I want to buy a new camera for the trip. Not a very frugal choice, but I want one nonetheless. I have a camera in mind but it's $400.00. Some of the reasons I want a new camera are:
Bigger viewing screens than the one I use
Borrowing camera's gets frustrating
I would be forced to learn to download the pictures and video's
Better quality photos
Some of the reasons I shouldn't buy one:
Expensive
Don't NEED one
May inhibit the ability to meet other needs
I really really want one, I may ask for gift cards for my birthday and save some money to purchase it, if I can pay cash there is no interest to worry about. I'll also be able to prove to myself I have self discipline when it comes to something NON-Disney!
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Anticipation 198 Days To Go!
There are 198 days until we leave for Disney. I'm SUPER excited, but realize there is plenty of time to gather supplies, plan our days, and purchase what we need. I just can't believe we're under the 200 day mark. In the next month or two I'm hoping to have everyone's plans finalized, as in what day are they flying down, when are they leaving, etc. It's a tough job to be the mother hen of 8 other people, 7 of whom are adults! The excitement mounts each day and I can't wait! I just want to jump in the car and go except I can't. So far the plan is to leave Friday night about 8 or 9, arrive on Saturday in the evening (we're driving straight through), spend the week exploring Disney World, Universal Studios, and 1/2 a day at Daytona Beach visiting the Nascar Stadium, visit with family, and then leave the following Sunday. In the next 198 days I have to figure out what I want to buy my son and my boyfriend for their birthdays. I'm thinking a Nintendo DS for each of them. I'll have to scrimp and save or save mypoints and cash in for gamestop giftcards.
Another Money Making Opportunity
Friday, April 17, 2009
Great News
My mother’s disability claim finally went through. OH Happy Day! What this means for our trip is my life has just been made easier! My mother will fly to Florida, we will be traveling by rented mini-van, and we might even have some extra money here and there to buy some unnecessary but fun items and experiences. It means for my life that I know my mom will need a little help but she will be taken care of. I love it!
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Purchasing Tickets
When I went to Disney World for the first time as an adult, I only knew about purchasing tickets at the gate. My mother had said she purchased ours as a child at the hotel we were staying at. I later learned about purchasing packages, either online or through a travel agent, purchasing through e-bay, and several ticket brokers. My main goal for this trip was to save money so we could enjoy more for less. My conundrum for the moment is how to purchase our tickets.
I refuse to purchase tickets through e-bay for several reasons. One, Disney may not honor these tickets, you may get ripped off, and you can’t validate the tickets to make sure what you bought is what you get. Disney may not honor the tickets because they have implemented a finger scan. They scan your ticket and your finger and if the tickets don’t match the fingerprint they can refuse you entry to the parks.
I’m considering purchasing through Under Cover Tourist. They received a thumbs-up from The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World and their website is legit. I’m also considering purchasing the tickets at the gate and using my Disney Visa Reward Dollars to purchase the tickets instead of Birthday celebration meals. The difference is $27, which isn’t a lot of money at Disney World but at home it’s more than a weeks worth of gas, a trip to the fruit market or a matinee at the movies for the three of us. I’m probably going to order our tickets through Under Cover Tourist but it’s tempting to just wait and purchase at the gate. I remember my experience purchasing tickets as an adult and I loved it! Our ticket seller was so kind, very funny and overall made it a nice experience. I’m sure I’ll figure it out by the time I have to purchase tickets but for now the money is sitting safely in an ING online account earning 1.49% interest. (Still more than my brick and mortar bank but less than I was earning a year ago.)
I refuse to purchase tickets through e-bay for several reasons. One, Disney may not honor these tickets, you may get ripped off, and you can’t validate the tickets to make sure what you bought is what you get. Disney may not honor the tickets because they have implemented a finger scan. They scan your ticket and your finger and if the tickets don’t match the fingerprint they can refuse you entry to the parks.
I’m considering purchasing through Under Cover Tourist. They received a thumbs-up from The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World and their website is legit. I’m also considering purchasing the tickets at the gate and using my Disney Visa Reward Dollars to purchase the tickets instead of Birthday celebration meals. The difference is $27, which isn’t a lot of money at Disney World but at home it’s more than a weeks worth of gas, a trip to the fruit market or a matinee at the movies for the three of us. I’m probably going to order our tickets through Under Cover Tourist but it’s tempting to just wait and purchase at the gate. I remember my experience purchasing tickets as an adult and I loved it! Our ticket seller was so kind, very funny and overall made it a nice experience. I’m sure I’ll figure it out by the time I have to purchase tickets but for now the money is sitting safely in an ING online account earning 1.49% interest. (Still more than my brick and mortar bank but less than I was earning a year ago.)
