Pre-Trip "We were suppose to be with the band but now are by ourselves" Pre-Trip Report

Hello everyone!✌

Welcome to my "pre" trip report.

Let me introduce myself first....

My name is Heather. I live in a very small town in Pennsylvania about an hour outside of Philly. I am a married, 42 yr old mother of 2 girls! 15 & 20! (I almost made it through the teen years) My husband and I have been married for 20 years this October...but actually have been together WAY longer than that! (feels like forever)

(My husband and I are horrible photo takers! Especially him, he is ALWAYS making a face. lol)

We have 2 four legged kids that will probably be making an appearance every once in a while. Winston is our 2 yr old Great Dane and Harper is our rescue pit mix whom just turned 6.

On with the details...

Our last trip was 10 years ago...but that was a "Girls Only" trip, so for my hubby, it had been even longer than that!

DATE: December 13-18, 2019

WHERE: One of the All Star Resorts

WHO: Myself, Hubby (Rich) & Youngest Daughter, (Sav)

How did this trip begin???

My youngest is a member of the choir in high school, every four years, they take a trip to Disney. The entire band and choir goes along with their directors and any chaperones. Am I chaperoning???? NOPE!!! I volunteered the Hubs and I to actually drive the rental truck with all of the luggage and the instruments from Pennsylvania to Florida! According to Mapquest, it will take 16 hours & 35 minutes for a total of 1058 miles!!!! This will be the longest driving trip that I think we have ever taken.

My oldest is in college and will be taking a study abroad course in Italy next year, so she is going to sit this one out and stay home to watch the 4 legged kids

I do not have many details right now but will update as soon as I have more. We are having a trip meeting this coming Thursday so hopefully, there will be a better itinerary.

I know that we were told that we might miss some things that the kids are doing due to being in charge of the truck. There is only one part THAT I CANNOT MISS.... the choir singing in the Candlelight Procession! I may be a blubbery mess but honestly, this was the whole reason why I wanted to go to begin with.

Have you ever driven to Disney? Gone on a band/choir trip with the school? I would love to hear all about it!

Thanks for reading!!​

 

[Dave B]

You can make payments anytime you like up until the 30 days out when it is all due, also if you have a Target red Card, you can purchase Disney Gift Cards for 5% discount and it will save you a couple hundred dollars over the course of paying.

 

[heatherhy01]

You can make payments anytime you like up until the 30 days out when it is all due, also if you have a Target red Card, you can purchase Disney Gift Cards for 5% discount and it will save you a couple hundred dollars over the course of paying.

Great tip!!! Can I just keep making payments online or do I have to call??

 

[Dave B]

Great tip!!! Can I just keep making payments online or do I have to call??

We have only ever made our payments online, so I would be comfortable telling you, online for sure up to that 30 day out mark

 

[heatherhy01]

We have only ever made our payments online, so I would be comfortable telling you, online for sure up to that 30 day out mark

Thanks so much!

 

[LisaBelle]

So glad you are still able to go! It will be fun to still experience your daughter performing at Disney, yet be able to give her some space and independence while you and your husband celebrate 20 years together! My husband and I also went to Disney on our honeymoon. We've been fortunate enough to celebrate several anniversaries there with our family. Wishing you a wonderful trip. Can't wait to read all about it.

 

[MinnieM123]

UPDATE!!!!

I had a horrible day yesterday! I mean I felt like everything I touched at work just fell apart. The kicker to end my day was when I received a call from the Band/Choir President telling me that a parent had stepped up to pay for the rental truck for the equipment and hire a professional driver to drive the truck.

Now, I fully understand that this is actually a great thing for the kids because the less money that gets put out on incidentals, the more they can fund for the actual trip and the cost will come off of the final cost for the kids. I get it. I really do. I just wish we had known sooner than the day before the deposits & insurance was due for the trip leaving me to figure out what I was going to do now??

I will be honest...I cried..after the awful day at work...this was just the cherry on the top.

soooooo.......... The company that the school is using, US Tours, had given me a quote (just yesterday) of $998/person for myself and the hubby since we would be driving and not flying.

