Pre-Trip 2.5 Trips - 2 Coasts - and Skis?

Mickey81 · Feb 10, 2015

HouCuseChickie said:
I know! It's from my very first trip to WDW back in the mid-80s. Just one of those stories that probably won't come out Nothing awful or anything like that...just embarrassing.

I understand on the schools being strict. While many in the US have the luxury of pulling their kids out of school for vacations, there are a few states with strict attendance laws. Of course, enforcement of those laws falls to individual school administration, but many of them will make a thing of it if you push things too much. We could face misdemeanor criminal charges as well as fines if our girls have more than 2 unexcused absences in a 60 day period. So, we're faced with cramming trips into long weekends or traveling at peak times. This is a big part of why we're combining Disney and ski time into 1 trip. Still, the cost of skiing is making the Disney stuff look like the budget part of our trip! Not sure about DHK, but I could see us ending up at DLP if we return to Europe.

Ahhhh...so, you'll be braving the holiday crowds as well! I knew about the dining part since we had looked into this back in 2012. I do think it's funny that I'll be booking dining for my Feb WDW trip before our DLR trip. Oh well...in some ways it's kind of nice to see a more relaxed approach to some of it. Have a great trip too!!!

. That week was the only week that worked out for us for DL, and we really wanted to experience the Christmas festivities. I'm somewhat in the same boat with the dining. I will have already be back from our late sept/early oct trip to WDW before we can even book dining at DL.

HouCuseChickie · Feb 10, 2015

FlaggNL said:
sometimes it's better to keep stories for yourself instead of sharing them with the world Especcially when they are embarrasing, although I hope not for you!

I understand completely about fines and crmininal charhes. here in the Netherlands the same. And in the city we live in it is even stricter. There is cooperation between the schools, local government and the country government to bring back the figures of kids not attending school. So that's why we always go during holidays. Sometimes we take a day but that's all. For DLP we can go during weekends so that is easier trip. But now we have been to WDW we are spoiled. LOL It is so much better than DLP! Only thing is we have to choose between summer holiday in a warm european country or October trip to WDW. And as you can imagine the choice is easy! So you are originally Europeans?

Yeah- I mean, it's not an awful story, but it makes me cringe.

That's pretty much what's going on here. District/school funding is directly tied to attendance and testing scores, so they made sure the laws work in their favor to keep funding high. I know some people talk good games about fighting the system and refusing to allow this with their children, but aside from homeschooling, I really see no other way but to comply and hope there won't be any issues if you overdo it by a day or two.

I wish I could go - really anywhere - in October. I took a new job about this time last year and our busy time is October. I once had visions of a fall foliage trip with my kids, but I don't see that happening any time soon. Oh well...that's life!

Sorry, poor wording on my part. DH and I spent about 3 weeks in Europe back in 2000. We both have some European roots, but we're both from the states. As for Europe... We'd both always wanted to go, didn't have kids at the time, and got an added boost of inspiration from WDWs World Showcase. We went to England, France, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Italy and Switzerland. The Netherlands was an option, but it was either that or Austria...and I really wanted to go to Austria. The pictures of Innsbruck and Vienna were just calling to me! One of these days, I'm going to have to use someone's pro-quality scanner to upload some of my pics into digital form. I had a film SLR back then and couldn't take limitless pics like I can in digital format. Still, I have 24 rolls of film from that trip.

Mickey81 said:
. That week was the only week that worked out for us for DL, and we really wanted to experience the Christmas festivities. I'm somewhat in the same boat with the dining. I will have already be back from our late sept/early oct trip to WDW before we can even book dining at DL.

I'm very excited to see all of the holiday stuff. We've seen WDW decked out several times, but I've heard DLR is just amazing!!! Have you thought about where you want to eat?

Mickey81 · Feb 10, 2015

HouCuseChickie said:
Yeah- I mean, it's not an awful story, but it makes me cringe.

That's pretty much what's going on here. District/school funding is directly tied to attendance and testing scores, so they made sure the laws work in their favor to keep funding high. I know some people talk good games about fighting the system and refusing to allow this with their children, but aside from homeschooling, I really see no other way but to comply and hope there won't be any issues if you overdo it by a day or two.

I wish I could go - really anywhere - in October. I took a new job about this time last year and our busy time is October. I once had visions of a fall foliage trip with my kids, but I don't see that happening any time soon. Oh well...that's life!

