single digits are here 1 sleeps to go!

[WAMUMOF4]

Well the flights are sort of changed DS16 is now flying in to LA on his own DH will drop him at the airport and i will pick him up at the other end I must of had an insane moment but its done and i am not changing again.

I am feeling really right now and i know i shouldn't be but the kids now know, no surprise, my cordless phone went flat and i had to call back on the normal phone i sent them out side but DH16 knew something was up and refused whilst i was on the phone to Qantas he worked it out i couldn't talk in code the whole call

So my kids are now bouncing around the house all excited and asking me about who knew and cant beleive no one told them this whole time now to explain to DH how i messed up and had to call Qantas and ruin the kids surprise.

 

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

WAMUMOF4 - firstly that is great news that you are getting extra days and a little lost money on flights is definitely worth it.

Now DO NOT BE SAD that the kids now know. Just think of all of the exciting times ahead, talking about all of the amazing things you will see and do. They will love being a part of the planning and it brings joy into your whole families lives even longer.

Congratulations!!!!!

 

[WAMUMOF4]

WAMUMOF4 - firstly that is great news that you are getting extra days and a little lost money on flights is definitely worth it.

Now DO NOT BE SAD that the kids now know. Just think of all of the exciting times ahead, talking about all of the amazing things you will see and do. They will love being a part of the planning and it brings joy into your whole families lives even longer.

Congratulations!!!!!

Thanks the kids are still bouncing around the house asking questions a hundred mile a minute are we going here are we doing this
I just had the surprise all planned in my head you know how it is

They are horrified that we were not going to tell them and wanting to know how they were suppose to save there spending money.

You would never guess that the first ? was are we going to DL or WDW

I just booked the Alaska cruise I actually got one of the secret porthole rooms Will call up tonight and get DCL to transfer my deposit over.

 

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

Well there you go, you would've missed out on all of that excitement and the excitement to come if they hadn't accidentally found out.

The secret porthole cabin sounds cool.

I want to do an Alaskan cruise with my DH when the kids are older and don't need to come. I doubt whether I'd be able to convince him to go on a Disney one but you never know.

 

[Queequeg]

Disney cruises are the very best.

 

[WAMUMOF4]

Our kids are still as high as kites about the fact that they get to have another USA holiday and to be truthful i am now feeling much less stressed now i dont have to be paranoid they might see what i am looking at on the computer or stumble across a reservation

The deposit is transferred across to our Alaska cruise but DH is insisting we are having a verandah if we are sailing Alaska and after reading an awesome trip report last night i am reluctant to say i think i agree.

I am not really wanting to know if the verandah is worth the extra money because i am not convinced it is but i am wondering if anyone could help me out with how much time you spent on your verandah if you had one?
Actually apart from sleeping how much time do you really spend in your cabin?

I currently have secretport hole room 5522 and another inside room behind it booked.

 

[WAMUMOF4]

Here's my new rough plan still deciding on way to many things!
DH was a bit upset about not getting time in LA so me being the lovely wife that i am has volunteered to give up the B2B cruise and only do the Alaska one so he can have a few days to shop and explore LA and he would like to have at least 1 day at DL before we go home if possible


16 July arrive LA staying at Hilton airport that night
17 July head to DL
18 DS16 arrives
August 1 Fly to DFW
August 2nd DH arrives
August 3-13 Knoxville IA Speedway
August 13-17 possibly Chicago ???
August 17 -28 head towards Seattle via Mount Rushmore and Yellowstone National Park ???????

August 29 Elma, WA speedway
August 31 Sept 1, Alger, WA Speedway
Sept 2nd Seattle
Sept 3rd-10th DCL Alaska Cruise
Sept 10th Vancouver
Sept 11th catch Amtrak cascade train to Portland
Sept 13 Fly to LA
DL, Shopping, tour LA
Sept 16 Fly home
Sept 18 arrive home

 

[WAMUMOF4]

Today is exactly 3 months to go its Monday April 16 and we leave on Monday July 16 who would of known we would get so excited about dates

I just changed our SPH room to a balcony DH wants a balcony and i cant really argue when he wants it to spend time watching the scenery and having a drink with me
I have changed the kids as well they are now in an inside across from us i am still not sure about that but i cant get connecting cabins anyway.

