I appreciate that Larry! Yeah, it’s the Savy Traveler rate. It’s the Kids Suite, so I doubt they will drop because there’s only 13 of those rooms in the whole hotel.
Also, I expect to cancel the room only reservation. The Prime Value hotel package will most likely be extended again, which is a good deal.
Yeah…good luck with that!!!
I did “a Larry” this week when, upon securing a big raise at work … I immediately re-checked my Universal dates and switched my split stay to all 3 nights at my preferred hotel (using the AP rate that was now lower than last time I checked). I can’t wait! 3 nights/4 park days with my 12-year old in August (following 2 park days at Disney, which we are only doing so I can take him on Cosmic Rewind, because otherwise I agree about how much easier Universal is now). And… I’ll keep checking those rates in case they go down even more!
I love that we call celebrating a life event by going to Universal a “Larry”!!
I’m not celebrating anything, but I am looking forward to possible winter dates. I am able to find $85 rates at Dockside for all the Grinchmas dates I want.
I do wonder if Pop Warner going to SeaWorld was not expected by UOR? Before that announcement I couldn’t get a decent rate at UOR for any dates in December. (Plus, OIM is having nights then too. I think Universal “excepted” to be fuller)
If I could find a low airfare I’d be 100% set. I’m going to go ahead and book hotel rooms for December. This way I whenever flights go back on sale I can have the hotels settled. It really helps that the hotel deposit is easily refundable
I’ll be keeping my eyes open better rates at the other hotels as well. I’m not going to shun Dockside just because I’m staying at the moderates every so often. If I can stay at Dockside for two trips for the price of Aventura once, I’ll stay at Dockside.
My possible December / Grinchmas / Birthday trip
(I saw Sapphire Falls for $177/night! I’m so tempted!! However, the final total is a little more than double the Dockside total. If I wasn’t going solo, it would make more sense)
I have reached the point where my future trips are limited by PTO rather than hotel rates. I do get three weeks of PTO annually, so I can’t complain. I wish it was more!! (If I can get the job done with five weeks of PTO why shouldn’t I??!!?? 
)
I am looking at February 2024. I can find $95 rates, but only for 6 nights. I I have PTO for 4 days away. I may be able to juggle the dates to see if anything works!
I even started looking at HHN for 2024!! (I really don’t want to be at work today!)
Because I start my AP on Sept. 14th this year, I could go to the first week or more of HHN33! (We’ll see! 
)
I’m feeling really good about Grinchmas plans! One of the biggest “theme park lessons” I learned in 2022 was don’t skip something! IME - Maybe you’ll get back to it or find time later, but more often than not you miss it. By planning for December when I see the low rates I’m leaving the option available. I’d be so disappointed, if I didn’t reserve it today, to come back next week and see Dockside back to $130/night.
I’m still trying to stick to two trips, but life seems to keep favoring me with opportunities. Why skip Grinchmas for Mardi Gras? If I can go in December I should seize the chance! Who knows if, by waiting, I can even go in February? Maybe the rates will be higher or I’ll be unavailable. Conversely, I could wait and then fortune could strike again and I have the $$ / time where I “could’ve” done both December & February, but waited.
What I’m trying to say is unless something happens Grinchmas is a GO! (Thank the heavens that Pop Warner left!)
I’m going to go with the attitude it will be my second and potential last trip of the AP. However, well see what happens!
My mother in law lamented my vacations at our BBQ yesterday. 
She’s in her 80s and pretty well off financially, but she never spends any of it or does anything. What good does money do if you don’t use it. (responsibly, of course!!)
Now, with December coming into focus I’m debating the add-ons. I’ll definitely do the Grinch Breakfast, if offered. I could do a night of OIM or even a MVMCP, Jollywood Nights or After Hours at WDW. I noticed those WDW events go on sale tomorrow. I’m not as hyped about going to MVMCP as I am MNSSHP. (I’ve done MVMCP before as a birthday trip.)
