*** The Official August 2019 thread ***

[TI double-GUH ER]

Flights booked here too. Can't complain about the $ but DH and I disagreed about the times.
I would rather go for earlier flights... get to where I'm going... he prefers to fly later so he doesn't have a hectic morning.
So, I let him win this one, since I got the length of stay I wanted, and I am making the dining ressies and daily plans the way I want.

Just curious - has anyone ever gotten an AP to try to take advantage of the discounts and if so - was it worth it?
It looks like on paper I would come out ahead that way if I can save $200 using the discounts on sit down meals and merchandise... but figuring out how much we'd actually spend is... math...

 

[NJlauren]

Flights booked here too. Can't complain about the $ but DH and I disagreed about the times.
I would rather go for earlier flights... get to where I'm going... he prefers to fly later so he doesn't have a hectic morning.
So, I let him win this one, since I got the length of stay I wanted, and I am making the dining ressies and daily plans the way I want.

Just curious - has anyone ever gotten an AP to try to take advantage of the discounts and if so - was it worth it?
It looks like on paper I would come out ahead that way if I can save $200 using the discounts on sit down meals and merchandise... but figuring out how much we'd actually spend is... math...

I’m doing the math out on the AP too. I’m border line right now, if our group stays at 10 I’m doing it if we lose people it’s much closer to not worth it.....

 

[Samantha Morgan]

Flights booked here too. Can't complain about the $ but DH and I disagreed about the times.
I would rather go for earlier flights... get to where I'm going... he prefers to fly later so he doesn't have a hectic morning.
So, I let him win this one, since I got the length of stay I wanted, and I am making the dining ressies and daily plans the way I want.

Just curious - has anyone ever gotten an AP to try to take advantage of the discounts and if so - was it worth it?
It looks like on paper I would come out ahead that way if I can save $200 using the discounts on sit down meals and merchandise... but figuring out how much we'd actually spend is... math...

DH and I disagreed on arrival time too. There’s one flight that leaves around 5:15am and lands around 7:30.

Next nonstop leaves around 10 and lands a little after noon, that’s the one we booked.

I guess it’s better to sleep a bit more in the morning and not be exhausted. He’s also hoping our room is ready early too. So we’ll see.

 

[Samantha Morgan]

We booked our flights a few weeks ago. Used Southwest for the way down, and then redeemed American Airlines points for the way home — first class!

 

[The13thLetter]

Flights booked here too. Can't complain about the $ but DH and I disagreed about the times.
I would rather go for earlier flights... get to where I'm going... he prefers to fly later so he doesn't have a hectic morning.
So, I let him win this one, since I got the length of stay I wanted, and I am making the dining ressies and daily plans the way I want.

Just curious - has anyone ever gotten an AP to try to take advantage of the discounts and if so - was it worth it?
It looks like on paper I would come out ahead that way if I can save $200 using the discounts on sit down meals and merchandise... but figuring out how much we'd actually spend is... math...

DW and I went last September (maternity leave woohoo!) and are now back to our August dates this year, so the 2 trips in 1 year made the AP a no-brainer. To be honest, the discount we got on our resort (ended up being almost $400) after getting the AP rate on it made it worth it for the first trip alone for my AP and then the 2 trips made it worth it for her to have one too. Ideally, you only really need one person to have one if you are looking for the resort discounts (you can book up to 3 rooms with one person's AP) and the food/merch discounts so it may make more sense than you think depending on the resort discounts the weeks you are going. I think the AP discounts for our month should be up in the next few weeks so you could always wait and see before pulling the trigger.

 

[Tomh]

Yikes! 2 hours outside is a long time in those frigid temperatures.
Bundle up! It's brutally cold here too. Temps are finally going up on Saturday....for a few days at least. Lol.

I am happy to report that I survived it. Will be taking the car into the shop today so hopefully they can find the coolant leak and get it fixed up

Flights booked here too. Can't complain about the $ but DH and I disagreed about the times.
I would rather go for earlier flights... get to where I'm going... he prefers to fly later so he doesn't have a hectic morning.
So, I let him win this one, since I got the length of stay I wanted, and I am making the dining ressies and daily plans the way I want.

