Even more magik for the MagiKitty!

[MagiKitty]

Once I returned (sadly) from Orlando, I toyed with the idea of writing a trip report. Great idea, terribly daunting...First question: where to post? Do I post in completed trip reports (coz my trip IS completed) or in trip reports? Not such a great start. Scared away.

Kept thinking about the trip and just how wonderful it was, especially since I'm the first member back from my Photopass share and have to wait a bit to upload/enjoy/gush over my photos. Came back to the bleak dreariness of New York, longed for the warm sunniness of a fantastic vacation in Orlando.

Was asked by a fellow DISer where my trip report was. So kind to have expressed interest in what I had to say, what I had done. I'm committed. Going to do a Trip Report.

Genius! Read the thread ABOUT trip reports...I would post to the trip report and once finished THEN move my entire report to Completed Trip Reports. Makes so much more sense now. Explicit instructions on how to link report to other posts, not so sure about that. Still iffy on how to add pics to a post. Still a little scared. Have a good team of well-wishers who will help me out, I am sure. All systems go.

 

[MagiKitty]

My BF, Jeremy, and I had spent the week surrounding Memorial Day in the Williamsburg/DC area. I had traded in one week of my timeshare for a place to stay near Williamsburg. We were joined for the week at different times by my sister, our friend Edward, and new friend Sam. We went to Busch Gardens, visited hisorical Williamsburg, enjoyed the time together. Spent Memorial Day weekend in our nation's capital, doing the touristy museums and sites.

While we thoroughly enjoyed our time in Virginia, we kept thinking how much we enjoyed our last trip to WDW in December 2006. We kept thinking about the perfect weather, the beautiful decorations, the magic in the air. We wanted that again.

I already knew my cousin was getting married in early January 2007 and that I would be away at the end of December, so if we were to plan to go to WDW for the holiday season it would have to be earlier than that. Since neither one of us has kids, going during the low season would be perfect, since we didn't have to worry about taking kids out of school. Jeremy wanted to go to MVMCP again, I didn't want to go Thanksgiving week. It would have be after Thanksgiving.

Getting better at the psycho planning thing, I checked the MVMCP dates and found out that the first one was November 12, way earlier than I had expected. Jeremy's birthday was November 14th, so I wanted us to plan our vacation in that time frame. Next, I checked the availability of timeshares. I could get a week starting November 10, lasting through the 17th. Perfect! That would give us three different MVMCPs to choose from. It was all working out.

MVMCP? check. Hotel? check. Airfare? oops.

Had to check the different airlines to see what fares were running at. Surprisingly, not too bad, less than $200. It was all working out way too easy.

Or so I thought. I had gone about my planning craziness without my BF's knowledge. Its better to do all the details without him, and present a well-prepared case. I told him that we could do a WDW trip mid-November on a budget. Now, my idea of budget is different than his. But once I broke it down cost by cost, he had to agree it was a good time for a good price. But he had to think about it.

I am not a patient woman. I'm used to getting my way. I humored his need to feel in control, to be my partner in making decisions. I waited a full 45 minutes before I informed him that I was going on this trip, with or without him, but that he was fully welcome to join me. He gave in.

Our trip was on! We had a destination, a vacation timeframe, airline tickets, hotel reservations. Now we just had to wait.

 

[Shmu]

Three cheers for you. You started a TR. Don't worry about the techy stuff. If I can learn it, you can learn it. We'll all pitch in and walk you through. GREAT start. I'm on pins and needles to learn more.

 

[Sooze]

I'll come along for the ride! I love to read reports with adults only... it's fun to read about what folks do without kids!!

Report away....

 

[DL55]

I've got the popcorn ready. I like that you gave him 45 min to think about it.

 

[MagiKitty]

So perhaps I was a bit too hasty in my Orlando plans. I didn't have regrets about GOING to Orlando, but I did second-guess my reservations. What if I had waited for a better deal? Was I being too hasty?

I should learn...never look back. You'll only get more anxious and kick yourself more. I went to TripAdvisor for a consultation on my choice of hotel. I had gone with the Liki Tiki because I had spoken to the timeshare exhange and they had recommended the site since it had been recently renovated. Big plus. It was supposed to be a few miles from WDW, plus plus. It even had a small water park on premises, not really a plus, but nice to know.

Liki Tiki reviews got me S-C-A-R-E-D. Mostly mixed, some positives, and some really, really scary ones. Talk of thin walls (expected), dirty sheets and floors (nasty), and unfriendly staff. Those that were unhappy with the resort were super-size unhappy. I began to panic. Was I going to stay in a dump?

