Give me an AP & look what happens - 2 for 1 PTR!! NEW 3/11 p.63 TR Link

[mommytothreeboys]

Sending thoughts and prayers your way.

 

[Angies1274]

Amy--I'm so sorry for your loss.

 

[Lovemy3babes]

I've been scarce Amy but I'm so sorry for your family's loss.

 

[DisMomAmy]

Sending thoughts and prayers your way.

Amy--I'm so sorry for your loss.

Thank you!! I'm happy to say that DMIL is coming home today! The boys are so excited!!

 

[DisMomAmy]

I've been scarce Amy but I'm so sorry for your family's loss.

Thank you!!

How was your trip???

I love your new ticker!

 

[Lovemy3babes]

Thank you!!

How was your trip???

I love your new ticker!

Hey lady!! The trip was great! Different without kids but still really great! Tried some new things, ate at new places. How about you? How was yours? Did you update here, should I page back and read?

I love your tickers more! They are sooner!! Haha!!!

 

[DisMomAmy]

Hey lady!! The trip was great! Different without kids but still really great! Tried some new things, ate at new places. How about you? How was yours? Did you update here, should I page back and read?

I love your tickers more! They are sooner!! Haha!!!

Glad to hear you had a nice trip!! I'm writing a trip report... link in my signature. Hope to see you over there!

 

[Lovemy3babes]

Glad to hear you had a nice trip!! I'm writing a trip report... link in my signature. Hope to see you over there! [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

Headed over now! Thanks for the heads up.

 

[brookelizabeth]

Hey lady!! The trip was great! Different without kids but still really great! Tried some new things, ate at new places. How about you? How was yours? Did you update here, should I page back and read?

I love your tickers more! They are sooner!! Haha!!!

Are YOU doing a TR?

 

[DisMomAmy]

Headed over now! Thanks for the heads up.

Are YOU doing a TR?

Ditto what Brook said!

 

[DisMomAmy]

Four months from today we'll be on our way to Tampa!! We'll spend three days with DBIL Jeff & family on the west coast of Florida. Then on Sunday 2/27 we'll make our way to Orlando for seven days in the most magical place in the world!!

To get back on track with part two of this PTR, here's a recap of what we've done so far:

So far we have airfare, park tickets and ADRs. I have my AP & I purchased park tickets for Tim & the boys in mid-July to avoid the price increase. I used the Mousesavers link to Undercover Tourist & saved about $70!

On August 17th I purchased our airline tickets through Southwest. It was an interesting morning with most of the Spectrum Moms looking for tickets for the January trip as well. Southwest released the tickets much earlier in the day than expected so there was a bit of a scramble but it all worked out well. I got our February & March tickets for $79 each way flying in/out of Tampa!!

Here’s the update I wrote about park tickets, airline tickets & resort:
http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=37717085&postcount=62

If you’ve read my previous PTR/TRs, you know we usually have extended family along with us at Disney. Well here’s the update I wrote about “no tag-alongs”:
http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=37750967&postcount=74

After March park hours were released this was my plan for our itinerary & ADRs:
http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=37989521&postcount=176

And after making ADRs, making back-up ADRs, thinking it over & cancelling extras, here’s where we stand:
http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=38112193&postcount=238

This post is dated 9/6 & I haven’t made any changed since! We still need to decide between Teppan Edo & Le Cellier for Monday 2/28 & Saturday 3/5. I would prefer to eat at Teppan Edo first since it’s Zach’s pick and I don’t want to risk missing it or feel tied to it later in the week. But if the Le Cellier menu changes too much after 3/1 (when it goes signature), we want to go early in the week before it changes.

That's it for now!! We won't be able to make our resort reservation until around Christmas but in the meantime we can talk about park goals!!

 

[Native NYer]

You have gotten a lot done.
You got a great deal on airfare.
Do you usually do Early Bird Check-In for SW? We're using them for the first time next month and purchased EBCI. I'm still trying to decide if we should use SW next summer when I travel with my nephews. I need to make sure there's an adult with each of them.

 

[DisMomAmy]

You have gotten a lot done.
You got a great deal on airfare.
Do you usually do Early Bird Check-In for SW? We're using them for the first time next month and purchased EBCI. I'm still trying to decide if we should use SW next summer when I travel with my nephews. I need to make sure there's an adult with each of them.

I used early bird check-in for my return flight from Disney on 10/3. We didn't buy it for our flights down & ended up with A60 & B11 or something like that. Our return flights with EBCI had us up near the front of the A section (20 something). I think it's worth it for the return flights because more people buy it knowing they won't be able to check in right at the 24 hour mark.

We won't buy it for our Feb/March trip because we usually pre-board because of the boys' autism. It's nice to have a little more space and not be so rushed to get on the plane. They usually start boarding the A people right after the pre-board so it doens't give too much extra time, but enough to keep us from getting trampled.

