PTR for Our first holiday trip to our happy place (Nov 30-Dec. 14 2013) Ack! - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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PTR for Our first holiday trip to our happy place (Nov 30-Dec. 14 2013) Ack!
Ok, ok…I have been debating starting another PTR for this upcoming trip as it seems I never finish them! But this trip, well, to be honest, even I feel a little overwhelmed when starting to look at the planning….
It’s our first trip to WDW during the holiday season and I just feel that there is so much extra stuff to figure out. I’m probably overthinking it I know, but I feel anxiety already and we’re still 352 days away from arrival! LOL…
Ok so here’s the basic info: Dates: Saturday 30 November 2013 – Saturday 14 December 2013 Adventurers: Me, Lori (45) and DH Eoghan (35) Destination: Walt Disney World Resorts: Bay Lake Tower & Animal Kingdom Lodge Meets: Hopefully will get to do a few Celebration: Just celebrating the holiday season in our happy place!
Even with the resorts I went back and forth about where to stay and I still am dying to stay at The Poly if only for a couple of nights…sigh. Ugh. We own at BLT and AKV and whenever we stay somewhere other than AKL, I get all sad because I miss it so (DH too). And last time we stayed at AKL, it was Kidani which was a first and we didn’t like it and then I found myself saying “I miss staying at BLT!” LOL (This probably has something to do with the night we were in MK and ended up walking over to BLT and taking a taxi back to AKV. LOL) How nice is it to just stroll on back to your place of sleeping after a great late night in the MK? Sigh…
So, we’re going with it this way this trip. Poly will have to wait. DH and I love BW too (I prefer the Inn to the Villas but we won’t be staying at the Inn anymore now that we’re DVC) Hopefully we can stay at BW or BC on our next trip…maybe! Plus I’m wondering about the rehabs at the Poly and when they’ll be finished…..or are they just waiting to do them and do the DVC there at the same time? (Yes, I know this is not official yet, but…)
Anyway, another cog in the wheel is I offered to a friend of mine who is a single mom that we could book a 1br and I offered her and her DD our living room for free for a few nights. The thing is, she wouldn’t be able to tell me yes or no definitely when I have to book it on Dec. 30 (only 16 days from now!) so I told her I wouldn’t really need to know until June (when I have to book our ADR’s). I figured they can drive from South Carolina (they are only 4 hours away or something!) so all she’d need to pay for is the park tickets and food (and souvies) and we’ll have our TIW card so I told her if she and her DD wanted to join us for any table meals, there would be 20% off.
I’ll write more later about this. I’m actually still up in the air as to whether we should do the Deluxe Meal Plan or the TIW card or maybe a week of the Dining Plan…ugh..see? I’m so confused!
Here’s a brainstorming type list of things we want to do this trip:
MVMCP, Osbourne lights, Candlelight Processional package, Wild Africa Trek, Segway Tour of EPCOT, golf lessons, mini golf, photo session (or 2) and Universal one day for HP primarily. I feel like there’s more and I’m already forgetting! Ack. This is why I need my PPers (that’s you guys!).
I’d like to get the Christmas tree from Disney florist but only if the price includes the delivery back to our house. Does anyone know if it does? I definitely want to do the stockings for us and my friend and her DD if they come or just us if they don’t and then maybe decorate the room a bit. Even though it’s not officially Christmas, it’ll be like our Christmas.
I could write lots more, but I’ll leave it here for now….I’m hoping that doing this PTR will help keep me from having any panic attacks while planning this trip! (Next one after this will be NOV. 2014 and has a chance of being like this too, IF my in-laws come along-eek).
I just feel very overwhelmed with this trip and it’s freaking me out! I have an Excel sheet already, but I feel that even with 14 days I still can’t fit everything in I want to and also have it be a relaxing type of trip! Ugh.
Thanks for reading! Hopefully you'll stick around a bit so I can start to bounce stuff off of you!
__________________
Lori
“I’m in a Disney state of mind……”
Authorized Disney Vacation Planner w/Fairy Godmother Travel For a Pixie Dust Sprinkled Trip!
Let me just check myself....
I can book the first week at BLT on Dec. 30 of this year and AKL on Jan. 7 of 2013.
