First Timers in October

[burnsurvivor]

Hello GLBT family.

First off, I am new here on the boards and wanted to say that I think it's great that there is a special section for the "Family". I am sure I missed ALL the uproar when this board was introduced, but, we do have our mixed bag of challenges don't we???

Well, let me introduce myself, I (Jen) am 43 and live in Portland Oregon with my partner of 7 years (Linda).

We are taking our first trip October 19th through the 27th (anybody going during this time?). We were supposed to have gone May of 2005, but, as you can see by my sign on name, I had a little "accident" and I was burned last year. My bathrobe caught on fire and I went up like a tiki torch. Suffice to say, time in the burn unit, and 3 skin grafts later, we only just now able to FINALLY go. I am doing great now and have healed beyond anyone's expectations!!! They tell me at the hospital that it was a miraculous healing...Now it's time to CELEBRATE!!!!

Anyway, has anyone gone in October? What is the weather like? Weather is still a pretty "iffy" thing for me (lots of hats and spf 30), and I am not sure how the humidity (is it high near the end of October?) is going to affect me (my scar tissue wigs out a bit...I won't describe it...too wierd!).

We are staying at POFQ...sounds like a nice place. Has anyone stayed there...and requested one bed? Any one catch any "tude"?

So these two "virgins" are on their way to the World soon and we are very excited.

Any advice, comments, etc...

Happy to see you all in here

Jen

 

[BigTiggerGuy]

Hi Jen!
Glad to hear you are doing well and I hope you have a great time visiting the World!
I went last year Oct 1-6 and it was HOT Probably in the high 80's to low 90's almost every day.
We stayed at POR and loved it. We are heading back in February(4-8) and were originally going to stay at AKL but we now have 2 friends joining us and they really want to stay at POFQ so we are more than happy to make the switch(plus save some cash......Segway tour here we come!)

Anyway, have a great time and enjoy some well deserved happiness!

 

[donald...really]

Hi Jen,

Congratulations on your recovery! That is good news! And you certainly are in for some well desereved fun!

Belive it or not, there really wasn't much of an uproar when this board went up. A few people were wondering why gays and lesbians needed their own board. But other than that, nothing major.

The best advice I can give a couple of people going to The World is to DO YOUR HOMEWORK (which it seems you are doing by reading this board). Get the Bob Sehlinger Guide to Walt Disney World and read it cover to cover (OK, you can skip over the parts that don't directly pertain to you, like travelling with kids, etc. But read the rest.) Disney World is bigger and busier than you can ever imagine, and if you are not prepared you will waste a lot of time and money.

The other piece of advice I can give is figure out what your priorities are. Is this a "Ride as many Rides as I can" trip? Or is it a "Get some rest and relaxation, read a good book, stop and smell the roses, and check out a ride or two in your spare time" kind of trip? Or something in between? Knowing this will help you out with your planning and set the tone for your trip.

Since you are going in October, you must not miss the Epcot Food and Wine Festival. And you also might want to check out Micke's Not So Scary Halloween Party. These are two special events that take place this time of year.

That should get you started.

Oh, and no, there shouldn't be any "tude" about you and your partner sharing a bed. There is very little "tude" towards gay people at WDW. MANY MANY MANY cast members at Disney are gay. You will be fine!

 

[Psychometrika]

Many CMs? From what I can tell MOST. lol. Or perhaps I just have a keen interest in the matter.

October is a mixed bag. It can be hot, it can, in RARE instances be cooler. I'd expect highs in the 80's minimally. As Florida heats up and stays hotter ever longer, I'd say 90's in the parks during the day is a distinct possibility/probability. Why they can't plant more shade trees is beyond me. With global warming, I'm sure they'll be putting domes over the parks in 50 years or nobody will go.

Enjoy Epcots F&W Festival...It's AWESOME, if hard on the waistline. The little tasts around the world are no more expensive than say Chicago's Taste.

Congrats on the recovery and on the trip! Enjoy! Portland's a great place.

