BF & I's first trip together to Disney World~ Pre Trip Report

[Mnchknbrat1982]

Well I thought it might be finally time to start my pre trip report. But first I’ll give you the background information. Bare with me as this is the first trip report I ever have written.

I went on my first trip to Disney in 2002. Of course I have loved all things Disney since I was a kid. That trip we had been planning for better than a year when it happened. This trip consisted of Alan’s parents, Amy (Alan’s sister), Jimmy (Amy’s son), Alan, and myself. We stayed at his grandparents place in Leesburg, Fl. This is about 45 minutes from Orlando. We were there from June 29 to July 7th. This trip was sort of my high school graduation present.

Our Itinerary for the trip:
June 29~ Leave Indiana for Florida. We left at like 4 or 5 am. Drove straight through. We arrived in Leesburg around 7 pm.
June 30~ Went to Animal Kingdom/ Downtown Disney. All I can say it is was a downpour all day in Animal Kingdom. We didn’t get to see half the park because of the rain. All you saw was ponchos everywhere. We went to Downtown to get some shirts because we all were soaked!
July 1~ Alan’s mom, Amy, and I went shopping in Orlando while the guys stayed back at the park. We all went out to dinner at Captain Bell’s.
July 2~ Sea World.
July 3~ Cape Canaveral Beach/Fisherman’s Wharf. Alan’s nanny sent us to this beach not knowing part of it was a nude beach lol! We had dinner at the fisherman’s wharf where you could watch dolphins jumping and stuff. It was so cool!
July 4~ Magic Kingdom~ I’ll never do this again! It was too dang crowded. However, the firework show for the 4th is awesome!
July 5~ We just hung out at the park and had dinner at Choctaw Willie’s
July 6~ Left Florida around 3pm. Stayed night in Georgia
July 7~ Stopped at Lookout Mountain on the way home in Chattanooga, TN, got home around 7 pm.

Alan and I went down with his parents to visit his grandparents Jan/Feb 2006. We had planned to go to Epcot but didn’t make it because of severe thunderstorms. We did go to some races, Tampa Zoo, and Apollo Beach. And that is when we really started talking about doing this trip. We talked about maybe doing it where we would stay a few nights in the park/resort and then also spend a couple nights with his grandparents before we had to come home.

So about a month or so after we got home Alan’s mom went down to AAA office and she picked up a Disney book for me. Well I got to looking at it and figured we would need about $2000 to do the trip we were talking about. So I sat down and figured out that if we put $100 a month towards this trip we would be able to do it in about 2 years. So we started saving for this current trip in March 2006. So for his birthday this year Alan’s parents got him a membership to AAA. Well about Nov/Dec he got one of their magazine’s in the mail that said our local AAA was having a Disney open house Jan.24th. So about 2 weeks before the open house I started emailing travel agencies to get quotes for a Disney Vacation. I also had AAA give us one. Well AAA was the cheapest quote I had got. At that time we were staying 5 nights/ 4 day park hopper at Pop Century with the dining plan. It was going to cost us $1284 with the AAA savings. So on Jan. 24th we met with our AAA travel agent Sheila and she got our package figured up and put a hold on a room for us for September 22-27. On the Jan. 29th we decided this is what we were going to do and we put the deposit down on the room. This trip is just going to be me and Alan. It will be our first “real vacation” alone since we’ve started dating over 6 years ago.

Me: Brandie~ 24, college student, works part time in accounting. I’m a huge Disney person and animal lover. Been to Disney once.

BF: Alan~ 26, maintenance for plastic factory, loves anything with a motor. Been going to Disney since he was little.

[Bethanymouse]

I cant wait to hear more about what you have planned! I know you are going to have a magcial time!

[faline]

Have a great trip!

[January-2007]

I hope you have a really fun trip!

[ChipnDaleGal]

I am sure this will be a very special trip for the both of you. Have fun dreaming until September!!

[Belle's Mom]

What a special trip! Hope it goes well planning this trip!!

[Mnchknbrat1982]

thanks to everyone who has commented so far hope I am not boring you too much. I'll be posting the next part in a minute.

