~i'll be home for Xmas but 1st i'm going to DISNEY WORLD!~ TR link posted!

[lauren_elizabeth]

Oh my goodness! That condo is absolutely adorable! It just looks so cute & cozy! I'm sure yall are going to be super comfy staying there

 

[DisneyLaura]

Hi there Dawn, I'm here too. I'm so happy about seeing Disney at Christmas time. We are going late Nov early Dec next year so I get Disney at Christmas too.

 

[shannon47142]

I'm glad you started a pre-trip report!! I always enjoy reading about your ideas and experiences in and about Disney!!

 

[MAGICFOR2]

I love it that you'll be there at Christmas time! My goal is to get my family there at Christmas. I think one of those houses might work out well for us, unless we save up 3 yrs worth of points for a grand villa. I just want all of them to see Disney in Dec.!

Score on that property! I have sent the link to others after you mentioned it on your other TR!

Dan! I'll be over there - you haven't lost me - sometimes I'm just too tired to post.

 

[becky_AK]

I'm here and subscribing! I couldn't pass up reading your great trip reports, and especially a Christmas trip. We'll be there next December 8-18, so this will give me some tips about going during that time of year.

 

[nateryan]

I'm in!

I can't wait to read all about your upcoming trip. Does Luke know that he is going to Disney with you guys? (for more than just that one day at the P&PP)

The condo looks great - totally worth staying off site with that place!

Jen

 

[2xcited2sleep]

WOW! Your place looks AMAZING! And I can't get over the price, which I assume isn't a typo! Did I say, Wow!?! That is quite a find. You are going to have such a great time.

Hey- our trips will overlap a bit. So if some crazy woman comes up to you randomly in the parks don't be alarmed... I'm not a stalker... just one of your fans.

 

[kschafer]

Half of our June trip was spent with 11 other family members (8 adults and 7 kids in all) and we stayed in a 6 bedroom home about 15 minutes from WDW. It was SO nice having all that space for our large group. The adults could hang out together while the kids played in the bedrooms or family room. When you consider what 4 rooms on-site would have cost plus the cramped space, this was definitely the way to go when with a larger group!

The condo looks nice, I guess Luke can have a different bed each night. That's what I would do

 

[KristinAnne]

The place looks awesome! We stay offsite too because my parents own a timeshare. As magical as it would be to stay onsite, there are definitely some benefits to being off.

 

[lmillercrew]

The place looks great!!! I wish that they had places like that on property that were affordable!! (affordable for me anyway) It's all relative. You guys are going to have a great time. I can't wait to someday see Disney at Christmas time.

 

[hlrababy]

Oh my gosh, Dawn that condo looks awesome!!!!! Will you please PM me the website where you found it??

 

[Hillary12.8.07]

I'm in! I'm such a fan of your TRs!!

First of all, that picture cracked me up. Before I even read what you said about Olan Mills, it totally reminded me of some of the promotional posters for "Step-Brothers", w/Will Ferrel, where they have that Olan Mills look. hilarious.

And, what a great deal on the condo! It's beautiful! I can't wait to read about it. I might have to look into that, we're looking for some cheap places to stay in February.

cant wait to read more!

 

[katiebug86]

Wow that condo is gorgeous! With you and Anna splitting the cost it is cheaper than staying at a value. I really like the "Animal Kingdom" theme.

 

[punkin413]

Hi Dawn,
I love the Olin Mills pics too funny. You and (Grey kids are so funny) I mean Ray are such a cute couple. I can't wait to see your Christmas pics, there is no place better than Disney World at Christmas, you will love it. So, where are your ADR's? where are staying, can't wait to find out.

thanks! you're sweet. you have seen where we're staying......now you'll have to wait on the ADRs. i'll probably post the itinerary tomorrow.

found the link for this one, so i had to join in.

i think i might have started my PreTR a little early,i have lost a few readers, but i am sure it will pick up once it gets closer, and i start the actual TR, so i am hoping to pimp myself out on your thread

link below come and check it out.

sorry done stealing your TR , you can have it back.

i'm still there! i tend to lurk on pre-TRs for some odd reason. so i'm sure others do that, too. when you get closer and definitely when you get back you'll have more readers posting.

