Footloose and Fancy Free-Dec 2018, Feb 2019 PTR-12/31-TR Link!

Do I see Illuminations when I plan to be at AK at 7 am the next morning?

  • Yes, why sleep at Disney? And the show could be replaced by my next visit!

    Votes: 4 80.0%
  • No, get some rest so I can hit AK hard the next day.

    Votes: 1 20.0%

  • Total voters
    5
  • Poll closed .

Lesley Wake

DIS Veteran
Joined
Mar 16, 2017
Footloose and Fancy Free

Hello everyone!

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My name is Lesley and I'm a bit Disney obsessed! I live less than an hour from Disneyland so have had an AP for years (with a few month lapse). This year I upgraded from Signature to Premier, as it made financial sense for my first visit to Walt Disney World in September!

Now, before I get into the nitty gritty of planning (or in this case, non-planning, which is the reason for this PTR title) :cutie:, I would like to tell you a little story:

Let me take you back, way back, 21 days :P, to September 18. My sister, Lauren, and I had just finished an awesome, 11-day stay at Disneyworld (I'm currently working on a trip report here:
"We've gone too far"-A sister trip with surprise guest Irma! Sept 2017). We had just boarded the Tragical Express and were pulling away from the lovely Port Orleans French Quarter. I turned to Lauren and said, "This was fun; but I think I could probably do a trip every 5-years or so." :rolleyes1


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We each had an uneventful travel back home to LAX and were able to fill our parents in on all our experiences! The next morning, I woke up and was "I miss Disneyworld!" I missed the Disney bubble. I missed knowing we would be going to a theme park that day. I missed the atmosphere of excitement and happiness!
Even going to Disneyland wasn't able to help me get over missing Disneyworld!

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Then I got to thinking, how soon can I justify going back?

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As I will be discussing in my TR, my sister had originally gotten a 7-day park hopper ticket, which she upgraded to 10-days after we arrived 2 days early to avoid flight cancellations due to Irma. We weren't sure yet what the closure schedule was going to be, and it only cost $30 for 3 extra days, so we decided to just do it to not lose any fastpasses! Eventually, Irma caused the parks to get closed for 2 days, so at the end she had a 10-day ticket with 2 unused days on it. She is currently getting in contact with Disney to see if they will give her either a refund or more time to use those tickets (in effect giving her a free 2-day park hopper ticket). So, I thought, if she gets a ticket, why not make another trip!

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When would we go? I knew there were 2 festivals coming up at Epcot I was interested in, Festival of the Arts (Jan-Feb) and Flower & Garden Festival (March-May). After thinking more and more, I decided, F&G would be the way to go! Give Festival of the Arts a little bit longer to establish itself and then I could come back for it!

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So that meant, March-May. Well my Premier AP was expiring April 2nd, so March it is! Then I also realized Disney After Hours still was going on in the first 2 weeks in March, so why not do that too! First March weekend will probably be less crowded than the 2nd (as that is getting closer to Spring Break), so how about that?


So, final dates:
February 28-March 4!

Holy crap-I'm going back to Disneyworld!


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First My name is Lesley TOO. I rarely see it spelled that way. Second I am following along here and Im going to check out the other TR as well. Have a good day. We are going for my daughters first trip in April 2018 for the F & G festival too.
 
First My name is Lesley TOO. I rarely see it spelled that way. Second I am following along here and Im going to check out the other TR as well. Have a good day. We are going for my daughters first trip in April 2018 for the F & G festival too.
Welcome! And yeah, it is definitely rare! I'm actually named after my Great-GrandFATHER, who is from England and the Lesley was the feminine way of spelling, while Leslie was the masculine way (at least back in early 1900s). I've gone so much of my life having it misspelled I don't even correct people anymore (as long as it wouldn't mess up my email address)! But I have come to prefer the -ey, because it is rarer!

I'm sure you guys will have an awesome trip too! I've always loved seeing photos of the topiaries and now I'll actually get to see them in person!
 
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Following along again.
Couple of things to share.
  1. Went to F&G in May. Epcot looks fantastic
  2. Winter school vacations are over and spring breakers not starting yet.
  3. NO HURRICANES. :yay:
  4. Weather in March is great. We were there 2nd week of May and it was mid 90s already.
  5. You're already within 180. Suggest making a R/O. You can always change or cancel it
Let the planning begin!
 
Following along again.
Couple of things to share.
  1. Went to F&G in May. Epcot looks fantastic
  2. Winter school vacations are over and spring breakers not starting yet.
  3. NO HURRICANES. :yay:
  4. Weather in March is great. We were there 2nd week of May and it was mid 90s already.
  5. You're already within 180. Suggest making a R/O. You can always change or cancel it
Let the planning begin!

