Wanna read My PTR? Your Stunned Silence Is VERY Reassuring. (Finished: 2/10/11)

[BigTex71]

OK, I lied. At the end of the last chapter I put ‘(to be continued in next chapter)’. I will not be continuing that part in this chapter. Sue me. I decided I should explain the whole ‘Spring Break in January’ thing that I mentioned that I would save for another chapter earlier in the last chapter; which trumps the continuance of the last chapter into this chapter. Therefore, I will continue the last chapter in an upcoming chapter, but cannot guarantee it will be the next chapter. As you can see, I get wordy sometimes and start rambling on about something and forget where I was going with the story initially. Wait… what was I talking about again?

Oh, yeah: Spring break in January. There is story behind why we want the kids (especially DS) to think we are going during Spring Break. Last year when we planned our summer vacation, we planned for my son to miss the last day of school. A bad weather day changed that and extended the school year by a day. No big deal, really, since they don’t do anything after their state testing the week before school lets out. But we found out from DS’s teacher that he was totally wired that last week at the anticipation of the family vacation to WDW. So we decided that if we keep him out of the loop and have him think we are going for Spring Break for this upcoming trip, he won’t get all unfocused the week before we leave on January 28th. This way he still gets his school work done and we are going to surprise him by taking him out of school early that Friday to head to the airport. Should make for some good video! His teacher is in on the plan, and will not let him know he will be missing school or when he will be leaving (she is so awesome!)

So this is now a ‘surprise’ vacation for the kids. Well, the timing is a surprise. There is no way we could do all our planning without tipping off the kids that we are going back to WDW (with all the extra stuff I do like those matching T-shirts every year and stuff… he would catch on at some point since they don’t make themselves and I like the kids’ input on designs.) At first I was worried that they would get disappointed when we don’t go again for Spring Break, but we will explain to them at the start of the trip that this will be ‘the’ trip – we just moved the date up; not an additional trip.

Now DW and I can keep planning and not be afraid of slipping up and spilling the beans. Besides, I don’t think DW could keep the secret anyway – she would explode! So now we always refer to the ‘Spring Break’ trip when speaking of our upcoming trip. Oh, and DD turns 4 years old the Monday before we leave (we leave on a Friday.) So this will kinda be her birthday trip. My son had his 10th birthday at WDW last year, so now they will be even. And all you parents know how important it is to keep bragging rights like that even in the family – OY VAY!

 

[hollie1974]

That is so wild! We will be leaving the World February 6th in the afternoon - just in time for you to keep the SS Sarcasm afloat.

See? It'll be like a sarcasm relay race!

 

[hollie1974]

Hold the phone.....just hold the phone a minute! When exactly is your DD's 4th b-day?????
In Jan???
So is mine........ the 14th

 

[BigTex71]

Hold the phone.....just hold the phone a minute! When exactly is your DD's 4th b-day?????
In Jan???
So is mine........ the 14th

24th

 

[Disney Commando]

You will like ASM, we stay there when we go, My sons favorite section is The Love Bug, he calls it the Herbie Hotel.

No matter what section you stay in is a short walk to the bus compared to alot of the other resorts.

 

[BigTex71]

You will like ASM, we stay there when we go, My sons favorite section is The Love Bug, he calls it the Herbie Hotel.

No matter what section you stay in is a short walk to the bus compared to alot of the other resorts.

I sure we would have, but there is more to come in this saga... (queue interesting climatic music.)

 

[natebenma]

OK, I love the whole "Surprise Trip That They Know About" concept! There is no way we would have a trip and not let the kids in on it- half of the fun for them is helping with the planning and talking about what we will be doing.

But I understand the reasons you are less than 100% accurate in the communication of the timing schedule with your family. Sounds like a super solution.

One reason this wouldn't work for us is we play the "one month from today" or "one week from today" we will be... game with the family. Maybe you could play "Two months, four days from today, we will be"... in early January.

I'm very intrigued about what appears to be a resort switch drama. And bring on the ADRs!

