Obi Wan Kenobi
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 30, 2004
- Messages
- 3,938
So, to summurise:
When? 1st to 15th December 2007
Who? (Original cast)
Obi Wan Kenobi (48 ) trip planner and Paymaster General
Princess Leia (DW 4-something and spender of the total wealth of Alderaan)
Darth Vader (DS 5) still cute before the dark force takes over, Power Rangers and HSM mad.
New cast call (part two)
Dave aka Hans Solo, (45 neighbour and frined of Obi & Leia)
Caroline Aka Ewok (46, DW of Hans, only sane one of the bunch)
C3PO Aka Amy (DD 21, of Hans and Ewok, last trip with parents)
R2D2 Aka Charlotte (Aka Taz) (11, DD2 of Hans, has no idea about the trip, HSM mad also)
And Introducing:-
General Greivious (Aka Neil, 36, Amy's boyfriend)
So, our flights and car all booked. (see part one)
A couple of months later I was talking to my neighbour, Hans Solo.
He and his family had come to Florida for the first time with us in 2001
He has three daughters, the middle one being autistic. She is 18 but has the mind of a 14 year old. When she got to Florida she loved meeting Mickey and co, but hated the flight and the unfamiliar surroundings, so has no interest in going back.
The little one R2D2 loved it, and keeps badgering about going back.
Hans was a Senior Engineer at Rover and unfortunatly around here, with Peugeot dropping 4,000 jobs and PAG in so much uncertanty, Engineering/Manufacturing jobs are rarer than hens teeth (we ourselves, have moved ALL production to the Far East to reduce costs, as we are being hammered on UK overhead costs compared to both eastern Europe and China) so Hans has taken a BIG drop in salary (he is now odd-jobbing, what an inditement on the UK manufacturing base
)
We were talking about holidays and he was saying that they would be probably caravanning this year again. He then mentioned that R2D2 was pestering about Florida and how much the two girls (R2D2 and C3PO) had enjoyed themselves, so I said to him, that how about if I can find some good prices, I would invite them to our villa, as we have plenty of room.
So we started to look.
Hans spoke to his parents and it has been arranged that middle one will "holiday" with them at home, she will love that, familiar faces and familiar surroundings.
So, flights for them.
Best charter we could find for the four of them (three adults and one Child) was TCD including small car from gatwick at £1,550 (many charters stop in October and do not resume again until the spring)
By this time BA was coming out in Economy at £2,044 and Virgin Holidays inc small car at £2,204
Virgin flight only was £1,752.60 and Continental (same flight) £1,530.00
Mates Rates were coming out at £1,475, not good.
I then rang Virgin Flying Club and asked if I could use my miles for Miles plus Money fares for them, Yes I could!
So the final price on the same flight as us was £1,194
I was also able to use my Hertz No1 Gold card to get them a Full size Taurus for £225 inclusive.
So now there are seven of us going. Or so i thought...
We are going to get them into the Clubhouse at Gatwick so that will be nice as our guests.
R2D2 STILL does not know and they have decided to (try) and not tell her until the week before. This is becoming increasingly difficult. Only today whilst watching HSM, Darth was also reading the Virgin Holidays 2008 Brochure next to Taz...
We have done a letter from my son inviting her to come and play with him and some friends, with just a couple of pictures as clues, and then inside the envelope is another envelope with a boarding ticket in it for the flights. As you know, you don't get tix now when booking on line, so I had to make a ticket specially for her.
they are going to give that to her in that week.
Now, I thought that this was it. Silly me!!
General grevious, C3PO's (current) boyfriend could not come originally, as he did not have any holiday left for such a journey. C3PO was not happy of course, but felt she could just survive two weeks away without him.
Then in August, the malaise that is killing manufacturing in this country hit him full on as well, Redundancy. He should be OK to get another job as he has a fork lift drivers licence and these are in demand.
this meant he could come along too!
Checked around at prices, he wanted to fly with C3PO (all together now....aaaaahhh!
) so looked at economy price, then using miles plus money, then I was able to get him a "mates rate" at Virgin (finally, a MR that was the best price to book at!!) and got him on board the same aircraft for £234 (he, incidentally could upgrade to PE on his ticket for £208 outbound and £180 inbound, but C3PO would kill him as her tix are not upgradable!!! 
)
They are sat together in Economy as four plus one across the aisle and will try to get them into row 21 nearer the departure time.
The final thing to book has been done, which is the Clubhouse treatments, I ring up as the on-line form only allows you to book single treatments.
