Solo @ Mousefest 2008 PTR
About This Page: This is a discussion on Solo @ Mousefest 2008 PTR within the Sharing the Adventure: Disney World Trip Reports, part of the PassPorter Community - Boards & Forums on Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel; As I was planning for the trip in August I started laying out plans for Mousefest in December. One objective ...
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As I was planning for the trip in August I started laying out plans for Mousefest in December. One objective in planning early was an effort to save money on the airfare and the rental car. This has proven to be a real education. I have learned that saving money in one area of the trip can cause problems in others.
My travel agent suggested that I consider a flight from a different airport on a low fare airline (Allegiant Air). Rather than book it for me, she gave me the contact information and I checked with them and compared their rate with the airline I usually use. Their price for a RT ticket including fees for luggage and seat selections represented about a 40% savings. With the savings came one restriction I felt that I could live with. The schedule did not include a flight which would allow me to arrive at the start of Mousefest. I chose to fly on Friday evening with a late arrival at the resort. The meets at Mousefest had not been announced yet so I did not find out what I would be missing until later.
I will be staying off property at Vacation Village at Parkway. This is the same resort we used in August. (Follow the link in my sigpic for the TR.) It is on the same property as the Arabian Nights dinner show and is only a few miles from the main gate at Disney. Staying off property means that I will need to have a rental car. This has proven to be another challenge as Allegiant Air flies into the airport at Sanford rather than Orlando. The low cost for the rental car we had in August was not available in Sanford. I kept a vigil on the prices through Hotwire and finally decided not to wait as I had seen the prices start to float back up. When I rented the car, I was able to get it for $15.95 per day plus taxes. This meant that money saved in one area was spent in another. Lesson learned, I will have to be more careful the next time. What a way to discover the value of hindsight.
With the drop in fuel prices, I just got a notice from Hotwire with a RT flight from Charlotte to Orlando for about the same price I have booked on Allegiant Air from Greensboro to Sanford. The worst thing about the Allegiant Air tickets is that they cannot be changed. I never thought that the price of tickets would be going down instead of up.
Now that I have vented about my mistakes in trip travel planning, I will go ahead with the real plans.
CAST: Just me (the big kid) flying solo this time.
Travel dates: Dec 12 through 19
Stage: WDW for Mousefest Saturday through Monday. Tuesday thru Friday at WDW and several other venues.
Schedule:
12th: Travel day
13th: 7-9 am Photowalk @Boardwalk 9-10 am Find a snack and go to theYacht and Beach Club for the Mega Meet. 10am-1pm attend the Mega Meet 1:30-3 RADP meet at the International Gate @ EPCOT 3-4 Eat no specific plans yet 4 until ? Photowalk with TMIP in the World Showcase 7 until ? Night photography photo meet with TMIP (can’t stay for all) 8:00 or 8:15 Japan or Italy (not sure which) Illuminations meet
14th: 7:30 am Tonga Toast @ Kona Café 10:30 am RADP meet at Splash Mountain & BTMRR Leave ASAP to go to Grand Floridian 12:30 be at the GF docks for the first GRAND 1 cruise 3:30 Meet with RADP @ COP in Tomorrowland EAT but where???? 6:30 Fort Wilderness
15th: Snack at resort so I can be at DHS at opening 9:30 DHS RADP RnRC & TOT meet Quickly go to MK 11:30 – 1 AP Cinderella Castle suite tour Try for a dog @ Casey’s Quickly return to DHS 2:00 GMR (not sure that I can get back in time for this one) 4:30 RADP Toy Story Mania 6:00 ABC Commissary for Passporter’s Farwell (Osborne Lights) 8:30 Winter Summerland Mini Golf
16th Breakfast and laundry at resort 10:00 am ICE @ Gaylord Palms Resort Pickup tickets for Arabian Nights 4:00 pm MVMCP @ MK
17th Be at AK for the opening ceremony Pick up FP for EE and then head for Safari Events for the day will include Lion King & Nemo Lunch at Yak & Yeti (need to call for ADR) Not sure about this one either. Mickey’s Jingle Jungle Parade and then back to the resort 7:00 pm Arabian Nights dinner show
18th Snack breakfast at resort Arrive at Epcot at opening—walk fast to the Land & Soarin’ for FP Return to Future World for TT & MS 2:15 pm Lunch at Biergarten 4:15 pm get in line for the 5 pm Candlelight Processional Return to resort for laundry and packing
19th Travel home
As you can see there are still some holes, especially in the area of meals. I have found that I tend to be somewhat commando when it comes to the shows and the rides everything and have to work at eating when I am in the parks.
I have bought a spare battery for my camera as well as several memory cards. Oh! I just remembered that I need to buy a spare battery for the remote control for my camera. I try to download the cards onto my computer each night at the resort. I am seriously considering pre-ordering the Photopass CD as well. Since I am going solo I cannot take pictures of myself very well.
