"Going to Disney for the weekend, BRB!" October 2011 PTR-Update 10/6-ONE DAY!!!!!

[bellebookworm9]

to my Pre-Trip Report! This is my second one, and although I am fully aware that it's far too early to plan much of anything, I'm here to share my excitement with you! The title of this PTR is going to be my Facebook status when we leave. Yes, I have already planned this out.

So, who am I, and who's coming with me?

Me: Gretchen. 19 years old, will be 20 by the time we get there (that sounds so old. ) I'm a speech pathology major at SUNY Geneseo, aka the public honors college of New York State. I love it here, and I'm in love with my major, as well!
Favorite Rides/Attractions: Splash Mountain, Soarin', Tower of Terror, Festival of the Lion King
Favorite TS Restaurant: Crystal Palace
Favorite CS Restaurant: Sunshine Seasons
Favorite "Nighttime Spectacular": IllumiNations, followed closely by Wishes


Mom: Debbie. 53, works as a team leader for an organization called Community Services. Not quite as addicted to Disney as I am, but getting closer!
Favorite Rides/Attractions: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Soarin', Test Track, Toy Story Mania, Festival of the Lion King.
Favorite TS Restaurant: Tie between 50s Prime Time Cafe, Le Cellier, and Crystal Palace.
Favorite CS Restaurant: Sunshine Seasons
Favorite "Nighttime Spectacular": IllumiNations, hands down.

Here's a picture of the two of us from our trip this past May.

You should also know that my hair is about a foot shorter now than it was in this picture, as I recently donated a foot of it to Locks of Love for the fourth time!

Some more info about the trip:
When: October 7-11, 2011 (Yeah, that's Columbus Day Weekend)
Where: Beach Club Villas!
How: Southwest Airlines and Magical Express
What: Food & Wine Festival & Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party!

Stay tuned for info about highlights from our last trip, how this trip came to be, and how we chose our dates and hotel!

 

[bellebookworm9]

Table of Contents
Links in blue are mostly trip related, links in purple are random updates that don't have to do with anything, links in orange are generally my thoughts on the 2010 Food & Wine Festival, links in pink are mostly "When I Was a Disney Newbie" flashbacks, and links in green are "One Year Ago Today".
*Some Background Info
*Dooney & Bourke/Harry Potter
*IllumiNations Score
*What would you do?
*We're booked!
*Harry Potter 7/Petition to Save SLP Program!
*Food & Wine Festival: Chile & Desserts & Champagne
*10 Month Mark/Food & Wine Festival: Brazil & Puerto Rico
*2013 Trip/Food & Wine Festival: Argentina & Mexico
*End of Semester/Holiday Happenings/Food & Wine Festival: Poland & China
*Merry Christmas!
*Unofficial Guide Hotel Ratings/Food & Wine Festival: South Korea and South Africa
*Food & Wine Festival: Singapore and Germany/Tickets/MNSSHP Costume
*Food & Wine Festival: Italy and Hops & Barley
*School/Costume/Food & Wine Festival: United States, Japan (sort of), and Australia
*Food & Wine Festival: Morocco & Belgium
*Halfway Point/Food & Wine Festival: Spain
*Flights Go On Sale Soon/Tentative Plans!
*Souvenirs I'd Like to Buy
*Townhouse/Food & Wine Festival: France
*Townhouse Selection/Flight Research/Touring Plans.com/Food & Wine Festival: Ireland
*When I Was a Disney Newbie, Day 1
*Food & Wine Festival: Canada and Charcuterie & Cheese
*When I Was a Disney Newbie, Day 2
*I Bought the Flights!
*Life Update/When I Was a Disney Newbie, Day 3, Part 1
*Park Hours Release Tomorrow/Registration/When I Was a Disney Newbie, Day 3, Part 2
*Rough Itinerary (Please help!)
*20th Birthday Fun!!
*Food & Wine Festival: Greece & New Zealand
*ADR Frustrations
*Wizarding World of Harry Potter/When I Was a Disney Newbie, Day 4, Part 1
*When I Was a Disney Newbie, Day 4, Part 2
*When I Was a Disney Newbie, Days 5 & 6
*Brief Life/Trip Update
*One Year Ago Today: Arrival
*One Year Ago Today: Magic Kingdom Round 1
*One Year Ago Today: Blizzard Beach & Ohana
*Important Things are Paid For!
*New Dinner ADR!
*Trip Related Ramblings
*Pre-Arrival/Arrival Day Plans
*Day 2 Plans
*Food & Wine Festival News!
*Flight Prices Dropped a Ton!
*Gift Basket!
*New Camera
*99 Days!/DHS Pics from Last Year!
*Flights Dropped Again!/Day 3 Plans
*Day 4 Plans
*Crafty Things/Harry Potter
*Official 2011 Food & Wine Picks/Guess Which Resort
*Tickets are Purchased/Day 5 Plans
*Townhouse Pictures/Official Countdown
*12 Days & To-Do List!
*SINGLE DIGIT DANCE TIME!
*ONE DAY LEFT!!!!

