We Went to See Mic-key M-o-u-s-e ... Again! - Sept '12 TR [COMPLETE]

Exactly my thoughts!!! I will not finance a vacation even if it is an "investment" for years to come. Just my personal position. Plus, I think I would need to buy like 300 points to vacation as we currently do and the annual fees on that would be more than I want to pay. My DD encourages us to do this since we could take the grandkids when the time comes but our other 3 grown sons don't care for WDW so I don't want to buy into something as a grandparent that the entire family would not use.

I hope your foot continues to heal - if nothing else so that you can get a better view from your ECV! :lmao:
 
Exactly my thoughts!!! I will not finance a vacation even if it is an "investment" for years to come. Just my personal position. Plus, I think I would need to buy like 300 points to vacation as we currently do and the annual fees on that would be more than I want to pay. My DD encourages us to do this since we could take the grandkids when the time comes but our other 3 grown sons don't care for WDW so I don't want to buy into something as a grandparent that the entire family would not use.

I hope your foot continues to heal - if nothing else so that you can get a better view from your ECV! :lmao:


I'm with you. If I have to finance a vacation, I simply won't go. If I can't pay cash, I don't buy. That's my philosophy for pretty much everything - not just vacations! ::yes::

You're right - the annual fees alone on 300 points would be pretty steep, even if you went into the resort with the lowest one. We're looking at 125-150 points, but we may begin with 100 just to see and add on at a later time. That's the current thinking, anyway ... as you know from my PTR, things tend to change around here frequently! :upsidedow

Thanks for continuing to send good thoughts and wishes for my healing - I do appreciate it! :goodvibes
 
After we returned from MNSSHP, we realized we still had stuff all over the villa that needed to be packed - from the kitchen to the bedroom, stuff was scattered everywhere! :scared: We were up until nearly 2 a.m. getting everything squeezed back into our bags and finally went to bed completely exhausted.

We were up early as usual on check-out day. I knew the ECV had to be back to Bell Services by 10 a.m. and we were meeting family for brunch around 10:30. We went to the front desk and said buh-bye to the most awesome place we've ever stayed. :wave2:

Brunch with family went well. It was so hard to say goodbye. We know if we buy DVC we'll be back nearly every year, though, so that was in the backs of both our minds as we were giving hugs and kisses to the kids.

We arrived at MCO uber-early. They had a young man waiting for us with a wheelchair assist, so that was great. It turns out he was from South Africa and had come to the United States to go to college. He was so nice and very soft spoken. I asked what he was studying - he said he wanted to be a pilot someday, but that the schooling was very expensive, and it would likely take years and years for him to pay his own way. We chatted extensively about South Africa and what he thought of the United States. He was so interesting to talk with, I almost hated it when we arrived at the terminal! :p

Security was much easier this time around - I just told them I wanted the pat-down. :teeth: That way there was no confusion, no hold-up. :teeth:

One of the ladies at the gate approached me about 15 minutes prior to boarding time and asked for our boarding passes. She asked if I could walk at all without the crutches, and I told her no. She said, "I'll be right back," and walked away with our passes. :confused3

A few minutes later, she came back and handed us new boarding passes. "Here you go!" she said. "You were all the way back in row 24 - this way you won't have as far to walk." ;)

Turned out she had bumped us all the way up to the row immediately behind first class! Pixie dust followed me all the way to the airport! pixiedust:

Our flight was great, and we arrived home just in time for a beautiful sunset. It was quite a shocker, though ... We left Orlando and it was in the 90's, and when we got home, it was in the low 50's! :eek: :crazy2: Luckily we had the blankets we got on the flight so we could cover up and stay warm while we waited for our ride.

I have to admit, I've never felt so happy to be home and to have a vacation be over! ::yes:: :yay:
 
Oh Goodness, Im falling behind here!

Your pictures are just gorgeous. I guess you were eyelevel with all those beautiful flowers, that the rest of us mostly just walk by! Absolutely beautiful shots.

