December Surprise and I do mean Surprise

[twinmomplus2new]

Tammy ... we were up there on Christmas Eve...... at my Cousins on Howard street. Its a yearly tradition to go around the Lynn Fells before and look at all the lights. after a quick stop at Kellys so we can eat some fries while we drive around. ( Its the simple things that make me happy I guess!) What a long ride home at 1am.... ugghhhh.

I was originally the boat host on that cruise. If it was Mousefest one. The other family had I think 2 kids one being a 4 year old boy... And maybe the MIL? was the 5th person in the group.

 

[lissawynn]

TamiMcMan I'm guessing you're probably pretty happy your daughter didn't have ressies to fly out of Allentown on SEA! My sister, her son, and I flew out of Allentown in June on SEA and it was so easy, especially with a little one. It's too bad that isn't available anymore.

I'm glad all of your family was able to enjoy the magic of WDW together!

 

[IloveDMB]

What a great trip report! I'm glad all your surprises worked out.

My brother lives in California and I have managed to surprise my mom a couple times by flying him in to visit without her having any idea. I love the look on her face when she sees him for the first time.

 

[TammiMcMan]

Lissa I felt so bad when I read about the other DIS'ers being affected by Southeast's shutdown. Sometimes it really pays off to listen to that little voice in your head.

 

[Alicnwondrln]

I love your trip reports and I see yor from Saugus. My DH grew up there and he has tons of family there!!
as they say its a small world

 

[armomof3lvsdisney]

What a wonderful trip report!!! I'm surprising my DD's on our upcoming trip I hope I can keep it a secret, I'm so excited!!!!

 

[Doctor P]

What a fantastic trip report! Thanks.

 

[teentoddlermom]

What a really great trip you had Tammi! I have been reading all your planning posts and loved reading your trip results! We were at YC concierge this summer and liked it a lot. Have a great time on your cruise!

 

[#1hockeymom]

Oh How did I miss this? What a wonderful trip report! I knew the major details, but reading all of the little details in the surprise was oh so much more exciting! Nice job!

 

[Jillpie]

Tammi, I just spent a good part of an hour thoroughly enjoying this report, with cup of coffee in hand. LOVED IT. As I am south of Boston, I was right there with you checking in at Logan. Your descriptions everywhere was just perfect. I loved when you said your DH is happy following everyone...lol. And how you had "quiet hugs" with your daughter at 1:30 am, loved that. We just stayed at the BCV's last January, so I understood everything you were saying about sweatshirts and where you were walking, it brought me right back there. You are a fantastic, descriptive writer..I was wondering what your job is and if it had anything to do with that. I hope you had a terrific time on your cruise, we are going on the Wonder for the first time over April vacation. Thanks so much for this report!

 

[Credit Man]

Great report! Thanks for posting.

 

[TammiMcMan]

Thanks for the nice responses everyone.

Jill, I'm actually in the special education field, part time. I work with 5-7 year olds, so patience and taking my time to explain things comes pretty easy to me. DH knows first hand what I put into planning our Disney vacations. He's happy just so long as I work some quiet, down time into our daily schedule.

Tammi

 

[llij]

What a wonderful trip report. I loved how you surprised your kids. That was great! We were at the YC that same time as you! Our trips overlapped a bit as we checked out on Saturday the 11th.

Sounds like you had a great trip.

 

[Goofy's Muse]

Wonderful trip report, Tammi! I'm totally amazed by your ability to pull together all the details, as well as all of those incredible surprises! Hope you're thoroughly enjoying your cruise as I know your next trip report will make great reading as well...

 

[Angel16]

Tammi, What a wonderful trip report. I so enjoyed your planning and surprises you had for your family. You brought tears to my eyes reading about the morning your family found your DD there in the room. Your writing is excellent, makes me feel like I was present for all the joy.

I was wondering, do you feel concierge was worth the $$ at that resort? It seems strange to me that it would be closed and unwelcoming in the early hours and that they kicked you out in the evening and you had to finish your drinks in the hall???? Not exactly what I expect from concierge service. Also, the food offerings seemed rather limited. Please don't take my questions wrong, I just feel concierge service should go above and beyond in the warm, welcome we are so happy to have you as our guest catagory.

Thank you for sharing your Christmas trip. You make me want to plan one for my family this holiday season. I am looking forward to your trip report from your cruise.

Angel

 

[TammiMcMan]

Hi Angel, I definitely didn't take your concierge question the wrong way. I was pretty shocked myself at being thrown out of the lounge, but they did give us a 5 minute warning. If it weren't for the fact that the pre-planners were so downright amazing, I would have probably been questioning myself. They more than made up for the lack of warm fuzzies that we felt at the lounge. The only other Disney resort that we stayed in for concierge was the Grand Floridian and I guess I expected it to compare. Why wouldn't all Disney concierges be the same? I'm going to cross the YC and BC off my list for future trips, but I think that I will give the Boardwalk a try next time. We do tend to spend a lot of time at the resort and even though the food doesn't make you break even for the additional concierge cost, it is a big part for us. That and the view. Neither of which were very good.

By the way, my cruise trip report is up. The link is right in my signature.

Tammi

 

[Keokagal]

So glad your time was special. Loved reading the report. Thanx.

 

[Alicnwondrln]

great trip report
id love to hear about you budget for your trips

 

[TammiMcMan]

id love to hear about you budget for your trips

Hi Kelly, first of all, 2004 was a very different year for us vacation wise. We typically only plan a vacation for once every 2 years. You'll probably notice that by my list of previous Disney trips. I know everyone has very different vacationing styles and we choose to give up quantity in exchange for quality. I'd rather have fewer trips, but be able to stay longer and at the concierge level. Disney is our only vacation destination, so we don't take weekend trips or anything like that throughout the rest of the year.

I'm the type of person who does use my tax return as a vacation savings account. As a former financial person, I know that's a poor choice, but it works for me. We do very well when I file and that goes right towards our Disney trip. DH also got a nice payout for a project that he completed at work, so that windfall went into the extra trips this past year.

Going forward, our next trip won't be until June of 2006 at the earliest. Our son is a competitive figure skater and all our extra money for this year has been set aside for some upcoming expenses.

Not sure if I've answered our question, but typically vacation money comes from our tax return and year end work bonuses.

Tammi

 

[Michelle2]

You are so on the ball Tammi! I love how quickly you answer questions. I was totally amazed at this last post of yours because it sounds exactly like us ...A big trip (WDW) every 2 years, or DL yearly (since we are in the west we can drive pretty easily), and no little trips during the year if we can help it. We also are using our tax refunds for our trips too. I love reading your reports, and since December is starting to come up, I am going to go over your links again. Just wanted to let you know that another quality not quantity person is out there!

Edited to add: We will be using Song airlines for the first time, and am really looking forward to it! And second, I am a HUGE figure skating fan. I think that is wonderful your DS is one...what level is he on, and can I see him in any competitions on TV? Sometimes they show Jr events, and I think you mentioned him skating in one...I would love to be able to root for him!