yikes that was expensive - just bought our plane tickets for our August, 2017 WDW trip

[disneyholic family]

well almost everything is set for the "big trip" to WDW next august (2017)..

and the 'big' just got bigger, as we added on a Disney Cruise - woo hoo!!!!

DH actually cried when we told him we were going on a cruise.....i wish we'd thought of getting it on video, but who knew he'd react like that??????
3 weeks at WDW, but he cries about a 3 night cruise????

Completed so far:
-- Reserved 3 weeks at Saratoga Springs on the UK Free Dining Package
-- Reserved an 8 seater minivan with Alamo UK
-- Purchased 8 airplane tickets to NYC. I'll only be able to buy the domestic leg of the trip when jet blue puts up its prices for August (not for 2 more months). But i was afraid to lose the atlantic portion of the trip, so we'll just have to fly on two separate tickets for the two legs of the trip. Not the best situation, but the only option.
--Reserved a 3 night cruise on the Disney Dream (via Dreams Unlimited Travel). We haven't done a 3 night cruise in 16 years. We'd much rather do a 7 night, but time just won't allow it. DD really wanted to try out the Disney Dream (she's only been on the classics). So 3 nights is better than nothing.

Still left to do:
-- Buy the domestic flights on jet blue (from new york to orlando)
-- make reservations at universal for one night (to see harry potter)
-- get passports and visas/visa waiver for 2 grandkids
-- make all the ADRs for 3 weeks (yikes!!!!)
-- do the FPplus for 3 weeks (yikes!!!)
-- pay off the cruise in june
-- pay off the 3 week free dining package (for two 2 bedrooms at SSR - YIKES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

i'm sure i must have forgotten something. Anything?

 

[wayneg]

Glad I am not paying for that lot
No Florida for us next year (not missed a year since 1998, some years doing 4 trips)
Hopefully going to Turkey, Tenerife and a big 4 week west coast trip including 4 nights on Wonder (repo Vancouver to San Diego).

 

[disneyholic family]

Glad I am not paying for that lot
No Florida for us next year (not missed a year since 1998, some years doing 4 trips)
Hopefully going to Turkey, Tenerife and a big 4 week west coast trip including 4 nights on Wonder (repo Vancouver to San Diego).

the wonder's looking really nice after the dry dock, so that should be an interesting 4 nights!!

turkey/tenerife should be fun and 4 weeks on the west coast for sure....i'd love to do a road trip through the national parks there..

if you get to seattle, try to schedule a visit to the boeing factory in everett...we loved it..
everett is just north of seattle...
we stayed overnight right across from the factory and ate in a fantastic fish restaurant right on the water.....called Ivars....that alone is worth the trip!!!!

as for paying for that lot....totally....our last big family trip to WDW was in 2011 before the kidlets came along....and even that nearly broke the bank with 6 ....
now with 8, i don't know when we'll be able to do it again...
it's just way too costly for us....
after this trip in 2017, we're planning on a family cruise on the disney magic in the Mediterranean....as expensive as those cruises are, the flights are next to nothing for us, so it works out and we'll still get a bit of disney...(and no car rental or park tickets either)

i'd like to do a transatlantic but with two teachers and two others tied to the school schedule, it's a no go...

but maybe DH and i will be able to do it on our own...that would be fun!!
i was so surprised at how emotional he got when he heard we were going on a cruise..

 

[saintrob]

Wow, sounds an amazing trip! I love the Disney Dream. Out of the ships we've been on it's my favourite. I know a lot of people love the classics but I prefered the Dream as I enjoyed the extra space and of course the aqua duck!

 

[disneyholic family]

Wow, sounds an amazing trip! I love the Disney Dream. Out of the ships we've been on it's my favourite. I know a lot of people love the classics but I prefered the Dream as I enjoyed the extra space and of course the aqua duck!

i've been on the Dream, but didn't get a chance to try the aquaduck...somehow we didn't get around to it until the sea day and by then hurricane sandy was blowing us down and it was completely closed....silly of me to not try it out sooner..
this time around i may just head there the moment i board!!!

 

[wayneg]

Wow, sounds an amazing trip! I love the Disney Dream. Out of the ships we've been on it's my favourite. I know a lot of people love the classics but I prefered the Dream as I enjoyed the extra space and of course the aqua duck!

Magic or Wonder for me.
2 main problems we found with newer ships, no nice bar for sitting with a teen, ok for children and good for adults but nothing like promenade lounge on Classics. other problem I have is deck events, pirate party I felt was dangerous with too many people in a small space, glass panels are an obstruction and small stairs were not adequate for the amount of people, I have no idea how they passed heath and safety.
Sailed on them all and would again but prefer the classics.

 

[disneyholic family]

Magic or Wonder for me.
2 main problems we found with newer ships, no nice bar for sitting with a teen, ok for children and good for adults but nothing like promenade lounge on Classics. other problem I have is deck events, pirate party I felt was dangerous with too many people in a small space, glass panels are an obstruction and small stairs were not adequate for the amount of people, I have no idea how they passed heath and safety.
Sailed on them all and would again but prefer the classics.

i also prefer the classics...we're doing the Dream, as DD hasn't been on the dream or fantasy yet...so i thought this would give her a taste of it..

we'll probably mostly get the magic since i don't see being able to repeat shelling out so much money to fly to the states..
a flight to europe is much more manageable..

 

[saintrob]

I have a soft spot for the Wonder as that was our first cruise way back. We still need to do the Fantasy one day so here's hoping.

We've also thought about the Magic in the Med if we ever decide to forego out summer WDW.

 

[Woodview]

well almost everything is set for the "big trip" to WDW next august (2017)..

and the 'big' just got bigger, as we added on a Disney Cruise - woo hoo!!!!

