I Can't BELIEEEEEVE I Did This!!!!!!An Oct PTR updated 9/24

[lurkernj]

Famous words from my current favorite, Rapunzel...


Welcome to my pre-trip report!


My name is Sherri, and I'm a Disney addict. This will be my 6th trip in 7 years, but only my 2nd trip report.

[URL=http://s1162.photobucket.com/user/sgzemski/media/IMG_0095.jpg.html][/URL]

I have managed to come up with multiple ways/excuses to get myself to Disney each time, but this trip takes the cake. I have committed to running the TOT 10 mile race. That's right, I have completely lost my marbles and didn't really think past the part of getting the green light from DH. Now I guess I have to follow through and actually run the race(and some sort of training beforehand). I'm really not much into running, so this should be quite the experience.


A little background info, I'm a 45 yr old mom of two teenage boys (16/19) who are done with Disney. We've done two trips with the 4 of us plus in-laws (gory details in my 2012 TR), I've also done two trips with my BFF, and one alone with my younger DS when he was 11. We've also been to Disneyland twice when the kids were much younger.



My DH likes Disney, but only likes to go every few years, and also doesn't like to be in the parks more than a few hours a day, which doesn't work well for me. We generally don't do Disney well together (we do other trips and are fine, Disney is our issue) and I said in my last report that I didn't think I'd be going with him for quite some time (I might've even said "ever"). Here we are at MNSSHP that same year.




Also in my last report, I mentioned that we ran the Halloween 5k and I wasn't too thrilled about it and said I wouldn't run another Disney race, yet here I am....committed.

I do however love the medal.

 

[lurkernj]

So a few details about this trip. This trip is just going to be DH and myself. I think he and I are in agreement that we have different Disney travel styles, so we decided it was best for both of us if I go a few days before him so I can get the commando thing out of my system before he gets there. I was going to head down on 9/28 and check into Pop, then he would join me at the Yacht club on 10/1 and we'd come home together on the 5th. I had it all planned out and had some rediculously cheap rates from the expedia uk site back in Feb, and the ebates/orbitz ticket deal that was like $100 cheaper than Disney.

Then a few weeks ago DH drops a business trip on me. He'll be in DC from 9/29-10/1. Wouldn't have affected me, but we have the 16 yr old home and he's not all that responsible (19 yr old will be away at college), and he can't be home alone from the 9/29-10/5. So I've been scrambling to move things around and flip my Pop stay to the other side of the Yacht club stay. DH can't come til 10/2, but I can't change my YC stay without losing my rate since it was booked by expedia (I'd have to cancel the whole thing and rebook). Also the YC shows no availability since it's TOT weekend. So I will head to the YC on 10/1 alone, DH will join me on 10/2. He will leave on 10/5, and I will move to Pop til 10/8. Yeah, little confusing, and stinks that we can't use his Southwest companion pass, but we have so many points it really doesn't matter much. So DS will be home from the 2nd to the 5th, but my in-laws will check in and make sure he gets to school(they live around the corner), I just didn't want to burden them for the whole week.

So the plan so far is as follows:

I arrive at YC on 10/1 solo for the night

DH joins me on 10/2, probably will get to YC around 10:30am

DH leaves on 10/5, gets picked up around noon

I move to Pop on 10/5 for three solo nights

I've never done a solo trip before, so I am sooooo excited for this part. I've had some time in the parks solo while on trips with other people and it was awesome, but to be completely solo, well, I just can't imagine

 

[MommaPeel]

I'm happy you got things worked out for your son and were able to rearrange your trip!

Good luck running the ToT race! That one is on my bucket list!

 

[lurkernj]

I'm happy you got things worked out for your son and were able to rearrange your trip!

Good luck running the ToT race! That one is on my bucket list!

Thanks for the response!!

I was pretty upset when DH dropped the business trip in there, and he was telling me I still should go those same dates, but I just wouldn't be able to relax with DS home. He's hard to keep track of and rarely has his phone on him, aside from no homework would get done. I will be much happier with this new plan, and DS will only be home 3 nights.

