peachygreen
06-30-2011, 02:44 PM
Before I start I know this is long. It is a 6 page letter in word (when formatted and with resort information included). This is my introduction letter to the family about our Thanksgiving 2012 Disney Family Reunion. Am I being way too detailed this far in advance? I'm planning to send this in August. I'm sure there are spelling and grammer issues and I am not assing for a proofreader. I'm just hoping to find out if the general tone of the letter is okay and if I am being completely crazy
Grand Gathering Letter
Hello all.
The time has come the walrus said to talk of many things . . . of dates and plans and dining, expectations and other things.
Okay in all seriousness, I am sure you will all think Im completely mad for sending this email after all I am talking about a vacation planning for Thanksgiving of 2012 and here we are in the summer of 2011. This is the first of what Im sure will be several emails as we move through the next year. I want to start a dialogue about some timing issues and deadlines over the next 15 months or so. I swear Im not crazy, but as I have limited free time, I tend to start my planning early and well planning a Disney Vacation is kind of a hobby of mine so you will have to forgive me my obsession here.
ITEM #1 Accommodations
The first deadline is coming up soon and that is the reservation window for the resort.
We are planning to book Wyndham Bonnet Creek resort.
https://www.wyndhamvacationresorts.com/ffr/resort/details.do
The intent right now is to book two (2) 2BR Deluxe suites and one (1) 3BR Deluxe Suite.
See unit information and floor plans provided at the end of this section.
The breakdown for who will stay where is mostly likely
1-2BR will be for the XXX Family
1-2BR will be for the XXX Family
1-3BR will be for the XXX/XXX Family
The 1st thing I need from each of you is an anticipated check in and checkout date. In order to finalize our plans prior to the booking window opening I would like this information from you no later than September 11th. If you plan to stay more than 7 nights in Orlando you may need to provide your own accommodations for the additional nights.
As of this moment, James, the girls and I plan to arrive in Orlando late on Thursday, November 15, 2012 and leave early on Sunday, November 25, 2012. We will most likely be at Bonnet Creek from Sunday Sunday and may be staying somewhere else from Thursday Sunday the 18th.
If you have bed request please let us know in advance. For example if you want a King in one room and 2 doubles in the other as opposed to a King and 1 Queen, please let us know as soon as possible. I can make no guarantees but if we note it on the reservation it may be more likely to happen.
The next 2 pages have the Unit information and sample floor plan layouts for Bonnet Creek.
*Insert Bonnet Creek info*
ITEM #2 Schedule
Important Dates
June 2011 Disney raised their ticket rates this year in June. In previous years it has been in August. I would suggest you keep an eye out for this starting next summer. The increase this year was not insignificant. I will send out an email as soon as I hear something about the rate increase in 2012. If you know what tickets you want I recommend you buy them in advance.
October 1, 2011 Arrival and Departure dates (at least for resort booking) to be provided to Kristie so that she can make arrangements to book resorts.
October 15, 2011 VIP booking Window opens for resort booking
January 15, 2012 Standard booking Window for remaining room opens
Mid to late April 2012 Park hours for November are typically released.
April 2012 Kristie will send out preliminary planning information with least crowded parks by day, available schedule of Christmas events if known etc.
May 1, 2012 Kristie requests that everyone provides her with must sees/dos, expectations and any dining requests for the vacation.
May 10, 2012 advanced dining reservation window opens for beginning of trip.
End of May 2012 Southwest likely to release Thanksgiving 2012 airfare rates (okay so this might only be important to me but if you want to fly on Southwest you will get the best rates if you book the morning they open up booking especially for a holiday week prices will rise and continue to rise. Other airlines have different release dates but I typically dont fly them so I dont know what those are.)
June - August 2012 Disney typically increases rates for park tickets in August each year may want to plan to purchase tickets prior to this to save a few dollars. The best ticket prices are typically on undercovertourist.com using a mousesaver discount (unless you can get a special like Military discounts that are frequently offered). If you want more information about these rates let me know.
November 2012 Disney Time
Friday November 16, 2012 likely date for Mickey Very Merry Christmas Party
Thursday November 22, 2012 Thanksgiving Day
Friday November 23, 2012 Special Christmas events likely begin at Epcot to include the Candlelight Processional and the Christmas Story Tellers in Epcot.