I'm joining in! Disney at Christmas sounds wonderful!

I loved your family picture with your doggies! They are sure cute!

The condo looks very nice! Even if it is off property.

thanks! i love my doggies so. they're both asleep next to me on the couch right now.

I can't wait to see how you like the condo. DH and I are thinking about taking a trip close to our anniversary (in May), but, if we do, it would have to be a trim downed version. We've done some looking at townhomes and condos, so it will be great to have your opinion.

hopefully this will work out. according to the guy who owns it, "we'll never stay on property again." i highly doubt that! but it's nice to have the option to save money and stay off site if the perks of staying on site aren't that important for your trip.

I love the pictures where you're staying. It looks really nice and the list of amenities is super long. It sounds like it really includes everything.

thanks! i'm excited about it. i hope it's as nice as it looks.

Very Hemmingway. Luke'll love the 4 beds!

i know! i wonder if he'll sleep in a different one each night and then pick his favorite on the last night?

It looks very nice. I'll be interested in hearing your opinion of the differences in on-site and off-site trips after this. Someday, when all of my kids have kids, we may consider getting a big house for all of us on some of our longer trips.

Luke will have fun climbing on all those beds.
Are you and Ray the 'sleighbed' room or the 'fit for a queen' room?

I hope you get a nice Christmas tree, too! It will be nice to see Disney World at Christmas and maybe get some special holiday things to decorate you own home with. I'm sure we'll be buying some Christmas things on our Thanksgiving trip.

i hope it's as nice as it looks. i will definitely miss the "magic" of staying on site but i'll live. i think the thing i'll miss the most is the friendliness of the CMs. we don't have staff here so i don't have to worry about running into any rude non-disney-like people! i don't know which bed is ours yet - it depends on the layout of the place. we will want to be the furthest away from the main living area because i know how kids get up super early and like to watch TV and that will wake up ray. ray doesn't like to be woken up early on vacation. so we will take the room furthest away. i don't care which one we get - as long as it's a halfway comfy bed! who are we kidding - i sleep like a baby after a day at disney world even if i'm sleeping on a block of wood! oh, and don't worry - we will definitely be purchasing some disney christmas things!

Hey Dawn I'm Here 2! So Excited for you that you get to see Disney during Christmas time!

hey, lauren! glad you made it over here, you newlywed, you! i can't wait to sit down and look at your DL pics. welcome home, by the way!

Wow! What a bargain!!! The place is gorgeous and close to Disney! I can't wait to see what you think of it when you go -- a place like that would definitely be an option for us on short trips, etc.

yeah, i'm hoping it will work out. i'll let you know! this guy was super nice so i'd love to send some business his way if it ends up being a nice place.

Oh my goodness! That condo is absolutely adorable! It just looks so cute & cozy! I'm sure yall are going to be super comfy staying there

i hope so!

Hi there Dawn, I'm here too. I'm so happy about seeing Disney at Christmas time. We are going late Nov early Dec next year so I get Disney at Christmas too.

i'm really excited about it! so is anna. ray and chris.....well......not yet. but they will get there! they both want to go - they just don't talk about it like we do. luke has been talking a good bit about it, too. i showed him my DHS block party video from our trip last month and he got really excited about that!

I'm glad you started a pre-trip report!! I always enjoy reading about your ideas and experiences in and about Disney!!

thanks so much!

I love it that you'll be there at Christmas time! My goal is to get my family there at Christmas. I think one of those houses might work out well for us, unless we save up 3 yrs worth of points for a grand villa. I just want all of them to see Disney in Dec.!

Score on that property! I have sent the link to others after you mentioned it on your other TR!

Dan! I'll be over there - you haven't lost me - sometimes I'm just too tired to post.

as long as the DDP and EMH are not important to you, staying off site is not a big deal. i'll let you know what we think because i will have done both and can compare them.

