Does 2 trips in 1 month make me spoiled?A PTR for both! I am back and updates coming!

[luvfigment]

Hello! My name is Kerri Lee and I finally decided to do a Pre-Trip Report for my two upcoming trips in Sept and then exactly 1 month later in Oct with 2 different casts. I will start off by introducing everyone and get into how the trips came about.

Me - 28 yr old Disney lover since I was 3! I have been numerous times with my family and 2 times with DH including our Disneymoon last year...some people may have read the PTR last year but then my life got crazy and never did write a trip report. I think I will be putting some pictures in from last year though. Anyhoo I am a nurse and currently working as a Nanny for my little nephew. Currently I am located in VA until Sept in which I will be in Rhode Island (my home state...no it is NOT part of Long Island it is one of the original 13 Colonies!). Eventually I will be joining my DH in England where he is station with the Air Force. (Long story and I will touch upon it in the background of the trips.

DH - 29 yr old just getting used to Disney...he doesn't fully understand my obsession. His first trip was in 2005 with me and had a good time but didn't want to go back anytime soon. Second trip was last year for our Disneymoon and started to get the bug...he requested this upcoming trip for our 1 year Anniversary!! So he is going in October with me.

DF (Missy) 29 yr old good friend and Sorority sister! She went a few times as a child with her family and in 2001 with me and 6 of our sorority sisters for Spring Break. Yes there was 8 of us sorority girls in 1 studio room at OKW with 1 bathroom...it was interesting but fun. She is going in September with me!

How did the trips come about???? Well where to start? Ok you ready to get confused? In short as I mentioned before DH is Active Duty in the Air Force and last April he was stationed in England. We weren't married so I was not on his orders and moved home with my parents in RI until after wedding which was Oct. 7, 2007. We went to Disney for our honeymoon and stayed at the Polynesian thanks in part to a great Disney Visa card code. I was going to move to England in the winter when we got word DH was going to be deployed in March so I decided not to move there for him to be gone for the first 6 months of living over there. My sister was having her first baby and I told her since DH was going to be deployed I would move down to VA with her to be her Nanny. So we decided that at the beginning of May I would move down there to help her out until Sept when DH would be back. Well his deployment got canceled!!! After a long talk DH and I decided that I would still go down to help DSis out since she didn't have daycare set up and I would move over in the fall. Got it? If not in short I am moving to England in the fall to finally be with DH. Yes it has been hard but it makes us and out relationship that much stronger. Anyways....on to the trips and how did I go from none...to 1...to 2????

So early in May (after a visit with DH in England) I was driving to VA with Missy as my co-pilot...I have a tendency to get a little sleepy driving and need someone to talk to and keep me awake and Missy loves road trips. I think she is crazy b/c I hate them and hate I-95 in CT!!!!! Anyways we were having a great time and remembering our great trip that we took in 2001 and how much fun it was. She was saying how she wished she could go back...my ears perked up? What someone willing to go to Disney? My eyes start getting big and I get the planning shakes....tons of plans and ADR's go through my head, they are having Free-Dining in September you know??? hmmmm maybe when I finish at my sisters and before I go to England we can go?!?!?! (Insert evil laugh). I snap out of it and casually, calmly, and coolly (is that a word?) I mention to Missy that there is free dining in September and a great time to go...it would be so much fun. She said it would be....what is free dining? So I proceeded to talk for about 30 minutes without taking a breath about the dining plan, where we could stay, and ADR's. I think she got slightly scared but had no where to escape to. We were in a car going somewhat close to the speed limit in the middle of nowhere Delaware/Eastern Shore of Maryland. We eventually made it to VA and spent a couple of days hanging out and talking about going to FL before she flew back to RI. But not before telling me to price out the trip and let her know how much it would be and if she could afford it...and oh yeah get DH's permission.

So there I on the phone just 2 hrs after I dropped off Missy at the airport (it would have been sooner but I am staying 1 hr aways from the airport) getting prices for a trip Sept 8-13th! We already priced out tickets via Southwest to meet up in Orlando and fly back to Norfolk together since we will then drive back to RI the day after. So I found out that with preferred room at ASMu, 5 day MYW+PH+free dining it would be about $500 each!!!!! Holy crap I can't turn that down..so I booked the trip...Missy hadn't even landed yet. Then panic sets in...what if she doesn't want to go anymore? What will DH say? Well in short everyone was ok with it and we got great fares on Southwest landing within 30 mins of each other in Orlando!!!

In the next update how did trip #2 get booked????

 

[Native NYer]

Can't wait to read more

 

[luvfigment]

Can't wait to read more

Thanks for joining...I will hopefully be updating tomorrow or Friday depending on how my nephew is!

 

[SwansLoveDisney]

I'm here!

I have to come back later to catch up!

 

[SwansLoveDisney]

How fun that you'll get to go on a friend trip and a DH trip!

And it sounds like you got a great deal on the room, free dining, and tickets.

It's so perfect that your flights will land within 30 minutes of each other.

