Oh, The Horror…of Food & Wine & Lumiere's Challenge! Nov 2017 PTR-Updated 9/22-FOP Fastpass!

[buzzrelly]

I am ALWAYS thinking about becoming a DVC member, but have never been able to fully wrap my head around how it works. Trying to follow along with that was confusing, but still has me thinking I. WANT. IN. I love when what I like to call "Disney Math" has me adding on extra days and feeling like it's not costing me that much

I thought about it from 2006, until 2013 when I finally took the leap and purchased points at BLT. My only regret is that I didn't do it 7 years earlier! I do my DVC! There is a lot of great info on the DVC boards about purchasing and there are people there who know WAY more than I do about it and could probably explain it much better! But if I I can help, send me a PM anytime

 

[lovingeire]

I am so jealous that you will get to go to the Halloween party! I am still kind of hoping they'll do one on the first, but I know it's unlikely since Wed is not normally a party day. So bummed we had to pull the plug on our family Halloween trip, but since oldest DS has his last year of high school football and his last game will be the Fri prior I just couldn't justify it. Ugh. Someday...

We always toy with the idea of DVC too, but it's gotten to the point where the places we can buy in to aren't ones we'd actually want to stay at. Plus, we're not sure if it beats the military discount we get. I'm also trying to get DH to relocate to Orlando in a few years so then it would probably be pointless I think?

 

[buzzrelly]

I am so jealous that you will get to go to the Halloween party! I am still kind of hoping they'll do one on the first, but I know it's unlikely since Wed is not normally a party day. So bummed we had to pull the plug on our family Halloween trip, but since oldest DS has his last year of high school football and his last game will be the Fri prior I just couldn't justify it. Ugh. Someday...

We always toy with the idea of DVC too, but it's gotten to the point where the places we can buy in to aren't ones we'd actually want to stay at. Plus, we're not sure if it beats the military discount we get. I'm also trying to get DH to relocate to Orlando in a few years so then it would probably be pointless I think?

Lol! I know! I'm sorry! I'll keep hoping for a November 1st party for you, but I just didn't want to take any chances! And, obviously, changing plans is much easier when it's just the two of us as opposed to the whole family!

It's hard to justify the cost of DVC when you have such a great discount already. It's a total heart purchase for me and everyone on the DVC side will say that's not how you should look at it. But I honestly love it and couldn't be happier that I finally purchased. I now feel like I own little piece of the Disney Magic

 

[buzzrelly]

Well, I FINALLY have an update and some plans to share! That's kind of the downside of starting this PTR so early…there are a lot of lulls in the planning!

I finally remembered to call Universal and change our dates at Hard Rock Hotel, so that's all set

I also booked my flight down to Orlando last week, the day Southwest opened up their fares. I'm kind of straddling the hump of their booking schedule though, so I'll have to wait until May 18th to book my return flight.

On the morning of March 16th, I was checking all morning so I was online as soon as the Southwest booking window opened up at 6:20 am. I ended up booking the 8:10am-11:05 am, Non-stop from BDL to MCO for $174. Yikes! I kind of hesitated when I saw the price tag on that flight. I thought that since I was traveling in off peak times the price would be lower. I briefly considered going a day earlier…if I left Friday evening, the tickets were about $132. I could have met Mike and stayed the extra night at his mom's house. But then my "mom guilt" kicked in and I already feel guilty leaving the kids for as long as I am, I didn't want to leave them any earlier. Oh well, it is what it is, and I'm just happy to have a plane ticket now! Also, I have been checking Southwest daily to see if the fares go down. If they do, then I can get a credit to use towards either the return flight, or towards a trip down next April. As of today, the flight I booked at $174 is now up to $216, and the Friday night flight that I was considering at $132 is now $180. So overall, I'm happy with my decision to get the flight I did, and when I did.

