I was reading Praline's trip report this morning and saw that she booked the safari at AK since she is staying conceirge...I did not know you could do this. Do you book through IPO??
Any other special things we can do since we are staying conceirge?? (paying over $700 a night...so I want to get something out of this...my husband is on the couch sleeping so I have to finish this up quick! If he sees $700 a night he is just going to freak
)
Also- should you use IPO for your ADR's, have your TA do this or make your own? We are going for X-mas so I was not sure when you are contacted by IPO or can you contact them anytime for requests?
This is our first time at GF and SL so I hope we love it!! If so...I am switching all my DVC points and taking my DD4 back for her 5th Birthday!
You can book the "Wildlife Discovery Excursion" through IPO - this is the AK tour that is open to all concierge guests at WDW (this is different than the safaris open to AKL/AKV concierge guests). IPO is the only one that can book. If memory serves, it was $45/adult, and runs twice a day, a few days a week (can't remember the exact times and dates, but IPO can tell you).
DH and I did the tour in December. The guide we had was very interesting, and we did see a good selection of animals (you're on the regular AK safari track, but in a special vehicle, enclosed, but with lots of windows, etc. - you go along the track, and then pull off in certain places to let the regular safari vehicles pass and get more time with the animals). We liked it, but we had the MOST ANNOYING people on the tour, and they really affected our enjoyment of it (loud, obnoxious, asked completely asinine, almost somewhat offensive questions of the guide, etc.).
I can't think off the top of my head of any other "special" things like this available to concierge guests, but will let you know if anything comes up.
As for making reservations - admittedly, I'm a little OCD about my Disney trip planning, and prefer to make my ADR's myself. I'm the only one that really cares THAT MUCH about my vacation, so if I'm up calling at 6:58 a.m., I have a good shot of getting what I want. I always think that TA's and IPO are going to have other guests they need to worry about, too. That being said, you could always ask IPO for help in getting certain reservations after the fact, or just give them your list and see how they fare.
I would go ahead and shoot IPO an e-mail, introducing yourself.
I got it
As of about 8:30 this morning I am officially going back to RPC
Now I have to figure out where to stay my first two nights since they are booked solid. What do you think the chances are if I book GV at GF I will get bumped up if they have an opening.
Channing,
I see you use AAA now vs AP. The CM I talked to this morning suggested since I am going twice this year and there is no AAA discounts for December at the GF I buy an AP and wait for the discounts to come out. Since it seems to be a problem getting tickets for my May trip with the split stay maybe I would be better off with the AP. Any thoughts?
Also, do you find the dining card a benefit to you or is it not really worth the money. I see you can add the dining plan to the AP now and maybe that is an option. So many questions and my AAA person is not strong with Disney so I have to rely on other sources to guide her.
Congrats on getting RPC!! When are you going in December? DH and I will be there (after AKL CL stay) from 12/15-19!
From experience, the AAA discount will actually be CHEAPER than the AP discount for the high-end/CL-level rooms at the deluxe resorts. AAA offers a percentage off the total room cost, while the AP rates are a flat fee across all room types at a deluxe resort. Unless Disney begins offering AMAZING discounts again (which I just don't see happening, unless the economy really starts tanking), you're going to save more getting that 15% AAA discount in December, vs. getting
maybe $100 off the room rate with an AP.
We were staying RPC last year from 11/29-12/2. We booked AAA, and there were AP discounts released for our stay. And yep, the AAA discount was about $10-$15 cheaper per night.
Of course, if you're going a lot this year and park-hop, then an AP might not be bad to consider. AP holders get other discounts, such as shopping, discounts on tours, watercraft rentals, etc. Getting an AP also allows you to get the DDE, too. I'm with Channing - we always use DDE. We tried the
DDP (and this was the old version, when it had more value) during the
free dining promotion in '06 and really didn't like it. We like eating when we want, how we want, and where we want. I also don't like that 45-day cancellation policy on packages.
Thank you!
One more question, is it warm enough in Feb/Mar to swim? Does it get crowded during that time at the pools?
Thanks again.
Weather in Florida for Feb./March can be all over the map. My parents are down there right now, and in the span of a few days, they've had 80-degree temperatures, what my father called a "mini hurricane" (95-mile hour winds!), to now cooler weather. It's really the luck of the draw.
Disney claims that all pools are heated continuously at 82 degrees year-round, though. It could just be a bit nippy as you get in/out!
Thanks Channing. It wasn't confusing at all. Since there is no AAA rates for RPC in December during my time I decided to go with the Annual Pass for us and I am going to add the DDE. Can you purchase that before arrival or should you just wait till you get there? My May reservations will be changed to AAA room only and I will get my AAA discount there but have asked her to see if by some chance there is a AP rate that is lower, not holding my breath for this though.
You can purchase the DDE before arrival, although you shouldn't purchase it too close to your trip, as it's not like receiving an AP voucher - they give you a certain expiration date when you call to purchase. The general rule of thumb seems to be that if you call after the 6th of the month, your expiration date will be the last day of the next month. For instance, I have a trip coming up in May, and want my card to be good through May 31 of the following year. Thus, I'm going to call around the 6th of April to order my card.
You can now purchase the DDE on-site from any Guest Relations window, but the card they give you is paper, and somewhat temporary looking. If you call the DDE department and order in advance, they will mail you a plastic card (like a credit card).
When my kids were young we used to go during Jan/Feb to early March....we never used the pools once for 15 yrs of trips until we started going in summer. But that's just us.....there are always people swimming.
no matter how cold it is - As for me, not so much. Put me in the wimp catagory.
I did the 1pm tour as we are planning on riding rides in the morning and hitting the resort pool in the afternoon. I like the idea of being in an air condition bus at 1pm rather than standing in an hour line for the safari 
I & others have spent the last several pages answering GF SPECIFIC questions....you must not have been reading the thread. No reason to complain....just on these last couple pages there is a lot of current GF and WDW info. AND we answer questions about other issues GF guests might have. If one person has the question, certainly there are others out there with the same..... I think we have the BEST thread around and we ALWAYS answer questions when they're asked - despite the fact taht all the info is already posted at the front of the thread and the same questions keep being asked over and over again....they get answered over and over again. So UNLIKE most other resort threads on the Dis. I see no reason to gripe here. Just ask a question and you'll get answers. If you want the amenities and basic GF info check the first few pages. Enjoy.
but post not actual question.
