Hi Mike! Wow, you're going to stay for quite a few days! I'm jealous!
OMG, you got a free dining pin code for early summer? I don't have one. How did you get one? So if they moved DEP to WDW, what are they doing with Spectromagic? I really liked Spectro way more than DEP when we were there because I really like the music for the show much better. (I know I'm a DL traitor, but something about the DEP music grates on my nerves after the first 10 minutes!)
Don't shoot me!
Are the fireworks going to be like the Halloween version of DL's fireworks or is it going to be like Magical? The Halloween version was unreal! I really wanted to go to DL to see that in October, but I'd need to get an AP and I wasn't really planning on renewing this year due to all the construction. However, if they have a Halloween version of the fireworks at WDW for Summer then maybe I won't need to go to DL in October!
It will not be magical. It is called Music Magic and Mayhem similar to the Halloween fireworks I've heard. They have perimeter fireworks as well so that will be cool. I agree I like Spectromagic too but the first time we ever went to WDW our first nighttime parade was MEP so for the nostaglia it will be fun.
Yeah, we'd love to go to the waterparks. We didn't get to do that on our last trip! Bummer! We suck at planning things out too far in advance. My DH is very much a fly by the seat of your pants kind of guy and even if I plan things out, he will want to change things. Makes me crazy. Maybe an advantage to staying on site is the free transportation so that if he wants to do his own thing he could while DS and I could go to the parks, etc., w/out worrying about transportation. The problem is, we've never ever used WDW transportation, so I'm concerned about getting lost, missing the buses, etc. Is there a board where I can go to learn about what goes where and what times? Do they have transportation schedules printed out for dummies?
The buses run about every fifteen minutes to each park. There is absolutely no way you can get lost. I will warn you though sometime in the morning and when a park closes the buses will get very crowded.
Oooh, parasailing and sea raycers sound fun! I like that hot air balloon idea too! That sounds way cool! How did you find out all this info about the extra things to do? How much does each thing cost per person? Are there any discounts available? You're getting your park tickets as part of your package, right? So you're going to take breaks every day and then go squeeze in some of these extra activities while on your break?
We always schedule days off into our trips. We like to do fun stuff thats not park related. The ballon thing is about $16 per adult and children are cheaper. The sea raycers already come with a discount and so many minutes when you book a package but not sure of the prices. I am still looking into the parasailing prices. I believe its around over $100 pp the last time I looked. I think you can do tandem as well. I really need to look into the prices.
Renting a lens for that price sounds like a great idea! I really want to buy that Tokina 11-16 2.8, but it is hard to justify since I already have the Sigma. I would definitely sell the Sigma, but they have since come out with an even newer version, so I'm not sure how much money I would make back. And unfortunately, because of the newer version lens, my lens obviously will be worth less and to top it off, the 3rd party lenses don't hold their value compared to the brand lenses.
I still, for the life of me, haven't figured out how to fix the distortion problem on my UWA photos using Photoshop CS3. I have so many nice photos that look mediocre or weird because I can't fix the problem. I don't know the basics of using PSCS3, so that's my problem. When I find online instructions, they all assume that I already know how to create a duplicate layer or mask, etc. If you find any good, easy to follow info, I'd appreciate it if you let me know.
You know, we haven't really decided where to stay. I tried to talk my DH into DVC and he just can't see it. (He's not into Disney as much as I am.) He kieeps reminding me how Timeshares are one of the worst investments, especially one in which your ownership expires after a certain period of time.
My Dh is one of those guys who likes things very cheap, as long as it's safe and clean. To him a hotel room is just a place to sleep. He's willing to pay more for clean and especially safety. For example at
Disneyland he loves Hojos and Fairfield Inn, and would gladly pay more to stay at Hojos due to the convenience of plentiful, free parking, safe walking distance, and interior corridors. Seriously, we've paid $140+ tax nightly to stay at Hojos for the above criteria. That's how much he dislikes all the rest of the motels and parking situations on Harbor. Are there any WDW hotels that could come in less than that per night? I assume they are all safe, clean and have plentiful parking, right?
So for WDW, I was thinking about POR but not sure which side is better. Alternatively, I was also thinking of maybe just staying at POP or ASMo or ASMu since it's usually so much cheaper than the moderates. Of course these might already be sold out at the discounted rates. I really have no idea where any of these properties are located in relation to the parks. I used to have a map of the area, but lost it long ago. If we can get the discounted rates, I would probably look into the moderate or even Deluxe places and maybe do a split stay as well. We'd definitely like to go to US and IOA as well because DH and DS really enjoyed that the last time. As a family, our favorite park was Epcot. I looked into Boardwalk, but I didn't like the pool area. For the price they charge I would have expected more. I like the Yacht or Beach Club but when I last looked into it was pretty pricey. Not sure if I want to spend that much for a place to sleep.
Do you know who I call to find out if we have a Pin code? I really have no idea. I know last year we got some mailers w/ pin codes but we never used them. So far this year, nothing...
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You can book a moderate room only deal and get Riverside for in the low $100's. Its a great resort and better in my opinion than any value resort including POP. The resort is beautiful and the grounds are lush. We are a family of five so we stay in the alligator bayou section and love it. We've stay on the Mansion side which is also nice but its farther away from the Riverside Mill and lobby. Riverside also has access to a boat ride to downtown disney and back. A big plus with us. Its a fun free ride. You can also rent surrey bikes, take a carriage ride around the resort in the night, and it has many "quiet pools" and the main area pool which also has a water slide and none of the values have that!
The Riverside Mill has great food and quite a section. There is also a restaurant on site which is good. We are splitting our stay and going to Poly at the end and this will be our first time on a monorail resort. Hotel hopping is also fun. Have you ever visited the Grand Floridian or Wilderness Lodge?
Other things out of the ordinary that I want to do as well:
The Electrical water pageant that runs in seven seas lagoon each night, checking out the nightlife on the Boardwalk, and trying restaurants we usually don't eat at (Le Cellier at Epcot).
We are big Epcot fans as well. If they had built Epcot at Disneyland then I would never go back to WDW. I really love Disneyland. Not sure how much if anything I answered but its fun to plan. Oh yeah you have to call 407 W Disney to see if you have any pin codes attached to your name.
If you have any questions I might be able to answer feel free to ask or feel free to PM me.
I'm beginning to wonder if I should just book off season. DS won't be able to go though due to school. 
Where are you flying from? And is this August? If it's a smaller airport is there another one nearby you could drive to that might have better fares? 
Up until then silly me would call at 2-3 months and book. Usually without much trouble. It will all depend on where you want to eat.
