Labor Day Weekend, a labor of love?

[flamestarrdust]

got some mail today!! It is the DME tags and vouchers. Kinda threw me though... inside the mickey head it has AK for the abbreviated area. I didn't know that Pop's location was in the AK area. I thought it was wild world of sports. At first, I thought they sent me the wrong tags. I could have sworn last time our tags had POR in the mickey head...I must have been wrong there too.

Woohoo! You got your mickey mail! I don't know anything about the location thing you mentioned. Since we aren't using ME we didn't get anything like that.

 

[oboedm]

It seems to be helping me pass the time too. I can see how close we really are to going. It is kinda exciting!



if you go to ridemax.com you can look at it more in depth. However, basically... it is a computer program. You decide what park you are going on what day. Then you set your arrival time. You choose options like "member in party will or will not run to get fast passes" and speed at which your party will walk. Then you pick times for breaks and duration. (it will put in some auto times unless you change it) We put in only the times we plan to eat at ADRS and the amount of time we think those will take us. Then you choose what attractions you want to see/do. You click set up schedule and it set is up...down to the minute and how long it should take you to walk between rides. It will show you wait time at the rides. (and they turn out to be pretty accurate) Usually, at that point you see that you have free time...those are the times we use for snacks or cs meals. If you have picked too many items for the day, it will tell you...and you have to remove/shuffle things around. If you don't want to run from one side of the park to the other...you have to 1. not put in that you will walk fast. and 2. not put in attractions from different areas. This works well for us. I like not having to think.."hmm, it doesn't look busy over there, maybe we should head there" or "what should we do today". We have a pretty clear picture of how our days will be laid out before we even go. As you can tell, I am a big "pro ridemax" person.

I have never done RideMax, but I have been intrigued. Last year we used the unofficial guide plans and modified them according to our preferences. I am tempted by RM, though. Do they have them for Universal and WDW? or just WDW? I need a touring plan for IoA that includes WWoHP...

got some mail today!! It is the DME tags and vouchers. Kinda threw me though... inside the mickey head it has AK for the abbreviated area. I didn't know that Pop's location was in the AK area. I thought it was wild world of sports. At first, I thought they sent me the wrong tags. I could have sworn last time our tags had POR in the mickey head...I must have been wrong there too.

YAY! POP is in the AK area-- at least according to our ME stuff from last year. I remember thinking it was weird too! Maybe they lump it with Ak because there is only one AK resort and one WWoSports resort....

 

[KELLY]

Zoe is doing much better, thank you. Her swelling is almost gone.

I am trying to figure out how much for spending too. I need to have enough for tips and the oop meal. We really are not big souvenir people so I think the gift card I got will be plenty for that. I do still have to pay for our bags on the airline. I am not sure how many we will have so i am gonna wait on that. My mom says she will just use a carry on. I am not sure that will work. I think maybe we can cut down to 3 bags between the 4 of us to be checked...but not much below that.

I hear ya on the return flight. I always try to go as early as possible on the way out..and as late as possible on the way back. Course, this trip we have to leave my house at 5am and we will still not get to Orlando until 5pm. So leaving early really doesn't get us that much extra time there.

Just getting caught up. My 2 year old has been super cranky the past couple of weeks. I'm getting scared to bring her. She has just been off the wall. Making mommy very tired and cranky also. My older dd was never ever like this.

Wow 12 hours . We have to leave our house at 400 am but we get to Orlando at noon. Yeah for Mickey mail.

 

[onescgirl]

Just caught up on your PTR & it sounds great! Both of your daughters are beautiful!
I think that is so great that you are taking your mom to WDW! I would love to take my mom to WDW since she has never been either.

 

[annmarieda]

7/28 (5wks from departure) complete and stuff tip envelopes.

So this is how they turned out. I included a sample from one I used in the past. It is the larger one on the bottom. I like it better, but I just didn't have time to use my printer. These will still work...

