Going to Disney Without The Kids... 'Cause We're Evil Like That!! ~ updated 9/21

[ForeverDance]

Prelude: Disaholics Start Your Engines


Ok admit it, all you disaholics out there are totally excited to have yet another TR to follow along with :goodvibes . I mean, if you’re anything like me, you are currently subscribed to no less than 1500 TRs, all in various stages of reporting, and you check a minimum of 2400 times every day just to see if there are any updates. That’s why I know you are all just dying to add yet another subscription. So go ahead, click that Subscribe button… Come on you know you want to!! ::yes::

And while you are all busily adding that subscription I will get down to a little business and give a brief introduction to our fabulous and yet totally wicked and evil kid free WDW vacation spectacular!

Who: DH and I (and no kids :stir: )
What: A fabulous fun filled vacation to WDW (with free dining of course)
When: September 11th-21st
Where: Coronado Springs Resort
Why: Because we are totally evil parents and this was a great opportunity to do something wicked and nasty! Okay, so it also happens to be our 5th anniversary this year... but don't let that fool you, we are still totally evil parents!!!



Chapter 1: Who Are These Strange People? (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=25830166&postcount=10)
Chapter 2: Opposites Attract (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=25897395&postcount=13)
Chapter 3: You Can Go Anywhere And You Picked Disney Again?!? (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=26221644&postcount=15)
Chapter 4: Rest and Relaxation the Disney Way (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=26381479&postcount=22)
Chapter 5: So What Will You Do? (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=26422247&postcount=29)
Chapter 6: It's All About The Food (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=26473696&postcount=34)
Chapter 7: Planes, Train, and Automobiles (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=26711892&postcount=38)
Chapter 8: The Lists - The To Do List (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=26885292&postcount=54)
A Planning Tool Intermission Right Here (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=26931841&postcount=63)
Chapter 8: The Lists (cont.) - The To Buy List (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=26984343&postcount=69)
Chapter 8: The Lists (cont.) - The Packing Lists (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=27036820&postcount=79)
The Package Has Arrived Right Here (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=27092284&postcount=85)
Chapter 9: Trip Preparations -
->Wonderful New Running Shoes (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=27130758&postcount=96)
->Van Maintenance and T-Shirt Designs (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=27175289&postcount=104)
->Glasses and Envelopes and Shoe Drama Oh My! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=27364370&postcount=124)
->T-Shirts Galore (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=27460455&postcount=131)
->Ready to Go!!! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=27503810&postcount=140)
Chapter 10: The Last Day!!! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=27504646&postcount=144)


WE'RE BACK!!! Home safe and Sound (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=27715719&postcount=147)

[ForeverDance]

Hmm... I seem to be talking to myself here... that's okay I have teen/tweenagers so I am totally use to it :rotfl2:

The up side of having no readers is that I guess I don't have to make excuses for why I haven't written anything substantial yet. 'Cause really, I already know all about all the end of the year stuff (dance recitals, graduations, etc.) that is occupying all my free time. And it also means that I don't have to try to bribe my readers to stay around by promising that I'll write more soon :lmao:

[Lady Lallie]

I'm here!! :goodvibes

[If U Had Wings]

Can't wait to hear more! :cool1:

[willwriteforears]

I'm here and will be hitting "subscribe" right after I post. :thumbsup2

[pooksma]

Hey fellow Canadian and evil parent.

I'm reading along :thumbsup2

[Belle2007]

sounds wonderful!!! can't wait to hear more!

[stitchywoman]

My daughter keeps "gently" mentioning that she would LOVE to go to disneyworld but that she would never dream of going on my honeymoon....cough cough....I think that she still expects us to ask her to go with us. This is a honeymoon 6 years in the making and she's out of luck on this one. I feel the evil parent vibe. I told her I would bring her back an item of her choosing, and she told me she wanted a "big lollipop".....hahaha....:rotfl2: guess I lucked out on that one.

Can't wait to read your report. I think we should start an evil parents club. hehehe....

[ForeverDance]

:welcome:

Hi Everyone thanks for joining me!!!

I told her I would bring her back an item of her choosing, and she told me she wanted a "big lollipop".....hahaha....:rotfl2: guess I lucked out on that one.

Definately lucked out on that one :rotfl: You are much nicer than we are... we told the kids that if they wanted something from Disney when we go that they would have to pay us for it... DH even added that there would be a shipping and handling fee :lmao: See very evil parents here... okay so we do intend to bring them back something... but they don't know that.

[ForeverDance]

Chapter 1: Who Are These Strange People?

I know you are all dying to be introduced to the cast of characters that you will meet throughout this journey and so I will begin by first introducing the main characters:

Me: I work as a software developer at a financial institution, a job that I find both challenging and rewarding… most days. My passion in life in dance. I know… I know… dance and software have absolutely nothing in common. What can I say? I’m just weird like that. When I’m not developing software or dancing, I spend most of my remaining free time playing D&D and video games. Yep, you don’t even have to say it, I am well aware of the geek status that I possess.

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn234/ForeverDance999/Trip%20Report%202008/29Aug2007012-1.jpg
Me at Crystal Palace last year


DH: The love of my life is a construction worker in the water department of our fine city. I know what you’re thinking “a computer geek and a construction worker, is that even possible?” Trust me, you ain’t seen nothing yet! DH is the epitome of the Scorpio personality… enough said. He spends most of his free time playing Halo3 which as far as I can tell involves some shooting and a whole lot of yelling at the TV :confused3 .

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn234/ForeverDance999/Trip%20Report%202008/30and31Aug2007059-1.jpg
DH and his favourite Disney "snack"


I know some of you are probably thinking to yourselves “hey they don’t seem too evil”. So I will remind you that we are going to Disney World without the kids and such an act grants you immediate membership to the evil parents club ::yes:: … go ahead ask any kid!


Anyway, moving along…


Let me introduce to you the others that you will meet along the way… you know, the ones that are not coming with us:

DS13 (almost 14): This boy is an interesting combination of both shy and quiet and complete clown. Weird I know, but so true. He takes a while to warm up to people but once he feels comfortable he will be constantly telling jokes and making wise cracks. DS is also our resident music expert. If you have a music related question, you can bet he knows the answer. He loves soccer, skate boarding, paintball, and street hockey… you know all those dangerous things that boys love to hurt themselves doing. He also enjoys baking and dancing (hip hop). When he grows up he plans on being a soccer player or a pastry chef.

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn234/ForeverDance999/Trip%20Report%202008/04Sep2007012-1.jpg
DS and his favourite Disney character

At this point I think I should probably make a small confession. DS is actually my step-son. A small and rather trivial technicality from my perspective, but worth mentioning since I’m sure it will make things more clear when discussing plans for the care of the children during our vacation.



DD11: This girl is a ball of energy. She is always on the go and always has something to say about everything. She is also a very strong headed girl (no idea where she gets this from :rolleyes1 ) and while this can make being her parent exasperating at times, I’m happy knowing that she will be a strong independent woman one day. DD loves dancing, basketball, and music. When she grows she wants to be some kind of superstar (preferably an actress or singer) or an aerospace engineer.

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn234/ForeverDance999/Trip%20Report%202008/27Aug2007012-1.jpg
DD smitten after being kissed by Mickey


DMom & DDad: These are the wonderful, terrific, fabulous people who have graciously offered to watch the kids while we are away on vacation. And while they are fabulous parents (I can honestly say I couldn’t have asked for better) they are even more fabulous grandparents. Both of them are software developers and enjoy gardening, taking trips, and playing video games (yes grandparents play video games too).

:angel: :angel:
(sorry no actual photos of them will be going online)



Lastly, you should meet someone who will no doubt be making several guest appearances:

Khan: This furry little guy is part Himalayan and all sucky baby. He believes that he is the most important member of the family and expects to be the center of attention whenever he is in the room. My parents will be coming by our house twice a day to spend time with the little prince so that he won’t be lonely while we are gone.

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn234/ForeverDance999/Trip%20Report%202008/Khan007.jpg


Up Next: Opposites Attract (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=25897395&postcount=13)

[willwriteforears]

Nice to meet the cast! DS's personality sounds similar to mine. I'm very quiet when first meeting people, but one I get to know them, I loosen up and they are exposed to my quirky sense of humor. Which, actually, not very many people get, but that's another issue entirely.

Looking forward to more!

[ForeverDance]

Actually I'm very much like that as well. DH often jokes that DS must actually be mine since he is far more like me than DH.

[ForeverDance]

Chapter 2: Opposites Attract

When I met DH 12 years ago I had absolutely no idea what I was getting myself into. It turns out that I could not have picked someone more unlike me if I had been trying…DH and I are complete polar opposites!

DH is an extrovert… I’m an introvert
DH is outgoing… I’m reserved
DH is always hot… I’m always cold…

I could go on and on forever.

So why did I think this was important to include in my report? Well for two reasons... One, because you are going to get to see a lot of these differences come in to play throughout our planning. And two, so that you would be able to appreciate how truly awesome we are for managing to stay together for this long without killing each other :rotfl2:

Up Next: You Can Go Anywhere And You Picked Disney Again?!? (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=26221644&postcount=15)

[willwriteforears]

I wouldn't call my parents polar opposites, but they're definitely dissimilar enough that I often wonder how they got together in the first place! :rotfl2: But they're coming up on 32 years of marriage, so it can work. :thumbsup2

[ForeverDance]

Chapter 3: You Can Go Anywhere And You Picked Disney Again?!?

About the time DH and I celebrated our first anniversary we decided that we should plan to have our very first child free vacation for our 5th anniversary. Over the next few years we went back and forth on where we wanted to go. Maybe Vegas… we both like to gamble and it sounds like an exciting place to go. Or maybe somewhere in the Caribbean… a warm sandy beach to relax on and maybe some hiking or sailing. We couldn’t decide, but the possibilities were endless :cloud9:

Every couple of months we would come up with a new place for our vacation and we would get all excited. The planning and researching would begin and we would be giddy looking at pictures and descriptions online. And then it would happen. A few months later one of us would start to question some aspect of the trip: We pick an all inclusive, but I don’t drink that much. We pick somewhere with great excursions, but DH has bad knees and doesn’t like heights. And so the cycle would repeat itself :rolleyes:

Fast forward to the beginning of this year…

It’s the start of April, we still don’t know where we are going and time is running out for us to make a decision. DH is thinking somewhere in the Caribbean and I’m just not sure it’s exactly what I want to do. As I’m looking at different places online I am drawn to the fabulous DISboards where I spent hours the previous year planning our Disney vacation. And on those boards what do my eyes spy? Why the great free dining rumor of 2008 :idea:

So on the way home that night I casually mention to DH: “You know it looks like Disney is going to offer free dining again”. DH glances at me, with a look that means ‘you aren’t really suggesting we go back to Disney again’. I cautiously continue: “I know you said after last year that you were done for a while but there were so many things that we didn’t do because we had the kids with us, you know Pleasure Island and the Boardwalk. And we could try out Coronado Springs… our dates are pretty flexible so there’s no reason we wouldn’t be able to get in there this year”. DH’s eyes began to light up a bit and he looked over at me with a smile that said ‘maybe it would be fun’.

So it was finally decided :woohoo: We would be going to Disney World for a third year in a row… but this time without the kids :stir:



Up Next: Rest and Relaxation the Disney Way (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=26381479&postcount=22)

[willwriteforears]

Yay for free dining!

I'm sure you and DH will enjoy yourselves--be sure to do everything you want to at PI, since by September 28, Disney's getting rid of all the night clubs and Adventurer's Club and the Comedy Warehouse. To replace it with more shopping. :faint:

[Lady Lallie]

Yay for free dining! I love free dining. :goodvibes

What are your exact dates??

[ForeverDance]

Yay for free dining!

I'm sure you and DH will enjoy yourselves--be sure to do everything you want to at PI, since by September 28, Disney's getting rid of all the night clubs and Adventurer's Club and the Comedy Warehouse. To replace it with more shopping. :faint:

Yes I read that! DH and I intended to spend a night out last year and do PI but we were so tired from all the rope dropping and running around that we never made it out at night. When I read it was closing DH and I decided we had better make it there this time!

Yay for free dining! I love free dining. :goodvibes

What are your exact dates??