Just curious - has anyone ever gotten an AP to try to take advantage of the discounts and if so - was it worth it?
It looks like on paper I would come out ahead that way if I can save $200 using the discounts on sit down meals and merchandise... but figuring out how much we'd actually spend is... math...

We have an evening flight on the way down. It was the only non stop available, and works well for us since the wife can work a full day, and we will still have time to fly down that night.

We got an AP last year. Just one, for me. We visited at the end of August last year, and we are going at the beginning of the month this year, that way we got two 10 day stays with it. Add in the free parking (since we stay offsite, that is significant for us) 10% TS discount (remember, this only applies to the passholder and a few guests. Most restaurants limit it to 3 guests. House of Blues does 5 guests) 20% off on merchandise, and the Memory Maker, it can be quite a good deal, depending on how long you are going to be in the parks for.

 

[siren0119]

PRAYING that the flights we want are still available tomorrow when our paychecks deposit! I have some SW points from work travel and Hilton points too. Figured out that if I adjust my arrival/departure days by a day on either end I can use my Hilton points to book a night at the Hilton Garden near the airport. Then if I use SW points to book one round trip and one one-way...then pay cash for another one-way and two round trips, it will cost us less than it would to drive down and park at the resort.

I already booked the airport hotel days, since they can be canceled with no penalty until 3 days before check in. Fingers crossed for tomorrow!

 

[mamamelody2]

Hey, do you mind adding me to the rollcall? August 29-September 7 at POP. Thank you!

 

[OhanaMomma]

Edit: Found the answer to my question. Please disregard.

So, now that we got our flight, I'm trying to plan dining. However, we are doing a split stay starting with the first 3 nights at the Poly, then switching over to Universal for 2 nights (my kids are Harry Potter obsessed), then returning to the WDW resort (Boardwalk) for the last 2 nights. When our 180 day dining window opens, will I be able to book all my dining at once, or do I have to wait a couple of days in-between because it's a split stay?

 

[han22735]

We also booked our SW flights today. Got great times for direct flights but the point costs were a tad higher than I'm used too(was 17k RT). Hopefully a sale comes along and I can get some back. It feels good to have that officially booked.

 

[dnllmz]

I forgot about the SW flights until about an hour ago. I did book the flights there using pints but I’m going to wait on the return flights. I’m also not crazy about the flight time for arrival. It’s pretty late & might be rough on the kids. We could do an early morning flight the next day instead. Decisions decisions.

I hope everyone is staying warm. @Tomh is your car fixed for tomorrow? It’s still going to be pretty cold here but warm up this weekend.

 

[TI double-GUH ER]

[QUOTE="
We have an evening flight on the way down. It was the only non stop available, and works well for us since the wife can work a full day, and we will still have time to fly down that night.

We got an AP last year. Just one, for me. We visited at the end of August last year, and we are going at the beginning of the month this year, that way we got two 10 day stays with it. Add in the free parking (since we stay offsite, that is significant for us) 10% TS discount (remember, this only applies to the passholder and a few guests. Most restaurants limit it to 3 guests. House of Blues does 5 guests) 20% off on merchandise, and the Memory Maker, it can be quite a good deal, depending on how long you are going to be in the parks for.[/QUOTE]

See this is what I was trying to figure out. We usually only go every other year, and I'm not sure I can talk DH into going again next year... especially with GE opening. But just the Memory Maker alone makes it tempting!!

Of course, I did just apply to present at a conference in Orlando in the fall... so I keep telling myself that if I do get to go to the conference I would be able to get more value out of the pass...

 

[Aj1129]

I’m so happy I read this thread! I had SW flights in my calendar for next week. DH and I booked yesterday evening and got much better prices then we did last year.

 

[Tomh]

Hey, do you mind adding me to the rollcall? August 29-September 7 at POP. Thank you!

Why of course I don't mind adding you. Did I miss you before? If so, I am quite sorry. You have been added now

I forgot about the SW flights until about an hour ago. I did book the flights there using pints but I’m going to wait on the return flights. I’m also not crazy about the flight time for arrival. It’s pretty late & might be rough on the kids. We could do an early morning flight the next day instead. Decisions decisions.

