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8 Apr 19, 10:18 PM |
#1
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Excited about Disney
Join Date: Jul 05
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My Kingdom for an inflatable unicorn
I’ll start with a warning. This is my third attempt to write a trip report, my two previous attempts lie unfinished in the depths of this website. I always start with the best of intentions and feel I should pay it forward after enjoying so many others’ trip reports over the years. I then get on holiday, take no notes, spend my evenings on rides and in the pool and forget what I did by the time I get home.
I promise I’ll try to do better this time! The cast David (me). Huge Marvel and comics fan. Fairly secret Disney fan, to the point that I shocked several of my colleagues when I got 20/20 on a Disney Sporcle. Sam. T’other half. First trip to Disney was our wedding in 2000. A huge Mickey and Minnie fan she needs no encouragement to go back. Cayla. Turns 17 whilst we are there and is as focused on the Instagram opportunities as the rides. Jayden. 10 years old and sports mad. Looking forward to trying some of the “big rides” so much that he’s not complained about 2 and a bit weeks without Fortnite and FIFA; yet. The plot Our last visit was a three week stay over Christmas and New Year 2012 and 2013. A combination of moving house, GCSEs, work and other commitments has prevented a return any sooner and has also got in the way of any family holiday since Christmas 2016. This feels very overdue. I started researching last summer and quickly ruled out on-site. We did this for 10 days with free DDP last time and really enjoyed it, however with one adult sized child and one not far off a single room is way too small and more than one room / DVC resort is way too expensive. I decided to watch flights using an app recommended to me and bought last August / September at a little over £300 pp. Indirect via Newark out, which seems fine as we can clear immigration there, and via Chicago and Brussels back. The return trip does feel like a pain but with older kids and for a pretty significant saving it seemed worth giving it a go. Plan B was an apartment style hotel somewhere around Crossroads, the plan being to go car-less and walk / Uber to the various nearby restaurants and parks. We’d priced these up and found a couple of likely candidates when I decided to look at Villas on this very site. I found one which had plenty of space, a private pool and was considerably cheaper than the apartments. So much so renting that plus a car would still be cheaper. Job done, villa booked. We’ve used DIBB advertiser, Discount Florida Car Hire, for a full size car which should be plenty as I still plan to use Uber and Lyft on occasions. Having not been for a few years there is lots we haven’t done. We’ve decided to try to cram it all in and have gone for: Disney 14 day ultimate (with free magic bands) Universal 14 day 3 park (with a one night stay in RPR to take advantage of early entry and express pass) Discovery Cove swim ultimate to do Busch and Seaworld. I have also spent too many hours looking at fastpass + guides and touring plans and have accepted that Seven Dwarves Mine Train, FOP and SDD will all involve a rope drop. We did look at the early morning magic at Toy Story Land but have decided against it, unless it’s really hammered when we go, in which case we may try to make a last minute booking. We fly out in a little over 5 weeks and I plan on filling in time between now and then with reading trippies and watching vlogs to really whet the appetite. |
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14 Apr 19, 01:10 PM |
#2
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VIP Dibber
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Wow, that does sound like you’re cramming a lot in. Have a great time! and I look forward to reading all about it in your trippie when you get back (peer pressure )
PS Im currently writing mine up, and its hard going but fabulous reliving all the memories. I’ve relied on using the many photos we took to help me fill in the gaps where my note taking lost out to focusing on having fun
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WDW POR 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015 (Xmas), 2016 and 2018 |
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30 Apr 19, 04:55 PM |
#3
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Imagineer
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Sounds great; looking forward to this one; currently researching Discovery Cove as a possibility for our next trip...
Can I ask which App you used for your flight, please? |
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6 May 19, 10:04 PM |
#4
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Thread Starter
Excited about Disney
Join Date: Jul 05
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6 May 19, 10:06 PM |
#5
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Thread Starter
Excited about Disney
Join Date: Jul 05
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6 May 19, 10:14 PM |
#6
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Thread Starter
Excited about Disney
Join Date: Jul 05
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Fastpasses now booked. My observation, other than the obvious one about the wafer thin infrastructure that must support the app and website, is that this new (to me) process massively hinders the more free flowing style of holiday I'd prefer. It also forces several early mornings for which I am entirely reliant on my body clock staying on UK time for the first few days.
We have also decided to not tell the kids that we are going to DC - secret kept to date and hopefully it will be worth it. We just need to convince them that we are water park bound that morning. Just need to book a taxi to the airport now and get some $. Oh and get through 9 days of work! The plan, should you be interested in this type of thing, is: Park 18-May Sat 19-May Sun AK 20-May Mon Busch 21-May Tue DHS 22-May Wed BB/TL. Ep pm 23-May Thu MK 24-May Fri Ep 25-May Sat MK 26-May Sun 27-May Mon Seaworld 28-May Tue Aquatica 29-May Wed Discovery Cove 30-May Thu US / IOA 31-May Fri VB / US / IOA 01-Jun Sat 02-Jun Sun 03-Jun Mon |
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