I’m reading my thoughts about OIM from my last trip. I wish it was either a little less expensive or another hour or so longer. I’m telling myself that when I was there it was about the night time experience & food more than rides. (I confess a guaranteed Pteranodon Flyers ride would make me book it!)
I still think OIM should figure a why to make Fliers a purchasable add-on!! That’s one of my Universal “hot takes”!
(Heck…I’d buy an Express Pass from Universal if it allowed an adult to ride Pteranodon Fliers solo!)
What does OIM really offer me? I’ll do all the rides in the day & I’ve eaten most things. (But it sure was fun!)
If I did a WDW add-on instead, I think the only option is DHS. SW:GE is the ONLY thing at Disney DW even cares about seeing on her next visit to either WDW or DLR. So, I wouldn’t even want to go into the land without her! That means the only new thing for me is MMRR. (However, that’s now at DLR where our next Disney trip is planned) The rest of the park is great & ToT was my former favorite ride in Orlando… It’s not out of the question to go, there just may not be enough for me at WDW to give up a UOR day on a short trip. However, a night at WDW would be “free” with points (minus an Uber) versus OIM
It’s still fun to think about on a day when everyone else at my office is on vacation!
Since I’m in “planning mode” at my desk I remembered that the parks will close early the weekend I’m there for OIM both nights.
I’ll either have to take an earlier flight on Friday (using PTO I wasn’t planning to do) or attend some event on Friday night in order to “do anything” that evening. I can always explore CityWalk or even do something like Pirates Dinner Adventure! 
I don’t think I have the self control to go to Jollywood Nights and not peek at SW:GE and MMRR, so that’s out!
As much as I keep trying to talk myself into it, $255 it too much for one night of OIM.
The flight I want to go on arrives by 4pm. I should be checked into my room & ready to have fun by 5:30pm… There is a MVMCP that Friday night. I could be there before the event starts. I’d miss the early entry, but I’d get to go to a theme park until 12am for the price of a roundtrip Uber…
I’ll definitely wait until after HHN to decide if I want to go back to Magic Kingdom. I’d love to go to Epcot after hours, but people say the queues are brutal and the walking is too much. Plus, I don’t see it currently offered in December. I’ve done AK After Hours & LOVED it, but they haven’t done that in a long time…
I just saw on the other thread your Grinchmas trip will overlap mine. I am only there for the weekend, arriving the 1st.
Awesome!!!
Once I get plane tickets purchased I’ll be 100% confirmed. I’m looking every day for flights! I’m hoping to see some around / after Labor Day
I did mine completely on points but arriving very late on the 1st.
I decided to move the HHN chat & possible trips with Liners and such to here to avoid hijacking UOR threads even more!
I saw Season 1 of Stranger Things and though it was “good”. I was actually disappointed it didn’t wrap up then. I understand it was a hit and that meant extending the series. I tired Season 2 and stopped after two episodes. Am I missing something? Get me hyped for a ST HHN32 house!!
So, I have loved all of the seasons… but season 4 is particularly well-suited for an HHN house! It was easily the creepiest season yet and lot of it took place in an actual creepy house! Haha! I think this house has the potential to be quite terrifying and I’m genuinely pumped for it.
UPDATE from the UOR Planning / News thread
There is something “new” this year. You have to tell UOR the first night you intend to use a multi-night HHN pass. I don’t know why anyone would pick any date other than Sept. 1st if I can start the ticket any time AFTER my start day. 
I confirmed with UOR Guest Services that all you need to do is what I suggested & make your “start date” Sept. 1st
Maybe September 1 will eventually run out?
I really don’t know the logic???
I know that’s how most of the dated tickets work, like the buy 2 days get 3 free.
However, with dated tickets, you tell them a start day and then you have like a week or so to use them.
It’s a weird thing… like they’re trying to do “reservations” without actually “locking” you into a date…I’m baffled!!
As most of you know the park hours for September came out this weekend! They’re pretty consistent with last year. I had a Wednesday & Friday early IOA closures for private parties in 2022. (Hoorah for old Trip Reports! They really can be useful references for these things!)
