Trip Report englanddg's Real Life or is this just Fantasy?

englanddg · May 23, 2015

For the test, rubber cement worked ok, but it is messy.

It adhered well, but, didn't give me the edge adhesion I need for a final seal.

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englanddg · May 24, 2015

Hotel for the first DC portion of the trip is now booked and paid for.

Last time I stayed at the Ritz-Carlton at Pentagon City, and...it was speensive! And, for the rack rate, not really that nice. The only thing I gained was proximity to the Metro station for departure in the morning and easy access to the Mall. I decided this go around, those features are not worth the extra cost.

So, this trip, I decided to go a bit cheaper (half the price!), but I still wanted something close to a Metro station.

We'll use the Metro not only to get to and from the Airport (Reagan National), but also for Saturday, when we'll go tour the National Mall and the Smithsonian. Oh, as a side note, my Washington Monument tickets came in! Yay!

So, here's what I decided upon. The Embassy Suites - Crystal City National Airport.

Nothing special. Easy walk to either the Crystal City Metro station or the Pentagon City Metro Station. We got a 2 room suite with 2 Double beds (it was the only room available with 2 beds).

I got a good room rate (before tax, $169 a night, after tax, $190 a night). I put in a request for a high floor and club level (for $11 extra a night if granted), which is a neat feature they offer when booking. Basically, you can book your room, and if a better one is available at check-in, you can pre-request they move you to that room (for a fee if the request is granted). If the request isn't granted, then nothing changes and you are not charged.

Not quite like the "free upgrades" I used to get when I had tons of Marriott and HHonors points like when I traveled for a living, but still a neat feature.

Tuvalu · May 24, 2015

JenniferS said:
8/24 - Looky look - we have breakfast ADR's at Kona @ 9:35. Would be awesome if we could meet up for a hello, and a stroll around my favourite resort. PM me if we can make this work.

Perhaps I can pop by and say hi? Will be at Poly 8/20-25.

englanddg · May 24, 2015

Ok, adding my flights and hotel stuff to MDE...

And, I get this guy a lot.

Surprised the programmer didn't make it a butt joke, like the movie!

That said, go out there Captain Kirk, FIND ME THE BEST DEAL!

englanddg · May 24, 2015

Yeah...they are having MDE Website issues again.

Big...shocker...

englanddg · May 24, 2015

Heh, just got off the phone with the kiddo.

I asked her what she'd like to do this summer. She knows she's coming to visit, but doesn't know what we are going to do. As with previous trips, I will let the trip unfold as it happens, without prepping her for what is to come.

She said "I'd like to go to the Orlando Resort."

I responded..."There's more than one Orlando Resort...Which one?"

"Where they have the new Harry Potter and Fast and the Furious!"

Her mom spoke up, and it seems she's seen their commercials a lot in the DC area...I guess they advertise a lot up there?

Oh, and not just Disney has the heart touching commercials...this one made me sniffle (or it could have been that I'm cutting onions...no, really, I am cooking as I type this...)

englanddg · May 24, 2015

Ok, all flights and hotels are now booked.

All I have to wait on now is next month, when I'll need to pay off the Universal and WDW legs of the trip.

So, here's how the final itinerary looks as of today.

Aug 7

Fly from ATL to DCA on Delta (it's cheapest for me to fly them because they are based and major hubbed out of the ATL airport)
Check into the Embassy Suites and meet up with the kiddo. It will be late, as my flight doesn't even land until 9:20, so I won't get to the hotel until nearly 10p, so we'll just sleep through the night for an early start the next morning (with a free cooked to order breakfast from the hotel, I may add!)

Aug 8

Still haven't quite pinned down exactly what we are going to do on this day, aside from the tickets I purchased for the Washington Monument for 7:30p, and the fact that Air and Space around lunchtime is a must! I've debated doing the Supreme Court, the National Library, or the Treasury. The FBI was on this list, but that was before I found out the kid did the FBI tour a few weeks ago as part of a school trip...

