5 Months??? We could use the Delorean right about now!

[nicole83]

Hi all!! I have become a somewhat silent observer of the DIS for a long time now thanks to my mom who pointed me in the right direction. Well before I dive right in let me introduce myself...

My name is Nikki and I hit the big three-oh this year in July (not as depressing as it has been noted by my peers). I live with my boyfriend of 9 years, Kevin. We currently reside in Massachusetts. We don't have any children but I foresee our situation changing in the near future. Last winter (with the help of his sister) I finally talked Kevin into taking his FIRST family vacation to WDW in March, he was very hesitant since he had never been anywhere outside of MA BUT we went and he LOVED the experience... So much that before the trip was over he was already asking "When are we coming back??" I really hadn't had any plans of returning to FL anytime soon because currently he is the only one working.

Fast forward to a few months after our trip and Kevin got a new job offer and started making triple his salary, needless to say he again asked when we would go back. Now a little info on the love of my life, and boy do I love him... Kevin has never been on an airplane and deathly afraid to fly, so we traveled by train while the rest of our family jet set across the skies. Although the ride to FL was a blast the ride back was awful so awful that he had decided he would fly next time *jaw drop*smirk*YES*!

Well his sister started talking about Universal and that she wanted to go next year in February, this time taking our niece 13 and nephew 15 who were unable to come along last time and have never been. Kevin was more excited than I have seen him since we set foot on FL soil so many months ago and the butterflies started fluttering my heart. I haven't been to US since I was about 13... that's a long time!! Too long! SO onward to the actual PTR (sorry I ramble lots!)

Here are the plans so far as far as hotel and such:
Dates: Feb 17 - Feb 21
Hotel: Royal Pacific Resort - Booked via AAA - Making payments
Parks: US/IOA/SW
Flight: Southwest - Not booked yet

Since these parks are easier to wing it than WDW, that's what we are going to do. Now when we went to Disney we spent A LOT of money on food (no dining plan) We will be getting meal deal tickets and not making any reservations for sit down service. We have a large party and are most likely to eat between lunch and dinner.

I'm nervous for Kevin getting on an airplane but he hasn't really mentioned his fear to me....yet lol I'm sure he will be fine with his family there to support him. Excitement will set in and he'll forget all about it, hopefully.

As far as our niece and nephew, they are unaware that they are going to FL on their Feb vacation! We will let them in on the secret on Christmas, any ideas on how to make it a big surprise??

I've stalking the southwest website for deals but so far the best is 219 since we want to arrive before 10, there was a deal a while back but we sat on it and of course it booked right up! >:/ I'm afraid to really wait any longer because I don't want prices to go up.

Saving money as been sort of fun? I've been throwing all our change in a gallon water bottle and so far I've save $130. Kevin has also been putting $200-$300 in the bank at a time and now have $700, but we might use that to buy the plane tickets if we don't have cash on hand. I've also been paying $100 a week towards the park and hotel tickets we booked with AAA. We have until Dec 27 to pay it off, it started at $2,081.02 for 2 adults 2 children, now I am at $1,668.75. Once that is paid off I will feel much better, I'm going to try to pay it as soon as possible, so I'll probably up the payments to $200-$300 a week if our budget allows it.

I'm going to be buying our own luggage this time (last time we borrowed my parents) I'm not worried about checking bags because SW allows 2 free checked bags per passenger BUT I would rather get carry on sized luggage because I'm a little scared of our luggage getting lost, which I know is unlikely but we are light packers and I've been doing a lot of research and found the perfect set which is very affordable. I know I can fit what we need into two 21" sets and two tote's. Yeah... I have confidence in myself!

Anyway this will end my entry for today, unless I get excited about something and have to post it! I welcome all suggestions and comments to help aid me in this adventure!

 

[-Hope-]

Hi, Nikki! Welcome to the dark side.

We're leaving in just a few days, also with a reluctant flyer. I'm also hoping excitement and family support will be enough to help my DD!!

We just packed for a trip about the same length as yours and carryon size bags worked well for us. I did pack a collapsible duffle in case we get carried away with souvenirs.

