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

[jenbear123]

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Table of Contents
New dates already?!
Changing of the dates yet again
Decision Making
Yup, we're still undecided
Dodging a bullet and flight plans
Must Do's
Potential ADRs + Something New! + Exciting News!
Ladies and Gentleman, allow me to introduce...
Full Steam Ahead
November Flight Details
November Itinerary Version 1
An April digression with November progression
It's done!!
November Itinerary Day 2
Mail Call
Counting down the days...
Call me crazy
The One-Night Resort Showdown
November Plans Day 3
Poly Planning
November Itinerary Day 4 & A Breakfast Surprise
Special Delivery
Recovery
Lapu-Lapu Anyone?
Wanted: April ADRs
April ADRs: The Results
Let's play the April ADR's Shuffle
Finalized November Itinerary
Scary Dream
9 days to go!!!
You're not going to believe this...
System Overload
Progress - 2 days to go!
On my way tomorrow!!!
I'M BACK!
November Trip Report is up!
Polynesian Update and Another Trip.....WHAT!
More ramblings and such
Hoist the Anchor!
I digress
A X-mas Tree Expedition
Get out the bubbly, it's time to celebrate!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
April Progress: ADRs REVISED
FEBRUARY NEWS!!!!
The New Feb Resort
More Feb updates with a side of Babbling
The Spanish Inquisition
Did you say driving? No way, we're flying!
A Legendary Discovery
Feb Plans Day 2
Feb Plans Day 3
16 days to go!
11 days to go - ELEVEN?!?!
9 days to go!
5 days to go!
2 days to go!
I'm back (again)
DDD
TR is up!
Extra! Extra! Read all about it!
Planning the Surprise
Ick.
Sour Day turned to Sweet
The Surprise is Set
New Blanket; April Day 1, Day 2 Plans
Cruise Concerns + Tour Trials
27 days to go!
Train Tour is Booked
Garden Grocer Order
And The Ship Sets Sail
Fort Lauderdale Chaos
6 days to go!
3 more sleeps
I'm back...for good this time!NEW




Welcome to my first successful Pre-trip report. I have tried to start one in the past but before I knew it I'd be into the Trip report phase! This time, I am WELL ahead of myself in planning but I thought I'd include all you DISers to help with my planning. I could really use some tips and advice as it's always appreciated.


Let's get started!

When: March 1st-10th, 2010 -- The dates are still quite tentative. It's definitely going to be from March 1st but the return day could vary from either March 10th or 11th. This depends on my sister who is currently working at Disney World on a one-year contract. Her contract ends on March 11th UNLESS she gets an extension, which isn't decided until a couple weeks prior to the end of the contract. We will be able to make a decision on how long we stay once we know if she's getting extended or not. If she isn't extended and her last day is March 11th, we will fly down from Canada and then drive back North in her car (that obviously has to come back to Canada somehow!). If she IS extended then we will simply come down for the full 9 or 10 nights. The length could also depend on our budget as well. I'm hoping to be able to get a good TA room only rate and upgrade to a basic dining package. We would utilize my sister's discount for the theme park tickets and then we'd be all set!

Where: This is still in the works. We are definitely doing a split stay. Having the split stay will allow us the extra money for the Deluxe resort. I'm probably going to have lots of questions about split stays so please let me know your experiences! First 4 nights at Pop Century, the second 5 nights at one of the following (in order of preference): Yacht Club, Beach Club, Boardwalk Inn, or Old Key West. Our first choice is one of the Epcot resorts along the boardwalk that's within walking distance of the International Gateway entrance to Epcot. It's our favourite theme park (not to mention that's where my sister works) so we want to be within a close distance. For those of you who have stayed at either one of the above resorts, I'd love to hear any suggestions, recommendations or comments. We have stayed at Pop Century back in September 2008 trip for 7 nights and really enjoyed it. Considering this will be our "Disney splurge" we don't want to be stuck in a Value resort for the full length of our trip. Not saying that we don't like the Value resorts, we just want to experience something different. Pop Century was good but we'd only stay there for a long period of time again if we were on a tight budget. It wasn't bad because we were hardly in the room anyway. Only thing we didn't like about it was how far away it was from the theme parks and how there was only ONE food court for all the resort guests. It still sticks to the Disney level of service that you would expect. To be honest, we had a better Front Desk experience at Pop Century than we did at Wilderness Lodge! We'd prefer to be in Pop Century out of the Value resort choices as, on many occasions, have noticed on previous trips that all the sport teams and tour groups stick to the All Star resorts. I'm not sure if this will be the case for March, but we don't want to risk having to put up with the loud, rowdy tour group crowds. We might even shorten our stay at Pop Century, but it all depends on how pricing goes.

