5 Months??? We could use the Delorean right about now!

[nicole83]

Just waiting around for FedEx to deliver my LUGGAGE! *Warning* I get excited about everything... I mean everything, so I apologize in advance for any random burst of energy posts along the way.

I was looking through some TR's and saw the results of getting Photo Connect and now I'm sold on the idea. I love taking pictures and when we were at Disney I took A LOT, but I feel like I didn't get enough "poses" in front of some of the great landmarks, also taking a picture of your ride picture SEEMED like a good idea at the time, but now ummm not so much.

Oh I have a quick question and I will probably post it some place else as well.. I've been skimming the reviews for RPR on trip adviser (people are ridiculous with some complaints BTW) and I saw a few people say that when checking in the hotel puts a $300 hold on your credit card, does anyone know if this is true? Does it make a difference if you book via AAA and have the trip paid off before even checking in? Thanks for any help!

Now that I've got that out of the way, oh something funny and random regarding outrageous reviews. I was reading the reviews for the luggage set I bought on the Wal-Mart website and someone posted a review that said the tote bag that comes along with the luggage is more like a woman's clutch, now granted I can't comment on this since I don't have the luggage yet BUT seriously? It must of been a man posting this review because the only way I could see this tote being the size of a clutch would be if it were the 50' woman's clutch. Sheesh, I will confirm or DENY this clutch like tote as soon as FedEx gets it's BUTT over here!

 

[nicole83]

It came it came! Woohoooo!! My luggage has arrived and I loooooove it. It seems pretty small and the tote is definitely NOT "clutch" size. I tested it by doing some pretend packing, once for me and once for Kevin. I packed random outfits that are similar to what we will be bringing, for me I packed my heels, straightener, clip-less curling iron, a dress, 1 pair of jeans, 2 capri leggings (I'll actually be wearing a pair on the plane), 1 pair of shorts, 1 pair of yoga pants, 1 bikini, 5 socks, 5 undies, 1 pair of cotton capri's, 6 shirts (a mixture of tee's, tanks and cami's) 1 pair of flip flops (I'll wear sneakers on the plane), 2 pairs of sunglasses, 1 pair of glasses (all in hardshell cases) my toiletries bag (not including liquids), my small make-up bag and my empty drawstring bag. After going through security I will put my 3-1-1 bag in the front pocket of the stand up luggage. In the tote I put my kindle fire, all my chargers and ear buds, pretend itinerary, money, keys, snacks. My 3-1-1 bag won't fit inside the tote because it contains more than Kevin's but I might be able to fit it once I get a new bag (the one I have came with the containers but it was cheap and the zipper broke) I'll try it again with a zip lock quarter sized bag. If not it will fit easily in the front pocket as I mentioned before.

For Kevin's packing extravaganza I packed 1 pair of jeans, 1 pair of sandels, his pair of dressy lugg boots (he might not want them but I decided to test it anyway) 2 button down shirts (1 long sleeved, 1 short sleeved) 1 pair of swim trunks, 2 pairs of shorts (he will wear thin sweatpants on the plane to be comfortable) 1 sweatshirt (most likely will be worn on the plane) 3 white t-shirts, 4 t-shirts, socks, undies, 1 belt, toiletries bag. In his tote he will have a portable dvd player (if we buy one, it'll keep him distracted while in the air) his chargers and earbuds, his liquids bag, id's, cash and such. I'm sure things will change a little once the day comes, since obviously what I packed isn't exactly what we are bringing but everything fit with room to spare, both weighed less than 20 pounds. I'm very happy with this decision, this luggage set is perfect for us. I took some pictures and it's hard to really determine the size but the rolling luggage comes up to about 2 inches above my knee and I'm 5'3. I really don't know how that helps but whatever haha!

Here are both laid out on my bed.

This is the large one..(dur) Gotti just had to be in the picture, little punk

The tote (NON clutch like)

Yay!!!

