The Players:
Bob, (Me). Without whom there would be no Disney vacations. Keeper of the Dis flame in the family. (At least I dont have to worry about bums rolling over onto the flame and catching fire .Like they do at JFKs grave). Trip report writer.
Jane, (Her). Red haired wife & mother. The only thing standing in the way of me and the 2 folks listed below from moving to Main Street U.S.A and begging for change in front of Caseys.
Sarah, (12). Little red haired girl. Likes to fake a Southern accent while saying, Pour faaaavore mayntengeeeseeee aleeeehadowss day los puhwertoes. (Of course she doesnt do this in front of her school-mates that actually talk like this. (I dont know where she gets it).
Ross, (8). Little red haired boy. The kid who brings home notes from school saying he talks too much in class, then at parent teacher conference the teachers say he cracks them up every day. Come on guys .Make up your mind!!! Would happily tie wings on his arms and jump off the roof.
Background:
Weve been to WDW for the big family vacation for the past 5 years. I had been there many times before that. Since Janes familys idea of vacation while growing up was piling into the Caprice Classic Station Wagon With Wood On The Sides and heading for an educational destination, (Museum of The Terminally Boring Bones, Tomb of The Something or Other, Land-O-History, etc.), she needed to be converted. I have been reasonably successful in my quest to Disneyize her.
Last June was my first attempt at a trip report, but that was a very short, adults only, kidless, 3 day trip. The odd thing was that trip report turned into an 8 part epic. I promise to exhibit a tad more restraint this time. This trip will be an 8 night affair, and it wont be all Disney. A laptop has recently found its way into our lives and I will give a shot at actually writing a trip report while Im ON the trip. Yeah right, at the end of the day after consuming mass quantities of turkey legs and Bud Lights, Ill sit my butt down and type on a laptop for awhile. Just because the side effects listed for mass quantities of Bud Light are, Explosive diarrhea, projectile vomiting, and a common malady known as hot-dog-fingers, doesnt mean I wont be able to bang out some sentences on the toy computer.
The Plan:
The Plan this year was to take an inexpensive vacation somewhere educational. Take a wild guess whos plan THAT was. MY plan was to go to WDW and stay at the AKL for 8 relaxing nites, spending approximately $18,000. Apparently there is a meeting point somewhere in the middle of these 2 plans. Jane insists she just cant take another total immersion in the mouse habitat. I insist I cant see wasting time trekking around the godforsaken planet of Florida, (cuz the aforementioned red headed children are on my side, means we ARE going to Florida), looking for entertainment that doesnt include Mouseketeers. We managed to reach a compromise. The word compromise, always relates in my head to the term plea-bargain. Sure, Bob ..Well compromise with ya .Instead of the death penalty, well give ya life in jail with no parole, and a cell mate named Bubba Hump. After I poo-pood all other Florida destinations, (Everglades are too buggy, St. Augustine is too history-y, Key West is, well, its Key West), we decided to do a Universal/Seaworld/WDW kinda arrangement.
The first thing to do was be on the lookout for a good deal at Universal. Actually, I like Universal/IOA, (But in order to let the red haired woman think she won, I couldnt let on that I like it). After scouring the Universal boards online for weeks during every waking moment at work, I heard about these Entertainment Rates. Entertainment Rates can be obtained by buying an Entertainment Book. Youve all seen these things, its a large book full of coupons enticing you to go somewhere and buying 2 meals for the price of one The places that have coupons in this book are places where you really dont want to buy one meal, nevermind getting another one free. This reminds me of a hat I saw on a guy I played golf with last week. I asked if he had another one. When he said no, I told him its a shame because another one would be perfect to cover up this one with after I take a dump in it. Anyway, it turned out that this book has some discounts available at the Hard Rock Hotel. Soooooo, I found time at work to call them and ask them about these rates. Now were saving some money, boy!!!! The helpful reservation person informed me that they in fact did have a standard view room for me for the rate of $125 per night. Standard, I said ..Do I look standard? Pool view for $135?.....Cool .Have anything better? ..We now have a Deluxe pool view for $160/nite for June 7th 11th.
