You're Going Again? - An April 2017 PTR

[macraven]

If you want great nachos, go to rpr bula bar by the pool for them

I've had the nachos at m'vile in city walk and bula bar

Prefer the hotel nachos better
Check out the pictures of them in the food sticky

 

[Raeven]

I think I'll try to fit Mythos in, then. And I'll skip Sal's until I stay at PB next time. I was reading Schumi's TR and Sal's looked really good. But if we're over at the hotel, we can always poke our head in. I'm planning on popping by all of the hotels. I feel like pictures don't always do them justice. I'll let you know what we think of Mythos!

Yay Mythos! And I agree you have to see the resorts especially Portofino Bay it's gorgeous and I don't think pictures do it justice.

I think I might skip the chocolate bars then. I'm addicted to Sarris. It's just so good. :| I'll probably pick something unique and report back on that. As for their other desserts, I've heard a lot about them. I'm super picky when it comes to desserts, so we'll see what happens there. (I didn't like the chocolate bread.) Part of me still wants to try the breakfast pancake/crepe/waffle whatever was going on in that menu. I miiiight try that milkshake since you liked it so much!

I disliked the bread pudding they had there, but we liked the flourless cake. The milkshake is still the winner for me! But I have wanted to try the apple crepes every time.

IDK. I'm holding onto hope. Apparently the building is basically done. But if it's not, I'll be back down eventually. So I'll snag a reservation then. But there are definitely newer restaurants that appeal to things that I like in DS. Like Homecoming, which I really liked. The Boathouse sounds so neat and has such great reviews. And then Raglan Road is a 'can't miss' for us. The bread, the atmosphere, that dessert... I didn't really feel like there were that many 'can't miss' at Universal, besides Toothsome's. But! Someday, I'll have eaten everywhere and I'll probably be content to stay on property.

I've been wanting to go to the Boathouse for awhile too. There's definitely more places in DS on my to do list.

Jake's is good. I liked the cider there and the late night menu. But I don't know that I'd use a dinner spot for it, if that makes sense. If I didn't have the option of leaving property, I'd definitely stop there. But I have a list of places to eat this time and Jake's just isn't on it. I guess we're stopping at Margaritaville for the nachos? I love nachos. And yeah, pricing Mama Della's was fun when we were basically only getting entrees and it was still pretty expensive with tip for something we can definitely get at home. We live in a great part of Pittsburgh, so we're surrounded by all these different cultures and the food is wonderful. (Her family routinely makes big Italian dinners, so I'd hate to disappoint.)

I actually loved the nachos at Cabana Bay's Galaxy Bowl. Yeah, we did entrees and tip last time at Mama Dellas and it was between 50-60, but we didn't have very good service and it seemed like it was because we only ordered entrees.

 

[pcstang]

If you want great nachos, go to rpr bula bar by the pool for them

I've had the nachos at m'vile in city walk and bula bar

Prefer the hotel nachos better
Check out the pictures of them in the food sticky

Absolutely!

 

[steviethegreat]

If you want great nachos, go to rpr bula bar by the pool for them

I plan on it! As long as the pool is open when we go, of course.

I've been wanting to go to the Boathouse for awhile too. There's definitely more places in DS on my to do list.

I will expand on this in my next disney post, but we're definitely going to the Boathouse. So I'll report back on that!

I actually loved the nachos at Cabana Bay's Galaxy Bowl. Yeah, we did entrees and tip last time at Mama Dellas and it was between 50-60, but we didn't have very good service and it seemed like it was because we only ordered entrees.

I don't know if we'll make it to Cabana Bay, but I'll remember that for the future! I've heard a lot about their pool, so I'm not sure WHAT I'll end up doing, but if we end up there, we'll try those nachos, too! I am a very big fan of nachos.

 

[steviethegreat]

59 days to go!!!

My countdown says 2 months and 1 day, but it doesn't accurately reflect our trip since we added the 26th. I guess it's not the end of the world OR too incorrect, since we won't step foot into the parks until the 27th.

