What will it be for trip #3? (August 5-14, 2012) - Page 12 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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And tonight...I got a phone call to be in a discussion group for our state lottery....it will pay $60 for the hour long discussion group. God must think our family needs a wdw trip!
That is so cool that you found all these testing things. There is nothing around here for that kind of thing. I live in such a small place.
I have had a few neat little developments but nothing as significant as yours!
Great job!
I feel super-fortunate! Mpls has a couple of big food companies so this is also a decent place for market research, from what I have learned. I live in an exurb (about 45 minutes from Mpls) so the options are not super-convenient. The food testing place is very close to where I work, but about 40 minutes from home. The other company is close to Mall of America which is a good hour from where I live. But needing to go out there for product pickups and dropoffs gives me a reason to stop at MOA or IKEA.
I feel super-fortunate! Mpls has a couple of big food companies so this is also a decent place for market research, from what I have learned. I live in an exurb (about 45 minutes from Mpls) so the options are not super-convenient. The food testing place is very close to where I work, but about 40 minutes from home. The other company is close to Mall of America which is a good hour from where I live. But needing to go out there for product pickups and dropoffs gives me a reason to stop at MOA or IKEA.
At least you're in the areas anyhow for something. That is good. I have to cross a bridge to go anywhere big. Live on an island you know! About 1.5 hours from Boston.
on the $ from the testing and such. I'm hoping to pull some in with a garage sale this summer (getting rid of all the "big" baby items).
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Congratulations on booking the flights, we actually bit the bullet too...I watched them go up and then down by about $10 a ticket, then back up again. Finally booked at $240 pp RT, not bad from JFK and it is definitely a weight off knowing that they are booked.
How cool that you got picked for so many panels, definitely makes it easier to know that they will "pay" for your flights...I am starting to cash in on many of our surveys as well...just checked my panel polls as I try not to look and will cash out at the end of the month as it takes usually about 4 - 5 weeks for a check. Had a smile on my face as we had over $200 waiting for us
Great news that you were able to get the 30% off for the extra night....we are really overlapping this year, you get in on the 4th and we leave on the 4th.
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Congratulations on booking the flights, we actually bit the bullet too...I watched them go up and then down by about $10 a ticket, then back up again. Finally booked at $240 pp RT, not bad from JFK and it is definitely a weight off knowing that they are booked.
How cool that you got picked for so many panels, definitely makes it easier to know that they will "pay" for your flights...I am starting to cash in on many of our surveys as well...just checked my panel polls as I try not to look and will cash out at the end of the month as it takes usually about 4 - 5 weeks for a check. Had a smile on my face as we had over $200 waiting for us
Great news that you were able to get the 30% off for the extra night....we are really overlapping this year, you get in on the 4th and we leave on the 4th.
Wonderful updates....
You had $200 to cash in from PanelPolls? Wow! I do not get many from there. I cashed in $46 and just checked now and have $27. But that is in almost a year....Good for you!
I just joined Panel Polls about a month or so ago, and have $3.25 in it. I have been sent like 4 surveys...that is it. I am not getting rid of it, but can tell it will take a while to get anywhere with it.
Now that we have our dates…it is time to start the official PTR!
As I start to describe our daily plans, I will give the reasons for some of our choices. But I also want to ask for advice and feedback as I move through.
My title is “what will it be for trip #3” not only because many of the primary details have been up in the air for so long, but also because we want to approach this trip differently than our others. In 2009, we were WDW newbies. I thought I did a lot of pre-research, but nothing fully prepared us for the experience or what our unique family needs would be. Luckily, the trip ended on a high note and made us want to try again…
Our 2010 “re-do” trip was amazing, I researched and planned nearly every detail—even our “down time” was planned. It was amazing. There are few things about that trip that I would have changed.
With those experiences behind us, and our vast WDW knowledge to guide us, I want to allow this trip to be more flexible and to allow for more spontaneous experiences.
We will have park-hoppers for the first time ever this year. Our touring plan has always been based on one park per day. In fact, I have thought of the PH as an added stress and something that would be overwhelming to ASD DD (Hannah)-- and by extension to all of us. I want to be able to adjust as we go to be able to utilize the PH. However, I am not clear about how it will work for our family…
Another new thing for us--we will not have the dining plan this year so we will not have to live be the ADR. The DDP worked well for us because it gave structure to our dining. We cannot have the DDP if using the Y.E.S. program tickets. Also, with DS now 10, it is not as good of a value for our family. Still, our family benefits from at least one TS meal a day as a break to the chaos. It is nice to be forced to sit down and have a relaxing meal in air conditioning. Hannah—and then of course, all of us--struggles with lines for food and crowds looking for tables. TS meals are necessary.
Because we are paying OOP, we also need to contain the food budget. Luckily, Hannah has a “very grown-up palette” (as she says) so we find it very easy for the two of us to share meals. Delaney and her food allergies require her own meal and 6’5” DH with the metabolism of a teenager eats his own food and then the scraps off everyone else’s plates. We should be able to order 4 meals at all of the TS restaurants to save money (except buffets and family style, of course).
Before we can be “spontaneous” I will need to plan when and how to be flexible. I know that defeats the purpose of spontaneity—but Aspie parents will get it! I will bold italics things that I am specifically seeking feedback on. Thanks for your help and here we go…
We could have chosen to leave Mpls at 7am or at 10am. I was partial to 10am as I thought it would be easier on us and easier on the person who will drive us to the airport. However, put to a vote—my family said 7am! This means that we will need to be ready to leave our house by 4:15 am…Hoping that the excitement will be enough to spur everyone out of bed in good moods!
We will take Magical Express to POR and Check in around 1pm--hoping for our room to be ready early.
Things to do:
Go to DTD to get our Y.E.S/park tickets. We will have 7-day premium passes (park hopper plus waterpark and more). We can only get these tickets—and the park tickets that are attached –at a park or DTD ticketing window. I do not want any hassles by waiting to get these when we are trying to enter a park so our plan is to get them right away. As far as anyone can tell me, these cannot be attacked to the KTTW card. I sent messages to folks at the YES program and at ticketing on the recommendation of Caldercup. The YES program referred me to ticketing and ticking said, “We do not know.” Getting them early may also allow me the time to go back to the resort concierge desk to see if there is any way the park tickets can be put on our KTTW.
Dinner will likely be QS at DTD. I am interested in finally tying Earle of Sandwich. In past trips, we have always used the dining plan so I never went to EofS as it was not a good “value” on the plan. Paying for food OOP…I expect to make more than one visit to the highly rated sandwich shop!
One of the things I am most looking forward to trying at DTD is the new “BabyCakes,” the vegan bakery. Recall that Delaney (5) has a dairy allergy. Although we have a decent list of baked items she can eat, I am thrilled at the chance for her to walk into a bakery and literally be able to choose anything she wants to eat. She has never in her life eaten a donut. I want to be able to make a stop at Babycakes a number of times this trip.
Then What? Some high possibilities are:
Disney Quest?
Swim?
Explore the resort?
Early bedtime!
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on the $ from the testing and such. I'm hoping to pull some in with a garage sale this summer (getting rid of all the "big" baby items).
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