We're Back!!! PreTR – Me, DD12 and Mom73 – Girls trip to FL Keys, Universal and WDW 4/18-4/27

sharona · Mar 12, 2015

Did you park at the Contemporary? I'm thinking of valet parking there to make things easier, it's really not that much more than the regular parking fee and getting to MK can be a pita. Besides, Boo's never been on the monorail so that would count as a ride! I'll have to check out your Welcome Foolish Muggles report. Great TR names, btw. Love that you used Wicked Awesome to name a report. And I've told all of my coworkers in other states that no one really says that here! Of course they didn't believe me... they're wicked smaht about that stuff.

We stayed at the Outrigger (the one where Duke's is) on our previous Hawaii trip and we walked down the beach to watch the Hilton fireworks. So cool - we didn't get to see much of the hotel but the place looked huge and the grounds looked beautiful.

Love Flutie. Seems like such a great guy. My cousin's claim to fame is that she ran next to him in the marathon one year. Hilarious selfies of her trying to get the 2 of them in the shot while running. She said he was very sweet about it.

natebenma · Mar 12, 2015

The MK day was a surprise for the boys. We didn't have a car, we used a livery driver (Ed Korgan Travel) to get to and from the airport/Universal and to/from Universal to Disney. We had him drop us off at the Contemporary so we didn't have to go to the TTC and could just walk to the main gates. We did take the monorail (and did an extra loop) on our way to Kona, because "The Monorail is TOO a ride!!!" We considered taking the monorail all the way to EPCOT and back during our break but we thought it would be too painful to see EPCOT and not go there.

Thanks for sharing the Flutie story.

:goodvibes

:

sharona · Mar 17, 2015

Great news! Heard from my friend T that she will join Boo and I for our last 3 days at Universal. We're very excited that she can make it. She would have joined us for the whole Orlando portion of our trip but she isn't interested in going to WDW and doesn't want to spend Friday alone while Boo and I go to MK. She is a native NY'r who lived in Boston for 10+ years before moving to St. Pete a few years ago. She's awesome - a straight talking, no bs, height challenged, NY accented, Yankee loving, Pats hating, shopaholic with a YOLO attitude. She has a really nice, really new, totally immaculate SINK car (single no kids). She is really particular (paranoid) about where she'll park this shiny moving command center. It can't be next to any "junky" looking cars, any "too big" cars and definitely not ever near any 2 door cars. Per T, the doors on those cars are much longer than other cars and are more likely to invade her parking space and ding her car. Boo and I had a lot of fun with this on our last trip since T was driving us around everywhere. Boo calls her "2 Door Terri". She has a good sense of humor about it, thank goodness, since she'll be known as 2DT from now on.

Here she is during our first trip last March.

natebenma · Mar 18, 2015

That is fantastic that your friend 2DT will be joining you at Universal!!! She sounds like a lot of fun, except for that bias against the Red Sox/Patriots. But I have friends like that too!

:lmao:

PS- where is that surfboard? Somewhere at City Walk?

sharona · Mar 18, 2015

natebenma said:
That is fantastic that your friend 2DT will be joining you at Universal!!! She sounds like a lot of fun, except for that bias against the Red Sox/Patriots. But I have friends like that too!

PS- where is that surfboard? Somewhere at City Walk?

Yes at City Walk near DD's favorite place, Cinnabon!

sharona · Mar 20, 2015

On a whim last night I snagged a pre RD ADR for Crystal Palace at MK. It's for 8:20 on a day with a 9am park opening. I'm told we can enter MK anytime after 7:45. Not sure how Boo will feel about a character meal but Pooh and Tigger were favorites when she was young so I'm thinking I can sell it! Getting in the park before RD for a leisurely stroll up Main St. and some nice pictures plus a good breakfast - I couldn't resist. I think we might prefer the new BOG restaurant now that they're serving breakfast but I couldn't find anything before 9. I'll be stalking the WDW dining app between now and our trip to see if something pops up! We've never been to CP so either way, I think it's a nice way to start off our MK day. I think I'll wait to tell Boo about it so I can change my mind and cancel if I want to. Boo is not a big fan of changing plans and I like to change and modify as needed. So with that in mind, I try not to commit to anything unless I'm sure.

