The Katie's go to Disney or Why two Katie's are better than one

[katieroo]

*DISCLAIMER*
This report is a tag team report between myself and Evildiva (DBFF). Some of the information is the same, but we do everything Disney together....so here goes...

Background:
This upcoming trip was planned because our Band Buddy (yes, we are all over 21 and in a marching band), Elena, is getting married in Clearwater in April.

DBFF comes to me and says "You know we could totally pull off a trip to Disney after BB's wedding. And I am going whether you come with me or not."

Me to DH: "You know honey, we could go to My most favorite place on Earth after Elena's wedding and DBFF is going with or without me."

DH to me: "Have a good time. I can't go because I have classes."

Okay, those weren't the actual conversations, but you get the idea.

The Players:
Katie S. (me) 28 Feel like I cheated on the Mouse the two times I went to Florida last year and didn't stop by
Katie B. (DBFF) 26 Loves Disney more than anyone I know (except me) and will do anything to buy DVC
Randy (my DH) 27 Dropping him at the Tampa airport at 5 a.m. so he doesn't miss any time in his Doctorate level graduate courses. He is the world’s best, most understanding, supportive husband in the World! He’s also the budget director, so all bill go to him for processing
Elena (Band Buddy or BB for short) 29 Getting married in Clearwater

So DBFF and I were off to a great planning adventure.
First we had to book all of our travel plans before the end of the year because DH wanted to make sure to get the double points we were earning for airline tickets on our credit card. Second we had to make sure to have enough time to book all of our ADR's so that we were sure to get the ones we wanted. And third, DBFF is a planner and loves to do all things organizational and I am crafty, so I made her a Disney folder complete with stickers and LGMH’s.

We booked our hotel in Clearwater and booked DH's round trip flights. We also booked our one way flights to Tampa and from Orlando. We chose to do the Dining Plan this time because we wanted to save a little green. We then decided to stay at PC again because we really liked it and we don't need anything fancy. Nor could we really afford any of the higher priced resorts and we refuse to stay off site.

Our trip is for 6 days and five nights with the dining plan. At the time we booked, we didn’t do the Premium PHs because we decided we could live without them. We would just pay our way into PI (specifically the AC).

We booked online through Disney and I have to say it was very easy. We had a little confusion but resolved it with a quick phone call. So far everything was falling in to place nicely.

Well, now that we have our travel booked, our hotel and Park Hopper’s, we need to decide on our ADR’s. We had decided to go with the meal plan because it would save us money in the end. We haven’t done this before, so we do out research (rather DBFF looked into it because I wasn’t a true DISer at this point).

We wanted to try some new things this time. We love Cantina de San Angel, but decided that we had eaten there plenty of times (I think we have eaten there all three times we have gone together). Our original list of places: Liberty Tree Tavern, Mama Melrose (with the Fantasmic package), Crystal Palace, and Spirit of Aloha. At this point, I had started to really get into the DIS and was reading a very entertaining TR by “The Meanest Mommy in the World” <Link to kpk’s TR>. She was talking about the Whispering Canyon and how much fun it was. I decided that I had to eat there (enter frantic call to DBFF). DBFF had told me that she would call and change any ADR’s we wanted. She had also mentioned that she would really like to check out LeCellier as it came highly recommended by a good friend at work. DBFF had also miscalculated our number of TS and realized we could do one more restaurant. By the time we had decided to change our ADR’s (Mama Melrose to Whispering Canyon and added LeCellier), DBFF had also found a discount for ticket upgrades that would give us the Premium Park Hopper’s for no extra charge.

Enter a CM who wasn’t paying enough attention to what he was doing.