 

[BigTex71]

*”˜˜”*°•.¸☆ ★ ☆¸.•°*”˜˜”*°•.¸☆
╔╗╔╦══╦═╦═╦╗╔╗ ★ ★ ★
║╚╝║══║═║═║╚╝║ ☆¸.•°*”˜˜”*°•.¸☆
║╔╗║╔╗║╔╣╔╩╗╔╝ ★ NEW YEAR ☆ 2011
╚╝╚╩╝╚╩╝╚╝═╚╝ ♥￥☆★☆★☆￥♥ ★☆


I will try to get the next chapter done later today... just been really busy. Happy New Year, everyone.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Hey John! Another DIS Dad checking in. Hopefully you got your brownie points from your DW...

 

[BigTex71]

Hey John! Another DIS Dad checking in. Hopefully you got your brownie points from your DW...

Welcome! Well, I haven't told DW about my PTR yet. i'll wait until I get all caught up to present time before I go and open that can o' worms!

 

[BigTex71]

Where were we… oh, yeah it’s time to make some ADRs and figure out what parks to be at on what day. I really like this part of the planning. Some people base their ADRs on what parks they will be in, while others determine which parks they will be going to based on their ADRs. I consider a Disney vacation a foodie-type vacation. I am not one to pass up a meal, if you know what I mean. But, I have come around to the theory of finding the least crowded park for each day of the trip and scheduling all the park days first. Once I have my combination of park visits added to ‘my precious’, I can then start penciling in which ADRs I want to try to get. Now that Disney has the web-based ADR system up and running, it really makes this part of the planning really easy. You can usually get every ADR you want and the times you want them when you start checking on them at your 180-day mark. Easy Peasy.

I logged in to my trusty TourGuideMike.com subscription page and get a feel for the best (Green) days for each park for each day of our stay. After my precious is providing a good home to that information, I double check with TouringPlans.com to verify everything a second time (these two sites usually provide similar information.) That information gets uploaded to my precious also. Great. Now I determine how many days we will need at each park. Since we are going to Universal for one day during this trip, I come up with the following formula for our trip to maximize fun at the parks we like most: 3 days at Magic Kingdom, 2 days at Hollywood Studios, 1.5 days at Epcot, a half day at Animal Kingdom, and 1 day at Universal Studios: Islands of Adventure. That leaves the last morning free to go to whatever park we want – my only ‘ride by the seat of your pants’ day. Every other day has a planned park day scheduled. I don’t find this too gung-ho, because this is as rigid as the plan gets (besides the ADR times.) All the actual touring plans per day (order of attractions) are more guidelines than set in stone… but we rarely deviate from those guidelines anyway. But I won’t get all bent out of shape if we have to veer from the touring plan. Now if the clan wants to go to a different park on a given day – too bad, not happening!

After the park days are determined, I tentatively schedule my wishlist of ADRs. Two are at the top of my list for this trip: ‘Ohana and Le Cellier. We tried to get ‘Ohana last trip but could not get a time earlier than 9pm, so I am determined to get a decent time at my 180-day window this time. Le Cellier is my favorite place, so that one is a must do for me every time. (Notice the italicized part - this may be foreshadowing for later drama.)

Well, I get my ‘Ohana and LeCellier with no problems. Actually, I get all the ADRs I want within 10 minutes of my preferred times. It really is not that hard when you are booking these 180 days out. I know it sounds really strange to those that are not Disney freaks like us (yes, I am referring to you… if you are reading this far into my trip report you are either a Disney freak or need some professional help) to make restaurant reservations that far in advance. Speaking of the Disney freaks we are… this leads me to now think that all of this chapter is nothing new to you – you already know about ADRs and planning park days. Basically, this was a waste of typing, huh? Oh well, I put too much time into this chapter to just delete it – especially since I type so slow… it would be a waste of hours of ‘work’. So here it is anyway – the unedited, undeleted, waste of your time chapter. So there!

I would like to attach a part of ‘my precious’ here for you to see how I planned my park days, ADRs, etc… but it would give away the resort drama I will be explaining in the next chapter. So I will attach it at the end of the next chapter for your perusal and approval.