Incidentally, if you don't need to check a bag you might be able to get a good deal on another airline. We're flying Delta because by the time we'd saved up for our flights Southwest prices were creeping up but others were dropping. I think SW tends to release their lowest fares first and everyone else does the opposite. :

I don't know much about the meal deal except that it is limited to just a few restaurants in each park. We're trying out the new dining plan but it does require sit down meals- however those reservations are not the nail biting, months in advance experience of WDW so it's not an issue. In fact I decided just a couple of weeks ago that I wanted to have lunch instead of dinner at one if our restaurant choices and I had no trouble changing to the exact time I wanted. No way could I have done that 2 weeks out at WDW!

Anyway, sounds like your plans are off to a great start!

 

[mrsabbott]

You will be going a month before us! The last time we were in Florida, it was February and the weather was amazing!! Not as crowded either! Sadly, work and school schedules have us visiting during the busier season this time.

I hope your DH does well on your flight! Mine won't step foot on a plane. We will be driving which is cheaper and, really, I don't mind. I like traveling!

Looking forward to hearing how your trip goes!

 

[nicole83]

So I have a bit of an update. I have been checking flights every Tuesday to see if the prices go down and haven't had any luck, yesterday I received an email from southwest "fly for just $60 one way!" I KNEW that my flight would never be $60 but I checked the website anyway and low and behold the flight we've wanted went from $218 to $171! ooooh I grabbed them! I called both of my sister-in-laws to let them know and told them "I'm booking ASAP!!" so I booked today and I feel very relieved now, one less thing to worry about. OH side note: I was flipping through movies a few nights ago and Kevin and I watched Beetlejuice! I haven't seen it in ages and enjoyed it all over again.

I went to see my mom today and we talked for HOURS about US/IOA (she loves FL) she wants to go in October for HHN, she went a few years ago and love love loved it. Ahhh I'm getting more excited and I still have less than 5 months left

 

[nicole83]

Hi, Nikki! Welcome to the dark side.

Thank you for reading! I have a silly question, why is US called the darkside? haha

I was looking at a lot of other flights but everything seems to be $400+ but I got a great deal today for southwest *pixiedust* I'm so happy..

I talked to my mom earlier today about the meal deal tickets and she was telling me the same thing, I'm going to looking into the dining plan and figure out what would be the best thing, I might end up just paying out of pocket in the end for meal, who knows! I'm sort of in wing it mode for this trip, hoping it won't bite me in the butt. We'll see!!

 

[nicole83]

You will be going a month before us! The last time we were in Florida, it was February and the weather was amazing!! Not as crowded either! Sadly, work and school schedules have us visiting during the busier season this time.

I hope your DH does well on your flight! Mine won't step foot on a plane. We will be driving which is cheaper and, really, I don't mind. I like traveling!

Looking forward to hearing how your trip goes!

Hii! Thank you for reading That's awesome you'll be there in March! We went to Disney last March and the weather was beautiful but a few of the days were cloudy so I was worried about going in Feb, but I feel better about it now, although you can never really predict the weather. I won't complain because I'll be OUT of snowy weather for a few days!

I'm sure once he is on the plane and in the air it will be smooth sailing and he has me and his family with him as support, I'm not sure I could handle him alone lol he gets pretty anxious at times! Where do you drive from? If we drove straight through it would take about 24+ hours, I wouldn't mind it too much but I want to get Kevin used to flying so we can go on other trips in future...hmm Hawaii maybe?? haha

 

[macraven]

Thank you for reading! I have a silly question, why is US called the darkside? haha

from mac 101:

darkside - universal

because it is the unknown.........


disney is the motherland

 

[mrsabbott]

Hii! Thank you for reading That's awesome you'll be there in March! We went to Disney last March and the weather was beautiful but a few of the days were cloudy so I was worried about going in Feb, but I feel better about it now, although you can never really predict the weather. I won't complain because I'll be OUT of snowy weather for a few days!

I'm sure once he is on the plane and in the air it will be smooth sailing and he has me and his family with him as support, I'm not sure I could handle him alone lol he gets pretty anxious at times! Where do you drive from? If we drove straight through it would take about 24+ hours, I wouldn't mind it too much but I want to get Kevin used to flying so we can go on other trips in future...hmm Hawaii maybe?? haha

Well, it says 13 hours but we all know it will be more like 16+ with kids!! I think we are splitting it up into 2 days. 4 kids + 2 adults cooped up in a car can be a recipe for disaster?

Hubs also has anxiety with flying. He had to be heavily medicated when he flew back and forth overseas. He won't fly and won't let us fly. Road trips can be fun though, so I will just plan to enjoy the scenery!

