How does your family start their vacation?

[Samar]

You can always tell when we're about to go, because my mom gets into this super-hyper girly mode with consistent convulsions accompanied by "EEEEE!! I'm so EXCITED!!". I get all my pins together (while humming "One Little Spark", my dad sings "It's a Small World" at the top of his lungs while packing the car, and my brother (being the "cool teenager") tries not to grin when my mom goes into conniptions. ("EEEEE!! I'm so excited!")

LOL! I do the same thing your mom does except I start the day we buy the package Poor DH thinks it's pitiful but I just get totally tweaked over Disney!

 

[asktriplets]

like many of you, i try to get the house cleaned up the day before we leave (but, apparently unlike the rest of you, MY house never actually STAYS clean until we leave. ah, well...perhaps THIS time it will be different )

we have a countdown calendar up a month before the trip (put it up this weekend- yipee!), and within the next couple of days, i'll start packing the kids' clothes (it's rather convenient that we won't be wearing shorts and tshirts here in indiana for the next few weeks!). this to ME signals that our trip is almost here!

the REAL start of our vacation is the first few minutes after the kids wake up (on the morning we start our drive down) while they follow the trail of "pixiedust" to the present the Tinkerbell left them ..we always wonder how she knows that we are leaving that morning to come see her at WDW, but she always does.....

 

[Madmother]

I love this thread.............I do the same as y'all.........CLEAN.

This years trip (6/22/06-6/30/06) will start with the weekend before with cleaning, last minute errands, final packing, going over everything with the house sitter(we have pets), etc. Kids will be done with school so they'll be home doing last minute stuff themselves. DH and I finish work @ 5:00 PM and I'll pick up drive thru dindin. The limo is picking us up at 6:30 for our 8:45PM flight. I booked an orlando airport hotel to crash in until the next morning when we get the car rental.

Then our vacation officially starts

I can't wait !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! wooowoooo

 

[HappyLawyer]

this is so great i lvoe reading all the different stories on how people begin their vacations, i just cannot believe we have had so many views and so few responses.

 

[merrywether]

Usually DH and I run around like chickens with our heads cut off to get packed and out on time. Hopefully the house is neat, but rarely is it in the sparkling condition that so many of you have commented about! I'd rather scour the boards looking for last minute tips than scrub the kitchen floor!

Once arriving in Orlando, DH and I head straight to WDW for lunch at Beaches and Cream. That was in the past...

This year, all bets are off. We'll be creating new family traditions since we travel for the first time as a family of three. My son, who turns 2 a couple days before we arrive, loves to surf the disneyworld website and can't wait to visit Mickey's House! I can't wait to experience the magic through his eyes!

One thing that will never change though...tears come to my eyes every time I travel past the Walt Disney World arch!!!

 

[Eeyore_girl]

Yikes! I just re-read my earlier post and geez - it was depressing! It's not so bad, really. We leave 2nd week of June so I'm having my highlights redone at the end of may and a manicure painted with (what else?) mickey mouse!

 

[Joann]

We start to pack 2 weeks before hand.The week of, I clean the house top to bottom do all the laundry... so none is here when I get home hehe....last year and this year we are at a dance competition the 3 days before we leave and the 3 days right when we get back home!!! Talk about stress! So sunday me DD and DS will all be dancing till 7 pm atleast , drive the hour home grab our bags and DH and take the hour and abit drive to Buffalo to the hotel for the flight the next morning at 7:10 am!

 

[SnowWitch]

Well it depends. If its our summer trip we spend the day before cutting our 3 acres of grass and cleaning the heck out of our pool. We also finalize packing, laundry, taking out the trash, and cleaning. That evening we sit down for a few Disney movies and take out. Our boys will ususally stay up until we leave around three am. They do this to enable them to sleep unitl we hit the Florida state line.

The day before our December trip, I am generally trying to wrap up gift shopping and finalizing Christmas plans.ie. menus and the like. The boys have the same routine as the summer trips.

 

[kydisneyfans]

I usually work a 16 hour day as my wife and child screams-you told us we would leave at 3:00. NOTHING ever goes right at work the day before vacation. For some reason, we usually eat Arby's just before hitting the highway.

