Our 15 day summer adventure to WDW! NEW TR LINK 11/6 pg. 49!!

[Queenofallthings]

Hey Diane,

You're leaving to go back on my birthday....yup Oct 31 is my birthday and Jasmine's is Oct 30.....

Onto surprising the boys.....for Jasmine's 12th birthday I surprised her with 2 weeks in WDW. I don't know how I did it, but I kept the secret for a whole year. This is what I did....took the Thurs and Fri off work so after she went to school, I packed then hid the suitcases before I picked her up. On the Friday, my BFF Brenda picked me up at home then we went to the school and picked Jasmine up. We had the suitcases in the back of her SUV covered with a blanket. I sat in the backseat with my other BFF who was going with us (she loves WDW her husband hates it) so when Jasmine came out of school she sat in the front seat. All along she thought we were meeting 2 other families to celebrate our birthday's for dinner. Brenda said "We just have to swing by the airport cause Uncle Eric has a parcel coming in Air Canada Cargo"....no problem....we get there and Brenda says, can you guys come in with me I don't know where I'm going.\

Of course I have to play along and I said...." Are you serious, the counter is right when you walk in that door...she said I know but please, you know I hate going in to pick stuff up when I'm unsure. Jasmine turns around and says, Mom, it's not a big deal don't be so mean...come on Auntie Brenda we'll all go.

When we got out, she said let me grab a bad to put the parcel in and when she opened the back, Trish pulled the blanket off, we started singing Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Jasmine, you're going to Disney......we were all crying by this time, but it took her a few minutes to process. Once we got in and checked in we went up to the departure level and friends and family were all waiting to give her the best birthday send off ever......It was truly magical!!!!

Can't wait to see what you have planned......

 

[morgtroy]

How exciting, we loved the halloween party. I made us all t-shirts, my daughter did BBB that day and took her Jasmine costume. She loved it. My son took his Buzz costume, and we brought it in the backpack, but it was too hot and also rained later in the night, so he never put it on. But they do the free face painting so he got his face painted like Dracula and my daughter got the tinkerbell face fancy swirls and glitter, but they matched the color to her costume. The LOVED it. We still sing the Boo To You, Parade song.
Can't wait to hear your review of the pirate's league thing. We're debating it for Dec. trip. They have had cute Mickey ears with pumpkin in the middle on top in the past, very cute with a halloween shirt.
I don't know how you all keep the secret so long. We did a surprise party a few weeks ago to tell the kids about the Dec. trip. A lady I work with made the cutest cake that had mickey ear hats on top the cake with each of the kids' name on a hat, ribbons on the girl's hats and it said We're going to Disney World. We also had shirts a friend of Tammy's made for them set at each of their seats. They were shocked, took a few minutes for it to sink in. I almost slipped several times, I'm very impressed with all the Dis'ers secret keeping abilities.

 

[Trentmom]

Hey Diane

Just stopping by to say Hi

Hope school is going well

 

[CRSNDSNY]

Hi Diane!
We did the Halloween party last week and it was AWESOME this year! The parade was out of this world.

I think a cake is a great idea. What is his favorite character? Have that put on it.

What time does your flight leave. Do you think you'll be able to pack without them knowing?

 

[dddisrunner]

So excited for you. I think you can keep your Teppan Edo reservation and just try hard to check in early... we had a lot of luck with that this summer, so I would give it a try... it never hurts.

We did not order a cake when we were there for a birthday... Hannah got special desserts almost every time. Check the cake thread if you want to see the newest and best.. there are always awesome choices there.

As for the costumes when we did the party there were tons of people in costumes... but it was unbelievably warm... crazy hot, so there were miserable people who were overdressed. We did not dress up... but I wanted to warn you of the possible too hot weather.

Thanks Laura! I am hoping the weather isn't too hot!

Could you possibly do a scavenger hunt to surprise them about the trip?

I would keep the 8:20 ressie like PP said and try in check in early. It can't hurt

It was pretty warm when we were there last year.

Why not get yourself Minnie Ears and a cute Halloween top to wear.

Bryan could get one of those fun halloween shirts they normally have at Target and maybe a set of goofy ears

I think u will be happier not in costumes

Thanks for the ideas Kelly!!

