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Cast.
Me: Karen (a.k.a Kaz) 40-something. Loves all things Disney, a Kir Royale in Mizner's Lounge and spending DH's $$$...
Him: Richard (a.k.a Dick) Slightly older 40-something. Loves most things Disney, a Kir Royale in any Lounge and the exchange rate...
Him: Samuel (a.k.a Sam) 15-something. Loves all things Disney, hotdogs and hoarding his own $$$...
The weather's warm-ish, the sun is shining weakly, the wasps are buzzing round the barbecue and, despite the regular rain, a hosepipe ban is no doubt imminent! By Jove, the great British summer is upon us! Which is why we will be heading to Heathrow on a Friday evening in early August to embark on yet another Disney dollar spend-fest!!! Hurrah!!!
Greetings, gentle reader or, should I say, 'saludos amigos'!
Welcome to a shiny new Taylor Family travelogue! There'll be thrills, spills, chills and bills - the size of which will astound you!!! 
Seriously tho', this is an exciting trip which has been 18 months in the planning and sees many "firsts" for us. It's main distinguishing feature being that this is Samuel's first Disney cruise experience so I'm excited and nervous in equal parts! Will he love it, like it or absolutely hate it??? Of course, the latter isn't really an option as, at the first sign of any negativity, I'll close my eyes, put my hands over my ears and loudly intone, "La, la, la! I can't hear you!" My parenting skills are second to none, I'm sure you'll agree... 
However I chose this particular cruise with Samuel in mind and, due to the plethora of action-packed excursions, I'm confident his reaction will be positive. As much as you can be with a fifteen year old teen. Of course, there's no Castaway Cay stop which would cause tears if it weren't for the prospect of future cruises. As it is, I've promised not to let my lip tremble too much...
One of the "firsts" I am particularly looking forward to, is the prospect of seeing my son all tuxedo'd up for Formal Night! Samuel has himself chosen to wear a white tux whilst his father will be sporting the black option and I cannot wait to see my menfolk dressed to kill!!! Obviously such level of sartorial elegance requires a commitment to formalwear from myself which is somewhat scary! Terrifying, actually. Still, I'm crushing all cruise casual cravings and cramming myself into control underwear for one night at least - I really want that formal family photo on the mantlepiece!!!
Another first sees us prioritising the onboard shows as Dick and I managed to miss them all last September on our Anniversary cruise!
I can't quite understand how we pulled that off but suffice to say we intend to make amends this time around. All of the booked excursions represent firsts too. Whether zip-lining or sight-seeing, we'll be exploring unknown territories and enjoying every last minute!
We have wandered over to the West Coast before but this will a longer trip and, once the cruise is over, we're enjoying 6 nights of concierge service at the Disneyland Hotel. This has been booked using DVC points and, as such, is another first - in the 'keeping vacation costs to a minimum' category! Well, sort of... Anyway, we've got a few days out planned whilst based in Anaheim - suffice to say we'll be hitting Hollywood and star-spotting to our hearts content. We've also got 5 day Disneyland tickets, so we won't be neglecting the original Walt Disney's dream park plus it's contemporary cousin, California Adventure...
Here's our itinerary so far...
Friday August 8 2008: Welcome Dick home from work before packing his monster truck with our cases and waving goodbye to Taylor Towers. Drive around the M25 to Heathrow where we're spending the night at the Holiday Inn. I've no idea what to expect but quite frankly I don't care - the cost including 15 nights parking was sooo cheap, I couldn't refuse! We live close to Gatwick and flying from LHR always feels such a stressy hassle so I'm content to have come up with a calm and collected start to the holiday...
Saturday August 9 2008: Up bright and early so we can enjoy that VA Clubhouse to the max! I'm looking forward to trying that direct entry procedure John Hanna oh so convincingly demonstrates on TV - as you do... We're flying UC to Los Angeles - DH and I had sufficient miles to bag a couple of free return flights and we just had to stump up for Samuel. I have pre-booked my usual Cute Boots pedicure and DH is having a massage. It'll be a little too early for Samuel to really enjoy the moment so he'll probably just slump on a sofa, mainlining Coke (the fizzy variety) and hooking up to a hand held games console until our flight's called. We've pre-booked a limo to take us to the Queen Mary Hotel where we'll relax and enjoy this unique hotel. Were hoping to Dine With The Spirits tonight - following a slap-up dinner, we'll be led on an authentic ghost exploration to "Paranormal Hot Spots" of ship, not ordinarily accessible to the general public. I'm psyched and happy to expect the unexpected - seems visitors have often reported forms of unnatural activity including audible sounds, smells, temperature changes and occasionally, visual activity! Exciting eh? And Derek Acorah's nowhere in sight - at least I hope not...
