Going to DW is cheaper than another Halloween Party PTR Updated 10/10/08 - Page 2 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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I am exhausted after reading this trip report! Holy Canoli I am glad you decided to take a year off and go to Disney World instead! Your parties sound incredible but so much work makes me tired thinking about it!
In my past posts for this thread, I have had issues with getting the photos to work. Can you see them in full size now? I can, but then again, I can see the photos in the first post!
Let me know!
Wow...your parties must be the talk all year round. The decorations are amazing...great theming and I love your daughter and her friend (adorable picture). Can't wait to hear all about your trip plans...
Installment #3 How we decided on yet another trip to DW!
Our first family trip to Disney World in 2004 was fantastic! It was the first time for Jason (DH), Alex (DS), and Julia (DD) and 10 years since I had visited. It was May and we stayed at the Poly which was beautiful. We had a travel agent do our “planning”. I say it like that as I had no idea ADR’s were imperative and the travel agent didn’t mention it!!! We still got into great restaurants, but surprised that we needed to call ahead….far ahead prior to arrival!!! Even without knowing what Passporter was, without the planning, without the ADR’s we had a magical time.
Mickey playing with year old Julia Rose's hair!
Alex, 6, trying really hard not to smile!
Ok, before you judge me on what I am about to say, I want to do a comparison: For those of you who have gone through hard labor while having children, you know the pain is excruciating, but soon after, the pain is gone and then you forget what it really felt like and therefore, decide.... why not do it again! This kind of explains the last trip.
Our second trip December 2006 was lots of fun, but some magic was missing since we ran into many rude castmembers and guests. We stayed at the Boardwalk Inn which we loved, but there were some cleaning issues that irked me (hairspray on mirrors, mildew in bathtub, sippy cup on roof below our balcony, etc). Other than that, I adored the Boardwalk, so much that we decided to stay there again, but there is more to it than that!
For some reason, the last trip just sat wrong with me. We had a few rude waiters (which is normal no matter where you are), rude cashiers (some lady who got snippy when I wanted to use a snack credit for a bag of cheese popcorn….. and yes, it did fall under the plan, but she was UGLY about it) , and the front desk lady treated us like a number rather than a guest. The woman wouldn’t once look at me while she was giving us the rundown on staying at the Boardwalk which was minimal by any standards. No “Hello” “Welcome” or a “Hope you enjoy your stay”. Don’t know about you, but when I get off that plane and in the world where dreams are made, I want a simple smile from the first person I interact with! And again, I don’t need to preach to the choir, but it never fails, we all run into those extremely rude guests who feel their vacation is far more important than yours so therefore, they feel it is within their rights to cut in front of you, let their kids pull your hair in line, run you over with strollers, and stand in front of your small child during shows! Ok, done venting.
Other than that, I really can’t recall why DH & I decided to NEVER come back. Ya, you read that right! As you all know, a ten day vacation in DW in a deluxe resort is not cheap! By the end of the trip, we decided we will travel elsewhere for vacations and for a lot less! Jason and I had just gotten back from Malaysia three weeks prior to our DW trip and for those of you who haven't been to this part of the world, people treat you differently. The service is impeccable, and they will bend over backwards to make you happy and everything is cheap compared to the US. Perhaps Jason and I were still on the Malaysia mindset and expected too much from our DW trip. In addition, I know I am guilty of building up vacations, holidays, etc. and then shocked when plans didn’t go accordingly. Would you agree that we are all guilty of this on some level? I know I do and can live with that.
So, when DH mentioned going to DW again last October, I was a bit in shock, but excited all the same! There are those long forgotten labor pains!! I wanted to give DW another try… but in smaller portions! So, a 3-4 day trip, stay at POFQ turned into a 3-4 day stay at GF…then after seeing the difference in price, I told DH that we could just stay at Boardwalk again for a week for about the same price of 3-4 days at GF! Well, that turned into what’s a few more days added on?Not much difference in price in the whole scheme of things! I mean, the longer you stay, the more you save on Park Hopper passes!We only do this every other year! It was settled; another 10 day trip to Boardwalk!!!
