Confessions of an obsessive planner... Let the countdown begin!!

[Twoboysnmygirl]

sigh... You are going to have such a wonderful trip, I'm so excited for you!!!!

Make sure to take lots of pics for me if you take the boat to POFQ/POR, K???? I'm all over the DIS looking for POR stuff now and doing research...you know how it is.

 

[-Hope-]

I have 25 days until we're at Disney!



So, I thought (well, actually Stephanie thought first, lol) I'd count down the 25 things we're most looking forward to on our trip. Some of these will be mine, some will be the kids. Robbie isn't really represented on this countdown because what he is most looking forward to being home again. Don't get me wrong, he'll have a good time and enjoy himself but he is definately a homebody at heart. As someone born with wanderlust, I just don't get this but I love him anyway.

So, this list will appear in no particular order, just one item a day until we leave for the trip.

25: FREE DINING!!

I don't know if I can begin to express how much I am looking forward to free dining. We've never had a family vacation where I wasn't cooking and doing dishes for some of our meals. We generally stay in condos or houses with full kitchens to save money. Don't get me wrong, I still have a good time and it isn't so bad- I plan really simple meals for vacations plus we do generally eat out at least once a day. But this trip I don't have to cook anything or wash a single dish! Talk about magical!

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

 

[-Hope-]

sigh... You are going to have such a wonderful trip, I'm so excited for you!!!!

Make sure to take lots of pics for me if you take the boat to POFQ/POR, K???? I'm all over the DIS looking for POR stuff now and doing research...you know how it is.

I'll take TONS of pics for you! I think we'll eat at FQ but I'll be sure to walk over to Riverside to get some shots for you.

When I was looking for pics of the CS at the Poly and WL to decide where we wanted to eat lunch I discovered the resort slideshows on All Ears. Have you seen this?

 

[Cherry Limeade]

About halfway through. I had to check it out cause I am an obsessive planner too. But I also hear you on the t-shirt ideas. I started with grand ideas too, I think I have accepted that they just will not happen.

Oh, well.

I am really enjoying your PTR and am looking forward to your actual trip report!! Have fun!!!

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

I'll take TONS of pics for you! I think we'll eat at FQ but I'll be sure to walk over to Riverside to get some shots for you.

When I was looking for pics of the CS at the Poly and WL to decide where we wanted to eat lunch I discovered the resort slideshows on All Ears. Have you seen this?

Thanks! I hadn't seen it, there were a "few" pictures I hadn't already found in there! Only a few though! I have a whole file of them already to show Rey.

 

[Charlefours]

MNSSHP will be a great last night for your trip!!

for starting a countdown!! for free dining!!! It definitely is nice to have it!!

 

[-Hope-]

MNSSHP will be a great last night for your trip!!

for starting a countdown!! for free dining!!! It definitely is nice to have it!!

Thanks for celebrating with me! There's just so much to look forward to!

 

[-Hope-]

Today's countdown item is from Jace's list...

24. Sum of All Thrills

When we first started planning our trip we thought homeschool days would be later in September and we'd be able to take advantage of the discounts. We'd get regular tickets with our MYW package so we could get free dining but the rest of the week would be discounted homeschool tickets that included hoppers and WP&M- which meant DisneyQuest tickets. When we found out we couldn't get homeschool tickets for the dates we wanted the only really disappointing thing was DisneyQuest as Jace had been looking forward to designing his own roller coaster.

Then I read (here on the DIS of course) about Sum of All Thrills at Innoventions. It's not exactly the same but you do get to design your own ride and ride in a motion simulator when your finished. Jace is so excited about this! And I'm so excited that he gets to do something he had been looking forward to and thought wasn't going to happen.

 

[lexmas]

Free dining is AMAZING isn't it? I know some people say it's not the best discount and all that, but seriously, food at WDW (or anywhere but home, really) costs SO much money! And you can't put a price on not having to make 3 meals a day, every day! I know on our trips without free dining we'll be eating in the room more and everything, and it's much more of a vacation for me when I don't have to be cooking!

I hope Jace enjoys innnoventions...I've done the simulator at Disneyquest, and to be honest, I didn't find it all that thrilling. I prefer the real thing much more. So hopefully the one at innoventions is good! I hope to spend some more time at innoventions this time...I'm totally shy at that sort of thing, and I don't really enjoy talking to strangers (this includes CM's...), and I just get confused at all the options and what to do, so I've always just breezed through. But now that Jay is older, I'm hoping that we'll see what he can do and spend some time there!

 

[-Hope-]

Free dining is AMAZING isn't it? I know some people say it's not the best discount and all that, but seriously, food at WDW (or anywhere but home, really) costs SO much money! And you can't put a price on not having to make 3 meals a day, every day! I know on our trips without free dining we'll be eating in the room more and everything, and it's much more of a vacation for me when I don't have to be cooking!

