And we have a flight home!!

I HATE having a flight one way and not the other. I'd booked my fly down for my March 2011 trip and held on the return flight. So nerve wracking to not have that flight booked to come home. So when I did that yet again for this upcoming trip, it once again left me antsy.

I checked all the sites. Repeatedly. For like a week. The prices on the flights I wanted weren't moving in the direction I wanted. And paying $160 each for the direct Jetblue flight leaving Orlando at 6:55 pm just wasn't gonna happen. Paying that much was just ridiculous.

So then I started considering Airtran. They had a direct flight for $110 (same as what I paid for our flight down on Southwest) but of course, there would be checked bag fees. $20 each to be exact. And it left at 5:49 pm. In total, it was $120 less than the Jetblue flight. Was it worth it to pay $120 for an extra hour in Disney???

Most Disney fanatics, including myself, would say "Hell yes!!!!" But my thrifty self said no. I needed these flights to be as cheap as possible. And it was only an hour. The difference would be Magical Express picking us up at our resort at 2:30 ish or 3:30 ish. Usually by that time we are pretty tired and one extra hour would't really give us much. But still......an hour in Disney is better than an hour anywhere else on earth.

But I was done waiting and worrying the flight would go up just like all the others had. So I booked. And I felt relieved. :)

How are you struggling with airfare these days? Like me, worrying about the cost? Or are you lucky enough not to have to fret about those kinds of things? :)

Airfare is booked...going to Orlando, anyway!

Southwest opened their fares today and I've been waiting for this for months. Airfare ALWAYS gives me the most stress when planning any trip. You just never what you're going to find and you're kinda stuck. If you wanna get where you need to go, you need to pay the crazy prices. Driving is not an option for us. The drive is just too far.

So I've been stalking all the websites for weeks....praying for some kind of great deal today. And I did get it...on the flight down, anyway. $110 for a direct flight leaving at 7:55 am, arriving in Orlando at 10:40 am. We've done early morning direct flights before, but in the past they have been more like 6:30. That got us to Orlando around 9:30, and that was great, but this extra time in the morning to sleep will hopefully ensure that we won't be as tired once we get there!

But the flights home were not as great. SW had a direct flight home, also for $110, but it leaves Orlando at 2:40. That means Magical Express will pick us up around 11:30-11:45. That means our last day is pretty much a waste. We like being able to have at least half a day in the parks. The later flight, 5:20, cost $175. Yikes! I might book with Jetblue for the home flight...they have a direct flight leaving Orlando at 6:55, but it's $160. Not much better in price. The same flight is $110 the next day..........I'd save $200. The extra night at the resort would be less than that! LOL!

So, the stress of purchasing airfare is not yet over for me. :( Hopefully soon though.

It's ADR day!!!

YAY!! I always love this day, despite walking at 5:40 am to get the laptop booted up and ready to log in at 6 am on the dot to start my reservation process! :)

I have my brand spanking new laptop this time, so that helped. I brought it in the bedroom last night and set it on my night stand, so all I had to do was grab it, prop myself up in bed, and go at it. Worked well until I got in and my first ressie, Chef Mickey's, required a credit card # to book. I thought I was safe....didn't think I had any restaurants that needed one. But nope, both Chef Mickey's and Ohana needed it.

But anyway, I made sure I had my list of restaurants in order of priority beforehand. Chef Mickey's was first, then I moved on to Whispering Canyon Cafe. This one I was nervous about because I needed a table for 7 and it's a MVMCP night. Then I did Ohana and 50's Primetime. Next was Coral Reef...nothing. I tried my other Epcot day...booked solid. Moved on and booked Liberty Tree Tavern and Biergarten.

Coral Reef was the only restaurant hubby requested. So I had to check with him before booking a substitute. Garden Grill would have been mine next choice, but that was booked solid too. I find that to be kinda weird. I looked at the menus for Epcot, trying to find what would be good for us and also for the kids. I try to pick places that are somewhat entertaining for the kids...not just a restaurant. I would love to try Chef de France, but I'm not sure if my 4 year old would sit there nicely. So I suggested Teppan Edo to hubby and he said "yes". We've been wanting to do it...just waiting for the youngest to be old enough to be interested in watching the show.

I'm hoping and praying the Be Our Guest restaurant will be open for our trip, and I can get my hands on a reservation!! Ideally, that would be the day I made the reservations or Liberty Tree Tavern. I chose that restaurant for that day, hoping I'd be canceling it for Be Our Guest. I do love LTT, but since they took the characters away, it's not the same :(

I'm excited, as usual, for all the great food we'll eat!! My only hope is that Disney offers free dining for the late fall, like they have the last few years. It would slice $700 off our bill. Not sure what we'll do if they don't. :(