[Colexis Mom]

The Players:
Me (Marnie) – 43
DH (Matt) – 45
DD (Alexa ) – just shy of 13
DS (Colin) – 10
Dates: Friday April 13, 2012 thru Sunday April 22, 2012 at POFQ

Sorry guys, I’m not creative with trip report titles. I can be creative when I’m forced to be, but I’m afraid if I put off the report any longer due to not having a title, there will be no report! As it is, there are no notes, so I’m going off pictures, receipts, and text messages to remind me where we were!

Background:
This trip came about in January, at just about the 90 day out mark, so I didn’t even get to do a double digit dance. We had been hemming and hawing about where to go for spring break this year. For the past 4 or 5 years, we’ve been doing to Washington DC to my DSiL’s house. However, they were not on the same week as we were this year, plus I’ve been having issues with my DSiL. It’s a very one-way relationship – she expects us to drop everything for her, but for me to expect the same of her is not happening. The last straw was when we left her house last spring break and both my kids were making their First Communion three weeks later. Guess who didn’t show up? And guess who is both their godmother? And guess who didn’t tell us she wasn't coming, she told her mother who then told us? So I’m done with it. It was actually much easier without her (no drama) so for that I’m thankful, and it’s at that point I made the executive decision (I am the CEO/CFO/COO of this family since I’m a SAHM) that we would NOT be going back to her house for spring break the next year!

So we had planned on going to the Grand Canyon, but the airlines were charging a small ransom for airfare, so that went out the window. By the time January came around, time was running out, and we decided on WDW. It had been 4 years since our last trip so we were due! Since we were only 90 days out, airfare was a challenge. To fly out of our home airport (BDL) was not going to happen, since it was spring break for most of CT, and those tickets were gobbled up when they were released probably 2 or 3 months ago. Southwest wanted about $400/pp, one way. I don’t think so! I checked into ISP (Islip, Long Island) as the inlaws live about 15 minutes from the airport and we could save on parking by leaving our car at their house. Amazingly, the flights out of ISP were more than reasonable. It looked like the spring break for LI was the week before ours, so while we’d be leaving, everyone else would be returning. This allowed us to get tickets for about $95/pp down, and $115/pp back. Deal! Tickets bought, the next decision was the hotel. We all agreed that POFQ was a great resort, so we’d head back there. A quick email off to Marisa, and our room was set.

I decided to give each kid a day of their own to plan. Alexa of course chose WWoHP. I ended up buying one day one park tickets from UT for a bit of a discount. Colin wanted LEGOland, as we had gone to the one in CA in 2010. Mousesavers had a note that there was a buy 1 adult, get 1 kid free option, so we bought those and saved some good money. I planned on going to WWoHP and LEGOland back to back, as we were taking DME, so I reserved a car at the CCC near the MK for 2 days, for about $80 (economy size since we’d have no luggage). In late February or March, I got a PIN code, and saved a couple hundred dollars, and upgraded to a garden view room. And lastly, I bought the 6 day PH tickets from UT. With the two days off site, I wasn’t sure if we’d be back in time to go to the parks that night, and I could always upgrade them once we got there if I needed to.

We did find out that the kids’ friends were also going to WDW (driving) and staying at POFQ so we’d be on the lookout for them. I really had no park plans for the trip, as usual, and we were just gonna go with the flow. I had a bunch of apps (UT, Disney Mobile Magic, MouseWait FL, and WDW Waits). I also checked www.easywdw.com to see their recommedations for park days (but mainly used the UT app since that was always right in front of me on the trip). I did make a few ADRs (the dessert party at MK on the Thursday and lunch at Via Napoli on Wednesday). And I ordered my Photopass before they increased the price. I raced around every store in the area looking for shorts for Alexa a few days before we left, as she had grown out of all of hers. I think we were finally ready to go!

Coming up Next: Travel Day and the long DME bus to nowhere!