He says we are staying at Motel 6 and dining at Denny’s....The TR. (AKA – Birthday surprises for Terri) - Complete 10/3 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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He says we are staying at Motel 6 and dining at Denny’s....The TR. (AKA – Birthday surprises for Terri) - Complete 10/3
This is my 40th birthday weekend trip report -
Who –
Me (DrDolphin) – turning 30-10 on this trip. This was my 46th trip to WDW
DH (Crick85) - 43 years young – 6th trip to WDW That is us - in all our goofiness
DF – Ward - early 40s....don’t know how many trips – but he has been to WDW before
DFGF – Sandra – younger than me I think. Not sure of age, not sure how many times she has been to WDW – but she has been before.
(I will add pictures of them later - in fact I won't have photos until I get to WDW).
Where – MOTEL 6 – That is what DH claimed it was
Dining Plans – Denny’s. Another DH statement.
When – Sept 24 - 26
I turned 40 on Monday, Sept 27. UGH. How did I get to 40? Wasn’t I just 29? A few months ago – DH, Chris (also known around the boards as Crick85) started asking me what I wanted to do for my 40th birthday. 40??? I have not a clue. Every year – for at least the last 6 years (since 2004) I have gone to Disney World for my birthday weekend. Disney was always kind enough to begin the Food and Wine Festival on the same weekend (killing two birds with one stone). I would book a nice dinner and a massage and call it even. Last year we didn’t go to Disney for my birthday – we were saving for a wedding – so Disney was on hold for more than a year. So – back to this year. Chris asks if I want a big party with friends, etc – (ok didn’t we just do that 6 months ago – it was called a wedding reception and I was in no mood to plan another one so soon after paying for that one...) – I said no. He asked a few more times – and finally I said “Disney. I want to go to Disney for the weekend of my 40th (ugh) birthday”. A friend at work and I began calling this my 30-10 birthday. I much prefer that system of counting... I thought it would be another nice F&WF trip... but Disney didn’t get them memo. They changed the dates of the F&FW – no more birthday weekend... OK – so now what do we do?
So – while all of this discussion was going on – a good friend of mine – Ward – emailed me to tell me that he and his DGF were planning on a weekend at Disney on the Military Salute (which ends on 30 Sept) and he wanted my advice on hotel and dining plan options. I gave him my recommendations and put him in touch with another dear friend (and my personal evil travel agent!) Sara (Belle*). Come to find out the week of their proposed trip included the same weekend as the weekend before my birthday. Ward made lots of plans and dining ADRs and as I was to later find out – he and DH began to conspire about plans... Chris, Sara and Ward – all conspiring.... against me, a Disney planner – EEEEKKKKK (runs from room pulling hair out) and I didn’t get to know a thing...
So - as we get closer to the trip dates - the dates and location for the Florida Beaches and Shores Preservation Association Conference are released. This is a conference I have to attend for work - and the dates were Sept 22-24 in Clearwater, FL. OK - so I will be 1.5 hours WEST of WDW (DH was in JAX 2.5 hours north of WDW)... conference ends at noon on Friday - what should I do? Drive down with everyone on Wednesday (or Tuesday night) and have them dump me in Orlando on their way home? OR since I have a cranky back and really can't do 4 hours in a car... how bout I FLY to Tampa, rent a car, drive to Clearwater - and then drive to MCO and drop off the car??? YEAH!! I like that idea (boss approved too!). I ran it by DH and he emailed Sara to have her add DME to my trip - so DME will be dropping me off at Motel 6 (gee - I didn't know they went there...Disney is expanding DME locations obviously). A co-worker decided she loved my plan and conned (I mean convinced) her DH to do the same thing that Chris and I were planning. The DH would drive from JAX to Orlando and meet the wife for a weekend at WDW. We did not plan to spend the weekend with A&B (coworker and hubby) but I was to make sure she got to her hotel.
Next - Please tell me where we are eating..... pretty please???
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"Please tell me where we are eating..... I need to pack my clothes!" This was a commonly heard lament in our home for about the last two weeks before the trip. DH would smile (that goofy smile I love so much) and say "Denny's".... Well, the weekend before the trip - I started packing my stuff for the conference and the trip - and DH came into the closet and told me to "pack something really nice" - and I looked at him and said "How nice"? Formal gown nice? Or just really nice? He said formal gown would be good.... OMG!!! We are eating at Victoria and Albert's!!!! I HOPED that was it!! He grinned and asked me if that was ok - and I practically yelped with JOY!! YES!! I have wanted to dine there for years - but always held off waiting to have someone special to share it with and now my unbelievably wonderful, fantastic husband is taking me there!!! I LOVE THIS MAN!!