I will indeed need some luck on the race. More on that in a bit!

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Always great to see another ToT Pre Trip Report!

My husband & I are running the race together (although, we may end up in a fight before the end of it if the last 5k race we've done together is any clue)

Nice to have some solo time at the end of the trip!

 

[lurkernj]

So, let's get this show on the road.

Like a good Dis'er, I of course have my days planned out already, though it's still a little loose.

On Wed, Oct 1,

I will drop DS off at the bus stop at 6:40, then head to philly airport. This is about an hour and ten minutes. We're closer to Newark, but since we have tons of Southwest miles and they only go direct from philly, that's where it'll be. My flight is at 10:10a, so I hope to be at the airport by 8:30 (gotta park the car and get shuttle over there).

I'm scheduled to land at 12:55 and hope to be at the Yacht Club by 2:30. I've never stayed Deluxe before and am very much looking forward to this. I got a crazy good rate off of the UK expedia site (this apparently is completely legit-it even asked for my address and I gave it). They were running a special in February and I got a Garden view room for $217/nt including taxes!!!!!!! I also was able to link it to MDE and make my magic express res.

Once I'm checked in, I'm planning to head over to Epcot for some food/wine festival feasting. And OMG, I'm so excited about who is playing the Eat to the Beat concert that night......Air Supply! My husband is so glad he won't be there, frankly I'm pretty happy about that part too

And if I'm not too tired, I might head over to Magic kingdom to catch the MSEP and Wishes.

 

[lurkernj]

Always great to see another ToT Pre Trip Report!

My husband & I are running the race together (although, we may end up in a fight before the end of it if the last 5k race we've done together is any clue)

Nice to have some solo time at the end of the trip!

Welcome to the show!

We've already started fighting during our very few training sessions, we'll probably end up running separately. I really prefer to run/walk and have no interest in trying to run the whole thing, while he prefers the slow and steady running thing and leaves me in the dust, then gets mad when I turn off to head home

 

[lurkernj]

Last week DH and I decided that Saturday was going to be our "big" run and by that I mean maybe 5 miles (walk/run). Well, imagine my surprise when I was out walking with my bff on Friday and fell off a curb and sprained my ankle. Looking back now, I can laugh about it because it was so stupid the way it happened. We were on a blacktop paved walking path in a wooded area. There were some very loud leaf shuffling sounds coming from the woods, so we both turned our heads to look, next thing I know I'm laying on the ground and I heard a snap on the way down. It was two squirrels chasing each other very aggressively. Looking back now, I'm picturing Doug from Up with his squirrel distraction.

BFF called her husband to come get us. He said if we were at the pool drinking like we were supposed to be, this wouldn't have happened. He might be onto something there.

Things aren't too bad today, the ligament on the side is swollen, but I can limp around without much pain. I've never sprained an ankle before so I'm not sure how long these things last, I'm hoping to be at least walking a few miles by the weekend, but we'll see.

Anyways, moving onto some more trip plans...

For Thursday, Oct 2, DH will land around 9a, and hopefully be at Yacht Club by 10:30. My plan is to drop his stuff and head to Magic kingdom. We'll hit up a few rides, I haven't been on the mine train yet, so that's definitely in the plan. Haunted Mansion is both our favorites. I also am hoping to catch the Festival of Fantasy parade, since I've not seen that yet. DH isn't real big on parades, so we'll see about that. He also requires naps in the afternoon, so we'll probably hit up Carousel of Progress so he can doze off.


A little background on him...he had a pretty big stroke 4 years ago at the ripe old age of 41. He was very much into running before that happened, even did a marathon once(no reason was detected as to why this happened, pretty scary). After the stroke, he was left with a limp (pretty lucky to just have that considering where he started from). He was constantly complaining how much he missed running, when suddenly in January I thought "hmmm, I bet he'd let me go to Disney if I ran". So I started do a training plan on my Nike app and was up to 7 miles and lost 18 lbs in the first 3 months. Before you get all impressed, I have barely run at all since May and I've gained 3 lbs back. But anyway, I think he got a little jealous and it was enough to make him want to try again. He went to an orthopedist and got a brace for his leg, and off he went. He looks pretty awkward running, but at least he can do it now. He has his regular full-time job back, and doesn't actually nap there, but on weekends and vacations, it must happen.



