The Goodys are going back to Disney! Update:Page 19 & Checklist added!

[my2disneyboys]

I'm in too. We can plan together. I took off my Oct ticker after ur hotel info. I am so torn about when to go, how will we pay for it etc, I just know I HAVE TO GO BACK!!!

ha-ha!! That is what this whole trip report is about!! We will get there!!!!

awwwwwwwwwwwwwww now I'm going to have to go find baby pictures of Madeline to post on my PTR. Happy Birthday Owen!

Yes I love baby pics!!!!

Nickie-you are SOO ambitious!! So, you bumped back to August?

I am along for the ride again!

I dont know what we are going to do!! Stay tuned for next post I will explain it all!! I am glad you are here!!!

 

[my2disneyboys]

Ok, so I guess the first thing we need to decide is...

WHERE DO WE WANT TO STAY!!!???

I put up a poll so that you all can help us with this one... Here is a little background on why we are considering each of the choices!!

1) Contemporary- right now this is our first choice. We had wanted to go to Disney the last week in September and book the Contemporary and free dining but when I called to make the room only reservation they said there is a HUGE convention going on and the room type I wanted isnt available... It is a year and 1/2 away.... I cant believe all those rooms are gone.... I am going to keep checking though after the rates for 2010 are released in August. We also found out that daycare is closed the last week in August and school doesnt start until September... SO maybe we should go the last week in August. We would miss MNSSHP, but we would still get free dining. Myles wouldnt miss school, and we would take that saviings from not paying daycare and use it at Disney!! Plus it would be hard to take the last week in August off and then need to take another week off in September!

We love the Contemporary because the rooms look really nice, we love Chef Mickeys, we want to try the California Grill this time, and the Wave.... We LOVE the fact that it is the closest to the MK and that we can walk there... and we LOVE that we can just hop on the monorail and eat at all the hotels we love! We also love that the room rate for 2010 for the Garden View was $280.00 for the value season... 280 and free dining = affordable to us!! I really would like to try out a deluxe this time around too!!!!

The Contemporary does however not "look" pretty to me.. kind feels like we would be at a hilton.. I dont know if this would change if we stayed there, but walking in I wasnt all oohh and aghhhh!!! Also the pool area doesnt look great and we love going to the pool!!

2) Animal Kingdom - With this one, we really like the price ($240.00- a night) and its so pretty but we would need a rental car. So we would have to add on $300.00 for that probably. (We DONT like busses) We want to try Jiko but didnt like Boma last time... The pool area looks kind of neat and I like that they have a campfire at night and things special for guests.

3) Beach Club - Beach Club is a little pricey to us at $335.00 a night.... but the pool looks GREAT! I love the location to Epcot - walking distance and the boardwalk. I think this would be a great choice... We love Epcot and want to go there more on the next trip. We also want to go to Cape May Cafe and the Yahtsman Steakhouse on this next trip... Also the rooms look beautiful... The Beach Club also has movies at night which is cool!! This could be a contender for us maybe!?

4) Poly - Well the Poly would be my first choice... I love the theming, we will be eating at Ohana twice, and Kona on our next trip and we love watching wishes from the beach at the Poly. The pool looks great too. I love the theming and I feel like I am on vacation when I walk into the place. I love the location!!! But the price is CRAZY here. - $350.00 a night pushes me over "my limit" of what sounds reasonable to pay for a hotel.

5) POR - Now this place is VERY affordable and we LOVED it on our last trip. We would need to rent a car - but that isnt really a bad thing. We loved the pool area and the boat to DTD was AWESOME!!!! The more I think about it, the more I think this would be our best option. If we want to go to Disney every year, staying at a deluxe would probaly push us to every 2 years... (the rate here is 140 a night) even with the car rental it would be a huge savings. Is a deluxe really worth double the price!!?? We did love it here- the arcade room, and Boatwrights was great. I dont like that they dont do breakfast anymore- that was nice having right at our hotel. If we stay here, it means driving every night to AKL, or POLY, or GF, or Contemporary for our dinners. Also it means driving to the parks instead of walking or hopping on the monorail.

OK- so you see my confusion here... help us decide.... what do you think we should do!?

 

[MaryAz]

Ok, so I guess the first thing we need to decide is...

WHERE DO WE WANT TO STAY!!!???

I put up a poll so that you all can help us with this one... Here is a little background on why we are considering each of the choices!!

