I wouldn't count on Disney bridging the salute tickets for anything more than what you paid for them. It used to be that Disney would give the current value of the ticket when bridging, but that has changed. They now seem to know what you paid for your ticket and use that number, at least that is our experience. I had bought 5 day park hoppers from Underground Tourist for our son and grandsons before the price increase. Then when we went to Disney this past June, I wanted to add the water parks to the ticket. This would have been just a $22 cost per ticket, or something like that if I had purchased the tickets from Disney after the price increase. But the CM charged me $55 per ticket for the water parks add on, thereby wasting the benefit of buying tickets before the price increase. It also happened when we used MMW tickets to renew our AP's in 2017. They gave us the value of the ticket when we booked the package rather than the value of the ticket at the current rates. So both times bridging failed us.
I would plan on using this "known" value in your decision making since it is a guarantee.
We love our AP's but get the most value out of them by resort room discounts. We don't buy very many souvenirs and other items in the shops, but when we do the 20% is nice. We eat at resort restaurants a lot and the AP discount is nice.
You would have to spend $1,000 in qualifying merchandise purchases or $2,000 in qualifying restaurant costs, or some combination in between in order to break even. Make sure you check to see what restaurants are covered by the AP discount. Not all of them are, in fact, it is mostly resort restaurants.
One thing to consider is if you think you might sneak off to Disney with your friends, like you have done in the past, then an AP will make that worth the purchase.
And if you have an AP and someone needed to buy a gift that they saw in one of the parks, and they didn't have a ticket that day, then you would be able to run in to get it for them.
I had a few reservations about using discounted gift cards for our annual pass renewals because my husband has been having health issues and I wasn't 100% sure that I wanted to lock all that cash into gift cards that could only be used at Disney. So I waited until almost the last minute before my discount for renewals expired before purchasing them. But I was also assured that the price wouldn't increase while I was making up my mind.
What I did for the 5 day park hoppers that I bought from
Undercover Tourist was to use a credit card that gave me 1.5% cash back. The Undercover Tourist tickets were already a 5% discount over the Disney prices and the finances worked a little better to use a credit card for payment at that time. The 3.5% difference between using a rewards credit card and using Disney discounted gift cards was a small amount of money, anyway.
This is what I am thinking too - I just don't want to be stuck with $$ at the moment in GCs... I don't feel like that's a smart choice.
And that is how I've decided to do it, IF I do it... I haven't decided 100% on which route I am going.
See - and that is where I am really second-guessing the AP... I really have to SPEND MORE to see that savings - and I don't want to feel like I need to spend more at this point. LOL
I doubt I am going to sneak off to Disney with friends this time - I really can't, I don't have any time in my schedule to make it happen... We will be at the lake in July... 2 weeks in Europe in October... Then we are into the holiday season - and I have NO desire to be in WDW during the first few months of SWGE... and then Spring 2020 is our planned trip to WDW. So it really will be only the 2 trips we have planned, on the AP, IF I do the AP.
Right - I really don't want $$ stuck in GCs right now. The savings would be nice - but I am just not comfortable with that.
That is great math Sue... I can totally see where that would make sense.
Thanks for such detailed thoughts about this.
How exciting! I would go with SoG option. The option for possibly paying the higher price would scare me away from doing it at Disney.
We are also upgrading to APs this year it just seems to make sense for us with 3 trips and and the discounts.
Yes - IF I do it, I've decided to go the SoG route.
IF I had 3 trips planned, it would be a no brainer for me... but there is just NO way I could do 3 trips this year - so it's just the 2, which makes the savings negligible, at best. The only way to reap the rewards of the AP is to spend more - and I just don't want to feel like I should spend more at this point - we are spending enough on trips as it is this coming year. LOL
I can completely follow your thinking on this, but I have no idea what I would end up deciding!! ....except for it's always been a goal of mine to be an AP, so any route that got me there would be worth it!!
Hope you enjoyed your overnight with the girls. The night before Thanksgiving, I always have to do an overnight at Hallmark for our Big Friday reveal, and I hate to drive all the way home afterward, so I go to my parents' house a few blocks away and sleep there. It's such a comforting feeling sleeping at my real HOME. I'm sure your girls felt the same!
Hahahaha... I am still trying to sort it out. I loved having an AP while I had it, it was fun - and I got in on it during the most advantageous time I could have... but this time - it doesn't make much financial sense at all.
I did - so much!!!! This is exactly it... It's very comforting for them to be able to come home. That's just like, whenever Josh is gone - the girls always sleep with me - ALWAYS - even now, as adults. It drives Josh crazy. LOL Or even when both of us are gone - the girls - V especially - both sleep in our bed. There's just something comforting to a child to be able to sleep in their parent's bed, I think?