natebenma · Mar 20, 2015

sharona said:
On a whim last night I snagged a pre RD ADR for Crystal Palace at MK. It's for 8:20 on a day with a 9am park opening. I'm told we can enter MK anytime after 7:45. Not sure how Boo will feel about a character meal but Pooh and Tigger were favorites when she was young so I'm thinking I can sell it! Getting in the park before RD for a leisurely stroll up Main St. and some nice pictures plus a good breakfast - I couldn't resist. I think we might prefer the new BOG restaurant now that they're serving breakfast but I couldn't find anything before 9. I'll be stalking the WDW dining app between now and our trip to see if something pops up! We've never been to CP so either way, I think it's a nice way to start off our MK day. I think I'll wait to tell Boo about it so I can change my mind and cancel if I want to. Boo is not a big fan of changing plans and I like to change and modify as needed. So with that in mind, I try not to commit to anything unless I'm sure.

I have never done the preopening breakfast at CP, but it is on my bucket list. That sounds perfect for an offsite visit to the MK since you can't do early entry any other way. I hear the food is really good too.

I'm surprised that there was still availability.

It didn't occur to me yet that BOG might have preopening breakfasts. Cool!!!

:cool1:

sharona · Mar 21, 2015

natebenma said:
I have never done the preopening breakfast at CP, but it is on my bucket list. That sounds perfect for an offsite visit to the MK since you can't do early entry any other way. I hear the food is really good too.

I'm surprised that there was still availability.

It didn't occur to me yet that BOG might have preopening breakfasts. Cool!!!

The only reason I was able to grab that CP pre opening ADR at this late date is because they opened up BOG for breakfast and people were cancelling their CP ADRs when they got BOG. I saw a post of someone doing the happy dance about BOG and they said they would soon be cancelling CP so I thought I'd check and see what was available. I was shocked that something popped for our one and only day!

sharona · Mar 25, 2015

Made our FP+ reservations last night at midnight for our epic 1 day at MK! Managed to get early FP for 7DMT despite only having 30 day access thanks to some strategy posts on the Theme Parks board advising to choose FPs separately instead of together. Checking for 1 person at a time really opened up so many more possibilities. I grabbed a 11:05am-12:05 pm slot for DD and found a 11:10-12:10 slot for me so plenty of overlap there for us to ride together. I was really undecided on whether we wanted our FPs for early afternoon or after dinner. Our other 2 FPs are for BTMRR and Splash. In the end I booked them for early afternoon with the thought that I can always change them to later when we're at the park if the waits are low and we don't want to waste them or if we decide we'd prefer to ride at night. I've been checking same day FP availability at MK for the past week or so around 2pm each day and there have been plenty of BTMRR and Splash evening times open despite the Spring Break crowds. Hopefully that will hold true next month as well.

Here is how our MK plan is shaping up:

Breakfast at Crystal Palace pre rope drop. I was worried about how Boo would feel about a character breakfast and $30 pp is a lot so now that I've bought the park tickets and committed to the day, I told her about the ADR to make sure she wanted to do it. She is surprisingly excited to see the characters and is already planning what to wear (the Pooh shirt she got at the Disney store a few weeks ago). What time should we leave RPR to get to MK by 7:45? We're driving and will valet park at the Contemporary.

We'll ride some stuff at RD before the crowds set in. We'll probably head first to Frontier Land then make our way over to see all the new Fantasyland stuff that wasn't there when we last visited in 2010.

No lunch after that big breakfast - just snacks since we're planning a very early dinner offsite. One of our favorite snacks is the Cinnamon rolls from Main St. bakery. I've seen pics of the ones from Gaston's and they look just as yummy. That will do me just fine!

Starting around 11:45 we'll use our FPs for 7DMT, BTMRR, Splash then make our way out of the park (I'd like to be out of there by 2, our Splash FP window starts at 1:20pm so this should work). Stopping at the FP kiosk to grab a 4th FP for that night. Probably BTMRR again as it's fun and different after dark.

