RP Meetup 2018

Hello everyone!!!! I had mentioned awhile back that a few of my friends and I had discussed coming back to Orlando this year! We chose October 3rd-10th as the dates. They are RP people too so it sort of reminded me it could always be great to have more people come with us! We plan on probably staying at a hotel this time instead of an air bnb so no one needs to drive and can get shuttles everywhere.

Anyway! We're still deciding on hotels on our end, but I wanted to put it out there into the ether that if anyone is like YOU KNOW WHAT I'D LIKE TO GO BACK IN OCTOBER AND POSSIBLY DO SOME HALLOWEEN STUFF AND SIT BY A POOL then you are welcome and I'd love to see you. Totally up to you. Just put it in your brain. I'm looking at hotels on our end now because October's a big month due to Halloween. As I said the plan is 3-10th but of course people can decide to only come for the weekend or leave whenever, so ... yeah!

Throwing it out there. Would love to see people again if it's feasible. <3

Hi guys since you're talking about a new meetup do you want me to keep the discord channel we created for the last one? I'm cleaning up my millions of channels so just want to know what to do with it.

I'm more than happy to live vicariously through you guys through it though ;)

HEY Y'ALL SO.

I know at the meeting we had chatted about planning a 2020 trip so we could see Star Wars if we wanted to and also the new Harry Potter ride that will hopefully be less crazy by then. I have another group of former RP friends who we used to travel all over the world, and we chatted about some plans as well. We had talked about the first week or second week of October, subject to change if it's better for others, but we figured that was a good time to hit all the Halloween stuff at both Universal and Disney. Their big events are several times a week once October hits, ALSO the weather is better and the parks are slightly less crazy.

Obviously I am all for figuring this out and people are welcome to come or not come back as they see fit and IDK JUST WANTED TO PUT IT OUT THERE IN THE ETHER IF ANYONE IS INTERESTED IN FLOATING IT INTO THEIR BRAIN. It's over a year in advance so. Consider!

Also I miss you!

A note: I had discussed doing Disney hotels this time with the others because they are quite affordable if you split between a few people. Sherri and Patty and I used one in February and it was EXCELLENT, we went to Disney Music which had a pool and places to hang out, while also having Disney shuttles everywhere and as Sherri pointed out, if you don't do their meal plan they give you a gift card. You can also use your Disney band everywhere. Obviously if you want to only go to Universal this might not be of interest to you, but just throwing that out there for people who might want to! So no Air BnB for me this time, but of course whatever people are most comfortable with is fine.

We had talked about the Hyatt at Disney Springs because it has pretty good prices and it's also a very nice pool and a good option if we want to take days to just relax and get gelato at Disney Springs instead of go to parks. I was told their rooms are also sizable so if people want to share it would be a good option.

Yoooo I have yet to pack, so wanted to throw this post up!

Basically - what sort of things do you recommend I actually pack? I've never been to Florida before, but I was gonna get sunscreen, medicine, flip-flops/sneakers, etc. But is there something that should absolutely be in my bag while going to the park? IIRC, we can bring our own snacks/food into the park, so I was gonna grab some fig bars and shit from home but uhm... any other ideas?

I made a Google Sheet so if you want to add it to that, that'd be helpful!

See you all IN A FEW FUCKING DAYS!!!!!!!

Just FYI everyone, the weather report says it'll be raining most of the time we're there, probably off and on, Stevie pointed out that's not atypical of the area lol. So it might be only rain a little, and otherwise fine. But if you want to bring rain gear it's not a bad idea, and also be prepared for potential travel delays if we're unlucky.

OMG ya'll, we're about a week out!!!

I'm so so excited to meet all of you! I just wanted to throw some tips in here based on what I've experienced at the park — other ppl please chime in ( here )

ALSO if you could all let me know what houses you are, that'd be awesome.

Hi everyone! Me again!

Since the park will likely be crowded, and since not everyone is attending all the parks all the days, a couple of people mentioned it would be nice to do dinner together so we get a little more guaranteed face time.

Because Saturday is the only day some people will be at the parks, and Monday is a day some people are leaving, we were thinking Sunday night. We have a couple of options:

- Find a restaurant outside of Universal that can take all of us

- Find a restaurant in Citywalk that can take all of us

- Order something to the Airbnb

- Cook at the Airbnb

I imagine cooking will be hard, and ordering might be complicated but doable, especially if it's like pizza or something. So basically I wanted to see what everyone thinks and also if anyone has food needs, vegan, vegetarian, special diets or anything so we can make sure we find something/somewhere that suits everyone.

TY!

EDIT: For Saturday, there's a lot of dining options but obv The Leaky Cauldron and the Three Broomsticks are fun. But they have a very British menu and can get super crowded — I suggest we try and do breakfast, then a late lunch and either dinner elsewhere or later dinner. You can see the menus here: The Leaky & 3B

Hi it's me again! I wanted to wait to get more feedback on the shirts, but also we're coming down to the wire with shipping etc. so I think we have to make a decision.

