The Mother/Daughter Polynesian Surprise **NEW 5/1 I'm back!

[jenbear123]

Geddy Lee's voice has never been described as velvety.

Non-velvety, yes. But you can't deny it's very distinctive.

Yup, I been reading a couple of installments a night, and have been highly entertained. Glenn, it'll take me a bit longer to get yours all the way read through. Lots there! both are giving a ton of entertainment!! and to think it's all free!

Tell me about it. With Glenn's, if you miss a day, you are 3 pages behind! Endless entertainment though, you're definitely right there.

I can only imagine what you might throw in. Something like suggestions on just HOW to use the paring knives? Expert advice on the "fluted pans"?

My imagination is getting a bit carried away....

 

[jenbear123]

Turning our attention back to my April trip for a sec......

Remember how I said we were going to drive down? Well... yesterday I was just curious what prices were looking like for flights out of Buffalo. Flying out of Toronto? Forget about it. I looked at all the usual prospects: Southwest, AirTran, and JetBlue. AirTran spat out the best price. Then my mom calls. The conversation went something like this:

Me: So Mom, I've been looking at flights out of Buffalo. You know, just out of curiosity

Mom: Oh yeah? What did you find?

Me: I found a pretty good rate with AirTran, just under $200 per person

Mom: Wow! That's really good!

(Keep in mind we're used to paying $400+ per person for flights to Florida)

Me: Can we afford that? I know things are tight.

Mom: Yeah. We can do that. Don't worry.

Me: So, does that mean I can book it then?

Mom: Well, I have been pretty nervous about driving down. It's a pretty long haul, even just to North Carolina.

Me: I know, but it could be fun!

Mom: I think we should fly.

Me: It's okay if it's flying out of Buffalo? It takes about 2 and a half hours to get there from your house.

Mom: It's much better than 2 days driving down! Let's book the flight.

Me: Okay! Are you sure?

Mom: Positive.

It's confirmed. Locked and sealed. We're flying!

Photo courtesy AirTran's website

I know AirTran charges $15 for first checked bag, per person per direction but it ended up being the more reasonable choice, despite Southwest having no checked bag fees. If we went with Southwest, we would've had to spend a night at a hotel since the flight time was so early. Obviously a night at a hotel would cost more than $30 each plus airport parking cost so AirTran with the afternoon flight times is cheaper for us.

I'm all tingly just thinking about this. We've never flown out of any other airport but our own. I've already done painstaking research about flying out of Buffalo and know it's safe and easy. I don't know what AirTran is like. Does anyone have any tips or experiences to share? I'm also wondering what they do at the airport when we're checking in with Canadian passports? Do they ask for anything additional? What's it like crossing the border? Perhaps I should head over to the Canadian boards for these questions....

I almost slipped the secret dates to my mom. I don't think I did (my mom didn't say anything) but I certainly came close. I'm going to need some help figuring out how I'm going to keep my mom from finding out the return date. I also need ideas on how to pop the surprise on her.

I've also found out that Bubba is planning to be on a road trip around the states during our travel dates. She said she'd be willing to fly from wherever she is to meet up with us but nothing is confirmed yet. We don't even know if she's getting her contract extension or not. It might just be me and my mom on this trip. We'll make it the perfect mother/daughter trip

 

[glennbo123]

That's great that you're going to fly. I know it's cheaper to drive, but driving uses sooo much precious vacation time. Around $200/person seems pretty good.

I've flown into/out of Buffalo, and it seemed like pretty much any other medium-sized airport, but I'm not sure what hurdles you'll have to face as a Canadian citizen.

 

[jenbear123]

That's great that you're going to fly. I know it's cheaper to drive, but driving uses sooo much precious vacation time. Around $200/person seems pretty good.

I've flown into/out of Buffalo, and it seemed like pretty much any other medium-sized airport, but I'm not sure what hurdles you'll have to face as a Canadian citizen.

I thought it was the best price we'd probably see so I jumped on it. I hope we got a relatively good deal Better than here anyway!

Is the airport easy to navigate? I've looked up the airport map and it seems pretty straight forward. It only has the one terminal.

