Running for my Disney - Now a PTR!

[PrincessInOz]

Good news with the physio.

YAY for having more plans locked in. Yes, I think you did good with booking in breakfast ADRs with the run crowd.
And it looks like you've sorted out all you flights? Congrats.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

Good luck getting the ADRs you want. Exactly how many days in advance can you book? I need to work out my dates. Am I correct that tours and Fantasmic have a smaller booking window?

Also great prices on those flights. As far as I'm aware, NZ just doesn't have the good reward systems you guys have in Aussie. I'm jealous.

 

[zanzibar138]

Good news with the physio.

YAY for having more plans locked in. Yes, I think you did good with booking in breakfast ADRs with the run crowd.
And it looks like you've sorted out all you flights? Congrats.

Yes, flights are pretty much all sorted. Just waiting to book in the last one.

Good luck getting the ADRs you want. Exactly how many days in advance can you book? I need to work out my dates. Am I correct that tours and Fantasmic have a smaller booking window?

Also great prices on those flights. As far as I'm aware, NZ just doesn't have the good reward systems you guys have in Aussie. I'm jealous.

You can book dining ADRs 60 days out. Unlike WDW, you can't book them all when you reach the 60 day window for your first day. You have to reach the 60 day window for each day before you can book it.

Honestly the Aussie FF programs are not that great compared to the rest of the world. Virgin is better than Qantas though. They must be really bad in NZ

 

[WanderlustNZ]

Honestly the Aussie FF programs are not that great compared to the rest of the world. Virgin is better than Qantas though. They must be really bad in NZ

Really bad. Air NZ's is awful, so many kiwis go instead with the reward system offered by their credit card provider. This is usually something like one reward dollar (equates to an actual dollar) for every $100 - $150 you spend. There are very few shops around the country which offer double points etc, making it difficult to earn bonus points without actually going out of your way to shop somewhere different (and often more expensive).
ANZ Bank have a Qantas Rewards Points Visa, but it just doesn't hold the same appeal here in NZ as it would in Australia.

 

[zanzibar138]

I'm feeling pretty good about my running again after this week. I've just come back from my first distance workout, a 5k. I did the very beginner intervals, only running 15 seconds at a time. The idea of the distance workouts is that you should be able to finish feeling like you could do more. I could feel the lower muscles in my left leg fatiguing and getting tight by the 4th km, but I still finished pretty strong. And I'm sure after a massage it will come good again.

So this week I have discovered that I am capable of doing half an hour at a decent pace, doing a small amount of 3 minute intervals, and doing 5km at an easy pace

 

[PrincessInOz]

YAY! That's great news. Here's to running at Disney!

 

[zanzibar138]

Our circumstances have changed a bit since we first booked this trip. We're looking at cutting back on some expenses, and with DH leaving early, I realised (with a heavy heart) we could save some money by staying at a hotel room instead of the cute condo I booked on VRBO. My parents and I are happy to share a room, it was just because DH was going to be there that we wanted separate bedrooms.

Unfortunately since we have passed the 90 mark, I was not eligible for a refund on the $300 deposit we paid when we booked. But after some research I found that we could still save upwards of $200 each. It's not much over the course of a week, but I figure it will cover the Walk in Walt's Footsteps tour and the couple of TS meals I want to do that week.

My choices were to book at a Motel 6 or similar, and save even more money, or to book a 'nicer' room and be content with the saving of $200. We decided to go with the more comfortable option in the end since we'll be there for a full week.

We've decided on a king suite at Portofino Inn & Suites. Their TripAdvisor rating isn't great, but the most recent reviews seem to be good, and it seemed to be the best compromise between comfort and value. The king suite has 2 rooms separated by french doors with a sheer curtain, one being the bedroom with a king bed, and the other is a separate sitting area with a sofa bed which is where I will sleep. It also seems like at least some of the rooms have balconies, which is a big plus for Mum.



Since we were changing our accommodation, Mum and Dad have decided to only stay 7 nights in Anaheim and spend the 8th night at an airport hotel near LAX, as they now have an early departure. I also have an early departure, but my flight leaves from SNA, so I'll be better off staying in the Anaheim area. I will move to a cheaper place (as much as it's just about killing me to not be able to spend that last night at the DLH ), so I'm deciding whether to stay in the DLR area (probably at the Motel 6 or a Priceline deal if I can get one) or move a bit closer to SNA (the Hyland Motel gets great reviews for the same price as the Motel 6). I'll basically be going straight to the new place when DL closes that night, and leaving first thing in the morning, so the surroundings really don't matter. I don't want to have to spend too much on taxis/airport shuttles though.

I contacted the VRBO owner to cancel our booking, explaining that due to a change in circumstances it wasn't really in our budget any more. She surprised me by giving us a $150 refund! I almost cried at her generosity! I will definitely try to stay at one of her condos one day.

Also, the change in circumstances has probably made up my mind for me about the F! package. I really can't justify doing that as well as the tour now. If we aim for the second showing and enter when everyone is leaving the first showing, we should be able to get pretty good viewing spots. And we can buy our own desserts to eat while we're waiting for the show. We just won't have the comfortable seats.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

That VRBO lady is an angel. I wouldn't hesitate for a second to recommend one of her places to family and friends.

It 's a shame you had to change, but perfectly understandable. I'm constantly going through a similar thought process - "If I don't book this, I can afford this" or "If I downsize here, I can upsize here". Only you know where your priorities lie.