After that, I have to worry about getting our park tickets and I can't book ADR's until 180 days out...what about CP package booking? That's 180 days, right? And Wild Africa Trek and the Segway tour? I think those are also 180 days...are they from day of arrival or day you want to take the tour?
I have no clue when it comes to Universal for the one day! I started doing a little reading but actually got frightened off! LOL.....help.
I'm trying to think what else needs to be booked and or payed for first besides the DVC, the park tickets (AP's) and the flights, the tours and ADR's? Oh wait! The golf lessons! I wanted to look into them beause of the DVC discount. Does anyone have any info? I have no clue.
I also have to figure out about the photo sessions and need to book them!
Am I missing anything? Can someone help me out with my timeline of booking/paying for etc.? Thanks so much all!
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Lori
“I’m in a Disney state of mind……”
Authorized Disney Vacation Planner w/Fairy Godmother Travel For a Pixie Dust Sprinkled Trip!
Lots of plans Lori!! Jealous that you get to spend the holidays at our Happy Place! I use the PS Calculator site to figure out booking at paying timeline.
Kim-
Yep! So much planning! LOL....I'm totally jelly that you're going twice next year! Too bad we'll miss you! I'd love to hang out again.
I do use PS Calculator...it's great, isn't it? But it doesn't have when you can book what, so I feel I have to figure that part out myself first and I'm always nervous I don't have the right info. I guess I'll have to call once January rolls around just to make sure I don't miss any booking dates!
And then there's MVMCP...which I think is announced in May? Or do tix go on sale then? Ack! I don't even know!! LOL...
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Lori
“I’m in a Disney state of mind……”
Authorized Disney Vacation Planner w/Fairy Godmother Travel For a Pixie Dust Sprinkled Trip!
Good Luck with all the planning you get to do in the upcoming year! Having just returned from trips during the same time frame, I know you'll have lots to do - and it is a great way to get into the Holidays.
Lori, we are only going twice because in May/June we are getting annual passes so we want to get the most use out of them. So a short trip in October is what will work best for us. As for 2014 who knows, LOL. Hopefully one of the TA's on the board can help you with when to book stuff. I am not sure when the tickets for MVMCP go on sale, but jealous that you get to go to that. We just missed that party when we went for Christmas in 2008, but we were able to see a lot of the shows and the parade during the day but I would have really like to experience the snow on Main Street. Someday when we moved to Orlando. lol
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So great you're planning a trip near the holidays! It's a beautiful time of year!
Happy planning!
Thanks! I already can't wait but am also feeling overwhelmed!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cam22
Congrats on book the 1-bedroom! You can add your friend and her DD on later through member services. We've had to do that before.
Ok, great! That's good to know for this or any future trips we want to add peeps onto.
So, here's a questions for you all....
How would you do the planning being that I don't know if my friend and her DD will be coming or not....
Do I plan our first few days there as if it's just me and DH and have backup plans if they come?
That's the direction I was going in, but I wanted to run it by the professionals first.
Back to work today. Yuck. Hope you all had a great New Years!
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Lori
“I’m in a Disney state of mind……”
Authorized Disney Vacation Planner w/Fairy Godmother Travel For a Pixie Dust Sprinkled Trip!
Registered Message Board Members save 30% off PassPorter guidebooks! When you register you'll have access to a discount coupon good for 30% off the list price of PassPorter books in our online store.
I heard my my friend this morning finally, it doesn't look good, but I feel bad changing our 1br at BLT to a studio if she turns around and tell me she can come..
sigh...not sure what to do....
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Lori
“I’m in a Disney state of mind……”
Authorized Disney Vacation Planner w/Fairy Godmother Travel For a Pixie Dust Sprinkled Trip!
Can you keep it for a while and then change it later if it doesn't pan out for her? Or will it be more difficult to get a studio at BLT if you wait? It is a tough decision.
Just found this!!! Great start!! Looking forward to hearing all your plans - as they are (were) similar to our plans for July 2013 (we are doing split AKL/BLT! and we were going to do Universal for a day, but have decided NOT to).
Going to WDW at the holidays is beautiful!! We were just there the last week of December and it was gorgeous!!
