DisneyRegulars
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 20, 2011
- Messages
- 2,604
So here we go again. Im back with another wordy trip report, well actually a pre-trip report at this point. We head down to SSR on July 18th -21st, 2013. Less than 2 months away now!!!! This trip was originally meant to be a Disney cruise, and we even had one booked. But after pricing out a WDW option, and realizing we could activate our annual passes earlier than originally planned, we bagged the cruise in favor of a WDW trip on rented SSR points. I was having severe Disney withdrawal after our Mother-In-Law infested trip in January, so on top of withdrawal having the trip cost ½ the price of a cruise made it an easy switch.
Overtime our July trip gradually became a reconnaissance trip for our ever worsening case of addonitis. We were going to use the trip to scope out the resort (and others) and figure out if we liked it enough to add on there. The key SSR features we liked were its affordability both in resale points cost and annual dues, the resorts general ease of getting reservations past the 7 month mark, the 2054 end date, the pretty cool tree houses, and the proximity to Downtown Disney where if we could we would eat at Earl of Sandwich every night.
In preparation of looking to add on in the September time frame we of course started browsing the resale sites. BIG MISTAKE!!! We should have just waited until September to start looking. Well this past weekend we ended up making an offer on 300 SSR points (2-150 point contracts with the same use year). So now pending ROFR we are proud owners of a resort we have only ever seen in one very ill fated bus transfer to get to Downtown Disney from Blizzard Beach. (We waited over 45 minutes for a bus to Downtown, we had no idea we could have just walked!!)
So our reconnaissance trip has now turned into our first trip home, or so fondly referred to in the title as OH MY GOD I HOPE WE LIKE THIS PLACE!!!!!!. (Yes, all caps because it should be screamed with terror). Im slightly terrified, but more so just excited.
So who is the cast of this no longer reconnaissance trip? Its just my husband and I, little 3.5 year old minion is being left with his Grandparents, while Grizzly (husband) and I enjoy almost 4 full days out of the house and kid free celebrating our 11th wedding anniversary. To introduce myself further, I am a complete Disney addict. After finishing my graduate degree this past winter and having more time on my hands the addiction has only gotten worse. I can now surf the Disboards guilt free!!!!! I happily work full time, and have a 3 year old son who keeps me busy when Im not working. We are teaching my son to love board games as much as us.(Were a bit nerdy like that) His current favorite is Life which is a welcome switch from his last passion of a house wide version of 52 pickup. (I kid you not!). Grizzly is my wonderful husband. He is rather Grizzly bear like in every way, very good for hugging. Hes a sweetie, loves Disney every bit as much as me, and is obsessed with paranormal ghost shows and anything related to zombies. He won my heart again this weekend. Our bid on the resale contract was counter-offered with a number he felt was too high, so he declined the sale. Well, I tried to be understanding, but I was really disappointed and really wanted those contracts (I know it was irrational, but I got in my head nothing THAT perfect would ever come along again, and the counter-offer wasnt really that significantly different if you take into account the 40 year life of the purchase, whats another $35 a year right?) and kept sort of pushing and pining the rest of the day until finally he called up the resale agent 20 minutes before they closed and said we had changed our minds and would accept the sellers counter offer. After he put down the phone he told me that despite my final rationalization, that he had plans to buy the contracts on Monday anyways. What a sweetie.
The cast: Me and my son trying to placate our Disney withdrawal with a little trip to our local tiny amusement park, I'm the one on the left.
Grizzly (The kid attached to him is not going)(Yes, those are Mickey Crocs on his feet!):
And finally a shot of both of us. I like this picture because my son took it. Finally, a shot of both of us within the last 3 years that wasn't taken at arms length!
So I just looked back at the pictures I chose to post, all just regular days for us, and in both my husband is wearing his Mickey hat, one he is wearing Mickey crocs, my son is wearing a mickey hat in one, and a Tigger hat in another, and I am wearing a "Mantenganse Alejado De las Puertas" monorail hat. Geez. I guess we are a bit Disney obsessed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Part 1: Getting There
Part 2: The Orlando Vista House of Wrath
Part 3: Thursday Morning, Typhoon Lagoon and Check-In to SSR
Part 4: SSR First Impressions
Part 5: Top of the World Lounge
Part 6: Blizzard Beach Lessons Learned
Part 7: A Brief Stop at Animal Kingdom
Part 8: Looking Up in Hollywood Studios
Part 9: Should have taken a nap!!!!!
Part 10: Ultimate Tour Preparations
Overtime our July trip gradually became a reconnaissance trip for our ever worsening case of addonitis. We were going to use the trip to scope out the resort (and others) and figure out if we liked it enough to add on there. The key SSR features we liked were its affordability both in resale points cost and annual dues, the resorts general ease of getting reservations past the 7 month mark, the 2054 end date, the pretty cool tree houses, and the proximity to Downtown Disney where if we could we would eat at Earl of Sandwich every night.
