It has been almost 2 full years since my last visit and I am starting to get a little 'antsy' about planning a trip before the end of this year. There has been a lot going on (that I won't get into on a site like this) that has kept me from visiting and I'm pretty much fed up with myself for not being able to make it down in so long.
I already have a title for my trip reports (Yeah, I know that shouldn't be the first thing on my mind, but I'm just kind of weird that way!) It will be "I'm back...I'm back in the saddle again"
Right now, I am thinking about the early December timeframe - Dec. 2 through Dec. 9 or 10. Depending upon the 'offers' available and my finances, I would like to stay at Pop Century. (I'd actually like to stay at a Moderate on the SkyLiner, but their prices are too rich for my blood and Deluxe resorts are only a pipe dream for me.) For tickets my thought is to compare an 8 day ticket to an Annual Pass. I know the AP is getting pricier all the time and since the MemoryMaker/PhotoPass Downloads portion is an add-on now, I have to decide if I will be making more than one trip in a 365 day period. The current price of $1,755 for an AP w/MemoryMaker may be a bit salty if I am not going to make 2-3 trips, but an 8-day Park Hopper ticket with MemoryMaker is $1,129 by itself. (Cutting it to 7 days would only save me $28! Go figure.)
Anyway, there are a lot of things I need to think about before making any solid plans. If I am going with an AP, I would like to pre-purchase it before prices can go up again. That would also give me another option for discounts/offers, if and when available.
I am just looking for a little feedback/inspiration from all my friends on here to help me along the way.
"The game never ends
When your whole world depends
On the Turn of a Friendly Card"
Glad to hear you'll be heading back to Disney World. Will you be going into the parks each day of your trip? You might spend a couple / few days not visiting the parks - heading to the pool if the weather is nice or spending the day visiting each of the resorts to see the holiday decorations. If so, you can take another look at the number of park days you will really need. Also, will you be attending Mickey's Merry Christmas party? If you get a ticket for that, you can enter the Magic Kingdom around 4 pm so that might take care of your park going for that day.
Linda aka: Faline
INTERCOT Staff: Vacation Planning,Trip Reports and Disney Camping
[email protected]
@faline Thanks for the reply. I typically do a park (or parks) every day of a visit. Even if I didn't the price wouldn't go down all that much and I really not all that concerned with park ticket prices after about 5 days. The reason I listed those prices was to compare them against the price of the AP.
I did MVMCP back before the price was over $100/person. Now it is (probably) going to be over $200/person - well more than a normal '1-day' ticket - and I just can't justify it. Sure, there are a few things you can see/do at one of the parties, but it's another thing that I just can't justify spending on. [Same thing with MNSSHP if I was going in September/October.]
I will undoubtedly do a 'resort crawl' to see the decorations. One for Monorail resorts, one for the SkyLiner resorts, and one for the EPCOT resorts. I would probably do those on midday breaks.
The bigger issue is resort pricing. Even the Value resorts have gotten overly pricey for what you get - including so-called 'perks.' Staying off-site is an option but that puts me at the whim of their transportation schedules and makes it more difficult to go back to the room if I want a midday break or need something I might have left in the room.
Next is the question of flying or driving. Flying is the quickest, but if I drive I can have a bit more freedom of movement. Driving would take 2 days each way as I am getting too old and crotchety to do the old 'white knuckle cruise' anymore. 16 +/- hours on the road in a single day is a bit much.
[If I keep this up I will talk myself out of even going! LOL]
Sorry, I guess I am being a bit over-analytical about this whole thing.
"The game never ends
When your whole world depends
On the Turn of a Friendly Card"
I feel much the same way! We have a mid-late November trip booked, so I can finally be at Disney for my birthday and we are shocked at the prices. We're having many of the same thoughts as you, where do we REALLY need/want to stay and what is a must-do, vs what can we fiddle with. We've been one-TS-a day people, but that REALLY adds up quickly.
I've never been organized enough about my trips to shell out for an AP, although if I plan it right, it would save money.
So, no good advice, just that we're in similar boat. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Disney comes out with some sort of deal to make it all a little easier.
Heather aka ibelieveindisneymagic
INTERCOT Staff
Engaged at the castle!
My Disney Home is POFQ