Yeah, I hope for good weather! Maybe eventually I will be able to hit WDW in every season! I'll have to watch weather predictions as I've seen sometimes its warm and other times can be very cold! I know in Fall the temp didn't go down significantly at night, is that the same in Spring? I'm used to in SoCal having the temp drop 20 degrees once the sun sets!

Already got the room taken care of (I originally booked just in case when I was still 50/50, but booking it made it more concrete in my mind so led me to quickly get to 100% going)! I'll talk about that in the next update! Fun to see you tagging along again!
 
Worst weather in Florida is usually January and February. When you are going you should see mid 70s during the day and low 50s overnight.
 


YEAH!!! More Disney World! We were just there the week after you. And I am trying to get my DH to agree to an early Feb. Trip! The more the better!!!!
 
Update 10/10 - Who, What, Where, When, Why?

So, it's 100% official I am going! Booked nonrefundable airfare, got my nonrefundable Disney After Hours ticket! No going back now without wasting money! :rainbow:
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Who is going on this trip?
First, me! As mentioned above, I currently have an AP. And I love love love Disney!


As of now, that is it! My sister finally decided last night she doesn't want to spend that money, so if Disney contacts her back about her unused ticket days, she's just going to ask for a refund. A whole $20! But I guess she would end up spending a lot for airfare, food, etc, so it's totally her decision! And then it makes my planning easier as I don't need to work around her tickets! And actually she was really being irritable last night and pissed me off, so it's probably for the best! :badpc:

Because Lauren is not going, her boyfriend is out. Also probably for the best, as he likes to sleep in...can't really do that when the parks close at 9pm! :headache:

I tried to convince my mom to come as she would love Flower & Garden, but when I mentioned I was going she rolled her eyes, so I realized that was a losing battle!

There is a slight possibility someone else may meet me there for part of the trip:flower:, but as of now, I'm planning it as a solo adventure! Which I'm totally ok with! I often go to Disneyland alone and like making my own schedule. And I've gone to Hawaii alone twice in the past few years! I figure if I have to wait for someone else to join me I'll never get to do anything fun!

What are the plans?
I'll go into more detail in a later post, but my general strategy is the inspiration for the PTR title: Footloose and Fancy Free. My previous trip was planned so strictly! Like I knew which rides we'd be on at any time of any day! And worked out a plan with FPs and ADRs and whatnot. Then Irma came in and threw a lot of those plans into disarray and know what-it turned out fine! Better than fine, it was awesome! One of my favorite days was when we had a very general idea of what to do and then just figured out on the fly! :hippie:

Some things specifically I want to do:
-Spend more time exploring Disney Springs. We didn't get to see all of the store or try a bunch of food items, so I will want to visit that
-Disney After Hours. This makes my Magic Kingdom planning easier!
-Flower & Garden Festival
-Animal Kingdom at night
-Resort Hopping, and trying some of the better restaurants at resorts rather than parks!
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Where am I staying?
This took some consideration on my part. For value-if I was going for a super cheap, commando, rope-drop to close type of touring style, I would have considered these more strongly. But I didn't really like the feeling of Pop! for the 2 nights we stayed there, so wasn't really looking forward to that idea. For moderate-I definitely loved POFQ, but I still wanted to get more of a feel for other resorts! POR was nice too, but next door to POFQ wouldn't really give me a different experience. CBR was out because of all the construction. I seriously considered CSR, but still was hesitant about how spread out the resort would be, and I honestly didn't really care for the look of it, so probably not. So, that left Deluxe! Yes, it's $$$ but for the relaxing experience I'm going for, and maybe trying to spend more time at the resort, I thought it would be the best option!