Who:

Me, 24 years old, I have visited Walt Disney World 6 times in the passed two years and can't wait to get back there again!!! To see where I have stayed at while visiting the World in the past, check out my signature below. My favourite Disney movie is Bambi. My favourite characters are Chip & Dale.

My Mom, only as old as she feels , currently works from home through her own administrative business. She is responsible for my Disney fever. I'm not sure what sparked our Disney "fever" but within the past 2 years, we've tried to make it down to Disney World at least every 6 months or so. Now even more often, since my sister is working down there until March 2010. Growing up, we never had the chance to travel to Disney World when I was young (the best time to visit!!!) so now, we're making up for it. Her motto is: "You're only as old as you feel" and when you're at Disney World, that can be ANY age. Her ultimate dream is to spend 2 weeks at Disney but since I can't get away from work for that long right now, 10 days it shall be. She vows to always stay on-site. She will never settle for anything less. (Complete opposite of my dad, who is el-cheapo when it comes to ANYTHING). Her favourite Disney character is, the one and only, Mickey Mouse.

My Sister, Bubba. No, that's not her real name but that's how we refer to each other. Why? Well, one day we were both watching "Forrest Gump" starring Tom Hanks. For those of you who haven't seen the movie, Forrest makes friends with a man named "Bubba" during the Vietnam war. We both found the name to be very funny and liked it even more when Forrest said it with his accent (I apologize to those from Alabama. Being from Canada, we are not used to the accent). Soon, we found ourselves calling each other "Bubba Joe" and "Bubba Jean", "Bubba" for short and the names have stuck ever since. People will look at us funny when we're in public when we start referring to eachother as "Bubba". It's priceless. Anyway, Bubba may make a few appearances during our trip but will not be staying with us the whole time. - EDIT: Bubba sadly did not receive her extension so will not be joining us. She is 26 years old, currently working in WDW. Her and I get along amazingly well for sisters as we rarely fight or get annoyed with one another. I miss her dearly while she's working in Florida. It's just not the same around here!

Coming up next: Airfare & Must Do's

 

[jenbear123]

So..... already the dates have changed. I realized that my BF's birthday happens to be March 8th, which means I'd miss it (again ) if I were to go ahead with these dates. The BF would not be pleased to know that I would be missing his birthday again for the sake of a Disney trip. You see, he's not the biggest fan of Disney World. In fact, he loathes the fact that I spend the majority of my time reading and writing on these forums. Well, that's just too bad as nothing can save me from the Disney "fever" He already knows that though I'm not really sure how he puts up with me to be honest. I'm just happy he lets me go on all these trips to Disney World. He never comes with me though and it makes me sad that it will never be an interest we can share together (i.e. No Disneymoon )

Our NEW dates are going to be either February 25th-March 6th, 2010 OR March 25th-April 3rd, 2010 We're trying our best to steer clear of any holidays or busy times. Do these dates work? Are there any American holidays that fall into either of these time periods that I am not aware of? Lend me your knowledge fellow DISers!

 

[jenbear123]

It appears that the dates have changed again. I guess this will be a reoccurring theme for this 2010 trip! I realized that throughout March is the Peak season and with our budget, it doesn't make sense to go during this time. Also, we will run into all the Spring Break travelers. The crowds will just be insane! Last March, when we went for our off-site stay (yuck!), the day we were leaving was the first day of Spring Break for many places. The crowds were NUTS! I'm glad we were leaving

Now I look to the DIS for suggestions (although I feel like I've been talking to myself so far... ) When would be the best time to go during the month of April? Easter seems to fall during the first weekend of April, so that's out. I'm trying to avoid peak pricing as much as possible. If I can't avoid it at all, then so be it. I'm hoping that someone can suggest a good 10 day date range during mid-April. I was thinking maybe April 6th-16th? Any ideas?