I will be so jealous if you get DVC!! I could never sell DH on that, let alone have him encourage it. That's a nice selling point too, getting to see the family when you're there using your DVC:thumbsup2

That really sucks about your MNSSHP. Bad enough to be in the chair, but in the chair in a crowd, in the rain:sick:. I do really enjoy this party and I'm sorry you didn't. I hope you get to try it again when you are better able, and the weather is better.

I have done both the halloween party and the xmas party, and I will never waste money on the xmas party again. There's just not enough there to make it worthwhile. But, I'd probably go to MNSSHP each trip if I get the chance:lovestruc.

That's so cool that they moved you on the plane without you asking:thumbsup2 Gotta love when someone makes your life easier just for the heck of it:woohoo:

I'm sorry this vacation wasn't awesome for you, though you did have some awesome moments thanks to your DH. I can certainly relate to that feeling of just wanting to be home and putting an end to the vacation. It's just upsetting when you've looked forward to the trip for so long, then it's over and it wasn't all that satisfying:hug:.
 

Oh Goodness, Im falling behind here!

Your pictures are just gorgeous. I guess you were eyelevel with all those beautiful flowers, that the rest of us mostly just walk by! Absolutely beautiful shots.

Thank you! I really enjoy photography, especially landscape photography. The b&w fountain photo is my favorite, with the blue flowers at POFQ. I was at eye-level for lots of things, but the flowers were definitely the most pleasant eye-level visual. ::yes::

I will be so jealous if you get DVC!! I could never sell DH on that, let alone have him encourage it. That's a nice selling point too, getting to see the family when you're there using your DVC:thumbsup2

Don't be too jealous yet! It may be a very long time before we decide if/when we're going to do this at all. Oddly enough, I already have family members wanting to rent my points for the year and we haven't even purchased yet. :p

That really sucks about your MNSSHP. Bad enough to be in the chair, but in the chair in a crowd, in the rain:sick:. I do really enjoy this party and I'm sorry you didn't. I hope you get to try it again when you are better able, and the weather is better.

I have done both the halloween party and the xmas party, and I will never waste money on the xmas party again. There's just not enough there to make it worthwhile. But, I'd probably go to MNSSHP each trip if I get the chance:lovestruc.

Maybe someday we will try MNSSHP again, but it will take a lot of convincing for my husband. He grumbled the whole bus ride back and for days afterwards what a waste of money it was, so I probably won't broach the subject for a good long while.

That's so cool that they moved you on the plane without you asking:thumbsup2 Gotta love when someone makes your life easier just for the heck of it:woohoo:

Yes, this was so wonderful and such a surprise! I thanked her over and over again once I realized what she had done.

I'm sorry this vacation wasn't awesome for you, though you did have some awesome moments thanks to your DH. I can certainly relate to that feeling of just wanting to be home and putting an end to the vacation. It's just upsetting when you've looked forward to the trip for so long, then it's over and it wasn't all that satisfying:hug:.

Thank you, and yes, my husband certainly saved this vacation for me without a doubt. It truly is the first time I've ever said I wanted to come home while we were on vacation, and the first time I actually sighed with relief when the plane landed and we were home at last. I never expected the trip to be perfect - no trip is ever perfect, and going in with that expectation you're sure to be let down. I never would have expected to have so many issues, though.

I am looking forward to a re-do in a couple of years.

