Grumpy and I are going back (a pre-trip report)

[tubachick]

Pre-Trip Report

Long time TR Lurker …. First time TR poster

I have been a few times to WDW , and finally have decided to give the whole TR thing a whirl. Now, I am in no way a writer like many of the other fabulous TR reporters here on the DIS, but I will give it a whirl!!! Here we GO

Cast of Characters:

Me: 34, Wife, Step-Mother of two teenagers, Teacher, and obsessed (my DH’s opinion, not mine) with DISNEY.

DH: 41, Husband, Father, Elevator Constructor, Car Restorer Extraordinaire, and a Proclaimed Disney Hater. AKA GRUMPY.

(Yeah, it looks like he's miserable )

The Trip: 03/01/07 to 03/08/07 First we will spend a 3-night cruise on the Disney Wonder then its on to WDW for 3 Nights at CBR.

How it started:

This started out in Late November as a “shut my wife up about Disney” cruise. DH was in the Navy, and said NO MORE BOATS, so cruising of any kind is (was) out of the question. But after my sweet talking, watching the travel channel specials (over and over and over ) and getting the informational DVD, I won him over to my side.

Well, Thank goodness the Chicago area has an extra day off of school the first weekend in March to honor Casmir Pulaski. (Thank you Pulaski!!!) I convinced him that a short four day weekend would be perfect!!! Then, after doing some research on airfare and prices, it would save us about $145 if we left on Tuesday instead of Monday, so we added an extra night, then decided to stay at WDW for Sunday and Monday night….. (see where this is going …. ) Then at the family Christmas Dinner, my DH’s Brother told us about his family going to WDW in March….. ::cop: WAIT A MINUTE…. We are going too!!!--- so the whole "when are you going" conversation took place…. So now our quick weekend cruise turned two days at the world has now added an additional day!!! We now depart on WED instead of Tuesday!!!! (of course it’s just to spend time with the family)

Well, since I have now added that extra day, we were now needing an addition day’s worth of tickets, and since the dining plan was such a great deal for us last time, guess what else we added…. Yup, hoppers and the Dining Plan.

Now this is not the usual trip for me, as I have very little “planning” I mean, don’t get me wrong, I have still PLANNED, we are just not going the usual commando style. I promised DH that we would take it easy.


Here are my Planned ADR’s: Sunday night Dinner at Fulton’s (I know it’s not on the Dining plan, but it’s our favorite, we are paying for this one!!!) Monday Night Dinner at Ohana’s, Tuesday Night Dinner at Yachtsman’s Steakhouse. The only Breakfast we have planned is for Tuesday Morning at 1900 Park Fare (with my Nieces and BIL and SIL).

This is the family-- from when we "ran into them" last time... story to come



Well, that’s it for now….. a little over a month to go, and I can hardly wait!!! Let me think about what’s missing here, and I’ll get ready for the next post or installment!!! (hope my first stab at this wasn't too painful for you all)

 

[tubachick]

Part 2

DH can never get away on our own. Now, don't get me wrong, I love spending time with both of our families, but last year, (in March) we tried to "sneak" away for a weekend at CBR, and didn't tell anyone where we were going, just that we were going away. Now, not only did we get "caught" at WDW, we got caught by DH's youngest brother and his family. (see picture above)

Now what are the odds of that happening? WDW is HUGE place. What are the odds, that we are going to the same place (Ohana) for breakfast, on the same Monorail train at the same time??? DH and I are sitting on the Lime green monorail, holding hands, looking out the window, you know grown up stuff and I keep hearing, Uncle Jim, Aunt Pam... and I say to DH, do you hear that He said, yeah, but Pam and Jim are some pretty common names.... so that was that. We get to the Poly, and We are ATTACKED ok, it was with kisses from our nieces. DBIL and DSIL come up and ask what we are doing here, and we said (of course) going to breakfast.... and you..... same thing!!!! so we ended up having breakfast together with the family, stitch and Lilo.... after all no one is left behind right cousin?

lesson learned.... tell everyone you are going, and you'll never get caught!!!!

-- for those of you asking where the kids are, they live with their mother in the Spring (or second semester) so we get to do our traveling and such that time of year.

 

[OhMari]

Nice to see your picture along with your username. tubachick. Hope you have a great vacation. I keep looking at my count down timer, i cannot wait to go. The only problem is my count down timer is off by 15 hours, but oh well.

 

[riopooh]

I love the lime green shirt!

Sounds like you've got a great trip planned with all that cruising, hopping dining and visiting!!

 

[tubachick]

Thank you OhMari and Riopooh You give a first timer TR writer like me hope!!!


OK -- so Here's the plan.....

Arrive via DCL transportation at CBR on Sunday 3/4

after check in we'll head over to MGM... wanna get my ToT in then anything else is just icing on our Disney Cake. We are going to dinner at Fultons then I am hoping to get DH aka GRUMPY to go to the adventures club

-- side note -- we are not real late stay-r-up-er's so anything after 9 is considered REALLY LATE. but I LOVE AC and would love to share that with DH.... so far its been a girls only trip hang-out.


I can get DH to just about anything at MGM... He loves it there... oh wait, I forgot, HE HATES DISNEY. I'd say its a macho thing, but I know too many other macho disney guys

Keep in mind that this is not our usual disney style, DH agreed to go if we took it easy, and since I have a ton of things planned for the cruise, I agreed to slow it down at WDW.


Day 2

Monday 3/5

Hang out at the resort (if he lets me go to AC I'll let him sleep late ) then head over to MK. we are hoping to get into the new comedy club and do Buzz. Everything else will be a bonus. we'll grab some lunch at a CS resturant and head back to the resort for a swim, We have dinner ADR's at Ohana, then its off to MK for the & Party (yes the grumpster agreed to dress as a pirate!!!!)