Sorry, poor wording on my part. DH and I spent about 3 weeks in Europe back in 2000. We both have some European roots, but we're both from the states. As for Europe... We'd both always wanted to go, didn't have kids at the time, and got an added boost of inspiration from WDWs World Showcase. We went to England, France, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Italy and Switzerland. The Netherlands was an option, but it was either that or Austria...and I really wanted to go to Austria. The pictures of Innsbruck and Vienna were just calling to me! One of these days, I'm going to have to use someone's pro-quality scanner to upload some of my pics into digital form. I had a film SLR back then and couldn't take limitless pics like I can in digital format. Still, I have 24 rolls of film from that trip.

I'm very excited to see all of the holiday stuff. We've seen WDW decked out several times, but I've heard DLR is just amazing!!! Have you thought about where you want to eat?

I've been working on our list...blue bayou, cafe orleans, carthay circle, storytellers for breakfast, trader sam's. We'll probably add one or two more. What about you?

HouCuseChickie · Feb 10, 2015

Mickey81 said:
I've been working on our list...blue bayou, cafe orleans, carthay circle, storytellers for breakfast, trader sam's. We'll probably add one or two more. What about you?

Well, I pre-paid for one premium character dining experience...so, I'm thinking that's Goofy's Kitchen for our first night (non-park day). And that's where my dining plans lose any real focus. I want to do World of Color dining, but I'm torn between Ariel's Grotto and Carthay Circle...for a number of reasons. I want to eat lunch at Blue Bayou, but it's really for the atmosphere. See, I want to try the famous monte cristo, but most say to get it at Café Orleans instead. The other issue...Café Orleans offers a 3-cheese one and I'm a sucker for anything involving brie! I just don't think I want to do both, so it's going to come down to atmosphere vs. menu. Beyond that...part of me is tempted to do one other TS dinner in one of the resorts or DTD, but I don't love the idea of bringing the kids to Napa Rose or Steakhouse 55 and I'm not sold on any of the other options just yet. I do also want to pop into Trader Sam's, but I'm thinking more for drinks. I guess at least there's plenty of time

Mickey81 · Feb 10, 2015

HouCuseChickie said:
Well, I pre-paid for one premium character dining experience...so, I'm thinking that's Goofy's Kitchen for our first night (non-park day). And that's where my dining plans lose any real focus. I want to do World of Color dining, but I'm torn between Ariel's Grotto and Carthay Circle...for a number of reasons. I want to eat lunch at Blue Bayou, but it's really for the atmosphere. See, I want to try the famous monte cristo, but most say to get it at Café Orleans instead. The other issue...Café Orleans offers a 3-cheese one and I'm a sucker for anything involving brie! I just don't think I want to do both, so it's going to come down to atmosphere vs. menu. Beyond that...part of me is tempted to do one other TS dinner in one of the resorts or DTD, but I don't love the idea of bringing the kids to Napa Rose or Steakhouse 55 and I'm not sold on any of the other options just yet. I do also want to pop into Trader Sam's, but I'm thinking more for drinks. I guess at least there's plenty of time

I'm thinking we'll do a world of color and fantastic dining package. I wouldn't be suprised we add Napa rose or steakhouse 55 as well. The three of us did California Grill on our last trip and really enjoyed it. Really upsetting about how some people's choice of attire at that location but that's a rant for another time. I'm thinking highly of doing Ralph Brennan's Jazz kitchen on our arrival night. It will be to late for a park, after the long flight. We love to visit new orleans, so we'll like the food and I've heard good things. I think we'll probably add a couple reassies to the list, but those are my primary list. There's so many snacks and treats to try so that'll keep us filled up.

HouCuseChickie · Feb 10, 2015

Mickey81 said:
I'm thinking we'll do a world of color and fantastic dining package. I wouldn't be suprised we add Napa rose or steakhouse 55 as well. The three of us did California Grill on our last trip and really enjoyed it. Really upsetting about how some people's choice of attire at that location but that's a rant for another time. I'm thinking highly of doing Ralph Brennan's Jazz kitchen on our arrival night. It will be to late for a park, after the long flight. We love to visit new orleans, so we'll like the food and I've heard good things. I think we'll probably add a couple reassies to the list, but those are my primary list. There's so many snacks and treats to try so that'll keep us filled up.

