Sweet Pea UK
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 20, 2007
- Messages
- 963
I have been so slack of late!!! I am 2 TR's outstanding and only 189 days away from out next trip with no PTR 
I thought I would get started on the PTR and try and run the TR's too.
This trip is going to have a first for us in that it is the first time we are going with friends.
For those of you who have read my other TR's/PTR's you know who we are - for those of you who don't ....
The Cast
Me – Sara – 36 year old Disney Fantatic. Been going to Disney for over 30 years
DH – Jonathan – 37 year old love of my life! Loves Disney almost as much as me. Loves Golf and spending time with me and
DD – Amber – 10 – still amazed by the magic and really knows her Disney Stuff
So here is how this trip came about ....
Me, Jonathan and Amber booked took our dream trip in August 2010. We had 3 weeks, with 4 nights spent at Portofino Bay and the rest at the Grand Floridian. (Link to TR in my signature) Prior to going on this trip we booked to go again in 2011 staying at SSR with Jonathans parents (TR soon to be started!) 2 years in a row would be a first for us but we worked out that with 40% off at SSR and free dining it was too good an opportunity to be missed.
During conversations with our best friends, who also went in 2010, but October, we said how nice it would be to all go together. So before we knew it we had agreed to a 3rd trip in as many years!! Clare has been one of my best friends since middle school and the friend I am most close to now. We know all each others secrets and have never had a falling out so we had no reservations about spending a holiday together.
This third trip however was going to be a lot different to our previous trips. We have always stayed on site and eaten at Disney restaurants etc where as our friends have always had a villa and just eaten on their way home from a park. We were more than prepared for this sort of holiday, but I have to confess it didn't excite me as much as other trips have.
Our friends, Clare and Lewis have 2 children. Evie who is 10 (6 months younger than Amber) and Charlie who is 3.
In April last year they came round and we booked our flights with Virgin leaving on 12th October 2012. We then started looking for a Villa. I tried to talk them into a hotel in the Downtown Disney Area but they said it would be too cramped with to children. Fair enough. I then found a nice 4 bedroomed villa with a pool just outside of Disney which we all liked so we booked that. We were all sorted. Or were we???
All the time Jonathan and I were on holiday last August we kept saying it was a shame we weren't staying at SSR the next time. His Mum kept saying how better off we would be there than out of the way in a villa and also by having free dining how much it would save us. We were just of the opinion that we would go with the flow.
However, when we got back last September my parents were going 3 weeks later. I decided they couldn't possibly go alone so invited myself along. They had a 1 bed villa booked at SSR so I only needed a flight and was able to get on the same one as them. I felt like a jet setter going to soon after we had just returned and Amber and Jonathan didn't mind me going without them.
Once out there they both agreed that it did not make any sense not to try and book it for the following year. The pool facilities for the children were great - and everywhere is so much more accessible. I went online while we were out there and saw that they still had the 40% off with free dining offer on. I called Jonathan to tell him what I was thinking and he fully agreed. I text Clare while I was away to say I had found this deal and that there was plenty of room for the 7 of us in a 2 bed - we don't plan on spending much time inside and would they both consider moving. We felt that with the cost of food etc going up and the exchange rate being poor it was to good an opportunity to pass up.
I didn't hear anything.
Jonathan collected me from Gatwick after my week and it was all we talked about on the journey home. I text her again to say had they got my message and what were there thoughts. She rang. I was almost to scared to answer it as I had now really set my heart on it and knew I was going to be so disappointed and despondent if they said No. Guess what!!! They said "Yes"!!!
As soon as we got back I cancelled the villa and booked a 2 bed at SSR.
Clare and Lewis did have a couple of concerns. They said that when they stayed at the villa they put the children to bed and just had a little while winding down before they went to bed and didn't think that they would have room to do that - I said that there was the lounge area and the balcony and that it was only really Charlie who would go to bed before us as the girls were old enough to stay up later. They were also worried that the bed was too high and Charlie might fall out. I have enquired though and know that we can get a rail to go next to the bed to stop this.
We were now all really excited. Amber was thrilled as we had allowed her and her friend to walk to Artists Palette alone last year so she was very excited that her and Evie could do it this year.
