A Overplanner's Pre-Trip Report

[CatNipRules]

Okay, so my first PTR did not pan out. I got lost soon after the first post and well, I wanted to start over again. LOL!!

When: October 5th-12th 2012.
Who: Michelle, Mike & Chris
Why: Seriously? Do we need to ask that question? LOL!!

I guess I will start by introducing ourselves.

First there is me. Dubbed Overplanner Extraordinaire by DH. In my everyday life, I'm known as Michelle.

As much as I hate having my picture taken, I guess I will share it with everyone here. Not the most flattering picture ever, but the most recent one that I have. LOL! My best friend and sister Krystal is in the picture with me. Unfortunately she won't be able to join us on this trip.

Forgive the messy hair. It was taken after a long day at the beach in NJ and I was tired and sweaty. LOL!!

Up next is my DH Mike. He's a big kid at heart and can talk like Goofy. As such, he's forever trying to embarrass our son. We've been married for 16 years and have taken numerous trips to Disney over the years. However, since we moved to Alabama we haven't been recently.

See? He's very much like a child and that's one of the many reasons why I love him. Another is because he puts up with my Disney obsession. He is the love of my life and I'm lucky to have found him. He is definitely not a planner. He's the kind of man that goes along with whatever I plan and he's fine with it. I've learned over the years that trying to involve him in any of the planning is, in a word, useless. He's just not going to do it. No matter how much I beg or plead, he's just not interested in planning anything. As such, he has lost his right to complain about anything I plan on our vacation. LOL! He says that is fine with him. He's just along for the ride anyway.

Last, but definitely not least, we have our DS15 Chris:

Also known as Grumpy on days that you wake him up too early. He has been to Disney numerous times since he was little. His first trip was when he was 3. His favorite park has always been EPCOT. What? Why not Magic Kingdom or even Animal Kingdom? I have no idea to be honest. He's always been into science and he loves Future World. Whenever we asked him which park he wanted to do first, his answer was always immediate. EPCOT. I can't count the number of times that we've done the Behind the Seeds Tour. He loves it and it's always on his top 10 must do list. I guess that's why he is in advanced science classes.

Okay, so the planning for this trip actually started in October of 2010. We had been planning on going in June of 2011. Then, my father in law was diagnosed with colon cancer. Needless to say, we felt like the trip needed to be put on hold. All three of us decided that we can do a trip to Disney anytime. I'm glad that we did. Because DH lost quite a bit of time from work taking care of his dad and trying to save for vacation would have been nearly impossible.

Before we knew it, DFIL passed away and we were all shell shocked. I honestly didn't feel up to planning a trip anywhere. Not even to my Happy Place. Because quite honestly, I wasn't sure that my guys would be up to it. DH was the one that brought up booking a trip again. I had been wanting to, but was afraid to.

So, that being said, DH told me to go ahead and book the vacation in January. I was still kind of hesitant and DH kept telling me to go ahead and book it. So, I called our TA and booked the trip..

We are staying at POFQ. Originally I was wanting to stay at Riverside, but because I know that they have Queen beds at FQ and not sure about Riverside, I changed to stayed there. LOL!! Because my husband is a bed hog. LOL!

We are flying on Delta and thanks to DS's school having a fall break, we are able to go at one of our favorite times of year. We are leaving a day early, but I'm going to talk to DS's principal and see if I can get him an excused absence. The World can be educational, it's just knowing where to look.

So, before I knew it, we had the trip paid off. I've bought numerous gift cards for our spending money. Much to Grumpy and Goofy's chagrin, I've got a few days worth of matching t-shirts. I had to bribe them just a bit, but it was worth it. LOL!!

So, on the way to our ADR day, DS and I were home and we were looking through the different books. Well, it just happened to be a day that there were a bunch of horrible storms and tornado warnings going through our area. Because of what happened in our town on April 27th last year, Grumpy was freaking out. I knew that I needed to do something to take his mind off of what was going on around him.

So, I pulled out the Disney books. I told him, "Lets look through the different restaurants."

Okay, I admit I had an ulterior motive. I needed someone helping me some of the decisions. Goofy wasn't going to help, so maybe I could get Grumpy to help. So, after a few hours, we had narrowed down a few places that he wanted to eat. His number one choice? The Garden Grill.

Grumpy does love EPCOT. LOL!! Then he told me that he forgot all about the weather. LOL!!

So, I'll mostly be posting about our journey to getting to the World. Once we get there I will start a trip report. Maybe even a Dining report.

We are going the Deluxe Dining Plan. That was Goofy's #1 request. He didn't want to have to worry about paying for the food out of pocket. I tried telling him that it might be cheaper to do it out of pocket, but he didn't want to hear it. He told me that he didn't want to worry about running out of money. So, we are doing the Deluxe Dining Plan. Goofy might not want to plan, but he does have his opinion when it comes to paying for the food.

So, if you've stayed with me to the end of this, I thank you and I look forward to sharing the journey to getting back to the World with everyone.......

 

[Suz8]

I had to smile when you mentioned your DH was a non planner. I'm an over planner too and my DH style is to not preplan and just make flight/hotel reservations when the time comes. I need to think of a way to sneak in a discussion of ADRs before the 180 day mark, lol.