Our kids have been to Cali Grill several times and really enjoyed it, so that's part of why I was thinking Napa Rose. Still, I've heard that fewer children tend to dine at the signature style restaurants at DLR. We've been lucky with our signature experiences and the attire choices of others, but I know I've heard plenty of tales of people showing up in less than stellar park-type attire. We enjoy dressing up for these meals, so I feel your pain! I thought about Ralph Brennan's, but I'm on the fence since it's something we can easily get at home. We live close enough to New Orleans to make it a short/easy road trip. I tried (and really enjoyed) Ralph Brennan's Red Fish Grill a couple of years ago. We also have a Brennan's in Houston- which is co-owned by Ralph Brennan. You also bring up an excellent point...SNACKS!!! So much to consider :geek:

FlaggNL · Feb 11, 2015

HouCuseChickie said:
Yeah- I mean, it's not an awful story, but it makes me cringe. That's pretty much what's going on here. District/school funding is directly tied to attendance and testing scores, so they made sure the laws work in their favor to keep funding high. I know some people talk good games about fighting the system and refusing to allow this with their children, but aside from homeschooling, I really see no other way but to comply and hope there won't be any issues if you overdo it by a day or two.

I wish I could go - really anywhere - in October. I took a new job about this time last year and our busy time is October. I once had visions of a fall foliage trip with my kids, but I don't see that happening any time soon. Oh well...that's life!

Sorry, poor wording on my part. DH and I spent about 3 weeks in Europe back in 2000. We both have some European roots, but we're both from the states. As for Europe... We'd both always wanted to go, didn't have kids at the time, and got an added boost of inspiration from WDWs World Showcase. We went to England, France, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Italy and Switzerland. The Netherlands was an option, but it was either that or Austria...and I really wanted to go to Austria. The pictures of Innsbruck and Vienna were just calling to me! One of these days, I'm going to have to use someone's pro-quality scanner to upload some of my pics into digital form. I had a film SLR back then and couldn't take limitless pics like I can in digital format. Still, I have 24 rolls of film from that trip.

Sorry no time for a long answer

Tomorrow for sure

HouCuseChickie · Feb 12, 2015

FlaggNL said:
Sorry no time for a long answer Tomorrow for sure

No rush

We're all busy and I've got nearly a whole year before this trip takes place!

HouCuseChickie · Feb 14, 2015

So...a few updates...

Skiing

I logged in to pay off what I've put down on the December/January trip so far and I noticed that I hadn't been charged for the ski trip portion. So, I went back to my confirm and it said I should have an official confirm in 24 hrs, but my records showed that I never got that secondary confirm. OK- freaking out! I emailed the reservation company, but got impatient, so I called a few hours later. The girl on the phone told me that while I booked for 2015/2016, the system defaulted to 2014/2015 and immediately canceled my reservation. She went ahead and rebooked everything and thought everything should be OK.

I check the next day and there's still no charge + I never got an official email with the formal booking confirm. I'm now freaking out and thinking...gosh, it's so much easier to book WDW...or really anything Disney! I then see I have an email response (to my initial email) from a manager with the booking firm that she's assigned my case to a specialist. OK, so that's good. I also had a voicemail (didn't hear my phone ring...MSEP is my ringtone, yet I can rarely hear it) and it was from their specialist. So, their service is looking up.

I call said specialist and he informs me that he's the official person assigned to my case and to avoid any confusion, all future communications should be with him. OK...I can handle that. He explains to me that they handle bookings for a number of ski resort areas (Mammoth, Breckenridge, Park City to name a few). I've worked with companies like this before (like when we went to Yellowstone...their company handles bookings for most of the national parks). In any event, he informs me that bookings usually revolve around when ski season opens and closes and that the next season's dates aren't usually available in the systems until the system makes that official rollover. So, it's really not that different from waiting for Disney to open up bookings in August for the next year.

Well, for skiing...I guess April 15th is the magic day to start booking for the next year. Also, most properties are homes or condos, so there's often a 5-7 day minimum. This is why I booked a hotel- to avoid issues with minimums as they are usually 3 nt minimums if anything at all. Still, the system wasn't allowing my booking to stick because of this, so he was going to have to work directly with the ski resort to see if they'd permit an early booking...and that he'd be back in touch in a day or 2. Now, he didn’t wish me a magical day or anything (why would he?)…he was very good! He apologized left and right…was very clear in his explanations…and so on and so forth. In other words, minus the panic over all of it, I felt that he was committed to getting this right, and was genuinely focused on keeping the customer happy.