Not sure what time you guys are leaving.. but one of our favorite surprise moments was bursting into the kids' rooms at 5 am saying "GET UP!!! GET UP!!! LET'S GO TO DISNEY WORLD!!!" They were a bit panicked at first, but completely elated that we literally got dressed, got in the car, and went to the airport. There was no anticipation and waiting waiting waiting to go.. we just went!! (Not to mention, it required NO preplanning or making anything.. which is so hard to do in the middle of the school year!)

So happy for you guys!! Can't wait to hear how you surprise those adorable boys!!

GREAT idea!!

Hiya Diane!!!

Well, regarding the dinner reservations, yeah, I agree, try to check in early?? That might be the best bet -- it is a little late, but times might open up earlier...

With the MNSSHP I would say to get the funny Halloween Tshirts and a hat or something -- I have been reading a LOT of posts on the MNSSHP Thread (have you seen that one? There is a great first page with a lot of details) commenting on the heat and costumes... I am making T shirt for my guys, and I thought I would let them pick a silly hat when we are there... The shirts at Target are GREAT for $5.00...

As far as the surprise, well we did a full blown "surprise" with DS's following a trail of string throughout the house which led to a big box of balloons with the "invitation" to Disney World... IT was fun, they were surprised, I think they were!, and we had fun too.... but you know I invested SOOOOOOOO much energy into that decision and planning for the surprise... Next Saturday, when we leave for our mini fall trip, we are going to pack them into the car, and go to the airport. When they ask us where we are going, we are going to tell them. I am curious what they will say.. I think the impact will be the same, frankly... speechless! I will let you know how it works out!

RE Cake, oh I have seen so many great Disney cakes, and they seem pretty reasonable all considering.. I'd do one!

Thanks so much for your ideas and comments!

Hi Diane,
You must so excited to be staying at BLT!! I know my kids would be thrilled to stay there too. I think you if you do decide to order a cake you have options. I read on the cake thread that the CR bakery has been excellent lately, so just call the hotline. You can have it brought to the room if you don't want to have it at breakfast. Or you can bring back to the room after breakfast . Any ideas what kind of cake you want to order? You don't want Piarte surprise cakes right?? Not sure about ordering cakes at Epcot restaurants, have read mixed reviews. If it were me I would just have it brought up to the room as a surprise. As far the surprise, I'm clueless since I'm bad at surprises . Maybe do a Mickey enchanted call . Of I have to tell you I just upgraded to BWI for our Anniversary trip It was either there or Yacht Club left. I haven't told Tommy yet but I'm sure I will not be able to keep that a secret.

Woo Hoo for Boardwalk!! You SO deserve this trip!!

HI!! Are you going to MNSSHP on Halloween? Thats so cool!! I just read that they are already sold out for that night!! Insane!!

And when is Eric's birthday? Thats so exciting!! My son's birthday is the day after your last day (11/6!) so their birthdays are close!!

I love that you are surprising the boys!! Maybe you could just wake them up and say you want to have some "family time" or something and just go to the airport and wait for them to figure it out by themselves? Do you think they would guess at the airport? Because once they saw Orlando at the gate, they would just be ecstatic!! I can't wait to hear how you pull it off!

Oh and I just went to MNSSHP on the 15th! It was great. Not too many people were dressed up, because it was so hot. I did a lot of people who just brought a change of clothes as well. My son and I had Halloween shirts that I made. Someone on the Disigns board made some cute things and I ironed them on! I just started my tr and that was on our last night, but if you wanna check it out, it should be there fairly quickly!

Thanks for posting! We are going to the party on 11/1 which is the last one! I know they aren't sold out yet because a friend of mine from work just today bought them for that night! Thanks for all the ideas and I hope your son has a great b-day too!

Can't wait to see pics of the boys as Jack Sparrows ... they will be so cute.

Do they already know about the costumes ? Maybe you could make up a halloween goodie bag with the costume and other Halloween/Disney stuff with a little note about the MNSSHP.

If Eric loves Teppan Edo I would keep the late reservation plus that is a great place for a birthday dinner. We just had a 16th birthday dinner for my son at a Japanese steakhouse and it was alot of fun.