I am so excited for you!

 

[luvfigment]

How fun that you'll get to go on a friend trip and a DH trip!

And it sounds like you got a great deal on the room, free dining, and tickets.

It's so perfect that your flights will land within 30 minutes of each other.

I am so excited for you!

YAY you found me! It is going to be fun that I have both kind of trips b/c I will be able to do things with Missy that DH has no interest in...like getting up for rope drop or some of the shows. DH likes more of the laid back type of trips so I won't be as commando park style b/c I would have gotten things done just 1 month earlier! Thanks for joining and hopefully I will have an update soon...DNephew has been grumpy today so I am not sure how long he will nap for even though he is soooo tired from PT.

 

[mrsksomeday]

I am here too!! I am looking forward to some pictures from the last Disney trip that we NEVER got to see , just sayin.

 

[luvfigment]

I am here too!! I am looking forward to some pictures from the last Disney trip that we NEVER got to see , just sayin.

YAY I am glad you are here too!!! I know I know I was the very bad person that never wrote a Trip Report after her PTR and promised everyone I would. I will post some pictures on here but all of my honeymoon pictures are in RI so you will have to wait until I get there next week. Or I could send you the links to the pictures on Snapfish! Then you can see the wedding pictures and the photopass honeymoon pictures. Let me know.

 

[luvfigment]

Well I was totally working on an update and had this huge thing typed up when all of a sudden the computer screen went blank. GRRRR and I lost EVERYTHING!!!!! So I am not sure if there will be an update tonight or not it might be Sunday I have to work on Saturday and tomorrow we aren't going to have internet I don't think. I am sorry....I will talk to you all soon DN is now awake and wanting to eat. See ya real soon!

 

[ArielSRL]

I'm here! Sounds like a great BOGO TR! And I was gonna ask about those Disneymoon photos, so I am glad to hear they maybe showing up in this TR!

 

[luvfigment]

I'm here! Sounds like a great BOGO TR! And I was gonna ask about those Disneymoon photos, so I am glad to hear they maybe showing up in this TR!

Thanks for stopping by! I will work on the Disneymoon pictures when I get home next week. You can see some of them on my MySpace page though...did you check those out?

Ok I am working on the next installment but I have the feeling it won't be up til Sunday b/c I have to get ready to work in the hospital tomorrow (yuck). But please stick around I shall return!

 

[ArielSRL]

Thanks for stopping by! I will work on the Disneymoon pictures when I get home next week. You can see some of them on my MySpace page though...did you check those out?

No, I'll have to go do that!

Ok I am working on the next installment but I have the feeling it won't be up til Sunday b/c I have to get ready to work in the hospital tomorrow (yuck). But please stick around I shall return!

I'll be here!

 

[nts4wdw]

Along for the ride!! Looking forward to seeing how that one bathroom thing works out!

 

[luvfigment]

Along for the ride!! Looking forward to seeing how that one bathroom thing works out!

Hey Lynn! Thanks for stopping by! The one bathroom thing was from a trip back in 2001. This trip it is 2 of us...thank goodness.

 

[luvfigment]

“I am jealous and want to go to Disney” says my DH one day on the phone. What? Could it be true or is he just playing a mean joke on me? I proceeded with caution since I will jump at any opportunity that I can to go to Disney and DH still needs some convincing and still doesn’t understand my love for Disney.
Me: “Well honey we could always go in October when you are home.
DH: No you are going in Sept and can’t go 2 months in a row!
Me: Why not? Would you want to go if I wasn’t going in Sept?
DH: It doesn’t matter you are.
Me: But it isn’t the same without you. (Isn’t that a great sucker line?)
DH: Well…we have to visit my Mom when I am home so how would we do both and when are we going to do that AND have time for Disney?

Side note…little does DH know but I have been secretly pricing out a trip to Disney and dates on when we can go and watching Southwest for fares. Plus trying to figure out what weekend his DM is working so we can go to Disney the weekend opposite. It just so happens that we would be able to go to Disney October 8-14. Those are the same dates we went on our Disneymoon last year minus one day. We won’t be able to spend our actual anniversary, October 7th, in Disney because we are flying in from England on the 6th and that would be just bad jet-lag and DH does not do well with the time change. We actually will be in Paris on October 3-5 so we are going to be one tired bunch. And no this trip to Paris is not including Paris Disney. End side note.

Me: We could go over the weekend your Mom isn’t working we have to figure this out first. (Hee hee hee if only he knew I know when that is.)
DH: I am tired and am going to bed…just figure out when my Mom is working and when we will visit her and then get some prices and we will talk.
Me: Ok honey (before he can change his mind. When it comes to Disney I never ask are you sure? Or he will change his mind) I love you and have a good night (I know I am b/c I am booking Disney!!!)

So I got off the phone with DH and went directly to the Southwest website to double check prices for flights. I wasn’t going to book the airline ticket quite yet just in case DH did change his mind and with an airline ticket you can’t get your money back but with Disney you can up to 45 days out. Ok prices aren’t too bad but we will pay $60 more so we can have non-stop flights…we hate lay overs and I find paying a little extra is worth it.