If things change and I am sure they will, I will be back to post updates. SEE YOU AT MOUSEFEST 2008.
Looks like a fun time! We'll be arriving Friday evening as well - but we're headed home on the last flight Wednesday night.
Sorry about the difficulties with the budget - who knew this summer that gas would be less than $2/gal by Christmas!!
I was also watching airfare - but I bought Southwest - everyone thought I was nuts - but I wouldn't buy until it was down to under $200/pp/rt. Even then - Southwest had some great deals - and now I've got a $100 credit to use by next August! I love Southwest's no fee changes!!
I hope to meet up with you at some point - I'll be at the Mega Mouse Meet on my own - and at AK on the 17th with my family.
Great plans - but good luck finding reservations - the free dining has really tightened up a usually light time.
__________________
My 3 beautiful daughters - Sarah (14), Amanda (22), Jennie (21)
WDW - August 1997 Off Property
WDW - January 2005 AKL
WDW - May 2006 Pop Century
WDW- november-dec 2007 pop century
WDW- dec/jan 2009/2010 pop century
WDW- oct/nov 2012 art of animation
WDW- sept 2013 port Orleans riverside
Location: Exported from Morgantown, WV to Shreveport, LA
Posts: 4,105
Your trip looks great! We used SW to book our tix during a Ding! over the summer, and since then, have been able to get lower fare rebates 2x's. It's our first time flying with them, and I'm already very happy with their service!
I can't wait for you to tell us about Arabian Nights on your TR. When I visited DH in Orlando in August, we stayed at the Radisson Hotel that's next door. We kept joking about how we should go check it ou (but alas, DH does not share my love of horses). I'm definitely interested to hear what you think!
Your trip looks great! We used SW to book our tix during a Ding! over the summer, and since then, have been able to get lower fare rebates 2x's. It's our first time flying with them, and I'm already very happy with their service!
I can't wait for you to tell us about Arabian Nights on your TR. When I visited DH in Orlando in August, we stayed at the Radisson Hotel that's next door. We kept joking about how we should go check it ou (but alas, DH does not share my love of horses). I'm definitely interested to hear what you think!
Hopefully we'll see you at Mousefest!
My DW and I took one of our graddaughters to see the Arabian Nights show several years ago. We tried to go while we were there in August but just couldn't get it in. The show has 22 scenes all involving horses and on very special white horse in costume as a unicorn. The meal was quite good the last time we were there so I hope ti will be this time. The show has a special upgrade ticket option which guarantees that you will be no more than three rows off the floor and allows time before the show to visit the characters and the horses on the show floor. We did this when we had our granddaughter. Not sure I will be doing it this time since I will be by myself. The interaction with the animals with a horse loving little girl was worth the price. If you get the chance, this is a highly recommended show. I will include a report when I do the Trip Report.
I couldn't believe it when I found this AP event and found that I was able to get a space on one of the tours. This really changed the Mousefest schedule I was working on. I felt that this opportunity was worth all of the logistical problems with the timing and going between two parks. I know that I will have to do a lot of hustling to make everything work.
Here is the first change to the plans. I called yesterday to try for an ADR at Tusker House that would link to reserved seating at Nemo. Of course, with only a 40 minute window for lunch and only one day of my time available I did not stand a chance. Instead, I signed up for the early morning "Behind the scenes AK tour" which includes a private (group of 15) ride on the safari. This lasts about 3.5 hours and I have to be at the front gate at 8:15 am. Oh well, this means that once again I will miss the opening of AK. FPs for EE will have to wait (looks like single rider line again.) If I am going to see both Lion King and Nemo, I will have to do CS on the run for lunch instead of TS and hope that the waits for the shows will not be too long. We missed both shows when we were there in August. Here is the new list for Thursday 12/17.
17th Grab a snack for breakfast and head to AK need to be at AK @ 8:15 am to check in for 8:30 Tour.
Do the Behind the scenes tour until around 12 noon Check the show times for Lion King and Nemo grab a snack lunch Do the two shows and move to the front of the park to catch the Jingle parade. Watch at least part of Mickey’s Jingle Jungle Parade and then back to the resort 7:00 pm Arabian Nights dinner show and back to the resort. I WILL NEED THE REST!!!!!
Oh Yes, I also pre-ordered the Photopass CD. That hunt will begin as soon as I get to the parks on the 13th.
About This Page: This is a discussion on Solo @ Mousefest 2008 PTR within the Sharing the Adventure: Disney World Trip Reports, part of the PassPorter Community - Boards & Forums on Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel; As I was planning for the trip in August I started laying out plans for Mousefest in December. One objective ...
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