Mom's First Time for Food and Wine...Watch Out!

[kristenrice]

Welcome to my journal

I usually post my reports over on the DVC boards, but for this trip, we are venturing outside of DVC-land and "slumming it" in a (gasp!) value resort. (**No offense intended...just being sarcastic)

Let me start with a little introduction...I'm Kristen, a paramedic who is needs a Disney fix at least once a year to keep from going crazy. I have a non-Disney-loving husband and 2 daughters (ages 12 and 9) who like to be at Disney World, but don't like to hear me talk about it. Each year, I get a longevity bonus from work. I've been there 17 years now so it is a nice reward. I have been using it to take a trip to WDW in October for F&W festival....and my birthday. I usually leave the family behind and take a friend along. Last year, for my 40th birthday, the whole family went, and my sister and her family came too. It was a blast! I love bringing people to F&W for their first time and my sister really liked what she was able to do, which wasn't too much...her kids were 5 and 2!

This year, I was not able to get any of my friends to join me. One just had a knee replacement, one is between jobs and another is taking her family to Germany, so I had to decide...go solo, or don't go. Then my dad (who shares my love of Disney) suggested that I ask my mother to go with me...hmmmm....OK! She said she would love to go...so let the planning begin!

 

[kristenrice]

Step One: Where are we going to stay??

The first decision was to decide on a resort. I have stayed a few nights at Pop Century on two occasions and it is a great resort for two people, but since I have stayed there twice already, I was hoping to try something different. I looked at the possibility of the Little Mermaid rooms at the AoA, but alas, they did not meet mom's requirement of being "the cheapest". I decided to use a travel agent for the first time so that I can take advantage of any discounts that may become available. I have an AP so I know that a discount might come out for our dates and I don't need to be stalking. We have 5 nights reserved in a standard room at Pop Century for $657, which is rack rate. Now, I'm secretly hoping that maybe a discount will come out and I can change us to AoA without increasing the price. Even if it goes up a little, I can cover it...more on that later...

 

[Bellabully]

This is my first time being a first follower on someone's trip report, yay! A trip to Food and Wine for my birthday is on my bucket list (birthday is in November). How fun for you both that you'll be able to take her to F&W for her first time.
We have some things in common, love of Disney, need of yearly fix, in medical field (nurse), non-Disney loving husband and 12 year old daughter. I will be living vicariously through you and can't wait to hear all the details.

 

[kristenrice]

Now...the budget...

Remember, mom said it has to be "cheap"...well, I have a $1000 limit for my half of the trip. I broke this down into $350 for lodging, $300 for airfare, $300 for food and $50 for tips and miscellaneous stuff. Fortunately, I already have an AP, which happens to expire the day after we come home, so I do not have to include tickets in that amount. Once we decided on the lodging ($330 for me), it was on to airfare. We live about 10 minutes from the Grand Rapids airport, but there are no non-stops for our dates and the flight times were TERRIBLE! (Like 6am departures with 3 hour layovers, and then 8am returns with 45 minute layovers...nope, not happening) Last fall, we flew out of Flint and it was super easy, non-stop and a LOT cheaper. Sure enough, I was able to get our flights for $318...but that is NOT what I paid...I used the Target gift card method! I bought discounted Target gift cards with a value of $285. I turned around and bought $300 worth of SWA gift cards from Target.com (when you have your RedCard as the default payment, you still get the 5% discount even if paying with a gift card) so my ACTUAL cost of the airfare was $278.78. Of course, three days after I bought them, the price dropped by $50 so now I am sitting on a credit that I won't be able to use since we are not flying anywhere until next fall...but I digress.

Since our flight departs at 7:15am and the airport is 90 minutes away, we decided to get a hotel room and drive over the night before. I went to Hotwire and booked one of their "secret" deals and we got the Wingate by Wyndham for $70.30 total ($35.15 for me). It is the same hotel my sister's family stayed at when we flew from Flint last October and she said it is a wonderful hotel...evening snack, free breakfast, indoor pool, and close to the airport. For the trip home, our flight departs MCO at 7:30pm. We typically take a late afternoon (2-4pm) flight so I don't know what I'm going to do with all that extra time on our departure day...I'm sure I'll think of something.

Back to the budget stuff...using the Target Gift Card Method...WOW! Thank you, budget board...

Once I found out about this great cost-saver, I decided to maximize the amount of things I can purchase with the Disney Gift Cards. I already had a DVA set up (from when I paid my DVC dues last year) so I figured I would use it to pay for our room. So far, using various offers and combinations, I have accumulated $800 in Disney gift cards...but I've only PAID $667.49. That $800 will cover my half of the room and still leave $450 leftover!