[Mnchknbrat1982]

So continuing on with the report. We put the $200 down on the room on the 29th of January. Alan's cousin Vannah & her husband are huge disney lovers and they told me about some books that she uses to help with planning of her trip to disney. So I got the following books:

The PassPorter 2007, Hidden Mickey's, Walt Disney World Expert Advice 2007 Birnbaum's, Birnbaum's Disney Dining Guide 2007,and of course the big unofficial guide to Dinsey World

I also had to email my travel agent Alan's AAA membership number so she has it on record.

Okay now for the pricing with AAA:
4 day/ 5 night: $1445.16
Pop Century: $82/night~ $410
4 day park hopper: $490
Dining Plan: $389.90
AAA Savings: $160.40
Total= $1284.76

I had gotten prices from AAA, Haynie Travel (local TA), Dreams Unlimited, Disney website, Mouse For Less, and Magical Journeys.

At first we weren't sure if we were going to do 4 or 5 days and nights. So I priced out both.

AAA:
4 nights/ 4days: $1132.64
4 nights/5 days: $1134.76
5 nights/5 days: $1341.08
4 days/5 nights: $1284.76 (this is the one we went with)

Haynie Travel:
3 nights/4 day: $1208.36
4 nights/ 5 day: $1378.00
5 nights/ 6 days: 1554.00

Travel agent fee: $50

Dreams Unlimited:
4 days/5 nights: $1377.36

Disney.com:
4 nights/5 days:$1206.72
4 nights/ 5 days: $1208.84
4 days/ 5 nights: $1445.16
5 nights/ 5 days: $1341.08

Mouse For Less:
4 days/ 5 nights: $1377.36

Magical Journeys:
4 days/ 5 nights: $1285.76

All prices include hotel at Pop Century, park hopper, and dining plan.

I also had emailed my TA about the photo pass and here is the information she provided me:
The Photo Pass is a free service, all you need to do is find a Disney Photo Pass Photographer, in either of the 4 parks and have them take your photo. There really is no set price for the photos, they range from around $12.95 on up. It is up to the photographer if he wants to take a photo of your with your camera, I would suggest getting another guests to take your photos with your camera. You can purchase the CD's at the resorts or on line. I have heard that the CD's were around $124.95

On Feburary 7th I had my TA put in our room request at Pop Century for a non smoking and king bed. Alan & I both neither one can be around smoke.

I got our planning brochure from AAA Feburary 17. This has helped with the planning.

I am so bummed about Alfredo's closing. I was wanting to eat there in September. But we both love italian food!

Up Next will be all the planning done in March look for that after the weekend.

[Dopey's Girl]

Hi Brandie!

I really hope we can work out a meeting while we are there! September 22 can't come soon enough!

Can't wait to hear more!

[mrsgaribaldi]

Have fun planning

[sleepingbooty]

You're very organized - good for you I'm sure you will have a great trip!

[Mnchknbrat1982]

thanks for everyone's comments I really appreciate them! Well here comes the next segment in just a minute.

[Mnchknbrat1982]

Chapter 3:

So on the first of March the park schedule came out for September when we will be there. Now comes the fun part of figuring out what park to do on what day.

Magic Kingdom:
September 22 -- 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
September 23 -- 9:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
September 24 -- 9:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
September 25,26 -- 9:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
September 27 -- 9:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Epcot:
Future World
September 1-30 -- 9:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.

World Showcase
September 1-30 -- 11:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Disney-MGM Studios
September 4-30 -- 9:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Animal Kingdom:
September 1-30 -- 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Magic Hours:
Magic Kingdom:
Evening 9/23
Morning 9/27

Animal Kingdom:
Morning 9/24
Evening 9/26

Epcot:
Morning 9/25

MGM:
Morning 9/22
Evening 9/24

Magic Kingdom:
Wishes Nighttime Spectacular
September 9-13,15,17,20,22,24,27,29 -- 9:00 p.m.
September 16,18,19,23,25,26,30 -- 8:00 p.m.

Disney Dreams Come True Parade
September 1-30 -- 3:00 p.m.

SpectroMagic
September 10,13,15,17,20,22,24,27,29 -- 8:00 p.m.

Epcot:
IllumiNations!
September 1-30 -- 9:00 p.m.

Disney-MGM Studios:
Fantasmic!
September 16-30 -- 8:00 p.m.

Disney Stars and Motor Cars Parade
September 1-30 -- 3:00 p.m.

Animal Kingdom:
Mickey's Jammin' Jungle Parade
September 1-30 -- 4:00 p.m.

