Well I never thought of doing a pre-trip report before but Im so excited for this trip that I needed to channel my energy. One would think that after just coming back 30 days ago from an amazing trip with my friends and pulling off a great surprise for them that Id be fulfilled. [See link below if interested in my disney surprise for my friends]. BUT
can a true Disney fan ever get enough??? NOPE!!! So here goes. Cast of Characters: me, loving daughter (her favorite
shh
dont tell my sisters), single, no kids. And mom, the best mother ever; married to her true love (my dad) for 53 years. Here we are from last trip to Disney.
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One of my favorite times to go to Disney is when it is all decked out during the holidays and probably even more than that, I love experiencing it with my mom the greatest lady I know! She loves Disney but doesnt go very often as my dad isnt a fan (never been) and she hates to leave him home alone. I was able to convince her to come with me again this year and promised that my other sisters (I have 3) would all check in on dad.
I started planning this trip before I even went on my September trip with my friends. We meet up in Disney annually for a week and even in the midst of all that planning, I was focusing on moms trip. Trying to decide where to stay is always the hardest part for me. I definitely play the change resort game. I wasnt upgrading to an annual pass until I arrived for the September trip so a friend was kind enough to allow me access to her account so I could keep checking AP rates online and check them I did..everyday! Even while on my trip in September, every night when we returned to the room, I would jump on my ipad and check rates and room availability before going to sleep. This is normal right?
My mom has been to Disney 3 times in the past. The first time we stayed off property and she and I both hated it. It just wasnt the same to me. Being her first trip, I was also saddened by this being her experience. If I dont stay on property, Im just not happy. One of the many reasons is the transportation. We dont get a rental car so we are at the mercy of the hotel shuttle and it just was never convenient. Anywho . The second time, I took her during December and I treated her to Beach Club for 2 nights and the Grand Floridian for 2 nights. I figured after the fiasco of the off property stay that I owed it to her. She loved it so much. She wasnt thrilled about moving resorts but we had a blast. She fell in love with the Grand Floridian but really who wouldnt. Especially during Christmas time. Our last trip I decided to up her stay again and this time she knew we were staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge but she had no idea what was in store. I surprised her with club level and arranged surprises for her everyday like personalized cakes, sunrise safari, cirque du soleil and much more.
This time however, and especially after just coming back from a very expensive trip with my friends, I was gonna have to go budget. I decided on Port Orleans French Quarter. I love how small and quaint the resort is and mom would be able to get around easy. I booked the closest room category to the main building and starting planning the rest of the trip. NOT SO FAST YOU SAY! I did say that I play the resort change game. Once I had my AP in hand, there was no stopping my obsession with checking rates on the computer every day, all day. And once again, I was looking at deluxes. Not that I wasnt happy with my choice of moderate resort but I started thinking that this may be the last trip for mom in awhile and I want to make certain that she is blown away. That means topping her last trip to AKL; which is of course where she wanted to stay again. I had also been showing her photos and getting her excited about POFQ so she was completely thrown off the scent. I began re-working my budget and just couldnt find the money for the trip I wanted and Christmas too. And wouldnt you know it .unexpectedly, we received a bonus at work! YAY! There was no stopping me now. Deluxe here we come!
I thought of POLY and CR first since I have never stayed at those. But due to construction, though I wouldnt mind, I didnt want mom to experience POLY that way. So I focused on CR. I knew I wanted to stay in the tower. Mom would love the monorail going through the resort. But alas, there was nothing available for my dates. I kept checking (every day remember) and finally a room popped up for a couple of the nights we are going to be there and with an AP discount too! Could I do another split stay? Last time it was from an Epcot resort to GF so if I am considering it this time, it has to be monorail resort to monorail resort. Its just easier with mom and like me, she hates cabs. They just creep us out! So this leaves me with??? ..you guessed it .GF! A girls gotta do what a girls gotta do!This would truly be a surprise for her. I quickly got on the phone and switched my ressie from POFQ. By the time I got off the phone, I had booked 2 nights at CR tower with dining plan followed by 3 nights at GF main building club level. Mom is gonna be so excited. Its always been my dream to stay in the main building at GF and to do it during the holidays is just icing on the cake!