Item #3 General Touring Information
There are a few things that I ask of you as we start the planning process. I would like you to take a little time to think of your own expectations. If we all know what each other want out of our vacation we will be more likely to have the vacation we are looking for. I ask that you let me know what is important to you, what parks you want to see, what parks you want to see more than once, what attractions are most important to you, what restaurants do you want to dine at (especially as a large group), how you would like to spend Thanksgiving day, how much togetherness you want to have, do you want to do early mornings, late nights, sleep in, see characters, ride thrillers, see Christmas Lights, smell the gingerbread, tell me Im completely crazy, etc. :) Do you want to tour as a group part of the time, all of the time or do your own thing?
If you havent guessed by now, I love to play a Disney vacation. I have 3 goals for this Disney Vacation 1) to take Alice for her 1st visit to Disney and enjoy Megans magic visit. 2) Experience as much of Christmas at Disney as possible and 3) spend quality time with family.
I spend a lot of time planning a Disney Vacation but my plans are not rigid as far as the events of the day go. Most of my planning is in knowing what we want to do, what to do as a back up and how to go with the flow. Even though I have plans made for which park we want to see each day my actual touring appears fluid. More often than not I will plan to be at the park before it opens to be ready for rope drop. We will also plan to take a break in the middle of the day from the park, especially if we plan to have any night time activities planned. I also try to not have an early morning following a late night. I utilize fast pass opportunities throughout the day and will volunteer to pick up fast passes for the group if you are with me. I recognize that we will return to Walt Disney World in the future so if we cannot see or do it all it is okay.
For our family we do not personally plan to attend any parks other than Disney on this vacation, but you are welcome to do so if that is your desire. When the girls are older we will take a trip to Orlando that includes Universal Studios and possibly Sea World (although having Sea World here in Texas its hard to devote time in Orlando to do what I can do on weekend trip at home) but until they are both tall enough to meet height restrictions the additional park tickets are not something we want to spend on this vacation. Besides it goes back to my #2 goal I want to see as much of Christmas at Disney as possible. We will plan to visit each park at least 1 time. I also plan to spend some time visiting the Christmas decorations at a few of the resorts.
For an Example If I was going this Thanksgiving, this is what my plans would likely look like. So to formulate this plan for 2012 I need the input above.
Thursday School for girls in AM, pick up girls go to airport, fly to Orlando, check in.
Friday Sleep in, go grocery shopping, get settled, Mickeys Very Merry Christmas Party @ the Magic Kingdom (MK) starting after 4pm until as late as we can manage (ends at Midnight)
Saturday Sleep in, go to Epcot for late arrival and enjoy the World Showcase. Lunch or Dinner @ World Showcase other meal at resort or packed.
Sunday Animal Kingdom (AK) arrive early morning for park opening. Either take a break and return or stay until about 3pm and done for the day. Dinner and relax at resort. We may have to change resorts this day, if we do it would likely mean a break and return day so we can change resorts.
Monday Epcot Full day arrive early prior to park opening explore future world section). Take a break sometime after lunch. Return in the evening for dinner in World Showcase and potentially use some rides.
Tuesday MK Full day or Ύ day undecided. Arrive Early for Opening Show and rope drop at the Magic Kingdom. I am undecided as to length of day and required breaks, it would mainly depend on if I wanted to stay for the parade/fireworks tonight or wait for Friday I am leaning towards doing this on Friday.
Wednesday DHS (Hollywood Studios). Definitely arrive early, well before park opening. Today we will definitely take a break. Park closes at 8pm (as listed now). Plan to return in evening for Osborne Lights.
Thursday Thanksgiving - ???? Undecided possible park day at DHS or AK, possible day to explore Christmas Decorations at Deluxe resorts, possible day to sit back relax and do nothing.
Friday MK (see Tuesday same applies)
Saturday Epcot for Christmas events. This is a day to see the things we might have missed in our earlier trips to Epcot and to enjoy the Christmas events in the World Showcase. If we have a late night the night before we will sleep in and come in around 11am for world showcase opening.