Back to RPR to put our feet up and relax so we can have the energy to stay at MK until midnight! Love the parks at night, especially MK! A refreshing shower and 30-45 minutes of down time usually does it for us.

We'll have dinner either at RPR or somewhere in Orlando on our way back to MK arriving about 6 (parking again at CR valet)

When we get back to MK we're going to enjoy some of the attractions we usually rush past like People Mover, Carousel, Monsters Inc. etc. We plan to shop and explore and just soak it all in. No pressure to maximize our # of rides as we'll be getting plenty of that at UOR. We'll either ride some things during the first parade then find a spot for Wishes and watch the 11pm MSEP or catch the 9pm MSEP and use that last hour to ride some things that we missed, depending on where we are at 9 and the crowds.

I like the way this plan has shaped up but we are definitely open to any suggestions or input. So excited to be in MK again and trying not to be too unhappy about the new FP system. Back in the old FP days we would have collected FPs during the morning and been riding all night with no waits! Oh well, change is inevitable and resistance if futile! We're going to embrace a new pace!

Have our recent visits to Universal with Express Pass spoiled us forever? Will the nostalgia factor at MK make us want more WDW? We'll soon find out!

sharona · Mar 27, 2015

After 2 months of trying and failing to lose the weight I gained since summer, I bit the bullet and went back to Weight Watchers last night.

It's probably too late to make much of a difference for this trip but hopefully it will help me to make better choices while I'm near all that temptation! At least when we get to Universal and WDW the walking kind of cancels out the Dole Whips and Popcorn buckets.

...it does, doesn't it?

Sigh...I'll have to forego the water shuttle and use the walking path whenever we can.

natebenma · Mar 30, 2015

It was a busy weekend, but I'm caught up now.

Congrats on getting the 7DMT FP! That was a smart strategy. I actually got a FP for that ride a week before my solo Beach Club trip.

Your MK plan sounds great. I like your attitude that you won't feel pressure to cram in all of the rides possible, and you will just enjoy what you want.

I also miss the old Fast Pass system, especially when there was no penalty for late returns. We would do the same thing, too. Collect in the morning while riding standby, then using them in the afternoon or night when it was busier in the parks.

Can't help you with any of the driving times to/from MK.

Good for you for joining up with Weight Watchers. Hopefully it will help you feel like you are making some positive choices.

:thumbsup2

sharona · Mar 30, 2015

natebenma said:
It was a busy weekend, but I'm caught up now.

Congrats on getting the 7DMT FP! That was a smart strategy. I actually got a FP for that ride a week before my solo Beach Club trip.

Your MK plan sounds great. I like your attitude that you won't feel pressure to cram in all of the rides possible, and you will just enjoy what you want.

I also miss the old Fast Pass system, especially when there was no penalty for late returns. We would do the same thing, too. Collect in the morning while riding standby, then using them in the afternoon or night when it was busier in the parks.

Can't help you with any of the driving times to/from MK.

Good for you for joining up with Weight Watchers. Hopefully it will help you feel like you are making some positive choices.

Thanks for your support lone reader!!!

macraven · Mar 30, 2015

sharona said:
After 2 months of trying and failing to lose the weight I gained since summer, I bit the bullet and went back to Weight Watchers last night.

It's probably too late to make much of a difference for this trip but hopefully it will help me to make better choices while I'm near all that temptation! At least when we get to Universal and WDW the walking kind of cancels out the Dole Whips and Popcorn buckets.

...it does, doesn't it?

Sigh...I'll have to forego the water shuttle and use the walking path whenever we can.

i'm curious as i need a good diet plan.
how effective is the WW diet.

and to stay on topic here, i love your report on the motherland.
i always enjoy my time in those parks too.

love crystal palace!

sharona · Mar 30, 2015

It's been quite a few years since I did WW but back then I lost 10% of my total weight before I decided I could do it on my own so it was pretty effective for me then. The whole "on my own" thing didn't work out. I like that you can make your own choices about how you want to "spend" your points and they have a great app so you can track everything on your phone including a scanner where you scan a bar code of the product and it tells you how many points per serving. Great online community too for recipes and support.

