The Good, The Bad, & the Nuts! ...ANYONE GOING MAY 8-15?

[glennbo123]

Congrats on winning some moolah and booking a quick trip!

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Tanya! How fun! Good for you - winning and taking advantage of the opp to do a solo trip!

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Wow! That is great news and you get to go so soon!

 

[marvali]

I just booked a trip!!

Oh...it is in 11 days!!


I fly down on Tuesday the 20th, staying at Saratoga....3 nights in a studio and 2 nights in a 1BR then fly home on the 25th.

Somewhere in there hopefully I can get to a MNSSHP and also hopefully I will overlap with Kathy's trip and can try to meet up with her and Mark.

No kids...no husband....just me....


Hubby had been telling me he would "let" me go. I thought he was just joking around. But he kept bringing it up, then he went and looked at flights. Well, by the time he did that, I couldn't get rooms....well, I couldnt get a studio. I hemmed and hawed enough that I lost the good prices on the flights. They were as low as 93...at least in one direction. But last night I went to our local telephone Co-op meeting, and won the Grand Prize of $300 and decided that was the clincher. So this morning I got up, checked the flights and called member services.

Only you, Tanya!

on the quick solo trip, even though you may have to run into Kathy and Mark while you're there. Well, Mark would be cool, but if you run into Kathy, make sure you're on your scooter and you put it in reverse immediately afterwards........

j/k Kathy! Just getting in that first shot before you and Molly start tag teaming me again!!!!

 

[mom3sonstt]

Spontaneous Disney Trip! Have a blast!

Wow! You won't need to wait long for this one! Have a fab time

Congrats on winning some moolah and booking a quick trip!

Tanya! How fun! Good for you - winning and taking advantage of the opp to do a solo trip!

Wow! That is great news and you get to go so soon!

Only you, Tanya!

on the quick solo trip, even though you may have to run into Kathy and Mark while you're there. Well, Mark would be cool, but if you run into Kathy, make sure you're on your scooter and you put it in reverse immediately afterwards........

j/k Kathy! Just getting in that first shot before you and Molly start tag teaming me again!!!!

Thanks everybody!! My AP expires November 7th and we aren't sure when we will be going back again. I bought Tables in Wonderland on our August trip and it is good through the end of next September, so hopefully before then because we certainly haven't broken even on it yet.

Danny is going out west Oct 25- Nov 5, then the following week is the play at the local Jr College - Danny records them, and Mark should be involved in it this year, then the following Monday is my surgery.

We were looking at dates before his trip that I could possibly go before my pass ran out. I didn't take it too seriously because, well, we just got back. But Danny came out one night and said he was looking at flights and that there were several dates that were only $93.

We worked on it one night trying to mix and match a 5 night stay with the cheap flights each way. I think there was only one. But there were two or 3 that were 6 night stays. We finally decided the best dates were leaving either the 20th or the 27th and staying 6 nights or the 21 or 28th and staying 5 nights. Somewhere in there are some $109 flights.

So I get my handy dandy little list made up, ran a couple errands that needed to get done by a certain time, then forgot to call Member Services until 4:15....they close at 4:30 Well, there was nowhere that I could stay the whole 6 nights at a studio or 1BR or combination without moving multiple times. I could get 5 nights, but it would be flying back on the 25th and the cheapest flight was $169 and I didn't want to really do that. So I held off.

As soon as I hung up I thought - duh - why didn't I check flying down the 19th and see what flights and rooms were like. Flights were ok - not great times, but the price was good. But it was too late to call.

About that time Mom called and asked if I was going to the phone meeting. We didn't have any plans, you always get a little gift for coming (this year was an insulated re-usable grocery bag). And when the meeting is over they have door prizes. It used to be a TV for the grand prize, then they started offering so much in free services, the last few years it has been cash! The other prizes used to be donations from area businesses.....ball caps, jackets, golf balls.....all the random stuff businesses buy for advertising. This year they just had $25 credits towards your phone bill. The last think I won was an orange jacket from some farm place that didn't fit anyone in our family. Well, the boys finally grew into it, but none of them would wear it. This time I got the grand prize! That's when I decided that I could splurge for the $169 flight.

