2024 Trips

[Chol]

Hi All

Who has 2024 trips planned??

Mine are:
Aulani for a week in May with wife
WDW for 2 weeks in Nov with wife and 15 y/o daughter (her 3rd trip now)

Still waiting for 7 month mark to switch our DVC reservations! We own at BLT and AKV byt we loved SSR Preferred so much last year we are extending our stay there this year.

I wanted to go in Dec again to avoid Thanksgiving crowds but could resist the flight deal we got for the excellent new AA route from BNE-DFW-MCO. Almost half the price of Dec so I said let's go! Still have active UOAPs due to the additional 3 months deal they had last year. Staying Hard Rock on Universal side.

 

[zanzibar138]

We're going January 2025... that almost counts right?

4 weeks all up from mid-Jan to mid-Feb. 3 nights in KL, 3 night road trip from LA ending with 4 nights in Vegas, 14 nights at WDW, 3 nights in Singapore.

I've booked BLT through DVC rental for a week of our trip, and have yet to book the few nights either side - thinking probably Pop to start and AKL to finish.

It'll be the first trip to WDW for both of us, and not sure when/if we'll get back, so we're just going to concentrate most of our energies on that and skip UO.

Lots more detail in my PTR!

Still waiting for 7 month mark to switch our DVC reservations! We own at BLT and AKV byt we loved SSR Preferred so much last year we are extending our stay there this year.

I was considering spending the whole 2 weeks at SSR when we were planning to have the wedding at Disney too - it seemed like such a nice relaxed vibe and love the boat and easy access to Disney Springs. Now our plans have changed it makes more sense for us to prioritise convenience over atmosphere. It gets a lot of hate though, is that mostly because of the location being slightly less convenient to the parks? What do you love about it?

 

[Chol]

Yes, Jan 2025 definitely counts

Sounds like a great 1st trip! We did SSR for the first time last year to try it out, as we used to stay at the Hilton across the road some years and liked being able to walk to the Springs.

I think it gets hate due to not being near a park, the overall lack of theming outside and only bus transport to the parks.

We liked it because we had a car anyway so buses were no issue. The referbed rooms looked great. We also cater a decent amount of our own food to save on cost, so we would eat in room then stroll over to the Springs to get dessert. Bubble waffles are good! Also a boat ride to Port Orleans for beignets can't be missed. Our view was also great being in the preferred section and got the room number we asked for facing across the lake. Looked amazing waking up to this each day.

 

[zanzibar138]

Very nice

 

[masterpabu]

Currently planning a trip to Tokyo Disneyland in November, first timer to Japan so there'll also be a couple of days in Kyoto and Osaka, will have to visit Universal Studios before going to Disney, which to me is very off brand itinerary wise, though the 4 nights at Disney is what I'm focused on most
It's been a hot minute/6 years since I've been at a Disney park during Christmas season so I'm really looking forward to that!

DH tempted me with a proposition of going to WDW for a last minute trip this month, his mistake was not realising I would be able to find flights & hotels within a reasonable price sadly I wouldn't be able to go ahead with it without quitting my job; I'd be lying if I said I wasn't seriously considering it

 

[AussieNSW]

We are going to WDW in approx 2 weeks. It will be a different experience this time as we are staying offsite. Always stay onsite in WDW but offsite at Disneyland. I will be taking my young grandson with me to the parks, so a special nan time. I am curious to compare the different experiences we have offsite and onsite. I will be getting genie + but not to concerned about not having early access to ILL as most are not appropriate for him. We took him on slinky about 15 months ago and he hated it, the same with rise. I have mentioned going on them again and shown him videos and he said a straight out no.

 

[zanzibar138]

We are going to WDW in approx 2 weeks. It will be a different experience this time as we are staying offsite. Always stay onsite in WDW but offsite at Disneyland. I will be taking my young grandson with me to the parks, so a special nan time. I am curious to compare the different experiences we have offsite and onsite. I will be getting genie + but not to concerned about not having early access to ILL as most are not appropriate for him. We took him on slinky about 15 months ago and he hated it, the same with rise. I have mentioned going on them again and shown him videos and he said a straight out no.

Where are you staying offsite? We definitely considered it as an option but didn't even know where to start looking lol!

 

[AussieNSW]

We are staying at an embassy suites hotel but the reason is my husband is attending a conference there. Grandson and I are kinda tagging along. I had researched other places to stay before the conference but opted on staying at the conference hotel so that we didn’t have to move. If we’re going to stay somewhere before hand it would have been drury inn Disney springs. I had even made a booking and canceled it. They have early entry like Disney resorts, shuttle to the parks, free breakfast and free night time snacks.

 

[Montanabel]

We are going are going late November to mid-December 2024, LA and then to Anaheim for 2+ weeks.

Hubby is keen to see the new Super Nintendo World at Universal. We missed the opening by about a month when we were last there in January 2023.

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[Chol]

We are going are going late November to mid-December 2024, LA and then to Anaheim for 2+ weeks.

