Trip--October, 2010-the big 4-0!! - Updated 4/5 - Baby Boy is Born! About This Page:

[KimandMark]

Originally Posted by pparm

Glad to hear you did well! Can't you get some kind of cushiony seat to help with those sore lady bits?

Paula

the funny thing, Paula, is that its the opposite, the harder the saddle, the less soreness, it seem counter intuitive but its more about friction than cushion. And at some point, there is no saddle that can save you--70, 80, 100 miles and you don't feel awesome. And don't get me started on chafe....seams in bike shorts are horrible things. Eventually you grow accustomedd to it, but its trial and error and Time In The Saddle...sort of like walking around disney in new shoes I guess!!

[Cam22]

Great choice for your first night's dining!

for the bike training!

[OhToodles!]

LOL!! Time in the Saddle and sore lady bits!!

Hope you're able to work out the credits for travel on your AmEx.

[KimandMark]

I missed a monday!! It wasn't because I didn't think of you, it was because I had an all day thingy at work that I was in charge of and was beat when I got home! I know what you are thinking, if she's too tired to post to her 40th birthday pre trip report to Disney then she must be too tired to do a workout. Silly you. Of course I did my workout (20 mile bike ride, with a sweet tailwind on the way home and some weights/core work). I've clearly got my priorities mixed up.

So now that I've got a minute (prior to a meeting with the most irritating sales person ever who never remembers me and never shuts up and I have to have my secretary fabricate phone calls/meetings/urgent happenings so that she'll leave my office...) I'll update you all on my latest Disney happenings.

$1043.91

Good Heavens, think of the all the Diet Coke (2000 cans or so) that would buy, or race entries (4 big ones), or tanks of gas (roughly 35), or square footage of new floor in the kitchen/diningliving room (200, okay, so not much...that explains my concrete subfloor as a design choice), or days at Disney World (at least 20).

As luck would have it, that is the price of two 10 day park hoppers that never expire, one with plus options, one without (because one of us still has plus options on a ticket...). I was leaning towards no plusses at all and just buying admission for Mr. J to a waterpark, but then realized that the $50ish more for 10 plusses worked out pretty well even if you only use two of them. And I put in on the new AmEx Blue Sky card, so I should be getting 300 bonus dollars toward travel expenses plus no interest on purchases for 12 months! I think I win all the way around. Except maybe that I have to actually pay $1043.91. But see how I made it sound practical and budget conscious and credit card savvy?


I also noticed this week the release of hte free dining promo until Oct 2. We aren't arriving til that day and I knew we wouldn't do this package this year because we (excuse me, I) wanted to stay at BWV on DVC points but that doesn't stop me from feeling like I'm missing a good deal! Last year we did 3 nights at ASM and paid for the upgrade to the deluxe plan. We took those bajillions of snacks (I think we had 18 total) to the FWF and ate and ate. Then we use our meal credits (again, 18!) and ate at Yachtsmans (4), Jiko (4), Citricos (4), Sanaa (2), GF Cafe (2), and Casey's (2). I shudder to think of what we laid out on booze...I mean wine and cocktails. So I think of that and wonder if I've done the right thing by doing DVC and no dining plan. We are planning to eat at Flying Fish, V&As, Jiko, California Grill and FWF. This means we won't each much breakfast, fruit maybe, and very small lunches (like the FWF snacks). But the money...it makes me think that maybe 4 signatures in 4 nights is too much. I also know what it does to my insides, if you get my drift. After the big Texas race last week we spent three days in Galveston that consisted of beer, tacos, mojitos, burgers, wine, fried seafood, more drinks, ice cream, etc etc. I gained 6 pounds between race day and coming home. It was that pool bar...and by pool bar I mean the bar that was inside the pool, like that I didn't have to get out of the pool to get said mojito and shrimp taco.

Anyway, its too late to change the BWV decision, but I may bag one of the dinners in favor of hot dogs and fries at Caseys and fireworks (because hotdogs are better for you than, say, seared bison with sweet potato, bacon, piquillo pepper hash, sweet onions and mustard-veal demi glace).

