FINALLY going to Florida - TOMORROW - Go to last page for more info

[smileycrissy]

I apologize to the people who are friends with me on the Facespace, however I couldn't resist adding this here as well. So some people may see this twice.

30 Day Disney Challenge - Your Favorite Disney Character - Stitch

This was really hard for me. There are sooo many characters that I love dearly and I was really torn between Stitch and Wall-E but Stitch won out in the end. He learns the true meaning of O'hana and redeems himself in the end. It's the voice, the ears, and every time I see him dressed as Elvis I just want to die.

I hear ya on Elvis Stitch!! A few anniversaries back I bought Andre one of those big figurines of Stitch dressed as Elvis because we both love him. Hopefully I can post the link below so you can see him. When I bought him he was 99 bucks, I'm so glad I got him when I did. And boy did I struggle with him. Imagine this, I bought him at the World of Disney store in Manhattan and was living in Queens at the time. I had to lug him home (and he was VERY heavy) on several trains. Can you tell I love Andre. LOL.

http://www.yourwdwstore.net/Disney-Big-Figure-Statue--Lilo-Stitch--Elvis-Stitch_p_4448.html

 

[lilwhiterabbit]

Heya! I'm late to the party, but I thought I'd let you know I was subscribing since we seem to have a lot in common (we're both geeks for one--yay bonus con report!) We normally go in October--though we're going in November this year--so if you have any questions about WDW in October or the Halloween Party feel free to hit me up. I've also got a lot of experience dealing with a disability that causes pain and fatigue at WDW so I can answer questions in that area too if you need it. Weirdly enough, they though I had RA for a really long time since it runs in my family but it turned out to be something else entirely.

I'm not sure if you've decided whether you're going to stay onsite at Universal, but I'm not entirely sure it's worth it IMO. The only really real benefit I can see is the early entry into WWoHP, and you can probably negate that by going on a weekday at park opening and hitting that section first thing. The express pass can sometimes be useful, but it doesn't work in the WWoHP area of the park, right now, unfortunately, and some days you won't need that at all since crowds will be low that time of year. If it were me, I'd save the money and go to MNSSHP instead, but I may be a little biased. The hotels at Universal are nice, but not $300 a night nice. I think they need a little more to justify the price.

 

[PennyLane1084]

Yesterday I did this survey on facebook where you had to bold a list of animated feature films you've seen. My Fiance and our best friend filled it out also and we we're discussing it later on in the day. The both of them freaked out when they saw I had never seen Hercules.

My fiance rushed to the TV and tried to pull it up on Netflix but sadly it was not streaming. He is determined to find it somewhere and is going to make me sit down and watch. It was the more adorable thing imaginable and reminded me why they are my fiance & best friend.

 

[PennyLane1084]

I hear ya on Elvis Stitch!! A few anniversaries back I bought Andre one of those big figurines of Stitch dressed as Elvis because we both love him. Hopefully I can post the link below so you can see him. When I bought him he was 99 bucks, I'm so glad I got him when I did. And boy did I struggle with him. Imagine this, I bought him at the World of Disney store in Manhattan and was living in Queens at the time. I had to lug him home (and he was VERY heavy) on several trains. Can you tell I love Andre. LOL.

http://www.yourwdwstore.net/Disney-Big-Figure-Statue--Lilo-Stitch--Elvis-Stitch_p_4448.html

OMG he's sooo cute. That's is true love right there lady!

I used to have McDonalds Happy Meal toy of Elvis Stitch. I need to find that little guy. About 5 years ago, I gave up my room to my uncle who has a stroke and I had to pack up all my knick-knacks and put them in the basement. He's down there somewhere. Probably cold, sadly singing "Love Me Tender" haha.

 

[PennyLane1084]

You should be careful with touringplans.com cause they've been having some website glitches that have been giving out bad crowd ratings.

I'm doing the 30 day princess challenge on my blog!

I ADORE STITCH. Did you know that? Like, love him so much. He doesn't get enough love.

I do recall seeing a post about that around here. I guess I'll just have to wait and see.

Can I have a link to you blog, I'd love to read it!

 

[PennyLane1084]

Heya! I'm late to the party, but I thought I'd let you know I was subscribing since we seem to have a lot in common (we're both geeks for one--yay bonus con report!) We normally go in October--though we're going in November this year--so if you have any questions about WDW in October or the Halloween Party feel free to hit me up. I've also got a lot of experience dealing with a disability that causes pain and fatigue at WDW so I can answer questions in that area too if you need it. Weirdly enough, they though I had RA for a really long time since it runs in my family but it turned out to be something else entirely.

I'm not sure if you've decided whether you're going to stay onsite at Universal, but I'm not entirely sure it's worth it IMO. The only really real benefit I can see is the early entry into WWoHP, and you can probably negate that by going on a weekday at park opening and hitting that section first thing. The express pass can sometimes be useful, but it doesn't work in the WWoHP area of the park, right now, unfortunately, and some days you won't need that at all since crowds will be low that time of year. If it were me, I'd save the money and go to MNSSHP instead, but I may be a little biased. The hotels at Universal are nice, but not $300 a night nice. I think they need a little more to justify the price.

