Ok so I had to share with you this presentation from Elsa and Kate and their two besties on what their graduation gift should be. I mean who puts together a detailed cost savings and itinerary and presents it to us while we are enjoying our coffee at our favorite place (Starbucks obviously) - well, four girls that are determined to go to Disney World.
Here is what happened. The four of them suggested me and my girlfriend go for a walk with them to Starbucks. Of course we would never pass up an opportunity to spend time with our daughters AND visit our favorite coffee establishment. Unbeknownst to us, they had a hidden agenda. I guess it wasn’t really about spending time with their moms. Weird, right?
So anyway, as we are enjoying this magical time with our daughters, they wait for the perfect moment (you know when their moms are all giggly and happy and willing to say yes to anything) to whip out this presentation.
Purpose=grad gift
Ride to airport:
Jason/Brian/Baumgart
Flight Information: (kate)
Checked out both airlines and united was cheaper by $200
Fly out wednesday(o’hare) nov 14th 2018 at 10:19 am and arrive at 1:57 pm (2 hour and 38 min flight)
Fly back sunday nov 18th at 4:00 pm arrive at 5:53 pm (2 hour and 53 min flight) this way it gives us enough time to get ready for school the next day
Roundtrip tickets flying united is $431 per person
Jason is coming in clutch and helping out with a lot of miles so that could be another $100 cheaper
Hotel/Resort Information: (katie)
Staying at Saratoga Springs Resort in a 2 bedroom villa
Includes 1 pull out couch, 1 king size bed, 2 queen beds, full size kitchen, scenic view balcony
We decided on the villa because…
We are all in one room together to party
No one gets scared at night
Normal bedrooms that only hold one queen size bed is $327 ON SALE EVEN
We would have to get 2 of those which would be $654 but wait
THE VILLA for fitting all of us was originally $780 BUT ON EXPEDIA its only $624
This shows that we are saving $187 per night just on rooms
Disney Parks: (elsa)
On our 3 full days in disney world we will be attending Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom
If we bought each ticket separately it would end up being a total of $327 per person
Instead if we buy a three day package it would be $305 saving us $22 per person
We will enjoy many fun rides and it will be a great exercise
Accessories: (maddie)
Minnie Mouse ears on Amazon $10 for a pack of 12
At the park they are $25 dollars EACH this saves us $140
Now onto the shirts…
We can buy them online and it would be all together $98
Or go to Hobby Lobby and make our own for about $15
Saving $83
As you can see from the first page, each girl had her part in the presentation. And then they included an itinerary…
Itinerary
Wednesday:
Leave house at 7:00am
Take off at 10:19 am
Arrive at 1:57 pm
Take FREE bus (saving because we are not renting car=$500)
Arrive at hotel at 2:45 pm
Check into room and walk to disney springs and eat for dinner
Thursday:
Wake up on our own time
You two workout and shower
Go on a walk to Starbucks
Go to epcot
After come back and swim
dinner
Friday:
Wake up on our own time
You two workout
Walk to starbucks
Go to Animal Kingdom
After come back and swim
Dinner
Saturday:
Wake up on our own time
You two workout
Walk to starbucks
Go to Hollywood Studios
After come back and swim
Dinner
Sunday:
Wake up on our own time
You two workout
Walk to starbucks
Go to boardwalk and hang out
Arrive at airport at 1:45
Take off at 4:00
Arrive home at 5:53 pm
Jason picks us up and be home by 7:30
And then the total cost savings page…
TOTAL SAVINGS FOR THIS WHOLE TRIP…
$1,793
WITH SHELLEY WALSH ON OUR SIDE!!!!!!
My favorite part of this whole thing is the fact that they showed us what we would be saving, but not how much we would actually be spending. Genius!
Hey Shelley, probably need to make an appointment with you to see how much this is really going to cost :) (my friend Shelley plans Disney trips for a living - click here for her website.)
Moral of this story, dream BIG, do the homework, get your friends on your side, and pitch your idea at Starbucks - how can anyone say no?????
~Jen
Lemme explain how this plan came up! The day before we presented our moms with this proposal, Maddie (one of my best friends), Katie (Maddie’s younger sister), Kate and I went on a walk to Starbucks. We had some time to kill when we arrived and got our drinks. Maddie and I knew we were going to go on a graduation trip but we hadn’t quite figured it out yet. Since Katie and Kate were with us we all decided to look up sick vacation places. We looked at Iceland and Paris and then realized we wouldn’t exactly have the right amount of time for those trips. Someone brought up Disney and we all thought why not? Eventually we are looking up flight times and costs, dates that could work for both families, how much Disney park passes cost, and the hotel we would be staying at and it’s price. Needless to say we had our hearts set on Disney. The time we spent in Starbucks that morning amounted to around an hour or an hour and a half. After our basketball camp that day, Katie and Maddie were right over and we started typing up the proposal. Of course we were still trying to find the best deals on flights and the Disney parks but somehow Katie and Kate figured that out (is the math right? Probably not)! That night we made sure our moms were down for a walk to Starbucks, of course they were. The next morning we start our haul to Starbucks and a couple of us weren’t too sure if the whole idea presentation would work out. We eventually get to Starbucks and I couldn’t tell you how many times us girls tried bringing up a graduation trip to our moms. Every time we would bring out something related to our idea they would turn to each other and start talking about a different thought in their heads. Finally, we get them hooked on the idea to go on a graduation trip to Disney and Kate whips out the presentation. It was history from there because, surprisingly enough, both Moms love Disney. So make sure to read the blog post in November around Thanksgiving time to see if “Purpose= Grad Gift” actually worked out.
~Elsa