So anyways, his one dining request was Ohana, so we have a reservation for 5pm. At the time, I was thinking we'd head back into Epcot for some wine, since he loves the Italy pavilian. Now I'm thinking I'm shortchanging Magic kingdom and am trying to move it back to 6:30p and if we make it to Epcot, then fine, and of course all the bad reviews lately and the removal of some favorite items once again has be wondering if I should talk him out of it. Either way, it will be fine.

 

[Dis_Yoda]

On July 11th, I twisted my ankle pretty bad as well.

I ended buying this from a local running store:
http://www.cepcompression.com/rxortho-ankle-brace.html

Best $65 I spent on a brace. It provides enough compression and support to let me get through the day.

I pretty much only kept to my training plan by walking instead of running. Just this Sunday, I did some running again but kept it slow on the treadmill. I can wear it while running as well without too much issue unlike some of the other braces on the market.

I think a lot of the negative reviews of Ohana stem from the menu change & people not being happy about it. Yes, they take away some favorites, but sadly a lot of places around Disney are doing the same. Cape May probably won't have Crab Legs once Free Dining comes around but that shouldn't shock anyone either.

 

[lurkernj]

On July 11th, I twisted my ankle pretty bad as well.

I ended buying this from a local running store:
http://www.cepcompression.com/rxortho-ankle-brace.html

Best $65 I spent on a brace. It provides enough compression and support to let me get through the day.

I pretty much only kept to my training plan by walking instead of running. Just this Sunday, I did some running again but kept it slow on the treadmill. I can wear it while running as well without too much issue unlike some of the other braces on the market.

I think a lot of the negative reviews of Ohana stem from the menu change & people not being happy about it. Yes, they take away some favorites, but sadly a lot of places around Disney are doing the same. Cape May probably won't have Crab Legs once Free Dining comes around but that shouldn't shock anyone either.

Thanks for the advice, I'm going to look into that, I've just been wrapping it in an ace bandage and it's not giving enough support, and I can't keep loafing on the couch eating pie

I still think we will enjoy Ohana. Hopefully salad will still be provided upon request, I've read recently that some people have had success with this. The chicken missing isn't that big of a deal for us since we like all of the other options.

 

[lurkernj]

So, here I am, still gimping around. I did stop at Walgreens this morning and got a support brace since it doesn't feel like it's getting any better. Hopefully this will help.

Of course here in NJ we are getting fabulous running weather this week, low humidity, nice breeze, and it's actually bothering me that I can't take advantage of it. I have been using some armweights and the "total gym" thing that DH has just for my upper body so that I feel like I'm doing something useful.

So moving onto Day 3 plans...

Day 3 is Friday, October 3. We are planning DHS for the morning. We both love Toy Story mania. I am going to try to talk him into Tower of Terror, but at the moment he's not game, and I already know Rockin Roller coaster is out since he has tried that one and hated it. For Breakfast I'm thinking perhaps Boardwalk bakery. Lunch is up in the air, I don't have a "must do" in DHS, so we will either wait and have something at Beaches and Cream/Hurricane Hannas, or have a mediocre counterservice in DHS.

After we're done at the park, we'll probably take a cab over to World of Sports to do the packet pickup, otherwise we'll have to go back to YC, then bus, not sure if I want to waste much time getting there. Because of course DH will need a nap Last time when we did the 5k, we took a cab from DHS and it was the best $15 spent, we were there in 10 minutes. We'll use the bus to get back to YC and hopefully that won't be a major issue.

Then I suppose a nap will ensue, and hopefully some pool time. We have a Via Napoli reservation at 5:45, so we'll stroll over to Epcot for that. No real plans in Epcot, we'll probably just wander the countries. DH is not much of a foodie, so the food/wine festival is practically lost on him (so thankfully I get some solo time for that)

I'm getting excited to do my Fastpass + stuff starting this Saturday. Even though I'm going to be alone my first night, I think I'm going to make some FP+ reservations for Magic kingdom in the event I get over there after Epcot. If I don't use them, no big deal. I think I'm going to try for mine train, peter pan, and the parade (don't want to sit there for an hour by myself waiting for it to start, and also don't want to be "that" person walking up right before and squeezing in). I'm kind of short, so I like to be near the action.

