A Bit Of This & A Bit Of That DVC Trip 2009 – Pre-trip - **Final update 16/3/09**

When I left off I was waiting for Disney to open up our dates on the dining reservation system. On the 23rd December they finally announced that reservations could be made 90 days from dining date so I made a note to call once we got to 90 days from our last night so that I could make all my reservations in one go.

Around the beginning of December Dad needed to get a new computer and while we were in PC World I began looking at the netbooks. Now that I have started doing trip reports I like to type them up at the end of each day while everything is fresh in my mind and so I had been taking my laptop away with us. The only problem with that is that it is quite bulky and heavy, which means the bag I take it in is also quite big and even though it is on wheels it is still awkward to pull that and my suitcase at the same time. I had therefore been thinking about getting something smaller and having seen a netbook that I liked Dad offered to buy it for me for Christmas. That means that instead of my bulky laptop I will now be taking this away instead:

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So with the problem of the bulky laptop solved the next thing was to find a more suitable bag. I knew I wanted one like Dad has which slips over the handle of his suitcase so he can manage both of them together easily. A quick look on Ebay produced exactly what I was looking for and, as the seller was accepting offers on the Buy It Now price I knocked off the delivery charge and had an offer of £39.95 accepted for this:

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It has a loop on the back which slips over a suitcase handle and means that I will be able to manage my bags around Orlando Airport a lot easier than I did last year.

The next major date was the 10th January when tickets for the Atlanta Braves Spring Training baseball games were due to go on sale at 3:00 p.m. our time. Dad and I went to see a game at Wide World of Sports last year and when I saw these games were on while we are there on this trip we decided that we would enjoy going again. I was on the Ticketmaster website at about 3:02 p.m. but the only seats on offer were on the bleachers way out in the outfield, or in the lawn section which is just a grassy area and doesn’t even have any seats. :sad2: I tried on and off for a couple of hours but nothing decent came up so I think all of the good seats must have been spoken for in the multi-game packages that were on sale. I’ll keep trying Ticketmaster and see if anybody offers tickets at a reasonable price on StubHub but I think that day is going to end up as a shopping day.

Today I phoned up to make our ADRs and managed to get four out of five of what I wanted which are:

29th March 8:20 a.m. breakfast at Boma
2nd April 6:00 p.m. dinner at Boma
5th April 11:30 a.m. lunch at Sci-Fi Diner
7th April 6:00 p.m. dinner at Artist Point

The only one I couldn’t get, and it is the first time I haven’t been able to get in there in 3 tries was Le Cellier for dinner on 6th April. The only times they had available were 4:30 p.m. which would be too early and 8:00 p.m. which would be too late for Illuminations. I’m going to have a think about this one because we do really like Le Cellier so I might try and get in for a different night, or I might just leave it until we get there and get the Concierge desk at Saratoga Springs to have a look and see what dates and times are available during our stay in the hope of getting a cancellation.

The dining reservations system seems to have changed since last year – instead of the old “Press 1 for this, press 2 for that system” it is now done by voice. For example the first option is “To proceed in English say English, to proceed in Spanish say Spanish” (obviously the Spanish option is spoken in Spanish). There then follows a series of Yes/No questions before you are eventually put through to a CM.

The final thing to do was to phone and book the Around The World Segway tour at EPCOT which I have booked for 2nd April at 8:30 a.m., which is normally $95 each but with our DVC discount we got it for $80.75 each.

We have also booked a night at the Sofitel for 24th March so we can start the holiday off in the right mood and we will probably go over to the Wetherspoons in the other terminal for something to eat that night.

Other than deciding what to do about Le Cellier I think we are pretty much set now and the only thing to do is sit back and tick the days off to 24th March – it works out to 52 working days at the moment (or as Dad pointed out recently 1 and a half pages on the calendar on the side of the freezer! :lmao: ).
 
Great update David :goodvibes .I was wondering if you had managed to get your tickets(i meant to have asked you when we spoke recently)-what a shame :sad2:,hopefully something will come up for you both-good luck :thumbsup2 .
Great news about your ADR's-well done :banana: .Shame about Le Cellier-hope you get something sorted for that as well.
We have decided to book O'Hana's for brekkie with Lilo+Stitch for Emily,i rang the night we spoke-and was on hold for ages-longer than normal+also noticed the new speaking system-got thru after 17mins on hold-only to be told i was phoning too early :headache: :lmao: ,i forgot about the new 90 day thing :headache: .So i have to ring back Tuesday :thumbsup2 .
Did you get a good price on the Sofitel?.
I love the new laptop-so small+cute,great deal on the bag :thumbsup2 .

Oh we don't have long to go now-do we :banana: ,but lucky you,you go before me :sad1: .x.
 
Did you get a good price on the Sofitel?.

It was £97.75 for a twin room which is about what we normally pay.

Oh we don't have long to go now-do we :banana: ,but lucky you,you go before me :sad1: .x.

