"Do You Mind?" - Disney Adventures with Teens August Trip Report

[swwake]

I forgot to post this last week, but guess what came in the mail last week?!?! My invoice for final payment showing that it's all paid off!!!

Also, I have paid off my Amex, so that means the trip is officially paid off (AAA charged the Amex for the balance). That is a wonderful feeling!

So, the only thing we will pay for is:
- food/dining
- surfing Typhoon Lagoon
- souvenirs/shopping
- tips

That seems like a short list. Can anyone think of what I'm missing?

And....

Guess what came in the mail today?!?!

That's right, our official personalized Disney maps!! These are really neat. They came in a cool little dossier-like pouch.

It is labeled "Disney Destinations, LLC" so I thought it might be something from DVC or Disney Adventures. I was pleasantly surprised when I opened it.

Inside was a personalized letter.

On the back of this, there are tips for our vacation (things we already know from all the uberplanning we have done, but nice, nonetheless).

When you fold open the letter and tips, there is a map of the whole WDW on the back side.

Next is the personalized map of the Magic Kingdom.

Things I had marked as "favorites" show in gold. Other suggestions are marked in orange, and "Even More Fun" is marked in blue.

On the back of the MK map is the Epcot map. Then the AK and DHS maps are front and back of a separate map.

Then, there is an extra sheet of "dots" that we can use to mark new favorites, etc.

The only thing is, I don't know if you can tell from the picture, but the perforations are off center from the dots and the star to be used to mark our resort. I would really like to be able to mark our resort. So this sheet is relatively useless. A little disappointment. I guess we can go buy our own sticky stars.

The maps are beautiful! And best, they are FREE!! I received them about a week after ordering them. I had waited until we were close to our vacation, in case some of the new attractions are included (Toy Story Mania, anyone?). But alas, TSM isn't shown. It is shown with an exclamation point and parentheses "Summer 2008". That's ok, though. I am still VERY impressed with the maps.

So much so, that I don't think we'll be taking them to the parks. I think I will keep them as souvenirs. The backpack I plan to take is just a little larger than the maps. I don't want the edges and folds to get worn, and I don't want to take a chance of them getting wet or getting food or drink or sunscreen, etc spilled on them.

But they sure are pretty to look at!!

 

[dddisrunner]

Hi Susan! YAY! for being paid in full Aren't those maps so great! To answer your snowman ?, the snowmen are there all year! There are alot of places to take X-mas pics.

Here is the snowman.....

This is at Blizzard Beach.........

This is at Downtown Disney.......

There is also a sleigh in the Magic Kingdom near Liberty Square i think. You are soooooooooooo close

 

[swwake]

Diane - thanks for all those great ideas! I didn't know all those photo ops were there. That's awesome!

 

[swwake]

I know this is two posts in one day. I just got my All Ears newsletter and found out that they are closing all the Pleasure Island clubs in September of this year! Can you believe it?

DH and I were talking about it. We are SO GLAD that we will get to go before they close. I hope they keep the ones that are open...open until our trip. It will be "bittersweet", in DH's words, to visit them one last time.

I think the new plans are great and will continue to add to the Disney magic. I know they have had some issues with crime and decreasing attendance at PI over the past few years, so this makes sense. When people want to go "clubbing", they go to NY or LA or Vegas, where the scene is much different.

Also, over the past couple of years, DH and I have really started to enjoy the "lounge" type atmosphere. For example, we are looking forward to going over the the BWI and checking out the bar there, where they say the bartender is super. Nice, quieter evenings of people-watching and good fun.

But - where will we show off our salsa and swing skills?!?!

 

[irene_dsc]

OMG - I love that last set of pictures!!! You look like you are having a blast!

(We walked through DTD on our date night, but skipped PI. I guess I'm just not a club scene kind of gal...)

And, congrats on being paid in full!

The only thing I noticed not on your list is how you are planning to get to the airport - limo/parking costs - unless someone is giving you a ride.

 

[swwake]

OMG - I love that last set of pictures!!! You look like you are having a blast!

(We walked through DTD on our date night, but skipped PI. I guess I'm just not a club scene kind of gal...)

And, congrats on being paid in full!

The only thing I noticed not on your list is how you are planning to get to the airport - limo/parking costs - unless someone is giving you a ride.

Yeah, we really had fun. We are looking forward to the next one in December.

Thanks for the congrats! It is a huge "whew"!

Airport - I think my sister will take us. Wait! She won't be there. I guess we do need to add in parking or something. Hmmm...will talk to Mom about that. Thanks for the reminder!

 

[dddisrunner]

First thing I said when I saw those pictures was OOH LA LA! Seriously, they are great!!! You could just bust out and dance anywhere, your in Disney, you won't know anyone anyway!

 

[swwake]

First thing I said when I saw those pictures was OOH LA LA! Seriously, they are great!!! You could just bust out and dance anywhere, your in Disney, you won't know anyone anyway!

