saratogagirl
<font color= CC0066>I need books, and wine and Ian
- Joined
- May 4, 2006
- Messages
- 6,421
I know, I know, I never did the trippie for last Octobers trip, but although we had a wonderful time, it was all a bit strange, and a trippie didn't feel right. I promise that this one will be completed, and have a brand new notebook ready for trippy notes!!
The cast for this trip will be just me and the old man, here we are:
Ian - 40, loves WDW, in particular the drinking establishments, leaves all planning to me..
Jules - 39, chief planner, and lover of salty rims!!
The planning began way back last year, when shock of all shocks Ian neglected his year of a million 40th's for a nanosecond and asked what I might like to do for my 40th birthday treat. Yes, on April 8th I will be 40
... The promptness of my reply probably shocked him a little, "I want to go on The Dream, and I need to go to Disney as my happy place will be 40 too"... In his usual helpful way, I think he said something like "Get on with it then" ...
So, the first decision when to go, March seemed ideal to me, as we have never been in March, the Flower and Garden Festival would be on, and we would also get another use out of our annual passes which expire at the end of March.
There was a nicely priced cruise leaving on the 10th, so I decided to work around that. I priced up flights and found we could go with Virgin from Manchester on the 9th for £400 each, and the decision was made. With the flights booked I promptly booked the Dream for the 10th.
The plan of attack:
Tuesday 8th March
As many of you know, I have a real phobia about travelling on motorways, its getting worse not better unfortunately! Our preferred method of getting to Gatwick for the past few years has been National Express which takes the stress out of the journey for me, for some bizarre reason I am fine on a coach. I checked this option out for Manchester airport and discovered it could take up to seven hours to get there! It looked like we would need to drive, but then Mandy or Sue (I forget which one), suggested the train, Cardiff to Manchester was just over three hours, and I was able to get us return tickets for £25.00 each - result.. I then booked the Travel Lodge at Manchester Airport for £29.00. So, we will travel to Manchester on the train, check in to the Travel Lodge, and hopefully find somewhere to have a few drinkies and some food to start the holiday off.
Wednesday 9th March
We fly with Virgin at 10.25am, so will hopefully get to Orlando a bit earlier than we normally do when flying from Gatwick. We have the car booked with Dollar, so once thats picked up we will head straight down to Cocoa Beach. I've booked the Fawlty Towers Motel. Thanks Mand for helping me work out to post a picture of it ..
I found it on trip advisor, and it gets very mixed reviews, its pink and its gaudy looking, it apparently has an adult emporium next door!! It also has a tiki bar. I know I'm strange, but it tickled me, so I phoned up and spoke to the lovely British owner, who assured me they would keep the car and transfer us to the port for the sum of $79.
We plan to check in and then find an ocean front restaurant for some Ritas and dinner.
Thursday 10th March
Our home for the next three nights:
I am so excited! We have an inside room booked on deck 7, I am a bit worried about this, as I am concerned that the free upgrade we got to a verandah last year has spoilt me, but I will get the Virtual Porthole to look at.
We've made no plans for the cruise, although I have booked myself a fire and ice pedicure for our Nassau Day, we intend to stay on the ship on that day as I am Nassaud to death. We will get off though and spend the day at Castaway Cay. I suspect that much of the cruise will be spent here:
Sunday 13th March
We will wave a sad farewell to the Dream. After collecting the car we will head straight back to Orlando. First stop will be Walmart to stock up on beer and vino, before heading to the Mall at Millenia. Ian is after an Ed Harvey hat, and I am crossing fingers that I am going to get an ipad, also need to stock up on Yankee Candles, as supplies are low.
We are planning to eat lunch at the Cheesecake Factory, before heading back to the world to check in here:
Whoo hoo our next two nights a studio room at Bay Lake Towers
Our plan for our first evening is to jump on the monorail to the Tambu Longe so I can have a Lapu Lapu (yes, I do drink something else other than ritas occasionally), then back on the monoral to the Outer Rim Lounge, before heading back to the Top Of The World Lounge for the fireworks, I confess that my sole reason for wanting to stay here, was to get up to the lounge.
