Well, I've decided I can't keep this under my hat for much longer. So, here we go.
Hello everyone, and welcome aboard this WDW trip report. Join me as I will relay to you the story of my next WDW trip before, during and after. Though this will be my eighth visit to WDW, it will also be my first since joining this forum. Furthermore, I have also posted trip reports from some of my previous trips (and you will find the links to these further down), I have never done a trip report "live" as it were. So, this will be new ground!
During my time here, I've learned of all sorts of things relating to WDW that I never knew about before, and hopefully as I plan my adventure and subsequently embark on it, I will discover further things. You readers out there may even be able to assist me and pass on some of the wonderful advice you've gathered over your visits. Perhaps by reading this report you may even learn something yourself. Or you might find it incredibly boring! At the very least, it is a place for me to gather my thoughts together. If you have any comments, queries, observations or whatever, just chuck them in. I'm always willing to listen to suggestions and answer questions. So, if you are sitting comfortably, por favor mantengase alejado de las puertas! Relax, enjoy and remember to keep your hands and arms inside the thread at all times. And please, no flash pictures.
As this is the main thread of the report, I will attempt to summarise here the salient points of my trip in it's various stages. I shall most likely go into further depth in individual posts.
And now, without further ado, let's get down to business.
Current Status
Previous Trip Reports
WDW Trip #4 - Retro Disney (1997 Edition)
WDW Trip #5 - Retro Disney II (1998/99 Edition)
WDW Trip #7 - It Never Gets Old (2012 Edition)
The Who
The cast of this trip consists of four people:
The Where
Coincidentally, both groups are planning to stay at Coronado Springs. We made our decisions independently of each other. My brother and I, having stayed at Value Tier resorts for the past few trips, sampling each of the All Star resorts, felt that we should move on up to the next tier. Since the DME bus passed through Coronado Springs on the way back to MCO last time and we liked the look of the place, we settled on that one. My folks on the other hand are seasoned Moderate Tier guests, but having stayed at Port Orleans/Dixie Landings twice now, they felt they wanted a change, so they too picked Coronado Springs.
Now, though we all wish to stay at the same resort, it is still quite likely that my brother and I will book our holiday separately to my folks. Officially, this is so that we can customise our trips and we may not necessarily want the same extras as each other. But, primarily it is for selfish reasons. You see, my brother and I are dual UK/US citizens, and past experiences with travelling to the US have shown that this allows us to get through the immigration procedure super-quick, and as long as our luggage arrives at the baggage reclaim in good time, we can be on the DME and on our way to WDW whilst the last few passengers are still getting their passports stamped. Last time, we clocked a Plane-to-Pirates time (i.e. the time taken from the plane arriving at the gate to boarding POTC) at 2 hours and 37 minutes; a record we want to try and break next time around!
However, due to the room type I preferred not being available at CSR at the time of booking, we've elected for Caribbean Beach instead.
The When
During our last trip, we experienced mostly good weather and low-ish crowd levels, so we are aiming for the same time of year again. Thus, we are planning our trip for September 2015, lasting for ten days. As yet, we haven't decided on dates, but due to things happening at home and elsewhere, it is likely to be towards the start of that month. Early indications suggested a possible departure date of September 07, 2015, which I believe is Labor Day in the US.
The What
Well, obviously the primary reason for the trip is to visit WDW. On top of that, there is talk of perhaps going on a day trip to Sea World, and maybe even further afield.
On the WDW side, I am insisting that each participant has to try an attraction they have never tried before. The new Fantasyland may help with this one!
The Why
You don't really need this one explaining, do you?
The How
It will be the usual transporation method. Fly from LGW to MCO and then get to the resort via the DME bus. The exact method of getting from home to LGW is an entirely separate matter and is probably of little or no interest to you readers.
Hello everyone, and welcome aboard this WDW trip report. Join me as I will relay to you the story of my next WDW trip before, during and after. Though this will be my eighth visit to WDW, it will also be my first since joining this forum. Furthermore, I have also posted trip reports from some of my previous trips (and you will find the links to these further down), I have never done a trip report "live" as it were. So, this will be new ground!
