Dopey Dos: Legs for Luke: The Full Report (1/4/-1/10/22)

Walt Disney World Trip Reports
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JUMP TO THE FULL REPORT

I should have started this thread long ago, but here we are, a mere 24 days out from my most anticipated trip of all time. In one sentence: I’m doing the Dopey Challenge for St Jude and my wonderful DW will be there to support me (and to to have a great 3 days in the bubble if I plan it right). She finally agreed to come just a few days ago. Now, my planner brain is spinning like a centrifuge and I’m in heaven. This is my chance to plan the “perfect” trip that will show DW the full greatness of WDW (no kids to distract us), to convince her that coming every year or two is our future, that we should pursue DVC. I know I shouldn’t think about a vacation this way, but I have a severe case of Disney Disease, and the only medicine is more Disney…

I’ve decided to make this thread as private as possible here, in La Cava, for several reasons. First, I’m planning to do live race reports and will probably be advertising those heavily in real life to drum up support for my St Jude fundraiser (we’ve already raised $7,500!!!). I’d like to keep that as separate from this thread as possible. Secondly, I want to make this trip as special as possible for DW and will be focusing my planning questions here so she does not see them before I want her to (I have a few surprises for her).

General plan of trip (more details will follow, I promise)

Tuesday 1/4 - I’m arriving late Tuesday night (like midnight), staying at Pop
Wednesday 1/5 - AK, race expo, HS, MK, EP
Thursday 1/6 - 5k (3.1mi), HS and AK, DW is arriving late (like midnight)
Friday 1/7 - 10k (6.2mi), HS and EP, Via Napoli dinner, HS for projection show
Saturday 1/8 - Half (13.1mi), EP and AK, Space 220 lunch, Tiffins or Coral Reef dinner (undecided), Harmonious (DW only)
Sunday 1/9 - Full (26.2mi), EP (DW only) then MK, Citricos dinner, move to AKL from Pop
Monday 1/10 - Boma breakfast, hanging out @ AKL, fly home @ 12p

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Wow! This is a high stakes trips! Congrats on your fundraising and thank you for including the link here.

Is your wife a commando tourer or a “look at that- isn’t it magical- let’s stay here a few minutes” type?

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We’ll find out! We’ve done commando style with the kids, but I’m trying to plan this for a slower pace. I’ve asked her about a few specific things already like Frozen sing a long Vs Indy and she said Indy without hesitation. “We just saw the frozen show a few months ago”. I assume it will be like that for other things too. So trying to focus my plan around things she hasn’t done or will appreciate more with just me and not the kids. Like TSMM with us sitting together instead of split up with the kids.

One thing I’m struggling with is G+. We aren’t going to make the best use of it, probably only 2-3 rides each park, primarily afternoons since I’m running in the mornings. But I also don’t want to wait in long lines. We’ll probably use it and just not think about the money. Chapek wins again…

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And like a true gentleman you’ll let her win.

No no no I mean you’ll give her a real competition and she’ll kick your butt handily.

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This is my plan for this trip. It’s short and, hate to say it, time is money. Will I get the best use of it? Maybe not. But saving any amount of time is important on this one, and with just two of you it will be a fraction of the cost of when it’s your whole fam.

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Looks Like a Great plan!

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This is going to be great! Good luck on your plan to get DVC. It’s a bit of an investment but over time I think it does pay off if you are going to use it and would stay in Deluxe either way.

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I think this post shows that DVC owners are money savers….
https://forum.touringplans.com/t/hotel-deals-research/48539/158?u=principaltinker

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I have hear this mentioned more than a few times recently and oh my heck I can’t imagine that!!!

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We are wicked smart….

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Hopping on the DVC is a great investment bandwagon. I’m pretty sure I’ve already broken even on my 50 pt SSR contract I bought in 2018.

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Yeah breaking even is easy for us as a family of 5 (will need either family suites or 2 adjoining rooms outside of DVC), but there is also the resale value when you want out. It is easy to make the numbers work even if we only go every 3 years. Just have to find the right contract for what you plan to do. The hard part is convincing DW to “guarantee” future vacations. She would rather just rent points when we know we are going.

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That is a very valid option, but pricing on that continues to rise year over year. You’ll still pay less than rack rate for the same room, but you’ll pay more over time than you will today by buying a contract

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Preaching to the choir, friend. Shes just very uncomfortable locking in something in the future. Especially since we’ve been thrown some big curveballs the last few years.

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more than understandable. I think that would make a lot of people gunshy about planning too far ahead.

(I hate that for your family)

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Tried talking to DW last night about our itinerary and my general touring plan ideas. She said she just wants to do whatever I plan, doesn’t want to think about it, except her one mandatory item is Enchantment. So I’d like some advice on my new idea: pre show dessert party.

This is Sunday night after marathon, January 9th, a CL 7 after a week of CL10s

The original plan was to get a light dinner-snack at sleepy hollow around 6ish and hopefully sit in the sacred place while eating. Then ride 1-2 things and grab our fireworks viewing spot around 715ish.

New idea. Dessert party at 630 for booze and light dinner-snack. Then go back out and do 1-2 rides. Return to garden viewing area at 745ish.

After fireworks, we will do 1-2 more rides if park hours are extended like I expect, then walk over to GF for real dinner at Citricos.

So what do you think? I’m approaching the dessert party just as a way to guarantee a good fireworks view since that is the one thing she cares about. But Citricos dinner is also a must, so we won’t get our moneys worth on the dessert party food.

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I’ll also add that we’re won’t arrive at MK until 2, so every minute of touring matters. I also see the dessert party as a way to limit our time staking out a spot for fireworks viewing.

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Can you do this? I thought you had to be in and stay in and be escorted to viewing area. If not, this changes everything as to this point I have not seen the point of spending that kind of money to still have to spend 2 hrs waiting for fireworks.

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Hmmm I did not know this. I assumed they gave you a wristband or something to get into the garden area.

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I would ask this more “in the open” so those who have done it can speak to it.

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