Twice As Nice & Double the Fun: an offsite October PTR where “2” is the magic number

[sk8jdgca]

Re Nexus
I applied in June, we just went for our interviews this past weekend so now we have our known travelers number and can use the fast pass security line at the airport!

 

[pigletto]

Lots of Big Feelings indeed ( I really like that!)!! (((Gina)))
It's bittersweet stuff isn't it? To know that you did what you were supposed to do and raised a thriving young adult is awesome. But the changes just hurt. No two ways about it.

73 days to go for us! Summer is flying by, and once school starts I think this trip will sneak right up on us. I plan to call and pay off the balance with AirTransat vacations this morning. They don't release the travel documents until you pay the balance in full , and I want to see if they can tell me what kind of family suite we will be in at Cabana Bay. It didn't specify courtyard or tower for the booking, and I am curious, though not concerned, either is fine.

 

[toystoryduo]

Sending a for you, Gina. I can't even begin to imagine how bittersweet it is with Jake getting his own apartment. I can't remember if you said or not, but will he be close by?

Way to go getting your October trip paid off! It sounds like you are making great progress on December's as well!

 

[afan]

Re Nexus
I applied in June, we just went for our interviews this past weekend so now we have our known travelers number and can use the fast pass security line at the airport!

Thanks for the info! Do you travel across the border a lot? I feel like since it seems to be more for those that do, or at least it was, that they may think I don't travel enough into Canada or anywhere by air and not give it to me. BUt maybe that's not an issue? It seems like when I first heard about the program it was for frequent border crossers, but maybe I have it confused with another program. There seems to be so many.

 

[sk8jdgca]

We go a fair bit but really I got them so we can go through the fast line (pre cleared) at security at the airports. If you travel through NF to NY you get your own bridge for Nexus

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Gina. You know, we spend taking care of our kids, getting them ready to be independent and upstanding adults 18 years later, and yet, time flies so fast, it's a sad time when they do become 18 and fly away. But, the best thing is, you are always their mom. And a proud one too.

Not much on our winter vacation. Planned another meal in MK for October. The night time parade is leaving MK, so I decided I should see it, as the only time I will be able to see it, is the day after I arrive. I was going to go to another park, but that parade is so iconic, I should see it before it leaves the day after I leave the mouse. Slowly stock piling money, as I just bought a new car, and well, the way the Universal hotels go, you pay when leaving, so while my mouse one will be paid off shortly, October still will be pricey. But same with my winter one, pay at end. So, at least the bill will be the last day of the year! LOL

Hang in there, I'm at 48 today. Tic, Tic, Tic, Toc.

LOL, the funny thing is, sometimes I feel like I hardly seem him right now....he's so busy with his jobs, his volunteer activities, and a young lady who has captured his eye and heart. I will probably see MORE of him once he's moved, because we'll make the conscious effort to actually get together for a visit than just say a passing hello as he's coming and I'm going (or vice versa).

I saw this quote the other day, and it brings me some comfort:

I will still worry endlessly about him, though. Perhaps that will never change.

I don't blame you one bit for squeezing in an extra Magic Kingdom day to see the Main Street Electrical Parade for the final time. That's a little piece of history right there, and to miss it would be a shame.

Congrats on the new vehicle.....even when they take a bite of out of the travel budget, its hard not to have fun with a new car! What did you buy?

You are really an amazing trip planner Gina! You have two trips going and you just keep chipping away at them. Love it! I like planning but I tend to lose steam and say whatever at a certain point lol.

That's so great that Jake is getting his own place. I know you will miss him but you must be so proud and happy for him. Lots of big feelings as we call them around here

Big feelings, indeed . Sometimes they get so big these days I can't keep them all in, and they leak out my eyes.

I will admit it: I love, love, LOVE the planning process. It's a huge part of the fun for me . Chipping away at the plans is a labour of love and something I adore doing. I almost get a little sad when the itinerary is set, the budget is covered, and all I have to do is X the days off on the calendar .