During my time here, I've learned of all sorts of things relating to WDW that I never knew about before, and hopefully as I plan my adventure and subsequently embark on it, I will discover further things. You readers out there may even be able to assist me and pass on some of the wonderful advice you've gathered over your visits. Perhaps by reading this report you may even learn something yourself. Or you might find it incredibly boring! At the very least, it is a place for me to gather my thoughts together. If you have any comments, queries, observations or whatever, just chuck them in. I'm always willing to listen to suggestions and answer questions. So, if you are sitting comfortably, por favor mantengase alejado de las puertas! Relax, enjoy and remember to keep your hands and arms inside the thread at all times. And please, no flash pictures.
As this is the main thread of the report, I will attempt to summarise here the salient points of my trip in it's various stages. I shall most likely go into further depth in individual posts.
And now, without further ado, let's get down to business.
The trip begins in
Current Status
- 2014-10-21 - Accommodation and park tickets booked and deposit paid.
- 2014-10-23 - Flights booked.
- 2015-01-25 - Balance paid.
- 2015-02-22 - Airport hotel booked for night before departure.
- 2015-03-11 - ADR booked for San Angel Inn.
Previous Trip Reports
WDW Trip #4 - Retro Disney (1997 Edition)
WDW Trip #5 - Retro Disney II (1998/99 Edition)
WDW Trip #7 - It Never Gets Old (2012 Edition)
The Who
The cast of this trip consists of four people:
- Me. This will be my eighth WDW trip. Also, I have been on a day trip to DLP.
- My brother. This will be his sixth WDW trip, and he has been on two DLP day trips.
- My folks, who will be on their ninth WDW trip. Additionally, my dad has visited DL in California at least once.
The Where
Coincidentally, both groups are planning to stay at Coronado Springs. We made our decisions independently of each other. My brother and I, having stayed at Value Tier resorts for the past few trips, sampling each of the All Star resorts, felt that we should move on up to the next tier. Since the DME bus passed through Coronado Springs on the way back to MCO last time and we liked the look of the place, we settled on that one. My folks on the other hand are seasoned Moderate Tier guests, but having stayed at Port Orleans/Dixie Landings twice now, they felt they wanted a change, so they too picked Coronado Springs.
Now, though we all wish to stay at the same resort, it is still quite likely that my brother and I will book our holiday separately to my folks. Officially, this is so that we can customise our trips and we may not necessarily want the same extras as each other. But, primarily it is for selfish reasons. You see, my brother and I are dual UK/US citizens, and past experiences with travelling to the US have shown that this allows us to get through the immigration procedure super-quick, and as long as our luggage arrives at the baggage reclaim in good time, we can be on the DME and on our way to WDW whilst the last few passengers are still getting their passports stamped. Last time, we clocked a Plane-to-Pirates time (i.e. the time taken from the plane arriving at the gate to boarding POTC) at 2 hours and 37 minutes; a record we want to try and break next time around!
However, due to the room type I preferred not being available at CSR at the time of booking, we've elected for Caribbean Beach instead.
The When
During our last trip, we experienced mostly good weather and low-ish crowd levels, so we are aiming for the same time of year again. Thus, we are planning our trip for September 2015, lasting for ten days. As yet, we haven't decided on dates, but due to things happening at home and elsewhere, it is likely to be towards the start of that month. Early indications suggested a possible departure date of September 07, 2015, which I believe is Labor Day in the US.
The What
Well, obviously the primary reason for the trip is to visit WDW. On top of that, there is talk of perhaps going on a day trip to Sea World, and maybe even further afield.
On the WDW side, I am insisting that each participant has to try an attraction they have never tried before. The new Fantasyland may help with this one!
The Why
You don't really need this one explaining, do you?
The How
It will be the usual transporation method. Fly from LGW to MCO and then get to the resort via the DME bus. The exact method of getting from home to LGW is an entirely separate matter and is probably of little or no interest to you readers.
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You are there earlier than we do... about 40 days earlier 