JustCallMeMommy
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 23, 2010
It started out as a simple Thanksgiving trip: drive from Mississippi to Florida, stay at my husbands sisters house for a night on the way down, stay 5 nights at a WDW resort, and head home. This is us Jennifer (me), William (DH), and Alison (8):
Ive lost 40 pounds since that picture, so imagine my face less puffy, if you dont mind.
This will be Alisons first Disney excursion. William went with his family when he was 5 and then again while we were engaged in 1996. He stayed at the Contemporary as a child and was enchanted by the monorail. He stayed off-site during his 90s trip and hated being off-site; he swore he would never stay off-site again and that he would never go during the hot Florida summer again. I went to Disney for the first time when I was 7 or 9. I would absolutely swear I was 7, but I remember going to Epcot, and it wasnt opened until I was 9. I returned several times on various trips with friends during high school, but I havent been back since 1991.
Back to the Thanksgiving trip William and Alison were mesmerized with the idea of a Disney decorated for Christmas. Even though it would already be decorated at Thanksgiving, our conversation that went something like this:
DH/DD: LETS GO FOR CHRISTMAS!
Me: Wouldnt it be cool to be there for New Years Eve? We could visit our folks for Christmas and leave immediately afterward for Florida.
DH: OR, we could skip family and stay for Christmas AND New Years.
Me: That is insane. Who spends that long at WDW?
DD: WE DO!
So, there you have it we are going for Christmas and New Years. William was determined to stay in a hotel with a monorail. However, with a longer trip, the budget was straining a bit. It ultimately came down to a shorter, more expensive stay at the Polynesian or a longer, cheaper stay at Pop Century. I initially planned a 9 night trip, but airfare was much cheaper if I added a few days on the end, so we scheduled a 12 night trip. This also gave us a few days after the heavy Christmas crowds died down. I booked the trip and all was well. My original plans were December 24-January 5 staying at Pop Century with Disney Deluxe Dining Plus and Park Hopper.
*Queue Jaws music*
Along comes free dining. I was hoping for some kind of discount during my stay, but I really wasnt counting on anything that I could take advantage of since I am staying during a peak time. With Free Dining starting on December 21, just 3 days before my arrival, I started number crunching. We could move the trip back 3 days, subtract 1 day from the end (thus adding 2 days total) and still save $400. WHOO-HOO! After a looooong phone call, I got everything changed to December 21-January 4 with Free QS Dining upgraded to Disney Deluxe Dining Plus.
Again, all was good until I saw a picture of the rooms at Coronado Springs. Now, I have to admit that I have a thing for quatrefoils.
They make me smile. I think of my sorority, and I remember the great times I have had as a collegiate and alumnae member. Oh, my there are quatrefoils all over the Coronado Springs rooms! It must be a sign! For fun, I priced the rooms, and we could do the exact trip at CS just by adding that $400 I saved with free dining just yesterday. Since the air conditioner repair guy didnt break the bank when he visited our house this morning, I called Disney again!
So now, our final official plans are:
December 21-January 4
Coronado Springs
Disney Deluxe Dining Plus
Park Hopper
Next Installment: ADRs
Ive lost 40 pounds since that picture, so imagine my face less puffy, if you dont mind.
This will be Alisons first Disney excursion. William went with his family when he was 5 and then again while we were engaged in 1996. He stayed at the Contemporary as a child and was enchanted by the monorail. He stayed off-site during his 90s trip and hated being off-site; he swore he would never stay off-site again and that he would never go during the hot Florida summer again. I went to Disney for the first time when I was 7 or 9. I would absolutely swear I was 7, but I remember going to Epcot, and it wasnt opened until I was 9. I returned several times on various trips with friends during high school, but I havent been back since 1991.
Back to the Thanksgiving trip William and Alison were mesmerized with the idea of a Disney decorated for Christmas. Even though it would already be decorated at Thanksgiving, our conversation that went something like this:
DH/DD: LETS GO FOR CHRISTMAS!
Me: Wouldnt it be cool to be there for New Years Eve? We could visit our folks for Christmas and leave immediately afterward for Florida.
DH: OR, we could skip family and stay for Christmas AND New Years.
Me: That is insane. Who spends that long at WDW?
DD: WE DO!
So, there you have it we are going for Christmas and New Years. William was determined to stay in a hotel with a monorail. However, with a longer trip, the budget was straining a bit. It ultimately came down to a shorter, more expensive stay at the Polynesian or a longer, cheaper stay at Pop Century. I initially planned a 9 night trip, but airfare was much cheaper if I added a few days on the end, so we scheduled a 12 night trip. This also gave us a few days after the heavy Christmas crowds died down. I booked the trip and all was well. My original plans were December 24-January 5 staying at Pop Century with Disney Deluxe Dining Plus and Park Hopper.
*Queue Jaws music*
Along comes free dining. I was hoping for some kind of discount during my stay, but I really wasnt counting on anything that I could take advantage of since I am staying during a peak time. With Free Dining starting on December 21, just 3 days before my arrival, I started number crunching. We could move the trip back 3 days, subtract 1 day from the end (thus adding 2 days total) and still save $400. WHOO-HOO! After a looooong phone call, I got everything changed to December 21-January 4 with Free QS Dining upgraded to Disney Deluxe Dining Plus.
Again, all was good until I saw a picture of the rooms at Coronado Springs. Now, I have to admit that I have a thing for quatrefoils.
They make me smile. I think of my sorority, and I remember the great times I have had as a collegiate and alumnae member. Oh, my there are quatrefoils all over the Coronado Springs rooms! It must be a sign! For fun, I priced the rooms, and we could do the exact trip at CS just by adding that $400 I saved with free dining just yesterday. Since the air conditioner repair guy didnt break the bank when he visited our house this morning, I called Disney again!
So now, our final official plans are:
December 21-January 4
Coronado Springs
Disney Deluxe Dining Plus
Park Hopper
Next Installment: ADRs