DVC Membership--The Bottom Line

One thing I learned before buying into DVC is that money CANNOT be a factor because it is NOT and investment and it is NOT cheaper. That is that, there is no math to do or numbers to figure out. End of story.

Here is why we bought into DVC:

• We are a family of 5 and 99% of the time we take other family with us (usually my MIL or my mom and grandma) so right off the bat we need a deluxe resort or 2 rooms at a moderate resort--value resorts are never an option for us.
• We go (or plan to go) every year. Lately we've been making plans for 2 times a year.
• We hate being rushed and knowing we 'have a place' to return to year after year allows us to slow down and not feel like we have to stuff all sorts of attractions and sights into one trip.
• We love the homey feeling we get from the rooms.
• We love that we can use our DVC points for destinations other than Disney.

If you want to go back to the $ factor, well, we used to stay at the Polynesian before becoming DVC members--we love it there and love the location (on monorail line=convenient) and our trips (for 6-7 of us) including room, meals (DDP or not) park tickets, etc...well, it was costing us $6-$7K anyway. (that also figures in spending money and getting there and back--we usually drive but stay overnight somewhere on the way down and back, we are in (PA).

As a DVC member we still have to pay for food; DDP, OOP, groceries and cooking in--or a combo of those, park tickets, APs or hopper passes, getting there and back, PLUS yearly maintenance fees.

Is being a DVC member cheaper? Again, I say no. BUT, for us, it makes sense because we have the $ to invest into it and we enjoy the convenience of it.

Stuff For Kids To Do On a Disney Cruise

My kids are already bugging me about our upcoming cruise on the Disney Dream! I told them there is so much to do on a cruise (but what do I know, I've never been on one! LOL) This video gives a glimpse into the fun things kids can do on a Disney cruise:

By the way, don't even THINK you can't afford a Disney vacation, including a Disney cruise. There are deals ALL.THE.TIME. The key is to find the right travel agent, the one who will get you the best deal and then when another deal comes out that is better, will switch you to the better deal.

Psst...I know an EXCELLENT travel agent--one who offers free Disney vacation planning services--yes FREE services! Her name is Kelly and she is with TravelWithTheMagic.com
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Going to Disney World Kid Free

I am not referring to people who do not have kids or whose children are now all grown up; I am referring to those of us who have children yet would love a trip to Disney sans the kids.

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CJ and I have talked about how we would LOVE to got to WDW, just the 2 of us; but *I* don't think I could. I would feel so guilty leaving the kids knowing we were off to Disney.

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There is no doubt that there's a ton of stuff for adults to do in WDW and there are so many romantic places as well.

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I just let 'mommy guilt' get the best of me. CJ doesn't think there's any difference if we'd be going to the shore alone or WDW...alone is alone. I feel differently.

Join in the discussion on my Family Disney Vacations Facebook Page: Going Kid Free

Sticking With Bay Lake Tower

I was planning on calling Member Services in November to see if I could change the June reservation from Bay Lake Tower to Animal Kingdom Lodge but after speaking with my mom--who is the one who has been bugging to stay at AKL, it looks as though we are just going to stay at BLT after all.

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As much as I feel BLT could have been more 'Disney-esque' it is still our home resort and I do like it. I was just excited to try AKL but my mom feels the location of BLT just can't be beat and it would be so much more convenient to stay there than AKL; especially since we will definitely be at the Magic Kingdom often. So, I will definitely plan a dinner at AKL so we can at least enjoy it a bit. Suggestions on where to eat?

Here's Bay Lake Tower next to the Contemporary Resort. What a sight!

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June 2011 Disney Trip Booked

I know, I am seriously crazy! We just got back from Disney in May, we're going back in October, and we're going in October 2011--to the parks and then on a cruise! Now, we're booked for June 2011 as well!