As gross and germ-y as it is (I literally get on the plane and start Clorox wiping EVERYTHING I could possibly touch/come into contact with), nothing make me more excited than seeing this…




Mike was asking when he should buy his train ticket…Ummmmmmm… I have NO idea. I guess I'll have to start doing some research on that. Let me check with the huge amount of people who love to travel from CT to FL by train…all three of them If anyone knows anything about train travel feel free to chime in.

As for other plans…they aren't really plans so much, as they are really a wish list or things we want to do. I'm trying to figure it all out but it's hard without park hours. I'm hoping the hours for November are posted before May 4th, when I start to make our ADRs.

I mentioned we booked BLT for the first night and was hoping to change that reservation to the Poly, but now I think it may be smarter to just leave it as a split reservation, and here's why. If I leave that as a separate reservation, I can book the deluxe dining plan for JUST that one night. The cost (for DVC members) is $103.57 per person, so $207.14 for the both of us. That would get us 3 meals, 2 snacks and 1 refillable mug each. We would most likely purchase the refillable mug anyway and we could make great use of the meal credits and the snacks.

Our tentative plan for day 1 (@ WDW)-October 31st:

• Check into BLT
• Walk to MK and get in by 4pm
• Eat somewhere like The Plaza or counter service and pay OOP (I don't want to waste too much time eating during the party. Alternatively, we could eat at Contempo Cafe around 3:30 before we walk over to the MK.
• Enjoy the Halloween Party

November 1:

• Take monorail from BLT to the Poly. Check in and leave extra bags with bell services
• Breakfast at 'Ohana…I wasn't going to do any character meals with Mike because I don't think he's really into them, but this is a really good breakfast and I think he would enjoy the food and atmosphere a lot. Plus, it's a good use of a dining credit.
• Monorail to EPCOT and snack around the WS food & wine fest, using our 4 snack credits
• Leave EPCOT around 6, head back to the Poly and freshen up and have dinner at California Grill, hopefully around 7-8pm so we can enjoy the fireworks from there after. We have never been to CG, mostly because we pay OOP for most trips and it's crazy expensive. Before I was a DVC member, we would get the regular dining plan and try to make the meal credits stretch so it didn't make sense for us to use two on one dinner…especially with kids who are major fuss-pots

So, that's why I'm thinking of getting the DxDDP. What do y'all think? I calculated how much all that would cost paying OOP, and it was easily around $300, so we would be saving close to $100

I have some other tentative plans, but I'll have to figure out how to work the RunDisney expo in on Thursday (11/2), so I'll continue to tweak those and save them for another day.

Besides, THIS guy is waiting ever so patiently for me to finish up so he can go outside…


Thanks for reading!

 

[missjackiemcg]

Your pup is seriously TOO cute!

I am very interested in figuring out the ins and outs of booking with Southwest. We live in Chicago but are much closer to O'Hare than Midway and Southwest only flies out of Midway....BUT when I continuously read people's TRs and the prices of their flights, I think we are really missing the boat. $174 sounds like a dream come true!! Last year when we flew down, our flights were close to $500 per person AND we had to pay for our bags. How does their booking, seating, etc work on Southwest?? I know there aren't reserved seats, right? I actually have no clue!

 

[ariane37]

Yay for doing MNSSHP My favorite event on WDW We've done it 4x with the last being 2014 and I'm dying to go again. I'm hoping for an Aug. trip although that's not a definite, but rumor is the parties will start late Aug. again so if we do go I want to try and catch the first or second one.
We always fly JetBlue but SW started flying out of a couple airports near us not long ago. Their seating just confuses me. I love JB because we pick our seats when we book and we're done. Don't you have to pay more to sit together?

 

[buzzrelly]

Your pup is seriously TOO cute!

