Relly, Rora, and Brelle! Mar 2012 PTR *NEW* FREAKING OUT! 4 DAYS? TOO MUCH TO DO!

[oopsiDAISY]

Congrats on getting all your flights booked! Could DH get the girls ready and just get his own taxi and meet you somewhere instead of the back and forth??? Maybe if you had everything packed and ready for him and clothes laid out for the girls? Just a suggestion, it just all sounds so tiring, not to mention expen$ive...

And watch out for D~, she will "help" you turn this into a sewing PTR in no time flat!! you D~! Can't wait to meet you and Liddy!

BTW- DH finally got approved for the SW credit card! So we made our purchase on it, and are now waiting for good flight deals... I do hope we get to fly, too!!! I totally got the inside info on the SW card from your PTR, LOL!

 

[Lidian]

Do taxis run 24hrs/day? I've only used a taxi once in my life - so I'm pretty clueless. The back and forth was so that Keith could get the girls ready while I was checking in, so they could sleep a little more. Otherwise I'd be waking up my 2 year old at 4am so she could go sit in the lobby while I check in, which might be pretty ugly for the other guests.

YAY! Hi! We totally need to meet up - it is destiny!

I think they're available 24/7 ... but honestly, I'd call and "make a reservation" for one. We live in such a small town ... but I've passed taxis at odd hours of the night/morning. Guess it probably depends on the company ... but if you call and give 24+ hours notice on when you need one, I'm sure they can arrange for a driver. Right?

I've never had to use a taxi service before ... but I have read a bit about them. The Birnbaum guide kind of reads like taxis are 24 hour service ... it mentions towncars and shuttle services and tosses in taxis as another option.

I can understand your dilemna now ... and I agree with oopsiDAISY about having your DH catch a 2nd taxi later to meet you at the resort.

Congrats on getting all your flights booked! Could DH get the girls ready and just get his own taxi and meet you somewhere instead of the back and forth??? Maybe if you had everything packed and ready for him and clothes laid out for the girls? Just a suggestion, it just all sounds so tiring, not to mention expen$ive...

And watch out for D~, she will "help" you turn this into a sewing PTR in no time flat!! you D~! Can't wait to meet you and Liddy!

BTW- DH finally got approved for the SW credit card! So we made our purchase on it, and are now waiting for good flight deals... I do hope we get to fly, too!!! I totally got the inside info on the SW card from your PTR, LOL!

I agree with oopsiDAISY ... even when it comes to D. I know, because she did it to me.

 

[DMGeurts]

Oh noes! It's D! Everyone hide!

Thanks... I've heard that I am really quite nice when I wanna be.

YAY! Hi! We totally need to meet up - it is destiny!

Yes... we should. Liddy will be in Epcot on Thursday... We should plan a meet before she hits Mexico... Just sayin'.

And watch out for D~, she will "help" you turn this into a sewing PTR in no time flat!! you D~! Can't wait to meet you and Liddy!

C'mon now... I "help" with a lot of things.

ya right back.

BTW- DH finally got approved for the SW credit card! So we made our purchase on it, and are now waiting for good flight deals... I do hope we get to fly, too!!! I totally got the inside info on the SW card from your PTR, LOL!

Whoot!!! I thought about doing that too... but we really wanted to fly Suncountry (SW doesn't do non-stop flights for our airport - and we didn't want to waste our vaca laying over) I am super excited about the flights we got though. I don't think we could have gotten better timing - as long as we don't get our freak March snow storm on my travel dates, I'm good.

I agree with oopsiDAISY ... even when it comes to D. I know, because she did it to me.

OK Liddy... I am right here, and I can hear you. Besides, you love every moment you spend with Ms. M_B.... Right????

In all seriousness... I still haven't read your entire PTR... just the last page. I can't give any opinion on the taxis (I'd spend some time perusing the Transportation board - lots o' info over there)...

All of my time in Florida has been spent in Towncars and WDW transportation...

