2020: Time to see the West Coast (but still find time to go to Orlando too)! complete 10/22

[lvcourtneyy]

That will be so fun! I know you will be safe, cautious and have a great time!

Thank you! We have a lot of precautions planned but I honestly think we'll feel safer in the parks than we have some places at home.

So nice that you will have that time with her. ❤

I'm very grateful we're able to take the trip down. I know Mike has been struggling with not being there with her and his sisters.

That is a fabulous deal for Pop! I stayed there on my Christmas trip and really loved it. Great food court, clean comfortable rooms and the Skyliner! Perfect!

We love Pop too and scoring it for so cheap was perfect!

 

[lvcourtneyy]

Wow!! Glad it worked out! And though it's not for happy reasons, I'm glad you guys will get a chance to visit with Mike's mom

I am too! It's been so hard to make definite plans but in my heart, I know this is the right decision for us. I know Mike is really feeling it not being able to be there with his mom and sisters.

 

[lvcourtneyy]

Hello there Courtney!

First off, congrats on the upcoming expansion of the family with the baby on the way. My DW had really bad morning sickness for the first two trimesters with both our kids. Hope that has calmed down for you.

Thank you so much! Thankfully the morning sickness has mostly resolved but I still have a rough day here and there.

I empathize with the situation with Mike's mom. My wife's mom is here in town in a nursing home (we took care of her for a decade but her health/body deteriorated to the point where we had to get her into assisted living, then she fell and broke her neck and is now in a nursing home). Her health has continued to deteriorate and we hosted family up from California to see her probably for the last time. We had to make up a doctor's appointment to even be able to take her out and had to be very careful about contact. But it was worth it. I'm glad you guys are getting out there to see her for a whole week - strength to her and to you and your fam.

So sorry to hear about your wife's mom also. I'm glad you were able to have that time with family to come see her. I understand why nursing homes are restricting visiting but it's gotta be so difficult- especially for situations like yours. His mom was in a rehab center for about a week after leaving the hospital and she was miserable that no one could come visit her.

Great that you are getting a little UO time to start off the trip. That is DW's favorite due to HP

Harry Potter is a big part of it for me too! I'm sad I won't be able to ride much but still glad we get to go.

POP is our family's go-to and with the addition of the Skyliner its even more of a choice resort to stay at.

It's our go-to also!

Since you mentioned it and are still looking to go to DLR next fall, I do have a TR from our last trip there back in 2017.

I will check it out! I was so looking forward to finally getting to DL for the first time this year but it will be even more magical next year with our son!

 

[lvcourtneyy]

So happy to hear you are getting some Disney time in, even if it isn't under the greatest circumstances. You unquestionably deserve some down time in the most magical of places.

Thank you. I certainly wish there wasn't such a dark cloud hovering over the trip but Mike definitely needs the time with his mom and we both (as do we all really!) needa trip to our happy place!

I did Disney pregnant with Casey and it was the best excuse to eat everything in my path. Just be sure to know where every bathroom is. Thanks to that trip I have them memorized and Jason still calls them "my favorite attraction"

I'm definitely taking the excuse to eat everything possible!! I had a small bladder to begin with so I'm sure i'll visit every bathroom!

 

[pkondz]

It's hit or miss but they show up as priceline/hotwire express deals from time to time! When they do show up, it's surprisingly easy to narrow down which one it is. Hotwire even has a draw feature where you can draw a circle around an area and it will only show you hotels in the circle you draw- so I drew a circle just around Pop Century and my "mystery" hotel came up!

Nice.
I'll have to try to remember that. I haven't used hotwire in a long time.

 

[eliseisawkward]

I always forget that the Hotwire express deals can include POP! I know they often have the All Stars as well. I'll have to keep that in mind, especially as money gets more and more tight (we are saving up to buy a house and I hate being so responsible and not spending...).

 

[lvcourtneyy]

Nice.
I'll have to try to remember that. I haven't used hotwire in a long time.

I almost never use it but there's a whole thread somewhere on the boards about priceline/hotwire express deals that I picked up a lot of good tips from and this is the 2nd time I've scored a deal on WDW resort!

 

[lvcourtneyy]

I always forget that the Hotwire express deals can include POP! I know they often have the All Stars as well. I'll have to keep that in mind, especially as money gets more and more tight (we are saving up to buy a house and I hate being so responsible and not spending...).

