Trip Report "It's for work, I swear!"

When I have my students complete identification questions, I always make them give me the who, what, when, where, and why of the word. So that's what I’m going to give you.

Who: Myself and @lostpro9het

What: Another trip to Disney

When: March 19 – 23

Where: Pop Century

Why: Here's perhaps the most important bit of info. It's not for fun trip (yes it is). It's for work, I swear! Sean has a conference. He cannot go to Orlando without me. He just can't.

The seeds of this trip were planted around October of last year. Sean mentioned a big IT conference and said he probably wouldn't go. Fast forward to a few months ago and he's decided he's going.

First things first...I book airfare via SouthWest. Let me tell you now. I HATE FLYING. I'm convinced we are all going to die. I've been reading a book to learn strategies to help with this, so we (and you) will see how it goes.

I had to do some research regarding the Orlando Convention Center, conference hotels (not a Disney one in sight – boo), and all the costs associated with the trip. We were trying to find a hotel that fit the following qualifications: remained within the per diem, free transport to Disney or Disney Springs OR within walking distance of DS. Guess what? None of those fit.

We chose Cabana Bay Resort at Universal. I had resigned myself to the possibility of not visiting WDW. Sacrilege, I say. I wouldn't have minded staying there, but if there's a Disney alternative, I'm taking it. Fast forward to today. We were trying to arrange a shuttle to/from the airport. It was approx. $70 RT for the both of us and we'd be at the mercy of Mears. I then looked up rental car prices. They weren't bad, plus we wouldn't be reliant on the shuttle AND we could visit Disney AND have all of our Disney food choices. This is really what we wanted.

I crunched the numbers.

Cabana Bay was almost $900, plus $12 for parking.

Pop Century WITH a rental car was $793. No brainer. I canceled Cabana Bay asap and booked Pop with a car rental.

Everything (except my FP selections) have been planned.

What can you expect on this trip:
  • Me flying – yikes. I'm not as nervous as I usually am about flying, so I take that as a good sign.
  • Me driving in Orlando. - I'm taking Sean to/from the convention center. Parking is $15/day (unless someone knows something I don't), so that's not even an option.
  • Me solo at the parks – I'm going to ride some rides solo and get some character photos.
We're super-excited that we will be at Disney 2-ish weeks.
 

gdisneyfans

Well-Known Member
2nd flight done

This flight was better than the 1st because I knew what to expect. I'd read a lot of negative comments about Southwest. Someone sitting behind us on the flight said boarding was complete chaos. I disagree. It was orderly and quick. You can't beat free bags, snacks, and drinks. Plus, I rebooked this flight so many times because the price kept decreasing with no fees. No issues at all. I recommend Southwest if you've never tried them. I don't mind not being able to choose my seat.

Solo at WDW is a different experience. It felt odd at times, but for the most part I just took in my surrounding and enjoyed the parks.
Glad to hear your flights went smooth for you and the book was helpful! We've done Southwest before and never had any problems with them either. Sounds like you had a pretty good trip despite not feeling well for a while.
 

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