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Braksgirl posted:For me, I'll always take the travel agent discount. I get half off any resort. That's always going to beat free dining. Question: What do you need to have in order to qualify for the travel agent discount? I've actually studied all the material in order to obtain a TICO licence (the licence needed to sell travel in Ontario), but never bothered to do the test since I'd actually have to schedule an appointment and go do it on a weekend. If it were online I would do it in a second. 50% off Disney hotel rooms may need the push I need to actually get my licence, but if I have to actually prove that I work for a travel agency or something else that would be difficult.
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Apr 16, 2015 15:24
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You have to work for a travel agency and you have to have either an IATA accreditation or CLIA accreditation. You can't get those without working for either an agency or an airline. And there are yearly sales quotas for both so it's not like you can just sign up with an agency and just not sell anything.
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Apr 16, 2015 17:14
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Braksgirl posted:You have to work for a travel agency and you have to have either an IATA accreditation or CLIA accreditation. You can't get those without working for either an agency or an airline. And there are yearly sales quotas for both so it's not like you can just sign up with an agency and just not sell anything. Darn. Time to go make friends with a travel agent  .
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Apr 16, 2015 17:20
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Don't forget cast members can also book you stays at 40% off (and sometimes other discounts like dining plans). That's how we always did it before moving here.
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Apr 16, 2015 17:24
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Bottom Liner posted:In other news, I signed up for the Goofy challenge race and a half for the 2016 marathon! Post about this when you do it. I'm not going back until 2017, but might consider doing this as long as it's not crammed full of walkers and 13min/mi bucket listers blocking miles of narrow paths.
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Apr 16, 2015 17:26
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Have you done a Disney race before? I did the Wine and Dine in 2013 and considering the amount of people it was organized really well. You get placed in different starting corrals based on your estimated finishing time (with the front ones requiring proof of past races), so you won't have to deal with tons of walkers if you place yourself near the front. Also, you're mostly on big roads throughout the resort except for when you're actually running through the parks, but even then it's mostly large walkways so you don't get too crowded.
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Apr 16, 2015 17:31
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Happitoo posted:Darn. Time to go make friends with a travel agent Better go marry one actually. I can't let friends use my discount. I have to actually show up and use my IATA card or it reverts to rack rate.
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Apr 16, 2015 17:43
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nimper posted:Why even bother going? Oh we will eat well, I just don't need a 3 course meal at a quick service place in the magic kingdom every time I want lunch.
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Apr 16, 2015 18:00
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Braksgirl posted:Better go marry one actually. I can't let friends use my discount. I have to actually show up and use my IATA card or it reverts to rack rate. What if I work for a travel company but in a non-travel agent capacity? I used to work for a tour operator but I handled all their advertising. I could do that again for sweet travel discounts. Or is IATA based on your personal sales as opposed to the company's sales? I guess we're getting off topic of Disney though... How 'bout that talkin' Mickey?
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Apr 16, 2015 18:16
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Free dining plan offer during food and wine fest is the bees knees. Almost all the small plate offerings are marked as snack credits which means you can use your useless snack credits on $9 4oz filets at Canada booth and lobster rolls. Makes getting the full value really easy. Also, braksgirl, I did that exact thing. Married and loving the discounts.
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Apr 16, 2015 19:04
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OK, so I finally did my FastPass selections for our June trip. I have the full internary up here if anyone is interested and wanted to offer some pointers: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OZ_8YRA5luWshaMHJ4cYkTbs2XRXv0ymr6C5n9LazQM/edit The missing gaps are 6 quick service meals, and 6 snacks. I have these notes for Quick Service meals: quote:Magic Kingdom: Anything to add? What are some recommendations for the Snacks? Oh, and if we don't have anything for breakfast and just need to buy our own, is it best to just eat at our hotel or are there some cheap but good breakfasts worth traveling for? Uziel fucked around with this message at 19:52 on Apr 16, 2015 |
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Apr 16, 2015 19:49
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We used snacks to get a muffin or pastry each morning at the hotel on the way to the bus, that should be plenty to hold you over until lunch.
