My wife and I have been very unsettled about our family trip, even having moved it from May to June and then to August. While I do have a lot of hope that parks will be open by August based on recent events, one thing we aren’t convinced of is that it would be open to off site guests. They have limit capacity, and I have this feeling that will only allow resort guests into the parks.
As such, even if we stayed off site and parks were open, there was the worry we simply wouldn’t be let into the parks.
So, we decided to do something wild and crazy and…stay on site!
So, we now have 3 nights scheduled at Universal’s Endless Summer resort (two rooms, one of which is a family suite), and then 7 nights at Disney’s All Start Movies (three separate rooms).
This definitely is more expensive…but it has much greater flexibility in terms of cancellations, as well as certainty if they are open that we’ll actually make it into the parks. (There is the added bonus of the 60 days FPP, but I’m not sure how valuable that will end up being during this time period.)
We feel SO MUCH better now. So, unless the parks are actually closed (in which case we’d cancel), we can make this trip work.
After thankfully getting my Priceline Express Deal at Swan refunded I went this direction with my rescheduled trips also. There is too much uncertainty for the foreseeable future and Disney resorts are the safest way to go. After trying on-site, may find you don’t want to go back!
Glad you found something to work for your family. In the past I’ve fought the onsite vs offiste battle every time and every time offisite ended up winning but I wouldn’t risk it while all this was up in the air, either.
Last night was the first enjoyment we’ve had in a while with Disney planning. We watched a few YouTube videos showing us the resorts, and even the kids watched with us and showed a little excitement.
My DS and DIL went hog wild and decided to book their seven nights at Port Orleans Riverside instead of keeping it cheap and doing All Star Movies like we did. I suspect their stimulus money from the government is playing a part in that decision.
All said, it ends up being quite a bit more expensive, but the peace of mind that comes with it is priceless in these times we’re in. We are fortunate to be in a financial place where we can afford it.
It is against my very strong principles to “heart” @ryan1 but this case has proven to be an exception. I think it’s a sensible call. Being inside the bubble adds value (and saves money on transportation). The two resorts you have chosen are reasonably priced (well, you know) and are perfectly fine.
I really hope — why am I being nice to you? what’s wrong with me? — that your trip works out. You’ve waited patiently for so long.
And have fun planning those FPPs, even if they prove to be worthless.
We stayed at ASMu once. There were 5 of us spread out in 2 regular rooms and although tight, it worked out just fine. We were exhausted from the parks and the one early night we all hung out at the pool and relaxed.
The only thing that was somewhat annoying was that there was a school trip there a few days & going to the food court in the morning wasn’t fun. The kids were well behaved, it was a pure volume thing. We made adjustments and were fine. I don’t think you will have to deal with any school trips.
Welcome back to planning - that’s half the fun!
I’m starting to plan. Who knows if it even will make sense once we see what the new normal is in the parks…but just pretending it does for now because…well…it just makes me happy.
We really enjoyed our stay at Movies in January. It has the same feel of Pop, but maybe just a bit smaller. The rooms are nice and fresh with the refurb too.
No…we have no ADRs for our family trip. Our December trip with just me and wife is another story, though. But we’ve only ever done at most one ADR for our Disney trips. This time we have none.
Breaking news: I have changed our resort from All Star Movies to Pop Century. Since we had to get a preferred room at All Star Movies, the upgrade to Pop Century was a pittance. But now we’ll have Skyliner access.