Disney with no parks: The Experiment.

[lyncecelia]

So welcome to our pre-trip report!

I'm Lyn, and both Tim (DBF) and I will be taking you on this adventure on our upcoming "no park" trip challenge.

For some back story:

Back in February, Tim found out that his 2nd job is going to hold their annual competition down in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Since his work was already going to be paying for his way down and back, we decided "Hey! Why not go to Disney while down there?" A few days later we rented points to stay at AKL: Kidani Village. We were expecting for Tim to be able to run the Wine and Dine 1/2 marathon, and possibly go to MK for the 40th Anniversary.

A few months go by, and Tim still didn't register for the race due to unforeseen circumstances. This lead to the race being sold out before he could register.

My parents live in Brevard county (around an hour south of Disney) and were looking forward to seeing us for a little. My younger sister, Alli, was also looking forward to our trip. Personally, I wanted to be able to see my Nana who turns 99 this year, and I know I won't have many more times to see her.

So, we decided we would just spend a day or two at the parks....possibly MK (for the 40th anniversary) and DHS (because Tim is forcing me to do the American Idol experience). But alas, this too would prove difficult.

We found ourselves in a position where Tim's transportation costs were going up (he was commuting from NH to Boston every day) and decided to move closer to his job. On top of this, my school was taking longer than planned...so we were back at square one. Do we skip FL and my opportunity to see my Nana, or do we just go down anyway?

When my folks came up in July for the 4th, we sat down and talked with them. My parents offered to let Tim use my mom's car (which she never drives) so we don't have to pay for a rental in exchange for us to spend one night at their place before we head up to the World. Both of us thought this was a great idea because, again, I was dying to see my Nana anyway. So we agreed.

We decided, though, that this time we would save some money and do a no-park trip. We accepted the challenge as sort of an experiment. Can you really have fun without the theme parks at Disney? We hear it all the time, and even tell all our "non-Disney fan" friends it, but is it true?

Well that, we will find out.

 

[timmac]

So, I'm the DBF in question, so I guess I should explain my POV as well. I already have points rented at AKV-Kidani, and the transportation is not an issue, in part due to my work trip. So, it seems we're spending a few nights down there.

It's probably worth mentioning that when I first realized I wasn't going to be participating in the race, I was pretty bummed out... I was highly considering not even bothering with the trip, since the reason for it had become irrelevant. Nonetheless, runDisney did a nice job of annoying me (with their whole women-centered movement that seems to be creeping in more and more, but that's a whole different story), so at the same time I'm just as happy to never give that division any more of my money.

Since we aren't visiting parks, and since I have a hotel room on property (ok, to be technical, a dvc studio... but point is, a place to sleep), this seems like a perfect opportunity to bar hop. So I'm thinking definitely drinking around the monorail loop... maybe with a side trip to Wilderness Lodge, since three stops isn't really much a night yet.

 

[lyncecelia]

Yes, as you see, Tim is quite--as I like to say--an "alcohol connoisseur". Whenever we pass the liquor store off the highway (because yes, in NH they are off the highway ) all the kids exclaim it's his favorite store . But honestly, he isn't really a lush, but he did convert my old bookcase into a liquor cabinet.

So more about us:

Lyn
Age: 22
Favorite character: Donald
Nickname: Dinosaur
Must do "non-park" thing: Boardwalk and mini golfing
Dream "non-park" thing: Carriage ride at Fort. Wilderness
About me:
I am currently a student at Grafton Job Corps up here in MA studying for my Medical Administrative Assistant certification. I chose job corps basically because it was a free education, since more student loans scared me in today's economy. However, free room and board and free training looks really good right now. It's a self-paced program (so they say) and I have been there since April. The goal is to be done by my 23rd birthday on November 15th.

I grew up in FL and lived there until May 2010. Last year, I met Tim right here on the DIS in a singles forum, and then on a whim moved up here to be with him a few months later (yes, crazy, I know...we had a whole serial killer spiel going on for a while). But now, over a year later, I couldn't imagine living anywhere else. I absolutely LOVE New England (and yes, that includes the snow, just not so much walking on ice).

Tim
Age: 30
Favorite character: Goofy
Nickname:Monkey
Must do "non-park" thing: Check out the new pool in Kidani Village
Dream "non-park" thing: Shula's
About him:
Tim is a software engineer who spends a ton of time working and loves all things "geek". Anything from Star Trek (which he even has collector "Pez" containers for) to Disney. He has 4 BEAUTIFUL children Camden (10), Makenzie (9), Nancy (7), Isaac (4) who we both adore. Unfortunately, they will not be joining us this time, but we hope to bring them in the future.

 

[lyncecelia]

So sorry for being gone for a while--school (and life in general) has been hectic. I sit for my certification test on Monday, so I've been busy studying. I also ended up in the ER last weekend, and we had Tim's mom's wedding to go to in Phoenix! This trip is going to be welcomed indeed! I need the break!

So to go next--Tim is currently already in FL for business, I leave next Thursday.

