Pre-Trip Booked yesterday - only 33 days to wait

Hi there

I had to do my first pre trip just to share the news that I am going to Disney and as the title suggests I have to wait just 33 days!

The countdown that was at 274 days is still there but this one has jumped in front!

So how did this happen? Good question!

So my news years resolution was to go for a walk during my lunch hour for any days I worked at home - I never take a lunch hour so this in itself would be a challenge and I’m still trying to get rid of the weight I gain while in Disney in November so walking seemed a good option to clear my head and get some exercise.

So I asked Chris if he fancied a walk and yes he did so off we go..........

The holiday year at work starts on 1st April and runs to the end of March and I still had days to take but where to go?

So the conversation goes

Chris (will be C for future parts of the conversation) - so what do you fancy doing?
Me “I don’t really want to get on a plane I’ll be happy with a log cabin near a forest so we can do some walks”
C - “I fancy some sun”
Me “so what are your thought?”
C - “Mexico, Caribbean, Canaries”
Me- “we’ll lets see how much they are but that’s getting in a plane and I fancy just getting in a car and going somewhere”
C - “we could always go to Disney!”

Well right there and then I knew why I had married this man! His love of Disney has grown over the years - he’ll never be at my level but trust me he is getting there! Had he really just suggested WDW?

With a massive grin on my face I looked back at him and said

“We only went in November, we’re already booked for Nov 2018 I think it will be too expensive - are you serious? I didn’t wait for the reply - I tell you after that conversation the whole walk sped up so we could get home and check out prices.


Once home prices were checked - nothing seemed reasonable, Mexico was checked along with loads of other things

A day or 2 went by nothing sorted, no decision made, still discussing options - Then one night I was watching TV and a voice out of the study says

“How about Disney for £1400 each

My reply - do we have to walk there? What does that include? Bet those flights aren’t direct.

C- “hotel, direct flight and park tickets - it’s not Riverside though - is All star sports


- those of you who have read my TR in the last will know I’ve been to Disney 21 times (all Nov trips except in May 1998) and always at Riverside but this would mean I could go to Disney again albeit not in my beloved Riverside.

I did hesitate at this point and I turned to my WDW friends and posted in the trip planning forum around crowd levels for March and they told me what I already knew - that I wanted to go! Bite the bullet, ignore the crowds, better a busy day in Disney than anywhere else!
Did I need them to tell me. Probably not but as we couldn’t make the decision I knew my friends would - thank you.

So fast forward to last night - checked the price again - moved it forward a week and the price was cheaper - so booked it
total £2620 for a direct flight with Virgin, 14 day lark ticket and 10 night in All Star Sports. RESULT

November we have 14 nights hotel and park tickets at POR for £3458 and I don’t have a flight yet! Which will probably add another £1000

i am treating this whole trip as a bonus - we haven’t got our ticket reference number yet to do any fast passes so let’s see what happens - I’m hoping as we’re 33 days out at least the offsite guests won’t have booked anything yet

I can’t believe that I am going again - is this a dream?
In just 33 days I’ll be back home! We leave on 12th March!

You just got to love this man!
He is my Prince Charming

I had 2 things that I’d like to see and do in Disney

One was flower and garden - I love gardening and can’t wait to see everything
And the second is a not so scary Halloween party -

So if any of you have any tips for March, things to do, weather then please let me know

I am literally beyond excited and had to share with those who’ll understand.

 

[Longers]

we have 218 days to WDW then on to Key West for some Rest.

I still have a countdown on 271 too - but the weeks are just flying past at the minute so I’m sure it will be here before you know it.

 

[Longers]

I will try and update my report tonight so you have more to get excited about LOL

And I haven’t seen any Flower and Garden merchandise just yet but if they have ears I need them!!!!!!! I will pay you!!!

You can never have enough time in DISNEY

Yay! And if you keep the Disney comments/films/references going maybe Joe will soon come round to it like Chris has done - this trip really wouldn’t be happening if it wasn’t for him - I’m so lucky!

And keep me posted on the ear front as I will certainly pick some up for you if there is anything you like!

 

[Longers]

All fast passes have been booked

Like I said in an earlier post there were no FOP and to be honest I wasn’t too worried about what we did get - that was really the only 1 I would have liked.