For costume suggestions, the year we went for MNSSHP I wanted to be comfortable so I just wore a Halloween shirt from Old Navy. My mom went as Minnie Mouse. She wore a red shirt, black shorts, Minnie ears, colored her nose black and drew wiskers on her face. Also she wore little white gloves. It was really cute and she was still comfortable.

Such GREAT ideas!! They have no clue about anything for this trip!

How exciting, we loved the halloween party. I made us all t-shirts, my daughter did BBB that day and took her Jasmine costume. She loved it. My son took his Buzz costume, and we brought it in the backpack, but it was too hot and also rained later in the night, so he never put it on. But they do the free face painting so he got his face painted like Dracula and my daughter got the tinkerbell face fancy swirls and glitter, but they matched the color to her costume. The LOVED it. We still sing the Boo To You, Parade song.
Can't wait to hear your review of the pirate's league thing. We're debating it for Dec. trip. They have had cute Mickey ears with pumpkin in the middle on top in the past, very cute with a halloween shirt.
I don't know how you all keep the secret so long. We did a surprise party a few weeks ago to tell the kids about the Dec. trip. A lady I work with made the cutest cake that had mickey ear hats on top the cake with each of the kids' name on a hat, ribbons on the girl's hats and it said We're going to Disney World. We also had shirts a friend of Tammy's made for them set at each of their seats. They were shocked, took a few minutes for it to sink in. I almost slipped several times, I'm very impressed with all the Dis'ers secret keeping abilities.

You crack me up Julie! I have a hard time keeping secrets too but Bryan is really into making this a surprise!

Hey Diane

Just stopping by to say Hi

Hope school is going well

Thanks Kelly, Hi!!

Hi Diane!
We did the Halloween party last week and it was AWESOME this year! The parade was out of this world.

I think a cake is a great idea. What is his favorite character? Have that put on it.

What time does your flight leave. Do you think you'll be able to pack without them knowing?

Thanks! I am SO EXCITED! Our flight leaves at 8:45am!

Hey Diane,

You're leaving to go back on my birthday....yup Oct 31 is my birthday and Jasmine's is Oct 30.....

Onto surprising the boys.....for Jasmine's 12th birthday I surprised her with 2 weeks in WDW. I don't know how I did it, but I kept the secret for a whole year. This is what I did....took the Thurs and Fri off work so after she went to school, I packed then hid the suitcases before I picked her up. On the Friday, my BFF Brenda picked me up at home then we went to the school and picked Jasmine up. We had the suitcases in the back of her SUV covered with a blanket. I sat in the backseat with my other BFF who was going with us (she loves WDW her husband hates it) so when Jasmine came out of school she sat in the front seat. All along she thought we were meeting 2 other families to celebrate our birthday's for dinner. Brenda said "We just have to swing by the airport cause Uncle Eric has a parcel coming in Air Canada Cargo"....no problem....we get there and Brenda says, can you guys come in with me I don't know where I'm going.\

Of course I have to play along and I said...." Are you serious, the counter is right when you walk in that door...she said I know but please, you know I hate going in to pick stuff up when I'm unsure. Jasmine turns around and says, Mom, it's not a big deal don't be so mean...come on Auntie Brenda we'll all go.

When we got out, she said let me grab a bad to put the parcel in and when she opened the back, Trish pulled the blanket off, we started singing Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Jasmine, you're going to Disney......we were all crying by this time, but it took her a few minutes to process. Once we got in and checked in we went up to the departure level and friends and family were all waiting to give her the best birthday send off ever......It was truly magical!!!!

Can't wait to see what you have planned......

That sounds INCREDIBLE!!

 

[dddisrunner]

Thank you for all of your wonderful suggestions! Here is "the plan". In our town, our children trick or treat on 10/30 not the 31st because we have a HUGE parade that night that has been going on for over 100 years! So, I will be taking 10/30 off from school. During the day, I will frantically pack and clean. After school the kids will come home. My mother in law who is going on the trip with us will come over and she and Bryan will take the boys trick or treating and then out to dinner. During this time, I will finish last minute laundry and put all of the suitcases in the car and drive to my mom's house and pick up her suitcase as well. My mother in law will spend the night, which she sometimes does. In the morning Bryan will sneak out and go pick up my mom. My mom and Bryan's mom will then wait in ther car while we wake the boys up and tell them to hurry and get dressed because it is family day and we have something special planned. We will bring them out to the car and then spill the beans!!! Hopefully it will all go as planned!

