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)
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(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.
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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!!
 

mommylove

New Member
I'm going to follow along too - my daughter's marching band is playing over spring break next year. Very interested to see the logistics in a child with the school and family at another resort. Enjoy your planning!!!
 

heatherhy01

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I'm going to follow along too - my daughter's marching band is playing over spring break next year. Very interested to see the logistics in a child with the school and family at another resort. Enjoy your planning!!!
Thanks for following along! Our school has been doing this for years but it’s the first time for us.
 

heatherhy01

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Hiya everyone!!

Just checking in to see what everyone is up to?? Not too much going on in my section of the woods. We have 190 days until we are back at the happiest place on earth. So far, I have saved $350 in Disney gift cards just using Swagbucks! I love that site:) I am also looking into flights for our trip instead of driving. I will check with hubby but I found direct, non stop flights for $377.00 round trip for both of us. I would think it would be more expensive to drive??

Okay, I just priced it out and it would cost us approximately $100 to drive in gas. o_O I thought it would be much more than that??? Anyhoo, I will check with hubby and see which he would like better?

In my last post, I was going to try to upgrade our magic bands. What a debacle that was! I never did get to upgrade them and now...it is not an option:confused:

Question for all of you...well actually 2 questions:

1. Do we foresee any discounts for rooms or dining at the beginning of December??

2. When booking a dining package, does it go according to how many nights you stay on property or how many days your in the parks to see how many credits you have of each? For example: We will be there 5 nights but only have four day park hoppers, do we get 2 counters & two snacks for 5 days or 4???

I leave you with a lovely photo of me & Winston in the car on the way to the vet this past weekend. He just would not sit still! Picture a Great Dane in a Mazda3:arghh: Yup...That was us! LOL

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jlag1006

Well-Known Member
Hiya everyone!!

Just checking in to see what everyone is up to?? Not too much going on in my section of the woods. We have 190 days until we are back at the happiest place on earth. So far, I have saved $350 in Disney gift cards just using Swagbucks! I love that site:) I am also looking into flights for our trip instead of driving. I will check with hubby but I found direct, non stop flights for $377.00 round trip for both of us. I would think it would be more expensive to drive??

Okay, I just priced it out and it would cost us approximately $100 to drive in gas. o_O I thought it would be much more than that??? Anyhoo, I will check with hubby and see which he would like better?

In my last post, I was going to try to upgrade our magic bands. What a debacle that was! I never did get to upgrade them and now...it is not an option:confused:

Question for all of you...well actually 2 questions:

1. Do we foresee any discounts for rooms or dining at the beginning of December??

2. When booking a dining package, does it go according to how many nights you stay on property or how many days your in the parks to see how many credits you have of each? For example: We will be there 5 nights but only have four day park hoppers, do we get 2 counters & two snacks for 5 days or 4???

I leave you with a lovely photo of me & Winston in the car on the way to the vet this past weekend. He just would not sit still! Picture a Great Dane in a Mazda3:arghh: Yup...That was us! LOL

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Hey there! good updates...as for the fly vs drive, that's a pretty good price - I would definitely choose to fly for that price. The gas might be $100, but I would also factor in the time you spend in the car. We live near Cleveland, so WDW is a 2-day drive for us so I have to factor in a hotel too!

We got lucky and were able to upgrade our bands for our June trip (we leave in 10 days - eek, so close!). I've heard they should be restocking, so I would keep an eye out as you might still be able to upgrade in time for your trip! :)

As for dining, you're allotted meals based on the number of nights. So for our June trip, we'll have 5 QS & 5 TS, but only are going to the parks for 3 days. So we have a few meals planned at the resorts & DS.

And what are we up to here -- well this week is dance recital week, so that is pretty much all we're doing right now. This is one of those times when the early planning aspect of WDW helps because we'll be leaving a week later! So, yay, in the World 6/16 - 6/21, then back to start all the craziness of summer band camps & dance camps.

Speaking of band, we just had our first Disney meeting this week for the band this week. We'll be there next March. The band is staying offsite, but the rest of us are at Bay Lake Tower.
 

heatherhy01

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Hey there! good updates...as for the fly vs drive, that's a pretty good price - I would definitely choose to fly for that price. The gas might be $100, but I would also factor in the time you spend in the car. We live near Cleveland, so WDW is a 2-day drive for us so I have to factor in a hotel too!

We got lucky and were able to upgrade our bands for our June trip (we leave in 10 days - eek, so close!). I've heard they should be restocking, so I would keep an eye out as you might still be able to upgrade in time for your trip! :)

As for dining, you're allotted meals based on the number of nights. So for our June trip, we'll have 5 QS & 5 TS, but only are going to the parks for 3 days. So we have a few meals planned at the resorts & DS.