I currently have a 5 day hopper (got a crazy deal from ebates/orbitz, $273!), I bought 4 of these figuring I'd have them for two trips for two of us, but since DH is now only going to be with me for 3 park days, I got him a 3 day hopper through RunDisney, that was only $209. I think the 5 day hopper through Rundisney was around the same price as the Orbitz deal, but you can't add days. So I have 3 5day hoppers burning a hole in my pocket. We are all linked up through MDE, but I will need to add a day onto my ticket for this trip, which stinks that I can't make FP+ for that day now, but it will be just me at that point anyway.

 

[cogero]

ooh a solo trip. Sounds fun.

 

[lurkernj]

ooh a solo trip. Sounds fun.

Thanks for joining along!

I'm always intrigued by the solo reports, and always a bit jealous, so I am beyond thrilled to get to do a few days solo. Especially during food/wine fest!

 

[lurkernj]

So, ankle is still swollen, but not as sore. I was tempted to do some walking yesterday, but DH talked me out of it. I'm going to try to give it til this weekend, then hopefully start doing something, I don't have all that much time to be wasting here.

On the planning end of things, I was able to book my FP+ this weekend. I didn't do the midnight thing, as I wasn't looking for Anna/Elsa. I got up at 7 on Saturday and logged in. Surprisingly, I could not get the parade for myself on Oct 1, or Mine train for 2 on Oct 2. I ended up getting them for different days, but will keep trying for the mine train as I really want to do this with DH on his first day there.

Since I couldn't get the parade on the 1st, I thought maybe I'd switch that around and go to MK on Monday the 6th. When I went to book that, Anna/Elsa was available, so I also booked that, along with the mine train. I might end up cancelling Anna/Elsa, but thought I'd better grab it since it was available. I know I said I wasn't looking for that one, but couldn't bring myself to bypass it since it presented itself.

So, on the 1st, which is my solo Epcot day, I ended up booking some things in DHS for the end of the day. I believe I got ToT, Fantasmic, and Little Mermaid. I don't know if I can bring myself to go on TOT alone at night, but it's there if I choose to do so I was thinking this might be better than MK anyway, since I"m sure I'll be tired early, and DHS has the boat option. I might change my mind on that and try to switch out, but for the moment I'm satisfied. I know I don't need a FP for the parade, but it just makes it easier since I don't want to wait on the curb for a long time by myself in order to be able to see.

For the 2nd, which is DH's first day, I booked a Mickey meet/greet, peter pan, and splash mountain. I'll probably switch out the mickey for Mine train if I can get that to happen.

For the 3rd, which is a Friday, I went with DHS for my FP. I got us TSM, Star tours, and Little Mermaid. I hate the tiers in this park, but I hate the Epcot scenario even more and didn't want to waste them there. I feel like I only get two useful fastpasses here. Little mermaid is basically a throw away both times I have it booked. We'll get to the park at rope drop and do TSM once in standby, then do the FP+ later that morning.

The 4th is the race day. We didn't sign up for the 5k as I didn't like losing so much sleep last time around and thought the course entertainment was a letdown. Of course when the new medal came out with the haunted mansion characters, I absolutely loved it, but too late, the race was already filled. I'm kindof glad, cause I just don't think we could get up early and stay up late. I know we will nap, but I don't think it would be enough. So since we aren't running the 5k, we will sleep a bit, then get up and walk to Epcot for some starbucks and Soarin. I plan to leave Epcot by 10 so we can go to Magic Kingdom for a few hours. I set up fastpasses here for the Mine train, jungle cruise, and splash. We also have a lunch reservation at Liberty tree tavern at 1:25. After lunch, we'll head back to Yacht club and take a nap/swim/rest up for the race. I haven't really planned anything for dinner. I'm guessing we'll go really light, maybe even just a bagel/banana. We'll have to play that by ear based on how full we are still from lunch. I don't want to eat much cause I don't want there to be much to come back up during the race I believe we can walk over to the race start from YC, so currently that is the plan. I have a feeling we won't be staying for much partying afterwards since we will be in the back of the pack, and probably very tired.