I should also add a list of our other dining reservations -
Friday, Sept 24 - Flying Fish with Ward and Sandra
Saturday, Sept 25 - V&A's
Sunday, Sept 26 - Citricos (another new one for me that I have wanted to try).
We decided to figure out breakfast and lunch as we went along.
I should say that Disney actually sprung the surprise of resort info before DH had planned for me to know. The original idea had been for me not to open my DME envelope until I was at MCO after turning in the rental car. Well.... I got an email from the concierge staff at the Wilderness Lodge on the Friday before I was supposed to leave for Clearwater, telling me they were anticipating my arrival.... I debated telling DH - I didn't want him upset... but I told him. It seems that since I've been to WDW so many times, and I am a DVC member - they matched my name and mailing address that Sara had given them (since I had to check in first, the room had to be in my name) to info in their database, including my email...and sent me the note. Come to find our DH had booked the HONEYMOON suite at WL for my birthday weekend. this man!!
So - now that I know where we were staying, and where we were dining - I could finish packing for the trip. As I shoved stuff into the suitcase, DH recommended I put my park stuff in a duffle bag and he would bring it down on Friday - since I would not need it until then, no reason to drag it with me. We also decided he would drive my car - so that we could store stuff in the trunk - instead of driving the truck - which would mean leaving things in the cab - not exactly secure, and if we hit rain driving home - everything would be wet cause it would be in the truck bed.
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Wed - Sept 22 - Off to the Beach!! And to think - I am getting paid - to go to the beach (well a conference on the beach, about beaches - but still). A and I left Jacksonville on the 810am flt between JAX and TPA. It was either that or the 210 - which would have been bad since the conference started at 1pm. We landed - got the rental car and headed for Clearwater. We had brunch at the 60 west diner (A is 5 months pregnant - so food is a major issue) and then headed to the Hilton Clearwater to check in. This was not the conference hotel - but .25 miles away - the conference hotel was the brand spanking new Hyatt - but they did not offer a govt rate - so we went to the hilton - which means Hilton HHonors points for me!! Yeah!
After checking in - we headed to the conference hotel and settled in for an afternoon of presentations and networking. Then we attended the social hour where they offered passed goodies and small snacks (crab cakes were yummo). After that (about 730 I think) a LARGE group of us headed out to a beachside dining spot where we stayed until almost 10pm. I was BEAT and A and I headed back to the Hilton.
Thursday - Sept 23 - Full day of presentations, lunch offside at a cute little hole in the wall mexican place (yummy carne asada) and then back for more meetings. After that - A and I went back to the Hilton to prep for the awards banquet. We got all gussied up and met the crew back at the Hyatt for ok salad (well the hearts of Palm and dressing were good - the rest - a plate of greens.... eh), dry, overcooked grouper with mashed potatoes (the potatoes were good - grouper - not!) and a strange orange panna cotta that tasted like fruit loops. Not the best hotel banquet food I've ever eaten, that is for sure. After the 3 hour banquet (why do people feel the need to keep rambling on and on and on when they get an award?) we headed back to the Hilton to pack up and get ready for the last day of the conference and our trip to Orlando.
Friday, Sept 24 - Last day of the conference - thankfully the morning presentations went quickly - and before we knew it - we were headed to Orlando. Now I mentioned that A is 5 months preggers - and for lunch - she was craving Long John Silvers . We don't have one in JAX - so she found one on her phone, right off the highway - and we had lunch at LJS (whatever, just hurry up and eat so I can go to WDW!). After we finished lunch and made one last bathroom break - we continued to Orlando - where I left A at the new Hilton on I drive, filled the rental car with gas and headed to MCO to drop it off.
I was waiting to hear all about the birthday weekend...so many wonderful teasers on FB, can't wait to hear all the little details. Not to shabby for the 30-10 birthday, V&A and the Honeymoon Suite Looking foward to hearing more.
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. We don't have one in JAX - so she found one on her phone, right off the highway - and we had lunch at LJS (whatever, just hurry up and eat so I can go to WDW!). After we finished lunch and made one last bathroom break - we continued to Orlando - where I left A at the new Hilton on I drive, filled the rental car with gas and headed to MCO to drop it off. 
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