I called the timeshare exchange again to plea my case. They said that they had had no complaints about the resort. I asked what would happen if I arrived and was dissatisfied with the quality. I was told to try to work it out with the resort staff first but if there wasn't a way to resolve my issues, I could call the timeshare exchange, and based on availability, I could possibly switch resorts. I could accept that.

Next battle: rental car. I'm one of those people who enjoy renting a car and exploring un-WDW Orlando scared1: ). Especially the outlets. I love myself a good outlet. I had our dates, so time to scour the crevices of the Internet for the best rental deal. I didn't really have any rental company preferences. I had rented from Hertz before, but the estimates I was getting were outrageous. I tried Hotwire, Priceline, Kayak, Expedia, Travelocity. Over and over again. I began to get dizzy from all the comparisons.

Mousesavers to the rescue! A website after my own heart. On there, I could find stackable discount codes. I made reservations on five different rental companies. I joined their elite clubs. It became an addiction. I compulsively checked my email and the internet over and over again. I was going crazy.

I gave myself an ultimatum: find two reservations and stick with them. If the rate went down, absolutely fabulous. If not, then be happy that I'll have wheels in Florida. I went with Alamo and Thrifty. I was secretly rooting for Thrifty because I had gone with something called a Wild Card, in which I was guaranteed a rental car of a certain size, but I didn't know anything else. How exciting. Since there were only two of us going plus my extensive luggage, any size car would do. The surprise factor was strangely tintillating.

Next up...tickets! Tickets! Everywhere! And not a drop to drink...

 

[DL55]

Ah the suspense! Hopefully the hotel will be fine. Maybe the bad reviews were before they did renovations. The suspense of not knowing what type of car you'll get (but knowing you will have a car) is fun. The few that have mentioned the Wild Card seemed to get SUVs but I have only a few examples.

 

[lynn71092]

I'm in!!

 

[MagiKitty]

For my readers, a hearty thank you for entertaining my blathering...

Once we had the hard stuff figured out, it was time to have the tough talk. We had seven days...what to do with them?

MVMCP was definitely a deciding factor for our trip scheduling. The week we were to be there, three nights of MVMCP were scheduled! Monday November 12 was the first night it was offered, Thursday and Friday were the two other nights. We figured Friday would be quite crowded, so Thursday looked most appealing. Plus, it was one of the discounted nights, an additional $7 savings per ticket. That means and extra $14 in our pockets, perfect for a casual lunch somewhere!

Jeremy and I had to be honest with each other and our wallets. With the November timing, and the holidays soon to follow, we'd have to be strict with our budgeting. The best way to save? Cut WDW tickets, by far the largest expense for the week. It was a tough call, but stressing over money was not a good way to spend a vacation.

The compromise? Universal Studios. Jeremy had ever been. (Actually he didn't like travelling until we got together). I had been several years ago and although not necessarily magical, definitely a place for fun. We both could get a 7 day pass for $90, totally doable. Another plus? An all-you-can-eat program and a refillable cup.

(Can you tell we're obsessed with food options?)

Reading on the boards, I was able to score cheap Sea World Tickets too.

So this is the way our trip (in my mind anyway) would play out:

Saturday: arrive late afternoon, find mystery car, check in, get Disney fix by visiting Downtown Disney.

Sunday: Universal Studios and Blue Man Group show

Monday: Islands of Adventure and shopping

Tuesday: Sea World and more shopping

Wednesday: Universal Studios

Thursday: lazy morning and MVMCP!

Friday: Universal Studios/Islands of Adventure

Saturday: early morning flight back home

 

[OhMari]

Glad you figured out the difference in the boards.

Looking forward to hearing how Universal is. Usually everyone just posts about WDW.

 

[DL55]

Universal parks are fun, nice to take a break from Disney sometimes. Did I just get a finger shake for suggesting that?

 

[MagiKitty]

Once I had definite plans, my obsession with Disney went into overdrive. I was going to Disney World--who doesn't want to be prepared. But since I was making this a pan-Orlando-entertainment trip, I had to watch more forums that ever!

I was watching the Theme Park strategies board to tips on the MVMCP.

I was watching the Budget Board for ways to save money in general and for the trip. I subscribed to the Freebie thread and started receiving free samples that I saved to use for our trip.

I was watching the Universal Studios board, as well as the Sea World board.

I was watching the Disabilities! board for tips on travelling with special needs. Jeremy had CP and uses crutches. It can make for interesting travelling. And interesing issues.

I was going crazy, and taking Jeremy along for the ride.

He tried to tell me just to relax, things have a way of working themselves out. Of course he has this attitude, everything works out FOR HIM because I'm obsessive and take care of everything. He secretly is proud of my compulsion to check and recheck everything. He knows I'm concerned with both saving money and getting the best out of what money is spent. Money saved somewhere can be redirected to more frivolous spending somewhere else. For me, its a game, and I like to win.