I am very interested in figuring out the ins and outs of booking with Southwest. We live in Chicago but are much closer to O'Hare than Midway and Southwest only flies out of Midway....BUT when I continuously read people's TRs and the prices of their flights, I think we are really missing the boat. $174 sounds like a dream come true!! Last year when we flew down, our flights were close to $500 per person AND we had to pay for our bags. How does their booking, seating, etc work on Southwest?? I know there aren't reserved seats, right? I actually have no clue!

$500 is crazy I guess I shouldn't complain too much about $174. And honestly, I'm thinking that the return trip will be less because we'll be flying home on a Monday.

I would seriously look into SW for your next trip. I used to have major anxiety at the mere THOUGHT of not having an assigned seat! I think most of us here on the boards are crazy over-planners, and that uncertainty just doesn't sit well with us. But once you try it, it really isn't bad at all.

All you have to do is go online 24 hours before your flight and check-in. They will then assign you a boarding group, such as A, B or C, and then a boarding number anywhere from 1-45 (or something like that), according to the number you were when you checked in for your flight. So for my October 28th flight, I would go into the SW app on my iPhone on October 27th, at exactly 8:05am, and click the check-in button. If you do that, you usually get a fairly decent boarding assignment, like in the A or B boarding group. When you go to get on your actual flight, you just line up outside the gate according to the number you got. They will announce, "we are now boarding Group A," so all the A boarders line up next to their corresponding number. I think I am making it seem more complicated that it actually is. Trust me, it's very easy to figure out. And once you get on the plane, you just pick a seat. Southwest also has an option called "Early Bird Check-In," where they will actually check you in 36 hours before your flight and by doing that, you are almost guaranteed being assigned to the A boarding group, and you actually don't have to remember to go online 24 hours before your flight, because they have done it for you. This is now up to $15 extra for each leg of the trip..it seems that it gets more expensive every time I fly. I actually did get this for this flight since it's just me flying, so only for one ticket. In the past when I have flown with the family, I've sometime gotten the EBCI and sometimes not. It can get pricey for the family though, and honestly, I've never gotten on a plane and not been able to sit with my kids.

The best part of SW, in my opinion, is the free 2 checked bags. I am a serious over-packer and I love not having to worry about baggage fees.

Yay for doing MNSSHP My favorite event on WDW We've done it 4x with the last being 2014 and I'm dying to go again. I'm hoping for an Aug. trip although that's not a definite, but rumor is the parties will start late Aug. again so if we do go I want to try and catch the first or second one.
We always fly JetBlue but SW started flying out of a couple airports near us not long ago. Their seating just confuses me. I love JB because we pick our seats when we book and we're done. Don't you have to pay more to sit together?

I saw that a lot of people are thinking they will have a party in August. I think it's funny that they'd have a party THAT far in advance and then I'd be missing it by getting there just one DAY after the holiday! But honestly, that party is so much fun, I'd go tomorrow if I could!

I like Jet Blue, but they seem to be way more expensive than SW…at least they are out of Bradley. You should try SW when it's just you and Steve, just to test it out. Or at least compare prices and see of it's worth it for you. And you can always add on the EBCI (see explanation above) if you were nervous about not being able to sit together. All things considered, when I'm flying I look for convenience first (I'm not going to drive 3-4 hours to a different airport to save a couple bucks), and then price. Southwest is both convenient and economical for me, so it's kind of a no-brainer.

 

[ariane37]

I saw that a lot of people are thinking they will have a party in August. I think it's funny that they'd have a party THAT far in advance

The party we did in 2014 was on Labor Day, Sept. 1st. It WAS weird being that early lol! First of all it was about 99 degrees with Halloween going on. Being from NY that felt WAY off At least when you do a party in Oct. it cools down to maybe high 70's! We didn't even have costumes on and were sweating our butts off, but it was fun.
I'm very happy (and I guess lucky from what I read here on the boards) that not only do we have an airport 15 minutes away and one 45 minutes, but then 4 airports less than 2 hours away that we can choose from. SW does come out cheaper sometimes; good idea to try them when we don't have the kids. Guess now I have to tell Steve we need to plan another adults only trip

 

[missjackiemcg]

I would seriously look into SW for your next trip. I used to have major anxiety at the mere THOUGHT of not having an assigned seat! I think most of us here on the boards are crazy over-planners, and that uncertainty just doesn't sit well with us. But once you try it, it really isn't bad at all.