Aug 9

9:25 flight with Jetblue from Reagan to Orlando. We'll arrive around 11:30. This should put us at Portofino Bay, with a taxi ride from MCO, around noon. This allows us plenty of time to poke around the hotel and Citywalk before...
Blue Man Group center front row seats at 7p

Now, I should note, the rest of my flights are with Delta, and there's a reason for that, and it is cost. A trick I learned when I was actually paid to fly all over the country is that sometimes you can get better deals booking one way tickets instead of round trip ones, and that's what I've done in this case.

So, while I got a better deal booking a round trip (with the times I wanted) through Delta for my flight from ATL to DCA and back, I saved about $75 AND got a later departure by booking Jetblue down to MCO from DCA, and Delta for our flight back (though, as you'll see if you skip ahead to the 25th, the Delta flight is a LONG one with a layover in...surprise surprise...ATL... But, I don't mind that, because the way I look at it, it's extra time with the kiddo before we say our face to face goodbyes).

Aug 10

Whatever we want at Universal, but we do have breakfast at the Three Broomsticks at 10a.

Aug 11

Whatever we want at Universal.

Aug 12

Universal during the day, but sometime late afternoon take a taxi to go check into AKL and get showered and changed for our...
6:45 Dinner at Jiko's
Spend the rest of the evening setting up the webcam that I'm going to run from our balcony while the kiddo plays with the day/night monocular I bought and takes pictures, video, etc. of the animals as we gorge ourselves on complimentary club level goodies.

Aug 13

Magic Kingdom!
Breakfast at Cindy's Royal Table at 8:05...making sure to take pictures / video of the empty park!
2:10 lunch at Be Our Guest
6:45 dinner at Tony's Town Square (ok, I know how to make Italian, I love to cook...and this is my first time to this venue...it BETTER be good...that said, the menu looks good!)
We are gonna do MSEP and Wishes the old fashioned way, staking out a spot at the base of the Castle about an hour before the show and camping out.

Aug 14

EPCOT! (that's right, it's all caps not because I'm excited, but because it will ALWAYS be all caps and followed by the word "Center" to me!)
8:45a Breakfast at Cape May. I'm actually considering shifting this one around, because using busses it will be difficult to make that. I guess I could take an early bus to DTD or a Theme Park and then take a return bus to Beach Club? But, that's a tall order. I don't mind paying for a Taxi to avoid the waits and stress...but...not sure if I'll keep this reservation. The goal was for both of us to try something new (we've never eaten there) as well as put us within striking distance of EPCOT. I may flip it for something else though...maybe move the Ohana breakfast to this day and then ride the epic monorail ride into EPCOT? Hrm...I actually like this idea. Still stewing, however, is the point.
12:20 Lunch at Teppan Edo. Ok, the kiddo and I have done Teppanyaki before, and it's not that hard to find in the US, but this will be our first time doing it in DISNEY (she was sick the last time I booked here in 2012, and we couldn't go, spent the whole day cooped up in the room).
6:10 Dinner at Le Cellier. This restaurant is the kiddo's favorite. I'd normally book this MUCH later (as I like to walk out of the park after dinner with it completely empty and already closed)...but, we have an early day tomorrow!

Aug 15
Check out of AKL and DCL will pick us up!

We'll just chill around the boat doing whatever.

Aug 16

At Sea - No plans

Aug 17

At Sea - No plans

Aug 18

St. Maarten
Nothing planned yet, but I'm considering the Create Your Own Perfume (the kiddo would adore that, and I'd probably find it interesting...) or the Historical Philipsburg by Bicycle (something I'd probably enjoy more than the kiddo).

Aug 19

St. Thomas / St. John
So, as I mentioned earlier, the kiddo has family here who hasn't seen her since she was 2. So, we'll probably end up meeting up with them for lunch or something. That said, we won't hang round long (it is extended family on her Mother's side, and I'm still waiting on them to respond, though...they don't check emails very often and my ex, bless her, isn't the best about following up on things). So, there's still plenty of time for an excursion.
Excursions I'm debating are the Tree Limin' Ziplines, the Sea Trek Helmet Dive and the Screamin' Eagle high speed boat ride

Aug 20

At Sea - I suspect this will be Pirate Night!