I wouldn't mind a Hawaii trip, but Hubs says he will only go by boat!! LOL! He says he isn't scared of flying, it's just too dangerous. I reminded him that boats sink and cars crash all the time, but he says you have a better chance of surviving then if a plane crashes. Silly man!

 

[nicole83]

he says you have a better chance of surviving then if a plane crashes. Silly man!

That is funny, my boyfriend says the exact same thing. We were all at his mothers yesterday and his sister told him "your plane tickets are paid for so there's no turning back now!" So he laughed and said well if I die I die at least I'll have my family with me" dork.

 

[nicole83]

My obsessive planning and pre-mature excitement has me feeling a little down. I have a bad habit of getting all worked up about upcoming trips and now with about 4 months out I've become a bit uninterested. I know once there are only a few months left the excitement will begin to build back up.

Last night we watched Jaws, even though the ride is no longer running it's one of my favorite movies. In other news, Halloween is coming up, one of my favorite days of the year. Since we didn't end up doing anything last year, I'm going to wear the costume I had bought but never got to wear I will be little red riding hood and Kevin has a big bad wolf costume, with nightgown and all! I've also been slowly building my idea of classic halloween movies. Friday the 13th, Halloween, Nightmare on Elm St and some newer horror flicks Kevin might not enjoy, but I do! I'll have to get excited about decorating for halloween for now.

In TRIP news, I have been slacking in trying to make payments towards the hotel and park tickets we booked through AAA. I have until Dec 27th but I'd like to get it paid sooner than later so it's one less thing I need to worry about. At least I have the plane tickets out of the way. I also found the luggage I want to buy, it's by U.S. Traveler and it includes a 21" carry on luggage bag and a nice "tote" and it's only $32! Here are the pictures

I like them and I think I can get away with just carry-on.

I also bought a few things on eBay

AND since we will be on vacation and we don't really go OUT out much at home I want to enjoy everything Citywalk has to offer so I bought a really cute dress and a pair of shoes and an adorable jacket for a "nightout" outfit. Everything was so cheap and I kind of wanted to splurge on myself.

Sorry the pictures are so dang huge, I grabbed them right off the site URL so..yeah! I guess that's a little exciting hm? I have used that word a little too much in this post...

I've also decided to try out the Universal Meal Deal for one day, if we find it works for us then I will purchase it for the next day, I think it's worth a shot.

 

[mrsabbott]

Ouch! My feet hurt just looking at your shoes!! It's the price you pay to look good though, right?

I know what you mean about the excitement waning.. We have a long time to go as well and it seems like we can't really do much to prepare until time gets a little closer!

 

[SAHMKC]

Your luggage looks very nice. Just remember you can only bring a one clear quart size bag of liquids or gels for each person when you fly. All of the items in the quart bag must be 3 oz or less. I only mention this because you said your DBF doesn't fly. I would hate for you to get to the airport have all of your personal and cosmetic products thrown out. I've seen it before! They are pretty strict now. I even had my point tip tweezers confiscated. Watch out world these tweezers are dangerous!

 

[mrsabbott]

Your luggage looks very nice. Just remember you can only bring a one clear quart size bag of liquids or gels for each person when you fly. All of the items in the quart bag must be 3 oz or less. I only mention this because you said your DBF doesn't fly. I would hate for you to get to the airport have all of your personal and cosmetic products thrown out. I've seen it before! They are pretty strict now. I even had my point tip tweezers confiscated. Watch out world these tweezers are dangerous!

That's one reason I'm glad that I don't fly anywhere!! Well.. I'm glad Hubs refuses to fly anywhere! I find the rules and regulations intimidating!

 

[nicole83]

Ouch! My feet hurt just looking at your shoes!! It's the price you pay to look good though, right?

I know what you mean about the excitement waning.. We have a long time to go as well and it seems like we can't really do much to prepare until time gets a little closer!

I know they look painful! Surprisingly they are comfortable, but I have a plan! I'm going to buy a pair of those fold-able ballet flats and stick them in my purse when my feet start to scream, and definitely for the walk back tot he hotel..lol probably for the walk to city walk as well. It'll just be nice to dress up for once!

My friends say I'm crazy because I already started on my packing list. It's fun and I just can't help myself

 

[nicole83]

Your luggage looks very nice. Just remember you can only bring a one clear quart size bag of liquids or gels for each person when you fly. All of the items in the quart bag must be 3 oz or less. I only mention this because you said your DBF doesn't fly. I would hate for you to get to the airport have all of your personal and cosmetic products thrown out. I've seen it before! They are pretty strict now. I even had my point tip tweezers confiscated. Watch out world these tweezers are dangerous!