I have been working on our costumes, I am still debating on wearing them to Ohana's or not.... what do you think?




well, more later

 

[tubachick]

As I am preparing our "outfits" for the & party, I was wondering if anyone knows if people are dressing up like halloween or more of a hat and eyepatch type of thing?

oh well, more planning for our unplanned trip to do....

 

[mlill]

I LOVE how you got the trip that you wanted! Very clever. I can't wait to hear all about your cruise! We've never done a DCL cruise.

Great start to your TR! I'm looking forward to reading more!

-Michelle

 

[tubachick]

FYI-- went shopping today for vacation stuff

had to get DH some pants for the cruise, (he lives in jeans and sweats) so now we can look like "normal" people in our pictures (we won't recognize ourselves)

my DSIL called today, our ressie at 830 at 1900 park fare is way too early what early..... she is so not a disney person!!!! so I called and changed it, its now 8:50!!!!
I think this reminds me why DH and I like to go by ourselves!!!!

More later

 

[tubachick]

Does anyone else pack way to early????


DH is sure I need some kind of medical (read - Psychiatric) attention. He was wondering why I had all of the suitcases out. What kind of question is that? of course its to start packing!!!! I have outfits to plan, supplies to pack, weather to consider.... can't he understand that?????


I also have a small collection of disney guide books that I have been re-reading on the night stand, DH thought it was important to remind me that this was just a "small trip".... there is no such thing as a "small trip" to Disney!!!!!

 

[mouseketeer_mom]

Does anyone else pack way to early????

Oh, if you only knew! I've got two rubber maid containers in the basement that have been "collecting trip stuff" for over a month. "Collecting trip stuff" as I have promised my DH I will not drive him crazy with having everything laid out and packed three weeks ahead of time

 

[tubachick]

Oh, if you only knew! I've got two rubber maid containers in the basement that have been "collecting trip stuff" for over a month. "Collecting trip stuff" as I have promised my DH I will not drive him crazy with having everything laid out and packed three weeks ahead of time

that's a great way to do it. I'll have to remember that.

 

[tubachick]

THEY ARE HERE!!!!

the tickets to the Pirates and Princess party for 3/5 !!!!

notice that Grumpy has his picture on a card!!!!

 

[tubachick]

ok--- all of our travel documents have arrived

it was my birthday on friday, and it was the same day that our tickets to the & party came in the mail..... DH was a little mad that I said it was the best b-day present.... of course I had to take it back when he gave me his gift!!! that was nice too.

 

[tubachick]

DAY 3

Well on day three the Brother and Sister in law and their girls will be "ready" for us. We will be meeting them at 1900 park fare for breakfast, I'll admit that this is a new one for me, and I am much more the Ohana or Cape May type of person, but hey - it met my DSIL's requirements to be "easy to get to" from WL-- and the little niece is afraid of stich so that cut out OHana

Will DH like this breakfast??? its hard enough to get mr grumpy pants to go to a meal with "those things" as he calls the characters (which BTW he willingly takes pictures with and smiles )

example:

and

see would someone who really hates eating with "those people" smile like that????

I didn't think so

well after our meal we'll head off to EPCOT (late might I add) Its EMH that day and I was hoping to get their early, but the "in-laws" thought that was way to early to be moving for breakfast, and they really want to go on that ride that "goes really fast in a race car and is like a test car dummy", do you know which one that is???? all that to say, you mean TEST TRACK???

wow its gonna be a long day!!!!

at least we have dinner at the YC to look forward to (dinner for 2)

 

[OhMari]

-- side note -- we are not real late stay-r-up-er's so anything after 9 is considered REALLY LATE. but I LOVE AC and would love to share that with DH.... so

Same here, I scheduled very early mornings, with an afternoon 1 hour nap in the afternoon and go back around 5 for a TS.



I haven't heard about the comedy thing at MK. The last I heard, was they closed it again and were trying to work some kinks out. I hope it opens back up too, my dh will love it.

 

[tubachick]

I haven't heard about the comedy thing at MK. The last I heard, was they closed it again and were trying to work some kinks out. I hope it opens back up too, my dh will love it.

guess I should double check about that huh?

Oh well, I can hope its open or at least having a "trial" run when we are at MK.

 

[tubachick]

My new camera is here!!!
I love to take pics but not enough to actually get one of those nifty do it all camera's. This is a great point and shoot type thing and its HERE!!!


now I can start trully packing!!!

 

[tubachick]

Only 20 days left before we leave its been -20 here (it seems like) forever. I look forward to going to FL.

I played with my new camera yesterday, and its nice, have to get used to looking at a screen instead of a view finder.....


more details on the last day later

gotta go

 

[tubachick]

do you know how hard it is to find shorts in Feb in Chicago??? so what that its only about 5 degree's outside and a foot or so of snow and its still coming down, I NEED SHORTS FOR DH!!!! I am packing (as I have been for a month) and I need shorts for DH-- he lost 20 pounds (don't worry, I found them for him ) and he needs shorts to wear for our trip..... I have all my liquids and gells in a ziplock type bag all of my pins, camera equipment, and meds all ready to go. Now to wash the clothes to pack.... I plan on being done by next weekend as the following days will be nuts!!!

thanks for letting me orgainze my thoughts (yet again)

 

[WDW Poly Princess]

do you know how hard it is to find shorts in Feb in Chicago???

I have that probem every trip! I needed a new swimsuit this time, but there were NONE for sale in Jan!

Looking forward to hearing about your trip- you're getting close!

How exciting to have a new camera! I hope you bring back lots of pics! (Hopefully a few of the Adv Club? I miss it so!)