Hi!! Yay for girl Geeks!!! I'll be posting another more involved TR when I got to Chicago Comic Con next more, so keep an eye out for that.

I have a coworker who recently went down to Orlando for work (my company has an office in Maitland, FL a suburb of Orland) and couldn't resist WWoHP. She said because everyone goes there all the other rides are basically walk on's. So we won't need the Express pass. Also I think we're going to stay at the Double Tree for $99/night for one night.

I got a side job and I'm making some nice extra cash, so I think I will shell out the extra moolah for MNSSHP. I may ask DF to pay for my ticket as my birthday present.

 

[YukiPhnx]

Andrew bought me an Elvis Stitch pin on our trip! I love it, but the back rubber thing keeps falling off...

Another geek girl has joined our ranks, woohoo!

 

[smileycrissy]

OMG he's sooo cute. That's is true love right there lady!

I used to have McDonalds Happy Meal toy of Elvis Stitch. I need to find that little guy. About 5 years ago, I gave up my room to my uncle who has a stroke and I had to pack up all my knick-knacks and put them in the basement. He's down there somewhere. Probably cold, sadly singing "Love Me Tender" haha.

Gasp! You must find him and he must travel with you, Steve, and Yoda.

 

[PennyLane1084]

Gasp! You must find him and he must travel with you, Steve, and Yoda.

Crissy I have a new mission for the summer. I WILL find him!!

 

[PennyLane1084]

Yesterday I remembered that my has a voucher for a seat on Southwest Airlines that has to be used by the end of this year or it will go to waste. I asked my mom she is not going to use it. Soooo....I can use it to fly to Orlando and she was totally cool with that.

If you'll remember my faithful readers, I received Mickey Mail months back containing....

and

I apologize for the crappy quality, this is from my laptop's webcam.

I have not cancelled my spot on the DME.

So here's the tentative plan:

Since I have the october 19 off anyways, spend that day packing and cleaning the apartment

Fly out on October 20 in the morning and catch DME to POP Century.

Check into Double Tree by Universal on the 25.
(In case you didn't know the Dark Side really DOES have cookies. They give them to you when you check in. And they are delicious!!!)

Possibly rent a car for the time in Florida post Disney. If I remember correctly there is a car rental place at the Yatch Club I believe it may be a Budget or Alamo. Need to research this.

Also coming soon.....Get your Delorian, we're going back in time.....to the Renaissance. A report from the Bristol Renaissance Faire.

 

[PennyLane1084]

Remember waaaay back in November when I was originally planning the girls trip was my grandma and my cousin Mia, and my aunt said we had to move the dates around because she was going to North Carolina. Here is a refresher

Well I was looking through old post on my PTR the other day and realized, SHE NEVER DID GO TO NORTH CAROLINA!!!!! I always say that people never see or care how their actions effect others around them. This is a perfect example.

I could have taken Mia and my Grandmother on the girls trip after all. That means that Steve could have drove down, surprised me and proposed the way he really wanted to. I'm not saying I regret the trip with just me and Steve or the way he ended up proposing to me. I just drives me a little crazy is all. Does one understand what I mean or am I just expecting to much from people?

 

[YukiPhnx]

So awesome that your mom had that flight!!! DME is awesome. You're instantly in all of that Disney stuff. Even with signs everywhere, Andrew and I had a hard time finding it...

Why would you need to rent a car if you're heading to Universal? Doubletree is like RIGHT THERE unless you also plan on going to other places? OTHER THAN WWOHP??? Just kidding.

Ugh about your aunt. Some people just don't get that the world doesn't revolve around them. At least you're still getting an awesome trip out of this!

Oh yeah, my blog is http://notyourcheese.org

The latest posts are about Montreal, which I just copy pasta-ed from here. I'll be putting up some new stuff, but feel free to look through my categories on the right side.

 

[PennyLane1084]

Thanks for the link Yuki! I will check it out. True i don't think we'll actually need a rental car now that I think about it.

 

[PennyLane1084]

I was just on AllEars.net looking through the special seminars that will be offered during F & W. There are a few that really intrigue me.

Here's the list if anyone interested

Sweet Sundays, Kitchen Memories, and the Tequila Tastings intrigue me the most. I'd only pick one, and this is usually what happened to me when I drink tequila:

 

[PennyLane1084]

OOOO Just realized Sorcerer Mickey is a little more than half way past the middle of my Ticker!!! I'm a bit excited to say the least.

 

[PennyLane1084]

How much do you peeps usually bring for spending money?? How much cash would you estimate I bring with. I have been to the World since debit cards are the norm. Back in the day my mom ALWAYS paid everything was Travelers Checks. I assume most places take cards and the little carts with souvenirs take cash only.

 

[YukiPhnx]

Aww, that pic of the chicks is SO CUTE.

Hm....I actually brought cash (cause I needed to convert my money to USD anyways) and then used my KTTW for all my purchases and then paid it off every night when I came back. I kept the cash in the safe during the day.

