Disney Doesn't Need To Be Taxing (hopefully)

[ankersandrew]

Hello All and welcome to my first Pre Trip Report.

Let me introduce you to both of us

Im Andy 41 and a Theatre Stage Manager touring with a Uk ballet company, and Julie (wont say her age) works at a local Hospital as a Staff Nurse.

This is our first trip to Disney and Disney World. Also my first trip to Orlando. Its somewhere ive always wanted to try.

We are not big planners. This maybe our downfall but this is how we like to do our holidays.

We are staying on resort at All Star Movies Resort for 14 nights from 28th September

Some of the things earmarked for our trip include all the Disney parks, Universal parks, visiting my friend in Clearwater, trips to Blue Man Group, and La Nouba, and Kennerdy Space Centre and of course plenty of Shopping.

We have decided that we want to try and get diner at Be Our Guest, and breakfast at Tusker House for a character Breakfast.

As we have never been before we are going to have the Memory Maker photo package and also the Universal Photo Package too.

Hopefully the weather and crowds will be good for us and its a start of a lifelong love of holidaying in Orlando

 

[ankersandrew]

Tried to put a picture in put hasnt worked. Any tips ?

 

[bee86]

Hi hi!!! Loving your intro so far

For posting pics I use photobucket, and you use the HTML link for sharing on these boards also you have to make sure it's not on a private setting!
Some people on here use flickr and other photo/file sharing websites but I'm not certain how they work.

Hope that helps, looking forward to reading more!

 

[ankersandrew]

thanks Bee x Done it

 

[BudgieMama]

We're first timers too, so following your PTR

 

[ankersandrew]

As we've not really got any firm plans for our time in Orlando i thought i would do a similer thing that another diser (budgiemama) has done - A Bucket List

To be honest up until a couple of weeks ago I had no idea what a Bucket List was. So here goes

All 4 main parks - Epcot, Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom

Both Universal and Island of Adventure Parks

Kennedy Space Centre

Afternoon Tea at Garden View Tea Room

Be Our Guest Restaurant - Dinner

Hot dog from a Hot dog cart (never did it at New York)

Dinner at Crossroads – House of Blues (massive blues brothers fan

Funnel Cake

Fish and Chips at Rose and Crown Pub

Character Breakfast - Tusker House Restaurant (not big Micky Fans)

La Nouba Show by Cirque Du Soleil

Blue Man Group Show

Epcot Food and Wine Festival

Mickys Not So Scary Halloween Party

M&M World as we have visited every other one in London, New York and Las Vegas

Hard Rock Café (i collect the cocktail glasses)

Krusty Burger (big Simpsons fan)

Micky Waffle (just a big kid)

Shopping plenty of shopping

All the evening park shows at least once

Shop at Walmart

Airboat Ride


Im sure there is plenty more but thats a start

 

[ankersandrew]

Well thats it then, my 180 day mark. Made my ADR this morning without any issues, Dinner at Be Our Guest at 7pm and Breakfast at Tusker House.

So now its the long wait till the next milestone

 

[wilma-bride]

Following along. Love your list of things you want to get done. It will be interesting to see how many of them you manage to tick off.

FWIW, the M&Ms shop isn't a patch on the Vegas strip one.

I hope you enjoy La Nouba. I've seen it three times and plan to see it again in October. If you haven't bought your tickets yet, sign up for their club, you can often get offers on tickets.

 

[ankersandrew]

Following along. Love your list of things you want to get done. It will be interesting to see how many of them you manage to tick off.

FWIW, the M&Ms shop isn't a patch on the Vegas strip one.

I hope you enjoy La Nouba. I've seen it three times and plan to see it again in October. If you haven't bought your tickets yet, sign up for their club, you can often get offers on tickets.

Like i said before its things i like to do and if i dont do everything it means I get to come back woooohoooo

Working in theatre I love watching any shows, but Cirque shows are amazing. I know its not on the scale of the Vegas hits like Ka and O but it doesnt matter.

Since i wrote this PTR ive now booked (while the dollar was high) the Memory Maker and the Photo star card at Universal. (hang the money) I think it will be value for money as we never seem to get many holiday pictures together and often get asked if we ever go together at all. T Minus 163 days and counting

 

[ankersandrew]

Well today its 124 days till we fly so thought id best update trip report.

Ive booked our tickets for Universal and Kennedy Space Centre from Attraction Tickets Direct, with that we get 2 tickets for LegoLand free. Dont know if we will chance to go, but might just take a trip out there to look at the models rather than the rides.

Ive booked ADR for Be our Guest (diner) Afternoon Tea Garden View Tea Rooms and Character Breakfast at Tusker House

Also as a surprise to my partner ive booked a 1 night stay over at the Royal Pacific Resort at Universal Studios to take advantage of the early entrance to Harry Potter Land and 2 days worth of free unlimited Express Passes. Which also lets us have our usual cocktails at Hard Rock Cafe before and after watching Blue Man Group without the worry of driving back to our Disney Resort.

