September '09 PTR ~ A trip full of WONDERful firsts! UPDATED 10/12 TR STARTED!

[jenny105]

So, we were dead set on driving to Florida this trip. We did it in November and had a lot of fun, stopped in Savannah on the way down; were planning on doing the same thing this time. Having the car for us would be a plus too, especially since we're considering going to Universal for a day. And if gas prices don't escalate like they did last summer, it's actually the least expensive option.

On the other hand, my brother's 40th birthday is 9/19, the day before we're supposed to be at WDW. If we drove, we'd have to leave this day, and there is talk about a surprise party for him. Considering that is a Saturday, there's a very good chance it would be that night and I'd have to miss it. I don't think it'd be a big deal to him if I did but my mom would give me hell, I'm sure.

So I looked into airfare. I found a flight from Atlantic City on Spirit airlines $174 roundtrip. Not bad at all! But then I got to thinking about baggage fees, adding on the cruise transfers, and all the little things that make flying add up. Plus the inconvinience of not having a car. I need to add up the differences and see which is the better option. Kind of hard to do considering I'm not sure what's going to happen to gas prices!

 

[disneygirlinnj]

Subbing!!

Where in NJ are you? I'm guessing furher south then I am since you're flying out of AC. I'm up in Bergen county... AND taking a trip pretty much the same week you are. I've yet to do a Disney Cruise though so I'd love to hear all about it!

 

[jenny105]

Subbing!!

Where in NJ are you? I'm guessing furher south then I am since you're flying out of AC. I'm up in Bergen county... AND taking a trip pretty much the same week you are. I've yet to do a Disney Cruise though so I'd love to hear all about it!

Another Jersey girl!

I'm actually in Monmouth county, work in Union county. Atlantic City is much cheaper to fly out of than Newark. Plus, it'd be easy to get a ride down because my mom loves AC! She'll use any excuse to make a trip there.

Where are you staying when you go? This will be my first Disney cruise! I'll be sure to tell you all about it!

 

[disneygirlinnj]

Another Jersey girl!

I'm actually in Monmouth county, work in Union county. Atlantic City is much cheaper to fly out of than Newark. Plus, it'd be easy to get a ride down because my mom loves AC! She'll use any excuse to make a trip there.

Where are you staying when you go? This will be my first Disney cruise! I'll be sure to tell you all about it!

We'll be staying at POFQ when we go...our first time there, can't wait! Haha... hmm...I wonder if I can get some of my friends to drive my mom and I to AC... I"m sure none will complain too much either!

 

[jenny105]

We'll be staying at POFQ when we go...our first time there, can't wait! Haha... hmm...I wonder if I can get some of my friends to drive my mom and I to AC... I"m sure none will complain too much either!

No way! We'll be staying right next door at POR. Our first time there too.

We can car pool!

 

[DisneymoonJess07]

We are staying at POR, just a few weeks before you guys! Looks like you are well on your way to planning a great trip!! Good luck with the transportation issues, I know how that goes!

 

[jenny105]

We are staying at POR, just a few weeks before you guys! Looks like you are well on your way to planning a great trip!! Good luck with the transportation issues, I know how that goes!

We've never stayed at POR before, we're so excited!! It looks beautiful. Have you ever stayed there before?

Thanks! We'll figure it out sooner or later.

 

[Rora]

Hey Jenny!

Hmm.. I understand your transportation dilemma. BUT, it seems like driving would be the most cost efficent. Your plane tickets sound like a good deal but again, there are additional costs (baggage, cruise) and I hate having to rely on other transportation. Typically we always ride the busses in WDW but it's nice to know your car is there if you want it.

I say drive and tell your mom that you are so sorry but you just can't make it but are certainly looking forward to celebrating with him (and them!) when you get home!!

 

[jenny105]

Hey Jenny!

Hmm.. I understand your transportation dilemma. BUT, it seems like driving would be the most cost efficent. Your plane tickets sound like a good deal but again, there are additional costs (baggage, cruise) and I hate having to rely on other transportation. Typically we always ride the busses in WDW but it's nice to know your car is there if you want it.