 

[CatNipRules]

I had to smile when you mentioned your DH was a non planner. I'm an over planner too and my DH style is to not preplan and just make flight/hotel reservations when the time comes. I need to think of a way to sneak in a discussion of ADRs before the 180 day mark, lol.

LOL!! Mine refuses to discuss anything as far as the ADR's go. It's annoying sometimes. LOL!!

 

[CatNipRules]

Now for a bit of a history of the start of our planning.

This will be our first trip back home in nearly six years. We formerly lived in Florida, about 2 hours away from Disney. So, we were fairly frequent visitors. We had seasonal passes and went there on spur of the moment trips quite frequently. Now however, living in Alabama, we haven't had a chance to get back for some time. All of us were homesick for our favorite place in the world.

We had been planning to go back in June of 2011. However, my husband's father had been diagnosed with colon cancer in August of 2010. Dear FIL started going downhill around March of 2011. So, we had to postpone our trip. We were all a bit disappointed, but family always comes first. So, we put our trip plans on hold.

The day that we were originally supposed to leave for Disney, was kind of a downer. I knew that we would be going back, but just didn't know when. I'd been saving for quite awhile and well, it was just disappointing and I wished that FIL would get better.

Well, between the time that we had to take off to help take care of Dear FIL, our savings for the trip was quickly depleted. So, I found myself getting more and more depressed. Our time was soon spent between helping FIL and trying to work. Trying to keep the family together and still maintain some kind of sanity for everyone.

We lost him on Halloween of 2011. He was a wonderful man and loving father and an even better Grandfather. Before he passed away he told us that he wanted us to take our trip to Disney. That he wanted us to be happy after he was gone. I hated that. Hated that he was worrying more about us than he was about himself. I lost my dad after DS was born so he has always been like a father to me. I was in tears when I left the room that night.

So, fast forward to January of this year. DH decided that we were going to go to Disney this year. He told me that he wanted to plan it. He didn't care where we stayed, but he wanted to fly. He's the driver in our family and he doesn't want to be exhausted after driving all day.

So, after hemming and hawwing (yes, I live in Alabama. LOL!!) about if, I went ahead and planned our trip for October of this year. DS has fall break every year and I talked to my boss about taking that week off and she was okay with it. Cool. First major hurdle cleared.

I changed hotels after deciding that I HAD to stay at POR. We are doing the Dining Plan for the first time. Deluxe, because my guys are big eaters and very fussy eaters. We'd stayed there in October 2006. Well, the more I read about FQ, the more I wanted to stay there. So, after having the entire trip paid for, I changed hotels. We are staying at FQ. LOL!! DH had no idea.

There is a story behind that one though. I think I'm a little Disney obsessed. There's really no doubt about that one. But, DH finally told me that he doesn't care what I plan or where we are going to eat. He just wants to know when we are going and when we leave. I was a bit upset at him because of this. He knows how much I love Disney and I love planning my trips. Even when we lived in Florida I would plan for months in advance. I'm a bit obsessed.

 

[CatNipRules]

Okay, for the latest installment of my seemingly never ending drama on the trip to our family vacation.

*rant follows*

So, when we last left off, I had changed our ressies from Riverside to French Quarter. I told hubby about it that night. He just shrugged and said, that he figures I'll change it a few more times before October gets here. LOL!! I think I'm good with where we are staying now. I've heard a lot of good things about the resort so I'm happy now.

Okay, so the reason for the title of this chapter is coming up now. My sister, AKA Dear Sis AKA DQ or Drama Queen. Let me just start by saying that I love my sister. I really do, but she has a way of making things much, much harder than they have to be. She is the baby of the family and I'm the oldest of 5. We have a few brothers in between us. Well, everyone in the family pretty much catered to her her whole life.

And now for the reason why I don't let DH plan any part of the trips that we take. He wanted to go down to South Florida to visit with her and my niece. Which I was all for. Well, then he got the brilliant idea of inviting Becky (niece) and DQ to come with us. Well, he decided to buy her Florida resident seasonal passes. Well, she didn't think that she would use them more than once. Okay, so DH says we can give her a birthday and early Christmas present. She's a single mom so it's hard for her to do stuff like this for her daughter. DH and I both have well paying jobs and can afford to treat her to a short 2 day vacation.

Well, I checked into Pop Century and added tickets and the basic dining plan. It was a little under $900. It made me gulp, but it's still doable. I can make a deposit and pay it off before we get there.

So, all DQ has to do is rent a car and pay for gas. Since we have over 7 months before vacation it should be a piece of cake to save for both. Right? Wrong. Not for DQ. She decides that she doesn't want to rent a car. Too expensive. So, she's going to take Amtrak. Okay, while it's a bit cheaper, she doesn't know how she's going to get from the train station to the resort. She starts hinting to the fact that she needs a ride.



I told her that DH and I aren't planning on renting a car. We are flying and then taking ME to our resort. So, she keeps hinting and hinting that she needs a ride. I finally got upset enough at her that I told her that I'm doing what I can do. I'm practically paying for her whole trip and if she can't pay for the rental car and the rest of the stuff, then I don't think she needs to go.

