Important note: First post edited 7/13/17 to make this odyssey easier to follow!
The reason is I started this pre-trip report over a year ago to help plan our most important trip ever (so far) our 10 year wedding anniversary trip.
However, we have AP's, and we took many short "side-trips" along the way. Rather than creating so many Trip Report threads and looking like a total egomaniac, I just added those mini-TR's into this same thread.
People have said it was hard to follow (I can see that.) Someone suggested putting a "table of contents" in the beginning. So that's what I'm doing. Then you can skip to the pages with the other trip reports, or just read the ones pertaining to "the big one" coming up in early September, 2017.
I will post that trip report separately when it finally happens, but will of course link to it here.
Speaking of linking here, here's a little background. This old post details our vow renewals a few years ago, for a very specific reason. If you haven't read my other trip reports or interacted with me very much on the boards, it kind of sets the stage for what's to come. Here's that link:
http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/...orporate-disney-into-your-vow-renewal.903761/
What follows is the original first post (from 2/11/16) of this long, long thread. At the end of it, I'll put the table of contents to guide you through the rest of the thread.
I am sitting here in a hotel in Tampa, just an hour away from "home." And I'm thinking about it LOL. Oh, am I thinking about it.
When I'm "home home" - in Fort Lauderdale, I never have time to do more than some quick posts because I am always busy with work.
This is going to be a long-@ss pre-trip report.
Not necessarily this first post, but the report as a whole - by necessity, since the trip isn't until early September 2017. And I know I can use some help and advice in putting this all together - it's a very special trip - and have already begun organizing my thoughts based on discussions on this forum.
The basic premise is this: We are going to spend our 10-year wedding anniversary celebration at WDW, with the centerpiece of that trip to be the biggest dinner we can afford at Victoria & Albert's (hopefully the chef's table.) One of the things we enjoy most about Disney in our forties are the amazing meals at places like the Flying Fish Cafe and the Yachtsman's Steakhouse. I expect this meal will be at least as mind-blowing, but probably more.
The catch is - it costs a freaking fortune (at least to us.) I'm estimating something like $600 to $800 when all is said and done(?) And there is no way I could justify spending that much money on one meal.
Except...we have the Disney Chase Visa card, and have come to rely on this for our last several trips. This has opened doors to new experiences that we couldn't afford before. Instead of getting a 4-day ticket, we started getting AP's. Instead of staying off property, we started staying at Disney Moderates. And loved it!
And - we have a year off (sort of) to save up for this magical trip and important celebration. For the last several years, we've been getting the Florida Resident Weekday Select Annual Pass every other year, never two years in a row. I think it's good to go away and miss it for awhile, especially with all the work being done. Stay away for a year and come back to lots of little surprises. (Like those metal detectors! Ha!) They're fine. Anyway, that's the responsible side of me to say we shouldn't spend that much money every year. (We really shouldn't.)
But the advantage of that in this case is to amass Disney Chase Visa card points for months on end (sort of.) We used up all the rest of our points on our last short trip in January of 2016. But then at the end of the month, we earned more money. It's just sitting there...LOL.
Well, I made a deal with myself - if I can save up that $700 or $800 just in Chase points, then I can justify booking that meal at Victoria & Albert's. So that is the first goal. I know somebody will tell me when is the first day I can book it, and I will make a note on my phone so I don't forget LOL.
Based on January rewards being $146.50, I'm thinking this should be cake. (Mmm...cake...)
I'm not saving up for this September, but next September 2017. Total cake, right?!
Then we have to figure out where to stay. I'd like it to be our first Deluxe (possibly on the special floor with the extra goodies) and probably our first DVC rental. DVC Upside - real cost is less. Downside - can't pay for it with Disney Chase dollars LOL. That is funny, but it is a real consideration.
There's the obvious choice - to stay in the Grand Floridian to be where Victoria & Albert's is.
I don't know if that would be my favorite place in general.
I think my favorite place might be the Polynesian - I like the food & the vibe - and the walking into MK. I think that's a must on this trip - have to be able to walk to somewhere. That would include all of the Boardwalk area properties, which are fine with me as well.
Or AK with the Savannah view.
Then there's the corny and sentimental way - 10 years ago, our honeymoon was to Key West. They have a Key West DVC hotel. We love Olivia's. Somehow it doesn't seem big deal enough or have something special like a footpath to MK lol.
