Pre-Trip We just couldn't resist the crowds (or lack there of!) - *Live-ish*

We are planners, I swear we are. I remember one time pre-kids, pre-marriage we got up and thought "let's be crazy and go to a basketball game", and that was spontaneous for us.

But this is going to take the cake:


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More details to come (as we figure them out!)
 

Spash007

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Before I go into what details we have and are figuring out, first a bit of background -

We had a trip planned in April that of course didn't happen. Which was going to be this little guy's first trip -

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We had booked the hotel and tickets separate, so while we got a refund for the hotel, our 3-day tickets became "floaters". We figured we would end up saving those for our next planned trip in 2021.

But then in the middle of a tough week (I know things could be a ton worse and really our problems are probably petty), my dear wife happened to look at a DVC rental website and saw a 5 night beach club studio for less than $1,000. We had been trying to find somewhere to go away and couldn't find a single thing. Either we weren't allowed in to the state, it ended up being too expensive, or it honestly wasn't anything that different than all of us spending 24/7 together now. With our tickets we already had, this became extremely tempting.

It's not ideal to take a 16 month old under these circumstances for his first trip, but at the same time there are definitely pros to everything. No night-time shows means we don't have to fight bed time. No shows means we don't have to try to get the kid who just wants to walk to sit still. We'll take mid-day breaks most days which can work for nap time.

We waffled over the last few weeks, but everything we see coming from folks who visit, we feel more comfortable going to the parks than to the grocery store. As time has gone on, we got more and more comfortable. The big issue for us was how to get there. We were first considering driving overnight (thanks to @DisneyGigi for some really helpful info!), but after some research decided we'll fly Southwest.

So now the main thing on our to-do list is to figure out if we want 4 or 5 park days. There just isn't a ton in HS for baby L to do, but C has taken a liking to Star Wars (and I'm pretty sure Kylo Ren is her first crush...). And an actual rest day does sound pretty nice.

The most interesting part of this 2 week planning time-frame is that when normally we can have to-dos for the week, this is pretty much to-dos each day. My sister thinks we're nuts (not for going now, but for the quick planning time), but considering this will be less planning than normal, I'm pretty excited! And plus, with working remote - will anyone know if I do it during the day? ;)
 

Spash007

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I'm looking forward to hearing about your plans! Hopefully, you will be able to have a few magician meet ups.
How exciting!
Woo hoo! Can't wait to read more!
Ooooh, fun!! Can't wait to read all about your trip!
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I am excited about this!

Thank you all! I'm going to try to do some live updates once we're there but I won't make too many promises haha
 

Spash007

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Slight update - somehow we went from considering 4 or 5 day tickets, to upgrading to 6 days 😄

It's entirely C's fault - she has fully admitted her crush on Kyle Ren (this liking for bad boys does NOT bode well) and really wants to go to HS, and then when talking to her about it, she said "why don't we just go the first day we get there"? Which got us thinking and realizing we can then do 6 day tickets (which are hardly any more than 5 days) and still get a true rest day.

Now we're just going to finalize our park days tonight, and start making some ADRs (granted we're probably going to wait until we're there to make most of them since there's a ton of availability and we have to see how L does at the parks/if he needs room naps)
 

DisneyGigi

Well-Known Member
I am so very excited for you but also insanely jealous at the same time! Poly Bungalows?? My dream and very close to our annual anniversary trip. This will be the first time in 6 years I have not been on our anniversary. :( My consolation prize for not going this anniversary is pretty cool too though, we will be meeting our newest addition, a granddaughter August 31! I am here and following along, while planning a fall trip after the baby gets here and settled. :)
 

Spash007

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I am so very excited for you but also insanely jealous at the same time! Poly Bungalows?? My dream and very close to our annual anniversary trip. This will be the first time in 6 years I have not been on our anniversary. :( My consolation prize for not going this anniversary is pretty cool too though, we will be meeting our newest addition, a granddaughter August 31! I am here and following along, while planning a fall trip after the baby gets here and settled. :)

Oh I wish it was a bungalow - we're getting one of the studios (which will still be great with 2 bathrooms haha - especially since the baby may sleep in one :p)

That's a pretty good consolation prize! And she would share a birthday with my dad! I know all kids are different, but the difference between boys and girls makes it so much fun - our son is right now so active and funny, but our daughter at this age was just the sweetest and relaxed (and I know I'm biased but I enjoyed the spoiling and all the Princess stuff). You'll have so much fun and have so many great memories coming your way!
 

slipperalwaysfits

Well-Known Member
Yay! So very happy for you to get to go back to Disney! Glad you found a studio for rent that was a really good price! We are planning to go in the fall. Our only concern is hubby's work and if they'd make him quarantine without pay for two weeks when we get back in December....

The big issue for us was how to get there. We were first considering driving overnight (thanks to @DisneyGigi for some really helpful info!), but after some research decided we'll fly Southwest.

We are also planning to fly SWA. With middle seats open, it seems like they are also enforcing the mask mandate. It's a risk we are willing to take.

The most interesting part of this 2 week planning time-frame is that when normally we can have to-dos for the week, this is pretty much to-dos each day. My sister thinks we're nuts (not for going now, but for the quick planning time), but considering this will be less planning than normal, I'm pretty excited! And plus, with working remote - will anyone know if I do it during the day?

Yes, we've noticed, too...a lot less planning but still enjoyable! I love that there's so much availability for ADR's, that allows for so much flexibility! Like C, I added a day, or two or three eventually to our second trip ever in the Fall of 2014. Now, we are in the parks for 7 days but still get that fabulous rest day in the middle of it!


Looking forward to reading your report!!
 

Spash007

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Yay! So very happy for you to get to go back to Disney! Glad you found a studio for rent that was a really good price! We are planning to go in the fall. Our only concern is hubby's work and if they'd make him quarantine without pay for two weeks when we get back in December....



We are also planning to fly SWA. With middle seats open, it seems like they are also enforcing the mask mandate. It's a risk we are willing to take.



Yes, we've noticed, too...a lot less planning but still enjoyable! I love that there's so much availability for ADR's, that allows for so much flexibility! Like C, I added a day, or two or three eventually to our second trip ever in the Fall of 2014. Now, we are in the parks for 7 days but still get that fabulous rest day in the middle of it!


Looking forward to reading your report!!

We;re lucky we're both remote, but my wife is going back to seeing patients next month, so that was part of the reason to hurry up a it. As safe as we feel, we probably will try to quarantine for 2 weeks when we get back.

I've been listening to a lot of podcasts, and they all seem to fly SWA. What I've been hearing is they also only load 10 people at a time, which helps a lot. The de-boarding is the same with everyone rushing, but if you try to load the back of the plane, you can just sit and wait out the mobs, which is our plan.

I've also been tracking the same-day availability for ADRs, because we're not sure about certain ones. But it seems like even then, there's a lot of choices same day (including BoG!)
 

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