No ticker and no planning make me GO CRAZY.. Feb. 2013 PTR

[pinkxray]

Over the weekend I booked our resort.


I’ve decided that I would love to stay at SSR, but am going to save it for a trip where I actually get to enjoy it.


I decided on doing a split stay between AOA and the Swan. I tried to book my night at the Swan and had a horrible time trying to log onto the Starwood members website. I e-mailed costumer service and they had to reset my account. I tried again. Couldn’t get on. Called. The girl said she fixed it and I should be able to log on. Tried again. Nope. Apparently somehow my old e-mail address got merged with my new, but didn’t actually get merged right. It should be fixed but I am still unable to log on. It keeps telling me to reset my password and then, when I do it tells me my account isn’t active or something.Just forget it Swan, you lost your chance.


I happened to be browsing the DIs and there has been a lot of pictures on AOA. It looks AMAZING and they only have pictures of the 2 sections I will probably like least. I asked Caitlin and she said she was okay with no waterslide so we are now booked for 2 nights at

In a little Mermaid room. Nemo and Cars aren’t really in my favorites of Disney movies, but the Lion King section looks like it will be adorable. However I am not spending $250 a night to stay in the family suite. No thanks, maybe if we ever have a bigger family.

We are super excited to try out the pools and the food court.

I was going to wait to book but I didn’t want to take the chance of not getting the room. It looks like half the Dis board is going to be in the LM rooms that week.


I am a resort changer and it could change if I decide to stay at a host resort. Right now I think I’ll be okay grabbing a cab or just using our rental. I’ll decide once more info is released on the race.


I also need to really watch my budget, because I am kind of thinking of trying to still get to the Princess Half in Feb. instead of waiting until 2014. I won’t be able to figure that out until July or so but I want to make sure I have money put aside in case it works out.​

 

[amazingact21]

Sorry about the email misshap and the trouble with the Swan. I'm sure it would've been a great resort, but at least now you don't have to worry about doing a split stay.


Plus, by staying at a value, you're able to put a little more money away for a potential Princess Half trip.
I think AoA looks awesome, but there haven't really been any pictures of the LM rooms yet, so it's hard to judge whether or not you'll like it.

 

[Alysa]

Subscribing! Wish I was going to be at the Tower of Terror run this year. I'll have to live vicariously through your report! Have a great time!

 

[tinacaplan]

Sorry I missed your dilemma! Although, I think you made a good choice as you probably do want more time to enjoy SSR. It is a beautiful resort with a beautiful pool. I loved my stay there, save for how spread out things were. Again, I think I got totally spoiled at BC last summer because we were so close to the main elevator to the lobby. I was in the marketplace in a few minutes, which I loved. That said, SSR really is gorgeous. Its very serene, too. I would absolutely stay there again.

I'd love to stay in the Cars section of AoA. I know Max would absolutely love it, but I'm not about to spend that kind of money for a suite we don't need.

I think you're going to have a wonderful trip!

 

[TinksThree]

Don't worry, you didn't miss much. The week I started this PTR, I was hardly working. The next week I took the part time position but somehow ended up picking up extra hours and have been pretty much full time and have had no good DIS time


Is the whole family going back in July? It's not a adults only trip right? I have no idea why I thought you were going on an adults only trip, lack of sleep is making TR's blur together.....

I had been hoping (and talking about) an adult only trip in October for the F&W. This July trip is the whole family and was a last minute vacation. Of course you probably have figured this out by reading the little I have done on my PTR! My work has been kicking me all over the place...so I feel for you and your work business too!! I have seen pictures of AoA and it looks so amazing!! They have really put a lot into it for a value resort! I love the Cars section but I did like that movie also. I bet you guys will love it!! Oh and the cruise is the same itinerary Chris wants! I really liked Grand Cayman when we stopped there.