How old are your nephews? If they are 4 or under, Southwest offers family boarding after the A section to ensure little ones aren't sitting alone. Unfortunatley they think it's OK for a 5 year old to sit alone.

In general I would recommend EBCI for return flights.

 

[Lovemy3babes]

Ditto what Brook said!

lol!!! I'm not going to write one this time around. I had a great time though!

 

[Lovemy3babes]

This post is dated 9/6 & I haven’t made any changed since! We still need to decide between Teppan Edo & Le Cellier for Monday 2/28 & Saturday 3/5. I would prefer to eat at Teppan Edo first since it’s Zach’s pick and I don’t want to risk missing it or feel tied to it later in the week. But if the Le Cellier menu changes too much after 3/1 (when it goes signature), we want to go early in the week before it changes.

That's it for now!! We won't be able to make our resort reservation until around Christmas but in the meantime we can talk about park goals!!

I missed the Le Cellier change. Signature? So that means 2 credits? Ugh.

 

[DisMomAmy]

lol!!! I'm not going to write one this time around. I had a great time though!

Oh well... maybe next time!

I missed the Le Cellier change. Signature? So that means 2 credits? Ugh.

Yes - In March dinner at Le Cellier will become Signature. Two credits for dinner, but it will still only be one for lunch. I'm anxious to see if they change the menu at all. I can't imagine they can serve the same food at lunch and dinner and charge two credits for dinner. We'll see...

 

[brookelizabeth]

You have a ton done! And no changes?!?! I'm impressed! Usually my trip changes a few times before I even book any part of it.

lol!!! I'm not going to write one this time around. I had a great time though!

Aw, bummer, I really enjoyed your last TR!! I understand though - it's a lotta work! So glad to hear you had a great time!

 

[DisMomAmy]

You have a ton done! And no changes?!?! I'm impressed! Usually my trip changes a few times before I even book any part of it.

Aw, bummer, I really enjoyed your last TR!! I understand though - it's a lotta work! So glad to hear you had a great time!

I probably haven't made any changes because I was focused on the fall trip... We'll see how it goes over the next few months as the trip gets closer!

 

[DisMomAmy]

I'm sure I've explained this before, but for any new readers here's the deal with our timeshare...

We own a week in November at a timeshare in Maine... that we've never used. My parents bought it years ago with the intention of using it to exchange for other resorts. When Tim & I got married, they gave it to us. It's fully paid for with the exception of the annual fees that we pay every January. Those fees are around $300 and it costs us an addition $150 - $200 to exchange for another location. So for less than $500 we can get a week in a 2 bedroom condo in Orlando.

We have stayed at several different condos over the years dating as far back as 1997. Our favorites are Marriott Grande Vista & Sheraton Vistana Resort. Both were beautiful condos at beautiful resorts, but Sheraton Vistana was REALLY close to the parks so that's our first choice for this year.

The problem we have is that our resort is ranked low. Somehow the timeshare exchange companies (ours is Interval International) rate the resorts and try to have you exchange with similarly valued resorts. We are definitely not as nice as a Marriott or Sheraton. The good news is that at 60 days prior to check-in, they open up these nice resorts to us. That puts us at late December before we can make our trade.

Well today I decided to log on to Interval's website (which I do from time to time), just to see what's available to exchange. To my surprise Sheraton Vistana Resort was available for our week in February/March!!!

​

I knew they were making improvements to our home resort in Maine but I hadn't heard that our rating had improved!!!

So we'll be staying at the Sheraton Vistana Resort from Sunday 2/27 - Sunday 3/6.

Here are the pictures I previously posted:

Some pictures I took (sorry some are dark & fuzzy):
Living room:

Kitchen:

Dining Room:

Master Bedroom:

Whirlpool/Tub in master bedroom:

Second bedroom:

Second bathroom:

Lots more pictures here: http://www.starwoodvacationownership.com/sheraton_vistana_resort/photos.jsp

I'm so happy that we have the resort confirmed!!! It's a little unsettling to be "homeless" in Orlando!

Up next: Park Goals

 

[Lovemy3babes]

Oh well... maybe next time!



Yes - In March dinner at Le Cellier will become Signature. Two credits for dinner, but it will still only be one for lunch. I'm anxious to see if they change the menu at all. I can't imagine they can serve the same food at lunch and dinner and charge two credits for dinner. We'll see...

Good to know lunch will stay one credit. I'm not big on "spending" two credits for one meal and Le Cellier is on my radar for next time. Thanks for the info Amy!

Aw, bummer, I really enjoyed your last TR!! I understand though - it's a lotta work! So glad to hear you had a great time!

Thanks Brook! This trip was different where I wasn't really involved in any of the planning. So, I sort of was a "wingman" and was along for the ride. It was certainly fun and I had a spectacular time with friends but not very TR-worthy, if that makes sense?