Thanks for the rundown!! I have to just figure out logistically how we would get down to the other airport and where we'd leave/park our car, how much extra that will be, blah blah blah. So much easier to fly from closer to home, but the money thing is such a big deal!!! Good thing I have a little time to figure it out

 

[buzzrelly]

The party we did in 2014 was on Labor Day, Sept. 1st. It WAS weird being that early lol! First of all it was about 99 degrees with Halloween going on.

How the heck do the keep the trick-or-treat candy from melting??

good idea to try them when we don't have the kids. Guess now I have to tell Steve we need to plan another adults only trip

Because you NEEDED another excuse to go on another trip!

Thanks for the rundown!! I have to just figure out logistically how we would get down to the other airport and where we'd leave/park our car, how much extra that will be, blah blah blah. So much easier to fly from closer to home, but the money thing is such a big deal!!! Good thing I have a little time to figure it out

Yes, in your case, I'd definitely weigh the benefits because some of that savings will be lost if you have to stay over in a hotel or pay for parking that you wouldn't normally have had. I missed the SW opening day prices on one trip and ended up purchasing tickets to leave out of JFK in NYC to save money. The more I thought about it, the more I thought how it would be such a pain in the neck to do that..I hate driving to NY, first of all, not to mention the fact that it's at least a 2 hour drive away. Second of all, I'd have had to get a hotel room the night before the trip so we could make our early morning flight. And then the thought of doing that all again after our vacation… I ended up calling SW and making the change back to BDL (Southwest is very good about letting you change flights) and I ended up paying a million dollars more for that, but in the end, the convenience was worth more to me.

Check out the transportation boards and read as much as you can. When are the dates of your trip? SW opens their next block of fares on May 18th.

 

[missjackiemcg]

When are the dates of your trip? SW opens their next block of fares on May 18th.

We're going 12/30-1/6. So on May 18th, they'll open those dates? ? I was looking at their website yesterday trying to get the hang of things Thanks for the help!!

 

[buzzrelly]

We're going 12/30-1/6. So on May 18th, they'll open those dates? ? I was looking at their website yesterday trying to get the hang of things Thanks for the help!!

Yes. On May 18th, they open up the flight schedule through January 7, 2018. It's worth looking into. The day they are released are usually the lowest prices, I think. I'm usually up and checking their fares by 6, but they sometimes don't open up till 6:30 or even later. It's seriously nerve-wracking!!

By the way, I just found your PTR and read it! It looked like planning your vow renewal was so much fun! Now I need to go catch up and read your current TR, so I can see how it all turned out

 

[iheartbelle87]

Hi, I'm joining in! Loving the PTR... sounds like you have a fabulous trip planned!

I'm Kelly, a NICU Nurse and crazy-Disney-fanatic!

AWWW <3 I'm a nurse too, I used to want to be a NICU nurse when I first graduated... IDK how you do it! You rock and most likely don't get told enough... THANK YOU!! <3 also... nurses and Disney freaks unite here, sister

It was a great trip…but 8 nights was a little long. I recently went on a 4-night on the Dream and that was perfect!

I can definitely see why you thought 8 nights on a cruise was too long... DH and I took a (non Disney) cruise in 2012 with his old college room mates... let me just say you get what you pay for. And we paid $850 for 4 nights. lol. I think we could do a 4 night cruise again if I was allowed to do all the planning (not the very nice.. but also very cheap... college room mates). Unfortunately I don't think I can talk DH into another cruise, which is fine because he's all about WDW now!

Think about this..they actually pulled me out of my academic classes to take extra gym

O.M.G. I'm literally snorting I'm laughing so hard!! Something to be said about our education system....