 

[teekathepony]

Too bad about your mess-up with the Swan but... Hooray for AoA!!! hahaha I know a lot of people have been unable to snag a Mermaid room because they're selling out really fast. Glad you got one!
The pool may not have a slide but it does have the underwater sound system and zero entry. It's still pretty cool, I bet Caitlin will like it.
The Lion King and The Little Mermaid are my two favourites too and of course, they open last and there aren't many pictures yet. But if you can judge them by what's been done already I think its safe to say that they'll be pretty amazing.

 

[amandaw]

Woo Hoo for AoA! How exciting that y'all will get to check out a brand new resort. I can't wait to hear about it & see pictures!

 

[jenseib]

Sounds like a great plan. I am staying at AoA this fall too. Claire just loves the pictures of it and Little Mermaid is one of her favorites too.

 

[pinkxray]

Sorry about the email misshap and the trouble with the Swan. I'm sure it would've been a great resort, but at least now you don't have to worry about doing a split stay.


Plus, by staying at a value, you're able to put a little more money away for a potential Princess Half trip.
I think AoA looks awesome, but there haven't really been any pictures of the LM rooms yet, so it's hard to judge whether or not you'll like it.

I can't wait until they release photos of the Lion King and LM. The Cars and Nemo sections look AMAZING and those movies are on the bottom of my favorite Disney movies.

You are right about saving money for the Feb trip. The cheaper I can get each trip, the more trips I get to take

Subscribing! Wish I was going to be at the Tower of Terror run this year. I'll have to live vicariously through your report! Have a great time!

Thanks! I can't wait, the Disney runs looks like so much fun.

Sorry I missed your dilemma! Although, I think you made a good choice as you probably do want more time to enjoy SSR. It is a beautiful resort with a beautiful pool. I loved my stay there, save for how spread out things were. Again, I think I got totally spoiled at BC last summer because we were so close to the main elevator to the lobby. I was in the marketplace in a few minutes, which I loved. That said, SSR really is gorgeous. Its very serene, too. I would absolutely stay there again.

I'd love to stay in the Cars section of AoA. I know Max would absolutely love it, but I'm not about to spend that kind of money for a suite we don't need.

I think you're going to have a wonderful trip!

I don't think I would want to spend money on the suites either. If I am paying that much for a room, I would rather stay at AKL or something. The theming does look amazing though.

I'm glad to hear you liked SSR. It is on my short list if we make it back in Feb. Did you take advantage of being near DTD more? I like to daydream about being able to hop over there to try all of the dining choices like WPE, Raglan Road, T-rex,etc. but I'm sure that is easier said than done.

I had been hoping (and talking about) an adult only trip in October for the F&W. This July trip is the whole family and was a last minute vacation. Of course you probably have figured this out by reading the little I have done on my PTR! My work has been kicking me all over the place...so I feel for you and your work business too!! I have seen pictures of AoA and it looks so amazing!! They have really put a lot into it for a value resort! I love the Cars section but I did like that movie also. I bet you guys will love it!! Oh and the cruise is the same itinerary Chris wants! I really liked Grand Cayman when we stopped there.

I can't believe the amount of detail they have put into AOA. I'm suprised they didn't just do away with the non suite rooms so that they could classify it as a moderate.

Glad to hear you liked Grand Cayman. I still have second thoughts about the Western over the Eastern, but am letting DH have all the say for that. I think he has gone along with enough of my vacations to be able to choose 1.

Too bad about your mess-up with the Swan but... Hooray for AoA!!! hahaha I know a lot of people have been unable to snag a Mermaid room because they're selling out really fast. Glad you got one!
The pool may not have a slide but it does have the underwater sound system and zero entry. It's still pretty cool, I bet Caitlin will like it.
The Lion King and The Little Mermaid are my two favourites too and of course, they open last and there aren't many pictures yet. But if you can judge them by what's been done already I think its safe to say that they'll be pretty amazing.

Caitlin can't wait to hear the underwater sounds. I think that is what sold her. I have been having a few second thoughts and wanted to switch to AKL but Caitlin is now insisting we stay at AOA. I just can't wait to see the other two sections.

Woo Hoo for AoA! How exciting that y'all will get to check out a brand new resort. I can't wait to hear about it & see pictures!