Lots of Big Feelings indeed ( I really like that!)!! (((Gina)))
It's bittersweet stuff isn't it? To know that you did what you were supposed to do and raised a thriving young adult is awesome. But the changes just hurt. No two ways about it.

73 days to go for us! Summer is flying by, and once school starts I think this trip will sneak right up on us. I plan to call and pay off the balance with AirTransat vacations this morning. They don't release the travel documents until you pay the balance in full , and I want to see if they can tell me what kind of family suite we will be in at Cabana Bay. It didn't specify courtyard or tower for the booking, and I am curious, though not concerned, either is fine.

Fingers crossed you get the section at CB that you are hoping for. Speaking of which, what would be your preference in a perfect world? I know you will be okay with whatever you are assigned, but is there one that you are secretly hoping for over the other? Maybe to be close to a specific pool?

I'm with you, I think after Labour Day the waiting weeks will start to move rather swiftly. Especially near the end of the month, when the fall yard work and other responsibilities start to take up increasing amounts of our spare time (with a yard full of mature trees, leaves become our nemesis in the autumn!). Even in these dog days of summer, it sometimes feels as if the dates are creeping towards us at a good pace: as of today, we're at ....

57 days until we leave on our October trip

121 days until our Christmas vacation .

Sending a for you, Gina. I can't even begin to imagine how bittersweet it is with Jake getting his own apartment. I can't remember if you said or not, but will he be close by?

Way to go getting your October trip paid off! It sounds like you are making great progress on December's as well!

Despite what my melancholy suggests, Jake will not be too far at all: one city to the west of us. He's only 25 minutes by car from door-to-door, and within walking distance to my mom's house. Those two (Mom and Jake) just adore each other, so I can see them becoming even closer once he has officially relocated to his new digs. She's already planning pizza nights for the two of them, and he is looking forward to giving her some regular company (complete with Tim Hortons coffee delivery ).

 

[pigletto]

I think my preference is definitely the Courtyard side of CBBR. That is where we stayed in March of 2015. We were on the back of the furthest building which meant that it was quiet, and that we were steps to the car. It was perfect for us, and it's such a compact resort that it didn't feel far from the lobby or shuttle or other resort amenities at all. I also prefer the exterior walkways for some reason.
There is a great deal of construction going on at the Tower end of the resort (adding the two new towers, as well as that being the end near the new Volcano Bay). So I'd like to avoid those views/noise. We paid so little for this package that I plan to keep that in mind if we end up with some noise or construction outside our window. The flights alone come to $300 less than we paid for the family suite , plus flights , plus seat selection, plus Hertz fullsize rental car.. I do plan to request courtyard at check in though. Can't hurt to ask.

I didn't end up calling in to pay it off yesterday. I looked it up and read the fine print and it said the travel documents aren't released until the 30 day mark no matter when you pay. So there's no rush.

I envy your neighbourhood with full size trees ... until Fall comes and I don't have to rake. We have some in our neighbourhood but not my section because it's only 10 years old. Our trees are coming along, but nothing compared to how beautiful the big old ones are. I miss the shade and ambiance.. but not the leaves. So I can certainly see both sides!

 

[Ruthie5671]

I purchased our annual travel insurance policy this morning, so that's an item crossed off the to-list for both our October and December excursions (as well as any others that we can squeeze in prior to October 13th, 2017). While I hate paying out $136 for insurance that we will hopefully never have to use, we'll be darn glad we have it should any illness or injury befall us on our travels.

Do you use a specific company for your travel insurance? Although we don't fly, it might not be a bad idea to have some insurance given our history of medical bumps in the road.

Congratulations to Jake for getting his own apartment. I know your mama bear heart is breaking, but I have no doubt that he will do great. And if he is like any other just recently graduated college student, as soon as the laundry piles up too high and all the dishes are dirty, he will be back home in a flash!

