Disney/Universal Studios vacations

BleedBlueGold

BleedBlueGold

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BleedBlueGold said:
Also, something we learned is that Disney offers pretty solid discounts if you book your next trip within 7 days (I think) of returning. So we did, and now we're going back in September as a family. Praying for no hurricanes. This will be the first time I've been during a "non-peak" time. Looking forward to it. Only three park days though so we're contemplating MK, Epcot, and....? HS/AK have pros and cons. Most likely it'll be HS though as we all love the Star Wars experience.
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Just got back. No hurricanes. Check. Arguably the best time ever at WDW. Check. We had some legit "Disney Magic" on this trip:

- Concierge room upgrade to Royal Rooms at PO Riverside; along with a gift bag for the kids that included character pins, snacks, luggage tags, and a personalized letter from Princess Tiana to the kids.
- Mickey taking my son on a random walking tour around Cinderella's castle. Then being waved at and greeted by the entire cast of Mickey's Magical Friendship Faire castle show. No rhyme or reason. I guess just right place at right time.
- Kids were "Pixie Dusted" with Disney bracelets and a crown and tiara.
- My son and wife got picked to participate in Turtle Talk
- Both of my kids got randomly picked to be guest chefs in Connections Cafe where they made their own waffles and got announced to the restaurant.
- My daughter got picked to be a junior producer at Indiana Jones.
- My son got selected by Kylo Ren to do a photo op.
- Saw a Space X launch for the first time
- My son got to meet Indiana Pacers center Tony Bradley on our flight home. Super nice guy.

Normal folks on a normal trip but yet it felt like every time we turned around, something fun and exciting was happening for us that we've never experienced at Disney before. Will be very hard to top this one.

Does anyone else have some cool, random "Disney Magic" stories? It made for a fun topic to discuss with other families in lines or on the busses.
 
calvegas04

calvegas04

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BleedBlueGold said:
Just got back. No hurricanes. Check. Arguably the best time ever at WDW. Check. We had some legit "Disney Magic" on this trip:

- Concierge room upgrade to Royal Rooms at PO Riverside; along with a gift bag for the kids that included character pins, snacks, luggage tags, and a personalized letter from Princess Tiana to the kids.
- Mickey taking my son on a random walking tour around Cinderella's castle. Then being waved at and greeted by the entire cast of Mickey's Magical Friendship Faire castle show.
- Kids were "Pixie Dusted" with Disney bracelets and a crown and tiara.
- My son and wife got picked to participate in Turtle Talk
- Both of my kids got randomly picked to be guests chefs in Connections Cafe where they made their own waffles and got announced to the restaurant.
- My daughter got picked to be a junior producer at Indiana Jones.
- My son got selected by Kylo Ren to do a photo op.
- Saw a Space X launch for the first time
- My son got to meet Indiana Pacers center Tony Bradley on our flight home. Super nice guy.

Normal folks on a normal trip but yet it felt like every time we turned around, something fun and exciting was happening for us that we've never experienced at Disney before. Will be very hard to top this one.

Does anyone else have some cool, random "Disney Magic" stories? It made for a fun topic to discuss with other families in lines or on the busses.
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How much did that Disney magic cost?
 
SportsingHard

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Just discovering this tread and making a note to come back shortly. I have a guy who may be very handy to those looking to visit Disney.
 
calvegas04

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SportsingHard said:
Just discovering this tread and making a note to come back shortly. I have a guy who may be very handy to those looking to visit Disney.
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Daughter is too young and another one expected in the next few days. Will be a few years before heading to Disneyland or DW. Grew up near Disneyland, could watch the fireworks from a family members backyard. Excited to share Disney with the kids when they are the right age.
 
SportsingHard

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BleedBlueGold said:
I'm interested.
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rikkitikki08 said:
Holler at your boy, my wife wants to take the kids when they get a little older.
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My buddy can be reached at Drew@MickeyTravels.com.

He worked there, got married there, and I've never met anyone that loves Disney more. He's also the kindest human I know. Of course, he gets compensated like anybody else, but I'm posting his info here because this is a guy only doing this on the side because he loves using his knowledge to help people have the best possible experience at Disney.
 
BleedBlueGold

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SportsingHard said:
My buddy can be reached at Drew@MickeyTravels.com.

He worked there, got married there, and I've never met anyone that loves Disney more. He's also the kindest human I know. Of course, he gets compensated like anybody else, but I'm posting his info here because this is a guy only doing this on the side because he loves using his knowledge to help people have the best possible experience at Disney.
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Is he an official Disney travel planner?
 
BleedBlueGold

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I have a question about season pass holders and Disney/Orlando real estate or the DVC for anyone who may be knowledgeable in these areas:

Even though we live in Indiana, we've come across more than a few people who are season pass holders at WDW. However, it sounds like they have a lot more flexibility with travel than we do as a family of four. They have an ability to save money on travel and lodging by going on non-peak times, during the week, during the school year, etc.

For us, there's a bit more juggling needed. So I'm wondering if the DVC is worth it? Timeshare? Or here's my crazy idea....finding a "cheap" house down there to buy and convert to a VRBO that I can have for personal use, when needed. Note: My wife and I are within 10-12 years of retirement. Eventually this house could provide us with our "snowbird" home as well.

