PTR: A Spring Fling on the Dark Side ...2 Muggles Celebrate in Diagon Alley!

[pigletto]

Hope the meds work before you fly out, hopefully you will be sorted and the BP lowers. You have a lot going on, with your friend, holiday, work, and yes Jet Blues flight prices so hopefully it is just a blip

Anyway on the getting old subject you know they say you are only as old as the (man) you feel! Does that help?

Awesome.. dh is almost 6 years younger than me.

Gina, Prom dress shopping was a success! We ended up in Hamilton because we checked the border wait times this morning and it was an hour at 7 am. That wasn't happening so we went to a few places in Hamilton, found THE dress, went out for lunch and called it day. Everyone is happy. My mom and sister came and my mom decided she wanted to pay for dd's dress as her birthday gift to dd so that was wonderful too! I am in complete agreement with you about this last year of high school. $250 in fees the other day for grad and a prom ticket, a sitting fee for pictures, the pictures themselves, prom attire, a dress for grad, a dress for grad luncheon, hair and shoes and... it just keeps getting worse. And all the deposits are going to be due soon for tuition and dorm rooms and ... I think it won't be until next Fall that I can take a deep breath.

On a less stressful note.. 3 more sleeps and vacation here we come. Don't worry Gina it will me who is green with envy when it's your turn in May . I'll let you know how we like Aquatica.. I imagine we'll love it, it looks like such a pretty park. I'm an ambiance girl myself since I'm not much a slide fan. Lots of lazy river time for me!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Flights for Christmas are booked! $401.86 pp return, non-stop both directions via Jetblue from Buffalo. I can live with that price, especially since that rate still includes seat selection and baggage (I think the baggage fees are set to be introduced this summer). WAY better than Westjet's $900+ pp .... and much better times.

There goes my tax refund .

 

[Lynne G]

Wahoo for getting the Christmas airfare done. I like JetBlue, but to go from our airport, they want to fly us almost 2 hours north, then to wait an hour and fly almost 6 to SD. At least SW goes west then stops midway before SD. I would like direct, but at over $700 each, I was hoping more like less then $400 each for 1 stop. I will keep my fingers and toes crossed. Long wait until May.

 

[livingthedream]

Congratulations!!!! Another box - and a big one - ticked off for you. Usually those seat sales through an American airline are waaaay better than the prices offered through a Canadian airline - even with the exchange rate. We Canadians all got spoiled the last few years with our dollar at parity, so now we all have to go back to the way it often used to be. We just have to be a bit craftier in figuring out our savings now! Like being aware of the deal you just took advantage of on JetBlue.....! Hope that free baggage sticks! Nowadays that's a huge savings in and of itself, especially with four of you traveling at Christmas!

We are seriously re-thinking the number of times we plan to travel to the States in the near future. In relative terms with the exchange rates, Europe is looking pretty good right now. We'll see how it goes.....

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Wahoo for getting the Christmas airfare done. I like JetBlue, but to go from our airport, they want to fly us almost 2 hours north, then to wait an hour and fly almost 6 to SD. At least SW goes west then stops midway before SD. I would like direct, but at over $700 each, I was hoping more like less then $400 each for 1 stop. I will keep my fingers and toes crossed. Long wait until May.

So far, we've been lucky enough to never be priced out of non-stops....but its always my fear that that might happen. Being a not-so-great flyer, once I'm "up", I want to stay there until its time to land and de-plane. The less up and down, and the less stress with connections, the better. Of course, if we ever fly south-west versus straight south, the distance gets so much longer so our chances of a non-stop diminish substantially. I may have to put my dreams of visiting California off until such time as I become more relaxed with air travel in general.

May (and Southwest's release dates) are not that far off, my friend. It will be here before you know it. Then you can scratch that big old to-do off your list, too.

Congratulations!!!! Another box - and a big one - ticked off for you. Usually those seat sales through an American airline are waaaay better than the prices offered through a Canadian airline - even with the exchange rate. We Canadians all got spoiled the last few years with our dollar at parity, so now we all have to go back to the way it often used to be. We just have to be a bit craftier in figuring out our savings now! Like being aware of the deal you just took advantage of on JetBlue.....! Hope that free baggage sticks! Nowadays that's a huge savings in and of itself, especially with four of you traveling at Christmas!

