A Magical June Trip...June 8-15 with WDW and Cruise!

[DWGal210]

Hi everyone!

I've been reading other pre-trips and thought, heck, why not? :) The planning for me is as much fun as going. I'll introduce you to our Cast of Characters for this upcoming voyage and a little bit about me in this first post:

ME - Disney lover all the way! My first trip was with my family in my junior year of high school, and I've been hooked ever since. Most recent trips include Spring Break 2007 with my sister, my aunt and uncle, and their kids. Also had a chance to go in September 2007 with aunt and uncle so jumped on that! :cheer2: I'm a 26-year old assistant sales manager with a publishing company. I'm single and have no kids (yet!) but I still love going to Disney with family and friends and sharing the magic! (I'm contemplating a Solo Trip in the future but we'll see how that goes!) I love all Disney characters, but my favorites are Sleeping Beauty and Winnie the Pooh.

SISTER - My sister will be 17 by the time we go on this trip and LOVES WDW as much as I do! She and I got the chance in March 07 to go together without the rest of our fam and so have decided to take "sister trips" to the World as much as possible in the coming years! Her favorite character is Lumpy (from the Pooh movie).

BROTHER - my brother is 24-years old and he and his wife live in IL. He went with our family in '99; he was also last at WDW for a business conference about a year ago but this will be his first trip to the World with his wife, who has never been! He is also a planner like me, but in a different way (think spreadsheets with pricing options). Can you tell he works in finance?

SISTER-IN-LAW; my SIL is 23-years old and a total sweetie. I know you have no control over who your siblings and friends marry, but my brother did a great job in picking her! This will be her FIRST trip to WDW and so I'm very excited to help introduce her to the magic! She is also a planner and so we are having a great time talking about and planning this vacation!

Before I sign off for now, here is out itinerary as it stands right now:

June 8; Arrive at WDW, staying at Saratoga, ADR at O'Hana.
June 9; Day at park; ADR at Boma
June 10; Day at park; ADR at 50s Prime Time
June 11; Last day at parks
June 12; Leaving Saratoga, Catching a ME bus to the Disney Wonder!
June 13-14; Cruising in paradise...I can taste the Pina Colada now! :beach:
June 15; Come home.

Stay tuned for more, including:

- My pre-trip crafting; so much fun!
- Trying to find plane tickets that are not ungodly expensive
- Stalking DisneyShopping and DisneyOutlet for sales on cute vacation clothes!

Have a great day, readers!
pixiedust:

[Charleston Princess]

I'm here! popcorn:: Great beginning -- I am so totally green with envy that you are doing the cruise! How fun!

Can't wait to hear all about your crafting -- I am into scrapbooking which fits nicely with all my OCD Disney planning!

Sounds like you have a fun group going!

[DWGal210]

Thanks, Princess! And how funny is this...I was reading your information too! :) Thanks for reading, more to come tonight!
:cheer2:

[Charleston Princess]

Thanks, Princess! And how funny is this...I was reading your information too! :) Thanks for reading, more to come tonight!
:cheer2:

Hooray! I need a diversion from my own obsessing!

[stagemomx3]

so have decided to take "sister trips" to the World as much as possible in the coming years! Her favorite character is Lumpy (from the Pooh movie).


:thumbsup2 What a great idea. I wish I had a sister!

Hooray! I need a diversion from my own obsessing!

:rotfl2: Don't we all!

[Charleston Princess]

:rotfl2: Don't we all!

Although, if it is still about Disney, does it count?

[stagemomx3]

Although, if it is still about Disney, does it count?

Probably not.

[Charleston Princess]

Probably not.

I think I will play the denial game and pretend that it does ::yes:: .

Oh, DWGal210, come tell us more about your cruise! :hyper:

[stagemomx3]

I think I will play the denial game and pretend that it does ::yes:: .

Oh, DWGal210, come tell us more about your cruise! :hyper:

Yes give us a diversion from our own obsessions by sharing yours! :cool1:

[DWGal210]

This is so exciting, I have readers!! :) I have had requests for more cruise info and since I am a people-pleaser I'll give in. Heck, who am I kidding here?! I love talking about this stuff! :lmao:

First off, let me say that I consider this trip "fate" or "meant to be." Not that it was by cosmic destiny or divine intervention that this trip came about (but that would make the story much more interesting, wouldn't it?). No, it started innocently enough when sister and I went out to dinner one cold, snowy, cold Iowa January day.

We were sitting there, eating our chips and salsa and minding our own business, when we got to talking about the next "Sister Trip". If you remember from Post Numero Uno, I mentioned that we also went together in March 2007. Since we are both lovers of WDW, we thought, why not again? We'd wait until she got out of school for the year and then go in early summer. We picked early summer in the vain hope that A) the crowds will be less and B) that it might not be THAT hot if we go in early June. (Sidebar here: I don't know that I will every go to Orlando in September again; I have never sweated so much in my entire life, and I live in the Midwest!! I didn't think anyplace could get more humid than Iowa in in August, but I was wrong...oh was I wrong).

Anyhoo, so we're talking about a possible trip and my sister says, "Let's call (brother and sister-in-law) and see if they want to go with us, that would be fun!"

Not to be one to dilly-dally, I picked up the phone and called my sister-in-law. And I kid you not...we talked for a brief minute about the plans and she said, "We were just talking about that a few days ago! What a funny coincidence!"

So that, my friends, is the moment of fate that made WDW / Wonder Cruise 2008 Family-Fun-A-Palooza a reality. :cheer2:

We decided on the park plus cruise for two reasons: A) my SIL has never been to WDW (funny story on that to come late) and B) a cruise sounded like fun, and none of us have ever been on a cruise. Also, I feel like we got a good deal on our package so that makes me feel better. Like it how I justify another trip to the World? :p

More to come! Plus, if I can figure it out, I will upload pictures.
princess:

[DWGal210]

So hopefully this will work, I have not loaded pictures on here before :)

As I've mentioned, I love to craft, mostly scrapbooking and making cards. I've seen variations of this on the Boards, but I wanted to share some of the Pre-Trip Planners that I am making. I am making one for my sister, one for my sister-in-law, and one for me!

Here is the cover:

/Users/katie/Desktop/Cover.pdf


Here are two of the pages:
/Users/katie/Desktop/Page 2.jpg
/Users/katie/Desktop/Page 1.jpg





Hope this works! If not, then I will try again tomorrow...time to get some beauty sleep!
:wave2:

[DWGal210]

I will figure this out tomorrow - nighty night!

[Charleston Princess]

How cool that your trip came together so easily! See, it was just meant to be! We have never been on a cruise before and the Disney one just looks like a blast! Did you order the free cruise planning DVD?

I hope that your trip planner pictures eventually come out -- I would love to see them!

[DWGal210]

So I am picture challenged...I cannot seem to load my pics correctly. I think they are too big so I will have to work on that so I can show some pics of my crafts, my sister and I and my puppy Riley! :lovestruc

So until I get that little kink worked out...

So in the last post, I teased you with a story of my sister-in-law, and here it is (I love this story). She has never been to WDW before, but she did have a chance to go when she graduated from high school.

She was graduating from high school and her brother was graduating from college. So their parents came to them and said, basically, for a graduation present you can either have a new laptop OR we can go on a family trip to Disney.

Being the studious and responsible kids / adults that they were, and thinking they would probably need computers going into college and the working world, my SIL and her brother decided on the laptops.

So cut to years later...as my SIL tells it...she and her brother were talking with their parents one night and somehow this ultimatum of laptop vs. vacation came up. Then her parents drop the bomb and say, "Well, even if you chose the Disney vacation we still would have bought you laptops." Needless to say my SIL was in shock that she could have had both had she known :rotfl:

So she is very excited to go to WDW. :woohoo:

I am going to now go to a few websites and see if I can figure out this picture posting thing. Later!

[DWGal210]

So I loaded some pics on Photobucket and I hope I did it right.

My first test pic is my sister and I at POP in March '07.

Cross your fingers!

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg234/DWGal210/IMG_0043.jpg

[DWGal210]

So yea, that worked! So now 2 more pics of my puppy, Riley. He is a 9 month old Shih Tzu. He was Jack Sparrow for Halloween and as you can tell he was THRILLED to be in a costume:

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg234/DWGal210/IMG_0753.jpg


And here he is in front of the Christmas Tree this year; isn't he the cutest?!

<a href="http://s249.photobucket.com/albums/gg234/DWGal210/?action=view&current=IMG_0767.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg234/DWGal210/IMG_0767.jpg" border="0" alt="Riley under the Tree"></a>

[Charleston Princess]

So cut to years later...as my SIL tells it...she and her brother were talking with their parents one night and somehow this ultimatum of laptop vs. vacation came up. Then her parents drop the bomb and say, "Well, even if you chose the Disney vacation we still would have bought you laptops." Needless to say my SIL was in shock that she could have had both had she known :rotfl:

So she is very excited to go to WDW. :woohoo:



Moral of the story: ALWAYS go for the Disney vacation :laughing: !

[Charleston Princess]

Ahhh, Pop -- how I wish I was there right now eating tie-dyed cheesecake!

Riley is just the cutest -- love his Jack Sparrow costume! Did you make it? Our dogs are monster dogs (big labradors that think they are lap dogs), and they would never let us dress them -- I wish we could though :(.

[DWGal210]

Yes, CharlestonPrincess, you are correct...always pick the vacation!! :goodvibes

No, I wish I could say that I was good enough to be able to sew that...but no, it was at the Target (pro. Tar-jay). :woohoo: Already made and everything, and a good price to boot! He was not a happy camper with that one, but I took it off after we took the picture.

My parents have his brother and he was Spiderman for Halloween. :goodvibes Cute, huh?!? I am now officially one of those crazies that dresses up their dogs.

[BrittBritt]

I see all of my Dis friends over here, so I know that must be good! Off to actually read your posts...:goodvibes

[Charleston Princess]

Yes, CharlestonPrincess, you are correct...always pick the vacation!! :goodvibes

No, I wish I could say that I was good enough to be able to sew that...but no, it was at the Target (pro. Tar-jay). :woohoo: Already made and everything, and a good price to boot! He was not a happy camper with that one, but I took it off after we took the picture.

My parents have his brother and he was Spiderman for Halloween. :goodvibes Cute, huh?!? I am now officially one of those crazies that dresses up their dogs.

Too funny! My parents recently bought two Toy Manchester Terriers (empty-nest syndrome since my brother just turned 21), and they have all sorts of matching outfits -- including winter coats and a Santa hat and reindeer antlers! I think it is just adorable!

[Charleston Princess]

I see all of my Dis friends over here, so I know that must be good! Off to actually read your posts...:goodvibes

They are thoroughly enjoyable!

[DWGal210]

Welcome, BrittBritt!

[rimousefan84]

I'm in. Can't wait to read more about your Disney cruise. DF and I have been mulling over going on a disney cruise for some time now. Perhaps you will convince me enough to book one at some point. popcorn::

[DWGal210]

So I cannot take credit for this one...I've read on the Boards that people make planning books / note taking books that are almost like mini-scrapbooks. So I made one for me and one for my SIL.

(Okay, so I tried loading and no dice...so I will try again later!)

I always carry around my reservation numbers, confirmation numbers and the like whenever I travel. This is partly because I don't want any mistakes, and also partly because I have one of the most common first and last names on Planet Earth. :goodvibes I don't want someone else getting those ADRs!
:rotfl:

[Charleston Princess]

So I cannot take credit for this one...I've read on the Boards that people make planning books / note taking books that are almost like mini-scrapbooks. So I made one for me and one for my SIL.