Sorry that your friend is kinda throwing a wrench into your plans. I would check with DVC to see what their recommendation for the switching is - I do know that the 1bdrms seem harder to get - so I would maybe hang onto it for a bit longer - can you maybe give your friend a deadline for final decision? I know it might seem harsh - but it would really stink if you waste points you could have put to use otherwise And even with the dining - so places have you prepay now depending on the venue, so you would want to know for that.
Good luck with the rest of the planning!
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Lisa Co-Guide to Sharing the Adventure: Disney World Trip Reports
Can you keep it for a while and then change it later if it doesn't pan out for her? Or will it be more difficult to get a studio at BLT if you wait? It is a tough decision.
Kim-Yeah, I think that's what we'll do....it would be kind of nice to have a 1br just for me and DH, plus if we have any friends that want to hang out, idk....I'm trying not to think about the 275 points it took to book it!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cam22
Congrats on booking AKLV! Sorry your friend is making it difficult to decide on a room at BLT.
Thanks! It's tough...she's going to nursing school, working and she's a single mom...so I don't want to pressure her too much about it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lfredsbo
Just found this!!! Great start!! Looking forward to hearing all your plans - as they are (were) similar to our plans for July 2013 (we are doing split AKL/BLT! and we were going to do Universal for a day, but have decided NOT to).
Going to WDW at the holidays is beautiful!! We were just there the last week of December and it was gorgeous!!
Sorry that your friend is kinda throwing a wrench into your plans. I would check with DVC to see what their recommendation for the switching is - I do know that the 1bdrms seem harder to get - so I would maybe hang onto it for a bit longer - can you maybe give your friend a deadline for final decision? I know it might seem harsh - but it would really stink if you waste points you could have put to use otherwise And even with the dining - so places have you prepay now depending on the venue, so you would want to know for that.
Good luck with the rest of the planning!
Hi Lisa!
I'm curious about your decisions about Universal.....would you fill me in as to why you changed your mind etc.? It is pretty expensive from what I've seen...
Yes, I can't wait to see it all decorated! I've been in Nov before and saw the beginnings of some of the decorations and we've been in Jan when they were taking everything down...but we've never seen the CP, or heard the storytellers or experienced the gingerbread house at GF....oh! Or the Osborne lights! LOL...there's so much!
Yeah, I'd love to know by the time we have to book our ADR's...but I don't think she'll know by then as that's like June 3rd and I think her graduation from nursing school is Dec (actually, now I'm wondering how she'll be able to go then...hmmm...but she still hasn't come out and said "no"....).
I haven't even thought of the prepaying for dining!!! Ugh.....I am just now trying to get together a plan and have decided to just plan like it's just me and DH and if she and her DD can come, I'll switch some stuff around....I tried doing it with a plan A and a plan B for those days, but that was making my head swirl.....LOL
__________________
Lori
“I’m in a Disney state of mind……”
Authorized Disney Vacation Planner w/Fairy Godmother Travel For a Pixie Dust Sprinkled Trip!
Lori - our decision came after this most recent trip to the WDW. We were fortunate to take 2 trips this year (oct & dec) both quick - commando style trips (more this last one in Dec) and we didn't really have much relaxing time. We are also DVC members and took full advantage of the Premium Annual Pass deal - which includes the water parks & DQ (which we usually do not spend the extra money to visit - maybe once every other year). So after returning home from the Dec trip and looking over everything - we looked up the cost of Universal - and realized how much that one day was going to cost us - and at the same time, had the opportunity to add a night to our July trip if we paid out of pocket for the room (1bdrm at BLT - which is no slim bill)- which we discovered would be half the cost of 1 day at Universal (when you added the fast pass thing, food, getting there (either renting car or cab), souvies, etc.) - so we figured what we didn't know we were missing, we wouldn't miss. Don't get me wrong, I hope to visit Universal some day - but I am NOT a huge coaster fan - and DH also realized that I would most likely spend most of the day by myself as he and DD love the coasters. So needless to say - we are planning a less commando trip - and using what would have been Universal time to just sit and relax at the resort! sorry for the longggwinded answer!
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Lisa Co-Guide to Sharing the Adventure: Disney World Trip Reports
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But this trip, well, to be honest, even I feel a little overwhelmed when starting to look at the planning….
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I use the PS Calculator site to figure out booking at paying timeline. 
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