Backwoods Boy and Fairytale Princess Chronicle Their First DW Experience Update ADRs!

[JessicaKnits]

Hello All! Welcome everyone to my very first pre-trip report! (To be fair, this is a do-over from my first attempt...which was, well....awful.


My DBF and I are headed to Disneyworld this August for some free dining, to celebrate our two year anniversary, and well, because, I really WANTED to. I am a travel vet, and actually worked at a travel agency for 4 years until the economy took a turn for the worse, which is how I ended up in insurance. More on that a bit later. I am no stranger to Disney, as I have been to Disneyland in California a total of 6 times. This will be my first trip to Disneyworld though, and I'm really looking forward to all of the new experiences.

Despite having been to Disneyland so many times, I was truly surprised at how many major differences there are in planning a DL trip, and planning a WDW adventure, and was really taken back. I found it extremely overwhelming at first (A whole section on that later!) and really was worried about whether or not I could manage. You will have to read on to find out how I overcame those anxieties.

Now that you know why we're here, I may as well introduce you to us:

My name is Jessica. I am a 23 year old insurance broker, who originally hailed from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where I lived until my parents decided to re-locate somewhere North of Freezing, AKA Wisconsin. While insurance sales is my day job, I also make a fairly decent living with my second passion, knitting. But thats another story for another day. This trip comes at a very busy time for me, as I am in the process of starting my own LLC selling my wares. Again, another story another day. The purpose of this report is not to shamelessly plug myself or my business.

Next is Adam, AKA my partner in crime. If I am the All-American City Girl, well, then Adam is the exact opposite of that. He is the Yin to my Yang so to speak. He loves absolutely anything that is outside in the great outdoors. He is an avid hunter, which is why an entire room in our home is decorated in the "Wisconsin Safari" theme, Ie, bear skin rug, turkey mount, deer mount, fish mount...you get the picture. I definitely do not love him for his lust of dead animals proudly displayed on our walls, but I do love him in spite of it. He works as a foreman for a local construction company. He is a third generation carpenter and without a doubt loves what he does day in and day out. We've been so lucky, with so many people in his field out of work right now, his company has been able to keep everyone steadily working.

Adam loves to have fun and is a true child at heart, which is why I am certain he will absolutely fall in love with Disney as soon as he walks through the gates. He has yet to be convinced. MUCH more on that as we continue on.

I must admit, I never "caught" the Disney bug until I was 18 and happened to end up an a school-sponsored, expenses paid trip to Anaheim after I graduated high school. We went to Disneyland for one half of a very ill-planned day, but I was hooked. Since then I have made 5 additional trips to the "Land" and can't wait to see how much more DisneyWORLD has to offer!

This trip Report was really meant for us to just chronicle for the journey we are about to take. I hope that you read along with us and maybe enjoy yourselves as much as we have with the planning process.

Up Next: "If By Mexico You Mean Florida, Then Yes, We Are All Set"

 

[JessicaKnits]

So here it will be. How I convinced my well-meaning, hunting-loving, backwoods boyfriend to go to Disneyworld. Here you will get to know us a little better than I wrote up in my introduction, and get a better feeling for us as a couple.

I spent most of my youth traveling. By 21 I had been to 3 countries, and 49 of the 50 U.S. States (Only Alaska remains, and it probably shall for awhile). Adam spent most of his youth in the backwoods of Wisconsin. His idea of a rocking good vacation is a nice ranch hunt, like the one he went on in Texas last November. Thankfully, this furry friend did not come home with him.

At Christmas time 2009 we decided we would be taking an extended vacation together this year. No hunting trips for Adam no all-girls shopping weekends in Chicago or Minneapolis for me. We were aiming for the end of September, around my birthday. I had my heart set on something tropical and exotic. Having been to Mexico's Riviera Maya area 3 times, I knew it was a place that we would both be able to have fun, kick back and relax, and enjoy some adult beverages all the live long day. Nothing to complain about there right?

About the same time I got Adam off the "Colorado is such a beautiful place, you will really LOVE it when you get there!" train, and on-board the "Viva La Mexico" train...a few things happened that threw everything for a loop. The first was that very good friends of ours announced they were going to be married September 18th of 2010. Right on the weekend we had planned on departing. NOT to worry! We can move the trip back a week, right? Well...not so much. As I was later informed by DBF, we were now seriosly cutting into Bow-hunting season. This brought out Adam's stubborn side as he has gone bow-hunting nearly every weekend in season for his whole adult life...Mexico was not going to interfere with those plans.

We can after all, just go earlier he said. Well, if any of you have been to Mexico in August/Early September as I have, you know why I threw in the towel for Mexico. Going end of September was pushing it temperature wise...but going in August also increases humidity, and brings a higher threat that a hurricane would interrupt our vacation. It is something for another time, another year. I said I would prefer it as a honeymoon destination anyway...and that book was closed.