 

[jenbear123]

We all come to a point when living in a house where you clean out the dreaded furnace room or attic, or where ever it is you may store all your knick knacks, heirlooms, and whatcha-ma-call-its. Boxes piled high with an inch of dust are common. But what I discovered today was quite amazing. Inside one of Bubba's boxes, amongst all her old school papers, I found this:

This is an original sketch, by Harry Holt, drawn especially for my sister (her name has been removed for privacy - even though some of you may already know it) in 1988, when my parents and her went to Walt Disney World. For those of you who are not familiar with who Harry Holt is, here is a short bio I googled:

In 1936, Holt applied for an artist position with Disney. During his try-out period, he wrote and illustrated stock Disney characters into comic strip storyboards. The company was so impressed with his talent that Holt was hired as an apprentice. He eventually worked his way up to designing several legendary scenes in "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves" and "Lady and the Tramp."

After 20 years with Disney, Holt took a brief hiatus to work in television production and art direction in Chicago. He returned to Los Angeles a few years later and joined Hanna-Barbera Studios to animate "Flintstones" and "Tom and Jerry" cartoons.

In the 1960s, Holt rejoined Disney as a designer of sculptural forms. He sculpted the original models of characters for the Country Bear Jamboree and Haunted Mansion rides at Walt Disney World, and developed attractions at Epcot and Disneyland in California and Japan. Until his retirement in the early 1990s, Holt greeted guests and signed drawings at the Disney/MGM Studio Preview Center in Orlando.

To think this was just sitting in a box! I showed it to my dad and he said we should get it framed, then give it to my sister when she comes home from Disney. So I'm going to hunt down a nice frame to keep this priceless artwork safe.

Too bad I wasn't with them on this trip (I had stayed home with my grandma). Even if I was, I would've been way too young to appreciate it. Darn it! Why couldn't I have been born 10 years earlier!

You never know what you'll find hidden away in boxes. If you and your family visited Disney World in the past, it's likely you too might have something like this waiting to be discovered.

 

[glennbo123]

Is the airport easy to navigate? I've looked up the airport map and it seems pretty straight forward. It only has the one terminal.

Oh yeah. It's not a real big airport. You should have no problem.

That's so cool that you found that sketch. Thanks for posting it. I'm sure she'd be excited if you got it framed for her.

I guarantee you I wouldn't find anything like that in our stored boxes!

 

[All7OfUs]

Hey Jen~

First off I was glad to know that the AirTran photo was courtesy of their stock photos!! For a minute I thought your skydiving adventures were getting a little carried away!! Phew!

I'm really glad you get to fly!!! That will be such a nice change for you, and you won't have to spend all that extra vacation time driving and worrying about a hotel.

Back in my PTR I posted about an amazing Disney find I came across too. In my Grandmas things, just after she passed away, we found a letter from the Disney corporate offices calling her in for an interview- it is dated 1945 or something. Go back and take a look!

 

[jenbear123]

Oh yeah. It's not a real big airport. You should have no problem.

Great, thanks!

That's so cool that you found that sketch. Thanks for posting it. I'm sure she'd be excited if you got it framed for her.

I hope so. She might not even remember it or even know she had it. But hey, it's the thought that counts.

I guarantee you I wouldn't find anything like that in our stored boxes!

That's too bad. There might be some other interesting things, even if they aren't Disney related....

Hey Jen~

First off I was glad to know that the AirTran photo was courtesy of their stock photos!! For a minute I thought your skydiving adventures were getting a little carried away!! Phew!

I nearly died when I read this. I can just imagine me jumping out of an airplane for the sake of getting an airplane picture for the DIS.

I'm really glad you get to fly!!! That will be such a nice change for you, and you won't have to spend all that extra vacation time driving and worrying about a hotel.

I'm glad we made the decision to fly too. We had the hotel en route already planned out but knowing if it was good or not, that's another question. We've at least turned our drive into 2.5 hours vs. 22 hours.

Back in my PTR I posted about an amazing Disney find I came across too. In my Grandmas things, just after she passed away, we found a letter from the Disney corporate offices calling her in for an interview- it is dated 1945 or something. Go back and take a look!

Yes! I remember that. I think I commented on it too That immediately came to my mind when I found this sketch. I just thought it'd never happen to me. Who knew!

 

[jenbear123]

Only 24 days left until I'm in Disney!!!!!! I had a nice long conversation with Bubba today (at work of all places I have a chillaxed manager when it comes to family so it's all good) I finally found out about her contract extension....... It's not good news but not bad either. It goes like this. She's going to get a two week extension. Woohoo, right? At least it's something. It's unfortunate that she was up against so many people for it. She figures that if it weren't for so much competition (and drama from her friends -- but I won't go there) that she would've gotten her three months extension. I know she's bummed. But what can ya do? At least she's had this opportunity and no doubt impressed her managers. This doesn't mean she's coming home right away though. No, siree. She's planned this giant ride trip across North America, which won't bring her home until early May Thank goodness I'm seeing her in Feb!