Hubby is keen to see the new Super Nintendo World at Universal. We missed the opening by about a month when we were last there in January 2023.

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Sounds like a great trip. We tried HHN and Oogie Boogie Bash last year in LA/Anaheim and had a great time. We weren't successful in waitlisting Grand Californian, so ended up staying at the new JW Marriott which I thought was pretty good, rooms were very comfortable.

 

[Montanabel]

Sounds like a great trip. We tried HHN and Oogie Boogie Bash last year in LA/Anaheim and had a great time. We weren't successful in waitlisting Grand Californian, so ended up staying at the new JW Marriott which I thought was pretty good, rooms were very comfortable.

Thanks for the tip re JW Marriott. I still have to book some of accommodation so will check that out.

 

[Chol]

Thanks for the tip re JW Marriott. I still have to book some of accommodation so will check that out.

No worries. They do have an additional food resort fee that can only be used for food from the bar and breakfast grab n go, but we used it for breakfast wraps and a pizza at night. Nice thing is Cheesecake Factory is right downstairs too. If you do stay there ask about the food credit rules on check in because they very specific (e.g the credit is not cumulative, it must be used daily) and carefully check your bill on check out because I asked for a print out and found the breakfast grab n go was getting charged instead of coming off the credit (the bill doesn't make this obvious but you can calculate it) but they fixed it up right away.

 

[Montanabel]

No worries. They do have an additional food resort fee that can only be used for food from the bar and breakfast grab n go, but we used it for breakfast wraps and a pizza at night. Nice thing is Cheesecake Factory is right downstairs too. If you do stay there ask about the food credit rules on check in because they very specific (e.g the credit is not cumulative, it must be used daily) and carefully check your bill on check out because I asked for a print out and found the breakfast grab n go was getting charged instead of coming off the credit (the bill doesn't make this obvious but you can calculate it) but they fixed it up right away.

Love the Cheesecake Factory!!!

 

[zanzibar138]

Hubby is keen to see the new Super Nintendo World at Universal. We missed the opening by about a month when we were last there in January 2023.

We tried so hard to fit this into our trip, but just couldn't manage it. We were supposed to go to Japan last year so we missed out on seeing Nintendo Land there, and we'll miss the new one in Orlando by a few months too... We will eventually get there!

 

[ColinA]

Do non Disney trips count. Mid May we leave for nearly 4 weeks in London and Scotland. August we are going to the Knoxville Nationals in Iowa, October we have a week at Aulani and the 8th December we leave for a 5 week stay at The Boardwalk in WDW.

 

[zanzibar138]

Do non Disney trips count. Mid May we leave for nearly 4 weeks in London and Scotland. August we are going to the Knoxville Nationals in Iowa, October we have a week at Aulani and the 8th December we leave for a 5 week stay at The Boardwalk in WDW.

5 weeks? Wow! The US contingent were up in arms at the idea of me staying 2 weeks at one resort lol!

Sounds like you have an amazing year coming up!

 

[Chol]

Do non Disney trips count. Mid May we leave for nearly 4 weeks in London and Scotland. August we are going to the Knoxville Nationals in Iowa, October we have a week at Aulani and the 8th December we leave for a 5 week stay at The Boardwalk in WDW.

Sure do. Sounds like you have some great travel planned. Bummed we just missed you last year, and will be gone before you arrive this year. How did you enjoy your trip and keen to hear your thoughts on the new BWV rooms (if you got a renovated one)?

 

[Montanabel]

We tried so hard to fit this into our trip, but just couldn't manage it. We were supposed to go to Japan last year so we missed out on seeing Nintendo Land there, and we'll miss the new one in Orlando by a few months too... We will eventually get there!

Sounds like a great excuse to plan another trip!

 

[ColinA]

5 weeks? Wow! The US contingent were up in arms at the idea of me staying 2 weeks at one resort lol!

Sounds like you have an amazing year coming up!

We normally do 5 weeks every year but with all the covid crap we missed 3 years Christmas at WDW. The problem with DVC is the longest booking is 30 days so you need to start another reservation and then they are linked together.

Life is always exciting!

 

[ColinA]

Sure do. Sounds like you have some great travel planned. Bummed we just missed you last year, and will be gone before you arrive this year. How did you enjoy your trip and keen to hear your thoughts on the new BWV rooms (if you got a renovated one)?

Yes, we missed meeting up. There will be lots of opportunities.

Disney is not the same as it used to be but we made the most of it. We had the 10 day ticket and just went for 4 or 5 hrs when we went to a theme park. We miss our annual passes and to buy them now is crazy price. We had fun riding the boats and lots of rides on the skyliner and too many people to catch up with.

One of the managers gave us a tour of a studio and 1 bedroom refurbed rooms and quite honestly I prefer the old rooms. In all the rooms the fans are gone as my wife had these attachments with pegs and could hang socks and things and spin it on the fan to dry. The 1 bedrooms have the opening shutters between the bedroom and the bathroom closed in which a lot of people are not happy about.