I have got 4 BTMRR though

I’ll keep looking for a FOP but don’t hold out much luck I just wish you could type in a ride name and it showed you options for the whole of your trip - maybe something for Disney to think about!

I’m also not too worried if we do miss any FP and head somewhere else I am really just going to see where this trip takes us and adjust as I’m there

All I know for certain is that on our first day in the park 13th March I will be in Magic Kingdom with the biggest grin on my face!

 

[prfctlyximprct]

Yay! And if you keep the Disney comments/films/references going maybe Joe will soon come round to it like Chris has done - this trip really wouldn’t be happening if it wasn’t for him - I’m so lucky!

And keep me posted on the ear front as I will certainly pick some up for you if there is anything you like!

I will for sure! Will start stalking the Disney parks blog for merchandise! I wish upon every star they have the same ears as last year!

 

[Longers]

Just booked our car park and hotel for the night before our flight

The hotel was £36 no refunds but there’s no reason why I’d need to cancel - I am getting in that flight no matter what. It’s the Premier InN that we like to stay in, nice and quiet with free parking and a pub next door very local to the airport.

The car park is on site at Gatwick airport and cost us £56 - now the flight leaves from the North terminal but the cost for the same dates and times at the North terminal was £78 - why so different? I have no clue and just think that’s a rip off . So we’re going to park in the South car park and will get the free shuttle over to the North terminal - I don’t normally look but as we are trying to do this without spending too much I did check both.

the only reason we can think of the difference in prices is maybe the shuttle bus travels further from the North terminal car park to the terminal so the petrol costs more - our thought process is that we think even with a transfer we can get there in about the same amount of time no matter which one we parked in - so we’re taking the cheapest option!

More money to spend on ice cream! Yum how I could eat one of these right now!

 

[Longers]

Great news - I just logged onto my Disney experience and look what happened!

FOP - so so happy!

 

[riverside]

Great news - I just logged onto my Disney experience and look what happened!

FOP - so so happy!

View attachment 262793

That's awesome!! My sister is going in a few weeks & I pretty much did all her plans for her & I couldn't get FOP. I faithfully check every day to see if something opens up. This gives me hope & the fact that I was able to score one once 5 days before a trip!!

 

[Longers]

That's awesome!! My sister is going in a few weeks & I pretty much did all her plans for her & I couldn't get FOP. I faithfully check every day to see if something opens up. This gives me hope & the fact that I was able to score one once 5 days before a trip!!

I wasnt even logging in to check so I’m not sure why I looked! But so happy it was obviously just meant to be

I checked it twice too as I though maybe I had done something wrong.

I will keep my fingers crossed that you can get something for your sister - it proves you shouldn’t give up hope.

 

[becca_]

WOOHOO!!! I'm so glad you're going AND you got a FOP FP!!! I'll be on the lookout for you!

You're going HOME!

 

[Longers]

WOOHOO!!! I'm so glad you're going AND you got a FOP FP!!! I'll be on the lookout for you!

You're going HOME!

I know well chuffed with that one - I’ll look for you too - have a fun time

 

[prfctlyximprct]

Wow the Disney magic is sure flowing your way!!! So happy you snagged FOP! It’s meant to be

 

[clarabellej]

Hi there

I had to do my first pre trip just to share the news that I am going to Disney and as the title suggests I have to wait just 33 days!

The countdown that was at 274 days is still there but this one has jumped in front!

View attachment 262211


So how did this happen? Good question!

So my news years resolution was to go for a walk during my lunch hour for any days I worked at home - I never take a lunch hour so this in itself would be a challenge and I’m still trying to get rid of the weight I gain while in Disney in November so walking seemed a good option to clear my head and get some exercise.

So I asked Chris if he fancied a walk and yes he did so off we go..........

The holiday year at work starts on 1st April and runs to the end of March and I still had days to take but where to go?

So the conversation goes

Chris (will be C for future parts of the conversation) - so what do you fancy doing?
Me “I don’t really want to get on a plane I’ll be happy with a log cabin near a forest so we can do some walks”
C - “I fancy some sun”
Me “so what are your thought?”
C - “Mexico, Caribbean, Canaries”
Me- “we’ll lets see how much they are but that’s getting in a plane and I fancy just getting in a car and going somewhere”
C - “we could always go to Disney!”

