The Double-and-a-half Trippie ** COMPLETED **

[marivaid]

They still haven't posted hours for AK or posted which days are EH am and pm. Disney better hurry up, so I can finish making my plans.

They post the hours 6 months in advance, so I think you only have one more month to wait

 

[marivaid]

I'm soooooooooo HAPPY right now !!!

Every day for the past month or so, the set the clock for 1pm (7am Disney time!) and the very first thing I do is check if there's a room available at AP rate for Dec 20 at WL. I check online, then call just in case. Nothing so far
Well today I woke up very very very late after 3pm (LOL- I live on US time even when I'm at home when I don't work!) and tell mysef, shoot it's too late. If there'd been something available surely it's gone by now.
Oh well, doesn't cost me a thing to check.
AND THERE WAS A ROOM !! Standard, $185 at AP rate.
I kept my fingers crossed and called (not an easy task,FYI). Got my extra night and canceled our separate room reservation for ASMU.


Lately DM & I had been discussing how we'd go about getting to WL that first morning. Since we're only staying one night & coming from a Value, we didn't want to have all of our luggage transfered by the resort. We also want to avoid paying for cabs while on Disney property, especially since we'll be going to the Outlets that day and will already spend $50 on cabs just for that.
So we'd decided to take the bus & boat with our carryon suitcases, check at WL, take the bus to DTD and then get a cab.

It's funny how neither of us minds paying $300 a night for a resort but we really, really, want to save that $10 on a cab. Thing is, we found the cab drivers at WDW to be really rude (see my first TR for more info) and that's not something we like to spend money on.

The best part is that I'll have time to check in and prepare our room before having to go meet DM at the airport. I think I'll go to MK that morning and buy balloons and some type of sweets that DM would like, also I'll probably have a bunch of presents for her, so I can set all that up. I know she'll want to go to the pool and the hot tub that night so I'm not gonna get an ADR or anything. She told me a few days ago that for her, the Disney trip is about resorts, decorations, shows and dining. She doesn't care about rides as long as she gets to do Soarin a couple times.
Good thing I'm coming a few days before her, because I on the contrary DO care very much about rides!!!


We're leaving for NY in about 3 weeks and I just can't wait !
Can't wait to see NY again, it's been a while.. and I haven't seen Jon & Richie since June - they never return my calls! - can't wait to be at AKL and to go to the Halloween Party. Can't wait to be in Clearwater and go to REAL malls and go to Walmart and Target and K-Mart (you guys don't realize it, but for us foreigners these are little Heavens).
I have a feeling that the Christmas trip is going to be amazing... how could it not be ?

 

[my3disneygirls]

I'm soooooooooo HAPPY right now !!!

Every day for the past month or so, the set the clock for 1pm (7am Disney time!) and the very first thing I do is check if there's a room available at AP rate for Dec 20 at WL. I check online, then call just in case. Nothing so far
Well today I woke up very very very late after 3pm (LOL- I live on US time even when I'm at home when I don't work!) and tell mysef, shoot it's too late. If there'd been something available surely it's gone by now.
Oh well, doesn't cost me a thing to check.
AND THERE WAS A ROOM !! Standard, $185 at AP rate.
I kept my fingers crossed and called (not an easy task,FYI). Got my extra night and canceled our separate room reservation for ASMU.

I knew you would be able to get it. Congrats.

 

[marivaid]

I knew you would be able to get it. Congrats.

It's your good vibes that did it
Wanna go to Vegas ???

 

[dismom9761]

That is awesome!

 

[my3disneygirls]

It's your good vibes that did it
Wanna go to Vegas ???

LOL!

 

[marivaid]

Nothing much to report here. I'm basically freaking out because I'm very, very, very broke.

I was supposed to stay at my friend's house - something I wasn't too thrilled about from the beginning because she's got kids and her house is kind of a zoo. Well, lately she's been fighting like cats and dogs with her husband and his ex-wife, and I really, really, REALLY don't want to be in the middle of that. It's way too late to cancel my trip though.

