Travel Tuesday Tales: Dear Disney Dining, You Could Make This So Much Easier

In this installment of Travel Tuesday Tales, I am providing an update into my vacation planning for our next Disney trip for New Years. If you want to know how the planning has gone so far, you can read about our initial plans, where we’re staying, as well as see where we’ll be eating and my experiences with making all my ADRs.

So last Thursday was the first day that Candlelight Processional dinner packages were available to book, and since this was the last major item that I needed to reserve for now (until we do flights), I had the date noted in my planner to make sure I didn’t miss it. The thing is, I felt like Disney was late this year in opening up these packages: while it’s been 3 years since we went during the Holidays, I know that in the years that we have gone at that time of year, I was making these reservations a LOT earlier….like June/July earlier.

Not sure why Disney was procrastinating here, but I was starting to get a bit peeved. I get cranky like that when something interferes with my planning timeline.

In any event, over the past week, I had begun scouring Disney blogs, websites and message boards, trying to find out SOME KIND of information about the packages this year. We’re going to be on the basic Disney Dining Plan, so I already knew that it was probably going to cost 2 table service credits like last year apparently did. But I did want to know pricing, in case we decided to pay out of pocket and use those credits for another meal.

More importantly though, I needed to know what restaurants were going to be included, as my family had requested to eat at the new Hacienda de San Angel on this trip, and if we were able to do this, it would be our first night, the night we did Candlelight Processional. But would it be available for the package? That was the question….

Reading Chip and Co. and the Disney Food Blog, I knew that they were taking reservations for after Oct 15, but could not find out anywhere if this meant Hacienda was part of the CP dinner package or not.

And I have to say, the closer it got to August 26, the more annoyed I was getting. There was no information to be found about this anywhere. Not wanting to waste valuable time on Thursday morning by asking lots of questions (you can lose a reservation during peak times like this if you do!), I decided to just go straight to the source.

Wednesday evening, I called Disney Dining to ask.

And would you believe, it took the poor castmember almost 10 minutes to find out the answer? Finally, she was back: no Hacienda de San Angel was not part of the CP dinner package this year, nor was Via Napoli either.

OK, thanks, at least now I knew. Thursday morning, 7 a.m. I was requesting San Angel Inn for the package (our second choice).

So Thursday morning, I did my usual early morning walk, checked email and Facebook, and at 6:55 a.m. I was ready, at the phone, with pen, paper, and credit card in hand, waiting to get this done so I could then get ready for work.

At 6:57 I began dialing…and received the “office is not yet open” recording. Continued to power-redial (I have done this before and AM a “professional”   ) and at precisely 7 a.m. ET I got the “Thank you for calling Disney Dining, how may we help you today?”. Great! You can help me by getting me this reservation, so I can go shower and get ready to leave for work, thanks.

(You used to just “press 1 for this, press 2 for that”. Now you have to verbally tell them what you need, and hope the automated whatever on the other end understands what you need so you don’t waste valuable time getting sent to someone else…..But I digress….)

I announced as slowly and clearly as I could to the automated whatever, that I needed “Dining Reservations for Candlelight Processional” and then of course was put on hold to the kind-of-annoying-at-7 a.m. music of Haunted Mansion. Before I knew it, a recorded voice thanked me for holding, told me someone would be with me as soon as possible, and then informed me that “due to unexpectedly high call volume, your estimated wait time is at least………30 minutes.”…… WHOA!

Ummmm Dear Disney Dining:

• First, I do not have 30 minutes to wait, I have like a job that I have to go to, so we can pay to visit you.
• Second, I am trying to reserve this package for the last night of the Candlelight Processional, and during the busiest week of the year. I am worried that by the time you get to me, the dinner packages for that night will be gone. (Yes, I worry about these things. I clearly need a life.).
• Third, if you had only publicized the details of the Candlelight Processional package before TODAY, people might have actually known all of the details before calling….and could have had quicker calls, resulting in everyone having a shorter wait time.

Yikes. Well, I was clearly not going to hop in the shower while I waited. My luck, it would have been like a 5 minute wait. So I tried to do as many other things as I could while on hold, and wondered if my co-workers would REALLY mind if I just went to work without showering….

Happily for my co-workers, at 7:35 a charming and God-bless-her extremely cheerful castmember came on the line to ask me what she could do for me.

“IneedtoreservetheCandlelightProcessionalDinnerPackageforDecembe30for  SanAngelInnat5pm…..please”

The charming castmember of course understood this completely, asked how many it was for, and within 2 minutes we were done, and I had my confirmation number.

See Disney how nice that works when folks know before hand what they want?