I can honestly say I've been sufficiently terrorizing my family with my excitement. Every day there's some new fact or feature I have to bring up. And if any of you have seen Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory on one of his most recent episodes, I am definitely Sheldon on his trip to drive a train. I am so excited for this trip.

I still have to follow up with Tony Hinds to confirm our trip from the airport to RPR. I think you get one stop, right? Krispy Kreme is open 24 hours a day, right? That would be our stop. :| I'm the worst type of human.

My friend, Sheridan, and I went to get lunch at a local restaurant. (Well, local to her. She likes a particular part of our county. Don't ask me why. I have no idea.) We ended up at Barnes & Noble afterward. She was showing me a children's book called "Dragons love Tacos". She explained that the book comes with a dragon. I told her it would be better if it came with tacos.

She said there are two types of people. And yes, I am the type of person that would choose tacos over a dragon. I'm always hungry, okay?!

So HOPEFULLY our trip can include Krispy Kreme donuts. But if not, I can always get the Uber driver to take us there the following night.

I think on our first night, we're going to hit Toothsome, since we're only doing Harry Potter stuff. And then we'll head over to Disney to go to Jellyrolls. That means it won't cut in on another night of our stay at WDW. And it'll be a 'non-weekend' night, so we can get a table a little easier.

I'm still making decisions on the rest of the trip, but I'll update more soon!

 

[macraven]

Should not be a problem to have a Krispy Kreme stop

Just let him know in advance so he knows where they are


59 days will either fly by or crawl by....

 

[steviethegreat]

Should not be a problem to have a Krispy Kreme stop

Just let him know in advance so he knows where they are


59 days will either fly by or crawl by....

I think that Krispy Kreme is open 24 hours and I know where there's one relatively close to RPR. But if they're not open, we'll survive.

As for the 59 days, tomorrow is 58 and a work week. At the end of the week, Saturday, I have a concert we're going to. (Casting Crowns)

The following week, I have a 'Beauty and the Beast after dark' thing with bff and her other bff. You dress up for a ball and tour the museum and buy alcohol. IDEK. Then on Saturday, we're shopping for mickey ears and etc.

The week of the 12th to the 18th, we have my maternal grandma's birthday on the 12th, paternal grandmother's birthday on the 15th, sister's birthday on the 16th, and then book club on the 19th.

My birthday is on the 30th. And then Easter is the 16th.

In the meantime, I'm trying to lose as much weight as I possibly can so that I can ~for sure~ fit on all of the rides. I tend to carry all of my weight in my stomach and chest area, so I'm doing a push up and plank 30 day challenge twice to hopefully strengthen my muscles and burn fat so that I lose enough weight to fit on things. I'm also eating low carb. So fingers crossed. I fit in September, but some things were a squeeze and I was 10ish lbs lighter. :/

So it's going to go fast, but I hate where I work, so it's also going to go slowly.

 

[Raeven]

I have 66 days tomorrow!

That Beauty and the Beast thing sounds fun.

 

[steviethegreat]

Wow! I haven't updated here in a while!

We're officially at 38 days now. That means it'll be 31 next Sunday. And then Thursday, March 30th, is my birthday. So that'll be interesting. I'll have hit the 20s. And I'm not kidding when I say the time will both fly by and crawl. It still boggles my mind how close we are to leaving. And how far away we are. I feel like I'm going crazy.

But this trip is a blessing for me because I really didn't expect to go back so quickly. It's just really hard to wait. (Especially since I'm doing the no carb thing, so every passerby with a donut gets a really hard stare now.) I have a check list of things I still need to do. And I'm ticking them off one at a time, I guess.

I've hit a weight loss of 20.2lbs right now. I would say I've lost most of that since my switch to no-carb/low carb. I started that early February, I believe. January was just a lot of me learning how to drink water again and trying to avoid sugar.

I need to contact Tony Hinds again and see if he can take us from the airport to RPR on the 26/27th. And also if he'll make a stop for Krispy Kreme donuts. If we get one stop, I feel like donuts are necessary. A and I both agreed on how vital donuts are to our existence for this trip. Don't even ask me why. I have no idea.