So I booked a cheap motel instead. Cheap, but not free.
I'd given myself a budget of $1800 for the part of the trip when I'll be without DM (we split the costs when we're at Disney, I paid my part a long time ago).
This would have been more than enough to do a bunch of shopping and treat my buddies to a few dinners.

I made some money envelopes tonight and this is what I have

Envelope #1 : $1213 for my motel (6 weeks - I wasn't kidding when I said it was cheap lol)

Envelope #2 : $200 for my balance at ASMU (4 nights, 1 already paid)

Leaving me with a whopping $387 in Envelope #3 to last me 6 1/2 weeks.
Yikes.

I don't know what I should do now. I could cancel my little solo trip, that would get me $200 more. But I won't be able to afford much while at the beach anyway - once I'm in Disney, I have my AP which means fun at no cost. I don't plan to spend much on food, since we'll have a ton of ADRs once Grumpy gets there. I can eat muffins and kids meals for 4 days, no problem

Today (it's like 6am here) I'm going to go through my room and hunt for stuff to sell on eBay.
It's like a giant shop in there... a couple years ago, I paid for a flight just by selling one Buffy trading card
Unfortunately, that's the only one I had left, and the rest of the "shop" is more like Dollar Tree.

 

[dismom9761]

I hope you can figure out the $$ so that you can enjoy your holiday without worrying. Good luck with ebaying!

 

[SeptemberGirl]

Wow, that sucks! How is the ebaying going???

 

[marivaid]

Wow, that sucks! How is the ebaying going???

It's going very well thanks ! Of course, I'm now down to 2 DVDs and 1 pair of shoes, but hey, at least it'll be easier to pack when we move

Right now we're trying to figure where to leave from next week.
It's getting complicated. We have a small apartment in Paris where we live during the week when we work, but our real "home" is a house in Versailles. We were supposed to leave from home on Friday morning, then yesterday my mom's principal added a parent/teacher meeeting on Thursday night at 7.30pm. Great timing, NOT.
She wouldn't make it back home until 11pm that night and we have to wake up at 5am the next day.

Leaving from Paris is nearly impossible - we're on the 7th floor, tiny staircase & no elevator I don't think I can haul my huge duffle bags all the way up there (I'm leaving for 2 months so packing a LOT of stuff).
And to top it off, something's wrong with my father's car so he can't drive me & the luggage to Paris the night before.



I'm considering booking a hotel room close to the airport for one night. After all, if we left from the house the cab ride would be in the $120-$140 range. I just need to find a decent hotel with an airport shuttle.

How nuts is it that I could find something like that in a heartbeat in New York, Miami or even Louisville but have no idea where to look in my own city????

 

[dismom9761]

Hi! I have been wondering how it's going-you are getting so close to leaving.

I am glad ebaying has done well for you.

7th floor and no elevator? Good luck fiding an hotel!

 

[SeptemberGirl]

How nuts is it that I could find something like that in a heartbeat in New York, Miami or even Louisville but have no idea where to look in my own city????

There must be something like that, though, right??? I really love the hotel by airport idea, my husband is always saying we should do that. We never do, though, as we're only 45 minutes with traffic from Newark.

My friend is in Paris right now visiting her grandmere and it cracks me up that I'm in NJ wishing I had gone with her and you're ready to come here. Oh, it is a small world after all!

 

[marivaid]

It's getting close ! In 12 days we'll be in WDW

I made a few changes to our ADRs for both trips, mainly switching our CP package for Nine Dragons. Too many bad reviews for San Angel to take a chance with a $42.99-a-pop package. But, we're going to try it for lunch the next day.

Yesterday I called DME since we have not gotten our vouchers & luggage tags yet. They had my address all wrong, so wrong that they were not even sent yet (doesn't Disney have my email address ? why not email & tell me something was wrong with our addy ? )
The guy said they will send them UPS but that there's still a good possibility that they won't get there before we leave.