We won't even talk about the 18 passenger vans filled with 30 people on our first trip - because it doesn't count as transportation if your neck is crammed into the roof of a vehicle - right?

And I have to go back and reread your post, since I am slightly confused (happens often) as to why all this driving... are you arriving before your reservations at WDW????

OK, I better stop talking now, and go read, otherwise I will just confuse myself more.

D~

 

[DMGeurts]

Phew - I survived... I've read up on everything - you can now consider me "informed".

3/4
B: Crystal Palace - 825am (Magic Kingdom)
L: Columbia Harbor House (Magic Kingdom)
D: Whispering Canyon Cafe - 630pm (Wilderness Lodge Resort)

3/5
B: Hollywood & Vine - 830am (Hollywood Studios)
L: Fantasmic package - Mama Melrose 1215pm (Hollywood Studios)
D: Maya Grill 5pm (Coronado Springs Resort - our hotel)


3/6
B: Tusker House - 920am
L: Yak & Yeti 130pm
D: Narcoosee's - 6pm

3/7
B: Crystal Palace (Magic Kingdom)We are here too 8:35am reservation
L: Casey's (Magic Kingdom)
D:Le Cellier 550pm (EPCOT - Canada)


3/8 We are in Epcot this day too
B: Akershus Princess Breakfast - 915am (EPCOT)
L: EPCOT Counter Service in World Showcase or Sunshine Seasons
D: Jiko - 530pm (Animal Kingdom Lodge)

3/9
B: Pepper Market or Cafe Rix (Coronado Springs)
L:50's Prime Time 1135am (Hollywood Studios)We have a50's PTR ADR at 11am
D: Liberty Tree Tavern 620pm (Magic Kingdom)

3/10
B: Breakfast in our room, with stuff from the Main Street Bakery in Magic Kingdom
L: Plaza Restaurant - 1135am (Magic Kingdom)
D: Tony's Town Square - 545pm (Magic Kingdom)

I put all my comments in purple above...

OMG. Hold your horses. We're flying.

Wait. What?

No 2,000 mile drive from Indiana? Seriously? No 'drive the entire 17 hours back straight through because Maggie has to be at school on Monday'?

Keith applied for the Southwest card, where you get the 50,000 points, and I calculated that it will cover at least 1 way of our trip for our 4 tickets. I applied too, but I wasn't instantly approved, so we don't know yet if I'll get one. If I do, that will be another 50,000 points, and our entire flights will be paid for.

It wasn't until it was a possibility of flying that I realized how much I wanted to. I've never flown when I didn't have that self conscious worry about my weight or my size - the worry about 'will they make me buy another seat?' or 'will my seatbelt fit around me?' or even 'Will I tick off the person sitting next to me by encroaching on their space?' And now that I'm 100lbs lighter, I look much more average in size - and I'll fit into a seat without issues. And to be able to do that is like the reward for all my hard work - for exercising 5-6 times a week, eating right, drinking water. I talked to Keith about it - explained how happy I was about it, and he said we're flying no matter what - even if my card doesn't get approved. We'll make it work because he saw how much it meant to me. Isn't he awesome?

So now we're flying! We still have a hotel at Downtown Disney on March 3 - unfortunately I booked it and didn't realize that it was NONrefundable. So we're stuck there, and we'll have to rent a car at Orlando-MCO to get there, but it will all work out. And we'll be able to fly home and not worry that Maggie won't get any rest before school the next day.

So big changes!! We can't book our flights until we get the points, so I'm just crossing my fingers that the good rates are still there in a month or so. But eeek!

WOW!!! I was exhausted just reading this... And even I'll admit - my eyes crossed a bit...

I think it's a great thing that you are flying... Takes a lot of pressure off of everyone.

Awesome! I'm so excited to fly this time - a little giddy! That 1,000 mile drive isn't undoable - we've done it. But this time we would be leaving WDW at 2-3am, driving STRAIGHT through (all 1,000 miles) with two kids, and then my daughter would have school the next day. It just isn't responsible for us to do that to her, and we didn't want to cut a day off our trip.