We are seriously re-thinking the number of times we plan to travel to the States in the near future. In relative terms with the exchange rates, Europe is looking pretty good right now. We'll see how it goes.....

With buying our tickets now, we'll be sure to avoid any baggage fees even if they are introduced before our travel date. Our fares will be grandfathered to include one free bag per person. And you are right....to pay for baggage for four people, both directions, adds a mighty hefty portion to the overall cost. Of course, the rest of the family is less concerned about the free baggage and just happy that they all have their own TV to enjoy while we're in the air. Priorities, you know!!

We're with you.....unless our dollar rebounds by a decent margin, we'll likely only use our two timeshare weeks next year and that's it. We will hopefully have enough TrueBlue points for a free couples trip in April (to use our Universal AP's one more time before they expire), then depending on how it goes over Christmas, we'll perhaps do another family trip over the holidays in 2016 (assuming Jake can go with us at that point.....he graduates from college in April 2016, so will hopefully have a full time position in his field by then).

In the meantime, an extra 30% on top of any US travel costs is a tough one to swallow! I am dreading seeing my airfare cost with the exchange and conversion added .

 

[JaxDad]

HI Gina! I enjoyed the pulled pork dinner at our local 4 Rivers BBQ joint yesterday, and left feeling like a stuffed cow. When you all eat there on your trip, you should consider getting one 2-3 meat dinner and splitting it. It comes with 3 sides and a big piece of corn bread too, so you can try several items and not leave hungry. You will save some money and save your diets! (And leave room for dessert!)

 

[pigletto]

Congrats on getting your plane tickets for December all squared away Gina! I know that will be a huge load off your mind.
And you are flying out of Buffalo so could book the Peace Bridge duty free deal again if you wanted .

Today is last minute prep and cleaning around here. We'll be leaving tomorrow after 4 which is the earliest we can drop the dog off at the boarding facility. Getting so excited!!!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

HI Gina! I enjoyed the pulled pork dinner at our local 4 Rivers BBQ joint yesterday, and left feeling like a stuffed cow. When you all eat there on your trip, you should consider getting one 2-3 meat dinner and splitting it. It comes with 3 sides and a big piece of corn bread too, so you can try several items and not leave hungry. You will save some money and save your diets! (And leave room for dessert!)

An excellent idea!! Especially when many of our meals are going to be much heavier than we have grown accustomed to over the last 2 and a half months. Our appetites just aren't the same!! (my Steve-o is down 35 pounds and lookin' awesome)

Congrats on getting your plane tickets for December all squared away Gina! I know that will be a huge load off your mind.
And you are flying out of Buffalo so could book the Peace Bridge duty free deal again if you wanted .

Today is last minute prep and cleaning around here. We'll be leaving tomorrow after 4 which is the earliest we can drop the dog off at the boarding facility. Getting so excited!!!

Because our flight leaves early on departure day and arrives late (after 10 pm) on the day we come home, we're going to book the Buffalo hotel for a night on both ends of our trip (both before and after we fly). I am definitely going to take advantage of that Peace Bridge deal....my budget needs all the help it can get!

If you don't have a chance to pop in here before you leave, have an absolutely fantastic trip! I can't wait to hear all about your experience at Cabana Bay. May your travels be safe, crowds be light, and sunshine abundant .

 

[pigletto]

Thank you Gina!! Just tying up the loose ends and cleaning the house today and it's off to the airport after dinner. See you all soon

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

We're officially at 43 days to departure! Tomorrow will be our 6-week mark .

We had a bit of a thaw here over the past few weeks....the snow isn't gone, but its greatly depleted. The garbage and recycling collectors will be estatic this Thursday that our garbage cans and blue bins won't be perched precariously on icy snowbanks. Other than 1 day of +10 (man, was THAT nice ), we have yet to be more than a degree or two above the freezing mark, but its just enough to keep slowly melting the ice and snow. We got a dusting of the white stuff last night and its noticeably colder today, but the weatherman says we're to be back above freezing for most of the next two weeks. Brown, soggy grass has never looked so beautiful!!