Ah yeah, but then we fly home before you do as well. :sad1: And you get birthday cake. ;)
 
Great plans, David! :thumbsup2 I think your idea of seeing what the concierge desk can do for you is a good one - on my last trip in October half-term, I didn't make any ADRs and the concierge desk at BWV were able to meet all our needs... :)

Love your netbook! I can't quite justify one for myself BUT we got Samuel (DS) a Samsung one for Christmas and it's a thing of beauty - he'll be under strict instructions to bring it to Orlando... :rolleyes:

We arrive on March 31st for our first stay at AKV and this weekend I've been working on ideas for our trip too. I haven't made any ADRs yet so sounds like I'd better get organised... ;)
 

A great update David!

Shame you couldn't get any tickets for the game, maybe something will come up. I love those little Netbooks but after convincing my hubby to buy me a pink laptop last September I had better not ask for one yet. :rolleyes1

Both you, Michelle & Karen are SOOO lucky! :snooty: I have to wait until September!! :headache: ;)

I'm PM'ing you re Le Cellier.
 
I keep forgetting to say to you.....I love the quote in your siggie. :cloud9:
 
Both you, Michelle & Karen are SOOO lucky! :snooty: I have to wait until September!! :headache: ;)

I'm PM'ing you re Le Cellier.

I hope your September trip is a bit better health wise than the one you've just come back from.

Thanks for the PM. ;)

I keep forgetting to say to you.....I love the quote in your siggie. :cloud9:

Thanks, it just came to me when I was talking to Michelle one night.
 
It was £97.75 for a twin room which is about what we normally pay.
Ah yeah, but then we fly home before you do as well. :sad1: And you get birthday cake. ;)
Not too bad a price.
Ooh yes birthday cake-how can i forget that.x.
 
I keep forgetting to say to you.....I love the quote in your siggie. :cloud9:

David's going to sing it to me when we meet,or he's going to start yelling it to try and find me,so i know where he is :laughing: .x.
 
I hope you get to sort something out for Le Cellier so you can get your fix of pretzel bread :) (and if you do bring some home for me!)
 
David's going to sing it to me when we meet,or he's going to start yelling it to try and find me,so i know where he is :laughing: .x.

:rotfl: I'll put a hat on the ground in front of me and I might make some extra spending money! :lmao:

I hope you get to sort something out for Le Cellier so you can get your fix of pretzel bread :) (and if you do bring some home for me!)

The pretzel bread is one of the main reasons I want to go back - the other is the cheese soup. :thumbsup2
 
When I posted the update last week I had no idea of the changes it was going to bring to our plans. Soon after the post went up I had an offer from Karen (CustardTart) to join her, her family, fellow DISer ‘Tink, too’ and her party on an Illuminations cruise on 2nd April. As the cruise is something we have never done before, Illuminations is my favourite fireworks show and always eager to meet fellow DISers I jumped at the chance which meant moving our Boma reservation to avoid any need for clock-watching.

Then on Friday night I found out Michelle (Snowy-girls) had moved her T-Rex reservation from 5th Aril to 4th April. That was down as a rest day on my plans so because Michelle and I had been wanting to arrange a meet, and because I had decided to work T-Rex into our plans somewhere I decided to make a reservation for the same time as Michelle. We are hoping that although they are two separate reservations T-Rex will be able to seat us together and there is a strong chance of an impromptu karaoke session – Islands In The Stream, Tomorrow (from Annie) and U Can’t Touch This so far isn’t it Michelle? :rotfl2:

So the upshot of all that is that 2nd April will now see us doing our Segway tour at EPCOT, followed by a stroll around World Showcase and finishing the day on an Illuminations cruise, 4th April will be a lazy morning followed by lunch at T-Rex and a lazy afternoon and our dinner at Boma is now booked for 1st April at 6:05 pm. As for Le Cellier, I’m not really bothered when we go now as it won’t need to be on the same night we see Illuminations so I’ll leave that until we get there and see if the concierge desk can help us out.

As much as I was looking forward to this holiday before I now think that it is easily going to better our three previous trips and I cannot wait!
 
As much as I was looking forward to this holiday before I now think that it is easily going to better our three previous trips and I cannot wait!

Bet you're right, David, about this likely being the best trip so far. Looking forward to even one new thing added to the list of old familiar favorites adds an extra spark of excitement to the anticipation of a trip and suddenly you've added several--the Illuminations cruise, the new T-Rex restaurant, and getting to meet a couple of fellow DISers. All this AND it will be here before you know it. Have fun.
 
