Long Distance Love.. A WDW Vacation for 2

[cocowoushi]

Hello everyone! As you can see, I'm fairly new to this community but I have been lurking for some time as I've been getting ready for my upcoming trip to WDW with my boyfriend. I can't help to but get excited as the days pass and as my job is very slow, I have a lot of time in my hands to research.

So I decided to write up a Pre-Trip Report and hopefully a Post-Trip one as well! I hope you all enjoy our story as much as we have experiencing it.

Stay tuned for more!

 

[cocowoushi]

So here's the players in this romantic tale!

Kat: That's me! I'm 23 and live in Rhode Island and have all my life. I went on a Disney cruise with a stop off at the MK when I was 6 years old. Mickey was my hero and when I finally spotted him on the cruise he practially had to pry me off because I refused to stop hugging him. I still recall the video of the trip in which I was with Pluto and rubbing his nose. He'd nod his head and kick his leg out just like a puppy and start "licking" me. It makes me smile everytime! I also love Chip and Dale (Yay Rescue Rangers!)

I then didn't return to Disney until a year ago with my Ex and four of our friends. It was a lot of fun to go back and see everything new - finally being able to go on all the tall-tale rides! But because it was a group and we weren't ones for Clubs, it was hardly a romantic trip which I was hoping for. Still, we had a lot of fun. We went during the Disney Dining Plan Offer in September and I couldn't get over the amazing price for the package.

My Ex and I have since gone our seperate ways but I was determined that I wanted to go back to WDW with the DDP option. The trouble was finding who... Well..


Joshua: Joshua's been a friend of mine for years online. Though we hadn't met he really understood me and helped me through a lot of tough times. He currently lives in Wisconsin but has lived in many states over the course of his life. He moved back in with his mother when she was in ill health and got a job there and has stayed since she's gotten remarried. He has gone to Disney several times over the years with schools to perform but his last trip was about 7 years ago.

Around the end of December we've started to date on a long distance basis. In March we met for the first time face to face at an anime convention in Boston. We clicked automatically and we were toally head over heels with each other (not that we weren't already!) Sadly the trip was only 2 nights.

So around July we both sort of suggested at the same time that maybe we should go to WDW for a vacation. I had told him about the wonderful experience with the DDP lasy year and he thought it would be a great idea. After figuring out when vacation times with be best for him I started to look into booking our trip!

 

[cocowoushi]

I started my travel preperations by checking out Liberty Travel's website, since this was the company we went through last year for the same trip, so I knew they would have it. At first I was getting worried about not finding the DDP, as I wasn't aware that it was a limited time offer. After trying every week from September to November, I narrowed it down that we could get the DDP between the 1st through the 3rd weeks of September. That worked well and we started to assume that we would be going the 2nd week of September.

At the time of looking at prices we didn't have the cash on hand just yet to book the vacation, so I would keep an eye on the prices and availiblity. As it turned out, the flights I was looking at on the website suggested that flying out of Wisconsin would be cheaper than Rhode Island. : But I figured that was fair enough, since Joshua had come this way for our last vacation together, so now it was my turn.

I decided that we could go to Disney Mon-Fri the 2nd week of Sept. (8th-12th). The prior Saturday I would fly to Wisconsin and stay with their family for the weekend and get to meet the parents ( Eek! ). Monday morning we would fly to Disney and fly back on Friday to Wisconsin. There I would stay the night and fly back out to Rhode Island on Saturday.

Some time started to pass and we would work very hard to earn money for our trip so that we could book it as soon as possible. Then we had a scare mid July. I would check the prices for the trip we had planned online nearly every other day when I discovered it said the 2nd week of September was sold out for our hotel (All-Star Movie)! I panicked and checked the first and third week prices. Both were still availible but the first week was cheaper, so we decided to plan on this instead.

I still had many questions about the trip and how it operated (ME, etc) because my ex had handled all that last year. Finally I decided it was time to head down to the Liberty Travel office near me and speak with a Travel Agent face to face.

 

[cocowoushi]

I met with Kimberly the travel agent from Liberty Travel and I explained to her the trip we had in mind. I then explained my fiasco with the dates we had originally planned being sold out. She told me to hold on and she would give them a call. I've never used a Travel Agent before so I was so impressed that she picked up the phone right then and called Disney Resorts for me. After a short conversation she told me that they could book us for the 2nd week at the Allstar Movie, just as we had planned! All that was needed was a $50 down payment to reserve the time. I lept on the chance at once!

We then started to discuss the flights round trip for Disney. I would have wanted non-stop flights if possible but if we couldn't get them I wouldn't have been upset, so long as there wasn't more than one stop. She managed to find us Nonstop flights for the times I was hopping and I paid for them then as well. Joshua had wired his half of the trip money and I used to to pay for the plan tickets and put the rest towards the room. Our trip was finally taking shape!

I was glad that I had made the decision to go down and use a travel agent, because it made everything seem so much easier. My only reget now was that I wish we had planned it for 5 nights instead of 4. But looking at DDP offers I only see them for 3/4 nights or 6/7 nights. Maybe this was my reasoning for it, but I'm already wishing for more time with my boyfriend and the mouse!

Every Friday I would stop in to visit Kim and put some more of my money down on the trip. I had also been looking on my own for flight prices to Wisconsin so I decided to ask her one time I was for prices from her end. They were pretty much the same so I book that through her as well.