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Apr 16, 2015 20:16
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I'm in Epcot right now and the world showcase is bustling. We took a tour this morning and got to walk through the showcase for two hours without people and it was awesome. All the topiary and scenery pictures with zero people to get in the way. It was beautiful.
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Apr 16, 2015 22:14
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Hey since you are there, if you have Twitter add La Cava del Tequila to your followers list then go to the Cava del Tequila at the Mexico pavillion, show them you follow them and get a free chips & salsa or shot of tequila. Last time I was there I got a free shot.  Pretty sure they still do something.
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Apr 16, 2015 22:22
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Uziel posted:OK, so I finally did my FastPass selections for our June trip. I have the full internary up here if anyone is interested and wanted to offer some pointers: Unless you're doing a full blown table service, your resort should be fine. We usually buy a shitload of Clif Bars etc beforehand and just eat one with coffee every morning. It also allows for more park time. Again since you're with kids, it might be a bit different. I recommend the Mickey Waffles. Maybe some other Goons can input on their QS breakfast tips. For snacks, obviously the Mickey Ice Cream Bar and Dole Whip. Besides that, go to Writer's Stop attached to the Sci Fi at Hollywood Studios. The carrot cake cookie is real popular. They have some crazy good snacks. I think you'll be there for the Frozen stuff, which brings out some really interesting things. Sleepy Hollow at Magic Kingdom has some really interesting waffle sandwiches. They go from ones with chicken in them to Nutella and such. In Germany at Epcot, they make a mean pretzel. E: Also, are you flying in and staying at a Disney resort? Tim Whatley fucked around with this message at 00:12 on Apr 17, 2015 |
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Apr 17, 2015 00:09
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Tim Whatley posted:Unless you're doing a full blown table service, your resort should be fine. We usually buy a shitload of Clif Bars etc beforehand and just eat one with coffee every morning. It also allows for more park time. Again since you're with kids, it might be a bit different. I recommend the Mickey Waffles. Maybe some other Goons can input on their QS breakfast tips.
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Apr 17, 2015 00:59
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Gotcha. I missed the Magical Express in your G-Drive at the beginning. If you gave Disney your flight itinerary, which they will have since you're taking Magic Express to the resort, they slip a thing under your door two days before you leave telling you what time to be at the Magic Express bus stop. You don't have to book anything. It rules. I would still just double check when you arrive. I'm staying at Coronado Springs for the first time in September and I am crazy excited. The last few trips I've stayed at Caribbean Beach since I stayed there almost every year as a kid. It'll be nice to finally switch it up. Hope you and your family have a blast! Tim Whatley fucked around with this message at 01:39 on Apr 17, 2015 |
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Apr 17, 2015 01:36
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Tim Whatley posted:Gotcha. I missed the Magical Express in your G-Drive at the beginning. If you gave Disney your flight itinerary, which they will have since you're taking Magic Express to the resort, they slip a thing under your door two days before you leave telling you what time to be at the Magic Express bus stop. You don't have to book anything. It rules. I would still just double check when you arrive.
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Apr 17, 2015 02:18
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Happitoo posted:What if I work for a travel company but in a non-travel agent capacity? I used to work for a tour operator but I handled all their advertising. I could do that again for sweet travel discounts. Or is IATA based on your personal sales as opposed to the company's sales? It's personal sales quotas, not agency sales. I have to sell $25k each year to keep my IATA status. And when you consider the average Disney package is around 3k, you have to hustle. So there's no resting on your laurels and still getting discounts. It's an actual real job.
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Apr 17, 2015 02:43
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Coronado Springs has an excellent food court area with some pretty good (if not particularly exotic) breakfast options. I've never actually had breakfast reservations at Disney, but for this September we've booked a table at Kona Cafe. I'm looking forward to the Tonga Toast.