 

[jenbear123]

Since there's a severe thunderstorm with MAJOR lightning going on in my area, I figured I'd mull over more plans for my upcoming trip!

My real dilemma is the dining plan. I know it's a huge savings. It's been proved to me over and over again. Only thing is that if I really want to save money and book room-only using my TA discount, I do not have access to the dining plan unless it is offered in a special offer to TA's. That totally stinks. Why does Disney do that? I am willing to pay full pop for food for the time I am there. What's the big deal? I know I'm already saving on the room but I could be an even bigger jerk and eat offsite (not likely, but hey you never know... I could be one of those people). SO, here are a few scenerios I've been talking to my mom about:

Scenario #1:
We book room-only with my TA discount for both resorts we decide to stay at (more on the decision of where we're going to stay later on) and forfeit the dining plan UNLESS it comes up in an offer

Scenario #2:
We book a package with West Jet (I love flying West Jet) at full price for the first 5 nights with flight, room, and 1 day base ticket (Remember we're getting our 10 day park hopper with my sister's CM discount). We won't add the dining right away as I hear it is non-refundable? I wouldn't want to add it, pay full price for it, and then another Free Dining promotion comes out and not be able to get our money back. Although I highly doubt free dining will be extended into April 2010. If anything, I'm crossing my fingers for another Buy 4, get 3 free offer! Then, for the last 4 nights, book room only with my TA discount and be on our own for food (unless of course another offer... see where I'm going with this...)

Scenario #3:
We book the resort rooms with Holiday House (for those who haven't heard of this company, they're a FIT company that let's you "build" your own vacation) at full price, each with a 1-day base ticket. Eventually we'll add the QSDP for the first 5 nights to save a little and get the DDP for the last 4 nights. Also, book the flights separately. Not sure if this is the most economical choice though....

It's hard to tell right now as all the prices aren't available yet for 2010; with West Jet especially. Does anyone else find it hard to plan these trips so far in advance at the most inexpensive option possible? I know it's a bit easier with those in the States as you don't need to worry about the exchange rate. Once that gets into the mix, it makes comparing prices even more complicated.

And that's not the only dilemma I'm trying to sort out. The matter of "Where should we stay?" is a constant debate. Many names such as YC, BC, WL, POFQ, POP, CBR and Poly have been heard at least once out of the many options of where we should stay. My riff is how expensive YC/BC is. I can't imagine paying rack rate for these locations... but I really, really, REALLY want to stay there. We could do 3 nights but I can't imagine this being nearly enough time to enjoy a new resort let alone being able to last 6 nights at the POP. I absolutely loved WL when we stayed there back in Feb 2008 I would stay there again in a drop of a hat. Then again, it would go against us trying to stay within the Epcot resort area. If we had to go Moderate, I would probably go with POFQ. Mainly to avoid the multiple bus stops at CBR. On top of that, we loved it there too. It felt like a "mini-Deluxe" and the place gave off such a tranquil environment. If we can't swing a split stay, then perhaps we can shoot for 9 nights at POFQ? I don't know!

Sorry for all my rambling. I applaud those who even bother to read it. I'm just trying to get my jumbled thoughts out of my brain before my head explodes. There's still not much decisions I can make until prices are all out.

 

[taylor3297]

If you go two weeks after easter the crowds aren't bad. The week before and the week right after easter many schools have spring break. We went a couple of years ago two weeks after easter and the crowds while not light, were manageable. Our longest wait was to see Areil and that was 45 minutes.

 

[jenbear123]

If you go two weeks after easter the crowds aren't bad. The week before and the week right after easter many schools have spring break. We went a couple of years ago two weeks after easter and the crowds while not light, were manageable. Our longest wait was to see Areil and that was 45 minutes.