 

[BigTex71]

There is something to be said for staying at a Disney resort. You get to stay within the Disney ‘bubble’ with non-stop Disney fun the whole trip. The busing system works great also. We really love it. But, as many of you already know, you pay a lot per square foot for the Disney resorts. When I do my trip planning, I like to exhaust all avenues; which includes pricing out all levels of the Disney resorts, DVC point renting, and vacation homes and condos near The World. During my planning this time, I started looking more heavily at the off-site options. I listen to a few Disney planning podcasts and they always seem to mention off-site vacation homes that are very close to the parks. I looked into them and checked out recommendations for condos in Windsor Hills. After discussing the possibility of an off-site stay, DW and I found a couple great condos that were recommended by other board members. We really liked them, but there was one caveat to these particular condos: they only rent them Saturday – Saturday. Since our trip starts on Friday and ends on a Sunday, we would have to find a different place to stay the first and last night of our stay. We considered keeping a ressie with ASMo and then checking in to the condo, but that cuts in to our touring day having to get everything moved. So we decided against a split stay.

I did more research and found a great 3 bedroom condo in Windsor Hills that got many recommendations on a few different boards I frequent. DW really liked it and we decided to let the kids decide. We showed the kids the All Star resorts again, which they still loved; but when I showed them the pictures of the 3 bedroom condo, their eyes got really big! “Wow, it is like a whole house!” DS asked just to clarify: “So we can stay at All Star with everyone piled into one little room or have a whole house with 3 bedrooms?!” (Can you guess what they chose?) And by taking advantage of our APs, we will get free parking at the parks anyway - that is over $100 saved right there.

So we are now staying at ‘Mickey’s Hideaway’, a 3-bedroom condo at Windsor Hills. It was about the same price as ‘rack rates’ at the All Star Movies Preferred rooms. We figured we will be renting a car anyway for our Universal trip to WWoHP, so this could help us save some money by eating most breakfasts and a dinner or two at the condo or off-site somewhere. Which leads me to a little ADR drama…

DW decides we should cut back on some ADRs to take advantage of our off-site stay. We cancel some breakfast ADRs, since those are easily replaced with a trip by McDonald’s on the drive to the park in the morning. We also pare down a dinner and a lunch. After much drama (which I will not hash out here) I reluctantly give up my beloved LeCellier dinner ADR at 5:30pm, January 30th. (Notice the italics again?)

I realize this PTR is really dragging on forever, so I will spare some details to move on (I know, too late, right? Well, it could be worse so just be happy I shortened this next part.) We decide to take advantage of our APs and use the Tables in Wonderland card. I order it and decide we could now keep the Le Cellier ADR. Wait… I check ‘my precious’… I no longer have and ADR at Le Cellier - I canceled it. Now I am without my beloved LeCellier ADR, even though we can go after all. Dag-nabbit! So now I am continuing to check every day for a Le Cellier dinner on January 30th. I will continue to try up until the 30th arrives. Then, if I still don’t have an ADR, I may try a walk-up at 4:30pm or so. I can’t believe I gave in and gave up my Le Cellier ADR! Argh!

Here is my current ‘Park Days’ tab from the bowels of ‘my precious’ so you can see what type of planning and stuff I do. I am sure there are better and nicer-looking ways to do all of this, but this seems to work for me.


*** Sorry, I had to remove this because it contained some proprietary information that I totally overlooked. ***

 

[Rental01]

We have a tradition of starting and ending our vacation with a trip to Earl of Sandwich. We're HUGE fans of the QSDP but are considering doing the TSDP next time. Given those two items, and the free parking (wheelchair = no bus for us), I couldn't see staying off site. It costs more but, for my family, it's the right way to go.

I couldn't see only spending two days at EPCOT. We spend a minimum of three days there. This year is our first year (so far) without a planned trip to Disney. As me again in July if we're staying clear of the house of mouse...

 

[BigTex71]

We have a tradition of starting and ending our vacation with a trip to Earl of Sandwich. We're HUGE fans of the QSDP but are considering doing the TSDP next time. Given those two items, and the free parking (wheelchair = no bus for us), I couldn't see staying off site. It costs more but, for my family, it's the right way to go.