I wasn't proud of myself afterwards, but you have to understand, she has always been like this. If you give her an inch, she wants a yard. I told DH last night that he needs to stay out of our planning now. Planning for our family is stressful, but add in my sister and her drama is making it impossible to enjoy any of the planning. Not that I enjoy it, but I find that it is fun planning a trip to Disney. Even more so since we haven't been in such a long time. So much has changed since the last time we were there.

I've come to the conclusion that if she isn't happy with what we are willing to give her, well she can just forget about it. I'm not a flowing fountain of money and refuse to be pressured into doing even more for her.
*rant over*

Okay, so for some fun stuff. I went onto the Disney Store website last night and ordered matching shirts for us. I figure that I will only get one day of matching shirts out of DS. So, I let him pick the design that he liked best. Well, he likes red, so I got his in red and DH and I got gray. I also got an Eeyore shirt for me.

DH humors me when it comes to this stuff. So, I saw that they had the 2 shirts for $28. Hmmmmm... So, my brain starts going in overdrive then. Hehehehehe.... So, I found matching shirts for me and DH. I got him a 25th Anniversary of Mickey Mouse and a matching Minnie Mouse t-shirt for me. LOL!!

Well, with the 25% off sale that they have going on right now I thought it was a pretty good deal. Well, then I saw another coupon when I was checking out for free shipping. Yeah!!!

So, between the 25% off and the free shipping I saved over $50!! Yeah baby!

I went back and did some more shopping this morning. I got some more shirts for us, a Grumpy jacket for me and flips flops for the plane for all of us. Oh and some Eeyore slippers. I love Eeyore. LOL!! I saved a ton more money! I love shopping and especially when stuff is on sale and free shipping!!

 

[CatNipRules]

This chapter could be titled: How much money can we spend before we even go on vacation? Or maybe, Eek! There's a spider in the garage that's chasing me and going to eat me. I know it's true because it was on Harry Potter.

LOL!!

Found about 4 black widow spiders on my side of the garage. That simply will not do. If there's one thing in life that terrifies me, it's spiders. I can deal with snakes and pretty much every other creepy crawly, but spiders terrify me to no end. So, I called a pest control guy and they can't come out until Wednesday. Seriously? What if the spiders try to eat me? They might be like the spiders from HP and run after me. I hated that movie simply because of that scene. LOL!!

Seriously though, last night we went to Target. I live and breathe at that store sometimes. DH works there and well, lets just say that sometimes I spend more $$ there than I should.

Last nights trip started off innocently enough. We went because my boss's son had a gift card that he wanted to use. He spent the night and since his mom hardly ever shops at Target, I volunteered to take him.

Well, the boys went to check out the toy department and DH and I were in electronics. Well, he motioned for me to check out the cameras. I looked around and didn't really see any that I liked. Mostly because of a bad experience a few years ago. I fell in love with a camera and bought it. Well, when I got home and started playing with it, I hated it. It had way too many features and was overkill for me. Too many settings and it did nothing but confuse me. I spent our whole trip to DC trying to figure out how to take pictures with this stupid camera that I paid $$ for and seemed like a waste of money afterwards.

Well, I found a camera that was on clearance for $99.99. Not a bad deal. Didn't have too many features, and it was easy to hold. It felt like one of the old 35mm cameras. I loved it. Well, I should have known that it was too good to be true. They were sold out.

So, I looked again and they had a similar model that was more $$, but an upgrade from this one. Great. Upgrade usually means harder to use. So, I was looking and looking at this one. Trying to decide if I wanted to waste more money on a camera that I won't be able to use. Well, I'm standing there trying it out in the store and after a little while, I decide that this is the camera for me. Just enough functions to be useful, but not too many that it's going to be overwhelming. It's just that $$ part of it that's getting me. I'm cheap. Extremely cheap. I love saving $$ and hate spending any more than I have to.

Well, DH looks at me and tells me that if I want it, we should get it. So, lots of chewing my lip and considering it, I finally decided to just go ahead and do it. Well, it needed a memory card, so I got on of those on sale. And a case. Can't forget a case.

Well, by the time we were done. After DH's discount, plus a 5% discount that he gets for using Target's red card and a 5% discount from filling our prescriptions there, I ended up pretty much getting the case and memory card for free.

You'd think that was the end of my spending for the trip. Nope. Wait, there's more.

We need luggage. I mean like big time. The last time we bought luggage was when my DS was like 4 or 5. So we've pretty much outgrown everything that we have. DH & DS usually share, but since DS has gotten bigger, (wearing mens clothing sizes now. Thank you very much!) He needs his own suitcase now.

So, I go onto Amazon this morning, just to check out the prices. I love Amazon and everything to do with them. Don't get me wrong, I love Target, but there's just something about Amazon that gets me to spend $$ everytime I log onto the site.

Okay, so I'm browing their web site and I see the perfect luggage. It's just the right size for the plane. All the specs are correct and it's blue. So neither of my guys will freak out because mom picked out some nasty color like pink or purple. Heaven forbid.

Well, I ordered a luggage scale also. In total it came to just over $100. I get free shipping because of the whole Prime membership. (Thank you very much Kindle Fire.)