Thanks for the compliments.

Now, there's a thought! Maybe we'll just bust it out once in each country! Then maybe over at AK to some tribal music; I'm sure DHS will have music somewhere. Not so sure about MK - if we dance, they may ask us to be in the parade or something!

 

[swwake]

So I got this call today from the 407 area code. I listened to the VM and they said that "unfortunately, they are going to have to do maintenance on the performance wave generator" and they have to cancel our reservation for surfing school in August. The message said they plan to "resume the offerings in Spring of 2009".

They did ask that I call and confirm receiving this message, so I called. I found out that they had to close immediately for maintenance and that there will be no form of surfing for the rest of 2008 at Typhoon Lagoon. I asked if the wave pool will still be open and they said that it will. This only has to do with the "performance wave generator".

I'm so disappointed about this. Chris and I were so looking forward to it.

This does open up our whole Thursday of our vacation, so we have options.
- We can visit the parks, DTD, waterparks, hang out at SAB, or find something else to do on-property.
- We could add a Universal day. Katie wants to do this, but I told her we'll wait and see if we're bored late in the week. Thursday is "late in the week".
- We could drive to Cocoa Beach for some REAL surfing and a day at the beach.

The last two would require that we rent a car. Not that we couldn't swing it, but it's just added stress. I guess we'll see.

Until then, memories of Flowrider on Liberty of the Seas last summer will tide (pun intended) us over:

Side note: That was SO much fun. We did it every morning and sometimes 2-3 times a day. Nothing like surfing on an oceanliner while at sea. There is nothing like it.

 

[Charleston Princess]

Susan,

Hurray for the Disney Maps!!! Isn't it just so fun to get Disney mail???

I love the pics of you and Chris dancing! How long have y'all been doing that?

That's too bad about the surfing lessons . Again, very cool pics from doing it on your cruise!

 

[swwake]

Susan,

Hurray for the Disney Maps!!! Isn't it just so fun to get Disney mail???

I love the pics of you and Chris dancing! How long have y'all been doing that?

That's too bad about the surfing lessons . Again, very cool pics from doing it on your cruise!

We have been dancing swing and salsa since May 2007 and West Coast Swing since about September (?). June this year was our first showcase. That's where the pics are from.

 

[Charleston Princess]

We have been dancing swing and salsa since May 2007 and West Coast Swing since about September (?). June this year was our first showcase. That's where the pics are from.

It just looks like so much fun -- I don't think I could ever convince Charles to do that -- he's so self-conscious!

 

[Donald is #1]

Aww that's too bad about the surfing. It seems awfully sudden to have to do long fix. I wonder if they have to totally replace the unit.

 

[swwake]

It just looks like so much fun -- I don't think I could ever convince Charles to do that -- he's so self-conscious!

We talked about "ballroom dance lessons" for years before this. Although Chris never said "no", he didn't act too interested until last Spring. Well, it was before that. In Nov 2004, we took a cruise and watched a couple doing jitterbug/east coast swing and having the time of their lives. We then made a pact that if we ever took another cruise we'd get some dance lessons prior.

Well, we booked a cruise in February 2007 for June '07. We forgot about our pact until it was almost too late - May. We knew there was a salsa club on the boat, so we took swing and salsa both. We were glad we did - we had a ton of fun on that cruise!

And the rest, as they say, is history.

Aww that's too bad about the surfing. It seems awfully sudden to have to do long fix. I wonder if they have to totally replace the unit.

Yeah, it really makes me wonder. Is it a safety issue that caused immediate shut-down? Do they have to contract with a company or order a new machine that isn't available for many months? Does it take that long to install and/or repair - especially while keeping the "regular" wave and wave pool operational? It's a little let-down, but we'll be fine. All the more reason to plan another vacation! (to surf)

 

[swwake]

Tonight I (finally) worked on the planning binder. Earlier today I decided that it is high time that I kicked this Disney vacation planning into high gear. I am such a procrastinator!

Here are a couple of pics.

Front Cover:

I googled Walt Disney font and did my best to mimic it freehand. How do you think I did?

I can't get a decent picture of the spine and I can't pull it out because it's now wedged in there, but it is just "Disneyworld Vacation 2008" in Walt Disney font with two black puffy Mickey Heads on either end, written on a hot pink-ish paper.

Here is the inside first page:

And here is the first of the many tabs:

My tabs are currently labeled as follows, with intentions to include the named contents:

Itinerary
Basic, general itinerary with fixed items such as flight times, KTTK tour, LaNouba, etc.