Now I know there was something else important, but damned if I can remember it now.

And for those keeping score at home, here's a glamour shot of me running the miserable Texas heat last sunday (ignore the old lady knee wrinkles and what appears to be an inner tube stuck under the waist of my shorts-I've stuffed cold wet sponges in my clothes at various points of this race and I'd like to think that must be what's in there):

[chezp]

I love the way you break that figure down!

[Colexis Mom]

Congrats on the park tickets! Great ADR plans! Nice race picture!

[Cam22]

You have tickets! And I think your figuring makes total sense.

[KimandMark]

missed monday again...

Happy freezing cold pouring rain Tuesday. I could see my breath this morning. And I had to put tights and a sweater on. And I had to ride my bike indoors on the stationary trainer. For three hours. So what did I do with my time? What any girl with time on her hands does, surfed Disney menus on my iphone while I was spinning away...

What I was really looking for was a rationale for purchasing a dining plan while staying on DVC points. I'm obviously not getting free dining, but I was wondering if paying for the plan would be a deal, especially considering that one meal is V&A and won't accept dining plan credits. Follow my math (and correct it, I'm a history consultant--words, not numbers!), I based the monetary value of meals on menu items I know I would pick and valued each counter service at $25 for 2 people, with FWF snacks at $4 a piece.

Disney Dining Plan=$42 per person per night x 2people x 4nights = $336
For this we would have 8 TS, 8 QS, and 8 Snacks total.
Usage
8 TS: 4 at Flying Fish and 4 at Jiko, monetary value = $170
8 QS: 2 at Casey's, 2 at Sunshine Seasons, and 2 more meals, MV = $100
8 S: all at FWF, MV = $32
Total Monetary Value = $302, for a loss of $34.

Clearly, if we ate on non-signature TS this value would change, but we have ADRs and this is where I want to eat! Plus I deleted a dinner at California Grill on this plan. And I like appetizers and this plan doesn't allow them. Seems the DDP is not worthout with the particular plans we have. But what about DDPDx? With apps added, perhaps these numbers change...

Disney Dining Plan Deluxe=$72 x 4 x 2 = $576
For this we would have 24 TS and 16 Snacks total.
Usage
20 TS: 4 credits at each FF, Jiko, CG, 4 TS lunches at 2 credits (Sanaa, Chefs, Wolfgang, ??)--and I've still got two meals/4TS left, MV = $555
16 Snacks: at FWF, MV = $64
Total Monetary Value: $619, plus of $44

Okay, so that looks like a good deal, doesn't it? However, I don't think we will actually eat lunch each day, remove at least one lunch for the FWF eating and that puts you right at the break even point. And I'm not convinced that I want a sit down lunch each day when I've got three courses coming at FF, Jiko, CG and V&A...I can see snacking, but not full on lunching, which lowers my value too.

If I go by our track record of restaurant visits and expenditures, this is what I can see happening--I've left out the booze in these prices...

Saturday: late FF dinner = $120
Sunday: in room snack for breakfast, counter lunch $25, V&A = $400+
Monday: FWF snacks...who knows how many $40-$60?, CG dinner $130
Tuesday: counter lunch $25, Jiko $100
Wednesday: DTD lunch, $50?

I think the dining plan this time is not my best value, if we weren't going to V&A it would be another story, I'd add a signature restaurant in there and we'd be well over the cost of the plan.

You wouldn't believe how hard it was to keep track of all that while spinning!!

Also on my mind this week, and much too soon to do anything about it, is whether or not a I need a fabulous new dress for my 40th birthday meal. I've got a closet full of nice dresses...but new ones are always the nicest!

[OhToodles!]

I did the math for our upcoming trip and it wasn't worth it to get the dining plan either as we're DVC members I feel your pain. We actually have yet to actually get the dining plan - that may change when DS (and DS to be) get to be the age where they'll eat enough for the plan.

Anyway, a new dress sounds nice! What better way to celebrate your birthday?