 

[bellebookworm9]

Now for some background info. Mom and I spent twelve fantastic days at Kidani Village-AKL this past May. For all of our fun shenanigans from that trip, check out the link in my sig. I will put some highlights here, though.

*Paying $318.20 round trip for airfare
*Paying $1350 for 11 nights in a Kidani Village studio (I love renting DVC points!)
*Making rope drop every morning we planned to (minus one morning)
*Getting Mom to go on Big Thunder Mountain, and her loving it!
*Beating Mom at Buzz Lightyear-TWICE!
*Being second in line to meet the fairies at Toontown
*Being the first person on Toy Story Mania
*Riding Soarin' for the first time
*Seeing Festival of the Lion King and Finding Nemo: The Musical for the first time

12 days is a long time, and as much as I love Disney, I was ready to come home. Not more than a month later though, I was itching to go back! We wanted to try a different time of year, but being a college student, our options are kind of limited. I refuse to go for Thanksgiving/Christmas/Easter/June/July/August. Early January would be too cold. Okay, that leaves us with fall. Perfect! We've never done Food & Wine Festival or the Halloween Party. I honestly had no interest in the F&WF until recently, when I started updating the categorized food picture thread and seeing all the deliciousness that occurs!

My school is great in that in addition to having Columbus Day off, we also get that Tuesday off. Our plan is for Mom to come get me Thursday, fly out on Friday morning/afternoon, fly back Tuesday, and come back to school on Wednesday. Hectic, but I'm excited! (It would probably be easier to fly out of Rochester, but Southwest only flies out of Buffalo. That alone makes the extra driving worth it). I start my clinic practicum next fall, but I talked to my advisor today. She said there's no clinic on Fridays anyway, and as long as I let my clients know in advance that I won't be there that Wednesday, all will be well!

Now, how did we choose Beach Club Villas? Well, we absolutely loved Kidani and wouldn't hesitate to stay there again. But, we also want to try something different, and since our time will be limited, we figured an Epcot resort would be good. (I am also convinced that renting DVC points is the way to go. It's cheaper than a value resort in most cases!) So that brought us to Boardwalk or Beach Club. Boardwalk standard view would be cheaper, but it's also a slightly longer walk to Epcot, the standard rooms are apparently few in number and far away from central amenities, and I'm really not a fan of the clown slide. Alright, so Beach Club it is! It's still not that expensive (we also considered Port Orleans French Quarter, but BCV was still cheaper), it's super close to International Gateway, there are no separate view categories, and you really can't go wrong with Stormalong Bay! I've made a deal with a DVC owner who will book for us as soon as the 11 month window opens on November 7. I'll be sure to update when that happens!

 

[Wish Upon A Star]

I love your enthusiasm! Seriously! I'm glad I'm not the only one who just goes to WDW on a whim for a weekend . . . DH and I do that a lot, he's actually trying to make me book a trip for 12/11 - 12/13 . . . I keep saying . . but we just went Columbus Day and we're going in Feb and in April and then who knows when . . .he's trying to entice me with all the beautiful Christmas decorations and with the Osborne Lights . . .he might just win . .

 

[bellebookworm9]

I love your enthusiasm! Seriously! I'm glad I'm not the only one who just goes to WDW on a whim for a weekend . . . DH and I do that a lot, he's actually trying to make me book a trip for 12/11 - 12/13 . . . I keep saying . . but we just went Columbus Day and we're going in Feb and in April and then who knows when . . .he's trying to entice me with all the beautiful Christmas decorations and with the Osborne Lights . . .he might just win . .

I'd love to go for the Christmas season, in early-mid December. The problem is that it's finals time. I plan on moving to Florida eventually, and then I can just go to the parks whenever! Did you happen to be at the F&WF the Saturday and Sunday of Columbus Weekend? Were the crowds bad? Touringplans.com rated them between 6-7, which is a bit higher than they were in May (4-6), but I keep hearing awful stories of 40 minute waits at the food booths...

