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Old 02-26-2017, 08:25 PM   #1
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The Promise of Spring: F&GF 4.0 UPDATED: 5/11

When

Today is officially 60 days and counting until our next Disney World vacation. Tomorrow is officially two months until we enter the Disney bubble. So it must be time for this pre-trip report of officially begin.

When we returned from WDW last May, Luke and I began a discussion of when to return in the spring of 2017. We are getting smarter in our retirement as we rethink the way we’ve always done things. We truly enjoy traveling down for the Flower & Garden Festival, but our May trips have been a mixed bag of weather. The first year was super pleasant with chilly mornings, mild days, and cool evenings. Nearly perfect every day. Last year’s trip occurred in the midst of an unusually early spell of heat. Phooey! We were hot and sweaty by the end of every single day. Luke also noted that our Gold Annual Passes would expire on May 7. We also knew that we didn’t want to be a part of the crazy crowded spring break/Easter season. Easter 2017 arrives mid-April (4/16), so no trip prior to then or shortly after. I went to touringplans.com to check the crowd calendar, which gives a basic idea of what to expect for late April/early May. But we all know that a year out means all the numbers anyone offers are based on averages more than reality. Additionally, we had no idea of what airport and airline we would most likely being using. We flew Allegiant out of Evansville, a 45-minute drive from home, back in October 2016. We were honest with ourselves after those flights that we really prefer flying Southwest. For us with Southwest, the flight attendants and pilots are friendlier, the planes are newer and more comfortable, two pages for each of us ship free, and no car rental is required. Where we are located in Kentucky, we have two options for airports, Louisville, KY, or Nashville, TN. We like both as they aren’t huge, they are well laid out, and the staff at both is Southern friendly. At both we have found places we trust off site to leave our car, though I personally prefer the place in Nashville as it feels more secure to me. Overall, flying SWA costs us less even though we have to drive either two or two and half hours since we don’t pay for our luggage or for a rental car. So as you can see, we had quite a bit to think about before we could determine the WHEN of this trip. We will be staying at our home resort this trip (more on that in another update on the WHERE), meaning we needed to book our stay one month or less after we returned home back in May 2016.

With time elapsing quickly and with no concrete information on flights from either Louisville or Nashville, we decided to set our dates so that Allegiant could be a backup if necessary. The date to book our resort was looming. I again checked touringplans.com and now we began from the end with our last available date on the APs and worked back from there. The Owensboro Allegiant flight leaves on Friday while the one out of Evansville leaves on Thursday. Remember this might be our backup flight. We wanted to keep the length of our stay at our usual 11 days, so Thursday would do that. Finally, the answer to WHEN was Thursday, April 27 to Sunday, May 7. By the way, if we end up with Allegiant as our air carrier their flight back to Evansville is on Sundays, though it is incredibly early, meaning no park time at all on the last day.



Front Gate Topiary for F&GF 2016

NEXT: HOW
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Old 02-27-2017, 08:39 AM   #2
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Great start Cam! Can't wait to hear all about it!
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Old 02-27-2017, 09:07 AM   #3
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I am so excited that it is time for another Cam & Luke trip. Great start.

I must admit here in the Pittsburgh area the one tiny airport in Latrobe flies Allegiant. Many people are happily using them. I am torn. The prices after including the shipping would be close but add on free parking and virtually no security headache makes it look more appealing. I'm still up in the air but there is a lot to consider. After a long road trip to see my ailing Aunt this past week - driving and the auto train (connection is still a 4+ hour away drive) is out!

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Old 02-27-2017, 10:48 AM   #4
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Having to plan that far out sure adds to planning conflicts. By now you should them all worked out. I have gone thru the Allegiant exercise before as well. Just like you, I found there are more positives when not using Allegiant. Looking forward to reading more of your plans.
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Old 02-27-2017, 11:08 AM   #5
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I was keeping an eye out for this PTR. Great start!
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Old 02-27-2017, 11:40 AM   #6
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Great start!
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Old 02-27-2017, 11:42 AM   #7
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Great start!! I'm looking at planning a trip around that time frame next year Can't wait to read what you have planned.
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Old 02-27-2017, 12:58 PM   #8
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Great start! I was so excited to see your PTR today! I'm also going to the F&GF this year, although a few weeks before you. I'll be there over the dreaded Easter weekend, through no choice of my own. We're going to watch my DD's HS marching band march in the MK, so we'll just have to make do with the dates we're there.
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Old 02-27-2017, 01:24 PM   #9
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Great start!
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Old 02-27-2017, 02:54 PM   #10
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I've been looking forward to this as well...I love your trip reports! Just be mindful you will be overrun with cheerleaders both weekends you are there. The World championships are that last weekend of April, and the National Summit is the first weekend in May. that my DD's team gets a bid so I can see you again!
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Old 02-27-2017, 03:27 PM   #11
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Yay! I'm so glad you've gotten your TR started. I will be paying particularly close attention to this one. Next year during the same time frame, one of my oldest and dearest friends and I are planning on taking a Girls Trip to WDW. I can't wait to hear about everything.
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Old 02-27-2017, 03:33 PM   #12
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Great start! I really don't like choosing dates before the airlines have announced their flights either. I hope it all works out for you!
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Old 02-27-2017, 04:00 PM   #13
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Great start! I always enjoy your PTR's and TR's!
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Old 02-27-2017, 04:34 PM   #14
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YAY! Another Cam and Luke trip to look forward to!
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Old 02-27-2017, 04:34 PM   #15
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Great start!! I can't wait to hear all about it!!
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