I say drive and tell your mom that you are so sorry but you just can't make it but are certainly looking forward to celebrating with him (and them!) when you get home!!

It's definitely more cost efficient. And I like knowing that if the buses are taking too long, I can just hop in my car and go. Plus, I want to get to the port on the earlier side and I can only do that if I have my car. The only reason I keep checking airfare is because of my brother. He actually works practically across the highway from me so I can always take him out to lunch or something before the trip!

 

[Goldeelox9]

Hey there...Ok I am hooked now! Can't wait to hear about your trip! They did play the music in Ohana when we were there in Nov. It was nice. You will LOVE the Disney Cruise...LOVE LOVE LOVE it!

 

[jenny105]

Hey there...Ok I am hooked now! Can't wait to hear about your trip! They did play the music in Ohana when we were there in Nov. It was nice. You will LOVE the Disney Cruise...LOVE LOVE LOVE it!

I can't wait to go! I've been on Norwegian and Royal Caribbean cruises before but I hear DCL blows them out of the water! No pun intended!

 

[MiNniEDrEameR]

hey jenny, i'm kimi!! to answer your question from lynn's pre-trippie I am from howell and my fiancee is from Jackson, nj!! where are you guys at in monmouth county?

ps cant wait to hear more of your pre-trippie

 

[tiggerfan1]

Hey, Jenny!

Primetime Cafe - we've been here before, we love it!
San Angel Inn - love the atmosphere and food!
Le Cellier - this will be a first; I've heard nothing but good things.
Mama Melrose - another first but the menu looks yummy!
Beaches & Cream - anything 50's inspired
Tusker House - character breakfast with Donald, he's our favorite
Kona Cafe - 2 words: Tonga Toast. Joe loves bananas...I'm leaning toward the pineapple pancakes.
Ohana's - believe it or not, another first!
Hoop De Doo - we're torn between this and Ohana's. I actually did a poll on this and it was split right down the middle.


I think I'm leaning more toward Ohana's because we'll be having a late dinner and it overlooks MK. Joe is a big Wishes fan. Does anyone know if they pipe in the music for it in the restaurant?

That's a great lineup! Personally, I would go to Ohana's instead of the Hoop De Doo Revue. That'd be awesome if you could watch Wishes during dinner. You may need to request a table near the window or something though.


If you like peanut butter and chocolate, you should definitely try the No Way Jose sundae at Beaches and Cream. Here's a picture of it.

Mmmmmm........ OK, where's that drooling smilie?

We'll also be there for the start of the Food & Wine Festival which I'm super excited about!! That's yet another first. Is my thread title starting to make a little more sense?

You're going to have a great time!

So I looked into airfare. I found a flight from Atlantic City on Spirit airlines $174 roundtrip. Not bad at all! But then I got to thinking about baggage fees, adding on the cruise transfers, and all the little things that make flying add up. Plus the inconvinience of not having a car. I need to add up the differences and see which is the better option. Kind of hard to do considering I'm not sure what's going to happen to gas prices!

I always prefer to fly and rent a car whenever I go anywhere. That way you could be there for your brother's birthday. Even though it's cheaper and somewhat convenient, driving just takes up too much time. If going by plane will be too much of a hassle (and too expensive), then you should just drive over. If you decide to drive over, maybe you could take your brother out to dinner or something on the weekend before his birthday.

 

[jenny105]

hey jenny, i'm kimi!! to answer your question from lynn's pre-trippie I am from howell and my fiancee is from Jackson, nj!! where are you guys at in monmouth county?

ps cant wait to hear more of your pre-trippie

Hi Kimi! My DBf lives in Howell and my aunt lives near Jackson, in Cream Ridge! Small world. I'm from Hazlet.

Hey, Jenny!


That's a great lineup! Personally, I would go to Ohana's instead of the Hoop De Doo Revue. That'd be awesome if you could watch Wishes during dinner. You may need to request a table near the window or something though.

I definitely plan on asking for a table near the window! I'm going to call the first day I'm allowed to make my ADRs!