Well right there and then I knew why I had married this man! His love of Disney has grown over the years - he’ll never be at my level but trust me he is getting there! Had he really just suggested WDW?

With a massive grin on my face I looked back at him and said

“We only went in November, we’re already booked for Nov 2018 I think it will be too expensive - are you serious? I didn’t wait for the reply - I tell you after that conversation the whole walk sped up so we could get home and check out prices.


Once home prices were checked - nothing seemed reasonable, Mexico was checked along with loads of other things

A day or 2 went by nothing sorted, no decision made, still discussing options - Then one night I was watching TV and a voice out of the study says

“How about Disney for £1400 each

My reply - do we have to walk there? What does that include? Bet those flights aren’t direct.

C- “hotel, direct flight and park tickets - it’s not Riverside though - is All star sports


- those of you who have read my TR in the last will know I’ve been to Disney 21 times (all Nov trips except in May 1998) and always at Riverside but this would mean I could go to Disney again albeit not in my beloved Riverside.

I did hesitate at this point and I turned to my WDW friends and posted in the trip planning forum around crowd levels for March and they told me what I already knew - that I wanted to go! Bite the bullet, ignore the crowds, better a busy day in Disney than anywhere else!
Did I need them to tell me. Probably not but as we couldn’t make the decision I knew my friends would - thank you.

So fast forward to last night - checked the price again - moved it forward a week and the price was cheaper - so booked it
total £2620 for a direct flight with Virgin, 14 day lark ticket and 10 night in All Star Sports. RESULT

November we have 14 nights hotel and park tickets at POR for £3458 and I don’t have a flight yet! Which will probably add another £1000

i am treating this whole trip as a bonus - we haven’t got our ticket reference number yet to do any fast passes so let’s see what happens - I’m hoping as we’re 33 days out at least the offsite guests won’t have booked anything yet

I can’t believe that I am going again - is this a dream?
In just 33 days I’ll be back home! We leave on 12th March!

View attachment 262210

You just got to love this man!
He is my Prince Charming

View attachment 262209

I had 2 things that I’d like to see and do in Disney

One was flower and garden - I love gardening and can’t wait to see everything
And the second is a not so scary Halloween party -

So if any of you have any tips for March, things to do, weather then please let me know

I am literally beyond excited and had to share with those who’ll understand.

Enjoyed reading your post! Just have to say we go every year in March and love it. You will too, I promise!!! We travel on the 11th, so counting down with you! We absolutely love Epcot during Flower and Garden Festival. It is just beautiful. I think you will arrive in time to catch Starship performing at the Garden Rocks concert. That is a cool part of the Festival. There are free concerts on weekends. It is Spring Break, so a little extra crowded, but we find it is never a problem as long as you have your FPs all lined up. The nice weather usually makes up for the crowds. So enjoy your Spring Break Trip!!!!

 

[clarabellej]

Love your collection! I’ve bought a couple of the Jim Shore pieces for my daughter. She has the Cinderella mice in the teacup. So cute! We have a boat load of Tsum Tsums. I went a little overboard on those and became more excited than she was, so have slowed down. We are looking forward to several new things in March. We haven’t done FOP yet & I was able to get 3 FPs for it. That led to buying park park hopper tickets, so that we don’t spend our entire trip in AK, LOL. We’ve never seen HEA, so reserved a dessert party for Viewing. Fun to have new things. We go every year. Mostly March! I think this’lol be my 16th visit?!! So, not long to wait now!!!! Disney here we come. We do mother/daughter trips. You are so lucky to have a Disney loving man to go with you!!!!!!

 

[Longers]

Enjoyed reading your post! Just have to say we go every year in March and love it. You will too, I promise!!! We travel on the 11th, so counting down with you! We absolutely love Epcot during Flower and Garden Festival. It is just beautiful. I think you will arrive in time to catch Starship performing at the Garden Rocks concert. That is a cool part of the Festival. There are free concerts on weekends. It is Spring Break, so a little extra crowded, but we find it is never a problem as long as you have your FPs all lined up. The nice weather usually makes up for the crowds. So enjoy your Spring Break Trip!!!!