Oh I absolutely love love free dining. We did it for the first time last year and I was completely sold on it. We will be in Disney Sep 13th - 20th.

[ForeverDance]

In an effort to retain the few readers I do have I figured I had better apologize for the length of time it is taking me to post updates to my PTR. DH had the bright idea that pushing forward with our home renovations was the perfect way to pass the time waiting for our trip :rolleyes:

So, while I would love to spend my evenings updating my PTR and reading/responding to other people's TRs, I am stuck spending them ripping up carpet, laying floors, reorganizing rooms, and struggling to keep up with the regular every day chores :sad2:

This means the only time I have to myself is while I am at work :rolleyes1 So I've been trying to keep up with DIS from work but I don't have the "blocks" of time I would like for reading and writing... because for some reason they actually expect me to do real work while I'm at the office :confused3

:rotfl2:

[Lady Lallie]

In an effort to retain the few readers I do have I figured I had better apologize for the length of time it is taking me to post updates to my PTR. DH had the bright idea that pushing forward with our home renovations was the perfect way to pass the time waiting for our trip :rolleyes:

So, while I would love to spend my evenings updating my PTR and reading/responding to other people's TRs, I am stuck spending them ripping up carpet, laying floors, reorganizing rooms, and struggling to keep up with the regular every day chores :sad2:

This means the only time I have to myself is while I am at work :rolleyes1 So I've been trying to keep up with DIS from work but I don't have the "blocks" of time I would like for reading and writing... because for some reason they actually expect me to do real work while I'm at the office :confused3

:rotfl2::lmao: Imagine, expecting you to do work while at work! My workplace has those same outrageous standards! :laughing:

No worries. We are here! :hug:

[willwriteforears]

This means the only time I have to myself is while I am at work :rolleyes1 So I've been trying to keep up with DIS from work but I don't have the "blocks" of time I would like for reading and writing... because for some reason they actually expect me to do real work while I'm at the office :confused3

:rotfl2:

My workplace suffers from the same affliction. :confused3

As LL said, don't worry. We're here! :thumbsup2

[ForeverDance]

Chapter 4: Rest and Relaxation the Disney Way

For this adult only trip DH and I both agreed that it should be a relaxing vacation… the problem is we don’t completely agree on what makes a trip relaxing :rolleyes:

DH is a completely spontaneous person who hates having anything planned. This means that a relaxing trip to him would involve zero planning. He would love to be able to wake up and decide where to go and what to do at the spur of the moment.

I on the other hand, along with most of the DIS population I’m sure, am a planner. I like knowing exactly what we are going to do and when. I don’t want to have to make decisions while on vacation so I want to have everything planned out before hand. I want to simply wake up, refer to my plan, and be on my way.

For some people this would be a totally irresolvable problem. In fact, I have read quite a few posts on DIS about this exact problem. Ahh but you see DH and I are veterans at solving irresolvable problems. And so my friends we do what any other couple would do… we fight!

:rotfl2:

Okay not really. We compromise.


Side note – I think too many people get compromise wrong. For some reason people seem to think that compromise means that one side gives in letting the other side “win” which results in one party (and sometimes both) being unhappy. And still other people think that it means each giving up something important to them and then neither party is happy. Compromise is defined as “settlement of differences by arbitration or by consent reached by mutual concessions b: something intermediate between or blending qualities of two different things” (Merriam-Webster). The important thing here is the “blending”. If you can take the things that are important to both parties and blend them together you will end up with a solution that everyone is happy with.


Okay where was I? Oh yes we were compromising…

I booked all the required ADRs as soon as we booked the vacation. I showed DH the menus online and he helped me decide where we should eat. Most days we have 2 table service meals booked since we are on the deluxe plan, but a couple days only have 1 booked so that we have some days that are a little more “open”. And there you have it, our compromised solution.

So now for the important question… are we both happy?!? You bet! :banana:


DH is happy because he knows he’s going to get to eat some great meals. He also knows that outside of the times that we need to be somewhere specific to eat, we can decide to do anything we want (thank you park hoppers). I’m happy because I know where we will be to eat and if DH can’t decide where he wants to go at any particular time, we can easily go to the place where we will be eating which saves me from having to make decisions while on vacation. It’s win/win!!

Now that we’ve dealt with the major issues, I’m going to let you in on a little secret… there were actually quite a few things that we did agree on for this trip (shocking I know).

And here they are:

NO 7 am wake up calls
NO rushing to make rope drop
NO racing from ride to ride
NO going on rides we hate


Up Next: So What Will You Do? (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=26422247&postcount=29)

[willwriteforears]

Glad you and DH were able to (truly) compromise!

I'm also a planner, but I can do okay with spontaneity if it's planned in, e.g., "on this day we won't plan anything and will do whatever whenever." It sounds like you did something similar! :goodvibes

[Lady Lallie]

That sounds like such a great compromise. I love that you have the DO NOT list either. That's awesome. I think our next trip after the September one will be more relaxed. :goodvibes

[ForeverDance]

Glad you and DH were able to (truly) compromise!

I'm also a planner, but I can do okay with spontaneity if it's planned in, e.g., "on this day we won't plan anything and will do whatever whenever." It sounds like you did something similar! :goodvibes

Planned spontaneity is my favourite kind (as long as I don't have to make too many decisions). Of course living with someone who is truley spontaneous I have had to learn to "plan" to do unexpected things :rotfl:How do you do that? Simple, I keep a list (mental or otherwise) of things that I need to do certain things: DH wants to go to the drive-in tonight... I have a mental list of the things we need and where they are kept. DH wants to go camping this weekend (actually happened last night) I have a list all ready with camping recipes and packing essentials and I already knew exactly which site(s) I would want should we go camping :rolleyes1

Now you're wondering how I knew which sites I wanted, right? That's another way I plan for DH's spontaneity... if he mentions something in passing like "in might be nice to go camping some time", then I research that thing so that I know what we need/want to do it and then keep that information in a safe place for fast retrieval later. 'Cause I'm a planner and this keeps me sane :lmao:



That sounds like such a great compromise. I love that you have the DO NOT list either. That's awesome. I think our next trip after the September one will be more relaxed. :goodvibes

After 2 trips in 2 years (this being #3 in 3 years) it was easy to come up with a list of things we didn't want to do. If you do decide to go on a relaxing trip maybe you'll be able to pick up some dos and don'ts from our trip.

[willwriteforears]

Planned spontaneity is my favourite kind (as long as I don't have to make too many decisions). Of course living with someone who is truley spontaneous I have had to learn to "plan" to do unexpected things :rotfl:How do you do that? Simple, I keep a list (mental or otherwise) of things that I need to do certain things: DH wants to go to the drive-in tonight... I have a mental list of the things we need and where they are kept. DH wants to go camping this weekend (actually happened last night) I have a list all ready with camping recipes and packing essentials and I already knew exactly which site(s) I would want should we go camping :rolleyes1

Now you're wondering how I knew which sites I wanted, right? That's another way I plan for DH's spontaneity... if he mentions something in passing like "in might be nice to go camping some time", then I research that thing so that I know what we need/want to do it and then keep that information in a safe place for fast retrieval later. 'Cause I'm a planner and this keeps me sane :lmao:


Good ideas! If I end up with a spontaneous DH, I'll probably employ your strategies. :goodvibes

[pooksma]

In my line of work we call that" reaching consensus".

We always plan our ADRs by making separate lists and then comparing.

One thing we are doing as kidless travellers is eating a few places DS would not want to go. Also having a couples massage at the S&D.

[ForeverDance]

In my line of work we call that" reaching consensus".

We always plan our ADRs by making separate lists and then comparing.

One thing we are doing as kidless travellers is eating a few places DS would not want to go. Also having a couples massage at the S&D.

Our kids are pretty good eaters, well DS is a little picky but can usually find something he likes, so we haven't really had to change where we would like to eat for them. The one thing we are doing this trip is much more TS meals since we don't have to rush to rides for the kids.

[ForeverDance]

Chapter 5: So What Will You Do?


Last installment I established those things that DH and I will definitely not be doing which begs the question: What will you do? So here dear readers, is the list of things that we would like to do.

Disclaimer: DH and I agreed early in the planning that we would not have a list of must do (darn it that should have been on my previous list). Therefore, this list contains things that we would like to do… should we have the time… and should we feel like doing those things on any particular day.


On to the list…


Eating: Yes there will be much eating of delicious, high calorie, totally bad for you foods. This is probably the thing I am looking forward to most… That sounds funny I’m going to Disney where there are a million great attractions and shows and I’m most looking forward to the food. :lmao: But you see, I love lovelove food and DH and I have been trying to eat healthy for a while now. I’ll admit that the food we are eating is very tasty (thank you Biggest Loser Cookbook!) but I do so miss the “ooey gooey goodness” of those high calories foods that we have cut out. So when we go on vacation I intend to take full advantage of the plethora of fantastic foods that can be found at Disney :cloud9:

Drinking: Yep I’m talking about alcohol here. I almost never drink. This is in general a good thing but it does have its draw backs. For one, I will feel a little “happy” after only one drink.:blush: Because of that I rarely drink any more than one drink while out with the kids. This means that I have had to forgo sampling the many tasty looking drinks at EPCOT. I would really like to rectify that this year and DH is dying to try beers around the world.

Goofy’s Candy Co: Seriously how did I miss this place the last two trips?!? I love me some rice krispy treats and white chocolate… and I can get them together… and for only 1 snack credit!

Pleasure Island: DH and I intended to go last year but we were so tired from the early morning/late night combinations that we just didn’t make it there. I really want to check out the Comedy Warehouse and Adventurers Club and now that they are closing this year it’s all the more reason to take a trip over there.

Toy Story Mania: It’s new. I’ve never done it. It looks fun.

Haunted Mansion: This is one of the few rides I remember from my first trip when I was 9. As a result it is one of my favourites. It was closed for rehab last year so I am looking forward to checking out the updated version.

Spaceship Earth: This was also closed for rehab last year so I’d like to see the updates on it as well.



Up Next: It’s All About The Food (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=26473696&postcount=34)

[willwriteforears]

Nice list! I must admit that I missed out on Goofy's Candy Company during my trip. But I did know about it, and I still missed it. :sad2: Take a picture of that white chocolate-covered rice krispies treat for me, please! :goodvibes

[Lady Lallie]

How did I miss your update yesterday! Bad DIS'er Bad!

Anyhoo, I love your lists! What can I say? Lists are my things.

I am the same way with drinking, don't feel bad. I talk a big game and then I'll have one drink. :lmao:

I can't wait to hear more about the food! popcorn::

[ForeverDance]

Nice list! I must admit that I missed out on Goofy's Candy Company during my trip. But I did know about it, and I still missed it. :sad2: Take a picture of that white chocolate-covered rice krispies treat for me, please! :goodvibes

Ok I'm making a mental note to take a picture of it just for you :thumbsup2 That is of course assuming we actually make it there because as you know I'm making no promises about anything this trip.

How did I miss your update yesterday! Bad DIS'er Bad!

Anyhoo, I love your lists! What can I say? Lists are my things.

I am the same way with drinking, don't feel bad. I talk a big game and then I'll have one drink. :lmao:

I can't wait to hear more about the food! popcorn::

Last year DH and I picked up some drinks for the room at a grocery stop on the way down. I bought a whopping 6 coolers for an 11 day trip... I drank 3:rolleyes:

[luvfigment]

I am hooked and want to know where you are going to be eating. We are contemplating on the Deluxe Plan.

[ForeverDance]

Chapter 6: It’s All About The Food


Oh how I do love food :love: And Disney has some of the most scrumptious foods known on earth :goodvibes Besides all of the deliciously sinful snacks I will be partaking in (mmmm Mickey Rice Krispy Treats here I come), DH and I will be dining at these locations:


Saturday September 13th
Le Cellier @ 1:20 – this was the most important ADR for us and of course the most difficult to get. DH and I ate here last year for dinner on our anniversary and really wanted to make it back here this year. It took me two weeks of calling 2-3x a day to manage to snag a spot. We had wanted dinner but lunch is what they had. I am most looking forward to the pretzel bread and crème brulee :cloud9:

Maya Grill @ 7:00 – DH and I wanted to spend the first night relaxing at he resort. There’s nothing in particular here that is calling my name but there is lots on the menu that sounds tasty.


