Verstehen
I break for the Nautilus
- Joined
- Jul 4, 2008
Update, 10/27: We are now halfway through our trip, so sad! But you can make it better by subscribing! 
Helllooooo humans!
My sister and I had a lovely trip to WDW from September 1-5, and if you care at all, Id love to tell you about it!
First, some introductions are probably in order.
My names Rachel. Im 23 and live in Tampa. I was born in Schenectady, NY, and lived there until a year ago when I got a job at a college down here. Of course the first thing I thought when I got the job offer was, DISNEY!!! I picked myself up an AP a few months after moving down, and have made pretty good use of it ever since. I go at least once a month and can usually find someone to spend time with while Im there (have discovered solo days are not really my thing). Although Im not even close to it right now, I hope to one day have my own DS or DD to take to the world. By then I actually hope to not be living in FL. Close to the magic, but way too far from family
Before I moved to Florida, I went to Disney seven times. My favorite resort by far is WL, but that was a little out of budget for this trip. I got a great AP rate at my second favorite, POFQ. I do hope to stay at a monorail resort some day, but thatll be a when-I-get-rich-and-famous goal.
Its safe to say that Im a certified Disney freak. Ive got an HM tattoo, have made more than one Kingdom Hearts costume in my anime convention days, and Im pretty sure all my friends are just plain sick of hearing about Disney by now.
Aside from Disney, my time is mostly spent either at my job or working on my grad school homework (Im doing a low-residency MFA). I try to have a social life, but it doesnt usually work out.
The second player in this fabulous adventure is my younger sister Rebekah.
Shes 19 and still lives in NY with our parents. Shes only been to Disney three times before. Twice we went as a family, but her health was not as good those days and she was sick for much of it (and remembers almost nothing). She went again two years ago with a camp group, and while her health was much better, she didnt really enjoy herself. During the trip they had to wear the same shirts, and since the group paying for the trip was an Orthodox Jewish group, the shirts were long-sleeved and dark colors. Which is AWFUL, considering all the kids on the trip had various illnesses of one kind or another, most of which made the Florida heat even more unbearable (in August no less!). They also could only eat the certified kosher meals provided by the group, which were a step down quality-wise from Disney fare (were Jewish, but we dont keep kosher). They also separated into groups of kids plus a couple of counselors, but if one member of the group couldnt/wouldnt go on a ride, nobody could. So in the end, she got to do very little.
Even though her health is iffy at times, with the wheelchair and frequent stops for cold drinks she was actually able to do quite a bit. Her health has dramatically improved since her first Disney trip, to the point where she had no trouble traveling on an airplane by herself, or changing the battery on her oxygen concentrator. So proud!
A little background on how this trip came about: I usually dont stay at a hotel when I go. I either stay with a friend who lives in the area or just do a day trip. Since moving here, I only stayed at the world once, when my mom came to visit last year and we did a weekend at WL. She rekindled her love of Disney and booked a week at POFQ for her honeymoon in December of this year. It was meant to be more of a family vacation than a honeymoon, with not just her partner but myself and my sister as well. Unfortunately, unexpected expenses (like the wedding itself) kept getting in the way and she ultimately had to cancel.
Not long after that I was on the phone with her and lamenting about how sad I was that we wouldnt get to have our Disney holiday, and she said, Well, it was more of something we were doing so that Rebekah could go.
To which I jokingly replied, Well, just put her on a plane and Ill take her. Jokingly because I didnt think it was a possibility for her to travel alone, not because I didnt want to do it
There was a pause on the other end, and my mom said, Thats actually a great idea.
So, at the tail end of July 4th weekend, I made a call to Disney and got some quotes for a four night stay over Labor Day weekend with an AP room only discount. It was between SSR (we got a flex deal for a studio - $800 for four nights!), POFQ, and POP. Ultimately, we nixed SSR because my family lives pretty close to the real Saratoga Springs, its a HUGE resort, and we didnt want one of us to be stuck with a pullout couch. My mother told me to go with POFQ, which was about $40 more a night than POP, but small, familiar, and she was sure wed like the theming better. She was absolutely right.
I also booked us some ADR, found Becky airline flights and discount tickets, and made arrangements for time off work. WDW trip 2011 was a go!
Overall, this was a great chance for us to bond and spend time together. Living so far away from home, I dont get a lot of chances to see family members, especially Rebekah, who is usually busy with schoolwork whenever I come home for a visit. It was also a chance to celebrate her high school graduation!
So, what sort of shenanigans did we get into on our trip? Well, if you want to find out, please keep your hands, arms and legs inside the thread at all times, and no flash pictures, please!
