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2 Jul 17, 04:44 PM
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Thread Starter
Surfing at Typhoon Lagoon
 
Join Date: Aug 10
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So, What about the finer details? Here are some of the finer details for our trip, I'll try to write them in a chronological kind of way as to the order that things will occur on holiday. However, there are lots of teeny bits so I may end up missing some bits out and then having to go back and add them ... here goesssss  How will we get to the airport? As I mentioned in the previous post, neither of us live in Manchester, so we decided that we would stay at an airport hotel the night before. Having previously stayed at the Radisson Blu, I love the convenience of just walking down the tunnel tube thing and not having to rely on taxi/hotel transport so I booked the room there. We will travel to the airport in the morning via train and we just have to change at Manchester Piccadilly. Easy peasy.  We bought the tickets as soon as they came out so they weren't expensive!  Travel day breakfast? Now, normally travel days seem to start ridiculously early and I don't ever fancy eating proper, grown up food. I'd much rather get through all of the checking in and security stuff then find somewhere to have a muffin or something (healthy holiday breakfasts  ). But our hotel booking actually includes 'free breakfast' the next day. So the current plan is to walk to the terminal in the morning, check in and drop bags, then head back to the hotel to enjoy breakfast at a slower pace and a more sociable time of the morning. The hotel always has lots and lots of options so if James fancies a cooked breakfast, he can and I'll browse the pastries  We'll then head back down to the terminal to go through security etc. in plenty of time.  Arriving at Orlando? If all goes to plan, we should be arriving at MCO at about 2.30pm on the Tuesday afternoon. I've finally managed to tell myself that the one thing I can't control or influence, is the time we spend at immigration!  Therefore, I'm trying to be as chilled about this as I can! However, I have already printed and filled out the blue forms so we don't have to faff around with passports on the plane and we can just copy them onto the proper, official forms. Oh and we won't be doing the second bag drop - I don't think as a family we ever have and the more I read on the DIBB, we never will! We will be using the Magical Express to get to Coronado Springs (thank you Mum for reminding me to contact them directly and submit a request!).  As long as immigration doesn't look like this ... I'm all good   How about arriving at the hotel? We've booked a standard room at the hotel with 2 Queen beds and I'm really looking forward to it! In every single picture that we've seen - the resort and the rooms look beautiful! However ... as many of you may know ... Disney announced that Coronado Springs was undergoing major renovations whilst we were out there  This caused lots of worries, questions and concerns for me  ... first and foremost - it's James' first visit to Florida, to Disney(!), it hassss to be perfect! Wah, is it going to be like CBR where the food court has been closed? What is it going to look like? Is it going to be noisy? WAAAAAH.  However, after much 'wait and see'-ing, after lots and lots of DIBBing and after tonnes of talking it through with Mum ... I've decided that actually everything is going to be okay! We've been to Disney resorts and parks where there has been renovations, it kind of, sort of is still part of the real world and y'know, things do need updating every now and then. The email from Disney said there wouldn't be noise really early in the morning and there wouldn't be noise in the evenings annnnnd that all the amenities would still be available. So that made our decision, it'll be alright! I've not spoken to Disney about the renovations, I've not complained once and I'm going into it (now) with a relaxed and open-minded approach. I whole-heartedly believe that if it is awful when we get there and we don't like it or if it is noisy/messy/plain old horrid - then Disney will do everything they can to make it better. So, yeah, that's the plan!   We've selected our Magic Bands, so hopefully they'll be waiting for us (pink for me and purple for James)! I've also added the celebration on to our booking so I have my fingers crossed that there will be a 'first visit' button badge for James too.    When we get to the hotel and have dropped things off in the room, we'll go and collect our resort mugs (thank you Disney Dining Plan) and probably have a little explore. We may pop to Disney Springs and collect our $100 gift card (unsure whether to use this for tips, or whether to ask for 2 cards with $50 on each to spend on goodies) and/or pop to a Walmart to pick up some water and treats for the room. James has never been to Walmart though and I could spend the whole holiday in there, so we've not decided if this will be suitable on our first night. We're going to see how we feel and decide then. I did consider ordering things through Garden Grocer, but I really don't think it would be worth it for us, we have the DDP and that will be plentyyyyy of food when we get started. If we go to Disney Springs we'll most likely grab dinner there. I'm a lover of the Holiday Sandwich at Earl of Sandwich but I've also seen some utterly delicious pictures of meals at Blaze Pizza so nothing is set in stone. We've got an early and long day the next day, and we'll most likely be exhausted, so we will just have to see how long we last.  