The Countdown Begins--1st DVC Reservation

[Crusader10hky]

I officially booked my first reservation (for MY family anyway--hooked up my sister with a summer reservation earlier...) since purchasing resale DVC points! December 3-10, 2BR dedicated, Theme Park View, BLT! Very excited!

What's everyone's favorite piece of advice? Lay it on me!

 

[limace]

Congratulations! We have our first coming up as well-June at GCV.

 

[Donna M]

Congratulations! Request and upper floor. Check out the other resorts because you are going to want to try different ones later. Don't do everything now since you will be back, yeah!

 

[BcIcemen]

I also have my first DVC stay upcoming in June

 

[myzel]

My advice, enjoy it. Have fun. I wouldn't use the extra points for the view but that's just me. As it has been said, check out the different resorts and see where else you want to stay. I love BLT for everything but Animal kingdom.

 

[Micca]

BLT is awesome, we go back & forth between it and OKW as our favorites. Check out the TOTWL, it's a fun place to watch the MK fireworks. I won't say "the best place" but dealing with the small group of people on the TOTWL viewing area is much nicer than dealing with the people in the hub at MK. Besides...drinks

 

[William Ades]

Make sure you have membership card and ID where ever you go, and always ask about discounts. Our first couple of trips we would buy something, eat, or whatever and later on realize we didn't take advantage of our discount. Now it is just muscle memory. Every once in a while we try to use it at place that doesn't accept it (far and few between), but its better to be told no than to forget and not use it when you can. Check and make sure there aren't any member only events or exclusive deal for your trip time period. December you may be able to get discounted MVMCP Ticket, but the dates for that won't be released until around June I would imagine. Don't try to do everything, it is impossible and you wear yourself out trying. Other than that, I am in agreement with a couple of the others here and am not a fan of paying the extra amount or using the extra points for the view. I found it to be underwhelming and definitely not worth it. Feel the same way about Savannah View at AK. If you are anything like us, we are really only in the room for breaks, showers, and sleep. 2 of those 3 don't involve enjoying the view. Even on "resort days" we are usually down by the pool or goofing off elsewhere. Again, not enjoying that view. What I have found is that it is truly a "to each their own" decision, however I have been able to maximize my points and usually add an additional day or days (sometimes completely different trips) by bypassing the "view" rooms. We also like to visit (Resort Hop) one or two of the other resorts each time as away of exploring our options for choosing our next resort stay. At this point we have seen all of the Deluxe Resorts, and have even visited a few of the Moderate and Value Resorts. Art of Animation and Pop Century are really cool, and Port Orleans is beautiful. Enjoy!!!

 

[miTnosnhoJ]

I agree with the advice to always ask for a discount. THere are discounts at the counter service restaurant at the Grand Floridian that are available if you ask. Counter service in the parks generally don’t have discounts. It doesn’t matter - always ask. (I think you said you bought resale, so this may not apply to you. You can always buy a small number of direct points if you think the AP discounts and food and merchandise discounts would be useful to the way you do Disney.)

We ate one time at the Queen Victoria Room in the Victoria and Alberts restaurant at the Grand Floridian. I asked the waiter if they had any discounts for DVC, AP or Tables in Wonderland. He said “No, but always ask, because this changes all the time.”

Congratulations, and I hope you enjoy DVC as much as my family has. It has really changed the way we do Disney, in a good way. My children are grown, and it is getting more difficult for us to all get together - but when we book a 2BR at DVC, they always show up!