The majority of people said they'd prefer and shirt and also they'd rather just buy something.

There's a few options on this post.

Personally I think the Quidditch Shirts are the better option because there's representation for every house, there's many colors to choose from that aren't in black, there's shirts specifically in plus size, and we're all a team :D

This is what I was envisioning, but we could do the specific team positions too. And obviously people should get the shirt style they are most comfortable with - there's everything from regular t shirt to hoodies, lol. EDIT: For the Hufflepuff shirts I chose the tri-blend fabric in Heather or Charcoal because the yellow stood out better.

But I definitely think we should discuss more because I don't want people spending money on something they don't really want.

♥

Hi everyone!

I'm not sure who else planned on going to Disney, but I wanted to put this up anyway. I know Ronnie, Alex, Patty, Stevie and I will be going. There is a Not So Scary Halloween party on Monday night we want to go to as well, so we were thinking of going to Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom on Monday (possibly, we're still chatting) and Animal Kingdom and Epcot on Tuesday (possibly we're still chatting). Let me know if you're interested in coming with us, and if you'd actually prefer another option on either day and we can consider swapping parks (Magic Kingdom probably will have to say Monday as that's where the Not So sCary is.)

I AM SO EXCITED.

I do think we should have some kind of text string for everyone going in case we get separated at Universal. I created a GroupMe for the AirBnB group, but I could do the same for the main group. The helpful part of that is it texts you when someone posts on GroupMe so it'll be easier to contact than in Discord. Lemme know.

Hi everyone!! Let's talk rpmeetup swag! Initially we discussed doing Quidditch t-shirts with our usernames or something similar, but I wanted to get more information on the sort of things you'd like to wear for at least the Sept. 1 HP meetup. We could also do something for those going to Disney!

Intitally I was thinking ordering from a place like Zazzle would be awesome because they have all types of shirts in different sizes, but I'm having trouble finding all 4 houses. For example 1, 2, 3, but there's no Ravenclaw. :( :( Etsy is another option, but they really don't offer a lot of sizes. I did find some options in more conventional stores like Hot Topic, but those are more mass-produced.

So another option is to do a bit of DIY. Everyone buys their own shirt in agreed upon color(s) and we design something and people can do iron-ons.

Or we could go for pins/hats/something else.

SO I put together the below poll. Please take it! I made everything multiple choice so you can choose everything you'd be willing to wear/do, but also please let's discuss in the comments!

EDIT: Some suggestions have been made in the comments for shirts! Please check them out and let us know what you think!

( poll! )

I AM SO EXCITED.

Sorry had to start it that way.

Anyway I messaged the AirBnB group about us having a group text/GroupMe/Slack so we can figure out times and keep in contact. But I think it makes sense if EVERYONE going is also on a general group so we can also figure out when we're meeting at Universal and if we want to have dinner beforehand or dinner on Saturday/Sunday or any of those other details we haven't figured out yet. It'll also give us an easy way to keep in contact if we get lost in the park or what have you. Either way you guys can have my phone 646-823-0819 I don't mind being a point person, but I do think it's good if everyone is connected. If you're in, feel free to e-mail me your numbers and I can set it up. E-mail is waftingcurtains@gmail.com.

EDIT: Lauren suggested we use Discord too to chat! And maybe groupme/text for immediate issues like flights or meeting up.

Also people who are sticking around for Disney, this page gives a suggestion about how to hit the most parks/cool parts in only two days. If you plan on doing only one day there, maybe let us know which parks you actually really want to go to and we can make that the first day! :) ALSO they have a Not So Scary Halloween party on the 3rd and a few of us are definitely going, everyone is welcome.

I don't know if this works but Discord thing Alex set up?

Hi everyone!

So the AirBnB group are putting together exact schedules. It looks like most people will be arriving Friday night somewhere between 7-9ish. I will be there earlier around 4:30 to check in at our place and get the rental car. I'd love to know what the plans are with the time share and also should we all plan even if we go to different rides that we keep in touch and meet up for foods??? WE SHOULD DO A GROUPME TEXT STRING. Or something equivalent. Thoughts?

I thought those of us who do not have park tickets yet might want to chat about tickets! Universal Tickets! I planned on the 2-Park, 2-Day One person, that's how you make sure to see both parts of Harry Potter so if that matters for you, huzzah. With that in mind it costs $264, with tax that's up to $288ish I believe. Fast passes costs another hundred bucks or so per day. I'm personally am on the fence right now

People who are going to Disney wth us (hiiii) the 2-day Park Hopper is $274, $291 with tax, and from what I understand you can get a fast pass on certain rides for free with the ticket. If we are going to Disney, I'd love to take a vote from others on which parks you would like to see. It was recommended to Ronnie and I to do Epcot/Animal Kingdom one day and Hollywood Studios/Magic Kingdom another, but we're open to thoughts, especially from the natives. :)

Stevie said sometimes you can get cheaper tickets from Undercover Tourist possibly.