Let's look at our plan of attack for Day 2, shall we?

This is our MK day. I couldn't resist CP. It'll be interesting to see what the refurbishment does to change the place. Anyone know what they're exactly working on in there? I love the food here. I know, I know. Disney has the same breakfast food pretty much everywhere. But it tastes so much better with Pooh bear & friends!

Gotta love the Mickey waffles. Yes, you see a lot of fruit. This wasn't long after my appendix surgery. I was still very conscious of my fat intake since I was worried about my gallstones, which were found during the discovery of my appendicitis. They still haven't acted up so I guess I've been doing something right!

And you gotta love when Piglet decides to join the table

Originally we had CP for an 8:05am ADR but then I started to think (scary, I know) We already had the early entry "before the park opens" breakfast ADR at CP in July last year. Here's the picture to prove it!

Do we really need to drag our butts out of bed that early again? Instead, we'll get to MK for rope drop, watch the opening show, and get a couple rides in. My main focus will be Space Mountain and maybe Snow White. Anything else will be bonus. Think we can get in the 4 rides in under 45 minutes? Hmmmm, do I see speed walking in our future? Since it's EMH at MK that night, I might not stress about getting on all the rides.

A big downer is that Splash Mountain will be closed.

If we aren't too stuffed from breakfast, we must grab a yummy yummy Dole Whip. Out of all the times I've eaten one of these, I have never taken a picture of it! This must be remedied on this trip.

Tony's Town Square is completely new to me. Bubba has already tried it and said it was good. Didn't mention much about the food but apparently I'll love the decor. Can't wait for this one! I was able to snag an earlier ADR so we can still catch Wishes if we want.

So that's, in a nutshell, Day 2. Subject to change as always

 

[All7OfUs]

That was the first thing I noticed about your schedule!! 4 rides in 45 minutes. I think it's doable. SM first, then HM, then PoTC, then SWhite. I think it's doable. It will involve (a little) speedwalking- which I thought you weren't going to do this trip- but it's can be done.

Looks like a long fun day at MK!

 

[bellebookworm9]

I just ran your morning on RideMax, and it told me you can ride Space Mountain once, get a FASTPASS and Snow White before breakfast. The others would have to be done after.

 

[jenbear123]

That was the first thing I noticed about your schedule!! 4 rides in 45 minutes. I think it's doable. SM first, then HM, then PoTC, then SWhite. I think it's doable. It will involve (a little) speedwalking- which I thought you weren't going to do this trip- but it's can be done.

Looks like a long fun day at MK!

I didn't think we'd be doing it either. It's inevitable at some point though. The rest of the days should be chillaxed..... I hope

I just ran your morning on RideMax, and it told me you can ride Space Mountain once, get a FASTPASS and Snow White before breakfast. The others would have to be done after.

That's great! I hope that thing is right. I've never used RideMax. Is it similar to UG? *ding!* By the way, thanks again for the Epcot music. I listen to it practically everyday. Then I realize how lucky I am to have friends like you on the DIS

 

[bellebookworm9]

That's great! I hope that thing is right. I've never used RideMax. Is it similar to UG? *ding!* By the way, thanks again for the Epcot music. I listen to it practically everyday. Then I realize how lucky I am to have friends like you on the DIS

From what I hear from the ridemax thread, it should be correct. When I've plugged in a few attractions at a time, it gives me plans very similar to UG. However, it's not exactly the same. You can put in breaks when you want them, put only the attractions you want to ride, and how many times. I'm very excited to try it out. This is what it looks like when it gives you your plan:

And you're welcome for the Epcot music! We listened to it almost everyday in the car for about a year

 

[jenbear123]

That's really neat! Not sure if I'd follow that plan to a T, but at least it gives me an idea what I can get in. My actual ADR time is 9:55am so perhaps we can fit in a ride on Snow White... or maybe not. I might end up wanting to check in early for CP. Depends on our hunger pains by 9:30am. What are the tips that are mentioned in that plan? Tip #1, 2, etc.

 

[wdwgirl03]

Hey there! Just found your PTR and am going to join in...you had me at Polynesian Surprise. We love that resort!

