Disney Nomads ... 3 Resorts in 8 Nights (March '12) - ALL NEW UPDATED 9/2 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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Disney Nomads ... 3 Resorts in 8 Nights (March '12) - ALL NEW UPDATED 9/2
Welcome to the first trip report that I'm going to try to finish. I hope you enjoy it and I'd love to hear from you.
About the title, we were really crazy enough to resort hop twice and you’ll find out how that went later.
(I was informed by a world class trip reporter on another boards that all these initials are annoying so I'm going to edit what I've wrote with nicknames. They may sound strange but they've actually been used in real life.)
But first, let me introduce the characters. There’s me -- wife, mom and art director; my husband Mr. Squid, also a graphic designer; and my 10-year old daughter Monkston. (Aren’t I secretive, especially with my super secret user name njlaura?)
Also along for the ride, but not crazy enough to stay in more than one resort are our friends Sheena, her husband Druid and their 10-year old son Tour Guide Mike (TGM). Sheena was not at all happy about going on another Disney trip (she says that I said I wanted to go to Caribbean) but TGM is completely Disney crazy and not far behind is Druid.
This would be our first trip as DVC members and the only reason we are DVC members this year was because it was too cold to swim on the last day of our trip last year. Huh, you say?
We usually hang out at the resort pool before ME picks us up for the airport but last year it was so cold that we decided to go to Epcot for a few hours. Well, after a week of bussing, walking, fighting crowds, we were just tired. As we hobbled to the American pavilion we happened upon the DVC booth, and out of curiousity, stopped to look at the treehouse pictures.
It was about an hour before we had to catch a bus back to the resort and we were looking at a long walk to Future World and the buses. I elbowed Mr. Squid, and whispered that maybe we should sit down for a chat with this DVC person. They have a van and cookies and ice cream waiting for us. How clever we were!
We had done the whole DVC sit down a couple years before when it was a rainy day and they were offering fast passes and ice cream for an hour or so of our time. We were kind of interested in signing but just couldn’t make such a big financial decision on the fly and said we would think about it at home. Well, you know how it is once you leave the bubble. You see the things you need to do to the house, and think about all the other more practical uses for the money. So, we didn’t do it.
We tell the guy we want to talk and he calls for a van and tells us to go wait by the fence at the back of the pavilion. Wow! We get to go backstage... And backstage is... kind of ugly actually. It looks like a back lot. And I didn't see any shenangagans going on with any of the cast members so nothing really interesting to report.
Upon arrival at the DVC office we get our cookies and coffee and our salesman comes out and seems to know everything about us from our last visit which was kind of creepy. But he was very smooth and didn't really try to do a hard sell. He just had some good arguments about why it would be right for us and gave us a good enough incentive to make it attractive.
After his talk and the tour of the beautiful one bedroom units we were sold. I guess he outfoxed clever us.
We have stayed at mostly moderate resorts and they are really nice, but that week at POFQ we had particularly bad bus service and the close quarters in the room were getting to us. Maybe that pushed us over the edge because the thought of being able to walk to MK or Epcot was looking pretty darned attractive. Not to mention me, the early riser, not having to make and drink my morning coffee in the bathroom vanity area.
In our one “hard-*ss” move in signing, we did get them to drive us to the airport rather than taking ME. Aren’t we tough negotiators?
Back to this trip…
We started planning back in October and we knew we wanted to stay in a 1-BR unit at BLT because it was so sleek and “rat-packy” and has that swanky lounge at the top. But we also didn’t want to use up all our points so we needed to split our stay. We chose AKV for the second half of our trip. Well, after airfares came out we had to change our plans because for some reason the dates we chose came with astronomical airfares. Since it was later in the game we had to get creative so we booked BLT 1 BR for first three nights (cheaper than last three), BWV studio for 2 nights and AKV 1 BR for 3 nights. It all sounds very easy on paper but will it prove to be easy in practice? We’ll see…
Great start, can't wait to hear more. We haven't hopped twice on a trip but have done the one hop twice and found it very easy. It really went more like waking up at once resort and coming back to another. Would definitely do it again.
Great start! Cool back story on how you became DVC members! I usually load my photos up to Photobucket and then use the IMG link to post them very simply in each of my updates.
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Great start, can't wait to hear more. We haven't hopped twice on a trip but have done the one hop twice and found it very easy. It really went more like waking up at once resort and coming back to another. Would definitely do it again.
