A newbie, a nana, two princess, and......the Planner! (Updated 1/4--DTD & head home)

[punkin413]

love the pics! we went to st. louis when i was about 10 years old. my little brother FREAKED out when we were riding the capsule thing to the top of the arch!

 

[disneymom1980]

love the pics! we went to st. louis when i was about 10 years old. my little brother FREAKED out when we were riding the capsule thing to the top of the arch!

It's funny that you say. I actually took pictures of the capsules because of friend of mine and her family are going to St. Louis in a couple of weeks and she was asking me if I thought she'd be okay at the top because she's afraid of heights. I told her I was more worried about her getting to the top......when she saw the pictures of the capsules, she told me that just looking at it made her want to puke and there was no way she was getting in one of those .

She was glad I took the pictures from the top because she said it was the only way she'd get to see it.

 

[disneymom1980]

Ok everyone.....I've had an AWFUL afternoon, and I need to vent!

Today I got an email from Expedia saying that my flights had been cancelled and that I needed to call immediately ! I called and got the rudest people I have ever spoken to on the phone.....I had to go through 3 technicians before some one could give me an explanation of what was going on and connect me to a supervisor. The supervisor was also incredibly rude, but did manage to explain to me that Midwest has cancelled all of its flights from KC to basically ANYWHERE in Florida! I booked these flights in April because they were the only nonstop flights that expedia showed.

Well, I had to fight and argue with them and tell them that I didn't want to sit around and wait and see what happened......I wanted my reservation cancelled NOW!!! Supposedly they are going to refund the amount to my credit card (which I'll believe when I see and have already talked to Chase about), and cancelled the flight.

My mom called the airport in KC, and they said the most reliable airline is Southwest and that they also fly nonstop to Orlando. It is going to cost us about an extra $100 dollars per person, but, at this point, I don't care as long as we get there!

 

[askelton]

If anyone has any advice, please let me know.

Yes, please let us know. I've got a fireworks setting on my camera and they still don't turn out well.

We stayed at the Hyatt while we were there for an Atlanta Braves game and actually met some of the players in the lobby bar after the game. My only brush with famous people.

love the pics! we went to st. louis when i was about 10 years old. my little brother FREAKED out when we were riding the capsule thing to the top of the arch!

You mean the washing machine?!

Ok everyone.....I've had an AWFUL afternoon, and I need to vent!

Today I got an email from Expedia saying that my flights had been cancelled and that I needed to call immediately ! I called and got the rudest people I have ever spoken to on the phone.....I had to go through 3 technicians before some one could give me an explanation of what was going on and connect me to a supervisor. The supervisor was also incredibly rude, but did manage to explain to me that Midwest has cancelled all of its flights from KC to basically ANYWHERE in Florida! I booked these flights in April because they were the only nonstop flights that expedia showed.

Well, I had to fight and argue with them and tell them that I didn't want to sit around and wait and see what happened......I wanted my reservation cancelled NOW!!! Supposedly they are going to refund the amount to my credit card (which I'll believe when I see and have already talked to Chase about), and cancelled the flight.

My mom called the airport in KC, and they said the most reliable airline is Southwest and that they also fly nonstop to Orlando. It is going to cost us about an extra $100 dollars per person, but, at this point, I don't care as long as we get there!

Never flown from here to KC but I hope you get a flight soon.

 

[disneymom1980]

Never flown from here to KC but I hope you get a flight soon.

Thanks.....we did go ahead and book new flights. They were a bit more expensive, but we're going to get there, and that's all that matters.

 

[disneymom1980]

Well, since we now how what I'm hoping are "stable" flights, I made a few changed to our itinerary. Instead of trying to squeeze in three sit down meals on the 25th, I cancelled our reservation for Cape May Cafe and moved it to our departure day. We're not leaving until 5:30 now, so we'll actually have a little time to do things that day. I think we're going to try to do
lunch at Beach's and Cream as well.