So we were in room 159, first floor facing the splash area of the pool. Our bathroom did have a separate door for the toilet/shower area from the sink area. Did you say some of those Magnolia rooms do not? It worked out well because one of us could shower and the other still use the sink. It's the same in the room we're at on Palm side now. I did notice that it seemed like our rooms could have been smoking rooms at one time--that lingering odor that they try and cover up with carpet fresh or something? Palm wing rooms that I've stayed in don't have that odor.
Us either, but it's fun to be able to grab one of the fun drinks at Epcot or Trader Sam's!
Have you figured out what you will do?
I've stayed keto at Disney so far. I'm hoping that I will lose a pound or two with all the walking. It hasn't been as hard as I thought because I've been away from sugar and grains for long enough that I'm not craving them at all. Not sure if I'll lose weight, but I won't have to make up any ground when I return. The wedding is in about 6 weeks, so I can't afford to gain weight at this point! I'll be more flexible when we bring the grandkids in August (I want a grapefruit beer and a visit to Trader Sams!).
OK, put on your creative thinking cap! I'm trying to decide on some matching shirts. All the girls have president names (think kennedy, etc although that isn't any of their names, haha). So I was pondering shirts that said something like "Presidental Princesses" or Presidential Princess Patrol for the parents. Is that goofy (or won't make sense to anyone but us)? I don't think the parents will want their names on the shirts, but I could put the # of the president--only someone who has them memorized would figure it out? Anyway I'm up for any ideas you or others might have! There's 5 girls!
Yes - any of the Magnolia wing rooms that were part of the very first original Golf Resort were the rooms that didn't have the separate sink/shower area... You were further into the resort in one of the expansion wings - so you had the separate area. I am sure that all of the Magnolia rooms may have once been "smoking" rooms... I know that SoG has been smoke free for as long as I have stayed there - so it's been a while.
Honestly - at this moment in time - I am leaning towards NO AP... I'll explain below.
That is awesome!!! So how was the rest of your trip??? Did you end up gaining anything?
Hmmm... I am not sure that will make sense to anyone buy you... However - will that really matter? As long as it makes sense to you - that's what matters.
And I love the Presidential names - there are some adorable ones out there!
Or you could go with more of a Red/White/Blue patriotic theme? That would be cute too - and while most popular during the Memorial Day/4th of July/Labor Day times - I feel like patriotic is great any time.
It is a different trip once all the kids can drink. I know that when the dd and I went on our Florida vacation 3 years ago, she was legal drinking age in the Us ( it's 18-19 yrs here in Canada ) and it makes it a little different and easier. We had a good time...and maybe we had a couple too many on the one stop of our cruise in Cozumel
We are both light weights when it comes to alcohol...but we had a great time. It just seems to put a little bit of a different spin on where and what you can eat at times.
I know that as Canadians, we have to do the numbers as well when purchasing those AP. The last few years, Disney has been trying to get more Canucks to visit ( with our dollar so low against your green back ) they had to do something to keep us coming lol. And sometimes people have had lots of pixie dust when bridging the Canadian discounted tickets to Ap, and sometimes they did not. It seems like it depends on the SM you get at the service desk you are at. All I can say, if you not happy with what the first CM told you, go to a different desk and ask that person or a manager. You might luck out and get some of that pixie dust
that seems to happen to lots of people there.
Hahahaha! Sounds like you had a great time! It will definitely make this an interesting trip for us.
This makes total sense... I know that BMTL - coming from Europe - can get far better deals in WDW than we can.
At this point in time, I am leaning towards not getting an AP... I'll explain below.
But if I do decide to get it - I think I am going to go with the safe option and purchase at SoG... I don't think I am comfortable having all of our trip $$ tied up in Disney GCs.
Just remember to figure a price increase from Disney on tickets - they seem to go up every single year.
I can't believe my son booked a room for the opening of SW - although, he did manage to go when Pandora opened too, so I should not have been surprised. I really am NOT looking forward to going the week after though. It is usually my favorite time of the year to go - because the crowds are lower and I feel like I'm not stuck in a crowd. Hopefully they will all be in DHS and I can enjoy the other parks....
I really don't think you will need a fp for RoL - it doesn't seem to be a "must do" attraction for a lot of people. For us its a once and done. It was nice but not that thrilling.
I thought of that a few times - but then I forgot about it, and that makes a huge difference too. However - this latest price increase didn't affect any of my #s at all... Since Disney didn't raise the prices of APs, and 2019 Salute tickets are locked into their prices for the remainder of the year.
I can't believe it either!!! He is one brave soul - that's for sure! LOL
Yah - I just want to ride it once - I've heard it's beautiful.
us too we are at 81 days out for our Momma Son Trip I can't wait!!!!
