*~Trading Snow & Slush For Pixie Dust~* Jan PTR - 1/17 - Photo Challenge Complete!

[khertz]

So I had to pop over & join in on your PTR! Wow, my head is spinning just reading all of the changes to your trip, I know yours must be!! I think you can't go wrong with either POFQ or Bonnet Creek. Of course, we'll be staying at BC from now on since we can use our points & stay for free, but DH and I absolutely loved POFQ also. We liked how small it was, so you weren't hiking to your room and the buses. But the space at BC is hard to beat! When we were there in 2009 with 3 sets of adults, we had PLENTY of space. The coffee drinkers could brew coffee in the morning, we could have a hearty breakfast before rolling out to the parks for the day, and we could all have our separate bedroom at night after we had some hot chocolate on our balcony. We never did get to try out the pool or lazy river because we were commando touring the whole time, but this year, we plan to spend quite a bit of time there with DS. Hopefully you can nail something down soon and start planning!!

 

[khertz]

OH! And forgot to say, if you go with your early November days, a few of our park days overlap! I will be on the lookout for your family, especially Boo's gorgeous red hair!!

 

[Colleen27]

I think the Bonnet Creek idea is a good one. I've done offsite stays before and they are still very enjoyable, I just really appreciate the whole atmosphere of being on-site at Disney. All things equal, I would always want to stay on site, but when it comes down to budgeting a trip I would never hesitate to stay off-site to make things work out better. As long as it gets you there and gives you a place to stay, that's the important part.

I've never done the orange picking thing, but I think that looks like a fun idea. Congratulations to Pocahontas on her ribbons and that was a great thing she did by donating to Locks of Love.

I think I'm just spoiled by never having to drive or think about bus schedules when we're at Disney, and I'm having a hard time deciding if we really want to drive. And the loss of EMH is nagging at me a bit too, because the parks close so blasted early in the fall!

I have heard fabulous things about Bonnet Creek as well. And it is so close to everything too.
Love the haircut.

Pocahontas says thank you. She is loving her short hair and actually asked me why I didn't convince her to cut it sooner. Since mine is hip-length I'm probably not the one to look to for advice on how much easier short hair is to care for!

So I had to pop over & join in on your PTR! Wow, my head is spinning just reading all of the changes to your trip, I know yours must be!! I think you can't go wrong with either POFQ or Bonnet Creek. Of course, we'll be staying at BC from now on since we can use our points & stay for free, but DH and I absolutely loved POFQ also. We liked how small it was, so you weren't hiking to your room and the buses. But the space at BC is hard to beat! When we were there in 2009 with 3 sets of adults, we had PLENTY of space. The coffee drinkers could brew coffee in the morning, we could have a hearty breakfast before rolling out to the parks for the day, and we could all have our separate bedroom at night after we had some hot chocolate on our balcony. We never did get to try out the pool or lazy river because we were commando touring the whole time, but this year, we plan to spend quite a bit of time there with DS. Hopefully you can nail something down soon and start planning!!

I'm having a very hard time fighting my natural impatience on this one. There's a little voice in my head telling me "Just book Bonnet Creek already... You know you wanna!"

I think that will probably be where we ultimately end up because my preferred dates fell within Disney's discount black-out last year and planning for the week after Thanksgiving was giving me a headache with all the early closings for MVMCP plus the parade taping. And Stitch is loving the idea of having a little more space than even two rooms gives us. Still, I'm going to be patient and see how the fall discounts look, especially the AP discounts since we're planning on getting one anyway to have for next Oct's trip.

OH! And forgot to say, if you go with your early November days, a few of our park days overlap! I will be on the lookout for your family, especially Boo's gorgeous red hair!!

My girls are super-easy to spot in the parks, between Boo's red hair and their matching Disney duds. As I get the plans nailed down I'll start posting pictures of the customs I'm making for them this year. I was planning on recycling a few from the last trip but I think I've got more ideas and fabric than trip days now so this will probably be the only one that gets reused:

 

[khertz]

I read your TR today, and those were definitely my FAVORITE dresses your girls wore! You made them?? So SO cute!!

 

[ash-n-brensmom]

WOW!! Your plans are making me dizzy!! I am so excited to hear your plans, though!! We have a trip planned for Oct 26-31st. It's just Ferb and I on the Dream from the 27th-30th and one night before and one night after. We will be staying at Bonnet Creek because after all of our deliberating we decided to buy there instead of with DVC. It was a huge debate...but we couldn't beat the price!! Gonna be watching you to see what you ultimately decide to do! Happy planning!!

