A Rolex Vacation on a Timex Budget: Sept '11 PTR (TR is Live!)

[jenneth79]

Your title sucked me in . Great PTR, I am loving your plans. You are a good writer, very witty, can't wait to read more. Congrats on tracking down the Timex .

Thanks for reading!

Did I mention the Timex has DAY GLO? Man, I could have a field day with this.... perhaps I shall.....*insert evil laugh here*.

Hopefully I will be able to sneak in an update tomorrow before we head up to Philly for the weekend. Wasn't expecting SNOW....grr.

 

[jenneth79]

A fortune cookie made me cry today.

Quite literally, actually. I finished my favorite shrimp dish from a great takeout place near my office, and of course I cracked open the little cookie and pulled out the fortune. Outside of the lucky lottery numbers (why is 42 always there, I wonder….. ) and how to say peach in Chinese, I read the following:

"You are a filial, kind, and trustworthy.”

Uh, what?

I cannot believe I am saying this, having been an English major at one time of my life, but I Googled “filial.” Then I found this:

“In Confucian ideals, filial piety (Chinese: 孝; pinyin: xiào) is one of the virtues to be held above all else: a respect for the parents and ancestors.”

I should preface it by saying I do believe in signs, and I felt so strongly that somehow my dad was checking up on me. I’ve been feeling like I haven’t taken care of things with the family terribly well lately. (I’m an only child and my parents were divorced, so the full responsibility of dealing with his estate, taxes, etc falls to me.) I guess he was telling me that he wasn’t disappointed in what I’ve done so far.

I have to believe that.

So, I’m crying. From a fortune cookie.

And you know what? I’m willing to cry again if it means he’s out there watching!

He’s always been my hero, afterall:

 

[PixieMama]

"I am too easily distracted by shoes."

LOL! Me, too!

Can't wait to read more of your PTR.

Your ADRs sound great... I'd love to eat at V & A's sometime!

 

[Cinderumbrella]

A fortune cookie made me cry today.

Quite literally, actually. I finished my favorite shrimp dish from a great takeout place near my office, and of course I cracked open the little cookie and pulled out the fortune. Outside of the lucky lottery numbers (why is 42 always there, I wonder….. ) and how to say peach in Chinese, I read the following:

"You are a filial, kind, and trustworthy.”

Uh, what?

I cannot believe I am saying this, having been an English major at one time of my life, but I Googled “filial.” Then I found this:

“In Confucian ideals, filial piety (Chinese: 孝; pinyin: xiào) is one of the virtues to be held above all else: a respect for the parents and ancestors.”

I should preface it by saying I do believe in signs, and I felt so strongly that somehow my dad was checking up on me. I’ve been feeling like I haven’t taken care of things with the family terribly well lately. (I’m an only child and my parents were divorced, so the full responsibility of dealing with his estate, taxes, etc falls to me.) I guess he was telling me that he wasn’t disappointed in what I’ve done so far.

I have to believe that.

So, I’m crying. From a fortune cookie.

And you know what? I’m willing to cry again if it means he’s out there watching!

He’s always been my hero, afterall:

 

[jenneth79]

"I am too easily distracted by shoes."

LOL! Me, too!

Can't wait to read more of your PTR.

Your ADRs sound great... I'd love to eat at V & A's sometime!

Thanks! It's truly the one dinner I am most excited about...at least until my evil plan goes into action for the most amazing Disney Dinner ever.... more to come, hopefully today.... we'll see.....

 

[MissStitch626]

Hi Jen! Followed you over from my pre-trip report and just catching up on your plans. Great pre-trip report, I love the old photos, what terrific memories to have shared with your dad.

Love the list of ADRs, so jealous of the CRT ADR, we just missed out on the date we wanted for this so have ended up going to Tusker House instead.

Can't wait to read more!

 

[jenneth79]

Hi Jen! Followed you over from my pre-trip report and just catching up on your plans. Great pre-trip report, I love the old photos, what terrific memories to have shared with your dad.

Love the list of ADRs, so jealous of the CRT ADR, we just missed out on the date we wanted for this so have ended up going to Tusker House instead.

Can't wait to read more!

Thank you and I hear good things about Tusker house, especially the food selection. I'm more excited to get into the park before it officially opens, hopefully get a few pictures of the castle without 50 thousand of my closest friends!

 

[jenneth79]

Storms rolled through around 4AM this morning, I was almost convinced our house was going to crash to the ground! After peeling one cat off my head (Bailey does not care for thunderstorms….) I finally got back to bed just to be woken up by the alarm an hour later. It was 82 degrees yesterday here in Virginia, this morning, it’s 47. Who wants to bet a lot of people get sick this week?

Truly, it feels like a Monday.

So, considering I was quite cranky when I got into work this morning, I decided to do a little extra Disney planning to make myself feel better. I also combined this with shopping! (I am a firm believer in “retail therapy” to cure all that ails.)