And what are we up to here -- well this week is dance recital week, so that is pretty much all we're doing right now. This is one of those times when the early planning aspect of WDW helps because we'll be leaving a week later! So, yay, in the World 6/16 - 6/21, then back to start all the craziness of summer band camps & dance camps.

Speaking of band, we just had our first Disney meeting this week for the band this week. We'll be there next March. The band is staying offsite, but the rest of us are at Bay Lake Tower.

Hi There! 10 DAYS!!!:eek: Your family must be so excited!!! You have to come back here and tell us all about it!!!

Thanks for the tip on the Magic Bands, I will just have to keep checking to see if they have released the upgrades again. We've got plenty of time:) AND... thanks for the clarification on the dining plan. I only booked us for the quick service plan but hubby was grumbling a little last week because we are so use to getting the 1 quick & 1 table when we go. I may have to upgrade that too before we leave?

Dance recital week...I remember those days when the girls were younger. BUSY BUSY BUSY!!! But oh, so worth it to see what they have been working on and so much fun! Thank goodness you planned WDW ahead of time, there would be zero time this week! LOL!

When my oldest went to Disney with Band 4 years ago, they stayed off site too. I'm not sure why they chose to stay on this time? Bay Lake Tower...NICE!!

Have a great week and if you do not get on here before your magical vacation....HAVE A GREAT ONE!!!
 

heatherhy01

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
UPDATE!

It has come time for me to reserve my dining. As you recall, Hubby & I are doing the quick service dining plan ...BUT, we had agreed to splurge on dinner one evening. I had debated where we should eat since we were only doing one table service. Did I want to do Cape May Cafe where I loved it on our last visit or O'Hana which he had never been to? (Me & the girls had been there on our "girl's only" trip in 2010) This was such a difficult decision to make because there are sooooo many great choices!

What did I decide on?? As I may have said previously, Hubby & I honeymooned at Disney when we got married and then spent our second anniversary in the World. Every time we go, we have visited Fulton's Crab House. It is kind of like our little tradition. So, since Fulton's is no longer, I have reserved us a dining spot at Paddlefish on the day we arrive to kick off our vacation. I thought it was only appropriate and I think Hubby is really looking forward to it! If anyone has eaten there, I would love to hear your thoughts?

The only other reservation that I made was for Be Our Guest on Tuesday of our trip for breakfast. I know this is such a hot commodity, but I do not really get the gist of why??? If someone can explain, I would appreciate it. I never thought that I would have to make a reservation for a quick service meal. I snagged it because I know that everyone brags about this restaurant and I needed to check it out for myself.

Otherwise, everything else is just moving right along. I have saved up about $300 in Disney gift cards so far using Swagbucks. FREE MONEY FOR DISNEY!!! If you do not know about Swagbucks, message me....you will be surprised at how quickly you can earn some extra cash. Some people have earned their entire Disney Trip to be paid for!!

As for how we are getting there, that is still up in the air. Hubby & I are leaning more towards flying. We will wait until closer and keep an eye on flights, then book.

How are things with all of you??


 

heatherhy01

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Hello everyone!!

So much has happened since I last updated. Since the Fall/Winter deals were released, I was determined to get my hands on some free dining. I did not want to upgrade to a Moderate because that would just completely blow my budget but...I was able to secure quick service dining & free upgraded park hoppers for our upcoming trip!!! This saved us a total of $350 in which I then upgraded to the regular dining package and still ended up $100 under my original price of $2441.00. This was a win/win for me since hubby was a little bummed that I was insisting on quick service. He LOVES trying out the different meal venues since the theming in each is amazing!

Our reservations are as follows:

12/13/19: Dinner: Reglan Road (This is a new one for us)
12/14/19: Breakfast: Whispering Canyon Cafe (This is a new one for us)
12/15/19: Dinner: Prime Time 50's Cafe (This was a request from Sav. I told her she could go with her friends or with us. I added her to our reservation just in case she chooses to come with us)
12/16/19: Dinner: Cape May Cafe (Hubby has never been here)
12/17/19: Breakfast: Be Our Guest (New one to us both)
Dinner: Tepan Edo (New one, I have always wanted to try it)

At this point, I owe less than $500 for Savannah's trip and our's is down to $1700. I have also saved up $550 in Disney gift cards so far just using Swagbucks! I am telling you, if you have the patience to do surveys and shop a lot online, not to mention like to "trial" different items, then you really should start using Swagbucks. It adds up so quickly! If interested, let me know and I can help get you started:)

We are still leaning towards flying down. I am going to start cashing out all of my Swagbucks to my PayPal from now on to see how much I can save for our flights. I will keep you all updated as we go!