Worst case scenario was a 5 day minimum since we can't do that. So I was in a panic and there was little I could do. I searched the hotel website and didn't see any mention of a minimum and I saw a few reviews on Trip Advisor with shorter trips, so that eased my mind some.

Next day rolls around and I receive an email from a new rep that I've never spoken with on any of this. The good news...it's confirming the trip is officially booked. The bad news...since this is an unrelated person (as far as I know)....it could result in a double booking. So, I call my person and leave him a message.

I get a message back from him that he delegated his processing to this girl and my trip is in fact officially booked. He apologized about 3x for having her email with the confirm reach me before he had a chance to call and confirm. He also confirmed that there was no double booking. Shortly after, I received a secondary confirm for the billing. So, now I’m just back to being nervous for doing something a little bit out of my comfort zone as far as travel booking, but the silver lining is that I have a rep and supervisor level contact at this firm in case I have any issue come up. Drama, but it sounds like any crisis has been averted.

Disneyland

Not too much new here…just thinking more and more about dining.

After looking over some menus, I’m leaning towards Ariel’s Grotto for World of Color dining. I’m just hoping this isn’t like my CRT dinner letdown. i.e. the menu looks good, but our real life experience was pretty terrible. I also think I may skip the whole Blue Bayou experience (minus riding PotC) and go with Café Orleans. It’s a bit cheaper and while they have the same Monte Cristo, they also offer a 3-cheese Monte Cristo that involves brie. In case you didn’t know…I kind of love cheese…A LOT!

Part of me would like to pre-book one other table service meal, but I’m conflicted about so many things for this one. Part of me would like to try Napa Rose, but after our November trip, I decided I really enjoy dining experiences like this much more when we’re kid free. The girls are quite good in nice restaurant settings, but they are kids and are prone to sibling rivalry issues that could compromise my enjoyment. So, that had me looking to DTD.

I know Tortilla Joe’s is very popular, but when you live in a place with a lot of top notch Tex Mex and authentic Mexican food, you tend to steer clear of Disney places. Plus southern California has so many great authentic Mexican spots that we’d be better of just hitting someplace off of Disney property if we really want anything like this. In a similar vein, Ralph Brennan’s makes no sense for us either. We have a Brennan’s in Houston, plus New Orleans is a pretty easy drive for us and I’ve been to at least one of Ralph Brennan’s restaurants in NOLA. i.e. this is nothing new for us. So, I just don’t know what to do! I guess at least dining at Disneyland isn’t like it is at WDW, so there’s not as much stress there. Funny…I’ll be booking WDW dining for the princess before booking Disneyland dining!

FLORIDA

No, not princess half Florida…August Florida! Don’t get too excited…this is not a WDW trip…at least it shouldn’t be.

We’re going to drive to FL in August to visit with family in south FL. I’m sure the girls will be going stir crazy and welcome the travel. It’s also going to be a super bare bones trip, so not much room for doing anything too crazy. Still, we have to drive by this on our way down and back…

…so crazy has entered my mind…MANY times.

I could easily pass this up when I lived in FL since WDW was such an easy thing, but now…well, it’s hard to hit this point without making that turn to the FL Turnpike. I have this CRAZY idea of making an ADR for lunch at WCC, having a small cake delivered to the meal, and then maybe taking the boat over to the Contemporary to pin trade around the monorail resorts before hitting the road again. It would be an added expense, but not horribly expensive. The bigger issue would be seeing MK and not going in…especially for the kids.

So, that’s where things stand for now. Thanks for reading!!!

Mickey81 · Feb 14, 2015

HouCuseChickie said:
So...a few updates...

Skiing

I logged in to pay off what I've put down on the December/January trip so far and I noticed that I hadn't been charged for the ski trip portion. So, I went back to my confirm and it said I should have an official confirm in 24 hrs, but my records showed that I never got that secondary confirm. OK- freaking out! I emailed the reservation company, but got impatient, so I called a few hours later. The girl on the phone told me that while I booked for 2015/2016, the system defaulted to 2014/2015 and immediately canceled my reservation. She went ahead and rebooked everything and thought everything should be OK.