The medication for my sinus infection seems to be working beautifully, and I'm feeling MUCH better. Even the initial tummy upset (caused by the medication) has rectified itself. I wish I had gone to the doctor weeks ago.....but hindsight is 20/20, right?

Not much new on the planning front....for the May trip, anyway. Pretty much everything is set and ready and we're just waiting to go. I have been working hard on some of the basics for our December trip, now that the flights are booked. Our park and fly hotels are reserved (one night before we fly out, and the other the day we fly home, since we're not landing until 10:30 pm and still have a 4 hour drive home from the airport), our rental vehicle is in place (with a decent starting price on an SUV, surprisingly) and even a few loose plans made. Now that the flights are secured, Jake and Sweetie seem very interested in "the plans".....I'm not sure why, but there's something about committing to your airfare that just makes things feel very real. It was terribly odd last night, researching all this stuff about the holiday season in Orlando, when we haven't event officially welcomed spring yet. And knowing there are still two trips to enjoy in Orlando before we celebrate Christmas there as a family.

We ended up paying just over 31 cents on the dollar for exchange and conversion on Sunday's airfare purchase . Heaven help me, that hurt like the dickens. I think I may go ahead and pre-pay our park and fly for May (which is one of the only items left which we have yet to pay prior to departure) to avoid taking any worse of a hit. It doesn't appear there's going to be any rebounding in value any time soon.....just the opposite, in fact....so I might better get it done.

I've got my to-do list drafted, week by week, starting from the 4 week mark. I am one of those weirdos who like lists ... I don't know why, but they provide me with a sese of direction that promotes comfort in my strange little world . Which reminds me.....I think I need to take inventory of things like camera batteries and ponchos and make myself a pre-trip shopping list .

Lots of Disfriends are in Orlando enjoying our Canadian March Break with their families. I am very much looking forward to hearing all about their adventures when they return! Looks like they are getting some spectacular weather, too . I hope we are equally as fortunate in May!!!

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

So glad to hear things are getting better, your health, the temperatures and flights booked for Christmas. I love Christmas in Orlando, we went for our honeymoon in 1996 and just really enjoy that time of year We love to go to Celebration and FW to see the decorations and Blue Spring State Park which I know you have talked about.

The £ is also bad against the $ so our July trip spending money is slowly dwindling! We'll be eating on the cheap at this rate Luckily the condo I am renting is owned by someone from the UK so that price is not affected.

On a funny note, for some reason my alerts for this thread keep disappearing - any advice on that?

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

So glad to hear things are getting better, your health, the temperatures and flights booked for Christmas. I love Christmas in Orlando, we went for our honeymoon in 1996 and just really enjoy that time of year We love to go to Celebration and FW to see the decorations and Blue Spring State Park which I know you have talked about.

The £ is also bad against the $ so our July trip spending money is slowly dwindling! We'll be eating on the cheap at this rate Luckily the condo I am renting is owned by someone from the UK so that price is not affected.

On a funny note, for some reason my alerts for this thread keep disappearing - any advice on that?

Oooohhhh, tell me all about Celebration!! Is it as festive and awesome as it looks and sounds? I was doing some reading up on their holiday events and was thinking it might be fun to visit on Christmas Eve. Of course, I can totally see the irony in travelling 1500 miles to sunshine and warmth only to seek out "snow"!!!

Unfortunately, I can't help on your question about the alerts.....I'm not a very efficient Disboarder, I'm afraid! I have never figured out how to get alerts, subscribe and all that jazz......I just sift through the threads the old-fashioned way. Hopefully someone else can help answer your question....I wouldn't want you to miss my updates and disappear from my PTR. I'd end up very lonely .

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

Hi Gina, we first went to Celebration when they were planning it and all the house designs for the first 500 houses were available to look at from the different builders. It has grown some since then, but we always visit. In the day, we will walk around the lakes, look at the shops and perhaps eat lunch or get an ice-cream and people watch.

At night, we will drive around the town to look at the decorations (Christmas and Halloween are great). We have also taken a horse and carriage ride and they have a train that you can take (not sure if both are still available). There are some lovely restaurants such as Antonios, Columbia or The Town Tavern, but you might need to book ahead if going when it is busy. The foam snow usually falls nightly, and mast time they had one if those 'ice' rinks for the kids.