Good point. During our April/May trip this year, the crowds were very manageable. I wouldn't mind going during that time again. Thanks for reading along

 

[jenbear123]

My mom stopped by at work today (being a TA, we were in the right place to talk about a vacation) and we started seriously discussing this trip. After looking at 2010 TA rates, we've narrowed down our choices. We've also pretty much agreed on the dates. Here's what the trip is shaping up to:

Dates: April 22nd-May 1st, 2010

Resorts:

Option 1: Pop Century 3 nights, Yacht or Beach Club 6 nights
Option 2: Pop Century 3 nights, Wilderness Lodge 6 nights
Option 3: Pop Century 3 nights, Polynesian 6 nights

No dining plan - With my discount, we're not entitled to add the dining plan unless it's offered exclusively. At first my mom was apprehensive on this decision as well. I reassured her, though, and reminded her that we are not big eaters. We'll bring cereal down with us and just buy milk and yogurt on site for our breakfasts. On occasion we'll go for a Character breakfast, which will keep us full for the majority of the day. Then for dinner, on the days we have the big buffet breakfasts, we'll grab a Quick Service meal to share. The portions are consistently huge so I can't see us going hungry. On the days we eat our breakfasts in the room, we'll do the opposite: Grab a Quick Service for an early lunch to share and then have a nice sit down dinner. I can see many EoS visits in our future for this trip With the recent rise in the cost of the dining plan, there's no way I'm forking out that kind of money. Most of the credits would end up getting wasted anyway since we just can't eat that much! I figure we can do all our meals for the 10 days with a budget of approximately $300 (that's including gratuties).

Tickets: 10 day Park Hopper with DSis Cast Member discount - The thought of an AP came to my mind for a split second but I don't know how many times we'll be back next year to make it worthwhile.

Getting back to resort choices, my mom seemed pretty decided on Option 1 but I couldn't be so confident yet. We've put Pop Century on a 7 day hold for our dates since it's quite common for Pop to be the first one to book up out of the Values (at least in my experience). We know 100% that we're doing a split stay at a Value then Deluxe. I'm still so indecisive for the Deluxe choice. What's the difference between Yacht & Beach Club? Which one would you stay at, and why? Should we consider Boardwalk Inn into the mix? My mom would love to give the Poly a try but it's the most expensive out of all the choices. Not really sure why I love the fact that it's right on the monorail line and right beside the TTC. But then YC and BC are just steps away from Epcot, which is a big They're not far from the Studios either. I'd love to stay at one of these resorts, too, because of all the restaurant choices that are steps away at Epcot! Let's not forget Storm Along Bay. I haven't seen it in person yet and am already in love with it Wilderness Lodge would be like going back "home" and it's the cheapest option of the bunch. Most likely won't end up here since we really want to try something different. Decisions.... decisions....

Another aspect that has been considered is to rent a car or not. Perhaps we could get a car for a day to make a grocery run upon our arrival. The cost to do this with Alamo would be approx $45. Not likely we'll do this since there's too much paperwork and liability to get stressed over for a mere one-day rental. If we absolutely decide to get groceries (such as case of water, milk, snacks, etc) it'll probably go through Garden Grocer. I've heard good things about them from the DIS. Can't go wrong, can I? Then I thought maybe we could have the luxury of a car for the full 10 days but that tacks on an additional $300 to our vacation so that was a big, fat NOPE! Good ole Disney transportation is looking like the best bet.

Hopefully everything will be all decided by the end of the month. Stay tuned!

 

[reyasmommy]

Question:::: You said that you went in March previously?!? What dates were you actually there? The reason I'm asking is because we're going to be there from March 4th-14th and I was hoping that we would miss out on the MAJOR spring break crowds. Was under the impression that we would be leaving right before they arrived?!?!? Here in Colorado Spring Break doesn't start until the 3rd week of March.

I've never been in April, but my brother was there last year April 1st-12th and said the crowds were insane. Shoulder to Shoulder everywhere, everyday.

Unfortunately for us our airfare is already paid for so no matter what we're stuck there from the 4th to the 14th. I'm hoping I didn't make a huge mistake.

 

[jenbear123]

Question:::: You said that you went in March previously?!? What dates were you actually there? The reason I'm asking is because we're going to be there from March 4th-14th and I was hoping that we would miss out on the MAJOR spring break crowds. Was under the impression that we would be leaving right before they arrived?!?!? Here in Colorado Spring Break doesn't start until the 3rd week of March.

