Wooing a Disney Hatin' DH -- in August...SINGLE DIGITS!!!

[ljcrochet]

She is so cute.

 

[WDWRocksMySocks]

Looking for a decent car rental in August has been such a PAINFUL experience. We typically use Alamo, but their cheapest rate is $364/week. Uh, yeah...no thanks. I got pretty excited the other day to find something below $200. Well, actually it was $197/week but still...below $200! I'm bummed, though, b/c last August we only paid $90/week. Yeah.

I thought I'd be clever and check Priceline. I've used Hotwire in the past and have had great luck. I started w/ $13/day and that was rejected. I tried $14 and $15/day and they were both rejected, too. Suck!

Well, my perseverance paid off. Today I found a good rate through Enterprise for $160/week (including taxes and fees). I went ahead and cancelled my other reservation and booked the new one. Who knows, maybe I'll even find something cheaper as the trip gets closer.

The rate is for an economy car, which is plenty big enough for us. I've never drove a Chevy Aveo, but it looks okay.

We've never used Enterprise at MCO before. Have any of you? If so, let me know how it went.

 

[Legendofthehawk]

Aw what an adorable puppy! That picture of her cuddling with her woobie is just precious Do you find that she howls a lot?


Great job on the car rental! We love enterprise, they've always given us the best deal. They've also always been able to upgrade us to a prius or something equally fuel efficient!

 

[WDWRocksMySocks]

Aw what an adorable puppy! That picture of her cuddling with her woobie is just precious Do you find that she howls a lot?


Great job on the car rental! We love enterprise, they've always given us the best deal. They've also always been able to upgrade us to a prius or something equally fuel efficient!

Thanks! She absolutely LOVES that little thing. In fact, we've gone through two already. I think I'm going to have to start buying them in bulk. LOL! She loves to howl and talk. It's so cute. Just last night DH and I started "talking" to her and she'd do this super cute howling/talk thing. Hilarious!!

Ooh, so glad to hear you've had such great luck w/ Enterprise. It's our first time using them at MCO so I'm happy to hear such a great review. Question - did you pay for the upgrade or was it complimentary?

 

[WDWRocksMySocks]

Day Three -- Wizarding World of Harry Potter!!!!!!!!!

This is the day we cheat on Disney and head over to Universal/Islands of Adventure. We've always been huge Universal fans. It's by far Aaron's favorite place to go in central Florida. He thinks the rides are far more thrilling and exciting...which, lets face it, they kind of are. Though, Universal may have more thrill rides but we all know Disney is the far superior resort. Anyhoo...we're planning on doing both parks in one day (hopefully). We are SO excited to experience the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. I freaking LOVE Harry Potter! In fact, I just finished listening to the seventh book on my iPod (have read it about five times) and started having dreams where I spoke w/ a British accent and Voldemort was hunting me down. Yep, I'm a nerd. I'm hoping the crowds will be tolerable. ::crosses fingers:: Last August, virtually everything in both parks were walk-ons. Of course, that was before the time of the WWoHP. I know that all the HP stuff will be crowded, but hopefully the rest of the parks won't be. I've been following the "Harry Potter Crowd Report Thread" and things don't sound too bad. I mean, 75 minute for the Forbidden Journey seems doable. IOA is open until 8pm this day, and the Studios are open until 7pm. Hopefully, we'll be able to see everything we want to see in that time frame. If not, we'll still be happy as long as we get to do WWoHP.

I'm still not sure where we should get our tickets. We used to get them online when Universal was still offering the $99/7 day deal thing. Sadly, those cheap days are long gone. I suppose I could still buy them online, but I'm curious if there might be someplace cheaper. Anyone have any suggestions?

Here are some of the pics I took at IOA and Universal last year:

Glimpse of WWoHP construction

Dudley -- man, those rafts are TINY!!!

Hollywood Rip, Ride and Rock It

 

[wdwgirl03]

Ahhhh I can't wait for Harry Potter! We are not huge Universal fans otherwise. Islands of Adventure is probably the better park IMO atleast. I too am wondering when we should get our tickets. I'm sure we'll probably just get ours online.

So is that roller coaster (the rip, ride, and rock it) at US or IOA?