 

[ArwenMarie]

Hi Gina and all! Had to cancel our trip that was supposed to happen this week and next (it was a 10-day-er)

We all got sick with a terrible summer cold and I got the worst of it, with a really bad ear infection. Doctor said we could still go but that I shouldn't fly, and the thought of all of that driving with a cold wasn't appealing. And we weren't sure if we would even be able to tour the parks the way we like to. So cancellation it was. Good news is, we didn't lose any money, so grateful for that. JetBlue banked our airfare and the hotels were understanding as well. Of course, now I have ten-day WDW tickets that I can't return but I'm sure we will use those next year.

Anyway, just wanted to pop in and let you know. I'm going to take a break from the DIS for a while since I don't have any upcoming trips and I'm kind of bummed about how this one turned out to say the least. I'm sure I will be back in soon enough and will check back in to see how your trip planning is going! I hope everyone enjoys the rest of the summer

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

I envy your neighbourhood with full size trees ... until Fall comes and I don't have to rake. We have some in our neighbourhood but not my section because it's only 10 years old. Our trees are coming along, but nothing compared to how beautiful the big old ones are. I miss the shade and ambiance.. but not the leaves. So I can certainly see both sides!

I actually cringe a bit when I think of what will be waiting for us when we come home from being away two weeks in October. While I am unpacking and getting our stuff all put away, Steve will be raking until his arms fall off .

These pictures are from 6 years ago, but it gives you a general idea of what we face when the leaves turn.....

Our front yard has a HUGE maple that is stunning when the colours change, but creates 15 bags of leaves all on its own.

Do you use a specific company for your travel insurance? Although we don't fly, it might not be a bad idea to have some insurance given our history of medical bumps in the road.

Congratulations to Jake for getting his own apartment. I know your mama bear heart is breaking, but I have no doubt that he will do great. And if he is like any other just recently graduated cThisollege student, as soon as the laundry piles up too high and all the dishes are dirty, he will be back home in a flash!

Being Canadian residents, its only out of country medical coverage that we purchase. I am willing to eat the cost of our trip if we have to dash home unexpectedly due to illness or another disaster, but if illness or injury befalls us when we're stateside, we could be bankrupt. This time we purchased an annual policy through one of the companies we found on kanetix.ca. It covers both Steve and I for unlimited trips up to 16 days each during a one year period, up to $5 million in coverage, no deductible, for $136. I was pleased with that price.

Trip cancellation and interruption won't cover our timeshare costs (because they are maintenance fees, not nightly hotel fees) so it makes that coverage less worthwhile, too.

I probably worry more about Jake financially than I do in any other manner. He's smart and capable and ambitious, but his lifestyle is going to change in a big way when he's covering his own expenses all by himself. I fuss about it to him and he just rolls his eyes and says "Mom, I'll be fine. Would you trust me please?". I know he's right, but still......

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Hi Gina and all! Had to cancel our trip that was supposed to happen this week and next (it was a 10-day-er)

We all got sick with a terrible summer cold and I got the worst of it, with a really bad ear infection. Doctor said we could still go but that I shouldn't fly, and the thought of all of that driving with a cold wasn't appealing. And we weren't sure if we would even be able to tour the parks the way we like to. So cancellation it was. Good news is, we didn't lose any money, so grateful for that. JetBlue banked our airfare and the hotels were understanding as well. Of course, now I have ten-day WDW tickets that I can't return but I'm sure we will use those next year.

Anyway, just wanted to pop in and let you know. I'm going to take a break from the DIS for a while since I don't have any upcoming trips and I'm kind of bummed about how this one turned out to say the least. I'm sure I will be back in soon enough and will check back in to see how your trip planning is going! I hope everyone enjoys the rest of the summer

Oh, my friend ... big hugs to you. That royally stinks . What a terribly tough decision that must have been for you guys to make. I am so thankful to hear there's no financial loss as a result of the deferral.