Back to the drawing board I went. It was at about this time a friend of mine from college sent me a picture of us in Disneyland on a girls weekend. Having been to Disneyland "enough" times for now, I immediately knew I wanted to conquer the World! I began researching rates and resorts and got a little bit frazzled with all the excitement. I knew that this was not even on Adam's radar as far as vacation went...so it was now my job to convince him. My Great Grandmother who was married for 63 years to my Great Grand Dad gave me some (I think) very wise advice on marriage once. She said that no matter the situation, everything can, and should be negotiated.

That is why I am now going on my first ever camping trip 4th of July weekend, in exchange for 11 fabulous days at Disneyworld. Previously, my idea of "camping" involved indoor plumbing, and a proper shower. I have been educated recently that this is not actually camping, but rather, a "vacation". So, we shall see in a few weeks how my end of our bargain plays out.

Up Next: Um...I think we are in a bit over our heads

 

[JessicaKnits]

Having never met a well-laid plan that I did not like, my first order of business after getting Adam to bite on the Disney apple, was to start some research. I also wanted to show Adam that Disney is not just for little kids, for big ones too!

So, on one particulary snowy Saturday afternoon (we only got about 4 inches) we gingerly drove the family sleigh down to our local B&N. Ok, well, Adam drove. As a NC native, I pull out the "If anyone is genetically pre-disposed to being a BAD winter driver, its ME!" card whenever possible. I do think that most of my friends are inclined to agree with me on that though. Practice will eventually make perfect...we hope.

We got to B&N and after a quick, and much needed coffee detour, we located the travel section. Seeing three shelves packed with Disney World guides was my first clue that planning a trip here was not going to be anything like planning one to Disneyland. In the end, I decided on two books. We got Birnbaum's DisneyWorld Without Kids, and the Passporter.

We both spent the afternoon reading through and taking notes. Adam was yet to be convinced that this was really the trip for him, and did not really have any input as to what he wanted. His repsonse was "Whatever you want, just not a penny over budget".

Our agreed upon budget was $3500, including airfare and any extras. I really thought this was a bit on the stingy side at first. Then Adam brought me back down to earth and reminded me that in the next two years we will have a wedding to plan and that we plan on selling our existing home for a place outside the city. Well...in comparison, $3500 seemed like plenty.

We had a lot of decisions to make and ended up listing them together (although our decisions were really no different than anyone elses):

1. On Site or Off
2. Value, Moderate, or Deluxe, oh my!
3. To Drive, or Fly?
4. How long
5. Dining Plan or not?
6. ADRs
7. What kind of tickets
8. Some concrete dates

That was an awful lot to get accomplished, and seeing as Adam wasn't really interested in planning, that meant that I was going to be a busy busy lady!

Coming Up: Scratching Number 1 and 2 off the list.

 

[JessicaKnits]

On previous trips to Disneyland, I never seriously considered staying onsite. For one, the price is outrageous, and secondly, the perks that are available to resort guests at WDW are virtually non-existant on the other coast. There is no dining plan. The extra magic hour, is not available every day, is only in the morning, and can only be used once per ticket. So, needless to say, I have always stayed off site in the past.

When I factored in the savings the dining plan would offer, the perk of extra magic hours, transportation from the airport, and on site transportation, it was a very easy decision for us to stay on site. That really surprised me!

Once we decided to stay onsite, we then had the monumental task of deciding WHERE! My first inclination was to go with a moderate. In fact when we first booked our reservation, we were booked at the Port Orleans Riverside. We are by no means hotel snobs. On Oahu, I stayed at the Moana Surfrider, because lets face it, in Hawaii, you are paying for location, location, service, service service, and that premium beach space. In contrast, at WDW, I realized we were only going to be using our room to sleep and shower. In the end, I couldn't justify the additional expense to myself being that we were never going to be there, and didn't plan on taking advantage of the additional amenities.

We finally landed on the Pop Century. I thought that all of the values really were a toss-up, but Pop won out because it has its own bus line and is currently being renovated.

Four months later, I am still really happy with the choice to stay at the Pop. We really just need something clean, and we know that the Pop will deliver that. I have faith that we won't be disappointed!

 

[josmo]

You have me hooked!! love your writing style. I stayed at Pop last Sept. and loved it soo much am returning this Sept.

 

[JessicaKnits]

You have me hooked!! love your writing style. I stayed at Pop last Sept. and loved it soo much am returning this Sept.

Welcome! Really looking forward to our stay at the Pop, especially now that they are renovating! Hopefully we cant get that re-furbed room!

 

[JessicaKnits]

We never actually considered driving to Disney. Adam thought we did, but that was never really on the table.