Yep... Great idea to fly.

So I'm worried! We applied for (and were approved) for the Southwest card, so we get 50,000 points to use. But we have to wait until our first statement and for them to show up in our account....which from the information that I'm getting could be anywhere from 5-8 weeks! Ack! That puts us mid-January before we can purchase our airfare. So I'm worried that A. there won't be flights that are in a decent price range and B. the flights left will be at undesirable times. Right now there is a flight that leaves Indy at 805am and arrives in Orlando at 1020am, nonstop. That is PERFECT. But I'm worried that it will be gone by the time we have the points to purchase!

I'm also worried that I won't have the flight information in time to tell Disney about our Magical Express needs for the flight back. We won't be using it for the flight there, but for the flight back we will. Do they need a lot of advance notice?

I know I read the answer to this somewhere, but I don't remember where. Check the Transportation board for info - I am positive it's there. I am thinking Disney needs it with in 30 days, but not sure.

In other news, I'm trying to figure out my camera situation. I'm a photographer by trade - but normally I'm taking family portraits Something different that the pictures I take at Disney. The lenses I normally use for work aren't going to cut it for Disney, because I don't want to be switching out lenses or camera bodies all the time. I just don't want to carry all that equipment around. So I'm trying to decide if the one zoom I have will just be enough or what. I also need to send off my Canon 5d to Canon so it can be cleaned and checked, and so the mirror can be replaced (it was recalled).

I was going to comment on your pictures in a seperate post... but WOW!!! You do take some amazing pictures - the clarity is amazing. I am totally in AWE!!!! I can't tell you a think about what to do for your camera (photography board maybe), as I am just bringing our P & S... it's served me well - and even though I would LOVE to learn how to use a DSLR - I don't think I would have the time or patience to try and use it at Disney - even though the thought of being rewarded with gorgeous pictures is nice.

The girls are getting excited about Disney - Maggie even said she would ride on Haunted Mansion with me....but NOT TOWER OF TERROR. She keeps stressing that. Oh, and I'm also going to be buying some noise cancelling ear protection for Maggie (and maybe Josie). Fireworks are WAY too loud for her, and she doesn't enjoy them at all. She loves to look at them, but we need a solution for the noise. We've tried the earplugs, but she didn't like the way they got caught in her hair. So I'm going the earmuff route, and I think that will work great. I'm getting these:

I hope the earmuffs work out well for you. I should invest in a set for myself - my girls fight way too much.

Well, its official! We're flying! We knew that the Rapid Rewards would only cover one way of the flight - either the flight down or the return flight. There was ONE flight that we wanted for our trip down - leaving 805am, nonstop, arriving in Orlando at 1020am - PERFECT! The rest had lengthy layovers, and switching planes - and Keith doesn't like the ascent or descent of flights anyway. So the thought of doing it double was just NOT on his happy list. So we decided that rather than risk that flight selling out for that price, or that the prices would go up significantly, we went ahead and booked - at a pretty good rate! $125/each! So we'll be arriving in Orlando at 1020am, will rent a car and then drive down to our hotel at Downtown Disney (the Wyndham Lake Buena Vista Resort). We'll check in, hopefully get into our room, and then go over to DTD for lunch. We'll have the luxury of being able to come back after playing at DTD and get Josie down for a nap, and then be able to go back to DTD for dinner! We can be well rested the day before our ACTUAL vacation starts

Yay...

I'm just SO thrilled - now we just have to find a flight back. I guess staying at Disney forever isn't a option, right?

I have seriously contimplated this on several occasions.

Ok - I think I am officially caught up now.

D~

 

[Lidian]

Thanks... I've heard that I am really quite nice when I wanna be.

It's all hearsay.

Yes... we should. Liddy will be in Epcot on Thursday... We should plan a meet before she hits Mexico... Just sayin'.

Better make it early! I like my lunch around 11am!

C'mon now... I "help" with a lot of things.

ya right back.