If you like peanut butter and chocolate, you should definitely try the No Way Jose sundae at Beaches and Cream. Here's a picture of it.

Oh wow, that looks awesome!!


I always prefer to fly and rent a car whenever I go anywhere. That way you could be there for your brother's birthday. Even though it's cheaper and somewhat convenient, driving just takes up too much time. If going by plane will be too much of a hassle (and too expensive), then you should just drive over. If you decide to drive over, maybe you could take your brother out to dinner or something on the weekend before his birthday.

We'll figure it out, I'm sure. It's still months away and I'm not even sure if they're going to really have a party for my brother. His girlfriend had the idea for it and she can be kind of flaky. It's not so much my brother I'm worried about, it's my mom who's going to get on my case if I miss it!

I never mind driving, we always have fun when we do. The more I think about it, flying just keeps adding up!

 

[pinkpixie0920]

Hi Jenny! I love you PTR so far! Your picture is the best, we ate at Medieval Times every year when we went to Myrtle Beach, my whole family loves it there. I can't wait to read more of your planning ideas. I love the places you are eating. We are eating at a lot of the same places. You will love Le Cellier!!!

 

[jenny105]

Hi Jenny! I love you PTR so far! Your picture is the best, we ate at Medieval Times every year when we went to Myrtle Beach, my whole family loves it there. I can't wait to read more of your planning ideas. I love the places you are eating. We are eating at a lot of the same places. You will love Le Cellier!!!

Hi Nancy! Thank you! Medieval Times is the best! I've been there a bunch of times but that was Joe's first time there and he had a blast. I can't wait to try Le Cellier! I've heard nothing but good things, especially about the cheddar cheese soup! Anything with cheese is a good idea

 

[MiNniEDrEameR]

Really small world!

 

[jenny105]

so I just got off the phone with DCL. I cancelled my land portion and just went with the 3 night cruise so I can rebook my land portion separately and get free dining! It's a $104 difference. Not bad at all considering I won't really have to pay for any food for a week! Plus, I get the Magic Your Way package things included now! That arcade voucher for 30 minutes is looking pretty good!

I have never done the dining plan before but I know what it consists of. My only question is since gratuity is no longer included, how do the servers handle that? Do you just leave them a tip in cash or do they charge it back to your room?

DCL said it will take about 3 weeks to credit the money back to my account so I'm going to rebook when I get that back. I'm most likely going to book POR again considering that's where we were staying orginially but does anyone prefer a different mod over that one?

I'm so excited!

 

[disneygirlinnj]

so I just got off the phone with DCL. I cancelled my land portion and just went with the 3 night cruise so I can rebook my land portion separately and get free dining! It's a $104 difference. Not bad at all considering I won't really have to pay for any food for a week! Plus, I get the Magic Your Way package things included now! That arcade voucher for 30 minutes is looking pretty good!

I have never done the dining plan before but I know what it consists of. My only question is since gratuity is no longer included, how do the servers handle that? Do you just leave them a tip in cash or do they charge it back to your room?

DCL said it will take about 3 weeks to credit the money back to my account so I'm going to rebook when I get that back. I'm most likely going to book POR again considering that's where we were staying orginially but does anyone prefer a different mod over that one?

I'm so excited!

Just a warning about waiting... Disney only reserves a certain number of rooms available for free dining. When those rooms are gone, you can't get free dining anymore even if there's 'normal' rooms available at the resort. At least that's what I had heard last year?

As for tip, you can either charge it to the room, leave cash, or charge it to a credit card.

 

[jenny105]

Just a warning about waiting... Disney only reserves a certain number of rooms available for free dining. When those rooms are gone, you can't get free dining anymore even if there's 'normal' rooms available at the resort. At least that's what I had heard last year?

As for tip, you can either charge it to the room, leave cash, or charge it to a credit card.

I'm aware of that but thank you for letting me know. I already put a hold for a reservation at POR so I'll probably pay the deposit within the week and when I get the credit, put it toward the rest of what is owed.

Thank you!