I'm here and subscribing! I couldn't pass up reading your great trip reports, and especially a Christmas trip. We'll be there next December 8-18, so this will give me some tips about going during that time of year.

thanks so much!!! hope i'm helpful with some ideas for you guys for next year.

 

[punkin413]

I'm in!

I can't wait to read all about your upcoming trip. Does Luke know that he is going to Disney with you guys? (for more than just that one day at the P&PP)

The condo looks great - totally worth staying off site with that place!

Jen

thanks for joining in! yep, luke knows he's going. they're not surprising him this time. he's been talking about it a good bit and he's really excited!

WOW! Your place looks AMAZING! And I can't get over the price, which I assume isn't a typo! Did I say, Wow!?! That is quite a find. You are going to have such a great time.

Hey- our trips will overlap a bit. So if some crazy woman comes up to you randomly in the parks don't be alarmed... I'm not a stalker... just one of your fans.

i thought so too! nope, not a typo. $109/night. that's what it is year round except for like 12/20 - early january (or something like that) then it goes up a little bit. PLEASE feel free to say hello if you see me. i will go check out your TR to see if i see a pic of you so i can keep my eye out for you too!

Half of our June trip was spent with 11 other family members (8 adults and 7 kids in all) and we stayed in a 6 bedroom home about 15 minutes from WDW. It was SO nice having all that space for our large group. The adults could hang out together while the kids played in the bedrooms or family room. When you consider what 4 rooms on-site would have cost plus the cramped space, this was definitely the way to go when with a larger group!

The condo looks nice, I guess Luke can have a different bed each night. That's what I would do

yeah, i think it will be nice to have our own space and privacy. anna tends to cook breakfast so it will be nice for her to have a kitchen. ray and i aren't big breakfast eaters but of course i'll eat if someone's cooking! plus it'll be nice to have a nice big couch to spread out on and watch some late-night stacy when we get back from the parks! did you know that stacy is on all over orlando? i thought it was just a disney thing until i saw her at the howard johnson last april on our first night! oh, and i'd totally do that too about the beds. maybe he can sleep on a different bed every night and then pick his favorite on the last night!

The place looks awesome! We stay offsite too because my parents own a timeshare. As magical as it would be to stay onsite, there are definitely some benefits to being off.

really the only thing i think i'll miss are the friendly CMs that disney is known for. but with this place you don't have to deal with staff because it's privately owned. i really won't miss the busses - we always drive and when you have a car sitting nearby, the busses are just useless. using a car cuts about 20 minutes off our trip to and from the parks!

The place looks great!!! I wish that they had places like that on property that were affordable!! (affordable for me anyway) It's all relative. You guys are going to have a great time. I can't wait to someday see Disney at Christmas time.

seriously! to get a 3-bedroom villa at a DVC resort is CRAZY outrageous. and believe me - i'm not knocking DVC because i'll probably buy in one day. i just can't afford it at this point.

Oh my gosh, Dawn that condo looks awesome!!!!! Will you please PM me the website where you found it??

i will be sending you a PM shortly!

I'm in! I'm such a fan of your TRs!!

First of all, that picture cracked me up. Before I even read what you said about Olan Mills, it totally reminded me of some of the promotional posters for "Step-Brothers", w/Will Ferrel, where they have that Olan Mills look. hilarious.

And, what a great deal on the condo! It's beautiful! I can't wait to read about it. I might have to look into that, we're looking for some cheap places to stay in February.

cant wait to read more!

glad you thought our picture was amusing because i do too! oh, and have you seen "step-brothers"? HILARIOUS! raunchy but really funny. DON'T TOUCH MY DRUM SET!!!! i'm glad i found the condo - i will let you know how it goes!

by the way, i saw you guys stayed at FW in your signature pic. how was it? ray and i are thinking of selling our 1997 volkswagon cabrio and buying a pop-up camper with the money. we kept the cabrio because it's a convertible and it was paid for - fun car to have in nice weather. but we've driven it once in 12 months. DH would definitely rather have a camper. and we both agree if we get one that we'll be taking the doggies down to FW sometime soon!