Being responsible stinks lol but we're also looking to buy a house soon and with the baby coming very soon, anywhere we can save money, I'm all for lol.

We used the express deals to score a deal for All Stars in December last year too and at that time there were some mods and deluxes on there for good prices too- I think Port Orleans and Yacht Club!

 

[pkondz]

I almost never use it but there's a whole thread somewhere on the boards about priceline/hotwire express deals that I picked up a lot of good tips from and this is the 2nd time I've scored a deal on WDW resort!

I'll have to hunt that down.

 

[lvcourtneyy]

We leave for Florida TOMORROW!

I woke up to check us in for our flight this morning and was greeting by an error message from United .

Of course that meant I had to call them and I'm pretty sure the only reason they made me call is to try to get me to sign up for their credit card because I spent 3 seconds explaining my issue to the guy and he made some typing sounds and said it should work now and then spent 10 minutes telling me the benefits of their credit card.

I should be packing now but I'm procrastinating as always.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little nervous about the trip but I think we're as prepared as possible.

We have n95 masks to wear while on the plane and plenty of regular masks. We've decided the disposable medical masks are the best option for the parks as we can swap them out as they get sweaty or gross and not have to worry about washing them from one day to the next.

We're also armed with large amounts of lysol wipes and hand sanitizer and some good old common sense.

Tomorrow, we check in to Cabana Bay and from what I've seen on facebook, the Universal parks are pretty busy for the holiday weekend so our tentative plan is to spend tomorrow relaxing and exploring the resort and I'm hoping to finally eat at Toothsome and then take advantage of our early park entry on Monday.

As far as transportation goes, we decided to rent a car for the duration of our trip so that we don't have to rely on shared transport if we don't want to.

Hopefully all we go smoothly! I'll be back in 2 weeks when we return to report on how it goes. ​

 

[pkondz]

We leave for Florida TOMORROW!

Yahooooo!!!!

I woke up to check us in for our flight this morning and was greeting by an error message from United .

I'm pretty sure the only reason they made me call is to try to get me to sign up for their credit card

Well, points for trying, I guess.

I should be packing now but I'm procrastinating as always.

Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow.

We have n95 masks to wear while on the plane

Whoa. Betting you'll be the safest people on the aircraft.

We've decided the disposable medical masks are the best option for the parks as we can swap them out as they get sweaty or gross and not have to worry about washing them from one day to the next.

Oh! Smart idea!

I'm hoping to finally eat at Toothsome

I think you'll fall in love with it. I know I did!

I'll be back in 2 weeks when we return to report on how it goes.

Have a great time!!!

 

[tundra1]

Have an amazing time on your trip to Florida! It will be so nice for both of you to get away from being essential workers and instead enjoying your days down there. And I am sure that you both will feel better after you have a chance to visit with Mike's family.
Stay well! Have fun! Drink plenty of water!

 

[ljcrochet]

Have a great time!

 

[kastoney]

Safe travels Courtney. Have a magical trip!

 

[missangelalexis]

I know you're already down there, but have a safe and wonderful trip!!

 

[amazingact21]

Hope you're having a wonderful trip!

 

[NJlauren]

Hope your having an amazing trip!!

 

[disneyAndi14]

I saw some pictures and it looks like a fun trip!

 

[lvcourtneyy]

Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow.

Exactly my motto!

Whoa. Betting you'll be the safest people on the aircraft.

It was definitely an interesting plane ride. There was a wide range of compliance with masks including the man sitting behind us who appointed himself the mask police and spent the entire flight telling the flight attendants whose masks he didn't think were appropriate!

Oh! Smart idea!

It worked out well. 95 degrees and humid = a lot of sweat under those masks.

 

[lvcourtneyy]

Have an amazing time on your trip to Florida! It will be so nice for both of you to get away from being essential workers and instead enjoying your days down there. And I am sure that you both will feel better after you have a chance to visit with Mike's family.
Stay well! Have fun! Drink plenty of water!

Have a great time!

Safe travels Courtney. Have a magical trip!

I know you're already down there, but have a safe and wonderful trip!!

Hope you're having a wonderful trip!

Hope your having an amazing trip!!

I saw some pictures and it looks like a fun trip!

Thank you all! It was a different trip in so many ways, both expected and unexpected but we are both glad we went and had a great time!