So, which Deluxe? For cost reasons, I thought Wilderness Lodge or Animal Kingdom Lodge would be the best (OKW and SSR did have some cheaper options but again, I didn't really want the spread-out resorts). Originally I wanted WL as I liked the boat transport option (it was very relaxing when we used boats on our trip), and I booked a standard view there. Then room-only discounts came out and there was no availability for WL; even if there was it would only be 10%. But, a pool view at AKL was available for $45 cheaper per night than the non-discounted WL (AKL got a 25% discount)! After some hemming and hawing, I decided to switch over there! So, currently I have a pool view booked at AKL. I'm still monitoring discount availability and would love for a standard view to open up. I'll also see what becomes available with the AP discount. But for now, I'm happy with what I have:cloud9:!
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At one point I did toy with the idea of renting DVC points and even contacted a rental agency to get quotes. They did have available at Kidani Village for a suite, and it would have been cheaper than the Jambo House room, but I thought more and more and decided I didn't want to give up control, as well as be at a building that didn't have food options (I don't like Indian); I know I could have just walked or taken the shuttle, but between being able to walk down some stairs vs across the whole resort, I picked closer!
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When am I going?
I mentioned, February 28-March 4. Flying in on Wednesday, February 28, and arrive at 4:15. I figure even giving time for DME, I will still get in with enough time to catch sunset over the AKL Savannah! And my flight doesn't leave until 7:30 on Sunday, March 4, so will have most of a day to spend doing whatever! :yay:
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Why am I doing this?
This is what my parents keep asking me! But honestly, if anyone reading the Disboards need to ask that, you need to find a different message board:p!
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got my nonrefundable Disney After Hours ticket!
Jealous!!!! I really want to do that one day!

Resort Hopping, and trying some of the better restaurants at resorts rather than parks!
We have talked about doing this as well on our next trip!

So, currently I have a pool view booked at AKL. I'm still monitoring discount availability and would love for a standard view to open up
AKL is totally on my bucket list... one day!

This is what my parents keep asking me! But honestly, if anyone reading the Disboards need to ask that, you need to find a different message board:p!
Agreed. ;)
 
So, it's 100% official I am going! Booked nonrefundable airfare, got my nonrefundable Disney After Hours ticket! No going back now without wasting money! :rainbow:

:cheer2: Woohoo!

And actually she was really being irritable last night and pissed me off, so it's probably for the best! :badpc:

:rotfl:

-Spend more time exploring Disney Springs. We didn't get to see all of the store or try a bunch of food items, so I will want to visit that

Yes! Disney Springs is so awesome, and has the best food!

Resort Hopping, and trying some of the better restaurants at resorts rather than parks!

Also agree with that the resorts have some really good restaurants.

But, a pool view at AKL was available for $45 cheaper per night than the non-discounted WL (AKL got a 25% discount)!

That's definitely a no brainer to me :thumbsup2 AKL is such an amazing resort and for even cheaper, and there's some of amazing restaurants there.

At one point I did toy with the idea of renting DVC points and even contacted a rental agency to get quotes. They did have available at Kidani Village for a suite, and it would have been cheaper than the Jambo House room, but I thought more and more and decided I didn't want to give up control

That's the same thing I have a problem with I need flexibility with my reservations. And I don't like the idea of not being able to cancel if something comes up.
 
I'm following along! Those dates are around my favorite time to go! One because it's my bday at the end of Feb, two weather is great, and 3, crowds are very manageable. Although do you know if it's Princess Half Marathon during that weekend? Because that will significantly bump up the crowd levels and it makes park hopping a pain. If you read my February TR, you'll see what we experienced. Although you should be ok as I think you'll be there the week after the half.
 
I'm following along! Those dates are around my favorite time to go! One because it's my bday at the end of Feb, two weather is great, and 3, crowds are very manageable. Although do you know if it's Princess Half Marathon during that weekend? Because that will significantly bump up the crowd levels and it makes park hopping a pain. If you read my February TR, you'll see what we experienced. Although you should be ok as I think you'll be there the week after the half.
:welcome:I'll have to wish you a birthday from Disney! I think the marathon is the weekend before, so hopefully it'll be fine! But I'll have to re-read your TR, as I didn't think I'd be heading there in Feb/March so didn't pay as much attention! But at least I won't need to be as concerned with hitting every single ride this time, so if there are leftover crowds, I'll just deal with it! :P
 
Update 10/16 - Brief resort update

I was going to post a general rundown of my plans, but they are far from finalized (and could drastically change...). But I wanted to give a brief update on the resort. Still staying at AKL, but as you may remember, I had booked a Pool View with the room-only discount. Well, I got the Mousesavers newsletter today and they mentioned Undercover Tourist can do room-only reservations now at a discount. I went ahead and searched, but wasn't that optimistic they'd have something that would save me money. Well...they had a Standard view that saved me $320!

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That was the room type I wanted, as I know many people are able to get a Standard with a partial Savannah view (and I will still have my Touring Plans subscription so can try to request it)!

So, right now, I'm like this:

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Their reservation system is also pretty simple! Gave me the reservation code right away so I could like to MDE! And its fully refundable up until Feb 22 (a week before), so if I find a better deal (doubtful) I can take it! And now I don't have to keep searching for Standard availability every day! One thing is that I had to pay the full thing up front to UT and couldn't use a Disney gift card (meaning I can't take advantage of the 5% Target Redcard option), but still, works for me! So, if anyone is every searching for a discounted Disney resort (or tickets or anything), I can't recommend Undercover Tourist enough!
 