I am pretty excited, the resort looks like fun. Plus I get to save money for more trips

Sounds like a great plan. I am staying at AoA this fall too. Claire just loves the pictures of it and Little Mermaid is one of her favorites too.

I really thought about switching but Caitlin is insisting we stay put. I am just a little worried about how packed it will be since the LM section is only opening two weeks before. It seems like everyone on the resort board will be there that month

 

[pinkxray]

Updates, updates, updates. So many updates, where do I begin?


We had a busy weekend filled with good stuff and also a little time to really think about future vacation plans.


Let’s start backwards, shall we? (I have to upload the pictures for the other updates)


Running update

As you all know, I am planning to run in the TOT 10 miler this Sept. I am also hoping to make it to the Princess Half Marathon in Feb. My running has taken a hit with my horrible work schedule but I have managed to squeeze in a few awful runs over the last few weeks.


Since my work schedule isn’t too bad this month, I am going to start my official 10mile training this week. 3 runs a week- 2 3 mile runs and a long run each week. No excuses.


I even bought myself a little pre Mother’s Day present to help get motivated. A Garmin 110 Forerunner to help keep a more accurate pace/distance. It should be arriving later today.

I also bought myself a new ipod last week since I lost mine last year and DH’s isn’t working right anymore.

When I started the Couch to 5k I hovered around the 12:50min/mil with a final 5k time of around 37.5-38.5minute time. I’ve done a few 5ks and the time goes down a little bit with the last one last week with a time of 37something? I am hovering right at the 12 minute mile.


Yesterday I ran a local 5k with my friend who has done them all with me and we finally broke our time. We started in the middle of the crowd instead of the back so that we didn’t get stuck with the walkers, which I think helped. We started off pretty fast and I really didn’t think I would be able to keep up, but I just thought about running until I couldn’t keep up anymore. First mile came, 10:30. Awesome! Still feeling pretty good. Then my friend stops. Darn it. She has always stopped when I needed to so we walked for a few seconds. We picked up right where we left off. Somehow we made it through mile 2 and 3 with only a quick stop at the water station.


I was hoping to finish in at least 35 minutes, but hit the finish line around 33:44? (I can’t find the official time listed yet) Which brings the pace to around 10:54ish. Whoo-hoo. That’s over 3 minutes off our recent runs!​

 

[pinkxray]

Zombies Attack!!!


On Saturday we headed to Boston so that DH could run in the Run for your Lives 5K/Obstacle course. Although it was advertised as Boston, it really wasn’t. It was about an hour north, the parking lot for the shuttle was in New Hampshire.


We drove up Friday night and stayed in a Hoilday Express about 30 miles away. I picked it because it was the only one with an indoor pool and I figured Caitlin would be happy with that. We didn’t get to the pool until about 9:20pm. It was great for about 15 minutes and then a whole bus of kids who were on some type of high school trip for Canada came in. There must have been about 50 kids in a small pool/hot tub. We were out of there pretty quick.


Caitlin was unimpressed with the room. It was boring to her. (I thought it was pretty decent looking) I mentioned to DH that she might be a little spoiled with hotels and he said I only have myself to blame.

While we were in the room I came up with an idea to start a scrapbook for Caitlin. A sort of where have you been book. Each page will have a few pictures from everywhere we go. A page for Florida, page for Castaway Cay, Nassau, etc. I figure that with my new cruise obsession she will most likely fill up the book with awesome places. I told her I needed to get some pictures for this trip. Apparently she didn’t like this idea.

After a delicious breakfast at Crackel Barrel on Saturday morning, we headed to the site of the Zombie run. There was a parking about 15 minutes from the event and you had to park there and get shuttled to the park where the event took place.


DH needed to do some jumping jacks to warm up.

We waited for the shuttle

We’re here!

Everyone needed to sign a waiver.

