We're Disney Bound

In order to have all the plans out by the time I have to have this laptop packed up and ready to go I have to double up on a day. No problem there, right? I may pull out my laptop if I get bored waiting to board my plane at Ted Stevens International (and I pray that it always stays Ted Stevens' International... I'm sure Begich has his eye on changing it and with Uncle Ted's conviction...) Sorry lost my head there for a minute.

Anywho, the 19th is also Martin Luther King Jr. Day and as such the parks will probably be packed all weekend, but I've decided that monday would be a good day to see stuff outside the parks. So it's our downtown disney mini golf do whatever else we want day. DHS has Extra Magic Evening Hours so we might pop over there for a bit, who knows. This is also the day we go from Disney's Coronado Springs Resort over to the value of The Pop Century Resort. It's only for the last three nights of our trip so I am not going to complain.

Day Eight: Take A Break Day!
08:00a - Check Out have luggage sent to Pop, say good bye to CSR *sniff*
08:30a - Catch bus for The Magic Kingdom
09:00a - Take Ferry to The Wilderness Lodge
10:00a - Breakfast @ The Whispering Canyon Cafe
11:15a - Head to Downtown Disney
11:45a - SHOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
02:30p - Catch Bus to the Beach Club
03:30p - Lunch @ Beaches N Cream
04:30p - Head over to Pop Century to Check In
05:30p - Hit Up Mini Golf @ either Fantasia Gardens or Winter/Summerland
07:30p - Debate going to other mini golf course, going to a park, or back to Pop.
09:00p - Lights out.

This is a very rough idea of what we'll do. Who knows what we'll end up really doing...

Now, onto the Resort Info...

Home Sweet Home: Pop Century
Resort: Disney's Pop Century
Phone #: 1-407-939-4000
Check In: January 19, 2009 around 4:30p
Departing: January 22, 2009 around 5:00a
Room Type: Standard
Location: We have requested the 1950s Buildings

something, who knows what. But I am extremely bored and in want of our trip to Disney World today (like everyday) so I figured I better start revising our trip plans for probably the last time.

As was stated previously - we are now doing a split stay while we're in Disney. January 11-19 will be at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort it is a moderate resort with a deluxe feel. It is currently undergoing some refurbishments - all rooms now have queen beds - so it will have a decidedly *newer* feel to it than other resorts of its caliber.

I will probably do a write up similar to what I did for the Pop Century later this week[end]. But for now I'll just give a run down of plans.

From January 19-22 we will be staying at Disney's Pop Century Resort this is a value level resort, and is the newest of the values as it opened in 2004.

Interestingly enough, while Erin has been to neither resort, I've visited/stayed at both. Of the two I prefer The Coronado, and not because it's a "better quality" but I enjoy the fact that it's more spread out, it has a great theme, the service is above and beyond what I expected, and the busses don't just go to one central location. I like the Pop for its theming, and I hope that when we have to switch to Pop we won't be too homesick for Coronado.

Because we are staying at the Coronado from the first night we get down there, we have cancelled our Boma reservation we had set up for 8:30pm on the 11th. There was just no point to eating out when the Coronado has wonderful food service in both the Pepper Market and Maya Grill (Which is expensive but super yummy). At this point the plan is to get into the Coronado, check in, and - depending on where our room is - we will either grab something to go from the Pepper Market and take it to our room OR we'll settle into our room and then go grab something to eat. Either way will work and the first night we'll do exactly how my family did in 2007 - we'll get acquainted (or in my case reacquainted) with our vacation home... and we can SLEEP. *IF* we can sleep. Chances are we're going to rival that little kid in the ad ("WE'RE TOO EXCITED TO SLEEP!")

I'm hoping to have enough energy that first night to head over to the dig site and visit the hot tub, and take some photos of the pool while there.

Have a ~*~Magical~*~ day. :)

Next post on here should be a write up on the Coronado.

So the Coronado Springs didn't pan out *quite* like we wanted, but that is alright because we are BOOKED for CSR anyway! We have a room there from the 11th to the 19th. From the 19th to the 22nd we're staying at the Pop Century resort.

So it's a little bit more than what we were originally paying, but we both believe it will be worth it. It's about 200 bucks more than what it would have been before the special came out, so I guess that's pretty good... had this special not come out we would have been way over budget trying to get the Coronado.

I don't have time to do a full write up on what the Coronado Springs resort looks like or how it works, but there is a fan site out for it and can be found HERE.

My family stayed there in 2007 and I fell in love with it. I've requested the Casitas building not so much because I've stayed there before, but because that's the first bus stop and I love being first (and it's all about me!).

I'm so stinking excited that it isnt even funny!

Wow. I almost made it a week before posting again. Is that a record as of late? I'm not sure.

Still tryng to get into the Coronado Springs Resort. There seems to be a pattern with the CMs I get on the phone, the guys all try to get me exactly what I want within our price range. The girls are always upgrading me to deluxe rooms at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, and Erin and I were tempted to take them up on the offer, but it was just shy f 1300 bucks for 10 days and 10 nights, and I don't think we could handle that. The only other option I think that might make it, but I don't think we'll do, is if we split our stay where it's 4nights at pop and 7 nights at AKL... but I don't think it's worth all the moving around.

