and we're back. [Walt, Wizards, and....Woolungasaurus?]

[Brady's Mom]

Now for me I would choose the car rental the whole time.

1. Because it would end up saving me time - stand in a rental line once, go over the car once at pick up, once at return. I would hate to do that more than once on a trip.

2. I could go wherever I wanted, whenever I wanted. Love to explore places and check out what "real" people in the area do. I love to find the hidden gems.

3. I could shop - grocery or whatever, when I needed something, without having to worry about whether it was a planned thing. What if you need some thing - food, medicine, band aids, clif bars - whatever you might run out of??

4. I could travel to Universal when I wanted to go, I am not very patient with mass transit and get annoyed waiting for someone else to decide my schedule. The only time it doesn't bother me is when we fly anywhere.

5. Kitsch tour of the area could happen whenever the mood strikes - if you feel overwhelmed or tired of WDW, you could change your days around to go do some other stuff without worrying about how that is going to affect your car rental schedule.

6. What if there is a killer local restaurant that I want to try?? I can hop in my little rental car and drive there with some decent google maps directions!! No taxi, bus or anything!

Okay, that's my 2 cents, but I would - for my family - suck up the extra cost and get the rental for the entire trip. DH doesn't mind navigating new areas and has a great sense of direction, so a little adventuring for us is a beautiful thing! We just bring a small ball compass that I got at WalMart for .99 and then we know which direction we're headed - we never get a GPS, usually we have the compass or the rental car has one!

 

[bumbershoot]

Ooh Tracey that sounds like a lot of fun!

Shannon, your list of reasons is pretty much exactly mine. Robert keeps saying "but what if we just park it and never use it?" but I know that won't happen. He's trying to convince me that he will enjoy using Disney buses, even though he uses Seattle/Tacoma buses every day...oh please! How is it a vacation if you are basically commuting?

I think he's forgotten about DinoWorld etc... He's so busy with work, always thinking about it...he's not really listening to everything I say. I do say quite a bit, but vacation stuff is important to remember! So when I remind him about the other things, I'm sure he'll stop resisting.

 

[DLR29]

Coming back from our first WDW onsite trip, I actually kinda liked the buses....when they were efficient. However, with all of your resort hopping and going to US, I think that a car would be a good idea. Also, out of your 3 WDW resorts (CBR, OKW, and AKL right??), I've heard that CBR has a poor bus system and I stayed at AKL which had just an ok bus system (we stayed at SSR and AKL). I assume OKW is similar in buses to SSR, which was great!

 

[bumbershoot]

You're just getting back???? How long was your trip? Feels like you've been gone for a million years.

Yep, CBR, OKW, and Jambo at AKL.

I'm glad to know you had a good time with the buses!

Today while working out I talked to Robert to remind him of the outside things we wanted to do, and reminded him that we will have plenty of trips to experience Disney transportation. But that for THIS trip, being so dang long with so many other things, we should really go with a car.

 

[DLR29]

No no no, I got back like a month ago. Maybe instead I should have said "reflecting on our recent trip" instead of "coming back"... We had a great time for 10 days, my TR and dining review are still going (in my sig).

 

[bumbershoot]

Oh, whew, I was getting really jealous there for a second!


Turns out that Robert REALLY wants to ride Magical Express, and I found a bunch of close-by rental places, so we're looking at a car from the 1st to the 16th...but using ME for getting from and to the airport. Compromise.

Airfare is all done. SW on the way there, Alaska on the way back. Robert's on FF miles on Alaska. And by the time of the trip, he'll be at MVP level, so he should get two free bags, which will be GOOD.

Next up is tickets for me and Robert (E's was purchased months ago).



We're up late (obviously), and Robert's watching interviews with Jeff Bezos on Charlie Rose. We luuuuuuvvvvvv Mr Bezos. In the most recent interview (about the new Kindle coming out 8/27) he started talking about the early days of amazon...neither of us were there *right* at the beginning, but we were hired inside a month of each other at the end of '99. So it was still very early days, and we were part of the excitement.

We both started crying while Mr Bezos was talking about the old days there...

We love the company...and we love hearing Mr Bezos speak. Oh man do I miss the company meetings....

(and we adore the 2nd year bonus that's allowing us to buy all the airfare and tickets and and and...)

My hand is now sore from all the knocking on the wooden table I just had to do while typing out some of that! Don't want to tempt fate!

 

[Brady's Mom]

That sounds like a good compromise to me. If you search for car rental coupon codes they usually have a TON for the Orlando area. I always get a little jealous when I'm searching for codes for Anaheim and all of the Orlando ones pop up.