Love your collection! I’ve bought a couple of the Jim Shore pieces for my daughter. She has the Cinderella mice in the teacup. So cute! We have a boat load of Tsum Tsums. I went a little overboard on those and became more excited than she was, so have slowed down. We are looking forward to several new things in March. We haven’t done FOP yet & I was able to get 3 FPs for it. That led to buying park park hopper tickets, so that we don’t spend our entire trip in AK, LOL. We’ve never seen HEA, so reserved a dessert party for Viewing. Fun to have new things. We go every year. Mostly March! I think this’lol be my 16th visit?!! So, not long to wait now!!!! Disney here we come. We do mother/daughter trips. You are so lucky to have a Disney loving man to go with you!!!!!!

It’s normally November for me so this is all new - your commments on March have made me feel more comfortable. I’m looking forward to seeing all the flowers in Epcot. It was on my wish list so great we get to try something new.

I love my Jim shore pieces - there are bits on that shelf that aren’t Jim shore but that’s for some of my Disney collection.

FOP is amazing I think you’ll be blown away - we did it 3 times in Nov so I’m happy to have at least one FP as the queues ranged from 1 1/5 hours to 4 hours whilst we were there but it is well worth any wait... (although I’m not sure if you queue for 4 hours and need the toilet what you do?!)

You’re raking up a fair few visits too - there is nowhere else like Disney
Enjoy your trip

 

[blreinsel]

So so sooooo happy/excited for you! And keeping my fingers crossed that we get to meet this time!

 

[clarabellej]

It’s normally November for me so this is all new - your commments on March have made me feel more comfortable. I’m looking forward to seeing all the flowers in Epcot. It was on my wish list so great we get to try something new.

I love my Jim shore pieces - there are bits on that shelf that aren’t Jim shore but that’s for some of my Disney collection.

FOP is amazing I think you’ll be blown away - we did it 3 times in Nov so I’m happy to have at least one FP as the queues ranged from 1 1/5 hours to 4 hours whilst we were there but it is well worth any wait... (although I’m not sure if you queue for 4 hours and need the toilet what you do?!)

You’re raking up a fair few visits too - there is nowhere else like Disney
Enjoy your trip

I debated about letting some of my FOP FPs go, but then decided to “go with the win!” Hope I’ll like it. There is no way I could do the long line with no potty, LOL! I was able to get the FPs for FOP by going to my last day first at the 60 day mark & working backwards. A good tip for anyone trying to get them. We’ll only be there ) days. So started with day 6 first. Hope that makes sense and helps anyone who reads this. We have Na’vi on day one. Spring can’t get here fast enough

 

[Longers]

So so sooooo happy/excited for you! And keeping my fingers crossed that we get to meet this time!

Me too - that would be so cool! I’ll let you know our plans so we can see if something will work.

 

[Longers]

I debated about letting some of my FOP FPs go, but then decided to “go with the win!” Hope I’ll like it. There is no way I could do the long line with no potty, LOL! I was able to get the FPs for FOP by going to my last day first at the 60 day mark & working backwards. A good tip for anyone trying to get them. We’ll only be there ) days. So started with day 6 first. Hope that makes sense and helps anyone who reads this. We have Na’vi on day one. Spring can’t get here fast enough

I wouldn’t let them go! In November we got 4 doing exactly what you did (working backwards from days we were going to be there). We decided that we could go ride and if we didn’t like it we would give them up but it was so good we kept them! I did feel a bit guilty knowing we had taken so many but I’m sure others would do the same so I decided not to worry.

 

[Bullseye1967]

I have got 4 BTMRR though

So predictable Thought you would have 10

 

[Longers]

Does anyone know if you want to play golf on a Disney course will they pick you up from a Disney hotel? @blgauger (maybe one for Dylan?)

The past 12 years we have had a car but this year we haven’t booked one yet (not sure if we will) and if Chris decides to play golf he might not be able to get there!

Also as we don’t have the dining plan we will probably need supplies from Wallmart (and there’s some other bits we want). What’s the best way to get there? Anyone know how much a cab might be? Is Lyft that I’ve heard mentioned easy to sort on non US phones without us paying for calls?

We might decide on a car yet - just waiting for my bonus at work to be confirmed but won’t know until month end!