My responses in bold. :teeth:
 
Once again, yes. As long as we are staying in a value or moderate, the "free" dining plan promo will always trump any kind of "room-only" discount we could get. ::yes::

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POFQ, King Room, 5 Nights (including 1 weekend night), DDP

If we had paid for DDP, it would have cost us: $515.40 (2 adults x 5 nights)

If we had used a "room-only" discount at FQ:
10% = $108 discount, making the room $972
20% = $216 discount, making the room $864

We paid "rack rate" for our room to use the "free" dining promo: $1080

With the highest "room-only" discount (20%), and purchasing the DDP, it would have cost us: $1379.40

By using the "free" dining promo, we saved: $299.40

----------------------------------------------------------

DDP Credits:

10 TS / 10 QS / 10 SN


We Had Remaining Upon Check-Out:

0 TS / 1 QS / 5 SN


We ate a total of $540.69 worth of food using the DDP. If you consider the 1 QS we had left (value around $15), and the 5 snacks we had left (value around $20), we could conceivably have eaten $575 worth of food if we utilized all our credits at or near maximum value. Since the dining plan would have cost us $515.40, and we ate $540.69 worth of food even with the remaining credits, it would have been worth purchasing for us if we'd had to purchase it as opposed to paying OOP.

-----------------------------------------------------

OOP:

We also spent $36.52 out of pocket on food. $26.59 of this was at Kona Cafe, which we had planned as an extra TS for which we would be paying OOP. This total also includes two items that would have qualified for snack credits, but at this point we were "saving" them for use in the parks.

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Final Thoughts on Dining Plan:

Some people seem to think "free" dining is just that - free. That whatever the cost of the dining plan you're getting (in our case, DDP) is what you will actually save with this promotion (in our case, $515.40). You have to factor in many things, however, to see what you actually save. The way your family eats is a big factor, as is what you could save on a "room-only" discount. Only once you add everything up and compare discounts can you start subtracting and come to your final savings number.

Of course, if we buy into DVC, "free" dining will no longer be available to us, but we'll be eating differently with having a full kitchen, etc. so the dining plan likely won't be necessary for us anyway.
 
If you could see all the "dud" photos I weeded out before I posted the nice, clear ones you just may have a different opinion!

Oh, I don't think so -- a friend of my brothers was a pro photographer, and he told me once how many pictures he took for "one good one" and, while I don't remember the exact number, it was outrageously high!

My DD encourages us to do this since we could take the grandkids when the time comes but our other 3 grown sons don't care for WDW so I don't want to buy into something as a grandparent that the entire family would not use.

You might consider buying into another Timeshare system and then trading into DVC via RCI or II, which is a much cheaper approach than buying DVC even resale. I can stay in the DVC resorts for about what it costs most DVC owners in their yearly fees -- but I didn't pay that chunk of cash upfront! The downside of this approach is that you have much less flexibility; at least when I last checked, even RCI points owners had access only to full weeks with DVC, it's much harder to get DVC in peak times, etc. etc.

OTOH, outside of DVC, owning a TS somewhere else can give you much more flexibility, because the other points systems have resorts all over the country instead of mostly in the Disney resorts! Most other TSs you get full access to RCI, which DVC doesn't offer, and so on. If you "must" stay onsite and you want to stay in a condo, and especially if you would mostly be going during peak times, DVC offers the best opportunities; but if you're okay staying offsite or paying to stay in one of the other Disney options, owning another TS means you can sometimes stay onsite in a condo at much lower prices. :)
 
Your pictures are BEAUTIFUL.... I don't remember, did you buy a new camera before you left? What kind of camera do you use?

Sooooooooooo ...... DH went to work out the other day and messed up his ankle big time.... He refuses to go to the doctor because(he's a man) and all they'll do is tell him it's probably sprained or he has some pulled ligaments and put him in a boot. So instead he decided he's just going to walk around in the boot I had when I when I messed up my ankle last year falling down the stairs.. So now he hobbling around and is in major pain. I'm stressing that he won't be healed by the time we go on our trip. All I keep thinking about is you and your trip.

Hopefully the next 30 days are enough time for him to heal.

Anyway Darling.... I enjoyed your PTR and TR... I'm going to miss seeing your posts.. I hope you stick around even though your not planning a trip anytime soon. ;)
 
Your pictures are BEAUTIFUL.... I don't remember, did you buy a new camera before you left? What kind of camera do you use?