To recap, I had a budget of $1000 to cover hotel ($350), flight ($300), food ($300) and other stuff ($50). I have covered ALL of that, with an EXTRA $150 for food (or maybe a room upgrade!)...and only paid $981.42.

Enough of the money stuff....let's get to the plans...

 

[kristenrice]

Oops! Forgot the rest of the introduction...MOM!

Mom also has a birthday in October so we will BOTH be celebrating. Mine is the 16th and her's is the 27th and we will be there the 15th through the 20th. Mom is turning 64 this year. She was an RN for many years until lymphoma forced her into an early retirement. She is mostly in good health, but does suffer with chronic respiratory problems due to the chemo many years ago. It stopped the cancer, but destroyed her lungs so she is prone to a lot of infections. She also suffered nerve damage when a chest tube was improperly placed. That resulted in severe and chronic pain until a spinal cord stimulator came to the rescue. Now she gets funny looks when she flies because the remote control looks like a garage door opener, but it saves her from having to dope up on Vicodin like they are M&M's

Mom has not been too involved in the planning process. She's pretty much up for anything that I want to do...even a horseback ride. On one hand, it is kind of cool being able to make plans based on what *I* want to do...but on the other hand, there is so much that I like, I just can't decide!

 

[kristenrice]

I'm anxiously waiting for the Food and Wine details to come out. Last fall, we arrived on the day that Buddy Valastro was hosting the breakfast...my kids were crushed. They both love "Cake Boss" and would have loved to meet him, but our flight arrived at 9:30 and the brunch started at 10am...bummer. Now, since we will be there over the weekend (not arriving on one!), we may have a chance to see one of the celebrity chef demonstrations.

I am also still contemplating where I would like to eat for my birthday dinner. I would have chose BOG in a heartbeat, but we were already inside the 180-day window when mom confirmed that she was going to go so now it's full. I do check every once in a while, but there are so many other choices that have my attention....Artist Point, Sanaa, Jiko, Yachtsman...and many more! Neither of us like seafood (mom will eat salmon once in a while) so that is something I have to consider.

Even though we are staying at Pop (for now), our return flight is late enough that I was able to book our traditional "send off" breakfast at Boma. I made an ADR for 9:40am which I may move to something a little later, if possible. I figure we will pack and check our bags with RAC before leaving the resort for breakfast. Then after breakfast, we can hit whatever park sounds appealing at the time. Maybe we'll hit AK and see the shows, or make one last lap around the WS at Epcot...who knows.

 

[kristenrice]

The plans, they are a-changin!

There is a flight from MCO to GRR (which is only 10 minutes from home instead of the 90 minute drive from FNT) which departs at 5:30 and lands at 10:15pm. It has a layover (about an hour at BWI) but it would eliminate the need to drive home at 10pm. We'd have to rent a car from Grand Rapids to FNT and then dad would pick us up at GRR upon our return. The cost of the one-way car rental is equivalent to the cost of parking at FNT so that would be a wash. We are each sitting on a $70 credit that will go unused so we could use that to cover the (increased) cost of changing our return destination from FNT to GRR. Unfortunately, since I presented this option to mom, the cost went up, above the value of our credit, so now I have to wait and see if it comes back down. I already secured the rental car (not paid for so I can cancel it if we don't need it) to make sure that price doesn't jump up on me. If it goes down, I will rebook.

There may be an obstacle on the horizon. I've been experiencing increased knee discomfort over the past few weeks. It felt like the same type of ache that I've felt since my teens. I went for a run on Tuesday with no problem. Then on Wednesday, I woke up with soreness. I took some ibuprofen and went to work. As the day went on, the intermittent ache became more constant, and I began to feel a "pinching" sensation with each step. By the time I got home, the ache had become pain (although I would only give it about a 4 out of 10) so I put a heating pad on it and took some Advil PM. When I woke up this morning, the pain had gone back down to an ache, but I still feel the "pinch" when I walk. I made an appointment with a sports medicine specialist (the same one that diagnosed and repaired a rare knee condition in my then-7-year-old daughter) but the soonest I could get in is July 15. They have a specialized orthopedic urgent care that is open tomorrow from 1-7 so the scheduler told me I should be seen as a walk-in if the pain is still persisting tomorrow. Ack!...this is NOT what I need. I am 40 years old and I have been very active my whole life, and I also had a lot of knee problems in high school which were attributed to a sudden growth spurt. I know that I am definitely at risk for degenerative problems and I am really worried that since the pain is not due to an acute injury, that I may be looking at something that does not have a simple fix. One of my dearest friends (who is younger than me) has been battling a degenerative knee "injury" for the past two years (torn meniscus repair found a significant degenerative cartilage problem which led to an unsuccessful cartilage transplant and now a partial knee replacement) and she has since lost her career as a paramedic because of it. I know that her situation is sitting in the forefront of my mind and I am terrified that I may have the same scenario in store for me. I am hoping that I just scared myself into going to the doctor and that I am just having an acute case of hypochondria.