Hearsay again, I tell ya!

Whoot!!! I thought about doing that too... but we really wanted to fly Suncountry (SW doesn't do non-stop flights for our airport - and we didn't want to waste our vaca laying over) I am super excited about the flights we got though. I don't think we could have gotten better timing - as long as we don't get our freak March snow storm on my travel dates, I'm good.

Fingers are crossed for good "home" weather for you on flight days!

OK Liddy... I am right here, and I can hear you. Besides, you love every moment you spend with Ms. M_B.... Right????

Hi D!

Yes, I love every wonderful, amazing, totally uberly awesome minute spent with Ms. M_B. She seriously needs a name. She's been banned to time out for the way she treated me the other night.

In all seriousness... I still haven't read your entire PTR... just the last page. I can't give any opinion on the taxis (I'd spend some time perusing the Transportation board - lots o' info over there)...

All of my time in Florida has been spent in Towncars and WDW transportation...

Okay, this may be a silly question ... but what exactly is a "towncar"? See, in my world, there's only my cars, cars that want to hit my car, and WDW buses.

We won't even talk about the 18 passenger vans filled with 30 people on our first trip - because it doesn't count as transportation if your neck is crammed into the roof of a vehicle - right?

YIKES!

And I have to go back and reread your post, since I am slightly confused (happens often) as to why all this driving... are you arriving before your reservations at WDW????

OK, I better stop talking now, and go read, otherwise I will just confuse myself more.

D~

D, I stay confused.

The threadjacking ends here.

 

[DMGeurts]

It's all hearsay.

Ahem... Prove it.

Better make it early! I like my lunch around 11am!

Oh, we will - no worries. It's for our own good, after all.

Hearsay again, I tell ya!

See above.

Fingers are crossed for good "home" weather for you on flight days!

Thanks!

Hi D!

Yes, I love every wonderful, amazing, totally uberly awesome minute spent with Ms. M_B. She seriously needs a name. She's been banned to time out for the way she treated me the other night.

Rut-roh... You'll have to tell me what she did. Threaten to return her - that might make her act right???

Okay, this may be a silly question ... but what exactly is a "towncar"? See, in my world, there's only my cars, cars that want to hit my car, and WDW buses.

LOL Actually, Towncars are awesome. You reserve them ahead of time - they are expensvie. It was something like $120 + tip round trip the last time we went. You reserve them ahead of time, when you land and MCO and go into baggage claim - there is a person there holding a big board with your name on it (like in the movies)... This person is your driver. They help you grab some of your luggage off of the carousel, then the whisk you away to an underground parking garage, which is near baggage claim.

Here's a photo of our last towncar in the parking garage, while the driver was loading our luggage (please excuse dd pulling up her pants... )

Then the driver loads you into the towncar (which is actually a Lincoln Towncar) and drives you directly to your hotel... You can get a free grocery stop - but we did not do that on our last trip. The driver drops you off at your hotel, you pay for your round trip and a one way tip (because you usually don't have the same driver going back).

When your trip is over, the towncar driver picks you up right in front of your hotel, and drives you directly to the airport, drops you off at the gate doors, and you are on your merry way back home.

Super easy, super fun (you feel like royalty - you can even get a limo) and very worry free. I wouldn't hesitate to use them again.

The threadjacking ends here.

Since when have I ever threadjacked???

D~

 

[Lidian]

Ahem... Prove it.

I'm all the proof that's needed.

Oh, we will - no worries. It's for our own good, after all.

See above.



Thanks!

Rut-roh... You'll have to tell me what she did. Threaten to return her - that might make her act right???

Eh, she kept jamming on me (I now know how to take her apart and put her back together again). Then I called mom to see if she could figure out WHY she keeps jamming ... mom sat down and she worked perfect. PERFECT! That.... you-know-what! Everytime I'd sit down, she'd jam, but she worked amazing for mom. So mom's trying to talk me into switching.