 

[lurkernj]

So, ankle is coming along fine. I went on a short walk last night, and will probably go on a longer one tonight. I can still feel it's not right, mostly when I'm on uneven surface like the lawn or gravel, but when the ground is flat, it's fine, so I'll hold off on the running for a bit more, but need to start walking. I'm feeling rather lumpish lately

Anyway, I was able to trade out my mickey meet/greet for mine train fastpasses for our first day, so I'm pretty happy about that. It did require daily stalking. I still haven't been able to move back my Ohana reservation, but I'll keep trying.

On Sunday, Oct 5, which is Day 5, and post race day, we have a Cape May breakfast res at 10:30. I wanted something nearby so we didn't have to get up early. And also, DH will be getting picked up by ME around noon. I will drop my bags at bell services to have them sent over to POP for my solo portion.

I have a ticket for MNSSHP for this night and wasn't planning a regular park day, so after DH gets picked up, I thought I'd head over to DTD for some shopping, and some Girardelli's

I will head to Pop somewhere around 3ish and check in. I doubt my bags will be there yet, as it seems like this takes a large chunk of the day. So, I will have my halloween party outfit in my bag that I will carry around with me. Nothing fancy, probably just a halloween t-shirt and some halloween Mickey ears.

I had read people saying that they could book fastpasses with their MNSSHP ticket from 4-7p, so I decided I'd try this. I had already booked my 5 days from my park hopper and it wouldn't let me book my 6th since I didn't have enough days on my ticket, and had no intention of booking anything for this day as I wasn't planning to use a regular day from my 5 day park hopper. BUT, I linked my party ticket and it let me make the fastpasses!! So, I booked Pirates, Haunted Mansion, and Pooh bear. I think I will enter the park with my hard ticket though, cause I'm nervous it will take a day off of my park hopper. I'm still skeptical of the magic of the bands.

So currently my plan is to get to MK around 4:30 and use my fastpasses and perhaps a few other things, then get in line with Pooh and friends around 6:30. I was also excited to read that they are doing a villian dance party in the Diamond Horseshoe, so I will definitely check that out. I absolutely plan on doing some trick or treating (though my DS16 will probably benefit from this as I don't really need a bunch of candy, it's just fun to do). The parade at this party is my favorite Disney parade and I hope to get to see it twice, along with Wishes. I will try for a few character visits. Last time around I got in line for Jack Sparrow and it moved so slowly that ended up leaving the line so I'm hoping to try this again. I'm not sure what I will do for dinner, I believe I read where Columbia harbor house has some lobster mac n cheese which sounds intrigueing, so if that is there, I might get some, or I do really enjoy their tuna sandwich. I've also read about the special cupcakes for the halloween parties so I will try to seek one out

I'm guessing I will be pretty tired and maybe try to nap in carousel of Progress or Hall of presidents. If this doesn't work out, I'm guessing I'll be leaving before midnight.

 

[lurkernj]

I managed to do my 4 mile walk 4 times this week. My ankle still feels like it's not normal and I'm not ready to try to jog on it yet, but the walk is fine. I'm going to try to up the mileage this weekend, and maybe a little more speed.

Moving along to my trip plans....

The thing about pre-trip reports is that they're just not set in stone and are constantly changing. After some discussions with DH this week, we decided he should come straight from DC on Oct 1. So instead of me having a solo night at Yacht Club, he will land at 5:40, and probably be at the hotel around 7. This still gives me time to do some food/wine and Air Supply before he gets there.