Sunday September 14th
Donald’s Safari Breakfast @10:15 – We did the breakfast at Donald’s Restaurantosaurus last year and loved it so I am hoping that the new one at Tusker House is just as good. As an added plus DH likes Donald (I think it’s because they share some similar personality traits :lmao: ).

Coral Reef @ 7:00 – I’ve wanted to eat at this restaurant ever since I saw pictures of the inside on one of the restaurant pictures threads. I also really like the menus and I’m hoping to catch a glimpse of a diver while we are there :rolleyes1


Monday September 15th
San Angel Inn @ 12:00 - There have been plenty of bad reviews on this place but our family has always enjoyed this restaurant. For me it’s more about the atmosphere although the food is okay. DH actually enjoys the food here (DS really likes the food but he’s not going this time :stir: ).

Liberty Tree Tavern @ 5:40 – I actually love that this one is like having an old fashioned home cooked meal like grandma used to make. And there’s characters so that’s always a bonus… Yes I realize I am a grown woman but I love me some characters and I’m not afraid to admit it!


Tuesday September 16th
Crystal Palace @ 10:05 – This is my favourite character meal. I absolutely love my friends from the Hundred Acre Wood… especially Eeyore. Last year DH told Eeyore that he was my favourite character of them all and he gave me an extra hug and a kiss :lovestruc


Wednesday September 17th
Chef Mickey’s @ 10:30 – We haven’t tried this one yet but it is one of our favourite things… have you guessed what that is yet… that’s right buffet!! Yep I know it’s not always the best use of credits but we don’t care we love buffet… and characters which this one also has.

Sci-Fi Dine-In @ 6:40 – We had lunch there last year and enjoyed it so we are trying dinner this year. I love the flavoured cola.


Thursday September 18th
50’s Prime Time Café @ 1:45 – We’ve never done this one and thought it looked like a fun place to eat.

Friday September 19th
Boma @ 10:45 – Did I mention we love buffet? I did eh. Okay well then I also want to try this one out so I have an excuse to wonder around AKL. I’ve wanted to stay there the last three years but have never been able to justify the money.

Spirit of Aloha @ 5:15 – This is the one meal that DH and I are looking forward to the most. It sounds like it will entertaining :woohoo:



Those of you who have been paying attention will probably notice that we have not used all of our allotted DxDDP credits. We get 42 credits and have ADRs using up 26 credits. But remember, DH likes to be spontaneous so we have not planned out everything and will eat wherever we can get it at those other times or at CS.

Of course, because I like to plan, and because I like to know that I’m getting my money’s worth (DH is all about convenience and really could care less about getting our money’s worth) I did an assessment of using the free DDP over upgrading to the DxDDP. Guess what, with these ADRs and the things I expect we will eat we are saving $1.57 by upgrading to the DxDDP (verses paying out of pocket for the additional TS meals and appetizers). Since I know we are already getting our money’s worth out of the upgrade I can sit back and enjoy the spontaneity of the remaining meals… yes I know we could easily order something that is $1.57 less at one of our meals thereby removing the savings. But, we could also order something more expensive. So you see the logic works… at least in so much as it makes me feel good.:rotfl:


Up Next: Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=26711892&postcount=38)

[Lady Lallie]

Your ADR's look great! We have a few of the same. We WERE going to the the deluxe but decided to save a bit of money. We probably should have just stayed with it but oh well. You live and you learn.

Have you eaten at Liberty Tree Tavern before? I am really looking forward to it, especially since they are getting rid of the characters. :sad1:

[willwriteforears]

The ADRs look great! I'm really regretting that my friends and I didn't do more TS meals on our trip--but we were following the UG's Touring Plans, which doesn't allow for much TS time (and we were cheap). But my next trip will have more planning and saving time so I can fit in all the yummy TS places I want! :goodvibes

And I know you've already said you'll take pictures of food, but just a friendly reminder... :rolleyes1

:lmao:

[ForeverDance]

Okay obviously I've been having a really busy couple weeks. DS was with us for the last 2 weeks :cloud9: which is fabulous. It just makes life busy. You see he is in soccer over the summer and his mother lives in a town about 30 minutes outside of ours. So his practices are in that town and games are all over the place.

On top of that DD broke her arm a week ago :sad2: so there has been some running around due to that. She saw the orthopedic surgeon on Friday and she had to have the arm aligned a little :guilty:. She made it through that ordeal okay. The upside is that they removed her plaster cast and we paid to have a fiberglass cast put on instead. It is lighter and more durable and she can actually move her hand some now so she is feeling a little more independant. Plus she made her momma so proud when she chose lime green as the colour for her cast... what a proud DisMomma I am.

We also took the kids camping last week so we were away for a while. That was a lot of fun... except we couldn't go fishing (DD wasn't able and DH and I didn't have time to renew our licenses before we went... because it was a spur of the moment trip and what fun would it be for DS to fish all alone?) and DD couldn't go swimming. We are planning on going camping again over labour day weekend since we did have a really good time and DD should have her cast off by then.

Anyway. I do have an update on the way so just hang tight.

[ForeverDance]

Chapter 7: Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

When we decided to go to Disney just the two of us I thought for sure we would finally be flying instead of driving. I really love flying :lovestruc I love the feeling at take-off. I love seeing all the cars and people looking like children’s toys before you get too high. I love the way the country side looks from 30, 000 ft. And of course I love how fast you get where you are going.

Unfortunately DH does not share my enthusiasm for flying. In fact, he absolutely hates it. But being the oblivious wife I was I didn’t realize just how deep this hate ran until we started discussing flying for this trip.

Now I’m going to have to make a confession… sometimes I can be a little... shall we say, emotionally driven. I wanted to fly because… well because I wanted to and I thought it would be fun. So I did what any good wife does… I worked up some “fuzzy logic” to come up with numbers that made it look like a good idea to fly :laughing: . It wasn’t necessarily cheaper than driving but it was close and when you add wear and tear on the van I argued that it made the most sense. I presented the numbers to DH and he sighed and agreed to fly.

Or at least I thought he agreed.

Over the following couple of days DH would make random comments about hating to fly. But he would say it with a smile on his face so I thought he was mostly joking just to bug me.

About a week after our, okay my, decision to fly we finally had a real conversation about flying and as we were talking the following series of realizations came about:

“Wow he really sounds upset talking about flying”…
“I wonder if that’s because he’s afraid of heights”…
“But the plane is closed in so he’s not actually afraid of flying is he”…
“Hmm he won’t look out the window of a tall building”…
…

“OMG I’m a horrible wife”


Yes. I am the most horrible wife in the world :sad2: . I know full well DH is afraid of heights and it didn’t really occur to me that it would extend to flying… really how much higher can you get?

It was at that point that I decided that it didn’t matter the cost we would drive down. But because I like to work things out I did re-do the number using real logic this time and here is what I came up with:


Driving:
Kia Sedona gets 25 miles/gallon according to AAA fuel cost calculator (this is fairly accurate in practice)
Miles from London to Orlando (via Sarnia) round trip: 2602
Gallons: 104.08

Extra Oil Change: $45.99

@$3.67/gallon (current US average *in May when I ran the numbers*): $381.97 + 45.99 = $427.96
@$4.00/gallon (forecasted peak price between April 01-Sep30 in US): $416.32 + 45.99 = $462.31
@$5.30/gallon (US equivalent of CDN forecasted $1.40/litre): $551.62 + 45.99 = $597.61

Flying:
Robert Q for both of us round trip (we will not leave our car at the airport): $244
So to break even with cost of driving
@3.67/gallon – we would need to find flights for $183.96 for both of us round trip
@4.00/gallon – we would need to find flights for $218.31 for both of us round trip
@5.30/gallon – we would need to find flights for $353.61 for both of us round trip

The cheapest flight I was able to find for the times we want (when I looked in May) was $528.00 round trip for the both of us. Which means that driving is cheaper anyway.

And now for a segment I am going to call:



Confessions of a Road Tripper

I actually like driving. Yes I wanted to fly (because I love flying and haven’t flown anywhere since I was 14) but I really do enjoy driving. Here are the things that I like best about driving over flying:

You make the schedule – you can leave and return at any time you choose.
No lost luggage – it has never happened to me but I would worry a little about our luggage getting lost.
You can pack whatever you want – there are no bag and weight restrictions when you drive.
You don’t have to worry about a flight time being changed or a flight being outright cancelled.
Getting groceries for your room is easier and cheaper.
The drive is an extension of the vacation – it gives us more time to spend together and can sometimes be an adventure unto itself.
And the best reason... we can wear our "Twenty four hours in a van can give you such a crink in the neck shirts!".Here we are last year wearing our shirts
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn234/ForeverDance999/Trip%20Report%202008/26Aug2007037-1.jpg


And here is a closeup of the shirt (not the best pic but you get the idea)
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn234/ForeverDance999/Trip%20Report%202008/26Aug2007071-1.jpg



So there you have it. Come September DH and I will be driving down to Florida.


Up Next: The To Do List (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=26885292&postcount=54)

[willwriteforears]

I'm glad you got to spend some time with DS! Sorry to hear about DD's broken arm, but she did put you in good stead with that lime green cast. :goodvibes

I have a love-hate relationship with driving, myself. I love the "romantic" aspects of road-tripping--seeing the landscape, being able to stop if you want to look at whatever, etc., but I hate the actual driving bit. The physical, sitting-behind-the-wheel-hardly-moving-your-arms-because-the-road-is-so-straight bit. And the time required (since my vacation time is limited).

But I think road-tripping with a spouse could be fun! Hopefully you and DH will have some lovely memories from driving as well as at WDW. :goodvibes

[ForeverDance]

I have a love-hate relationship with driving, myself. I love the "romantic" aspects of road-tripping--seeing the landscape, being able to stop if you want to look at whatever, etc., but I hate the actual driving bit. The physical, sitting-behind-the-wheel-hardly-moving-your-arms-because-the-road-is-so-straight bit. And the time required (since my vacation time is limited).

For me the worst part about the driving is the sitting for 24 hours straight. After about 15 or so my behind starts getting sore and numb :sad2:

[Lady Lallie]

I have driven twice and flown twice. I prefer flying but if the airfare prices keep going up and up then we might have to looking into driving. It takes 24 hours from here, I so wish it was shorter. :thumbsup2

[If U Had Wings]

It will be nice for you to get to spend the time together in the car. I made the drive from CT to Orlando 2 years ago and my mother flipped out at the end and said she was never driving down again. She hates being stuck in a car for that period of time. She's not a huge fan of flying either, but at least it's only two hours and she's off.

I don't mind driving as long as there is stuff to see and I don't have to rush. It's probably why I'm not a huge fan of driving to Florida. Lots of states to drive through with nothing to see out the window. I still hope to take a cross country drive (or maybe a train ride) one day, but slowly with lots of backroads so I can see things and stop wherever looks interesting.

[willwriteforears]

For me the worst part about the driving is the sitting for 24 hours straight. After about 15 or so my behind starts getting sore and numb :sad2:

Yup, stretching breaks are essential for that long a trip.

According to Yahoo maps, it'd be a 27.5 hour drive for me to get to Orlando. I don't think I could handle it! My hat's off to you.



I don't mind driving as long as there is stuff to see and I don't have to rush. It's probably why I'm not a huge fan of driving to Florida. Lots of states to drive through with nothing to see out the window. I still hope to take a cross country drive (or maybe a train ride) one day, but slowly with lots of backroads so I can see things and stop wherever looks interesting.

See, if the point of the trip was the drive (or train ride) with selected stops along the way, I could do that. But when the destination is the point, I love the speed of flying.

Plus, if I'm flying solo, it's at least comparable with how much I'd spend on gas.

[ILuvCrush]

Glad you and DH were able to (truly) compromise!

I'm also a planner, but I can do okay with spontaneity if it's planned in, e.g., "on this day we won't plan anything and will do whatever whenever." It sounds like you did something similar! :goodvibes

I LOVE it PLANNED Spontinaeity!!!!!:rotfl2: :rotfl2: :rotfl2:

Now that's something my type A brain can wrap itself around!