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Next up the ADR roller coaster!
One of my favorite times to go to Disney is when it is all decked out during the holidays and probably even more than that, I love experiencing it with my mom the greatest lady I know! She loves Disney but doesnt go very often as my dad isnt a fan (never been) and she hates to leave him home alone. I was able to convince her to come with me again this year and promised that my other sisters (I have 3) would all check in on dad.
I started planning this trip before I even went on my September trip with my friends. We meet up in Disney annually for a week and even in the midst of all that planning, I was focusing on moms trip. Trying to decide where to stay is always the hardest part for me. I definitely play the change resort game. I wasnt upgrading to an annual pass until I arrived for the September trip so a friend was kind enough to allow me access to her account so I could keep checking AP rates online and check them I did..everyday! Even while on my trip in September, every night when we returned to the room, I would jump on my ipad and check rates and room availability before going to sleep. This is normal right?
My mom has been to Disney 3 times in the past. The first time we stayed off property and she and I both hated it. It just wasnt the same to me. Being her first trip, I was also saddened by this being her experience. If I dont stay on property, Im just not happy. One of the many reasons is the transportation. We dont get a rental car so we are at the mercy of the hotel shuttle and it just was never convenient. Anywho . The second time, I took her during December and I treated her to Beach Club for 2 nights and the Grand Floridian for 2 nights. I figured after the fiasco of the off property stay that I owed it to her. She loved it so much. She wasnt thrilled about moving resorts but we had a blast. She fell in love with the Grand Floridian but really who wouldnt. Especially during Christmas time. Our last trip I decided to up her stay again and this time she knew we were staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge but she had no idea what was in store. I surprised her with club level and arranged surprises for her everyday like personalized cakes, sunrise safari, cirque du soleil and much more.
This time however, and especially after just coming back from a very expensive trip with my friends, I was gonna have to go budget. I decided on Port Orleans French Quarter. I love how small and quaint the resort is and mom would be able to get around easy. I booked the closest room category to the main building and starting planning the rest of the trip. NOT SO FAST YOU SAY! I did say that I play the resort change game. Once I had my AP in hand, there was no stopping my obsession with checking rates on the computer every day, all day. And once again, I was looking at deluxes. Not that I wasnt happy with my choice of moderate resort but I started thinking that this may be the last trip for mom in awhile and I want to make certain that she is blown away. That means topping her last trip to AKL; which is of course where she wanted to stay again. I had also been showing her photos and getting her excited about POFQ so she was completely thrown off the scent. I began re-working my budget and just couldnt find the money for the trip I wanted and Christmas too. And wouldnt you know it .unexpectedly, we received a bonus at work! YAY! There was no stopping me now. Deluxe here we come!
I thought of POLY and CR first since I have never stayed at those. But due to construction, though I wouldnt mind, I didnt want mom to experience POLY that way. So I focused on CR. I knew I wanted to stay in the tower. Mom would love the monorail going through the resort. But alas, there was nothing available for my dates. I kept checking (every day remember) and finally a room popped up for a couple of the nights we are going to be there and with an AP discount too! Could I do another split stay? Last time it was from an Epcot resort to GF so if I am considering it this time, it has to be monorail resort to monorail resort. Its just easier with mom and like me, she hates cabs. They just creep us out! So this leaves me with??? ..you guessed it .GF! A girls gotta do what a girls gotta do!This would truly be a surprise for her. I quickly got on the phone and switched my ressie from POFQ. By the time I got off the phone, I had booked 2 nights at CR tower with dining plan followed by 3 nights at GF main building club level. Mom is gonna be so excited. Its always been my dream to stay in the main building at GF and to do it during the holidays is just icing on the cake!
Next up the ADR roller coaster!