We need tickets now. Does Bob just go to Universal/IOA and buy tickets at the gate? I dont think so. More scouring of the boards while at work turns up a virtual Universal treasure trove of tickets. I bought 5 day/2 park tickets online for the 4 of us for $378.54. If my employer only knew how handy these computers were coming in. Theres no way in holy heck you can spend 5 days at Universal, maybe thats why these tickets are so cheap. They figure the most youll use them is 2 or 3 days anyway. So, I bought Seaworld tickets online too. $169.37 got the 4 of us 2 days at Seaworld. Once again, probably nothing to do at Seaworld after 1 day, but, I love a deal. I see no point in going to Orlando for 7 days without having 11 or 12 days worth of daily park admissions. I just love feeling like Im lighting cigars with 100 dollar bills by throwing tickets away that still have a day or 2 left on them.
Lets try to keep a secret from Jane exactly what the 3 day park hoppers cost for Disney.
After hearing, (on the boards), about this whole cabana deal at HRH, I just had to invest in one of those bad boys. We have a cabana reserved for the day at HRH on June 7th. Feel free to stop by, Ill be the one in the chaise that Janes feeding grapes to. This cabana thing has me really excited, Im going to get a robe and a cigar and hopefully resemble Elliott Gould in Oceans Eleven.
What to do after the HRH? I called the AKL and used a code to reserve a savannah room from June 11th 14th for $235/nite. I called back a month later with a different code and got an even better rate of $215/nite. This woman I talked to at CRO did not seem to be a big fan of codes. Geez, she acted like I had the code to her panties or something.
Only one more night to take care of .June 6th. Were driving from NC on the 6th. It takes us about 9 hours to drive. If we flew, it would take us about 7 or 8 hours including getting to the airport, obligatory layover in Charlotte and such included .So theres really no decision for us, were driving .AND well have a car while were there. I pricelined a room for $35 and got the Wyndham I-Drive. Dump?.....Who knows. Im sure it will help getting there late at night when the only room left is the one they just had to kick the roving band of painters who are refurbishing the joint out of.
Well alrighty then, thats the whole deal ..The plan is .
June 6th .Get to Wyndham I-Drive late.
June 7th .Check into HRH and hang at Cabana #1.
June 11th .Check into AKL
June 14th .Head for home.
Im not even gonna attempt to guess where well be each day. Knowing us, well be in a WDW theme park every day we stay at HRH, and be at Universal/IOA every day we are staying at AKL. Oh yeah .We have plus passes left over we have to use at the kids fave water park, Typhoon Lagoon.
I guess youll just have to stay tuned to hear the gory details.
Bob, (Me). Without whom there would be no Disney vacations. Keeper of the Dis flame in the family. (At least I dont have to worry about bums rolling over onto the flame and catching fire .Like they do at JFKs grave). Trip report writer.
Jane, (Her). Red haired wife & mother. The only thing standing in the way of me and the 2 folks listed below from moving to Main Street U.S.A and begging for change in front of Caseys.
Sarah, (12). Little red haired girl. Likes to fake a Southern accent while saying, Pour faaaavore mayntengeeeseeee aleeeehadowss day los puhwertoes. (Of course she doesnt do this in front of her school-mates that actually talk like this. (I dont know where she gets it).
Ross, (8). Little red haired boy. The kid who brings home notes from school saying he talks too much in class, then at parent teacher conference the teachers say he cracks them up every day. Come on guys .Make up your mind!!! Would happily tie wings on his arms and jump off the roof.
Background:
Weve been to WDW for the big family vacation for the past 5 years. I had been there many times before that. Since Janes familys idea of vacation while growing up was piling into the Caprice Classic Station Wagon With Wood On The Sides and heading for an educational destination, (Museum of The Terminally Boring Bones, Tomb of The Something or Other, Land-O-History, etc.), she needed to be converted. I have been reasonably successful in my quest to Disneyize her.
Last June was my first attempt at a trip report, but that was a very short, adults only, kidless, 3 day trip. The odd thing was that trip report turned into an 8 part epic. I promise to exhibit a tad more restraint this time. This trip will be an 8 night affair, and it wont be all Disney. A laptop has recently found its way into our lives and I will give a shot at actually writing a trip report while Im ON the trip. Yeah right, at the end of the day after consuming mass quantities of turkey legs and Bud Lights, Ill sit my butt down and type on a laptop for awhile. Just because the side effects listed for mass quantities of Bud Light are, Explosive diarrhea, projectile vomiting, and a common malady known as hot-dog-fingers, doesnt mean I wont be able to bang out some sentences on the toy computer.