 

[Goobergal99]

Ok, normally I scrub the entire place the day before, head to the hair dressers for a trim and an eyebrow wax.Then we go out to dinner the night before and come home, pack the last minute stuff and make sure everything is ready to go, lastly we pop the vacation planning video in the DVD player and attempt to sleep when it's over (yea right)

The morning of, I usually run the vacum, make sure there is no trash in the trachcan and then start getting ready. We usually take a later flight out because we are not morning ppl (DD included, lol)

 

[boudreaufamily]

We usually start packing 2 weeks before, and finish the night before. We try to stay at a hotel at the airport--saves on parking (at least we think so). I will begin saying "We're leaving in 30 days!!!" it drives my family crazy!! Both kids sleep with their mickey dolls and talk of their best disney memory, and we all get even more excited. Orlando airport is packed full of disney memorabilia, and when we approach the disney arches I get tears in my eyes...so do the kids!! our next trip is 10/06 we've already started to get excited!!

 

[catherines_mama]

We always leave Sat AM - EARLY (like 4am)

Since I work from home I get lucky with having time to get ready through out the week.

Thursday night I clean the bedrooms & bathrooms. Friday morning we are packed. Friday afternoon I take the dog to the kennel. Once he's gone I'll clean the rest of the house (dog hair). Then when I pick up DD (for June she'll be at day camp at church) we go to our favorite pizza parlor. Then we come home and bathe and head to bed early (8ish for both of us). Get up at 3am, get ready, pack the last of our bathroom items. Pack the car and leave by 4am.

 

[kimbac3]

We leave on Thanksgiving Day, so the Saturday before everyone comes to my house for a big Thanksgiving dinner. Then we try to get some of the Christmas Decorations up, clean the house, clean the truck(we're driving), get all my "stuff" together (maps,tickets,menus,notes,etc...) and get everything ready for my mom to come dog sit
The night before we have something fast..like pizza and watch a movie to get us ready. That morning we are up at 5 and bouncing off the walls

Can't wait!!!!
Kimba

 

[Nikki&Me]

Since we haven't been to WDW in 10 years, I can tell you what we ususally do...
DH goes to work, always a full day. My DDs stay out of my way, I usually take at least 1/2 day off from work. Packing is done during the week, (I have already doubled and tripled check to make sure I have all passes, tickets, etc. that we will need, also that my sunglasses have gone MIA), so the last minute things need to be thrown in.. i.e. toothbrushes, brushes, comb, blow dryer (for the 16 yr old). Make sure that the DDs have plenty to do for the trip. After that is done, I usually start packing the car, while making dinner , and making sure that all laundry is done. Give the house a once over... at least it gets a quicky.
Check to make sure there is enought cat(s) supplies, if not I am off to the stored...
Pack the bag with snacks, cooler with drinks, (make ice during the course of the day...).
When DH gets home, I usually ORDER him to the shower (stinky), then we eat... paper plates, do whatever dishes needs to be done, by this time all cooking pots/pans/whatever are washed and put away... send the DH to take the garbage out... Take his stinky work clothes and throw them in the hamper...
We usually drive so... order the girls to get their stuff ready they have X amount of time before I pull out of the driveway (and order them both to take a nature stop). Finishing packing the car with people this time. Call my friend who watches the cats (yes I said cats), give her the key, hugs and kisses good bye. Turn on the BLUE TOOTH, get in the driver's side... hubby tired from working all day... I have done nothing but sit on my butt... anyway, dial my Mom and Dad and his Mom and Dad, advise them at we are leaving at this time and will call them when we get to our destination... If they need me to call my mobile.

As soon as I pull out of the driveway someone will say... "I GOTTA GO!" Put the car in drive, order them out of the house, don't dirty the bathroom, use a bush is you have too... lol (just had to).
Then drive from point A to B and pray that my DH falls asleep and leave me be....

Can't wait for Disney... I am flying this time....

Was that okay?

 

[nickelsfamily]

Same as the rest of you...CLEAN HOUSE!! It would put a damper on my trip to leave it a mess!.
I start packing a week before. I will probably need longer to pack this year since we will be going for 5 days with DS5 and DS1...wouldn't want to forget anything and have to pay disney prices! (Last time we went for just the weekend, I forgot sunscreen and had to buy it there for $10.00!! Considering that is the only thing I forgot...I was proud!)
I get my hair done the day before we leave. We get take out and eat on paper plates and such, to avoid the mess.
The morning of, pack up all the little things. Hubby packs up the car and gets Dunkin Donuts for the road.Comes back to get us, we do double checks of everything (lock doors, set air make sure we have park tickets and ressie #'s etc) and we are off (9:30 am at the latest) listening to all of our Disney music....in 2 hrs we are in Disney!