Update 10/23 - Christmas 2018 Trip!

Why do one trip when I could do two at twice the cost?

As we all know I am crazy, and I am obsessed with Disney! After all, I deliberately went to Florida during a hurricane! What you also need to know is I have a long commute every day, with an hour each way in stop and go traffic.
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Why do you need to know this? Well, when I'm driving I tend to daydream. And lately I've been day dreaming a lot about WDW. That is how the whole March trip came about. Last week I got to thinking, I love Disneyland at Christmas, so I would probably go crazy for Disneyworld at Christmas! Hmm, so... time to plan a Christmas trip!

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I liked doing the 5-W's before, so I'll do it again! This trip is very much in the conceptual phase right now, but since I finally settled on it, I have been getting more and more excited!

Who:
Me! So far that is it, though I wouldn't be surprised if Lauren/Joey came along. Though by that time she may be in law school so can't travel. But as I've proven, I don't mind solo trips!

Why:
I want to visit at Christmas! And now it looks like Star Wars Galaxy Edge may open Fall 2019, so that means crowds will be insane for the holiday season 2019. And I have no patience, so need to go sooner than that!

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When:
I obviously want to see all the Christmas decorations, but also don't want to deal with the insane crowds (I do know the entire holiday season will be busier than post-labor day hurricane crowds). I don't have any kids to consider the school schedules. So I'm thinking right after Thanksgiving. Either 1-2 weeks after. I'd probably prefer first week of December, as I won't have to deal with leftover Thanksgiving travel crowds. Has anyone traveled those 2 weeks-is the first week of December noticeably more crowded than last week of November?

So either:
Nov 26-Dec 3, 2018, OR
Dec 3-10, 2018.


What:
I like the idea of coming up with some priorities and basing the rest of the trip around those. So for this trip, it will be:

  • Magic Kingdom: Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party
  • Epcot: Festival of the Holidays, Storytellers, Candlelight Processional
  • Hollywood Studios: Holiday nighttime shows, Toy Story Land
  • Disney Springs: Tree trail, Drone show
  • Resort decorations
  • Harry Potter Christmas (tentative - I'm waiting to see what this year's looks like. I may be going to USO for an evening in March (Mardi Gras), and if I combine that, plus a park-to-park ticket in December, it may make more sense to get an AP; again, it is a consideration)
I'm also going to renew my Premier AP this year; it just makes sense if I have another trip upcoming!
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Where:
A couple options here, but haven't booked yet. I think eventually it will depend on $$$

  • Wilderness Lodge - This would be my preference, as the Christmas decorations seem to be awesome and cozy. But lately the room discounts for WL have been very stingy, around 10%. I think it will depend on the final cost and what discounts I'm able to get.
  • Boardwalk Inn - In general I'm not as interested in the Epcot area resorts as I am with the MK resorts. But so many of my priorities will be Epcot/DHS related, so maybe it makes sense to stay close by. And BWI is the cheapest option, as well as having higher discounts.
  • Animal Kingdom Lodge - This would be a repeat of the March trip, and I sort of want to see/stay at more places. But if there is a higher discount, it may be more cost effective!
  • POR/POFQ - Another repeat, and probably would only be for cost reasons. Though I may end up visiting them anyways to see the decorations!
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What are people's thoughts?
 
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Why do one trip when I could do two at twice the cost?

:rotfl: I LOVE this!

I like the idea of coming up with some priorities and basing the rest of the trip around those. So for this trip, it will be

This is such a great idea..I'm actually going to use it as I start to re-vamp our February plans

In general I'm not as interested in the Epcot area resorts as I am with the MK resorts.

We LOVE the EPCOT resorts..we're staying at an MK one for the first time in Feb and are excited to see the differences..but nothing beats the Beach/Yacht for us so far.
 
This is such a great idea..I'm actually going to use it as I start to re-vamp our February plans
Yeah, that's sort of my method whenever I'm doing a Disneyland trip. Sometimes I think about a few rides or food item I wanted to try; sometimes I keep a checklist of things I'm craving, other times I think it over as I'm driving over (it's about 45 minute drive). So I figured I can use it on a larger scale with WDW!

We LOVE the EPCOT resorts..we're staying at an MK one for the first time in Feb and are excited to see the differences..but nothing beats the Beach/Yacht for us so far.
You know, I was looking more at all of those and am not as opposed to them as I was before! I think it would be very nice to be so close to Epcot and DHS! WL is still definitely my first choice, but I'd be happy with an Epcot area for the right price!
 

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