Next up on the agenda is trying to figure out where we want to eat. As we are on the dining plan so we have 5 snacks, 5 counter service, and 5 table service. So onto the planning for this. I am using my Disney dining book and my pass porter to help with the planning here. I am also looking at menu’s on the the internet.

The problem I have run into here is that there are some restaurants I wouldn’t mind trying. However, I have a very picky boyfriend who I know wouldn’t like them. He is very much a meat and potatoes guy. Does not like veggies or any sauces.

I have also heard that Alfredo’s will be closing in August. I am so bummed about this! Alan and I both love pasta and was looking forward to going to here. Guess it is back to the drawing board again.

So on March 6th I contacted my TA and had her put in our room requests at Pop Century for a king bed with a non smoking building. I can’t be around smoke it chokes me up big time and I have bronchial asthma. Alan also can’t be around smoking either because of his allergies

Alan’s cousin recommended we try out the Whispering Canyon Café so I am going to do some research on that restaurant.

March 7: I ordered a camera bag to use for my Disney bag; I got the bag a few days later in the mail but did not like it. It was too big so I returned it.

March 9: I emailed Disney guest services to ask them about the safes in the rooms. I was thinking about taking my laptop with me to upload my pictures each night. However, they said that the safes are too small to fit a laptop in.

March 12: I ordered my new bag for Disney. I got one of the Overland Donner bags. And I love it! I’ve used it a few times on trial runs to see if it will hold everything I need. Plus I love the fact that it goes across the body or on the shoulder. I need a little bit of a bigger bag since I will be bringing my small pocket camera along with my dslr and a couple lenses. I also found it on sale so got it for like $15 off what they were asking for it.

We also paid off the rest of the trip on March 12. Well I say paid off but we really just put it on my Disney visa. However, we do have the money in the Disney fund just have to deposit it in my bank account so that when the statement comes I can pay it off. We owed $1084.76

Thanks to some surfing on the Dis boards and Intercot I’ve figured out that the crowds in late September should be pretty low.

March 21: I called Disney Dining to ask them some questions I had concerning a couple menus. I have to say that the CM I spoke to was very helpful!

March 26: I emailed my TA with all my table service plans with dates and times I was wanting as my 180 day mark according to the dis should have been today. However, when she tried to call them they wouldn’t let her.

March 27: My TA was able to book all my ADR dining plans for our trip today.
9/23: Whispering Canyon Cafe 5:40pm
9/24: Sci Fi Diner 6:30pm
9/25: Le Cellier 7:10pm
9:26: Coral Reef 5:20pm.
9/27: Chef Mickey's 9:30am.

I had her change the one at Sci Fi from 6:30 to 6:00 because we are either going to do Fantasmic or Spectromagic that night.

So from April 6 -23 my TA will be out of the office for surgery. So if I have any changes or questions I have to contact one of her co-workers or wait until she gets back.

March 30: I keep hearing on the boards that free dining will be announced by April 12th. That would be so great if we ended up getting free dining. I’ve been secretly hoping all along we would, however, if not we were still paying for the dining plan.

Our Trip Itinerary:
22: Arrive at Disney/ Check in at Pop Century/Downtown Disney

23: Magic Kingdom
Dreams Parade @ 3
ADR at Whispering Canyon Café @ 5:40
Wishes @ 8 pm
Evening Magic Hours

24: Animal Kingdom/ MGM
Animal Kingdom morning magic hour
MGM Motor Cars Parade @ 3 pm
Animal Kingdom Mickey’s Jammin Jungle Parade @ 4pm
Sci Fi Dinner ADR @ 6:00
Fantasmic/Spectromagic @ 8 pm
MGM evening magic hours

25: Epcot
Morning magic hour
Le Cellier ADR @ 7:10 pm
Illuminations @ 9:00 pm

26: MGM/Epcot
MGM morning magic hour
MGM Motor Cars Parade @ 3 pm
Coral Reef ADR @ 5:20 pm
Fantasmic @ 8 pm
Illuminations @ 9 pm

27: Check out day
Check out by 9:00 am
Chef Mickey’s ADR @ 9:30 am
Go resort hopping
Downtown Disney
Pick up luggage & leave for home

[k_reile]

My DH and I will be there 09-22 through 09-29 for Free Dining...only way I could convince him to go...we are staying at CBR. This will be DH first trip since he was 5 (and all he remembers on that trip is being stung by a bee). I waited to long to get my adr's and coral reef was one i wanted to go to for dinner while we are there but they are completely booked up for dinner...we ended up getting a lunch adr but i am going to keep on calling back to see if we can get in for dinner.

