Savvys Late Summer Trip - Yacht Club - 9/6-9/13
Dates: 9/6/14-9/13/14
Travel: EWR to MCO via United, DME to Disneys Yacht Club
Cast: The Savvy Clan + Sis Boyfriend, who I will dub "ZB"
Me (Savvy): 26
Sis: 23
ZB: 23
Mom & Dad: 51
Highlights: Mickeys NSS Halloween Party
PRE-TRIP REPORT
YAY I can finally post this!!! Five days is close enough, right?
So this is the first trip in quite a while where we have nothing planned apart from MNSS Halloween Party. Yes, yes, we still booked our dining and FPs like good little ducks, but thats about it. Im never one to complain about visiting WDW, but it does feel like something is missing without a Run Disney race. Im sad not to be packing a sparkly running skirt or even my ice packs. I made my case to my family for a perfect TOT 10 Miler status, but the Yacht Club rates have been too high at that time of the year (early October), and they can't imagine a trip without frequent visits to Stormalong Bay and Hurricane Hanna's (for drinks, not food). The Savvy parents overruled my protestations and booked a September trip instead.
Not to worry. Ill be more than making up for it in 2015 with the Princess Half Marathon/Glass Slipper Challenge, Tinkerbell Half Marathon (my first trip to CA), and Wine and Dine Half Marathon. Im especially excited for Princess since that will be my first trip flying solo with Sis, and Ill be surprising her with a stay at Yacht (she thinks I booked POFQ). My parents want to know where Im getting all this money. I shrugged and said YOLO.
Nah just kidding. I mean I did say YOLO, if only to watch them roll their eyes. But I also got a better job, which means better pay without the certainty that Id be laid off at some point. I mean, who needs to buy a house when you can visit Disney three times per year...
(Sorry, Im getting slightly off topic here.) Now if only I could get rid of all the aches and pains, Id be set! I took a 3 month runcataion this summer, only to have all the pains return once I got back into my 4-mile walking routine. My plantar fasciitis is back (though not severe, thankfully), and Ive got pain along my shins and the top of my foot. I purchased new sneakers since mine were way past the mileage limit, but walking in unbroken sneakers seems to be making things worse. I even returned the first pair and purchased a more expensive, better fitting pair, but no go with pain relief. Im hoping a week walking around WDW next week will loosen all of this up, but Im also worried its going to slow me down. I refuse to take anymore NSAIDs after the amount I took last year; the last thing I need is to end up in Celebration Hospital with an ulcer.
Oh, if I may continue this running tangent just a little bit longer, WHAT WAS UP with Princess Half registration? Poor Sis spent 90 minutes attempting to register the two of us for the Glass Slipper Challenge last month. She had to use two computers, wait in line to access the website, and entered our information probably 10 times due to errors before securing the registration. The event did sell out within a few hours last year, but we registered easily. From what I could gather on social media, Active.com was crashing for everyone, and a lot of people who were ready at noon didnt manage to register at all.
Since were planning on doing Coast-to-Coast next year, and they had to go add that Pixie Dust challenge, we were in a state of panic for Tink registration. I ended up taking off a day from my new job (which I didnt want to do) to register. We were so worked up that we ended up booking through a Run Disney travel provider the night before, but as my uncle was out of the country, I kept my plans to register him. I was hunkered down with war paint at 11:30 that morning, and at noon found the registration process easy and stress-free. Not that Im complaining, but I cant help but wonder why? You would think with the announcement of an inaugural challenge, this would have been just as bad as Princess.
Alright thats enough of that. Getting back to this trip, we will be attending the Halloween Party for the third year in a row. Our group costume theme is attraction Cast Members. Not very original, but theres been too much arguing on the subject, and thats what we settled on. Im slated to go as a Haunted Mansion CM. Unlike Sis, who has spent hours analyzing and replicating every tiny detail of her Tower of Terror bellhop costume, I managed to piece together a few things to create a decent costume. I found an adorable (though expensive) Haunted Mansion apron on Etsy, which has the green pinstripe front and a green skirt with lace. After a lot of searching for a shirt in that dark green hue, I finally managed to find a light-weight 3/4 sleeve tee in Old Navy, which Ill wear under the apron. On an outing with Sis, I also picked up some white lace, black felt, and a head band from the craft store. Using these, I was able to replicate the lacy headpiece the female CMs wear. I cut a bat out of the black felt and glued that to the center of the headpiece, and also sewed the remainder of the lace around my shirt sleeves. If I recall correctly, the HM CMs also don face makeup and spider webs on Party nights, so I picked these up from the craft store as well.
Also unique to this trip is that Siss boyfriend, "ZB," will be joining us. My DBF was invited as well, but he and I spent a week (and a good deal of money) in New Orleans this summer, plus the fall is usually a busy time at work for him. He will join us for one of the three (three!) trips next year. With the addition of an extra body on this trip, we had to book an extra room at Yacht, which was not cheap. Im trying to decide if Im going to be a third wheel or take the extra bed in my parents room. Either way, Ill just be happy to be "home."
Sis handled the fastpass and dining reservations, so I dont remember the exact schedule. I know we are doing Chef Mickey for dinner the first night, and she and ZB will have dinner alone at California Grill on Wednesday night. Also somewhere in the lineup are Ohana, Liberty Tree Tavern, Yachtsman Steakhouse, Captains Grill, Via Napoli, and the 50s Prime Time Cafe. Sis received an email inviting us to fastpass Be Our Guest for lunch, but we passed on this. I know that BOG dinner reservations are the most coveted of meals these days, but we were not impressed with dinner last year, and the lunch menu, which used to look more promising, has also changed. I think we have too many reservations as it is, so Im fine with that.
Im planning on using today to assemble my outfits and pack. I know Im still a few days away, but between my morning walks/runs, commuting, and taking care of my pooch, I get about two hours to myself at the end of the average workday. Probably best to get the packing done with a whole day ahead of me.
Thats all for now! Ill have my report up as soon as I can, and I'll make sure to bring a notebook this time.
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Savvy's September Trip, Yacht Club, September 6-13, 2014
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