As we are off on Saturday, I thought I should get around to writing the pre trip report!
So this is my third pre trip report and as yet I haven’t finished posting the second trip report
It’s all written now just need to add in the photos. Again I issue the warning that according to my DH I have a tendency to explain things in ten words when two would!
So let’s start by introducing the cast:
Me, Helen, 35 – loves Disney and addicted to the Dibb, assistant to chief
planner, eternal worrier over anything and everything including if I have nothing to worry about, love American TV shows and the American patriotism . Planning to increase my number of handbags in the Florida shops (I’ve saved my birthday money especially! )
DH, Ian, 36 – loves Disney, chief
planner, booker, driver/navigator and carries the cash! Enjoys searching the web for good deals on flights, cars, hotels etc for anyone who asks and is always available to friends/colleagues for planning assistance! Doesn’t feel his holiday is complete if he doesn’t buy another grey t-shirt
Friend, Colin, 62 – friend of Ian’s for 20 years and was best man at our wedding.
Friend, Carol, 49 – Colin’s wife, hates flying so no doubt will be an interesting few hours
This is Ian and I:
And this is Colin and Carol:
I have been to WDW 8 times, DH has been about 16 times, Colin about 5 times and Carol 3 times. We have been before with them back in April 2007 and Ian and Colin have been as part of a group a couple of times in the pre me and Carol days
. DH and I have also visited Disneyland Paris and Disneyland California. As you can tell we like Disney! The title of this report stems from this and is the reaction of my work colleagues!
Before we went away in October 2009, Colin and Carol had already asked us if they could come with us on our next trip which we had virtually decided to take in February 2010. We agreed and it ended up being 6th – 20th March when we booked the time off work and then the planning could begin! DH started looking at flights as soom as we returned in October and in December 2009 they started going up so we decided just to get it booked. A quick phonecall to Colin later and he agreed and told Ian just to get it booked.
Flight, house and car
We are flying from Manchester with Virgin on Saturday 6th March at 10.25am and staying in the a DIBB villa on Sunset Lakes as our usual one on High Grove was already booked. I am secretly quite pleased that we are having a change!
The car is booked with Alamo through US Rentacar (so that desk is guaranteed to have the longest queue on the afternoon of the 6th then!)
Tickets Purchased
Disney - I have annual pass already (my 3rd trip) and DH’s has run out so he will be buying a new one. Colin & Carol both have 14 day Ultimate tickets.
Universal - DH & I have Annual Passes (this will be their 2nd trip) and Colin & Carol have 14 day passes.
We are also intending to go to La Nouba (Colin & Carol’s Christmas pressie to us) although we haven’t booked yet
We have decided not to do Seaworld on this trip as we have been the last couple of times.
Eating
Breakfast will mainly be eaten out with perhaps a couple of times having toast at the house.
We just have three
ADR’s booked:
Turf Club – ate here last trip and were very impressed
Teppan Edo – we love this place!
California Grill - we ate there for the first time last trip and I think it has been put on the ‘must do’ list!
Apart from those I’m sure we will do a couple of CS meals and will definitely be doing House of Blues as it’s Colin’s favourite.
We will mainly eat offsite and I’m sure we will be visiting Bob Evans, Cracker Barrel, Applebees’s, Tony Roma's and Golden Corral as these were favourites last time. We will also introduce them to Bahama Breeze as we tried it in May 2009 and enjoyed. Other than that we will go with the flow.
We will be visiting a couple of malls to do the essential shopping. DH will be buying his obligatory one or two grey baseball related t-shirts, I’m after a couple of handbags and possibly a couple of pairs of work trousers from Lane Bryant and I’m sure will find lots of other stuff I want but absolutely NO MORE trainers for either of us!
On our previous trip with my parents in October 2009, we used a Fairfx card for the shared expenses (both food shopping and eating out) and as it worked really well we have decided to do the same again and both couples have loaded money onto it so we can just use it and split the balance (if there is any left of course). Rate was rubbish though!
The one advantage of doing my pre trippie so last minute is that there is hardly anything left on my to do list. Just packing which I will do the afternoon before as I am on half days leave from work and compile the shopping list!
We have done a basic plan and am sure will stick to it for the first few days, then it will probably become more adhoc depending on the weather and how busy the parks are. Currently the weather is still quite cool but is due to get up around the 70 mark from our first day so fingers crossed it won’t be too cool!
If you are reading this last paragraph then thank you for taking the time out to read this and I hope you enjoyed my pre-trip report
. I have a small notebook to carry with me while we are away to make notes in readiness for my trip report when we get back and I’m sure we will take lots of photos too!