At the very least, a monorail resort, even if not walking distance, would be preferred.
Then we have to figure out whether or not to bring the dog or leave her home, drive or fly, diet for 6 months for the pictures LOL. Maybe this one and only trip would be worth memory maker?
I want to really blow it out - something we will never forget. Go for the upgrades. Pick the right tour or tours. So much to discuss!!
I will end each post in this saga like the parodied "2 Broke Girls" TV show, with the dollar amount of whatever they have left or have made at the end of the show, so you can see where they are in their goal.
So for example, tonight's would be:
$146.50
I'll add in any WDW Gift Cards I might buy or receive in the next year as part of what's saved up for that trip. My free BJ's trial period just expired, so I won't be getting any discounted GC's from them.
Now - the potential issue: there is no way we are not going to go to Disney in some way until September of 2017. We are toying with skipping our usual January or April trip in order to go full-on crazy in September.
But we are also toying with things like my dilemma as I sit here in this hotel with all this time to type. We're less than an hour away. I told this story in more detail at the end of my last trip report thread, so I'll just make it very short: Brian is working in Tampa from the end of January until the middle of February (over three weeks.) Yesterday I packed up our pup and drove up to visit, with our Valentine's Day gifts in tow (mostly specialty sugar-free chocolate dipped pretzels potato chips, oreos, plus peppermint bark, etc. We know we won't see each other for Valentine's Day, so basically tomorrow is it, unless I stay until Saturday morning.
Since no WDW trip was planned, I did not bring either my Tables In Wonderland card, or my Chase rewards gift card. But I called, and confirmed I could go to Guest Services and get another gift card (which of course can be loaded automatically.) There's a nice lunch reservation open. There's a spot for the pup at Best Friends Pet Care for 1/2 day care.
On the one hand - this would be something like a 45 minute to 1 hour drive for Brian from 12:30 to 1:30 to go to a special Disney lunch at 1:50, hang out for a bit, and then drive back 45 minutes to an hour to go to work by 4PM until 4AM. (I would have my own car, spend more money buying Disney records for my record store after lunch, go pick up the dog, and drive home to Fort Lauderdale.)
The other option is to drop the pup off at Petco in Tampa for a shampoo, and then hurry to whatever local restaurant is near that Petco, and meh.
Who would ever forget picking up and driving to WDW just for lunch for Valentine's Day (early) There's a fun story to remember when we're in our 60's LOL.
But it would already deplete our current total towards our V&A goal:
$146.50
OK, that was the first post of this whole thing. Now here comes the table of contents. Separate trip reports will be listed in bold. Regular stuff won't.
Posts 1-11 planning.
Posts 12-18: "The Blip Report" - a spur of the moment, one day drive over to the Yacht Club for Valentine's Day lunch at Captain's Grille (with dog.)
Posts 19-70 planning.
Posts 71-199 (page 4) pre-trip (back pain) & TR for 3-day quickie in September 2016 for Food & Wine (no dog, meeting Tuvalu, car trouble LOL) (skip it if you're only in for the anniversary trip!)
Posts 200-210 stuff. (starts bottom of page 10)
Posts 211-258-ish (begins page 11) "micro-trip" - had to go back up to get our car, might as well visit the Mouse!
Posts 258-ish to 276 planning.
Posts 277-283 (page 14) Pre-trip for almost Christmas at Saratoga Springs
Posts 284-331 planning, chit-chat, Thanksgiving
Posts 332-380 (page 17) That almost Christmas trip at Saratoga Springs
Posts 381-392 (Page 20) mostly chit-chat
Posts 393-561 (starts on page 20) (Several short trips back and forth since Brian had sporadic work in Orlando - all with dog!) Including Flower & Garden, Tiffins, more Tiffins, Valentine's Day again, RoL, and to confuse things, somwhere around #522 I'm at WDW but also planning the September 2017 trip (it was the 180 day mark for ADR's!)
Posts 562-569 chit chat
Posts 570-605 (page 29) - omg another quickie trip, Paddlefish
Posts 606-614 chit chat
Posts 615-657 (page 31) omg another trip - Wishes at Cali Grill (our last time seeing it)
Posts 658-694 chit chat, Record Store Day, Nashville
Posts 695- serious September planning!!
The reason is I started this pre-trip report over a year ago to help plan our most important trip ever (so far) our 10 year wedding anniversary trip.