I can now do pretty much up to about 6 miles without too much effort and I'll be working on extending that over the next few months.

AH MAZING! I've tried SO many time to become a runner but I've never been able to be consistent with it .... I'm hoping to be able to stick with it after my surgery in June <3 are you on instagram? I could use some running- inspiration

But I won't be running outside here for a couple of months because, well, New England sucks and it's cold and I'm a big baby about running in the cold

Ugh... we're just north of Boston, I hear ya. Did you get snow Friday/Saturday? We got like 5 inches. I've been muttering not very Disney friendly phrases to mother nature the last few days.

On our DHS day, we had lunch at Pizza Planet (I know…everyone hates it, but I still miss it! I'm hoping I like Pizza Rizzo just as much):

As gross and germ-y as it is (I literally get on the plane and start Clorox wiping EVERYTHING I could possibly touch/come into contact with), nothing make me more excited than seeing this…

HAHA LOVE IT! Part of me wants to culture the arm rests in a plane just to see what grows... #nurselife

Besides, THIS guy is waiting ever so patiently for me to finish up so he can go outside…

Ok how CUTE is he?!?! Whats his name?!

 

[buzzrelly]

AWWW <3 I'm a nurse too, I used to want to be a NICU nurse when I first graduated... IDK how you do it! You rock and most likely don't get told enough... THANK YOU!! <3 also... nurses and Disney freaks unite here, sister

Thanks! I think we ALL rock, no matter what type of nurse you are What do you do? I could never take care of adults…all those "big people" bodily fluids gross me out so I have a LOT of respect for those of you who can handle it!



I can definitely see why you thought 8 nights on a cruise was too long... DH and I took a (non Disney) cruise in 2012 with his old college room mates... let me just say you get what you pay for. And we paid $850 for 4 nights. lol. I think we could do a 4 night cruise again if I was allowed to do all the planning (not the very nice.. but also very cheap... college room mates). Unfortunately I don't think I can talk DH into another cruise, which is fine because he's all about WDW now!

Maybe you can get him to do a Land/Sea on DCL…it's REALLY fun and relaxing and not at ALL like Carnival (the only other line I've sailed). I would definitely go back on…either a 4 or 5 night would be perfect


AH MAZING! I've tried SO many time to become a runner but I've never been able to be consistent with it .... I'm hoping to be able to stick with it after my surgery in June <3 are you on instagram? I could use some running- inspiration

I'm on Instagram, but mostly to follow my 13 year old daughter and snoop to see what she's posting I rarely post anything. I am more of a Facebook gal And honestly, I'm not going to be inspiring anyone because I have been in somewhat of a running rut …I have been picking up LOTS of extra hours at work (how else could I pay for my trips!??) and then I was sick with a nasty virus and frankly, I've been a baby about going to the gym It's COLD…waaaa I only have one day off…waaaa I'm too tired…waaaa I am really going to try to snap out of it now that April is here and there may be some nicer weather on the horizon



Ugh... we're just north of Boston, I hear ya. Did you get snow Friday/Saturday? We got like 5 inches. I've been muttering not very Disney friendly phrases to mother nature the last few days.

We only got a dusting, but I've just HAD it! Tell me again WHY we live in the Northeast??????


HAHA LOVE IT! Part of me wants to culture the arm rests in a plane just to see what grows... #nurselife

I don't think we'd WANT to know


Ok how CUTE is he?!?! Whats his name?!

That's my Oscar. He's almost 13 and loves NOTHING more than sleeping…he's really such a good boy. He's currently snuggled up under his Mickey blanket…he doesn't like the cold in New England either!



Thanks for joining in! Hopefully I'll be posting more updates soon!