1) Contemporary- right now this is our first choice. We had wanted to go to Disney the last week in September and book the Contemporary and free dining but when I called to make the room only reservation they said there is a HUGE convention going on and the room type I wanted isnt available... It is a year and 1/2 away.... I cant believe all those rooms are gone.... I am going to keep checking though after the rates for 2010 are released in August. We also found out that daycare is closed the last week in August and school doesnt start until September... SO maybe we should go the last week in August. We would miss MNSSHP, but we would still get free dining. Myles wouldnt miss school, and we would take that saviings from not paying daycare and use it at Disney!! Plus it would be hard to take the last week in August off and then need to take another week off in September!

We love the Contemporary because the rooms look really nice, we love Chef Mickeys, we want to try the California Grill this time, and the Wave.... We LOVE the fact that it is the closest to the MK and that we can walk there... and we LOVE that we can just hop on the monorail and eat at all the hotels we love! We also love that the room rate for 2010 for the Garden View was $280.00 for the value season... 280 and free dining = affordable to us!! I really would like to try out a deluxe this time around too!!!!

The Contemporary does however not "look" pretty to me.. kind feels like we would be at a hilton.. I dont know if this would change if we stayed there, but walking in I wasnt all oohh and aghhhh!!! Also the pool area doesnt look great and we love going to the pool!!

2) Animal Kingdom - With this one, we really like the price ($240.00- a night) and its so pretty but we would need a rental car. So we would have to add on $300.00 for that probably. (We DONT like busses) We want to try Jiko but didnt like Boma last time... The pool area looks kind of neat and I like that they have a campfire at night and things special for guests.

3) Beach Club - Beach Club is a little pricey to us at $335.00 a night.... but the pool looks GREAT! I love the location to Epcot - walking distance and the boardwalk. I think this would be a great choice... We love Epcot and want to go there more on the next trip. We also want to go to Cape May Cafe and the Yahtsman Steakhouse on this next trip... Also the rooms look beautiful... The Beach Club also has movies at night which is cool!! This could be a contender for us maybe!?

4) Poly - Well the Poly would be my first choice... I love the theming, we will be eating at Ohana twice, and Kona on our next trip and we love watching wishes from the beach at the Poly. The pool looks great too. I love the theming and I feel like I am on vacation when I walk into the place. I love the location!!! But the price is CRAZY here. - $350.00 a night pushes me over "my limit" of what sounds reasonable to pay for a hotel.

5) POR - Now this place is VERY affordable and we LOVED it on our last trip. We would need to rent a car - but that isnt really a bad thing. We loved the pool area and the boat to DTD was AWESOME!!!! The more I think about it, the more I think this would be our best option. If we want to go to Disney every year, staying at a deluxe would probaly push us to every 2 years... (the rate here is 140 a night) even with the car rental it would be a huge savings. Is a deluxe really worth double the price!!?? We did love it here- the arcade room, and Boatwrights was great. I dont like that they dont do breakfast anymore- that was nice having right at our hotel. If we stay here, it means driving every night to AKL, or POLY, or GF, or Contemporary for our dinners. Also it means driving to the parks instead of walking or hopping on the monorail.

OK- so you see my confusion here... help us decide.... what do you think we should do!?

Needed to quote so I could remember everything! Thanks again for putting all your thoughts out there-helps me tremendously!
I agree with all your points on the Contemp-except I kinda feel the rooms are to modern looking for my taste. I can totally see how the last week of Aug would be a double plus-free dining and value. For me, the humidity would scare me off. We live in Az so heat is not the issue it is the humidity. And we start school mid Aug here so Avery would miss the 2nd week.
AK looks fun but it is kinda far out and I feel like I would need the Savannah view LOL
Beach CLub is also on our list. Looks really nice,great pool and restraunts. The $$$ turn me off though.
Poly is fabulous all around but the price-I am with ya
POR sounds fun and you guys really enjoyed it.

Ok, after all that rambling...if you are saving the $$ from daycare costs and find yourself in a good solid financial position I would go with the Contemp for convience etc. If you find that the cost is an issue and you would be happy to be at POR then thats what I would do. I think once you decide you will be very happy at either!

 

[jngwright]

Well, you KNOW I voted for the Poly!!

BUT (and that's a BIG BUT)

1)Contemporary-yes great location, but I feel like you do about the themeing and pool!
2)AKL-love the looks of it and the pool. It is remote, though. (We are bus people)
3)BC-definately on our list!! SAB looks great and proximity to Epcot is awesome.
4)POR-You know you love it!