Paula

[ILuvCrush]

Your pretrippie is too fun...I'm staying!!
(besides i'm an evil Mom AND wife....I'm leaving them ALL at home:rotfl: )

Paula

[ForeverDance]

I have driven twice and flown twice. I prefer flying but if the airfare prices keep going up and up then we might have to looking into driving. It takes 24 hours from here, I so wish it was shorter. :thumbsup2

24 hours for us too... I also wish it was shorter.


I don't mind driving as long as there is stuff to see and I don't have to rush. It's probably why I'm not a huge fan of driving to Florida. Lots of states to drive through with nothing to see out the window. I still hope to take a cross country drive (or maybe a train ride) one day, but slowly with lots of backroads so I can see things and stop wherever looks interesting.

I agree, the drive to Florida isn't terribly interesting. Although we do drive through Tennesse which is really pretty... except we tend to hit this one at night :rolleyes:

Yup, stretching breaks are essential for that long a trip.

According to Yahoo maps, it'd be a 27.5 hour drive for me to get to Orlando. I don't think I could handle it! My hat's off to you.

Our drive the first year was 24 hours almost exactly; we left around 4pm and checked in around 4pm the next day. But last year with all the construction it was actually closer to 28 1/2 :headache:

Your pretrippie is too fun...I'm staying!!
(besides i'm an evil Mom AND wife....I'm leaving them ALL at home:rotfl: )

Paula

Thanks and :welcome:

I see I have some things to learn from you about being truly evil :rotfl2:

[TexasBelle]

Hello Foreverdance...

I want you to know that I'm loving your pretrip report. Going without the kids is so much fun. :yay:

My DH and I, of 3 years, went to DisneyWorld, BoardWalk last year from Sept. 12 - Sept 18. Just about the same time that your planning your trip. We had a blast.:dance3: The crowd levels were soooo low, the longest we waited was 40 minutes for Soarin.

I have a DS20, DS17, and DD14. Although DS's knew that they weren't going with us but DD sure was disappointed when she realized that she was staying home with College Adopted Daughter. :rotfl2: (Our first trip to DW was in 2006, and we surprised all 3 of the kids, they weren't aware of this trip until we arrivied at our airport 5:30am to catch our flight to Dallas - Orlando), so I think that is why DD thought just maybe she might be going to DisneyWorld with us. :rotfl2: :rotfl2: :rotfl2:

Little did she know, DisneyWorld, without the kids.:lmao:

I will say it was the best trip that we had. :yay: Our surprise trip turned into, I want to do this, no I want to do that, :scared1: , or I'm tired :sad2: or why can't we go to Downtown Disney, no I want to go to Disney Studio's. :scared1: and so on and so forth.

DH and I are planner's so we had everyday planned to a "T". On the surprises trip there was so much of each park that we didn't get to see or ride and so on our "Trip without the kids", we wanted to ride all the rides and see all the sights. We also had "Free Dinning" with great ADR's and on saturday night of our trip, we had our anniversary dinner at Yachtmen's Steak House with a Bottle of Wine. (we don't drink much either and we never drink in front of my children). It was lots of fun, very romantic, DH even sent me a dozen red roses to our resort, I recieved them the night that we arrived. :woohoo:

We're going again Sept. 18th - 28th:yay: with DS17 and DD14, and my BF and BF's DH, & BF's DS who will be 5 on the trip. We'll be there for 10 days:woohoo: . That's one other thing that I learned from the surprise trip, that when traveling with children you need lots of down time to enjoy swimming, napping and just doing nothing. So I can't wait for 10 days at BeachClub Resort.

I'm looking forward in hearing more about your pre-trip and your trip. Enjoy every minutes of it. :banana:

TexasBelle:cutie:

[ForeverDance]

Ok so the last 5 days were absolutely no fun at all! DD brought home the most horrific stomach virus from her sitter's and it just ransacked our family :sick: DD first got sick on Wednesday evening, I got sick very early Friday morning, and DH got sick Friday night. DS is the only one so far who did not end up with this horrible thing. I'll spare you the details but will say that the "special bucket" in our house has never ever gotten so much use :scared:



Hello Foreverdance...

I want you to know that I'm loving your pretrip report. Going without the kids is so much fun. :yay:



:welcome: Thanks for joining. Sounds like you and your DH had a great time on your adult only trip. Hopefully ours will be as good.



ETA: Woohoo I just noticed that I hit the 1 month mark today! That deserves a happy dance :woohoo:

[If U Had Wings]

So sorry to hear that everyone was feeling lousy! That's so miserable, especially in the middle of summer. Hope your all feeling better today.

[willwriteforears]

Ugh, stomach viruses are awful! I hope your family has seen the end of it and DS won't get sick.

:cheer2: for the one-month mark! :banana: :banana:

[ForeverDance]

Thanks for the well wishes. We went and watched DS play soccer last night and he was definately feeling okay. He played really well and even scored a goal :woohoo: (though the team did lose :guilty: ). So it looks like he managed to make it through without getting sick.

[Lady Lallie]

Being sick is the worst! Just think though, at least you are getting all the sickness out of the way before Disney! :goodvibes

[willwriteforears]

Being sick is the worst! Just think though, at least you are getting all the sickness out of the way before Disney! :goodvibes

I agree! It's awful being sick on a vacation, particularly one at Disney. :sad2:

[ForeverDance]

Chapter 8: The Lists

It seems it is that time in my PTR to move on to the “real planning”. And for me that means making lists.

Our trip is under a month away now and there are still a million things left to do. That’s where my handy lists come in… uh… well… handy.




The To Do List

Today I am presenting for your enjoyment my To Do list. It is of course a list of all the trip related things I need to make sure I do before we leave.



Mousekeeping Envelopes – In the past I have had envelopes with various pictures and sayings and allowed the kids to alternate picking the envelope for the day. This trip I decided that DH and I don’t really need to have a selection of envelopes to chose from each day so we will have a single resort related design that will be on each of the 7 envelopes. I have chosen the design and purchased envelopes so the only steps left are to get them printed and fill them. In the past we have tipped $5 for our family of four. With it just being DH and I in a king room I was thinking that $2 would be sufficient. Any opinions?

Tip Envelopes – I stumbled across another DISer’s tip envelope designs and thought they were a terrific idea. With a tip envelope prepared ahead of time for each restaurant (filled with enough to cover the tip on what we anticipate we are going to eat plus a little extra) we can almost have that “prepaid feeling” that we use to love with the old DDP. I have saved off all the designs and have the envelopes so again the only things left to do are print and fill them.

Shopping – There are still quite a few things that I need to pick up for this trip and, as you might imagine, this little item has a whole list unto itself… perhaps that will be the next list I show you.

T-Shirts: There are a few t-shirt designs this year that DH has agreed to so I will be making those. I haven’t completed one of the designs yet (one I am doing myself) so I still have many things left to do here… yes this item has a whole list of it’s own as well.

Travelling Tunes – Each year before we head out for the long drive we put together a bunch of CDs with “travelling tunes” on them. They are really just a mix of our current and past favourite songs… things that get us pumped and keep us awake on the long journey. DH and I still have to sit down and decide which 1,000,000 songs we want to include this year so there is a lot of work left. Anyone have any suggestions on a great travelling tunes?

Documentation for DMom & DDad – I need to put together all the information that my parents will need while they are looking after the kids. Things like doctor and dentist information, activity schedules, etc. I am also going to write up a consent form for medical/dental. I’m not sure we actually need this in Canada because I couldn’t find any solid evidence either way, but I figure better for them to have it and not need it then need it and not have it.

US Dollars/Traveller’s Cheques – Something many of you probably don’t need to worry about, but since I am Canadian it is rather important that I pick up some US Cash and Traveller’s Cheques. We typically get a small amount in cash (on top of the money for the envelopes) and the rest of our spending money in traveller’s cheques. Lucky for me I work at a Financial Institution so I get all my traveller’s cheques for free :thumbsup2

Pack – Yeah I know this one goes without saying, but I wouldn’t want my list to be incomplete and so there it is.

Clean – I hate travelling in a dirty car and I hate coming home to a dirty house so I will be finding time to make sure both the van and house are **** and span before we leave.



That pretty much covers it... for now… because you know I am going to find a million other things I need to add to the list over the next couple weeks.

I thought writing that all out would make me feel on top of things, but it is making me realize just how much there is left to do :scared1: I guess on the up side, I am going to be very busy so the next few weeks should go by quickly… I hope.


Up Next: The To Buy List

[Lady Lallie]

Sometimes that is how my lists make me feel, all panicked with not enough time!

I think you will be fine though, at least you have everything you need to do all in one place, I find that helpful.

I printed out all of my tip envelopes, I just need to fill them. :lmao:

I am excited for more lists. :thumbsup2

[willwriteforears]

Why does it not surprise me to see that LL is the first to reply to a post involving lists! :rotfl:

That is a good to-do list, though! I agree with you on the medical releases for your kids--better to have them and not need them than to need them and not have them!

Will you post pictures of your tip envelopes when you have them printed out? I'd love to see them! :thumbsup2

[ForeverDance]

I am excited for more lists. :thumbsup2

I knew you'd appreciate this section of my PTR :goodvibes

Why does it not surprise me to see that LL is the first to reply to a post involving lists! :rotfl:

Oh there was no doubt in my mind who would be first :lmao:


Will you post pictures of your tip envelopes when you have them printed out? I'd love to see them! :thumbsup2

You bet :thumbsup2

[Lady Lallie]

Why does it not surprise me to see that LL is the first to reply to a post involving lists! :rotfl:

I knew you'd appreciate this section of my PTR :goodvibes



Oh there was no doubt in my mind who would be first :lmao:

Guilty as charged! :lmao: :rotfl: :rotfl2:

[ForeverDance]

It took me almost all day but I finally realized that I am down to exactly 4 weeks before we leave :goodvibes

... at this moment in 4 weeks...
... I will be wishing away the last 45 minutes of the work day :lmao:

Yep DH and I are both working the day we leave for Disney. :guilty: In fact DH is on the "late shift" that day so he works until 6:00 pm (he normally gets off at 3:30pm)

BUT we will be on our way that day :goodvibes

[willwriteforears]

It took me almost all day but I finally realized that I am down to exactly 4 weeks before we leave :goodvibes

... at this moment in 4 weeks...
... I will be wishing away the last 45 minutes of the work day :lmao:

Yep DH and I are both working the day we leave for Disney. :guilty: In fact DH is on the "late shift" that day so he works until 6:00 pm (he normally gets off at 3:30pm)

BUT we will be on our way that day :goodvibes

:banana: :yay: :dance3: I'm sure that last work day will be really draggy for you and DH both.

But once it's over you'll be able to hop in the car! :goodvibes :thumbsup2

[Lady Lallie]

It took me almost all day but I finally realized that I am down to exactly 4 weeks before we leave :goodvibes

... at this moment in 4 weeks...
... I will be wishing away the last 45 minutes of the work day :lmao:

Yep DH and I are both working the day we leave for Disney. :guilty: In fact DH is on the "late shift" that day so he works until 6:00 pm (he normally gets off at 3:30pm)

BUT we will be on our way that day :goodvibes

Yayayayayaya for Four Weeks!! How exciting. I rather leave a day early for Disney then just wait to sleep and leave. Pfffft to sleeping. :rotfl:

[ForeverDance]

:banana: :yay: :dance3: I'm sure that last work day will be really draggy for you and DH both.

But once it's over you'll be able to hop in the car! :goodvibes :thumbsup2

Yep it will be torture :rotfl: Last year DH got the day we were leaving off of work and I only worked until 11:30 and even that day dragged :rolleyes:

Yayayayayaya for Four Weeks!! How exciting. I rather leave a day early for Disney then just wait to sleep and leave. Pfffft to sleeping. :rotfl:

Yep that's what we thought exactly. We were originally going to leave after dropping DD off to school on Friday morning. That would get us to Disney on Saturday morning sometime. Then we realized that we probably wouldn't sleep well that night anyway and so when DMom and DDad offered to take DD on Thursday night so we could leave anytime we wanted we jumped all over the offer :thumbsup2

[ForeverDance]

A Planning Tool Intermission


I know I indicated that I was going to show you my To Buy List next but I am diverting a little from that plan (sorry LL I do promise that more lists are coming).