Sooooooooooo ...... DH went to work out the other day and messed up his ankle big time.... He refuses to go to the doctor because(he's a man) and all they'll do is tell him it's probably sprained or he has some pulled ligaments and put him in a boot. So instead he decided he's just going to walk around in the boot I had when I when I messed up my ankle last year falling down the stairs.. So now he hobbling around and is in major pain. I'm stressing that he won't be healed by the time we go on our trip. All I keep thinking about is you and your trip.

Hopefully the next 30 days are enough time for him to heal.

Anyway Darling.... I enjoyed your PTR and TR... I'm going to miss seeing your posts.. I hope you stick around even though your not planning a trip anytime soon. ;)

Thank you, and yes, we did buy a new camera before this trip. It is a Nikon Coolpix L120. It is kind of a hybrid camera - not as simple as a point and shoot, but not as complicated (or pricey) as a DSLR. I really like it, but there definitely is a learning curve with this one compared to my old P&S.

Oh no! :worried: So sorry to hear about your husband! What worked for me was to stay off of it - I'm still using the crutches 4 weeks later. I hope he feels better soon and if not, make him go to the doctor! He could have a hairline fracture in there and be doing more harm than good by walking on it.

I have a few more entries to go with my final assessments on both resorts and final thoughts on the trip (such as it was). We will keep in touch, though ... I'm not going anywhere! :teeth:
 
Port Orleans French Quarter:

POFQ is a very nice, moderate resort. The layout of the buildings is nice - it makes you feel as though you're in a city square as opposed to walking around the perimeter of a hotel. The streets, sidewalks, and street signs help add to this overall effect.

The accommodations are nicer than at the value level, including the bedding. I found the towels to be on the thin side, but nothing we couldn't live with for the week. Thank goodness there is a separate vanity here because the bathroom size itself is basically an afterthought. I don't think I've seen a smaller bathroom area anywhere we've ever stayed.

As for noise level, we found Building 1 to be very quiet. We never heard anyone else while we were there. Being on the top floor probably helped, but we never even saw anyone else coming out of or going into the elevators in our building, and I'm quite sure we weren't staying there all by ourselves. :teeth: The only thing that was annoying was the sound of the boat horns on the Sassagoula River allllll day and allllll evening long. It was quite loud, as were some of the boats themselves.

We found bus service to be more than adequate. We never waited more than 5 or so minutes for a bus, and there was always a CM at the bus stop checking to make sure another bus was called if there were people waiting. The bus drivers were friendly and helpful with parking the ECV.

Boat service was another story. The boats were almost full by the time they arrived at FQ, and we had to wait quite a while for another boat. Navigating the ECV onto the boat was much, much more challenging than getting it on/off the bus and the "captains" weren't as helpful (or patient) as the bus drivers were with getting it situated.

As far as cleanliness goes, I'd say the entire resort overall was very clean. They were even power washing the sidewalks while we were there ... how much cleaner can you get? Our room was very clean - no dust, no mold, didn't look as though anyone else had ever stayed there.

The staff here, IMHO, needs work on their level of professionalism. Some of the staff was really great (Chef Rafael, some of the concierge ladies) - others, not so much.

The food court leaves a lot to be desired. There aren't many choices that sounded good to us here. While there are things other than the standard burger found in most food courts, the serving sizes were small and the food itself just wasn't tasty. Some of the food court employees have less than stellar attitudes - Chef Rafael, on the other hand, was super nice.


Overall Feel: A
Accommodations: B-
Noise Level: B
Bus Service: A+
Boat Service: D
Cleanliness: A
Professionalism of Staff: D
Food Court: D
Value for the Dollar: C+


Would I stay at this resort again? Probably not, solely because of the experiences I had with some members of the staff.

Would I recommend this resort to a friend or family member? Yes.