Fingers crossed that you will be able to rebook sooner than you think, and you'll be back to the enjoyment of the planning process once again. I totally understand your need for some distance from the boards: when vacations get cancelled, they can be like salt in the wound. Whenever you are feeling ready to read along again, we'll all be here waiting.

In the meantime, try and get you and your crew all feeling better and back to normal. We will be thinking of you all.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Well, it has been a productive week as far as trip planning goes. Not only did I cross payment of our December park-and-fly package and Christmas Eve hotel off the list, as well as the purchase of our annual travel insurance policy, today I was able to purchase our ICE! and Alpine Snow Tubing tickets for our day at Gaylord Palms, and the first of our two Preferred annual passes for Universal. Progress feels very, very good!

We're officially down to 55 days until our October trip and 119 until our Christmas vacation .

Once our second Universal AP is purchased, dining and spending cash will be pretty much all that's left to save for. Considering we are still in August, I'd say we're doing A-OK on the budget side of things.

@dancin Disney style should be back from her Cuba trip sometime this weekend, if my calculations are correct. Unless his plans changed, @bankr63 is swatting mosquitoes somewhere in the Canadian north. Let's just say that our Saturday and Sunday plans pale in comparison . What's everyone else up to this weekend?

 

[pcstang]

Today marks another noteworthy day on the October countdown specifically: we've crossed into

We now sit at 59 days until our October trip , and

123 days until our Christmas vacation .

I purchased our annual travel insurance policy this morning, so that's an item crossed off the to-list for both our October and December excursions (as well as any others that we can squeeze in prior to October 13th, 2017). While I hate paying out $136 for insurance that we will hopefully never have to use, we'll be darn glad we have it should any illness or injury befall us on our travels.

The travel insurance was literally the very last expense we had to cover for our October vacation (dining and spending cash are all fully accounted for and safely passing the time in our US account at the bank), so our resources can now be fully directed to the remaining costs of our December trip. Considering its only August, we are making some spectacular progress on those expenditures as well: flights, villa accommodations, travel insurance, our park-and-fly package, our Christmas Eve hotel, and even some of our tickets and dining are all paid in full. Steve should have a nicer-than-normal paycheque this Thursday (thanks to some OT he put in last week) so I hope to cover another item or two once those funds are received. Depending on how much the extra amounts to after the tax man scoops his share we will probably either purchase our ICE! and snow tubing tickets for our Gaylord Palms day, or cover one (or both) of our Universal APs.

Speaking of Gaylord Palms, we have secured ourselves reservations for Breakfast with Charlie Brown and Friends at Villa de Flora on the day we visit ICE! and the other Gaylord holiday events! If it wasn't cool enough that ICE! was themed to one of our childhood favourite Christmas shows, we also will be dining with the characters from the Charles Schultz cartoon series. The meal here is simply outstanding (quite possibly the best and most extensive breakfast buffet we've ever eaten at) and the restaurant itself, located in their amazing atrium, is absolutely stunning.

So, not many things happening but the wheels are sill slowly turning and small progress continues to be made. I will be very happy when all of our tickets are crossed off the list so we can focus solely on saving for dining and souvenirs.

On the home front, we are inching ever closer to our nest being empty: Jake gets the keys to his apartment on September 1st. We've been busy shopping for all the little things he will need for his new home, and helping him arrange everything from his furniture delivery to his internet service installation. It's definitely a time of strong emotions as Big Day draws closer.

Not sure what day you will be at the Gaylord but they have a nice bar/ lounge type area with a huge wall of tv's. We went there last year on a Saturday night and watched college football. The first couple of rows are recliners. It's a two story area with the second story wrapping around the first story. Just an FYI

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Not sure what day you will be at the Gaylord but they have a nice bar/ lounge type area with a huge wall of tv's. We went there last year on a Saturday night and watched college football. The first couple of rows are recliners. It's a two story area with the second story wrapping around the first story. Just an FYI

We are scheduled to be there on Friday, December 23rd, for the morning and early part of the afternoon. We have reservations for breakfast with Charlie Brown & Friends (the special character meal which is part of their holiday events), then we will visit ICE!, go snow tubing, and tour the resort.