Today I also booked something that I'm pretty excited about......I booked a limo for our airport transfers . My mom and the girls have never been in a limo before, so I think it will be a lot of fun. I knew that I didn't really wanted to do the Magical Express because we'll have the 14 month old and the car seat and everything. She's not exactly patient, so I just figured that this would be easier. At first, all I could find was a van to do the transfers because we needed them to supply a carseat. Well, now that DD #2 will have her own seat on the plane, we'll have her carseat anyway. I'm so excited.......the only time that I've been in a limo is when DH and I got married (6 years ago), so I think it's about time to experience it again!

 

[punkin413]

we're gonna do lunch at beaches & cream in december and i can't wait! we have 5 people so i'm thinking we may attempt to conquer the kitchen sink!

and yay for limos!!!!!

 

[disneymom1980]

we're gonna do lunch at beaches & cream in december and i can't wait! we have 5 people so i'm thinking we may attempt to conquer the kitchen sink!

and yay for limos!!!!!

We're actually thinking about trying the kitchen sink too. However, DH is VERY allergic to nuts, so I'm going to have to see if they can make it without them .

 

[disneymom1980]

Well, we're getting closer and closer, so I'm once again trying to get things done. I got our shirts in the mail the other day (I ordered them from jiffyshirts.com), and now all I have to do is get the transfers and put them on. I figured I'd add some pictures of them Dh and I are both going to have 5, and both DDs will have 6.

These are mine

These are DH's

and these are DD #2 (DD #1 came from Penney's, so they weren't out when I took pictures)

All blank so far, but not for long!

 

[disneymom1980]

I took some pictures of my planning notebook. I know it's difficult to read things on the spreadsheet pages, but it was the best I could do. I also took pictures of the autograph book I've made with the autograph pages from one of the DIS designers.

This is the autograph book......they are in alphabetical order, and it was DH's idea to put the tabs on so that the pages would be easier to find.

This is an example of some of the autograph pages.

Here is the cover of the notebook. The picture was done by Telynn.

The is the initial page I put together to get an idea of how much I needed to save for the trip.

This is the page that I put together to get an idea of what meals we wanted to do and if they were character meals or not.

This spreadsheet contains the hours for the parks, times of parades, EMHs, etc. I also have a second spreadsheet that has places for all of the meals and ADR confirmation numbers.

This is the list of pressed pennies in Disney that I copied off the web. We've decided that the pennies will make up the majority of our souveniors.

There are some other things in there, but these are the important pages.

 

[punkin413]

wow! you're WAY more detailed than i am! and i thought i was bad. that's some great organization!

 

[disneymom1980]

wow! you're WAY more detailed than i am! and i thought i was bad. that's some great organization!

Thanks.....DH thinks I'm a little crazy, but I actually enjoy doing it.

 

[OneTreeHillAddict]

I love the autograph book you put together! That's a GREAT idea! I wish I had one of those! I love the cards...they're so detailed. Your planner notebook is great too! I have those...one from each trip. I keep everything in them. It's fun to add the WDW stuff into them to look back on years later (park maps, hotel info, etc...) Make sure you keep all of that. You guys are very prepared!!!

 

[jojo05]

I took some pictures of my planning notebook. I know it's difficult to read things on the spreadsheet pages, but it was the best I could do. I also took pictures of the autograph book I've made with the autograph pages from one of the DIS designers.

This is the autograph book......they are in alphabetical order, and it was DH's idea to put the tabs on so that the pages would be easier to find.

This is an example of some of the autograph pages.

Here is the cover of the notebook. The picture was done by Telynn.

The is the initial page I put together to get an idea of how much I needed to save for the trip.

This is the page that I put together to get an idea of what meals we wanted to do and if they were character meals or not.

This spreadsheet contains the hours for the parks, times of parades, EMHs, etc. I also have a second spreadsheet that has places for all of the meals and ADR confirmation numbers.

This is the list of pressed pennies in Disney that I copied off the web. We've decided that the pennies will make up the majority of our souveniors.

There are some other things in there, but these are the important pages.

wow! you guys are crazy!! you're going to have so much fun!!
i like the autograph book. it's awesome!!