I check the next day and there's still no charge + I never got an official email with the formal booking confirm. I'm now freaking out and thinking...gosh, it's so much easier to book WDW...or really anything Disney! I then see I have an email response (to my initial email) from a manager with the booking firm that she's assigned my case to a specialist. OK, so that's good. I also had a voicemail (didn't hear my phone ring...MSEP is my ringtone, yet I can rarely hear it) and it was from their specialist. So, their service is looking up.

I call said specialist and he informs me that he's the official person assigned to my case and to avoid any confusion, all future communications should be with him. OK...I can handle that. He explains to me that they handle bookings for a number of ski resort areas (Mammoth, Breckenridge, Park City to name a few). I've worked with companies like this before (like when we went to Yellowstone...their company handles bookings for most of the national parks). In any event, he informs me that bookings usually revolve around when ski season opens and closes and that the next season's dates aren't usually available in the systems until the system makes that official rollover. So, it's really not that different from waiting for Disney to open up bookings in August for the next year.

Well, for skiing...I guess April 15th is the magic day to start booking for the next year. Also, most properties are homes or condos, so there's often a 5-7 day minimum. This is why I booked a hotel- to avoid issues with minimums as they are usually 3 nt minimums if anything at all. Still, the system wasn't allowing my booking to stick because of this, so he was going to have to work directly with the ski resort to see if they'd permit an early booking...and that he'd be back in touch in a day or 2. Now, he didn’t wish me a magical day or anything (why would he?)…he was very good! He apologized left and right…was very clear in his explanations…and so on and so forth. In other words, minus the panic over all of it, I felt that he was committed to getting this right, and was genuinely focused on keeping the customer happy.

Worst case scenario was a 5 day minimum since we can't do that. So I was in a panic and there was little I could do. I searched the hotel website and didn't see any mention of a minimum and I saw a few reviews on Trip Advisor with shorter trips, so that eased my mind some.

Next day rolls around and I receive an email from a new rep that I've never spoken with on any of this. The good news...it's confirming the trip is officially booked. The bad news...since this is an unrelated person (as far as I know)....it could result in a double booking. So, I call my person and leave him a message.

I get a message back from him that he delegated his processing to this girl and my trip is in fact officially booked. He apologized about 3x for having her email with the confirm reach me before he had a chance to call and confirm. He also confirmed that there was no double booking. Shortly after, I received a secondary confirm for the billing. So, now I’m just back to being nervous for doing something a little bit out of my comfort zone as far as travel booking, but the silver lining is that I have a rep and supervisor level contact at this firm in case I have any issue come up. Drama, but it sounds like any crisis has been averted.

Disneyland

Not too much new here…just thinking more and more about dining.

After looking over some menus, I’m leaning towards Ariel’s Grotto for World of Color dining. I’m just hoping this isn’t like my CRT dinner letdown. i.e. the menu looks good, but our real life experience was pretty terrible. I also think I may skip the whole Blue Bayou experience (minus riding PotC) and go with Café Orleans. It’s a bit cheaper and while they have the same Monte Cristo, they also offer a 3-cheese Monte Cristo that involves brie. In case you didn’t know…I kind of love cheese…A LOT!

Part of me would like to pre-book one other table service meal, but I’m conflicted about so many things for this one. Part of me would like to try Napa Rose, but after our November trip, I decided I really enjoy dining experiences like this much more when we’re kid free. The girls are quite good in nice restaurant settings, but they are kids and are prone to sibling rivalry issues that could compromise my enjoyment. So, that had me looking to DTD.

I know Tortilla Joe’s is very popular, but when you live in a place with a lot of top notch Tex Mex and authentic Mexican food, you tend to steer clear of Disney places. Plus southern California has so many great authentic Mexican spots that we’d be better of just hitting someplace off of Disney property if we really want anything like this. In a similar vein, Ralph Brennan’s makes no sense for us either. We have a Brennan’s in Houston, plus New Orleans is a pretty easy drive for us and I’ve been to at least one of Ralph Brennan’s restaurants in NOLA. i.e. this is nothing new for us. So, I just don’t know what to do! I guess at least dining at Disneyland isn’t like it is at WDW, so there’s not as much stress there. Funny…I’ll be booking WDW dining for the princess before booking Disneyland dining!

FLORIDA

No, not princess half Florida…August Florida! Don’t get too excited…this is not a WDW trip…at least it shouldn’t be.

