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You're asking a very difficult question of me because I almost always have park hopper passes and have no reason to have to make such a difficult decision. :) However, I must be honest and tell you that I enjoy Spectromagic so much that I would, indeed, brave the crowds to see the parade. Perhaps you could go to the MK first thing in the morning and just leave the park (for lunch, a swim, a nap) when the crowds get larger in the early afternoon -- and then return in time for the parade run? That would be my personal strategy anyway (the daily break is a mantra of mine), but it would be especially true here.

However, I don't think that Martin Luther King Jr. weekend is that big of a draw. It comes just a few weeks after Christmas and New Years, and it's smack in the middle of the (traditionally) slowest month of the year at WDW. You may get a small bump in crowd size because of locals on the weekend (in fact, that's almost inevitable), but it shouldn't be bad.

The information that I have on park hours is listed on the cutbacks page.

I'd suggest that you ask, immediately upon check in, when the transportation to the parks starts up each day... and plan to be out for the first bus/monorail/boat to the park of your choice each day. You won't get to the park too soon that way, but you'll be as close to "first in line" as possible.

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I've never personally stayed at the Grosvenor. I spent a little time walking around there during a recent trip, though, and it does look to be a reasonably nice property. It's located fairly close to Downtown Disney (within walking distance if you have the time) and is linked to the WDW parks via special shuttle buses that service the Downtown Disney resort hotels.

The main difference between the Grosvenor and the moderate Disney resorts is the lack of a resort-wide theme -- although Moriarty's and Baskerville's (the lounge and restaurant) do have a Sherlock Holmes / Victorian London theme that is very nice. If you get a real good rate, you can't go wrong.

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#1 -- 230 points - $58/point -- only 216 to be available in June 2002 (borrowed 14 from this year). We pay closing $500 and then the dues on the 216 points. (timesharestore.com) or something like that ....

#2 -- at the advice of "atimeshare.com" a lovely lady named Jackie A (I think) - she recommended a package with 189 points -- that was advertised at $62/point with 87 points leftover from this year - giving us 276 for next year. I put in a bid at $58 and asked that she pay the dues on the 87 and she accepted and also "gave" us the 87 points (no dues due by us except on the 189). DOES THIS SOUND GOOD ENOUGH?!?!

#3 -- I just went back on timesharestore.com and found a listing for 210 points - at $60/point of which I think I could get at $58 and 71 points are now available and all 210 for next year in March 2002 (this seems VERY appealing to me!!!). I think that is more like the number we ** really ** will need.

#4 -- I think this is a "loaded" one that some speak of -- 210 points for $66 per point -- however, they've "banked" 103 from 2000 (so I know those will expire soon right?) - and then there are still 210 from 2001 and plus the 210 we'll get in June of 2002. Again - that is $66/point -- quite higher than the rest.

WITH ALL THOSE ABOVE SITUATIONS - WHICH IS BEST? You'll have to explain to me how to handle that #4 loaded one as far as bottom line price - and then of course the dues -- etc., etc., -- See we'd like to stay a "week and a half" if possible -- say Sunday - Wednesday (10 nights per stay) and with going in the off season and starting the stay on Sunday (to avoid double points) - we'd need 208 to do a Sunday - Tuesday (leaving Wednesday) in a 1 bedroom and to do a 2 bedroom from Sunday - Sunday (leaving Sunday) we'd need 218. (We'd probably figure doing that every "other" year perhaps.

So the way I look at it is we need that higher number of points (210) ? What do you think?

Thanks!

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There are pros and cons to each option, and you've documented them well, so you really have to decide which of them best meets your needs given your financial ability to do this (for example, if any of the options is over your budget, then you can eliminate them from consideration right off the top!)