Spent some time on the Disney store website and picked up a handful of goodies, along with some *************** points. (My goal is to have 500 by the time I head to Disney, considering I’m only at 20 and the Surveys HATE ME this may not be realistic…. )

I thought I would share just a few items I ordered…

2 adorable Stich pins, which I plan on adding to my purse I bought specifically for Disney…. Maybe to make it a little more “Park Ready”:



A shirt that pretty much sums me up this morning (and every morning):


And, a gift for the DH:


That done, I set out to get some real work-work done. All in all, the shopping trip proved to lift my spirits a great deal.

I have some Stitch pins I bought, oh, 6 or 7 years ago. I am going to try and dig them up and add them to the purse as well! (Pictures forthcoming of my “Coach Graffiti”… I should mention a good friend of mine works for Coach so I get very nice discounts… I do not recommend trying this at home!)

Can anyone recommend a good place to buy older pins? (Besides Ebay?)

PS: I apologize for the delays in updates but I am waiting on a very important call back from Disney which I was supposed to get last Thursday. We also spent a weekend with friends in Philadelphia and brought back a nice souvenir, food poisoning. Ugh. Cross your fingers, I might have an update tonight!!!!

 

[TanzUnited99]

on the storms...it sure doesn't make for a pleasant morning. Hope they calm down soon and you are able to get rid of the food poisoning

Love all the purchases especially the grumpy shirt! Have seen that quite a few times and am def going to buy one on our trip. I've not been on the Disney Store website for a while - may have a look in a bit

 

[PixieMama]

I'm in TN, and we had the same crazy weather yesterday. Our county was even under a tornado warning for about an hour... yikes!

That Sleepy/Grumpy tank is too cute! I'm thinking of getting some new tees for my September trip. There are a few on the Disney Store website I have my eye on!

 

[jenneth79]

Love all the purchases especially the grumpy shirt! Have seen that quite a few times and am def going to buy one on our trip. I've not been on the Disney Store website for a while - may have a look in a bit

Be warned, there are a TON of cute things on there right now... not to be visited if trying to save money for Disney trips like me ... wait.... oops.

 

[jenneth79]

I'm in TN, and we had the same crazy weather yesterday. Our county was even under a tornado warning for about an hour... yikes!

I'm glad you didn't have any damage, those storms are super scary, especially at night!

We have the Notify service from Weather Channel, so it will call us if we have a tornado warning. Thankfully we stayed at "watch" level all night.

That being said, I had my settings wrong last year, and I kept on getting calls for winter storm warnings.... my phone was ringing off the hook! My DH and I joked and called it our "Cantori Wakeup Call".

 

[jenneth79]

SOunds Interesting
I'm really sorry for your loss I really hope you'll enjoy this trip with your Husband

Can't wait to see what your Rolex will get you guys at Disney

Well, I stink, I never said thank you or ! Boo on me! Thank you for your condolences, I hope this trip will bring nothing but great memories of the times I spent at Disney w/ my dad.

 

[Nermel9]

Hey, I'm here and joining! Gotta go get caught up, but loving what I've read so far!

 

[jenneth79]

Hey, I'm here and joining! Gotta go get caught up, but loving what I've read so far!

Welcome! Glad you're enjoying it so far... hopefully over the next few days I can actually update with some real pre-trip info, like day park plans. So I can, most likely, change them a zillion times.

Yes, indeed, must start that now, I think.

 

[Nermel9]

Welcome! Glad you're enjoying it so far... hopefully over the next few days I can actually update with some real pre-trip info, like day park plans. So I can, most likely, change them a zillion times.

Yes, indeed, must start that now, I think.

LOL...I do the same thing with my plans! That's why I'm not even going to put my itinerary up on my PTR for a while, because I know it's going to change!

We have a lot in common! You are going to LOVE YC club level (well, if it's the same as BC club level!), you're not going to want to leave that lounge! We stayed at the BC on our Disneymoon last May, and we were upgraded to club level, and it spoiled me for life! I know there is pretty much no way we'll ever stay CL again unless we get some magical pixie dust again, or I win the lottery!

My DH and I don't have kids yet...not sure if we're going to, one day I'm begging him to have a baby, the next day I'm like "yeah, I'm good with the cats"! I always call myself a crazy cat lady too...I should introduce them in my PTR sometime, I have 3 of the most adorable cats ever!

Your ADR's look great! I can't wait to hear how you like Yachtsman, I always think of going there, but decide against it for some reason!

And one last thing...I'm so sorry about your dad. I'm so happy you have good memories of him at Disney World!

Can't wait to read more!

 

[Cinderumbrella]

Welcome! Glad you're enjoying it so far... hopefully over the next few days I can actually update with some real pre-trip info, like day park plans. So I can, most likely, change them a zillion times.

Yes, indeed, must start that now, I think.

Come on Jen, every DIS vet knows that trip plans are ALWAYS a work in progress! DH laughs at me since I have some days worked out to the minute, but then I once I get down there, I get to "go with the flow" and ease WAY up.

The planning for a trip is half the fun!!!!!!!!!!! I joke that the trip planning never stops until I am on the plane ride home! (and by then I am starting to plan out the next one!)