We’re going to drive to FL in August to visit with family in south FL. I’m sure the girls will be going stir crazy and welcome the travel. It’s also going to be a super bare bones trip, so not much room for doing anything too crazy. Still, we have to drive by this on our way down and back…

…so crazy has entered my mind…MANY times.

I could easily pass this up when I lived in FL since WDW was such an easy thing, but now…well, it’s hard to hit this point without making that turn to the FL Turnpike. I have this CRAZY idea of making an ADR for lunch at WCC, having a small cake delivered to the meal, and then maybe taking the boat over to the Contemporary to pin trade around the monorail resorts before hitting the road again. It would be an added expense, but not horribly expensive. The bigger issue would be seeing MK and not going in…especially for the kids.

So, that’s where things stand for now. Thanks for reading!!!

It's so hard sometimes when you put so much effort into planning something, then you have to wait to hear back from others when it's not going as planned. It can seem like forever, even if it is only a short time. I know it can be that way for me atleast. It's probably the obsessive planner in me, and it works out so well with Disney, because it enables And encourages the obsessive planner in us. You really have to be that way. I hate it when people just take a trip, don't plan anything and then blame it all in Disney. Anyway, glad to see the ski resort came through with some excellent customer service, makes it feel better that they're going to do everything they can to make it a great time, which I'm sure it will be.
I hear you on planning Disneyland dining, it's all so chaotic to me......lol. I had to step back and focus on WDW for a while, I don't want to over analyze it. Plenty of time to decide what we'll fill in with. I know what are must do's for us, and I'll figure it out from there as it gets closer.
We took a non disney trip to Florida last year in April, at first the idea seemed awful. We had a great time though, we did venice beach mostly, one day on sanibel island and a day at bush gardens. Which was okay, my daughter loves coasters so we did all those and her favorite animal is a giraffe. They had a really good experience with them and feeding them. It was our first time doing bush gardens, I actually enjoyed it a lot more then sea world. Anyway, can't wait to hear more about all your trips!

SeaweedCupcake · Feb 14, 2015

Commentating again, sorry!! We've eaten at Tortilla Jo's once and it was awful. We are from El Paso, TX so we get much better Mexican food. Also the service was pretty terrible. Cafe Orleans was really good and I think the food was better than at Blue Bayou even though the experience at Blue Bayou is much better. I know you hadn't mentioned this but the Big Thunder Ranch Barbecue is really good and it's good for little kids. Love reading how this trip is evolving!

HouCuseChickie · Feb 15, 2015

Mickey81 said:
It's so hard sometimes when you put so much effort into planning something, then you have to wait to hear back from others when it's not going as planned. It can seem like forever, even if it is only a short time. I know it can be that way for me atleast. It's probably the obsessive planner in me, and it works out so well with Disney, because it enables And encourages the obsessive planner in us. You really have to be that way. I hate it when people just take a trip, don't plan anything and then blame it all in Disney. Anyway, glad to see the ski resort came through with some excellent customer service, makes it feel better that they're going to do everything they can to make it a great time, which I'm sure it will be.
I hear you on planning Disneyland dining, it's all so chaotic to me......lol. I had to step back and focus on WDW for a while, I don't want to over analyze it. Plenty of time to decide what we'll fill in with. I know what are must do's for us, and I'll figure it out from there as it gets closer.
We took a non disney trip to Florida last year in April, at first the idea seemed awful. We had a great time though, we did venice beach mostly, one day on sanibel island and a day at bush gardens. Which was okay, my daughter loves coasters so we did all those and her favorite animal is a giraffe. They had a really good experience with them and feeding them. It was our first time doing bush gardens, I actually enjoyed it a lot more then sea world. Anyway, can't wait to hear more about all your trips!

I used to handle it better when we were going through our Disney hiatus. It's definitely the obsessive planner aspect and may a blend of comfort knowing how most things work with booking/planning WDW. In some ways, while frustrating at times, it's actually a bit exhilarating to be dealing with the nuances of different kinds of travel.