So, it's supposed to be delivered on Wednesday. Hubby has no idea I ordered it, but he did tell me it was okay to order some luggage. LOL!

DS who shall henceforth be known as, I'm a stick in the mud Chris, decided to question me about why he has to wear matching t-shirts with us. I told him that it's a tradition. He looked at me and asked since when. I laughed and told him since now. He came back with, i still think it's a stupid idea. DH, who has learned to humor me, told him to be quiet and just don't argue with me. Because he's never going to win.

So, I got to deal with an almost 15 year boy's attitude. Although it's nothing like dealing with a girl. I'm sooooo glad I had a boy. LOL!!

So, that's all for this edition of my wonderful journey back to WDW. Thank you for sticking with me and my rambling ways. Til next time.....

 

[CatNipRules]

Well, I got my first order the The Disney Store. Well, I'm checking it in and see that there are two 25th anniversary Mickey shirts. Well, I'm worrying that they sent me two of them instead of one Mickey and one Minnie. Well, Minnie was all the way on the bottom.

Whew. I was worried there for a moment.

So, I emailed them and told them what happened. Because I wouldn't want to keep something that I didn't pay for. I don't know if they are going to want me to send it back or not, but I made the attempt.

I'm thinking about offering it to someone here. See, DH has one and DS can't wear the size that they sent me. DS wears medium/large mens shirts. This one is a small. Not sure if anyone would want it, but if never hurts to offer right??

So, with all of my planning and obsessing, I forgot one thing. What's that you might ask? Luggage locks. Well, not just any luggage locks, they have to be TSA approved luggage locks. Because the luggage that I bought come with them, but they aren't TSA approved.

Okay, fine. I saw a pack of 4 on Amazon. Well, DH tells me that he doesn't want any that need a key. Really? After all this time and planning you decide to start interjecting plans now? LOL!! Spent the last 45 minutes going through Amazon to see if there are any that I like. Haven't found anything yet. I still have plenty of time to get them though. So, I'm not going to stress out over it.

Very short one today. Thanks for reading.....

 

[CatNipRules]

Got some travel booklets in the mail today. I love reading about anything Disney. LOL!!

I finally got DH to sit down and look at a few menus with me. It's not that I doubt that he can find something to eat, I just don't want him to be hungry after we eat and want more. LOL! I want him to enjoy his feasting at Disney too. LOL!

He did say that he was fine with me booking whatever meals I wanted to, but he did request that I leave one meal a day free so that we can eat if we get hungry early.

See, we usually eat an early breakfast and a late dinner.Then, whenever we get hungry during the day we eat lunch. So, he just requested that we live most of our lunches open. LOL!

I'm fine with that. And he did tell me that most of the food that I was worried about was something that he would be interested in trying.

See, we are very different in what we eat and like. I love the Melting Pot. He thinks that it's a waste of money. Too much money and not enough food. I would honestly go there just for the chocolate. LOL!!

DS will eat it, but I think he just likes cooking his own food. DS & DH love seafood. I can only eat fish. I can eat clams and oysters, but that's about it. I'm normally afraid to venture out of my comfort zone as far as the places that I eat. See, we live in a small town and most of the people that work at the restaurants know us. They know I'm allergic to shellfish so they always take extra steps to keep me safe.

Now that I know that Disney is great with allergies, I'm starting to venture out of my comfort zones. DH as to go to Cape May. I think I surprised him when I agreed. I just need to figure out if we are going to do breakfast or dinner there.

DS is not really into character meals. He has agreed that he will take some pictures with some of the characters. He's named some of the characters from Kingdom Hearts. He loves that game. LOL! So, we might do the dinner there. Although, I might decide to just do breakfast. Still figuring that one out.

We bought the luggage for the trip and the locks. Got all of the stuff that I ordered from the Disney store. Basically now all I'm waiting on is making my ADR's. Trying to decide on what are must do's, what are we would like to do, and what we can skip. LOL!! We have a few places that are must do's on every trip. Garden Grill for one. Crystal Palace is another. That's the one character meal that I won't miss. LOL!!

I told DS that I wanted to eat at the Castle. LOL!! I got a look that said, "If you're gonna do that then you are going to be doing it alone." LOL!! He ate there when he was 5 and I bring out the pictures to remind him of how cute he was. LOL!! I told him that we need to do it once every 10 years and it's an anniversary thing. Again, I got another look that could kill. LOL!! I don't think I could even convince DH to do it. LOL! My guys are just no fun anymore.

I'm just so excited about this trip. Although I'm a bit worried today. We live in Alabama and have a bunch of severe weather in the area. A tornado went through just South of us. So, we are preparing for some bad weather. Gotta love Alabama. LOL!!

So, I'm going back to pouring over the boards and looking at other trip reports.

 

[CatNipRules]

Okay, so I bought a few Disney Gift Cards for our trip. I figure that's one way that we can save $$ and not worry about spending it on other things. We bought it at Target and DH works at Target. The best part about it is that DH gets a discount on things. Even gift cards.

Well, let me tell you one thing. DH was in the doghouse this weekend.

Lets back up a bit.

