October 2015 PTR: a “Halloweenie” and her Fearless Companion conquer their first HHN!

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

I was just able to snag a 4:35 pm reservation for the Plaza on our MNSSHP night!

Our original reservation for 6:35 pm is now cancelled, and we will have tons of time to enjoy a nice, relaxing dinner before the party kicks off at 7. Very happy!

 

[Lynne G]

That is awesome! I think you will enjoy the Plaza. It has everything from a sandwich to a full dinner.

 

[dancin Disney style]

If you wa

I was just able to snag a 4:35 pm reservation for the Plaza on our MNSSHP night!

Our original reservation for 6:35 pm is now cancelled, and we will have tons of time to enjoy a nice, relaxing dinner before the party kicks off at 7. Very happy!

If you want to go to the Plaza right at 4 when you get in most likely they will seat you. We did that at CP. I think our ADR was around 5 and we thought it would be better to eat then head into party land. They took us right away, no questions. CP is a ton busier than the Plaza.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

That is awesome! I think you will enjoy the Plaza. It has everything from a sandwich to a full dinner.

I'm working on convincing Steve to share a Mickey Pants sundae with me, too . Let's be honest, this meal is all about the ice cream!

If you want to go to the Plaza right at 4 when you get in most likely they will seat you. We did that at CP. I think our ADR was around 5 and we thought it would be better to eat then head into party land. They took us right away, no questions. CP is a ton busier than the Plaza.

That's a good idea.....we will definitely keep that in mind! Unless, of course, we can get a FP+ for one of the rides just before our dinner. I haven't decided if I will just forego booking any FPs for that night or not .

 

[dancin Disney style]

That's a good idea.....we will definitely keep that in mind! Unless, of course, we can get a FP+ for one of the rides just before our dinner. I haven't decided if I will just forego booking any FPs for that night or not .

I'm not so sure that you could do anything in that half hour. There are a ton of people coming in for the party right at 4 and after you get through the tapstyle you have to get a wrist band. You would then have to get to that ride and wait in the FP line. The wait could be nothing or it could be anywhere from 5-15 min +. You then have to hoof it back to the Plaza.

I thought that you couldn't book FP+ with a party ticket....can you? If you can I would book them for sure but I'm not sure how you could squeeze in 3 and a dinner ADR. It would totally work if they let you book the last one for say 6:55-7:55.

 

[ArwenMarie]

That's great!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

I'm not so sure that you could do anything in that half hour. There are a ton of people coming in for the party right at 4 and after you get through the tapstyle you have to get a wrist band. You would then have to get to that ride and wait in the FP line. The wait could be nothing or it could be anywhere from 5-15 min +. You then have to hoof it back to the Plaza.

I thought that you couldn't book FP+ with a party ticket....can you? If you can I would book them for sure but I'm not sure how you could squeeze in 3 and a dinner ADR. It would totally work if they let you book the last one for say 6:55-7:55.

Last I read, you could book FP+ with a party ticket so long as your FP window does not exceed 6:30 pm (anything that falls beyond that is apparently being cancelled by Disney). We'll probably give it a try for the Tuesday party (assuming there's anything of worth left at the 30-day point), but just wing it for the Friday event and let our dinner plans take precedent.

 

[pigletto]

We were able to book fastpasses before our Christmas party. The issue for us was trying to get three rides in before the time window closed. Because we were offsite they were really picked over by the time we got to pick ours at 30 days out. I think we did book three, but only ended up going on two.

 

[JaxDad]

I feel like I have stumbled upon Bizarro World! Gina, the go-to champion of all Orlando things NOT-Disney, is writing about ADRs and FP+! And it's freaking me out! I always considered this thread as a quiet place, away from all the stress and angst on the Theme Parks forum. Oh well, maybe I'll go try the Photography Board...
;-)

 

[Lynne G]

Yep us too, I think we only had time for 2, but I just tried at 60 days out because I am staying onsite, and there's not much. I'll just do the lower interest rides, and chill on the people mover. I'll keep trying, but I can always try in the park too. I think that's what we did last year. Did our first then booked at second at the park. You can definitely get FP+ with only the party ticket. Just did it yesterday. Oh my gosh, that means less than 60 days from now!

 

[dancin Disney style]

I feel like I have stumbled upon Bizarro World! Gina, the go-to champion of all Orlando things NOT-Disney, is writing about ADRs and FP+! And it's freaking me out! I always considered this thread as a quiet place, away from all the stress and angst on the Theme Parks forum. Oh well, maybe I'll go try the Photography Board...
;-)

Shhhhhh...we have been working on bringing her to the dark side for years.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

We were able to book fastpasses before our Christmas party. The issue for us was trying to get three rides in before the time window closed. Because we were offsite they were really picked over by the time we got to pick ours at 30 days out. I think we did book three, but only ended up going on two.