We also enjoy FW for the decorations and might go to Trails End for tea and then walk around the mobile homes to take a look, some really go to town and it's really fun, especially at Halloween.

The alert worked this time so you're not getting rid of me just yet!! Have a great weekend

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

We are in the 30's!!!! 39 days to go!

Thanks to a Travelzoo offer that I received by email this weekend, we've changed up one evening's dining plans for the trip. One of our wish-list restaurants, Hash House A Go Go (on International Drive) was extending a $40 food and beverage voucher for $20, and at half price, we couldn't pass it up! With the voucher purchased online this morning, we decided to defer our originally-scheduled TGI Fridays meal (which we have $45 in free gift certificates for) to our October vacation instead.

This is a great video featuring some of the Hash House specialties. While the video features the Vegas location specifically, the menu at the Orlando Hash House is virtually identical.......and the TripAdvisor pics show exactly the same entrees:

Considering the portion sizes, I think we'll do dinner rather than breakfast. Or maybe breakfast for dinner???

Our park and fly for Syracuse is also now all paid in full. I had a bit of a hard time getting the front desk staff at the Holiday Inn Express Syracuse Airport to understand why I wanted to pay now versus at check-in (I thought, being so close to the border, that they would have at least some knowledge of the effect of the strengthening US dollar on the wallets of their Canadian visitors, but apparently not ) however with a little coaxing and explaining on my part, the charges were put through and its another thing I can scratch off my list. Literally, its ALL PAID now......flights, car rental, tickets, villa accommodations, food and spending (all converted to USD and sitting in the bank), and now the park and fly. I even bought a mongo package of camera batteries yesterday .

The only thing that eludes me so far is purchasing my pre-measured packs of Tim Hortons coffee for brewing in our villa. Our local store says they will only sell them to me now in a case of 48 . That's a bit more than we need , considering we only have 21 days at SVR this year. Its quite possible that another location won't give me a hard time about a smaller quantity, or that the staff I spoke to at our local store just didn't know what they were talking about. Its my mission to check this out further over the coming week. I am much more charming in the mornings when I have enjoyed a delicious cup of my wake-up java from home .

 

[mrsabbott]

Oh wow, Gina!! Your trip is SO CLOSE!! I know you are super excited! And that restaurant, Hash House a Go Go... WOW!!! I can't wait to hear about your experience there!

 

[tristyp]

Just caught up. I have been a bit busy lately. I am glad to hear you are feeling well. Glad to see you got your flights booked and everything all planned for this one. Sounds like a tonne of fun.

I managed to get our two weeks booked. We are going from September 25th to October 9th. We are staying the first week at your home resort of SVR. We got it off Sky Auction for 595 everything included. I had to pay 125 surcharge for the week. I was debating holding out knowing it was slow season and getting it without the surcharge at a later date but I was afraid of it not working with my dates and flights and just booked it.

The second week we are doing in a 3 bedroom at Reunion resort. It looks really nice and I managed to get it in an auction for $434 all in. This week I am getting the flights now that my dates are locked.

I know what you mean about the dollar. It really is awful and adds quite a cost to the vacation. We may be forced to eat in more this trip and Discovery Cove may be out due to the exchange. Universal is definitely what we are doing but I was hoping to use my Aquatica season pass to get us another day at the Cove. I will have to see how things go.

I hope time goes by quickly for you.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Oh wow, Gina!! Your trip is SO CLOSE!! I know you are super excited! And that restaurant, Hash House a Go Go... WOW!!! I can't wait to hear about your experience there!

Excited and impatient . We were telling the kids on the weekend that this trip is the first time that Steve and I have ever been away together, just a couple, with the exception of our honeymoon (which consisted of 3 nights in Niagara Falls....big time spenders that we were!! ). They were gobsmacked. But now they really understand how special this anniversary trip is for us.

Steve is super excited about Hash House. I am thinking it will be a good day for elastic waist pants . Deciding on what to have is going to be a challenge, because even a picky eater like me has found a whole list of options that appeal. I definitely want to try that watermellony drink (mmm, mmm!) and the Snickers bread pudding looks like a good couples dessert!