How lovely of Karen to invite you+your Dad for the Illuminations Cruise-i hope you have a fantastic time.
Seaworld in the afternoon+evening for us on that day.x.
Then on Friday night I found out Michelle (Snowy-girls) had moved her T-Rex reservation from 5th Aril to 4th April. That was down as a rest day on my plans so because Michelle and I had been wanting to arrange a meet, and because I had decided to work T-Rex into our plans somewhere I decided to make a reservation for the same time as Michelle. We are hoping that although they are two separate reservations T-Rex will be able to seat us together and there is a strong chance of an impromptu karaoke session – Islands In The Stream, Tomorrow (from Annie) and U Can’t Touch This so far isn’t it Michelle? :rotfl2:

Hi Kenny,
I am so excited about meeting you+your Dad,the girls are really excited as well(although because of shyness they probably won't say a word-lovely peace+quiet-can you join us for ALL our meals :lmao: ).
I really hope they can seat us together-i was thinking that when we meet each other there,we can tell them that were 2 seperate parties but ask them if they have a table for 6 available or how long would we have to wait for one :confused3 ,just a suggestion(up to you :) ).Otherwise it is easter time+i am thinking they may not be able to seat us together if on seperate tables :sad1: .

As for the singing,they won't know what's hit them :lmao: ,we should start after we have eaten-then when they chuck us out they may forget that we have'nt paid :thumbsup2 .Love Dolly.x.
 
...As much as I was looking forward to this holiday before I now think that it is easily going to better our three previous trips and I cannot wait!

I feel the same, David - I hardly spent any time planning (despite my comprehensive itinerary) as it all came together so easily! I just know it's going to be a spectacular trip!!! :cheer2: :cheer2: :cheer2:
 
...I decided to make a reservation for the same time as Michelle. We are hoping that although they are two separate reservations T-Rex will be able to seat us together and there is a strong chance of an impromptu karaoke session – Islands In The Stream, Tomorrow (from Annie) and U Can’t Touch This so far isn’t it Michelle? :rotfl2:

...Hi Kenny,

As for the singing,they won't know what's hit them :lmao: ,we should start after we have eaten-then when they chuck us out they may forget that we have'nt paid :thumbsup2 .Love Dolly.x.

Dear Kenny and Dolly,
This sounds amazing. :worship: I didn't know you guys were still performing but depending on what me and Boyzone are up to on April 4th, we might have to seize the opportunity and catch you guys performing live!!! May I also request a duet of '9 to 5'... :thumbsup2
Love from Louis Walsh xxx
 
Hi Kenny,
I am so excited about meeting you+your Dad,the girls are really excited as well(although because of shyness they probably won't say a word-lovely peace+quiet-can you join us for ALL our meals :lmao: ).
I really hope they can seat us together-i was thinking that when we meet each other there,we can tell them that were 2 seperate parties but ask them if they have a table for 6 available or how long would we have to wait for one :confused3 ,just a suggestion(up to you :) ).Otherwise it is easter time+i am thinking they may not be able to seat us together if on seperate tables :sad1: .

As for the singing,they won't know what's hit them :lmao: ,we should start after we have eaten-then when they chuck us out they may forget that we have'nt paid :thumbsup2 .Love Dolly.x.

I'm so dense, I was going to demand you tell me who Kenny is as I thought you had been arranging to see another man behind my back. ;) :rotfl:

Is this a good time to tell you I'm shy too so it could be quieter than you are expecting. :lmao: (I wish they would put the smilies back where they were. :headache: )

I'm definitely up for getting a table for 6 but maybe it might be better for one of us to change our reservation to a 6 and the other could cancel. :confused3

Dear Kenny and Dolly,
This sounds amazing. :worship: I didn't know you guys were still performing but depending on what me and Boyzone are up to on April 4th, we might have to seize the opportunity and catch you guys performing live!!! May I also request a duet of '9 to 5'... :thumbsup2
Love from Louis Walsh xxx

:rotfl2: It's a special one-off performance so you'd better catch it while you can Louis. I'm sure we can work 9 to 5 into the set somewhere though - probably save it for an encore. :lmao:
 
I'm so dense, I was going to demand you tell me who Kenny is as I thought you had been arranging to see another man behind my back. ;) :rotfl:

Is this a good time to tell you I'm shy too so it could be quieter than you are expecting. :lmao: (I wish they would put the smilies back where they were. :headache: )

I'm definitely up for getting a table for 6 but maybe it might be better for one of us to change our reservation to a 6 and the other could cancel. :confused3

:lmao: -i was thinking, 'is he going to cotton on to this' .Of course i would'nt see another man behind your back-only my Hubby :thumbsup2 .

Ok if were all for confessions-i am shy too :lmao: ,this is going to be a great meet :lmao: :rotfl2: ,do you think it's wise to get a table for 6 :) .The only people talking to each other will be your Dad+my Hubby :rotfl: .

As for the table-no problems getting a table for 6-i am all for that :cool1: .Would it intefere with your dining discount though-as i don't understand how that works,do we just tell them that we want seperate bills :confused3 .x.
 
Dear Kenny and Dolly,
This sounds amazing. :worship: I didn't know you guys were still performing but depending on what me and Boyzone are up to on April 4th, we might have to seize the opportunity and catch you guys performing live!!! May I also request a duet of '9 to 5'... :thumbsup2
Love from Louis Walsh xxx

Hi Louis :rotfl2: ,
No probs with the request :thumbsup2 ,Kenny's a bit grey+haggard now but i am still at my best :thumbsup2 .Any chance of a spot on X-Factor?.x.
 











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