Rumour has it that the already short window has been reduced even further (with no FP bookings beyond 6:30 pm), so yeah....I'm not expecting much. I'll log on, see what I can get, and then wing it from there. I refuse to stay up until midnight to book FP's so if they're gone, they're gone. I'm not going to sweat it, particularly when we still have to grab dinner before the party kicks off at 7. Thank the Lord we don't have to worry about those stinkin' FP's from 7 pm to midnight!!!

I feel like I have stumbled upon Bizarro World! Gina, the go-to champion of all Orlando things NOT-Disney, is writing about ADRs and FP+! And it's freaking me out! I always considered this thread as a quiet place, away from all the stress and angst on the Theme Parks forum. Oh well, maybe I'll go try the Photography Board...
;-)

Fear not, my friend: there will be no stressing here. I flatly refuse!!! The whole reason the parties appeal (and a regular day at the MK does not) is because from 7 pm onward, we are free from the snare of ADR's and FP+'s that drive me bonkers. This is a "test" of sorts to see if THIS is the way we should be doing Disney. I will let you know after our first party night if it turns out to be a good idea or not. It's either a stroke of brilliance or a recipe for disaster .

Yep us too, I think we only had time for 2, but I just tried at 60 days out because I am staying onsite, and there's not much. I'll just do the lower interest rides, and chill on the people mover. I'll keep trying, but I can always try in the park too. I think that's what we did last year. Did our first then booked at second at the park. You can definitely get FP+ with only the party ticket. Just did it yesterday. Oh my gosh, that means less than 60 days from now!

Which ones did you get, Lynne? I am interested to know what was left at the 60 day mark (so I can steel myself for whatever crumbs will still exist at 30 days).

Shhhhhh...we have been working on bringing her to the dark side for years.

6 years, to be exact. But who is counting?

 

[Lynne G]

Speedway, Buzz and Pooh. yeah, not the best, but so what. Just being there before the party is fun and then I don't need a separate ticket.

Oh, and did you see on the board, the Florida fee has been removed from reservations made with Alamo and National, and I would guess the other Florida rental stores too. Wahoo, just saved me about 10 dollars from my lowest reservation, so a funnel cake at Sleepy Hollow will now be a better use of that money. Check you rental too.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Speedway, Buzz and Pooh. yeah, not the best, but so what. Just being there before the party is fun and then I don't need a separate ticket.

Oh, and did you see on the board, the Florida fee has been removed from reservations made with Alamo and National, and I would guess the other Florida rental stores too. Wahoo, just saved me about 10 dollars from my lowest reservation, so a funnel cake at Sleepy Hollow will now be a better use of that money. Check you rental too.

Buzz is a good one.....I'd book that if given the opportunity. Ah heck, for that matter I'd book the Speedway and Pooh too. Why not?

And a big YAY! to the removal of the Florida fee!! I will have to check my reservation when I get home....any drop of any amount is good with me!!!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

@Lynne G .... thanks for the tip on the Alamo rental! Our reservation went from $161 to $144 with the removal of the Florida fee .

Now, I just hope its not some sort of system error that gets fixed somewhere along the way, and my reservation returns to its original pricing . I am a bit of a skeptic, I guess!

 

[pigletto]

Your rental prices are making me jealous Gina!
We finally picked our dates this weekend. It will be the four of us (Dh, DD18, DS11 and I) plus my 21 year old brother and his girlfriend at Universal from January 7th to the 10th. DD and Bro and GF are all University students so they need to head back on the Sunday night, and then it will be just dh and ds and I for another 7 nights either offsite or at Disney.
We're going to need the dreaded minivan for the first 4 days. Dh will take the kids back to the airport and could switch out the van for something smaller then. But my initial search is giving me roughly $400 U.S. whether we switch to a smaller car or keep the van the whole time. I don't want to pay that much. Sigh. I always felt bad people who HAD to get a van. Now it's me. I won't drive down there so two cars won't work. Time to start stalking the rental sites!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Another HHN house has been announced.......The Purge . Steve is super excited. Jake is completely jealous. I am terrified.

Why, oh why, can't they have a Simpsons-themed Treehouse of Horror house for us chickens?

Your rental prices are making me jealous Gina!
We finally picked our dates this weekend. It will be the four of us (Dh, DD18, DS11 and I) plus my 21 year old brother and his girlfriend at Universal from January 7th to the 10th. DD and Bro and GF are all University students so they need to head back on the Sunday night, and then it will be just dh and ds and I for another 7 nights either offsite or at Disney.
We're going to need the dreaded minivan for the first 4 days. Dh will take the kids back to the airport and could switch out the van for something smaller then. But my initial search is giving me roughly $400 U.S. whether we switch to a smaller car or keep the van the whole time. I don't want to pay that much. Sigh. I always felt bad people who HAD to get a van. Now it's me. I won't drive down there so two cars won't work. Time to start stalking the rental sites!