I've never been in April, but my brother was there last year April 1st-12th and said the crowds were insane. Shoulder to Shoulder everywhere, everyday.

Unfortunately for us our airfare is already paid for so no matter what we're stuck there from the 4th to the 14th. I'm hoping I didn't make a huge mistake.

We were there from March 7th-14th this year. The crowds were fine right up until about the time we were leaving. Early March is definitely a good time to go. You get ahead of the crazy March Break crowds. We never felt claustrophobic while we were there. In fact, the parks felt pretty empty at times. There was one morning at HS when we were the only family walking around where that San Francisco backdrop is (this was after we made our TSM Fastpass run) Fear not! I don't think you have made a huge mistake. You should be very happy with the dates you'll be going. Where are you staying?

 

[reyasmommy]

We were there from March 7th-14th this year. The crowds were fine right up until about the time we were leaving. Early March is definitely a good time to go. You get ahead of the crazy March Break crowds. We never felt claustrophobic while we were there. In fact, the parks felt pretty empty at times. There was one morning at HS when we were the only family walking around where that San Francisco backdrop is (this was after we made our TSM Fastpass run) Fear not! I don't think you have made a huge mistake. You should be very happy with the dates you'll be going. Where are you staying?

Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!! That is soooooo great to hear!

We're staying off property this year. We'll have 4 adults,and a 9 year old, 7 year old, 4 year old, and a 3 month old, so we need a condo!

It's called Lake Buena Vista Resort and Spa. We're staying in a 3 bed/3bath condo. I of course wish i could stay on property, but we couldn't beat the price and space.

 

[jenbear123]

Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!! That is soooooo great to hear!

We're staying off property this year. We'll have 4 adults,and a 9 year old, 7 year old, 4 year old, and a 3 month old, so we need a condo!

It's called Lake Buena Vista Resort and Spa. We're staying in a 3 bed/3bath condo. I of course wish i could stay on property, but we couldn't beat the price and space.

You're very welcome! I hear that the Lake Buena Vista Resort and Spa is quite nice. You'll have to let me know how it is. Trip report perhaps? I've always been interested to stay there... despite my vow never to stay off-site again

 

[jenbear123]

So I was out yesterday driving around in my little 2006 Chev Aveo, without a care in the world when all of a sudden, I'm turning left and my car just doesn't want to pick up speed. What's going on? As I round the corner, safely getting out of the intersection, I put the pedal to the medal to see if I get any reaction -- no dice. Uh oh. I drive around like this for a while, hoping it would pass, which of course it doesn't. All I'm thinking in the back of my mind is that any car repairs will only be taking away from my Disney funds. Panic stricken, I hunt down the nearest car repair shop (Canadian Tire - YAY Canada!) and am fortunate enough to have a mechanic take a quick look at it for free. Phew. The news, however, was not so relieving. "Looks like your transmission fluid is burnt" What! The car is just over 3 years old and my transmission fluid is gone already?! For those who aren't car savvy (like myself - I had to educate myself 10 times over to understand what this guy was telling me) transmission fluid is supposed to look pinky-red (depending on your car make/model) but mine was closer to the colour of engine oil. At first I thought he had pulled out the wrong dipstick, but nope! It was the right one. Crap. The mechanic continued to tell me what I could do and how much it would cost but first suggested I contact my dealer to see if I have any warranty coverage left. Out of all my panic, I had completely forgot about those glorious warranties!!! Thank the heavens for those who invented warranties! I raced home to look through all my paperwork. There it was - EXTENDED PROTECTION PLAN! WOO HOO! I read over every condition, rule, what's covered, and what's not that I possibly could. To my glee, transmission is part of what's covered. THANK GOODNESS! GM also offers this Powertrain warranty for 5 years/100000km, which also covers transmission, engine, etc. So all in all I was going to the dealership with not one but TWO warranties under my belt. This was all happening on a Sunday (yesterday) of course - why does everything happen on a Sunday when nothing is open? - so I couldn't call the dealership until today. Fast forward to now and I'm still waiting to hear back from them. From the sounds of it, this problem should be covered. Worst thing is I only have to pay the $100 deductible. That's much better than having to spend anywhere between $1,500-$2000 to get the transmission fixed. There goes my Disney trip I'm still worried that it might be something not covered. I will honestly be devastated if it isn't. Stay tuned as to what the verdict is....