 

[mrsabbott]

I think it is too cute that you were practice packing! Lol! Then again, I'm a last minute packet an have been known to shove last minute stuff in my bag as Hubs is carrying it out the door..

I guess it's a good idea, especially since you are flying.. Glad you like your luggage.

 

[nicole83]

I think it is too cute that you were practice packing! Lol! Then again, I'm a last minute packet an have been known to shove last minute stuff in my bag as Hubs is carrying it out the door.. I guess it's a good idea, especially since you are flying.. Glad you like your luggage.

Haha I had to make sure everything fit before I bought a second set. Plus it got my excitement level back up!

 

[nicole83]

There really isn't much to update at this point, I think my PTR will have more posts when the departure date draws closer. I paid $150 towards the vacation package and I'll pay another $150 tomorrow, I figured that if I pay $150 a week by December 27th (when everything is due) It will be paid off. I will probably purchase our second luggage set this week as well, I'm still pretty excited as is Kevin but in the back of my mind I think that if I forget about the trip it might come faster?? I have decided to purchase two meal deal tickets in the next few weeks so we can try it out on the first day and if it seems to fit our needs then I'll buy two more tickets the next day. It sounds silly but I feel like if I buy two tickets now then it'll be less money we spend while in Florida??

I have almost $300 saved in CHANGE, yes change! I usually always try to save our change for rainy days but I usually tap into it before it even reaches $100 so I'm feeling quite accomplished haha. I literally rummage through my purse and Kevin's pockets for change to add to the jar and it's strange because lately he has been coming home with A LOT of quarters. I sometimes wonder if he is exchanging his extra dollars for change.

ANYWAY as far as plans go for when we get to Universal..... I've learned it can be difficult to actually plan this trip when we are traveling with a large group but I am a go with the flow person and will enjoy myself no matter what, where and when we do anything. Our plane will arrive in Orlando at 9:50 AM. I know we can leave our luggage and grab our passes if our rooms aren't ready and we plan to head straight to one of the parks, I'm not sure which one yet....


**DETOUR**
I apologize for this detour but I have just realized..and I should of put this in my first post... I never really said who was going on this trip! Here we go
(real quick)

Me: Nikki
Kevin: My boyfriend
Paula: Kevin's sister (1 of many..he has 6)
Roy: Paula's Husband
Cristian & Nathaniel: Paula & Roy's 4 year old twin boys
Beth: Kevin's oldest sister
Paul: Beth's husband
Kerry: Beth & Paul's 23 yr old son
Lindsay: Kerry's GF
Hayley & Bailey: Kevin's niece & nephew (also brother and sister) **Kevin's brother, Mickey's kids** PS he has 3 brothers
Hayley is 13 and Bailey is 15 (they won't know they're going until Christmas!!!!!!)

Okay detour is over****

Back to what I was talking about before! As far as planning goes Paula sort of takes the reigns when it comes to family vacations, but she's great at it and always includes everyone. I think it's too soon to really talk about what we are going to do when we get there and everything plus Hayley and Bailey are around when we're all together so we steer clear of all conversations Florida. I think after Christmas we'll discuss more about what days we'll go to which parks and such, iron out the details then, ya know? As for MYSELF I feel like I want to check out Citywalk the first night we arrive, I'm sure Mondays aren't "hopping" but I kind of just want to let loose and party a little? I have a feeling the parks aren't going to be open very late during our stay which bums me out a little, I love being at amusement parks late at night for some reason. The night before we leave for Orlando we are going to stay at a hotel near the Providence airport so we won't have to get up and ready TOO early and they have a park and fly thing so we can leave the cars. I know that was random but felt the need to share! I got a little ahead of myself and now my brain isn't working so I'm going to take a break

 

[schumigirl]

Small update, I just ordered one set of my luggage in the purple color from Walmart! It should be here on Friday. I also got a bunch of the 3oz tsa approved bottles for my liquids and both my bathroom bags came in, the size is perfect. Can't wait for my bags!!