I did have night rides on Hagrid’s on both those nights! I have minor adjustments to make to the solo part of my trip. However, the first part with DD is unaffected.
The Death Eaters being at Diagon Alley is going to be pretty cool. I can’t wait to see them in Knockturn Alley.
(When I worked at WB MovieWorld in AU we had the first ever HP theme park attraction. It was a walk through “tour” like the ones you now see in London & NY. As a tour guide when you were waiting for it to be your next show you would hang out in Knockturn Alley being a dark wizard surprising guests in that section! I loved it!)
I’m really surprised that this signals that the WWOHP Dark Art Castle Projection Show is probably not happening. I guess they could be trying to spread out crowds. People did hang out in Hogsmeade for a while as Death Eaters did their “mini-shows” and mingled. Then they’d stay for a Dark Arts show as well. Then you had everyone there for a Hagrid’s night ride. It made Hogsmeade pretty busy in that last 90 minutes.
With the Death Eaters in DA, they will also pull people away from the HHN houses too. Gringott’s is running, but it was such a nice place to get away from the noise and still be in a themed area.
I do wonder how late they’ll have them there though. Will DA be an all night scare zone? I wonder if Celestina will do any shows? Could the DE do anything cool on that stage?
I’ll miss the tranquility / rest area it provided, but I’m excited at seeing it!
I’ve said it before & I’m gonna repeat it more than once in this TR.
Earplugs / Headphones are your #1 MUST HAVE when you go to HHN. It’s a fun time & a party, but the have every sound cranked all the way up. With hearing protection, even in the houses, you still hear everything at a loud volume - but manageable!
I actually made a TP for my MNSSHP! (Thanks to an “anonymous” Liner for their access! 
)
MNSSHP 4pm RD (touringplans.com)
My big Must-Do are Country Bears (I’ve never seen them…ever!) / Tron / HM / Fireworks & Parade
I have a couple other things in there that I rarely get to do like Astro Orbiter / PPF / Buzz
I’ve had enough fun thinking about MK, that if this goes well, I may book MVMCP for my December trip. I arrive on a day/night Universal closes early for an Orlando Informer Meet-up. I may do CityWalk stuff or even something else, but not excluding MVMCP.
Feel free to look at it and critique. I haven’t made a TP for WDW in 4+ years!! 
Wait, no — do Jollywood Nights on December 4 with us!
I really thought about it, but Jollywood is too tempting to see all of SW:GE and MMRR that I promised DW I would wait to do together. (It wouldn’t be fair to everyone to be like - “Nope, we can’t even go to that side of the park because of me!”)
I’m not 100% definitely not coming to Jollywood, but I’m about 90% sure I won’t be there.
My December trip will take shape after HHN. I haven’t had the guts to buy the plane tickets yet!
I’m actually nervous about going back to UOR and having that feeling of, “I’ve done all of this…a lot. Is it still as fun?” I think it will be, but it’s my guilt about continuing to go after doing a whole year of trips putting doubt in my mind. (If HHN wasn’t entirely new each year, I probably wouldn’t have renewed my AP. Plus, VCON coming out helped sweeten the temptation too!)
My apologies for whining about going to UOR often. I realized after writing this it sounds a bit privileged to say.
Thinking about December got me looking at flights & hotels… I already have a rate of $84 / night for a Friday - Wed. trip.
I saw SW has another sale on flights. If I were to go a day early I’d “save” money on the flight. I also go another credit card sign up “bonus cash” offer yesterday. I could sign-up for that credit card and with the “bonus” my entire cost with tax for that extra day is a little less than $50. (Minus food)
I won’t land until 3:30pm and be at checked in at the hotel by 5pm. IME the parks close at 7pm…
What would you do? My biggest dilemma is PTO at work is almost gone. This would use most of another day. It would give me all of Friday to play though instead of doing a 3pm arrival then when the parks close at 5pm for OIM Meet-up
UPDATE - I went ahead and booked the room anyway as it can be canceled and refunded.