DBFF called with code in hand and proceeded to get our tickets up graded. According to the CM she spoke with, we would save about $100 a piece (woohoo, more shopping money). When the new statement came, I promptly handed it over to DH for processing. I didn’t even look at (come to think of it I don’t think I even opened it). DH notices that we only received a credit of about $80 not the $100 that DBFF said. So yet another call was placed to WDWGS and we were put through to a very nice CM. In the end, she explained that the first CM had also removed our trip insurance (I won’t travel with out it) and that was the difference of $120. At this point I put DBFF on the phone because I was completely frustrated and couldn’t really deal with it. We are not usually the type of people who try to get something for nothing, but we had already mentally spent the saved money for our Keys to the Kingdom tour. DBFF explained this to the very nice CM and after a little frustration on both sides, she offered us a gift card to use while we are on vacation.

All of our major items were checked off the list, and now we were ready to get to the important items—the parks!

We decided that the day we arrive we would go to AK for the rope drop. We are dropping DH and another wedding guest at the Tampa airport for a 6:30 flight and then heading across the Sunshine State to the World. We estimate that even if we want a little more sleep after our 5 a.m. wakeup, we can get to the World no later than 8:30 or 9 a.m. This will give us plenty of time to check in and hop the bus to AK. Our other option, since we will have a rental car, will be to drive to AK if we are running late. We will immediately head to EE, get Fast Passes and get in the stand-by line. Being huge roller coaster nuts, we are so excited to ride EE!

Up next: I really get into the DIS and DH threatens to take away my computer

 

[evildiva]

As Katieroo said, her and I do everything together. We have seriously been friends since I can remember, I often answer the 'How long have you known each other?' question with "We were feti together." So now on with my version of our pre-trippie.....

Cast:
Me: Katie B, her best friend, planner and Disney enabler
DBF: Katie S, my best friend (yes we have the same name, we also have the same middle name, and have known each other since Kindergarten), lets me do all the planning, loves the Mouse
DBFH: Randy, hubby of best friend, known each other almost as long as Katie and I have known each other, pursuing his PhD so he will only be making a cameo appearance for the wedding

I Made an Executive Decision:
We will begin our trip with three days in Clearwater, FL. We were very fortunate to have a good friend who decided to get married in Florida. Once we found out the location of her wedding, I kindly informed Katie and her husband that either before or after the wedding, depending on the date I would be paying a visit to our favorite Mouse. After a little coercion they were in, actually the only one who needed to be persuaded was Randy, of course Katie was in. We found out about the wedding in the Fall of 2006 and began planning. I found the Dis while planning our 2005 Food and Wine trip, but was sworn from making any obsessive plans by Katie’s sister, who we were taking to the World for the very first time. We started to plan the trip for the three of us, but found out that Randy would not be able to stay for the Disney portion of our trip….So on Sunday morning, after the wedding, we have to take Randy to the airport for a 6 am flight out of Tampa, then it will be on to the World. We figure this will be the perfect opportunity to catch the rope drop at Animal Kingdom and ride Everest for the first time.

Needless to say, I was more than ready to plan this trip. We have both been several times and wanted to try some new things. The first on our list was to take a tour. So as a dutiful Dis’er I printed off all of the information for the tours and we decided that the Keys to the Kingdom tour would be a good fit for us. We also decided to do the dining plan. I added up my receipts from our 2005 trip (4 days, we’ll be there for 6 this time) and the dining plan was cheaper. So now we get to try the cheese soup, ketchup round up and the Luau. With our ADRs made, and changed a few times (there was a frantic phone call to me at work right after Christmas to change a reservation), we were ready.

Our Final ADRs:
Liberty Tree Tavern for Dinner
Le Cellier
Whispering Canyon (source of the frantic phone call)
Crystal Palace
Spirit of Aloha Luau

The code came out for the free ticket upgrades, so we took advantage of that. While the water parks are not really my thing, Katie likes them and more importantly….we can go the Adventure’s Club as many times as we want without breaking the bank.

Katie and I are best friends and often joke that we share the same brain, however you would never know it by the way we plan for trips. I have a count down calendar at my desk with important dates on it, like when our final payment is due and when to call in my Disney reward dollars. Katie on the other hand just let’s me take care of it and will probably be packing the night before we leave. But that’s why I love her! I have had an ongoing list of different things that I will need to buy for the trip since before Christmas, either I am very excited or just a very obsessive planner. I’ll let you be the judge.