Okay, so maybe I was PMS'ing. Maybe it was just the terrible week that I'd had. Whatever it was, I wasn't in the mood for any more people telling me that I talk too much about Disney.

Well, we went to Shoney's. For those of you that don't know, Shoney's has an awesome breakfast buffet. Well, DS and I went to get our food. I actually went first and then DS went. Leaving DH sitting at the table. Well, I went and sat down just as DH was going to get his food. DS looked at me and said, "Dad told me that I shouldn't talk about Disney with you. Because you already talk about it too much."

Okay. At first I thought he was kidding. Then, I asked him if he had made it up. He tried to tell me that he had. Well, the way he looked and the way he said it, I knew that it was all his dad saying it. So, DH gets back to the table and I asked him if he said that. He started getting mad at DS. I looked at him and told him no. I want to know the truth.

Okay, this is where I know I was probably PMS'ing. Because he admitted that he said it. Well, it took me all of 4 seconds to burst into tears. I called him a few choice words and picked up my purse and walked out of the restaurant. I seriously debated leaving him there. He's the only person that understands my obsession and he's supposed to be the one person that I can count on to listen to me. It hurt when he said that to DS. I'm not even sure why.

Well, DS comes out to the car and asks me to come back inside. I was being stubborn and refused. So, DS went back into the restaurant at about the time that my stomach started rumbling. Dang it! Do I want to be stubborn, or do I want to eat. A few more stomach rumbles later and I decide to go back inside. Crap. So much for making a point. LOL!

Well, DS and DH both apologized and everything was back to normal. I was still a bit upset, but I got over it. i just took a few opportunities to remind him that I wasn't happy and he had better be glad that I had already paid for a non-refundable airline ticket. LOL!!

I can laugh about it now, but at that moment, I was ready to leave him at the restaurant.

So, I went and bought 4 of the Brita water bottles at Target. I bought 4 replacement filters to go along with it. Well, they were $17.99 for a two pack. I thought I got a good deal. Right? Wrong. We went to Sams yesterday and I found a 3 pack for $19.99.

DH had the receipt and I asked him for it. He told me that I had it. Uh, no, you had it because I was hunting for the Disney gift cards. He kept arguing with me and that's when DS told him that I was right. LOL!! Well, then he changes his story and says that they can look it up because we used the Target debit card. LOL!! Men....

Well, all is back to normal today. I had a good laugh about it at work. The girls are pretty much tired of hearing about it. Which I haven't talked about it all that much! Just a little. Okay, maybe more than a little, but I'm excited. I'm finally going back home!!

 

[CatNipRules]

Okay, so after days of stressing out over my ADR's, I finally decided that I was going to dumb it down a bit. DH doesn't like having too many ADR's and would be happy with winging it the entire time. I'm the exact opposite. I want to plan every meal.

So, our TA finally told us that we should compromise. So, DH said that he was good with doing early breakfasts and late dinners. That way, we would have most of the lunches free to do as we please. I did schedule a few lunches for us, but for the most part, we are looking for ADR's for breakfast and dinner.

When I sent my previous list to my TA, she was kind of hesitant, because I had sooooo many lunches on the list. So, I sat back and thought of what she tried to tell me. That you can't possibly schedule every meal and that you need to be flexible. Which is exactly what my DH was saying.

So, here is what we finally came up with.

Friday October 5th
Dinner- T-Rex

Saturday October 6th
Breakfast- Tusker House
Dinner- Ohana's- Would like a later reservation. Like 8:15 or so and a table so we can see Wishes. This was actually one of my TA's suggestions.

Sunday October 7th
Breakfast- Chef Mickey's
Dinner- Crystal Palace

Monday October 8th
Lunch- Mama Melrose's- Fantasmic Package
Dinner- 50's Prime Time

Tuesday October 9th
Breakfast- Ohana’s
Dinner- Cape May Clam Bake

Wednesday- October 10th
Breakfast- Kona's
Lunch- Le Celier or Biergarten
Dinner- Garden Grill

Thursday October 11th
Breakfast- Boma’s
Dinner- Tony's Town Square

Friday October 12th
Breakfast-Crystal Palace
Lunch- Biergarten or Le Celier
Dinner- San Angel Inn

I know that we are doing a lot of buffets, but our family really enjoys them. Mostly because DS is such a finicky eater sometimes. He can usually find something to eat on a buffet. He has gotten better over the years though. LOL!!

I know that I have Le Celier and Biergarten on their twice. I'm trying for one for each day and if I can't get Le Celier, then we will settle for Biergarten and take the other one off.

I haven't told DH about eating at Ohana's late Sunday night. DH always loves watching fireworks and the parades. DS and me? Not so much. We would rather ride the rides while everyone else is busy watching the parades. So, he usually ends up missing out on them. I want this trip to be different. He is such a wonderful husband and father. I know that I don't tell him that nearly enough. He really puts up with a lot from me sometimes. I know that I can be a handful sometimes. I'm picky about a lot of things and he just goes with the flow a lot of times. I know that he does it to make me happy and I love him for that. So, this trip, I want to do everything I can to make some of his wishes come true. We've been married for 16 years and not a day goes by that I don't ask myself how I managed to marry someone like him.