I learned about this thing called a Photopass share which was perfect for me. We only had plans to attend MVMCP, and while there was a special offer for 40% off prints, at $12.97/per print, the discount came up to still close to $8 per print. And I planned to take tons and tons of pics. But a share would work out fine for someone like me. I joined a group of 8, with the disc ending up costing $18 total. Money saved: lots and lots

I learned about Wishes and Illumination cruises and secretly wanted to book one. I toyed with this idea for a while, but just could not justify the money for an experience (albeit a special one) that lasts an hour. Then I learned about cruise sharing! The day I checked out the postings, I found a woman who had space availability on November 14th, Jeremy's 30th birthday. I PM'd her and asked if she was still looking for people to join her family. She said yes and I scored two seats on a Wishes cruise!

I then learned that the Sunday after our arrival, there was a special Blue Man Group show discouned 20% for annual pass holders. Hmmm...let me look into that. I was already DYING to see Blue Man Group. I then found out that Universal was doing a special promo that ended THAT WEEK for buy one annual pass, get a second year free! It would cost $188 for a two year pass, with free parking, 15% off food and souvenirs. With parking costing $11/day, the pass would cost little more than my original plan of the 7 day pass. And I would get nearly $30 dollars off our tickets for the BMG show. That would pay for a nice dinner afterward.

Can you tell I love math? I'm constantly running number, percentages, discounts in my head. Its one of my secret superpowers. I was never permitted to use a calculator in school, so I learned tricks to run number quickly in my head, assessing better costs and bargains.

I started a folder of paperwork, reminders, and a budget spreadsheet for the trip. I put stickers on it and color coordinated the different parks with their respective paperwork. I ordered the Entertainment Book for Orlando (the 2007 version for a serious discount), the 2006 Passporter (for $1!), and a book off Ebay about Universal Studios. I was more than prepared for the trip, but I was never satisfied. I kept my computer on the Dis all day, watching for new postings. I was going crazy from all my scheming, planning, hoping, dreaming.

I just needed to survive until November.

 

[DL55]

With a 2 year pass to Universal I guess you'll need to go back again to make it a better deal.
Before I had heard of the DIS I thought the cruises would be great if you could share them. Now we can go on one and meet other DISers too!
I'm glad you didn't go completely crazy.

 

[MagiKitty]

DL55...we're on the same wavelength. Why get an annual pass if you're not going to use it? AND while you're visiting Universal, wouldn't it be a waste NOT to see a little bit of Disney also? Oh, the complications...

Thanks for reading!

 

[DL55]

exactly

 

[VandyFan10]

He tried to tell me just to relax, things have a way of working themselves out. Of course he has this attitude, everything works out FOR HIM because I'm obsessive and take care of everything. He secretly is proud of my compulsion to check and recheck everything. He knows I'm concerned with both saving money and getting the best out of what money is spent. Money saved somewhere can be redirected to more frivolous spending somewhere else. For me, its a game, and I like to win.

LOVE IT!!!! We are leaving in 5 days!!! And I agree....I think my hubby also 'secretly' appreciates my obsessive planning to SAVE!!!

Can't wait to read more

 

[Shmu]

Still loving it. My kids want to go to Universal on our trip. DH and DS went this past trip with a friend for a day. DD and I stayed at WDW that day. DD wants to try all the rides DS talked about.

 

[mrsksomeday]

Hi, I am here!! I read on my trippie that you had started one. Do NOT feel intimidated, your trippie is fantastic. I love it.

I had gone about my planning craziness without my BF's knowledge. Its better to do all the details without him, and present a well-prepared case. I told him that we could do a WDW trip mid-November on a budget. Now, my idea of budget is different than his. But once I broke it down cost by cost, he had to agree it was a good time for a good price. But he had to think about it.

I am not a patient woman. I'm used to getting my way. I humored his need to feel in control, to be my partner in making decisions.

These paragraphs were cracking me up . You and Jeremy are Bill and I in opposite. He does the initial planning behind my back and has a "well-prepared case" before he talks to me about it. I am like Jeremy and have to think about it. Bill is not patient, he is spoiled and is used to getting his way. He laughs at me when I question money issues and I cave every single time.

(Actually he didn't like travelling until we got together).

I was the same exact way before I met Bill. He likes to drag me out of my comfort zone and I am always thankful after the fact.

I can't wait to read more of this report .

 

[marsh0013]

you found me, and now i found you! i'm following along and loving it so far! keep it up

 

[whgrn]

Hey, Magikitty! So glad I found you over here! I am loving your trippie. I already knew you were a hoot--now I can laugh my way through your adventures!

Wendy in NJ
Check out my trip report at www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1638072