 

[buzzrelly]

Ugh…I totally messed up that quote thing…trying it again

AWWW <3 I'm a nurse too, I used to want to be a NICU nurse when I first graduated... IDK how you do it! You rock and most likely don't get told enough... THANK YOU!! <3 also... nurses and Disney freaks unite here, sister

Thanks! I think we ALL rock, no matter what type of nurse you are What do you do? I could never take care of adults…all those "big people" bodily fluids gross me out so I have a LOT of respect for those of you who can handle it!

I can definitely see why you thought 8 nights on a cruise was too long... DH and I took a (non Disney) cruise in 2012 with his old college room mates... let me just say you get what you pay for. And we paid $850 for 4 nights. lol. I think we could do a 4 night cruise again if I was allowed to do all the planning (not the very nice.. but also very cheap... college room mates). Unfortunately I don't think I can talk DH into another cruise, which is fine because he's all about WDW now!

Maybe you can get him to do a Land/Sea on DCL…it's REALLY fun and relaxing and not at ALL like Carnival (the only other line I've sailed). I would definitely go back on…either a 4 or 5 night would be perfect

AH MAZING! I've tried SO many time to become a runner but I've never been able to be consistent with it .... I'm hoping to be able to stick with it after my surgery in June <3 are you on instagram? I could use some running- inspiration

I'm on Instagram, but mostly to follow my 13 year old daughter and snoop to see what she's posting I rarely post anything. I am more of a Facebook gal And honestly, I'm not going to be inspiring anyone because I have been in somewhat of a running rut …I have been picking up LOTS of extra hours at work (how else could I pay for my trips!??) and then I was sick with a nasty virus and frankly, I've been a baby about going to the gym It's COLD…waaaa I only have one day off…waaaa I'm too tired…waaaa I am really going to try to snap out of it now that April is here and there may be some nicer weather on the horizon

Ugh... we're just north of Boston, I hear ya. Did you get snow Friday/Saturday? We got like 5 inches. I've been muttering not very Disney friendly phrases to mother nature the last few days.

We only got a dusting, but I've just HAD it! Tell me again WHY we live in the Northeast??????

HAHA LOVE IT! Part of me wants to culture the arm rests in a plane just to see what grows... #nurselife

I don't think we'd WANT to know

Ok how CUTE is he?!?! Whats his name?!

That's my Oscar. He's almost 13 and loves NOTHING more than sleeping…he's really such a good boy. He's currently snuggled up under his Mickey blanket…he doesn't like the cold in New England either!

Thanks for joining in! Hopefully I'll be posting more updates soon!

I think I got it!

 

[iheartbelle87]

Ugh…I totally messed up that quote thing…trying it again

hahah no worries!!

What do you do? I could never take care of adults…all those "big people" bodily fluids gross me out so I have a LOT of respect for those of you who can handle it!

I'm in a family medicine office as a chronic disease care manager... BUT I'm 25 days away from getting my Master/Family NP! I agree... big peoples bodily fluids are... ew. BUT in primary care there is less of them... except for my GYN rotation... which, lets not even go there

Maybe you can get him to do a Land/Sea on DCL

OOH excellent idea!!

I'm on Instagram, but mostly to follow my 13 year old daughter and snoop to see what she's posting

hahahaha!! Hope you're feeling better!!

Tell me again WHY we live in the Northeast??????

Honestly, I have no idea... no one... I tried talking DH into moving to Charleston... he said no. Boo.

 

[lovingeire]

I'm on Instagram, but mostly to follow my 13 year old daughter and snoop to see what she's posting I rarely post anything. I am more of a Facebook gal And honestly, I'm not going to be inspiring anyone because I have been in somewhat of a running rut …I have been picking up LOTS of extra hours at work (how else could I pay for my trips!??) and then I was sick with a nasty virus and frankly, I've been a baby about going to the gym It's COLD…waaaa I only have one day off…waaaa I'm too tired…waaaa I am really going to try to snap out of it now that April is here and there may be some nicer weather on the horizon

The good thing is the official training plan normally starts in summer so you don't have to stress too much if you don't make it to the gym now unless you have other races to train for. (I am a slacker and have Dark Side in two weeks!)

