That Time I Booked Two More Trips: Holidays, Birthdays, Mom and More - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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That Time I Booked Two More Trips: Holidays, Birthdays, Mom and More
yeah. so hi. you may remember me from my super recent trip report 'The Official #$@% Cancer Trip' where i shared the story of me and my mom and our super-magical trip celebrating the end of her chemo. because i *just* finished that trip report.
and then we booked two more trips.
well, really, *we* booked one more trip. and then i booked another. because reasons. which i will be sharing.
oh, and i should probably mention--the first trip is in two weeks. and the second trip is in six weeks. because that's normal, right? right.
thus, i'm beginning a double trip report--the story of my super short, insanely-budget-friendly holiday trip and our welcome-2016-trip.
so--for those of you who want to follow along, would you prefer i start with:
a. the trip which was booked first but is happening second?
or
b. the trip which was booked second but is happening first?
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ok--trip-in-two-weeks it is! and that's an easy one, because it is super short.
how it happened:
as it turns out, for a rather boring sort-of-work-related reason, i just found out that i will be traveling to tallahassee for a few days the second week of december. i need to get myself there, which means i need to use air miles. and even though i have SO MANY AIR MILES, i'm still really cheap about using them (which is part of HOW i have so many air miles). i also prefer direct flights and love to drive.
and so it came to pass that to get to tallahassee, i'm flying into orlando--and driving there and back.
and then i was like: but it's the holiday season! and i'm going to be SO CLOSE to WDW. it would be just plain wrong to not extend my trip a tiny little bit, right?
right.
so i asked here on PP. and determined that my best use of a very, very short holiday visit would be to 'just' do MVMCP. because i've never done it, it is relatively budget-friendly (i don't have an AP, so it is less expensive than a one day park pass) and, you know--it looks awesome. so my plan was: leave tallhassee early on a thursday morning and make it to MK by 4pm to enjoy three hours of park time before the party starts at 7. close out the party at midnight, drive to the airport, and have a little nap near baggage claim before my 6am flight.
and then i thought about that plan. and while i could definitely do it, i realized that knowing i was off to sleep in baggage claim would definitely effect my enjoyment of the party. so i thought some more. and i looked at flights. and i made two calls to american airlines. and i remembered that i had some hilton points saved from when i was being miserable working in chicago last winter (i basically lived in a hampton inn). and i extended my stay by one full day. so here's the plan:
-arrive WDW area sometime around maybe 1pm on thursday. have lunch somewhere (TBD).
-MK by 4pm on the dot. MVMCP until midnight.
-retire to my near-seaworld hilton for the evening.
-sleep in a bit.
-spend friday doing non-park festive things. i will definitely get to as many resort lobbies as possible (taking recommendations) to take pictures of trees and gingerbread houses and whatnot. i'm also planning for a good chunk of time in disney springs, likely christmas shopping for my mom.
-possibly meet up with my favorite disney friend friday evening.
-retire to same near-seaworld hilton to sleep for, like, two hours before heading out for my 6am saturday flight home.
I AM SUPER EXCITED ABOUT THIS PLAN. and here's why:
1. my mom wanted to do a disney holiday trip but could not (more on this in the second part of this report). so i'm going to be texting her pics-of-me everywhere, so she can enjoy disney at the holidays virtually. she is also very excited about this.
2. i never thought i'd do any of the MK parties. they just never seem to make sense to me--why spend extra money when you are already there and have a park ticket? but in this case, it actually makes sense.
3. i will be solo, so if i want, i can spend eight hours just taking photos. and that's likely what i will do. (i have to take my real camera on this trip anyway, because of what i'm doing in tallahassee.)
4. i get to spend a non-park day in WDW, doing all of the things that typically get squeezed out of a trip.
5. I LOVE CHRISTMAS TIME. seriously. i love it to an almost Elf-degree (you know, elf the movie? the best way to spread christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear!) so this is combining two of my favorite things.
6. this may sound silly but: i'm really proud that i managed to do this on an extreme budget. additionally, i'm really, really happy that i am using my hilton points for this trip. i almost managed to block out their existence from my memory, because i associate them with a very, very dark time in my life. this is the best way i can possibly imagine to turn a bad memory into a happy one.
so that's trip one. happening in...19 days!
up next: dining decisions for trip one (which i have not made yet) and the story of trip 2!
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Good for you! It sounds like a lot of fun and I know you'll make me super jealous, as we haven't been at WDW for the holiday season since 2013 and we're not going to make it back there until 2017 either. If I was able to, I'd take a similar short trip, but we're a bit far away for that....
Good for you! It sounds like a lot of fun and I know you'll make me super jealous, as we haven't been at WDW for the holiday season since 2013 and we're not going to make it back there until 2017 either. If I was able to, I'd take a similar short trip, but we're a bit far away for that....
yes, i'd say you are a bit far away for that. ha! (disneyland paris? maybe?)
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
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Suggested resorts for seeing decorations, the three on the monorail and a relaxing boat ride over to WL which has those distinctive American Indian tree ornaments. Since all are so near the MK, if you need a wee break from the party (because 8 hours in that electric atmosphere can get wearing), the boat over to WL and back would be a nice one. You can also catch the boat to WL from the CR dock.
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It sounds like a lot of fun and I know you'll make me super jealous, as we haven't been at WDW for the holiday season since 2013 and we're not going to make it back there until 2017 either. 
If I was able to, I'd take a similar short trip, but we're a bit far away for that....
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