All kidding aside, I am clearly a huge Disney fan as you know by now, and I do really feel like this was just very uncharacteristically unorganized of them. So I jest now….and am just happy that I got what we wanted. My family is happy too.

So, we’re all set for dining now (unless someone changes their mind). Next on the planning agenda? Making those flight reservations some time in September.

I’ll keep ya posted!

Travel Tuesday Tales: Our Disney Vacation Accommodation Situation

Thanks for stopping by to read the next chapter of my Travel Tuesday Tales, where I am documenting my experiences planning our next Disney World vacation. For the story thus far, check out the Prologue, where I described who is going on the trip and when we will be at Disney.

And now, for today’s episode:

You know, one of the things I have struggled with my entire life is the conflict between my natural tendency to PLAN everything….and, well Life. As in, Life very rarely follows a plan. You think I would know that by now.

When last we spoke, I mentioned that Sunday, May 30 was my day to book our Disney vacation accommodations, since we would be using our Disney Vacation Club points and the earliest I could do it was 7 months out from our check-in date. I also mentioned that we were going to be driving home from western PA at 9 a.m. that morning, when the DVC phones opened, so I was hoping that I would have good reception in the mountains when it was time to call.

Well, the good news is that phone reception was not a problem. The reason for this is because I was not in the mountains. In fact, I was not anywhere near western PA at 9 a.m. on Sunday, May 30. I never went to PA with DH at all.

Like I said, Life has a way of doing its thing, in spite of my plans. And Life presented us with a sick dog last week. And a sick dog at home meant someone needed to be with said sick dog at home…which meant me. OK, no problem, I could still call DVC at 9 a.m. on Sunday, May 30. And, I could even go to church Sunday morning too, which was a good thing. Because it doesn’t hurt to have the Lord on your side when booking your Disney accommodations.

The only teensy problem with this plan is that our church services start at 9:15. OK, no problem, so I’d call DVC to book first, and then run into church when I was done….because I DO have my priorities. And the Lord would understand.

So I left early for church, and arrived just at 9 a.m., so that I could call DVC from the comfort of my car, when the lines opened. (I’m sure the rest of the congregation who passed me in my car on the phone with DVC thought I was doing some Very Important Business if I was on the phone in the car before church…which of course I was.)

At the stroke of 9 a.m. I was on the phone with DVC, and explained that I was looking for four nights, in a 2 bedroom, starting Thursday, Dec. 30. Wherever they had room. (In the Prologue, I noted that “Given a choice though, we are going to request Animal Kingdom Lodge or Boardwalk Villas…but I know from experience, I’ll need to have an open mind, and that’s ok too.”) So that’s where we started.

I found out that neither of those two options were available, no big surprise actually. Old Key West and Saratoga Springs were the two places available, and since we just stayed at Saratoga Springs last October, I opted for Old Key West: nowhere close to my first choices, but I was frankly grateful that anything was available.  While on the phone with DVC, I then asked to be put on the Waitlist for both Animal Kingdom Lodge and Boardwalk Villas. And I also asked about the possibility of doing a “split stay” where you stay in more than one resort, the thought being that starting with Jan. 1 we would have more options as people start to head home once New Years is over…and so could perhaps get in one of the resorts that we REALLY wanted, at least for a couple of nights. The very nice castmember said we could do that…but I would have to wait until June 1 (7 months out again) to request a different stay for the 2nd two nights.

Right. Forgot about that. OK, well that gave me a couple of days to now discuss the situation with DH and DD to see if they wanted me to try for a split stay. Feeling pretty pleased with myself for accomplishing what I did, I then went to church and thanked the Lord for there being any 2 bedrooms available at all for our vacation, and to pray for our Waitlist to come through. (Please…..I AM kidding here. Sort of.)

So DH arrived home from PA  later that afternoon, and I very happily described for him and DD my conversation with the nice castmember at DVC, explained our options, told them what I had booked, our Waitlist, and asked if they wanted me to try for a different place starting on Jan. 1.

DH said no, he didn’t really want to change resorts.

DD said she would love to change resorts.

Thanks guys for the help here.

So we talked and discussed and weighed the pros and cons, and finally agreed that I would give it shot for a different resort on Jan. 1. Maybe try Boardwalk again, maybe Wilderness Lodge.

Cool. I LOVE Wilderness Lodge at Christmas time so that would be worth it to me to switch.

And THEN, DH let me know that he was not too thrilled with Animal Kingdom Lodge and really did not want to stay there AT ALL, and did not understand why I had Waitlisted there and that it is probably the last place he wanted to stay.

Really? Wow. So did not know that. And yes we talk. Apparently not often enough it would seem.

