ASMo’s refurbishment is not yet complete and I would be anxious about not getting a refurbished room, though I imagine they’ll all be done by next summer when I get there. I really liked the look of the Toy Story area at ASMo.
But Pop does seem to have nicer landscaping in general, and there’s nothing like the lake view rooms at ASMo.
Plus, it’s booked now and I should resist the temptation to start changing things.
But for 2020, ASMo is a very definite maybe.
As for luggage it seems like a lot less hassle to get Disney to collect my luggage from MCO and take it directly to my room. Otherwise, I’m lugging it through MCO, then on to the bus, then off the bus, then to reception, then to my room. Isn’t part of the point of staying on-property that Disney makes everything nice and easy for you?
I may as well make sure I have a Magic Band in my hand luggage. I’ll probably be taking my Dooney & Bourke one.
I’ll probably stick with the Dining Plan — I do have quite a few signature restaurants in my schedule. I may lose money if I try to cancel it. (Ditto if I changed Pop to ASMo. They’re not keen on UK people making changes, unless the involve greater expense.)
As for Disney Springs I’ll just see how I feel when I’m there. I definitely think I should take the time to explore Pop and AoA at some point during my trip and arrival night might be the perfect time.
I was just venting on Mouseowners about the fact Disney won’t ship magic bands internationally. I have no idea what the issue is with the RFID chip, (maybe it’s something else entirely?). It just makes me a little uneasy about taking them as hand luggage to/from the U.K.
Have you, or anyone else, done this?
I put ours in our cases for coming home, so haven’t tried. I’d hate for them to be confiscated, and that’s just ordinary ones. I did ask on the Shop Disney site, and they just replied saying there was an issue with international shipping regulations… not exactly helpful!
I’m wondering if it’s just too expensive for their tastes. They probably have a deal with the US Postal Service to send within the US, and can’t get one for international.
“Recent unhappy events in the US have somewhat nudged me away from the DS plan. I accept this is ridiculous and irrational. But I wasn’t that excited about DS in the first place. Why take the (infinitesimally small) risk? Plus it’ll be full of spending temptations.”
I heard on some Disney podcast that the nightclub shooter had first considered Disney Springs, but was deterred by the heavy security presence. I totally get your fear and don’t find it irrational. I work on a college campus and think about this every.single.day.
But they’re quite happy to ship everything else. Just anything that is personalised or has an RFID chip in it, as far as I can see.
I didn’t buy anything in the end. I just left it all sitting in my basket and it’s been there ever since this time last year!
I do have a work around, which I must use. DS works for a company with an office in NY. There are always people going back and forward, so I can use that address.
But at the time I was gutted. There were some really nice DVC luggage tags, embossed with the resort logo. You could get your name engraved on it, along with the year you became a member. And I had ordered one of the Downey and Bourke magic bands too, which were still in stock. Only to be denied at checkout.
Small print suggests they can only ship those items domestically…
So either every other country has the same restrictions or it’s US regulations; I suspect the latter. Although we’ve had similar items shipped from Kennedy Space Centre, so possibly just a Disney thing after all.
Disney doesn’t seem to like international shipping at all. I ended up buying both of my non-standard Magic Bands on eBay. Both shipped from the US. Both arrived no problem.
Hmm. I’m seriously thinking about ditching the DDP.
I’m reviewing my dining choices and thinking I’m way overdoing it. I cut a load of big meals out this summer because they were unnecessary and I wasn’t in the mood. I should learn from that. And make some savings.
It’s costing me £639 for a nine night stay. That’s about $824.
It will cost 50 quid to make a change, have you got part of the DDP free as part of your booking? Do you want to eat at many QS restaurants? They do allow for much more flexibility, on the DDP your whole day is mapped out, which I think you like in principle but not reality?
Lake view is standard view at Pop and I definitely recommend it. We were in room 5113. Corner room closest room to bridge to AOA and a beautiful view of lake. 2 or 3 minute walk to food court and lobby.
You, sir, are missing a tab from your planning spreadsheet: “Lessons Learned”. I fill mine in after every trip. It’s amazing how quickly you forget what worked well and what could be done differently next trip.