Monday 14th March
Extra Magic Hours at Animal Kingdom, so I have booked breakfast at Tuskers, there will undoubtedly be a rita or two later in the day at the Dawa Bar. Other than that no set plans.
Tuesday 15th March
We leave Bay Lake and head here:
Old Key West, another first for us, which we are both looking forward to, our home for the next four nights, will again be a studio, which may or may not look like this, depending on whether we get a refurbished room
I have booked the Dining Plan for this part of our stay.
Dinner is booked for Via Napoli.
Wednesday 16th March
No plans, we will go with the flow, I have made an ADR for Narcoosees, for fireworks time.. I lurve Narcoosees.
Thursday 17th March
I did make a ressie for Raglan Road, as we though it would be fun to spend St Patricks Day evening there, but Raglan Road have since cancelled all reservations - I have no idea why? I suspect we may end up at The Orlando Ale House, as we both like it because its cheap and its fun.
Friday 18th March
I suspect we will be back to Epcot again, I have dinner booked at La Hacienda which is another first.
Saturday 19th March / Sunday 20th March
This is where it all goes a little bit pear shaped, I have booked the Holiday Inn at The Gateway to Universal, but for some reason the nearer it gets the more I want to cancel! I have spent most of this week looking at hotels near Universal, and am frankly getting nowhere. I really want to stay at The Royal Pacific, I love it there, but I don't like the rate at the moment. Anyway, I am sure I will find somewhere soon, and things will come together..
Wherever we stay the last two nights will be centred around Universal, Mardi Gras is on whilst we are there which was another nice suprise. Of course, much of the 40th celebration will need to take place where else than Margaritaville.
Those of you that know me well, will know that its likely that many of my plans will go out of the window, dinner reservations will likely be cancelled and replaced with others, or cancelled in favour of Papa John visiting the studio! I really need to stop being such a go with the flow sort of person.
The Churchills will be in Orlando for some of the time that we are there, and we are both desperately hoping there will be time for some drinkies round the world, so plans would be changed for then..
The one thing that never changes is the Margarita consumption, and the laughs - heres hoping that remains the same for this trip..
Thanks for reading, and I promise to get this one finished..
The cast for this trip will be just me and the old man, here we are:
Ian - 40, loves WDW, in particular the drinking establishments, leaves all planning to me..
Jules - 39, chief planner, and lover of salty rims!!
The planning began way back last year, when shock of all shocks Ian neglected his year of a million 40th's for a nanosecond and asked what I might like to do for my 40th birthday treat. Yes, on April 8th I will be 40
... The promptness of my reply probably shocked him a little, "I want to go on The Dream, and I need to go to Disney as my happy place will be 40 too"... In his usual helpful way, I think he said something like "Get on with it then" ...So, the first decision when to go, March seemed ideal to me, as we have never been in March, the Flower and Garden Festival would be on, and we would also get another use out of our annual passes which expire at the end of March.
There was a nicely priced cruise leaving on the 10th, so I decided to work around that. I priced up flights and found we could go with Virgin from Manchester on the 9th for £400 each, and the decision was made. With the flights booked I promptly booked the Dream for the 10th.
The plan of attack:
Tuesday 8th March
As many of you know, I have a real phobia about travelling on motorways, its getting worse not better unfortunately! Our preferred method of getting to Gatwick for the past few years has been National Express which takes the stress out of the journey for me, for some bizarre reason I am fine on a coach. I checked this option out for Manchester airport and discovered it could take up to seven hours to get there! It looked like we would need to drive, but then Mandy or Sue (I forget which one), suggested the train, Cardiff to Manchester was just over three hours, and I was able to get us return tickets for £25.00 each - result.. I then booked the Travel Lodge at Manchester Airport for £29.00. So, we will travel to Manchester on the train, check in to the Travel Lodge, and hopefully find somewhere to have a few drinkies and some food to start the holiday off.
Wednesday 9th March
We fly with Virgin at 10.25am, so will hopefully get to Orlando a bit earlier than we normally do when flying from Gatwick. We have the car booked with Dollar, so once thats picked up we will head straight down to Cocoa Beach. I've booked the Fawlty Towers Motel. Thanks Mand for helping me work out to post a picture of it ..
