swimmarz

My last trip we purchased 3 AP, stayed 3 nights, did the MVMCP( but didnt pay for it,gift from mom)

we had $1857 in expenses, the bulk (over $1100) was the AP's

$425 for 3 nights in a preferred site

$80 at Via Napoli

$40 at T-rex

$30 in souvenirs 

$40 in gas

and $125 in groceries

comes out to $116/person/ day

Our next trip is in February

I have 2 nights booked at $210

we already have tickets

I anticipate

$120  for Disney meals

$40 for gas

$125 in groceries and

$30 again in souvenirs  

That puts us at $535 for the weekend trip Or $44.58/ person/ day

I alternate my shopping between Publix and WinnDixie, Publix will run a deal for a $50 gas card for $40, and then Ill shop at WinnDixie to get Fuel Perks

I then use the $50 gas card that cost me $40 at Shell and typically get 20-40 cents off per gallon due to fuel perks

so at $2/ gallon I get it for $1.70 average and for the  $50 card that's 29.4 gallons or after my discounts $1.36 per gallon

the Groceries and stay are put on my Disney Visa so I get 2-3% back on those

The first trip is always the most expensive as we buy the AP's but after that its all down hill

 

Yea, where's the deal? The $400 in gift cards??

 

Best Regards,

Norm

I got $200 statement credit when i signed up for the Disney Visa, I could be wrong but you earn 2-3% cash back on purchases

so 200 to open the account and then 3% of $7000 is $210 so there would be over $400   

its about 4+ hours from me, sorry

Thanks all.  As far as being on the good list this year it probably has more to do with the DW than me.

 

 

Just for the day we've had it I will say it has much more zip than the 4.0L in the Explorer or the 3.0L in the Mazda B3000. We are hoping to get a trip in the week after Christmas so I should know how it pulls then. 

Good to hear!  It comes in that Brown/ sand color and it would match my trailer perfectly.  Did you also get the pro- trailer backup assist?  it looks nifty if you did get it check it out

Taken December 12th. I didn't notice any lights out on it while I was there Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I was there last week, a full 2 weeks prior to the holiday and there was a cart parade that did go in and out of all the loops, rather annoying with all the honking while I was trying to enjoy dinner with the family.

nice!  tell me how you like the 2.7, its on my list

 

 

Heck, I've even seen them post Idiot Rangers at the intersections so these preferred guests can have their fun clogging with the up the roads with their stupid little parades and blasting their horns.  One of these groups included a guy in a Santa costume being towed on a skateboard behind a golf cart.  Rode right by the Idiot Rangers, no problem.

 

Take out the Santa and that was what was going on Saturday night, they were directing them in and out of the loops with holding traffic/ buses so they could move about

4 carts is only a group right not a parade? or did we have 5 or 6? I dont know why I am asking. I think I was the chaperone. LOL

no jokes here... there were so many carts in said unofficial parade that in the 200 loop, carts were leaving the loop as carts were still entering the loop and that went on for 4-5 min, more than 4 more than 40, Id put it possibly over 100

it was at dinner time for us so I eventually went out to see what all the commotion was about as they were honking in no specific order, if they were trying to do jingle bells i would have appreciated it more than just the random honks

I didn't snag any pics but i did see the tow mater and lighting McQueen carts while i was there, and eventually sat next to the owners on the bus to HS.  

Tow Mater was built by hand with foam and bondo( 12 gallons of it) and McQueen is a real race car shell that lifts up to get in and out like a Funny car drag racer, they had to chop and add length to the golf cart to make it fit properly

Yes I did... Poor planning on my part

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Sunday December 13th If we only knew what was gonna happen.... The plan for the day was EPCOT in the morning, and magic kingdom in the afternoon followed by the campfire singalong and movie I decided to take the launch to MK where I could the grab the monorail to Epcot... Apparently I was way wrong on that idea We got to mk to find out the express loop does not run till 11 am so we took the mono from there to TTC and switched to the Epcot line The new solar installations getting prepped Our only plan at Epcot was to do nemo and lunch Our boys love the aquarium After our play time at nemo we only had 12 min to make our reservations at Via Napoli We strapped the kids in the stroller and we're off, made it with a few minutes to spare as the park was empty on Sunday for some odd reason. I say odd because nemo was a 5 min wait, test track was 15 min and soarin was 30 min and thus was at 11 am We had our fill of pizza and then went to Mexico to ride 3 caballeros When we finished that it was time to head back to MK for our fast passes We hit up mine train, my youngest was just tall enough to go, but my oldest was too nervous so mom and him went on Winnie the Pooh while lil dude and I took on the train. After that it was off to buzz light year, then the people mover, and we finished our day at the speedway where it started to pour while we buckled into the car.

It's now 5 pm and with it raining as well as the mvmcp people starting to show up it was time to go. We got back to the camper had dinner and then disaster strikes! My oldest out of nowhere starts becoming ill, so we skip the fire due to rain and his illness, after his 4th or 5th time loosing his dinner I opt to cancel our breakfast at trails end and call it a trip. We were slated to check out in the morning anyway and had plans to hit AK but It was a long night with a sick kid, and by morning I was starting to feel the bad vibes.