Can you tell me what's so special about Magical Express? I "hear" people talk about it, but don't really understand it.

 

[bumbershoot]

Magical Express....

It's a coach bus that takes you to your resort. In addition, you don't have to pick up your checked bags; you either put your special luggage tags on which flag them to be picked up and delivered later, or you can tell the ME people what kind of bags you have and they'll search for them. The bags are delivered a few hours after you land. (if you land at 10pm or after, they recently stopped picking up bags until the morning, so you do want to get your bags) On the way back home, you can check your bags in at your resort (for most airlines and most resorts) and then later catch the bus back to the airport; your bags are checked already and you don't see them from when you drop them at the resort until you pick them up at your destination airport.

I kinda think it seems like fun...but on the other hand, I don't know.


So many of the rental car codes aren't good beyond August! Gotta wait for a bit longer for codes that work better for me....



Had a fun day! E was invited to another b'day party, and it was at the AAA baseball game. The mom gave tickets to the whole families, which was LOVELY, and the tickets include the "gold club" which meant that we could get peanuts and beer and all of that for *free*... I am not big into baseball, but I did used to go to the Spartanburg Phillies (I think that's who they were) games before they left Spartanburg, and i just loved those evenings...there's something nice about a AAA baseball crowd.

 

[DLR29]

ME is kinda fun actually...at least more fun than I thought a bus ride could be. They have a fun video to watch that really gets you excited for going to the parks. It's great for visitors that don't visit often, but I could see it getting old after a few trips. Fortunately, we have the benefit of being rare visitors!

It's also wonderful not having to deal with the bags. Sure enough, they were delivered relatively timely, although I've heard horror stories of very late baggage arrival. Hopefully you won't have that problem.

 

[bumbershoot]

Tiiiiiiiiired.


Last night had a reasonable bedtime, but the last three nights we've stayed up SO so late. First night stupid argument, second night apologizing and talking through reasons for stupid argument, third night reading through cakewrecks.com website and giggling madly.

I was awoken this morning to weird music in the living room...went out, no music, that's freaky...but then found out (NOT related) that DH was sick. Could be food poisoning (usually we all eat the same foods but R had several things that we didn't eat yesterday), could be a sudden random illness, who knows? All I know was that I woke up at 6am to help him out, E woke up soon after, and I want a nap but Robert's sleeping and that's not really fair to E LOL, to have both of us napping.


A top center tooth of E's is now drastically loose. Crazy! I simply MUST get in to have pictures of him taken...

 

[Brady's Mom]

Pictures - you definitely need Pictures!!! I have a couple of pictures of my boys with missing teeth - they are soooo funny. It just somehow changes their whole face. Besides they are good for bringing out in the teen years to totally embarrass them with!

Thanks for the info on Magical Express. It sounds like it could be good and nice not to have to worry about luggage transfers - but I would definitely want a car for other times during my trip. Hopefully some good coupon codes come out after this month.

Sorry about the stupid argument - I hate those.

 

[bumbershoot]

Our checking account is in flames! 3 Universal tickets, 2 remaining WDW tickets...also paid off the airline tix (put on "we have it in checking but might as well earn points towards JCP giftcard" CC that R mainly uses for work)... (all paid so quickly that no interest was charged...hence the checking account being in flames, LOL)

Got the Uni tix just in time, as they are raising their prices now that Disney did. Copycats!


Odd thing. When we felt that we were always broke, any errors I made in the checking account were always to our detriment. Now that we're doing better than we were before (with lots of room for improvement, don't get me wrong!), I currently have two errors that are in our favor. When we need it, we don't get it, when we don't need it we get it? It's like when celebrities get swag. Why don't the normal people get the swag? Hmm? Celebrities can already BUY those things! (I know why, shhhhh)


And in bad/good news...even though, yet again, there's no fun "aw drat Molly can't go on any of the fun rides during her trip and might still be nauseated" news, at least THIS month I'm THINNER (and fitter) than I was LAST month! WOOOO! And it's only taken 18 million miles on the elliptical.

 

[bumbershoot]

Falling over...the Uni tickets got here already. Wow that was fast.

 

[kaoden39]

Wow that really is quick.

 

[bumbershoot]

Getting CDs ready to sell is exhausting. Not quite sure why, but it is! We have SO many and are just tired of having most of them around!

Might have to take a wee break. (I'm sitting right in front of the computer to get values, that's why this post isn't an actual break, LOL)

 

[QueenDoOver]

Our checking account is in flames!