Aug 21

Castaway Cay
Last trip we spent the day on the boat, but we also had more ports of call than this trip, so I'm looking forward to stretching my legs. I'm pretty much sold on the "Castaway Cay Getaway Package" which has snorkling, float rental and bicycling...though, I'm also looking at the FIshing by Troll Boat option, as the kiddo has an extreme interest in learning to fish, it seems.

Aug 22

Mears...ahem...sorry, DCL should have us to our resort, Art of Animation, around noon. So, with half a day to burn, we'll head over to a half day park! (for us at least, cause...well, we've seen all the shows)
Hollywood Studios
2:00p Lunch at Sci Fi Dine In
7:45 Dinner at 50's Prime Time
Fantasmic (I MAY...use a FP for this...not sure yet. Normally we do the dining package through Brown Derby, but I really don't want to eat at Brown Derby again...not that it's bad, it's just that we've done it every trip since 2011). There are 2 showings of Fantasmic on this night, and we'll go to the later one.

Aug 23

Animal Kingdom (I have no idea why AK ends up being a Sunday thing for us every year, but it does!
8:20 breakfast at Tusker House
1:30 lunch at Yak and Yeti
Evening after close at the resort or DTD or whatever we choose. Maybe bowling?

Aug 24

Ohana for Breakfast. As I noted, I may move this to replace Cape May earlier in the trip and replace it with something else.
This is our "free day". We'll probably do a mix of Water Parks, maybe some stuff out at Ft. Wilderness (as we attempted to do last trip, with archery, fishing and horseback riding), and DTD...At this point the kiddo already knows what is going on, so I will give her a few options the day before and see what she wants to do.
Tentative 1p lunch at T-Rex (though, I've never had trouble walking up to T-Rex, so I'll probably cancel this).
Tentative 7p Dinner at Raglan Rd.

Aug 25

Last day..so sad.
11:45 Lunch at Cindy's Royal Table
After the 3p parade, we'll head back to the resort.
7:35p flight on Delta back to Washington Reagan. Arrive very late (11:45p)
Check into Residence Inn Arlington to crash for the evening.
Meet up with the kiddo's Mom to return her back to everyday life...

Aug 26

10:45 return flight on Delta back to ATL.

JenniferS · May 24, 2015

Tuvalu said:
Perhaps I can pop by and say hi? Will be at Poly 8/20-25.

Awesome Possum!

englanddg · May 27, 2015

More Mickey Mail!

englanddg · May 27, 2015

Mickey Mail
Disney Cruise Line Welcome Packet!

Not to much to say about this one. The quality is nice, good thick stock with silver inlays on the folder. It's colorful, and has the most basic information you'll need.

It's certainly NOTHING like the impressive WDW Welcome Packet, but this is only my first of the DCL mailers, so I'll write it off as that.

Anyhow, as I noted, not much to say, so I'm just going to post the pictures here in case you are curious, but I'll reserve any commentary...because I don't really have any.

But, it is exciting to see, as it makes the trip all the more real!

Folder Cover

Inside the Folder

Leaflet Page 1

Leaflet Page 2 and 3

Leaflet Page 4

Back of Folder

ThatBrunette · May 28, 2015

Make sure you check out http://www.wmata.com/ for information on our crappy metro. (I just got off a very lurch-y trip) I think you can still get single ride passes but they have now switched to SmarTrip Cards. They have an RFID tag and can be recharged and used for bus and rail trips.

englanddg · May 28, 2015

ThatBrunette said:
Make sure you check out http://www.wmata.com/ for information on our crappy metro. (I just got off a very lurch-y trip) I think you can still get single ride passes but they have now switched to SmarTrip Cards. They have an RFID tag and can be recharged and used for bus and rail trips.