My best guess is it was norovirus and now 2 of the 4 had symptoms, it was not easy packing up a wet campsite and then driving home Monday. Luckily we made it home with no accident or issues from either one of us, but now all 4 had symptoms of said virus. I got the pup set back up in the driveway to air out and it was off to bed for me On a positive note I did average 16 mpg while towing and my tv only gets 19 mpg at best when not towing Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

So you remembered the power tools, but you forgot the beer?

 

Rookie.

 

Get your priorities straight, young man.

 

TCD

Line 37 added to check list, beer has now been placed in top 5 items to bring...

The flaw in your theory is that the sign you saw probably isn't new.

 

Here's a "No Electric Carts Beyond this Point" sign from 2010:

 

 

TCD

well i can tell you this sign was ignored on Saturday night, there was an unofficial cart parade, and after they drove in/out of every loop honking their horns they all parked here until after the fireworks at 10 pm

Just putting this out there, when i was there last week, I noticed a sign on the walking path that said something to the tune of " no electric carts allowed on path" 

this makes me think either a. Gas carts wont be allowed in the near future, B. its a sign that needs to be updated to "no carts allowed on path"

there were beers involved, a stop at the trading post prior to getting on the launch to pick up a cold one as I forgot... yes hard to believe, to pack any beer

https://vimeo.com/149183744

Castle Dave caught on video handing out glow sticks

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LOL at the exchange rate!

 

Good job getting to the Osborne Lights.  You didn't mention how you got to DHS from Disney Springs.  How did you get there?  Did you encounter any of the transportation/parking problems that have been the subject of much discussion of late?

 

So, the rocking chairs are back on the porch at Trail's End?  This is the first I've heard of that.

 

And, it looks like all the lights on the big Christmas tree were lit.  That's newsworthy as well.

 

TCD

We took the bus back to the fort and then took the bus to the studios

Signage around 2 pm said lots were full

However they were not

The signs were seen every day saying the lots were full at all hours, even when we left Monday morning around 11 on I 4 they we're saying lot full and to park at Epcot

As for the chairs

They had 4 there

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40 minutes to fully set up is impressive. I'm glad y'all made it to the party and enjoyed short waits.

TCD

Keys to success

1 organization

2 teamwork

3 power tools/ specific tools

The trunk is organized in first out first used

W

My wife sets up the table and chairs while I set up the camper and the does the inside when I take a shower

Power lift on a pop up makes it simple, as does the bal leveler, and the drill for the scissor jacks

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Saturday December 14th

Woke up late due to the party the previous night, pancakes for breakfast and then it was off to Disney Springs

Waiting patiently for the bus

We went to guest relations at DS to exchange our voucher for our annual pass, found out that I was not going to have to pay the difference to upgrade to the new silver pass they did it automatically. Free parking!

Then it was off to our usual stops at the Lego store

And then to t-Rex for lunch

We used our Landry select card and got out table at noon on a Saturday in under 10 minutes

We checked out some of the new areas like the boathouse and then it was time to get to Hollywood studios

We had fast passes for toy story, frozen, and Disney Jr

Horrible exchange rate

We the took in the lights

Then it was back to the camper for dinner

Followed by looping to see the lights.

Meet Dave and saw the castle https://vimeo.com/149180101

Then we went to pioneer hall and enjoyed the rockers and finished off the night with the electrical parade and fireworks

Back to bed for the lil guys

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We're back and the pup is currently being aired out, figure I would try writing a trip report Friday December 11 We left the house around 11:30 am, eta per the gps was 2:35 pm. The ride up was uneventful we had to stop in Haines city so my oldest could use the potty We arrived at the fort just before 3 pm and there were no lines at check in. We were assigned site 234, I honestly thought I had booked a different type of site. I checked the app and saw it said difficult back in but I was up for a challenge as everything had gone smoothly thus far. We got to the site around 3:10 and had the trailer backed in where I wanted it after a few tries. Being new to towing every attempt is going to have its issues. It took me 40 min to get the site fully set up, then a quick shower and change and off to MVMCP Because we were so close to the boat launch no busses were needed with 2 electrics scooters We were able to catch the 4:15 boat And we were in the park around 4:45 after the trip and back check Our boys had a great time at the parade

Playing in the snow

It was packed but not bad, longest wait was 30 min for mine train. Only missed 1 fast pass but I was a fool for making it 330-430 when we couldn't get in till 4

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I dont have a voucher for my AP?!?!? I never got an email with one 

I called and did it over the phone months ago and it shows up in MDE.

Friday/ Saturday trying to get them should be a fun time no?

ill be there Friday, ill check it out

Reports are that December 8, 11 and 18 parties are sold out.

NO!!!!!!! Ill be there on the 11th... looks like its gonna be busy

any ideas how many tickets they sell ?

they sell wood, it will be delivered to your site for $$$  I think i remember someone saying $24-28?!?!