Ah, a nice quiet weekend. I hear the TOC was happening while I was puttering around the house. Presumably without incident, as always.
Sarcasm? Moi?
We made our DisAd14 arrangements with the same travel agent as with the DiDeAd. She did a great job for us then, and given our complications this time, with all sorts of different people and needs, there was no reason not to use her again. Our original plan, after much discussion, was to return to Port Orleans. The thing I most like about that resort is the boat ride to Downtown Disney (or whatever they’re calling it these days as it makes its latest transformation). It’s a nice way to travel, especially when the alternative is a bus. Not that there’s anything wrong with the Disney buses, but a boat ride is so much nicer. What Port Orleans doesn’t have that I like is small pools scattered around the complex, but you can’t have everything. We already had our reservations when the agent told us that we could pull down a substantial savings by switching to Coronado Springs, a comparable Latin American themed resort (with scattered pools). Switching was a no-brainer, and so we did. Let’s face it: you don’t spend a lot of time in your hotel at WDW. While the fanciest resorts are really nice, it’s hard to justify spending the money. At the same time, I’m a little reluctant to go for the cheapest resorts. I envision them being overrun with out-of-control kids screaming in the halls at all hours of the night (much like a debate tournament), and offering the fewest possible amenities. So I stick to the moderates.
I will point out, though, that in the earliest days, when there were no moderates, we stayed at the Contemporary, the Polynesian and the Grand Floridian at one time or another, the latter two with a young Kate. With a kid, being on the monorail is very desirable. You go off-season, you visit some park until it’s nap time, you come back and nap, you dawdle in the pool, maybe you go back and visit some more park. Very civilized and kid-friendly. But also very expensive, and hard to support when there’s an alternative at half the price. I do like midday breaks, though, especially for the Magic Kingdom, which can run you ragged, even when it’s not packed, if you don’t pace yourself. A little break in the middle with the feet up never hurt anybody. I assure you that we have such a break planned for the DisAd. Recharging the batteries is a really good idea that I can’t recommend highly enough.
Another item we bought into was the Meal Plan. Last time we got this for free, and I doubt if that will happen again, but one nice thing about it is that it takes thinking about meals out of the equation. You get a counter service meal, a real meal, and a snack for each day, and you’ll use that easily enough, so why not? You just flash your credentials at the smiling waitstaff, and there you are.
The only other big early planning issue was transportation. Given the need to get to Universal first, then to WDW from there, and for at least one other out-of-the-parks excursion during the trip, I’m opting for a car for the 5 people including me on my side of the group. The others are probably sticking to cabs and resort-offered transportation. I don’t think we’ll use the car for park trips, but maybe for some evening things. We’ll see. In any case, when you think of it split 5 ways, it’s not very expensive and it is very convenient. The only thing to keep in mind—I haven’t actually rented it yet—is that it’s best to have a car to pick up at the airport rather than off somewhere in Timbuktu, as many of the services are.
Thus were the nitty gritty details seen to.
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