Yay for having your dates set!!! I am so happy for you guys!!! Does that mean you have your flights booked, too? Which resort have you picked for your Uni stay?

Don't get too discouraged with rental prices.....there's lots of time for them to come down . This past May and upcoming October we've been really enjoying being able to secure a car versus a larger vehicle, since there's just the two of us. Its a great savings, and means more money to redirect to something else. Don't get me wrong, I love having Jake and Sweetie along, but there are happy benefits to just vacationing as a couple versus having to deal with the needs of a family. We have an SUV booked for Christmas when all 4 of us are travelling together, and its substantially more expensive than our full size car reservation ($262 right now....hoping it goes lower).

Keep an eye on Hotwire closer to your dates too.....we got a good price on a minivan once that way. Quite frankly, we'd rather have a minivan for our Christmas trip if at all possible, but prices right now are over $800 for our dates (yeah, not happening!!) so we'll "rough it" in an SUV unless prices decline substantially.

 

[pigletto]

LOL... I'm with you Gina, half of those places would scare me to death. Dh would love them though. I'm sure we'll go to a HHN eventually.

I managed to get the van rental down to $325 last night with a code that was on the Dollar website. That's not too bad considering it's a 10 day minivan rental. I will continue to check all avenues right up until we leave though. And like you said, there's also hotwire or priceline at the last minute. We've also done quite well that way once or twice.

We are looking to book Cabana Bay for the Universal portion. The struggling students need this to be a budget conscious trip for their portion. Not to say that Cabana Bay is disappointment at all. We were all pleasantly surprised at how much we loved it when we went in March. I will miss the express pass, but with three full days and it being a low crowd week we think we will be ok. I'm going to turn our tickets into AP's again and squeeze a second 2016 trip out of them. So I am hoping for a January AP rate on a Cabana Bay family suite with a connecting standard room. My brother and his girlfriend will take the connecting room and our family of four will use the suite.
My brothers birthday will be while we are there as well so I am already trying to cook up a surprise birthday dinner plan . We booked most flights last night. All the students are booked both ways with Southwest out of Buffalo. Dh and ds11 and I will be on the same flight going down to Orlando. We're eyeing a Jetblue flight for the way home though as we will be returning a week later. I hope to book that this week.

262 for your SUV for Christmas is pretty good for Christmas week! If I know you, you will get it even lower though. Half the fun of the planning is the hunt for a deal lol.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

LOL... I'm with you Gina, half of those places would scare me to death. Dh would love them though. I'm sure we'll go to a HHN eventually.

I managed to get the van rental down to $325 last night with a code that was on the Dollar website. That's not too bad considering it's a 10 day minivan rental. I will continue to check all avenues right up until we leave though. And like you said, there's also hotwire or priceline at the last minute. We've also done quite well that way once or twice.

We are looking to book Cabana Bay for the Universal portion. The struggling students need this to be a budget conscious trip for their portion. Not to say that Cabana Bay is disappointment at all. We were all pleasantly surprised at how much we loved it when we went in March. I will miss the express pass, but with three full days and it being a low crowd week we think we will be ok. I'm going to turn our tickets into AP's again and squeeze a second 2016 trip out of them. So I am hoping for a January AP rate on a Cabana Bay family suite with a connecting standard room. My brother and his girlfriend will take the connecting room and our family of four will use the suite.
My brothers birthday will be while we are there as well so I am already trying to cook up a surprise birthday dinner plan . We booked most flights last night. All the students are booked both ways with Southwest out of Buffalo. Dh and ds11 and I will be on the same flight going down to Orlando. We're eyeing a Jetblue flight for the way home though as we will be returning a week later. I hope to book that this week.

262 for your SUV for Christmas is pretty good for Christmas week! If I know you, you will get it even lower though. Half the fun of the planning is the hunt for a deal lol.

$325 for 10 days is a pretty decent starting point, especially this far out. Have you joined the January 2016 car rental thread on the transporation board yet?

In 2012, we paid $250 for Christmas week (again, an SUV) so I'm not expecting much of a change from this rate to be honest. The point that hurts most is the exchange rate....we certainly weren't paying 30 cents on every dollar 3 years ago. I am hoping and praying that we might get a comparable rate via the RBC visa rewards again for that trip (thanks again for pointing me in that direction for our May vacation!!) and at least absorb some of the exchange cost that way.

What are your initial ideas for the birthday dinner? Something at Universal or Citywalk, or something offsite?

 

[pigletto]

No real plans for the birthday dinner yet. I haven't given it too much thought. I wonder what he would enjoy? He's the youngest of all my siblings and a great guy. This will be his 21st birthday too. He's not much of a drinker but I'm sure he'll have one or two. Maybe Margharitaville ?