The US Domestic Checklist
When I started writing this blog, I had every intention of ignoring the uber-planning kind of posts that seem to prevail on the Dis. Afterall, if you all want to read about that kind of precision planning detail, there are heaps of other PTRs on this section of the Dis and heaps more super-uber-planners out there than me.
However, it seems that I should probably give a little update on where my plans stand so that I can hold my head up high on this section of the Dis.
(You do realize that this post is all about me being able to keep some degree of dignity on the Dis?)
Afterall, what sort of Dis-ser could I claim to be if I didn't at least have some precision planning details sorted out???
I have previously posted about the International things that MUST be attended to; even before leaving the house to board the plane. I have also posted that all the must-do's on that list is complete.
So, that only leaves the US Domestic must-do's to consider. Without further ado, here's my list.
1.
Accommodation. Out of the 27 night's accommodation that I need to plan for, I have booked 26 nights and fully paid for 20 of those nights. I have also converted the appropriate amount of money for the remaining 6 nights to cover it all. The remaining night's accommodation is the final night in LA. I know where I want to stay and it really is stubbornness on my part - holding out for a deal - more than anything that is stopping me from completing this task. But lets face it.....technically, this must-do is complete; as it's not as if I won't be able to find a hotel room somewhere in LA.
2.
Internal flights. COMPLETE. We have a total of 3 legs on this trip. The flights are all booked and paid for.
3.
Car Hire. COMPLETE. We have booked and paid for all the car hire we need for Los Angeles and the 4-Corners Road Trip. DH and I talked about hiring a car when we were in Orlando and I think we came to the conclusion that we won't need one as we plan to remain in the Disney bubble for most (if not all) of the time.
4.
Airport Transfers. COMPLETE. My cousin is going to take us to the Melbourne airport. We've firmed up the arrangements last night.
I've also booked ME for the MCO to WDW leg. DH and I have agreed to catch a cab from WDW to UO and from UO to MCO. As mentioned above, we did think about hiring a car in Orlando for a couple of days but in the end, decided we would cab it instead.
All other airport transfers will be via the hire car bus/facilities.
The only transfer we haven't confirmed is how to get home from Melbourne airport. I suspect we may decide to cab it as well.
5.
Day tours. COMPLETE. I've booked all the day tours that we would like to take. Where possible, I've pre-paid for them; and converted the equivalent amount in cash to pay for the rest.
6.
Food budget. COMPLETE. We're doing OOP for the entire trip and I've allocated a certain budget for food. The equivalent amount of US currency has been changed and I know we will be blowing this budget completely before we even get to WDW!
7.
Eateries research. COMPLETE. Yup. I will admit that I've researched the heck out of the places we're travelling to and every little town in between to work out possible locations to eat. For each mealtime, I have provided us with at least 1 option and on most days, I've identified 2 - 3 options.
This is not to say that I've completely mapped out where and what I'll be eating for the entire 27 day journey; but rather it's about having the fallback options to rely on if we don't find something else along the way. We've long worked out that this is the best way for us to travel as a family. I have to point out that we rarely eat at these options but there is nothing worse than trying to find somewhere to eat in a strange town when there are two hungry grumps and a pesky-vegetarian in the pack.
I know I'm probably going to blow the food budget because there are a number of restaurants that I'd like to eat in; but it will depend on whether we are in the area or not.
8.
WDW ADRs. COMPLETE. Like every other good Dis-ser, this was completed at the 180 (plus 10) day mark.
9.
Theme Park tickets. I have purchased tickets from Undercover Tourists for WDW (7-day hopper with water fun and more) and UO (2 day PTP tickets). These have been delivered; so I just need to remember to bring them with me. The only other park tickets I need are for
Disneyland and I think these might be sorted as well - I just need to confirm the arrangement.
10.
Print out of all booking confirmations. COMPLETE. I've got these already sorted out in chronological order in my trip planning folder. I normally put these in envelops for each location and will be doing just this thing in about 3 week's time. I've sent a copy of all the bookings to DH for him to download on his phone and also have them in storage on a universally accessible email box.
11.
Driving directions. COMPLETE. Thanks to a fellow Aussie Dis-ser, I have an American GPS in my possession. It is much appreciated! And as back-up, I've printed out directions on how to get between locations for all of the 'A to B' trips.
12.
DisMeets. COMPLETE. I've locked in a number of DisMeets on this trip.....heck! This trip is one complete DisMeet. Arrangements are mostly finalized and I'm sure looking forward to catching up with everyone. I'm even travelling half way round the world to catch up with some DisANZACs in Anaheim as well as in WDW!
13.
Day to Day Itinerary. I've mapped out and documented our day to day itinerary to summarise our plans, driving destinations, hotels, tours, shops and potential restaurants all the way up to arriving in Orlando. I tend to put all the important information down on one page, including reservation numbers, and addresses/contact details of every place we're going to. It's just a summary of all the various booking confirmations in the one spot so that I don't have to keep flicking between the individual printed out pages. I expect to have this completed by the end of the month.
I also expect to cover my WDW days in the day to day plans; but DH and I had a chat about this part of the trip. We normally go commando - and there well may be some of that - but we might just go with the flow on this trip. The ADRs will provide us with the structure of which park to hit on which days.
14.
Things I won't be worrying about.
I won't need to worry about Mousekeeping envelops as were doing DVC this trip. I think we might get a change of sheets on day 4; but that's about it.
Baggalini vs Vera Bradley? My answer is neither. I have a Lowepro camera bag that I lug around. Neither the Baggalini nor Vera Bradley will safely hold my camera gear.
Walking shoes. At this stage, I'll be wearing my Sketchers and putting a decent pair of shoes in the bag. I plan to buy shoes; so the less I take, the more space I have to fill up. But there is still another month to go between now and this trip. I do have a pair of Geox shoes that I bought in Hong Kong that would be better for walking in than the Sketchers. We'll see.
15.
So what's left?
I have packing left to do. I tend to pack light - usually enough clothes to last for 4 days plus something smart to wear; and lots of underwear and socks - so that I have space in the bag for shopping. DH and I have our travelling wardrobe pretty much sorted out and I don't think we'll be deviating from the routine on this trip.
Keep converting Aussie cash into US dollars. Who knows with the exchange rate? It's all a big unknown and my crystal ball has been foggy for a long time. I'll just continue with what I've been doing and keep buying little bits between now and the trip.
Aside from that, and the few loose ends in the list above, I think I'm nearly there for this trip. And if I've missed anything, I really don't want to know!!!
ETA - Whilst I've signed up to MyDisneyExperience, I think I'll just leave this website to one side for now. I doubt that it will improve between now and September and I don't need the added aggravation.
, it'll be nearly time for your trip! 
We will find a way next time.
I wish you were coming. 
And I agree....it's a shame that we're not doing a DisMeet this time.