All our haircuts now booked. and waiting for us.
So, only 62 days to go now.
When? 1st to 15th December 2007
Who? (Original cast)
Obi Wan Kenobi (48 ) trip planner and Paymaster General
Princess Leia (DW 4-something and spender of the total wealth of Alderaan)
Darth Vader (DS 5) still cute before the dark force takes over, Power Rangers and HSM mad.
New cast call (part two)
Dave aka Hans Solo, (45 neighbour and frined of Obi & Leia)
Caroline Aka Ewok (46, DW of Hans, only sane one of the bunch)
C3PO Aka Amy (DD 21, of Hans and Ewok, last trip with parents)
R2D2 Aka Charlotte (Aka Taz) (11, DD2 of Hans, has no idea about the trip, HSM mad also)
And Introducing:-
General Greivious (Aka Neil, 36, Amy's boyfriend)
So, our flights and car all booked. (see part one)
A couple of months later I was talking to my neighbour, Hans Solo.
He and his family had come to Florida for the first time with us in 2001
He has three daughters, the middle one being autistic. She is 18 but has the mind of a 14 year old. When she got to Florida she loved meeting Mickey and co, but hated the flight and the unfamiliar surroundings, so has no interest in going back.
The little one R2D2 loved it, and keeps badgering about going back.
Hans was a Senior Engineer at Rover and unfortunatly around here, with Peugeot dropping 4,000 jobs and PAG in so much uncertanty, Engineering/Manufacturing jobs are rarer than hens teeth (we ourselves, have moved ALL production to the Far East to reduce costs, as we are being hammered on UK overhead costs compared to both eastern Europe and China) so Hans has taken a BIG drop in salary (he is now odd-jobbing, what an inditement on the UK manufacturing base
)We were talking about holidays and he was saying that they would be probably caravanning this year again. He then mentioned that R2D2 was pestering about Florida and how much the two girls (R2D2 and C3PO) had enjoyed themselves, so I said to him, that how about if I can find some good prices, I would invite them to our villa, as we have plenty of room.
So we started to look.
Hans spoke to his parents and it has been arranged that middle one will "holiday" with them at home, she will love that, familiar faces and familiar surroundings.
So, flights for them.
Best charter we could find for the four of them (three adults and one Child) was TCD including small car from gatwick at £1,550 (many charters stop in October and do not resume again until the spring)
By this time BA was coming out in Economy at £2,044 and Virgin Holidays inc small car at £2,204
Virgin flight only was £1,752.60 and Continental (same flight) £1,530.00
Mates Rates were coming out at £1,475, not good.
I then rang Virgin Flying Club and asked if I could use my miles for Miles plus Money fares for them, Yes I could!
So the final price on the same flight as us was £1,194
I was also able to use my Hertz No1 Gold card to get them a Full size Taurus for £225 inclusive.
So now there are seven of us going. Or so i thought...
We are going to get them into the Clubhouse at Gatwick so that will be nice as our guests.
R2D2 STILL does not know and they have decided to (try) and not tell her until the week before. This is becoming increasingly difficult. Only today whilst watching HSM, Darth was also reading the Virgin Holidays 2008 Brochure next to Taz...
We have done a letter from my son inviting her to come and play with him and some friends, with just a couple of pictures as clues, and then inside the envelope is another envelope with a boarding ticket in it for the flights. As you know, you don't get tix now when booking on line, so I had to make a ticket specially for her.
they are going to give that to her in that week.
Now, I thought that this was it. Silly me!!
General grevious, C3PO's (current) boyfriend could not come originally, as he did not have any holiday left for such a journey. C3PO was not happy of course, but felt she could just survive two weeks away without him.
Then in August, the malaise that is killing manufacturing in this country hit him full on as well, Redundancy. He should be OK to get another job as he has a fork lift drivers licence and these are in demand.
this meant he could come along too!
Checked around at prices, he wanted to fly with C3PO (all together now....aaaaahhh!
) so looked at economy price, then using miles plus money, then I was able to get him a "mates rate" at Virgin (finally, a MR that was the best price to book at!!) and got him on board the same aircraft for £234 (he, incidentally could upgrade to PE on his ticket for £208 outbound and £180 inbound, but C3PO would kill him as her tix are not upgradable!!! )They are sat together in Economy as four plus one across the aisle and will try to get them into row 21 nearer the departure time.
The final thing to book has been done, which is the Clubhouse treatments, I ring up as the on-line form only allows you to book single treatments.
All our haircuts now booked. and waiting for us.
So, only 62 days to go now.