We had the following choices to make:

1. I could go by myself with the group and pay $2100 for a single since I did not have anyone going with me.
2. My husband and I could drive down ourselves for $2000 and still go with the group.
3. I could get on the Disney website and see how much it would be to book myself???

Which do you think I did??

YUP!! December 13th thru December 18th, All Star Music, Quick Service Dining for $2441! I DID IT!!! I booked the trip and made my deposit!

I just figured that the extra $400 was worth it to be in a different hotel (this way Savannah will "feel" like she is on her own but we will still be "there") We also got the dining plan which includes snacks & the mug. AND...we will receive our magic bands earlier and can reserve our fast passes ahead of time!!! We are still going to be driving. I am not a huge flyer and we are trying to keep costs down. I will keep checking and if I find reasonable flights, I may just book them. Also, I may upgrade us to the standard dining plan so we can at least do some table service (we are all about the food in Disney)!

This is actually perfect because we will be celebrating our 20th anniversary this coming October and we had spent our honeymoon in where else? Disney! So this will be like our little celebration!

My question for all of you.....

Can I make payments each month through the website or do I have to call? I remember reading something about making payments but could not recall. Also, since we are staying on property, do we have to pay to park??

I leave you with a pic of my Harper...

View attachment 368577

This was Harper and a foster that we had stay with us for 2 years, Archer. Archer is no longer with us and has crossed the Rainbow Bridge​

Hopefully, everything will go smoothly from this point on, especially after the day at work that you mentioned. (We all have those days, from time to time.)

Lovely dogs, and even if Archer is no longer around, I'll bet he had a wonderful life with your family.

 

[heatherhy01]

So glad you are still able to go! It will be fun to still experience your daughter performing at Disney, yet be able to give her some space and independence while you and your husband celebrate 20 years together! My husband and I also went to Disney on our honeymoon. We've been fortunate enough to celebrate several anniversaries there with our family. Wishing you a wonderful trip. Can't wait to read all about it.

Thanks Lisa! That is exactly what I thought too. If she needs us...we will be there but otherwise she can enjoy her time with friends and we can too!

 

[heatherhy01]

Hopefully, everything will go smoothly from this point on, especially after the day at work that you mentioned. (We all have those days, from time to time.)

Lovely dogs, and even if Archer is no longer around, I'll bet he had a wonderful life with your family.

Thank you! Yes! Those days are awful and thankfully, there are not too many of them Thank you for your kind words. Archer was with us for a little over two years. He adored me and got along great with other dogs. (we even sent him to doggy daycare...see the cute pic below of him and Harper in the pool..lol) but...he was not so good with strangers coming to the house and could be awfully possessive. We loved him anyway, even though he was not "ours"!

 

[MinnieM123]

Thank you! Yes! Those days are awful and thankfully, there are not too many of them Thank you for your kind words. Archer was with us for a little over two years. He adored me and got along great with other dogs. (we even sent him to doggy daycare...see the cute pic below of him and Harper in the pool..lol) but...he was not so good with strangers coming to the house and could be awfully possessive. We loved him anyway, even though he was not "ours"!
View attachment 368828​

Glad you had two years of his company. Although not the best with strangers, and a bit possessive, it sounds like he was a nice addition to your family. Seeing the photo above, he looks like he had a bit of Chow or pit in him.

That's a sweet picture of him and Harper in the pool.

 

[heatherhy01]

Glad you had two years of his company. Although not the best with strangers, and a bit possessive, it sounds like he was a nice addition to your family. Seeing the photo above, he looks like he had a bit of Chow or pit in him.

That's a sweet picture of him and Harper in the pool.

Yes, Archer and Harper both are Pit mixes. You could not really tell by looking at Harper since she looks more lab but her mama was a pit. I honestly fell in love with the breed! They are so loving and smart

 

[MinnieM123]

Yes, Archer and Harper both are Pit mixes. You could not really tell by looking at Harper since she looks more lab but her mama was a pit. I honestly fell in love with the breed! They are so loving and smart

You're right about Harper--never would have figured part pit for her. My dog (a rescue) is part Chow, part lab (but mostly Chow). He has some of the traits that Archer had, but is great with hubs and me at home.

O.k. Dog discussion diversion over -- back to your TR now!