If you are at BLT at Christmas, I would recommend the following.
1) Go to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. I was skeptical that I wanted to go to an extra ticket event when we already had annual passes. But we tried it this last time and it was really fun. And being able to walk back to your room is priceless.
2) Do some resort hopping. The monorail resorts have great Christmas decorations. Grand Floridian has the huge gingerbread house, a 50 foot tree, and the Grand Floridian Society Orchestra playing Christmas Tunes in the Lobby. Poly and Wilderness Lodge are also nicely decorated for Christmas. Contemporary has a huge chocolate display on the 4th floor.
3) Enjoy the Top of the World Lounge
4) Watch your Fast Pass window and get a reservation for the hard to get rides as soon as possible - such as Avatar FLight of Passage and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. By the time your fastpass window rolls around, the first days of your trip will have no availability for these rides, so look for availabilty in the middle to end of your trip, and you will probably get the FPs that you need.
5) Enjoy some good restaurants while you are there. But don’t stress out if you don’t get a particular restaurant choice. You will be going back many times.
6) BLT and the other monorail resorts have really good cast members for bell hops. If you have a lot of luggage, use a bell hop and tip them well. It can make checking in and out a lot less stressful. For a 2BR, I’m guessing a lot of luggage.
7) A 2BR Theme Park View at BLT is pretty spectacular if your family is used to regular hotel rooms. Enjoy their reactions.
8) If the weather is nice, you can rent a pontoon boat for your family to explore 7 Seas Lagoon and Bay Lake. You can see Poly, GF, and WL from the water. This is not too expensive, and if you have the blue card, you can get a DVC discount.
9) If you ever have a problem, present it to a cast member as an issue you are trying to solve - as opposed to demanding a particular solution. They may come up with creative ways to help you. For example, one time I needed some cash, so I tried to cash a check at the front desk, which they refused. This made me upset, and it was not my finest hour. If I had just said, “where can I get some cash for tips as we check out tomorrow?”, they could have said, “Oh, there is an ATM right across the lobby” which totally met my needs.
10) Magic Bands can be very convenient for charging items to you room. Two things on this: If you want, you can set up different people in your party to charge to different credit cards. THe BLT front desk can do this. Also, If you have one of the many credit cards that give you more rewards for travel, charge everything (meals, merchandise, tickets) to your room through your magic bands. It will all show up to your credit card company as travel. (I have a card that gets me 5.25% cash back on travel.)

You probably know most of this already, so enjoy your trip!

 

[Crusader10hky]

Wow thanks everyone! Unfortunately I don't expect any DVC discounts as I am only a recent resale purchaser. I intend to add a small 25 pointer directly in the future, but I have to let that spending capital build up again

As for the view, I expect that the majority of my trips will be standard or lake view depending on availability. But a few factors are weighing into my choice to spend the points on this:

1. First Trip 'Celebration'
2. Hosting the In-Laws
3. By trip time, I will have an 8 year old, a 3 year old, and a 4 month old infant. I anticipate a lot of being stuck in the room during naptime or early-to-bed-but-still-enjoy-the-fireworks evenings.

Really, the only other time I anticipate booking a view is our theoretical 2019 Aulani trip and perhaps an AK stay down the road.


Our first family trip to MK was only a couple days during Christmas a few years ago. We stayed in a Family suite at AOA and loved it (except for the buses, hence BLT ). But, we didn't buy the extra Mickey's Very Merry Christmas tickets on top of our regular park hopper tickets. Seemed like a lot and we already had a few hours to enjoy the lights before we were kicked out. I don't intend for this to sound snarky; I'm legitimately asking: What is so special about MVMC beyond the awesome lights?




Also, Since we're staying 7 days do you recommend 7 day tickets or less? An AP is probably cost-prohibitive as we won't be back to WDW in the following year.
Should I instead get 5 day 'park hopper plus' tickets and spend the other 2 days at a water park or golfing and resort-ing?

If I do golf, I heard rumors that club rentals are free if staying DVC. Is this true and would this apply to a, uh, second class DVC citizen like myself?

Wow I didn't realize I still had so many questions. Its funny, I'm the guy that all my friends go to for WDW info (my answer usually ends with, just go to this site!)