I hope Jace enjoys innnoventions...I've done the simulator at Disneyquest, and to be honest, I didn't find it all that thrilling. I prefer the real thing much more. So hopefully the one at innoventions is good! I hope to spend some more time at innoventions this time...I'm totally shy at that sort of thing, and I don't really enjoy talking to strangers (this includes CM's...), and I just get confused at all the options and what to do, so I've always just breezed through. But now that Jay is older, I'm hoping that we'll see what he can do and spend some time there!

Free dining is amazing- the opportunity to have all my meals prepared on vacation is just the greatest thing ever!

I think Jace will love Innoventions- he isn't shy about talking to people at all! I'm not sure where he gets it from. For him it will be more fun to design the ride than to actually ride it, lol.

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

*tap* *tap* *tap* I'm WAAAAAITING for today's #23 and I don't have all day. Slowpoke.

 

[-Hope-]

*tap* *tap* *tap* I'm WAAAAAITING for today's #23 and I don't have all day. Slowpoke.

You're gonna love this one...

 

[-Hope-]

Well, I know I have at least one reader who is waiting with baited breath...

23. PICTURES!!!

Oh folks, if I was actually counting down in any particular order this would very, very, VERY close to the top of my list. I can not wait to have new, wonderful, MAGICAL things to take pictures of.

I have spent the last couple of days pouring over pics here on the dis to get ideas and inspiration and I lay in bed thinking of the perfect shot. I even think about how I can make the pictures I'll take of my food better.

I'm thinking about sending Robbie to swim with the kids just so I can have some alone time with my camera. I won't do this all the time of course because I'd be exhausted but I do want at least one afternoon with a couple of hours to myself to take pictures. I think I'll spend the time in WS and on the Boardwalk.

ETA: I JUST remembered that I dreamed of taking pictures last night.

 

[honest_to_goodness]

Hi Hope~ A lurker chiming in about pictures...have you seen those pictures that spell out a word with architectural elements? It was featured on Oprah, I believe...I did not see it but my Mom did...

You take pictures say of a railing of a fence to make a letter, and collect photos that spell something. I saw an example at Michael's and they spelled the last name SMITH. The 'S' was a latch on a shutter, the 'M' was the top of an iron fence railing, the 'I' was a sunset over water with the sun being the dot, and the 'shimmer' on the water making up the vertical line for the i, and so on.

WELL...you could pick a word (say...FAMILY...or MEMORIES...whatever...) or your last name and use all images from your Disney trip. They have beautiful archicture on the buildings and fences and such. And you would have a great souvenier to hang on your wall. You could mount the letters individually in small frames and hang them in a line...I think I will try this when we go to Disneyland in December...just an idea I thought I would pass on since you like/love photography...Have a great trip!

 

[-Hope-]

Hi Hope~ A lurker chiming in about pictures...have you seen those pictures that spell out a word with architectural elements? It was featured on Oprah, I believe...I did not see it but my Mom did...

You take pictures say of a railing of a fence to make a letter, and collect photos that spell something. I saw an example at Michael's and they spelled the last name SMITH. The 'S' was a latch on a shutter, the 'M' was the top of an iron fence railing, the 'I' was a sunset over water with the sun being the dot, and the 'shimmer' on the water making up the vertical line for the i, and so on.

WELL...you could pick a word (say...FAMILY...or MEMORIES...whatever...) or your last name and use all images from your Disney trip. They have beautiful archicture on the buildings and fences and such. And you would have a great souvenier to hang on your wall. You could mount the letters individually in small frames and hang them in a line...I think I will try this when we go to Disneyland in December...just an idea I thought I would pass on since you like/love photography...Have a great trip!

Oh. my. goodness. That is a FANTASTIC idea. I've seen those pics but never thought about trying to do something like that with our vacation photos! Now to think of the perfect word...

 

[Jacks2583]

wow. I thought I had done a lot of planning (and my DH keeps complaining about it), but you have completely put me to shame... BIG TIME!

I am so impressed. I wish I had a little more time to dedicate to planning as much as you have.

 

[-Hope-]

wow. I thought I had done a lot of planning (and my DH keeps complaining about it), but you have completely put me to shame... BIG TIME!

I am so impressed. I wish I had a little more time to dedicate to planning as much as you have.

My dh is lucky- I have Karen to plan with so he doesn't have to be involved.

And truthfully, I've probably spent WAAAAY to much time planning this trip but it has been so much fun! I love having a puzzle to piece together and there is so much to see and do at Disney that the puzzle is never quite complete.

 

[BabyEeyore]

Oh I love honest_to_goodness's idea! I may have to do that, too! How fun! I can't wait to take a ton of pictures, too.

 

[-Hope-]

Oh I love honest_to_goodness's idea! I may have to do that, too! How fun! I can't wait to take a ton of pictures, too.

I know! So FUN!