So we're still currently at the Pop Century, but we're still hoping against hope that we'll get CSR.




1 month, 4 weeks, 1 day till WDW!

So the deal that came out tonight saved us a little bit of money. 4 nights/tickets get three free for up to 10 nights plus a $200 gift card. Now, we had 11 so it took a bit of finagling but we got it all situated.

Erin and I wanted to upgrade our 10 nights with the freebie deal to the Coronado Springs, but no such luck. None of the other moderates are open at the moment either.

I'm hoping that if I call back I can get into something... I'm sure AlaskaUSA is loving that I keep spending this money only to get it refunded back! ha ha!

If you ever call down to Disney and get a guy named Tucker, OMG, you will get one of the nicest Cast Members I have ever had the pleasure to talk to! I think I developed a phone crush that is totally legal and non pornographic! ha ha!

I'll be honest, I'm bummed about Coronado.. and the fact that I had to shell out another deposit... but it'll all work out in the end.

CHECK IT OUT!

So I have nothing really to add. I'm just in a super excited Disney mood tonight! I should be sleeping (I have to be to work in about 10.5 hours! LOL) but I had to share the map of the resort we're gonna stay at... the section we want is on the RIGHT! :) 205 days until Walt Disney World!

All that's left is booking the tickets - which can't be done till the rates come out in August or September - and the dining reservations - which will happen in July.

It was a little confusing for a while because I was charged WAY MORE than I expected! Apparently when you book a room only reservation for a time that is not in this year's pricing you are given the PREMIUM/Holiday pricing of the year you are booking in. So since this year the holiday price is 129 before taxes, I was charged 133.88!!!!!!!! It freaked both Erin and I out, so I called them back and that's when I found out how the pricing worked.

Chances are it will be WAY LESS than that and we'll be good to go. We're pretty much planning on the room costing 1000 bucks for the 10 days, and split in half that ain't half bad...

I'm so flippin excited!

Info and photos from AllEars.net - http://www.allears.net/acc/faq_pop.htm

Considering I have had the privilege of staying at a Disney resort twice I let Erin pick where we are going to stay in January. Originally we were going to avoid the Pop because I stayed there in 04 and wasn't all that impressed, but reading up on the All-Stars I was okay with Erin wanting to stay there if she chose.

Originally we planned on staying at the All-Star Movies, as Erin wanted to stay in the Rex building (Rex is the toy dino from Toy Story) because Rexie rules. But... well... she saw the bowling pins on the Pop Century and from that moment on it was like forget it, THAT is where we were going to stay.

So that's how it was chosen. I will be booking a 'room only' vacation on June 1 for a trip in January. I will be asking for a standard room in the 1950s building hopefully on the third or fourth floor so that we don't get as much noise. But as long as we're in the 1950s I'll be happy. Because after the crap Erin's had over the last month she deserves to stay in a bowling pin themed resort! LOL

"The 1950s area features giant sock-hoppers dancing on the sides of the lodge buildings, possibly be-bopping to rock-and-roll tunes from the 40-foot-tall tabletop jukebox that anchors the courtyard. A bowling pin-shaped pool provides a cool dip. he canine character stars from Disney's "Lady and the Tramp" animated feature film (released to theater audiences in 1955) gaze at each other across the courtyard."

Check in is not until 4pm (All Ears says 3 but all other info I have says 4) and we will be getting in around 7am (if we get the flight we have been talking about - that's up to Erin lol) so we'll get our keys to the room/world and we'll freshen up in the changing rooms/shower out by the Hippy Dippy Pool. Then we'll leave our carryons will the Bell service and grab a bite to eat at the food court before hopping the bus and heading over to the Magic Kingdom.



Depending on how we feel we'll probably return to our room before the park closes so that we can get ourselves situated in the room and maybe if we're not completely zoned we'll adventure and check out the park before going to bed EARLY. We'll be eating at the Animal Kingdom for breakfast the next morning - before the park opens to regular guests - so we want to have a good night sleep (which we're both convinced we won't get for the 10 nights we'll be there!)



"Rooms are 260 square feet, with two double beds or one king bed, a table and two chairs, vanity area and sink with separate bathroom, 27-inch color television, in-room wall safe, iron/ironing board, telephones with voice mail and data port. Available on request:rooms accessible to guests with disabilities, hearing-impaired TDD telephones, visual smoke alarms, bed boards and bed rails, refrigerators (extra charge) and cribs. Room furnishings include custom-designed and themed bed coverings, wall art and wallpaper borders."

Erin wants to get a photo of the bowling pin shaped pool so hanging out around our resort that first night will be a good thing, and I'm all about taking pictures!



"The bowling pin icons tower more than 65 feet high. A regulation bowling pin is 15 inches tall.

If you count the giant bowling pin icons, there are nine standing around the resort. Where's the tenth? It's actually the bowling pin pool in the courtyard!

Take a closer look at the pool deck around the bowling pin pool and you'll spot the triangular lane markings that are seen on bowling alleys everywhere."



I'm honestly getting excited about staying there, it was still pretty new when my aunt and I went (wasn't even a year old yet!) and I've heard a lot of great reviews so I'm willing to give it a second chance! Besides, Erin and I will be there running amok, what could be better??????