Last minute...no plans????

Really? No planning? No reservations? Last minute trip???? Yep, that's exactly what we plan to do this summer!

We had a few really cool, trips/family vacations on the schedule for this year...New York, Bahamas, Disneyland (yes, in CA)...and everything has changed. I won't bore you with all the details, but let's just say Bahamas and Disneyland were too expensive for our taste and New York is being postponed a year due to other circumstances surrounding the trip and who is going. So, as we sat there and talked about our family trips for the year, we brought up and discussed that our WDW Annual Passes expire in early July, so why don't we plan a quick trip to use them one last time!

It's tricky to find DVC rooms during the popular times of the year. All the kids are out of school, the weather in Florida is pretty (albeit hot), and everyone just has more travel flexibility. So, I got online and started checking room availability and found that we can actually get out there right at the beginning of the summer. Bonus....it's one of the Star Wars Weekends!!! Our SW loving 5 yr old is going to LOVE IT!!!

We opted to not do the Disney Dining Plan this trip. We love the amazing restaurants at Walt Disney World, but also find that they put a lot of structure into your day and week because of the set time/place that you have to be to eat. We'll be eating a lot of the better and healthier counter service meals during this trip (see more about those HERE) and might do one last minute table service, if there's something available that day, but otherwise, it's a more relaxed trip for us this time!

So, with no dining reservations, last minute plane tickets, and a 5-night hotel reservation, we are off to WDW at the beginning of the summer!

I can't wait to hear "Welcome Home!"

Disney Dreamin'

I'm Disney dreaming right now...and channeling my "last minute" friends who love to plan things spur of the moment!

I am normally a major planner. I have trips (particularly Disney trips) planned 7-11 months out and meals booked at 6 months out. I am typically researching hotels, restaurants, flight options...etc for months before we actually make a decision and book the trip! All that has gone out the window for the time being, because right now, I am trying to plan a trip to Walt Disney World for late May or early June!! As in 2012! That is less than 6 weeks away, and kinda stresses me out! (but in a good way lol)

Our original plan was to visit Disneyland for a chance this year, in October. We had trouble getting DVC rooms at the Grand Californian, and it pains me to pay for hotel, when we already have to pay for park tickets (we get Annual Passes and multiple trips out of them in Florida), and we are not sure we can get to Anaheim on our free plane tickets. So, all in all, that one was looking like a pretty expensive trip. Our current Annual Passes to WDW expire in early July, so we started talking last week about just getting back out there for one more trip before they expire, and putting off the Disneyland trip for a year.

So, thus begins some really quick planning!! We were able to reserve a Savannah View room at Animal Kingdom lodge for the first two nights, and Saratoga Springs for the last 3 nights.That's a pretty low "crowd" time of the year...most of the kids are still in school, so dining reservations are available at some good places, or we may just do quick service most days. We have our Annual Passes, so park tickets are taken care of...the only problem now is plane tickets. We normally fly using our Southwest Airlines reward points...and we have plenty...but wow, it is going to use a lot of points to get us to Florida this time of year!! This may be the new "norm", but it's certainly not what we are used to.

Learned something new....

I learned something new last week...let me give you the background information.

Over the last few months, we had made plans to travel to Florida for the final Shuttle Launch...and what an amazing experience it was!!! But that's a story for another time...

We were not planning to pay a visit to Mickey Mouse while we were in Central Florida, and were planning to enjoy the beach and the Space Center. We are really NOT "beach for 5 days" type people, and now we know that. :) So, on Sunday evening, after our 3rd day at the beach and our 3rd day of Space Center activities, we decided to head to Walt Disney World for the last two days of our trip. Now, I have always said - there is no way I'll go to Disney World in July!! It's too hot and it's too crowded...how miserable.

But, we were able to book a Studio room at the Wilderness Lodge (last minute) and we had already purchases our annual passes in anticipation of our October trip. We just needed to activate our passes and pay for food, so off we went! I was prepared for the heat (heck it's 107 degrees in North Texas right now), but I was dreading crowds. I thought, we will do what we are able to do, and whatever we can't do/see/ride, we know that we will be back in October.

I was so pleasantly surprised with this visit!! After getting checked in at the hotel and dropping the car in the parking lot, we hopped on the bus to MK at about 9:30 am. The park had opened at 9:00, so I thought for sure there would already be lines. We wanted about 15 minutes for Dumbo...and then started our normal Fast Pass routine (get one for one ride, go ride another, come back and use the FP, then get another FP and go ride something else). I am very surprised to say that in the heat of July, one of the most crowded times of the year, according to the travel experts, we never waited in a line longer than 20 minutes, and we rode almost every ride at Magic Kingdom - a few of the big ones twice!

We used our Fast Passes very strategically, and frankly I think we got lucky with the timing. Since 4th of July had been just a week earlier, and many people may have wanted to be there for the Shuttle Launch the week before, it was really not as crowded as I thought it would be.

Would I plan another trip in the heat of July? No, it would not be my first choice -- it's still stiflingly hot and miserable! But, given the option for a few free days at the World - I wouldn't dread it! :)