TinkerBelle_325
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 21, 2001
Welcome! - listening to Live365 - Mouseworld Radio *check*
- while formulating the perfect itinerary/ADR/planning spreadsheet *check*
- and re-doing the planning binder that JUST held all her October 2008 information *check*
Oh Hi!
For those that don't remember me...I'm Tink....23 years old....OCD Planner....Walking talking Walt Disney World Encyclopaedia.
And THIS....is my WAY too early Planning Journal/ Pre-Trip Report.
At my last count I have....264 days until I go back "Home" but what better way to endure the wait then to PLAN PLAN PLAN
HOW THIS TRIP CAME TO BE....
When my family returned from our Oct 2008 WDW vacation we were....Disney'd out....*gasp* I know! Its blasphemous! But we had spent 30 days at WDW in less than 3 months! It was like sensory overload and we were sure that we wouldn't return to WDW until 2010.
Now...this was more my parents desire than mine but they put up with my Disney craziness so it was only fair that I induldge their desire to look at other vacation spots. Since 2005 we have had...8 trips to WDW....1 trip to Paris, France, 1 trip to California (Plam Springs & LA) and 1 trip to Las Vegas.
We are DYING to return to Paris but we know that wont be until 2010 or so. We liked California but weren't in a rush to return. So we started looking at Las Vegas. Its similar to Disney in the fact that there are a million things to keep you occupied which is great for us, we don't like the "lay by the beach and drink" type of vacations - they just don't suit us.
Of course...once we decided to look at Las Vegas, WDW came out with the 4 for 3 deal. I refrained from showing my parents....because I didn't want to be the one calling the shots on this vacation. (Which is especially hard as I'm ALWAYS the vacation planner!)
I started looking at the Annual Passholder rates out for Jan - Mar and noticed they were close to 40% off! Wow..but I'm not an annual passholder anymore and I'm not in the position to buy one again just yet. So I refrained from mentioning that as well.
My Dad researched Vegas and realized 4 things...
1. The hotels are VERY cheap....BUT
2. The food is astronomically expensive (outside buffets which we aren't big fans of)
3. The flights are longer and more expensive
4. You inevitably piss money away by gambling!
Now don't get me wrong. I enjoyed Vegas very much! Its just that vacations for us hinge on 2 things....a good deal and fantastic food!
Every year, Disney sends out 40% off postcards in Nov / Dec / Jan, with the majority of people getting them in late Dec & early Jan. We have been fortunate enough to receive these postcards in 2006 & 2007, but nothing in 2008. I thought it was worth a shot to call and have a CRO Cast Member check our household for PINS. Well the first CM was fairly flippant ad told me it wasn't possible. I kindly explained to him that I've asked Cast Members to do it in the past and they've had no issues. He was disgruntled, checked and found nothing.
If you know nothing else about Disney Central Reservations Office it is - If at first you dont succeed TRY AND TRY AGAIN!
So the next day I called back and spoke to a lovely and enthusiastic CM that was ale to find a PIN under by DBF's name. We haven't travelled with her in a few years but as she is listed as part of our household we are entitled to use that discount....SCORE! I was quoted a rate of $213/night for Polynesian Garden View Sept 25th - 30th and $110/night for Coronado Springs Waterview Sept 30th - Oct 4th!
And THAT....convinced my parents that MAYBE Disney wasn't such a bad idea after all.
But WAIT! There is a twist! My parents love the Bonita Springs area of Florida, 3 hours south of Orlando. So....they will be staying with me at the Polynesian the first night....driving to Bonita Springs for 3 nights (leaving me SOLO for the first time...YAY!) and returning for the last night at the Polynesian before transferring to Coronado for 4 nights together
We are playing around with the dates a bit because we are using Aeroplan miles, so we are looking at shifting everything back 1 day, putting the plan as follows:
TRIP INFO
DATES: Thursday September 24th - Saturday October 3rd 2009
RESORTS
Disney's Polynesian Resort
Thursday September 24th - Tuesday September 29th 2009
5 nights
Lagoon View
$276/night
TOTAL (w/ 40% off)
$1552.50
TOTAL (Rack Rate)
$2587.50
SAVINGS
$1035
Disney's Coronado Springs
Tuesday September 29th - Saturday October 3rd
4 nights
Waterview
$119 (value 3 nights) / $132 (regular 1 night)
TOTAL (40% off)
$551.52
TOTAL (Rack Rate)
$855
SAVINGS
$303.48
FLIGHT
Thursday Sept 24th
Departs Toronto 6am
Stop over at Washington Dulles
Arrives Orlando 11am
Saturday Oct 3rd
Departs Orlando 11:30am
Stop over at Washington Dulles
Arrives Toronto 5:20pm
And, cruising the net, reading DIS boards, pulling out old material from our previous stay in June 2005 when we did a land/sea pkg. There is so much to think about and decide on that I catch myself looking up info for a cruise in 2010! Now , THAT would be a long TR! 
You and I sound like we have a lot in common!! I am a total OCD planner! And it's never too early to start planning! I've already started my PTR, and I am not going until December! *sigh* So...far...away! I'm in for this PTR!!