Our Halloween itinerary, unless I can get us a Le Cellier dinner ADR (fat chance) is going to be like this :

October 29th
Arrive at AKL around 9.30pm.
Probably just get a bite at Mara, then enjoy the pool & hot tub.
I reserve the right to dump Grumpy and go for MK for a couple hours, it's evening EMH!

October 30th
Get to AK very early (I want to see the opening ceremony), straight to Safari then whatever we feel like doing.
Probably the animal trails since we didn't do them last time. And It's Tough to be a Bug.
Back to the resort in early afternoon. Enjoy the animals and pool.
Maybe go back to AK for the parade.
Dinner at Boma @ 7pm.
Downtown Disney after dinner ?

October 31st
Be at Epcot before opening.
Soarin, Test Track, Ellen's.. World Showcase once it opens
Lunch at Le Cellier @ 1.20PM
Maybe take a break at the resort or stay all day at Epcot (I think this may depend on how many Soarin' FPs we can score!)
Epcot that night for Illuminations & a taste of F&W festival.

November 1st
Morning at Animal Kingdom, whatever we didn't do the first morning or want to do again.
Afternoon either at the resort or at the Premium Outlets if Grumpy wants to go.
Get to MGM around 6 for 7.30pm Fantasmic.
After Fantasmic, take bus to CR.
Dinner at Chef Mickey's 9PM.

November 2nd
Sleep in.
Breakfast at Boma 10AM.
Grumpy will stay at AKL & enjoy the pool, I'll go to POP and check in.
We'll just relax at AKL until we can check in at POP.
Then get ready for MNSSHP !! Grumpy's gonna dress as a gypsy-fortune teller and I'm going for "pink and purple witch" (which means I'll have a witch hat and pink/purple hair extensions).
Dinner at LTT @ 5.25PM.
Halloween Party !!! Emphasis on parade, Hallowishes and character greetings.

November 3rd
Will probably wake up late, take the time to check out the grounds at POP since we didn't have time to do that in July.
Lunch at Kona @ 1.15PM
Spend the afternoon at Epcot (or go to Premiums if we haven't yet), then head to MK around 6PM to see Spectro and Wishes.

November 4th
Breakfast at Crystal Palace 8.10AM (we'll finally get to see MK almost empty!).
We'll have 2 hours at MK to do a few favorites : Splash, Aladdin, Peter Pan, PhilarMagic, Buzz Lightyear...
Then back to POP to catch our DME bus, probably around noon.

What do you think ??

We were supposed to go to MK on the 1st. I'm a little worried that Grumpy will not want to go to MK 3 times in a row. For some reason she always needs gentle coaxing to go to MK - I don't get it, if you ask her what her favorite rides are, 9 out of 10 are going to be at MK. Yet she says Epcot is her favorite park.
So, I'll lie and tell her that the only night we can see Spectro is the 3rd.
I broke down & got a dinner ADR at Chef Mickey's because neither of us wanted to go to Crystal Palace twice in one trip, and I couldn't think of any other restaurant we'd like to go to on this trip. Grumpy wants to wait until we are actually staying there to go back to WCC at Wilderness Lodge... which will be in 2 months and 2 days!!!

 

[marivaid]

Oh, it is a small world after all!

They're baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack !!!!!!!!!!!

7th floor and no elevator? Good luck fiding an hotel!

Tell me about it. I'm still not used to those stairs, and it's been years. Next appartment GROUND FLOOR only!!!

We may not have to get a hotel. My grandmother lives a few blocks from our place in Paris so we thought we could store the luggage at her place, then go get it in the morning before we leave. Not exactly practical, but it sure beats bringing it up to the 7th floor.

 

[my3disneygirls]

I was just thinking about you today. I knew that trip #1 is comming up. It sounds like you have everything well planned out. Take plenty of pics of Grumpy gypsy for us.

