Mommy, Daddy, Baca, Mimi, Mickey's Castle!!!--Pre Trip Report - UPDATED 4/11 - Page 3 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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I think you're right about the revolt on FP+ - people just don't like change or they finally figure soemthing out and then it changes to something else. Only time will tell. It seems like a good idea - still unsure of the only 3 and only 1 park aspect.
Too cute about Mickey holding on to Mimi's scooter!
Great plans. I found there was a lot I liked about FP+ and a lot I didn't like. It wasn't horrible though. You seem open to it so it will probably be just fine. I just wish there wasn't a 3 per day restriction. Maybe a 3 per day in advance restriction, but once you get to the parks 3 per day isn't enough. I can't imagine how it will work at a busy time.
Great plans. I found there was a lot I liked about FP+ and a lot I didn't like. It wasn't horrible though. You seem open to it so it will probably be just fine. I just wish there wasn't a 3 per day restriction. Maybe a 3 per day in advance restriction, but once you get to the parks 3 per day isn't enough. I can't imagine how it will work at a busy time.
This is my fear exactly! The planning part doesn't bother me, its that even if FPs were available due I couldn't decided to get more!
Let talks airfare. I'm forever looking for the deal, you may remember from the trip report in my sig, the Amex deal that got me $300 in airfare but then I never took the flight (pregnant, no race, etc etc) and the change fee was more than the airfare itself. I'm still like that with my plane tickets.
Last year I took a job that required be to travel 2-3 times a month. I flew alot of Southwest. A lot. I'd signed up for Rapid Rewards before, figuring even our regular vacations would eventually add up to free flights (the points never expire) and then that 6 months of flying every other week really increased my total. Then SW offered their Visa with a 50,000 point bonus if you charged $3000 in the first three months. Bang, done. We charge everything to our Disney Visa, so getting to $3000 happened in the first month.
side note--seriously, EVERYTHING. Cable, car insurance, garbage, doctor bills, DVC dues, and anything we buy. We upgraded to premier cards even with the annual fee as Jake buys over $1000 in gas every month and that card gives 2% for gas and groceries. His job isn't normal, and most people probably would have a company card for gas if they drove as much as he does.
Back to SW. We got the 50,000 in October, and we had another 30,000 from my travels. We decided to use some of the points for our Key West trip in January. Those tickets are always expensive, that trip is more expensive than a Disney trip for sure, and there no deals to be had ever at all. Seriously, to stay in Old Town, and in a nice place with a pool etc, you get to $300 a night fast, and way more if you go at a busier time of year. So, it seems a good way to use the points. Fast forward to that trip, a flight out of Buffalo at 6AM in January...I suppose you can guess what happens. Delayed for deicing. We missed our connection in Orlando by 5 minutes. SW of course can't help you, they only fly to KW once a day, and they don't work with other airlines. They won't get you a hotel because of weather related delays and they won't get you a car to drive for the same reason.
Ah, but they chose poorly when they sold me tickets and gave me rewards for being a business traveler. I have used their inflight internet access regularly; its a good way to get work done and not lose your flight time. I did the same on this flight--it meant I didn't take a vacation day that day, working for 2 hours in the airport, almost 3 on the plane, a planned 2 more on the next leg and in the airport. When you get online on the plane there is a little SW plane tracker app that opens and you can see your flight and its status. Our status? On time. But we weren't on time and as it became more and more obvious that we were going to miss that connection I started taking screen shots showing my flight as 'on time.' Ticket guy couldn't help, really, those guys are authorized to say sorry and move on. I asked for a manager. We talked, he said weather, sorry. I said well, you show my flight as on time for all the world to see, and now you say that I missed a connection from my 'on time' flight and you can't help me? After 90 minutes of clogging up the desk (seriously, there were about 30 people in line behind me, however, there was another clerk) I finally got something to make me happy. I got my points back for the first half of the flight AND $200 in vouchers for future SW travel AND a voucher for a discount on a rental car. While it sucked to drive for 6 hours to Key West and delay our vacation by 8 hours between the airport and drive, choosing to rent a Camero Convertible on the SW discount was a lovely way to go.
So I got back thousands of points and have $200. Plus I still had a large balance (40,000 or something) so it was nearly like getting to KW for free. Between the refund and the voucher I was able to book four RT tickets to MCO for our Disney trip and paid OOP for just one flight.