I found it on trip advisor, and it gets very mixed reviews, its pink and its gaudy looking, it apparently has an adult emporium next door!! It also has a tiki bar. I know I'm strange, but it tickled me, so I phoned up and spoke to the lovely British owner, who assured me they would keep the car and transfer us to the port for the sum of $79.
We plan to check in and then find an ocean front restaurant for some Ritas and dinner.
Thursday 10th March
Our home for the next three nights:
I am so excited! We have an inside room booked on deck 7, I am a bit worried about this, as I am concerned that the free upgrade we got to a verandah last year has spoilt me, but I will get the Virtual Porthole to look at.
We've made no plans for the cruise, although I have booked myself a fire and ice pedicure for our Nassau Day, we intend to stay on the ship on that day as I am Nassaud to death. We will get off though and spend the day at Castaway Cay. I suspect that much of the cruise will be spent here:
Sunday 13th March
We will wave a sad farewell to the Dream. After collecting the car we will head straight back to Orlando. First stop will be Walmart to stock up on beer and vino, before heading to the Mall at Millenia. Ian is after an Ed Harvey hat, and I am crossing fingers that I am going to get an ipad, also need to stock up on Yankee Candles, as supplies are low.
We are planning to eat lunch at the Cheesecake Factory, before heading back to the world to check in here:
Whoo hoo our next two nights a studio room at Bay Lake Towers
Our plan for our first evening is to jump on the monorail to the Tambu Longe so I can have a Lapu Lapu (yes, I do drink something else other than ritas occasionally), then back on the monoral to the Outer Rim Lounge, before heading back to the Top Of The World Lounge for the fireworks, I confess that my sole reason for wanting to stay here, was to get up to the lounge.
Monday 14th March
Extra Magic Hours at Animal Kingdom, so I have booked breakfast at Tuskers, there will undoubtedly be a rita or two later in the day at the Dawa Bar. Other than that no set plans.
Tuesday 15th March
We leave Bay Lake and head here:
Old Key West, another first for us, which we are both looking forward to, our home for the next four nights, will again be a studio, which may or may not look like this, depending on whether we get a refurbished room
I have booked the Dining Plan for this part of our stay.
Dinner is booked for Via Napoli.
Wednesday 16th March
No plans, we will go with the flow, I have made an ADR for Narcoosees, for fireworks time.. I lurve Narcoosees.
Thursday 17th March
I did make a ressie for Raglan Road, as we though it would be fun to spend St Patricks Day evening there, but Raglan Road have since cancelled all reservations - I have no idea why? I suspect we may end up at The Orlando Ale House, as we both like it because its cheap and its fun.
Friday 18th March
I suspect we will be back to Epcot again, I have dinner booked at La Hacienda which is another first.
Saturday 19th March / Sunday 20th March
This is where it all goes a little bit pear shaped, I have booked the Holiday Inn at The Gateway to Universal, but for some reason the nearer it gets the more I want to cancel! I have spent most of this week looking at hotels near Universal, and am frankly getting nowhere. I really want to stay at The Royal Pacific, I love it there, but I don't like the rate at the moment. Anyway, I am sure I will find somewhere soon, and things will come together..
Wherever we stay the last two nights will be centred around Universal, Mardi Gras is on whilst we are there which was another nice suprise. Of course, much of the 40th celebration will need to take place where else than Margaritaville.
Those of you that know me well, will know that its likely that many of my plans will go out of the window, dinner reservations will likely be cancelled and replaced with others, or cancelled in favour of Papa John visiting the studio! I really need to stop being such a go with the flow sort of person.
The Churchills will be in Orlando for some of the time that we are there, and we are both desperately hoping there will be time for some drinkies round the world, so plans would be changed for then..
The one thing that never changes is the Margarita consumption, and the laughs - heres hoping that remains the same for this trip..
Thanks for reading, and I promise to get this one finished..
). I hope you have an amazing time, and I expect a sip by sip description of Pink and it's beverages too (including pics) 