So last Thursday, Tim flew down to MCO, where my dad picked him up. My folks live in Palm Bay, which is about an hour south of Orlando. He stayed the night there and they lent him my mom's car so that we didn't have to pay for a rental car.

Here is our pseudo-agenda (it can change though, don't forget!):

Thursday, September 29
-I fly to MCO, where my dad will pick me up
-Tim drives back up to my parent's house
-There is a huge get-together to celebrate my sister's birthday (who turns 25), my Nana's birthday (who turns 99!), my dad's birthday (who turns 59) and my certification. There will be around 12 people there at my parent's place
-We spend the night there

Friday, September 30
-Breakfast with my folks
-Arrive at AKL: Kidani to check in
-relax and unwind a bit (we all know big family get-togethers can be exhausting)
-Hang out at Boardwalk and check out the entertainment--maybe hit Jellyrolls?

Saturday, October 1
-DTD
-Do Tim's request to Drink around the monorail loop
-Watch the fireworks on Poly Beach

Sunday, October 2
-Possible miniature golf
-Drive back to Palm Bay where we will spend the night again
-Dinner at Sonny's BBQ (my favorite!)

Monday, October 2
-I fly back to Boston, while Tim flys to California for work...won't see him again til the following Saturday afternoon....

Remember--part of the experiment is to spend no time in the parks.

So--can we have fun without spending $80 a day to go to the parks? Well, that is what we are going to find out!

Saved so far:
Rental Car: $220
Hotel (by renting points): $520
Park Tickets: $464
Total saved: $1204

 

[Darkfirewolfe]

totally subbing! Though from the signatures - it looks like you'll be there shortly!

I'm greatly interested to see how fun the the no-park trips are.

And if you do the miniature golf - go to the Fantasia one. We went two trips ago and it was great fun! And we ate dinner at Kimonos at the Swan, which was fantastic.

 

[lyncecelia]

totally subbing! Though from the signatures - it looks like you'll be there shortly!

I'm greatly interested to see how fun the the no-park trips are.

And if you do the miniature golf - go to the Fantasia one. We went two trips ago and it was great fun! And we ate dinner at Kimonos at the Swan, which was fantastic.

Thanks for subbing! I thought no one was reading, lol.

Anyway, right now I am at the airport. They upgraded me to a non-stop flight for free, which was pretty awesome. It meant I am here at Logan an extra hour, but it gave me time to get my newspaper articles in for the next 3 weeks! (I'm doing a series on the Grafton State Hospital.)

This week was an awesome week; I passed my certification, finished my course work, and got my separation interview date! So this trip is DEFINITELY going to be about celebrating.

I should arrive at Orlando around 3, and then I go to Publix to buy the celebration cakes.

Well, my computer is dying since apparently the plug I picked doesn't work. Thank goodness I already emailed the articles, or I'd be wicked annoyed.

I'll write later! Can't wait to check into AKL tomorrow and see Tim tonight!

 

[lyncecelia]

So we are at AKL now! After a hectic day yesterday and a poor night sleep tonight, we are taking a little bit of down time in order to rest up for later tonight.

I found a little bit of information for our experiment: at AKL (and probably at least the other deluxe resorts) you can get a guide of free things to do around the resort. So we definitely picked one of these up! We are thinking about doing the Disney Trivia game on Sunday, so that'll be fun.

I'll update more later!

 

[MouseketeerMommy]

I find this experiment wildly fascinating. At the moment, I hope my DH does not see this thread, but if it works out well, then... I love the resorts alone, and could totally see doing a tour of just those and eating our way to oblivion. If we didn't have the child with us. He would organize a coup.

 

[lyncecelia]

Okay, so we've been back for a while, but I have been very bad and haven't updated the report! Sorry guys!

I must add this disclaimer--I didn't notice until I got down to FL that my camera wasn't working. This led to all pictures being taken on Tim's phone, which means I wait for him to either send them to me or upload them somewhere LOL.

So here we go!

Day One--September 29th--Travel and Family
As you might have previously read, I had a delayed flight, but ended up on a non-stop flight, which meant that I'd be getting in on time anyway. No worries! I spent the extra time in the airport for the school articles and arrived in Orlando where my dad was suppose to pick me up at 3 p.m....

I called at 3 p.m. to say I arrived...and he didn't leave the house yet. . He lives about an hour away, so that meant I had an hour to spend in Orlando airport. After getting luggage and all that, I decided to check out the Harry Potter merchandise in the Universal store, since I am a major fan (Ravenclaw house definitely).

When they finally arrived, I found my Nana and my older sister in the van as well. So that was definitely a pleasant surprise! It was great to see them right off the bat!

While driving back to Palm Bay, Tim texts me to let me know he was already at my folks house. When we get there, I found him sleeping in the recliner from his "business" trip the week previous (from the sounds of it, there was a lot of drinking involved ). We had dinner, gave my Nana and older sister gifts (I sang O Sole Mio for my Nana and my dad for their birthdays, talk about nerves!) and then went to bed. Pretty uneventful for that day.

The next part I will add soon, I've been wicked busy lately and am about to head to the store (wait for Tim to get out of the shower).