 

[annmarieda]

I have never done RideMax, but I have been intrigued. Last year we used the unofficial guide plans and modified them according to our preferences. I am tempted by RM, though. Do they have them for Universal and WDW? or just WDW? I need a touring plan for IoA that includes WWoHP...

Nope, RM only is available for DL or WDW. WDW is a new addition even. I wouldn't go to Disney without it. One thing to keep in mind though...it is not for macs. The software is for a pc. Now, for me..that means I have to run parallels (because we no longer have any pc's in the house) Their site actually suggests using a program called crossover, but dh said it isn't as easy to work with as just running parallel.

YAY! POP is in the AK area-- at least according to our ME stuff from last year. I remember thinking it was weird too! Maybe they lump it with Ak because there is only one AK resort and one WWoSports resort....

I was looking on the map, and thought that was probably the case...or even that since it is a value it is lumped in with the other values in the AK area.

Just getting caught up. My 2 year old has been super cranky the past couple of weeks. I'm getting scared to bring her. She has just been off the wall. Making mommy very tired and cranky also. My older dd was never ever like this.

Funny how different kids can be. My oldest is/was my crankiest. Then my next ds was happy and mellow. Those intense ones are hard to deal with when they are little, but they are the ones who really take charge of things when they are older. (at least this is my experience) DD, while still intense graduated from high school in the top ten of her class and in the top 10% of the state. She is in college and headed toward getting her dvm. DS, who was always a happy easy going child..he dropped out of high school and we just sit and wonder what he will do with his life. (please let it be to not spend all his time on my couch, please...) It is hard to be mom..and I fear it never gets easier.

Wow 12 hours . We have to leave our house at 400 am but we get to Orlando at noon. Yeah for Mickey mail.

It isn't actually 12 hours. There is a 3 hour time difference between the east and west coast. Looking at our flight time of 8:45am, we will leave our house at 5:30 to get to the airport by 6:45. Then the 2 hours at the airport. The flight itself is only 6 1/2 hours. It looks worse than it is. Twice we have flown overnight thinking it would help with the time. (it didn't) Once we flew later in the day and arrived there pretty late, and that wasn't great either since we had to pick up our own bags..which after a long flight was confusing cause mco has the A and B sides and luggage pick up is on one side and DME is on another. The time it worked best is when we arrived just a bit earlier than when luggage pick up stopped. This time the flight arrives well under that time. Hopefully, we won't be so tired. It will feel like afternoon to us when we get there even though it will be early evening.

Just caught up on your PTR & it sounds great! Both of your daughters are beautiful!
I think that is so great that you are taking your mom to WDW! I would love to take my mom to WDW since she has never been either.

Thank you so much for joining and the nice compliments! I hope my mom does okay on the trip. Not living near her I think has skewed my mental image of her. I think of her as someone with darker hair than she has. I think of her with less wrinkles. Basically, I think of her someone closer to my own age. When I am out in public, I find myself looking at older people and wondering "would they be able to do WDW and enjoy it" I know that is strange of me..but I can't help it. I just am worried I am dragging my mom along and she is going to be completely wiped out by this trip. Oh well, I guess even if she has to sleep all day in the room because she is too worn out, she can always enjoy all the great food, right?

 

[flamestarrdust]

7/28 (5wks from departure) complete and stuff tip envelopes.

So this is how they turned out. I included a sample from one I used in the past. It is the larger one on the bottom. I like it better, but I just didn't have time to use my printer. These will still work...

I love these! They are so cute! I wasn't planning on making any this time but I may have the kids work on it as a side project to keep them busy.

 

[annmarieda]

I love these! They are so cute! I wasn't planning on making any this time but I may have the kids work on it as a side project to keep them busy.

Thank you. It isnt a bad project, really. I did not have to make too many. I was planning on just one for each night that we stay. Now, I am thinking I need one for the person who brings our luggage. That would be it, right?