The major thing I need to caution you about, though, is your assumption about how many points you'll need for each stay. DVC does reserve the right to change the points schedule from year to year. Of course, the TOTAL number of points required over the course of the entire year can not change, but supply and demand comes into play and DVC may shift points from one part of the calendar to another. For example, if DVC notices a trend that fewer members are staying during high season and are shifting to make the Fall time more busy, they WILL increase the number of points required to stay in the Fall (with a corresponding decrease in points required during that high season time). If you plan so very carefully for a particular schedule, you may find yourself in a bind down the road...

The other thing you'll have to be careful of (and again, I think you have a good handle on it) is that often points are less expensive on resale than others... and usually that's because of points that are unavailable (already used this year and/or borrowed from next year). Make sure on any deal that you know exactly what you're getting!

Finally, one personal comment... no matter what number of points you feel you need, you'll likely wish you had more down the road. Many, many members that I've talked to over the years have added points because they found other ways to use them and found that they enjoyed extended trips more so than they thought. I, for example, started with 210 points and ended up adding 150 more.

Hope that helps... but you really should lay out the pros and cons of each option and decide where to go from there. You may also want to contact the DVC directly -- perhaps they'll "dicker" with you if you make it clear that you're looking at resale options. I don't know, but it's worth checking out.

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We're staying at the All-Star Sports. Anyhow, ever since we decided to go I have turned into a Disney Fanatic! I have checked your website daily and I love the helpful hints and the trip reports. I was hoping that I could write a report myself for the website. I have read a lot of them and I haven't found many written by college age kids so maybe my report would be helpful.

My only question is where do I start? The anticipation is building each day and I just cannot wait to walk into the Magic Kingdom for the first time. So, if you could tell me where I could start, I'd appreciate it. Thanks a bunch!

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Thanks so much for your note! I'm glad you've been finding MousePlanet helpful as you plan.

I would be very happy to get a trip report from you. My suggestions are all online. If you look at the "articles" listed in the left hand margin, you'll find lots of information about writing and posting your report.

Have a great trip!

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As for the Living Seas, the ride portion is indeed closed. Why, I couldn't say. When you enter the first holding area, you have the option of watching a "briefing" (the pre-show film - I assume it's the same one, but I didn't check) or taking the "hydrolator" directly to Seabase Alpha. After the "hydrolator," you must walk through the gift shop (imagine that!) to arrive in Seabase Alpha. It feels pretty strange, & it doesn't look all that great, either. I hope that this is just a temporary measure.

I go to the parks quite a bit. I enjoy your trip planning guide, even though I live here, which should tell you something!

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I would suggest you go to any WDW resort hotel and ask for the WDW Transportation Guide. That's the brochure that has the great map.

Unfortunately, due to copyright restrictions, our lawyers have told us that MousePlanet can not reproduce that map on the site.

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We managed to negotiate an inexpensive upgrade to the Contemporary, but they were pushing us to the Caribbean Beach or Coronado.

Thought you might like to know, since I was surprised I hadn't seen it mentioned on your site yet.

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The reason why I haven't made a big deal about the Riverside situation is that it's not closing completely. They are in process of reducing the number of open buildings, but the resort itself will remain open. The problem for WDW is that, with less rooms available in the Riverside inventory, it's starting to fill up. That's why they were trying to move you out -- to one of the moderates if at all possible.

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Looked through several pages, and searched under parking, but couldn't seem to nail this one down.

Lots of great stuff on your site though, and I'll be studying it more soon.

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The park hopper plus does NOT include parking. However, you only ever have to pay for parking at WDW once each day. Your receipt will ensure "free" parking at all other WDW lots from that time forward during the given day.

Click here to see some awesome WDW pieces that have run on MousePlanet recently!

Click here to check out the rest of Brian's Archive, including all of the previously published "Notes From the World" pieces!

I've always gotten email about the WDW Trip Planning Guide, but since we added the feedback form to the site several months ago, the number of questions has increased dramatically!  I do my best to answer each and every question personally, but I've noticed that a lot of the questions are asked again and again.  The question that one person asks might very well be the question that someone else is wondering about.  Thus this page!

So...I'll post reader email and feedback every once in a while, because the question someone else asks might be the same one you're thinking about yourself!