Then off to the Disney website….ahhh I love that music it just calms me. To my surprise only WL courtyard view and AKL standard view are available, no other Deluxe. Hmmm that is strange for October I think. (Maybe some rooms are saved off to the side for a code coming in mid-August for October like last year? Can I dream? Please? ) So I price those two hotels and POR and CS. I don’t mind the moderates, that is where I always stayed as a kid growing up, but I created a monster in DH and he only wants to stay in a Deluxe until we have kids. I am not quite sure how he can be so picky when he grew up in the middle of nowhere Jamaica where there wasn’t even running water but alas I have spoiled him with AKL and Polynesian so there is no turning back.

Now I was trying to figure out how we could get the dining plan and use our tickets from last year? See last year we didn’t use 3 of our days on our 8 day PH+H2O b/c we did Typhoon Lagoon one day, MNNSHP another, and then didn’t go in the parks another day so we had extra days and I decided to add 2 days and get the no expiration so we have a 5 day PH+H2O ticket at home. So how do we get the dining plan? So I priced out a 7 day PH ticket plus dining then I began the search on The DIS on how can I use my old tickets and still get dining. Long story short…just get a 1 day base ticket plus the dining! Excellent! Now we just have to pray that DH hasn’t changed his mind overnight and which resort will he want to stay? AKL or WL? I am thinking he will want to stay WL, as I would too but it would be cheaper to stay at AKL and we both love this resort.

So the next day DH calls when he gets off and just starts acting like we never had the conversation about Disney last night. (Silly man he thinks I would forget that he said to price out Disney). So I casually bring it up and ask him if he meant what he said the night before about Disney and said “I don’t know.” Gasp! You don’t know? You can’t mess with a Disney crazed girl like that! After telling him which resorts I priced out her first said no moderates and then wanted to know about the other Deluxe’s and I told him there weren’t any others available. So with never making a final decision since he changed the subject and I didn’t bring it up again I just figured I would book the trip minus the airline tickets and see what he says.

I proceeded to get off the phone with DH and called Disney directly and booked us at WL courtyard view knowing he would want to stay there and that has been my dream since they built it. The next day when he called I asked him “what would you do if I told you that I book us at Disney?”
DH: Where did you book us?
Me: Where did you want to stay?
DH: Where did you book us?
Me: Ummm where did you want me to book us?
DH: You booked us at AKL didn’t you?
Me: No…WL…<crap> why did you want to stay at AKL?
DH: No I want to stay at WL I am glad you booked it there.

YAY!!!! Victory! Now I just have to find out where he wants to eat and if I can buy the airline tickets…which I did. DH actually went on All Ears to look at the menus to pick out restaurants besides the must do’s especially since I knew we had NO chance of getting in to Le Cellier.

On the next update….where am I eating in September and October?

 

[Fairy_Tale_Bride]

I'm here! I'm here!

I can't wait to read more and you're going to have a blast!

 

[ArielSRL]

Great update! And WL Courtyard View? Sounds great!

 

[luvfigment]

I'm here! I'm here!

I can't wait to read more and you're going to have a blast!

Hey Lindsey!!! Thanks for joining in! How was your first day?

Great update! And WL Courtyard View? Sounds great!

Thanks! Yup they only had the courtyard view...I would have saved the money and done a woods view but now I am really excited about the courtyard view. Now I am going to hope for some Pixie Dust and get a King Size bed!

 

[ArielSRL]

Thanks! Yup they only had the courtyard view...I would have saved the money and done a woods view but now I am really excited about the courtyard view. Now I am going to hope for some Pixie Dust and get a King Size bed!

Good luck!

 

[luvfigment]

Well I am sure I have now lost all of my readers since it has been so long but I will give it a try.

Now since I am a Disney Vet and my DFr is still kinda new I sent her to the website will all of the menus and had her pick out restaurants and I gave her feedback on them and then we attempted to make ADR's. Surprise Surprise we weren't able to get Coral Reef or Le Cellier but I warned her since we were so close to our trip and it was free dining time. So this is what we got:

Arrival Day 9/8 Afternoon Tea at GF 2 pm pay OOP
6:50 at Chefs de France

9/9 AK Day
Boma 5:50

9/10 MK
6:05 Kona Cafe

9/11 DHS then Jellyrolls at night
Big River Grille and Brewing....anyone eaten there? It will be my first time. They don't accept ADR's but we are hoping around 6 or so, that way we can get a seat at Jellyrolls

9/12 EPCOT
6:30 San Angel Inn

There you have it...the funny thing was that DFr was making fun of me knowing the different websites and now she is addicted and already has her meals planned.

Next up ADR's for the 1 year Anniversary trip with DH...although I am contemplating upgrading to the Deluxe Dining Plan...it will depend if we can get a code or not either that or upgrade to the Grand Floridian. So pray for some Pixie Dust!!!!!