We're planning on spending that whole first day in the Harry Potter sections. But since we found out the parks close early on Friday and Saturday for the grad nights thing, we'll probably spend a little bit of time riding other things, too. I'm hoping to convince A that we can see all of HP in the mornings and then branch out so we can ride as much as possible during the trip.

So, our Disney CM friend decided she wants to go with us to Toothsome. And I'm fine with that. But I really don't want to have to pay for her meals THE WHOLE time. She's giving A free tickets to get in. And A said she wanted to buy her dinner. But CM also invited herself to several of our other meals. So I'm not sure how often we're buying her dinner. Does it make me a terrible person for being worried about that? I just know how expensive things can be. And I don't want to spend TOO much money if possible.

Thursday is (hopefully) Toothsome and then Jellyrolls at the Boardwalk over in Disney. Friday is the Boathouse and then hopefully an event at Disney Springs. I mean, we can eat dinner and then swim or catch a movie or something, I guess, but I'm still bummed we're missing out on park time. (Even if it's only like..two hours. And I know, I know, I'm whiny about it. I can't help it.)

We'll hopefully be eating at Raglan Road on Saturday. I looove it there. But I have to convince A that it's super good because she felt we could do better. We haven't talked about restaurants in a while. So we'll have to finalize things soon.

I think I touched on the whole 'I'm buying her presents' thing earlier. But basically, A's family doesn't buy them birthday or christmas gifts after they turn 21. I know a lot of people are lucky if they celebrate things like that at all, sure. But my mom LOVES to celebrate holidays. And while we definitely don't have a lot of money, she still makes things really special. I didn't know that A spent her holidays like that now. So she gave me a christmas present this year. And I put down payments for Disney and Universal and sent the screenshots. But I really wanted to do something special.

It started out small with a few HP things. And then it gradually grew into an 'I like to buy A things' addiction. I think it's probably selfish, to be honest, because it's something that I would want someone to do for me? Like, how neat that someone would put that much effort and thought into something for me to make my trip so special? But that's not like..why I'm doing it for A. I don't want her to feel weird about it. I just really wanted to make up for missing christmas and her birthday last year. And then while we were planning, her ex-fiance started texting her again. (NOT. COOL. DUDE.) So I decided to do a pre-trip gift. I kept buying Disney things, so I decided to have a Universal gift and a Disney gift.

So now, I have pre-trip, airplane survival kit, universal, disney, post-trip. And it's mostly all stored in a plastic bin under my bed. And she's absolutely going to kill me. My mom asked me how much I've spent so far, and I honestly have no idea. I just know it's going to be worth it.

If I ever get married, A's going to be my maid of honor. She's my 'person'. I've never met anyone that I could have so much fun with, but still give so much respect to. Like, her suggestions always make sense. So if she's trying to talk me into being tactful, it's helpful and not 'Hey, you're being a jerk', which works way better than accidentally shaming me. So yeah, IDK, I just wanted to do something nice. And yeah, having the surprises is just as much fun for me as it will be for her.

And of course, it'll be fun for you, too, since I'm not telling you guys what they are. But when I fully write the trip report, you'll get a run down of everything, obviously!

Okay, now that I've been thoroughly obnoxious, I'm going to finish this post where it is. Until next time!

 

[macraven]

And I'll be here for the "next time"


You will have a fantastic vacation!!

 

[Raeven]

I've hit a weight loss of 20.2lbs right now. I would say I've lost most of that since my switch to no-carb/low carb. I started that early February, I believe. January was just a lot of me learning how to drink water again and trying to avoid sugar.

Congrats! It sounds like you're doing great!

So, our Disney CM friend decided she wants to go with us to Toothsome. And I'm fine with that. But I really don't want to have to pay for her meals THE WHOLE time. She's giving A free tickets to get in. And A said she wanted to buy her dinner. But CM also invited herself to several of our other meals. So I'm not sure how often we're buying her dinner. Does it make me a terrible person for being worried about that? I just know how expensive things can be. And I don't want to spend TOO much money if possible.

If she invited herself I don't think it's fair that you would pay. Maybe for one meal to thank her but not several. I'm guessing she won't expect you to either.

