have an event there.

 

[chrisw127]

Okay, maybe that's an overstatement, but a few things have happened since the last time I posted.

One, free dining came out. It was insane. I literally worked for 20 hours the first day. But hey, money is good. It helps you go to Disney and Disney is even better than good!

Two, we've decided to drive. Why? Because I'm cheap. And when I looked at the cost of all 5 of us flying and renting a small car when we're down there (which we have to do because we have other obligations while we're there and they require--gasp!--going off site), it came out about $700 cheaper just to rent a minivan and drive down to WDW. And yes, I always rent a car when I go on long-ish trips because I don't want to deal with my own.

Finally, annual passholder rates came out and they are . . . not bad. However, there are none for the Contemporary for that last night. So my choices are this:

1. Get one night at the Poly at the AP rate of $280. That's pretty good.

2. Stay at the Grand Floridian for $349 a night.

Of the two resorts, to say I prefer the GF is an OVERSTATEMENT. However, I am worried about all the construction that's going on over there. I don't make any bad vacation mojo, especially on my last night. Nonetheless, I think I'm going to book the GF and see what happens. Obviously, if an AP rate comes out for the Contemporary, I'll be dropping the GF like a hot potato. Even faster, because to be honest, I really do like hot potatoes and I'm probably not going to give one up. Especially if I've got some sour cream and butter to go with it.

But I digress . . . .

Next week at this time I'll be at the Agent Education Program in WDW. My husband is so jealous all he can do is grunt when I mention going to Disney World for "work" as he puts it. I finally said to him "Look, you give up your dreams of a high (or let's be honest, low-powered because I'm not that ambitious) powered legal career, stay home with kids for 8 years and then start selling Disney vacations and YOU TOO can go to Disney World for "work." Heh.

And that was that.