To recap--
Spent $99 on the annual fee for the SW Visa, $80 on a Camero,$250 for one RT to MCO and 90 minutes spent being a polite hardass = $429
I actually received 2 RTs to KW, 6 hours in a convertible with the sunset over 7 mile bridge, and 5RTs to MCO= $2130ish in value if I had purchased it all outright.
So my advice is to get that SW card anytime they offer the 50,000 and charge the day lights out of it for the first three months. Pay the annual fee, get your points, book your tickets and cancel the thing. Then sign up again next year, under your spouses name.
We choose to fly direct because Adam is still little and it seems easier on us. When he is older, we'll probably take flights that arrive earlier on the first day and leave later on the last day. For this trip we leave at 1:15, landing around 4. This way we can get right in our room and as our kid will have missed his nap, this seems like a good option. The day we leave our flight is at 10, getting in at 12:40. We miss nap both days, but the direct makes up for navigating an additional airport with a car seat.
on the flights! We are crazy point hoarders too! That is how we are going this summer! Have considered getting the SW Visa..... might have to after this next trip!
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Lisa Co-Guide to Sharing the Adventure: Disney World Trip Reports
on the flights! We are crazy point hoarders too! That is how we are going this summer! Have considered getting the SW Visa..... might have to after this next trip!
I find SW to the least painful of the airline specific programs. You can easily see how many points you can earn and see how many points a flight costs without any nonsense. The points never expire. I signed up all three of us. This time around I need to move Adam's 1000 points and Jake's 500 points over to my account to buy the tickets, but the fee is nominal compared to the cost of the ticket.
Also, I can book tickets for other people with my points for no extra charge, I used points for my parents and Jake and Adam and then paid for my ticket so that I would earn some points back.
And the Visa points turn around was quick. I charged the $3000 hte first month and had my points by the end of second month. Its $99 but if they offer the 50,000 points (often listed at two free roundtrips, but its really 50,000 points) its a great deal, because you can usually get more than two tickets. 50,000 is the point value of the two most expensive RTs they offer.
The current deal is for 25000 points, still $99 fee. You also get 6000 points for your anniversary. This means you will ahve spent $198 to get 31000 points, not a bad deal, 156 points per dollar. If you did the initial deal and cancelled its even better--252 per dollar. Sign up and get your husband to sign up too, then you basically get two tickets for $200.
here's link to the 50,000 point offer, that seems live--https://creditcards.chase.com/a1/southwest/offer
Glad you got your flights taken care of, but sounds a like it was a little bit of a pain! You might be surprised with Adam sleeping on the flight. Even if it isn't nap time. I found with my kids just the fact that they have to sit and the hum of the plane they conked right out. Probably out of boredom.
Glad you got your flights taken care of, but sounds a like it was a little bit of a pain! You might be surprised with Adam sleeping on the flight. Even if it isn't nap time. I found with my kids just the fact that they have to sit and the hum of the plane they conked right out. Probably out of boredom.
I'd love that to happen. The truth is that he doesn't sleep outside of a bed. Ever. Not since he was two weeks old. You know those people who walk around the grocery store with the kid asleep in the carseat? Yeah, never. Or whose kid just falls asleep in the car? Not us. We drove for 13 hours to Outer Banks and then 13 back home. Over night on the way down, hoping the dark would make him sleep, left at 9. He slept for one hour. On the way home we drove in the daytime since he wasn't going to sleep, 5 minutes from our house, after 13 hours of driving and 90 minutes of epic screaming from being so tired, he fell asleep. I'm not kidding even a little.
He hasn't slept on previous flights, even as an infant, so I'm planning for a marathon session of Twenty Trucks and Pocoyo.
Wow! I knew I got lucky......my daughter has always been one to easily fall asleep anywhere, anytime.......we used to make fun of her because it took 7 trips to Disney before she ever saw Wishes! And we were there.....she was fast asleep in her stroller while we were watching. I know I was super lucky! My friend on the other hand, her daughter was just like Adam......only her bed
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Lisa Co-Guide to Sharing the Adventure: Disney World Trip Reports
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I love the idea of a Mickey plush in Mimi's scooter. 
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Pixie Dust
How cute that Adam can remember the scooter! 
Disney Magic - Oct 2015
might have to after this next trip!
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