They'll be an influx of Dibbers booking the TTDP when the July/August dates are finally out!

I love the ribbons too, they were so cheap - I'm tempted to buy some more in different designs!

I hope your planning is going well,

Laura Xx

Hi fellow DIBB teacher

I don't blame you booking a Disney holiday at the start of the summer holidays, they are too exciting to have to wait too long!

It really is a long holiday, but I'm justifying it with the fact it's our 30ths and I need something to make leaving my 20s bearable

Looking forward to reading your pre-trippie

Laura Xx

Thank you, we managed to get reservations for Beaches & Cream and Hoop-de-do today, so it's going well so far!

Thanks for taking the time to comment,

Laura Xx

Thank you, we were very lucky!

Laura Xx

Airport Hotel

Whilst we are in the process of booking our last 9 days of ADRS, I thought that I would update you / babble on about some of the other holiday bits that we have also been sorting out. A little warning though, it might not be the most interesting of updates, but I felt that these things needed to be added for completeness!

We have finally booked a hotel at the airport for the night before we fly. We are flying from Gatwick, which with the traffic on the M25 can take 3 hours to get to from Leicester! Our flight is at 11:15am and with having to check-in 3 hours prior for long haul, we didn’t quite fancy getting up at 4:00am for an even looonnnger travel day!

In the past we have stayed at the Hilton and the Sofitel, as we like the convenience of being so close to the airport and being able to wonder over to the restaurant and shops to get something to eat and drink. We have had great stays in both of them. I loved the buffet breakfast at the Hilton and I really enjoyed the décor and service at the Sofitel, so I have been researching rates for the last couple of months and hoping to stumble upon a sale. We managed to book the Sofitel at a bargain rate on a previous trip to Mexico, as it was the ‘Mystery Hotel’ on Holiday Extras, but as it is the only hotel linked to the North Terminal, it wasn’t really that mysterious and I was able to book knowing exactly which hotel it was!


The lobby area from when we stayed at the Sofitel before we went to Mexico.

However, the Premier Inn that has now been built across the road from the North Terminal threw me a curveball. It has all of the convenience of being located in walking distance to the airport and was slightly cheaper than the other two. We have stayed at many Premier Inns and have never had a problem, as they have all you need for a quick one night stay.


A random Premier Inn room that we have stayed in at some point? No idea where though!

I carried on looking, as there was only Ł10-20 difference between all three of them until recently. Premier Inn has just had a sale and it included the Gatwick Hotel! It is still not as cheap as some of their Ł29 rooms, but I guess that as it is an airport hotel and we are travelling in the height of peak season we would be very unlikely to see them priced that low. We managed to book a night for Ł59, which is Ł30 cheaper than the Hilton and Ł57 cheaper than the Sofitel, so I am really happy with that price .


Very close to the airport terminals!

We also took them up on the dining offer - Ł22.99pp for a two course meal, drink and unlimited breakfast the next morning. This seems like really good value after looking at their menu and they have a lot of tasty options to choose from. If Nathan is super hungry, he can add on an additional course for another Ł3. Have any of you Dibbers eaten here before? What was it like? Hopefully, it will fill us up for the evening!

I think that we are going to bite the bullet and go for the two week Universal tickets. The price on Orlando Tickets Direct is currently Ł121pp and with prices rumoured to rise at the end of February I don’t think that we will be able to find anything better – Unless any of you Dibbers have come across some bargains? These are still a similar price to the two day tickets, so at least it gives us the flexibility to pop in at other times if we fancy it.

Another thing ticked off of the checklist, which never seems to shrink! I know that it was probably not the most exciting read, but I didn’t want any of you Dibbers to miss out on any of the planning information! I really want to get the Universal tickets sorted soon, as well as the car hire and airport transfers. All of the planning really helps to build up the excitement though and I always thoroughly enjoy this part of the holiday .

Ooo we must be flying on the same day! We have similar countdowns

Your plans sound fab, can't wait to read more!

It's great to get more things ticked off the to do list. Having the night before at a hotel on site makes such a difference to my stress levels that I recommend it to everyone - even though we can get to gatwick in 45 mins or less on a good run. The M25 can be a nightmare. Just like you we are trying the PI this year too, we've also done both the Sofitel and hilton with great deals so it worth looking out for them, especially if you're going off peak.

Looking forward to hearing more of your planning

Your holiday sounds amazing I love to get everything booked and all planned out, I am itching to get some ADR's booked in a couple of days, the family is not as excited strange family!

Some fab ADR choices. I have many of the same on my list! Be Our Guest was one of our favourites last time, so hoping to do lunch and dinner this time.

How annoying about the online ADRs. It's my ADR day next week and I'm going to have to sneak away during my lunch break to phone, which won't be easy! (I'm a teacher also). Have you managed to get the other ADRs you wanted?

Hi Laura! I had a thoroughly enjoyable read through your pre-trippie yesterday morning with a nice cuppa (or two!) but didn't get the chance to leave a comment. Just wanted to say that your plans sound great and I'm looking forward to following along. Hope the ADR bookings are still going well!