In other news, let's focus on airfare. Since flying out of Toronto is made for the rich, my mom and I are thinking of flying out of Buffalo. Neither of us have done this before and we're a bit nervous. Not so much about the whole airport experience, more for where we'll be leaving our car for the 10 days. Since we'll more than likely get a early morning 6am flight out, we'll be doing a hotel stay the night before. I've been looking around on the DIS for suggestions for Buffalo hotels and have found some good options. The scary part is the parking. Many of the hotels do offer free parking up to 14 days but the location of the parking lot seems to be up in the air. Would it be better for us to stay over at the hotel and pay to park at the airport? Would our car be safer in the airport long-term parking lot vs. a free hotel parking lot off some side road somewhere that might have security? The fortunate thing is that we'll be going in spring time so no snow or huge snow banks to worry about... although it isn't unknown to see one last "spring time blizzard". I figure going late April we'll be pretty safe.

What airline should we go with? Southwest? JetBlue? Air Tran? Southwest or JetBlue seemed like the most economical choice. No checked bag fees, good flight times (based on what I've seen for January and February). My only concern with Southwest is the boarding procedure. If you book the "Wanna Get Away" fare, does this automatically mean you get "C" boarding? OR if you book this fare and check in online at exactly 24 hours prior to departure, will I have the possibility of getting "A" or "B" boarding? It's only the two of us going so it won't be a huge concern as far as getting seats together. My main concern is WHERE we're seated on the flight. I hate sitting in the rear of the plane as the movement is much more prominent. Usually I like sitting in the middle or just in front of the wings with a window seat. I know beggars can't be choosers when we're only spending $100US each roundtrip. Hmmm I'll have to keep thinking this one over.

Stay tuned - more thoughts and decisions coming your way

 

[reyasmommy]

Sorry about your car! I hope everything works out for the best!

I know how devastaing it can be when something unexpected like that happens. Many years ago when my husband and I were still dating, we were planning a road trip to Disney World. 5 days before we were to leave, I get a knock at my door around 2AM. It was my neighbor coming to tell me that someone ran into my parked car, and took off. My poor little Dodge Neon was smashed to bits and laying in the middle of my yard! I cried, and cried, and cried!! Luckily the guy came to my house the next day to appologize and gave me his inurance information. I'm pretty sure he was drunk and wanted to go home and sleep it off before admitting to what he had done, and luckily I didn't have to pay a $750.00 deductible. My car was in the shop for 3 weeks so we had to take a rental car instead.


I will be sure to let you know how my stay at Lake Buena Vista goes. I will be doing a TR when I get back. I'm currently working on my PTR, it's keeping me nice and occupied before my baby and trip come along.

 

[jenbear123]

Sorry about your car! I hope everything works out for the best!

I know how devastaing it can be when something unexpected like that happens. Many years ago when my husband and I were still dating, we were planning a road trip to Disney World. 5 days before we were to leave, I get a knock at my door around 2AM. It was my neighbor coming to tell me that someone ran into my parked car, and took off. My poor little Dodge Neon was smashed to bits and laying in the middle of my yard! I cried, and cried, and cried!! Luckily the guy came to my house the next day to appologize and gave me his inurance information. I'm pretty sure he was drunk and wanted to go home and sleep it off before admitting to what he had done, and luckily I didn't have to pay a $750.00 deductible. My car was in the shop for 3 weeks so we had to take a rental car instead.


I will be sure to let you know how my stay at Lake Buena Vista goes. I will be doing a TR when I get back. I'm currently working on my PTR, it's keeping me nice and occupied before my baby and trip come along.

I checked out your PTR. I love it so far About your car incident I would've wanted to crawl into a hole and never come out again if that happened to me. Although, in actuality, I probably would've reacted exactly as you did. Thank goodness insurance covered it! That's very lucky the guy came back. It's lucky that he remembered it! I guess you'll think twice next time before parking your car on the street!