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Driving to the World
We're going to Disney World the old family way, driving. Most of the details are still unplanned but we know we're driving to the World. My ideal trip would involve a mini-van and my sister and her boyfriend joining us but we're not sure if that is what we're going to do just yet. We may just take our own vehicles. I'd have liked to make it a fun roadtrip with stops along the way but we're just going to drive straight through and have a couple of longer stops on the trip.
Pro's for renting a minivan-
I'd like a minivan for space sake. I'm taking most of my mom's luggage with us depending on what company she's flying with. That means I'm taking at least four suitcases/bags plus food and supplies, I'd really like a minivan! We'd also have room to taxi everyone around to the parks so we could save on parking also. My mom's wheelchair would also be easier to load and unload for the parks. We'd have some special family time and be able to create some fun lasting memories too. The cost would be split between the four of us too. I'm willing to pay a little extra to help my sister out, so I may be able to convince her of this option.
Con's-
We'd be spending A LOT of family time together unless we optioned for taxi's and other transportation. My sister and her boyfriend want to go to Universal Studios, we do too but it's not in the budget this trip, so we'll have to arrange for transportation for them. Either a taxi or arranging our schedule. I have no problem arranging anything for anybody, but if I'm cranky I may think differently.
As you can see I really want to rent a minivan!
The trip down will take anywhere from 16 to 19 hours. I'm estimating about 19 hours since I want to have a couple of stops that last at least 45 minutes. We'll be able to stretch our legs and have some non-car time. I'd also like this time estimate to include any emergency stops; bathroom, car sickness, etc.
I don't know exactly when we're leaving. We have two options to choose from. Leave Friday night, late but not too late so we can arrive sometime Saturday afternoon or early evening. Or we can leave really early Saturday morning and arrive Saturday night. I'm leaning towards Friday night so we can have some breathing room on our travel time. I'd vote to arrive home from work at normal time, which is 5pm, to cook and eat dinner. After dinner is eaten and cleaned up, Brian would go to bed and take a nap so he's able to drive without a problem. Since he could arrive home earlier than me he (in theory) could already be sleeping when I arrive home. I would then finish packing the suitcases, the food, the supplies, and drive to the gas station to pick up ice for the cooler. I could then pack the car, make sure everything is good to go and relax (yeah, right) until it's time to wake Brian and get everyone in the car. I'd like to leave at night so my son could sleep on a normal schedule. This would also mean less stops because we could be sleeping instead of being bored or wanting to get out of the car.
I still need to plan our route to Florida but I'll do that once it gets a little closer so I can check for construction updates and have time to plan a different route if needed. Only 33 weeks to go!
Pro's for renting a minivan-
I'd like a minivan for space sake. I'm taking most of my mom's luggage with us depending on what company she's flying with. That means I'm taking at least four suitcases/bags plus food and supplies, I'd really like a minivan! We'd also have room to taxi everyone around to the parks so we could save on parking also. My mom's wheelchair would also be easier to load and unload for the parks. We'd have some special family time and be able to create some fun lasting memories too. The cost would be split between the four of us too. I'm willing to pay a little extra to help my sister out, so I may be able to convince her of this option.
Con's-
We'd be spending A LOT of family time together unless we optioned for taxi's and other transportation. My sister and her boyfriend want to go to Universal Studios, we do too but it's not in the budget this trip, so we'll have to arrange for transportation for them. Either a taxi or arranging our schedule. I have no problem arranging anything for anybody, but if I'm cranky I may think differently.
As you can see I really want to rent a minivan!
The trip down will take anywhere from 16 to 19 hours. I'm estimating about 19 hours since I want to have a couple of stops that last at least 45 minutes. We'll be able to stretch our legs and have some non-car time. I'd also like this time estimate to include any emergency stops; bathroom, car sickness, etc.
I don't know exactly when we're leaving. We have two options to choose from. Leave Friday night, late but not too late so we can arrive sometime Saturday afternoon or early evening. Or we can leave really early Saturday morning and arrive Saturday night. I'm leaning towards Friday night so we can have some breathing room on our travel time. I'd vote to arrive home from work at normal time, which is 5pm, to cook and eat dinner. After dinner is eaten and cleaned up, Brian would go to bed and take a nap so he's able to drive without a problem. Since he could arrive home earlier than me he (in theory) could already be sleeping when I arrive home. I would then finish packing the suitcases, the food, the supplies, and drive to the gas station to pick up ice for the cooler. I could then pack the car, make sure everything is good to go and relax (yeah, right) until it's time to wake Brian and get everyone in the car. I'd like to leave at night so my son could sleep on a normal schedule. This would also mean less stops because we could be sleeping instead of being bored or wanting to get out of the car.
I still need to plan our route to Florida but I'll do that once it gets a little closer so I can check for construction updates and have time to plan a different route if needed. Only 33 weeks to go!
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