We arrived around 11 and DH wasn’t scheduled to run until 3. Caitlin decided at the last minute that she wanted to come. It would have been much better if we had left her with grandma. There wasn’t much for her to do. It was more of an adults drinking beer and hanging out with live music kind of thing. Totally my fault. I always give her the option to join us b/c I feel bad excluding her but from now on I need to just get over that. She isn’t old enough to enjoy certain things and end up whining the whole time.


It didn’t help that it was pretty chilly that day. Maybe 60 with overcast all day.

Plus they ran out of French fries right as we got to the food stand. Caitlin was not happy.

Finally, it was time for DH to go.

He went through the tent

As soon as you start, you had to head up a HUGE hill. It doesn’t look as bad in the pictures, but it was HUGE!

After we lost site of DH we headed to the finish line to wait.


Here are the pictures DH took while doing the run. He said that it is pretty much impossible to actually avoid the zombies and run because of all the mud.

 

[pinkxray]

Ankle deep in mud. Ew

Towards the end there was a huge slide back down the hill. They started to have some problems with the plastic ripping so they kept having to fix it. It held up the runners so it took DH forever to finish.

He was stuck in line for about 20 minutes in wet, freezing clothes.

Here is the slide that they had to replace

We finally saw him on the way down and he looked beat.

He was freezing and his towel was in with his stuff in the changing area. So he had to borrow my sweatshirt.

Overall it looked like a fun event. DH thought I would feel like I missed out when I chicken out, but I am very happy I didn’t do it. I would not have been happy being cold and wet. I would do it though if it was warmer. DH was also not happy that some of the obstacles in the commercials like the cargo net climb and the blood pool weren’t there.​

 

[teekathepony]

Wow, it looks so tough! All that mud and hills and obstacles! Very cool though. Too bad about the cold and wet bit though. Looks like a fun time all in all!

 

[dizneeat]

Diane, I am SO sorry I have been missing for the last two weeks, but real life got in the way.

Congratulations on your decision on AoA! I think it looks awesome and I would love to stay there too! Maybe next February before our cruise.

Thanks for all the photos from the Zombie run! That hill looks SCARY! and the mud and obstacles are too!

 

[tinacaplan]

That looks like a crazy 5K! There are all kinds of interesting 5Ks out there. Friends of mine are doing a mud run soon, I think.

I agree...the Holiday Inn Express looks pretty nice, but what do I know?

 

[pinkxray]

Wow, it looks so tough! All that mud and hills and obstacles! Very cool though. Too bad about the cold and wet bit though. Looks like a fun time all in all!

It was pretty fun. I am still glad I opted out though, I hate being cold.

Diane, I am SO sorry I have been missing for the last two weeks, but real life got in the way.

Congratulations on your decision on AoA! I think it looks awesome and I would love to stay there too! Maybe next February before our cruise.

Thanks for all the photos from the Zombie run! That hill looks SCARY! and the mud and obstacles are too!

I can't wait to hear all about your recent trips

I am excited to check out AoA. I am also happy that is pretty cheap. I have about 3 vacations I would like to plan in the next year so I need to save wherever I can.

The hills were awful! There was a huge hill to go up as soon as you started and everyone was running up it. I would have been so tired right after that and that is just the beginning It looked fun to come back down the hill on the slide though.

That looks like a crazy 5K! There are all kinds of interesting 5Ks out there. Friends of mine are doing a mud run soon, I think.

I agree...the Holiday Inn Express looks pretty nice, but what do I know?

DH has been asking me to sign up for some mud runs too. The Spartan race and some Fugitive bust out of jail mud run? Part of me thinks they might be fun, but the other part only sees the mud and obstacles. I think I might try one over the summer with him though so he stops bugging me.

 

[pinkxray]

I need a little Disney/ vacation planning advice from the experts.

Lately, I've been thinking about my vacation wish list, Disney and non Disney.

Caitlin is almost done with second grade. Once she hits 6th grade she will be in middle school and I will no longer be okay with taking her out of school to travel. Maybe a long weekend, but no more missing 4-5 days at a time.

I have a long list of places I would love to go- CA, Hawaii, an Alaskian cruise, a Bermuda cruise, Ireland, the list goes on.