 

[WDWRocksMySocks]

Ahhhh I can't wait for Harry Potter! We are not huge Universal fans otherwise. Islands of Adventure is probably the better park IMO atleast. I too am wondering when we should get our tickets. I'm sure we'll probably just get ours online.

So is that roller coaster (the rip, ride, and rock it) at US or IOA?

I know, I'm so excited too!!! I can't wait to see your pics and read your TR about it. I agree, IOA is definitely the better park. I love the Mummy, the Simpsons ride and MIB ride over at US. Otherwise, it's not that exciting. We can typically do both parks (twice!!) in one day.

That one is over at US. We haven't been on it, yet. Last year, there was a 240 minute wait. Eek!!!

 

[heathers4um]

Hi Kirsten! I have used Enterprise in Orlando before and had no issues!

Mishka is adorable! I love the off-topics!

Looking for a decent car rental in August has been such a PAINFUL experience. We typically use Alamo, but their cheapest rate is $364/week. Uh, yeah...no thanks. I got pretty excited the other day to find something below $200. Well, actually it was $197/week but still...below $200! I'm bummed, though, b/c last August we only paid $90/week. Yeah.

I thought I'd be clever and check Priceline. I've used Hotwire in the past and have had great luck. I started w/ $13/day and that was rejected. I tried $14 and $15/day and they were both rejected, too. Suck!

Well, my perseverance paid off. Today I found a good rate through Enterprise for $160/week (including taxes and fees). I went ahead and cancelled my other reservation and booked the new one. Who knows, maybe I'll even find something cheaper as the trip gets closer.

The rate is for an economy car, which is plenty big enough for us. I've never drove a Chevy Aveo, but it looks okay.

We've never used Enterprise at MCO before. Have any of you? If so, let me know how it went.

 

[fairytalesfireflies]

I'm in!

Your puppy is just adorable! Our dog is part husky- dont worry, they outgrow the chewing!

I'm realllllly jealous of your Poly rate. You scored a great deal!

And just to add to our growing list of similarities, we're huge baseball fans also!

 

[WDWRocksMySocks]

**Disclaimer** I just finished writing this whole entry and I promptly closed the browser by mistake. Whoops. Note to self, copy the text so I can just paste into a new window next time that happens (b/c I'm sure there will be a next time).

Day Four

We're planning on starting the day over at DHS. We love spending time here so we can ride ToT and RnR an obscene amount of times. Fun, fun! I'm really bummed that TSMM will be refurbed during this time. We didn't ride it last year, so DH has never been on it. Poop! Oh well, gives us a great reason to plan a future trip. We're hoping to utilize FP and ride Tot & RnR at least a few times before lunch. I'm curious to see if the wait times will be affected by TSMM being down. Anyone think they will be? I also want to do the GMR -- it's one of my favorites. I'm nerdy and love to listen to the ride audio over on D-Cot. Does anyone know if they still do interaction w/ the cowboy? We always get the gangster and I'd love to go and have the cowboy once. Before we head back to the resort, we'll probably grab some lunch over at Toy Story Pizza Planet. We're total suckers for this place. Plus, DH loves playing this pitching game in the arcade. It cracks me up -- we're in one of the most fun places on earth and DH would rather hang out in the arcade and play the pitching game. After I pry him away from the game, we'll head back to the resort for an afternoon break.

Okay, so I know I said we're not big Epcot fans but we're actually heading back there this evening. Why? Well...we were able to score an elusive dinner ADR for Le Cellier!!! Love, love, LOVE this place!! I went for the first time in January and OMGosh, so good! I can't wait to have all of this:

Mmm...a Red Maple

Nothing beats warm pretzel bread!

And, of course, Cheddar Cheese Soup!!

Seriously, this place is amazing. If you've never went, you MUST! It's well worth it. After dinner, we'll probably hit TT (I'll grab fast passes before dinner). I'm curious if it's any different at night. Depending one what time it is, we may head back over to DHS to do ToT at night. It's so much better when it's dark out!!! They close at 10pm so hopefully, we'll have time. We might skip TT just to have enough time. We'll see.

Pictures of the day:

Yet another bootleg pic, this time at RnR w/ my sister and nephews. LOL, my sister would kill me if she knew I posted this on the "internets"

They sure make bootlegging the ToT ride pics difficult. I wish the screens were a little lower. Thank goodness I have long arms. I suppose I could buy the pic, if I weren't so cheap.