We will have a very hectic week before our trip, Elena, the one getting married, will no doubt have many last minute things to take care of up here that we will be helping out with. The night before our trip we have marching band practice ( we are both in the Baltimore Ravens Marching Band and practices are on Wednesday nights) then Katie and her DH will both work a half day before our trip since our flight does not leave until 5pm. I have taken off that day to make sure all of the last minute things are done.

The excitement is building for our trip, it has been a while since either one of us has been on vacation and I think we both really need it. Plus we have never gone away just the two of us, and I think we are really excited to have some quality time just the two of us.

 

[evildiva]

Here are some recent developments in our trip......

The first is we have been honored with escorting one of the lovely Crocs around Disney for a few days. I just know that she will have a wonderful time with the Katies, and besides she only has one name to remember so that will be easy.

The second development is that it has come to my attention that my boss will be in Disney for the first two days of our trip. We are very excited about this, and Katie and I have planned to include my boss her DH and DD in our Liberty Tree Tavern dinner reservation. I have never eaten here, but it must be the best food ever! I called today to add three people to our reservation (7pm) and was told that the best they could do was two separate tables at either 7:55 (we ould miss Spectro), or 4:25. So we will be dining at two separate tabels near eachother at 4:25. Of course I will continue to check back periodically to see if a better time has freed up. Does anyone know how to get past all of the promps on the Disney Dining number? It takes forever to get to talk to someone.

That's all for now.

 

[Ibelieveinfairies]

Katieroo and Evildiva..er..Katie and Katie...I think I may have to steal your idea to get two sides to the report...lol.
Now to talk SIL to take the time to do her side of the story!

 

[tiggerbell]

This sounds like fun! I'm in! When is your trip?

 

[evildiva]

Thanks for the replies! We are very excited to leave. We leave for Florida on April 26. Like we siad we will be spending the first 3 days in Clearwater for a wedding. Then we will be dropping of Katieroo's DH at Tampa International Airport for a 6 am flight and be on our way to Pop Century. We will be in Disney April 29 thru May 4. I am so excited to leave I may actually bounce into the airport once the time to leave has arrived.

 

[Ibelieveinfairies]

Hi, Katies! Our trip begins a little before yours...March 30 to be exact! We are extended family traveling together and I love how you describe how you guys share a brain. I call my SIL my "tumor" she is so close...we're always together! lol
Check out my pre-trippie (see link in my signature) and I'll keep trying to talk her into giving her side of the story!

 

[tiggerbell]

I'll be there with you, Katies!!! We're staying at POFQ April 28 - May 5th. It's going to be a great week!!!

 

[katieroo]

Now, that the other Katie has updated you on our trip, I have a funny little side story about my DH and my love for Disney.

DH and I have known each other since we were 5. I have actually known him longer than my own sister (granted only a month). We have officially been a couple for 10 years now and have been married for almost 4 and a half years. He is the best, most supportive DH in the world.

Three months after our wedding and honeymoon, DH took me to the World for my 24th birthday. We left on a Wednesday and came back on a Sunday. This is the last time he and I were there together. I am really disappointed that he can’t make this trip, but he understands my love for the Mouse so it all works out.

Enough backtracking....

This next part is told as I understood it to be, so please understand that the spellings will change as my understanding of them did.

DBFF kept telling me about this discussion board she was on “The Diz” and that it was full of great information and funny stories. She said that I should check it out. I merely dismissed this because I am not really a discussion board type.

I have managed to stay off of other web interaction arenas and really wanted nothing of this thing she called Diz. Then one day DBFF called me and said, “You’ll never guess who is posting about his Disney Moon.” Yep, my other best friend Stallion was writing all about his Disney Moon with (as he calls her) “The Wife.”

Well, I figured I could check it out, but that wouldn’t mean anything. I looked for Disney Moon by Stallion, but was quickly guided to something called “Disneymoon.” Finally, it clicked.

