The Diary of a Willing Disney Hostage: A Pre-Trip Report (UPDATED: 1/4)

[danceintherain]

Alright, first I'd like to introduce myself. I'm Becca!

This is where I will discuss my plans for my Disneymoon in January.
We will be at the World January 4-13.

So you might ask, who is we?

We is me and my soon-to-be DH, Logan.

First of all, Logan and I will have been together just shy of 3 years when we get married in January. We actually met in a Kansas tornado. I know what you're thinking, so you were in the same shelter together?

No, not exactly. We both made the decision to risk our lives and go out and watch for the tornado. I've lived in Kansas most of my life and have never actually seen a tornado. Actually, that fateful event occurred almost exactly three years ago today. It was the Sunday after Thanksgiving 2005 when we met. We didn't actually start dating until January though.

Anyways, now for a little preliminary information on why I chose Disney.

It all started 2 years ago when I made a New Year's trip to Disney with my family. We had an amazing time, even though it was New Year's and I don't think we saw an inch of pavement the entire time we were there. However, we had many "alone" moments.
How do you find "alone" moments at Disney on New Year's you may ask? Well, by diffusion. (yes... that science reference was for you Jen) While most people flock together, we tended to wander off to the road less traveled and ended up having many wonderful moments WITH elbow room. One of those moments was a late night at EPCOT, we were wandering around the world showcase, when my brilliant little brother said, "Wow, this would be an awesome place to Honeymoon. You could eat in a different country every night!" Now throughout the trip I had been thinking "Man, I wish Logan was here with me. He would love this." Unfortunately, he did not make that trip with my family though. Thus, the seed was planted.

Fast Forward 9 months later:
One of my great desires as a college student was to study abroad. It was the one thing that I knew I wanted to do while in college. Thus, in Fall 2007 I did study abroad in the Czech Republic, (Prague more specifically) and Logan as a good not-too-overly attached boyfriend decided that if the military would let him, he wanted to come with me.

I said, "well, ok," and after his cadre had given him their stamp of approval (actually, they LOVED the idea) My original inclination was to go to Spain or Italy. I had wanted to go to Italy for a long time, but if I had gone to Spain then I could finish up my Spanish credits while I was there. Anyways, since Logan is not proficient in any languages, we had to go somewhere that we could study in English. It just so happens that there's a college in Prague that instructs in English, and I became thrilled at the idea of spending a semester in Prague.

I learned a lot of things about myself while in Prague. Most important of which is that I do not do well in situations that I do not know the norms for behavior, and not knowing the language makes it worse. I became VERY frustrated while trying to schedule weekend trips, due to my own issues, and the lack of customer service abilities of the Czech people. We ran into a million problems with transportation and everything else, and I found myself wishing to be home.
That seed of Disney desire grew at least a foot while I was there, and I started planning our trip. Logan and I did spend a great deal of time touring around Prague, but made very few trips outside the city.

Yes, you did the Math right, I've been planning this trip for over a year. I started planning the honeymoon even before Logan proposed. He had a very specific time frame in which to do so, (our 180 day ADR date was the beginning of July!) and he came through.

He loves the idea that I have the whole trip planned.

NEXT EPISODE: Why the title? the engagement, and other pertinent Disney things...

 

[trixiequilts]

Hi Becca, just wanted to be first, going back to read!

 

[jenjolt]

WOW!! I got referenced in a PTR!! Thanks Becca!!! And good use of the word diffusion..you even used it right...brownie points for you!!

I'm totally subscribing and I can't to hear more about your plans and the lovely Disneymoon you and Logan are going to have.

So can relate to the Kansas Tornado...of course you already knew that LOL!! Loved it though...what a way to meet!!

 

[BellaSoleil]

Hello Becca! I'm here, too! I'll add you to the Snowbird PTR list, as well. Great start, little lady! I can't wait to read the rest.

 

[H20DogsNDisney]

We are here to can't wait to read the rest!

 

[jenjolt]

We are here to can't wait to read the rest!

Hope you get your solo dream trip!!! I'm going on mine in January and I'm so excited there are not words LOL!!

 

[mana_liz]

Just wanted to say "HI"...great start.

I may start one of these yet...I keep putting it off.

 

[stacikristine]

I can't wait to read more! Congrats on the engagement!! I bet you're SO excited! I'm getting married in 18 days and CAN NOT wait!! I can't wait to hear all about where you're staying and what you're doing and everything! We're planning a Sept trip--you can check out my PTR if you want...it's in my sig. Again, CONGRATS! And I can't wait to follow this trip with you!

 

[Dancegrl624]

Hi there fellow Snowbird! Signing on! Great start!

 

[danceintherain]

Yay! I have readers! Now I don't have to discuss my plans solely with myself. Logan does pretend to listen most of the time, but sometimes I have to give him a break.