OK then. Tuesday morning June 1, back on the phone I went with DVC to try again.

Availability for two nights starting January 1?  How about Wilderness Lodge said the new nice castmember at DVC? You Betcha! said I.  Love the location for Boardwalk, but Wilderness Lodge at Christmas is tops in my book.

And happily, DH and DD concur. (DD’s friend doesn’t get a vote here. Sorry. )

So despite my plans that changed not once but several times, we’re all good now. We will be staying at Old Key West for our first two nights (unless our Waitlist for Boardwalk Villas comes through for the first two nights…which I’m not holding my breath for.) Then we will move to Wilderness Lodge for the second two nights. And we are no longer Waitlisted for Animal Kingdom Lodge so DH is happy.

Even the dog is better so it’s been a good week all the way around.

What’s Next?

I am scheduled to book our ADRs on July 3 (but maybe doing it a few days earlier). So in advance of that, there is a lot of discussion going on right now about where we want to eat, and when, and just a tad little negotiating and bargaining as well.

My daughter even has made a spreadsheet.

I have taught her well, don’t you think?

Stay tuned!

Travel Tuesday Tales: A Disney Vacation Prologue

I am probably my happiest when planning a Disney vacation…or at least that’s what my DH tells me.  So as we have started to make plans for our next Disney World trip in December, it’s been kind of a happy time around the Affordable Mouse house! We’re just in the beginning stages at the moment, but will be making some firm plans within the next week, so it’s been kind of fun discussing the options. As you know if you have picked up my Affordable Disney Vacation Planning Guide, there is a lot of work to do at the beginning, before you book a thing!

Want to come along for the planning ride and see how I do it and what our experiences are like? Then follow along for my new series Travel Tuesday Tales, where I will periodically update you on the progress of our vacation planning. If you are new to planning a Disney vacation, it will give you the chance to see how I go about it. And if you are a Disney veteran, then you may enjoy living a Disney vacation vicariously through someone else….at least I know I sure do lol!

OK, so this is where we are at the moment.

Who: Myself, DH, DD and friend.

When: December 30 to January 3. Yup, we’re gonna be there for New Year’s Eve! We have done this a few times, and if you want to get some general thoughts on what we will be expecting, you can read this post, as well as a recent blog post I did over at Chip and Co. While we would love to be able to experience Christmas at Disney during a less busy time of year, with DD’s college schedule it is not possible at the moment. We really missed being at Disney over the Christmas season the past several years, so this year, we’re going back again.

Where: That’s the big one right now. We have been Disney Vacation Club owners for a few years now, so will be taking advantage of our points to stay in a DVC 2 bedroom, to accommodate everyone comfortably. Of course, as with everything else this time of year, points don’t go nearly as far as they do at other times of the year…plus we’ll be there over the weekend which cost more points than the rest of the week as well. So it’s a trade-off: more points per day means fewer days. It’s ok, we don’t mind.

Now, at this moment, we don’t know where we’ll be staying because we can’t book until 7 months prior to when we arrive. And I know that since Christmas week is the single busiest week of the year, I’ll happily book whatever is available. Given a choice though, we are going to request Animal Kingdom Lodge or Boardwalk Villas…but I know from experience, I’ll need to have an open mind, and that’s ok too.

What’s Next: My first opportunity to book our stay is this Sunday. Although we’re visiting DH’s family in western PA this weekend, traveling home through a few pesky mountains on Sunday morning will surely not prevent me from being on the phone with DVC Member Services when they open at 9 a.m.! So, as long as DH can find a place where reception is good, we’ll be fine.

Once I know where we’ll be staying, we’ll start finalizing those Advanced Dining Reservations, because those will be booked at the end of June!

Stay tuned for the next installment. Have a magical day!

Thoughts on a Disney World Christmas at Chip and Co.

I know it isn’t even Memorial Day, but I have a new post over at Chip and Co. that you will want to read if you are thinking about visiting Disney World during the Christmas/New Years holidays. It’s a busy time of year to go, but filled with lots of magic….if you are prepared.

Come join me at Chip and Co. today, and let me know your thoughts in the comments. I’ll look forward to seeing you!

Christmas at Disney World: Make Like a Boy Scout and Be Prepared

So my motto for the best way to plan a Disney vacation is always to plan, plan, and plan some more. Never is that more important than when traveling to Florida for the Walt Disney World holidays.

In our years of having visited during the week between Christmas and New Years, there are two things that we have found you definitely need to keep in mind…and plan for….