I don't want her to feel weird about it. I just really wanted to make up for missing christmas and her birthday last year. And then while we were planning, her ex-fiance started texting her again. (NOT. COOL. DUDE.) So I decided to do a pre-trip gift. I kept buying Disney things, so I decided to have a Universal gift and a Disney gift.

So now, I have pre-trip, airplane survival kit, universal, disney, post-trip. And it's mostly all stored in a plastic bin under my bed. And she's absolutely going to kill me. My mom asked me how much I've spent so far, and I honestly have no idea. I just know it's going to be worth it.

I love buying people presents too. As long as you can afford it I think it's nice. I'd love if someone did that for me, but for holidays I always ask for money to go towards another Disney trip instead of presents

 

[steviethegreat]

And I'll be here for the "next time"


You will have a fantastic vacation!!

I just meant that post, not forever. You're stuck with me. :| I'm sorry. I'm obnoxious.

Congrats! It sounds like you're doing great!

Thanks! I'm torn between eating super healthy while down there and indulging sparingly...and eating what I want, since it's a vacation. But I can't help but think of all the walking we're going to do. So I'll have to figure it out before too long. Though I imagine it'll impact my Krispy Kreme donut run if I make the 'sparing' decision. D:

If she invited herself I don't think it's fair that you would pay. Maybe for one meal to thank her but not several. I'm guessing she won't expect you to either.

She invited herself to Toothsome, Le Cellier, and something else. I can't remember just now. But I feel like a jerk not wanting to pay for her. But like... IDK. Once should be enough, right? I guess we'll see what happens.

I love buying people presents too. As long as you can afford it I think it's nice. I'd love if someone did that for me, but for holidays I always ask for money to go towards another Disney trip instead of presents

See, I love buying people things. But I also really like presents. So I just work a LOT of overtime to make up for the things I want to do. I did 2 1/2 hours today (somewhat accidentally) of double overtime today. I have almost 2 hours of overtime every day this past pay period. (And one double OT saturday for 7 hours.) So I'm hoping that covers a chunk of my credit card bill.

But I really do love all of the shirts you find. I'm currently trying to figure out what shirts I want to pair with the princess skirts we're doing for Disney. But I guess that's the other board. I'm all over the place.


I think one of the things I'm most excited about, as dumb as it is, is the fact that I'm printing out the Hogwarts letter with her name. And it's going to have Hogwarts Express tickets. (Fake ones, obviously.) And I can't wait to see how excited A is because this trip is like... something she never thought she could do.

I am so excited to see how she feels about everything. It's so hard to wait another 37 days. But I'm really hoping to lose another 10-15 lbs in that time. So I'm also like 'Okay, if I can lose weight in that time, I'll be okay with it taking so long'.

 

[Raeven]

Thanks! I'm torn between eating super healthy while down there and indulging sparingly...and eating what I want, since it's a vacation. But I can't help but think of all the walking we're going to do. So I'll have to figure it out before too long. Though I imagine it'll impact my Krispy Kreme donut run if I make the 'sparing' decision. D:

I don't like the idea of eating healthy on vacation I think the walking should cancel it out.

She invited herself to Toothsome, Le Cellier, and something else. I can't remember just now. But I feel like a jerk not wanting to pay for her. But like... IDK. Once should be enough, right? I guess we'll see what happens.

She expects you to pay at Le Cellier? That really doesn't seem fair. I don't think that makes you a jerk. If you said you'd treat her to one meal that doesn't mean she can come to every meal for free. I bet she (hopefully) doesn't expect that.

See, I love buying people things. But I also really like presents. So I just work a LOT of overtime to make up for the things I want to do. I did 2 1/2 hours today (somewhat accidentally) of double overtime today. I have almost 2 hours of overtime every day this past pay period. (And one double OT saturday for 7 hours.) So I'm hoping that covers a chunk of my credit card bill.

But I really do love all of the shirts you find. I'm currently trying to figure out what shirts I want to pair with the princess skirts we're doing for Disney. But I guess that's the other board. I'm all over the place.