So, how is that for no help??

Have you considered a Pirate room at CBR? It was so awesome, and the boys are a perfect age...you would save $$ too!

 

[chicagoshannon]

I just took the pole and no one agrees yet. hahaha

I chose the Animal Kingdom Lodge. I think the boys would love seeing the animals everyday.

2nd choice is between Contemporary- because of the close proximity to MK and POR because my heart belongs there and you already love it there!

I didnt' vote for the Poly becasue that pool is always crazy busy and you said you liked going to the pool. Beach Club would be WONDERFUL but the price is steep. If I won the lottery it would be one of my top choices though. I love that it has the boat to Epcot AND DHS, has a great pool and is close to Boardwalk for fun activities. If you can afford this one I'd go for it. I believe I read somewhere that a room only discount here would be a better deal then free dining. So something to keep in mind.

Have you considered the WIlderness Lodge? I'd love to go there. It's close to MK and also Fort Wilderness. Fort Wilderness has great things for kids to do at night!

If you drive your own car instead of flying you can save more money on the flight.

I think if you really want to take advantage of FREE DINING and get the best deal I'd go for POR. If I stayed Delux I'd want a room only discount instead.

 

[Lady Lallie]

Can I offer a suggestion that wasn't on your list?

I think deluxe is worth it, granted I haven't stayed at a moderate yet but I have done value & deluxe. My suggestion would be Wilderness Lodge, it's roughly the same price as AKL but you get boat to MK and also to the other hotels where you could catch the monorail from to Epcot if you wanted.

I know it's hard to commit to deluxe because it can be a lot more expensive, trust me I know but I thought WL was worth every penny.

If you didn't go with WL my thought would be to go with Contemporary so you get those MK transportation benefits!

 

[maroo]

I'm in! I'm in!

And I voted for AKL...but I think you guys would have to do Savannah View, if you chose AKL!

 

[wlwilliams9]

I had a hard time choosing from your list! I chose Beach Club though! Have you ever thought about renting points froma DVC member? I think that is what we are going to do next and maybe stay at BLT. Anyway, I chose the BC because of the pool! You guys will love the pool there and the movies and smores on the beach! It's very relaxing you can walk to Epcot and take the boat to DHS. You can also take the monorail to MK if you have park hoppers and walk through Epcot to the monorail station. I loved staying at the Poly, but only because we got such a good deal with the 4/3 deal and the room only 40% off code. I don't think it would be worth it to pay rack rate even in value season. I priced out BC, BLT and Contemporary during free dining and it was almost $2000 cheaper to rent points and pay for the DDP for us. Just another thought to make you completely confused!!!

 

[chicagoshannon]

I love Wendy's idea of renting points from a DVC owner. You can get a great price that way!

 

[my2disneyboys]

I love Wendy's idea of renting points from a DVC owner. You can get a great price that way!

I need to find out about this for sure! I have no idea how it works!
I am interested in your ticker... I need to loose some weight and I really need some motivation... Maybe I will add a ticker too and we can encourage eachother!?

 

[my2disneyboys]

I had a hard time choosing from your list! I chose Beach Club though! Have you ever thought about renting points froma DVC member? I think that is what we are going to do next and maybe stay at BLT. Anyway, I chose the BC because of the pool! You guys will love the pool there and the movies and smores on the beach! It's very relaxing you can walk to Epcot and take the boat to DHS. You can also take the monorail to MK if you have park hoppers and walk through Epcot to the monorail station. I loved staying at the Poly, but only because we got such a good deal with the 4/3 deal and the room only 40% off code. I don't think it would be worth it to pay rack rate even in value season. I priced out BC, BLT and Contemporary during free dining and it was almost $2000 cheaper to rent points and pay for the DDP for us. Just another thought to make you completely confused!!!

Wendy, Wendy, Wendy.... Don't you see I am already confused

Ok, How do I go about finding out about renting points? Also how did you get the room only 40% AND 4/3 deal? Did they let you use both? If so- WOW!!! How does one go about getting a 40% room only discount?

I'm in! I'm in!

And I voted for AKL...but I think you guys would have to do Savannah View, if you chose AKL!

Welcome back!! I was thinking the price of the Savannah would be comparable to Contemp Garden Room- ofcourse the view would be better at AKL and I really like the balcony!! At the Contemp the garden rooms do not have a balcony.