And I know a lot of people don't like Tony's, but I want to give it a try. A lot of the restaurants will be a first for us, so we shall see.

Okay, now I ordered a few things off of the disneystore.com website. LEt me just say, that site confuses me sometimes. I odered two things last week and one was shipped on Friday. Okay, so I figured that they would come together. Right? Apparently not. Because I got one on Monday and the shipping label said that both items should have been in the box. Strange. I looked in the box. DH looked in the box. Even DS looked in the box. It would have been a funny sight for someone to see. LOL! Thre people looking in a box that was clearly empty.

Well, I just assumed that it was the only order coming from them. So, I called Customer Service and the girl said that she would have to send an email to them because it was one of their external vendors. Okay, so I'm scratching my head at this one. I'm thinking that surely this has to be a mistake. I didn't think to check the UPS website and see if this was the package that was supposed to be delivered. I just assumed that it was.

Well, yesterday I decided to check. Low and behold, it wasn't the package that I had been tracking. It was another one. Strange. So, when I got home last night, there was another package waiting for me. It had the other item that I ordered. That was downright odd. The stranges part was that the box said, 1 of 1. I've worked in corporate offices and I know how mailing works. Lets just say, that was weird. I'm getting one last package today and hopefully that will be the last until our trip.

 

[CatNipRules]

Okay, so you know what they say about the best laid plans? They often go astray. Well, last week it looked like our trip just might not happen after all. I hate a major panic attack and I ended up working myself into a huge tizzy.

Why? Because our state legislature decided that our schools here in Alabama can't start any sooner than two weeks before Labor Day and they have to end no later than the Friday before Memorial day.

Why you ask? Because the counties that make up the Gulf Shores need the extra workers and most of them are high school workers. So, because 2 counties here in Alabama wanted this bill, the rest of the school districts have to follow suit.

The Governor vetoed the bill and sent it back with an Amendment, which both the house and Senate overruled. So, the new bill went into law.

So, instead of starting on August 8th, our schools are now starting on August 20th. So, this means that our fall break is now offically done with. Unless they extend the school day, which isn't likely to happen. They could extend it by 10 minutes a day and they would reach the mandatory 1,080 hours.

Well, after talking it over with my husband. Venting about it here. Talking with our TA and my friends, we decided that we are going to still go.

My son is an A/B student and we have never taken hom out of school for a trip like this before. However, we did it in good faith before the legislature decided to do this. So, the only saving grace is that the new Superintendant of the school system here is willing to work with parents that already have travel plans.

I did write him a note on Friday expressing how I felt and asking him to do whatever he can to save the fall break. I haven't heard back from him yet, but I know that I'm not the only one that emailed him about this. So, hopefully they will take the parents wishes into consideration.

Now, I can hear you asking, Why not just go another time of the year?

It's not that simple. I work in accounting so January through May is out. DH works in retail and Christmas is out. I refuse to go there during the summer. Way too hot and the crowds are terrible. So, that's why we've always went in October. We love the weather and the crowds are manageable.

So, thankfully the Superintendant is willing to work with us and other parents that have scheduled trips during this time. Also, apparently the school board allows for 10 days for family trips. I had no idea on this. My TA sent me a link and it had a letter that I can send to the school officials.

So, everything is on track to go. We have on MNSSHP tickets bought. The trip is 100% paid for and the letter has been sent to the principal. I will send him the letter again at the beginning of the next school year. After worrying about it the whole weekend, I'm finally getting excited about the trip again.

Because when it comes down to it, I hate taking him out of school. Especially if it means that he's going to get unexcused absences. Excused ones are better. What would be great would be if the teachers can give him the work

DH said that I was moping around the whole weekend. LOL! I don't see that, but I was defintely a bit down because of it. I know, that in the grand scheme of things, this isn't a big deal, but our family really, really needs this trip after everything that we've gone through this past year. I know. It sounds crazy. It's crazy to type that. How can a family need a trip to Disney? I've had many friends ask me that. I can never really explain it to them. There's just something magical about Disney and it's something that you can't really explain to anyone. They either get it or they don't. Unfortunately, I have very few friends that actually 'get' it.

Most of them think we are crazy. Why would adults want to go to a place for 'kids?'

Again, I try to explain that it's my happy place and it lets me forget my everyday troubles and just lets me relax for awhile. I try to tell them that it isn't just for kids. That even adults can have fun there.

Again, most of them don't get it.

Sorry. I just can't wait for our trip and love coming here and talking with others that enjoy Disney just as much as me.

So, the trip is still on. Still obsessing over every little detail. I can't wait until we get to under 100 days. It seems like so far away now.

 

[CatNipRules]

Well, now that we have the whole Fall break thing worked out, some other snag gets thrown at us. What's that you might ask? I'm so glad you asked and I will be glad to tell you.

Well, I work for a small accounting office. Well, there are 4 people working there. Well, the owner is 83 years old and is getting on in age and stamina. She's been sick much of the year and going downhill.

So, my boss, her daughter, pulled me into her office on Thursday.I was sure that I was getting the axe. We just aren't covering our expenses. Well, she told me that she needs to put me on part time. Which means 15 hours a week. That's half of what I was working.