However, we have AP's, and we took many short "side-trips" along the way. Rather than creating so many Trip Report threads and looking like a total egomaniac, I just added those mini-TR's into this same thread.
People have said it was hard to follow (I can see that.) Someone suggested putting a "table of contents" in the beginning. So that's what I'm doing. Then you can skip to the pages with the other trip reports, or just read the ones pertaining to "the big one" coming up in early September, 2017.
I will post that trip report separately when it finally happens, but will of course link to it here.
Speaking of linking here, here's a little background. This old post details our vow renewals a few years ago, for a very specific reason. If you haven't read my other trip reports or interacted with me very much on the boards, it kind of sets the stage for what's to come. Here's that link:
http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/...orporate-disney-into-your-vow-renewal.903761/
What follows is the original first post (from 2/11/16) of this long, long thread. At the end of it, I'll put the table of contents to guide you through the rest of the thread.
I am sitting here in a hotel in Tampa, just an hour away from "home." And I'm thinking about it LOL. Oh, am I thinking about it.
When I'm "home home" - in Fort Lauderdale, I never have time to do more than some quick posts because I am always busy with work.
This is going to be a long-@ss pre-trip report.
Not necessarily this first post, but the report as a whole - by necessity, since the trip isn't until early September 2017. And I know I can use some help and advice in putting this all together - it's a very special trip - and have already begun organizing my thoughts based on discussions on this forum.
The basic premise is this: We are going to spend our 10-year wedding anniversary celebration at WDW, with the centerpiece of that trip to be the biggest dinner we can afford at Victoria & Albert's (hopefully the chef's table.) One of the things we enjoy most about Disney in our forties are the amazing meals at places like the Flying Fish Cafe and the Yachtsman's Steakhouse. I expect this meal will be at least as mind-blowing, but probably more.
The catch is - it costs a freaking fortune (at least to us.) I'm estimating something like $600 to $800 when all is said and done(?) And there is no way I could justify spending that much money on one meal.
Except...we have the Disney Chase Visa card, and have come to rely on this for our last several trips. This has opened doors to new experiences that we couldn't afford before. Instead of getting a 4-day ticket, we started getting AP's. Instead of staying off property, we started staying at Disney Moderates. And loved it!
And - we have a year off (sort of) to save up for this magical trip and important celebration. For the last several years, we've been getting the Florida Resident Weekday Select Annual Pass every other year, never two years in a row. I think it's good to go away and miss it for awhile, especially with all the work being done. Stay away for a year and come back to lots of little surprises. (Like those metal detectors! Ha!) They're fine. Anyway, that's the responsible side of me to say we shouldn't spend that much money every year. (We really shouldn't.)
But the advantage of that in this case is to amass Disney Chase Visa card points for months on end (sort of.) We used up all the rest of our points on our last short trip in January of 2016. But then at the end of the month, we earned more money. It's just sitting there...LOL.
Well, I made a deal with myself - if I can save up that $700 or $800 just in Chase points, then I can justify booking that meal at Victoria & Albert's. So that is the first goal. I know somebody will tell me when is the first day I can book it, and I will make a note on my phone so I don't forget LOL.
Based on January rewards being $146.50, I'm thinking this should be cake. (Mmm...cake...)
I'm not saving up for this September, but next September 2017. Total cake, right?!
Then we have to figure out where to stay. I'd like it to be our first Deluxe (possibly on the special floor with the extra goodies) and probably our first DVC rental. DVC Upside - real cost is less. Downside - can't pay for it with Disney Chase dollars LOL. That is funny, but it is a real consideration.
There's the obvious choice - to stay in the Grand Floridian to be where Victoria & Albert's is.
I don't know if that would be my favorite place in general.
I think my favorite place might be the Polynesian - I like the food & the vibe - and the walking into MK. I think that's a must on this trip - have to be able to walk to somewhere. That would include all of the Boardwalk area properties, which are fine with me as well.
Or AK with the Savannah view.
Then there's the corny and sentimental way - 10 years ago, our honeymoon was to Key West. They have a Key West DVC hotel. We love Olivia's. Somehow it doesn't seem big deal enough or have something special like a footpath to MK lol.
At the very least, a monorail resort, even if not walking distance, would be preferred.
Then we have to figure out whether or not to bring the dog or leave her home, drive or fly, diet for 6 months for the pictures LOL. Maybe this one and only trip would be worth memory maker?
I want to really blow it out - something we will never forget. Go for the upgrades. Pick the right tour or tours. So much to discuss!!