 

[Colleen27]

I read your TR today, and those were definitely my FAVORITE dresses your girls wore! You made them?? So SO cute!!

Thank you. I taught myself to sew when Boo was born because there are so few options for buying matching outfits with the size difference between the girls, and that is one of my favorite projects. It came out so not-homemade looking that you'd never know it was the very first time I got brave enough to do buttonholes!

WOW!! Your plans are making me dizzy!! I am so excited to hear your plans, though!! We have a trip planned for Oct 26-31st. It's just Ferb and I on the Dream from the 27th-30th and one night before and one night after. We will be staying at Bonnet Creek because after all of our deliberating we decided to buy there instead of with DVC. It was a huge debate...but we couldn't beat the price!! Gonna be watching you to see what you ultimately decide to do! Happy planning!!

I was wondering what you decided! We've been talking for years about buying DVC but with so few of their one-bedroom properties allowing 5 guests and the huge number of points we'd need to have a two-bedroom we've kind of put it on a semi-permanent back burner as just not cost effective or practical right now. Ken was hesitant anyway because of the limited number of DVC resorts in other locations if we don't want to go to WDW.

I never really thought about off-site timeshares because I've been such a big fan of staying onsite all these years, but if we do stay at Bonnet Creek and like it I think that might be the way we go too. It would certainly be easier to sell Ken on it, because he's rather partial to the Wyndham brand based on our experiences with their hotels and because they have a lot more destinations for internal exchange. And the cost is a lot more manageable than the $12000 or so we were looking at for DVC resale.

 

[Colleen27]

Well, the rumor mill is abuzz with as-yet uncorroborated word that free dining will be extended next week to select Nov & Dec dates. And surprisingly, my top choice dates in early November aren't completely blacked out - we'd be checking in just before the Jersey week blackout begins.

I'm not sure how much stock I'm putting in this rumor yet, because I'm not familiar with the poster who brought it to the boards and we haven't seen other sites confirming just yet, but if it turns out to be true I think that'll settle the onsite/offsite debate once and for all. With 6 people, 5 of us adults by Disney standards, free dining is really too good an offer to pass on.

Warning, boring, slightly obsessive, over-analyzed numbers ahead...

Looking at the Bonnet Creek option we'd spend $700 for the room, $1511 for tickets, and $70 + tip for a towncar from the airport, plus about $400 for a minivan for the week. (Right now rentals are so much cheaper at the resort locations than at the airport location that it is worth spending the money for the towncar!) So that comes to roughly $2701 for lodging, transportation, and tickets.

Free dining at the most expensive of our options, a Ft Wilderness cabin plus a 6 passenger golf-cart rental and upgrading the free DDP to the DxDDP, would cost $5551.

On first glance it seems like Bonnet Creek would still be worth it... but our dining budget is a bit hard to swallow OOP. I wouldn't change a whole lot of my ADRs if we stayed offsite, and nice meals are a big part of any vacation for my family. So with swapping out 3 of 14 planned meals for offsite alternatives, our dining budget is still in the ballpark of $2400 after the TiW discount. That's without budgeting for snacks other than one Food & Wine afternoon or accounting for the larger grocery order that we'd have if we stay at Bonnet Creek - nothing major because I don't cook on vacation, but cereal and granola bars and yogurt for the breakfasts that snack credits cover on the DxDDP plus extra drinks that we'd use our mugs for at a Disney resort.

Bottom line is that we'd save about $300 by staying at Bonnet Creek, and I don't think that modest a savings is worth 1) having to drive on vacation and 2) giving up the psychological "comfort" of having the dining plan pre-paid and never thinking about the total on the check. Besides, we were toying with the idea of getting MVMCP tickets to have one late night in the MK in lieu of EMH and that costs over $300 for the bunch of us even with an AP discount!

So unless the rumor mill is totally off-base about the blackout dates for the fall offer we'll be staying on site. Where on site.... Well, that's not quite settled yet!