In early August shortly after our trip had been paid for I got a call from Kim telling me that I needed to stop in about the flights. Apparently the airline we hard originally booked with had canceled all of their non-stop flights! I called her back and she explained that she would set us up with the next best thing, but there would be a stop both ways.

But that was fine, because the trip was still on and both me and my boyfriend had been getting more and more excited for it. I stopped in on the 23rd to pick up our tickets and tags. Everything is going online now, she explained to me, so were didn't get coventional "tickets" but said that I could show the paper given and it would work just as good. I was a little nervous because I for one have never flown alone before, which I would be doing when going to Wisconsin, and two I worried that the plane flights might change again.

Kim told me not to worry, though, and explained that up until 48 hours of the flight the tickets were her responsibility. She would just like to have me call her 24 hours before the trip to make sure everything was okay to go. The prices of the original tickets were charged back to me and I'm going to be stopping in on the 2nd to have the new ones taken care of. I feel like it's cutting close, but I have faith in Kim!

 

[cocowoushi]

I'm a very laid back person who often goes with the flow, but when it comes to vacations I like to have an idea of a plan in my head for us to follow. We don't have to follow it to the letter, but I have a better peace of mind knowing what we could do than wandering aimlessly.

I asked Joshua if there were any certain places he wanted to go or eat. Eatting he doesn't mind much, since he hasn't experienced the dining as the food was provided the last time he went to WDW. For attractions he listed a few that were all must-do's anyways. Mainly though, her said, that he doesn't mind why we do, so long as it's with me.

This is a very basic idea of what I've gotten so far:
Monday, the 8th
- Arrive in Florida around Noon. Assuming by the time we get checked in and settled it will be around 2. We hopefully shouldn't be too hungry as since we have a stop between we might grab some food then, thus saving us the pressure of eatting right away.
- Head to DHS. One of THE first things I want to do is go to the Live Stunt Show. I read here that it will be closed for half of the week we will be here. I couldn't catch it last time so this is definately on the top of the To-Do list!
- Catch an early dinner at the SciFi Diner. Joshua loves SciFi things (we're going to be sure to go to the Star Wars ride and spend a lot of time in the shop!) and I think he would get a kick out of this place.
- Visit attractions like Star Wars, Indianna Jones, Tower of Terror, and the Rocking Roller Coaster. The RRC was closed the last time I went so I'm really excited to go on it! I know we'll be jumping between TT and RRC several times.
- Return back to the hotel and get ready to go out to DTD. Explore some of the shops (he's also a big Lego fan) and catch a bite somewhere, possibily Earl of Sandwichs after hearing such great reviews from it here.

Tuesday, the 9th
- Whole day of Epcot! After catching some breakfast at the hotel (we don't eat a lot anyways) it's off to Future world! (Hurray for EMH!) You name it, we're going to do it. I sadly missed -so much- here the last time I was here because the others I were with were only interested in the Space ride and the Japanese store. We're going to take our time and do everything we come across.
- Lunch I'm not sure were we'll be doing. I'm thinking maybe the Sunshine seasons because I'd like us to use our CS for lunch and have a rather wide varirty.
- Once The World Showcase opens we'll be taking our time to take in everything. I was captivated by the glass worker in Mexico and I know I want to stop by and watch again. I'd love to catch some of the live shows offered too (Off Kilter is a must!). We know that we're going to spend a lengthy time in the Japanese store too. Joshua wants me to try on a Kimono.
- I heard from a friend that Teppen Edo was wonderful. Neither of us have been to a Hibachi before and since it was a toss up between there and the Tokyo Dining, I think this is what we might do for Dinner.
- We'll continue to enjoy the Showcase until it comes time for Illumiations! I also never saw any fireworks last year. See how much I missed?!

Wednesday, the 10th
- Head to the Animal Kingdom early so we can catch the Safari. This is also a must on the To-Do list! I'm also looking forward to taking our time and experiencing the beauty of the park and visiting all the shops I missed last time. This park is very new for Joshua as well, so we'll be sure it soak up as much as possible.
- We plan to ride the rapids before we leave, so we're not soaking wet our whole time there! We'll probably head back to the hotel mid-day and just relax and go to the pool and just enjoy our time together.
- Dinner will be spent in DTD at Planet Hollywood. Joshua loves to sing so I can just see the two of us there. :mrgreen: We'll check out the rest of DTD that we couldn't get to the other day. We've tossed around the idea of DisneyQuest but haven't decided if this is a go. We both video games but the price tag and the times we might be able to go to it make it iffy.

Thursday, the 11th
- MK day! EMH today too, so we'll be getting there early to hog Space Mountain as much as possible before it starts to get crowded. I'd really like to explore the MK more, since the only thing I remember about it are the Mountains from last year and the kiddy rides when I was 6. Joshua is sad that they turned the ExTERRORral Experience into a Stitch ride, but we'll probably check it out all the same.
- I loved the LTT last time I went so we'll probably eat there for lunch (before Splash mountain so nto to get frozen to death from AC!).
- I'm thinking maybe we could grab somthing at Cosmic Rays for dinner and take it with us to get a spot for the Wishes parade and fireworks.

Friday, the 12th
- Our last day will probably be spent lounging around the hotel. Sadly we have an early flight back so we can't really head to any of the parks and enjoy it. I'll be sure not to make that mistake again!


This is what I've planned in mind, anyways! Anyone suggestions from anyone?

 

[Alysa]

Sounds very romantic! Looking forward to hearing more!