Travelling around? We will travel to the Disney parks using Disney transport. I know that this isn't always perfect as sometimes you end up waiting a little while, or sometimes you're stood up annnnnnd can I just really quickly mention the fact that the air-con is usually FREEZING really late at night and brrr. But, I love the convenience of the Disney buses and the stress-free aspects of it. We don't have to drive, we don't have to navigate, we don't have to stay awake   When we travel to Universal we will travel by taxi, we'll ask the hotel to call them so they can pick us up from the front. And if we travel to the outlets, the Florida Mall or anywhere else, we will travel by taxi too. I have considered trying Uber this time (we usually use Mears taxis and have never had a problem) but after reading lots about it, the experiences seem very varied! I think Uber can work out less expensive and can be more convenient as you just do things through the app, but the thought of having to take pictures as I get in/get out to cover myself just stresses me out slightly. And after reading about the poor people having money taken out of their account after linking their card with the app ... I'm sort of put off for life!  BUT, I accept that it works for some people and that's cool. I'm just going to stay stuck in the dark ages for a little while longer and use the good old tried and tested method of taxis.  You're doing Disney and Universal but what else? Okay, so this is the single most common question that is asked to me whenever I tell anyone about this holiday. "Surely you're bored of Disney now?", "Haven't you done everything Disney has to offer?", "Why don't you try something different?", "What about all of the other amazing things Orlando has to offer?".I know, I know, I know!  We considered going to the other parks (Seaworld, Busch Gardens etc. etc.), we even considered going to Discovery Cove or exploring other Orlando attractions. My family and I have done these in the past and we know that it adds a different dimension to the holiday. But (in case you didn't know by now), this is James' first Florida holiday! This guy hasn't tried ANYTHING that Disney has to offer! He doesn't know how annoying It's A Small World is, he has no idea of just how quickly the Enchanted Tiki Room song can get into your head and goodness me ... he doesn't even know all of the Jungle Cruise jokes off by heart! This trip, regardless of what happens, will be completely different to anything that I or we have ever done before. We want it to be magical and Disney-filled! We're not necessarily planning on spending all day, every day in the parks (although actually that may happen and I'm so totally fine with that). We have some 'rest' mornings or plans to head to the outlets or water parks, and if he ever goes back or if we ever go together again, thats when we can do all that other extra stuff!   Rollercoasters and rides? Neither of us are particularly 'scared' of any rides, although Tower of Terror creates an unexplainable nervous type of fear deep inside of me(!) so we'll be trying all of the rides that Disney and Universal has to offer. If James likes them, we'll try and repeat them but if he doesn't that's okay, at least we would have tried them! I've booked Fastpasses for each day based on 'must dos' or which rides I know get crazy-busy - I'll post a list of these soon.   Walking, walking and more walking? Something that is completely unavoidable in a Disney holiday is the walking! But in a weird sort of way, I actually really like it! I have an Apple Watch and James has a Fitbit so I can't wait to see the crazy step totals and calorie burns! (Let's just not think about the calorie intakes!). I've got no problem with walking around the parks and taking cover occasionally to refuel. I plan on wearing my sandals, Skechers flip flops things or my super cute new converse (more info will be posted about these when I note the things I've bought  ). James has promised me that he will get some comfy shoes and will wear them lots and lots before we go so that they don't rub.   Quick service meals and snacks? With the Disney Dining Plan this year, we get 1 table service, 1 quick service and 2 snacks each day. As explained in the last post, all of the table service meals are planned so we just needed to have a little look at different quick service restaurants. There are loads! We're not planning anything specific as we don't know how hungry we'll be or what we'll fancy but I know that they are never in short supply. Same goes for the snacks to be honest, there are lots of snacks I'd like to try and loads and loads that I would like to introduce to James (Dole Whip being at the very top of the list! M&M covered Rice Krispie treat or marshmallows being a close second!). Lots of breakfasts will be some kind of pastry, we havvvve to try some of the delicious Starbucks drinks and perhaps we'll make it to Beaches and Cream for an ice cream at some point ... But we're going to see what we fancy.   How about heading home? On our last day ( ) we will be picked up by the Magical Express and taken back to the airport, we'll most likely grab some kind of evening meal at the airport and spend any remaining dollars in the shops buying 'completely necessary' Florida-branded tat that we've scoffed for the duration of our holiday. When we arrive back in the UK, my Dad is being a complete and utter saint and is picking us up from the airport. He will drop James off first and then we'll come home.   Suitcases and luggage? As we're flying Premium Economy, we both have a very good luggage allowance - 2 cases at 23kg each! On the way out we will both have one case, with an empty case inside but we will both probably need the two cases on the way back.  