(Okay, so I tried loading and no dice...so I will try again later!)

I always carry around my reservation numbers, confirmation numbers and the like whenever I travel. This is partly because I don't want any mistakes, and also partly because I have one of the most common first and last names on Planet Earth. :goodvibes I don't want someone else getting those ADRs!
:rotfl:

I am the same way -- except I don't have the excuse of a common name -- I am just paranoid that I will need it for some reason! I even put all the ADRs on little index cards with all the information I could possibly need!

[DWGal210]

Hi readers!

I have also been reading the TR of those that have them, and you folks are hysterical! We should take this on the road...:rotfl:

My newest quest is the buying of plane tickets. I am in Northeast Iowa, and we don't have an airport in my town (well, we do, but it has been open and closed and open and closed so many times in the past year, I hesitate to book anything through there!). To fly anywhere requires a drive of at least 45 minutes. And the ticket prices aren't always the hottest since there are always connecting flights. So my options are:

1) Drive 45 minutes; tickets are now averaging about $450 each
2) Drive 2 hours; tickets are now averaging about $400 each
3) Fly out of Chicago with Brother and SIL and spend about $350 each (but then we have to drive 5 hours there and 5 hours home...and we all know that gas is NOT cheap)
4) Drive 3 hours to Minneapolis and spend about $350 each; but then we have to drive there, plus pay for parking, which is $12 / day (?!?!) and also stay in a hotel the night before.

So I have been stalking Travelocity, Expedia, Orbitz, Priceline, etc. I don't want to wait too long to buy tickets but I still have about 3 months until we leave so I am wishin' and hopin' that tickets go down in price!
:wizard:

Do any of my DIS buddies have any suggestions?

Have a great day!

[DWGal210]

So I am going to try again to post a picture of the cover of the scrapbook / travel journal that I have made...cross your fingers...

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg234/DWGal210/IMG_0773.jpg

[DWGal210]

Woo Hoo!

Now I'll try not to jinx myself and post the other two pics: they are of the Cruise page and the flight info page:

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg234/DWGal210/IMG_0774.jpg

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg234/DWGal210/IMG_0777.jpg

[Charleston Princess]

Love the trip planners! I'm a big sucker for ribbons and mouse ears. I use them on everything I can! I made travel journals, but left the pages blank. I might have to go back and decorate the inside pages like you did! Another Disney project...my favorite!:)

[Charleston Princess]

Hi readers!

I have also been reading the TR of those that have them, and you folks are hysterical! We should take this on the road...:rotfl:

My newest quest is the buying of plane tickets. I am in Northeast Iowa, and we don't have an airport in my town (well, we do, but it has been open and closed and open and closed so many times in the past year, I hesitate to book anything through there!). To fly anywhere requires a drive of at least 45 minutes. And the ticket prices aren't always the hottest since there are always connecting flights. So my options are:

1) Drive 45 minutes; tickets are now averaging about $450 each
2) Drive 2 hours; tickets are now averaging about $400 each
3) Fly out of Chicago with Brother and SIL and spend about $350 each (but then we have to drive 5 hours there and 5 hours home...and we all know that gas is NOT cheap)
4) Drive 3 hours to Minneapolis and spend about $350 each; but then we have to drive there, plus pay for parking, which is $12 / day (?!?!) and also stay in a hotel the night before.

So I have been stalking Travelocity, Expedia, Orbitz, Priceline, etc. I don't want to wait too long to buy tickets but I still have about 3 months until we leave so I am wishin' and hopin' that tickets go down in price!
:wizard:

Do any of my DIS buddies have any suggestions?

Have a great day!

I would stalk the websites a little bit longer! There is bound to be a better price coming up! If not, I think I would opt for the second choice -- it doesn't sound like the third or fourth will save you a ton of money since gas, parking, etc. has to be figured in.

[DWGal210]

I think I've got most everything done for my Land portion of the trip...

Room reservations? Check.

ADRs? Check.

Plane tickets? Not check...but I am still religiously watching about 10 websites now, hoping I can get a flight for less than $400!

So now on to the cruise portion...

So really the only things I have ready for the cruise are A) the reservations that we are actually going, which is very important, and B) a bathing suit that I am comfortable wearing in front of everyone. I found a very cute suit on the Disney shopping site and that came today. I'm trying to decide if I need to order another size, but I'll tackle that later.

I also got a really cute beach tote to lug around my stuff on the beach and on the ship.

The next item of business is to start to assemble the "travel" kit. This would include anything other than clothes and money that we would need on the trip. Too many times I have traveled and then realized when I got there, "Hey, I forgot to buy batteries at home!" and then have to spend about a gazillion dollars on batteries wherever I happen to be. So the list so far is...

- Batteries - lots for me and also my travel companions
- Travel Kleenex
- Moleskin or something like it for blisters
- Band-Aids in various sizes
- Extra Contact solution and eyeglass cleaner
- Extra toothbrushes (just in case...they have been known to stay in hotel rooms before)
- Travel size toothpaste
- Lotion
- Hand sanitizer (wouldn't go anywhere without it!)
- Travel body wash
- Extra memory cards for digital camera (I have not maxed mine out yet on a trip, but I would hate for this to be the first!)
- Nail clippers, tweezers (just in case for splinters!)
- Those individual drink packets that you can shake into a 20-oz water (these are great for the parks when you want something other than water or pop...just keep your water or pop bottle, fill it up at a drinking fountain, add one of these drink packets, and bam!
- Aloe vera or some other burn item...we are goin in June, after all ;)
- The highest SPF sunscreen that they make...for me, there is a VERY fine line between a little bit of color and burned to a crisp.
- I also buy the sunscreen in the aerosol spray can. Even though I always wear some kind of hat in the sun, this is great for those days in the pool or if you don't have a hat. I just spray this stuff right in my hair and on my face. It doesn't keep your great hair day, if you've got one going, but it sure saves your scalp!

That is the list so far...if anyone has any suggestions to this, please let me know. I haven't included my normal items, like hairspray and make-up.

And the other development from this week...

My SIL's mother and one of her friends are going down in April. She asked if I would help her with her trip - and I said, "Is the pope Catholic? Of course I will help you!" So today I am going to hit the websites and hopefully get them into the Floridian. They are already booked at Coronado, but they would really love the Floridian, so I will see what I can do.
:wizard:

Have a great day everyone!

[Charleston Princess]

I think I've got most everything done for my Land portion of the trip...

Room reservations? Check.

ADRs? Check.

Plane tickets? Not check...but I am still religiously watching about 10 websites now, hoping I can get a flight for less than $400!

So now on to the cruise portion...

So really the only things I have ready for the cruise are A) the reservations that we are actually going, which is very important, and B) a bathing suit that I am comfortable wearing in front of everyone. I found a very cute suit on the Disney shopping site and that came today. I'm trying to decide if I need to order another size, but I'll tackle that later.

I also got a really cute beach tote to lug around my stuff on the beach and on the ship.

The next item of business is to start to assemble the "travel" kit. This would include anything other than clothes and money that we would need on the trip. Too many times I have traveled and then realized when I got there, "Hey, I forgot to buy batteries at home!" and then have to spend about a gazillion dollars on batteries wherever I happen to be. So the list so far is...

- Batteries - lots for me and also my travel companions
- Travel Kleenex
- Moleskin or something like it for blisters
- Band-Aids in various sizes
- Extra Contact solution and eyeglass cleaner
- Extra toothbrushes (just in case...they have been known to stay in hotel rooms before)
- Travel size toothpaste
- Lotion
- Hand sanitizer (wouldn't go anywhere without it!)
- Travel body wash
- Extra memory cards for digital camera (I have not maxed mine out yet on a trip, but I would hate for this to be the first!)
- Nail clippers, tweezers (just in case for splinters!)
- Those individual drink packets that you can shake into a 20-oz water (these are great for the parks when you want something other than water or pop...just keep your water or pop bottle, fill it up at a drinking fountain, add one of these drink packets, and bam!
- Aloe vera or some other burn item...we are goin in June, after all ;)
- The highest SPF sunscreen that they make...for me, there is a VERY fine line between a little bit of color and burned to a crisp.
- I also buy the sunscreen in the aerosol spray can. Even though I always wear some kind of hat in the sun, this is great for those days in the pool or if you don't have a hat. I just spray this stuff right in my hair and on my face. It doesn't keep your great hair day, if you've got one going, but it sure saves your scalp!

That is the list so far...if anyone has any suggestions to this, please let me know. I haven't included my normal items, like hairspray and make-up.

And the other development from this week...

My SIL's mother and one of her friends are going down in April. She asked if I would help her with her trip - and I said, "Is the pope Catholic? Of course I will help you!" So today I am going to hit the websites and hopefully get them into the Floridian. They are already booked at Coronado, but they would really love the Floridian, so I will see what I can do.
:wizard:

Have a great day everyone!

I have a "travel kit" too -- only it is a "travel drawer" right now where I stockpile stuff for Disney trips! I love adding things to it, and sometimes, because I am that big of a geek, I just go and gaze at the contents :)!

Which bathing suit did you get on disney.com? I keep looking at the Tinkerbell tankini and wondering if I really need it. It's just so cute!

Ahhhh, the Grand Floridian -- my dream hotel -- too bad I can never seem to justify the price. Happy planning today -- that sounds like fun!

[DWGal210]

Hi Princess! Good Sunday morning to you!

I agree with you on the Floridian...I would love to stay there once, but I have a hard time justifying the price. This trip I'm helping to plan is for two recently retired teachers so they deserve it! :goodvibes

Great idea on the drawer! I haven't thought where I am going to store these items, unless I get a make-up bag or something and throw it in there.

The swimsuit I got is the one-piece halter in blue with the white Mickey ears (and one red ear!) It's super cute...the only thing I want to search for now is a cover-up skirt or shorts to go with it. I might just take it to Kohl's or some place like that and get one there.

I am seeing my brother and SIL for lunch today and so I have a bag of Disney goodies to pass on. I got them each a Pirate shirt for the Pirate party on the cruise...hope they like them! (And hope I can find the receipt in case they don't!) :laughing:

[stagemomx3]

That's a great list. Can you tell me what moleskin is? I've seen it mentioned a bunch for help with blisters, but I can't find it, perhaps because I don't really know what it is. :confused3

[BrittBritt]

I have a "travel kit" too -- only it is a "travel drawer" right now where I stockpile stuff for Disney trips! I love adding things to it, and sometimes, because I am that big of a geek, I just go and gaze at the contents :)!

Which bathing suit did you get on disney.com? I keep looking at the Tinkerbell tankini and wondering if I really need it. It's just so cute!

Ahhhh, the Grand Floridian -- my dream hotel -- too bad I can never seem to justify the price. Happy planning today -- that sounds like fun!

WHAT! There's a Tinkerbell tankini?!?!?! Oh Lordy, I can hear my credit card calling my name...

[BrittBritt]

Don't forget to bring a surge protector with you on the cruise in case you'll need extra outlets. Usually there are only two plugs in your stateroom, and with cell phones, computers, hair dryers, etc., they become a hot commodity.

[DWGal210]

Thank you Britt!! I will add a surge protector to the list for sure.

[Charleston Princess]

Hi Princess! Good Sunday morning to you!

I agree with you on the Floridian...I would love to stay there once, but I have a hard time justifying the price. This trip I'm helping to plan is for two recently retired teachers so they deserve it! :goodvibes

Great idea on the drawer! I haven't thought where I am going to store these items, unless I get a make-up bag or something and throw it in there.