 

[wehrengrizz]

theoretical 2019 Aulani trip

duuuude. This makes our presentation in 20 days all the more important. Literally kids asked to go to HI as the next trip if it's not Disney. (They don't grasp the Disney + HI concept, which is probably amazing for our bank account)

I'm the guy that all my friends go to for WDW info (my answer usually ends with, just go to this site!)

Also, you're welcome! ( and now you're singing in Maui's voice)

Should I instead get 5 day 'park hopper plus' tickets and spend the other 2 days at a water park or golfing and resort-ing?

Because, math. seriously. Lots of time to figure this part out, luckily (at least up to the 60+day mark)...but some levels of AP have the water park included, not all. Factor in realistic discounts...remember TiW is a giant discount (Now bigger than AP across the board as the 45th anniv discount is finally over), and it can be for up to 10 people, as long as the cardholder is present and paying. Math, if you do even 1 meal that the discount covers that purchase cost then it's obvious. Upcoming trip, I have my AP but for the rest of the family got them tickets through Boardwalk Ticketing and saved enough to cover our groceries.

 

[gharter]

5 day vs AP, it really depends how often you go. Currently, we go twice a year. We are able to plan our AP purchase and the dates we stay to cover 3 trips Easy decision for us. Similar decision for TIW. THe restaurants that we choose, and visiting different lounges and bars, saved us a lot of money and we got 3 trips our of it.
Hope you enjoy DVC as much as we do.

 

[William Ades]

Wow thanks everyone! Unfortunately I don't expect any DVC discounts as I am only a recent resale purchaser. I intend to add a small 25 pointer directly in the future, but I have to let that spending capital build up again

As for the view, I expect that the majority of my trips will be standard or lake view depending on availability. But a few factors are weighing into my choice to spend the points on this:

1. First Trip 'Celebration'
2. Hosting the In-Laws
3. By trip time, I will have an 8 year old, a 3 year old, and a 4 month old infant. I anticipate a lot of being stuck in the room during naptime or early-to-bed-but-still-enjoy-the-fireworks evenings.

Really, the only other time I anticipate booking a view is our theoretical 2019 Aulani trip and perhaps an AK stay down the road.


Our first family trip to MK was only a couple days during Christmas a few years ago. We stayed in a Family suite at AOA and loved it (except for the buses, hence BLT ). But, we didn't buy the extra Mickey's Very Merry Christmas tickets on top of our regular park hopper tickets. Seemed like a lot and we already had a few hours to enjoy the lights before we were kicked out. I don't intend for this to sound snarky; I'm legitimately asking: What is so special about MVMC beyond the awesome lights?




Also, Since we're staying 7 days do you recommend 7 day tickets or less? An AP is probably cost-prohibitive as we won't be back to WDW in the following year.
Should I instead get 5 day 'park hopper plus' tickets and spend the other 2 days at a water park or golfing and resort-ing?

If I do golf, I heard rumors that club rentals are free if staying DVC. Is this true and would this apply to a, uh, second class DVC citizen like myself?

Wow I didn't realize I still had so many questions. Its funny, I'm the guy that all my friends go to for WDW info (my answer usually ends with, just go to this site!)

There is a great deal of special things for the MVMCP and MNSSHP; a parade, castle stage shows, free snacks (Ie. Ice Cream, soft pretzels, cookies, hot cocoa, eggnog, etc). For MNSSHP you get to Trick-or-Treat and get as much candy as your little ones (and big ones) desire. We ended up with 3/4 of pillow case full. There are also a bunch of very rare character MnG opportunities (Ie. 7 Swarfs, Jack Skelington and Sandy Claus, Moana, Belle and Gaston, Jack Sparrow, etc). The fireworks show for the parties are spectacular, and the ride wait times are significantly lower. There are Threads for each party in the Forums that list all the details, I highly recommend going to each one at least once, they are well worth it!!