I got the news back about my car..... and there's absolutely nothing wrong with it! Yeah, I was a little shocked and extremely happy at the same time. Goes to show the difference between what a Canadian Tire mechanic knows versus what your dealer's mechanic knows. I'm just happy that no money jumped from my pockets today. All the more for my Disney trip!

 

[reyasmommy]

I checked out your PTR. I love it so far About your car incident I would've wanted to crawl into a hole and never come out again if that happened to me. Although, in actuality, I probably would've reacted exactly as you did. Thank goodness insurance covered it! That's very lucky the guy came back. It's lucky that he remembered it! I guess you'll think twice next time before parking your car on the street!


I got the news back about my car..... and there's absolutely nothing wrong with it! Yeah, I was a little shocked and extremely happy at the same time. Goes to show the difference between what a Canadian Tire mechanic knows versus what your dealer's mechanic knows. I'm just happy that no money jumped from my pockets today. All the more for my Disney trip!

Woo-Hoo!!!!

I'm glad you are enjoying my PTR!!!

I'm loving yours too..... You should add some pictures soon!

 

[reyasmommy]

I've been meaning to ask you.... What was the weather like when you were at Disney in March?

 

[jenbear123]

I've been meaning to ask you.... What was the weather like when you were at Disney in March?

I remember being able to wear capris and a t-shirt and being comfortable. There were some mornings and evenings when the temperature would dip below what I was comfortable with i.e. 65 F (I think that's right... I'm a Celsius gal - anything below 19 C is cold for me!) Our first night there (March 5th I believe) when we were waiting to watch Illuminations, my Dad had to go buy me a sweatshirt because I was fairly chilly. There was a breeze also that didn't help matters. I was already coming down with a cold (only I would get sick at the beginning of a Disney trip!)

My revenge came at the end of the trip as I passed on my sickness to my dad AND my sister.

Overall, the weather was steady with at least 70-75 F temps during the day. It's nothing compared to the summer months but I found it to be much more tolerable. From what I recall, we didn't have a drop of rain either while we were there. Hope that helps!

Stay tuned: Will be posting some pics and a Must Do list soon!

 

[jenbear123]

Just last night I started our "Must-Do" list for this trip. It's mainly things that we just haven't had time for on other trips or things that we just HAVE to do when we're in Disney World. This list is bound to change many....many... many times before we go no doubt.

1. Beauty and the Beast Stage Show
2. The American Adventure - I have a confession to make... I've never been to this pavilion
3. Soarin' - we can't get enough of this ride - we're going to try and beat our record of 7 consecutive rides in one day
4. Test Track - always fun - I didn't get to ride this back in July and it's always on the list of rides we must do
5. Festival of the Lion King
6. All the fireworks shows - Fantasmic, Wishes, and Illuminations
7. SpectroMagic
8. Ride Haunted Mansion at night - always wanted to do this
9. Tom Sawyer Island - just discovered how cool this place is - my mom has yet to see this! I must take her!
10. Splash Mountain - my mom has been on this ride ONCE and loved it... but since then she is petrified for some reason and refuses to go on. I always tell her she's missing out on one of the best rides in the park... I'm determined to make her ride this with me on this trip
11. Space Mountain - it will be open again when we go!!!!!
12. Innoventions - We've never spent nearly enough time in here. I want to try and spend at least a few hours checking everything out
13. Full day devoted to World Showcase to look at every nook and cranny of each pavilion
14. Eat a fresh cinnamon bun from Main Street Bakery for breakfast one morning - I've heard they are yum yum yummy!​

And that's just scraping the surface!

Coming up next: Where oh where shall we eat? Potential ADR's...

 

[reyasmommy]

Woo-hoo I LOVE the 70's!!! Wish I could live in 70 degree weather year round!! Going in march is looking better and better!!

Your sister parks like me it looks like! I can't park to save my life, it drives my husband crazy. What's really funny is I can parallel park better then pulling into a painted parking spot. Go figure?!