Sunday August 10: After that morning essential, caffeine, we'll catch a cab to the Port of San Pedro. This will be Samuel's first sight of the Magic and I can't wait for him to see what his Ma's been raving about all this time!! We'll pose for the obligatory photo before the Taylor Family is announced to the lobby at large. The plan is to head to the Concierge meeting before grabbing some lunch and exploring our stateroom. No firsts here - we're back in 8602!!! This a stunning Category 3 that Dick and I were lucky enough to stay in for our 25th Wedding Anniversary cruise. Can't wait to stay in there again...
We'll probably be meeting fellow DISers at 2.45pm in the Promenade Lounge... I've pre-ordered champagne and some chocolate-covered strawberries so that we can celebrate the Sail-Away. Later this evening I'm hoping Samuel will check out the Stack and bond with some like-minded teens - fingers crossed, eh..?
Monday August 11: At Sea. We'll be mostly relaxing on our vast veranda and exploring the Magic. Plus I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that there'll be a chance to taste wine this afternoon before getting dressed up in our finery for Formal Night! I'm ready for my close-up, ...
Tuesday August 12: Cabo San Lucas. Samuel's booked on the Teen Surfin' Safari. DH and I will be enjoying the Pacific Side Horseback Riding excursion... Later it's Palo's for Ma & Pa @ 8.30pm...
Wednesday August 13: Mazatlan. We all booked to do the zip-lining Huana Coa Canopy Adventure today!!! I'm a little nervous but I'm sure it'll be a fab family fiesta...
Thursday August 14: Puerto Vallarta. The boys are going on the Marietas Islands Snorkel and Kayak Tour so they can follow in the flippers of Jacques Cousteau. I've opted for the sedate Puerto Vallarta City Tour as I want a more relaxing day after yesterday's action adventure! Once back aboard, we'll be putting on our pirate chic in anticipation of the Pirate Night with Deck Party - shiver me timbers, be those fireworks on the high seas?!!
Friday August 15: At Sea. Dick and I have a Couples Choice massage booked @ 10.45am until 12.55pm. We might branch out and attend the Margarita/Martini tastings plus I'm hoping the boys will want to tux up for dinner again as tonight is the Semi-Formal...
Saturday August 16: At Sea. Our last full day and I am depressed already!
Dick & I are planning on enjoying Palo's Brunch @ 11am and sunning ourselves on the veranda...
Sunday August 17: Disembark. Transfer to Disneyland Hotel and check-in. We'll stick close to home today and hang out at Disneyland or California Adventure. I'm hoping to meet up with some West Coast DISbuddies this afternoon. We'll try the on-site Steakhouse 55 for dinner...
Monday August 18: Enjoy some concierge offerings for breakfast before meeting up with our Movie Stars' Homes Tour and our Hollywood Trolley Tour at 11am. I'm really looking forward to getting snap happy on one of the more obvious tacky tours! We'll probably eat at local off-site Anaheim restaurant this evening...
Tuesday August 19: Collect our hire car from the Alamo desk in the hotel - how very civilised! Today we're planning to scratch any retail therapy itch we might have by visiting a couple of local Malls. Again we'll probably eat off-site...
Wednesday August 20: We're still deciding whether to book the Warner Bros VIP tour for today. I think we'll be better off with an on-site chill-out and we can pop to the parks as we see fit... We'll definitely return to the Disneyland resort area to eat at Grand Californian's Napa Rose this evening...
Thursday August 21: We have already pre-booked Universal Studios VIP tour and are looking forward to this! Not sure if we'll drive or get a cab into Hollywood but this promises to be an exciting and action-packed day...
Friday August 22: Today we're off on another road trip. This time we're heading out to the Pacific coast and Laguna Beach - home to an impressive summer art exhibition which I'm very much looking forward to...
Saturday August 23: This morning we check out of Disneyland Hotel and enjoy one last wild Disney treat - a character brekkie! We may visit the parks before driving to LAX and returning the hire car. We'll check in for the return flight and spend some time in the Air New Zealand Lounge before boarding the VS008 flight...
Sunday August 24: Arrive LHR, collect the car to return to sunny Beckenham - and Samuel's first couple of GCSE results...
Th-that's all, folks...