I have to call and make the rest of my ADR's I really haven't felt like it because it always ends up to be a half and hour phone call. Plus I had the nicest CM last week when I phoned and I don't think anyone could top her. Some of the CM's can be crabby. I have actually hung up if the person on the other end sounded mean. Then I'd call back hoping for a friendlier person. So far I have four days of ADR's booked and need to do the final three days.

 

[marivaid]

I was just thinking about you today. I knew that trip #1 is comming up. It sounds like you have everything well planned out. Take plenty of pics of Grumpy gypsy for us.

I have to call and make the rest of my ADR's I really haven't felt like it because it always ends up to be a half and hour phone call. Plus I had the nicest CM last week when I phoned and I don't think anyone could top her. Some of the CM's can be crabby. I have actually hung up if the person on the other end sounded mean. Then I'd call back hoping for a friendlier person. So far I have four days of ADR's booked and need to do the final three days.

Did you get everything you wanted so far ?

Sometimes when I call I get one of the "weird" persons.. you know, when you can tell they're working in their kitchen with 3 kids and the TV blasting in the background. I always hang up and call again, until I get a "real" CM.
It already feels weird calling to book breakfast 6 months in advance, better get a friendly person!!

This CM once absolutely wanted me to eat at Bistrot de Paris or Chefs... I told the guy, "but we're French!" and he's like "Yes,I know,these are French restaurants!!!". Tried to explain to him that we don't exactly get on a plane for 9 hours so that we can eat the same thing we do at home.. didn't seem to register. I ended up getting a ressie just to make him happy, hung up, called right back again and canceled it.

 

[dismom9761]

You are getting so close!

All your plans look great!You can never have too much MK....or Epcot....

 

[my3disneygirls]

Did you get everything you wanted so far ?

Sometimes when I call I get one of the "weird" persons.. you know, when you can tell they're working in their kitchen with 3 kids and the TV blasting in the background. I always hang up and call again, until I get a "real" CM.
It already feels weird calling to book breakfast 6 months in advance, better get a friendly person!!

This CM once absolutely wanted me to eat at Bistrot de Paris or Chefs... I told the guy, "but we're French!" and he's like "Yes,I know,these are French restaurants!!!". Tried to explain to him that we don't exactly get on a plane for 9 hours so that we can eat the same thing we do at home.. didn't seem to register. I ended up getting a ressie just to make him happy, hung up, called right back again and canceled it.

LMAO! Why would he insist on Chefs for a French person. That's too funny.

Well I wanted CRT and not wanting to make a bunch of calls I waited for 180 for that and made ADR's for the three previous days at that time. So I wake up dial the number hang up and wait for 7 am. Hit redial and speed though all of the annoying prompts. Ask for CRT breakfast and NOTHING! I was shocked. I said, but it's 180 and she said, but the people staying on property get-I stopped her right there. I know 180 plus ten. I was so disappointed I couldn't even think straight. She explained that a table of five is hard to get at CRT. Of course they would rather seat 6 than 5 $$$. I need to have another kid. She did have a table for lunch available. Hmmm didn't think of that. I told her I wanted BBB first and she said we could do that. Now I'm thinking this stinks because now I can't get into MK early. Then I'm thinking I can do an early CP later in the week. She asked if I wanted the lunch and that she immediately held it for me as soon as she saw it. DUH! I wasn't even thinking that while I wasting time thinking that someone else could have snagged that table, so I went for it.

So what I have so far is the Saturday we get there Kona for dinner. MK is open till 11 that night so we can take the monorail for dinner and head back to close the park.
Sunday Biergarten for hubby. He is a huge fan of German food and the kids like it too.
Monday 50's Prime Time Lunch for middle DD. I really am not looking forward to this one. I have heard so many bad reviews. And Raglan Road for dinner
Tuesday BBB followed by CRT lunch And late Ohana dinner. I have heard that Ohanna is really rushed, but I'm not worried. Hubby would never allow it. When he's hungry, don't get in his way.