 

[jenbear123]

As mentioned earlier, we won't be on the dining plan this trip, which means we won't be eating at as many Table Service as usual. It's okay though... I can deal. I'm not worried in the slightest! We're still going to eat as if we were on the dining plan, just a bit more conscious of prices with the freedom to order whatever we want. Sounds good to me Without further ado, here's what we're thinking for certain mealtimes:

B = Breakfast
L = Lunch
D = Dinner
S = snacks

Animal Kingdom
Counter Service:
Flame Tree BBQ (L)
Harambe Fruit Market (S)

Table Service
Tusker House (B,L,D)

Hollywood Studios
Counter Service
Studio Catering Co. (L)
Starring Rolls Cafe (B,L)

Table Service
Brown Derby (L - only if we can pay out of pocket - we could even get by sharing an entree here)
Sci-Fi Dine In (D)
Mama Melrose (D)

Epcot
Counter Service
Sunshine Seasons (L,D)
Boulangerie Patisserie (L,S)
Yorkshire Co. Fish Shop (L,D)

Table Service
Le Cellier (L,D)
Akershus Princess Storybook Breakfast (B - I didn't get to really enjoy this last time as my sister was sick and my stomach was not used to all this Disney food )
Biergarten (D)
Chefs de France (D - I want to see Remy!)
Tokyo Dining (D)
Garden Grill (D)
Tutto Italia (D)

Magic Kingdom
Counter Service
Aloha Isle (S - Dole Whip!)
Columbia Harbour House (L)
Main Street Bakery (B, S)
Main Street Ice Cream Parlour (S)

Table Service
Crystal Palace (B,L)
Liberty Tree Tavern (D)

Resorts
Boma (D)
Cape May Cafe (B)
Chef Mickey's (B)
O'hana (B,D)
Kona Cafe (B)

Downtown Disney
Counter Service
Earl of Sandwich (L,D)
Wolf Gang Puck Express (B,L,D)

Our ADR window opens October 27th, when the 180 days is back in action. It seems crazy to figure out what we'll want to eat 6 months from now. No biggie though. With myself being the excessive, crazy, to-the-minute-detail planner I am, we're bound to be happy! Epcot has the biggest list due to the fact we'll only be a hop, skip and a jump from it while we're staying at YC.........................................

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That's right!!!! IT'S OFFICIAL! WE'RE STAYING AT YACHT CLUB AND POP CENTURY!!!!!!!!!!

We put down the deposit for both Pop Century (3 nights) and YC (6 nights) today. I am super excited and CANNOT WAIT for April to roll around!!!! I am so looking forward to this trip that I could burst Everything is slowing falling into place. I need to figure out room requests for both resorts, which means reading over page after page of information on the Resort board Just so I'm positive I'm requested the right spot. For Pop Century, I'm thinking a room in the 50s or 70s section, quiet room, high floor. For YC, um, well, I don't have a clue! YC seems to be one of the few resorts I don't know much about. Probably because I never thought in a million years I could afford to stay there. REALITY CHECK! I AM staying there so I better brush up on my YC knowledge. Yup, I knew it was coming to this.... no sleep, no t.v., makes Jen go something something...... go crazy? DON'T MIND IF I DO!!!!!! (Hehehe Simpsons quote!)

Okay, okay. Moving on to a new purchase that was made today! Last night I was investigating here on the DIS about what kind of travel bag people bring with them to the parks or on their travels, etc. So, OF COURSE, I started looking at all these bags, becoming more and more enticed to buy one.... you probably know what happens now.... yup, that's right. I went out and bought myself a Heys Travel Mate. I couldn't help myself! It seemed like the perfect travel bag - especially for theme park travels - almost too good to be true! This thing has everything - multiple pockets, waterproof pockets to boot!, passport holder, water bottle holder, adjustable strap, and all so many colours to choose from! Oh, and it definitely pays to shop around mind you. I went from one store that was selling this bag for $40 (and the only colour they had in stock was Pink ) to another that was selling it for only $23 PLUS they had lots of colours to choose from! Score! After much inner debate about whether to choose between green, blue or purple, here's what my final decision was:

BLUE! My new found Disney World travel bag Let thee carry my valuables and keep them safe from pick-pockets, thieves, and mischief I was so eager to show off my new purchase that I hadn't even taken off the tags and tape on the strap. See what the DIS does to you?

Oh, and finally, the exciting news? I could be potentially returning to the World in November