And in bad/good news...even though, yet again, there's no fun "aw drat Molly can't go on any of the fun rides during her trip and might still be nauseated" news, at least THIS month I'm THINNER (and fitter) than I was LAST month! WOOOO! And it's only taken 18 million miles on the elliptical.

Having just returned from vacation and having my wallet flaming, I completely hear you! But it is a wonderful thing to be able to afford to go on vacation, even if it is slightly painful

Congratulations Molly! It feels awesome when you start to see and feel results instead of just the pain of the elliptical. I hope to hear about your dreadful ride dissapointment one of these days

Trip with Mom was fabulous and I am so glad we made it happen. The heat about did me in though!

 

[bumbershoot]

I'm so glad you had a good time! From the little blips you posted it sounds like you had magic sprinkled all over!


I too hope for ride disappointment, LOL. What sucks is that R's about to take a bunch of trips all nearly in a row. He's missing our anniversary, but he'll be in town for the company picnic and that's more important, LOL (2 years ago they were the same day, this year they are 2 days apart), but that's also a big important time that he's missing... I've actually googled the various "banks" to see if they do "my hubby is traveling but we're trying for a baby" cryo-freezing, LOL. (haven't found one yet, but then I haven't actually CALLED anyone which I totally should do) He's traveling in Sept and Oct, too.


And now I'll lose all my male readers, AGAIN.... Sorry 'bout that.



Cancelled the majorly expensive Universal package and already got the $75 deposit refund. Don't ask why it was 75, by the way. The site says 50 per person, but when I made the reservation that's what was charged.

Got the crazy-cheap 7 day (though they are still sending out FOURTEEN day tickets, which is insane) Uni passes from mapleleaf tickets. If anyone wants the convoluted info on how to get them (they are cheaper than Universal-sold 2 days, that's how inexpensive they are) I shall post it here! They have no expiration date on them, and everyone says that Uni tix don't expire without being used unless they actually say they'll expire.

And today I need to book the hotel at the stay more play more (or whatever it's called) rate.

I'm SO glad I cancelled that package, it was so expensive!

 

[bumbershoot]

Got the WDW tickets from Undercover Tourist! (and my passport, which has nothing to do with WDW but was in the mailbox at the same time) Wow, it's almost like we're going to WDW in a few months...

 

[DLR29]

Got the WDW tickets from Undercover Tourist! (and my passport, which has nothing to do with WDW but was in the mailbox at the same time) Wow, it's almost like we're going to WDW in a few months...

We have gotten out WDW tickets through UCT both times too! You trip is almost here!

 

[bumbershoot]

For anyone who wonders, it takes a LONG time for a train to stop. We live just up a hill from the train tracks, and the brakes were obviously on just a few minutes ago, and the brakes were obviously on for a good *minute*. I shudder to think what might have been going on for them to put the brakes on like that...yucko. However, no emergency vehicles have been heard, so it seems the brakes went on in time.

I'm lonely....Robert's off on another trip as I mentioned. He gets back so late on Sat that we're just going to pick him up at Arrivals...usually we meet him inside, but we decided to reverse it. And it was so FUN! E and I stood outside the security lineup the WHOLE time, and every time Robert looked over we did big cheesy waves at him. Hilarious! For us, at least. The TSA agents didn't seem to mind. Which is good. We wouldn't try it at the Orlando airport, that's for sure! Sounds like a bunch of grumps over there.

And then 'cuz it's SO close, we went to Old Navy (need to see what size E is in shirts and pants now) and then Ikea. I came away with a shelf/drawer thingy I've wanted forEVER. I had a bit of money that Robert insisted on keeping to myself, and so instead of getting this big ol' cheesy sterling and "Absolute" (Home Shopping Network version of cubic zirconia) and lab-created ruby ring (since I can't wear my actual engagement/wedding ring and don't want to size it), I got the drawer thing. It's called Alex. No really, it's the Alex drawer on wheels. Oh Alex how I've longed for you.

OK for anyone who has seen the Alex drawer thingie at Ikea and now thinks "ooh, now I want one!"...the box, the relatively SMALL box, weighs SEVENTY THREE POUNDS. Wowza! I had to ask for help to get it in (on) my cart, had to keep E away from the cart lest it slip off and smush him, and then had to open the box and take most everything out one at a time, to get it in the car to take it home. E and I put the main unit together when we got home, but we'll have to do the drawers tomorrow, b/c he was just too sleepy to continue!

73 lbs...