WOW!! I got referenced in a PTR!! Thanks Becca!!! And good use of the word diffusion..you even used it right...brownie points for you!!

I'm totally subscribing and I can't to hear more about your plans and the lovely Disneymoon you and Logan are going to have.

So can relate to the Kansas Tornado...of course you already knew that LOL!! Loved it though...what a way to meet!!

Maybe I'll get subconscious retroactive points on my Biology final for using diffusion right.

 

[pamouselover]

Yay! I have readers! Now I don't have to discuss my plans solely with myself. Logan does pretend to listen most of the time, but sometimes I have to give him a break.



Maybe I'll get subconscious retroactive points on my Biology final for using diffusion right.

Hi Becca!
Glad you started a PTR. If he like my DH he wont say anything till you are there and then he will 20 ? about your plans.

 

[danceintherain]

I'm sure you're all wondering why I'm calling myself a Disney hostage. Basically, we're flying in, taking the Magical Express, and then taking Disney Transportation the entire time.
Part of that is due to the fact that neither Logan nor I will be 24 on the trip, which means renting a car is not really an option, unless we want to pay an exorbitant amount of money. We probably still could do it. I didn't really look into it. However, I also HATE driving. I'm entirely convinced that I should have lived during a time with horse and buggies, and/or my own private driver. Also, I fell in love with public transportation while in Prague. I loved being able to get on a tram or a metro and go wherever I want and not really have to pay attention while I'm going.

Also, in previous trips we've never actually gone anywhere besides Disney. We've talked about it, but never made it. Actually, because of our attachment to the Disney Parks we've never actually made it to Downtown Disney, or a Water Park.
Anyways, I'm thrilled at the idea of letting Disney do the driving, even though I'm staying at one of the less accessible resorts on the property.

When I started planning the trip, I was determined to stay on the property. Even after many offers of condos and houses (my sister's parents-in-law just bought a house in Orlando last year) I stuck with my initial plan of staying on the property, and fell in love with the Animal Kingdom Lodge.

Now, my resolve is not really THAT strong.

Yes, I fell in love with AKL, but that does not mean that over the past year I have been planning on staying their the whole time. As a Deluxe resort, it is expensive, and Logan and I ARE college students with loans. (somehow he ended up with almost as much as me even though the military has been paying for his schooling most of the time???) Besides, my initial AKL plan was Savannah View Concierge Level, which even at the least expensive of the Deluxe resorts is a large amount of money. I also planned on doing either the Premium or Platinum Packages, which ultimately caused me to extend my trip from 7 days to 10.
While thinking I would do Premium or Platinum, I was also thinking that we would have time to take advantage of the many recreational activities included in those plans. I was going to eat at Victoria & Alberts, go parasailing, have a spa day, and many many many MANY other things. When I strategically placed each of the activities into my schedule I realized that 7 days just wasn't enough, and even when extending the trip to 10 days there would be little chance of doing everything and still having any park time, especially since both plans include 3 meals a day.

The total for that "dream" trip was a little too much for us anyways, so it wasn't all that difficult for me to condense my plans a little, considering I want money to afford a place to live after we get back.

However, at that point I even started realizing that Concierge Level and Savannah View were a little out of our price range as well, and since I didn't want to stay at AKL without a Savannah View room, I started looking at the Moderates.

Now I know that the Moderates are lovely resorts, but I have a theory that when we're at our resort we probably won't be spending much time enjoying much other than our room, so the "look" of the room is very important to me.

Somehow this:

and this:

just don't compare in ambiance.

Therefore, even upon deciding that I could handle a Moderate, I began considering a Split Stay - Moderate and AKL-Savannah View Concierge.
My plan was to tour commando style during our Moderate stay and relax a bit during our stay at AKL.
The Moderate I ultimately chose was Port Orleans-Riverside (King Bed Room of Course) I liked the idea of being able to take the boat to Downtown Disney, and the Magnolia Bend Houses are gorgeous on the outside. This was not a direct decision, I bounced around between resorts before ultimately deciding on POR and AKL.

Actually, I even considered the option of staying at the Poly, because if I love AKL I love the Poly just a little more. Unfortunately, even if we did a Garden View at the Poly, which would give us no chance on a King Sized Bed (unless I got a Honeymoon suite which is the dream, but waaaay out of my price range), it would still cost more than staying Concierge Level at AKL.

Then there was my Contemporary phase, with which I could guarantee myself a King Bed at a Deluxe, which neither the Poly or AKL offer, and the Wilderness Lodge phase, which Logan nixed, because he thought it would be too rustic ??? Again if I could afford a Honeymoon Suite that's where I'd be, but ummm... probably not.