 

[heatherhy01]

Hey everyone!
So now with all the planning completed, it is time to start the paying off of the trip and the saving
This is always the worst part...lol! I am going to be paying for both trips as quickly as humanly possible! I want Savannah's paid off first and still owe around $800. For ours, I have only placed the deposit of $200, so we owe $2241 on it yet.

Does anyone do Swagbucks??? I started last year when we were planning a Disney trip but it fell through. I just picked up where I left off. So far, I have $125 in Disney GC at home stocked up and just ordered another $25 GC today. I am trying to see how much I can possibly save until we leave. I would like to save at least $500 in GC but not sure if it's doable?? $300 for us and $200 for Savannah. If I "happen" to save over $500, then I will put the rest toward the trip instead of having to save out of pocket. Even after we come back, I may just continue to do this. It is a good way to save up for the next trip

Question... Since we will be using the quick service restaurants....is Be Our Guest QS?? And do I need a reservation?? I know it's very popular and I really would love to see it!

Hubby and I already chose our magic band colors...Mine: PINK and His: ORANGE. Pink is my favorite color! I also had them personalized since this will be a sort of anniversary trip for us, they will say Mr. Youse & Mrs. Youse

That's about all for today. Not too much to update on since it is exactly 221 days! It will get more exciting as we get closer

This is Savannah's pride and joy...Javier! He is the biggest guines pig that I have ever seen but so sweet!​

 

[aliceismad]

Yes, you need a reservations for BOG, and it's quite popular. I believe it's a TS at night (2 credits) and a QS for breakfast/lunch. There is a new list of DDP restaurants here: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/m...sney-dining-plans-participating-locations.pdf

 

[heatherhy01]

Yes, you need a reservations for BOG, and it's quite popular. I believe it's a TS at night (2 credits) and a QS for breakfast/lunch. There is a new list of DDP restaurants here: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/m...sney-dining-plans-participating-locations.pdf

Thanks so much!

 

[MegRuss626]

Question... Since we will be using the quick service restaurants....is Be Our Guest QS?? And do I need a reservation?? I know it's very popular and I really would love to see it!

Also, if you have trouble finding a reservation for the two of you, check for two single reservations within 10 minutes or so of each other! A nice trick I learned on the forums that worked for our trip last year!

 

[heatherhy01]

Also, if you have trouble finding a reservation for the two of you, check for two single reservations within 10 minutes or so of each other! A nice trick I learned on the forums that worked for our trip last year!

Great Tip!!! Thanks

 

[heatherhy01]

Hello All!
Not too much to report here on my end. Our trip is 205 days away! My current decision is whether I want to stick with the free magic bands or upgrade them for the extra $10?

I absolutely adore this one for myself:

While, I had considered this one for the hubs:

OR, I could save the $20 and just stick to the pink and orange that we already chose.

What are you all doing? If you have an upcoming trip, are you upgrading or just taking the offered free ones??​

 

[jlag1006]

This trip sounds so fun! Definitely following along as we'll be making our first trip as a "band family" in March 2020 (DD is a freshman member of the drill team).

We decided to upgrade our magic bands for our June trip...we had all been admiring them and I had even considered buying us some at the $25 price, so when they announced the discount I knew we would get some if they were available in time. I picked out Minnie with the castle sketch on the back, DD got the Mickey birthday one (since we leave 10 days after her bday) and DS got the villians!

 

[heatherhy01]

This trip sounds so fun! Definitely following along as we'll be making our first trip as a "band family" in March 2020 (DD is a freshman member of the drill team).

We decided to upgrade our magic bands for our June trip...we had all been admiring them and I had even considered buying us some at the $25 price, so when they announced the discount I knew we would get some if they were available in time. I picked out Minnie with the castle sketch on the back, DD got the Mickey birthday one (since we leave 10 days after her bday) and DS got the villians!

Another musical family!!! Thanks for following along. This is exactly why I am considering them! I have been admiring them for so long. I actually liked several for myself and may have a hard time actually choosing

 

[youngdeb]

We are going to upgrade as well! I will have a hard time deciding but my DS wants the BB8 and DD liked the Ariel one!