LOL Actually, Towncars are awesome. You reserve them ahead of time - they are expensvie. It was something like $120 + tip round trip the last time we went. You reserve them ahead of time, when you land and MCO and go into baggage claim - there is a person there holding a big board with your name on it (like in the movies)... This person is your driver. They help you grab some of your luggage off of the carousel, then the whisk you away to an underground parking garage, which is near baggage claim.

Here's a photo of our last towncar in the parking garage, while the driver was loading our luggage (please excuse dd pulling up her pants... )

Then the driver loads you into the towncar (which is actually a Lincoln Towncar) and drives you directly to your hotel... You can get a free grocery stop - but we did not do that on our last trip. The driver drops you off at your hotel, you pay for your round trip and a one way tip (because you usually don't have the same driver going back).

When your trip is over, the towncar driver picks you up right in front of your hotel, and drives you directly to the airport, drops you off at the gate doors, and you are on your merry way back home.

Super easy, super fun (you feel like royalty - you can even get a limo) and very worry free. I wouldn't hesitate to use them again.

Cool! I'd love to do that ... but it's pointless since we always drive.

And good for your DD pulling up them saggy pants! She's smart enough to know pants don't belong around your knees in public.

Since when have I ever threadjacked???

D~

I meant me ... Because I do it all the time. Like now!

 

[mom2maggie]

Hah! As for Epcot, I told my husband that in order to preserve my sanity, I have to have a drink somewhere in the world this year. We'll just make it all more enjoyable and magical for everyone, shall we? Epcot turns me into some sort of saber toothed tiger - I don't know if its because try to do too much in a day, or if its just too hot or sunny or SOMETHING - but I'm usually snipping at him or other people. And only at Epcot! Strangest thing.

That towncar seems cool - if we weren't taking the ME back, it would make perfect sense to do that for this trip.

I need to get my countdown chain started. I had one last time and Maggie asked about it the other day, so I think that was her hint that she wants to do it again. I want to get a bunch of stuff done before the trip, but I'm scared to pull the trigger! I wanted to do some applique t-shirts, but I haven't done applique since Jr. High school and my sewing machine is collecting dust in my closet. I don't know where to start though!

 

[mom2maggie]

Oh! And I've started Maggie's autograph book! We purchased one through ebay last time, but I wanted to make my own this time - here are the first two pages I've finished.

Pretty simple design, but since it's a autograph book, I didn't want too much. I'm having fun designing it!

 

[mom2maggie]

Oh! And I've started Maggie's autograph book! We purchased one through ebay last time, but I wanted to make my own this time - here are the first two pages I've finished.

Pretty simple design, but since it's a autograph book, I didn't want too much. I'm having fun designing it!

 

[Lidian]

Love your autograph pages! Can't wait to see the finished product!! I've been debating doing autograph books for the kids ... we have lots of character meals ... But I may just get lazy and buy them.

 

[DMGeurts]

That towncar seems cool - if we weren't taking the ME back, it would make perfect sense to do that for this trip.

\
The company we used did one ways, as well. Might be an option if you think it would really work. I'd be happy to PM you the name of the company if you need it.

Love the autograph pages!

D~

 

[mom2maggie]

Love your autograph pages! Can't wait to see the finished product!! I've been debating doing autograph books for the kids ... we have lots of character meals ... But I may just get lazy and buy them.

I'm happy to share with you the pages I've done - I'm just doing a page for all of the characters - I'll print them myself on cardstock.

\
The company we used did one ways, as well. Might be an option if you think it would really work. I'd be happy to PM you the name of the company if you need it.

Love the autograph pages!

D~

Thank you, that would be great!

 

[Lidian]

I'm happy to share with you the pages I've done - I'm just doing a page for all of the characters - I'll print them myself on cardstock.

Thank you, that would be great!

The printing part is where I got lazy. I found some pre-made pages (just pick what you wanted and print -- and let the creator know you were going to enjoy their work) ... but then I thought about how much time it would take to print and then I'd have to organize (I'm very OCD)....

 

[oopsiDAISY]

Your autograph pages are adorable!! Time is getting closer, friends!!!!