Can I offer a suggestion that wasn't on your list?

I think deluxe is worth it, granted I haven't stayed at a moderate yet but I have done value & deluxe. My suggestion would be Wilderness Lodge, it's roughly the same price as AKL but you get boat to MK and also to the other hotels where you could catch the monorail from to Epcot if you wanted.

I know it's hard to commit to deluxe because it can be a lot more expensive, trust me I know but I thought WL was worth every penny.

If you didn't go with WL my thought would be to go with Contemporary so you get those MK transportation benefits!

I dont know what it is about the WL... but I dont like something about it. Wayne thinks I am crazy because it has most of what I like, but I just dont know what it is!!! ???

I just took the pole and no one agrees yet. hahaha

I chose the Animal Kingdom Lodge. I think the boys would love seeing the animals everyday.

2nd choice is between Contemporary- because of the close proximity to MK and POR because my heart belongs there and you already love it there!

I didnt' vote for the Poly becasue that pool is always crazy busy and you said you liked going to the pool. Beach Club would be WONDERFUL but the price is steep. If I won the lottery it would be one of my top choices though. I love that it has the boat to Epcot AND DHS, has a great pool and is close to Boardwalk for fun activities. If you can afford this one I'd go for it. I believe I read somewhere that a room only discount here would be a better deal then free dining. So something to keep in mind.

Have you considered the WIlderness Lodge? I'd love to go there. It's close to MK and also Fort Wilderness. Fort Wilderness has great things for kids to do at night!

If you drive your own car instead of flying you can save more money on the flight.

I think if you really want to take advantage of FREE DINING and get the best deal I'd go for POR. If I stayed Delux I'd want a room only discount instead.

I am leaning towards POR! I do love it - and with free dining the price is hard to beat. I wanted to try Deluxe but I am having a hard time thinking of paying the deluxe pricing...

Well, you KNOW I voted for the Poly!!

BUT (and that's a BIG BUT)

1)Contemporary-yes great location, but I feel like you do about the themeing and pool!
2)AKL-love the looks of it and the pool. It is remote, though. (We are bus people)
3)BC-definately on our list!! SAB looks great and proximity to Epcot is awesome.
4)POR-You know you love it!

So, how is that for no help??

Have you considered a Pirate room at CBR? It was so awesome, and the boys are a perfect age...you would save $$ too!

No help! LOL We did think CBR and pirate room, but if I am at a MOD, I cant not be at POR or POFQ- I need that boat to DTD!!!

Needed to quote so I could remember everything! Thanks again for putting all your thoughts out there-helps me tremendously!
I agree with all your points on the Contemp-except I kinda feel the rooms are to modern looking for my taste. I can totally see how the last week of Aug would be a double plus-free dining and value. For me, the humidity would scare me off. We live in Az so heat is not the issue it is the humidity. And we start school mid Aug here so Avery would miss the 2nd week.
AK looks fun but it is kinda far out and I feel like I would need the Savannah view LOL
Beach CLub is also on our list. Looks really nice,great pool and restraunts. The $$$ turn me off though.
Poly is fabulous all around but the price-I am with ya
POR sounds fun and you guys really enjoyed it.

Ok, after all that rambling...if you are saving the $$ from daycare costs and find yourself in a good solid financial position I would go with the Contemp for convience etc. If you find that the cost is an issue and you would be happy to be at POR then thats what I would do. I think once you decide you will be very happy at either!

Thank you!!! I am leaning towards POR and if I can figure out DVC rental then maybe I CAN get into a deluxe at a good price!!

 

[wlwilliams9]

Hey Nickie! Sorry to confuse you further!! It's so hard to choose where to stay! I'm having the same problem. My goal is to stay at all of the resorts, but now that we have done dlx the last 2 years, I don't know if I can go back to Mod or especially value!! I've become a resort snob!!!Actually, we'll probably go back to value and mod when our kids are bigger and we aren't spending much time at the hotel and don't have to worry about a stroller on the busses.

Anyway, here is the DISboard link to finding DVS rentals. http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=29
There are some sticky threads that explain how everything works. Basically, the DVC member makes the reservation in your name and you usually pay a deposit and then when the DVC paperwork is sent to them, they send it to you and then you pay the balance or make payments. They can add DDP or DxDP on the reservation for you which you pay for at arrival time, same with tickets.