 

[Szymanbeck]

Hi Jen,

Detroit MI here. On behalf of my partner and myself we would like to congratulate you on our recovery. I am sure that the road was difficult at times but you have prevailed and now you can celebrate at WDW. Kudos.

We will be at SSR from Oct 13 - 21 with my partners family. We went last year around the same time with my family and loved it. Last year it was very cool, low to mid 70's but that was due to Wilma passing across the state. We are anticipating mid to high 80's and plan on bringing plenty of sunscreen.

I think that you will have a great time, the kingdom is a wonderful place and very accomidating do the LGBT community. In total we have been to WDW 3 times since we have been together (5 years this week) and we have never been treated disrespectfully by any CM.

Congrats again and enjoy. Perhaps we will run into each other at the Epcot wine festival. Look for me I will be the handsome one.

 

[RickinNYC]

Hi Jen, welcome to the DIS! You'll find a lot of great information and make some pretty neat friends both here on the g/l board and throughout the DIS in general.

Glad to know all is going well with your recovery. Sounds like you have a great outlook.

In terms of the time you and your partner will be traveling to WDW, my partner and I have been there at that time more times than we can count. There are a whole host of reasons, one of which is smaller crowds to some extent, and the much loved Food and Wine Festival. Plus, the weather is generally fantastic, with warm days and comfortable nights. It can get hot but certainly not along the lines of summer. Humidity is much lower as well. But remember, we're talking about Florida so this entire assessment can get blown out of the water.

As for POFQ, that's our favorite moderate resort. It's MUCH smaller than all of the others and all rooms are close to the main building and the shuttle bus stop. It's got great theming and the pool (and requisite pool bar) are very cool! The only neg I can consider is that they only have a food court nowadays, no sit down restaurant.

FYI, they do have an alternate transportation source to Downtown Disney, i.e. a boat ride. Very nice, very relaxing and a nice alternative to riding buses all day.

Finally, when we travel to Disney, value, moderate OR delux, I always ask for a king bed if available. Don't ever feel uncomfortable doing so. We've never experienced anything negative when we've asked. Amusing, yes, but not ever negative.

Have a great trip!

 

[burnsurvivor]

Thanks for the warm welcome!!!

As for what we are envisioning for this trip...it has changed ALOT since I had the accident.

I used to be a Theme Park Commando (I took NO prisioners). My nickname was BULLET WOMAN .

Now I take things very slowly. Last theme park was this past July in California. We went to Six Flags Marine World...and it only took one coaster to make me sicker than a dog, so we decided to slow it down and just enjoy the shows and soak up the atmosphere.

Our plan at WDW is to just take it as it comes. We don't need to see and experience absolutely everything, in fact, we have been to "The Land" so many times, that most of the attractions there will be more "well, if the line is short and there's time". I know MK is bigger and different, so we will spend our time, just looking around and taking things at a pace that is comfortable for us.

I get tired just reading about "WDW"...I can't even fathom how large it really is...especially since I have only been a "Land Traveler" and never a "World Traveler".

The ideal weather would be mid to low eighties, but, we will adapt if necessary to higher temperatures. The bar at the pool sounds like a good place to begin.

We have all of our ADR's in place and we are ready to go...only (ONLY?!)...43 days!!!!

I will check in later...

Jen (and Linda)

 

[OrlandoMike]

Do your homework on duplicate rides that are both at the Land and the World.

Some are better in California, some are exactly the same, and some are better in Florida. For example.....

Most people prefer the Pirates in California.

Soarin is exactly the same.

And Tower of Terror is much better in Florida.


If you do your homework on this, you could save a lot of time avoiding rides that are duplicated in both parks.

The weather should be nice, and there are plenty of Air Conditioned shows to duck into.

Good Luck!

Mike

 

[barrie]

Hi Jen - Welcome to the DIS. Another Portlander here. What part of town are you in? I live in NE, close-in.

Have a great time in Florida. It should be a great time to go. It doesn't matter what you do, you're sure to have fun. Barrie