Interesting. Last time I rode Metro farther than from Reagan to Pentagon City it was in 2011. Record setting heat that summer. Half of the AC units on the trains were broken (well, Blue, Yellow and Orange lines, those were the ones I rode). I bought the "48 hour pass" or whatever it was called. I found the stop to stop ticketing pricing confusing. Sortof like the Jersey Turnpike and its shifting toll system.

I remember after riding it, I vowed to never complain about the MARTA here in ATL again!

ThatBrunette · May 28, 2015

I wonder what would happen if I used my MagicBand...

englanddg · May 28, 2015

My gosh...15 bucks for a 1 day card? That's insane...

englanddg · May 30, 2015

Mickey e-Mail - Disney Cruise Line

So, I've been playing around with the DCL portions of the online planning.

First, I updated my profile (no pictures of that). Not much to do, as it still existed from my last cruise in 2013.

Then, I decided to start with the Planning Tools...

I opted for the online options.

I got immediate access to the "DVD"... (warning, it's long, 30 mins)

Note, I only clicked through the parts that interested me, and the end, due to the website formatting, you'll see me clicking around because it implied there was more to it...but...there wasn't.

At least that I could find.

So, on to the e-brochure!

The layout is rather neat.

It's hard to explain some of the features, so here's a video...feel free to skip around it...but, after I got a few "chapters" in, I decided to just print it to PDF. Scroll down to see how well THAT worked. (another example of a Disney IT fail)

Something that will go by quickly in the vid...You have the option to create an even more "custom" brochure by clicking on the gear icon.

And, if you decide to print it out (to pdf) you get a countdown timer...

This is to meter server load and for other reasons...<winks at coders and network sorts, you all get it>. But, in this case, it's VERY well implemented, imho. Very clean and friendly UI (User Interface).

When finished...you are prompted that your PDF is now available. You can keep viewing the online brochure as you wait, which is a neat touch.

But, here my compliments end. So, for backstory, I administrate / program a system that generates PDFs. I know it can be a bit tricky to do. I know there are a lot of variables involved. That said, this is unacceptable.

See for yourself (with my own notes added, and just to be sure it wasn't a plugin issue with Chrome...I opened it in Acrobat...same result). I have a pretty good idea what is causing this, but Disney isn't paying me, so I'm not going to share it with them...all I have to say is...didn't someone TEST this? Or did you (Disney) just outsource it and assumed it worked? Here, see for yourself...

In all, the planning tools are neat, and I like the concepts behind them. The e-brochure, in particular, should just be the default format, in my opinion. Either that, or they shouldn't recycle videos from the DVD in it.

I mean, why watch / read both? When they both say the same bland things?

It does help me get excited for my trip, but really doesn't do much to inform me about what to expect.

So, I'm giving these "Planning Tools"...a C for effort and a D for Donald. Because, while they are sort of fun to watch (in a very commercial way), they make about as much sense as Donald when he is angry as far as informing me what to expect for the cruise.

englanddg · Jun 8, 2015

The Universal portion of the trip is now paid off.

I had a blast speaking with the person on the phone. We talked about all the great things that have opened at Universal since my last trip in 2012. She also covered how the dining plans have changed (which, my Dining Plan was the one thing I regretted getting last trip), and I may add it later. I need to do some reading into it. Though, I still think I'm going to just pay out of pocket.

But, she was knowledgeable, bubbly, and fun to chat with. We went on discussing things for nearly an hour before she took my payment!

I'm getting excited!

Brandon barr · Jun 11, 2015

Great read, suscribed. Thanks for all your help man hope yall have a great vacation.

englanddg · Jun 11, 2015

Ah, didn't realize the DCL link I had was bad.

Here's the better one...as I scroll through it. Opinions included.

LieutLaww · Jun 11, 2015

This video is private

englanddg · Jun 11, 2015

LieutLaww said:
This video is private

Try now.

Trip Report englanddg's Real Life or is this just Fantasy?

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JenniferS

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ThatBrunette

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Hello There

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