I think one of the things I'm most excited about, as dumb as it is, is the fact that I'm printing out the Hogwarts letter with her name. And it's going to have Hogwarts Express tickets. (Fake ones, obviously.) And I can't wait to see how excited A is because this trip is like... something she never thought she could do.

I am so excited to see how she feels about everything. It's so hard to wait another 37 days. But I'm really hoping to lose another 10-15 lbs in that time. So I'm also like 'Okay, if I can lose weight in that time, I'll be okay with it taking so long'.

Our work doesn't let us get OT I'd earn some extra that way to if I could to finance our trips!

I find a lot of the small etsy and online shops on instagram. There's so many with cute shirts!

The letter will be cute! I had a keychain ticket to the Hogwarts Express I got at Universal. Maybe you can pick up one of those for her secretly? Mine broke though after a couple years I hope they have them still so I can replace it.

It is hard! But at least it gives you time to get to your goal.

 

[Kivara]

I'm so excited for you! It's getting close!

My middle DS and I picked up Harry Potter trivial pursuit to play on the plane on our last trip. We also played Harry Poter 20 questions a lot, and several hands of blackjack with Minions cards, SPLEE!

I hope you have a great trip...I can't wait to hear about all of it! (And you are SO right about Sarris...YUM!!) We live in Wheeling, (hi kinda neighbor!)so we can get Sarris quite easily here!

 

[HBGdancermom]

Can't wait to follow along!! I'm taking my 2 teenage boys to Universal in August for 4 days/3 nights. We are staying at HRH and this will be our first time visiting Universal. So Excited!
Loving your trip report.

 

[steviethegreat]

I don't like the idea of eating healthy on vacation I think the walking should cancel it out.

I'm trying to get used to the walking here. Since Western PA is ALL HILLS, my stamina will be double in Florida, since everything is so flat. But yeah, it will most likely cancel.

She expects you to pay at Le Cellier? That really doesn't seem fair. I don't think that makes you a jerk. If you said you'd treat her to one meal that doesn't mean she can come to every meal for free. I bet she (hopefully) doesn't expect that.

To be fair, my CM friend didn't ask me to buy her anything. A offered to buy her dinner since she gave A her ticket(s) for free. But A and I are the type of people where we'll end up buying her meals every time because it's awkward and we don't know what to do. I will likely end up buying A's food half the time, because I know she doesn't have a lot of money and I feel weird spending so much money to go when she doesn't have a lot to buy souvenirs and food and etc.

So I don't think it's so much that she expects us to do anything as it is that we'll end up doing it to be nice. And I wish I wasn't so socially awkward. Because I really don't know how to handle situations like that. Like, we're going to the one restaurant in Norway (I'm not naming, just in case A ends up on the boards and it's a surprise), and I have no idea if that's all on me, since I can't expect A to pay for something she didn't agree to/say she wanted to go to. With my mom, I ran everything by her. Nothing was a secret. IDK. Am I thinking too much? How do you handle these situations?

I need to take a class on how to be a real person. I'm a turtle. I want to pull my head inside my shell.

Our work doesn't let us get OT I'd earn some extra that way to if I could to finance our trips!

I find a lot of the small etsy and online shops on instagram. There's so many with cute shirts!

The letter will be cute! I had a keychain ticket to the Hogwarts Express I got at Universal. Maybe you can pick up one of those for her secretly? Mine broke though after a couple years I hope they have them still so I can replace it.

It is hard! But at least it gives you time to get to your goal.

OT is basically the only way I can afford to go. If it wasn't for the outrageous amount of OT that I do, there would be no way. Since my credit cards are like...maxed out (I keep paying them off and filling them up :|), it's not like I can just put the whole trip on the cards. So any extra work I can do helps me get rid of the balance on the cards. The first pay goes to student loans/car payment. Second pay goes entirely to paying off my credit cards. So the more OT I work, the more money I have to pay things down.

Now, if I'd stop buying A things, my balance would be a lot lower. I honestly have no idea how much I spent. Too much. Waaaay too much. But it'll be worth it.