I had seen the writing on the wall and knew that it was coming soon. DH and I talked about it and we can make it on that. His check pays our bills and mine is for groceries and spending money. Well, now it will just be for groceries.

I need to call the state unemployment office and ask my contact there what happens if, after being part time for awhile, they decide to let me go. We can make it with me going part time, but not being unemployed. I'm just wondering if I can collect unemployment. So, I'm going to call her on Monday and have a chat with her. It stinks, but at least I will have more time with my son. We will use less gas.

I just thank God that we have our trip paid for and plenty of $$ in gift cards for spending money. I was feeling very down for a bit, but after talking to DH, this might be an okay thing.

On a happier note, I was talking to one of DH's friends at work. He's just as Disney obsessed as me. He just came back from Disney this past Wednesday and he ate at Le Cellier. He said that it was one of his best meals during that trip. I'm feeling much better about eating there.

Thanks for reading about my venting. I can't wait until I can do a real trip report about my trip. Although that will mean that my trip is over and I will be sad about that, but I still can't wait!

 

[CatNipRules]

So, you know that saying, when it rains it pours? That's my life lately.

We went out of town for Father's day. Well, we don't have any family to watch our dog here in town anymore, so we left our dog at a kennel. Big mistake. Because we got him out of the kennel Tuesday night and we take him home. Well, he didn't seem right when they were bringing him out to us. he seemed kind of scared. I can't explain it. Well, we get him home and I notice that he's limping. then, I see that his back leg is shaking and he's having trouble walking. What the heck? So, I call them and they say it's because he got his nails clipped. Ugh, I don't think so. He's had his nails clipped before and never had that problem.

Then, they said that it's because he has raw spots on his paws from walking on the concrete.

I didn't see any, so I told them that I want them to check him out. They are attached to a vets office. Apparently, and I knew this, he has bad knees. It's a birth defect in small dogs. So, he needs surgery. Would we do it? No question. He's a member of our family. It's expensive, but it needs to be done. He's in pain and I can't stand to see him in pain.

Ugh. Nine hundred dollars later. We even took him to our regular vet and he agreed. Surgery is the best option. Otherwise he would be in constant pain. So, surgery it is.

Now, this was the place we were going to use for our October trip. Not anymore. We checked out a few other places and found an excellent place in town.They are more expensive, but well worth it for the peace of mind that it's going to bring. The floors are just like the floors at home. No bare, rough concrete. The suites are big and they even have a tv. Yes, my dog is spoiled, but he's worth it.

Thank goodness our trip is totally payed for.....

 

[BearcatsFan]

I'm reading!

Your ADRs sound good. Sorry to hear about your pooch - hope things turn out okay.

BTW, I completely agree with you on DQ - if you're paying for her trip, the least she can do is get a rental car. Stand your ground!

 

[CatNipRules]

I'm reading!

Your ADRs sound good. Sorry to hear about your pooch - hope things turn out okay.

BTW, I completely agree with you on DQ - if you're paying for her trip, the least she can do is get a rental car. Stand your ground!

Thank for reading.

Thanks for the well wishes for my dog. He's a part of our family and there wasn't any question as to whether we were going to do the surgery or not.

 

[CatNipRules]

I broke down upgraded to the Photopass Plus. We had already pre-ordered the regular one, but I decided that for the extra $$ it was worth it to have the ride photos included. We always end up buying them anyways, so it just made sense for us.

Instead of $100 extra, it was only $70 extra. Which I was able to pay off using my Disney gift cards that I'd bought from Target. I saved quite a bit of $$ on them. I guess that it helps that my husband works there.

I also wanted to share a picture of the headbands that I had someone make for me. I have one for each day of our trip and one for each travel day. Yeah, I'm obsessed. LOL!!

Oh and my son is upset at me. Well, not at me really, but at Disney. Why you might ask? Well, I'm glad that you asked. He's 15 going on 50. He's very mature for his age. Except for when you wake him up early. Then, he's like a 4 year old and very crabby. LOL!

So, anyways, I was talking to DH about maybe doing one of the behind the scenes tours. DS was all excited about it. Until I told him that you have to be 16 for most of them. I found a few that you can do when you are younger. did it satisfy him? Oh no. I got a mouthful of teenage angst. The biggest one was when he said, "It's probably for babies."

Sure Chris, sure. Everything that there is for you to do is for babies. I asked him if he wanted to do the Wild Africa Trek. All I got from him is an eyeroll. It takes me back to my teenage years when he does that.

How about Dive with the Dolphins? A sigh and a, "What does that involve?"

Hey! At least it wasn't an eye roll. LOL! I told him that you talk with dolphin trainer and you can get in the water with the dolphins.

He shrugged and said, "It sounds like it might be fun. But it's a lot like going to school."

I need to find a wall and I need to hit my head against it. Or at least talk to it. Because at least the wall wouldn't do the whole teenage angst thing going on.