The swimsuit I got is the one-piece halter in blue with the white Mickey ears (and one red ear!) It's super cute...the only thing I want to search for now is a cover-up skirt or shorts to go with it. I might just take it to Kohl's or some place like that and get one there.

I am seeing my brother and SIL for lunch today and so I have a bag of Disney goodies to pass on. I got them each a Pirate shirt for the Pirate party on the cruise...hope they like them! (And hope I can find the receipt in case they don't!) :laughing:

Did your brother and SIL love all their Disney goodies? I am sure the t-shirts were a big hit!

I did see the Mickey one-piece -- was the tote that you got the one in the Hawaiian design? I thought that was super cute!

WHAT! There's a Tinkerbell tankini?!?!?! Oh Lordy, I can hear my credit card calling my name...

Pink and black and too, too cute!

Don't forget to bring a surge protector with you on the cruise in case you'll need extra outlets. Usually there are only two plugs in your stateroom, and with cell phones, computers, hair dryers, etc., they become a hot commodity.

Oh, I am totally putting a surge protector on my list -- there are never enough outlets for our electronically attached family in our hotel rooms -- cell phone chargers, Nintendo DSs, and iPods -- you would think we could do without some of it on a trip -- but nope, doesn't happen. Good idea, Brittbritt :thumbsup2 !

[DWGal210]

To update, by brother and SIL loved their gifts, so that was great! And it was also nice to see them; my brother works in finance and so from now until the end of April is super-busy time for him. And my SIL is finishing school and an internship, so needless to say they are both looking forward to our trip!

And yes, Princess, I did get that one-piece and also the tropical tote...and I had them put my name on it :lovestruc Too fun!!

Now I think I need to follow Britt's example and get some of those Mary Jane crocs...they are darling!!!

To answer another question that was posted, moleskin is a material that you can place over blisters and the like. I myself have not used it before but have heard its praises sung many times, so now it is officially on my list-o-stuff!

:banana:

97 days and counting!!!!

[Charleston Princess]

To update, by brother and SIL loved their gifts, so that was great! And it was also nice to see them; my brother works in finance and so from now until the end of April is super-busy time for him. And my SIL is finishing school and an internship, so needless to say they are both looking forward to our trip!

97 days and counting!!!!

That will make for a great celebration vacation!

97 days for us too! :banana: :banana:

[DWGal210]

We're 95 days out today - woo hoo! :cool1:

Anyone who lives in the north and is tired of the wind and cold and snow and ice, raise your hands! :yay: I'm nearing the end of my patience for this weather...so much so that I am seriously considering a move down South!! However, I do have a trip to Vegas coming up in about 2 weeks and it's about 75 there right now, which is great to me!

I'm going to Vegas with a good friend of mine from college. We've been planning for about a year to go; we had friends that went in college, but we knew that we would end up as the babysitters and chaos-managers so we decided to wait until we could have fun on our own. ;) Our big planned even is seeing LOVE while we are there (the Cirque de Soleil show based on the Beatles' music).

Well, I took the plunge and obeyed the not-to-subtle e-mails from Disney and joined the Disney Movie Club. My movies arrived yesterday and I'm so excited! (Is it sad that 26-year old is excited about Disney movies? Nope!) I figured, heck, why not, I'm buying the movies anyway so I might as well get a discount on them initially. I was thinking that I would curl up with my warm jammies and watch one of them tonight...I was thinking I would watch "The Sword in the Stone", which is one of my favorites!

So my next Disney World plan that is coming into problems is our OHana reservations for the Sunday that we arrive...if the flights situation stays as is, then we'll be flying in around dinner time instead of getting there around 3:00 like I would prefer. Cross your finders and hope for inexpensive flights!!

[Charleston Princess]

We're 95 days out today - woo hoo! :cool1:

Anyone who lives in the north and is tired of the wind and cold and snow and ice, raise your hands! :yay: I'm nearing the end of my patience for this weather...so much so that I am seriously considering a move down South!! However, I do have a trip to Vegas coming up in about 2 weeks and it's about 75 there right now, which is great to me!

I'm going to Vegas with a good friend of mine from college. We've been planning for about a year to go; we had friends that went in college, but we knew that we would end up as the babysitters and chaos-managers so we decided to wait until we could have fun on our own. ;) Our big planned even is seeing LOVE while we are there (the Cirque de Soleil show based on the Beatles' music).

Well, I took the plunge and obeyed the not-to-subtle e-mails from Disney and joined the Disney Movie Club. My movies arrived yesterday and I'm so excited! (Is it sad that 26-year old is excited about Disney movies? Nope!) I figured, heck, why not, I'm buying the movies anyway so I might as well get a discount on them initially. I was thinking that I would curl up with my warm jammies and watch one of them tonight...I was thinking I would watch "The Sword in the Stone", which is one of my favorites!

So my next Disney World plan that is coming into problems is our OHana reservations for the Sunday that we arrive...if the flights situation stays as is, then we'll be flying in around dinner time instead of getting there around 3:00 like I would prefer. Cross your finders and hope for inexpensive flights!!

I know how you feel about the cold -- I live in the South and am contemplating a move to Key West. Spring is slow in coming this year -- the last two days it was in the 70's. I was all "woo hoo" -- it's spring! Today -- yeah, looking at near freezing temps tonight!

Vegas sounds like a lot of fun -- I've never been, partly because I am such an obsessive person, I am convinced I will lose all my money at the roulette table! :) Speaking of Cirque de Soleil in Vegas -- did you ever see Knocked Up when the two guys go to Vegas and Cirque? :rotfl2: :rotfl2:

I don't think it matters how old you are when it comes to Disney excitement! I, personally, can't wait until March 18 when Enchanted comes out on DVD :banana: ! Warm jammies and Sword in the Stone sound like an awesome way to spend the evening!

Could you schedule a later seating at O'Hana's just in case?

[DWGal210]

I have not seen Knocked Up but I've heard it's good so I will have to rent it :)

I can probably make the reservations for later...but since we only have 3 full days for the parks, I was hoping that having dinner at 6:30 would allow us to then spend a few hours at Magic Kingdom before they closed.

If all else fails, I'll either A)Make the reservation for later, or B) make it for Wednesday night. We have no ADRs that night so that is free if it comes to that.

[Charleston Princess]

I have not seen Knocked Up but I've heard it's good so I will have to rent it :)

I can probably make the reservations for later...but since we only have 3 full days for the parks, I was hoping that having dinner at 6:30 would allow us to then spend a few hours at Magic Kingdom before they closed.

If all else fails, I'll either A)Make the reservation for later, or B) make it for Wednesday night. We have no ADRs that night so that is free if it comes to that.

Yes, rent it -- it's a scream!

Magic Kingdom on the 8th has evening EMH so they will be open until 2:00am -- that makes for a really late night though -- I know we wouldn't make it that long! I'll keep my fingers crossed that you can get a flight for the time you want!

[DWGal210]

So not to go off the subject from the current planning...

But after reading the boards and seeing other's thoughts, I am seriously considering a solo trip in November / December. I don't mind traveling by myself and actually rather like it; you're on your own schedule, you do what you want to do, etc. I'm not a loner or anti-social; I just think it would be a lot of fun. I would mostly likely do things like the behind-the-scenes tours and those types of things that are hard to go when you go with a group of people.

What would really set me over the edge would be something like the DDP being included or having the Park Hopper option included with regular admission...then I would just have to, it would be a sign. :wizard:

What are your thoughts, lovely readers, on the solo trip?

[BrittBritt]

Solo trip? Sign me up! :banana:
I absolutely plan on taking a solo trip sometime this year since I'll have the AP. My DH thinks I'm CRAZY and doesn't understand why I'd ever want to be at Disney alone. I think it would be fun. I could go where I want and do what I want, and I absolutely know I'd move at a much slower place.

[DWGal210]

For my DIS buds...

I was at the Tar-jay (Target) tonight and whenever I go I breeze by their dollar section. Now I don't know if this Dollar section is something they do in every store or what, but I always look. Lately, to my surprise they have had a few Disney things - pencils, little note pads, etc. So tonight, after I went to the movies section and picked up "101 Dalmations" ;) I took a stroll over to the dollar section.

Now that I sit here tonight, I am kicking myself for not grabbing some of these. They were little suitcases, made of our aluminum I think or some metal. Anyway, they were spring-themed and had Bambi and Dumbo and such on them. I saw them and thought at the time, "Those are cute but what would I do with them," and then as I drove home I almost turned around and went back.

I think I am going to go back in the next few days and grab some to use on the plane, at the parks and even on the cruise. They are not very big (probably 2" x 2") but they would be PERFECT for contacts, pills and other small items that you wanted to carry in Disney style.

So head over to your Target and grab some of those! And if you don't have a Dollar section in your store and some of my lovely reader DIS buddies would want me to send some via UPS, I could probably be persuaded. :wizard:

[Charleston Princess]

For my DIS buds...

I was at the Tar-jay (Target) tonight and whenever I go I breeze by their dollar section. Now I don't know if this Dollar section is something they do in every store or what, but I always look. Lately, to my surprise they have had a few Disney things - pencils, little note pads, etc. So tonight, after I went to the movies section and picked up "101 Dalmations" ;) I took a stroll over to the dollar section.

Now that I sit here tonight, I am kicking myself for not grabbing some of these. They were little suitcases, made of our aluminum I think or some metal. Anyway, they were spring-themed and had Bambi and Dumbo and such on them. I saw them and thought at the time, "Those are cute but what would I do with them," and then as I drove home I almost turned around and went back.

I think I am going to go back in the next few days and grab some to use on the plane, at the parks and even on the cruise. They are not very big (probably 2" x 2") but they would be PERFECT for contacts, pills and other small items that you wanted to carry in Disney style.

So head over to your Target and grab some of those! And if you don't have a Dollar section in your store and some of my lovely reader DIS buddies would want me to send some via UPS, I could probably be persuaded. :wizard:

I am so at Target this weekend! I need to buy a b-day gift for my MIL, so I have a valid reason :). Besides, who can pass up Disney items in the dollar section? Thanks for the heads up! :thumbsup2

[skypixy]

:cool1: Yippee for your upcoming land/sea trip! Don't know what kind of cabin you have, but they get DARK..pack a portable light up clock! You will be glad you did. Also, different colored highlighters to mark the events you want to attend on your Navigator you get nightly. Post it notes are great to leave on other cabin doors. I love reading about how creative all these DISers are! Sorry, I am kind of new on the boared and don't know how to add all of the pics and tickers.:badpc:

[DWGal210]

Thanks for the ideas!! I never thought of the light, but you're right I bet it does get dark. We have a room without a view, which doesn't help, I'm sure.

And the post its and the highlighters - you're after my own heart :goodvibes What a great idea! Thanks!

[DWGal210]

So after much thought and deliberation, I changed one of our ADRs yesterday.

Our original plan was to have dinner at O'Hana when we arrive on Sunday. However, two thoughts were making me leans towards changing that:

1) The flight times are screwy and we may have to take a flight that doesn't arrive into Orlando until 4-5 pm. I would much rather check in and then go right to the parks instead of taking 1 1/2 hours right away to eat. This is the first WDW trip for my SIL so I want to make sure we maximize our park time!

2) I've been thinking that the Dining Plan is the way to go for this trip.

So after deliberating for 2-3 days, I changed our ADR to Wednesday night, the night before we leave for the cruise. That way, we can have more time on Sunday to do something, plus it would make much more sense as far as the Dining Plan is concerned.

We are just going to get the dining plan for Mon-Tues-Wed since those are our only full days; and on each of those days we have an ADR where we can use our Full Service meal, so that will work out well. I crunched the numbers and I think we'll come out just a little bit better using the plan.