I couldn't see only spending two days at EPCOT. We spend a minimum of three days there. This year is our first year (so far) without a planned trip to Disney. As me again in July if we're staying clear of the house of mouse...

I love, love, love Earl of Sandwich. I know they are franchising out to other states. i wanted to open one here locally, but that would be too much $$ upfront and too much time invested (no time for vacations.) I hope someone will open an Earl of Sandwich around my area some day.

I am sure we will stay on-site again - the next time we want to do one of the dining plans. I figure I will miss the Disney Bubble this time, but I'll wait and see how it all works out for us.

I love Epcot, too... but I let DW and the kids determine how many days at each park this time. A full day and another around lunchtime until closing will have to do for me this time.

 

[Rental01]

I love, love, love Earl of Sandwich. I know they are franchising out to other states. i wanted to open one here locally, but that would be too much $$ upfront and too much time invested (no time for vacations.) I hope someone will open an Earl of Sandwich around my area some day.

I am sure we will stay on-site again - the next time we want to do one of the dining plans. I figure I will miss the Disney Bubble this time, but I'll wait and see how it all works out for us.

I love Epcot, too... but I let DW and the kids determine how many days at each park this time. A full day and another around lunchtime until closing will have to do for me this time.

I've heard that Earl of Sandwich was franchising. I also hear that Noodle Terrace is good (Tomorrowland) but every time we go they're closed. Not just on the days, but every trip we take they're closed for the whole time.

My whole family loves EPCOT so that makes it easy. As a home schooling family, we enjoy the opportunity to take time to learn new things wherever we go and EPCOT provides a lot of that.

 

[natebenma]

WHOA!!! Off-site! Did not see that one coming. But it sounds like an excellent choice for you, especially since you have the kids' buy-in. Our first trip as a family was in a 2 Bedroom Condo and having the extra space, and the kitchen, was really nice.

It sounds (correct me if I'm wrong), that you did not plan your park days based on Extra Magic Hours. For me, this is the big advantage to staying on property, so that makes sense.

OMG, so sorry to hear that you lost the Holy Grail of ADRs!!! I hope you are able to recoup it, that there is another polite soul out there who will cancel their reservation there if it is not needed. It happens! Some pixie dust for you. Or in this case, "pretzel" dust.


I'll be intrigued to hear about your research and planning for Universal! I'm not sure when we will make it to WWoHP, but I can't wait. The Museum of Science in Boston had a travelling exhibit of props, costumes and more from the movies last year- My oldest son and I went last December. Incredible!

 

[BigTex71]

It sounds (correct me if I'm wrong), that you did not plan your park days based on Extra Magic Hours. For me, this is the big advantage to staying on property, so that makes sense.

Yes, we avoid EMH because it tends to draw more people to the selected park.

OMG, so sorry to hear that you lost the Holy Grail of ADRs!!! I hope you are able to recoup it, that there is another polite soul out there who will cancel their reservation there if it is not needed. It happens! Some pixie dust for you. Or in this case, "pretzel" dust.

Thanks for the pretzel dust! I will keep trying. I was able to get my Le Cellier last year at 2 months out. I know they have cancellations and stuff, so I hope I will be able to catch one at just the right time. Hey, it is much better odds than winning the Mega Millions lottery jackpot with a $2 ticket, right?!

I'll be intrigued to hear about your research and planning for Universal! I'm not sure when we will make it to WWoHP, but I can't wait. The Museum of Science in Boston had a travelling exhibit of props, costumes and more from the movies last year- My oldest son and I went last December. Incredible!

The main problem with our one day jaunt into WWoHP and other IoA stuff: DS does not ride roller coasters or any fast moving rides. So, even though he loves Harry Potter stuff, I really don't think he will ride any of the rides. Which I believe is a huge waste of money for all of us to go to Universal for a day (this is a sore spot between DW and I.) Granted, I will ride the rides and do a swap with DW, but we are spending around $400 for one day of Universal that DS and DD won't get much out of.