Unless Disney has another promo like the 4/3, we will be renting points next year for sure!


As far as our May ressie, we had two separate ressies, one was 7 nights with the 4/3 deal and the other was a 3 night ressie for room only which I booked with the Spring Savings special offer Disney had going on. We had to check out and check back in, but that's when we got upgraded!

 

[wlwilliams9]

Oh, and if you like the boat to DTD, you might want to look into renting at SSR, they are usually pretty cheap, around $8-$9 a point. Here is a link to the points chart so you know how many points you need:
http://www.wdwinfo.com/disney-vacation-club/DVCpoints.shtml

 

[my2disneyboys]

Oh, and if you like the boat to DTD, you might want to look into renting at SSR, they are usually pretty cheap, around $8-$9 a point. Here is a link to the points chart so you know how many points you need:
http://www.wdwinfo.com/disney-vacation-club/DVCpoints.shtml

Wendy, thanks for all the info!!!! Wayne is out tonight (seeing some horror movie with his brother) and I am home alone so I think I will do some DVC research!! BTW - Wayne and I watched "Taken" yesterday, and now I am home alone.. and all freaked out...

 

[chicagoshannon]

PUt up a ticker for weight! We can definitely encourage each other!

I can't wait to hear if you decide to rent points. That would be really neat!

What was taken about. I don't remember.

 

[Lady Lallie]

I'll be really interested to see what you find out about renting DVC points, it's something Marc & I have talked about doing before....especially since we'd really like to own DVC someday. A test run if you will...

Marc is watching Ghost Hunters right now. I hate shows like this because when I'm home alone when he works overnight, I get all freaked out! I feel your pain!

 

[my2disneyboys]

PUt up a ticker for weight! We can definitely encourage each other!

I can't wait to hear if you decide to rent points. That would be really neat!

What was taken about. I don't remember.

Taken was about a girl and her best friend who went to Paris and they were taken by these people who would take girls and drug them, and then sell them... it was scary!

I'll be really interested to see what you find out about renting DVC points, it's something Marc & I have talked about doing before....especially since we'd really like to own DVC someday. A test run if you will...

Marc is watching Ghost Hunters right now. I hate shows like this because when I'm home alone when he works overnight, I get all freaked out! I feel your pain!

Thanks- yes I am a chicken!! Sometimes I just get spooked - like last night... I had to go to bed with the TV on...
I am going to keep thinking about this DVC and see what we come up with. It's nice it is so far away so we have lots of time to think about all different ideas!

 

[chicagoshannon]

We watched Taken today.

Did you do any research last night about renting points?

 

[my2disneyboys]

So I have to admit, I stole this idea off someone here on the DIS! I thought it was a great idea, and something my boys would really get into. They use this idea as a countdown when you get to 26 weeks left until your trip, but because our trip is so far away, we are just doing it because it will be fun.

Here are the details....

DISNEY A-Z

I made a book that is titled "DISNEY A-Z", In the book, I put blank pages and lettered them each A-Z.... On each page we will practice writing that letter, think of as many characters that start with that letter, we will name the rides at Disney that begin with that letter and lastly, Myles will print out pictures from the computer of characters with that letter and Myles and Owen will color them in and Myles can practice cutting them out. We also keep one name of a character on the top of the page and practice during the week spelling it and writing the letter and the characters name.

Ok.... so for this week we begin with the letter A. - Our special character that we will spell during the week is ANDY and AL (Myles wanted two this week)

For Rides: Astro Orbiter, and Aladdin Magic Carpets

Characters: Alice in Wonderland, Aladdin and Abu, Ariel, Al and Andy from Toy Story, Abby Mallard (Chicken Little), Alfredo Linguini (Ratatouille), Anastasia (Cinderella), Am (Lady and Tramp) Auto Pilot (Wall-E)

I thank our fellow DIS member for such a neat idea!

 

[MinnieNurse]

Woo Hoo I am here. I loved your last report. I love the way you and your DH seem to enjoy everything you do together. DH and I are so much like that. His friends do not get how he could possibly like going to WDW every year. But I hunt with him, we enjoy the beach, anywhere the 3 of us go on vacation we have a great time.

I voted for Beach Club just because that pool in the summer looks like a great place. Also, because of its location to Epcot. DH loves Epcot so we usually go at least 2 times if not more every trip. Cant wait to hear more.

My 2nd choice would be Poly or AKL.