I hope everyone is staying warm. @Tomh is your car fixed for tomorrow? It’s still going to be pretty cold here but warm up this weekend.

My car, sadly, is still in the shop. Indeed, it is a bit cold out. However, it looks like Monday, and Tuesday are going to be a treat, so I'll just keep thinking about that

[QUOTE="
We have an evening flight on the way down. It was the only non stop available, and works well for us since the wife can work a full day, and we will still have time to fly down that night.

We got an AP last year. Just one, for me. We visited at the end of August last year, and we are going at the beginning of the month this year, that way we got two 10 day stays with it. Add in the free parking (since we stay offsite, that is significant for us) 10% TS discount (remember, this only applies to the passholder and a few guests. Most restaurants limit it to 3 guests. House of Blues does 5 guests) 20% off on merchandise, and the Memory Maker, it can be quite a good deal, depending on how long you are going to be in the parks for.

See this is what I was trying to figure out. We usually only go every other year, and I'm not sure I can talk DH into going again next year... especially with GE opening. But just the Memory Maker alone makes it tempting!!

Of course, I did just apply to present at a conference in Orlando in the fall... so I keep telling myself that if I do get to go to the conference I would be able to get more value out of the pass...[/QUOTE]

With only one trip, you would have to do some careful math to see if the AP would really be worth it. It is somewhat more attractive if you stay offsite, as you save $25 a day on parking. If you stay onsite, then I would think it would be significantly more difficult to offset the purchase price on just one trip.

 

[ToddlerMom311]

Just got a crowd tracker change notification from Touring Plans for the week of August 19th. My MK day moved from a 5 to a 1!

 

[siren0119]

We were going to drive down - but then SW released their flights and I had some points to burn LOL

Snagged 4 one way tickets to fly home on SW, used my points (they covered 3 tickets, then paid cash for the 4th) and paid $108 total for the 4 tickets.
I think I found a Delta flight to Orlando at a time that works for us (I wasn't crazy about the SW offerings to fly down, times were all way earlier than I want to leave). We can fly down the day before we check in to ASMu and sleep overnight in a hotel near the airport. I had Hilton points from business travel, which covered the cost of hotel completely. This means we can use a park day on arrival!

So all told, it would have cost me a bit over $400 for us to drive down and park at the resort. Flights plus airport hotel will be a grand total of $462 out of pocket. And that's 30+ hours of my life I don't have to spend on the road

 

[NJlauren]

Just got a crowd tracker change notification from Touring Plans for the week of August 19th. My MK day moved from a 5 to a 1!

My dates have gone down too, but I’m really weary of TP right now.... I’m just making a good plan and going with that.

 

[ISeeTheLight105]

Add me to the list please! The fam and I will be RVing at the Fort Wilderness Campsites from August 12 - 20!

We did 4-day tickets with NO park hopper so I am a little nervous about making dining res and FP+ plans without knowing when the EMH are - does anyone have any hot tips for planning around that? Or is that adding unnecessary stress on myself?

 

[Tomh]

Just got a crowd tracker change notification from Touring Plans for the week of August 19th. My MK day moved from a 5 to a 1!

Well, that certainly is a BIG change, and a bit hard to believe a crowd level of 1 in August, BUT . . . Galaxy's Edge doesn't open until the fall. Disney released free dining for the ENTIRE summer, and announced it in January, two things I haven't seen in the 12 years I have been planning summer vacations to Disney World. With that in mind, I fully expect that they are having a very difficult time filling rooms for this summer, so it is not beyond belief that crowd levels could be quite a bit lower than what we have seen the past few years.

Add me to the list please! The fam and I will be RVing at the Fort Wilderness Campsites from August 12 - 20!

We did 4-day tickets with NO park hopper so I am a little nervous about making dining res and FP+ plans without knowing when the EMH are - does anyone have any hot tips for planning around that? Or is that adding unnecessary stress on myself?

You have been added to the Roll Call.

As for planning around EMH, I simply look at what days EMH is for the couple of weeks before our trip, and assume that they will follow the same schedule for our weeks. Of course, that could turn out to be wrong, but usually it isn't, and it is really the only thing we can go on.