Anyways...I'm going in April too with my dad but it looks like we'll miss each other by a couple weeks. I have to go back and catch up on everything but I did see one of your posts (thanks to your links!) about doing one of the tours. We were debating doing either the KTTK or the Backstage Safari. The safari won out. So excited! Can't wait for more of your plans.

Jealous you're going in Feb. too!

 

[glennbo123]

Too bad Bubba didn't get extended for as long as she would have liked.

Nice plans for MK day though. Yeah, 4 things before 9:55 is probably unlikely.

I've never eaten at CP or Tony's. I'd definitely like to try Tony's sometime.

 

[jenbear123]

Hey there! Just found your PTR and am going to join in...you had me at Polynesian Surprise. We love that resort!

Welcome, welcome! So glad to have you here. I'm glad the mention of the Poly enticed you. I'm so looking forward to staying there. We'll see if it beats my fav deluxe, WL.

Anyways...I'm going in April too with my dad but it looks like we'll miss each other by a couple weeks. I have to go back and catch up on everything but I did see one of your posts (thanks to your links!) about doing one of the tours. We were debating doing either the KTTK or the Backstage Safari. The safari won out. So excited! Can't wait for more of your plans.

Darn! That's too bad. Where are you staying when you go? April is a good month to go. After Easter, the crowds are typically low and the weather is nice. I think my mom and I have found our perfect time to go. Backstage Safari sounds fun. That might be one we end up doing in April. We've already done KTTK. Have you done that one? It's great!

Jealous you're going in Feb. too!

Blame that on Bubba. She can't go more than 3 months without seeing me. I just get a nice trip out of the deal

Too bad Bubba didn't get extended for as long as she would have liked.

It is rather upsetting. But she'll move on.... hopefully. Last thing I need is a bummed out sister when I go see her in Feb

Nice plans for MK day though. Yeah, 4 things before 9:55 is probably unlikely.

Okay, so 4 things under an hour seems out of the question. I'm going to put this to the test.

I've never eaten at CP or Tony's. I'd definitely like to try Tony's sometime.

Never eaten at CP??? No interest? Or too many other things on your to-do list? I'll let you know how Tony's is

 

[glennbo123]

Never eaten at CP??? No interest? Or too many other things on your to-do list? I'll let you know how Tony's is

It's probably that there are too many other restaurants on the to-do list. We don't usually do the breakfasts though, either....just grab something and go.

 

[All7OfUs]

It's probably that there are too many other restaurants on the to-do list. We don't usually do the breakfasts though, either....just grab something and go.

CP was one we threw out early on. For a while I was excited about it, but then after thinking about it, it just didn't make sense for us. I am simply NOT hungry until around 10:30, then POW! I want real food- BIG food. Also, if you do EMH AM, there's plenty of "empty park" to bask in. I didn't want to pay $20 to get a shot of the castle and not eat breakfast. Just me though.

 

[scooby9932]

Hey! I've finally caught up. Whew! Your "April" PTR took on a life of its own, huh? It's so great that you've been able to go on so many WDW trips!

I have a small confession - that makes me look like a big doofus, but here goes. It took me most of your report to figure out what TA really stood for. The whole time I was wondering, why would a Teacher's Assistant get Disney discounts? Then suddenly, this huge lightbulb went off & I finally realized you're a Travel Agent! Duh! I blame the chemo brain, I really do.

I haven't been over to your Nov. TR yet, but hope to get to it. My dream resort is the WL. I'm hoping to be able to swing a Christmas-time trip there this or next year.

Your Feb plans sound great! I'm sorry to hear about Bubba not getting the extension she wanted. Why does drama always have to ruin things, hmm? At least the Great American Roadtrip sounds like a lot of fun! Get your kicks on Rte 66!

You get a free cruise?!? Lucky Ducky! I'm so jealous. I've not been on a cruise yet, but it's on my list of things to accomplish soon. Be sure to post a TR so we can all live vicariously through your trip!

Your April trip sounds like it's coming together, too. You & your mom will have lots of fun. It's the time of year Somer & I go each year & you just can't beat the weather, low crowds, and F&G Festival. We stayed at the Poly last year - I think you'll really like it! We had a Garden View room on the 3rd floor outside corner of Tahiti - really nice!

Here's the view we had - it was just a short walk to the TTC to get the ferry to MK or the monorail to Epcot.