Sunday - Fly home. :(
Item #4 Conclusion
I hope I havent scared you off yet with my 6 page dissertation on upcoming Disney plans. As you can tell I am very excited for our trip and I am looking forward to spending a magical Thanksgiving with each of you.
Grand Gathering Letter
Hello all.
The time has come the walrus said to talk of many things . . . of dates and plans and dining, expectations and other things.
Okay in all seriousness, I am sure you will all think Im completely mad for sending this email after all I am talking about a vacation planning for Thanksgiving of 2012 and here we are in the summer of 2011. This is the first of what Im sure will be several emails as we move through the next year. I want to start a dialogue about some timing issues and deadlines over the next 15 months or so. I swear Im not crazy, but as I have limited free time, I tend to start my planning early and well planning a Disney Vacation is kind of a hobby of mine so you will have to forgive me my obsession here.
ITEM #1 Accommodations
The first deadline is coming up soon and that is the reservation window for the resort.
We are planning to book Wyndham Bonnet Creek resort.
https://www.wyndhamvacationresorts.com/ffr/resort/details.do
The intent right now is to book two (2) 2BR Deluxe suites and one (1) 3BR Deluxe Suite.
See unit information and floor plans provided at the end of this section.
The breakdown for who will stay where is mostly likely
1-2BR will be for the XXX Family
1-2BR will be for the XXX Family
1-3BR will be for the XXX/XXX Family
The 1st thing I need from each of you is an anticipated check in and checkout date. In order to finalize our plans prior to the booking window opening I would like this information from you no later than September 11th. If you plan to stay more than 7 nights in Orlando you may need to provide your own accommodations for the additional nights.
As of this moment, James, the girls and I plan to arrive in Orlando late on Thursday, November 15, 2012 and leave early on Sunday, November 25, 2012. We will most likely be at Bonnet Creek from Sunday Sunday and may be staying somewhere else from Thursday Sunday the 18th.
If you have bed request please let us know in advance. For example if you want a King in one room and 2 doubles in the other as opposed to a King and 1 Queen, please let us know as soon as possible. I can make no guarantees but if we note it on the reservation it may be more likely to happen.
The next 2 pages have the Unit information and sample floor plan layouts for Bonnet Creek.
*Insert Bonnet Creek info*
ITEM #2 Schedule
Important Dates
June 2011 Disney raised their ticket rates this year in June. In previous years it has been in August. I would suggest you keep an eye out for this starting next summer. The increase this year was not insignificant. I will send out an email as soon as I hear something about the rate increase in 2012. If you know what tickets you want I recommend you buy them in advance.
October 1, 2011 Arrival and Departure dates (at least for resort booking) to be provided to Kristie so that she can make arrangements to book resorts.
October 15, 2011 VIP booking Window opens for resort booking
January 15, 2012 Standard booking Window for remaining room opens
Mid to late April 2012 Park hours for November are typically released.
April 2012 Kristie will send out preliminary planning information with least crowded parks by day, available schedule of Christmas events if known etc.
May 1, 2012 Kristie requests that everyone provides her with must sees/dos, expectations and any dining requests for the vacation.
May 10, 2012 advanced dining reservation window opens for beginning of trip.
End of May 2012 Southwest likely to release Thanksgiving 2012 airfare rates (okay so this might only be important to me but if you want to fly on Southwest you will get the best rates if you book the morning they open up booking especially for a holiday week prices will rise and continue to rise. Other airlines have different release dates but I typically dont fly them so I dont know what those are.)
June - August 2012 Disney typically increases rates for park tickets in August each year may want to plan to purchase tickets prior to this to save a few dollars. The best ticket prices are typically on undercovertourist.com using a mousesaver discount (unless you can get a special like Military discounts that are frequently offered). If you want more information about these rates let me know.
November 2012 Disney Time
Friday November 16, 2012 likely date for Mickey Very Merry Christmas Party
Thursday November 22, 2012 Thanksgiving Day
Friday November 23, 2012 Special Christmas events likely begin at Epcot to include the Candlelight Processional and the Christmas Story Tellers in Epcot.
