PTR for Our first holiday trip to our happy place (Nov 30-Dec. 14 2013) Ack! About This Page:

[Lorelei528]

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!

[Lorelei528]

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!

[taylan1]

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.

Planning Strategy Calculator for Disney Reservations


Enjoy all the planning!! We are going to have to settle with our May/June 2013 trip and our October 2013, just can't swing 3 trips in one year. LOL

[Lorelei528]

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...

[shazza]

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.

[taylan1]

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

[Lorelei528]

Originally Posted by shazza

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.

Thanks Sharon! I'm really so excited, I just feel like I'm going to forget something!

Originally Posted by taylan1

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

Ah! Yeah, we'll be getting AP's for the DEC trip and are planning on using them again NOV 2014! LOL...
I've heard that the Halloween parade is so much better but we've done that one three times now and I really want to check out the Christmas one!

[MikeL]

Lori be seeing you 18 Nov x 22 Nov at AKL then 22 Nov x 7 Dec at Ft W. As for booking EPCOT Segway and WAT I spoke with CM at Resservations and was told that they can be booked at the same date you can start booking ADRs 180 days from check in. But a quick hint last year there was something going on in terms of booking WAT at 180 day mark I called and tried to book it and they were not accepting any reservations for time frame of our trip. I ended up calling back every few weeks and at long last was told by a very nice CM that at that time WAT would be open for booking at 90 day mark (again from date of check in) Hope that helps

[Lorelei528]

Thanks Mike! Yeah, I did call and ask awhile back and I thought they said 180 days....I have a bit to go, so I guess as long as I know by April/May, I'll be good.

I'll be calling to book BLT one week from Sunday and doing it on-line for the first time...I'm a little nervous about doing it that way so hope it will go smoothly!

DH and I are leaving tomorrow for a 6 night stay in New Orleans, using our DVC (traded) points. We're very excited but I need to finish packing and am getting anxiety....

DH has never been there before and I can't wait to show him one of my favorite places! (Besides WDW of course!)

[Lorelei528]

Whew! Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas! And a Happy Hanukkah for those who celebrate!
DH and I just returned from 6 nights in New Orleans for Christmas week. We were able to use our DVC points and traded in. It was great! Ate way too much of course! LOL..
We got back on the 28th, went to the Pinstripe Bowl on the 29th to cheer on my Syracuse Orange and then on the 30th.....

I booked the first week of our trip on-line with DVC! It went smoothly! I was all so nervous. LOL....
We went ahead and booked the 1br. I e-mailed my friend just to kind of feel her out, but she didn't respond (which kind of annoyed me) so I figured what the heck. If she can't come at all, we'll try to switch to a studio, but I don't think we'll be able to get it and I'm not sure what will happen to those points. I will have to call DVC if she can't go I guess. The 1br would be nice for just the two of us, but it's a heck of a lot of points!

I think ADR's have to made in June sometime....so I'll try to get an answer from her by then I guess.....

Also, does anyone know.....can I just add her and her DD sometime in the future? Does it matter if they weren't on the ressie from the beginning?

Thanks all! Now I just have to book the AKV week 1 week from today! Then it's on with all the other planning!

Thanks for reading!

[OhToodles!]

So great you're planning a trip near the holidays! It's a beautiful time of year!
Happy planning!

[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.

[Lorelei528]

Originally Posted by OhToodles!

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!

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!

[Lorelei528]

Booked AKL/V this morning, so that's done.

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....

[taylan1]

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.