This morning I got to wondering where I would be in 4 weeks time. Looking at the clock it's 8:20 here now so that puts us somewhere in Tennessee... how do I know that you ask?

Good question. Let me show you.

Presenting my wonderful Travel Time Spreadsheet

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn234/ForeverDance999/Trip%20Report%202008/TravelTime.jpg

Isn't she beautiful :lovestruc

I made her up because last year we hit both Detroit and Atlanta at rush hour and our 24 hour trip became 28 1/2 :sad2:. This year I was determined not to hit at those times. And so my spreadsheet was born.

I used Google to estimate the travel times between the places of interest and then added in some break times (avg 15 minutes / 2 hours) and there you have it.

I can see that we will hit Atlanta around 11:20 so going back 3 hours puts us in the middle of Tennessee. Which I have to say I'm pretty happy about. The last couple years we have hit Tennessee in the middle of the night and didn't get to enjoy the scenery and this is one of the more beautiful states to drive through :goodvibes

Up Next: The To Buy List (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=26984343&postcount=69)... for real this time

[Lady Lallie]

Wow! That is just beautiful. I will forgive the delay on lists because that travel sheet is just amazing! :thumbsup2

[willwriteforears]

Oh gosh, I don't think I would have ever thought to put together a travel time spreadsheet when driving! That is so clever! :thumbsup2

I have a question--are the fifteen minute breaks what you uses for meals? When I'm in the car a long time, I find getting out of the car to eat is essential, even if it's just stopping for fast food. Eating in the car doesn't work for me (as I discovered during "road trips" from and to college with friends--growing up, my family always got out of the car to eat lunch, and I'm much happier that way).

[If U Had Wings]

Woo Hoo! Nearly time to go! I love the spreadsheets. I don't blame you for wanting to miss the bad areas. My last trip we hit Washington DC on the way home right after they had a huge accident that had shut down the entire beltway. Luckily my brother and his family (who had left a few hours before us) called to let us know about it so we were able to circumvent it. My poor brother on the other hand got caught in it, and ended up arriving home only 15 minutes ahead of us. :scared1:

[lmillercrew]

O.K., I'm joining your TR because the other 518 that I'm reading are all coming to an end. ;) Your title intrigued me because last year my DH and I did the same things to our kids. We didn't take them to Hawaii and we didn't take them to Disney with us. And you know what? They survived!!!! You guys will have such fun there by yourselves doing exactly what my DH and I did, and that is whatever WE wanted to do. Eat where you want to eat and ride whatever YOU want to ride. I am, however, jealous that you get to go for 10 days. (I know that some of those days are travel days, but you'll be alone) We were only able to pull off a Thurs night to Mon night trip. But, that's o.k. We will be celebrating 18 years this year and are thinking about Toronto/Canadian Niagra Falls. We live in the Toledo, OH area so wave to us on your way through to Atlanta. Can't wait to enjoy the journey with you!!!

[ForeverDance]

Wow! That is just beautiful. I will forgive the delay on lists because that travel sheet is just amazing! :thumbsup2

Thank you. And I promise not to take too long getting the next list out.

Oh gosh, I don't think I would have ever thought to put together a travel time spreadsheet when driving! That is so clever! :thumbsup2

I have a question--are the fifteen minute breaks what you uses for meals? When I'm in the car a long time, I find getting out of the car to eat is essential, even if it's just stopping for fast food. Eating in the car doesn't work for me (as I discovered during "road trips" from and to college with friends--growing up, my family always got out of the car to eat lunch, and I'm much happier that way).

We are brining food to eat in the van on the way. We did this last year and were very thankful that we did not have to stop to eat because it took us a very long time without the extra stops. We may change our mind. On the way back last year we did get out to eat a liesurely breakfast. But the plan is to just make stops for bathroom and gas.

Woo Hoo! Nearly time to go! I love the spreadsheets. I don't blame you for wanting to miss the bad areas. My last trip we hit Washington DC on the way home right after they had a huge accident that had shut down the entire beltway. Luckily my brother and his family (who had left a few hours before us) called to let us know about it so we were able to circumvent it. My poor brother on the other hand got caught in it, and ended up arriving home only 15 minutes ahead of us. :scared1:

Yikes! It was nice of your brother to let you know... although I bet he was a little irked that you got home at almost the same time :rotfl:

I'm hoping that we will manage to miss any major accidents but you never know... because if you did know then they wouldn't be accidents would they :laughing:

O.K., I'm joining your TR because the other 518 that I'm reading are all coming to an end. ;) Your title intrigued me because last year my DH and I did the same things to our kids. We didn't take them to Hawaii and we didn't take them to Disney with us. And you know what? They survived!!!! You guys will have such fun there by yourselves doing exactly what my DH and I did, and that is whatever WE wanted to do. Eat where you want to eat and ride whatever YOU want to ride. I am, however, jealous that you get to go for 10 days. (I know that some of those days are travel days, but you'll be alone) We were only able to pull off a Thurs night to Mon night trip. But, that's o.k. We will be celebrating 18 years this year and are thinking about Toronto/Canadian Niagra Falls. We live in the Toledo, OH area so wave to us on your way through to Atlanta. Can't wait to enjoy the journey with you!!!

:welcome: and thanks for joining in.

We are definately looking forward to being able to do what we want and ride what we want... and more importantly not ride what we do not want (no Tea Cups this year).

I'll be sure to wave to everyone we pass on the way through the Toledo area so that we don't miss you... I'm imagining a lot of confused Ohioans as we drive by :lmao:

[ForeverDance]

The To Buy List


As promised I have returned to presenting my lists. Tonight I present the To Buy list which, as the name implies, is a list of things that I need to buy for our trip.

Glasses - some people have shoe drama, others have bag drama, and still others have hair drama... I have glasses drama :rolleyes: I have only had glasses for 2 years now and I'm near sighted so I mostly wear them only when I'm outside. As a result I'm still not really use to them... seriously I still find them irritating at times. I have been searching for the past few weeks and still haven't picked a new pair... but I have an appointment with the optomistrist on Thursday and I am determined to settle on new frames that night.

Running Shoes - my current pair are getting old and I really should get new ones. I'm either going to have to hurry up and get a new pair so I have time to break them in, or else I'll have to wait until after Disney. Last year I mostly wore my crocs in the parks... but I'm definately bringing running shoes in case I decide to wear those instead.

Shirts - I still need to pick up some blank shirts for putting designs on... of course I still haven't completed all the designs so I guess getting them done kind of takes priority over buying the shirts.

Dark Transfers - I need to pick up some dark transfer paper to do the shirts. Last year I did the shirts with light transfer paper and they all cracked in the wash :sad2: I have another white sweatshirt that I did about 7 years ago with DD's picture on it that still looks really good which I did with dark transfer paper so I think that is the way to go.

Dove Frizz Control - I just discovered this stuff recently and I absolutely love it :lovestruc I have a lot of trouble with my hair getting frizzy in the humidity and this stuff actually stops the frizzing. I only have one small bottle of it since I bought it just to try it out so I definatley need to get some more.

Sunscreen - okay so sunscreen also causes a little bit of drama for me. I hate hate hate the greasy feeling of most sunscreens. I also hate the sticky feeling of the spray on sunscreen. So I have to find the "non greasy" stuff. It's more expensive than the regular stuff and can be hard to find but it is so worth it to me.


And here are some items that I just knocked off my list this weekend...

Bathing Suit - I actually bought 2 of them... the first is a 1 piece that DH picked that he thought was really pretty. It has some metal ties on it so I can't wear it to the water parks (should we chose to go) so I also purchase a 2 piece that I think is really pretty. And the best part... it was an end of season sale so I got the 2 peice for 18 dollars (9 dollars each piece) and the 1 peice for 15 dollars... isn't that awesome :thumbsup2


TR Journal - I had been holding out to find one with Eeyore on the cover but I haven't seen anything like that. I bought this one from the dollar store and I figured it would do since he is at least on there. I like that it is small so I can tuck it almost anywhere and it has lots of pages so I won't have to worry about running out of room.

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn234/ForeverDance999/Trip%20Report%202008/TRBook1.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn234/ForeverDance999/Trip%20Report%202008/TRBook2.jpg


And because my TR has been lacking colour and I finally got around to uploading this picture, here is DD with her lime green cast

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn234/ForeverDance999/Trip%20Report%202008/DDCast.jpg


Up Next: The Packing Lists (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=27036820&postcount=79)

[If U Had Wings]

I can completely commiserate about the glasses. I just bought a new pair of frames this year, and I think I hit just about every place between my house and NYC. (Just about at any rate). No one had the designer I was looking for. Finally found a great pair, at a great price at Costco. Loved the frames at my doctors office, but couldn't afford the $400 price tag on most of them!

Love the new trip notebook too. The pooh characters are adorable.

[PEANUT1]

Add me to the list of those going to disney without the kids:thumbsup2 I love your pre trip report. We were just at the World with the kids in May and are going back in January too. (we are DVC members)

We are also going for our anniversary but only Oct 4-8 at Boardwalk Villas. I don't think I could leave my 2 year old for longer than that:) Next year for our big 10 year anniversary, we are going to Hawaii for 8 days!!

This trip for us is also all about the food and whatever we wanna do. We are doing deluxe dining plan too and plan to eat at.....

Tutto Italia, Flying Fish, Chefs de France, Tokyo Dining, Kona Cafe, California Grille, Coral Reef.

Hubby will golf one day and I will relax by the pool....I can't wait. My vacation ticker says 46 days to go.

[willwriteforears]

Replying a bit late, but I am amazed at your ability to go on such a long drive with just bathroom and gas breaks! :worship:

Hurray for the great bargains on the swimsuits! :thumbsup2

Dove Frizz Control, you say? I have naturally curly hair, and while the dry climate in Colorado doesn't give me too many problems, I'm always on the look out for products that do well at controlling frizz. I'll have to try out DFC! :goodvibes

[Lady Lallie]

Another great list! What an awesome deal on the bathing suits.

I love your daughter's lime green cast.

[lmillercrew]

Yay for affordable bathing suits!!! I hate that they cost so freaking much, and um... they have less fabric than my shirt that cost $20!!!! Sounds like you're on the right packing and gathering path.

[Bev1016]

I'm enjoying your pre-trippie very much--especially the lists and spreadsheets!

We're also staying at CSR on our next trip and eating at many of the restaurants you're going to, so I'm eager to hear all of the details of your trip!

[ForeverDance]

I can completely commiserate about the glasses. I just bought a new pair of frames this year, and I think I hit just about every place between my house and NYC. (Just about at any rate). No one had the designer I was looking for. Finally found a great pair, at a great price at Costco. Loved the frames at my doctors office, but couldn't afford the $400 price tag on most of them!

Love the new trip notebook too. The pooh characters are adorable.

Not that I'm glad you had the same issues with glasses, but I must admit it is nice to know I'm not alone. My glasses are going to be <= $250 all in because that is all DH's plan will cover and I'm not paying any more than that.

Add me to the list of those going to disney without the kids:thumbsup2 I love your pre trip report. We were just at the World with the kids in May and are going back in January too. (we are DVC members)

We are also going for our anniversary but only Oct 4-8 at Boardwalk Villas. I don't think I could leave my 2 year old for longer than that:) Next year for our big 10 year anniversary, we are going to Hawaii for 8 days!!

This trip for us is also all about the food and whatever we wanna do. We are doing deluxe dining plan too and plan to eat at.....

Tutto Italia, Flying Fish, Chefs de France, Tokyo Dining, Kona Cafe, California Grille, Coral Reef.

Hubby will golf one day and I will relax by the pool....I can't wait. My vacation ticker says 46 days to go.

:welcome: and thanks for joining. I wish we could be DVC members but that just doesn't seem to be in the cards for us... oh well I can't complain when we've been able to go as much as we have.

Replying a bit late, but I am amazed at your ability to go on such a long drive with just bathroom and gas breaks! :worship:

Hurray for the great bargains on the swimsuits! :thumbsup2

Dove Frizz Control, you say? I have naturally curly hair, and while the dry climate in Colorado doesn't give me too many problems, I'm always on the look out for products that do well at controlling frizz. I'll have to try out DFC! :goodvibes

OK I just double checked and the actual name of the stuff is Dove Sheer Moisture - Anti Frizz Finishing Cream... hey I was pretty close. I have "curlyish" hair... which means I either have to cover it in product to make it hold the curl or else I have to blow dry it straight. In both cases I tend to end up with frizz in the humidity. This stuff has been great.