First, is the weather. Let me just say that Florida is not ALWAYS sunny and hot. In fact, traveling at any point during the winter months can provide you with a very cold…and uncomfortable…surprise, if you don’t check ahead. We have visited during the winter and been blessed with sunny days, temps in the 70s, little humidity…weather that made my heat-hating husband actually say, “You know, maybe living in Florida would not be too bad after all”.

BUT, we have also had days where the temps never made it out of the 50s during the day, and were in the low 30s at night and in the mornings. And if you combine this with some humidity and a bit of wind…well it’s actually winter-coat wearin’ weather!

So if an affordable Disney family vacation is your goal, then check the weather forecast before you leave home. Trust me, if you need warm clothes, and did not pack them, you do NOT want to pay Disney park prices for sweaters, scarves and gloves.

The second thing to consider when planning a trip during the week between Christmas and New Years, is that this is THE busiest week of the year for the Disney parks. It is typical for one or more of the parks to actually close for periods of time, during several days during this week. Disney typically does a staggered type of closing schedule where the parks are first closed to non-Disney resort guests, then to Disney guests who have not already been to that park earlier in the day, and finally, to everyone. While this is most common at Magic Kingdom, it does also happen to the other parks as well.

So keep this in mind, ESPECIALLY if you are not staying on Disney property: go EARLY to make sure you get into the park of your choice.  Have a plan to visit your most important must-dos (especially those that are very popular) first thing, and make very good use of Fast-Passes. Expect the big attractions to have all Fast-Passes gone for the day by lunch, and to have lines of several hours.

With regards to this, my best advice is to have very low expectations. You will probably not see or do everything you want. But go with the flow, and take the time to enjoy the many OTHER things that Disney offers during the Holiday season. Most are absolutely free.

If you decide to leave any of the parks, make certain that you can live without necessarily getting back in. While crowds often lessen somewhat in the evenings, on nights like New Years Eve….well not so much. If you plan to ring in the New Year in one of the parks, then expect to make a … very…long…day of it.

Having said all of this, the holiday season at Disney World is my favorite time of year. We have done it many times, and will do it many more times. It can be a magical and wonderful way to create family memories….just Be Prepared!

Have a magical day!

Walt Disney World Holidays: What You Must See During the Chrismas Season

If you have plans to travel to Walt Disney World during the Christmas holiday season, congratulations! You will be visiting during one of the most magical times of the year, even for Disney.

We have been fortunate to celebrate a few Walt Disney World holidays in years past, so this post will be devoted to some of our family’s favorite things to see and do during the Disney Christmas season.

Let’s start with the Magic Kingdom. You will find Cinderella’s Castle decked out in breathtaking “icicle” lights each night. Be sure to get pictures: if you are like me and not great with taking night-time pictures, then be sure to get a few PhotoPass shots in front of the castle. Trust me, you’ll be glad you did!

Magic Kingdom also hosts Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party on a number of nights in December, prior to Christmas. This is a separate ticket, so if you want to attend (and it is VERY fun), you will need to purchase tickets separately from your park pass. One of the highlights is the Christmas parade, featuring those famous Wooden Soldiers. If you want to see the parade, but don’t plan on going to the Party before Christmas, you will be able to see it daily, every afternoon, typically starting Christmas Day…no separate ticket needed! (Please note: The Walt Disney World Christmas Parade that you see on TV every year on Christmas morning is NOT a live event and is, in fact, taped weeks before. So PLEASE do not go to the Magic Kingdom on Christmas morning expecting to see/be in the parade!)

And of course, the nightly Wishes fireworks display is held every night, but with a “Holiday Wishes” theme that is truly delightful.

What about Epcot? I have to say that Epcot is my personal favorite. While the decorations are beautiful, World Showcase offers a number of wonderful programs related to the “Holidays Around the World” theme, and if you have ever wondered what it would be like to celebrate Christmas in another country, here is your chance. Each country presents their favorite holiday traditions, and many have Holiday Storytellers that highlight some very interesting and fun customs: don’t be surprised to see Father Christmas in England, Pere Noel in France, and St. Nicholas in Germany to name a few. It is delightful and yes, educational, in a very fun way.

Probably the highlight of the Wald Disney World holidays in Epcot is the Candlelight Processional, a nightly presentation of the Christmas story with a celebrity guest narrator and a huge massed choir made up of professional, college, and high school choirs from around the country. Do NOT miss this! Although there are 3 showings each night, the line for seats starts well in advance of each show. You can reserve a seat by purchasing a Candlelight Processional dinner package, and I highly recommend this (in years past, you could use Disney Dining Plan credits for this package). If you don’t want to do the dinner package, then assign someone in your group to wait in the stand-by line. It is dramatic, and powerful, and very moving.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios has their fair share of holiday entertainment with the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights, held nightly on the Streets of America. There are literally millions of lights and I promise, you will be amazed! The streets can get very crowded however, during this busy season, so my advice, to get the most of your visit here, would be to go during the nightly Fantasmic show, or at the end of the evening, before the park closes. It is much more enjoyable when you are not elbow to elbow with people!