A PP pic from last August

ToT at dusk...thankfully, the herd was exiting the park as we were coming during evening EMH

 

[WDWRocksMySocks]

Hi Kirsten! I have used Enterprise in Orlando before and had no issues!

Mishka is adorable! I love the off-topics!

Yay, glad to hear another positive review for Enterprise!

Aw, thanks!! I swear, if she could talk she'd tell everyone how cute she thinks she is.

I'm in!

Your puppy is just adorable! Our dog is part husky- dont worry, they outgrow the chewing!

I'm realllllly jealous of your Poly rate. You scored a great deal!

And just to add to our growing list of similarities, we're huge baseball fans also!

Thanks! Aw, I'd love to see pics of your dog. I love Husky mixes. I can't wait for her to outgrow her Cujo phase (as we affectionately refer to it as).

I was really shocked when I found that rate. I had to do a triple take. Then, I went bounding out of my office w/ this crazy grin on my face telling everyone about the great deal I found. Sadly, no one at work appreciated it. Psh, losers.

I thought you may be baseball fans when I saw that Cubs pic on your PTR. Love the Cubs!!! DH is a huge Yankees fan and he's converted me. We even have the MLB package so we can watch games all the time. Love!!!

Btw, what part of Indiana are you from?

 

[Nermel9]

Congrats on the low rate for Enterprise! I've never used them, I've only used Alamo, but I've heard good things about Enterprise.

I LOVE Le Cellier! What is that red maple drink? I've never seen that! It looks fantastic! Of course, when I went in May, I had a horrible migraine the first night, so I could barely eat, never mind drink alcohol, and the 2nd time (yes we went twice on our May trip, it was our honeymoon, it had to be done! ) I just didn't feel like drinking.

I also love riding RnRC and ToT a ridiculous amount of times...especially ToT! One of my favorite things to do in Disney is go to DHS on an EMH night and wait til there is no line at ToT and ride it over and over!

 

[WDWRocksMySocks]

Congrats on the low rate for Enterprise! I've never used them, I've only used Alamo, but I've heard good things about Enterprise.

I LOVE Le Cellier! What is that red maple drink? I've never seen that! It looks fantastic! Of course, when I went in May, I had a horrible migraine the first night, so I could barely eat, never mind drink alcohol, and the 2nd time (yes we went twice on our May trip, it was our honeymoon, it had to be done! ) I just didn't feel like drinking.

I also love riding RnRC and ToT a ridiculous amount of times...especially ToT! One of my favorite things to do in Disney is go to DHS on an EMH night and wait til there is no line at ToT and ride it over and over!

Thanks! I still plan on lurking on the transpiration board and checking rental car rates -- probably up to the day before we leave. I'm so lame.

Mmm, Red Maples are the most AH-MAAAZING drinks in all of WDW. No joke. So good. They're a non-alcoholic raspberry smoothy with a splash of sprite. You should try one. They're delicious!!

Do you get migraines a lot? I used to get them a ton (allergy related) but I started allergy shots and it's not nearly as bad as it was. Blech, migraines are the worst -- especially on vacation.

Ha! That's exactly what I like to do, too!! Isn't it great when you can just walk on and ride as much as you'd like? I love doing DHS during evening EMH.

 

[Legendofthehawk]

Thanks! She absolutely LOVES that little thing. In fact, we've gone through two already. I think I'm going to have to start buying them in bulk. LOL! She loves to howl and talk. It's so cute. Just last night DH and I started "talking" to her and she'd do this super cute howling/talk thing. Hilarious!!

Ooh, so glad to hear you've had such great luck w/ Enterprise. It's our first time using them at MCO so I'm happy to hear such a great review. Question - did you pay for the upgrade or was it complimentary?

Can't believe how fast she's grown already from the two pictures!

Husky was on our top list of dogs to one day add to the family. They are such beautiful animals.

The once was complimentary, and the second time because of the promotion code it worked out to the same price as the car that we were going to get. Generally the offices are good out here if you ask about it. The only issue is how many cars are available, since the fuel savers tend to go quick.

In general though, it never hurts to ask to see if any discounts or upgrades are available!

 

[WDWRocksMySocks]

Just had to put that out there...