 

[jenseib]

I only read the 1st few sentences...I gotta run, so I'll go back and read it later, but I have seen this on many credible sites so far. Heres a link to one.

http://www.wdwinfo.com/news/General...ree_Dining_Plan_to_be_released_August_3rd.htm

 

[afwdwfan]

Good luck with the discounts. I hope something works out for you! If you're looking at about $300 difference, I agree, I'd most definitely be willing to pay that much more just to be on site and have the dining plan already taken care of.

 

[Colleen27]

I only read the 1st few sentences...I gotta run, so I'll go back and read it later, but I have seen this on many credible sites so far. Heres a link to one.

http://www.wdwinfo.com/news/General...ree_Dining_Plan_to_be_released_August_3rd.htm

Right now it seems like it is all tracking back to the same poster's comments, though. A number of sites have picked up on it and repeated it, but most link back to the same source. Usually we see Len Testa, Mary Waring, or others blog/tweet/FB when overtime for CRO CMs tips off that a big offer is coming, and right now there hasn't been any buzz from that angle yet.

And some of the dates seem a little off to me - first of all, no mention of a Visa-holder advance booking which has been standard practice with general public discounts for years, and second, black-out periods that start on Sundays. Particularly going into Jersey week and Thanksgiving week when historically the blackout for holiday periods has started on Thurs or Fri, free dining eligibility for the holiday crowds checking in on Saturday has a "too good to be true" feel to it.

Good luck with the discounts. I hope something works out for you! If you're looking at about $300 difference, I agree, I'd most definitely be willing to pay that much more just to be on site and have the dining plan already taken care of.

And the $300 is looking only at our most expensive option... It could be significantly less depending on how the resort decision goes.

Right now POP is looking pretty good - DH isn't sure it is worth doing the cabin because we'll have relatively little time at the resort for that part of the trip (the Beach Club days are taking the place of our usual resort day). And the kids have decided that a pool slide really doesn't matter because we so seldom wrap up our park days before the slide closes for the evening anyway. My only hesitation is the double beds...

The ASMu suites are in the running too, and that would be a solution to the double bed but I'm still searching reviews on the pull-outs to decide if they'd be okay for DM and Stitch for the week (the girls are small/light enough that they can sleep anywhere!).

 

[Colleen27]

Boo is now officially a Disney "child" - her 3rd birthday was Sunday! It was the first time we did a non-Disney theme too, but after Mickey Mouse Clubhouse twice in a row she decided on Elmo this time.

Licking the frosting off of those little cars was her favorite part of the cake.

I don't know who came up with the idea of these pull-string pinatas but that isn't nearly as fun as the old fashioned, hit-it-with-a-stick method. So we ignored the strings and let the kids all have a whack, from youngest to oldest, until in the end Stitch decapitated poor Elmo.

Modeling her birthday dress - the one I threw together a few hours before her party when I should have been prepping the fruit & veggie trays - on her new scooter.

And of course, no party would be complete without at least a touch of Disney. She has been asking for months for a puppy pillow pet... Well, I was able to go one better thanks to a timely addition to the Disney Movie Rewards catalog - a Pluto pillow pet.

All in all it was a great day, not quite 90 and sunny which is rather comfortable in our shady, breezy yard. And we get to do it all again in three weeks when we celebrate Pocahontas becoming a Disney "adult".

With the party prep and clean up all done, I've been sewing to pass the time waiting for tomorrow and the rumored big announcement. I have Boo's first two outfits for our trip finished now.

I think this one will be for a Magic Kingdom day, but it could get "bumped" to Epcot if the Figment idea I'm working on turns out to be too difficult because we see so many of the Princesses around the World Showcase.

Instead of cheese, she says "Whatcha doin'?" just like Isabella from Phineas and Ferb

And lifting her skirt to show off her little bloomers,

For our second Magic Kingdom day, Stitch asked specifically about going back to Crystal Palace. I wasn't planning on any character meals but my 13yo asking for it was a momentous enough occasion that I cancelled The Plaza and booked lunch with Pooh & friends instead. So of course Boo needed a Winnie the Pooh outfit.

Her patience as a model ran out before I finished this one.

Pocahontas has decided she's too grown up to have matching customs for every day, so I won't be making either of these in her size. I am working on a design using the same Princess fabric in a style that is a more "tween" so they will coordinate, but the Pooh outfit is uniquely Boo's. It is kind of bittersweet, because the whole reason I started sewing was because Pocahontas wanted to match with her sister on trips and for special occasions, but it is freeing in a way too because I can do some frillier, more little-girlie styles for Boo in the fabrics/characters Pocahontas doesn't want to wear.