Please let me know your thoughts on my reservations. Any of them definite no's for you?
Any restaurant that is your absolute favorite?


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(Here is my Harper, she was so tired that day from day care)
 

deanna88

Active Member
Hey everyone!
So now with all the planning completed, it is time to start the paying off of the trip and the saving:eek:
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:)

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This is Savannah's pride and joy...Javier! He is the biggest guines pig that I have ever seen but so sweet!
I'm late to your post, but I do swagbucks as well. I was able to get about $300 in disney gift cards to pay for food and drinks for a last minute long weekend trip. Swagbucks is great.
 

heatherhy01

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I'm late to your post, but I do swagbucks as well. I was able to get about $300 in disney gift cards to pay for food and drinks for a last minute long weekend trip. Swagbucks is great.
Yay! A fellow Swagger!! I am always amazed at how much people are able to save for their trips. Some have even footed the whole entire trip just from their Swagbucks account. I am so happy that I have found the website:) Thanks for reading!
 

krisri18

Well-Known Member
Yay! A fellow Swagger!! I am always amazed at how much people are able to save for their trips. Some have even footed the whole entire trip just from their Swagbucks account. I am so happy that I have found the website:) Thanks for reading!
Anytime I go to redeem my Swagbucks, there's never Disney gift cards available. Maybe I have poor timing. Lol
 

heatherhy01

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Anytime I go to redeem my Swagbucks, there's never Disney gift cards available. Maybe I have poor timing. Lol
Oooh!!! They do not have Disney giftcards to redeem on Swagbucks. There are a couple of options though. I redeem in visa gift cards, then attach the visa's to my PayPal account and then redeem them for Disney GC on the Disney website using Paypal. OR... some people redeem for Paypal which they then transfer to their checking accounts and use their Target Red card to purchase Disney GC for a 5% discount.

The possibillites are endless as long as you do not mind figuring it all out and doing the work. I have zero problems doing that for essentially "free" money. LOL

If you are looking to up your game, join this group on Facebook. They give a lot of tips & tricks daily and are a fun group:

Thanks for following along!
 

heatherhy01

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Hello Everyone! It's been a long time and "Oh! So many changes have happened!" I am going to try to make this as easy to understand as possible and PLEASE let me know if there are any things that you would do differently. Thanks ahead of time!!

So first off, our dates have stayed the same. December 13-18, 2019. We were originally only going to do 4 day park hoppers but we got a VERY early flight with Frontier (5:05 AM with arrival at 7:57 AM) that I had to see how much an extra day would add on. Believe it or not, an extra day for both of us only came to about $26 and some change! A whole extra day at Disney??? Well, sign me up! So now we have 5 days to play in the parks!

Secondly, we are going to be getting some company!!! My best friend will be joining us for a couple of days! I am super excited for this. We are both Disney nerds and went together in high school and we cannot wait to be back together at the happiest place on earth again! Megan will be flying in on Wednesday, December 11th and visiting friends in Daytona for a couple of nights, then meeting up with us upon our arrival on Friday morning. Hubby already informed me that he plans on grabbing a lounger next to the pool on arrival day and just relaxing, this means "girl time" in the parks! Megan will spend Friday night with us and we will meet up with another friend of hers on Saturday morning. Trish lives in Kissimmee and will spend Saturday with us before taking Megan back to her house and ending our time together.

Thirdly, I purchased a Candlelight Procession Package for the four (Me, Rich, Megan and Trish) of us on Saturday evening. We will be eating a late lunch at the Coral Reef at 3:10 PM and seeing the 6:45 showing of the procession. Honestly, I have never purchased a package like this before so I am not real sure what to expect??? Is it going to be really crowded? Are the seats first come, first serve? Do we need to line up ahead of time to be able to sit together?? If anyone could shed some light, I would be grateful!

Fourth, I changed our Reglan Road ressie to 9:45 PM since Megan only has 2 park days, we wanted to be in the parks as long as possible. I also cancelled our Whispering Canyon ressie due to going to the candlelight procession dinner. Since we paid out of pocket for the procession, this will free up 2 table service credits which will be used for Megan at Reglan Rd. on Friday night and Savannah at Prime Time on Sunday. I also changed our ressie for Tepan to the Grand Floridian Cafe instead. I guess that I was expecting something extra special at Tepan since it was Disney but everything that I have read stated that it is just like your typical steak house at home. I really didn't want to waste a dining credit on something that I could get at home and we have never eaten at the Grand Floridian Cafe so...thus the change!

I am currently ordering vinyls to make t-shirts (for me & the gals...not hubby) and going to try my hand at making my own Mickey ears!!! I will post pics once they are done!

I will update soon! 88 days until I am home!!

 

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