[Colexis Mom]

I think your math makes sense and it doesn't seem to work to have the plan this trip! How you kept track of all of that spinning I have no idea! :

[Cam22]

We've not done the dining plan yet because Stefanie would be priced as an adult, but she is the size of a 5 year old and wouldn't eat anywhere near an adult's portion. We use the Tables in Wonderland instead. Have fun dress shopping!

[chezp]

Your maths make sense to me and I'm not surprised the dining plan isn't working out to be the best value, especially as you've got Victoria and Albert's in there. The fact they don't accept credits (admittedly you'd probably need about four or five each! ) doesn't help if you're thinking of getting the dining plan. :

[KimandMark]

Its been over a month!! I've got a whole bunch of excuses: work was busy, training was busy, I failed to finish what should have been a short and easy race putting me in a funk, I finally had my short sale offer on a condo approved, you know, excuses.

So those things are also my excuses for just yesterday discovering two new country announcments for the FWF (thanks Mousesavers Newletter!!). I can't tell you how excited I am to hear that Belgium and South Korea have been added to the tasting booths. Belgium? South Korea? Excellent Food? Damn straight, sister!! I've been to both countries, actually doing a fellowship in South Korea two years ago, and I'm pretty sure I'm the only person I ever met who GAINED WEIGHT in Asia. 8 pounds in 3 weeks. And not that bloated cruise ship weight gain, this was real actual pounds. Belgium I shouldn't even have to explain (waffles, anyone?).

I'm hoping for the street fries with the flavored mayonaise toppings from Brussels and for waffles, but mostly the mayonaise toppings. Don't knock it, trust me when I tell you I know my mayo. I have one of the world's (and by that I mean planet Earth not WDW) most embarrassing mayo stories. See, I hated mayo, truly, I believed it to be the most horrible flavor ever created and was insistent about not eating it. My mother made all sandwiches with it, except mine. Mine had butter (its a wonder I'm not a million pounds, butter? on every sandwich?). Anyway, flashforward to my 25th year, at the beach with a new boyfriend who had made a picnic lunch. The sandwiches were these amazing thick, crusty bread slices filled with salami and tomotoes and this amazing topping that was creamy and delicious. I asked him what he put on these sammies and he said mayo. What? Long story short, turns out my whole life I thought Miracle Whip was the same thing as mayonaise and since my parents prefered Miracle Whip I never had the opportunity at home to taste anything else, assuming all white and creamy sandwich toppings were as icky as MW!! Of course I began coating nearly everythign I ate in mayo and you could pretty much see my ass from outer space after a few weeks. I've since stopped and eat in only on my french fries, after eating it that way in Belgium and finding it to be heavenly.

So, yeah, waffles are good, but I'm really hoping for mayo.

And South Korea? Don't get me started!! Bulgogi please, love love it. Those little sticky rice paste balls filled with honey? Yeah, those had better be there (I think they were the culprit of the weight gain). But my A Number One Top Of The List would have to be Bibimbap. I've spent the last two years at home sampling bibimbap, trying to make it myself, wandering Korean grocery stores, and pretty much failling. And then I stumbled into Asahi Sushi in Clinton Township, Michigan. They serve bibimbap in a hot stone bowl with the fried egg and everything. Its perfect. And its less than a mile from my office. (I've got a god embarrassign Korea story too, but its unrelated to food--while out running one morning in Seoul, I tripped and fell. One of those epic kinds of falls, where you try to catch yourself for a really long time, but your head is getting closer and closer to the ground and you continue to stumble forward. THen you actually fall, but really you skid across the sidewalk because your momentum carries you. And you are the really tall blonde girl in a country full of South Koreans...).

So, you can see I'm super excited for FWF and these food additions.

In contradictory news, I tried on a potential 40th birthday dress. It would probably be best if I didn't eat mayo or fries, or really, anything at all before heading to V&As if this dress is the winner. Its navy blue, deep v front with a faux wrap at the waist, very heavy satin with a pencil/wiggle skirt silouhette. Really, its was pretty cool, but again, I either need to invest heavily in Spanx or not eat from now until I turn 40.

[Colexis Mom]

Great update Kim!! Good luck with the new dress!

[OhToodles!]

Sounds like the F&WF will be even better for you now!
Good Luck on the dress!