I've just caught up with your pretrippie.......don't know how I missed your updates.......but I LOVE your purple luggage

I did try to get some purple luggage this year but my DH and DS very strongly objecte......lol........so black it is then. I do have a purple and pinkish carry on bag......I love that one.

Looking forward to reading more sounds like a real fun trip

 

[nicole83]

I've just caught up with your pretrippie.......don't know how I missed your updates.......but I LOVE your purple luggage I did try to get some purple luggage this year but my DH and DS very strongly objecte......lol........so black it is then. I do have a purple and pinkish carry on bag......I love that one. Looking forward to reading more sounds like a real fun trip

Thank you for reading! I'm glad you're enjoying the adventure so far. I adore the luggage plus it's my first set I bought for myself. I'm getting my boyfriend a set in blue, I would get black but I have two cats and if you have pets you know their fur just makes a mess of ANYTHING black! It's really just an excuse to get some cute colorful luggage haha.

 

[mrsabbott]

Thank you for reading! I'm glad you're enjoying the adventure so far. I adore the luggage plus it's my first set I bought for myself. I'm getting my boyfriend a set in blue, I would get black but I have two cats and if you have pets you know their fur just makes a mess of ANYTHING black! It's really just an excuse to get some cute colorful luggage haha.

ROFL! I've gotten to where I don't even notice the pet fur anymore! I used to try hard to keep it off dark clothes but it just keeps showing up!! LOL!

 

[nicole83]

ROFL! I've gotten to where I don't even notice the pet fur anymore! I used to try hard to keep it off dark clothes but it just keeps showing up!! LOL!

Lol I'm starting to not notice as well, it's pretty much impossible to avoid! My bf gets so upset but I just tease him about it. Last years we used my parents luggage which are red and black and he was so embarrassed about it I even pointed out EVERY other piece of black luggage with pet fur on it. That's the price of having furry pets! Hahaa

 

[nicole83]

108 days left!! I made another payment on my trip.. I always feel so accomplished even when I just pay a small amount. My excitement has returned and I'm doing MORE reading about the parks, watching videos, checking out photos. It's so fun looking at Universal through the eyes of someone else, learning their point of view of things and such. I think hearing opinions can be so great but I've come to realize that trip adviser might now be the best place to read about them. I feel like people can be so so negative and it scares me!!! I'm one to take opinions as they are...someone's OPINION and draw my own conclusion when the time comes.

When we visited Disney I researched the hotel we were staying at for months *The Caribbean Beach Resort* so many people were complaining of bugs and the size of the resort and everything that was wrong with it. I thought the resort was GORGEOUS, the staff were amazing. No bugs in my room, we were on the ground floor too. Take it all in stride I guess.

I wish I had more to update because I feel like my updates are me just rambling on about silly things. Soon, I promise!!

 

[nicole83]

I'm so excited for Christmas!!! Since Hayley and Bailey don't know they are going to Florida yet, for Christmas I got them both a drawstring bag for the trip and I am going to get them each a $50 Universal gift card. I want to get a few little travel sized items to wrap and put inside the bag, I thought that would be cute "why are you giving me toothpaste?!?! " bwuahahahahha! I think my sister-in-law wants to get them a small piece of luggage but I'm not sure yet.

I'm not sure if I mentioned getting the meal deal but unfortunately IT'S GONE! ugh, they now only have the dining plan, which BTW isn't even available during my travel dates... what the heck? Well they have the CS dining plan but I feel that's pointless since it's only for one CS meal. GRUMBLE. Oh well, I suppose we wouldn't of ate that much anyway, enough to warrant multiple CS meals during the day. The CS dining plan is $20.22 and includes 1 quick service meal, 2 snacks and 1 drink, do you think it would be worth it?

 

[dsmom]

i'm loving your ptr! just wanted to give you a heads up. we are going the 2nd week of December and have purchased the meal deal for two days. i called after my tickets arrived and was told we could still use them while there in december. you might want to check on that if you still want to use the meal deal while there.