Have any of you ever used the Dining Plan? Thoughts are appreciated! :cool1:

[DWGal210]

I'm telling you, this WDW vacation cannot come fast enough. :thumbsup2 And that goodness I am leaving for Vegas in a week...

I spent the night on Thursday at my parent's house. They had to make a quick trip to KS for business and so needed me to stay and make sure my 12-year old brother and his friends didn't run amok. :banana:

Since I was going overnight, I of course took Riley, my puppy. My parents have his brother, so they could run around and play and have a great time. So fast-forward to Thursday night. Riley and I are staying in my parent's room and I'm watching him like a hawk. He still has a tendency to not let me know he has to go to the potty when we are not at home. So I took him out before we went to bed and I thought we were good to go for the night.

I thought wrong...to make a long and sordid story short, this is what happened Thursday night / Friday morning:

1) Riley wets on the area rug in my parent's room at 3 am...and oh yeah did I mention that their house is brand-new (they just moved in 2 weeks ago)? And that the rug is brand-new? Yeah.

2) I clean up the mess but I don't know if that rug will recover. Grrr. So Riley and I go outside for one more potty break and I LOCK MYSELF OUT OF THE HOUSE! And it's 3:30 in the morning and it's Iowa so it's about 5 degrees outside! Luckily the garage is heated...so I sat in my mom's car for about 1/2 hour and then knocked on the door and called her name, hoping that my sister would hear me and not thinking that I was a burglar. She did and let me in.

3) I sleep for about 1 1/2 hours and then go to work all day Friday, where I was a zombie. :sick:

The sunny lining of this is that I'm getting a pedicure today...Mom felt sorry for me and also wanted to say thanks for staying over so I am going to get pampered. :cool1: And then I am going to come home and nap and start packing...vacation here I come!! :)

[BrittBritt]

Poor thing! Nothing makes you feel more foolish than when you lock yourself outside of your house...We did that the other night at own OWN :scared1: house. We have sliding glass doors with protection bars...We went to go sit out on the porch, but we didn't want Botox out there with us, and as soon as we shut the slider, the bar fell down. We were locked out. Thank goodness we had a cell phone with us, so we could call my dad. One sheepish phone call later, my dad showed up at 1 AM! to let us back in. Thanks dad! :rotfl:

[Charleston Princess]

So after much thought and deliberation, I changed one of our ADRs yesterday.

Our original plan was to have dinner at O'Hana when we arrive on Sunday. However, two thoughts were making me leans towards changing that:

1) The flight times are screwy and we may have to take a flight that doesn't arrive into Orlando until 4-5 pm. I would much rather check in and then go right to the parks instead of taking 1 1/2 hours right away to eat. This is the first WDW trip for my SIL so I want to make sure we maximize our park time!

2) I've been thinking that the Dining Plan is the way to go for this trip.

So after deliberating for 2-3 days, I changed our ADR to Wednesday night, the night before we leave for the cruise. That way, we can have more time on Sunday to do something, plus it would make much more sense as far as the Dining Plan is concerned.

We are just going to get the dining plan for Mon-Tues-Wed since those are our only full days; and on each of those days we have an ADR where we can use our Full Service meal, so that will work out well. I crunched the numbers and I think we'll come out just a little bit better using the plan.

Have any of you ever used the Dining Plan? Thoughts are appreciated! :cool1:

Sounds like a good plan! We did the Dining Plan last June and are doing it again this June -- we love it! Food is the hardest thing for me to budget for, so knowing the majority of it is already paid for helps me tremendously! You get one table service, one quick service, and one snack for each night of your stay, but you can use them whenever -- for example, if you only wanted to use a counter service credit on the first night, you could do that and save the rest for another day. It's awesome!

I'm telling you, this WDW vacation cannot come fast enough. :thumbsup2 And that goodness I am leaving for Vegas in a week...

I spent the night on Thursday at my parent's house. They had to make a quick trip to KS for business and so needed me to stay and make sure my 12-year old brother and his friends didn't run amok. :banana:

Since I was going overnight, I of course took Riley, my puppy. My parents have his brother, so they could run around and play and have a great time. So fast-forward to Thursday night. Riley and I are staying in my parent's room and I'm watching him like a hawk. He still has a tendency to not let me know he has to go to the potty when we are not at home. So I took him out before we went to bed and I thought we were good to go for the night.

I thought wrong...to make a long and sordid story short, this is what happened Thursday night / Friday morning:

1) Riley wets on the area rug in my parent's room at 3 am...and oh yeah did I mention that their house is brand-new (they just moved in 2 weeks ago)? And that the rug is brand-new? Yeah.

2) I clean up the mess but I don't know if that rug will recover. Grrr. So Riley and I go outside for one more potty break and I LOCK MYSELF OUT OF THE HOUSE! And it's 3:30 in the morning and it's Iowa so it's about 5 degrees outside! Luckily the garage is heated...so I sat in my mom's car for about 1/2 hour and then knocked on the door and called her name, hoping that my sister would hear me and not thinking that I was a burglar. She did and let me in.

3) I sleep for about 1 1/2 hours and then go to work all day Friday, where I was a zombie. :sick:

The sunny lining of this is that I'm getting a pedicure today...Mom felt sorry for me and also wanted to say thanks for staying over so I am going to get pampered. :cool1: And then I am going to come home and nap and start packing...vacation here I come!! :)

Hey, you got a pedicure out of it, that's something :thumbsup2 ! Otherwise, how horrible that whole night was :eek: ! Vegas will definitely be a much-needed respite -- and it's warm there :woohoo: !

BTW, went to Target today and bought the little tins -- they had Dumbo, Thumper, and Bambi so I bought one of each -- putting them in my trip drawer for now. You were right -- they are really cute!

[BrittBritt]

BTW, went to Target today and bought the little tins -- they had Dumbo, Thumper, and Bambi so I bought one of each -- putting them in my trip drawer for now. You were right -- they are really cute!

Before I make a special Tarjay trip, what exactly do these tins look like? How big are they? What might you use them for?

[Charleston Princess]

Before I make a special Tarjay trip, what exactly do these tins look like? How big are they? What might you use them for?

About the size of an Altoids tin but thicker in width. They look like little suitcases -- still trying to decide what could go in there -- maybe ponytail elastics, bracelets, earrings, rings, photopass cards, jibbitz (:thumbsup2 ), candy, lipsticks -- I guess there are quite a few things that you might use them for. They are super cute and in the dollar section.

[DWGal210]

Glad you found the tins! I'm going to go and get mine today :cool1:

[BrittBritt]

About the size of an Altoids tin but thicker in width. They look like little suitcases -- still trying to decide what could go in there -- maybe ponytail elastics, bracelets, earrings, rings, photopass cards, jibbitz (:thumbsup2 ), candy, lipsticks -- I guess there are quite a few things that you might use them for. They are super cute and in the dollar section.

Uh-oh...Might you say Disney pins could fit in this tin...when you're not wearing them on your lanyard??? Do you sense the danger in where this could lead? :scared:

[Charleston Princess]

Glad you found the tins! I'm going to go and get mine today :cool1:

Now, I am wondering if I should get more. I actually went back today because I saw a shirt I really liked yesterday. I should have picked up more then!

Uh-oh...Might you say Disney pins could fit in this tin...when you're not wearing them on your lanyard??? Do you sense the danger in where this could lead? :scared:

Yes, Disney pins would fit in the tins when not worn on your lanyard...I would say quite a few would fit in there.

We should start a list of things that could go in the tins. You know, I was planning on giving one each to DD and DS -- maybe, I'll be keeping them all for myself now. :)

[DWGal210]

I have not gotten on the pin-bandwagon but I am scared to...it could turn into one more Disney addiction! :cool1:

[BrittBritt]

Warning: If you would not like to join the pin bandwagon, DO NOT read the rest of my PTR. The pins will be coming up soon! :sad2:

[DWGal210]

I will still read your TR but I will hide my credit card while reading so I cannot jump online and order! :rotfl2:

[Charleston Princess]

I have not gotten on the pin-bandwagon but I am scared to...it could turn into one more Disney addiction! :cool1:

It's a fun bandwagon though :).

Warning: If you would not like to join the pin bandwagon, DO NOT read the rest of my PTR. The pins will be coming up soon! :sad2:

Hurray! I love pins! :rotfl:

I will still read your TR but I will hide my credit card while reading so I cannot jump online and order! :rotfl2:

Don't worry -- the only really good place to get the Disney pins is at WDW -- the ones on disney.com are nowhere near as cute!

[DWGal210]

I see all of those cute pins when we're at WDW and all the trading and such going on...I might buy a few pins and trade this time and see how that goes.

(But knowing me, I would get hooked out of the gate and then there's more places to spend my Disney dollars!)
:banana:

[Charleston Princess]

I see all of those cute pins when we're at WDW and all the trading and such going on...I might buy a few pins and trade this time and see how that goes.

(But knowing me, I would get hooked out of the gate and then there's more places to spend my Disney dollars!)
:banana:

:lmao: See, that's why I can't go to Vegas -- I am way too obsessive and I would no doubt lose all of our money, the car, and the house.

DD, DS, and I don't do all the trading -- when we buy a pin, we want to keep it :). It is fun to do the lanyards though. Last year, the kids picked a theme: their favorite rides. I just buy whatever strikes my fancy -- my favorite one is Tink dressed up as a witch flying in front of a full moon.

[DWGal210]

I think I'll be OK in Vegas (famous last words...). My friend and I have already decided that we are taking a set amount of cash to the slot machines and leaving the credit cards and debit cards in our room while we play the slots so we have no temptation. I'm the type of person that would cash out if I put in $25 and won $30. :thumbsup2 It just kills me that people spend thousands of dollars for fun!? Where is the fun in that?! I would be sick if I lost all that money!

Besides, there are other things much more fun to spend $$ on! (As in other Disney trips!!)

I noticed today that they posted the performers for the Christian music festival (I forget the name now)...I should not even have looked at that. I am contemplating a solo trip anyway, and I wouldn't mind seeing some of those acts. Except that September is hot hot hot, I might consider it. :thumbsup2

[DWGal210]

:lmao: See, that's why I can't go to Vegas -- I am way too obsessive and I would no doubt lose all of our money, the car, and the house.

DD, DS, and I don't do all the trading -- when we buy a pin, we want to keep it :). It is fun to do the lanyards though. Last year, the kids picked a theme: their favorite rides. I just buy whatever strikes my fancy -- my favorite one is Tink dressed up as a witch flying in front of a full moon.

That's a good way to do the pins! Do you ever have people come up to you and want to trade?

[DWGal210]

I went to Target tonight and got my tins - cute! I'm excited to use them.

Also, if any of you are watching the national news tonight (or you are in the Iowa area), I live in Cedar Falls and actually went to the University of Northern Iowa where there was a lock-down on a campus tonight. Apparently a student received a threat from her boyfriend; she then told her RA who notified campus and local police. Since tragedies like Virginia Tech they've employed a campus emergency alert system and they're reporting on the news that within 10-15 minutes of this threat coming to the attention of the police, the campus was notified with loudspeakers in the dorms and with text messages that went to students and staff. They're saying that it's now under control and that the offender has been apprehended but the whole campus is still on lock-down 2 hours later.

I don't want to bring anyone down or be too heavy, but you never think something like this will happen where you live, especially in a small-town area like Cedar Falls. Thank God that it appears that it was stopped before anything happened, but if you pray please say a prayer of thanks tonight.

OK, I'm done with my sad talk. On to more Disney planning!