As mentioned, I used to work in the travel biz...as a result, I can be pretty difficult when it comes to making my own travel plans. I'm not picky, I just know exactly what I want. I have trouble relinquishing control, and trust to other people when it comes to my vacations. I always do everything myself. I have yet to meet an agent that is a clone of me, and thus, have yet to meet an agent I will allow to work with me for travel planning needs.

Being from Wisconsin, our airline options in our immediate area are pretty limited. We simply don't have many flights coming into or out of the area. Oh, and there are no non-stops. You can pick your poison and connect through Chicago (United/AA), Minneapolis, Detroit, or one option for Atlanta (Delta) Or Ohio if going on Continental, which just started serving the Green Bay airport last month. All this connecting means its EXTREMELY hard to get to Orlando before dinner time, and you essentially waste your first day criss-crossing the country with your connections.

Milwaukee is about two hours from us, and offers many many more options, including some non-stops with Airtran. I personally have many issues with Airtran, and probably could never be persuaded to fly them ever again. They work fine for many people, but are not my cup of tea.

Milwaukee has additional benefits because Adam's sister lives there, in close proximity to the airport.

My initial flight search was depressing. We had really 2 options. Option A crappy flight times + high baggage fees. Option B Crappy Airtran + high baggage fees.

Then I came across a little gem of information, that I somehow had missed. Southwest now flies out Milwaukee. I am a huge advocate of Southwest because they offer low fares + no baggage fees. How can one go wrong?

Of course when we were initially planning our trip, the flight schedule was not open for Southwest (my one annoyance with them). We had a choice, we could secure a decent nonstop rate with Airtran and pay for bag fees (I alway have to pay, there is no way for me to get by with carryon), or we could gamble and hope Southwest had decent rates when they were released. We decided to Gamble.

Our gamble more than paid off! On the day flights were released I was able to secure the first non-stop out, and the last non-stop back for a staggering $177.80 per person, including all taxes and fees! Success!

 

[JessicaKnits]

We finalized our dates and resort plans only about 200 days before D-Day. This left very little time for research and ADRs. We decided to go with the Deluxe Dining Plan, because, well...we LOVE to eat. I'm a big breakfast person, so having those two extra table service credits really helps! What an exciting morning it was in our house on ADR D-Day! I won't lie, I had quite a rush as I gleefully booked ADR after ADR without any difficulty. Online ADR's opened at 5 AM our time, and poor Adam, desperate for more sleep could hardly manage with all of the squeals of delight. When the dust had cleared, there was only one ADR that I could not secure at the time wanted, which was Tusker House breakfast. Despite trying to book that 180 + 9 days for that one, the 8:05 was not available, but there was an 8:25. After compulsively checking the website about 30ish times a day I finally came across that sought after time about a week ago. And relax, it was definitely not 30 times a day, nor was it every day. But persistence did pay off in this case!

I will be completing a dining report when we go. For how we decided on all of the specifics with our ADR's you can take a look at my Pe-Dining Report HERE.

After much inner-termoil and debate, I have settled on the following ADRs:

Saturday, August 21st
(Downtown Disney/Boardwalk Day)
Yachtsman Steakhouse, 7:00 PM


Sunday, August 22nd
(Magic Kingdom Day)
The Crystal Palace 8:05 AM
The Plaza 12:20 PM
Wolfgang Puck 5:00 PM


Monday, August 23rd
(Magic Kingdom Day)
Kona Cafe 7:30 AM
Tony's Town Square 12:25 PM
California Grill 8:55 PM


Tuesday, August 24th
(Hollywood Studios Day)
Kouzzina 7:30 AM
50's Prime Time Cafe 11:15 AM
Mama Melrose (Fantasmic Package) 4:35 PM

Wednesday, August 25th
(Epcot Day)
The Wave 7:30 AM
Coral Reef 12:40 PM
Chefs de France 7:00 PM

Thursday, August 26th
(Animal Kingdom Day)
Tusker House 8:05 AM
Yak & Yeti 1:00 PM
Jiko 8:00 PM

Friday, August 27th
(Epcot Day)
Grand Floridian Cafe 7:00 AM
Tutto Italia 1:00 PM
Le Cellier 7:05 PM

Saturday, August 28th
(Hollywood Studios Day)
Starring Rolls Cafe
Sci-Fi Drive-In 12:10 PM
Artist Point 8:10 PM

Sunday, August 29th
(Animal Kingdom Day)
Boma 7:30 AM
Yak & Yeti Counter Service
Citrico's 7:30 PM

Monday, August 30th
(Epcot Day)
Akershus 8:00 AM
Biergarten 1:00 PM
San Angel Inn 7:15 PM

Tuesday, August 31st
(Undecided Day)
The Crystal Palace 8:00 AM