I may call today for Coral Reef lunch, Marrakesh dinner, CP breakfast, LTT dinner, and Tusker house breakfast. If I don't get AP's and DDE. I will cancel most of these. Eating at the world is too expensive without the discount.

Geeze I'm wordy today. Aren't you sorry you asked.

 

[marivaid]

Geeze I'm wordy today. Aren't you sorry you asked.

NOPE ! I love reading about others' plans... especially when they pick my favorites places

I may get flamed for this, but you might want to call & just say you're a table for 6 and not 5 at CRT. Add one kid under 3, so you won't have to pay extra for the phantom 6th person. The only way I could get a table at Chef Mickey's was by saying we were a party of 3. There's probably less than 5 tables for 2 in the entire restaurant so it's like pulling teeth to get an ADR for 2 there - not fair, we like Mickey too.

You're gonna be eating at a lot of TS places. The DDE would definitely be a good investment !

 

[marivaid]

Should we take Granny ??!

This is my Granny. She's going to be 83 in February.
This pic was taken in Fort Lauderdale this past April. She thought it was hilarious to pose in front of the Senior Center.
We brought her with us for the first time, because she had heard so much about the place and wanted to see it too.
The first 3 days were great - we did all the touristy stuff, Jungle Queen, the Glades, malls... On the 4th morning, she wasn't feeling too well. We ended up having to ask our motel to recommend a doctor. Bill was around $400 for us with the prescription - and as Frenchies with "free" health care we are NOT used to that.
She got herself sick by drinking Eau de Melisse - sorry I have NO idea how to translate that - it's a kind of syrupy plant medecine that's supposed to help with an upset stomach. Think brown Pepto that tastes like grass. I think she downed half a bottle just on the plane. She got better just in time for us to leave, of course.

We've been toying with the idea of asking her to come with us in December.
She would love the resorts, love the Holiday decorations, love the Candlelight Processional... of course that means we'd have to modify all our reservations and may not be able to get everything we wanted. The hardest ones to get would be the Candlelight and Cali Grill, but I don't mind letting Grumpy & her go by themselves and I'd grab something at a CS instead.


Grumpy is worried because she may get sick again. I say that she has no medical condition at this point (and she goes to see her Dr regularly for check ups so if something was wrong, we'd know.) She's never had surgery in her life. Her heart is in great shape and she's VERY active - she's on vacation right now with her 85 year old cousin in the South of France. Today, they both decided out of the blue to go to Italy and shop !!!

This is why I think she'd enjoy herself :

- We're going to be in 2 Deluxes and 1 Mod
- We actually plan very little park time - I wouldn't even think of bringing her if we were going to do parks all day for a week.
- It's the most beautiful time of the year at WDW.
- She loves restaurants.
- If she does not come with us, she will spend Christmas alone and I personally think that sucks.
- The weather is good at this time of year. My grandmother could never tolerate the July heat in Orlando.

Reasons why Grumpy thinks she shouldn't come :

- She likes it better when it's just the 2 of us.
- Granny may get sick again.

Grumpy also said that some of her habits annoy her a lot. For example she's very tidy - she will get on our nerves by constantly cleaning up and making us pick up our stuff. To that I responded that since we'll be 3 adults in a room, and the Disney rooms aren't that big, we'll have no choice but to pick up after ourselves anyway.

I agree that just the 2 of us is nicer - but who knows how long we have left with Granny ?? My mom & I have been taking trips by ourselves for years. We'll most likely do it again this summer... and I'm sure we can find some time to ourselves even with Granny there. She's not going to do the evening EMH with us that's for sure.

But I'm worried about her being sick. I'm worried that she might hate it. What if the trip is ruined, for one reason or another ? We both worked hard to be able to afford the trip and plan a great itinerary.
I've read so many TRs from people who brought their family members along thinking they'd fall in love with Disney too, only to have them turn their entire trip into a nightmare.

So I'm asking you guys... what should we do ????????????