Now, I've been to Florida many times, I've seen most of the things that the shops have to offer ... but, I honestly, no matter how hard I try, I just cannot say no to a cute little Mickey plush when it stares back at me. Or a Minnie plush ... or (now this is my biggest vice) an Eeyore! I collect Eeyores so if I see a new one, I'll definitely be getting it But ... who am I actually kidding? I'm not fussy when it comes to teddy bears, if it's Disney (or Universal actually - "it's so fluffffffy!") I can't refuse it. ALSO - on a side note... an absolute necessity for our luggage will be pieces of paper that lay on top of the clothes with our name and travel details on. A couple of years ago, on our return journey, one of our suitcases went missing. Now, if you have never experienced a missing suitcase - then good! I sincerely hope that you never ever do. And if you have, mannnn I feel your pain. IT WAS AWFUL. I can't even explain the sense of dread you have when you're standing at the belt and you watch every other person collect their luggage and finally head out to start their journeys home. The dread of standing there, hoping and praying that it's just been hidden behind a pillar or something on the plane and that it'll magically appear on the belt. The thought of "wait, maybe I've completely forgotten the pattern that was on my suitcase and maybe I actually brought one of those plain black ones that are just going round and round and round on the belt".And then there's the realisation, the gut-wrenching feeling and the panic ... What the heck did we pack in that case? Why us? Will we ever get it back? Arghhhhhh. ANYWAY - it was a happy ending! And long story short ('hahaha!' you say, 'this is going on forever!' you say) the airline basically 'forgot' to put it on the plane, so after lots of phoning around, complaining and panicking -- we got our beloved suitcase back a couple of weeks or something later! Still full of our souvenirs, still full of unspent snack credit sweeties and still full of laundry So ... and finally I'll make the point I was going to at the start ... we'll both put a sheet of paper on top of our clothes saying 'MAN-MCO Disney Coronado Springs 8th Aug 2017-22nd Aug 2017' with our name, on the way out there. And 'MCO-MAN' with our name, post code and house number on the way back to the UK. It makes it so much easier rather than trying to convince the person on the other end of the phone that it's your suitcase by describing the pattern, the pretty ribbon you've attached to the handle or the contents!  Oops. That went on a bit too, didn't it! But hopefully it's helpful to some people! Thank you for reading ... and well done if you did!  xxx
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A Trip of Favourites and Firsts - Pre-Trip here! Edited at 09:35 PM. Reason: Edited to add pictures :) |
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2 Jul 17, 04:46 PM
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Thread Starter
Surfing at Typhoon Lagoon
Join Date: Aug 10
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__________________
A Trip of Favourites and Firsts - Pre-Trip here! |
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2 Jul 17, 05:21 PM
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VIP Dibber
 
Join Date: Apr 13
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Your enthusiasm is infectious
, can't wait to read more.Your both going to have an amazing time. We're are big fan's of the dining plan too - some of the restaurant experiences have been just as memorable as the parks. |
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2 Jul 17, 05:29 PM
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Imagineer
 
Join Date: Jan 16
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Hi! Fellow teacher here 😁 lovely plans, really excited for you - and we are out there at the same time too! Only 15 more school get ups... ❤
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2 Jul 17, 05:45 PM
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Very Serious Dibber
 
Join Date: Aug 10
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__________________
*POR 2019* *AKL 2017**SSR 2015**AKL 2014**POR 2013**POR 2012**AKL 2011* *DAYS INN KISSIMEE 2008**VILLA KISSIMEE 2003**TRAVELODGE IDRIVE 2001**QUALITY INN IDRIVE 1999* |
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2 Jul 17, 05:46 PM
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Imagineer
Join Date: Jan 16
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2 Jul 17, 07:51 PM
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Thread Starter
Surfing at Typhoon Lagoon
Join Date: Aug 10
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Oh thank you so much! I'm really glad!I completely agree! We've got lots of brilliant memories, be it fantastic food, character interactions or super atmospheres! I adore the dining plan and would recommend it to anyone. Thank you very much for reading along
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A Trip of Favourites and Firsts - Pre-Trip here! |
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2 Jul 17, 07:55 PM
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Thread Starter
Surfing at Typhoon Lagoon
Join Date: Aug 10
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Hi there! I love fellow teachers and love love love your reports! I was super envious of your half term break! Have just seen your pre-trip for this year, can't wait to read it and catch up! Thank you for reading!
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A Trip of Favourites and Firsts - Pre-Trip here! |
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2 Jul 17, 07:56 PM
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Thread Starter
Surfing at Typhoon Lagoon
Join Date: Aug 10
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Gutted for you that you have 17 more school get ups though - that's just cruel!
__________________
A Trip of Favourites and Firsts - Pre-Trip here! |
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2 Jul 17, 08:06 PM
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Imagineer
Join Date: Jan 16
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