 

[somethingblue]

Hey! I'm planning on a girls trip with my friend Elizabeth for that same weekend! October 7th-11th. I'm also interested in renting DVC points...could you maybe give me a referral for the person you rented from last time? If you could give me some tips about how to rent successfully I'd greatly appreciate it!

 

[bellebookworm9]

As a college student, the best e-mails to receive are the ones that say YOU HAVE A PACKAGE. I got two of those today, so I thought I'd share the items contained in said packages with you! (One of them does relate to Disney).

The first has a back story. For those of you who do not know, Dooney & Bourke (a handbag company) has teamed up with Disney to make purses/wallets/totes. We saw many of the "Sketch" pattern variety while at Disney in May. The prohibitive cost ($160) for the average size purse turned me off of them, though I did like the pattern.
Fast forward several months. In July, a new variety of "Sketch" came out. It was a cross body bag, and instead of plain white, they were now available in color.

I liked them, but the $155 price tag was still too much. I considered a wristlet for about $50, but I felt that would be annoying and not hold enough. Well, in recent months my current purse (which was $12 from KMart, and I've had it for about two years now) has started to die, as in the lining is completely destroyed. So I caved. I found out the cross body bags also come in purple, and I went ahead and found one on ebay for $156, including shipping. It arrived today. While a little smaller than expected, it's still roomy enough to hold what I need it to, with the exception of my wallet. I need to go buy a smaller one. The pattern placement is excellent, especially in the back. I love it!

My other package consisted of the Harry Potter t-shirt I ordered to wear to the midnight premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which I will be attending with my two good friends on November 19th. Even better, my first two classes for that day have been canceled because my professor has a convention to go to. So I won't feel guilty about skipping class to sleep! I saw this design as a piece of flair on Facebook several months ago, and when I was looking for a t-shirt and saw it, I knew it was the one! (It's from Hot Topic).

So those were my exciting packages! Now I'm heading off to watch the Rocky Horror GLEE show with my best friend (since we were both busy Tuesday night). Until my next post, I leave you with this video. World of Color-Disney's California Adventure. I found it last night, and I'm still in awe. I would go to Disneyland just to see this. It's the full 30 minute show in one video (still not sure how the person got around the 10 minute rule), and though it takes a while to load, it's so worth it!

 

[bellebookworm9]

One of my biggest dreams came true Monday evening: I have a PDF copy of the original concept score for IllumiNations! Now, the problem is printing it. It is set on mega long paper, and Lulu doesn't have paper that big. Kinkos (FedEx) says the file size is too big to upload-it's 280ish MB. Anyone know of any other printing methods?

 

[bellebookworm9]

I recently found out that I will be getting more money back from school than I thought. What would you do with it and why? The choices right now are:
1) Cirque du Soleil
2) Hoop de doo Revue
3) A meal at a signature restaurant (probably Jiko or Artist Point)

 

[wdwgirl03]

Saw your post on my PTR and decided to come on over!

Yay for staying at the BC! We stayed there a couple years ago and it's so nice there. We loved using the entrance at the International Gateway. October is also a great time to go! In '06 my dad, sister and I went over our college's fall break (we did end up missing one day of classes though...OH WELL though!) and got to go to the Halloween party. It was also our first time going as DVC members so that was a good trip.

You know I love love LOVE your D&B! I really want one for myself (already have the wristlet) but I have way too many purses.

Cool Harry Potter t-shirt! It's funny, some girls I work with were talking about the Hot Topic shirts. I think I might order one from the Universal site to wear when we go.

Anyway, can't wait to hear more of your plans.

 

[bellebookworm9]

Saw your post on my PTR and decided to come on over!

Yay for staying at the BC! We stayed there a couple years ago and it's so nice there. We loved using the entrance at the International Gateway. October is also a great time to go! In '06 my dad, sister and I went over our college's fall break (we did end up missing one day of classes though...OH WELL though!) and got to go to the Halloween party. It was also our first time going as DVC members so that was a good trip.

You know I love love LOVE your D&B! I really want one for myself (already have the wristlet) but I have way too many purses.

Cool Harry Potter t-shirt! It's funny, some girls I work with were talking about the Hot Topic shirts. I think I might order one from the Universal site to wear when we go.

Anyway, can't wait to hear more of your plans.

Hi! We are very excited about BCV. Today is the day that my owner was supposed to book, so I'm waiting for her e-mail saying it's all set...I'll be missing two days of classes, but I'm not too worried. We're also super excited about the Halloween Party and Food & Wine!