Wahoo!!! That is awesome!
I am still not getting notifications about your posts, I have checked a gazillion times and I am supposed to. But, here I am chiming in. It is so funny how you could not keep a secret from your girls about your birthday dinner, you were too excited. This trip is so around the corner for you. I love the meeting you had with them. I was cracking up. The girls are looking so good. I am starting to think of your trip next year with the littles. To see the magic through their eyes is going to be so amazing. I followed my husband's cousin's recent trip to WDW where her twins turned 5, the pics were so precious. And, yes, with FOP still at 2-3 hour waits, I cannot imagine what the rides at Galaxy's Edge will be like even next May. Josh has no clue. Maybe that's a good thing.
You are doing so good with IF and eating healthy and exercising. Quit beating yourself up Dorine. You look amazing, and you are eating for life. Keep up your amazing, hard work.
Did I ever tell you we have two box turtles? I loved your snorkeling experience in Aruba (so proud of you) and seeing the turtle. Our turtles live outside in a huge bin on our back porch, except in the winter when they hibernate and we bring them inside. It is a very long story how we got them, but we have had them for a long, long time. They are interesting little creatures.
I am terrible at math, but I feel like an AP no matter how you buy it would be a smart decision. Cannot wait to see what you decide.
I will be checking back soon! Sending a huge hug your way.
Sounds like The Dis is acting up again? No worries.
I know - I am so excited to do Disney with little people again! Our first trip, in 2003 - the girls were 4 and 5, and since it was our first trip - we had no idea what to expect or what to plan... I am sure we had a lot of pixie dust and never even knew it.
So, it will be FUN to see it all through their eyes!
I am trying so hard, and I try so hard not to beat myself up... Though I have been at this religiously since November - and I honestly expected a dramatic change - Like I HONESTLY believed I would finally make my original goal size 8 before we went to WDW. The change has been soooo small that I am starting to question whether I will ever make my goal size ever... And it so frustrating. I mean, why bother eating OMAD when I am not seeing any benefits??? I feel like I saw way more benefits with my 16/8 or 18/6 schedule and that was so much more enjoyable for me.
Here's a comparison I did from early December to just this last week... Yes, there is a change - but I feel like it should be much more dramatic than what it is.
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Not too much exciting is going on... Still putting in crazy hours at work. I am almost done with side projects, and I will go straight into making our trip stuff, then once I finish that - I will start working on my schedule for the weeks we are in WDW - since I didn't take that time off of work. My schedule is CRAZY until we return from our Disney trip.
Ahhh - but I seem to thrive on crazy. LOL
The girls and I have have all of our trip days and FPs planned - I am just waiting for the 60 days to open up, so I can hopefully get the ones we want.
As for the AP... At this point in time - I am leaning towards NOT getting it. And here is my reasoning... In order for me to see the savings, I will have to spend more. And I just don't want to feel the "pressure" to have to spend more in order to make the AP valuable. I'd rather just go and enjoy myself... I'd honestly rather take that $$ and put a little bit toward the girls' portion of the 2020 trip, as a gift to them - they both work so hard and are doing super good in school - I'd love to reward them a little and help them out so they can enjoy it too. So, that's where I am at on it.
Oh - I did get my birthday outfit for our trip - I am super excited about that. I also ordered all of the fabric I need for my UPB and Ears to coordinate!
I am anxious to finish side projects so that I can start working on our trip stuff.
I also need to - soon - swap my closet from my "winter closet" to my "summer closet" - once I do that, I will pull out and start coordinating my trip outfits - I kinda know what I have, but I also donated a LOT last fall - so I am a little unsure of what's remaining?
I am a bit concerned that I may have donated some of my Disney stuff - I can't imagine that I would have, but I was purging massively and I donated a crazy amount. So, we'll see...
I did get 2 new pairs of Vans for the trip (I love my Vans!)... As you can see - the royal blue goes with many of my UPBs... I thought the aqua ones would be a little brighter than what they are, I was planning to wear them with my Mickey/Pluto set - however - they coordinate far better with my Carl & Ellie set... They might be far enough away from each other that they won't look bad with either set - but we'll see?
What do you think? As soon as we dry out a bit - I'll start breaking these in for our trip.
Nothing else fun - or trip related is going on in our lives at the moment. The girls are doing great... Josh is still working on loosening up his back - and he is slowly (very slowly) getting there... We are all READY for spring! Like, really ready!!! It's looking like we might hit the high 50s or low 60s this week - I am pretty sure that will take care of a lot of our snow pack... Though flooding here has been an issue - we've had a few of our roads closed in recent days - but our flooding is nothing compared to other areas of the country (I hope you all are safe?).
Sending prayers and pixie dust out to all! Have a great week!
D~