 

[TanzUnited99]

Hopefully over the next few days I can actually update with some real pre-trip info, like day park plans. So I can, most likely, change them a zillion times.

Lol - hey don't worry about changing your plans! It adds to the fun of the trip. I have already had to change mine and at first was stressing but then just relaxed and enjoyed all the meddling!!

 

[jenneth79]

LOL...I do the same thing with my plans! That's why I'm not even going to put my itinerary up on my PTR for a while, because I know it's going to change!

Come on Jen, every DIS vet knows that trip plans are ALWAYS a work in progress! DH laughs at me since I have some days worked out to the minute, but then I once I get down there, I get to "go with the flow" and ease WAY up.

The planning for a trip is half the fun!!!!!!!!!!! I joke that the trip planning never stops until I am on the plane ride home! (and by then I am starting to plan out the next one!)

Lol - hey don't worry about changing your plans! It adds to the fun of the trip. I have already had to change mine and at first was stressing but then just relaxed and enjoyed all the meddling!!

Ok, you all have convinced me! Perhaps part of the fun will be seeing just how close to the "plan" I stay by the time we actually go on our trip!

Seeing has Disney STILL has not gotten back to me about my surprise. I'll go ahead and post our "first draft" this afternoon!

So stay tuned, sports fans!

 

[jenneth79]

Dear Reader, I am a hypocrite.

I have a number of rules that I believe everyone MUST follow when planning a vacation. I have since realized that I am breaking them left and right on this Disney trip! Does it make me less of a bad person if I admit it?

Rule #1: Don’t over-plan!
Uh. Ok, so in reality, I break this rule every time. I like planning! Lists are my friend, and I have one for every aspect of a vacation. So far, in my Disney notebook I have: Park Hours, ADRs, Packing List (prelim), Budget / Savings Worksheet, Payments Made, Weight Loss (which to date, I would like to point out, I have GAINED two pounds…not LOST any…) and a tentative park day plan.

Rule #2: Don’t make too many reservations, it ruins spontaneity!
I blame Disney for this one. (See earlier rant regarding ADRs) Then again, I also planned the day at the Grand Floridian Spa…..

Rule # 3: Have fun, Da***t!
I do try to follow this rule…. Which has been in place since planning our wedding. For a bit of backstory, I spent a LOT of time involved with the planning, decorating, etc. I wanted to have a 70k wedding on a 20k budget. We got it, and it was amazing. But I did almost burn myself out. I had the bright idea to write each of our 150 guests (did I mention 90% of those invited ACCEPTED???) a small, personalized thank you for coming to share in our wedding. I put these in tiny envelopes, sealed with wax, and they became our place cards. People still talk about it today, and I’m glad we did it, but two days before the wedding I was cursing myself for thinking that it was a good idea. Rule # 3 was born in a fit of frustration (and perhaps one to many glasses of wine…) :



I consider Rule #3 unbreakable at this point… though I have to remind myself that today as I wait yet another day for Disney Events to get back to me…..

Ok, so since I’ve been breaking all the rules, here’s where we stand with our current “schedule”:

Sept 17 –Morning flight to Orlando, arrive at hotel @ 1pm. Check in to YC, wander around, perhaps check out DHS or Epcot. Dinner @ San Angel in honor of Dad.

Sept 18- Magic Kingdom day! Cinderella’s Royal Table Breakfast, dinner @ Le Cellier. Back to MK for EMH (if we aren’t swimming in Cheddar soup!)

Sept 19 –Day # 1 of Epcot. After insane rush to get on Soarin’ and Test Track, relaxing afternoon, lunch at Tutto Italia and dinner @ Jiko.

Sept 20 – (our ACTUAL anniversary!) Morning / Early Afternoon at Animal Kingdom, then general pool day and early dinner at Victoria and Alberts in the Queen Victoria Room!

Sept 21 – Non Park Day, Spa morning @ GF, afternoon doing a whole lotta nuttin! Dinner at Yachtsman.

Sept 22 – Back to the parks! Magic Kingdom day take 2… dinner @ Bistro de Paris because I somehow managed to squeeze all the fancy pants places one right after another. Whoops!

Sept 23- My DH’s favorite day planned. We are “Drinking around the World” this day! Lunch at Biergarten and dinner at the Rose and Crowne. Extended hours until 12AM at Epcot. Bets are being taken now if I make it that far.

Sept 24 - Nurse hangover from day before. Visit DHS, manage to ride Tower of Terror without getting sick (see aforementioned expected hangover) and have dinner at Ohana’. **

Sept 25 – Wake up, cry about leaving WDW. Sneak in one quick ride at our favorite park of the trip, spend rest of snack credits on SOMETHING, debate bounceback offer. Fight about something (probably snack credits). Get on plane, head home. Deal with VEEEERY angry kitties who did not like being left at home without constant "lap time".

** This reservation MAY be cancelled due to a different, super exciting celebration that I might be planning. Then again, if they never call me back, I might not ;-)

So, what do you all think? Will we stick to it?