Oh, in the next chapter... help us decide how to surprise DS and DD the day of the trip. We have some ideas I will throw out there and get feedback on. Hopefully I will get that posted by tomorrow afternoon.

 

[dvczerfs]

im in!!! i john, great pri trip report. i just ate at earl sand. for the first time this past trip. dw and i split a breakfast sand. ya, ok, that lasted for about 5 min. and we looked at each other and said, man that was good, lets get another! looking forward to reading your report.

 

[BigTex71]

im in!!! i john, great pri trip report. i just ate at earl sand. for the first time this past trip. dw and i split a breakfast sand. ya, ok, that lasted for about 5 min. and we looked at each other and said, man that was good, lets get another! looking forward to reading your report.

Thanks for dropping in!

I have not had breakfast at Earl of Sandwich yet, but maybe we can sneak it in one day on this trip. Hey, what am I saying... of course we can - I am the planner! What I say goes! I am the Alpha and the... *what, dear? Oh, nothing, just typing some stuff on the computer, that's all.* (Muhahaha!)

 

[BigTex71]

DW and I had thought about asking my DM(om) to join us on our upcoming trip. She wouldn’t have much money saved up for the trip, since it is a last minute-type deal, but we figured she wouldn’t have to pay for too much anyway. We have pre-paid for the condo (which gives plenty of room for all of us), we are getting a rental car anyway (which I will have to look into a larger-sized vehicle to rent with all of us, but shouldn’t be too expensive), and she gets to fly really cheap since she works for American Airlines. So she would only have to pay for her park tickets and food. But, since we will be using the TiW card for food, we figured we could just pay for her food also. So that would allow her to go with us and not break the bank. How could anyone say no to that, right?

A little back-story (OK, you know me by now, this could turn into a LONG back-story): when I was young my big sister and I always wanted to go to WDW. We would ask every year, and every year we would get the same answer: “maybe next year.” Since Six Flags Over Texas was a few miles down the road, we usually settled on going there every year. When I was 10, along came my younger sister. Being the kids that we were, we didn’t realize how much money it costs to raise a child – and adding another to the family did not help the case of going to WDW. I know my parents tried hard to save and take us one day, but something always would come up. A few years later, my older sister moved out of the house when she turned 16. One less mouth to feed… maybe we could go now! Then my little brother was born. I knew by then (I was 14 at that time) that adding another member of the family meant no Disney World anytime soon.

After graduating from high school and attending a few semesters at the local junior college, I enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. The year after I left home my parents took my younger sister and brother to Disney World. Wow, what timing. At the time I first heard about it, I was quite upset. But after reevaluating the situation, I realized that my parents came into a lot of money when the teenage boy that was eating them out of house and home left home. It was like a huge promotion and raise for both of my parents – and they were then able to afford to take a nice vacation finally. I was at peace with that whole situation, but I didn’t let my mom know that. I would bring it up all the time about how I had always wanted to go the Disney World, then right after I left home they took my brother and sister there. I gave her grief over that for years. (Yes, I am evil sometimes.)

So now, by inviting my mom with us on our trip, I could show her that I am over the Disney fiasco of ’92. It could bring peace to the universe. This can be my ‘family’ trip I always wanted. When DW first mentioned it to her last week, she said she had too much to do at work and couldn’t join us. Until…

DW emailed me today to let me know that DM can go after all! She has a big board meeting she has to prepare for on the 31st, but she we be flying in on the 1st of February and will stay with us until we leave on the 6th. Yeah! I finally get to experience Disney World with my mom! And I am so happy she can experience it with her grandchildren, since DW’s dad has been on two Disney trips with us before. There is nothing like experiencing Disney with kids – it’s like being a kid yourself. (Who am I kidding, going to WDW anytime makes me feel like a kid again, no matter who I go with.)

Now the fun starts up again… more planning! I need to make ADR adjustments, check into a bigger rental car, and find her some cheap park tickets. I get to do more planning – I love it! (Maybe I should become a Disney Travel Planner someday.)