Back in the 80s, when we went on our first trip to WDW, my dad insisted we spend time doing things beyond WDW. While in the Orlando area, that was Sea World and Kennedy Space Center; however, we spent half of that first trip in Sanibel. I was blown away!!! My parents would eventually move to FL and still live there, so I've been lucky enough to experience a lot of FL beyond WDW (the good and the bad). I went to Busch Gardens a couple of times when my parents lived in the Tampa/St. Pete area...and it was fun. They're now Ft. Lauderdale/Miami area...so that's a whole different experience. I'm tempted to wing it and drive down towards Key Largo and/or Islamorada one day. Assuming we take 75 to Alligator Alley...we may even pop by Sanibel and Captiva vs. hitting that I4/FL Tpk area for WDW. And the funny thing is...while the girls might be upset when we pass the Orlando turn off without stopping...and I think they'll be good with it once they see some of the other things FL has to offer.

SeaweedCupcake said:
Commentating again, sorry!! We've eaten at Tortilla Jo's once and it was awful. We are from El Paso, TX so we get much better Mexican food. Also the service was pretty terrible. Cafe Orleans was really good and I think the food was better than at Blue Bayou even though the experience at Blue Bayou is much better. I know you hadn't mentioned this but the Big Thunder Ranch Barbecue is really good and it's good for little kids. Love reading how this trip is evolving!

We're Houston area...so, basically the other side of the state

And now I'm not feeling so bad about nixing Tortilla Joe's from our consideration list. I have this feeling that the kids will really like the atmosphere of Blue Bayou...which could make it worth it. I may just book both BB and CO and make a closer to game time decision to do just one or both. Funny you bring up Big Thunder Ranch...I was just reading about it the other day and had it on my list of things to research. Good call!

Thanks for reading!

FlaggNL · Feb 16, 2015

HouCuseChickie said:
No rush We're all busy and I've got nearly a whole year before this trip takes place!

Today I have time

So off course I will reply!

FlaggNL · Feb 16, 2015

HouCuseChickie said:
Yeah- I mean, it's not an awful story, but it makes me cringe. That's pretty much what's going on here. District/school funding is directly tied to attendance and testing scores, so they made sure the laws work in their favor to keep funding high. I know some people talk good games about fighting the system and refusing to allow this with their children, but aside from homeschooling, I really see no other way but to comply and hope there won't be any issues if you overdo it by a day or two. I wish I could go - really anywhere - in October. I took a new job about this time last year and our busy time is October. I once had visions of a fall foliage trip with my kids, but I don't see that happening any time soon. Oh well...that's life! Sorry, poor wording on my part. DH and I spent about 3 weeks in Europe back in 2000. We both have some European roots, but we're both from the states. As for Europe... We'd both always wanted to go, didn't have kids at the time, and got an added boost of inspiration from WDWs World Showcase. We went to England, France, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Italy and Switzerland. The Netherlands was an option, but it was either that or Austria...and I really wanted to go to Austria. The pictures of Innsbruck and Vienna were just calling to me! One of these days, I'm going to have to use someone's pro-quality scanner to upload some of my pics into digital form. I had a film SLR back then and couldn't take limitless pics like I can in digital format. Still, I have 24 rolls of film from that trip.

You keep on comming back on the German issue so it keeps me curious

Well the thing about school and skipping school for a couple of days or a week or so... I can tell a lot about how it works and how a whole group of people knows their way how to use the rules in their favor... but when I do that people consider that discrimination so let's keep it with the fact that we live by the rules and teach Sacha how to live by the rules so not many skipping from school

I am lucky that our busy time here at work is mostly the from December until February with the year and closing. And I am lucky to work with a group of colleagues that can fill in for me when I am gone for 3 weeks in October and although the trip to WDW costs a lot of Energy I am totally loaded for the busiest period of time. Thanks for the Europe explenation

Pooh'sBuddy · Feb 19, 2015

I am so excited to see that you're heading out West, and good luck with your training!

HouCuseChickie · Feb 20, 2015

FlaggNL said:
You keep on comming back on the German issue so it keeps me curious Well the thing about school and skipping school for a couple of days or a week or so... I can tell a lot about how it works and how a whole group of people knows their way how to use the rules in their favor... but when I do that people consider that discrimination so let's keep it with the fact that we live by the rules and teach Sacha how to live by the rules so not many skipping from school

I am lucky that our busy time here at work is mostly the from December until February with the year and closing. And I am lucky to work with a group of colleagues that can fill in for me when I am gone for 3 weeks in October and although the trip to WDW costs a lot of Energy I am totally loaded for the busiest period of time. Thanks for the Europe explenation

Sorry, I went to reply to this...got caught up in something and next thing you know...it's days and days later.

