singingpixie
<font color=deeppink>Baby Donor<br><font color=blu
- Joined
- Feb 26, 2004
- Messages
- 2,033
Hi everyone,
It's eleven months to go until our trip to Disney, and I am already trying to come up with things to pass the time and be an outlet for the excitement. Since planning this trip will be a bit more complicated than my last (just me and DBF), I thought I'd document our pre-trip planning journey just as I will our actual trip.
First, a preface....
DBF and I took our first trip to Disney together last January (2006). I had been once before with my family (a week at the All-Star Sports resort) when I was 10, and then spent a day at the MK with girlfriends at 19. At 22, DBF was losing his Dis-virginity. We stayed for 6 nights at Pop Century on the dining plan, and had an awesome time. In hindsight, I wish I hadn't put so much pressure on myself to make his trip "perfect" because I got a bit stressed, but all-in-all it was a wonderful trip.
After that trip, and on our college student/recent grad budget, I thought we were done with Disney for the forseeable future. DBF Steve had a great time, but didn't become quite the Disney addict that I am (at least not visably). As much as I love Disney, I didn't expect to be able to go back for several years, and I didn't expect Steve to really want to for a while. I was totally shocked when, a couple months after our trip, he told me to start tentatively planning another for sometime in the next 18 months or so. As much as I tried to contain my excitement that he made the suggestion on his own, I couldn't help myself from planning a trip down to every detail for fall of '07.
How our trip went from "a romantic repeat visit for two" to a two-couple trip-
A couple weeks after DBF Steve set me on a mission to plan our return visit, he brought it up in the car. "Do you know what would be fun?" he asked. "Going down to Disney with Ben and Kim. Ben hasn't been in ages, and Kim has never been." Ben and Kim are our "best couple friends"... the people we go on double dates with, although we don't get to see them as often as we'd like thanks to crazy work schedules. Something told me, based on the amount of info in Steve's musing, that he wasn't just coming up with this idea- that he'd actually talked to Ben about this already.
Regardless of whether this was a spontaneous idea or a thinly-veiled plan, I was excited by the idea of adding on to our group. The four of us get along very well, I always love seeing Disney through the eyes of a newbie, and Steve loves to be sort of the "tourguide" for things- one thing he kind of resented last trip as I was showing him around more than he was directing things (since he didn't really have any idea of what to direct). Another benefit- Steve and Ben can spend as much time at Disneyquest as they want, and I can just check it out for an hour or so and then go shopping in DTD with Kim! Plus, maybe I'd have someone who could appreciate Fantasyland as something besides "kiddie" rides!
Group plans begin...
I went to work researching tips and revamping our plans away from "romance" and more toward "grown up fun." Some of the darker, quieter restaurants gave way in my mind to some of the more fun, campy experiences like 50s Prime Time Cafe and 'Ohana. I started planning for a return to Pop Century again, rather than an upgrade to a moderate (I was debating on whether we could afford it ourselves, and I knew Ben and Kim were worried about cost, so I wanted to make it a less intimidating proposition). I whipped out calendars and made sure to note all possible dates that we could travel during the value season, and saw that September and January were our best bets. Having traveled last January and had a great time but wanted a bit more predictable weather, I was strongly leaning toward September.
The four of us made plans to get together for dinner and discuss possible options. As we talked, it seemed like the trip was more and more do-able. Then, a major kink in our plans: Kim cannot miss any work in September, as it is the end of the government's fiscal year and a really busy time. OK, well then back to January. Does this mean January '07 (really soon, as in I would have to have ADRs ready in like two weeks
) or January '08 (a long time away!)? Apparently everyone could go in January '07. Wow, this is coming fast! We went back to our house, looked at pictures from our last trip, and played Disney Scene-It well into the night, and then Ben and Kim went home.
Concrete Plans begin... sort of
I started to work out ADR plans, look at plane ticket prices, and communicate details back to people. Disney packages for 2007 weren't book-able yet, so we were sort of in limbo as we waited. Then airfare started going up, and I realized we needed to finalize plans. I called Ben and Kim saying that we needed to look at buying tickets before they went up further, and we hit another roadblock- they didn't have the cash to buy tickets at this point. Honestly, I breathed a sigh of relief- I wanted more time to plan, and I didn't think we'd be able to easily afford a trip that quickly anyway.
Looking back at my calendars, I realized a loop-hole. We could check in right up until the end of Value season and still get those rates. After a few more phone calls, we were on the same page again- we'll go at the VERY end of September (Kim will miss no work days in September) into October. The best of multiple worlds: More time to plan, more time to save, Food and Wine Fest (great fun for a bunch of twenty-somethings!), Mickey's Not so Scary Halloween Party (great fun for a bunch of adults who act like kids!) and the chance for Free Dining! I went back to a more relaxed style of planning, and brainstorming for all of our new options.
More possibilities...
Since we moved into our townhouse, the basement bedroom had been unoccupied as we waited for someone we knew to need a place to stay, who could chip in w/ rent, etc. A couple months ago, one of Steve's friends from early college had finished grad school and moved back to the area. Eventually, he moved in. Jim was friends with Steve and Ben in college, and gradually the thought came up that Jim and his girlfriend Jennifer may want to join the trip. Jim has been a few times, but not in years and years, and Jennifer has been several times throughout her life. Both sound interested, although Jennifer has not yet met Ben and Kim.
As of now, the plan is to have a couple triple-dates so that we can see how group chemistry works out, and then to solidify plans. We need to know concrete numbers by late winter/early spring in order to start booking.
Where do we go from here...
I intend this report to document our journey as our plans develop from now until fall. We'll make the journey from getting committments from all of us to make the trip, deciding on a resort, making ADRs and planning our days. I'll also tell you about all of our planning get-togethers as we anticipate the trip. Feel free to offer feedback about the process, or to let me know what else you'd like to read! Thanks!