I AM EXCITED IT IS SOON.

Excuse me while I keysmash but looks like I am going to come and akdfj;adjf like I never actually thought it would happen but it seriously looks like it will and I'm so super excited cause HOLIDAY (I'm making it a two week event). Like I seriously didn't think it would happen and now I truly can't wait to meet everyone!

I still need to book flights still but... Dee! Email me details for the Air B&B?

<333

Hellooo everyone! Since we're about four months out from our escapade, I thought I'd reach out with some info/thoughts/questions.

• I've created a spreadsheet HERE to track who is coming and what they plan to do. Hopefully this will help us coordinate things and also know who to expect. If you plan on coming, please fill this out!

• There has been discussion of doing more than just Saturday's WWOHP visit! From conversations, it looks like the plan is Universal/IO on Saturday and Sunday, and then Disney parks on Monday and Tuesday. Obviously all of this is totally optional, and I imagine different groups will want to do different things. I think we should try and make the 'official' meetup on Saturday, and then everyone can break off into groups?

That said, if you want to ride the Hogwarts Express on Saturday, you'll need a 2-park pass, so even if you are planning on going both days, you may want to look into a park-hopper.

• Fastpasses! Universal and Disney do them very differently — Disney's are included with the ticket and you get to choose x number of rides. Universal sells them for $80-$100 extra per day. I imagine some people who love rides will want to do this, some won't. I added a bit about it on the spreadsheet, because if enough people are doing a fast pass, they can group up!

• SHIRT DESIGNS! Do we have any artists in the house? I think it'd be cool to design something that could be used for each house. I know there are likely shirts out there if we decide to go with a more mass produced look, and then we could add our IJ handles with iron-ons? It might be hard to match though.

Something like this, this, this & this don't exactly match, but Zazzle lets you choose from a ton of shirt styles & sizes so I do really love it as an option other than buying shirts on our own and doing iron-on (which would be the cheapest option).

There's also etsy shops like this that let you choose your own name/number and have at least t-shirt and tank options.

Uhh am I missing anything else? Let's discuss.

HELLO PEEPS.

So polka and I decided to get ahead of the game and go ahead with selecting an AirBNB for people to join us if they want. We found an excellent place that is very close to Disney/Universal. Here is the listing. Our plan was to come in on the 31st and leave the 5th (Wednesday). Obviously everyone has their own plans. We had discussed doing Universal Saturday and Sunday, and Disney Monday and Tuesday. No one is obligated to do any of these things. If you don't want to go to those and want to do other things, this place has a pool so people can hang there if they want instead. I have spoken with the host directly and she says check in is at 4 pm on Friday and 11 am on Wednesday. She has great reviews too.

HOWEVER THE POINT OF THIS IS who wants a place to stay? It's $185 a night but split multiple ways that will add up to very little. I can also cover most of the costs myself as this is one of the few times I ever indulge, so if people have smaller budgets I gotcha covered. There are 8 beds, but if more people want to stay there's room for it. If less than 8 want to stay that's also okay. Come stay with us. We are nice I promise. :D

Note: It's okay if you only can stay Saturday or Sunday, you can still stay with us for those days and not worry about the others. :) Just let us know below what you want. Also if you are not 100% sure you're coming but do want to claim something just in case, that's okay too! If you don't know me and are hesitant about staying with someone you don't know, e-mail me and get to know me, waftingcurtains@gmail.com

I will be renting a car which means I will likely have 4 spots in that car.

Hi everyone!

A friend of mine wanted to come to the meetup but she doesn't RP anymore. However, she makes small documentaries every now and again and wanted to know if she was able to come for the meetup, would it be okay if she filmed some things for her documentary? She would absolutely not film anyone that doesn't want to be filmed or anything that shouldn't be filmed. But seeing as it involves a large group, thought it would be best to check in.

Please feel free to post your thoughts and concerns! Thank you!

HAPPY MONDAY FOLKS.

I checked with hallow before posting this, but I'm officially on the 'I'll be there' train without getting flights just yet, as I don't know physically where I'll be in September. TEAM AWESOME ACTIVATE.

Because of that I was wondering who else is considering housing and would be interested in going in on an Airbnb? I've actually never used it but it looks pretty easy and I did see that there were some locations nearby with several roomed houses that people could share the costs for. But I wanted to make sure it was something other people were interested in before being more seriously geared toward it. I also planned on renting a car so we could figure out the Airbnb group's travel that way.

This would be for several days. I'm thinking Friday-Monday at least? Depends on what people want.

Looking forward to it!!!

-Dee