Yup- living by the rules seems to be the easiest thing to do. I mean, it is their education after all, so you can't be too bitter when saying that either.

We have territories that have governmental due dates (most very similar dates), so we're all swamped with work for our respective territories at the same time. We do fill in for each other outside of this time for certain things, but October is 100% blacked out. Still, I can't complain too much...I mean, I have a job and there's a lot to learn, so that's always a good thing.

Pooh'sBuddy said:
I am so excited to see that you're heading out West, and good luck with your training!

Thanks! It should definitely be fun and something a bit different. Who knows...if I keep this up, I may start looking at other TX races. I was thinking there had to be some interesting ones in Austin and San Antonio.

HouCuseChickie · Feb 20, 2015

Minor Update

It should come as no surprise that getting a Disney Dooney for the Princess Half was a higher priority for me. I thought runners had the option to pre-order the bags, but it turns out that's not usually the case and the production numbers are shockingly low considering just the number of runners. The 2015 Princess Half Expo opened up yesterday and the bags went FAST! I think totes and crossbodies were gone by late morning and wristlets by early afternoon. Supposedly, it was only a total of 2000 bags, which is absurd when there are usually over 30,000 runners among all of the races.

My original plan was to fly in on Friday and depart Monday, but I may need to consider flying in on Wednesday if I want a bag OR paying someone to buy one for me...since 2 extra nights of WDW lodging and food is a big deal for the budget. While I'm sure things are hardly bare, many made it sound like a lot of the really good things were heavily picked over by today. The Expo is part of the fun...so, I just don't know.

The sad thing, I usually like the bags for the Tink half the best, followed by the marathon weekend bags. I'm not a pink and purple kind of person, so I rarely like the princess half bags. Still, it would be nice to have a DDB to commemorate the trip/race...especially if I get swept and don't get a finisher's medal.

At least I have time to make this decision.

Pooh'sBuddy · Feb 20, 2015

HouCuseChickie said:
Thanks! It should definitely be fun and something a bit different. Who knows...if I keep this up, I may start looking at other TX races. I was thinking there had to be some interesting ones in Austin and San Antonio.

"Interesting" and "Austin" are pretty synonymous. I'd come out to cheer you on!

Pooh'sBuddy · Feb 20, 2015

HouCuseChickie said:
Minor Update

It should come as no surprise that getting a Disney Dooney for the Princess Half was a higher priority for me. I thought runners had the option to pre-order the bags, but it turns out that's not usually the case and the production numbers are shockingly low considering just the number of runners. The 2015 Princess Half Expo opened up yesterday and the bags went FAST! I think totes and crossbodies were gone by late morning and wristlets by early afternoon. Supposedly, it was only a total of 2000 bags, which is absurd when there are usually over 30,000 runners among all of the races.

My original plan was to fly in on Friday and depart Monday, but I may need to consider flying in on Wednesday if I want a bag OR paying someone to buy one for me...since 2 extra nights of WDW lodging and food is a big deal for the budget. While I'm sure things are hardly bare, many made it sound like a lot of the really good things were heavily picked over by today. The Expo is part of the fun...so, I just don't know.

The sad thing, I usually like the bags for the Tink half the best, followed by the marathon weekend bags. I'm not a pink and purple kind of person, so I rarely like the princess half bags. Still, it would be nice to have a DDB to commemorate the trip/race...especially if I get swept and don't get a finisher's medal.

At least I have time to make this decision.

Keep in mind that DLR should offer a 60th anniversary line if this is any consolation. I'm hoping for one.

HouCuseChickie · Feb 21, 2015

Pooh'sBuddy said:
"Interesting" and "Austin" are pretty synonymous. I'd come out to cheer you on!

Pooh'sBuddy said:
Keep in mind that DLR should offer a 60th anniversary line if this is any consolation. I'm hoping for one.

Well, ya know...Keep Austin Weird

I'll let you know if I ever wind up out that way for a race.

Oh, I know...assuming I like the bag (and all of the pattern rumors sound promising), I will go out of my way to get that one! I'm just so picky about the patterns. I see so many people with collections with every pattern ever made, but I really only like about 25-30% of the patterns produced. I feel like a freak because I don't like this year's princess bag or the Haunted Mansion bags. Oh well.