It's definitely a good way to get a feel for different resorts. We think we know where we want to go next year.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cam22
Great start! Cool back story on how you became DVC members! I usually load my photos up to Photobucket and then use the IMG link to post them very simply in each of my updates.
Thanks for the advice!
__________________
Laura
March '06 Offsite | March '07 CSR | March '08 POR | March '09 WL | March '10 CSR | March '11 POFQ | March '12 BLT, BWV, AKV
I like to leave for vacation before dawn. I don’t sleep well in anticipation anyway and I’m an early bird by nature. Isn’t it the greatest thing in the world to check into your hotel room before noon and have a whole bonus day stretched out before you?
Unfortunately the rest of my party doesn’t agree.
We had a 2:40 flight scheduled from Philly. We decided to get a car service even though it’s such a waste of money. Both of our cars have a lot of miles on them though and while it would be a drag for my car to break down on the way to work it would be a tragedy for it to break down on the way to the airport.
We’re taking the service with Sheena, Druid and TGM and we are scheduled for pickup at 12. That leaves me with about 6 hours of pacing time. Sure, I can check and recheck my bag a few dozen times and I may have actually added to it but I maintain that this is a colossal waste of time and we should have taken the 7am flight!
The sleeping members of my family disagree.
During this time I get an email that our dog who is staying with a friend has peed on her rug and how does she get it out? Great. Then she calls to add that the dog also bit her and she and her son are afraid to pick her up. Just what I need before the trip. Now, our dog can get nippy if you try to pick her up the wrong way but she’s all of 11 pounds and the size of a tissue box. I told her the dog doesn’t do well with stairs because we live in a ranch and that she should try wearing oven mitts when she picks her up.
Monkston finally gets up, and after a nutritious breakfast of chocolate chip muffins and gummy vitamins, is bouncing off the walls with excitement. Now I have a pacing companion! She checks her bag a few dozen times as well.
I wake Mr. Squid up at around 10:30. I don’t understand how he can possibly sleep so late on our departure day (or is it arrival day?). Normally I’d let him sleep a little later because he doesn’t need nearly the amount of time to get ready that I do but he has to “batten down the hatches.”
This is a task that Mr. Squid takes very seriously. He selects the lights that will get timers, arranges the drapes just so, checks the locks and unplugs all the computers and TVs. He even arranges the pillows from the couch in such a way that they block some of the window.
We are leaving the cat behind for our neighbor to feed. He is completely freaked out since he knows something is up with all the luggage in the hall and the drapes all wonky after Mr. Squid “fixed” them. I bite my tongue and try not to look at them. The same holds true if the pillows on the sofa are moved. If you get up, I will arrange them back the way they should be. It’s a compulsion.
So, the cat is being left behind. We think he’s in the house but we haven’t heard him whining and yowling in a while. Hopefully he’s alive.
The driver arrives promptly at 12. Monkston and I help him get the bags to the van and get in. And then we wait…and wait…and wait. I’m quietly freaking out that we won’t get to the airport in time because we still have to pick up Sheena, Druid and TGM. I know he’s checking the timers and the locks yet again. Finally Mr. Squid comes out and we’re off at 12:10. Ok, maybe it didn’t take that long but you have to understand I’ve been up since 5 and pacing since 6.
We’re flying Southwest and they allow 2 check-in bags per person so I take advantage of that and use a whole bag for toiletries and shoes. Yes, I realize that sounds insane but all my products are full size and don’t come in travel size. I have curly hair. I need a lot of products.
Now Sheena is much more low maintenance than I am and has declared that they are only taking carry-on bags. That’s just crazy talk to me. How on earth can that even be done and why would you do that? I’d much rather check my bags than drag them around the airport, wouldn’t you?
The driver seems to be taking a very circuitous route to their house but who am I to argue with a professional?
So, we pick them up and sure enough they each have a bag and a backpack. Sheena informs me that one bag contains all their socks and underwear. Better keep track of that one! I’m in awe of the carry-on situation. It blows my mind that she can fit all her liquid toiletries in a plastic bag. Our sunscreen alone wouldn’t fit in one!
They get in the car and we’re off again…on another rather strange route. Sheena is not one to shy away from conflict like I am so she piped up and asked him where the heck he was going because this seemed to be a very long way to get to highway. He said he was trying to avoid a stretch of highway but on a Sunday afternoon I don’t think this would be a problem. She backed down because he wasn’t listening anyway.
We discussed carry-ons vs checked bags in the car and Sheena said she didn’t want to deal with a long line to check in and then waiting for the bags. I can’t really remember the last time we waited long to check in though and I can’t imagine we would have to wait that long for the bags after making our way over on the airport monorail. I don’t think it’s worth paring down what I want to bring that much. Or what we want to take home for that matter.