Tell me again WHY we live in the Northeast??????

When my husband retired from the Marine Corps we moved to his hometown (middle of nowhere Central PA) and we have spent most of the time we've lived here questioning why we moved here. Especially since we were in Florida! Our oldest graduates from high school next June so we've decided after that all bets are off and it's operation move back to Florida!

 

[buzzrelly]

I'm in a family medicine office as a chronic disease care manager... BUT I'm 25 days away from getting my Master/Family NP!

Congratulations!! That is quite an accomplishment!

Honestly, I have no idea... no one... I tried talking DH into moving to Charleston... he said no. Boo.

My DH had no interest in moving South until we visited Hilton Head, SC this past summer. Now he's like, "maybe we can buy a vacation house there." So, don't give up hope!

The good thing is the official training plan normally starts in summer so you don't have to stress too much if you don't make it to the gym now unless you have other races to train for. (I am a slacker and have Dark Side in two weeks!)

Good luck with that! That was a fun race! (Not that I have anything to compare it to! )

When my husband retired from the Marine Corps we moved to his hometown (middle of nowhere Central PA) and we have spent most of the time we've lived here questioning why we moved here. Especially since we were in Florida! Our oldest graduates from high school next June so we've decided after that all bets are off and it's operation move back to Florida!

Ahhhh…I'm jealous. But we won't be moving anywhere until I retire. As a hospital nurse, seniority is EVERYTHING! I've been at my job almost 15 years and I work straight days (no nights for me!), in two months I will no longer be floating to different units (that totally stinks!), in 5 years I'll work one less holiday, etc. I cannot start over in a new place and give up some of these perks..sigh. I'd have to do something completely different and I just don't know what that would be (that would pay the same). So I'm stuck here in CT for a LONG time

Where in FL are you thinking of moving to? My friend lived in Delray Beach for a while and it was the best little town and had the most gorgeous beaches. If I could move right now, that's where I would go

 

[lovingeire]

Good luck with that! That was a fun race! (Not that I have anything to compare it to! )

I'm looking forward to it and really like the course from what they released so time will tell in a few weeks! But I am not a huge fan of the timing with Spring Break so it will probably be one and done for me. But I am super excited for my Kessel Run medal!

Ahhhh…I'm jealous. But we won't be moving anywhere until I retire. As a hospital nurse, seniority is EVERYTHING! I've been at my job almost 15 years and I work straight days (no nights for me!), in two months I will no longer be floating to different units (that totally stinks!), in 5 years I'll work one less holiday, etc. I cannot start over in a new place and give up some of these perks..sigh. I'd have to do something completely different and I just don't know what that would be (that would pay the same). So I'm stuck here in CT for a LONG time

Where in FL are you thinking of moving to? My friend lived in Delray Beach for a while and it was the best little town and had the most gorgeous beaches. If I could move right now, that's where I would go

I understand that. I'm a teacher by trade and it's a pain to get my credential everywhere and then you start over with the pay scale in new districts most of the time. (Kind of depends on state/district) so I get it. I've been home for 6 years with my little kids and getting a credential here in PA is a pain, but I'd need it just to sub here so I'm thinking about sucking it up and doing it. I'd like to move to the Orlando area. My husband would rather be closer to the beach so we are looking in the Tampa/Sarasota area as well. I liked the looks of Bradenton. We'll see what happens. He has a decent job right now, but he doesn't love it. He has an inspection in just under 3 years at work so we realistically won't do anything before then because he wants to have that under his belt. But it sure is nice to dream and plan!

 

[buzzrelly]

But I am super excited for my Kessel Run medal!

That's awesome! Come back and post a pic here! I noticed you don't have any TR links…get going! HaHa!

it sure is nice to dream and plan!

Yes! Yes, it is!