Item #3 General Touring Information
There are a few things that I ask of you as we start the planning process. I would like you to take a little time to think of your own expectations. If we all know what each other want out of our vacation we will be more likely to have the vacation we are looking for. I ask that you let me know what is important to you, what parks you want to see, what parks you want to see more than once, what attractions are most important to you, what restaurants do you want to dine at (especially as a large group), how you would like to spend Thanksgiving day, how much togetherness you want to have, do you want to do early mornings, late nights, sleep in, see characters, ride thrillers, see Christmas Lights, smell the gingerbread, tell me Im completely crazy, etc. :) Do you want to tour as a group part of the time, all of the time or do your own thing?
If you havent guessed by now, I love to play a Disney vacation. I have 3 goals for this Disney Vacation 1) to take Alice for her 1st visit to Disney and enjoy Megans magic visit. 2) Experience as much of Christmas at Disney as possible and 3) spend quality time with family.
I spend a lot of time planning a Disney Vacation but my plans are not rigid as far as the events of the day go. Most of my planning is in knowing what we want to do, what to do as a back up and how to go with the flow. Even though I have plans made for which park we want to see each day my actual touring appears fluid. More often than not I will plan to be at the park before it opens to be ready for rope drop. We will also plan to take a break in the middle of the day from the park, especially if we plan to have any night time activities planned. I also try to not have an early morning following a late night. I utilize fast pass opportunities throughout the day and will volunteer to pick up fast passes for the group if you are with me. I recognize that we will return to Walt Disney World in the future so if we cannot see or do it all it is okay.
For our family we do not personally plan to attend any parks other than Disney on this vacation, but you are welcome to do so if that is your desire. When the girls are older we will take a trip to Orlando that includes Universal Studios and possibly Sea World (although having Sea World here in Texas its hard to devote time in Orlando to do what I can do on weekend trip at home) but until they are both tall enough to meet height restrictions the additional park tickets are not something we want to spend on this vacation. Besides it goes back to my #2 goal I want to see as much of Christmas at Disney as possible. We will plan to visit each park at least 1 time. I also plan to spend some time visiting the Christmas decorations at a few of the resorts.
For an Example If I was going this Thanksgiving, this is what my plans would likely look like. So to formulate this plan for 2012 I need the input above.
Thursday School for girls in AM, pick up girls go to airport, fly to Orlando, check in.
Friday Sleep in, go grocery shopping, get settled, Mickeys Very Merry Christmas Party @ the Magic Kingdom (MK) starting after 4pm until as late as we can manage (ends at Midnight)
Saturday Sleep in, go to Epcot for late arrival and enjoy the World Showcase. Lunch or Dinner @ World Showcase other meal at resort or packed.
Sunday Animal Kingdom (AK) arrive early morning for park opening. Either take a break and return or stay until about 3pm and done for the day. Dinner and relax at resort. We may have to change resorts this day, if we do it would likely mean a break and return day so we can change resorts.
Monday Epcot Full day arrive early prior to park opening explore future world section). Take a break sometime after lunch. Return in the evening for dinner in World Showcase and potentially use some rides.
Tuesday MK Full day or Ύ day undecided. Arrive Early for Opening Show and rope drop at the Magic Kingdom. I am undecided as to length of day and required breaks, it would mainly depend on if I wanted to stay for the parade/fireworks tonight or wait for Friday I am leaning towards doing this on Friday.
Wednesday DHS (Hollywood Studios). Definitely arrive early, well before park opening. Today we will definitely take a break. Park closes at 8pm (as listed now). Plan to return in evening for Osborne Lights.
Thursday Thanksgiving - ???? Undecided possible park day at DHS or AK, possible day to explore Christmas Decorations at Deluxe resorts, possible day to sit back relax and do nothing.
Friday MK (see Tuesday same applies)
Saturday Epcot for Christmas events. This is a day to see the things we might have missed in our earlier trips to Epcot and to enjoy the Christmas events in the World Showcase. If we have a late night the night before we will sleep in and come in around 11am for world showcase opening.
Sunday - Fly home. :(
Item #4 Conclusion
I hope I havent scared you off yet with my 6 page dissertation on upcoming Disney plans. As you can tell I am very excited for our trip and I am looking forward to spending a magical Thanksgiving with each of you.