[Charleston Princess]

I think I'll be OK in Vegas (famous last words...). My friend and I have already decided that we are taking a set amount of cash to the slot machines and leaving the credit cards and debit cards in our room while we play the slots so we have no temptation. I'm the type of person that would cash out if I put in $25 and won $30. :thumbsup2 It just kills me that people spend thousands of dollars for fun!? Where is the fun in that?! I would be sick if I lost all that money!

Besides, there are other things much more fun to spend $$ on! (As in other Disney trips!!)

I noticed today that they posted the performers for the Christian music festival (I forget the name now)...I should not even have looked at that. I am contemplating a solo trip anyway, and I wouldn't mind seeing some of those acts. Except that September is hot hot hot, I might consider it. :thumbsup2

Good plan for Vegas! :thumbsup2

September can't be any worse heat-wise than June, I would imagine. I need to go see who is playing -- not that I could plan a trip in September -- but I could "pretend." ;)

That's a good way to do the pins! Do you ever have people come up to you and want to trade?

No, no one has ever come up and wanted to trade -- I don't know if there is a certain spot or hand signal that you are supposed to do to let others know you want to trade. :confused3

I went to Target tonight and got my tins - cute! I'm excited to use them.

Also, if any of you are watching the national news tonight (or you are in the Iowa area), I live in Cedar Falls and actually went to the University of Northern Iowa where there was a lock-down on a campus tonight. Apparently a student received a threat from her boyfriend; she then told her RA who notified campus and local police. Since tragedies like Virginia Tech they've employed a campus emergency alert system and they're reporting on the news that within 10-15 minutes of this threat coming to the attention of the police, the campus was notified with loudspeakers in the dorms and with text messages that went to students and staff. They're saying that it's now under control and that the offender has been apprehended but the whole campus is still on lock-down 2 hours later.

I don't want to bring anyone down or be too heavy, but you never think something like this will happen where you live, especially in a small-town area like Cedar Falls. Thank God that it appears that it was stopped before anything happened, but if you pray please say a prayer of thanks tonight.

OK, I'm done with my sad talk. On to more Disney planning!

Hurray for the tins!

I know, anything like that situation at the University of Iowa is scary beyond belief. I have a close friend who was actually at VA Tech getting his second Masters degree (in theater design -- his first was in architecture from the University of Miami) when that horrific thing happened last year. For whatever reason, I happened to be run across the news of it breaking on the internet. Here I was, with students in my class (luckily my 8h graders), and I apologized to them, whipped out my cell phone and called another friend at her office. She had actually just gotten an email from our friend saying he was okay. I was pretty rattled by the whole event. Sorry, to ramble!

Another time our school did a mock lock-down without telling the teachers (to see how quickly we responded) -- all of a sudden a coded announcement was made, and I thought, "This can't be happening!" I was worthless the rest of the day. Sorry, rambling again -- I will stop.

I am glad the situation turned out okay.

[DWGal210]

You're not rambling...it's scary and especially so when you are close to the situation.

I started packing tonight for Vegas. :) In my defense, I have plans the next few nights and am leaving on Saturday so I need to have time to decide what to wear and what to take.

It looks like it's going to be about 70 degrees while we are there which is more than fine with me...better than the 30 degrees we've been having here!!

[Charleston Princess]

You're not rambling...it's scary and especially so when you are close to the situation.

I started packing tonight for Vegas. :) In my defense, I have plans the next few nights and am leaving on Saturday so I need to have time to decide what to wear and what to take.

It looks like it's going to be about 70 degrees while we are there which is more than fine with me...better than the 30 degrees we've been having here!!

Oh, you definitely should be packing! Saturday will be here in no time. You will have to tell us all about it when you get back!

I would be happy with 70 degrees -- it is just not warm enough here yet, although thank goodness it is not in the 30s (only in the morning).

[BrittBritt]

No, no one has ever come up and wanted to trade -- I don't know if there is a certain spot or hand signal that you are supposed to do to let others know you want to trade. :confused3

Maybe that could be another use for the Focker Watch hand signal??? ;)

Another time our school did a mock lock-down without telling the teachers (to see how quickly we responded) -- all of a sudden a coded announcement was made, and I thought, "This can't be happening!" I was worthless the rest of the day. Sorry, rambling again -- I will stop.


That's simply cruel! I can't believe they would put you all through that stress of thinking something terrible was really happening. :sad2:

[Charleston Princess]

That's simply cruel! I can't believe they would put you all through that stress of thinking something terrible was really happening. :sad2:

It was cruel :(.


Oh, DWGal210, how's the packing for Vegas coming along???

[DWGal210]

The packing for Vegas is going pretty good...however, right now I'm having internal dialogue that goes something like:

- How many outfits do I really need to pack? Is 8-10 outfits too much for 3 days?

- Is it a bad thing to have a separate suitcase for shoes?

- What if I see Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, George Clooney and the rest of the Ocean's 11 crew? I have to look my best! :lmao:

I was going over my packing list in my head as I was getting ready for work today and thinking to myself, "If I am this nuts about 3 days in Vegas, how on Earth am I going to pack for WDW and the cruise?!" Packing for the parks doesn't stress me out as much as thinking about packing for the cruise...but I've had some great tips from other users about things not to forget, so hopefully I'll get everything rounded up and ready to go. I'm designating my office / guest bedroom as Vacation Central - all Vegas and Disney items are in that space. :banana:

Princess, I hope we see each other while we are there! Wouldn't that be fun?! I'll have to let you know my outfits for each day and give you a dossier of our party so you'll be able to spot us. :rotfl2:

[Charleston Princess]

The packing for Vegas is going pretty good...however, right now I'm having internal dialogue that goes something like:

- How many outfits do I really need to pack? Is 8-10 outfits too much for 3 days?

- Is it a bad thing to have a separate suitcase for shoes?

- What if I see Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, George Clooney and the rest of the Ocean's 11 crew? I have to look my best! :lmao:

I was going over my packing list in my head as I was getting ready for work today and thinking to myself, "If I am this nuts about 3 days in Vegas, how on Earth am I going to pack for WDW and the cruise?!" Packing for the parks doesn't stress me out as much as thinking about packing for the cruise...but I've had some great tips from other users about things not to forget, so hopefully I'll get everything rounded up and ready to go. I'm designating my office / guest bedroom as Vacation Central - all Vegas and Disney items are in that space. :banana:

Princess, I hope we see each other while we are there! Wouldn't that be fun?! I'll have to let you know my outfits for each day and give you a dossier of our party so you'll be able to spot us. :rotfl2:

:rotfl2: Yes, if you see cute celebs, you should definitely have the right clothes! I need a Vacation Central -- I'm jealous -- I wonder how mad the kids would be if I kicked them out of the playroom? :)

We should definitely try to meet up one day in June! That would be a scream! Depending on which parks you will be visiting on each day, we might be able to work something out! Then...we could take pics and they would be part of our TR :thumbsup2 ! How cool would that be???

[BrittBritt]

- What if I see Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, George Clooney and the rest of the Ocean's 11 crew? I have to look my best! :lmao:


:cloud9: :cloud9: :cloud9:
What I would give to see Brad Pitt in Vegas!
That should be a new thread. Who's the celebrity you'd give up your Disney vacation for a chance to meet? :idea:

[Charleston Princess]

:cloud9: :cloud9: :cloud9:
What I would give to see Brad Pitt in Vegas!
That should be a new thread. Who's the celebrity you'd give up your Disney vacation for a chance to meet? :idea:

Give up a Disney vacation for??? Oh, I don't know as if I could do that! That's one of those catch-22s! Disney or Harrison Ford? Disney of Brad Pitt? Disney or James Marsden? Disney or Patrick Dempsey? AGGHHHHH! The pressure is too much! :)

[DWGal210]

:rotfl2: Yes, if you see cute celebs, you should definitely have the right clothes! I need a Vacation Central -- I'm jealous -- I wonder how mad the kids would be if I kicked them out of the playroom? :)

We should definitely try to meet up one day in June! That would be a scream! Depending on which parks you will be visiting on each day, we might be able to work something out! Then...we could take pics and they would be part of our TR :thumbsup2 ! How cool would that be???

We should!! Wouldn't that be great if we had pictures and everything?! As soon as I know my itinerary I will let you know. Right now, tentatively it is:

Sunday night (arrival): Magic Kingdom
Monday: Animal Kingdom, then Boma
Tuesday: Hollywood Studios, 50s Prime Time
Wednesday: Epcot

This is all with a big ?????? mark...but I will definately let you know. I can also let you know my cell number and you can send me a text. I'm a slow texter but I can do it with enough time. :goodvibes My brother in college was making fun of me the other day for texting with one finger, hunt-and-peck style. Apparently it's done with both hands and multiple fingers. :rotfl2:

[DWGal210]

:cloud9: :cloud9: :cloud9:
What I would give to see Brad Pitt in Vegas!
That should be a new thread. Who's the celebrity you'd give up your Disney vacation for a chance to meet? :idea:

Oooh, great question, Britt!

Hmm, let's think...

I would have to agree with Harrison Ford. Yum.

I also enjoy George Clooney. (Apparently with this and my earlier choice this means I have a thing for older gentlemen with gray hair. Paging Freud!)

And they're not actors or anything but I would give up Disney for either one of the Princes of Wales...either William or Harry. :love: Swoon! I can see those crown jewels now...

And if you choose someone who was in a Disney movie, say Johnny Depp, is it really then an either/or choice? :cool1:

[BrittBritt]

And they're not actors or anything but I would give up Disney for either one of the Princes of Wales...either William or Harry. :love: Swoon! I can see those crown jewels now...

Whoa! Slow down! I don't think they let just anyone see those crown jewels! ;)
I used to be partial to William.....UNTIL.....I saw those fabulous pics of Harry with his shirt off!!!
On second thought, maybe they DO show off the crown jewels to anyone??? :confused3

And if you choose someone who was in a Disney movie, say Johnny Depp, is it really then an either/or choice? :cool1:

Oh yes, this would definitely add to the conundrum.
Let's see....in the case of Johnny Depp, the choice would be:

1. A week at Castaway Cay with Johnny (minus his IMHO homely looking little wifey)

OR

2. Unlimited use of the Cinderella Castle suite for a year

How come we never see fun choices like that on Deal or No Deal? :confused:

[Charleston Princess]

We should!! Wouldn't that be great if we had pictures and everything?! As soon as I know my itinerary I will let you know. Right now, tentatively it is:

Sunday night (arrival): Magic Kingdom
Monday: Animal Kingdom, then Boma
Tuesday: Hollywood Studios, 50s Prime Time
Wednesday: Epcot

This is all with a big ?????? mark...but I will definately let you know. I can also let you know my cell number and you can send me a text. I'm a slow texter but I can do it with enough time. :goodvibes My brother in college was making fun of me the other day for texting with one finger, hunt-and-peck style. Apparently it's done with both hands and multiple fingers. :rotfl2:

We definitely will need to exchange cell phone numbers beforehand. I am not an accomplished texter, but I can do it -- slowly but surely! IF your schedule stays the same, we'll be at Epcot the same day. :thumbsup2

Oooh, great question, Britt!

Hmm, let's think...

I would have to agree with Harrison Ford. Yum.

I also enjoy George Clooney. (Apparently with this and my earlier choice this means I have a thing for older gentlemen with gray hair. Paging Freud!)

And they're not actors or anything but I would give up Disney for either one of the Princes of Wales...either William or Harry. :love: Swoon! I can see those crown jewels now...