Um....I know I brought $300 for souvenirs...and it wasn't enough. It MIGHT HAVE been enough if I didn't spend more than half of it on souvenirs FOR OTHER PEOPLE, but I'm thinking of bringing $400 with me on my next trip.

I have a list of MUST-HAVES when I go to Disney, and it's gotten longer now that I've been twice...but even if $400 seems like a lot, I'd rather have money left over, than to not have been able to get that something I REALLY wanted, you know? Especially since I only go once every....3-5 years (I need to shorten that).

All the carts we came across accepted cards. I hear there's....1 or 2 in MK that don't. But the majority of them should. It's usually a snack cart, and if they don't accept cards, you can try the next one?

All the F&W carts are guaranteed to accept cards. You can even get a special gift card to load up for it.

 

[PennyLane1084]

Today Crocs is celebrating the company's birthday by giving 15% off all order. I found these new Mickey Crocs ordered them!!!

 

[PennyLane1084]

Aww, that pic of the chicks is SO CUTE.

Hm....I actually brought cash (cause I needed to convert my money to USD anyways) and then used my KTTW for all my purchases and then paid it off every night when I came back. I kept the cash in the safe during the day.

Um....I know I brought $300 for souvenirs...and it wasn't enough. It MIGHT HAVE been enough if I didn't spend more than half of it on souvenirs FOR OTHER PEOPLE, but I'm thinking of bringing $400 with me on my next trip.

I have a list of MUST-HAVES when I go to Disney, and it's gotten longer now that I've been twice...but even if $400 seems like a lot, I'd rather have money left over, than to not have been able to get that something I REALLY wanted, you know? Especially since I only go once every....3-5 years (I need to shorten that).

All the carts we came across accepted cards. I hear there's....1 or 2 in MK that don't. But the majority of them should. It's usually a snack cart, and if they don't accept cards, you can try the next one?

All the F&W carts are guaranteed to accept cards. You can even get a special gift card to load up for it.

What I'm trying to do now is budget how much I want to spend on food per day. I've been looking at AllEars.net and trying to estimate approximately how much we'll need for food each day according to menu prices. It's a good think I know how Steve eats, I pretty much know what he'd order at each restaurant.

I remember my parents doing this each night the last trip we went on. Every night they would sit at table in our hotel room and figure out if they stayed in the budget for the day. Then they would say "oh look, we came in $50 under budget. Now we can get some extra souvenirs." I think my main problem is going to be impulse sending. I think I might need Steve hold all the money. He's much better at resisting temptations.

 

[YukiPhnx]

Today Crocs is celebrating the company's birthday by giving 15% off all order. I found these new Mickey Crocs ordered them!!!

How interesting....their birthday is the same day as CANADA'S birthday, cause that's what it's celebrating on the Canadian website. Makes me wonder if it's really the company's birthday....or it was a way to spread the discount? Oh wells. Cute crocs! I don't think I'd ever wear it out in public though...Not a fan of the clogs.

What I'm trying to do now is budget how much I want to spend on food per day. I've been looking at AllEars.net and trying to estimate approximately how much we'll need for food each day according to menu prices. It's a good think I know how Steve eats, I pretty much know what he'd order at each restaurant.

I remember my parents doing this each night the last trip we went on. Every night they would sit at table in our hotel room and figure out if they stayed in the budget for the day. Then they would say "oh look, we came in $50 under budget. Now we can get some extra souvenirs." I think my main problem is going to be impulse sending. I think I might need Steve hold all the money. He's much better at resisting temptations.

Ok, I totally see what you're trying to do. I did the same thing when I was planning.

Well, this is what I did. I budgeted $10 for each meal, and $5 for each snack. So for the two of us, we would be eating 3 meals (sharing) and 2 snacks. Which means about $40 a day for the both of us. Plus, if we didn't eat 3 meals a day, we could have more snacks! I knew snacks start at $3, but I gave it $5 anyways.

We also brought foods for breakfast. I brought my fave Vector energy bars and got Andrew those Oreo cakesters. We also brought a few cups of cup noodles for late night snacking so we didn't have to leave the room.

In the end, we only really shared 2 meals a day and on average, had 1 snack a day. We actually...didn't have "real" meals most of the time we were there, other than WCC and Boma (which you'll learn of soon). I think...the only QS meal we had was when we were in Epcot....at Sunshine Seasons and England's fish and chips stand. Ok, I'm rambling.

ANYWAYS, don't forget that the portions are HUGE. There are also TONS OF snacking options. I mean, there are cheese-filled pretzels and corn dog nuggets and turkey legs! Each one of those was a meal for us. You'll also be eating at F&W. I hear it's pretty pricey if you're aiming to get full from the food. My bbf went last year, and between the 2 of them, they spent about $100.

I know what you mean about impulse spending. But think of it as, when the money is gone, IT'S GONE. Forget that you have a debit card to take out more money. That's all you have and if you spend it all impulsively, you might regret it. Actually....I would recommend leaving your credit and debit card at home and put your room charges on Steve's card.