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-   -   The One With the 38 Bacon Rolls (https://www.thedibb.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=677349)

Leyfy 10 Feb 13 11:24 AM

The One With the 38 Bacon Rolls UPDATED 29/07
 
UPDATE 24/05/2013
UPDATE 8/06/2013
UPDATE 05/07/2013
UPDATE 29/07/2013

Hi everyone. This is my first trip report, and the first trip I have organised myself. This is us:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.n...92255793_n.jpg

Kim (30 now, 31 at time of travel)

I'm a secondary school teacher, and this will be my third visit to Orlando. I first went in 1998 with my parents and stayed on site and had a BRILLIANT TIME, and then in 2001 at Easter with a larger group (mum, dad, my cousin, my niece, nephew and sister) and we stayed in a villa. When we went at Easter on the second trip the crowds were MASSIVE, so I decided never again! I was also really disappointed as I wanted to go on The Jurassic Park River Ride and I didn't make it because the queue at the time was 90 minutes! We missed loads of stuff because of the queues for everything, and trying to keep a huge group happy was impossible. My sister still describes it as 'the holiday from hell'. We'd also managed to go indirect and had a huge layover in the dullest airport in the middle of the night (Cincinatti – where we also experienced the worst landing of my life!). Being used to Virgin the previous trip and telling everyone how great the inflight entertainment was, we also discovered there was no seatback IFE and I'd taken one book with me! It also wasn't as warm as I was expecting after the July trip. Although we had a nice time, it wasn't a patch on the 1998 trip, and my plan is (with the help of theDibb!) to make our upcoming trip even better than the first!

I've also been to DLP several times and every time I go I seem to love it more and more – I've even organised two trips there through school and already planning 2014...

Phil (42, 43 at time of travel)

Never been to Disney (including DLP), never been to America.

This visit we are doing things slightly differently, and it will be just us. Phil has never been to America, and had no inclination to go anywhere near Disney property (I know – shocking! ). I'm hoping this trip will completely change his mind about his concept of what Florida is. I think he has it in his mind that it is just a big Alton Towers with sunshine...

Anyway, we were originally booked to go in August 2012, and I booked that in April 2011 with Virgin to stay in the Royal Pacific Hotel at Universal Studios for 2 weeks. Since I booked that holiday, I then found theDibb and realised there was a whole world of planning to do! Fast forward 18 months, and the situation has slightly changed in that we unexpectedly was given some money to put a deposit down on a house, then three months later my car went seriously wrong, and Phil's leave was cancelled at work because of the Olympics (don't ask!).

In the end we decided to cancel the 2012 trip and go in August 2013 instead, and due to my obsession with theDibb, we've decided to go slightly later for the last 16 days of August. The first trip we were flying on the 11th of August 2012, but now we'll be flying with Virgin to DC on the 14th of August, and then down to Orlando on the 18th. We're staying at Sheraton at Pentagon City in DC, then onto Royal Pacific at Universal for four days, then at the Embassy Suites on International drive for the remainder of the holiday. We were supposed to be staying at the NV, but Virgin have moved us and I think it's probably going to be for the best as Embassy Suites looks great and is in a fantastic location. I've even changed a lot of my dining plans to accommodate this – a lot less on-site dining which is great for me as I will be doing all of the driving so I can have a few cocktails of an evening now!

Why are we going for 16 days you might ask? Well, Phil is not a lover of all things Disney (Again – shock!), but is a lover of all things American Civil War. As I have done the Disney thing twice before and we are going without any kids, we'll be spending 12 days in Orlando, three in DC and one in... Pennsylvania. Eh?! Well, Phil really wants to go to Gettysburg, so we're going to start our trip in Washington DC, and take a day trip up to Gettysburg. Originally we were going to fly up to Baltimore, but Virgin were really good and have let us fly into DC, then out of Orlando International. Just one internal flight down instead of two :)

Things I am looking forward to:

- IOA - The Hulk (I LOVE THAT RIDE! ), Spiderman and actually getting onto the Jurassic Park river ride this time. Also looking forward to the much hyped FJ as I am a bit of a HP fan
- Discovery Cove – I'm doing SeaVenture! Phil doesn't want to as he isn't keen on the water. Hence why DC is the only 'water park' day we will have.
- Pirates of the Caribbean (Fave Disney ride)
- Kennedy Space Centre – been twice, loved it.
- Going to America as a non-veggie for the first time!
- Soarin' – heard so much about this ride, and Mission: Space. Neither of which were open last time I visited Epcot.
- Exploring Animal Kingdom properly – looking at guidebooks and stuff we missed out loads of this park last time, apparently. Oh, and -- Expedition Everest – wasn't open last time I visited.