Personally I would advise against the 7-Day tickets because that would be absolutely exhausting. I wouldn't recommend more than 5 days, but that is just me. I like to have a day or two to just relax and recover without having to walk for miles, wait in lines, and deal with crowds. Which at that time of year are insane!! Maybe take a day or two to explore the property/resorts, go have a nice meal at one of the signature restaurants, or maybe one of the dinner shows. People get focused on the Theme Parks but there is so much more to do. We have gone down for several days and only visited a theme park one day before. To really fully take in all that Magic Kingdom has to offer, I'd plan on 2 days. Beyond that the others can be done in 1 day. The exception to that for me would be Epcot because of the World Showcase, which we really enjoy it. If you take the time to really explore each country and watch the shows/movies they have, and stop for a meal, time can get away form you quickly. Add that to the time spent in Future World and they are kicking you out before you know. If you have no real interest in World Showcase, then Epcot can easily be done in 1 day. Hollywood Studios has never been an issue for us in terms of experiences all it has to offer in 1 day. That may change once both Toy Story and Star Wars lands open, but for your trip Star Wars is expected to be done, so I think that will hold true. Thing to remember is you will be back, so there is no need to do it all in one trip. Everyone here will agree, it just isn't possible and you will either drive yourself crazy or to exhaustion trying. Possibly both...Lol!!

Club rentals are NOT free for anyone. There is $40 fee for DVC members and $65 for non-members. You can get a discounted rate on the Greens Fees though.

 

[Matty B13]

You probably won't need a park ticket for the day you leave because check out is 11am and by the time you grab breakfast and pack you won't have time to hit a park that day. Since you are at BLT I would plan on hitting MK the day you arrive since the kids at their ages will see MK and want to go right away. So you could probably get away with a 6-day tickets.

 

[wehrengrizz]

also a thought if you do decide on MVMCP then you could easily do a swim/resort/etc day until party time, that would let everyone "rest" (ha) and you're still going to get 8+ hrs at MK (assuming the times are the same as the last few years)...

 

[philly_mcphillyface]

We recently stayed at BLT (rented points), and absolutely loved being able to walk to and from the Magic Kingdom. Our kids are 4 and 7, so it was also convenient in that I could stay at the park with my daughter while my wife took our son home for a nap or earlier bedtime knowing that it was a short/easy walk for her. It also came in handy the morning I took him over to MK to ride Splash Mountain twice before the girls woke up

 

[CraigInPA]

If one of your group is familiar with operating a boat, I would highly recommend renting a pontoon boat at the Contemporary marina and taking a ride around Bay Lake and the Seven Seas Lagoon. I think the last time we went, it took about an hour and with the DVC discount it was about $50. You can, of course, bring snacks and drinks and fishing rods, if you want to hang out longer.

If you lack familiarity, you can still see Bay Lake. But, I would STRONGLY recommend AGAINST going through the water bridge to the Seven Seas Lagoon without someone familiar with boat navigation. The bridge is somewhat narrow, and the ferry boats that travel through it to Fort Wilderness and Wilderness lodge are big enough to scare the bejeezus out of you. You can rent boats at the Poly to see the Seven Seas Lagoon, if you like.

 

[Crusader10hky]

If one of your group is familiar with operating a boat, I would highly recommend renting a pontoon boat at the Contemporary marina and taking a ride around Bay Lake and the Seven Seas Lagoon. I think the last time we went, it took about an hour and with the DVC discount it was about $50. You can, of course, bring snacks and drinks and fishing rods, if you want to hang out longer.

If you lack familiarity, you can still see Bay Lake. But, I would STRONGLY recommend AGAINST going through the water bridge to the Seven Seas Lagoon without someone familiar with boat navigation. The bridge is somewhat narrow, and the ferry boats that travel through it to Fort Wilderness and Wilderness lodge are big enough to scare the bejeezus out of you. You can rent boats at the Poly to see the Seven Seas Lagoon, if you like.

At least a couple of us are pretty experienced boaters in busy areas so I was definitely intrigued by this. I'm wondering if this will be another discount that I won't receive by being resale though...