I am still deciding about ordering Eric a cake! Just 25 short days until we leave! I am getting VERY EXCITED!!!

Bryan and I each bought Halloween themed t-shirts to wear for MNSSHP and I might buy minnie ears or something!

I promise I will do a TR when we get back! If you want to follow along here are our details!

Bay Lake Tower studio 10/31-11/5

10/31 Arrive about 11:45am...Animal Kingdom

11/1 Hollywood Studios...lunch at Sci fi
MNSSHP

11/2 Eric's Birthday
Breakfast at Chef Mickey's
Epcot
Dinner Teppan Edo or Chefs De France

11/3 Magic Kingdom
Hollywood Studios
Dinner 50's PrimeTime

11/4 Epcot/Magic Kingdom/DHS
Dinner Ohana

11/5 Epcot
Lunch Le Cellier
Depart


Thanks for hanging in there with me!

Diane

 

[Trentmom]

Your plan sounds perfect Diane, The kids are going to be so excited


Can't wait to read your TR when you get back

 

[wigdoutdismom]

I love surprises! Looks like great plans Diane, you all will have so much fun!

 

[Charleston Princess]

Your plans look great, Diane! I can't wait to hear all about Bay Lake Towers! What a great place to stay! You will be leaving on my birthday -- so sad.

 

[IluvXU]

So fantastic! Thanks for sharing your plans....

 

[CRSNDSNY]

Thanks for sharing your plans! I can't wait to read your next TR although I'm certainly not in a hurry for your trip to be here and gone.

Your plan sounds great! Will you post a link to a new TR thread here?

BTW, I just finished Day 3 of my TR (see link) and we did the same thing on MNSSHP day - DHS, SciFi lunch and then the party later on.

 

[DWGal210]

Hi Diane!

Just wanted to pop in and say hi and that I LOVED your TR. You guys look like you had such a great time, and 15 days?! Sweet!! I would love to do that, that would be so fun.

I'm glad you and the fam get a quick trip for MNSSHP. I would love to do that next year; I'm going in early October with my goddaughter so hopefully there will be one during our dates!

Take care and have a great day!

 

[mylag1rl]

Thanks for sharing your plans. Sounds like a great trip to me. I just got back Monday from a quick trip. You will love the Magic Kingdom all decorated for Fall/Halloween.

I need to start planning my next trip to counteract the Disney blues.

 

[morgtroy]

plans sound great for the surprise and your itinerary. Can't wait to see your pics from BLT.
Still no luck for us getting boardwalk or anywhere else for that matter. Dec. is a very popular DVC time to visit. If we don't get a different location, that's ok. I like OKW. We did get a great drop in airfare after we booked and scored a nice credit. Love SW.
We also booked the pirate's league for the boys, I think they'll love it. We'll have to show them pics from your TR to get them even more excited. I think you'll love MNSSHP. I remember my daughter saying "Can you believe we're trick or treating at Mickey's house."

 

[mom2shayleeandlogan]

Sounds like a great plan! Can't wait to read the TR!

 

[catherines_mama]

It sounds like an awesome trip and i love your plan to suprise the boys.

Can't wait for your TR!!

 

[pmama]

Yea!!! I hope this means another TR. You will love MNSSHP. It is one of my girls' all time favorite memories. In fact, hmmm, I should look into surprising them with a trip that time of year next October. Not a bad idea.

 

[kaysmommie]

Hi Diane,
Your trip is getting close. Your plans look great. How exciting to surprise the boys with a trip to Disney and BLT.

 

[NMAmy]

Hold the phone. You're going AGAIN!! Somehow you managed to get in a 15 day trip and now a short one for MNSSHP??? That's just....well, amazing! I am SO totally jealous, Diane!

Now I have to catch up on the end of your trip report. I'm so sorry I've been missing in action--you would not believe the August and September I've had, pal.

 

[NMAmy]

All done. What a great trip, Diane! I'm so happy that you enjoyed the Boardwalk. And I'm also happy that there will be another trip report coming up soon!

Take care, pal.