Coming up ...... the planning begins
I thought I would get started on the PTR and try and run the TR's too.
This trip is going to have a first for us in that it is the first time we are going with friends.
For those of you who have read my other TR's/PTR's you know who we are - for those of you who don't ....
The Cast
Me – Sara – 36 year old Disney Fantatic. Been going to Disney for over 30 years
DH – Jonathan – 37 year old love of my life! Loves Disney almost as much as me. Loves Golf and spending time with me and
DD – Amber – 10 – still amazed by the magic and really knows her Disney Stuff
So here is how this trip came about ....
Me, Jonathan and Amber booked took our dream trip in August 2010. We had 3 weeks, with 4 nights spent at Portofino Bay and the rest at the Grand Floridian. (Link to TR in my signature) Prior to going on this trip we booked to go again in 2011 staying at SSR with Jonathans parents (TR soon to be started!) 2 years in a row would be a first for us but we worked out that with 40% off at SSR and free dining it was too good an opportunity to be missed.
During conversations with our best friends, who also went in 2010, but October, we said how nice it would be to all go together. So before we knew it we had agreed to a 3rd trip in as many years!! Clare has been one of my best friends since middle school and the friend I am most close to now. We know all each others secrets and have never had a falling out so we had no reservations about spending a holiday together.
This third trip however was going to be a lot different to our previous trips. We have always stayed on site and eaten at Disney restaurants etc where as our friends have always had a villa and just eaten on their way home from a park. We were more than prepared for this sort of holiday, but I have to confess it didn't excite me as much as other trips have.
Our friends, Clare and Lewis have 2 children. Evie who is 10 (6 months younger than Amber) and Charlie who is 3.
In April last year they came round and we booked our flights with Virgin leaving on 12th October 2012. We then started looking for a Villa. I tried to talk them into a hotel in the Downtown Disney Area but they said it would be too cramped with to children. Fair enough. I then found a nice 4 bedroomed villa with a pool just outside of Disney which we all liked so we booked that. We were all sorted. Or were we???
All the time Jonathan and I were on holiday last August we kept saying it was a shame we weren't staying at SSR the next time. His Mum kept saying how better off we would be there than out of the way in a villa and also by having free dining how much it would save us. We were just of the opinion that we would go with the flow.
However, when we got back last September my parents were going 3 weeks later. I decided they couldn't possibly go alone so invited myself along. They had a 1 bed villa booked at SSR so I only needed a flight and was able to get on the same one as them. I felt like a jet setter going to soon after we had just returned and Amber and Jonathan didn't mind me going without them.
Once out there they both agreed that it did not make any sense not to try and book it for the following year. The pool facilities for the children were great - and everywhere is so much more accessible. I went online while we were out there and saw that they still had the 40% off with free dining offer on. I called Jonathan to tell him what I was thinking and he fully agreed. I text Clare while I was away to say I had found this deal and that there was plenty of room for the 7 of us in a 2 bed - we don't plan on spending much time inside and would they both consider moving. We felt that with the cost of food etc going up and the exchange rate being poor it was to good an opportunity to pass up.
I didn't hear anything.
Jonathan collected me from Gatwick after my week and it was all we talked about on the journey home. I text her again to say had they got my message and what were there thoughts. She rang. I was almost to scared to answer it as I had now really set my heart on it and knew I was going to be so disappointed and despondent if they said No. Guess what!!! They said "Yes"!!!
As soon as we got back I cancelled the villa and booked a 2 bed at SSR.
Clare and Lewis did have a couple of concerns. They said that when they stayed at the villa they put the children to bed and just had a little while winding down before they went to bed and didn't think that they would have room to do that - I said that there was the lounge area and the balcony and that it was only really Charlie who would go to bed before us as the girls were old enough to stay up later. They were also worried that the bed was too high and Charlie might fall out. I have enquired though and know that we can get a rail to go next to the bed to stop this.
We were now all really excited. Amber was thrilled as we had allowed her and her friend to walk to Artists Palette alone last year so she was very excited that her and Evie could do it this year.
Coming up ...... the planning begins
have your friends ever stayed onsite before? I hope they love it! We're staying offsite in August which I've not done since 1996.. it's going to be soo different lol.
x