Me: Karen (a.k.a Kaz) 40-something. Loves all things Disney, a Kir Royale in Mizner's Lounge and spending DH's $$$...
Him: Richard (a.k.a Dick) Slightly older 40-something. Loves most things Disney, a Kir Royale in any Lounge and the exchange rate...
Him: Samuel (a.k.a Sam) 15-something. Loves all things Disney, hotdogs and hoarding his own $$$...
The weather's warm-ish, the sun is shining weakly, the wasps are buzzing round the barbecue and, despite the regular rain, a hosepipe ban is no doubt imminent! By Jove, the great British summer is upon us! Which is why we will be heading to Heathrow on a Friday evening in early August to embark on yet another Disney dollar spend-fest!!! Hurrah!!!
Greetings, gentle reader or, should I say, 'saludos amigos'!
Welcome to a shiny new Taylor Family travelogue! There'll be thrills, spills, chills and bills - the size of which will astound you!!! Seriously tho', this is an exciting trip which has been 18 months in the planning and sees many "firsts" for us. It's main distinguishing feature being that this is Samuel's first Disney cruise experience so I'm excited and nervous in equal parts! Will he love it, like it or absolutely hate it??? Of course, the latter isn't really an option as, at the first sign of any negativity, I'll close my eyes, put my hands over my ears and loudly intone, "La, la, la! I can't hear you!" My parenting skills are second to none, I'm sure you'll agree... However I chose this particular cruise with Samuel in mind and, due to the plethora of action-packed excursions, I'm confident his reaction will be positive. As much as you can be with a fifteen year old teen. Of course, there's no Castaway Cay stop which would cause tears if it weren't for the prospect of future cruises. As it is, I've promised not to let my lip tremble too much...
One of the "firsts" I am particularly looking forward to, is the prospect of seeing my son all tuxedo'd up for Formal Night! Samuel has himself chosen to wear a white tux whilst his father will be sporting the black option and I cannot wait to see my menfolk dressed to kill!!! Obviously such level of sartorial elegance requires a commitment to formalwear from myself which is somewhat scary! Terrifying, actually. Still, I'm crushing all cruise casual cravings and cramming myself into control underwear for one night at least - I really want that formal family photo on the mantlepiece!!!
Another first sees us prioritising the onboard shows as Dick and I managed to miss them all last September on our Anniversary cruise!
I can't quite understand how we pulled that off but suffice to say we intend to make amends this time around. All of the booked excursions represent firsts too. Whether zip-lining or sight-seeing, we'll be exploring unknown territories and enjoying every last minute! We have wandered over to the West Coast before but this will a longer trip and, once the cruise is over, we're enjoying 6 nights of concierge service at the Disneyland Hotel. This has been booked using DVC points and, as such, is another first - in the 'keeping vacation costs to a minimum' category! Well, sort of... Anyway, we've got a few days out planned whilst based in Anaheim - suffice to say we'll be hitting Hollywood and star-spotting to our hearts content. We've also got 5 day Disneyland tickets, so we won't be neglecting the original Walt Disney's dream park plus it's contemporary cousin, California Adventure...
Here's our itinerary so far...
Friday August 8 2008: Welcome Dick home from work before packing his monster truck with our cases and waving goodbye to Taylor Towers. Drive around the M25 to Heathrow where we're spending the night at the Holiday Inn. I've no idea what to expect but quite frankly I don't care - the cost including 15 nights parking was sooo cheap, I couldn't refuse! We live close to Gatwick and flying from LHR always feels such a stressy hassle so I'm content to have come up with a calm and collected start to the holiday...
Saturday August 9 2008: Up bright and early so we can enjoy that VA Clubhouse to the max! I'm looking forward to trying that direct entry procedure John Hanna oh so convincingly demonstrates on TV - as you do...
We're flying UC to Los Angeles - DH and I had sufficient miles to bag a couple of free return flights and we just had to stump up for Samuel. I have pre-booked my usual Cute Boots pedicure and DH is having a massage. It'll be a little too early for Samuel to really enjoy the moment so he'll probably just slump on a sofa, mainlining Coke (the fizzy variety) and hooking up to a hand held games console until our flight's called. We've pre-booked a limo to take us to the Queen Mary Hotel where we'll relax and enjoy this unique hotel. Were hoping to Dine With The Spirits tonight - following a slap-up dinner, we'll be led on an authentic ghost exploration to "Paranormal Hot Spots" of ship, not ordinarily accessible to the general public. I'm psyched and happy to expect the unexpected - seems visitors have often reported forms of unnatural activity including audible sounds, smells, temperature changes and occasionally, visual activity! Exciting eh? And Derek Acorah's nowhere in sight - at least I hope not...Sunday August 10: After that morning essential, caffeine, we'll catch a cab to the Port of San Pedro. This will be Samuel's first sight of the Magic and I can't wait for him to see what his Ma's been raving about all this time!! We'll pose for the obligatory photo before the Taylor Family is announced to the lobby at large. The plan is to head to the Concierge meeting before grabbing some lunch and exploring our stateroom. No firsts here - we're back in 8602!!! This a stunning Category 3 that Dick and I were lucky enough to stay in for our 25th Wedding Anniversary cruise. Can't wait to stay in there again...