I've already mentioned that I'm a total sucker for deals. Well, I like to lurk on the Transportation board -- you know, in case someone finds this amazing deal in August that I think I should investigate. Someone posted something about Southwest ticket prices dropping, so of course I had to go check. Guess what...they did!! They are now $182/each. I signed Aaron up for the $25 discount, so they wound up being $157/each!! That means I've managed to save just about $50 off each ticket from what I originally had to pay back in April. We now have until April 2011 to use the $100 credit. We're planning on doing a trip out to southern California next summer to see several different baseball games (Padres, Angels and Dodgers) and of course....Disneyland!!! It's our first ever trip out to soCal so we're really excited. We plan on using the credit to buy our tickets for that trip. If anything else, the credit gives a good excuse to go back to WDW!

 

[wdwgirl03]

Your plans look great Kirsten! We love Pizza Planet too.

And oh my, that drink and pretzel bread look soooo good!

 

[Nermel9]

Congrats on SW's prices dropping! I want to do a SoCal trip SO badly, I keep telling myself maybe next year, but I don't know if I can pull off Disneyland AND Disney World in the same year. It will probably have to be one or the other! And Disney World will most likely win!

I check rental car rates all the time, even when I have a car booked I still check, and it's usually right up until I leave too! Rental cars are expensive, and it pays to keep checking!

I get migraines all the time, I didn't know they could be allergy related! I don't think I have allergies though, I usually get them from the heat (which is why I always seem to get one the first night in Disney) or sometimes regular headaches just turn into them. I should go to the doctor and find out why I get them but I'm afraid!

That red maple drink sounds great, I'm definitely getting one! I just assumed it was alcoholic because it's so pretty!

 

[monymony3471]

Good snag on the airline tickets.

Have you tried undercovertourist.com for pricing tickets yet?

Yes, US got pretty pricey.

 

[HeatherBelle614]

Woho on saving more money!!

When are you hoping to head to California, btw??

 

[WDWRocksMySocks]

Your plans look great Kirsten! We love Pizza Planet too.

And oh my, that drink and pretzel bread look soooo good!

It's such a fun place! Plus, the food is pretty tasty.

Mmm...it's the best!!! I have dreams about warm pretzel bread and Red Maples all the time.

Congrats on SW's prices dropping! I want to do a SoCal trip SO badly, I keep telling myself maybe next year, but I don't know if I can pull off Disneyland AND Disney World in the same year. It will probably have to be one or the other! And Disney World will most likely win!

I check rental car rates all the time, even when I have a car booked I still check, and it's usually right up until I leave too! Rental cars are expensive, and it pays to keep checking!

I get migraines all the time, I didn't know they could be allergy related! I don't think I have allergies though, I usually get them from the heat (which is why I always seem to get one the first night in Disney) or sometimes regular headaches just turn into them. I should go to the doctor and find out why I get them but I'm afraid!

That red maple drink sounds great, I'm definitely getting one! I just assumed it was alcoholic because it's so pretty!

Ha! I know exactly what you mean. It's hard to chose between WDW or any place else. I figure so Cal at least has Disneyland so it should help my Disney fix.

So glad I'm not the only one who does that! It's crazy how much the prices keep fluctuating this year. Last year, we lock in a great deal in May. This yeah...not so much.

Yeah, I get mine mainly from allergies but sometimes from stress too. The first time I got one I was certain I was having a stroke and going to die. Needless to say, I'm a little dramatic. It's scary, though! What do you usually take for yours?

You should definitely get one. It's SO good. Isn't it funny, most of the pretty drinks at WDW all seem to be alcoholic. I always eye that big pineapple one from the Poly. I may have to get one of those! I'm not a huge drinker and usually drinking in the heat is not a good combo for me. But, those pineapple drinks look so pretty!

Good snag on the airline tickets.

Have you tried undercovertourist.com for pricing tickets yet?

Yes, US got pretty pricey.

I checked there last night. I was hoping for a better discount. Shucks!

Woho on saving more money!!

When are you hoping to head to California, btw??

Isn't it a great feeling when you get to save more money when planning a trip? Love it!!

We're hoping to go next summer -- either in May or June. It really depends on DH. He just graduated and is job hunting (send good vibes, please!!). So, if he has the time to get away we'll go then. Otherwise, I may have to use that Southwest credit for an impromptu WDW trip.