Things Phil is looking forward to:

- Gettysburg
- Gettysburg
- Gettys... you get the idea! ;)

Also, with some pushing, he's also admitted he might quite like to 'look at the monkeys in that animal one'... Oh okay then... This is probably inspired by one of our first dates when we went to London Zoo and he stood on a scale that told him he weighed as much as a small gorilla ... He's lost a few stone since then! ;)

Definite for this trip:

- Islands of Adventure
- Universal Studios
- Epcot
- Animal Kingdom
- Magic Kingdom
- Fultons Crabhouse
- Bubba Gumps Shrimp Co
- Kennedy Space Centre

Maybe's
-Seaworld
-2nd day at Epcot

So, why is my trip report called 'The one with the 38 bacon rolls'? I decided to do a bit of Friends theme with the titles of the trip, and in preparation for going to Orlando I have taken on a lot of extra duties at work. This includes a 7.30am shop duty which I get paid for, and I get a free bacon roll! So this trip report is dedicated to the roughly 38 Monday mornings I have stood outside the local shops by school at 7.30am in rain/snow/fog/sunshine eating my bacon roll and earning some extra pennies for our upcoming Orlando trip :)

Thanks for reading! :wavey:

Guest 10 Feb 13 11:38 AM

sounds great, looking forward to reading more :)

Guest 10 Feb 13 11:44 AM

Sounds great, I'm sure you'l manage to change your DH's mind about Disney! It's so hard to explain to people who've never been before!
Can't wait to read more :)

Leyfy 10 Feb 13 11:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by klang_kat (Post 8189994)
Sounds great, I'm sure you'l manage to change your DH's mind about Disney! It's so hard to explain to people who've never been before!
Can't wait to read more :)

Thanks!

Yeah, Phil is definitely not on the Disney train at the moment! LOL

I can't explain to him how different Orlando is, I think I'll just wait until we get there and for his mind to be blown! ;)

ginger ninja 10 Feb 13 12:18 PM

Sounds like a great plan and I am sure Phil will be amazed with everything about Orlando when you get there:thumbs-up:thumbs-up

Hannikins 10 Feb 13 12:19 PM

great start!

Juliemack 10 Feb 13 12:33 PM

Shop duty! You are dedicated to the cause :d:
Enjoyed reading about your plans :smile:

Leyfy 10 Feb 13 01:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ginger ninja (Post 8190128)
Sounds like a great plan and I am sure Phil will be amazed with everything about Orlando when you get there:thumbs-up:thumbs-up

I really hope so! At the moment he is in 'We will go and then we will never speak of it again' but I'm hoping he'll be bitten by the Orlando bug and I can then start planning our next trip! ;)

If not... I'll go on my own! :D

Quote:

Originally Posted by Juliemack (Post 8190181)
Shop duty! You are dedicated to the cause :d:

Every penny helps! Also my school is right by London Southend airport so I stand there with my bacon roll and coffee watching Easyjet taking off every morning counting down the days until it is my turn :)

Leyfy 25 Feb 13 10:37 PM

Right, pay day tomorrow so time to book the next lot of stuff for our trip!

This month I am going to book the Steam Train Tour at Magic Kingdom

http://www.returntodisney.com/wp-con...ChU-89Eb7Q.jpg

Phil loves steam trains so this is for him :)

Going to pay off the the balance for Discovery Cove this month as well, and the boring but very necessary travel insurance. Already a lot of quotes and one or two I am happy with. Hope we don't have to find out how good it is! :erm:

Still to do?

Pay off balance
Renew ESTAs from our postponed 2012 trip
Disney tickets
Internal flights

Not long to go now! :wavey:

mrsbigbeak 25 Feb 13 10:51 PM

Looking forward to your report and loving the name 38 bacon rolls :)


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