 

[mom2maggie]

Super image heavy! Adding more images from my autograph pages. I switched some things and made the pictures bigger.

I get so picky when it comes to stuff like this.

I need to get the pet sitter arranged. We have 3 cats (no dogs), so we'll have them come every other day to clean the boxes, check the food, etc. I don't really want to rely on friends to do it - we did that once and he said our garage code didn't work so he just didn't come in - and didn't call us! Thank goodness my mom stopped by randomly and filled all their food. So last time we hired a petsitter and it was so much less stress.

I need to figure out how we'll get to/from the airport too - we can either drive there and park our vehicle or we could have a friend drive us in our vehicle there and drive it back to park in our driveway. But our flight is at 805am, which means we'd need to be at the airport by 615am at the latest - and its 30-40 min away. That is a awful lot to ask out of a friend!

 

[oopsiDAISY]

[/IMG]
I need to figure out how we'll get to/from the airport too - we can either drive there and park our vehicle or we could have a friend drive us in our vehicle there and drive it back to park in our driveway. But our flight is at 805am, which means we'd need to be at the airport by 615am at the latest - and its 30-40 min away. That is a awful lot to ask out of a friend!

Could you park your car in short term parking and have someone pick it up later that day and take it home for you??? Just an idea...

 

[DMGeurts]

Super image heavy! Adding more images from my autograph pages. I switched some things and made the pictures bigger.

I get so picky when it comes to stuff like this.

These turned out awesome! I especially Donald.

I need to get the pet sitter arranged. We have 3 cats (no dogs), so we'll have them come every other day to clean the boxes, check the food, etc. I don't really want to rely on friends to do it - we did that once and he said our garage code didn't work so he just didn't come in - and didn't call us! Thank goodness my mom stopped by randomly and filled all their food. So last time we hired a petsitter and it was so much less stress.

When we went to Europe last spring, one of our next door neighbors took our dog for 8 days, his dog had just died last winter, so he was needing some companionship. It was a total win/win situation. Do you have anyone that would take them at their house???

I need to figure out how we'll get to/from the airport too - we can either drive there and park our vehicle or we could have a friend drive us in our vehicle there and drive it back to park in our driveway. But our flight is at 805am, which means we'd need to be at the airport by 615am at the latest - and its 30-40 min away. That is a awful lot to ask out of a friend!

Could you park your car in short term parking and have someone pick it up later that day and take it home for you??? Just an idea...

I like Oopsi's idea (she has some great ones)... Since DH is sitting this one out, he is dropping us off on his way to work (he works less than 2 miles fromt he airport)... I think the short term parking idea is good, otherwise, we ask our neighbors - we do a lot with all of our neighbors. In turn, when they have to go to the airport, they ask us. We live far enough away that it's a pain (30 - 40 min), but not so far away that it's a huge inconvenience.

D~

 

[Lidian]

I always have my mom take care of my cat when we're gone. She comes up once a day and checks his food, water, and box. She tries to give him attention, but my cat is just terrible. He's very possessive of our apartment, so he isn't happy mom is intruding on his domain. He won't let her near him, and he won't play with any toys (or lasers) that she brings. But at least he has food and water and a clean box.

Since you need to arrive so early, can either a family member take you or perhaps call for a car service, like a taxi or something?

 

[mom2maggie]

My mom is not a option - she lives 45 min away and the logistics of it makes my head spin. Plus she'd give me allllll kinds of guilt about how she had to drive soooooooooooooo far to get there, blah blah blah. I love my mother dearly - and I don't want to spend my vacation thinking about how I'm going to have to (mentally) pay for her cat sitting services

We are at 2 months, 3 weeks for my trip! We went to see the Muppets movie tonight, and now Maggie is Muppets crazy - which makes me happy, because she's been scared of the Muppets 3D at MK the last two times we've been. And I love it so I made her go anyway (yes, I'm that mom). But now I don't have to be guilty about making her go. So YAY!