Anyways... when it was finally time for me to contact a travel agent to book our stay, I had settled entirely on AKL - Pool View. ( If I hate driving, I probably hate the phone even more. I can call people I know, but I absolutely loathe calling people I don't know, with a TA I could communicate almost entirely through e-mail, and wouldn't necessarily have to pay attention to deals as much. I did anyways... but that's a story for a different time.) Basically, I decided that I really didn't want a split stay, so Pool View was a decent compromise.

I know I said I was going to talk about the engagement, but I'll have to save that for next time.

 

[TxRabbit]

I'm loving the way you are picturing your vacation!

Meeting during tornado tracking is too funny. I lived in Kansas for almost 4 years and never saw a tornado. One evening the tornado sirens actually went off, DH and I looked at each other, then looked outside...beautiful weather, the sliding door was open...we were like...are they serious? I never did really understand why they went off.

Looking forward to hearing more.

 

[danceintherain]

I'm loving the way you are picturing your vacation!

Meeting during tornado tracking is too funny. I lived in Kansas for almost 4 years and never saw a tornado. One evening the tornado sirens actually went off, DH and I looked at each other, then looked outside...beautiful weather, the sliding door was open...we were like...are they serious? I never did really understand why they went off.

Looking forward to hearing more.

Yeah... I've never seen one. Actually, one went through Manhattan and K-State in June. I was here when it came through, but I was a good little girl and hid in the basement. It was in the middle of the night though, and I'm not very adventurous when I just want to be sleeping.
The damage was insane though, so it's probably better that I was irritated in the basement, than thrill seeking in the street.

 

[jenjolt]

I'm sure you're all wondering why I'm calling myself a Disney hostage. Basically, we're flying in, taking the Magical Express, and then taking Disney Transportation the entire time.
Part of that is due to the fact that neither Logan nor I will be 24 on the trip, which means renting a car is not really an option, unless we want to pay an exorbitant amount of money. We probably still could do it. I didn't really look into it. However, I also HATE driving. I'm entirely convinced that I should have lived during a time with horse and buggies, and/or my own private driver. Also, I fell in love with public transportation while in Prague. I loved being able to get on a tram or a metro and go wherever I want and not really have to pay attention while I'm going.

Also, in previous trips we've never actually gone anywhere besides Disney. We've talked about it, but never made it. Actually, because of our attachment to the Disney Parks we've never actually made it to Downtown Disney, or a Water Park.
Anyways, I'm thrilled at the idea of letting Disney do the driving, even though I'm staying at one of the less accessible resorts on the property.

When I started planning the trip, I was determined to stay on the property. Even after many offers of condos and houses (my sister's parents-in-law just bought a house in Orlando last year) I stuck with my initial plan of staying on the property, and fell in love with the Animal Kingdom Lodge.

Now, my resolve is not really THAT strong.

Yes, I fell in love with AKL, but that does not mean that over the past year I have been planning on staying their the whole time. As a Deluxe resort, it is expensive, and Logan and I ARE college students with loans. (somehow he ended up with almost as much as me even though the military has been paying for his schooling most of the time???) Besides, my initial AKL plan was Savannah View Concierge Level, which even at the least expensive of the Deluxe resorts is a large amount of money. I also planned on doing either the Premium or Platinum Packages, which ultimately caused me to extend my trip from 7 days to 10.
While thinking I would do Premium or Platinum, I was also thinking that we would have time to take advantage of the many recreational activities included in those plans. I was going to eat at Victoria & Alberts, go parasailing, have a spa day, and many many many MANY other things. When I strategically placed each of the activities into my schedule I realized that 7 days just wasn't enough, and even when extending the trip to 10 days there would be little chance of doing everything and still having any park time, especially since both plans include 3 meals a day.

The total for that "dream" trip was a little too much for us anyways, so it wasn't all that difficult for me to condense my plans a little, considering I want money to afford a place to live after we get back.

However, at that point I even started realizing that Concierge Level and Savannah View were a little out of our price range as well, and since I didn't want to stay at AKL without a Savannah View room, I started looking at the Moderates.

Now I know that the Moderates are lovely resorts, but I have a theory that when we're at our resort we probably won't be spending much time enjoying much other than our room, so the "look" of the room is very important to me.

Somehow this:

and this:

just don't compare in ambiance.

Therefore, even upon deciding that I could handle a Moderate, I began considering a Split Stay - Moderate and AKL-Savannah View Concierge.
My plan was to tour commando style during our Moderate stay and relax a bit during our stay at AKL.
The Moderate I ultimately chose was Port Orleans-Riverside (King Bed Room of Course) I liked the idea of being able to take the boat to Downtown Disney, and the Magnolia Bend Houses are gorgeous on the outside. This was not a direct decision, I bounced around between resorts before ultimately deciding on POR and AKL.

Actually, I even considered the option of staying at the Poly, because if I love AKL I love the Poly just a little more. Unfortunately, even if we did a Garden View at the Poly, which would give us no chance on a King Sized Bed (unless I got a Honeymoon suite which is the dream, but waaaay out of my price range), it would still cost more than staying Concierge Level at AKL.