Okay, so scratch the idea of doing a tour. Maybe the three of us can do a hidden Mickey hunt in the park. Chris and Mike are good at those kind of things. Me? I kinda find hidden Mickey's everywhere. LOL! Oh look, there's a hidden Mickey in the swiss cheese. LOL! They keep trying to tell me that hidden Mickey's don't exist outside of Disney? Oh really? They found one on Mercury last week. How do you explain that? Huh? LOL!

My sister also decided that she couldn't afford to come with us. Which, in hindsight is probably a good thing. Because DH was dreading her coming with us. Plus, she has a new puppy and she doesn't want to leave him with anyone. Now I'm rolling my eyes. I love her, but she drives me crazy sometimes.

Well, we are at 101 days and counting. I really want to book the Wishes Dessert Party, but DH is kind of fighting me on it. Neither one of my guys is much of a sweets eater. My son hates pretty much anything chocolate. He will eat white chocolate on occasion. DH will eat sweets on occasion. He has to be in the mood for them though. I have two of the pickiest eaters on the planet. Chris is all about the pizza and chicken fingers or chicken nuggets. He has started eating different things, but I still can't get him to eat anything green. Which should be interesting when we go to Disney since we are doing the Deluxe dining plan. Hopefully Disney will have lots of vanilla ice cream when we are there. LOL!

Well, that's all for now. Thanks for reading.

 

[CatNipRules]

Okay, so this really isn't about my trip, but it kind of is. I decided to get a new tattoo. I have one Eeyore one and another cancer awareness one. I also have one fairy one. My tattoo artist is, in a word, amazing. She always figures out what I'm trying to do even if I'm not 100% sure myself. LOL!!

So, I am not one for most of the Princesses. Although, I've always loved Ariel. I'm not sure what it is about her that makes me smile. I've watched the Little Mermaid more times than I can count. So, I decided that I'm going to get a tattoo.

So, I found two pictures that she's going to use the pose from one and the coloring from another and the rock that she's sitting on in one. I also asked her to put a hidden Mickey on the rock. she's going to surprise me and put it on there somewhere. She's also going to add Sebastian onto the picture. I can't wait.

I made an appointment for August 8th. She busy and that was the first day that she had available. Although, she might have something open next weekend. It depends on whether her 5:00 p.m. appointment shows up or not. If not, she's going to call me and she will do it next weekend. I can't wait and hope that she calls me next weekend.

Bought the gift cards for our tip money. I know, I'm buying ahead of time, but I want to be prepared way ahead of time. With that, I'm done buying for the trip.

We have Buddy's kennel stay paid for. He's a pampered puppy.....

Well, that's all for now.

 

[MEK]

Wow! I just read your whole TR and you sure have a lot going on.

Imagine planning a trip and now your son's October break is canceled. I am glad you are moving ahead with your plans. I live in a state that only has Christmas and Spring breaks, the two worse times to travel anywhere. It must be wonderful to have an October break.

Your trip sounds great. I did do the Wild Africa Trek and it was really interesting. If you son loves the Behind the Seeds tour I would think he would love it. It's very well done and worth the price.

Nice deal on the camera. That Target discount must come in nice and handy. Love the headbands too!

 

[CatNipRules]

Wow! I just read your whole TR and you sure have a lot going on.

Imagine planning a trip and now your son's October break is canceled. I am glad you are moving ahead with your plans. I live in a state that only has Christmas and Spring breaks, the two worse times to travel anywhere. It must be wonderful to have an October break.

Your trip sounds great. I did do the Wild Africa Trek and it was really interesting. If you son loves the Behind the Seeds tour I would think he would love it. It's very well done and worth the price.

Nice deal on the camera. That Target discount must come in nice and handy. Love the headbands too!

Yeah, it seems like my life is part of a never ending drama lately. LOL! i'm definitely glad that I have a trip to Disney to plan. Otherwise I would very likely go crazy!

It was nice to have a Fall break. It's still off so until the state legislators get their acts together we are going to have to think of alternate plans.

I have a feeling that DS would love the Wild Africa Trek. It's something different and he definitely does love the Behind the Seeds tour.

Yeah, the discount comes in handy at times. LOL! Although I think I spend more money than I save sometimes. LOL!

Thanks for reading! It's nice to know that I'm not boring you to death. LOL!!

 

[CatNipRules]

Here are the pics of my most recent tattoo. It's not all clean and pretty since is just got done yesterday. Flounder still is a bit bloody, but I'll post pics after it heals completely.

It's on my left leg and kind of wraps around..... Hence the reason for 3 pictures....

There is a Hidden Mickey in there. I'm sure you will be able to find it with no problem. LOL!!

Not much else going on trip wise. I'm just trying to pass the time by reading other's trip reports and living vicariously through them. LOL!

I am actually going to look into getting matching shirts for the three of us. My friend owns a sports shop and I'm going to go in and talk to her next week. I'm thinking about getting our names put on the backs of them. That way we can see each other if we get separated. Not that it's ever been a problem before, but you never know. Plus I think it would be cool. And it would drive my husband and son crazy. LOL!!

Buddy's staples have been removed. He's still limping, but he's doing much better.

I'm still nervous about flying and i'm hoping that settles down before our flight. Not having flown in 13 years it's really scary to me. I know that everything will be fine, but part of me still worries. LOL!!