So this morning I get up, pull up the airline site to make sure the flights were still available and..........all my $93 flights had turned into $143 flights overnight!!!! By that time I didn't really care. So now I have 143 one way and 169 the other, by the time they added tax and deducted the $28 credit I still had from a price reduction on my August flight my total was $305. Only $5 more than I won. I don't have to pay for rooms. So the only out of pocket money I will need is spending money. I still have a little over $300 left in my vacation account, so that should be more than enough for me, I also have about $25 left on my gift card.

Of course in the meantime I decided I had to go to the Halloween party while I was there, so that was another $50+ dollars (I did get a DVC discount so that was something).

Now I just need to figure out what I need to do when. I rented another scooter because I still don't think full days are possible without one. I will not take it to the Halloween party. But since I am at Saratoga that means wherever I go it will be by bus. Because of that I do not plan on trying to do any rope drops, or stay until close (unless I go back later without it). I am ok boarding a semi empty bus, but hate, hate, hate boarding one where the seats are mostly full. You have to pull up in between the seats then back into the spot...and with all the feet sticking out in the aisle it is not easy at all to maneuver and takes so much longer to get it in the right spot. I am petrified at the thought of banging into someone or running over feet when trying to get it situated.

Obviously since this is so last minute I have nothing at all planned. Guess what I will be doing the next few days!

Since it is coming up so soon I don't plan to even attempt to start my other TR until I am back. I do have the photos uploaded through the 10th. So I will work on getting the rest of them loaded.

I also have some more "trip through time" pictures to load. I need to find mom's actual photo album because there were some pictures from that trip that I specifically remember that weren't in the packet she gave me last night, so evidently some of the duplicates didn't make it.


Here is a sample...not Disney, and probably the following summer (my hair is longer here than in the vacation pics)

Welcome to my Redneck water park!!!!

 

[KatMark]

Tanya, that is AWESOME news. Good for you.

 

[mom3sonstt]

Ok folks - I don't trust my eyes...or my color-blind husband's opinon. Do you think these go well together? The pants are a light weight plaid capri, and the shirt is a V-neck T. I'm trying to determine whether Minnie's skirt goes with the blues in the pants. (Can you tell I am really a blue jean and T shirt girl through and through...)

 

[englishrose47]

Congrats on the win and the Trip!! I am useless at matching colors and designs so I will let the men decide

 

[KatMark]

Congrats on the win and the Trip!! I am useless at matching colors and designs so I will let the men decide

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do NOT listen to Marv if he pipes in.

Tanya, I think it looks fine together.

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Tanya, I am so excited for you to take another trip! Congrats on winning the money!

Yes, I like that shirt with the shorts - not so matchy matchy, but the blues go!

 

[FauntleroyFAN07]

sweet an almost free trip.

 

[englishrose47]

sweet an almost free trip.

I get FREE ones

 

[mom3sonstt]

Congrats on the win and the Trip!! I am useless at matching colors and designs so I will let the men decide

Not the men in MY house!

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do NOT listen to Marv if he pipes in.

Tanya, I think it looks fine together.

Tanya, I am so excited for you to take another trip! Congrats on winning the money!

Yes, I like that shirt with the shorts - not so matchy matchy, but the blues go!

Thanks ladies, it is getting packed.

sweet an almost free trip.

almost free is good....

I get FREE ones

FREE is better

 

[MAGICFOR2]

I forgot to say that I love the redneck waterpark! We had one like that too!

 

[FauntleroyFAN07]

I get FREE ones

and that is what makes you one of a kind rosie, well that and other things.

 

[mom3sonstt]

This will probably be my "PTR" for this trip.

You already heard how it came about, I am staying at Saratoga. I called yesterday to take a request off of the room that I didn't intend to be on there in the first place. While taking care of that I checked to see if the last 2 nights had opened up in a studio instead of a 1BR. They hadn't, so I am leaving it alone.