In preparation of looking to add on in the September time frame we of course started browsing the resale sites. BIG MISTAKE!!! We should have just waited until September to start looking. Well this past weekend we ended up making an offer on 300 SSR points (2-150 point contracts with the same use year). So now pending ROFR we are proud owners of a resort we have only ever seen in one very ill fated bus transfer to get to Downtown Disney from Blizzard Beach. (We waited over 45 minutes for a bus to Downtown, we had no idea we could have just walked!!)
So our reconnaissance trip has now turned into our first trip home, or so fondly referred to in the title as OH MY GOD I HOPE WE LIKE THIS PLACE!!!!!!. (Yes, all caps because it should be screamed with terror). Im slightly terrified, but more so just excited.
So who is the cast of this no longer reconnaissance trip? Its just my husband and I, little 3.5 year old minion is being left with his Grandparents, while Grizzly (husband) and I enjoy almost 4 full days out of the house and kid free celebrating our 11th wedding anniversary. To introduce myself further, I am a complete Disney addict. After finishing my graduate degree this past winter and having more time on my hands the addiction has only gotten worse. I can now surf the Disboards guilt free!!!!! I happily work full time, and have a 3 year old son who keeps me busy when Im not working. We are teaching my son to love board games as much as us.(Were a bit nerdy like that) His current favorite is Life which is a welcome switch from his last passion of a house wide version of 52 pickup. (I kid you not!). Grizzly is my wonderful husband. He is rather Grizzly bear like in every way, very good for hugging. Hes a sweetie, loves Disney every bit as much as me, and is obsessed with paranormal ghost shows and anything related to zombies. He won my heart again this weekend. Our bid on the resale contract was counter-offered with a number he felt was too high, so he declined the sale. Well, I tried to be understanding, but I was really disappointed and really wanted those contracts (I know it was irrational, but I got in my head nothing THAT perfect would ever come along again, and the counter-offer wasnt really that significantly different if you take into account the 40 year life of the purchase, whats another $35 a year right?) and kept sort of pushing and pining the rest of the day until finally he called up the resale agent 20 minutes before they closed and said we had changed our minds and would accept the sellers counter offer. After he put down the phone he told me that despite my final rationalization, that he had plans to buy the contracts on Monday anyways. What a sweetie.
The cast: Me and my son trying to placate our Disney withdrawal with a little trip to our local tiny amusement park, I'm the one on the left.
Grizzly (The kid attached to him is not going)(Yes, those are Mickey Crocs on his feet!):
And finally a shot of both of us. I like this picture because my son took it. Finally, a shot of both of us within the last 3 years that wasn't taken at arms length!
So I just looked back at the pictures I chose to post, all just regular days for us, and in both my husband is wearing his Mickey hat, one he is wearing Mickey crocs, my son is wearing a mickey hat in one, and a Tigger hat in another, and I am wearing a "Mantenganse Alejado De las Puertas" monorail hat. Geez. I guess we are a bit Disney obsessed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Part 1: Getting There
Part 2: The Orlando Vista House of Wrath
Part 3: Thursday Morning, Typhoon Lagoon and Check-In to SSR
Part 4: SSR First Impressions
Part 5: Top of the World Lounge
Part 6: Blizzard Beach Lessons Learned
Part 7: A Brief Stop at Animal Kingdom
Part 8: Looking Up in Hollywood Studios
Part 9: Should have taken a nap!!!!!
Part 10: Ultimate Tour Preparations
My husband and I have been planning and replanning and I think have finally settled on our tentative plan of attack. This could of course change at any moment, but our current plan for our 4 days is as follows:
I'll cancel our Le Cellier reservation 
. We don't really have it in our budget for 2 sit down meals, so one night we will get a drink, appetizers, and dessert and the other visit we will get main courses. I really hope we get seated in different parts of the castle each night. Does anybody know, can I request a certain dining room?
First stop, Disney's website which tells us to call WDW-PLAY to make a boat reservation. We call them, they say no no no, you need to call this other number for an external company that deals with boat reservations. We call the other companies and they say, no no no, you need to call the Marina directly to make a reservation. We call the marina directly and they say, no no no, boats are available on a first come first serve basis only. GRRRRRRRRRRRR. Not really a big deal, but the people at WDW-PLAY should be aware of this, or Disney should change it's website that specifically states you should make a reservation during busy times of year. We hope to get a first come first serve Boston Whaler boat to toodle around the Seven Seas lagoon and Bay Lake on Friday around 4pm before heading to dinner. Does anyone know which resort has the most boats available for rent? We were thinking we would go to Wilderness Lodge, but we could also stick to a monorail resort and then hop around the monorail until we find an available boat. 
lol
