My August Trip Plans

My next Walt Disney World trip is quickly approaching! As of today my trip countdown is 74 days! When I'm not working on the blog or homeschooling Sofia, I'm running my business with Younique. I've been a Younique presenter for 3 years now and one of the things I look forward to every year is our annual convention. This year, our convention just happens to be in Orlando the week of August 5th. It just felt wrong going to Orlando and NOT spending some time at Disney! So of course I decided to fly in a couple days early so I could spend at least one day at the happiest place on earth. I'll also be checking out Universal Studios Orlando for the first time EVER which should be fun!

Road Trippin to San Antonio last year

In the past, Rob has traveled with me for convention. Last year we actually drove from North Dakota to San Antonio, Texas which was an epic adventure! But this year, he decided he'd rather stay at home with Sofia, our dog Thor, and our cat Loki. So I'll be flying solo this time around. Luckily, one of my good friends who is also a Younique Presenter was wanting to hit the parks too so we'll be travel buddies. We're also hoping to meet up with a couple other girls while in the parks because the more the merrier right?!

I have a rough draft of an itinerary done because I'm definitely a planner at heart and just can't bring myself to wing it! Keep reading to get the details on all our trip plans! And of course I'll be updating you all as things evolve and during and after my trip!!!

Getting to Florida and Back

We live about 35 miles from Fargo, ND which just happens to be the closest International Airport. However, prices flying out of Fargo tend to be, in my opinion, ridiculously overpriced. The average price of a one-way flight from Fargo to Orlando International is right around $200-$300 with round trip costing anywhere from $300-$500. These flights often times stop in Minneapolis, Minnesota or somewhere else along the way. Being from Minnesota I'm familiar with the Minneapolis Saint Paul Airport so I decided to check into prices there as well. It turns out, that even with the nearly 4 hour drive to MSP it's still much cheaper to fly from Minneapolis and I'll be able to take a non-stop flight from Minneapolis to Orlando. My total round trip cost is just under $200. 

Because it's a bit of a drive to Minneapolis from our home, we'll be going the night before my trip. Rob will drive me to Minneapolis and pick me up when I get home so we won't have to pay to park at the airport for a week. We'll also be saving on the cost of a hotel room by staying with family or friends that live in the area that first night and then driving straight home when I get back. So even with the cost of gas to drive there and back, I'll be saving between $100-$300! 

Arrival Day

My plans for the first day of my trip have changed slightly from what I originally planned. I'm scheduled to arrive at Orlando International Airport just after 2:00. My friend's flight gets in a little after mine so I'll be hanging out at the airport to wait for her. Then we'll be taking Disney's Magical Express to our resort. I knew we wanted to stay on Disney property for the Disney part of the trip so that we could take advantage of that transportation from the airport. We'll be arriving along with roughly 20,000 Younique presenters that will be coming in in the days surrounding our arrival. That's in addition to the normal traffic coming to Orlando in the middle of the summer which is considered "peak" season. Trying to grab an Uber or taxi from the airport amidst all of that sounded like a headache I did NOT want to deal with while traveling alone.

By the time we get to our resort our room should be ready. But we won't be hanging out there long. One of the perks of traveling as a Younique presenter on this trip is that we've been able to get discounted admission prices to both Universal Studios and WDW. We were able to get half day admission for Universal so we're going to be dropping our bags off in our room and heading straight to Universal for the rest of the evening.

All of Disney in a Day

Now for the really fun part! We only have one day for Disney and it's my friend's first Disney experience EVER so I want to make sure she sees as much as possible! We're going to challenge ourselves to do all 4 parks in one epic day. I'm hoping to hit most of the major attractions. It'll be a challenge for sure but it should be a ton of fun.

We'll start off our day at Animal Kingdom. I have yet to visit Pandora so that will obviously be the first stop! Then it's off the Hollywood Studios to check out Toy Story Land which I haven't seen yet either. Both Pandora and Toy Story opened right after my last trip! After Hollywood Studios we'll either hit Epcot or Magic Kingdom. Which one we do last depends solely on which nighttime show we want to see more. I'm completely torn between seeing Illuminations for the LAST time or Happily Ever After for the FIRST time.

One Big Younique Party

Y-Con 2018

After our big day at Disney, we'll be transitioning to the business part of our trip. We'll be checking out of our Disney resort and headed over to the Rosen Centre Hotel which is conveniently attached to the convention center. Younique does a really good job of mixing business training with fun. These conventions are a blast start to finish! All three days include general sessions where we'll receive first access to announcements and new products, awards recognizing lots of achievements, and elective classes focused on what areas of business we choose to receive training in. There is an opening party where the theme is "Decades". I'm going with a 70's themed outfit that I'm super excited about! And on the final night there is a closing party that will be themed "Miami Nights" this year. All of that is mixed with time spent with our teams which is a treat in itself because most of us live in completely different parts of the country and some are even from outside of the United States.

That's a Wrap

So there it is! My rough draft of my upcoming trip to Orlando! I wanna hear from you!! What are some must-do's at Universal Studios? Which nighttime show should I see, Illuminations or Happily Ever After? Let me know in the comment section below!!!