If you still want more parades, then Animal Kingdom has Mickey’s Jingle Jungle Parade, with all the characters in their holiday finest. And be sure to visit Downtown Disney for the Festival of the Seasons, where you can finish any holiday shopping, visit Santa before Dec. 24, and say hi to Santa Goofy from Dec. 25 to Jan. 4.

The Walt Disney World holiday season is truly spectacular and if you are visiting then this year, you are sure to create some wonderful memories.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year at Disney World: Creating Dining Magic

Continuing our series on visiting Walt Disney World during the Holidays, my plan today is to talk about meals. Presumably, if you are visiting during the 2009 Christmas holiday season, you already have made travel and hotel arrangements. =)

When making your dining plans….and you MUST make dining plans….you need to realize that, if you are visiting during the week between Christmas and New Years, you will be at Walt Disney World during the busiest time of the year. Period. Lots more people than you have ever, ever seen.

Now if your plans to visit Disney are to go before Dec. 24, there will be less people. In fact, historically from the week after Thanksgiving until the week or so before Christmas, crowds are usually lighter, and so it can be a delightful way to experience all that the holidays have to offer at Disney World. But you should realize that many, many Disney veterans travel during these weeks, and these folks typically know better than to not have dining plans in advance.

So either way, make your dining plans in advance, and if they include any table service meals, make those Advanced Dining Reservations (ADRs) before you get to Disney World. And if you are going during Christmas week….Make. Them. Now.

I can’t stress this enough. People have been making Advanced Dining Reservations for Christmas week since the end of September (90 days in advance). The popular times and restaurants fill quickly, especially on the big days of Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Years Eve, and New Years Day. So if table service is something you want to do, don’t delay on this.

What if you can’t get ADRs for any of the restaurants you want? Consider some of the lovely, and lesser-known restaurants at the hotels: many are wonderful, and it is a great way to see some of the fantastic Holiday decorations at the resorts. They are a little off-the-beaten path, but it can be nice sometimes, during all the hustle and bustle, to have a little peace and quiet.

Also consider eating meals…all meals outside of your room…at “off” times. Try having your main, table service meal for lunch instead of dinner. Eat early…lunch at 11, dinner at 5…or late…lunch at 2, dinner at 8. You may find crowds, especially for counter meals, to be a little lighter during these times.

Of course, typical advice about eating some meals in, especially if you have access to a kitchen, can be helpful. Many folks with these types of amenities in their accommodations actually do the entire turkey and fixings, which can be very nice and a great way to create some special memories.

Affordable Disney family vacations can occur during the Christmas holidays too, and if you plan well, your trip can have an extra dose of holiday magic. Stay tuned for more Affordable Mouse Holiday Tips in the near future!

Have a magical day!

Visiting Disney World at Christmas? Be Prepared!

I saw my first Christmas commercial the other day. And “pre-Black Friday” sales are out as well, lol, which means that the holiday season is right around the corner…..

Thoughts of Christmas cheer naturally lead me to think of Disney World, as we have visited there several times over the Christmas/New Years holidays, and while it is crazy…it is very, very fun. It is just not for the faint-hearted

But, as I know that this is a popular time to visit Walt Disney World (in fact, it is the busiest week of the year!), I thought that I would devote several blog posts to some strategies for how to handle a Disney vacation with crowds that you never thought were possible.

Because while it IS The Affordable Mouse, and I do write about saving money…well time is money, isn’t it? And to me at least, one of the keys to a successful Disney vacation, is getting the most for your money.

And probably, at no other time of the year, is careful planning as important, as it is during the Holiday Season.

It is certainly one of the loveliest times of year to visit. The holiday decorations are beautiful, and so festive. One of the things that I love is that every resort is decorated to the hilt as well, which then becomes Affordable Mouse Holiday tip #1: Visit the resorts to see the decorations! It’s FREE! On your list should be the Grand Floridian for the Gingerbread House, the Boardwalk for the Carousel, and the Wilderness Lodge and Animal Kingdom Lodge for the enormous trees. These are absolutely not-to-be-missed, and great ways to get away from the crowds for a bit.

If you are planning a Holiday vacation to Walt Disney World, then be sure to follow my blog posts for more Affordable Mouse Holiday tips, so that you know what to expect and can plan accordingly. =)

And if you know someone who has a Christmas/New Years trip planned, please send them this way!

Have a magical day!