Then there was my Contemporary phase, with which I could guarantee myself a King Bed at a Deluxe, which neither the Poly or AKL offer, and the Wilderness Lodge phase, which Logan nixed, because he thought it would be too rustic ??? Again if I could afford a Honeymoon Suite that's where I'd be, but ummm... probably not.

Anyways... when it was finally time for me to contact a travel agent to book our stay, I had settled entirely on AKL - Pool View. ( If I hate driving, I probably hate the phone even more. I can call people I know, but I absolutely loathe calling people I don't know, with a TA I could communicate almost entirely through e-mail, and wouldn't necessarily have to pay attention to deals as much. I did anyways... but that's a story for a different time.) Basically, I decided that I really didn't want a split stay, so Pool View was a decent compromise.

I know I said I was going to talk about the engagement, but I'll have to save that for next time.

Thank goodness I am not the only person who can't stick with a decision LOL Why I love ya Becca!! You totally understand my need to look and evaluate every option!!

You and your fiance are going to have such a great honeymoon!!!! Can't wait to hear about the engagement and the wedding too LOL...I want to see that dress!!

 

[AGPrincess]

Hello from (another!) fellow snowbird! Sounds like this is going to be a fun trip! My family often does the split stay, and the deluxe we pick is almost always the AKL or the Poly. You just can't beat the theming of those two!

 

[stacikristine]

I'm glad you finally decided where to stay and that you're happy with it!! Oh--and I've read a lot of posts and seen a lot of pictures of pool view rooms at AKL, and they are GORGEOUS!!! Some people even like them better than the Savannah rooms...you have flamingos on pool-side too. So good choice!! I'm staying at AKV in September and I'm pumped!! I bet you'll love it!

 

[TxRabbit]

I must have zoned out for minute there reading your post...I still had it in my brain that you were doing a split stay.

We stayed pool view at AKL on our first family trip to WDW. We LOVED it! We stayed on the Giraffe Trail which is one of the wings of the bldg that faces the front. The one side of giraffe has std view rooms and the other has pool view.

What I loved about it...
It was a short walk down to the main bldg and all the services. We were also on the 3rd floor (if memory serves), which is the same floor as the lobby, so no elevator usage there either, which was really nice.

Our wing had a dedicated access door to the pool area, which opened on the side closest to the hot tub. Just walk down the hall away from the lobby and stairs or elevator down to the pool level and you are THERE!

A very short walk to and from the buses. There is a side access door on the Giraffe wing that lets you bypass walking through the lobby to get to and from the bus stops. To enter from the outside, you just have to swipe your key to unlock the door. It's amazing how saving those extra steps makes a difference at the end of the day or when you are hurrying to get going to an ADR!

DH and I packed our own adult libation for the trip. It was easier then without extra charges for baggage. We would sit on our balcony in the evening and do a little people watching, coming and going from the restaurants (we were close to that area) and swimming in the pool. The pool was so pretty at night all lit up.

There are so many opportunities to see the animals. I could see the attraction of wanting to stay on a savannah view, of course, but the convenience factor of our location really made a difference in our ultimate enjoyment of the trip.

My knowledge is almost two years old. We went in March 2007, but I'm happy to share what I do know.

 

[danceintherain]

Jen - I'll definitely put up a picture of my dress, and all my gorgeous reception decorations. My Mom actually just gave me some new really good reception news yesterday, but I'll save that for the installment.

jmsadams - Yeah... I got a little distracted while writing it, so I understand why you were confused. I actually had to go back and edit it, because I started talking about my TA and forgot to mention our final decision. I think that's probably where you got confused, because I think you read it before I made the change. We're really excited about it, and I have a knack for making the best out of any view, so I think we're good.
We went on a trip to Oklahoma City a few months ago, and of course got a view of the parking lot and highway (I don't think there were any other options anyways) However there was a white picket-like fence around the parking lot, so I strategically placed the blinds so all we could see was that fence!

stacikristine - Oooh the Villas! Someday...

AGPrincess - I love the theming of both as well. Maybe if the discounts stay this good throughout all of next year I could schedule a night or 2 in the Poly for my Graduation Trip in June. We'll see how it goes. For this trip I really wanted to maximize time. We could stay in the fanciest room on the property for 1 night, or stay 9 nights in a less-expensive still spectacular room!

 

[pamouselover]

I enjoy staying on property and letting disney drive me eveywhere for a week. Even when we had our SUV on our last trip, we still let disney drive us around. I miss the buses even when I get home!
The AKL room looks very nice. It will be romantic. I hope you get special treatment. Oh and I am ordering the photo CD tommorow. DH and I want out shopping tonight, I am to be putting all we spent into quicken, but of course I had to come on the DIS. Night!