And if you choose someone who was in a Disney movie, say Johnny Depp, is it really then an either/or choice? :cool1:

:rotfl2: :rotfl2: :rotfl2: If in a Disney movie, should not be an either/or choice...which then allows 2 for 1. I do believe Hugh Laurie was in the live-action 101 Dalmations -- I'll take one Hugh Laurie, Orlando Bloom (only as Will Turner at very END of POTC3), or Johnny Depp with my Disney vacation, please. :rotfl:

Oh yes, this would definitely add to the conundrum.
Let's see....in the case of Johnny Depp, the choice would be:

1. A week at Castaway Cay with Johnny (minus his IMHO homely looking little wifey)

OR

2. Unlimited use of the Cinderella Castle suite for a year

How come we never see fun choices like that on Deal or No Deal? :confused:

I'll take Choice #1, Howie.

[Charleston Princess]

DWGal210,

You leave for Vegas tomorrow, right? :banana: :banana: Have a wonderful trip!!! Win big!!! pixiedust: Take lots of pics to share with us when you get back!

[DWGal210]

DWGal210,

You leave for Vegas tomorrow, right? :banana: :banana: Have a wonderful trip!!! Win big!!! pixiedust: Take lots of pics to share with us when you get back!

Yes, I do, thanks for remembering :) Woo Hoo! :banana:

I will certainly upload some pictures when I get home - I'm home on Wednesday so I'll post some on Thursday next week.

Have a great weekend, everyone and a fantastic week!! I'll update you on Vegas when I get home!
:cool1:

[Charleston Princess]

Have fun! Have fun! Here's to hoping you run into Brad Pitt and George Clooney at the roulette table! :wizard:

[Charleston Princess]

Are you back yet? Are you back yet? :jumping1:

Or did you run off with George Clooney? :rolleyes1

[DWGal210]

Hello friends!

Yes, I am back in one piece from Sin City. I only lost $15 to the slot machines and although I did not see Brad, Matt or George, I did have a fabulous time and will post a complete report and pics in the next few days.

I am, however, proud of myself tonight; I think for the first time ever on the day home from a trip, I have my bags unpacked, laundry done and I'm all unpacked from the vacation. Whew!

I promise lots of info in the coming days. How have you all been?

[Charleston Princess]

Hello friends!

Yes, I am back in one piece from Sin City. I only lost $15 to the slot machines and although I did not see Brad, Matt or George, I did have a fabulous time and will post a complete report and pics in the next few days.

I am, however, proud of myself tonight; I think for the first time ever on the day home from a trip, I have my bags unpacked, laundry done and I'm all unpacked from the vacation. Whew!

I promise lots of info in the coming days. How have you all been?

Hooray! You're home! I am so glad that you had a good time and didn't lose too much money!

Can't wait to read all about it and see the pics!

[BrittBritt]

Welcome back! Great job already getting settled after your trip...I think I still have suitcases sitting somewhere in my house with something in them! Can't wait to hear about your trip.

[DWGal210]

So here is the play-by-play story of my trip to Vegas. I'll do Round 1 tonight.

Before I start, if there are those of you that have not been, GO. Even if you're not a gambler, even if you have no desire to see Jubilee and the ladies dancing, there is something there for everyone. (To entice you further, Allegiant Air is running a deal right how where if you and a guest book your air and hotel through them, you get one of your flights FREE - I mean, is that a sign or what?!)

Our journey started on Sunday. We got to the airport fine, got our luggage checked in fine, everything was going just ducky. The only hiccup we had on the journey out there was since there was bad weather in LV, the airport was down to 1 runway and so our flight left an hour later. And naturally they told us this when we were already on the plane, sitting there on the tarmac. Lovely. We were prepared, though, and armed with our gossip magazines and our Uno cards. :cool1:

After we take off, it was about 2 1/2 hours to Vegas. We landed without incident, and were at the airport!! Before we de-planed (I think that's airplane lingo for "Let us out!), the pilot comes on the speaker and says, Current time in Las Vegas is 3:30, with overcast skies and a temperature of 55 degrees." To our surprise, as we step out of the plane and are looking our the windows of the airport, the skies are blue, there is a nice breeze and MYABE 4 clouds in the sky. Now when you've just come from the icy cold Midwest, where we've had roughly 82 months of straight winter, and someone tells you that it is overcast, you're expecting it to look as if the skies could open up any minute. But I guess when you live in the desert where there are 345 days of sun each year, 4 clouds = overcast.

We then took the shuttle to our hotel. We stayed at Paris, which is LOVELY. I highly recommend it; they have hotel, the shops inside and even the rooms themed to make you feel as if you are in Paris. :thumbsup2 I could have just stayed at the hotel and had margaritas in giant Eiffel Towers. (You think I'm joking, but those drinks are huge!) We then settled into our room, unpacked and took to the streets! :woohoo:

Tomorrow - Part 2, which could also be titled "Everyone is Irish on St. Patrick's Day."

Have a good night!

[Charleston Princess]

To our surprise, as we step out of the plane and are looking our the windows of the airport, the skies are blue, there is a nice breeze and MYABE 4 clouds in the sky. Now when you've just come from the icy cold Midwest, where we've had roughly 82 months of straight winter, and someone tells you that it is overcast, you're expecting it to look as if the skies could open up any minute. But I guess when you live in the desert where there are 345 days of sun each year, 4 clouds = overcast.

:rotfl2: :rotfl2: :rotfl2:

We then took the shuttle to our hotel. We stayed at Paris, which is LOVELY. I highly recommend it; they have hotel, the shops inside and even the rooms themed to make you feel as if you are in Paris. :thumbsup2 I could have just stayed at the hotel and had margaritas in giant Eiffel Towers. (You think I'm joking, but those drinks are huge!)

Okay, I hope you got pics because I want to know what a drink in an Eiffel Tower looks like! Not to mention all the other over-the-top Paris decor!

Great start! Can't wait to read more about Vegas! I am definitely having Austin Powers deja-vu (who could forget when he goes to Vegas :rotfl: ).

[DWGal210]

Part 2 of Vegas, Baby...

Monday was our first full day and our only "plans" that day were our dinner reservations and our show, so we spent most of the day walking and walking and walking and walking....

(Another tip for future LV travelers - wear comfy shoes. I tried to be all cute and coordinate my clothes and shoes but in the end, I wish I would have brought tennis shoes!)

We walked all around, in the hotels and saw the sites. The phrase "Go big or go home" now has new meaning. Every hotel and waiting area and restaurant is decorated to the nines. We also took lots and lots of pictures just so that if anyone was wondering if we were tourists or locals, we took all doubt away. A few of my favorites to share with my buddies:

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg234/DWGal210/IMG_0853.jpg
A few from the Bellagio hotel, where we ate on Tuesday night, across the street to Paris.

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg234/DWGal210/IMG_0786.jpg

In our hotel...the shops were all store-fronted to look like they would in Paris, even the ceiling was painted to make you feel like you were outside!

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg234/DWGal210/IMG_0796.jpg

The Forum Shops at Ceasar's Palace...if it's a cool designer, if it's trendy, it's in there. You want a Louis Vuitton purse? You want Harry Wintston diamonds? You want to gawk at all the fancies like we did? This is the place for you.

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg234/DWGal210/IMG_0805.jpg

A very unflattering picture of me with the Green M&M at the 4-story M&M Store (no, I am not pregnant I just did not suck it in :goodvibes ) and my friend...I am on the right. I got home and discovered that I did not take lots of pictures with the two of us, but this was one of them.

And it also happened to be St. Patrick's Day, so there were lots of green beers and lots of people in green and lots of drunk people drinking green beer wearing green. You get the picture.

[BrittBritt]

Oh, I'm so glad to see you started this! :goodvibes

The pictures are beautiful! I've never really had a desire to take a trip to Vegas, but you're quite persuasive.

Maybe I missed it, but where did you eat Monday, and what show did you see? :confused:

[DWGal210]

Hi BrittBritt!

You know, I was not that excited initially to go to Vegas either...I knew I would have fun, since she's a really close friend and all, but I didn't know what to expect. But I can now say that is is amazing and I would go again in a minute. And as you can see by my lovely profile-with-tummy shot, I ate my share of the yummy Vegas food. :lmao:

We ate at Bouchon, which is a French bistro on the Venetian hotel. It was amazing...the food was great, the service was fantastic, and everyone there went out of their way to make sure we had a great experience. That's one thing I saw in Vegas where I've not seen before...your servers and all the people at the restaurants take great pride and care in making sure you are taken care of and have a good time. I imagine that some of those folks can make a decent living for themselves with the tips alone...we tipped quite a few of our waiters more than the "norm" because the service was stellar.

We went and saw LOVE, the Cirque de Soleil show inspired by the Beatles' music. :hippie: It was by far the best show I have ever seen. The performers are amazing. For example, at quite a few points during the show, there were performers coming down from the ceiling on what looked like huge rubber bands and doing tricks. I thought to myself that they must have wires or something attached to them because surely they would not be dangling from the ceiling without them - and then one of the performers came right next to us and, I kid you not, THEY WERE NOT WEARING WIRES! They literally wrap those rubber band things around themselves and around their ankles, legs, etc and that is all that is keeping them from meeting the concrete floor. Yikes. But it was a fantastic show...if you get to Vegas before that leaves, I would see that for sure! :banana:

[Charleston Princess]

OMG! Vegas looks unbelievable! I may be about to utter Disney blasphemy, but it kind of puts World Showcase to shame, doesn't it? :rotfl:

Love how you and your friend managed a character pic in Vegas! Who would have thought it!? :)

[DWGal210]

OMG! Vegas looks unbelievable! I may be about to utter Disney blasphemy, but it kind of puts World Showcase to shame, doesn't it? :rotfl:

Love how you and your friend managed a character pic in Vegas! Who would have thought it!? :)

I know, right? I saw Ms. Green M&M (or whatever her name is), and I thought, "WOW, a character!"

[DWGal210]

So today I made the final "oh my gosh, just put in your credit card info and press send you're almost there" payment on the cruise! Woo Hoo! :cool1:

Now that I don't have Vegas to distract me, I am in planning mode PLUS. I'm reading my Unofficial Guide nearly every day just to make sure I don't miss anything. I'm also having visions of forgetting something important, like my swimming suit or my toothbrush.

We also got our reservation confirmation for Saratoga - sweet!!

The one change we did make this week was that we decided to leave on Saturday the 7th instead of sunday the 8th. Judging by the plane tickets we are seeing, we probably wouldn't be able to get a flight into Orlando sooner than 6:30 at night, and then you pretty much waste a day. So we're flying in on Saturday, staying at an inexpensive airport hotel that night, and then going to Magic Kingdom on Sunday morning!!! So now I'm thinking we need another ADR for Sunday night...oooh the plot thickens! Any suggestions? We're already reserved at Boma, O'Hana and 50s Prime Time.

I have my brother on the airline ticket finding mission. :thumbsup2 I am getting discouraged so I'll let him handle that.

So now, I have to wait 69 days to start packing and all! I do think, though, I can safely call my guest room "Disney central." I have my books, my Baggalini, my supplies like the mini containers from Target, just waiting to be packed!!

But I did a bad thing today...I went on the Disney shopping website and saw the CUTEST Mickey flip flops that I just might have to have with my new Mickey swimsuit. I have to stop going on that website...hello, my name is Katie and I have a problem...

[Charleston Princess]

Hooray for making your final payment! :banana: That's a great feeling!

Here's hoping that your brother finds good flights! :wizard:

Do you want a character meal or regular meal? Inside or outside of the parks?

[DWGal210]

Hmmmm...choices choices. I would say inside the parks, non-character.