 

[Vickie Mabey]

August 2019 roll call​

Wayland 10 Jul 28 - Aug 6 AKL Jambo
DisneyDreamer Jul 29 - Aug 8 CBR
beltane Jul 30 - Aug 13 IDrive
KNJWDW Aug 2 - Aug 10 Coronado Gran Destino Tower
PlutoIsHerFav Aug 2 - Aug 7 CR Aug 7 - Aug 10 YC
Samantha Morgan Aug 3 - Aug 6 CSR
Aurora2017 Aug 3 - Aug 10 PoP
JJJDisneyBuckeyes Aug 3 - Aug 10 CSR
ChimneyJim Aug 3 - Aug 11 Coronado
ReelRedHead Aug 3 - Aug 14 POR
123SA Aug 3 - Aug 17 ASMu
ChimneyJim Aug 6 - Aug 11 Contemporary
Becky Mouse Aug 6 - Aug 13 Split stay Fort Wilderness & The Swan
czechplz Aug 6 - Aug 13 BC
Harmacist Aug 6 - Aug 14 YC
OurLaughingPlace Aug 6 - 14 PORS 14 - 16 Beach Club 16 - 17 Contemporary
Tomh Aug 6 - Aug 20 Venetian Bay
sfbank Aug 7 - Aug 17 BWI
Disneylover99 Aug 7 - Aug 21 POP
cmarsh31 Aug 8 - Aug 12 CSR
manfred4247 Aug 8 - Aug 15 ASMu
Deleys on whEleys Aug 8 - Aug 13 ??
Nikki0401 Aug 9 - Aug 13 Beach Club Aug 13 - 17 Poly
rlk Aug 9 - Aug 13 POP Aug 13 - Aug 20 BCV
jmg5324 Aug 11 - Aug 18 POP
ISeeTheLight105 Aug 12 - Aug 20 Fort Wilerness Campsites
MISSYLEXI Aug 13 - Aug 26 OKW
pd1138 Aug 14 - Aug 24 Port Orleans
KimmiP Aug 15 - Aug 22 Wilderness Lodge
The13thLetter Aug 16 - Aug 24 BCV
TI double-GUH ER Aug 16 - Aug 26 Contemporary
Lakegirl Aug 17 - Aug 23 VWL/BRV (expecting to change resorts)
kbender295 Aug 17 - Aug 24 Wilderness Cabins
Mousemommy1 Aug 17 - Aug 24 AOA
disneyAndi14 Aug 17 - Aug 26 Poly or Contemporary TBD
Aimee Wolfe Aug 17 - Aug 31 ASMU
Newsies Aug 18 - Aug 24 Poly
han22735 Aug 18 - Aug 28 BMW
ToddlerMom311 Aug 19 - Aug 23 POP
trackchik6 Aug 19 - Aug 24 AKL
spurk5532 Aug 19 - Aug 27 CBR
McFlea Aug 20 - Aug 26 POR
hattrickmom Aug 20 - Aug 29 POP
Rileygirl Aug 21 - Sept 1 Poly
Mascara&MouseEars Aug 22 - Aug 28 YC
NJlauren Aug 23 - Aug 30 YC
dnllmz Aug 23 - Aug 31 BC
succorso1 Aug 23 - Aug 31 CS
Aj1129 Aug 24 - Aug 29 GF
my2lovedisney Aug 24 - Aug 30 POR
OhanaMomma Aug 24 - Aug 31 Grand Floridian Villas
Tinker_Belle Aug 24 - Aug 31 Pop to BCV
Mrs Grumpy Aug 24 - Sept 4 POP
Pirate princess 2 Aug 25 - Sept 1 POP
loislane Aug 26 - Sept 2 POP
siren0119 Aug 26 - Sept 3 ASMu
Glam Aug 29 - Sept 3 CS
mamamelody2 Aug 29 - Sept 7 POP
Karl66 Aug 30 - Sept 2 OKW
MamaJessie Aug 31 - Sept 7 CBR

Vickie Mabey Aug 4- Aug 10 CBR