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Apr 17, 2015 03:10
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Oh man I finally tried tonga toast the other day and christ it was amazing. Didn't know even touch the syrup it was sweet enough. Scored cinco de mayo reservations at Ohana. We'll probably drink around epcot then grab a drink at trader sam's while we wait. I'm flying out to California next week so I'll probably check out the original while I'm there. WhiteHowler posted:Coronado Springs has an excellent food court area with some pretty good (if not particularly exotic) breakfast options.
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Apr 17, 2015 03:21
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Braksgirl posted:It's personal sales quotas, not agency sales. I have to sell $25k each year to keep my IATA status. And when you consider the average Disney package is around 3k, you have to hustle. So there's no resting on your laurels and still getting discounts. It's an actual real job. Wow. IATA is tough in their requirements. It's like the exact opposite of my job. I have to get a bunch of certifications etc. but it all boils down to "read this, write this test, btw here's the answers to the test" and costs maybe $50. Getting a TICO licence would be easy enough, but I hate sales and dealing with people so doing enough to qualify for IATA would be impossible for me. I had actually thought about becoming a travel agent for a bit, but then I found out the average salary for one in Canada was around $35k and I knew I couldn't do it. I know you can make a lot more if you hustle. I just don't have that motivation So new plan, step 1) become multimillionaire 2) Get TICO licence 3) Buy enough travel through myself that I qualify for IATA 4) Get sweet travel deals and double the amount of traveling I do in order to maintain the sales quota I think that's doable.
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Apr 17, 2015 11:51
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Holy gently caress we just checked out of the Poly & saw the itemized bill. Magic Band very bad. Very bad.
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Apr 17, 2015 19:01
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I found a neat trick. Right after the second touch point for my third fast pass of the day I opened my Disney experience and tried to update my fastpass selections. It let me make three new selections and they work. So instead of finding a kiosk and adding one a time, you can do three at a time. gently caress yeah.
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Apr 17, 2015 22:46
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Lincoln posted:Holy gently caress we just checked out of the Poly & saw the itemized bill. Magic Band very bad. Very bad. BWAHAHAHA.. I know a guy who pays top dollar for black market organs.
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Apr 18, 2015 00:13
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BOG rules. New trader sams rules too. I got to carry the "red card" on weds as well at Pooh. Didn't want to be a weirdo and ask anyone about stairs though.
Old Man Pants fucked around with this message at 07:00 on Apr 18, 2015 |
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Apr 18, 2015 06:48
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About what time did you receive said red card and did the person who gave it to you look goony. (I handed out quite a few of those on wednesday) demonR6 posted:Also the wife and I are going to attend the October 3 Dapper Day at MK.. we're going Disney Bounding with wifey as the Toy Story couple of Jessie and I am going as Buzz Lightyear. Nerding out at Disney FTW. Sounds awesome but just so you don't show up to the wrong park, the fall Dapper Day is at Studios.
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Apr 18, 2015 18:43
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A week has gone by way too fast. This first trip was awesome, we've got to come back soon. Tomorrow is our last day at wdw and we'll finish it at the magic Kingdom. Good times have been had. Now it's a frantic shower and shave before my most anticipated part of the trip - dinner at Victoria and Albert's. 
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Apr 18, 2015 20:48
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TheBigBudgetSequel posted:Sounds awesome but just so you don't show up to the wrong park, the fall Dapper Day is at Studios. Oh yeah, already covered.
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Apr 19, 2015 02:33
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Richard M Nixon posted:A week has gone by way too fast. This first trip was awesome, we've got to come back soon. Tomorrow is our last day at wdw and we'll finish it at the magic Kingdom. Good times have been had. Hahaha. We booked our next trip 6 weeks after we got back. WDW is amazing.
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Apr 19, 2015 23:42
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Richard M Nixon posted:Now it's a frantic shower and shave before my most anticipated part of the trip - dinner at Victoria and Albert's. Come on, trip report Dick. We ate there for our first wedding anniversary and I thought it was tits. It cost me a weeks salary but still.
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Apr 20, 2015 00:07
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My girlfriend just got hired by the large anthropomorphic mouse. Long distance relationship, here we come.