Another great list! What an awesome deal on the bathing suits.

I love your daughter's lime green cast.

She was really proud of it when she got it... now she is just dying to get it off :rolleyes: If all goes well she will be free of it on Friday.

Yay for affordable bathing suits!!! I hate that they cost so freaking much, and um... they have less fabric than my shirt that cost $20!!!! Sounds like you're on the right packing and gathering path.

I know it's so ridiculous. I think my last suit was something like $50 so I was so happy to find that deal.

I'm enjoying your pre-trippie very much--especially the lists and spreadsheets!

We're also staying at CSR on our next trip and eating at many of the restaurants you're going to, so I'm eager to hear all of the details of your trip!


:welcome: Thanks for joining in. I am so looking forward to staying at CSR it is such a beautiful looking resort.

[ILuvCrush]

I love love LOVE the spreadsheet!! You make me feel so NORMAL!:lmao:

I'm an obsessive planner...and I mean OBSESSIVE!! I have ADR notebooks..including menus.. Daily Itineraries with times/order of attractions...actually multiple daily itineraries..in case I don't want to do whats on the REAL itinerary for the day.. I have back up ones!!!:rotfl:
I even have a listing of other flights the days before and after mine....JUST in CASE!!!

I'm so glad I'm not the crazy person my family thinks I am... I'm perfectly normal is DIS-land!!!

Loving you PTR BTW, keep up the great posts!!

Paula

[ForeverDance]

I love love LOVE the spreadsheet!! You make me feel so NORMAL!:lmao:

I'm an obsessive planner...and I mean OBSESSIVE!! I have ADR notebooks..including menus.. Daily Itineraries with times/order of attractions...actually multiple daily itineraries..in case I don't want to do whats on the REAL itinerary for the day.. I have back up ones!!!:rotfl:
I even have a listing of other flights the days before and after mine....JUST in CASE!!!

I'm so glad I'm not the crazy person my family thinks I am... I'm perfectly normal is DIS-land!!!

Loving you PTR BTW, keep up the great posts!!

Paula

I agree it is so comforting to know you are not alone. I was talking to my mother yesterday and I had just given her access to my photobucket account because we have all kinds of pictures of the kids, and us, and their 50th b-day party. Well she found the section called "Trip Report 2008" and popped in there and found my spreadsheet. She laughed and said only I could be that organized. I laughed too and said "oh no there are many of us" :lmao:

[ForeverDance]

The Packing Lists

Nope that isn’t a typo… I actually have more than one packing list. And why is that? Well because I have to pack for more than one trip: our Disney trip and the kids trip to Grandma and Grandpa’s.

Let us begin with the much more interesting and fun list (yes lists are fun... just ask LL ;) )


The Disney Packing List

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn234/ForeverDance999/Trip%20Report%202008/DisneyPacking.jpg

So clearly this is but a small sample of what my huge packing list looks like but it gives you an idea of how the list is laid out. The item name and number of items is pretty easy to figure out ahead of time based on the number of days in the trip. The location I will fill out as I pack although I will have it penciled in before hand based on how I have packed things in the past.

My Disney Packing list has the following categories (which are all laid out like the above example): Clothing & Accessories, Toiletries & Medications, Documentation, Car Travel, Other Items, and Snacks & Drinks (this last one could probably go in with Car Travel if I wanted... but I like it where it is). Each category is grouped in such a way that items in the same category will typically be packed in the same location... although there are always exceptions.


The Grandparents Packing List

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn234/ForeverDance999/Trip%20Report%202008/GrandparentPacking.jpg

This list is laid out similarily but with a couple of differences. Instead of DD and DS's clothing being grouped together it is seperate because DD will be there the entire time and DS will likely only be there for one of the weekends. Also on this list you will notice the "Packed for Trip" and "Packed for return". This is to help DD and DS make sure that they leave with all the items that they took (when we stay at a hotel I just work my way through the room checking all the corners etc. to make sure nothing is left behind).

The grandparents packing list has the following categories: DD Clothing & Accessories, DS Clothing & Accessories, and Documentation.

There you have it, my wonderful packing lists... riveting installment wasn't it :lmao:

[willwriteforears]

Those clips of your lists are lovely (channeling LL ;) ). I have to admit, my packing lists have never taken spreadsheet form--I'm more of legal-pad-and-check-off-as-you-go kind of gal when it comes to packing lists.

But yours are very organized, and that is a good idea of ensuring your kids come back with everything that was packed! :thumbsup2

[lmillercrew]

O.K., I'm a list maker, but you are the queen! I just write down on a piece of paper of what I need to bring. You, my dear, win the prize.:thumbsup2

[ForeverDance]

Those clips of your lists are lovely (channeling LL ;) ). I have to admit, my packing lists have never taken spreadsheet form--I'm more of legal-pad-and-check-off-as-you-go kind of gal when it comes to packing lists.

But yours are very organized, and that is a good idea of ensuring your kids come back with everything that was packed! :thumbsup2

DD is just about the most forgetful person I know (okay aside from DH :rotfl: ) so a check list for her is a must. Of course DMom and DDad only live about a 5 minute drive from our house so we could always drop by and pick up anything left behind... but that is so not the point :snooty: :lmao:

O.K., I'm a list maker, but you are the queen! I just write down on a piece of paper of what I need to bring. You, my dear, win the prize.:thumbsup2

Oh that is so nice of you to say. Thanks. DH has also called me "the queen of lists" but it usually involves a great deal of eye rolling :rolleyes:

[Lady Lallie]

I have no idea how I missed the packing lists yesterday. I blame stupid work, it's always getting in the way.

I will tell you a secret....shhh don't tell anyone. I DON'T HAVE A PACKING LIST!!! Isn't that awful?? I don't feel the need for one, I think I may be coming down with a cold or sickness. That's just not normal for me. :sick:

[ForeverDance]

I will tell you a secret....shhh don't tell anyone. I DON'T HAVE A PACKING LIST!!! Isn't that awful?? I don't feel the need for one, I think I may be coming down with a cold or sickness. That's just not normal for me. :sick:

:eek:

[ForeverDance]

The Package Has Arrived

The package with the wonderful Disney plasticy smell has finally arrived! I have been waiting for this day since I paid off our vacation! It makes the trip seem that much more real.

Less than 3 weeks to go now... all systems go and full speed ahead :thumbsup2

[ILuvCrush]

:jumping1: :jumping1: :jumping1: :jumping1: :jumping1: :jumping1: :jumping1:



HAPPY DANCE!!!!!

[lmillercrew]

YAY YOU!!! So close.

[willwriteforears]

Hurray for the package arriving! :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana:

[LuccaDrake]

Just hopping on here. We will be leaving CSR the day before you get there. :sad2: One less DISer I have a chance of meeting! I hope you have a great trip and don't forget about the food pics!

~Beka~

[ForeverDance]

I'm definately getting very excited. Under 3 weeks to go and I'm feeling the pressure a little trying to get everything done and organized.

I'm hoping to get the shirt designs done at some point today... but I still have hours of reorganizing the wreckroom to do... ah how I wish we hadn't been pushing through these renovations 'cause every floor of our house is stacked with "stuff" and I am so not coming home to this kind of mess :sad2:

[ForeverDance]

Just hopping on here. We will be leaving CSR the day before you get there. :sad2: One less DISer I have a chance of meeting! I hope you have a great trip and don't forget about the food pics!

~Beka~


:welcome: Too bad about the timing. I'll try to make sure to take the food pics although when I told DH about my plan to do that he rolled his eyes and looked at me like I was crazy.

[LuccaDrake]

:rotfl2: DBF doesn't think I'll actually take pictures. But I know that I only really read the TR's that have pics of people and if there are food pics too...well that's an excellent TR! I actually tried to take a pic of my pizza at Papa Gino's a few weeks back and couldn't do it. I'm thinking that if I do it at Disney and another DIS'er see's me then it won't seem so weird. My plan is to eat at the pepper market the first night we get there and take food pics. That way I'm not starting out trying to take them at Le Cellier or something! I'll just have to repeat to myself that it's for the DIS'ers....

~Beka~

[Step]

Wow!

Another female programmer, who plays video games, and lives in London, and is going to Disney only a week or so after me?

We have to hook up sometime, lol.

I'm a video game programmer in London, living on Southdale Road. Leaving for Disney next sunday. No kids at ALL which must make me more evil. :P

[Step]

Just hopping on here. We will be leaving CSR the day before you get there. :sad2: One less DISer I have a chance of meeting! I hope you have a great trip and don't forget about the food pics!

~Beka~

Hey Beka, There is a DIS meet at POP on September 5th at 10pm, after MNSSHP.

Details here:
GLOW II (http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1670673)

Hope I see you there :)

Sorry for hijacking your thread for a second there ForeverDance.

[ForeverDance]

:rotfl2: DBF doesn't think I'll actually take pictures. But I know that I only really read the TR's that have pics of people and if there are food pics too...well that's an excellent TR! I actually tried to take a pic of my pizza at Papa Gino's a few weeks back and couldn't do it. I'm thinking that if I do it at Disney and another DIS'er see's me then it won't seem so weird. My plan is to eat at the pepper market the first night we get there and take food pics. That way I'm not starting out trying to take them at Le Cellier or something! I'll just have to repeat to myself that it's for the DIS'ers....

~Beka~

:rotfl2: I love that... "it's for the DIS'ers" :rotfl2:


Wow!

Another female programmer, who plays video games, and lives in London, and is going to Disney only a week or so after me?

We have to hook up sometime, lol.

I'm a video game programmer in London, living on Southdale Road. Leaving for Disney next sunday. No kids at ALL which must make me more evil. :P

OK that is all too wierd. Female programmers are fairly rare to begin with and then to add that we live in the same city and not that far apart either (I live in the Pondmills area)... very cool.

Video games is where I originally wanted to end up. But I took the first job I was offered out of University which was in a financial institution and that's where I've stayed. I do like it there though so I'm not complaining (although I could do without the business wear :rolleyes: )

[ForeverDance]

Chapter 9: Trip Preparations

These next few updates are going to all fall under one big chapter that I am calling Trip Preparations. They will be updates of all the things I have bought or made for the trip (things like mousekeeping envelopes and shirts). And so without further ado...


Wonderful New Running Shoes

Today I bought new running shoes for the trip. I believe I spoke earlier about my need for new running shoes but I wasn't 100% sure if I was going to go ahead and get new ones before the trip or wait until we got back. Well, my crocs started to give me a blister the other day :eek: so I decided that I had better purchase some alternate shoes for the trip.

Here they are:
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn234/ForeverDance999/Trip%20Report%202008/TR001-1.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn234/ForeverDance999/Trip%20Report%202008/TR002-1.jpg


They are Dr. Scholl's and are great because they have a very good arch support... I have really high arches so the support helps to prevent my feet from aching at the end of a long day of walking. They also have a gel pack at the heel which feels really nice.

I'm pretty sure I should be able to break them in adequately before our trip. I walk 1/2 hour each morning and 1 hour at lunch every day.




And just because it was cute I thought I would add these pictures of my kitty Khan helping me write this update:
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn234/ForeverDance999/Trip%20Report%202008/TR003-1.jpg

DH took this picture (yes that is one of the Disney shirts I made last year). And this picture I took to show you from my perspective :lmao:

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn234/ForeverDance999/Trip%20Report%202008/TR005-1.jpg

[willwriteforears]

Yay for new running shoes! And Khan is adorable.

So kind of your DH to take the picture! :goodvibes

[lmillercrew]

Too funny about your cat. :rotfl: :rotfl: Don't you just love animals? Sometimes my Labradoodle can't get close enough to me. Like she's in my lap and up in my face. Silly dogs/cats

[Lady Lallie]

Khan is so adorable!!

[Step]

Today I bought new running shoes for the trip. I believe I spoke earlier about my need for new running shoes but I wasn't 100% sure if I was going to go ahead and get new ones before the trip or wait until we got back. Well, my crocs started to give me a blister the other day :eek: so I decided that I had better purchase some alternate shoes for the trip.