It's eleven months to go until our trip to Disney, and I am already trying to come up with things to pass the time and be an outlet for the excitement. Since planning this trip will be a bit more complicated than my last (just me and DBF), I thought I'd document our pre-trip planning journey just as I will our actual trip.
First, a preface....
DBF and I took our first trip to Disney together last January (2006). I had been once before with my family (a week at the All-Star Sports resort) when I was 10, and then spent a day at the MK with girlfriends at 19. At 22, DBF was losing his Dis-virginity. We stayed for 6 nights at Pop Century on the dining plan, and had an awesome time. In hindsight, I wish I hadn't put so much pressure on myself to make his trip "perfect" because I got a bit stressed, but all-in-all it was a wonderful trip.
After that trip, and on our college student/recent grad budget, I thought we were done with Disney for the forseeable future. DBF Steve had a great time, but didn't become quite the Disney addict that I am (at least not visably). As much as I love Disney, I didn't expect to be able to go back for several years, and I didn't expect Steve to really want to for a while. I was totally shocked when, a couple months after our trip, he told me to start tentatively planning another for sometime in the next 18 months or so. As much as I tried to contain my excitement that he made the suggestion on his own, I couldn't help myself from planning a trip down to every detail for fall of '07.
How our trip went from "a romantic repeat visit for two" to a two-couple trip-
A couple weeks after DBF Steve set me on a mission to plan our return visit, he brought it up in the car. "Do you know what would be fun?" he asked. "Going down to Disney with Ben and Kim. Ben hasn't been in ages, and Kim has never been." Ben and Kim are our "best couple friends"... the people we go on double dates with, although we don't get to see them as often as we'd like thanks to crazy work schedules. Something told me, based on the amount of info in Steve's musing, that he wasn't just coming up with this idea- that he'd actually talked to Ben about this already.
Regardless of whether this was a spontaneous idea or a thinly-veiled plan, I was excited by the idea of adding on to our group. The four of us get along very well, I always love seeing Disney through the eyes of a newbie, and Steve loves to be sort of the "tourguide" for things- one thing he kind of resented last trip as I was showing him around more than he was directing things (since he didn't really have any idea of what to direct). Another benefit- Steve and Ben can spend as much time at Disneyquest as they want, and I can just check it out for an hour or so and then go shopping in DTD with Kim! Plus, maybe I'd have someone who could appreciate Fantasyland as something besides "kiddie" rides!
Group plans begin...
I went to work researching tips and revamping our plans away from "romance" and more toward "grown up fun." Some of the darker, quieter restaurants gave way in my mind to some of the more fun, campy experiences like 50s Prime Time Cafe and 'Ohana. I started planning for a return to Pop Century again, rather than an upgrade to a moderate (I was debating on whether we could afford it ourselves, and I knew Ben and Kim were worried about cost, so I wanted to make it a less intimidating proposition). I whipped out calendars and made sure to note all possible dates that we could travel during the value season, and saw that September and January were our best bets. Having traveled last January and had a great time but wanted a bit more predictable weather, I was strongly leaning toward September.
The four of us made plans to get together for dinner and discuss possible options. As we talked, it seemed like the trip was more and more do-able. Then, a major kink in our plans: Kim cannot miss any work in September, as it is the end of the government's fiscal year and a really busy time. OK, well then back to January. Does this mean January '07 (really soon, as in I would have to have ADRs ready in like two weeks
) or January '08 (a long time away!)? Apparently everyone could go in January '07. Wow, this is coming fast! We went back to our house, looked at pictures from our last trip, and played Disney Scene-It well into the night, and then Ben and Kim went home. Concrete Plans begin... sort of
I started to work out ADR plans, look at plane ticket prices, and communicate details back to people. Disney packages for 2007 weren't book-able yet, so we were sort of in limbo as we waited. Then airfare started going up, and I realized we needed to finalize plans. I called Ben and Kim saying that we needed to look at buying tickets before they went up further, and we hit another roadblock- they didn't have the cash to buy tickets at this point. Honestly, I breathed a sigh of relief- I wanted more time to plan, and I didn't think we'd be able to easily afford a trip that quickly anyway.
Looking back at my calendars, I realized a loop-hole. We could check in right up until the end of Value season and still get those rates. After a few more phone calls, we were on the same page again- we'll go at the VERY end of September (Kim will miss no work days in September) into October. The best of multiple worlds: More time to plan, more time to save, Food and Wine Fest (great fun for a bunch of twenty-somethings!), Mickey's Not so Scary Halloween Party (great fun for a bunch of adults who act like kids!) and the chance for Free Dining! I went back to a more relaxed style of planning, and brainstorming for all of our new options.
More possibilities...
Since we moved into our townhouse, the basement bedroom had been unoccupied as we waited for someone we knew to need a place to stay, who could chip in w/ rent, etc. A couple months ago, one of Steve's friends from early college had finished grad school and moved back to the area. Eventually, he moved in. Jim was friends with Steve and Ben in college, and gradually the thought came up that Jim and his girlfriend Jennifer may want to join the trip. Jim has been a few times, but not in years and years, and Jennifer has been several times throughout her life. Both sound interested, although Jennifer has not yet met Ben and Kim.
As of now, the plan is to have a couple triple-dates so that we can see how group chemistry works out, and then to solidify plans. We need to know concrete numbers by late winter/early spring in order to start booking.
Where do we go from here...
I intend this report to document our journey as our plans develop from now until fall. We'll make the journey from getting committments from all of us to make the trip, deciding on a resort, making ADRs and planning our days. I'll also tell you about all of our planning get-togethers as we anticipate the trip. Feel free to offer feedback about the process, or to let me know what else you'd like to read! Thanks!