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Apr 20, 2015 00:09
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MrYenko posted:My girlfriend just got hired by the large anthropomorphic mouse. Long distance relationship, here we come. You'll just have to visit often, that's all! I was long distance with my girlfriend while she went to school in Hawaii. It was pretty tough having to go to Hawaii every few months...
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Apr 20, 2015 01:43
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TheBigBudgetSequel posted:About what time did you receive said red card and did the person who gave it to you look goony. (I handed out quite a few of those on wednesday) It was close to park closing, there was a skinny guy and a thicker guy working the line, and the skinny guy gave us the red card
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Apr 20, 2015 16:15
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A late report, but dinner at V&A's was awesome! The GF liked it so much she booked another seating while we were still dining. The chef's table was just as cool as I had hoped and when I wasn't eating I was standing at the railing checking out what they were cooking and being offered tastes of various things. The day we went they had just begun to offer Matsusaka Wagyu to compliment the Australian Kobe (about 3oz was a $55 upcharge). I wasn't sure if I could tell the difference when I ordered it, but when it came out it was obvious that I was eating something far better than I'll ever have at home. The other dishes were superb as well, although I hated the cheese course as my manchild palate can't handle 'fancy' cheese that tastes like my feet smelled after a day in the parks. The wait staff was awesome, though they were absent from the table a bit more than I'd expect. They told me that each team of 2 waiters serves 10 people in any combination of tables so I thought I'd see at least one of them every minute or two, but it'd easily go 5+ minutes without seeing anyone. But that wasn't a big deal. Turns out there are two husband and wife couples working as waiters, which surprised me. Israel, the general manager / sommelier was so nice. He spent a good half hour hanging out and chatting with us, showing me the wine cellar, and just discussing the business. I'd go back any time. I'll post some food porn if anyone cares. My skills aren't that great but it's still fun to look at.
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Apr 21, 2015 00:42
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Please do! My wife and I are going later this year (hoping she'll get a good discount since she makes their gluten free breads and desserts)!
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Apr 21, 2015 01:34
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While I wait for imgur to finish uploading, here's something cool I learned on the trip. On Main Street, the Mickey you can meet will talk to you. Ever wondered how? There are cameras and microphones in Mickey that send data to a cast member at another location and that CM is responsible for picking out pre-recorded phrases for Mickey to say. They can string several phrases together at once to form longer actions. They then communicate with the CM in the Mickey costume through a headset so the actor knows what's about to be said and can emote properly. A similar technology is used for interactive attractions like Turtle Talk with Crush or Monsters Inc Laugh Floor. An offsite CM is watching the crowd and choosing how to respond, but that CM also controls the on-screen characters. Apparently Crush is controlled using a Playstation controller, which was interesting to learn. Keys to the Kingdom tour was awesome for learning all kinds of backstage details, anyone who wants to learn should definitely go at your first chance.
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Apr 21, 2015 02:14
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Gentlemen, behold! Victoria and Albert's Chef's Table 4/18/2015 Amuse-Bouche Maine Lobster Salad "Jar" with Siberian Caviar  Main Courses Colorado Bison with Black Radish Slaw and Kumquats  Hot "Smoked" Niman Ranch Lamb with Fuji Apple and Curry Dressing   Fennel-Crusted Diver Scallop in a Salt Bowl  Poached Chicken Egg with Corn Foam  Marcho Farm Veal with Morels and Truffles  Australian Kobe-Style Beef with Potato Turnip Gratin (bottom left), Shortrib (center), Miyazaki Wagyu Beef (bottom right)   Harbison, Pleaant Ridge Reserve, Valencay, Sottocenere Al Tartufo, Colston Bassett Stilton  Dessert Citrus Timbale with Violet Sherbert and 24k Gold Flakes  Peruvian Chocolate Timbale with Roasted White Chocolate Gelato  Vaccum Coffee   Miscellaneous Chocolates 
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Apr 21, 2015 02:22
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Wow. That looks beyond amazing.
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Apr 21, 2015 02:30
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It's an experience is all I have to say. We did not eat at Chef's table but it was drat good even from the cheap seats.
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Apr 21, 2015 03:29
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