What do you think?

[Charleston Princess]

Hmmmm...choices choices. I would say inside the parks, non-character.

What do you think?

My first thought was Yak and Yeti at AK, but depending on your flight, the park may be closing at 8:00 or so. Maybe someplace at Epcot? Lots of choices there -- pretty much the whole range of world cuisine :rotfl: depending on everyone's likes and dislikes! :thumbsup2

[BrittBritt]

I too need someone to block the Disney Shopping website from my computer. DH said the other day, "Oh look, ANOTHER Disney box." Whoops!

Congrats on making final payment!

I'm afraid I don't have any fabulous dinner suggestions, but I'd love to hear what you do decide on.

[stagemomx3]

Hurray for final payment. I love the idea of flying in a night early and getting an early start on your first day at Disney.

[DWGal210]

I'll let you all know what we decide for an ADR on Sunday night...my sister and I are going to Chicago next weekend to see our brother and SIL and so I figured we would decide then. I was thinking either Coral Reef, where I have not been yet, but I hear nothing but good things about it.

So I'm reading about Princess' surprise Spring Break trip and also reading about the solo trips that folks are taking and I'm thinking more and more that I would really love to take a solo trip. I know, I know, I have June to worry about now and shouldn't get ahead of myself! But I would love to go by myself and do the things I've not done before, like go on some of those behind-the-scenes tours. Those have always looked interesting (since I love useless information!) but when you're going with your 4 cousins ages 2-14, they don't really want to stop riding Everest 5,200 times to go on a Segway tour :goodvibes

I was thinking that I could go in October / early November because:

1) Crowds are not as heavy
2) Might be able to get a good deal on a room, and/or they might be offering the free dining plan with room at that time
3) I could buy nearly all my Christmas presents and get that all done with :lmao:

But as Scarlett O'Hara says, "I won't think about that today...I'll think about that tomorrow."

This week I am getting my passport. I know I should not have waited until now, but when I called our county courthouse (or wherever you get them), they said they've been seeing a turn-around sooner than 4-6 weeks. I think I could also probably take my birth certificate with me instead of the passport, but that just makes me nervous. I did that when I went to Mexico in college and I was obsessively checking the safe, making sure it was still there. :goodvibes Plus, I'll need one anyway in the future most likely...I would also love to do the Mediteranean cruise!! :thumbsup2

[Charleston Princess]

I'll let you all know what we decide for an ADR on Sunday night...my sister and I are going to Chicago next weekend to see our brother and SIL and so I figured we would decide then. I was thinking either Coral Reef, where I have not been yet, but I hear nothing but good things about it.

We ate there last June and enjoyed it. Seeing all the fish in the aquarium was way cool! I had the Catfish on Pepperjack Grits, and it was yummy! The best part was the Chocolate Wave dessert. Mmmmmm!

So I'm reading about Princess' surprise Spring Break trip and also reading about the solo trips that folks are taking and I'm thinking more and more that I would really love to take a solo trip. I know, I know, I have June to worry about now and shouldn't get ahead of myself! But I would love to go by myself and do the things I've not done before, like go on some of those behind-the-scenes tours. Those have always looked interesting (since I love useless information!) but when you're going with your 4 cousins ages 2-14, they don't really want to stop riding Everest 5,200 times to go on a Segway tour :goodvibes

I was thinking that I could go in October / early November because:

1) Crowds are not as heavy
2) Might be able to get a good deal on a room, and/or they might be offering the free dining plan with room at that time
3) I could buy nearly all my Christmas presents and get that all done with :lmao:

But as Scarlett O'Hara says, "I won't think about that today...I'll think about that tomorrow."

Oh, I have the next three years of Disney trips planned -- don't worry about it being too soon! :rotfl:

Solo sounds like so much fun to me. Do it! October is lovely there! That's why we are going back over our long fall break weekend then. Not to mention it is during Food and Wine AND MNSSHP! Two events! :thumbsup2

This week I am getting my passport. I know I should not have waited until now, but when I called our county courthouse (or wherever you get them), they said they've been seeing a turn-around sooner than 4-6 weeks. I think I could also probably take my birth certificate with me instead of the passport, but that just makes me nervous. I did that when I went to Mexico in college and I was obsessively checking the safe, making sure it was still there. :goodvibes Plus, I'll need one anyway in the future most likely...I would also love to do the Mediteranean cruise!! :thumbsup2

I was just printing out stuff for passports -- in case, we were to go in November of 2009 on that cruise I have been eyeing. :lmao:

[DWGal210]

So I'm headed to Chicago this weekend to finalize plans with my brother and SIL for our trip - and we leave in 65 days!!!! :cool1: :cool1: :cool1:

My sister, SIL and I are going to hit one of the Disney stores in the Chicago area and hopefully I'll find more stuff I can't live without :) Just what I need...

The weather here is finally starting to perk up. By that I mean that we no longer have 10" of snow on the ground and the sun in shining most of the day. :goodvibes It's still only about 50 degrees outside, but the sunshine does make a huge difference!

[Charleston Princess]

My sister, SIL and I are going to hit one of the Disney stores in the Chicago area and hopefully I'll find more stuff I can't live without :) Just what I need...

Oh, I hope you get some good stuff! Take pics so we can all enjoy! :rotfl:

[DWGal210]

I'm back from a weekend to Chicago to finalize Disney plans and buy more stuff :)

I will post pics of my purchases in the next few days...:thumbsup2

On a note of "great news!", I think my brother is going to be able to book our airline tickets and get $100 off each ticket with their credit card points!! They just bought a house this year and used their CC to buy house stuff, and so they've accumulated quite a few points. If so, I think that means we'll have a flight for around $250!! :cool1: :cool1: :cool1: :cool1:

More to come tomorrow!

[stagemomx3]

I'm back from a weekend to Chicago to finalize Disney plans and buy more stuff :)

I will post pics of my purchases in the next few days...:thumbsup2

On a note of "great news!", I think my brother is going to be able to book our airline tickets and get $100 off each ticket with their credit card points!! They just bought a house this year and used their CC to buy house stuff, and so they've accumulated quite a few points. If so, I think that means we'll have a flight for around $250!! :cool1: :cool1: :cool1: :cool1:

More to come tomorrow!

Welcome home. Can't wait to see the pictures. That's great news about the airline tickets.

[Native NYer]

Just found this and am enjoying it. Going back to read :surfweb:

[Charleston Princess]

That's awesome about the tickets!

Can't wait to see what you bought! popcorn::

[DWGal210]

Just found this and am enjoying it. Going back to read :surfweb:

Thanks so much! Nice to see you, hope you enjoy!

[DWGal210]

So first, I wanted to post the picture of the 2 shirts that I got at a Disney store in Chicago; aren't they cute?! AND they were only $4.99 each!! Try getting a deal like that at WDW!

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg234/DWGal210/IMG_0854.jpg

So the drama of this week was....passports. I called our county courthouse and they said it usually takes 4-6 weeks but they seeing them turn around faster then that, so I knew I was still OK (we're about 8 weeks out). So I went to the bank with my dad yesterday to get my birth certificate out of the safety deposit box so I could mail in my request. (I know, I'm a big girl, I should have my own safety deposit box...).

So we go there, and low and behold, NO BIRTH CERTIFICATE!! :scared1: I have 1 sister and 4 brothers and all their certificates are there but not mine. The only other time I've used it was 5 years ago when I went to Acapulco when I was in college. So one of 3 things happened to it:

1. It's somewhere in my parents house, buried under years of report cards and hand-made Mother's Day crafts.
2. It's somewhere in my house, buried in my craft closet.
3. Some person in Mexico is going by Katie Miller and has stolen my identity.

So everything turned out OK...I called our state office and they are sending me a new one in about 2 weeks. I then called no less than 3 DCL people who all assured me that having my certified birth certificate plus my ID was just fine. (Apparently you need a passport for sure if you are traveling by air, but if you're going on the boat you're OK with your B.C.)

So whew!! Crisis averted there!

And now I'm off to the Disney shopping site....I returned my swimsuit that I bought since I need a smaller size :goodvibes and low and behold, it's now about $25.00 cheaper than when I bought it! So I'm going to buy it again and use Girl Math.

What is Girl Math, you ask? Girl Math states taht since I "saved" $25 on the swimsuit, I can spend $25 on other items on the site. :thumbsup2 How we justify these things....

Have a great night, everyone!

[Charleston Princess]

So first, I wanted to post the picture of the 2 shirts that I got at a Disney store in Chicago; aren't they cute?! AND they were only $4.99 each!! Try getting a deal like that at WDW!

Score!!! They are too cute!!!

1. It's somewhere in my parents house, buried under years of report cards and hand-made Mother's Day crafts.
2. It's somewhere in my house, buried in my craft closet.
3. Some person in Mexico is going by Katie Miller and has stolen my identity.

1. Could be my house.
2. Could be my house.
3. :scared1:

So whew!! Crisis averted there! Glad that worked out!

And now I'm off to the Disney shopping site....I returned my swimsuit that I bought since I need a smaller size :goodvibes and low and behold, it's now about $25.00 cheaper than when I bought it! So I'm going to buy it again and use Girl Math.

What is Girl Math, you ask? Girl Math states taht since I "saved" $25 on the swimsuit, I can spend $25 on other items on the site. :thumbsup2 How we justify these things....


Girl math -- my new vocabulary word of the day! :worship:

Now I am off to see what other good prices are to found on the disneyshopping website!

[DWGal210]

I should never have looked. :rotfl2:

I saw that with travel through Sept 20th they are offering free dining so I am seriously considering taking my solo trip then...I priced it out and without airfare it would be about $1,000. I'd stay at Pop since I like it and I'd rather spend money at the parks instead of at a hotel :)

I need a 12-step program...what am I thinking going twice in a 3-month span?!

I'll let you know what I decide...
:thumbsup2

[Charleston Princess]

I should never have looked. :rotfl2:

I saw that with travel through Sept 20th they are offering free dining so I am seriously considering taking my solo trip then...I priced it out and without airfare it would be about $1,000. I'd stay at Pop since I like it and I'd rather spend money at the parks instead of at a hotel :)

I need a 12-step program...what am I thinking going twice in a 3-month span?!

I'll let you know what I decide...
:thumbsup2

Disney twice in three months? That's fine!!! You can never have too much Disney! Besides, you will save all that money you would normally spend on groceries because you would be eating for free! ;) That's Fuzzy Disney Math/Girl Math for you!

[DWGal210]

Disney twice in three months? That's fine!!! You can never have too much Disney! Besides, you will save all that money you would normally spend on groceries because you would be eating for free! ;) That's Fuzzy Disney Math/Girl Math for you!

I like the way you think, Princess! That IS Girl Math plus Fuzzy Disney Math!!

I almost hate to pass it up...not that they're not going to have deals again or anything, but I hate passing up a bargain. It's like when I go to the Dollar section at Target and get crap that I don't need, but then I think it's only a dollar so who cares. :thumbsup2

[Charleston Princess]

I like the way you think, Princess! That IS Girl Math plus Fuzzy Disney Math!!

I almost hate to pass it up...not that they're not going to have deals again or anything, but I hate passing up a bargain. It's like when I go to the Dollar section at Target and get crap that I don't need, but then I think it's only a dollar so who cares. :thumbsup2

Exactly! You were already thinking about a solo trip, so this would be the perfect time to go! :thumbsup2

[DWGal210]

Hi everyone ~ hope you all are doing well. I'm awake too early and so I thought I'd meander over to the DIS and see who was around! :banana:

I'm staying at my parent's house for a few days "baby sitting" my 17-year old sister and 12-year old brother while they are in Florida. And can you believe that they are not even going to stop at WDW while they are there? I can't imagine being that close and not going! :rotfl2:

In cruise updates, I received my birth certificate in the mail yesterday!!! :thumbsup2 So now we're all ready to go except the packing :) I have my list from all the great DIS ladies and gents about what to pack on the cruise, so I think I'm pretty set from that end. The only other item I need is a surge protector...one gal suggested that for extra outlets on the boat. Smart cookie!

