arieljasmine
<font color=magenta>Who says these things pass you
- Joined
- Apr 12, 2004
- Messages
- 6,098
Who is going:
Me (Laur's) 28 Disney nut
OK, so this is really me
Hubby (Andy) 29 Sunshine nut
And OK, so this is really Andy
Baby pooh nearly 4 Hoping to appear in a quiz in the next year or so
And that really is him!
I have never written a pre-trip report before so this is a first for me. You know what they say, do something at least once a year that scares you! (If you do not know by now that I am the world's biggest wuss - where have you been?!) But seriously, I seem to have done more planning than usual for this trip, and started earlier, so I thought I would share it with you.
We booked 9 nights at the Pop Century a little under a month after we got home last year, in order to take advantage of the free dining package. We have not done the dining package before, nor have we eaten at many table service restaurants so this will be a new experience for us.
We nearly always stay at more than one hotel, and decided a few months later to make this trip 15 nights, our longest ever. We booked our flights, Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy, in their January sale and were also able to use our air miles to get one of the flights free.
We want to visit Seaworld on this trip so we decided to spend our first three nights at the Wyndham Orlando on I-Drive. We stayed here in 2004 and it is a lovely place, centrally located. I signed up to their loyalty programme a while before we booked, which entitles us to a welcome gift on arrival, and subsequently got a promotional email advertising suites for $99 a night. Too good an opportunity to pass up, so we got that booked.
The next three nights we wanted to stop at the Hard Rock Hotel, not only because it is the most gorgeous hotel in the world, but also for its front of the line access and proximity to my second favourite theme park, Universal Studios. Those of you who read my trip report last year (go on, rack your brains) may vaguely recall that we had a "disturbance" from our neighbours last year which resulted in us being upgraded to the concierge level. On our return home I filled in an online questionnaire and mentioned the incident, and was contacted by the general manager who said to email if there was any way in which he could help with our booking in the future.
Well, Andy talked me into emailing them to see if they would offer us a special price for a concierge room to convince us to stop there again. I couldn't believe that being cheeky would pay off but it did and I managed to secure us a heavily discounted price for 3 nights in concierge. It just goes to show that if you don't ask, you don't get.
Accommodation sorted? Well, almost. A couple of months ago Andy got a bonus at work which had enabled us to fulfil a dream and we switched the first two nights at the Pop for two at the Polynesian! I am sooooooo excited! We had to alter the plans a little because we now can't have the dining plan for the first two days, but it was all worth it.
Other plans? Well, we have ADRs booked for the Spirit of Aloha dinner package, Kona Café, Hollywood Brown Derby (Fantasmic package), Crystal Palace, Liberty Tree Tavern, Raglan Road and Le Cellier. We have one table service credit each left over to do something wild and impulsive with!
We have Ultimate park hopping, sparkling shiny Disney passes included in our package, we got the Universal tickets on seven days for the price of two or something equally ridiculous and by some internet jiggery pokery Seaworld tickets on a special offer where they are the same price as children's tickets.
We are going to MNSSHP twice (poor Andy). This is my favourite night of the year and as we won't be going in September/October next year, I somehow cajoled Andy into taking me twice. To be fair, he does enjoy it too, just not to the degree I do, and he has flat out refused to get dressed up for both parties! Actually, I think he is right, I need one night where my costume doesn't impend candy collection!
Last but certainly not least, we have booked the Polar Expedition tour at Seaworld. This is a behind the scenes tour of the Wild Arctic area, culminating with another dream come true for me, stroking a penguin. I will be fit to burst about this, it being one of my life's ambitions and all, and having wanted a penguin to live in my bath for many years now. We have picked this for our first full day, so my hourly waking up through the night will see me even more excitable than usual (double poor Andy).
So, only a week left to go! Four working days, much packing and printing of tickets and a bit of preening and we will be off to the land of make believe.
Laur's
Me (Laur's) 28 Disney nut
OK, so this is really me
Hubby (Andy) 29 Sunshine nut
And OK, so this is really Andy
Baby pooh nearly 4 Hoping to appear in a quiz in the next year or so
And that really is him!
I have never written a pre-trip report before so this is a first for me. You know what they say, do something at least once a year that scares you! (If you do not know by now that I am the world's biggest wuss - where have you been?!) But seriously, I seem to have done more planning than usual for this trip, and started earlier, so I thought I would share it with you.
We booked 9 nights at the Pop Century a little under a month after we got home last year, in order to take advantage of the free dining package. We have not done the dining package before, nor have we eaten at many table service restaurants so this will be a new experience for us.
We nearly always stay at more than one hotel, and decided a few months later to make this trip 15 nights, our longest ever. We booked our flights, Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy, in their January sale and were also able to use our air miles to get one of the flights free.
We want to visit Seaworld on this trip so we decided to spend our first three nights at the Wyndham Orlando on I-Drive. We stayed here in 2004 and it is a lovely place, centrally located. I signed up to their loyalty programme a while before we booked, which entitles us to a welcome gift on arrival, and subsequently got a promotional email advertising suites for $99 a night. Too good an opportunity to pass up, so we got that booked.
The next three nights we wanted to stop at the Hard Rock Hotel, not only because it is the most gorgeous hotel in the world, but also for its front of the line access and proximity to my second favourite theme park, Universal Studios. Those of you who read my trip report last year (go on, rack your brains) may vaguely recall that we had a "disturbance" from our neighbours last year which resulted in us being upgraded to the concierge level. On our return home I filled in an online questionnaire and mentioned the incident, and was contacted by the general manager who said to email if there was any way in which he could help with our booking in the future.
Well, Andy talked me into emailing them to see if they would offer us a special price for a concierge room to convince us to stop there again. I couldn't believe that being cheeky would pay off but it did and I managed to secure us a heavily discounted price for 3 nights in concierge. It just goes to show that if you don't ask, you don't get.
Accommodation sorted? Well, almost. A couple of months ago Andy got a bonus at work which had enabled us to fulfil a dream and we switched the first two nights at the Pop for two at the Polynesian! I am sooooooo excited! We had to alter the plans a little because we now can't have the dining plan for the first two days, but it was all worth it.
Other plans? Well, we have ADRs booked for the Spirit of Aloha dinner package, Kona Café, Hollywood Brown Derby (Fantasmic package), Crystal Palace, Liberty Tree Tavern, Raglan Road and Le Cellier. We have one table service credit each left over to do something wild and impulsive with!
We have Ultimate park hopping, sparkling shiny Disney passes included in our package, we got the Universal tickets on seven days for the price of two or something equally ridiculous and by some internet jiggery pokery Seaworld tickets on a special offer where they are the same price as children's tickets.
We are going to MNSSHP twice (poor Andy). This is my favourite night of the year and as we won't be going in September/October next year, I somehow cajoled Andy into taking me twice. To be fair, he does enjoy it too, just not to the degree I do, and he has flat out refused to get dressed up for both parties! Actually, I think he is right, I need one night where my costume doesn't impend candy collection!
Last but certainly not least, we have booked the Polar Expedition tour at Seaworld. This is a behind the scenes tour of the Wild Arctic area, culminating with another dream come true for me, stroking a penguin. I will be fit to burst about this, it being one of my life's ambitions and all, and having wanted a penguin to live in my bath for many years now. We have picked this for our first full day, so my hourly waking up through the night will see me even more excitable than usual (double poor Andy).
So, only a week left to go! Four working days, much packing and printing of tickets and a bit of preening and we will be off to the land of make believe.
Laur's
LOL. 