 

[Joyciemc]

Thanks for the info on Ridemax! It sounds really cool- it would be awesome to always know 'what's next' instead of standing around trying to figure out where you're heading next.
With it just being DH and I, we don't have too much trouble fitting everything in, but with any bigger of a group this could be a very useful tool!

The tip envelope came out great! I think you've inspired me to make some Poly themed ones... I do know that I sometimes have a hard time getting mousekeeping to take the tips, even when I leave a note that says 'thank you!' with the money.

I'm jealous that you got your trip documents! Mine should be coming soon, I hope!

 

[annmarieda]

I do know that I sometimes have a hard time getting mousekeeping to take the tips, even when I leave a note that says 'thank you!' with the money.

I did this last trip too. In fact, mousekeeping did not take a single tip even when I left a note. Now, I didn't make envies so I figure that could be a part of the problem. The other part is the fact that for about half our stay housekeeping didn't know we were in the room. Not until our hairdryer caught fire. (literally) On our 09 trip, every envie was taking by mousekeeping.

I'm jealous that you got your trip documents! Mine should be coming soon, I hope!

I didn't get the trip docs yet...just the ME tags and vouchers. Still, very exciting!!!

 

[flamestarrdust]

I did this last trip too. In fact, mousekeeping did not take a single tip even when I left a note. Now, I didn't make envies so I figure that could be a part of the problem. The other part is the fact that for about half our stay housekeeping didn't know we were in the room. Not until our hairdryer caught fire. (literally) On our 09 trip, every envie was taking by mousekeeping.

This happened to me, too. On my previous trips, my friend left money on the dresser for mousekeeping and they would never take it but when I got an envelope with mousekeeping wrote on it, they took it.


I didn't get the trip docs yet...just the ME tags and vouchers. Still, very exciting!!!

Wait, there is more Mickey Mail coming besides the luggage tags and vouchers? What more should I expect? Sorry but it's been 4 years since my last trip so I am a bit forgetful.

 

[chunkymonkey]

7/28 (5wks from departure) complete and stuff tip envelopes.

So this is how they turned out. I included a sample from one I used in the past. It is the larger one on the bottom. I like it better, but I just didn't have time to use my printer. These will still work...

Those are really cute! I think they are such a nice thing to do for Mousekeeping. I dont' think I will have the time to create such pretty envelopes but I may feed a few blank white envelopes through my printer and decorate them with some "disney" font - just so they are not so sterile-looking. Can't believe it's only about a month away now! Woohoo!

 

[annmarieda]

Wait, there is more Mickey Mail coming besides the luggage tags and vouchers? What more should I expect? Sorry but it's been 4 years since my last trip so I am a bit forgetful.

I think pretty soon we should get the trip vouchers. There is usually a voucher for the arcade, a meal coupon for Planet Hollywood...ummm....boating/fishing...that sort of thing. It all comes in a booklet and your resort is in there too. At least, this is how they have done it the last two time we went.

Those are really cute! I think they are such a nice thing to do for Mousekeeping. I dont' think I will have the time to create such pretty envelopes but I may feed a few blank white envelopes through my printer and decorate them with some "disney" font - just so they are not so sterile-looking. Can't believe it's only about a month away now! Woohoo!

Thanks so much for the nice compliments on the mousekeeping envies. I think I spent like 15 minutes on them...so really didn't do a whole lot. Now, if I used my printer...that would have taken up time.

As for only being a month away.... Wooohooooo is right!!!!!!

 

[tinacaplan]

The envelopes are so super cute. I might have to try and be a little crafty for this trip.

 

[annmarieda]

Sorry for the lack of updates. We went out of town for a few days. It was nice to see family, but I am not a big fan of road trips.

I did get to see my mother. She was so cute. I did not realize just how excited about our trip she is. She is almost packed! She has made a ton of Disney related purchases. She even bought the same tink shirt that I had bought! We will have to wear them on different days.