My Disney list includes Food and Wine, Xmas, the Princess Half and a cruise on the Disney Fantasy.

The first list can pretty much all happen over summer breaks so they can wait a bit.

Xmas at Disney can be a long weekend.

Which brings us to the Princess Half and the Disney Fantasy. I talked to DH and told him I would really like to just do the Princess Half this year and get it out of my system. He said to go for it.

Here is the real issue though. The Disney Fantasy. DH has agreed that after our cruise on RCL in Sept. 2012 our next cruise can be the Fantasy. I explained to him that I didn't want to wait any longer than 2014 b/c I just don't think Caitlin will enjoy it after 9/10.

I am kind of thinking of booking the Fantasy for Nov. 2013. DH thinks I should wait and book Oct. 2014.

DH always seems to think we will take a long break between vacations. Last Oct, he said no vacation for three years. 11 months later we will be back on a 7 day cruise and 2 days in Disney. May 2010 was supposed to be our Disney trip for a few years. We were back again the next May.

My hold ups in booking are -

-$$ It's going to be tight depending on how much I work over the next year with our Sept. trip, a Feb trip and then, a pricey cruise. I'll have a better idea once I see the airfare for Feb. but I am thinking the fares will be out of control.

-The whole baby thing- nope, not pregnant. Now, that summer is here the whole trying to get pregnant thing will be on the back burner. DH will be working 60-70hrs a week and I will most likely be working full time. Add in a kid, Judo listening, half marathon training and that doesn't leave much time to worry about adding another kid. However, we are just leaving it up to fate so it could happen at any time.

Anyway, I guess my question is- should I just book the Fantasy for 2013 now and see what happens over the next few months? I can always cancel it or push it back if we were to get pregnant. Or should I wait a few months and book it later? I just don't want it to be May of 2013 and decide we should go on the cruise and be prices out for waiting too long.

I would really like to just get on the Fantasy in 2013. I think Caitlin is really growing away from Disney already and I think it is just time to move on to new things.

Book now or wait?

 

[dizneeat]

Here's advice from someone who is already mostly booked for 2013 and has near finished travel plans for 2014.

If I were you, I would book a Fantasy cruise for 2013 and take it from there. If it works out than go in 2013. It gives you time to pay off the cruise in little bits and IF you cannot go in 2013 for whatever reason, you can always change your dates.
Changing dates is SO easy on their website. I have changed around my cruises more than a few times.

 

[pinkxray]

Here's advice from someone who is already mostly booked for 2013 and has near finished travel plans for 2014.

If I were you, I would book a Fantasy cruise for 2013 and take it from there. If it works out than go in 2013. It gives you time to pay off the cruise in little bits and IF you cannot go in 2013 for whatever reason, you can always change your dates.
Changing dates is SO easy on their website. I have changed around my cruises more than a few times.

Thanks for the advice. I think you are right about booking and changing if need be. I priced out the same week for Nov. 2012 and it is about $1000 more.

However, now I have a new dilemma that you might be able to help with.

 

[pinkxray]

Another planning dilemma....

In the last post I asked about booking the Fantasy for Sept 2013. However, I think I have a new plan that might work out better.

I have been trying to incorporate a little something different in our vacations. I happened to be on that other cruise forum and read a trip report that had a ship leaving out of Miami. Wow, Miami looks pretty. We have never been there. I started looking into cruises out of Miami. Carnival has a good one.

DH doesn't like to take weeks off in the summer due to his work schedule so I played around with Caitin's April vacation. Of course I am scheduled to work the weekend at the end. We aren't allowed to take weekends off unless we get them covered, which we cant do unless the schedule is up (the month before.)

Okay, we could do a short cruise and a few days in Miami.

Hey, wait a minute. Isn't DCL doing 5 night cruises next year out of Miami. Yes, yes they are!!!!

Now, I am thinking of booking the Wonder 5 night Western Caribbean out of Miami for April break of 2013 and pushing the Fantasy back to late 2014.

What do you think?