 

[nemajovc]

FYI probably for another trip http://m.firingline.net/site/mobile may be a possibility. I live in the south so I don't know anything about shooting ranges in cal but it can be quite an experience for those who've never shot

 

[LizfromOz]

I'm feeling pretty good about my running again after this week. I've just come back from my first distance workout, a 5k. I did the very beginner intervals, only running 15 seconds at a time. The idea of the distance workouts is that you should be able to finish feeling like you could do more. I could feel the lower muscles in my left leg fatiguing and getting tight by the 4th km, but I still finished pretty strong. And I'm sure after a massage it will come good again. So this week I have discovered that I am capable of doing half an hour at a decent pace, doing a small amount of 3 minute intervals, and doing 5km at an easy pace

Thats's awesome, well done!

 

[zanzibar138]

YAY! That's great news. Here's to running at Disney!

That VRBO lady is an angel. I wouldn't hesitate for a second to recommend one of her places to family and friends.

It 's a shame you had to change, but perfectly understandable. I'm constantly going through a similar thought process - "If I don't book this, I can afford this" or "If I downsize here, I can upsize here". Only you know where your priorities lie.

Yeah she's been great through the whole process.

I'd like to cut back some more really, but struggling to find other areas where I can/am willing to do so.

FYI probably for another trip http://m.firingline.net/site/mobile may be a possibility. I live in the south so I don't know anything about shooting ranges in cal but it can be quite an experience for those who've never shot

OMG that's fantastic! Thank you so much! It's very much a possibility that we can fit that in

FWIW my Dad used to be in the Air Force and has done a bit of shooting in the past. He just had it in his head that he wanted to do it in the US for some reason

Thats's awesome, well done!

Thanks

 

[Caroline NZ]

That is such a shame you cancelled the vrbo rental as I think you may have been with the same owners we were, and her places were awesome. Hope the new accom works out well for you though

And well done with your training, it sounds like you are doing really well.

 

[zanzibar138]

That is such a shame you cancelled the vrbo rental as I think you may have been with the same owners we were, and her places were awesome. Hope the new accom works out well for you though

And well done with your training, it sounds like you are doing really well.

Yes, I think I remember realising it was the same place/owners as you had. It looked really lovely, I was pretty disappointed to cancel it. Hopefully Portofino will be ok.

 

[PrincessInOz]

That's a shame, Zanzibar. But at least you've sorted out the alternative and I think the Portofino will probably work out well for you as well. Next time.

With luck, the second showing of F! will be less crowded than the first show. And yes. You can probably sort out your own dessert if you really wanted to.

 

[zanzibar138]

That's a shame, Zanzibar. But at least you've sorted out the alternative and I think the Portofino will probably work out well for you as well. Next time.

With luck, the second showing of F! will be less crowded than the first show. And yes. You can probably sort out your own dessert if you really wanted to.

We went to the second showing last time and managed to get front row seats with no real hassle and only a 40 minute wait Now that I know I don't want the 'seated' area, I imagine it will be even easier to get a good spot.

 

[zanzibar138]

Hooray! I got my return flight home from Fiji!

Got an email from Qantas this morning offering 10% all classic award flights. The catch was that it had to include at least one Qantas operated segment, and I had planned to get the direct flight home from Nadi which was operated by Fiji Airways. So to save myself 2,500 points, I've booked the flight via Sydney (the Sydney - Melbourne flight is operated by Qantas, so I'm eligible for the offer). Originally I wasn't going to book this flight because it leaves only 3 hours after my flight from LA gets in, which is usually too tight a connection for me. However, since they were both booked through Qantas with Qantas codes, and 3 hours is generally considered ample transfer time, hopefully they will be willing to help me out if the first flight is delayed.

So now I just need to book my flight from San Antonio to LAX, and my flights will be all fully booked

 

[PrincessInOz]

Hooray! For nearly having every air-leg sorted.

San Antonio to LAX shouldn't be too difficult, right? Are you looking at SWA for that one?

 

[zanzibar138]

Hooray! For nearly having every air-leg sorted.

San Antonio to LAX shouldn't be too difficult, right? Are you looking at SWA for that one?

Hmm I was planning to stick with AA, but it looks like SWA do a direct flight for only $10 more. Not sure about the timing though. And if I'm not going direct I may as well go with AA, especially since it's cheaper!

 

[PrincessInOz]

SWA do go on sale more often than AA. And they allow 2 checked bags inclusive in your fare. You have to pay for bags with AA. If you decide to go with SWA and haven't yet signed up, go on their website and sign up for their email notifications. And I would spring the extra to pay for priority boarding. They board by group number and everyone sits from the front to the back.

 

[zanzibar138]

SWA do go on sale more often than AA. And they allow 2 checked bags inclusive in your fare. You have to pay for bags with AA. If you decide to go with SWA and haven't yet signed up, go on their website and sign up for their email notifications. And I would spring the extra to pay for priority boarding. They board by group number and everyone sits from the front to the back.

Yeah the last time we went with SWA really put me off to be honest. I didn't know that there was no assigned seating and it was really a madhouse. I'll sign up for their specials though and if anything really good comes up it might convince me.

Being platinum with AA we get 2 checked bags included, so that's not a problem. Also get priority check-in/security/boarding, lounge access, status credits and points if I go with them. Plus a good chance of a free upgrade. So I'm sure you can see why they're my first preference But there are no direct flights.

I was expecting the domestic flights to be dirt cheap, but it seems to really depend where you go. It's significantly cheaper to fly from Dallas (plus more options/direct flights), but having to pay for a one way rental car might eat up most/all of those savings. The 3 hour drive itself could be a pro or a con depending on what there is to see on the way. I should look into it more.

In fact, I might just do that this evening