We'll probably be meeting fellow DISers at 2.45pm in the Promenade Lounge... I've pre-ordered champagne and some chocolate-covered strawberries so that we can celebrate the Sail-Away. Later this evening I'm hoping Samuel will check out the Stack and bond with some like-minded teens - fingers crossed, eh..?Monday August 11: At Sea. We'll be mostly relaxing on our vast veranda and exploring the Magic. Plus I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that there'll be a chance to taste wine this afternoon before getting dressed up in our finery for Formal Night! I'm ready for my close-up, ...
Tuesday August 12: Cabo San Lucas. Samuel's booked on the Teen Surfin' Safari. DH and I will be enjoying the Pacific Side Horseback Riding excursion... Later it's Palo's for Ma & Pa @ 8.30pm...
Wednesday August 13: Mazatlan. We all booked to do the zip-lining Huana Coa Canopy Adventure today!!! I'm a little nervous but I'm sure it'll be a fab family fiesta...
Thursday August 14: Puerto Vallarta. The boys are going on the Marietas Islands Snorkel and Kayak Tour so they can follow in the flippers of Jacques Cousteau. I've opted for the sedate Puerto Vallarta City Tour as I want a more relaxing day after yesterday's action adventure! Once back aboard, we'll be putting on our pirate chic in anticipation of the Pirate Night with Deck Party - shiver me timbers, be those fireworks on the high seas?!!
Friday August 15: At Sea. Dick and I have a Couples Choice massage booked @ 10.45am until 12.55pm. We might branch out and attend the Margarita/Martini tastings plus I'm hoping the boys will want to tux up for dinner again as tonight is the Semi-Formal...
Saturday August 16: At Sea. Our last full day and I am depressed already!
Dick & I are planning on enjoying Palo's Brunch @ 11am and sunning ourselves on the veranda... Sunday August 17: Disembark. Transfer to Disneyland Hotel and check-in. We'll stick close to home today and hang out at Disneyland or California Adventure. I'm hoping to meet up with some West Coast DISbuddies this afternoon. We'll try the on-site Steakhouse 55 for dinner...
Monday August 18: Enjoy some concierge offerings for breakfast before meeting up with our Movie Stars' Homes Tour and our Hollywood Trolley Tour at 11am. I'm really looking forward to getting snap happy on one of the more obvious tacky tours! We'll probably eat at local off-site Anaheim restaurant this evening...
Tuesday August 19: Collect our hire car from the Alamo desk in the hotel - how very civilised! Today we're planning to scratch any retail therapy itch we might have by visiting a couple of local Malls. Again we'll probably eat off-site...
Wednesday August 20: We're still deciding whether to book the Warner Bros VIP tour for today. I think we'll be better off with an on-site chill-out and we can pop to the parks as we see fit... We'll definitely return to the Disneyland resort area to eat at Grand Californian's Napa Rose this evening...
Thursday August 21: We have already pre-booked Universal Studios VIP tour and are looking forward to this! Not sure if we'll drive or get a cab into Hollywood but this promises to be an exciting and action-packed day...
Friday August 22: Today we're off on another road trip. This time we're heading out to the Pacific coast and Laguna Beach - home to an impressive summer art exhibition which I'm very much looking forward to...
Saturday August 23: This morning we check out of Disneyland Hotel and enjoy one last wild Disney treat - a character brekkie! We may visit the parks before driving to LAX and returning the hire car. We'll check in for the return flight and spend some time in the Air New Zealand Lounge before boarding the VS008 flight...
Sunday August 24: Arrive LHR, collect the car to return to sunny Beckenham - and Samuel's first couple of GCSE results...
Th-that's all, folks...
yay ! another dick and kaz trippie ..... wonderful start Karen 
) when I visited Puerto Vallarta, it is lovely...
but who cares when there's another trip on the horizon... 