That lounge sounds fantastic! (we're not big football fans per se, but if there was a basketball or hockey game on the big screens, we'd be totally there!) Every time we visit Gaylord Palms, I reaffirm my pledge to stay there someday for one of our trips. I love everything about that property. The atrium is stunning, especially during the Christmas season.

 

[chicagoshannon]

We have 15 days until our trip. I think we're going to try a date night at Toothsome (my parents are coming with this time so we can leave the kids with them.).

So a new lady in Jake's life. That's exciting.

 

[pcstang]

We are scheduled to be there on Friday, December 23rd, for the morning and early part of the afternoon. We have reservations for breakfast with Charlie Brown & Friends (the special character meal which is part of their holiday events), then we will visit ICE!, go snow tubing, and tour the resort.

That lounge sounds fantastic! (we're not big football fans per se, but if there was a basketball or hockey game on the big screens, we'd be totally there!) Every time we visit Gaylord Palms, I reaffirm my pledge to stay there someday for one of our trips. I love everything about that property. The atrium is stunning, especially during the Christmas season.

I didn't you were a GP vet. We went over to watch college football on a Saturday night when a lot of big games were on. They do hockey and basketball too. We checked out ICE too. I had my kids with me so we didn't hang around ICE long. Marriot owns Gaylord and my uncle runs Marriot Village so he hooked us up. That property is huge! Anyway, I know you and Steve will have a blast. I still laugh when I scroll through my pics and see this big guy...

 

[Ruthie5671]

@dancin Disney style should be back from her Cuba trip sometime this weekend, if my calculations are correct. Unless his plans changed, @bankr63 is swatting mosquitoes somewhere in the Canadian north. Let's just say that our Saturday and Sunday plans pale in comparison . What's everyone else up to this weekend?

My life being the non-stop, wild and crazy, action packed thing that it is, I have so many amazing weekend plans. Oh wait, that's not me. Raise your hand if you're working, cleaning your house and doing laundry this weekend!!! Yup, that's me.

 

[Raeven]

After reading your report we're looking into maybe doing ICE as well.

 

[ArwenMarie]

Oh, my friend ... big hugs to you. That royally stinks . What a terribly tough decision that must have been for you guys to make. I am so thankful to hear there's no financial loss as a result of the deferral.

Fingers crossed that you will be able to rebook sooner than you think, and you'll be back to the enjoyment of the planning process once again. I totally understand your need for some distance from the boards: when vacations get cancelled, they can be like salt in the wound. Whenever you are feeling ready to read along again, we'll all be here waiting.

In the meantime, try and get you and your crew all feeling better and back to normal. We will be thinking of you all.

Thanks Gina Yes, losing money would have been the worst! At least we can use the tickets (plane and park) at some point soon hopefully.

 

[pigletto]

Thanks Gina Yes, losing money would have been the worst! At least we can use the tickets (plane and park) at some point soon hopefully.

So sorry to hear about your trip . If it makes you feel better at all we had to take dd to the walk in clinic once while at Disney for strep. The waiting room was packed full of screaming toddlers. The DR said that when the kids fly with bad colds they get bad ear infections. He said it was a large percentage of the patients he sees. So it could have gotten worse had you gone. Still a disappointment though .

Gina, I have fun weekend plans. My Brother and SIL went to Niagara on the Lake for their anniversary and we get my one year old nephew for the weekend. He's a little sweet pea and it's a treat for all of us. They texted a little while ago and said they were most looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow as long as they wanted. Remember those days? I barely do now that my youngest is 12. I'm excited to get up at 5am with that little muffin.