Wow that condo is gorgeous! With you and Anna splitting the cost it is cheaper than staying at a value. I really like the "Animal Kingdom" theme.

i know! it's crazy. i couldn't believe the cost but that's about average for condos in that area.

 

[AussieAngel]

Oooh! I'm totally going to check out that guy's houses!

Not for me, but for my sister and her family. They're planning their first trip to Disney World in May and I said I'd help! I'm sure I'll end up doing nearly all of it actually, but I don't mind in the least! They have two little kids so I'm thinking a condo off property would be perfect for them.

Your condo looks beautiful!

 

[soxnation]

We are the crazy people going during the parade taping, except we will be in epcot on that day. Can not wait to read your trip when i get back from mine!

 

[punkin413]

Oooh! I'm totally going to check out that guy's houses!

Not for me, but for my sister and her family. They're planning their first trip to Disney World in May and I said I'd help! I'm sure I'll end up doing nearly all of it actually, but I don't mind in the least! They have two little kids so I'm thinking a condo off property would be perfect for them.

Your condo looks beautiful!

cool! i love helping plan disney trips. it's like my hobby now. when my sister went with her boyfriend in july, she had called me in april to tell me they were going and she needed help with planning. well, my brother just happened to be at my house when she called and after we hung up i got all my stuff out (lots of scrap paper for charts that i always make and re-make, my passporter, my laptop, etc.) and started working on it and he was just absolutely frightened that i was so methodical about it.

i will PM you the website for the guy. the mods apparently don't like it when we post any sort of website on here so i've been trying to avoid that.

We are the crazy people going during the parade taping, except we will be in epcot on that day. Can not wait to read your trip when i get back from mine!

oh, if we could've changed around our schedule, we would've and i wouldn't have changed our dates. but we only have 4 days to do all 4 parks. i REQUIRE a full day at MK (in addition to MVMCP) since it's my favorite and the other 3 days we were there wouldn't work for MK because all three of them were MVMCP nights. so we couldn't get a full MK day in. plus we didn't want to buy park hoppers because this is a budgeted trip. so it's 1 park per day for us. i think going to epcot or any other park that day would be fine.

 

[punkin413]

THE PLAN

so now we've come to the portion of my pre-TR where i tell you what the plan is....as of right now. as all true DISers know, these things seem to have a way of changing!

wednesday, december 10th
this is our driving day. no one took off work that day (except for anna who cancelled her evening fitness class). our goal is to leave our houses by 5:00 and hit the road. if we do so we should be at our condo around midnight, 1:00 a.m. at the latest. we're taking separate cars. we could all fit into one but i don't think it would be comfortable and ray and i move at a different pace than anna and family, so it's a better idea to have two cars. we will, however, only be taking one car to the parks just because it's silly to have to deal with parking two cars.

thursday, december 11th
~first of all, we're sleeping in! we will all be tired from the drive down and not getting in until late.
~we plan to leave the condo by 10:00-ish and head to the boardwalk to see the christmas decorations.
~we will probably have a very light and very early lunch either at the boardwalk bakery, one of the snack stands on the boardwalk or from spoodles pizza window. hopefully the weather will be nice and we can sit on the boardwalk to eat our lunch!
~we'll then head over to the beach club to see their christmas decorations, then head to beaches and cream where we'll all split a KITCHEN SINK!!! yum. (hence the very light lunch.)
~to epcot we go!
~we'll hit future world first. i told anna there's no way we'd get to do everything there, so we're gonna concentrate on soarin, nemo, test track and possibly SE.
~we'll then head to world showcase. my goal is to be in world showcase by 2:00-ish. we want to concentrate on seeing some of the christmas storytellers! i think we'll probably start in canada.
~we have a VERY late lunch ADR at teppan edo. at first i didn't like this time but now i think it'll work out well. it will give us a big meal in the middle of the day and a nice break from walking. plus i'm sure luke will be ready for an afternoon nap in his stroller after his belly's full! and by the time illuminations rolls around we can get something small to eat (nachos, anyone?) while we're waiting.
~i plan to watch illuminations at 9:30 from norway. i have heard that's a good viewing spot.
~we will take our time walking out of the park. i really want to get some good pictures of the christmas tree and the area between WS and FW and we'll be passing that on the way out.