I found a WW support thread on the WISH forum. You should check it out.

macraven · Mar 30, 2015

thank you sharona for the info.

i'll go check it out.

10% loss sounds great!

sharona · Mar 30, 2015

macraven said:
thank you sharona for the info.

i'll go check it out.

10% loss sounds great!

Good luck! Hope to "see" you over there.

Re my trip - Any idea how long it will take to drive from RPR to the WDW Contemporary in the morning? I want to be standing in line at the ADR gate by 7:30 for our CP ADR. Do I need to get to the CR by 7:15? Earlier? What time should we leave RPR? I have no idea what Orlando traffic will be like. The park doesn't open until 9 so getting into WDW should not be an issue...

sharona · Apr 6, 2015

Our one day Disney tickets came today! Everybody dance, oohoohoo clap your hands - clap your hands!

PS. Boo really wants a magic band. I'm torn but I guess if we end up going back in December to the Swan we'll be able to use them again? Order them online or get them in the parks? Are there ones available in the parks that are not available online?

sharona · Apr 8, 2015

I've been watching the Netflix series "Bloodline" and it takes place in the Keys which is really getting me psyched up for that part of our trip!!! I LOVE LOVE LOVE this show. Have always been a Kyle Chandler fan (he was so good in FNL and he's so handsome) - throw in some Sissy Spacek and the rest of the great cast and very compelling storyline - just Wow!!! I binge watched the whole series over the past week. If you love a good drama - definitely give it a shot! It was just renewed for another season. Not sure if I can wait for 2016 to find out what happens next. Plans for the Keys now include a stop for lunch at the resort where they film the show.

Next on my to do list is to break out the spring/summer clothes and start getting things ready for our trip. It's been so cold here that we are still wearing winter clothes. I'm thinking capris and tees for late April.

We've had 1 or 2 almost 60° days but then right back to the low 40's. This past weekend was the first weekend without snow in 11 weeks!!! There is still some snow on the ground in the shady part of our backyard but we did finally manage to get the last few Christmas decorations out of the ground. The stakes that held them in place had been completely frozen in the ground, then they were covered with snow for the past few months. I put them up the day after Thanksgiving and couldn't get them unstuck until the day after Easter! The good news is that I'm not even close to being the last one on our street with this problem.

:rotfl2:

natebenma · Apr 11, 2015

Yay on the Disney tickets! I don't have much info on the Magic Bands. The only one I have is from my solo trip when I stayed with a good friend (who I didn't meet until the trip) :rotfl:

She took care of my band for me. We won't have them for June class trip either- we will just have regular tickets.

I am excited to read about your visit to the Keys- I have only been to Key West for a few days (we flew), so we did not go through this beautiful area.

I know what you mean about the weather since we live in roughly the same area.

This was last Thursday

And then a week later (Friday morning)

sharona · Apr 11, 2015

natebenma said:
Yay on the Disney tickets! I don't have much info on the Magic Bands. The only one I have is from my solo trip when I stayed with a good friend (who I didn't meet until the trip) She took care of my band for me. We won't have them for June class trip either- we will just have regular tickets.

I am excited to read about your visit to the Keys- I have only been to Key West for a few days (we flew), so we did not go through this beautiful area.

I know what you mean about the weather since we live in roughly the same area.

This was last Thursday

View attachment 87673

And then a week later (Friday morning)

View attachment 87674

I have totally had it with this weather. Today's decent but too little too late. I took a walk around the yard this morning and I can't believe how many things the weight of the snow damaged. Lilac bush that Boo gave me for Mothers Day is missing half it's branches, hydrangea branches are all broken, new dogwood I planted last year is at a funky angle and I lost at least 1 rose bush. I can't tell if it was from the storms or when they cleared the roof they may have done it then. What a mess!

We're Back!!! PreTR – Me, DD12 and Mom73 – Girls trip to FL Keys, Universal and WDW 4/18-4/27

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