I will end each post in this saga like the parodied "2 Broke Girls" TV show, with the dollar amount of whatever they have left or have made at the end of the show, so you can see where they are in their goal.
So for example, tonight's would be:
$146.50
I'll add in any WDW Gift Cards I might buy or receive in the next year as part of what's saved up for that trip. My free BJ's trial period just expired, so I won't be getting any discounted GC's from them.
Now - the potential issue: there is no way we are not going to go to Disney in some way until September of 2017. We are toying with skipping our usual January or April trip in order to go full-on crazy in September.
But we are also toying with things like my dilemma as I sit here in this hotel with all this time to type. We're less than an hour away. I told this story in more detail at the end of my last trip report thread, so I'll just make it very short: Brian is working in Tampa from the end of January until the middle of February (over three weeks.) Yesterday I packed up our pup and drove up to visit, with our Valentine's Day gifts in tow (mostly specialty sugar-free chocolate dipped pretzels potato chips, oreos, plus peppermint bark, etc. We know we won't see each other for Valentine's Day, so basically tomorrow is it, unless I stay until Saturday morning.
Since no WDW trip was planned, I did not bring either my Tables In Wonderland card, or my Chase rewards gift card. But I called, and confirmed I could go to Guest Services and get another gift card (which of course can be loaded automatically.) There's a nice lunch reservation open. There's a spot for the pup at Best Friends Pet Care for 1/2 day care.
On the one hand - this would be something like a 45 minute to 1 hour drive for Brian from 12:30 to 1:30 to go to a special Disney lunch at 1:50, hang out for a bit, and then drive back 45 minutes to an hour to go to work by 4PM until 4AM. (I would have my own car, spend more money buying Disney records for my record store after lunch, go pick up the dog, and drive home to Fort Lauderdale.)
The other option is to drop the pup off at Petco in Tampa for a shampoo, and then hurry to whatever local restaurant is near that Petco, and meh.
Who would ever forget picking up and driving to WDW just for lunch for Valentine's Day (early) There's a fun story to remember when we're in our 60's LOL.
But it would already deplete our current total towards our V&A goal:
$146.50
OK, that was the first post of this whole thing. Now here comes the table of contents. Separate trip reports will be listed in bold. Regular stuff won't.
Posts 1-11 planning.
Posts 12-18: "The Blip Report" - a spur of the moment, one day drive over to the Yacht Club for Valentine's Day lunch at Captain's Grille (with dog.)
Posts 19-70 planning.
Posts 71-199 (page 4) pre-trip (back pain) & TR for 3-day quickie in September 2016 for Food & Wine (no dog, meeting Tuvalu, car trouble LOL) (skip it if you're only in for the anniversary trip!)
Posts 200-210 stuff. (starts bottom of page 10)
Posts 211-258-ish (begins page 11) "micro-trip" - had to go back up to get our car, might as well visit the Mouse!
Posts 258-ish to 276 planning.
Posts 277-283 (page 14) Pre-trip for almost Christmas at Saratoga Springs
Posts 284-331 planning, chit-chat, Thanksgiving
Posts 332-380 (page 17) That almost Christmas trip at Saratoga Springs
Posts 381-392 (Page 20) mostly chit-chat
Posts 393-561 (starts on page 20) (Several short trips back and forth since Brian had sporadic work in Orlando - all with dog!) Including Flower & Garden, Tiffins, more Tiffins, Valentine's Day again, RoL, and to confuse things, somwhere around #522 I'm at WDW but also planning the September 2017 trip (it was the 180 day mark for ADR's!)
Posts 562-569 chit chat
Posts 570-605 (page 29) - omg another quickie trip, Paddlefish
Posts 606-614 chit chat
Posts 615-657 (page 31) omg another trip - Wishes at Cali Grill (our last time seeing it)
Posts 658-694 chit chat, Record Store Day, Nashville
Posts 695- serious September planning!!
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(My dog, Jack, is part lab, part Chow.) Yah, it's too bad you can't take her on property. I'd bet that if even one of the "value" resorts had one building that pets would be welcome, they'd probably get quite a few customers. But, I also suppose that Disney would never do this, because I can only imagine that some people would just leave the dog (or other pet) in the room all day while they went to the parks, and that would pose a safety issue for the housekeepers.
He's a lot better looking in person--it's just the camera that traumatized him! 