I have been looking on Etsy, but I wonder if I can't just by the vinyl and shirts myself and make them for way cheaper. But I do quite enjoy the creativity I encounter on a daily basis between Etsy and Pinterest.

And that keychain sounds SO CUTE. We'll have to keep an eye out when we're there to see if we see any!

I'm so excited for you! It's getting close!

My middle DS and I picked up Harry Potter trivial pursuit to play on the plane on our last trip. We also played Harry Poter 20 questions a lot, and several hands of blackjack with Minions cards, SPLEE!

I hope you have a great trip...I can't wait to hear about all of it! (And you are SO right about Sarris...YUM!!) We live in Wheeling, (hi kinda neighbor!)so we can get Sarris quite easily here!

IT IS. But the closer it gets, the further away it feels. Like, every day is crawling by. I remember sitting on the couch looking for deals in November when we first decided to go. And then seeing Moana. And it feels like that part went much faster than right now. Buuut my birthday is in two days, so that probably contributes. IDK. March itself went fairly quickly.

I am probably going to have to look into HP trivial pursuit for the plane, because that sounds amazing! I got A some coloring books as a joke. (She has a looot of stickers now...) But a game we can play together would be fun! Is it like a hand held game or an actual board?

Thank you! I will be trying to live report, since when I come home I get very depressed. I have a ton of pictures from the last trip, but I didn't do anything with them. :| I mean, I even bought the picture thing from Disney last time. They're just sitting there. Hidden on my computer. Because I get SO depressed coming home.

And I looove Sarris. Wheeling is not far from us! I actually used to live in Bridgeport, WV. My sister graduate from Fairmont State University. We lived in West Virginia for seven or eight years before moving back to Pittsburgh after my grandfather died. Surprisingly, I have not been to Sarris since I was a child. I need to fix that.

Can't wait to follow along!! I'm taking my 2 teenage boys to Universal in August for 4 days/3 nights. We are staying at HRH and this will be our first time visiting Universal. So Excited!
Loving your trip report.

I'm happy you're here! I know you're going to have an AMAZING time with your boys! HRH is supposed to be a great hotel! And 4 days, 3 nights is a ton of time to see everything Universal has to offer. I have added a day onto my Universal trips each time I've gone. The first time I went Dad and I had a 1 day park hopper. The second time I went, Mom and I did 2 days park hopping. And now A and I have 3 days park hopping. There's just so much to see!

And thank you! It's keeping me sane! I'm driving everyone at home crazy!

 

[Raeven]

To be fair, my CM friend didn't ask me to buy her anything. A offered to buy her dinner since she gave A her ticket(s) for free. But A and I are the type of people where we'll end up buying her meals every time because it's awkward and we don't know what to do. I will likely end up buying A's food half the time, because I know she doesn't have a lot of money and I feel weird spending so much money to go when she doesn't have a lot to buy souvenirs and food and etc.

So I don't think it's so much that she expects us to do anything as it is that we'll end up doing it to be nice. And I wish I wasn't so socially awkward. Because I really don't know how to handle situations like that. Like, we're going to the one restaurant in Norway (I'm not naming, just in case A ends up on the boards and it's a surprise), and I have no idea if that's all on me, since I can't expect A to pay for something she didn't agree to/say she wanted to go to. With my mom, I ran everything by her. Nothing was a secret. IDK. Am I thinking too much? How do you handle these situations?

I need to take a class on how to be a real person. I'm a turtle. I want to pull my head inside my shell.

Definitely at least one dinner makes sense since she got the tickets for free, but it seems like by inviting herself to others she might be expecting to get more for free? I would just wait and see if she pulls out some money herself at the end of the meal and not volunteer to pay for it right away. Paying for things is always awkward if you haven't discussed it ahead of time. Maybe you could talk to A about it? I know you want to pay for her, but she might be planning to pay her half anyway. I do think with the surprise though it makes sense for you to pay since that's like a gift. It is easier when nothing is a secret. It's hard because I've only gone on one trip with a friend and we split everything 50/50 but there was no surprises, and with Josh even if something is a surprise for him he may help pay because though we have separate accounts it all kind of comes out of our money.