I have non-stop flights down on Tuesday and back on Sunday. I should get there around 4:00 and should get back around noon or 1 I think.

While there I have booked breakfast at Crystal Palace at 9:25 on Wednesday. I haven't decided if I am going to take the scooter or not. I am afraid if I take it and the buses are too crowded in the morning that I may get their too late. But I would like to take it so I can plan to spend more time at the park....or even monorail it over to Epcot later. We'll see.....
I have never eaten at Crystal Palace. Danny has in his previous life and has not been interested in going back.

On Thursday I have a late lunch booked for the Brown Derby. I have never eaten there either. A lot of the menu doesn't appeal to me, and apparently none of it does to DH, but I think I am going to get the Cobb Salad and a dessert.

That is all that I have booked for meals.

Friday night I have ordered a ticket for the Halloween party. I will not be taking the scooter to that so I am not sure what time I will go over. I may do something else during the day, hang out by the pool for awhile, then go over late afternoon to grab a bite to eat somewhere before the party officially starts.

Saturday I am hoping to be able to run into Kathy & Mark. Her plans have her at DD for a while that day, and I need to make a trip over there also since last month it was pouring when we went and we really didn't do much. I want to go see the new lego sculptures especially.

Sunday I have to get up early. My flight is at 10:40 so Magic Express will probably be around 7:30 and I will have to take my bag over to get it checked in before that. I need to see how early I have to take my bag over, I will probably take care of it then just hang around waiting on the bus. If the bag has to be checked in far enough ahead of the bus time then hopefully I will have time to grab a quick bite to eat. Otherwise I will be looking for something at the airport while I wait.


DH is not-so-subtly hinting that I need to check out the Vinylmation trading boxes while I am there I asked him if I need to stop every hour or so and hang out by the men's bathroom for a few minutes too


I recieved my Magic Express packet today! And I am almost packed. I have a stack of clothes piled in the suitcase. I just need to get a couple other things washed and added to the pile, decide whether there is any point in taking "warm" clothes, then root through the Disney box that I just unloaded our last trip stuff into and see how much of it I need to take back with me on this trip. Danny is in charge of getting a camera ready for me. Last trip the one he gave me had one battery that didn't hold a charge. The first day I used that battery he thought I had run it down using it on the safari. The next time I used it was after they had left for home and the first show/attraction I went to the battery was already flashing. He is supposed to give me a different camera this time. He is also supposed to give me extra cards to go with it. Usually he downloads the pictures each night, but since I won't have a computer to load them too I will just have to take extra cards so I don't run out. I am hoping the weather is better this time, and that I will go scooterless more often, in able to free up my hands for the camera!


And that is about all there is to tell this time!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Man, what a whirlwind of planning. I'm getting tired just reading it!

 

[jenb1023]

Hey Tanya! So excited for you and so jealous!!! Sounds like a great trip - some things planned and some just go with the flow.

 

[KatMark]

Plans sound great, Tanya. I hope we can meet up too. Maybe you can join us at EOS for lunch?

 

[mom3sonstt]

Man, what a whirlwind of planning. I'm getting tired just reading it!

It was kind of done on the fly. I knew I wanted a Halloween party, but I couldn't find any openings at Magic Kingdom for supper that day (I think it's a free dining time ). Since I have the Tables in Wonderland discount card, I knew I wanted to go to at least a couple sit down place, and figured I might as well try some that I knew Danny wouldn't go to.

Hey Tanya! So excited for you and so jealous!!! Sounds like a great trip - some things planned and some just go with the flow.

I don't like to plan too much stuff. We never follow the plans anyway I like to have a general idea of what I think I might want to do, but like to leave it open enough that if the weather doesn't cooperate, or I just don't feel like going somewhere that I don't have to. We would never book two meals in one day...that would tie us too much to a schedule.

Plans sound great, Tanya. I hope we can meet up too. Maybe you can join us at EOS for lunch?

I love Earl's! That sounds like a plan. Just let me know when you think you will be there. I want to do some shopping and hopefully some picture taking down there this trip since I didn't get it accomplished last time.