Flights
Flight confirmations
Flight numbers, departure, arrival details

Confirmations
AAA Vacation Confirmation
ADR confirmation numbers
KTTK Tour confirmation number
LaNouba tickets
Car rental confirmation (reserved, even though we probably won't get it)

Daily Itineraries
Detailed itineraries by day for confirmed reservations, events

Park Details
Park Hours
TGM and UG Green/Yellow Red
Parade and Show times
EMH

Magic Kingdom
Not To Be Missed, If There's Time, and Maybe lists
Touring plans
Park Hours, including EMH Morning/Evening
Parade and Show times

Epcot
Not To Be Missed, If There's Time, and Maybe lists
Touring plans
Park Hours, including EMH Morning/Evening
Parade and Show times

DHS
Not To Be Missed, If There's Time, and Maybe lists
Touring plans
Park Hours, including EMH Morning/Evening
Parade and Show times

Animal Kingdom
Not To Be Missed, If There's Time, and Maybe lists
Touring plans
Park Hours, including EMH Morning/Evening
Parade and Show times

Other Parks (DTD, PI, BB, TL, DQ)
Not To Be Missed, If There's Time, and Maybe lists
Touring plans
Park Hours, including EMH Morning/Evening

Maps
Currently my customized maps
Will add park maps from guide books
Will add park maps when we get there

Contact Info
AAA Agent contact info
Hotel contact info
Airline contact info
Emergency contact info
Credit card/bank contact info

Addresses
Will add address labels and stamps for postcards to be maileda

Budget

Ideas
This is my list of ideas I have compiled from DIS and other sources over the past few months. I will organize and add them to their appropriate sections/tabs. Some will likely remain here.

Journal Notes
Worksheets from passporter to add notes for each day, such as:
Date
Weather
Parks/Rides/Attractions Visited
Magical Moments
Souvenirs Bought
Meals Eaten
Characters Met
The best thing today was...
The worst thing today was...
The funniest thing today was...
Today we tried...
Also I have blank pages behind this tab.
(Note: I also plan to take a little journal in my backpack with me everywhere I got to take notes on the fly.)

Packing List

To Do List

I reserve the right to change any or all of these

 

[irene_dsc]

Wow - that's a lot more elaborate than any of my planning stuff! I did one big itinerary that included all the confirmation numbers for everything. Well, the flight stuff was separate from the WDW stuff. I also did a list for MK with what I thought everyone's Must Do's, Good if we have time, and Skip attractions were. I meant to do it for the rest of the parks, but didn't get around to it - and those were more obvious, anyhow.

 

[dddisrunner]

Sorry about Typhoon Lagoon surfing That stinks! GREAT binder, you are gonna be soooooooooo organized!

 

[Charleston Princess]

Oh, your binder turned out fantastic!!! I may have to borrow some of your ideas for next time -- I like how you have a section for each park -- hmmm, you've got my wheels turning!

 

[Donald is #1]

Wow! That binder is great!

 

[swwake]

Wow - that's a lot more elaborate than any of my planning stuff! I did one big itinerary that included all the confirmation numbers for everything. Well, the flight stuff was separate from the WDW stuff. I also did a list for MK with what I thought everyone's Must Do's, Good if we have time, and Skip attractions were. I meant to do it for the rest of the parks, but didn't get around to it - and those were more obvious, anyhow.

Well, what you see is just the "shell". I still have to do things like creating the itinerary and such. The only thing you did that I probably won't is the list of "skip attractions". I figure I don't want to list them if I don't care to see/do them. Just being on my list may make me turn them into "must dos"

Sorry about Typhoon Lagoon surfing That stinks! GREAT binder, you are gonna be soooooooooo organized!

Yeah, on TL surfing, there was just an article in the Allears newsletter about how much fun the experience is and I was SO looking forward to it. I sent in a reader tip to AllEars when I got the call. We'll see if it gets published. Oh well, maybe it's an excuse to return in 2009.

Thanks for the binder compliments! I can't remember which of you did "choose your adventure". Was it you or Chel or Jackie? I loved that. (I went and found it. It was Chel. So fun! I also stole the "training" idea from her.

Oh, your binder turned out fantastic!!! I may have to borrow some of your ideas for next time -- I like how you have a section for each park -- hmmm, you've got my wheels turning!

Thanks again for the compliments and borrow away. Maybe it's time for you to plan the next trip!

Wow! That binder is great!

Thanks!

On the binder, I have to pay homage to Marshay, who I think I copied alot of it from. I believe hers is where I first saw the "Jelly" divider tabs. Some have pockets and some don't. I love the colors. (Not even sure if Marshay is reading my PTR anymore, but still - kudos to her.)

Ok I went back and couldn't find a binder on Marshay's, so I must have gotten the idea from another one of you crafty gals. Thanks, whoever it is!

Edit: I found who I copied. It was Jackie (Charleston Princess). Here is Jackie's binder. And here's the extra spooky scary foreshadowing where I first said I fully intended to copy Jackie's. Now, mine isn't as professionally-done as Jackie's (she printed on very nice paper - I hand-scripted), etc.