What are your thoughts? I know there are some WDW pass holders on this board. I'm just curious if you all are non-FL residents and if so, how does this work for you? Or if you are a FL resident, what's the market in Orlando like? Areas to avoid? etc.
 
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TheRealLynch51

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BleedBlueGold said:
I have a question about season pass holders and Disney/Orlando real estate or the DVC for anyone who may be knowledgeable in these areas:

Even though we live in Indiana, we've come across more than a few people who are season pass holders at WDW. However, it sounds like they have a lot more flexibility with travel than we do as a family of four. They have an ability to save money on travel and lodging by going on non-peak times, during the week, during the school year, etc.

For us, there's a bit more juggling needed. So I'm wondering if the DVC is worth it? Timeshare? Or here's my crazy idea....finding a "cheap" house down there to buy and convert to a VRBO that I can have for personal use, when needed. Note: My wife and I are within 10-15 of retirement. Eventually this house could provide us with our "snowbird" home as well.

What are your thoughts? I know there are some WDW pass holders on this board. I'm just curious if you all are non-FL residents and if so, how does this work for you? Or if you are a FL resident, what's the market in Orlando like? Areas to avoid? etc.
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Im an annual passholder at Disney and a Florida resident. Also have been to a few one on one DVC presentations over the years. My family also lives in Indiana and are annual passholders as well. I live in Tampa though, so probably not the best resource for specific areas around Disney. DVC can be worth it if youre the type of people who take longer trips every 1-2 years. Basically you get a certain amount of DVC points every year based on the size of your contract you start with initially. You could get a contract for anything from like 50 points a year for up to like 300 points. If you dont use them in that you, you can roll then over to the next year, but that set of points will expire at the end of the year you rolled them over to. The cost to book a resort ranges anywhere from like 15 points per night for a studio to upwards of 60 points for two bedroom villas. Point cost varies based on time of year with busier times costing more than less busy times.
 
TheRealLynch51

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BleedBlueGold said:
I have a question about season pass holders and Disney/Orlando real estate or the DVC for anyone who may be knowledgeable in these areas:

Even though we live in Indiana, we've come across more than a few people who are season pass holders at WDW. However, it sounds like they have a lot more flexibility with travel than we do as a family of four. They have an ability to save money on travel and lodging by going on non-peak times, during the week, during the school year, etc.

For us, there's a bit more juggling needed. So I'm wondering if the DVC is worth it? Timeshare? Or here's my crazy idea....finding a "cheap" house down there to buy and convert to a VRBO that I can have for personal use, when needed. Note: My wife and I are within 10-12 years of retirement. Eventually this house could provide us with our "snowbird" home as well.

What are your thoughts? I know there are some WDW pass holders on this board. I'm just curious if you all are non-FL residents and if so, how does this work for you? Or if you are a FL resident, what's the market in Orlando like? Areas to avoid? etc.
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You can also rent DVC points out to other folks if you don't plan on using them or they're expiring. Frowned upon by Disney, but people can get discounts of up to about 50% on DVC lodging if they purchase expiring points from someone else. In regards to the demand for Airbnb/VRBO, there's always a huge demand around Disney since resort costs have gotten so exorbitant. You might be able to find a place in Davenport or Kissimmee that could be attractive. Just try to stay away from the area of Kissimmee nearest Disney (Irlo Bronson Hgwy) since it gets very sketchy. Reunion Resort is also an area with a bunch of houses and town homes that could be an option. Right there by Davenport. Hope this helps!
 
BleedBlueGold

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Thanks!

The DVC stuff is similar to what our friends just explained in regards to purchasing points direct through Disney and on secondary. Are the DVC accounts shareable? Like if we paired up with another family to buy points but ultimately split up the usage throughout the year?

In regards to the rental, I definitely want to at least consider the possibility of finding something on the cheap side as an investment. By the time retirement rolls around, prices will only be higher, so getting in on it now sounds appealing. Just a matter of finding the right opportunity. My wife and her best friend "joke" a lot about retiring young and living in Orlando in the winter so they can work at Disney as a retirement gig. I said as long as I'm out of Indiana and can play golf in Florida, idc what they do. haha
 
Irish#1

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BleedBlueGold said:
I have a question about season pass holders and Disney/Orlando real estate or the DVC for anyone who may be knowledgeable in these areas:

Even though we live in Indiana, we've come across more than a few people who are season pass holders at WDW. However, it sounds like they have a lot more flexibility with travel than we do as a family of four. They have an ability to save money on travel and lodging by going on non-peak times, during the week, during the school year, etc.

For us, there's a bit more juggling needed. So I'm wondering if the DVC is worth it? Timeshare? Or here's my crazy idea....finding a "cheap" house down there to buy and convert to a VRBO that I can have for personal use, when needed. Note: My wife and I are within 10-12 years of retirement. Eventually this house could provide us with our "snowbird" home as well.

What are your thoughts? I know there are some WDW pass holders on this board. I'm just curious if you all are non-FL residents and if so, how does this work for you? Or if you are a FL resident, what's the market in Orlando like? Areas to avoid? etc.
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Please consult Koon on the timeshare. He knows how to negotiate a deal and not get suckered in.

I really like your idea of finding a home to purchase. I don't know if you could count on seeing it rented regularly, but unlike the passes, it will appreciate over time. Then you have a place to go and if you're happy with it, you have a retirement home, or you just sell. More options IMO.
 
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