I find I have to wear socks with my crocs or they will start to blister. My mom buys these cute little ankle socks for her crocs.

Khan is so cute! My cat Yoko likes to help too. :P

[mickeysmyboy]

I'm hitting that sub button! DH and I are in the evil parents club too! We're going in March with no kids!!! We'll be celebrating our 10th anniversary!

Can't wait to read more!

[LuccaDrake]

Hey Beka, There is a DIS meet at POP on September 5th at 10pm, after MNSSHP.

Details here:
GLOW II (http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1670673)

Hope I see you there :)

Sorry for hijacking your thread for a second there ForeverDance.

Thanks for the invite! I have read about that one but we are going to try to get to bed EARLY so we are well rested to start our vacay with! Have fun!

:rotfl2: I love that... "it's for the DIS'ers"

Well, I have to add food to my TR so people will read it!

~Beka~

[ForeverDance]

Yay for new running shoes! And Khan is adorable.

So kind of your DH to take the picture! :goodvibes

Yeah DH has his moments :lmao:


Too funny about your cat. :rotfl: :rotfl: Don't you just love animals? Sometimes my Labradoodle can't get close enough to me. Like she's in my lap and up in my face. Silly dogs/cats

Khan is always on me. In the winter he sleeps on my legs every night (in the summer he's out all night hunting). Each morning we start the day with him pacing until I finish my breakfast and then he climbs up into my lap while I finish my coffee.


Khan is so adorable!!

Thanks! I happen to think he's pretty cute too :laughing:


I find I have to wear socks with my crocs or they will start to blister. My mom buys these cute little ankle socks for her crocs.

Khan is so cute! My cat Yoko likes to help too. :P

Aren't kitties so helpful? Khan also loves to help me fold the laundry and make the bed :rolleyes:


I'm hitting that sub button! DH and I are in the evil parents club too! We're going in March with no kids!!! We'll be celebrating our 10th anniversary!

Can't wait to read more!

:welcome: and thanks for joining. No better place to celebrate an anniversary than Disney :goodvibes


Well, I have to add food to my TR so people will read it!

~Beka~

:rotfl2:

[ForeverDance]

Van Maintenance and T-Shirt Designs

Today the van went in for an oil change and to repair a slow leak in one of the tires... definately can't be having a flat tire while driving ~4100 kms round trip (that's ~2500 miles for you U.S. folks). They also fixed our squeeky brakes and installed a brand new $160 "cabin air filter"... how an air filter can be so expensive I will never understand :sad2:

So the van is all tuned up and ready to go. Except for the cleaning it needs but that will have to wait until after our camping trip this weekend... otherwise I will just have to do it again :rolleyes:


I also managed to finish the shirt designs that I was working on. I've grabbed quite a few designs from fellow DISers but there were two that I decided to make myself:

1. An Eeyore shirt for me. I borrowed the idea for this shirt from a retail version I saw online.

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn234/ForeverDance999/Trip%20Report%202008/EeyoreShirtFlatTR-1.gif



2. A shirt for DD. The idea popped in my head one night and I thought DD would love it. I thought about making one for DS too but he would have thought it was "uncool".

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn234/ForeverDance999/Trip%20Report%202008/TinkShirtFlat.gif

[willwriteforears]

Ahh, vehicle maintenance. So necessary but so painful on the pocketbook. :sad1:

Your t-shirts are very cute! Nice job! :thumbsup2

[lmillercrew]

I hate car repairs, but they are necessary. Dangit! Love the t-shirt for your daughter. Poor kids:rotfl2:

[Lady Lallie]

Love the tshirts! Too cute. :goodvibes

[mickeysmyboy]

Van Maintenance and T-Shirt Designs

Today the van went in for an oil change and to repair a slow leak in one of the tires... definately can't be having a flat tire while driving ~4100 kms round trip (that's ~2500 miles for you U.S. folks). They also fixed our squeeky brakes and installed a brand new $160 "cabin air filter"... how an air filter can be so expensive I will never understand :sad2:

So the van is all tuned up and ready to go. Except for the cleaning it needs but that will have to wait until after our camping trip this weekend... otherwise I will just have to do it again :rolleyes:


I also managed to finish the shirt designs that I was working on. I've grabbed quite a few designs from fellow DISers but there were two that I decided to make myself:

1. An Eeyore shirt for me. I borrowed the idea for this shirt from a retail version I saw online.

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn234/ForeverDance999/Trip%20Report%202008/EeyoreShirtFlatTR-1.gif



2. A shirt for DD. The idea popped in my head one night and I thought DD would love it. I thought about making one for DS too but he would have thought it was "uncool".

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn234/ForeverDance999/Trip%20Report%202008/TinkShirtFlat.gif




I love the shirts!! Especially tink! I may steal that for my DD in March!

I have a question for you, you mentioned using the transfers for dark tees for your designs because of cracking with the regular ones? Do the ones for dark tees work better? Are they thinner or something? I had a terrible problem with shirts I made for DD and DS a few years ago. We're taking my sister and her family in Jan and her kids have never been. I wanted to make them tees but didn't want to waste my $ if they were going to get ruined in the wash!

Thanks~!!!!

[ForeverDance]

Thanks for all the compliments on the shirt designs. These two were actually pretty easy to make... compared to the shirt I designed last year which to me over a month :eek:

I love the shirts!! Especially tink! I may steal that for my DD in March!

:thumbsup2

I have a question for you, you mentioned using the transfers for dark tees for your designs because of cracking with the regular ones? Do the ones for dark tees work better? Are they thinner or something? I had a terrible problem with shirts I made for DD and DS a few years ago. We're taking my sister and her family in Jan and her kids have never been. I wanted to make them tees but didn't want to waste my $ if they were going to get ruined in the wash!

Thanks~!!!!

I don't know why the dark ones work better but I think they do. I have a sweatshirt that I made with DD's picture on it. I made the shirt about 7 years ago. Even though it was a white sweatshirt I did it with a dark transfer because I was testing the process before making shirts (black/grey) for my parents for Christmas. That shirt is still in perfect condition and has not cracked.

The shirts I made last year I used the light transfer paper and it cracked within the first 2 washes :sad2: So I figure the dark paper must be better. I actually think the dark paper is maybe thicker than the light paper so it holds together better :confused3

[ILuvCrush]

:lovestruc :lovestruc Love the shirts!!!:lovestruc :lovestruc

[castmemberb4]

Love the shirts! I was sure your DDs was going to say "My parents are at Disney World without me"

I have a shirt that I did with the dark transfer paper that has cracked but it's a tank top and strechier than a sweatshirt would be, I think that's the reason it cracked. That's okay with me though the vintage look is in.:)
Since you've got one's from previous years I have to ask are they hot? The one I have I made for a Birthday party that was a night time outdoor party in June and I was swealtering ! I can't imagine wearing one all day long in WDW.
Lynn

[LuccaDrake]

Really cute shirts! :thumbsup2

~Beka~

[ForeverDance]

Thanks again for all the compliments on the shirts... you're all making me blush :blush:
Since you've got one's from previous years I have to ask are they hot? The one I have I made for a Birthday party that was a night time outdoor party in June and I was swealtering ! I can't imagine wearing one all day long in WDW.
Lynn

I didn't find the shirts any hotter than a regular t-shirt :confused3 I guess they might keep in the heat a little more than a plain shirt with nothing on it but probably the same as any shirt with a picture.

[ForeverDance]

I've been busy over the last couple days doing both Disney related things and camping related things so I haven't had time to update. We are leaving right after work to go camping so I won't be able to update before Monday for sure. Of course Monday is the day before the kids go back to school so I'm not sure how much time I will have then either. Guess we'll have to wait and see.

Everyone enjoy your weekend!

[willwriteforears]

Enjoy camping!

[mickeysmyboy]

Have a good camping trip!!

[ForeverDance]

I know I've kind of disappeared but I am still around and I am hoping to be able to do an update tonight.

This weekend was great. Nice and relaxing. Unfortunately, it was kind of the calm before the storm. Ever since returning on Monday I have been busy non stop. DH is working 10am - 6pm for the first time this week and it has really thrown off our schedule. On top of that we have been running around shopping etc for the trip. It's been exhausting.

I'm pretty sure that there won't be any need to run around tonight so I should be able to find time to update.

Hope everyone is doing well!

[ILuvCrush]

Only 1 week to go!!! How can you stand the excitement!!!!:goodvibes

[ForeverDance]

Only 1 week to go!!! How can you stand the excitement!!!!:goodvibes

At this moment the excitement has been replaced by stress... stupid hurricanes!!!

[willwriteforears]

Update when you can--we all understand that life interferes!

Yes, the hurricanes are frightening. Hopefully these next ones will die out or pass by Florida.

[castmemberb4]

Thanks again for all the compliments on the shirts... you're all making me blush :blush:


I didn't find the shirts any hotter than a regular t-shirt :confused3 I guess they might keep in the heat a little more than a plain shirt with nothing on it but probably the same as any shirt with a picture.

It must be me I'm at that "age" that everything makes me hot ! :rolleyes1
I'm going to wear mine for the trip down.

[castmemberb4]

At this moment the excitement has been replaced by stress... stupid hurricanes!!!

Don't worry about it too much one of the best trips we had we were slogging around EPCOT at the F&WF during the outer bands of Wilma, it clears out the crowds quite a bit. The only scary part was flying home through that weather sysstem, scariest flight of my life ! But you don't have to worry about that part. DH & I are actually hoping for some rainy days on our up coming F&W trip, 'cause we're odd like that ;)
Here's some :wizard: for a wonderful safe trip.
Lynn

[ForeverDance]

Don't worry about it too much one of the best trips we had we were slogging around EPCOT at the F&WF during the outer bands of Wilma, it clears out the crowds quite a bit. The only scary part was flying home through that weather sysstem, scariest flight of my life ! But you don't have to worry about that part. DH & I are actually hoping for some rainy days on our up coming F&W trip, 'cause we're odd like that ;)
Here's some :wizard: for a wonderful safe trip.
Lynn

Our biggest concern right now is getting stuck on the road with a hurricane coming in. Hurricane Ike is not a little guy so he won't even have to come that close to mess us up for driving.:guilty:

[ForeverDance]

Glasses and Envelopes and Shoe Drama Oh My!


As I've already mentioned this has been a very busy week for us. I have completed most of my shopping (only a few small items left) and have began putting things together. Here are some of the things I have accomplished:

New Glasses - I finally went in and did my eye exam and decided on a new pair of frames. I am really happy with them.

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn234/ForeverDance999/Trip%20Report%202008/Glasses-1.jpg

After much debate and hemming and hawing I decided to go with the transition lenses. I have heard both really good and bad about them and it seems you either love them or hate them. In fact the woman at the store actually said "people either swear by them or swear at them".

So far I like them a lot. Going from clear to dark they transition pretty quickly. Going from dark to clear takes quite a bit longer but they begin to lighten almost immediately when you come inside so I haven't been bothered by the time it takes. The nicest thing about them is that I don't have to go digging for clip ons when the sun comes out :thumbsup2



Tip Envelopes - I have finally gotten around to printing off all of my tip envelopes for our table service meals and for mousekeeping. I think they came out really nicely.

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn234/ForeverDance999/Trip%20Report%202008/Tip1-1.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn234/ForeverDance999/Trip%20Report%202008/Tip2-1.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn234/ForeverDance999/Trip%20Report%202008/Tip3-1.jpg

I have filled the first couple of days worth of envelopes but will have to wait to do the rest until we get some more smaller American bills.



New Shoes... Again - Okay so I think I cursed myself in a previous post where I claimed that I do not have shoe drama. After about a week of wearing those new shoes I did not like them anymore. They felt "flat". Wearing them all day long while camping confirmed that they would not do for Disney as I had sore feet and I hadn't even spent the whole day walking :sad2: So I had to get new ones. It worked out okay because DD needed new shoes and payless had the buy one get one half price sale.

Here are my new 'New Shoes' :rolleyes:
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn234/ForeverDance999/Trip%20Report%202008/Shoes-1.jpg

I have been wearing them basically none stop since I got them and so far I am very happy. I don't have any blisters or sore spots so I think they will be okay in Disney even though I haven't had them long. They still feel very "bouncy" and light.