Since he doesn't have a ticket for this night(and I can't add a day since his is a runDisney ticket), I made us a reservation at Flying Fish for 8p. I've been dying to try the potato wrapped snapper We'll just check out the boardwalk area etc, and get to bed at a reasonable hour, since the next morning is EMH AT MK This resulted in me moving around our fastpasses to make them between 10 and 1 since DH will need the afternoon break. After a few tries I was able to get us the mine train fastpasses at 12:30. I still want to move Ohana back to maybe 6p (instead of 5) if I can so that we can have a decent afternoon break, since I'd love some time in Stormalong bay.

 

[lurkernj]

Ugh, Monday. I guess on the bright side, that's one more week closer to my trip.

I got in a couple of decent walks this weekend, probably about 4 miles each. When I go with BFF, I never remember to set the nike app to track our distance, and on the rare occasion that I do, I forget to turn it off. I think our standard walk is about 3.9 miles, and sometimes we add another loop that probably adds another half. I can't believe this ankle thing is going on 4 weeks. This is really a setback on my training.

I also want to mention that Tangled was on last night, so I was watching it on the couch, and my DS19 came in and sat down and watched almost the whole thing They all make fun of me, but I know they secretly love it.


Anyways, moving onto my first completely solo day plans. This will be Monday, Oct 6. I think I will start out at DHS. I will want to do some of the girly shows that DH will probably not want to bother with. Like Beauty and the beast, Little Mermaid, and I don't think he likes Great movie ride much either. I also love doing the character drawing, so I'm definitely planning to do that. I'm hoping for a cupcake for breakfast, probably from Starring rolls I really like the red velvet cupcake there, but would be willing to try something new if something else looks interesting.

After I'm done at DHS (I'm estimating somewhere around 1-2ish), I think I'll head into Epcot for lunch/food wine stuff. Sugar Ray is there for eat to the beat at 5:30. I'm hoping to stay for that, then head over to Magic kingdom. I have a mine train fastpass til 7 that Im hoping to make. Then I have the Anna/Elsa one at 7:10-8:10. I think I just got caught up in the moment when I scheduled that one, as I really don't care if I see them or not, so I might change it or skip it. Then I have MSEP viewing for 8:40. This was my main reason for using fastpass at this park, so I don't have to wait for an hour for a decent spot. I'm currently planning to stay for fireworks etc, though I'm going to see them the next night as well, so if I'm tired, I'll just leave.

 

[lurkernj]

Wooohoooo! It's Friday!

I see you lurkers out there, feel free to respond I'm a lurker too, so I get it.

Sadly, I haven't gotten much exercise in this week. I started off good on Monday and Tuesday doing the basic walks with BFF. My ankle was very swollen Tuesday through Thursday (even before the walk Tuesday, but I needed to get it in). Today it seems almost normal I will go out tonight and do something on my own. It feels so good right now that I think I can actually try out a little jog here and there. My poor dog has had a rough week so I've been playing nurse to him on Wednesday/Thursday. I thought we were going to have to put him down on Wednesday. He had a sporadic episode of paralysis and couldn't walk at all,he was like a ragdoll. They gave him some steroids and he's back up again. He's 10 1/2 and they think he has a slipped disc. They said if we want to confirm this, we can take him for an MRI to a neurologist and if he does have it, they could do surgery. She said this would cost about $6000. We decided we didn't want to put him through surgery at his age(not to mention that's a crazy amount of money), so he is being treated with pain meds and steroids and is thankfully responding well. So, I've been laying on the couch with him trying to keep him resting, he's a 95 lb weimaraner, and usually pretty active, so it's not an easy task.


Any ol way, I'm pretty excited about my trip. I'm at the 40 day mark!!! I still haven't been able to change my Ohana res, despite trying about 10 times per day. I either need to move that back or move my mine train fastpass up so that we can have a decent afternoon break. Otherwise we will be leaving MK around 1, and having to head out for Ohana at 4. Not aweful, but I'd like another hour in there.