 

[nicole83]

i'm loving your ptr! just wanted to give you a heads up. we are going the 2nd week of December and have purchased the meal deal for two days. i called after my tickets arrived and was told we could still use them while there in december. you might want to check on that if you still want to use the meal deal while there.

Thank you so much! The problem with the meal deal is...dun dun dunnn I never bought tickets!!! but I just read a thread from someone who used the quick service dining plan and thought it was great! I guess it all depends on what you get to eat to see if it's worth it, it definitely was for them. I will look on the bright side, at least they have some sort of dining plan which is at a good price too.

 

[Planogirl]

I know what you mean when you seem to spend forever just waiting for your trip to arrive. I'm enjoying your planning though.

I will add that I'm a reluctant flyer too but I just force myself. I can't stand heights so being in an airplane is all about that for me if I think about it. So I just do my best not to think about it.

 

[nicole83]

Gee, I literally went through all my posts and had to edit them because my fingers move faster than my brain and I always screw up on spelling!

The leaves are changing, the air is crisping and I'ma planning! I was browsing the Universal Orlando site and for fun priced out a package for my dates and noticed a 2 day base ticket w/3rd day free (we currently have 3 day base tickets) & a FREE breakfast at Three Broomsticks HELLO! I emailed my AAA agent and asked if these could be applied to our package It's a long shot but I'd rather ask than miss out on an opportunity.

 

[nicole83]

I know what you mean when you seem to spend forever just waiting for your trip to arrive. I'm enjoying your planning though.

I will add that I'm a reluctant flyer too but I just force myself. I can't stand heights so being in an airplane is all about that for me if I think about it. So I just do my best not to think about it.

It sure feels like forever, I have all of the Holidays to look forward too and take my mind off of things so that's good. Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying the madness so far.

Our last trip which was by train he was already complaining this far out, yet hasn't uttered a word about flying so far, thank goodness. Maybe because he knows it's worth it in the end and it'll only be a few hours VS 24-26 hours on a train.

 

[Poppins2010]

One other food option that you might want to consider. ..Since you are traveling on SW, and have free baggage, you might want to bring a box of snacks. We did this last time (my teenage DS is a bottomless pit) and saved a BUNCH of money. We put trail mix, granola bars, bagels, apples, etc in the box, and it really cut down on the money we "ate" in the park. At the end of the trip, we just put the box in the hotel recycle bin.

 

[nicole83]

One other food option that you might want to consider. ..Since you are traveling on SW, and have free baggage, you might want to bring a box of snacks. We did this last time (my teenage DS is a bottomless pit) and saved a BUNCH of money. We put trail mix, granola bars, bagels, apples, etc in the box, and it really cut down on the money we "ate" in the park. At the end of the trip, we just put the box in the hotel recycle bin.

That's a great idea, I'll definitely pack some snacks.

 

[nicole83]

89 days left!!! Hooray for double digits. I have some great news, there is a promotional package for Universal. The package includes 2 day base tickets and a 3rd for free and a FREE breakfast at Three Broomsticks, currently we have 3 day base tickets and NO FREE breakfast, so I called Amy at AAA and asked if it would be possible to get this new package and she did it! Our price only went up $8 but it's a great deal, like we're only paying $2 for a breakfast. She reserved it for the Wednesday at 9:00, I'm glad I noticed this package and asked about it.

I started my Christmas shopping yesterday, it felt good to finally get some done early this year (for once!) I'm a last minute Christmas shopper and I hate it! I swore this year I would get everything done early and so far I'm on the right track

 

[nicole83]

Quick little update.. I've been busy with holiday shopping and such so it's been tough to get on the dis for a while. My vacation is officially paid off! One less thing for me to worry about. I also purchased two $50 universal gift cards for Haley and Bailey yay! They are going to be so surprised and excited I just can't wait for Christmas Eve, which is when we will be telling them about the trip. I have all my Christmas shopping done, thank goodness. I can't believe there's only 2 months left until take off!!! Well that's it for now, obviously this will be more eventful after the trip but I'll try to make it as exciting as I can in the meantime haha.