Ive ordered Memory Maker and the Universal version, as its our first trips we are kinda doing it all.

 

[ankersandrew]

Another pay-day, and other items now done off the list. Today we booked the Hire Car from Alamo and through the Brit guide got the 10% off and did it through the marvel of Quidco too. why haven't I found you before !

Also travel insurance. What a strange thing that is. Having got asthma and high blood pressure I have to tell the companies, but the range in prices is just ridiculous. Not gone for the cheapest but not gone for most expensive.

Ps only 116 days !

 

[SusanEllen]

Andy, if your asthma is really an issue for you, if you think standing in long lines would be a problem, let Disney Guest Relations know. I'm pretty sure you could get a guest assistance card on just your say so. They really don't want to have to scoop up guests who have fallen out in view of other guests!

May I say, for folks who don't like to do a lot of planning, you two have done an impressive amount of planning. But you know, that's a big part of the fun.

 

[ankersandrew]

Andy, if your asthma is really an issue for you, if you think standing in long lines would be a problem, let Disney Guest Relations know. I'm pretty sure you could get a guest assistance card on just your say so. They really don't want to have to scoop up guests who have fallen out in view of other guests!

May I say, for folks who don't like to do a lot of planning, you two have done an impressive amount of planning. But you know, that's a big part of the fun.

Thanks you for your comment. my asthma has never been bad, (reaches round to touch something wooden) But I of course have to put it onto my insurance. It is well controlled as ive had since i was a little child. We have been to Vegas although it wasnt that hot only about 26degrees. So this is the real test. We are going at the end of September and October so should be cooler, but this is the real test.

And as for the planning. In my line of work im used to planning, and compared to most people I see on here this is nothing to what everyone else is doing. And it is just me planning and booking, my partner hates that stuff, she just turns up and enjoys it. She has never been on here so I know im safe with what I put ;-) And yes I do like to look at peoples trip reports and see what everybody else does, but with my job planning is more of an important thing. With this if we dont do and see it all (and I know we wont) means we get to come back. I just have a list of things Id like to do and we tick them off when we done them.

 

[SusanEllen]

Right attitude! Twenty-seven trips to Walt Disney World and Disneyland in the past twenty years and I know I haven't seen it all. I can promise you, you have lots to look forward to.

 

[ankersandrew]

Thats it, there is no going back, we have paid off our holiday a week early. 79 days to go.

Just got to pay for my Universal Tickets, Esta Visa, and book tickets to MNSSHP, Blue Man Group and Cirque's La Nouba

Roll on 60 days to do fast passes and to do my flight seats.

 

[CrystalCarrington]

Hi Andy, I'm following your pre-trip report. I'm off to Orlando with my family as well. We fly from the Gatwick on September 25th. We being myself, DH, DD5 & DS3. I can't do a trip report because I just had to check our confirmation email for the date we leave!! My memory is terrible so I applaud you for being so organised.

All 4 of us have been to WDW Orlando before so I don't know who I'm more excited for; ourselves or you the newbie. Honestly there are no words to describe the magic of Disney or how WDW makes you feel the first time. The "once in a lifetime" holiday me and my boyfriend went on aged 18 & 21. Now we're happily married (aged disclosed lol) and have 2 children. We try to go every other year (pregnancy permitting) It never is once in a lifetime, we just can't get enough. I hope you have a wonderful time and wish you both all the best xx

 

[ankersandrew]

Hi Andy, I'm following your pre-trip report. I'm off to Orlando with my family as well. We fly from the Gatwick on September 25th. We being myself, DH, DD5 & DS3. I can't do a trip report because I just had to check our confirmation email for the date we leave!! My memory is terrible so I applaud you for being so organised.

All 4 of us have been to WDW Orlando before so I don't know who I'm more excited for; ourselves or you the newbie. Honestly there are no words to describe the magic of Disney or how WDW makes you feel the first time. The "once in a lifetime" holiday me and my boyfriend went on aged 18 & 21. Now we're happily married (aged disclosed lol) and have 2 children. We try to go every other year (pregnancy permitting) It never is once in a lifetime, we just can't get enough. I hope you have a wonderful time and wish you both all the best xx

Many thanks for the kind words, love the screen name btw

 

[ankersandrew]

Well as of this post its 53 days to go !

Yesterday we paid and booked the last of the things of the list including the Universal Tickets
Kennedy Space Centre Tickets
Blue Man Group Tickets
and
Cirque's La Nouba Tickets

We have chosen our outbound flight seats so all thats left to do is to choose return seats and do our ESTA Visa.

It should fly by as ive very busy with work and with the fact we have only just come back from the Edinburgh Fringe and Tattoo.

Soon it will be Single Digit Day