I dont normally write trip reports but, after reading so many great ones here, Im inspired to try my hand at one. Plus, its a great way to record the trip so my family and I can relive it years from now.
So, heres the crew: my wife Debbie, daughter Laurie (11), son Dylan (turning 6 during the trip) and myself (Karl). We live in central NJ, not far from Princeton. This will be our third trip to WDW together as a family. We also went once with Laurie before Dylan was born, my wife went once as a kid, and I went a handful of times before we were married.
I loved WDW as a kid, but lost interest around college. Debbie was never fond of it she cant stand heat or crowds, and her parents took her in the summer! That trip didnt make a very positive impression on her.
Because of that, going to WDW didnt really cross our minds until Laurie was 4. Debbie had a business trip in Boca Raton and a business colleague offered me free Parkhoppers. Plus my sister had been going regularly with her family and raving about her trips to us. The stars were aligning so we decided to give it a shot. We went in April, 2004.
SOOOO glad we did like most everyone else says after they get home, we had a magical time. Sure, Debbie & I had fun, but experiencing WDW through Lauries eyes was amazing. Even though we only went on the simplest rides (Aladdins Magic Carpets, Tomorrowland Speedway, etc) over and over again, it was incredible. We were hooked. Since then, weve gone twice more: in 2005 (December) and again in 2008 (May).
Now to the upcoming trip. Were arriving on October 30 and staying a week. Youve probably heard of Jersey Week, where NJ schools are closed for a couple of days in order for the teachers to attend a state-wide convention. Weve decided to take the kids out of school the other three days of that week and make a week-long trip of it.
Of course, well be in WDW during Halloween. That might normally be a problem, but Halloween is Dylans birthday! What better way to celebrate a birthday and Halloween. I just hope he doesnt expect this sort of celebration every year! We are attending MNSSHP but not on his birthday were going on Nov 1. We want to treat Halloween and his birthday as separate events, so well have a special birthday dinner for him on Oct 31 more on that later.
Weve booked Wilderness Lodge, Courtyard View. Weve stayed at the WL twice before and love it, so the decision to return here was pretty easy. I was, however, concerned about the cost. Weve stayed at Coronado Springs once before: it is a beautiful resort with a great pool, and costs quite a bit less than the WL. But its just not as amazing as the WL. To put my cost concerns at ease, Disney sent me a 40% discount code. Done I booked WL!
We are flying out of Philly on Southwest. Weve flown SW a few times before and have been very happy with them, so it was a pretty simple decision to pick them. Plus, with Rewards Ive earned over time and applied to this trip, our round trip tickets totaled $372 total, for the four of us! Like, $93 each round trip!
Right at the 180-day mark, I made all of our ADRs. I didnt try to book too many because we like to have some flexibility. For those meals when we dont have an ADR booked, well either eat at a counter service, or eat out of the room (we are planning to have some groceries delivered). Back to the ADRs, I got every one that I wanted: Chef Mickeys, Le Cellier, Boma, 50s Prime Time, Crystal Palace, and Whispering Canyon. Of those, Chef Mickeys and Crystal Palace were most important: Dylans birthday dinner is at Chef Mickeys, and breakfast at Crystal Palace is a tradition for us. I was also happy to get Le Cellier weve eaten there before and liked it a lot, and I know how hard it is to get a table there.
Regarding the daily plans, Ive got that pretty well squared away with plenty of time devoted to each park. In addition, we plan to go to Blizzard Beach and try out the Searaycers. Debbie wants to go to Harry Potter at Universal, but Im trying to talk her out of it. Im sure wed have fun, but Id rather wait until the kids are older and theyve expanded it (I assume they will). Well see who wins that debate
Well, thats it for now. Ill be back in a couple of weeks after weve returned home, with day-by-day reports and plenty of pictures.
Thanks for reading!
So, heres the crew: my wife Debbie, daughter Laurie (11), son Dylan (turning 6 during the trip) and myself (Karl). We live in central NJ, not far from Princeton. This will be our third trip to WDW together as a family. We also went once with Laurie before Dylan was born, my wife went once as a kid, and I went a handful of times before we were married.
I loved WDW as a kid, but lost interest around college. Debbie was never fond of it she cant stand heat or crowds, and her parents took her in the summer! That trip didnt make a very positive impression on her.
Because of that, going to WDW didnt really cross our minds until Laurie was 4. Debbie had a business trip in Boca Raton and a business colleague offered me free Parkhoppers. Plus my sister had been going regularly with her family and raving about her trips to us. The stars were aligning so we decided to give it a shot. We went in April, 2004.
SOOOO glad we did like most everyone else says after they get home, we had a magical time. Sure, Debbie & I had fun, but experiencing WDW through Lauries eyes was amazing. Even though we only went on the simplest rides (Aladdins Magic Carpets, Tomorrowland Speedway, etc) over and over again, it was incredible. We were hooked. Since then, weve gone twice more: in 2005 (December) and again in 2008 (May).
Now to the upcoming trip. Were arriving on October 30 and staying a week. Youve probably heard of Jersey Week, where NJ schools are closed for a couple of days in order for the teachers to attend a state-wide convention. Weve decided to take the kids out of school the other three days of that week and make a week-long trip of it.
Of course, well be in WDW during Halloween. That might normally be a problem, but Halloween is Dylans birthday! What better way to celebrate a birthday and Halloween. I just hope he doesnt expect this sort of celebration every year! We are attending MNSSHP but not on his birthday were going on Nov 1. We want to treat Halloween and his birthday as separate events, so well have a special birthday dinner for him on Oct 31 more on that later.
Weve booked Wilderness Lodge, Courtyard View. Weve stayed at the WL twice before and love it, so the decision to return here was pretty easy. I was, however, concerned about the cost. Weve stayed at Coronado Springs once before: it is a beautiful resort with a great pool, and costs quite a bit less than the WL. But its just not as amazing as the WL. To put my cost concerns at ease, Disney sent me a 40% discount code. Done I booked WL!
We are flying out of Philly on Southwest. Weve flown SW a few times before and have been very happy with them, so it was a pretty simple decision to pick them. Plus, with Rewards Ive earned over time and applied to this trip, our round trip tickets totaled $372 total, for the four of us! Like, $93 each round trip!
Right at the 180-day mark, I made all of our ADRs. I didnt try to book too many because we like to have some flexibility. For those meals when we dont have an ADR booked, well either eat at a counter service, or eat out of the room (we are planning to have some groceries delivered). Back to the ADRs, I got every one that I wanted: Chef Mickeys, Le Cellier, Boma, 50s Prime Time, Crystal Palace, and Whispering Canyon. Of those, Chef Mickeys and Crystal Palace were most important: Dylans birthday dinner is at Chef Mickeys, and breakfast at Crystal Palace is a tradition for us. I was also happy to get Le Cellier weve eaten there before and liked it a lot, and I know how hard it is to get a table there.
Regarding the daily plans, Ive got that pretty well squared away with plenty of time devoted to each park. In addition, we plan to go to Blizzard Beach and try out the Searaycers. Debbie wants to go to Harry Potter at Universal, but Im trying to talk her out of it. Im sure wed have fun, but Id rather wait until the kids are older and theyve expanded it (I assume they will). Well see who wins that debate
Well, thats it for now. Ill be back in a couple of weeks after weve returned home, with day-by-day reports and plenty of pictures.
Thanks for reading!