And right now I'm T-minus 56 days from leaving!!! :woohoo: :yay:

[Charleston Princess]

I'm staying at my parent's house for a few days "baby sitting" my 17-year old sister and 12-year old brother while they are in Florida. And can you believe that they are not even going to stop at WDW while they are there? I can't imagine being that close and not going! :rotfl2:

I can't either! :eek:

In cruise updates, I received my birth certificate in the mail yesterday!!! :thumbsup2 So now we're all ready to go except the packing :)

And right now I'm T-minus 56 days from leaving!!! :woohoo: :yay:

Woo! Woo! :woohoo:

That means I am pretty close too! ;)

[DWGal210]

Yes, you are close! Yee-haw! And we'll have to exchange numbers so I can text you when we're in the parks...we need at least one pic together. :thumbsup2

Britt, glad to see that you are home! Hope you had a great time!

So according to my counter, we are about 7 weeks out...what ever am I going to do to pass the time?? :rotfl2: Why go shopping on the Disney sites, of course!

In an earlier post, I talked about the logics of Girl Math...so I used that "extra" money that I had and bought a Mickey cookie jar that I'm planning on putting Riley's treats in. I'm not putting my own treats in there...I'm saving myself for the pastry shop in France! :cool1: I cannot think of the name of that place but each time that my sister and I are there, we go at least once and that becomes either a late breakfast or lunch. YUMMO!

[Charleston Princess]

Yes, you are close! Yee-haw! And we'll have to exchange numbers so I can text you when we're in the parks...we need at least one pic together. :thumbsup2

Definitely -- our TRs won't be complete without a mini-DIS meet!


So according to my counter, we are about 7 weeks out...what ever am I going to do to pass the time?? :rotfl2: Why go shopping on the Disney sites, of course!

I can't believe how close we are because it doesn't really seem that long ago that I was making the initial reservation (back in August)!

In an earlier post, I talked about the logics of Girl Math...so I used that "extra" money that I had and bought a Mickey cookie jar that I'm planning on putting Riley's treats in. I'm not putting my own treats in there...I'm saving myself for the pastry shop in France! :cool1: I cannot think of the name of that place but each time that my sister and I are there, we go at least once and that becomes either a late breakfast or lunch. YUMMO!

Boulangerie Patisserie -- I think.

Riley will love it! :thumbsup2

[DWGal210]

So I'm listening to the newest DIS Unplugged podcast and whoa, they are Fired Up about the strollers! I can't say that I blame them, even though I don't have children myself. Not to get into controversial topics, but what were they thinking? A 60% increase in the price?! :scared1:

I love Disney 98% of the time, but this does seem ridiculous. This is supposed to be the #1 family destination in the World, and it's getting harder and harder for families to afford to go. If you had to rent a double stroller for a week, that would be $217 - that is ridiculous!! That's what we're paying to rent a car for our trip in June!

Okay, I'm done now. Just wanted to show my solidarity with the stroller-users and mommies out there!!!

[Charleston Princess]

I just can't figure out why they raised them so much!

I can't believe it costs as much to rent a stroller as it costs to rent a car! :eek: How ridiculous is that?

I am so glad that mine are old enough not to need them anymore. Although, last June, my MIL for some reason wanted us to rent one (she wasn't even going with us). I told her absolutely not -- if Connor was too tired to walk then that was our cue to go back to the hotel!

[DWGal210]

I knew it was too good to be true...

You know when I mentioned that my brother has a CC with points on it that he can use on airline tickets, and that he thought we could get $100 off each ticket?

Well, that plan is now down the tubes. Of course, his credit card company said that we couldn't use Jet Blue; that's not one of their participating airlines. Shoot! :scared1:

So instead of all 4 of us flying out there together, my sister and I are now going to leave from Moline, IL (about 2 hours away) and then meet by brother and SIL there. Oh well.

Our flight isn't terrible, but it's still $350 each. Yikes. Oh well, I just try to think of myself at Castaway Cay, having a margarita and watching the world go by! :cool1:

[DWGal210]

I forgot to mention this...

I have a Shih Tzu (Riley), my parents have his brother (Bandit) and my grandparents have their sister (Josie). Well, the mom and the dad dogs (owned by my mother's brother and his wife) had another litter about 1 1/2 months ago and my mom and dad are getting another puppy!

And the best part is...wait for it...her name is Minnie!! My sister suggested it and my mom liked it, so they'll be a little Minnie around. ::MinnieMo

Another aunt and uncle are getting the other female and naming her...Daisy!! How cute is that?! This aunt and uncle are as in love with Disney as I am. They're the folks we bought vacation club points from.

Had to share our "news" - I'll post pictures soon.

[Charleston Princess]

I knew it was too good to be true...

You know when I mentioned that my brother has a CC with points on it that he can use on airline tickets, and that he thought we could get $100 off each ticket?

Well, that plan is now down the tubes. Of course, his credit card company said that we couldn't use Jet Blue; that's not one of their participating airlines. Shoot! :scared1:

So instead of all 4 of us flying out there together, my sister and I are now going to leave from Moline, IL (about 2 hours away) and then meet by brother and SIL there. Oh well.

Our flight isn't terrible, but it's still $350 each. Yikes. Oh well, I just try to think of myself at Castaway Cay, having a margarita and watching the world go by! :cool1:

Yes, just focus on all the fun you will be having! :lovestruc

I forgot to mention this...

I have a Shih Tzu (Riley), my parents have his brother (Bandit) and my grandparents have their sister (Josie). Well, the mom and the dad dogs (owned by my mother's brother and his wife) had another litter about 1 1/2 months ago and my mom and dad are getting another puppy!

And the best part is...wait for it...her name is Minnie!! My sister suggested it and my mom liked it, so they'll be a little Minnie around. ::MinnieMo

Another aunt and uncle are getting the other female and naming her...Daisy!! How cute is that?! This aunt and uncle are as in love with Disney as I am. They're the folks we bought vacation club points from.

Had to share our "news" - I'll post pictures soon.

That's awesome! Little puppies with Disney names :goodvibes ! Can't wait to see pics!

[Native NYer]

So I'm listening to the newest DIS Unplugged podcast and whoa, they are Fired Up about the strollers! I can't say that I blame them, even though I don't have children myself. Not to get into controversial topics, but what were they thinking? A 60% increase in the price?! :scared1:

I love Disney 98% of the time, but this does seem ridiculous. This is supposed to be the #1 family destination in the World, and it's getting harder and harder for families to afford to go. If you had to rent a double stroller for a week, that would be $217 - that is ridiculous!! That's what we're paying to rent a car for our trip in June!

Okay, I'm done now. Just wanted to show my solidarity with the stroller-users and mommies out there!!!

My head must be under a rock because I didn't realize the stroller rental prices jumped. We just bring my nephew's with us. Interesting that you can spend the same amount of money on stroller rentals for a week as you spend on a rental car.

I wonder if Disney is going to start selling stroller insurance :confused3

[DWGal210]

I am weak.... :)

So QVC had a 2-hour Disney jewelry special tonight and I bought a watch.

And earrings.

And a necklace.

But they are so cute, I could not resist!! I will post pictures when they come next week.

Have a great night, everyone!

[DWGal210]

51 days - woo hoo!!!! :woohoo: :woohoo:

An update on our flights....
So of course, the airline we wanted to fly (JetBlue) was not covered under my brother's airline miles, so my sister and I are flying out of Moline, IL and meeting my brother and SIL there at Orlando International. But on the positive side, we're only 51 days out, and I'm getting even more excited!! :cool1:

Oh and I thought I would pass along...I found 85 SPF sunscreen at Target the other day - I was pumped. (I know that you're thinking here...why get excited about that?) Why you ask? I am an Irish / German / Welsh girl with light light skin, and I have 2 shades - White and Burnt To A Crisp. So I am always on the lookout for high SPF suncreen. Skin cancer runs in my family and besides, I don't want to become a lobster and not enjoy our trip. So for those of you that want high SPF for yourselves and/or your kids, check that out!! It's Neutrogena Ultra-Sheer.

Oh, and I wanted to post a pic of the other 3 travelers; my brother, SIL and sister. Now you know the whole crazy group!

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg234/DWGal210/IMG_0327.jpg

[Charleston Princess]

Ohhhh, can't wait to see the Disney jewelry!!!

Great pic of the rest of your group!!!

[BrittBritt]

I cannot believe I missed the Disney jewelry! :headache:

I've flown into Moline before...

[DWGal210]

Hi Britt! How did you like the Moline airport? It's about 2 1/2 hours from my house and it's the cheapest one for about 3 hours in any direction, so that's the one we chose. Process of elimination. :thumbsup2

[DWGal210]

So, first of all I got my Disney jewelry...it's darling and I'll take pictures this week and post those. They are so cute!!!

I booked a shore excursion today for my sister, SIL and brother...they are going to parasail and I am going to sit on the beach with a pina colada and read while they do that. :woohoo: I'm not super excited about heights so instead of risking puking in the ocean, I thought I would stay close to the ground with a fruity umbrella beverage. :thumbsup2

Only 45 days to go!!!!

[rimousefan84]

still enjoying your trip report very much, your excitement is definitely contagious! Can't wait to read about your experience with Disney Cruiseline. :thumbsup2

[Charleston Princess]

I booked a shore excursion today for my sister, SIL and brother...they are going to parasail and I am going to sit on the beach with a pina colada and read while they do that. :woohoo: I'm not super excited about heights so instead of risking puking in the ocean, I thought I would stay close to the ground with a fruity umbrella beverage. :thumbsup2

Only 45 days to go!!!!

I think sitting on the beach with a pina colada is the right way to go! I know that's what I would be doing! :thumbsup2

[DWGal210]

Sorry I have been MIA from everyone, but I've been busy because....

I AM MOVING TO ORLANDO!!!

I've been plotting a move for some time, but am starting to finalize it now. I'm shooting to move August 1st. I'm applying with Disney (of course) but other places as well.

More to come later - plus more trip updates! Only 37 days to go!!:cool1:

[Charleston Princess]

That is soooo completely cool!!!

You will have to keep us posted on EVERYTHING that transpires for your move/new job!!!

[stagemomx3]

Less than 3 weeks to go!:cool1:

[DWGal210]

Hi friends!

I have not gone astray, I've been busy...

1) Planning on moving to Orlando.
2) Selling my condo
3) Taking a trip to Orlando to go to a job fair
4) Packing and getting ready for our trip!!!

I feel like I have about 10,000 thoughts running rampant in my brain right now. :moped:

So the most fun news is that I had a phone interview with Disney today and I was moved on to the 2nd round (in-person interview)!! So hopefully that will come about because I would love to work for the Mouse! (Plus I could score a discount on the merchandise!)

More to come....

[Charleston Princess]

That's so awesome about going to an in-person interview at Disney! How cool would that be if you got a job with them??? It would be a dream come true!!!

And we are in the single digits now for our trips!!! :banana:

[stagemomx3]

Congrats on moving to the second round of interviews!:cool1:

[stagemomx3]

Any news on the move to Orlando? Or perhaps a start to the trip report?;)