I know the rules are crazy now! I have been dissecting the TSA website and watching a bunch of videos. I haven't been on a plane since 1998 so this will be a new experience for me as well, the only thing I'm picky about regarding toiletries is my shampoo and conditioner, my hair can get very frizzy and unmanageable when I don't curl it or straighten it, but I found the best product for me, I can even let my hair air dry and it looks very nice. Everything else, soap and such I will use the hotels. I still have a few travel size items from our last trip, so I'll be taking them.

 

[SAHMKC]

I know they look painful! Surprisingly they are comfortable, but I have a plan! I'm going to buy a pair of those fold-able ballet flats and stick them in my purse when my feet start to scream, and definitely for the walk back tot he hotel..lol probably for the walk to city walk as well. It'll just be nice to dress up for once!

My friends say I'm crazy because I already started on my packing list. It's fun and I just can't help myself

I have those foldable ballet flats & they are a lifesaver! I love to wear high heels, but after a few hours they can really start to hurt. I brought them to a wedding and was able to dance all night.

I think half the fun of a vacation is planning one, so I don't think your crazy at all.

Glad you were checking out the TSA website because it can really ruin your vacation. I saw some young girl having most her cosmetic products dumped and she had full bottle of pricey perfume too. I thought she was going to cry.

 

[nicole83]

I have those foldable ballet flats & they are a lifesaver! I love to wear high heels, but after a few hours they can really start to hurt. I brought them to a wedding and was able to dance all night. I think half the fun of a vacation is planning one, so I don't think your crazy at all. Glad you were checking out the TSA website because it can really ruin your vacation. I saw some young girl having most her cosmetic products dumped and she had full bottle of pricey perfume too. I thought she was going to cry.

I'm definitely going to get a pair then, I agree sometimes I have just as much fun planning as I do being on vacation. Yeah I've been going through everything I want to bring and checking the "can I check this?" search haha. I want to make sure nothing will have to be thrown out, I would probably cry too. That would really suck, I have a bunch of those 3oz refillable bottles and I want to get a perfume atomizer for my fav scent. They are so cheap I might as well, plus I'll use it everyday anyway since I can't carry my large bottle around in my purse.. Well I can but who wants to do that?

 

[nicole83]

Small update, I just ordered one set of my luggage in the purple color from Walmart! It should be here on Friday. I also got a bunch of the 3oz tsa approved bottles for my liquids and both my bathroom bags came in, the size is perfect. Can't wait for my bags!!

 

[Tink2Day]

I'm onboard!

Exciting planning.
I loved IoA when I went a couple years ago.

You could tell Kevin what my friend told her relative when flying to Disney/Fla:
"I know you are terrified to fly but if you crash going to Disney it'll be worth it"
of course the response was "If we crash coming back it would be better than crashing going to Fl"

Last time we flew on AA it was a wonderful flight. it's almost 7 hrs from here with one layover....no nonstop flights ever very pricy but most of our flights are.

My state is so defense, national security driven that we've had pat downs and body xray for several years, even before it was the norm. It's not a big deal, really.

 

[nicole83]

I'm onboard!

Exciting planning.
I loved IoA when I went a couple years ago.

You could tell Kevin what my friend told her relative when flying to Disney/Fla:
"I know you are terrified to fly but if you crash going to Disney it'll be worth it"
of course the response was "If we crash coming back it would be better than crashing going to Fl"

Last time we flew on AA it was a wonderful flight. it's almost 7 hrs from here with one layover....no nonstop flights ever very pricy but most of our flights are.

My state is so defense, national security driven that we've had pat downs and body xray for several years, even before it was the norm. It's not a big deal, really.

Welcome aboard!

I love planning, it makes waiting more fun. So far Kevin seems to be okay with flying, I know he's not really thinking about it right now. Once the day hits he will probably get a little anxiety but I know once we're in the air everything will calm down. If worse comes to worse he can take an anxiety pill but I don't think he'll need to, especially with his sisters and their families there. He used to be terrified to go on a roller coaster so before we went to Disney last March a bunch of us went to a theme park named Canopie Lake and the first ride he went on was similar to Dr Doom, I couldn't believe it. Once we were in Disney he rode every coaster there, even Aerosmith. Ahh I was so proud haha!