...Stay Tuned...

 

[kristenrice]

Time for some updates....

First, the knee...the good news is no major damage. The bad news is that my kneecap is crooked which is causing it to slide awkwardly over the bone, which is what is causing the pain. The cartilage is basically bruised and irritated. So, physical therapy for 4 weeks has been ordered. This should adjust the muscles and tendons and realign the kneecap without requiring surgery. Luckily, I had it checked, because apparently, I have the same problem in my right knee too, but to a lesser degree. So now, I can fix both of them at the same time. The bad news for me is that the doctor said no more running unless it is on a flat surface (treadmill) and no more than 2 miles. Well, so much for the jump-start to my weight loss goal.

Next, the transportation issue...the flight from MCO to GRR still hasn't budged. It only needs to come down by $4 and I can switch without incurring any extra costs. I check every day, sometimes more than once. If it doesn't change, then we will simply enjoy the extra 2 hours at WDW and the non-stop flight home.

ADR's? Yup, I made another one. After a lot of thought and consideration (and a poll here on the Dis), I have decided to try Citrico's for my birthday dinner. I sent a copy of the menu to mom (hoping she wouldn't have a stroke when she saw the prices) and she said that it looked good. I made an ADR for Friday night at 5:45pm. That is a night that the MK closes at 7 for the MNSSHP so I have a plan. I'm thinking that after dinner, we will head over to the Contemporary (maybe stopping at the Poly for a Lapu Lapu) and head up to TOTWL for a dessert and a great view of Hallowishes. Then it's a quick walk back to the MK bus stop to catch a ride to Pop.

I'm still anxiously waiting to see if any room discounts come out for our dates. There still has been no AP or Disney Visa discounts released for our dates so we are just watching and waiting...

On another note, Dad told me that if I wanted to do a "special" event at F&W (like PFTS or the Premium package), he would be happy to surprise mom and pay for it. I looked at the PFTS and decided that $200 for 2.5 hours just not going to work. The food and beverage offerings are a little "fancy" for our tastes so I don't think we'd get enough out of it. Then, I'd considered the premium package, but since it is only good Monday-Thursdays, we'd have only 2 days to use it. As much as I'd like it, I really don't think that it would be worth it for just 2 days.

We are inside the 90-day mark...next step is the booking of the FP+....

 

[kristenrice]

I have more updates...

First, the return flight from MCO to GRR dropped and now our credit will cover the change. So now, instead of landing in FNT at 10:10pm and having to drive an hour and a half to get home, we will land in GRR at 10:15 with only a 10-minute drive home. We are opening ourselves up for a bit of a risk. We have a layover of only 55 minutes at BWI and we are on the last flight of the night, both from MCO to BWI and from BWI to GRR. So, I told mom that if anything gets delayed, we may end up spending the night in Baltimore. She said, "Oh, well that will just add to the adventure!" She thinks like me...if circumstances change that are beyond our control, we will just roll with it.

Next, our one-way rental car from Grand Rapids to Flint also dropped in price so I rebooked that too. I saved a total of $7!

I had a lengthy discussion today with mom. We discussed making a Prime Pantry order for some water, Diet Coke, granola bars, and some other breakfast/snack foods. Our box is only half-full and we are spending about $50, including the shipping. We thought about a Garden Grocer order so that we could get some yogurt, cheese and fresh fruits too, but we would need $40 in groceries, plus the $17 delivery fee plus a tip, which means we'd be spending about $75 when all is said and done. We decided that we shouldn't need that much stuff. I have a TIW card which is accepted at the food court. For breakfasts, the kid meals are plenty and they are only about $5 each, before the discount. We are also planning on getting the refillable mugs, but still want to have water and soda on hand in the room for the early morning/late night cravings. I'm not a coffee drinker, but I am a monster in the morning without my Diet Coke.