Jason wasn’t about to argue with me at this point (not that he ever does!) as I was going through the winter blahs something fierce! He knew I needed to keep busy with a project and DW was it! (I sooooo need projects to keep me happy!!)
And to wrap up this portion, this is how we decided on yet another vacation to fabulous Florida!
I would like to say that if it wasn't for the Passporter book and all of the amazing, dedicated, upbeat Passporters, I don't think I would have came out of my winter blahs!
Thanks and ya all!
So sad you had some bad experiences at DW But, even more glad that you have decided to give it another try!! (What day are you going to the party? You know...something tells me I already know this, forgive me but you know how you can lose brain cells planning for this trip)
So sad you had some bad experiences at DW But, even more glad that you have decided to give it another try!! (What day are you going to the party? You know...something tells me I already know this, forgive me but you know how you can lose brain cells planning for this trip)
Hey there! We are going to the MNSSHP on the 31st. The kids are really excited! All I want to do is ride Haunted Mansion!!
And no worries on the bad experiences. The mental attitude one goes in with makes all the difference in the world! I have full intentions of having a blast this trip, taking it easy, and watching my kids smile ear to ear! No one can take that away from me!
That is such a shame about your last trip, I think I may have been a tad on the upset side as well, but I am glad to hear you decided to give it another shot! Great update!
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Got the suitcases out the other day and finished up on my clothes shopping. Yes, PM me!
We still got into great restaurants, but surprised that we needed to call ahead….far ahead prior to arrival!!! Even without knowing what Passporter was, without the planning, without the ADR’s we had a magical time.
We had a few rude waiters (which is normal no matter where you are), rude cashiers (some lady who got snippy when I wanted to use a snack credit for a bag of cheese popcorn….. and yes, it did fall under the plan, but she was UGLY about it) 
, and the front desk lady treated us like a number rather than a guest. The woman wouldn’t once look at me while she was giving us the rundown on staying at the Boardwalk which was minimal by any standards. No “Hello” “Welcome” or a “Hope you enjoy your stay”. Don’t know about you, but when I get off that plane and in the world where dreams are made, I want a simple smile from the first person I interact with! And again, I don’t need to preach to the choir, but it never fails, we all run into those extremely rude guests who feel their vacation is far more important than yours so therefore, they feel it is within their rights to cut in front of you, let their kids pull your hair in line, run you over with strollers, and stand in front of your small child during shows! Ok, done venting. 
Ya, you read that right! As you all know, a ten day vacation in DW in a deluxe resort is not cheap! 
By the end of the trip, we decided we will travel elsewhere for vacations and for a lot less! 
Jason and I had just gotten back from Malaysia three weeks prior to our DW trip and for those of you who haven't been to this part of the world, people treat you differently. The service is impeccable, and they will bend over backwards to make you happy and everything is cheap compared to the US. 
Perhaps Jason and I were still on the Malaysia mindset and expected too much from our DW trip. In addition, I know I am guilty of building up vacations, holidays, etc. and then shocked when plans didn’t go accordingly. Would you agree that we are all guilty of this on some level? I know I do and can live with that.
There are those long forgotten labor pains!! I wanted to give DW another try… but in smaller portions! So, a 3-4 day trip, stay at POFQ turned into a 3-4 day stay at GF…then after seeing the difference in price, I told DH that we could just stay at Boardwalk again for a week for about the same price of 3-4 days at GF! Well, that turned into what’s a few more days added on? Not much difference in price in the whole scheme of things! I mean, the longer you stay, the more you save on Park Hopper passes! We only do this every other year! It was settled; another 10 day trip to Boardwalk!!! 
ya all!
But, even more glad that you have decided to give it another try!! 
but you know how you can lose brain cells planning for this trip)
decorating! Are you sure you won't miss all of the craziness?
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