As a DVC member, you can only book 11 months out at your home resort, so I booked us at Bay Lake Tower in a 2 bedroom lave view villa. I wanted a standard view (less DVC points) for 7 days; Sun.-Sun. but can you believe those were ALL GONE WHEN I CALLED?! They had a lake view and a MK view, so to try to stay within the amount of points I was willing to use, I opted for a lake view for only 6 days (Sun.-Sat.)

When we're 7 months away from our vacation I will call back and try to get reservations switched over to Animal Kingdom Lodge. We have never stayed at AKL and part of the lure of being a DVC member is being able to stay at different deluxe resorts. So, fingers crossed for a Savanna View at AKL!

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We really don't want to go in June, but we kinda don't have a choice. With having kids in school, we need to make sure we're not taking them out of school too much. They get 5 days for 'educational trips' in a school year.  Since we are going this October we can't go next spring, that would be 2 trips in one school year, so I was forced to book in the summer.

I would have liked to book a trip for early June but the last day of school is June 8th and that is only if they don't have snow days to make up. I figured I better give a week between the scheduled last day of school and our trip. I know it's going to be hot...but at least we'll be in WDW~!!!

Summer Nightastic Fireworks

I have not seen this fireworks display live but I hear it's amazing. Unfortunately we won't be in Disney until October and the Summer Nightastic Fireworks is only until August 14th.

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I took a peek on YouTube for a video of the fireworks and found this one. If you have about 10 minutes, watch it!

Dinner At 'Ohana--Disney's Polynesian Resort

I have decided that 'Ohana at Disney's Polynesian Resort is not only an excellent place to have a character breakfast but it is THE BEST place to have dinner. We've eaten breakfast there several times but this last trip was our first time having dinner there.

Our dinner reservation was for 8:20 pm and right off the bat CJ thought that wasn't a very good idea--too late for the kids, so we made sure we paced ourselves that day. I realized that day that Wishes fireworks show was scheduled for 9 pm--I had no idea how awesome that was going to be!

We were seated on time, at a nice big round table, fairly close to the back end of the restaurant. We had two waiters. The food served is family style all you can eat. Here is the menu:

Starters:
'Ohana Welcome Bread
Mixed greens with a honey-lime dressing

Appetizers:
Honey-Coriander Chicken Wings
Pork Dumplings with Sweet and Sour Sauce

Skewers prepared over an oak fire and served with Peanut, Spicy Mustard, and Sweet n Sour Sauces:
Mesquite Grilled Turkey
Asian BBQ Pork Loin
Marinated Sirloin Steak
Spicy Grilled Peel n Eat Shrimp

Sides:
Lo mein Noodles, tossed in a Teriyaki sauce with fresh vegetables
Stir-fried Vegetables


Dessert:
'Ohana bread pudding served a la mode with Bananas and Caramel Sauce

The kids were not too fond of the meal--well, they loved the veggies and noodles :) Luckily, there was a kids menu, of course! They had chicken strips and french fries. The food was so incredibly delicious, I have NOTHING bad to say. They were very generous with the amount of food served as well, it just kept coming and coming!

 I had the Lapu Lapu--actually I had TWO, lol! It's Myers rum and tropical juices served in a pineapple and topped with Bacardi 151, YUM!

There was singing and dancing and even activities for the kids. Dante participated in a coconut race:

Notice he HAD to wear his 'Hawaiian' shirt? LOL! Olivia and Wyatt didn't want to participate in anything, maybe next time.

We all loved the dessert; bread pudding, served with vanilla ice cream and a Bananas Foster sauce:

Here is the best part; when Wishes started, they turned the lights down low and the music was pumped in through the entire restaurant. 'Ohana has huge windows that overlook the Seven Seas Lagoon, a perfect viewing place for Wishes! It's difficult to see in this next photo but the kids went right to window to watch the fireworks:

We are going back in October. I made our dinner reservations for 8:05 pm because Wishes is scheduled for 9 pm that night! Want to see 'Ohana in action? Check out this Food Network video:

Now, remember, 'Ohaha means 'family' and this restaurant is a place of family, laughter and sharing ...Hawaiian style! If you're looking to have a romantic dinner for two--forget this place!