friday, december 12th
~breakfast in the condo, then leave for DHS!
~of course we won't get to see everything at DHS in one day (that's pretty much impossible) so we will concentrate on several things: TSM, ToT, RnRC, B&tB, the car stunt show, magic of disney animation (if we have time), the little mermaid. i think anna and family will probably want to see the disney playhouse show too. of course we want to see the block party - that's a must! i'm the only one in our party that has ever seen it.
~we have a lunch ADR at sci-fi dine-in theater. i figure after we're done eating it will be time to find a spot for the block party, so that will work out well.
~fantasmic is at 7:00. now i have to mention this. mousefest is going on while we're there this trip. this is the only time that our schedule coincides with theirs. they are planning on attending DHS this night. so i think fantasmic might be a little crowded, but we plan on sitting in the back anyway (in order to get out of there quicker) so i don't think it's a big deal. we will probably have the boys go fetch dinner from a CS while we're waiting for the show to start.
~after fantasmic, we will head over to see the osborne lights. i can't wait for this!!! i hear it's just amazing. the park closes at 8:00 that night but i've read that they keep the lights on an hour after park closing, so we'll have plenty of time.

saturday, december 13th
~breakfast in the condo, then head to MK (my favorite place in the world)!!!!!
~i didn't want to do MK on a saturday, but it was our only option. there are MVMCP every other night we're there.
~we will just take our time today...no plan necessarily for the first part of the day - just enjoy ourselves!
~we'll have lunch at a CS (not sure where).
~the castle lighting show starts at 5:45, so we'll be sure to see that.
~we have a dinner ADR at kona cafe, so after the castle lighting we'll head for the exit and hop on the monorail for that. tuna oscar, here i come!!!!
~after dinner, we will ride the monorail to the GF and see the awesome christmas decorations i've heard about there.
~back to MK for wishes at 9:00 and spectromagic at 10:00. the park closes at 11:00 that night.

sunday, december 14th
~no breakfast in the condo today! instead we will wake up and head to AK!
~we have a late breakfast ADR at tusker house for the character meal that morning. so we may try to get an attraction or two in before then, depending on what time we arrive.
~after breakfast we will just enjoy the park! we'll probably have a late lunch at flame tree.
~the jingle jungle parade is at 3:45 and we'll be sure to see that.
~we'll leave AK probably right after the parade and head to WL to see the beautiful christmas decorations there!
~we will then head to MK for MVMCP!!!
~dinner at a CS that night at MK during the party.
~say goodbye to MK and try not to cry.

monday, december 15th
~eat breakfast in the condo and pack and be sad.
~head over to DTD before we leave for some shopping and lunch at WPE!
~hit the road.

i really have no right to be sad. i know i'll be back and next time hopefully i'll be sharing disney world with my child!

so that's it - that's our schedule. i also have an alternative schedule in case of a forecast of bad weather on sunday night. i will post that later.

i do have a question for you guys. because we're not taking breaks in the middle of the day, anna wants to rent a stroller, probably a double one so luke will have room to lay down and nap if he wants to. he generally is getting to the age where he's fine without one, but she'd like to have the option. as far as renting a stroller goes, is that something she'd want to reserve ahead of time or do you just get one when you get there? i have no idea how that works. any help would be appreciated!

 

[iluv2go2disney]

Your plans look great. I love the first day. On our last trip we went to the Boardwalk and it's just so relaxing there. What is Mousefest? As far as the stroller goes, I think you just go get one when you need one, no need to reserve.