 

[jenseib]

Happy birthday!!!

What a cutie. I love the new outfits. I''l be up bright and early too. I have a client going in the free dining time frame that for sure wants it changed.

 

[Colleen27]

Happy birthday!!!

What a cutie. I love the new outfits. I''l be up bright and early too. I have a client going in the free dining time frame that for sure wants it changed.

Thank you. I am so pleased with the way the Pooh outfit came out. I'm not really comfortable with applique yet so even that little puffy cloud feels like quite an accomplishment.

Were the TA lines as slammed as CRO? It took me almost an hour on the phone this morning, most of it on hold!

 

[Colleen27]

We. Are. Booked!

37 minutes on hold with no music, and worth every second!

And the resort choice is..... (insert drumroll here)

I waffled a fair bit over whether to try ASMu. I guess despite our great time at Pop in March I'm still a little wary of value resorts. But because we did have such a great time at a resort I was so unsure about on our last trip, and because a queen sized bed in the master is so much nicer than doubles in a single room with some of the kids, we decided this was the way to go.

Pocahontas is SUPER excited about movies at the pool. She loved the movies on the beach when we were at the Beach Club and thinks it is really cool that we're staying somewhere that does that.

Stitch thinks pool hopping privileges are the best thing ever. He has been spending the whole summer in the river near our house, and he's decided that if his sisters are annoying him or there are just too many kids in the ASMu feature pool for real swimming he'll go check out the Mighty Ducks pool at Movies. His logic? "That's such a lame movie, I'll bet people go to the Fantasia pool instead.".

And DH is thrilled that for what might be the first time in my life I ended up settling on the cheapest option - $4910 for all 6 of us for 7 nights with deluxe dining and 7 day tickets.

There is another possible change on the horizon now that we have dates... A potential addition to the cast. My brother is considering joining us but needed to know exactly when we were going before he can find out if he can get away. He won't really change anything about the trip though adding him to our ADRs might be a bit of a headache. If he joins us it'll be in a standard room at ASMu and we'll request adjacent/nearby. He's the kids' favorite uncle and he's had a very tough couple of years, so they'd love having him around and he could really use the break from reality for a few days.

Now, I'm off to clean up and finalize our ADRs and I'll be back with a rough-draft itinerary!

BTW - check out the shiny new ticker! 3 weeks less to wait!

 

[Coconuts]

Just joined in! Congrats on your trip.

It's great to see that others change their mind, and WDW plans, as much as me. Just look at my signature.

I'm looking forward to reading more, since I'm not organized enough to ever do one of my own. I love your homemade Disney outfits; the best I do is matching family t-shirts for the parks.

BTW, I think we must live in parallel universes: we both have boy, girl, girl with similar age differences and I am also seriously considering a November trip. Serious financial discussions will decide that in the next few days, and if we do go, it will be POR.

And my DD(3) seriously loves her ladybug pillow pet.

 

[Colleen27]

The Itinerary, v1.0

Note: Like dates and resort choices, this is all apt to change, and change again, and then change a little more.

And now without further ado, the plans!

Nov 4:

Home sweet home, where the travel fun starts with last-minute prep and everyone staying over at our house to make the early morning start a little easier.

Nov 5:

Let's get the fun started right! Once the important stuff like check-in, lunch, and maybe a little rest is out of the way it is off to the Magic Kingdom.

B: take-out on the way to the airport
L: Intermission food court
D: Citricos

Nov 6:

We'll get a slow start this morning because the MK doesn't close until 1am, but when we do get going it is off to Epcot for some snacky goodness.

B - mug refills & snacks
L - Le Cellier
D - La Hacienda

Nov 7:

An early day to do the Toy Story Mania dash at Studios. This will be a long one, rope drop to evening EMH close at 10pm!

B - Starring Rolls snacks
L - 50s Prime Time
D - Flying Fish

Nov 8:

Another easy-going start to the day, I'm not worried about rope drop here but the kids aren't likely to sleep too late either.

B - mug refills & snacks
L - Yak & Yeti
D - Artist Point

Nov 9:

Magic Kingdom day 2, and it's going to be an early one. I've never seen the opening show and that is my must-do this trip!