We also were able to see my dh's family. His siblings are anti Disney. His parents travel often to Florida since my mil's father lives there (part time, he snow birds) Mil mentioned that they are going in September...which got me to talk about our upcoming trip. I asked if she was worried about heat/hurricanes..etc. Bil takes it upon himself to start spouting off Disney slams. It was funny twice he started to get out of control and twice I shot him down. First he starts to say how all the cms had got sick/diseases because Disney makes them wear communal underwear. I calmly responded by saying "With as much as Disney goes all out in every way, you really think that they do not go as far as simply laundering worn underpants?" His sa reply? "well, maybe one got through." The next comment was how I needed to be prepared if there was a hurricane that Disney would start price gouging for food and water and charge like $50 for a bottle of water. (I forget the exact amount, but I think it was as absurd) My calm reply? "well, I am very glad that I wont have to worry about it since I booked under free dinning and no matter if the meal that would have been $20 is now $200 it will still be one credit for me" What a pita

All in all it was a good trip. It was fun to get away. It did however put me behind in my time line. I did not meet the "8/1 have purchased and installed ridemax" deadline. I am working on that a bit today. (I have to install parallels on my computer so I can run windows since I have a mac) It isn't going as easy as I had hoped it would.

As far as my time line goes, I am going to have to adjust it again, because at some point I need to get my mother a cell phone. Any suggestions for something cheap and easy to use? I would just add her to our plan, but we have 5 of us on all ready and that is the max.

One thing that happened while we were away... more mickey mail came!!! It was the trip documents. We are definitely getting close. It was fun to flip through it and see all that is included in our package.

Just 4 weeks from tomorrow!!!

 

[annmarieda]

8/4 ( 4wks from departure) purchased remaining items to complete planner.

8/8. settle on schedule for all days.

8/11 (3wks from departure) complete planner.

8/15 have purchased everything needed for personal bags to go on plane

8/18 (2wks before departure) have purchased everything needed for room (storage, decorations etc.).

8/22 have purchased a cell phone for my mother

8/25 (1wk before departure) have purchased everything needed for girls and I (snacks, clothing etc.

8/27 (5days before departure) have packed personal bags for the trip

8/29 (3days before departure) pick up mom from bus station

8/30 (2days before departure) have packed bags to be checked.

8/31 (1 DAY until departure) have packed carry on luggage.

9/1 DEPARTURE DAY !!!!!

 

[annmarieda]

A couple of weeks ago I received an email from DVC. "a gift to enjoy on your upcoming trip" The deal was I had to call the number and go through a virtual tour. I did. It was super simple and took minutes. In exchange...I got a $25 gc. It just came via Fed ex.! Now, I know it isn't a huge amount..but anything gets me excited!!

 

[tinacaplan]

Glad to hear that your mom is so excited. And sorry you had to respond to so many negative statements about Disney. I tend not to bring it up, unless I know people get it. I have one Disney friend and its practically all we talk about when we're together because so few other people seem to get it.

And you're inside of a month! Super exciting.

 

[annmarieda]

I can't believe how close we are getting and how behind in planning I am starting to feel. I have been working so much and then we took the 3 day trip. I need to get organized and get going on some stuff.

First I need to get ridemax.

Next I need to play around with it and get some days planned out.

Then I need to finish my trip planner.


I also need to post some pics. The weekly gift (from the countdown calendar) for the girls this week was hats. I actually think they are quite cute. Zoe's of course is pink with the princesses. Kira's is purple with Tink on it.

Okay, got to get ready for work. Maybe tonight I can tackle all these things and get back on track.

 

[annmarieda]

Somewhere along the line, I lost track of what I wanted to purchase and what I had purchased. I had forgot about some items, changed my mind on others and actually purchased some. I also didn't keep up with adding to the list when I thought we might need something else. So, I made changes to post #15

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=36864971&postcount=15

While there are things that I have purchased that are not on there, it is nice to clearly see that I do still need a few items.