Just caught up. I have been a bit busy lately. I am glad to hear you are feeling well. Glad to see you got your flights booked and everything all planned for this one. Sounds like a tonne of fun.

I managed to get our two weeks booked. We are going from September 25th to October 9th. We are staying the first week at your home resort of SVR. We got it off Sky Auction for 595 everything included. I had to pay 125 surcharge for the week. I was debating holding out knowing it was slow season and getting it without the surcharge at a later date but I was afraid of it not working with my dates and flights and just booked it.

The second week we are doing in a 3 bedroom at Reunion resort. It looks really nice and I managed to get it in an auction for $434 all in. This week I am getting the flights now that my dates are locked.

I know what you mean about the dollar. It really is awful and adds quite a cost to the vacation. We may be forced to eat in more this trip and Discovery Cove may be out due to the exchange. Universal is definitely what we are doing but I was hoping to use my Aquatica season pass to get us another day at the Cove. I will have to see how things go.

I hope time goes by quickly for you.

Welcome back!

You got a great deal of the Vistana . Our maintenance fees are $906 for the Fountains this year, so you did better than an owner. We miss you by a day....we don't arrive until the 10th of October . I got all excited a potential Dismeet there for a minute!!!

My boss gave me an article last week that said HSBC bank is predicting that the dollar will strengthen again. A very interesting and different perspective from the projections of virtually every other source. It will be interesting to see what transpires. We've got 75% of both the October and December trips all paid so (thankfully) the effect of the dollar's decline will be minimal for us from here.

 

[Lynne G]

Hmm. There's a Hash Go Go in San Diego. You'll have to let me know how it is in Orlando.

So close now. Our 3 night cruise 2 years ago was the first time we went as a couple since the oldest was born. It was so relaxing.

Ahhh, I am so waiting for the spring temps to arrive. We were below freezing again today. Not much is green around here yet.

 

[tristyp]

So I showed my wife the video of the hash house. She said its a Go Go. If you see any more discounts please let me know. The menu looks so good but I will definitely do the chicken and waffles. Everyone I ever mention chicken and waffles to says oh gross but I have had it a few times and absolutely love it. It is such a good combination. I think my kids would really like those watermelon drinks. They look neat.

I managed to get my air travel today. Just a bit of history. Last year I paid around 1150 us for the five of us to fly on Southwest from Flint Michigan. This year we are flying Spirit from Detroit for a whopping.....drumroll please....511. I am so stoked as this really helps the budget. 102.20 pp round trip. I haven't heard the greatest things about Spirit but its non-stop and the times are good. Plus I will be able to save money on a park and fly as the flight leaves at 8:40 am and I will be able to drive over in the morning. I am still going to have to pay for 2 checked bags each way that will cost me 120 but it still leaves me at 631. Just a little tip for anyone flying Spirit and not living to far from the airport. They charge you $17 each way for booking online. It is included in the price so you don't notice it. They have a notice on the site that says tickets may be cheaper at the airport but it is in small type. I did some research and found the trick of going to purchase the tickets at the airport. Online the same tickets were 690.90 and obviously 511.00 I paid at the airport. Quite a significant savings with a family of five and the 180 savings will cover the majority of my rental car. They are definitely a no frills airlines as they don't give you drinks or peanuts but I will bring some granola bars for the kids and either fill up refillable cups with water or share a couple pops I purchase in the airport. Southwest and Delta were going to run me 1300 us for the same dates. With Delta I still would have had baggage fees as well.

Your trip will be here before you know it. The 30 day mark is fast approaching!!

 

[tristyp]

Welcome back!

You got a great deal of the Vistana . Our maintenance fees are $906 for the Fountains this year, so you did better than an owner. We miss you by a day....we don't arrive until the 10th of October . I got all excited a potential Dismeet there for a minute!!!

My boss gave me an article last week that said HSBC bank is predicting that the dollar will strengthen again. A very interesting and different perspective from the projections of virtually every other source. It will be interesting to see what transpires. We've got 75% of both the October and December trips all paid so (thankfully) the effect of the dollar's decline will be minimal for us from here.[/QUOTE]

A Dis meet would have been neat. We rarely have a conversation about Florida without me saying I read today Gina saved money today by doing this. Lol