As I mentioned we did a whole lot of shopping this week. We bought all of our snacks for the car ride down, sunscreen, bugspray (because I heard on here that the mosquitos are bad right now), rainx (in case we drive through a swarm of lovebugs), and our blank t-shirts.

Our t-shirts are my next mission.

[If U Had Wings]

I love the new glasses. Very stylish! I just bought my first pair with the transition lenses myself. Not sure exactly how much I like them. My periphrial vision is a bit spotty with them. I'm going to have to have them checked out this weekend.

Love your tip envelopes too!

[mickeysmyboy]

I like your glasses! My MIL has the transitions lenses and she loves them! The only issue she has ever had with them was that when SIL got married outside she was wearing sunglasses walking down the aisle and in all the pictures. She said had she realized (it was just something she didn't think about, who would) she would have bought an inexpensive pair of regular glasses to wear. The photographer realized at one pint and asked her to take her glasses off but then should couldn't see anything and she's squinting in all of the those pics!!

I love the tip envelops, very cute!

[ForeverDance]

I love the new glasses. Very stylish! I just bought my first pair with the transition lenses myself. Not sure exactly how much I like them. My periphrial vision is a bit spotty with them. I'm going to have to have them checked out this weekend.

Love your tip envelopes too!

I haven't noticed any issues with periphrial vision yet but then I might just have not noticed. I'm nearsighted so I have good vision up close and my prescription is not too heavy so I can see half decently far away so maybe that's why I haven't noticed.

The only real issue I'm having with the transitions is with driving. Since the suns rays don't actually get through the windshield they don't transition in the car. I'm keeping my old pair of glasses in the car for driving (they have clip-ons). My prescription didn't change a whole lot so I feel comfortable using those ones when need be.

I like your glasses! My MIL has the transitions lenses and she loves them! The only issue she has ever had with them was that when SIL got married outside she was wearing sunglasses walking down the aisle and in all the pictures. She said had she realized (it was just something she didn't think about, who would) she would have bought an inexpensive pair of regular glasses to wear. The photographer realized at one pint and asked her to take her glasses off but then should couldn't see anything and she's squinting in all of the those pics!!

I love the tip envelops, very cute!

I wouldn't have thought about that either. That's the nice thing about the transitions is you seem to forget about the fact that they change. They handle everything for you which I think is going to be a blessing at Disney.

[willwriteforears]

Love the new glasses! I was in contacts before I had laser surgery, so I don't have any opinions to offer on the transition lenses, but I do think they'll work great at Disney. :thumbsup2

Also love your tip envelopes! Very spiffy. :goodvibes

[ForeverDance]

I had a very busy weekend getting ready for our trip and obsessing over hurricane Ike. As the new predicted paths move further and further from Floriday I have finally permitted myself to begin packing and getting excited.

I should have an update on my trip preparations tonight... possibly the last one (well about trip preparations anyway) as we are just about packed and ready to go. Yes. Three days before my trip I will be completely packed. What can I say? I like to be organized and ready to go so I don't feel rushed on the last day.

[Lady Lallie]

You are so close to your trip!

Love the glasses and the envelopes. Curse shoe drama. I hate shoe drama. :lmao:

[ForeverDance]

T-Shirts Galore

I intended to update last night but I was so tired after work that I decided to order pizza for dinner and watch a movie before going to bed. DH and I were both sound asleep by 9:30pm last night :rolleyes:

I woke up feeling guilty this morning for leaving you hanging after saying I was going to update. So I am determined to get at least one update out today. If I have time tonight I'll do a second once I have finished all the packing... if I don't fall asleep :rotfl:

Over the weekend I finished all our t-shirts. I am very happy with how they turned out. I was a little worried about the colours we chose (since we stuck with whatever colours we could get in the cheap shirts) but after making them I am extremely pleased.

Here is the shirt that we will both be wearing on our first day at Disney. We had the same shirt last year and I thought it was so cute that I decided to make new ones for this trip (last year's are all cracked... but I am wearing it on the drive :laughing: )
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn234/ForeverDance999/Trip%20Report%202008/T-Shirts002-1.jpg


And this is the shirt that we will be wearing around EPCOT :goodvibes
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn234/ForeverDance999/Trip%20Report%202008/T-Shirts001-1.jpg


This one is just for DH (the colour isn't showing well in this picture but the shirt is actually a red/burgandy colour).
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn234/ForeverDance999/Trip%20Report%202008/T-Shirts003-1.jpg


And this is the shirt just for me (again the colour isn't showing well the shirt is actually navy blue).
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn234/ForeverDance999/Trip%20Report%202008/T-Shirts005-1.jpg


I didn't manage to get a picture of DD's shirt since I had to do that one late Sunday night after she went to bed and it's been hiding in my closet ever since. I'll try to snap a picture tonight after she goes to bed so I can show you how that one turned out.


I have finished most of my packing. All our clothes are packed at least. I still have most of the toiletries to pack... but then we need them so that makes it hard.

I am going to be packing DS's clothes tonight for the one weekend he will be visiting my parents. He was suppose to pack for himself this weekend but he's aunt (on his mom's side) had a baby on Thursday night and he went with his mom and grandma to visit her so he'll just have to suffer through my clothing choices... apparently I'm not as cool as I'd like to think when it comes to teenager's clothes :lmao:


If all goes well I will have everything packed and laid out ready for our trip (except those items that we need to pack at the last minute) by the end of the night.

Wednesday will be a final load of laundry to clean up those few items of DD's that she absolutely must be able to wear this week and must also be able to take to grandma and grandpa's house :rolleyes: Hopefully the rest of the night will be relaxing so that I will be able to sleep. If we are running around Wednesday night I know I'll be too worked up to sleep. Assuming sleep is at all possible Wednesday night. But really who sleeps the night before they leave for Disney?

[Lady Lallie]

I love the Genie shirts. I felt like that after a few hours on the plane! :lmao:

[If U Had Wings]

Love the shirts! Very cute.

[lmillercrew]

I can't believe your trip is already here!! Love the shirts. My DH loves Grumpy and what a perfect saying. Good luck with the packing.

[ForeverDance]

I love the Genie shirts. I felt like that after a few hours on the plane! :lmao:

Ah yes but planes are crowded. Our van has lots of room. Even more this year with just the two of us. So I can totally understand why you felt like that after only a couple hours.

Love the shirts! Very cute.

Thanks! The credit for most of the designs belongs to fellow DISers... but I did manage to print them off and iron them on nicely :thumbsup2

I can't believe your trip is already here!! Love the shirts. My DH loves Grumpy and what a perfect saying. Good luck with the packing.

I know I can't believe it either. I am truly getting very excited now. :goodvibes
DH also loves grumpy. Last year he bought a shirt at Disney that says "I'm Grumpy because your Dopey". It's one of his favourite shirts.

[nts4wdw]

Love the shirts! I know you are so excited!

[ILuvCrush]

Luv the shirts!!! Great job! Those gals over on creative DISigns are amazing!!!!

[ForeverDance]

Love the shirts! I know you are so excited!

I am bouncing off the walls!

Luv the shirts!!! Great job! Those gals over on creative DISigns are amazing!!!!

They really are amazing and I am so glad they are there!


So I know I said I was going to update last night but I forgot that DD had dance class. So we didn't get home until 7pm and didn't eat dinner until almost 8pm. After that I ran around finishing the packing and DH worked on our CDs. I got everything done I needed to last night, but didn't have time to write an update. Since I will be leaving tomorrow you can be sure that one way or another I will be finding time to do an update tonight... and probably one last one from work tommorrow before we leave.

[lmillercrew]

Yay you leave tomorrow!!!! Have fun you guys! You'll love your time together without the children. Let me just say that I'm so jealous!!!

[ForeverDance]

Ready to Go!!!

I'm going to have to stop saying when I'm going to update because it never seems to work out and I'm afraid I'm going to develop a reputation :laughing:

Obviously, last night was a little more hectic than I had hoped and while I did get everything done I did not have time to update. I did however have time to upload the pictures to photobucket so that I could update from work today... shhhh don't tell the boss :ssst:

As promised here is the end result of the shirt for DD:
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn234/ForeverDance999/Trip%20Report%202008/TR002-2.jpg

DH is going to drop home today and put it in her already packed suitcase so that it will be a surprise for her when she opens the suitcase at grandma and grandpa's.


I made one more design for our trip. This one is an envelope to hold the money we are paying my parents to watch our cat.
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn234/ForeverDance999/Trip%20Report%202008/TR003-2.jpg

DD is taking care of the cat during the week because she will be at our house before and after school anyway. My parents are driving over twice a day on the weekends to make sure our cat is fed and loved so we are paying them for those days.


I got all of our fish tanks put on timers for the lights (we have 3 tanks of fish which DD and my parents will be taking care of as well when we are gone) and finished all the packing and last minute checking of lists.

As of 7:30 am this morning we are officially ready to go!!!

[Lady Lallie]

Have a wonderful trip!! :goodvibes

[nts4wdw]

Have a wonderful, magical time!!! We want to hear all about it when you get back.

[If U Had Wings]

Have a wonderful trip!!!!:goodvibes

[ForeverDance]

Chapter 10: The Last Day!!!


Here I am at work and of course all I can think about is our trip. Right now all of our stuff is sitting by our front door just waiting to be packed into the van. It’s taunting me.

Each year it’s like this on the last day of work. And each year I think “I should have just taken today off”. But I know if I’d taken today off we would just have left last night and that would mean I would have been antsy like this yesterday. There really is no winning.:sad2:

And worse still is the fact that I am expected to try to fix this big problem before I leave today :headache: But I have to wait until a co-worker can get me a test machine which could be anywhere between now and never. So I’m both antsy and stressed. This is not a good combination :rolleyes:

So I’m doing what all good DISers do in a situation like this… write an update to their report :lmao: Sure I just updated like 10 minutes ago but who’s going to complain?

For your amusement (and my distraction) I present to you my final day:

1. I get off work at 5:30 pm today **Oh how I hate Thursdays for this reason. We get off at 5:00 pm every other day. What was I thinking making Thursday my last day?** Once I get off work I will walk to DH’s work.

2. DH get’s off work at 6:00 pm today. It takes me about ½ hour to walk to his work from mine so we should both be at the van around the same time.

3. We will drive home. If traffic isn’t bad we should be home by 6:15 pm.

4. Once we arrive at home we will change out of our work clothes and in to our traveling clothes.

5. We will then fill the cooler with ice and pack our luggage in the van. If all goes well I think this will be done by 6:30 pm.

6. Once packed will go and grab a bite to eat. I am not cooking and doing dishes right before we leave. We will probably go to Wendy’s because there is one two blocks from my parent’s house. I think we should be all done eating and on our way to my parent’s house by 7:00 pm.

7. Although a “quick stop” at my parent’s place usually lasts no less than 30 minutes, I am betting that we will have DD dropped off and be on our way by 7:15 pm.


That’s the plan anyway. It is all subject to change at any time without notice. I have visions of DH abandoning work early and being at my work at 5:30 pm with the van already packed. Only time will tell how it all plays out…


You will have to wait for my trip report to read about it :flower3:

[ILuvCrush]

Have a great time!! I can't wait for the TR!!!

paula

[lmillercrew]

Have I said how jealous I am?? I think I have. Have a safe trip and enjoy each others company!!

[ForeverDance]

WE'RE BACK!!!

Just got back into the house about 1/2 hour ago. We had a great time but are pretty tired from the long drive. I'm hoping to be on tommorrow with the first installment of my TR.

See you all there!!

[ILuvCrush]

Welcome Back!!! I hope you 2 had an AWESOME trip!!! I can't wait to hear all about it:cool1:

Paula

[Lady Lallie]

Welcome Back!! I can't wait to hear all about it! :goodvibes

[If U Had Wings]

Hope you had a wonderful time! Can't wait to hear all about it.

[LISAMWDW]

Welcome back!

[mickeysmyboy]

Welcome back!! Can't wait to read all about it!!!

[lmillercrew]

Welcome back guys!!! I hope you're able to post soon. I'm excited to hear all about your adventures without children!