DH actually cried when we told him we were going on a cruise.....i wish we'd thought of getting it on video, but who knew he'd react like that??????
3 weeks at WDW, but he cries about a 3 night cruise????

Completed so far:
-- Reserved 3 weeks at Saratoga Springs on the UK Free Dining Package
-- Reserved an 8 seater minivan with Alamo UK
-- Purchased 8 airplane tickets to NYC. I'll only be able to buy the domestic leg of the trip when jet blue puts up its prices for August (not for 2 more months). But i was afraid to lose the atlantic portion of the trip, so we'll just have to fly on two separate tickets for the two legs of the trip. Not the best situation, but the only option.
--Reserved a 3 night cruise on the Disney Dream (via Dreams Unlimited Travel). We haven't done a 3 night cruise in 16 years. We'd much rather do a 7 night, but time just won't allow it. DD really wanted to try out the Disney Dream (she's only been on the classics). So 3 nights is better than nothing.

Still left to do:
-- Buy the domestic flights on jet blue (from new york to orlando)
-- make reservations at universal for one night (to see harry potter)
-- get passports and visas/visa waiver for 2 grandkids
-- make all the ADRs for 3 weeks (yikes!!!!)
-- do the FPplus for 3 weeks (yikes!!!)
-- pay off the cruise in june
-- pay off the 3 week free dining package (for two 2 bedrooms at SSR - YIKES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

i'm sure i must have forgotten something. Anything?

Was there no flights going direct to Orlando ( Via JFK ) ?

Just thinking of Aer Lingus , UK to Dublin & on , or KLM Uk to Amsterdam & on

 

[disneyholic family]

Was there no flights going direct to Orlando ( Via JFK ) ?

Just thinking of Aer Lingus , UK to Dublin & on , or KLM Uk to Amsterdam & on

we're not in the UK, so more limited options..
I sometimes fly KLM/Delta, but the return flight requires a 12 hour layover in amsterdam - something i've done on occasion, but not something i'll put my son and daughter in law through with their two toddlers..

the problem in this case was jet blue only opens up for reservations 7 months in advance...
we couldn't wait that long or risk losing the seats and prices we had on the transatlantic leg..
delta is available, but the airline we fly with doesn't have an agreement with delta..
it does work with AA in addition to jet blue, but the AA flight only leaves JFK at 3 in the afternoon and we're arriving at 5 in the morning..
no way am i hanging out in JFK for that many hours (at least not by choice....it has happened due to weather)..

so we'll wait for jet blue to come out...
i could buy tickets from delta right now - but the fare is currently $400 round trip jfk-mco..
the moment the jet blue prices come out, delta prices will fall....
so i'll wait until then and either book jet blue or delta...

as i said, it's not the best situation flying on separate tickets, but i've done it before...
it will be ok... (i hope )

 

[Woodview]

Thank you for the Up Date

Which City / Country Where are you actually flying from to start your holiday ?

 

[disneyholic family]

Thank you for the Up Date

Which City / Country Where are you actually flying from to start your holiday ?

we fly out of tel aviv - we prefer to take a non-stop from tel aviv to new york...
any other time but summer, i'd wait for the jet blue prices to come up..
but summer is too high demand...
as much as we paid now, if we wait another two months the price will go up by at least 30% on the flights we want..

the year i flew alone with the kids, i took klm via amsterdam straight to orlando (klm to amsterdam and then their subsidiary to orlando)...
it wasn't bad....but the wait in amsterdam is tiring...

 

[Jon84]

We need to do a cruise at some point, looks like so much fun.

Next June we are doing 3 weeks - 1 in LA/DLR and 2 in Orlando/WDW

 

[disneyholic family]

We need to do a cruise at some point, looks like so much fun.

Next June we are doing 3 weeks - 1 in LA/DLR and 2 in Orlando/WDW

that's really fun!! we did that one year - went to WDW, then on a cruise, then to LA to visit disneyland/disney california adventure.

but DLR has changed so much since we were ther, they've added a ton.....we'd really like to go again....

 

[saintrob]

We need to do a cruise at some point, looks like so much fun.

Next June we are doing 3 weeks - 1 in LA/DLR and 2 in Orlando/WDW

We've done that a couple of times - it's a great trip! Who are you flying with on the LA to MCO route. We did Delta and they were great.

 

[Jon84]

We've done that a couple of times - it's a great trip! Who are you flying with on the LA to MCO route. We did Delta and they were great.

We are flying transatlantic in and out of MCO, then a return Delta Flight between MCO and LA, got a great Thomas Cook premium price and a great Delta price so saves a packet there - can't wait for that trip!!

 

[saintrob]

We are flying transatlantic in and out of MCO, then a return Delta Flight between MCO and LA, got a great Thomas Cook premium price and a great Delta price so saves a packet there - can't wait for that trip!!

We loved DL. We did it as a one off in 2014 but went back this year as we'd enjoyed it so much. California Adventure park is fabulous. I'm not an expert but if you have any questions - give me a shout!

 

[Jon84]

We loved DL. We did it as a one off in 2014 but went back this year as we'd enjoyed it so much. California Adventure park is fabulous. I'm not an expert but if you have any questions - give me a shout!

Thanks Rob

We did a flying visiting and drove there for 2 days from Vegas in 2014, love it there, I think because it's the original park, it feels different

 

[bex7583]

Wow what a fab trip you have planned. The 3 week on site sounds great

 

[disneyholic family]

Wow what a fab trip you have planned. The 3 week on site sounds great

sounds good to me too!!

now i have to start working on the restaurants list....hmm...planning planning planning..