I read his report, but got bored waiting for him to post it all, so I started to poke around The Dis. Well, that’s all it took. I was hooked! I signed up for a name and avatar, added a signature and off I went.

I became so engrossed in the great Trippies and info that DH became concerned that I was spending too much time online (he’s a computer programmer and he’s worried about me? ). I was so enthralled one night that I was up until after 1 a.m. It’s not like I was gulping down Jolt Cola and playing World of Warquest online for three days straight (not that there is anything wrong with that ). The next morning DH was not happy to hear that I had been up that late reading “some stranger’s trip to Disney.” He then threatened to take away my new found fun. He said he could block any site he wanted to and that if this became a problem he just might do it.

NOOOOOOO! I pleaded that I was just being an avid reader and that the LGMH I had picked up were nothing more than something fun for me and DBFF.

He said that he wouldn’t do it now, but that he thought it was a silly thing to be so excited about.

That’s why I haven’t told him about the Focker Crocker. He would think that was a bit too much. Just wait till he sees the pictures.

 

[katieroo]

Thanks for all the replies. I assure you that there will be one heck of a completed trippie too!

 

[Ibelieveinfairies]

evildiva, if I weren't going with my DH I would have to sign up to get a focker crocker...but, I think he would have me admitted to a mental facility! I'm jealous and can't wait to see the pics!

 

[evildiva]

ibelieve...., the focker crocker was not my idea, in fact I hadn't even heard about it, I have to give all the credit to Katieroo. But now that we have one, I am just thinking off all the cool places to take her picture. I may even try to fashion a hula skirt for her.

 

[Stallion]

Another Disclaimer:

One of the Katie's is fake!

 

[evildiva]

I am a real Katie. Okay maybe my first name is really Katherine, but I am too a Katie!

 

[evildiva]

I don't know about anyone else, but I know that it is time for vacation when I start having my vacation anxiety dreams/nightmares. I'll describe it here, we'll call it a mini-dream trip report.

So DBFF and I are riding Everest on our first day what better way to start our trip? I say that after this ride we need to get to MK for dinner with my boss and her family. When we get to the station to get off of the ride, the evil Christopher Lloyd character from "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" is there and he won't let us off. While this may be a dream come true for some, I was totally freaked out in my dream.

Does anyone else have these types of dreams/nightmares before vacation? Last year I had a dream, before my trip to Greece, that I accidentaly knocked over a piece of the Parthenon. I guess I have issues.

 

[evildiva]

Well since there is less than one month to go until the Katies take on Disney, I thought that we should introduce ourselves.

Katie S - Best friend in the world, only one who really understands me when I talk, partner in crime.

Katie B - That's me! Self proclaimed Disney nut. 27 year old marching band nerd. Participated in 2 Disney Magic Music Day Easter Parades while in high school.

That's all for now, getting ready for the bachlorette party this weekend for our band friend.

 

[evildiva]

Well we have a little more than 24 hours until our trip and we are so excited! Of course that also means that I have had another one of my vacation anxiety dreams. This one comes courtesy of Southwest Airlines, where the only chance you have a getting a decent seat is checking in 24 hours ahead online. Since my flight to Greece last summer, where I sat in the very last row of the plane, I am motivated to get the A seating. So I have one of my anxiety dreams last night that I was able to check in Katie's husband, but I was having problems getting her and I checked in because we were on the same reservation. I know, its not being stuck on Everest, but it was enough to keep me up this morning since 4:30. And it wasn't because I too excited to sleep.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it. We will see everyone on the flip side, where we hope to write a trip report worthy of the greats that are already on here.

 

[tiggerbell]

Have a great trip - good luck on your Southwest boarding passes - I have a huge note on my calender for Friday at 6:35am to get online and get ours!

Can't wait to hear all about your trip!

 

[isma]

Hi Katies!
Just found your Pretrippie! Have a great time at Disney, I am looking forward to your TR, I am planning to go to WDW with my best friend next year and we will be Steph B. and Steph S. and are also Coasterfans. We left our boyfriends home when we went to DL Paris and had so much fun without the boys so enjoy your trip!