Since my credit cards are like...maxed out (I keep paying them off and filling them up :|),

Aw we're paying down some cards and I'm paying down some student loans too and it's no fun!

 

[Kivara]

[QUOTE="steviethegreat, post: 57347965, member: 515297"

I am probably going to have to look into HP trivial pursuit for the plane, because that sounds amazing! I got A some coloring books as a joke. (She has a looot of stickers now...) But a game we can play together would be fun! Is it like a hand held game or an actual board? [/QUOTE]

It's a small plastic box with the Trivial Pursuit Harry Potter cards and a die to roll for the category. On the plane, we just randomly read out the questions so we don't have to worry about losing a die. I found it in the Harry Potter section of my local Books A Million.

For 20 Questions, I wrote out a bunch of Harry Potter characters, places, items, etc onto cards; makes it easier than trying to think something up when stressed (I don't enjoy flying & try not to show my worry to the kiddos )

 

[ChipDale]

Your enthusiasm is contagious! Sounds like you have a wonderful trip planned for you and your friend.

Happy Birthday! I am looking forward to reading about your adventures (especially at Universal).

 

[steviethegreat]

Definitely at least one dinner makes sense since she got the tickets for free, but it seems like by inviting herself to others she might be expecting to get more for free? I would just wait and see if she pulls out some money herself at the end of the meal and not volunteer to pay for it right away. Paying for things is always awkward if you haven't discussed it ahead of time. Maybe you could talk to A about it? I know you want to pay for her, but she might be planning to pay her half anyway. I do think with the surprise though it makes sense for you to pay since that's like a gift. It is easier when nothing is a secret. It's hard because I've only gone on one trip with a friend and we split everything 50/50 but there was no surprises, and with Josh even if something is a surprise for him he may help pay because though we have separate accounts it all kind of comes out of our money.

I'm definitely going to have a sit-down conversation with A tomorrow and be like 'Hey, let's work out the logistics of some of these things'. Because my one credit card will be paid off by the time I go. (I mean, there's NO WAY I'm going to drop $3.3k in the parks. I'd be like..buying a horse or something.) But I still don't want to be spending $200 on dinners when someone needs to pay. I'm okay with paying for A because this trip is kind of a gift, even if she paid for half of it? But IDK. I'm so paranoid about it. And honestly, we could get down there and have a great time. And maybe she'll get discounts or something and we'll save money places. I have no idea. But like, until we're there, I'm definitely going to worry.

As for the surprise meals, I'm okay with them at this point. I had planned on paying for her anyway for a few things.

Aw we're paying down some cards and I'm paying down some student loans too and it's no fun!

Student loans are the worst. But I saw one of them yesterday when I went to check on something and it's definitely not as bad as I thought it was. If I start paying a big chunk of money from now until December, I could basically pay it off and then just worry about my federal loans.

It's a small plastic box with the Trivial Pursuit Harry Potter cards and a die to roll for the category. On the plane, we just randomly read out the questions so we don't have to worry about losing a die. I found it in the Harry Potter section of my local Books A Million.

I will definitely have to look for that! It'd make a super cute Universal-themed gift, too!

For 20 Questions, I wrote out a bunch of Harry Potter characters, places, items, etc onto cards; makes it easier than trying to think something up when stressed (I don't enjoy flying & try not to show my worry to the kiddos )

Is 20 Questions the game where you have a category and just try to guess what it is in 20 questions? We were naturally very annoying children, so my mother didn't encourage us. 'I Spy' lasted like...5 minutes in the car.

Your enthusiasm is contagious! Sounds like you have a wonderful trip planned for you and your friend.

Thank you! My enthusiasm could fill a couple Olympic sized swimming pools at this point. (So could my stress. So.Much.To.Do.) And thank you, again!

Happy Birthday! I am looking forward to reading about your adventures (especially at Universal).

Thank you! It was a great birthday. I'll cross-post some of my pictures later for you guys! And I promise, I'll do my best to keep my Universal stuff over here. But almost all of my meals are in Disney Springs at night. Let me know if you want me to omit those or not!