The Plan:
The Plan this year was to take an inexpensive vacation somewhere educational. Take a wild guess whos plan THAT was. MY plan was to go to WDW and stay at the AKL for 8 relaxing nites, spending approximately $18,000. Apparently there is a meeting point somewhere in the middle of these 2 plans. Jane insists she just cant take another total immersion in the mouse habitat. I insist I cant see wasting time trekking around the godforsaken planet of Florida, (cuz the aforementioned red headed children are on my side, means we ARE going to Florida), looking for entertainment that doesnt include Mouseketeers. We managed to reach a compromise. The word compromise, always relates in my head to the term plea-bargain. Sure, Bob ..Well compromise with ya .Instead of the death penalty, well give ya life in jail with no parole, and a cell mate named Bubba Hump. After I poo-pood all other Florida destinations, (Everglades are too buggy, St. Augustine is too history-y, Key West is, well, its Key West), we decided to do a Universal/Seaworld/WDW kinda arrangement.
The first thing to do was be on the lookout for a good deal at Universal. Actually, I like Universal/IOA, (But in order to let the red haired woman think she won, I couldnt let on that I like it). After scouring the Universal boards online for weeks during every waking moment at work, I heard about these Entertainment Rates. Entertainment Rates can be obtained by buying an Entertainment Book. Youve all seen these things, its a large book full of coupons enticing you to go somewhere and buying 2 meals for the price of one The places that have coupons in this book are places where you really dont want to buy one meal, nevermind getting another one free. This reminds me of a hat I saw on a guy I played golf with last week. I asked if he had another one. When he said no, I told him its a shame because another one would be perfect to cover up this one with after I take a dump in it. Anyway, it turned out that this book has some discounts available at the Hard Rock Hotel. Soooooo, I found time at work to call them and ask them about these rates. Now were saving some money, boy!!!! The helpful reservation person informed me that they in fact did have a standard view room for me for the rate of $125 per night. Standard, I said ..Do I look standard? Pool view for $135?.....Cool .Have anything better? ..We now have a Deluxe pool view for $160/nite for June 7th 11th.
We need tickets now. Does Bob just go to Universal/IOA and buy tickets at the gate? I dont think so. More scouring of the boards while at work turns up a virtual Universal treasure trove of tickets. I bought 5 day/2 park tickets online for the 4 of us for $378.54. If my employer only knew how handy these computers were coming in. Theres no way in holy heck you can spend 5 days at Universal, maybe thats why these tickets are so cheap. They figure the most youll use them is 2 or 3 days anyway. So, I bought Seaworld tickets online too. $169.37 got the 4 of us 2 days at Seaworld. Once again, probably nothing to do at Seaworld after 1 day, but, I love a deal. I see no point in going to Orlando for 7 days without having 11 or 12 days worth of daily park admissions. I just love feeling like Im lighting cigars with 100 dollar bills by throwing tickets away that still have a day or 2 left on them.
Lets try to keep a secret from Jane exactly what the 3 day park hoppers cost for Disney.
After hearing, (on the boards), about this whole cabana deal at HRH, I just had to invest in one of those bad boys. We have a cabana reserved for the day at HRH on June 7th. Feel free to stop by, Ill be the one in the chaise that Janes feeding grapes to. This cabana thing has me really excited, Im going to get a robe and a cigar and hopefully resemble Elliott Gould in Oceans Eleven.
What to do after the HRH? I called the AKL and used a code to reserve a savannah room from June 11th 14th for $235/nite. I called back a month later with a different code and got an even better rate of $215/nite. This woman I talked to at CRO did not seem to be a big fan of codes. Geez, she acted like I had the code to her panties or something.
Only one more night to take care of .June 6th. Were driving from NC on the 6th. It takes us about 9 hours to drive. If we flew, it would take us about 7 or 8 hours including getting to the airport, obligatory layover in Charlotte and such included .So theres really no decision for us, were driving .AND well have a car while were there. I pricelined a room for $35 and got the Wyndham I-Drive. Dump?.....Who knows. Im sure it will help getting there late at night when the only room left is the one they just had to kick the roving band of painters who are refurbishing the joint out of.
Well alrighty then, thats the whole deal ..The plan is .
June 6th .Get to Wyndham I-Drive late.
June 7th .Check into HRH and hang at Cabana #1.
June 11th .Check into AKL
June 14th .Head for home.
Im not even gonna attempt to guess where well be each day. Knowing us, well be in a WDW theme park every day we stay at HRH, and be at Universal/IOA every day we are staying at AKL. Oh yeah .We have plus passes left over we have to use at the kids fave water park, Typhoon Lagoon.
I guess youll just have to stay tuned to hear the gory details.