So my next solo day will be Tuesday, Oct 7. This is also my last full park day. My current plan is to go to Animal kingdom this morning. I don't have fastpasses at this point because my ticket is only 5 days, plus the party day. So, I will get there at park open, do the safari, I want to see the 10:30 lion king show, I will probably walk some trails, maybe see some characters, I'd like to see the flights of wonder show since I've not seen that yet. Maybe the Nemo show. I've seen it before, but really enjoy it. I made myself a reservation at Yak/Yeti, but I'm not sure if I'll keep it since I'm solo and I'm not sure how I feel about dining alone in a sit down place. I thought this might be a good place to feel that out since the upstairs is a bit quieter.


After Animal kingdom, I am planning to head to Magic kingdom. Hopefully by 3p so I can see the Festival of fantasy parade. I don't have specific plans here today, so I'll try to do some shopping, show watching, and some less popular rides since I won't have fastpass booked in advance. I might head over to a monorail resort for a counterservice dinner, and maybe even DHS for fantasmic if I feel like I've missed out. I could probably still make it back to MK to see Wishes since it's at 10p.

 

[lurkernj]

Hey There! Five weeks away from today

I've had a rather eventful week and am catching up on my planning today. Yesterday DH and I drove DS19 back to school for his Sophomore year. He's 4 hours away and last year it was pretty traumatic for me, but this year we barely stopped to push him out of the car

I did a bunch of walking over the weekend On Sunday morning DH and I decided we'd do a 6 mile walk, which ended up being 8.25 miles instead. Our time stunk (17.29/mile), but I felt better knowing we could do it. I know I can walk faster, the problem is that DH can't, but he can jog, which I can't, so we just walked at a pace that we both could manage. I did jog one block and it felt ok. I could tell it wasn't perfect, so I didn't push it. I'll try to add some jogging and upping the speed in the upcoming weeks.

Then I see all this stuff about the Villians sinister soiree....I have such mixed feelings about this. It's a lot of money, but it would only be me and I do find it intriguing. But I also don't want to waste a lot of party time. I can barely fit everything in as it is without adding this in. I decided I'd call to book it, then cancel it if it wasn't sounding too great after the first few parties. But, when I called, I was told it was unavailable for my dates. Apparently they won't let me book just one person. I read the main thread about booking for two and cancelling one of them later, so I just tried that and there was availability, but not until 11:25pm(I believe the event is at 11:45), so I passed. I guess on the bright side, I wouldn't miss party time, but I'd be worried about missing my bus home!

I'll probably be sorry, but I just don't see me enjoying myself that late, especially after the run the night before. I dunno, I'm so on the fence. Maybe I'll call back later and book it, I can always cancel. I hate indecisiveness.

 

[lurkernj]

I know you are all dying to know if I booked the soiree since I left you with that cliff hanger

Yes, I did call back and booked it for two people at 11:30 on the 5th. I will call to cancel the second person if I decide to do it. I figured I could just wait and see what the reviews are like. It's going to have to be pretty spectacular for me to keep it. I'm thinking I won't be comfortable alone doing basically a character meal, plus I wouldn't have anyone to take pictures since it sounds like there won't be photopass photogs there. However, I'm very excited to hear the reviews next week.

Speaking of photopass, I managed to get in on a share with some facebook folks and am so excited to get to do this again. We had photopass two years ago and it was a lot of fun, especially at the halloween party with the ghost shots. I could't justify spending $150 for just me and DH, but now at a fraction of the price, I'm ecstatic

So, where did I leave off with my park plans....

Oh yeah, my last day

Wednesday, October 8. My original plan was to get a noon flight, so I would just get up and leave, but after DH's plans changed, he's going to fly into philly and bring the car home on the 5th(cause now he won't have a car there since he's leaving from DC), leaving me with no car. So I purchased a ticket on United heading back to Newark so it's easier for him to pick me up. They had several decent options for $99, so I ended up with a 5:20 flight, which now gives me half a park day

Currently, I'm thinking of sleeping in, packing up, and heading to Epcot. That would be a nice relaxing way to end the trip. Sleeping in for me probably just means I'd be at the park by 10. I'd have to leave around 1:15ish since Magic express would be picking me up around 2:15. So, perhaps a couple of rides, wandering a few countries, and some food/wine fest for lunch.

Well, I'm sure my plans will continue to evolve, but for now, have a great weekend!