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Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa:


Saratoga Springs is a wonderful resort; however, if you're not in one of the close buildings, it can be quite a trek (or drive) to the main building for activities or eats. This resort is laid out on a large scale, with multiple accommodations buildings, bus stops, and pools.

The accommodations were way above average, including the linens, pillows, and towels. The only complaint I have is that the couch was rather hard and uncomfortable, but I find most fold-outs aren't that great as a whole. Having a full balcony was wonderful, though the view was mostly of a large tree.

We were located in the Springs area and heard no noise from other occupants. The only noise we heard was from the bus traffic on the street when we sat outside on our balcony. It was a very quiet place to stay.

Bus service here was average at best. While we were here there was some construction going on at the main entrance, and from what I gather that had some effect on the bus stop order and wait times. We waited longer here for a bus than we waited at POP last year, and that's saying something. There was no CM present to monitor number of persons waiting for buses, and there was quite a wait between MK buses while many buses for DTD and the other parks came and went. The buses weren't full, though, once we finally did get on, and the bus drivers more than helpful with helping to park the ECV.

Boat service was available, but we did not use it.

The cleanliness level here was very high. The kitchen counters were gleaming when we came in, the fridge was sparkling clean, as was the microwave. The rest of the villa was just as clean. I know others have had issues with DVC resorts occasionally not being cleaned well, but this was not the case in our unit.

The staff here is extremely professional, from the door greeter to the people who work in the eatery. Everyone was friendly and helpful, even the gate guard who gave us directions and said, "I'll be here to welcome you home later!" :teeth:

The food court is a strange set-up being combined with the gift shop and mini-market. I do not like the layout of it, but I did enjoy the food. The food quality itself was above average, in taste and portion. The choices were varied and not your usual food court fare. It is confusing the first time you come in, but the kitchen staff is more than helpful, as is the chef if you have dietary concerns.


Accommodations: A+
Noise Level: A
Bus Service: C+
Boat Service: did not use
Cleanliness: A+
Professionalism of Staff: A+
Food Court: B
Value for the Dollar: A- (Hard to say as we didn't pay to stay here, so to speak ... :scratchin but considering the cost to stay here per night, I feel if we would have paid for this resort, we would have gotten what we paid for.)


Would I stay at this resort again? Yes.

Would I recommend this resort to a friend or family member? Yes.
 
Thanks for the reviews of the accomodations:thumbsup2

They both look lovely, and I'd seriously consider staying at SSR after seeing your pics and hearing your review.

I very much enjoyed reading your overall review and hope you do indeed get that re-do. If anyone deserves it, I think it's you after this ordeal:flower3:
 
Thanks for the reviews of the accomodations:thumbsup2

They both look lovely, and I'd seriously consider staying at SSR after seeing your pics and hearing your review.

I very much enjoyed reading your overall review and hope you do indeed get that re-do. If anyone deserves it, I think it's you after this ordeal:flower3:

Awww thank you! I know for sure we'll be getting a re-do in 2014 and no matter what happens, it has to be better than this trip! :laughing:
 
Well everyone, I guess this pretty much wraps things up. :upsidedow This trip was filled with many ups and downs, and even though it didn't go as planned, it was still a week away from home, which I guess is all we can ask for. :)

Thanks to everyone who read, commented, or PM'd me. I feel like I've made lots of new friends here on the DIS thanks to this PTR/TR, so I won't hesitate to do another one for our next trip. ;)

Hope you all enjoyed the ride! :moped: See you next time! :wave2:
 
Thanks for sharing your thougts in your recap - you provided a nice summary. I agree with your rating for the boat service. ;) We tried it only once ...no more for us!

I know the trip wasn't what you anticipated but I hope if there is a next time it is everything that you deserve! :)

I clearly remember one of our trips that I wanted to be home more than to be on vacation so I know what that is like.

Take care!


Shalom: Thank you for the great info on timeshare alternatives. Coincidently, 25+ years ago we owned 2 TS that were part of RCI. :)
 















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