B - mug refills & snacks
L - Crystal Palace
D - California Grill

Nov 10:

Studios, again? Well, maybe. This is the day most apt to change. Right now I have a F! lunch package booked and plan to do Fantasmic and the Osborne lights in the evening, but my mom is talking about maybe still renting a van just for one day to pick oranges and do a little off-site shopping. If she wants to this will be the day for it. In that case, we'll just book a Boardwalk-area dinner and hit the park just for the Osborne lights.

B - mug refills & snacks
L - Brown Derby F! package
D - undecided

Nov 11:

With 70 different snacks at the Food & Wine booths, Epcot definitely needs a second day!

B - mug refills & snacks
L - snacking around the World at the festival booths
D - Garden Grill

Nov 12:

Check out of ASMu, but not headed home just yet... First is one last night at the Beach Club! No parks, we're just in it for the pool!

B - Captain's Grill
L - snacks or something light at Hurricane Hannah's
D - ESPN Club if we have DxDDP credits left, otherwise Kimonos

Nov 13:

Swim, relax, head home. I plan to burn any unused credits for sandwiches and snacks to have in the fridge, so the only dining I have planned is lunch at Beaches & Cream.

We'll have an evening flight out to give us most of the day to swim, with an ME pickup between 4 and 6 depending on where we fly from.

 

[Colleen27]

Just joined in! Congrats on your trip.

It's great to see that others change their mind, and WDW plans, as much as me. Just look at my signature.

I'm looking forward to reading more, since I'm not organized enough to ever do one of my own. I love your homemade Disney outfits; the best I do is matching family t-shirts for the parks.

BTW, I think we must live in parallel universes: we both have boy, girl, girl with similar age differences and I am also seriously considering a November trip. Serious financial discussions will decide that in the next few days, and if we do go, it will be POR.

And my DD(3) seriously loves her ladybug pillow pet.

Indecision isn't a problem for me. It is more of a lifestyle. I embrace it.

I'm not organized so much as impatient. A pre-trippie helps pass the time... kind of like rearranging ADRs and other plans, but with fewer headaches.

I'm really looking forward to trying November for the first time. Dec and Jan were too cold, and even March had its moments. I'm hoping early Nov will be a happy medium between our winter trips with their too-cool evenings and our surface-of-the-sun hot Aug & Sept/Oct trips.

Boo really loves her big sister's ladybug pillow pet too... and her own penguin, and her brother's patriotic puppy. My inlaws bought each of the kids one and it has become an obsession.

 

[afwdwfan]

Congratulations on the reservations you made! Looks like a fantastic plan! It's always a win when you can book the week you want, stay on property, and it is still the cheapest way to go.

 

[Coconuts]

Indecision isn't a problem for me. It is more of a lifestyle. I embrace it.

I'm not organized so much as impatient. A pre-trippie helps pass the time... kind of like rearranging ADRs and other plans, but with fewer headaches.

I'm really looking forward to trying November for the first time. Dec and Jan were too cold, and even March had its moments. I'm hoping early Nov will be a happy medium between our winter trips with their too-cool evenings and our surface-of-the-sun hot Aug & Sept/Oct trips.

Boo really loves her big sister's ladybug pillow pet too... and her own penguin, and her brother's patriotic puppy. My inlaws bought each of the kids one and it has become an obsession.

Your schedule looks great.

Our November trip was our favorite one weather wise. Days were @ 80 degrees, nights were in the 60's, and it only rained once the entire week.

All of my kids have pillow pets too. DS has a penguin, DD has a duck, and DD's ladybug just got a little sister. Apparently there are mini pillow pets; a fact I discovered while waiting in the checkout line at Bed, Bath, and Beyond!

 

[khertz]

I'm so glad the free dining worked out for you and y'all were able to book! I bet the trip feels more "real" now that you have gotten that done. Your plans look great, and we will be overlapping a couple of times if all goes the way I've planned it out. We'll be at Epcot in the evening on the 6th, at DHS for rope drop on the 7th, and MK on the 9th. That's the morning of our CP breakfast before rope drop, and y'all will be having lunch at CP that day! How funny.

The pictures from Boo's birthday are so cute. As blasphemous as it sounds, we are throwing DS an Elmo party for his 1st birthday. I really wanted to do Mickey Mouse for him of course, but he practically asked for an Elmo party so I have to give the little booger what he wants! He LOVES Elmo! I'm actually going to look for party supplies today.