Helllooooo humans!
My sister and I had a lovely trip to WDW from September 1-5, and if you care at all, Id love to tell you about it!
First, some introductions are probably in order.
My names Rachel. Im 23 and live in Tampa. I was born in Schenectady, NY, and lived there until a year ago when I got a job at a college down here. Of course the first thing I thought when I got the job offer was, DISNEY!!! I picked myself up an AP a few months after moving down, and have made pretty good use of it ever since. I go at least once a month and can usually find someone to spend time with while Im there (have discovered solo days are not really my thing). Although Im not even close to it right now, I hope to one day have my own DS or DD to take to the world. By then I actually hope to not be living in FL. Close to the magic, but way too far from family
Before I moved to Florida, I went to Disney seven times. My favorite resort by far is WL, but that was a little out of budget for this trip. I got a great AP rate at my second favorite, POFQ. I do hope to stay at a monorail resort some day, but thatll be a when-I-get-rich-and-famous goal.
Its safe to say that Im a certified Disney freak. Ive got an HM tattoo, have made more than one Kingdom Hearts costume in my anime convention days, and Im pretty sure all my friends are just plain sick of hearing about Disney by now.Aside from Disney, my time is mostly spent either at my job or working on my grad school homework (Im doing a low-residency MFA). I try to have a social life, but it doesnt usually work out.
The second player in this fabulous adventure is my younger sister Rebekah.
Shes 19 and still lives in NY with our parents. Shes only been to Disney three times before. Twice we went as a family, but her health was not as good those days and she was sick for much of it (and remembers almost nothing). She went again two years ago with a camp group, and while her health was much better, she didnt really enjoy herself. During the trip they had to wear the same shirts, and since the group paying for the trip was an Orthodox Jewish group, the shirts were long-sleeved and dark colors. Which is AWFUL, considering all the kids on the trip had various illnesses of one kind or another, most of which made the Florida heat even more unbearable (in August no less!). They also could only eat the certified kosher meals provided by the group, which were a step down quality-wise from Disney fare (were Jewish, but we dont keep kosher). They also separated into groups of kids plus a couple of counselors, but if one member of the group couldnt/wouldnt go on a ride, nobody could. So in the end, she got to do very little.
Even though her health is iffy at times, with the wheelchair and frequent stops for cold drinks she was actually able to do quite a bit. Her health has dramatically improved since her first Disney trip, to the point where she had no trouble traveling on an airplane by herself, or changing the battery on her oxygen concentrator. So proud!
A little background on how this trip came about: I usually dont stay at a hotel when I go. I either stay with a friend who lives in the area or just do a day trip. Since moving here, I only stayed at the world once, when my mom came to visit last year and we did a weekend at WL. She rekindled her love of Disney and booked a week at POFQ for her honeymoon in December of this year. It was meant to be more of a family vacation than a honeymoon, with not just her partner but myself and my sister as well. Unfortunately, unexpected expenses (like the wedding itself) kept getting in the way and she ultimately had to cancel.
Not long after that I was on the phone with her and lamenting about how sad I was that we wouldnt get to have our Disney holiday, and she said, Well, it was more of something we were doing so that Rebekah could go.
To which I jokingly replied, Well, just put her on a plane and Ill take her. Jokingly because I didnt think it was a possibility for her to travel alone, not because I didnt want to do it
There was a pause on the other end, and my mom said, Thats actually a great idea.
So, at the tail end of July 4th weekend, I made a call to Disney and got some quotes for a four night stay over Labor Day weekend with an AP room only discount. It was between SSR (we got a flex deal for a studio - $800 for four nights!), POFQ, and POP. Ultimately, we nixed SSR because my family lives pretty close to the real Saratoga Springs, its a HUGE resort, and we didnt want one of us to be stuck with a pullout couch. My mother told me to go with POFQ, which was about $40 more a night than POP, but small, familiar, and she was sure wed like the theming better. She was absolutely right.
I also booked us some ADR, found Becky airline flights and discount tickets, and made arrangements for time off work. WDW trip 2011 was a go!
Overall, this was a great chance for us to bond and spend time together. Living so far away from home, I dont get a lot of chances to see family members, especially Rebekah, who is usually busy with schoolwork whenever I come home for a visit. It was also a chance to celebrate her high school graduation!
So, what sort of shenanigans did we get into on our trip? Well, if you want to find out, please keep your hands, arms and legs inside the thread at all times, and no flash pictures, please!
I wasn't aware that such a thing existed! Seems I only explore the top of the forum pages. I shall certainly get on that, or is it on another website altogether?