I am in love with my Dooney, and my mom really likes the medium tote in white sketch, but she isn't a fan of the price. She said perhaps she'll get one when we go down as a treat. She also thinks that since it's white she can't use it year round. I told her she's too anal about the "white between Memorial day and Labor day only" rule.

I really like my Harry Potter t-shirt. I didn't even think of looking on the Universal site!

 

[bellebookworm9]

Just got the e-mail from my DVC owner: we are booked at Beach Club Villas! I've requested a room on the 5th or 4th floor in that order. We're also hoping for a dedicated studio and a view of Epcot, but those aren't deal breakers.

This has been an excellent week! Our vacation is booked, I registered for classes this morning and got everything I wanted, I received a 93 on a test in a class I've been struggling with, and my friends and I are having a Thanksgiving meal on Saturday, which I just got back from shopping for!

 

[IheartDDuck]

I'm joining you.

I am booked at the Beach Club Villas from 10/8-10/15 next year with my best friend! This is going to be her first trip to the world, and she's super excited for the food and wine festival.

 

[bellebookworm9]

I'm joining you.

I am booked at the Beach Club Villas from 10/8-10/15 next year with my best friend! This is going to be her first trip to the world, and she's super excited for the food and wine festival.

Hi! That's really exciting to be going with your best friend! Perhaps we'll see each other!

 

[jenbear123]

Hi Gretchen! I'm following along on another planning adventure with you. Plans sound great so far! I'm amazed you've already booked for end of next year! I'm trying to plan a Land/Sea vacation with Bubba and my mom for next Oct or Nov 2011 but nowhere NEAR firming up plans the way you have already

 

[bellebookworm9]

Hi Gretchen! I'm following along on another planning adventure with you. Plans sound great so far! I'm amazed you've already booked for end of next year! I'm trying to plan a Land/Sea vacation with Bubba and my mom for next Oct or Nov 2011 but nowhere NEAR firming up plans the way you have already

Yeah, we had to book super early! There were several reasons as to why though: 1)BCV is relatively small 2)It's very popular 3)It's right next to the F&WF 4)We're going over a holiday weekend. You also *just* got back; I started planning a couple months after we got back. A land/sea vacation-how exciting! The Fantasy sets sail 5 days after my 21st birthday, and I'm kind of hoping I can figure out a way to set sail to celebrate!

 

[leshunlenese]

Hey, i realized i read your last TR. You have the same idea i had this year, i went columbus weekend which was also my fall break. I did not think it was that crowded at all, ive seen worse and i love your purse, i could not bring myself to pay that much for one before, i did not even think about ebay!. im planning next dec. could you tell me how did it go renting DVC points, i would like to do that but im a little worried, is it possible for you to tell me some people you have rented from before? Also congrats on your test, i know how that can be!

 

[bellebookworm9]

Hey, i realized i read your last TR. You have the same idea i had this year, i went columbus weekend which was also my fall break. I did not think it was that crowded at all, ive seen worse and i love your purse, i could not bring myself to pay that much for one before, i did not even think about ebay!. im planning next dec. could you tell me how did it go renting DVC points, i would like to do that but im a little worried, is it possible for you to tell me some people you have rented from before? Also congrats on your test, i know how that can be!

Welcome! I've been hearing mixed reports about Columbus Day weekend; some say it's crowded, some say it's not, some say they've seen other weekends in October that are even more busy. I really like the D&B purse. Definitely go check out ebay; you can find some "used" ones in very good condition for cheap! I'll send you a PM about the DVC points.

 

[Eight]

I love that you have your Facebook status planned already, since I may the sort of person who does that too...

That's great that you got your room booked already! I'm not very familiar with the Epcot area resorts, so can you walk to Epcot from there?

I also love your Harry Potter shirt. I'm pretty excited for that movie to come out, to say the least.

 

[IheartDDuck]

Yeah, we had to book super early! There were several reasons as to why though: 1)BCV is relatively small 2)It's very popular 3)It's right next to the F&WF 4)We're going over a holiday weekend. You also *just* got back; I started planning a couple months after we got back. A land/sea vacation-how exciting! The Fantasy sets sail 5 days after my 21st birthday, and I'm kind of hoping I can figure out a way to set sail to celebrate!

You are totally right about having to book BCV early, especially during F&W. That was my whole thing with this trip, I made sure I made the reservations exactly 11 months out, because I wanted to be walking distance! That location will be so nice for you guys since you're only going to be there for the weekend.