[SBETigg]

It's so hard to wait! We'll be going in August, missing free dining but no problem. Planning is fun. Great reports! I hope you have a magical time!

[DizneyFreak2002]

Have a great trip....

[Mnchknbrat1982]

Chapter 4

April 9: Well since I am a Disney visa card holder I was able to get in on the free dining promotion before the public was able to. I emailed one of the other Disney TA specialist in my TA’s office to get this promotion since Sheila is out of the office right now for surgery. With being able to get the free dining promotion I am getting $229.50 credited back to my card. So my trip is now costing me $1055.26

April 10th Alan and I decided that since we were saving the $229.50 we would upgrade to one of the moderate hotels. So I am having AAA run the prices for those. The price is $1339.76 for a moderate with a double bed. The price for a moderate with a king bed is $1424.16

April 16: Alan & I decided to switch to the Port Orleans French Quarter. Right now we only have a double bed. However, I am secretly hoping to get a free upgrade when we check in. If not its not a big deal but having the king bed would be nice. We do sleep on a full at home so it wouldn’t be an issue if we didn’t. I am so excited about staying here! The new price is $1339.76, only $55.00 more. We still owe $284.50 since we got the $229.50 credit back for the free dining plan.

I am spoiled as I like Sheila better than this TA that we dealt with while she was out of the office. She would not put any of my requests in. She seemed like she thought I wasn’t important enough for her to bother with since I wasn’t her client.

April 17: I’ve added a couple ADR’s to our dining plans.
9/22:
Concourse Steakhouse at 7:00 pm

9/23:
Boatwright's breakfast at 7:30 am

Crystal Palace at 5:50 pm

Can’t decide between Crystal Palace and Whispering Canyon Café for dinner on 9/23.

April 23: Well Alan & I have decided after having people give opinions on both Crystal Palace and Whispering Canyon Café. We also asked his cousin which they preferred. So we’re canceling Crystal Palace.

April 30: We paid off the remaining balance today!!!

Our updated Itinerary:
22: Arrive at Disney/ Check in at Port Orleans French Quarter/Downtown Disney
Concourse Steakhouse at 7:00 pm

23: Magic Kingdom
Boatwright's breakfast at 7:30 am
Counter Service @ Cosmic Ray’s or Pecos Bill’s
Dreams Parade @ 3
ADR at Whispering Canyon Café @ 5:40
Wishes @ 8 pm
Evening Magic Hours

24: Animal Kingdom/ MGM
Animal Kingdom morning magic hour
Counter Service @ Tusker House or Pizzafari
MGM Motor Cars Parade @ 3 pm
Animal Kingdom Mickey’s Jammin Jungle Parade @ 4pm
Sci Fi Dinner ADR @ 6:00
Fantasmic/Spectromagic @ 8 pm
MGM evening magic hours

25: Epcot
Morning magic hour
Counter Service @ Cantina de San Angel or Yorkshire Country Fish Shop
Le Cellier ADR @ 7:10 pm
Illuminations @ 9:00 pm

26: MGM/Epcot
MGM morning magic hour
Counter Service @ Backlot Express or Toy Story Pizza Planet
MGM Motor Cars Parade @ 3 pm
Coral Reef ADR @ 5:20 pm
Fantasmic @ 8 pm
Illuminations @ 9 pm

27: Check out day
Check out by 9:00 am
Chef Mickey’s ADR @ 9:30 am
Go resort hopping
Downtown Disney
Counter Service at one of the resorts we visit
Pick up luggage & leave for home

Please give me your thoughts on all of our dining plans. If you’ve ate at somewhere please feel free to tell me what you thought about it. Or if you would change something let me know. Also tell me what appetizer, entrée, and desert you got at the table services.

[Mnchknbrat1982]

I've been so busy lately haven't had time to update so hopefully the new segment will be up by the end of the weekend.

[pogo]

You sure do a lot of planning.

You are going to love staying at POFQ.

Now the hard part......... waiting !

Thanks for sharing your pre-trip report with us. I hope you have a wonderfull time.

[Lucille]

I really enjoyed reading your pre-trip report. I can't wait for more!!