Mom asked about checking luggage. She has never flown on SW, only Delta and AirTran, so she wasn't sure how many bags she would be able to bring. Of course, this made me laugh....we have a compact car rented and mom is talking about how many CHECKED bags (in addition to her carry on) she can bring. Um....they have to fit in the car, mom...and how long are you planning on staying? I bring my eBags MotherLode Junior convertible bag and a purse...for a WEEK! I don't need to check a bag, but typically end up bringing food, laundry products and other stuff that can't go in a carry-on so I have a half-empty checked bag. For this trip, I'm just going to bring my small amount of checked items over to mom and pack them into one of her checked bags

We talked about the Food and Wine Festival and I suggested that we do one of the culinary demonstrations. I have done a beverage seminar and a culinary demo at past festivals and, while they were not exactly a highlight of the trip, they were a nice break in the day and a learning experience. I prefer the culinary demo (although I will never book a "TBA" food option....ended up with OCTOPUS!) because I am really not into wine at all. I mentioned the premium package to her and she sounded interested, but I still don't know if the value is there, especially since we will only have Thursday and Monday to use it (not valid Fri-Sun). We'll see...

That's all for this edition. I have to begin looking at our daily plans so I can figure out some FP+ to book. Our 60-day window opens on August 16...just 24 days away.

 

[kristenrice]

I have been doing some planning...

I was unable to make a reservation for the culinary demo on our arrival day. I was hoping to get in to the 5pm demo, but it was full when I tried to book it. I opted to book the 1pm demo on the next day (Friday) which is also my birthday. Now, I have a bit of a dilemma that I need to work out. My original plan was to arrive Thursday and be at Epcot by 1pm and hit as many of the F&W booths as possible. I plan to make FP+ for Test Track, Illuminations and a "blow-off" third choice. Then, on Friday, I WAS planning to hit the MK in the morning and leave by 4:30 to make it to our 5:25 dinner at Citrico's. Then I planned to go to BLT and head up to TOTWL for some dessert and the Hallowishes fireworks.

Now that we have a culinary demo at Epcot on Friday, I decided to move the dinner reservation to 7:25. That should still leave us time to get over to BLT for the fireworks. Here's my dilemma...should I just switch our plans and hit the MK on Thursday (and make FP+ for 7DMT, MSEP and Wishes) and then plan on Epcot from RD until about 6pm on Friday? I am planning on AK and HS for Saturday and Sunday and then back to F&W on Monday, since I am trying to avoid the weekends at Epcot. I have an AP and mom has a PH so we can certainly split our days up, as needed.

Mom hasn't been to WDW since 2012 so she hasn't been on the new Test Track (she really liked the old one) or the 7DMT. We don't need to hit a lot of the other headliners...the "mountains" at the MK, EE at AK, and RnRC at HS. I'm planning to try and get FP+ for Soarin' and Test Track (on two different days) at Epcot, ToT and TSMM with the Frozen Sing-a-long as my third choice at the Studios, Kilimanjaro Safaris and ???? at AK (no need to ride EE...makes me ) and then 7DMT at MK, with possibly MSEP and/or Wishes(?) since the rides are not a priority. My mom has been to WDW several times, but this will only be her second trip (last one in 2001) without children. We'd like to take advantage of the FP+ for the shows since we don't like to "waste" them when we have the kids.

If anyone has any thoughts, I'd love to hear them. Our FP+ window opens in just 10 more days!

 

[kristenrice]

Whoa! Time FLEW by!

We are now only 19 days away (18 if you count the fact that we are leaving home the day before we arrive) and it's finally starting to get real...but I'm anxious...because I am not anxious. Normally, by this time, I have inventoried, packed and repacked my luggage, just to see how it will all work out. For some reason, I'm just not motivated. We have some ADR's planned and some FP+ made, and we've even mapped out our plan of attack at Epcot...but I still feel like I haven't really planned all that much. For example, I have no idea what we are going to do on Saturday and Sunday. I made some FP+ at the Studios and AK, but I think we are basically going to hit those parks for the FP and then ???....I HAVE NO IDEA! But I'm not even stressing about it, which is so unlike me.

The good news is that after looking at the (generous) food budget I put together, we both are still about $100 UNDER what we have allotted for the trip. After paying the resort bill, I still have about $475 left on my gift card and the ONLY thing I need to pay for yet is food. I made a spreadsheet with hypothetical, but realistic, meals that we would eat and probably share and that totals out to about $350 so I have a big cushion.

I'm sure that the time will start flying by and I will be in full panic mode when I realize that I need to pack....

 

[Disneychix]

Buy yourself a fancy Birthday present with the rest of the GC!!

Have a fun trip! I went with my mom for my birthday in June. Good times, great memories!!