 

[disneymom1980]

Ok everyone.....I'm like jumping up and down crazy happy!!! I was browsing through the discount code thread and found one that applied to our trip. It saved us over $1,000 !!!!!! I'm so excited....I told DH he no longer gets to give me a hard time about being on the DISboard all the time .

 

[disneymom1980]

Well, I finally finished my coundown calendar, and I have to credit the idea to punkin413 (thanks again ). Home Depot didn't have Mickey heads in the exact colors that I wanted, so I went with blue, green, red, and purple and a princess theme. I think it turned out pretty well, and DD #1 was SO EXCITED when she saw it. We won't be able to start taking Mickey heads off until the beginning of September. Sorry the picture isn't better, I think my shadow kind of made it a little dark. I'll take another picture when I get it hung up in my daughter's room.

Also, this is the bag that we got for DH to carry while we're there.

The bottom half unzips and is waterproof, padded, and has separate compartments for our camera and video camera. The top half is just for personal stuff, and will probably hold diapers for us.

 

[OneTreeHillAddict]

Congrats on finding the code!!! Glad she had your dresses too! You're going to have a wonderful trip!!!

 

[disneymom1980]

I'm glad that you all liked the countdown calendar Now I just need to figure out some way to get it to stay hung up on the wall. I tried scotch tape, but it fell down pretty quickly. I don't really want to use that sticky tack stuff because it sometimes stains your paint. I don't even know what else to try.

However.......today is exactly 2 months until our trip !!!!!! I'm so excited. I also ordered a little surprise for DD #1, and they came in the mail today. I'll post pictures and explain after she is in bed. Of course one of you (OneTreeHillAddict --thanks again) may already know what this is .

The other exciting news......tomorrow is DD #2's FIRST birthday! I can't believe my baby is going to be 1!!! It seems like just yesterday that we were bringing her home from the hospital.....now she's walking and talking. It just doesn't seem possible.

Ok, one more piece of excitement going on at our house right now. DD #1 started kindergarten yesterday. My little ones are growing up way too fast! She is at school all day this year (as opposed to 1/2 day preschool last year), and it's an adjustment for both of us. It actually makes things at home a bit harder because DD #1 was a great help in entertaining DD #2.....it's pretty much impossible for me to get anything done during the day now except when DD #2 is sleeping. Oh well, we'll adjust.....I'm glad DD is enjoying school.....except the lunches!!!

 

[disneymom1980]

Well, in addition to the pictures of the surprise, I figured I'd include a few others. Here is DD #1 ready for the first day of school yesterday.

Here are the surprises......a Cinderella dress and a jasmine outfit for DD #1.

She is getting the Tinkerbelle costume from the BBB, and that's the only costume I was planning on. Well, I found an ebay seller that sells the dresses from the Disney parks at 1/2 price. I just couldn't resist it. We are having dinner at 1900 Park Fare, so I figured she could wear the Cinderella one for that (DD used to always say that Cinderella was her favorite princess, but for some reason the last couple of days she has been saying that her favorite is Belle......oh well). As for Jasmine, I loved the costume, and, honestly, I know that DD probably wouldn't pick it for herself. We are going to the princess breakfast in Norway, and I figure she can wear it that day so that even if Jasmine isn't in the breakfast, hopefully we can find her and Aladdin in the World Showcase.

She is at the age right now where she really loves princesses and dressing up.....I guess seeing her go to kindergarten reminded me that she won't always be little. What if by the next time we go (probably not until 2012) she doesn't want to dress up anymore. I just don't want to miss the opportunity.

Thank you all for the birthday wishes for DD #2. Tune in the next couple of days, and I'm sure you'll see pictures. Her party with our extended familly isn't until the 30th, but we always have cake and stuff on their actual birthday too!

 

[OneTreeHillAddict]

She is going to love her costumes!!!! I've seen Jasmine at breakfast a couple of times so ya might see her. If not she hangs out in Morocco but I know you already know that! I'm bringing both Belle and Ariel to breakfast...hopefully Ariel will greet. (Although at Breakfast we've always gotten Belle.)