After an uneventful hour drive we arrive at the airport and check in with the skycap. Zip zip, it is done Sheena. 5 minutes tops and I see you over there rearranging your bags so their easier to walk with.
1 point for checked bags!
On we go to the escalator that leads to the gate. It’s pretty difficult with all those carry-on bags, isn’t it Sheena?
Another point for checked bags! That’s 2-0 for anyone counting.
We get to the security checkpoint without too much difficulty (at least those of us not loaded down with bags do). We zip right through. Sheena…not so much. We wait a good extra 5 minutes or so for her to get through.
3-0 in checked bags favor!
Sheena, Druid and TGM brought peanut butter and jelly sandwiches but we needed to find something to tide us over before the flight. I really would have liked to get something other than McD’s but that’s what Monkston wanted and I didn’t want to wait in another line so we split a 2 cheeseburger meal.
Finally it’s time to get on the flight and Sheena had paid extra for early bird check in. She didn’t hear the A boarding passes being called so she ended up on the end of the line. We boarded in B shortly after. I think she was annoyed that she paid the extra $30 for not much better seats.
We found three seats together over the wing. We always seem to get that row of seats, no matter what airline we fly. I sometimes think of the Twilight Zone episode when the businessman sees the man on the wing of the plane.
I don’t like to fly but I like to go places. I really hate take-off but with a child I have to look like I love it. I wonder how many of the calm people I see on the plane are doing the same thing I am… looking as calm and cool as possible while panicking on the inside. I try to remember how many flights take off every day and that you hardly ever hear of a crash. I look at how calm the attendants are and how this is just another day at work for them.
Luckily the flight was fairly calm. We had some bumpiness in the first hour but I tried not to get nervous. Monkston said it was fun like a ride. Um, yeah.
Oddly the woman in front of me freaked when we were landing. I’ve never seen that before. I never worry about landing because I’m just so glad to see the ground so close.
Up next: We get our bags (how quickly?) and off we go!
__________________
Laura
March '06 Offsite | March '07 CSR | March '08 POR | March '09 WL | March '10 CSR | March '11 POFQ | March '12 BLT, BWV, AKV
I don’t like to fly but I like to go places. I really hate take-off but with a child I have to look like I love it. I wonder how many of the calm people I see on the plane are doing the same thing I am… looking as calm and cool as possible while panicking on the inside. [/FONT]
This totally hit home for me! Count me as one of those "calm on the outside/freaking out on the inside during takeoff" passengers.
Enjoying your TR and looking forward to reading about your split stay!
Loving the trip report - very funny.
We did a three resort hop last year and it was great it seemed to make the holiday stretch out a little more somehow.
Hope you enjoyed it too.
Following along! Love how you became DVC members. Your sarcasm makes me laugh...I think I'm going to love this trip report!
Thanks! I wish I were half as amusing as my husband although sometimes I tell him he's not as funny as he thinks he is.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chezp
Love the score on the checked bags, although I wonder whether carry-on bags will score one back in the next installment?
We shall see...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cam22
Stefanie and I both have issues with landing, not because of fear, but the change in pressure makes our heads hurt.
This wasn't an ear hurts kind of freak out. It was when the plane actually landed and she kind of screamed, covered her head and ducked. I totally understand the pressure thing and have to remember to buy gum before we get to the airport. Is there really such a problem with people getting gum on everything that they can't sell it at the airport or anywhere in Disney World?
Quote:
Originally Posted by TinkRocks
This totally hit home for me! Count me as one of those "calm on the outside/freaking out on the inside during takeoff" passengers.
Good to hear I'm not alone. Although, what if everyone is like us? Who am I going to look at for support then?
Enjoying your TR and looking forward to reading about your split stay!
Thanks! Hopefully I'll have some good info for you.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ilovedisney247
Off to a great start! I love the keeping score checked vs carry-on!
Thanks! Love your trip reports Heather so I'm glad you stopped by.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jessmie
Loving the trip report - very funny.
We did a three resort hop last year and it was great it seemed to make the holiday stretch out a little more somehow.
Hope you enjoyed it too.
It's fun to sample different resorts, especially when a couple are walking distance to different parks.
__________________
Laura
March '06 Offsite | March '07 CSR | March '08 POR | March '09 WL | March '10 CSR | March '11 POFQ | March '12 BLT, BWV, AKV
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