In my ever changning trip i am pretty sure we have it finalised now except for a few tweaks

16 July arrive DFW
17 see something in Dallas ?
18 DS16 arrives and we will Drive to Houston
July 25-28 maybe San Antonio and then back to Houston
August 2nd DH arrives and we will drive to Knoxville
August 3-12 Knoxville IA Speedway
August 12 Sioux falls Speedway
August 13 Mount Rushmore
August 14 Cody before Yellowstone National Park
August 15-16 Yellowstone National Park still to be booked
August 17 Drive towards Vegas will stay somewhere on the way
August 18 Hoover Dam on the way to Vegas
August 19 Vegas
August 20-28 Disneyland
August 28 fly to Seattle
August 29 Elma, WA speedway
August 31 Sept 1, Alger, WA Speedway
Sept 2nd Seattle
Sept 3rd-10th DCL Alaska Cruise
Sept 10th-16th B2B DCL cruise to LA
Sept 16 Fly home
Sept 18 arrive home

 

[alicia1506]

wow that is one heck of a trip...

the planning and sheer amount of research you must have been doing

so happy for you that you are down to that final stretch... we leave nov 23 and today is apr 16, so for us, 32 weeks to go and i'm stressed to the max

hope you have the most amazing trip

 

[Travel Mum]

WAMUM04, I notice that you have a 16 year old son who is joining you on your trip. I'm curious to know how he can be out of school for that long at his age? Wouldnt that be Year 12? Here in N.Z., there is unfortunatly no way we could take a high school child in their NCEA years out of school. My travel dreams are feeling severly restricted by having a high-school aged child so I'm fascinated to know how you are able to do it? (and quietly hoping there might be a way for me )

 

[WAMUMOF4]

wow that is one heck of a trip...

the planning and sheer amount of research you must have been doing

so happy for you that you are down to that final stretch... we leave nov 23 and today is apr 16, so for us, 32 weeks to go and i'm stressed to the max

hope you have the most amazing trip

If it makes you feel any better i am stressed to the max as well i have so much to still pay for i thought booking it as early as we did we would be a lot further along in paying for things but job changes etc mean i am going to be paying for things the week we leave

WAMUM04, I notice that you have a 16 year old son who is joining you on your trip. I'm curious to know how he can be out of school for that long at his age? Wouldnt that be Year 12? Here in N.Z., there is unfortunatly no way we could take a high school child in their NCEA years out of school. My travel dreams are feeling severly restricted by having a high-school aged child so I'm fascinated to know how you are able to do it? (and quietly hoping there might be a way for me )

Sorry Travel Mum Ds16 is only doing year 10 and we homeschool we repeated him when he was at school for various reasons and this will be the last year we will be able to do this as both him and ds15 will be going to tafe etc next year. This is our geography/history lesson that's what the kids tell everyone

 

[Travel Mum]

Oh home-schooling, well that makes more sense now. Thanks for letting me know

 

[Andona]

WaMum, now that you have your dates sorted out I'd urge you to book your Yellowstone accommodation ASAP. The park lodges book out months in advance, especially for the summer months.

If the lodges are booked out you could stay at West Yellowstone which isn't too far from Old Faithful village or Gardiner which is just outside the northern entrance to the park, near the Mammoth Springs area.

We stayed one night at Gardiner and two nights in the Old Faithful Snow Lodge - it was lovely!

Good luck, your trip sounds awesome!

Andona

 

[WAMUMOF4]

WaMum, now that you have your dates sorted out I'd urge you to book your Yellowstone accommodation ASAP. The park lodges book out months in advance, especially for the summer months.

If the lodges are booked out you could stay at West Yellowstone which isn't too far from Old Faithful village or Gardiner which is just outside the northern entrance to the park, near the Mammoth Springs area.

We stayed one night at Gardiner and two nights in the Old Faithful Snow Lodge - it was lovely!

Good luck, your trip sounds awesome!

Andona

Thanks Andona i am just waiting for DH to be home on Wednesday to work out whether we change places each night or drive back i am looking at driving from Cody Cowboy Village (already booked for first night)to threebearlodge and just cant decide whether to do 2 nights there and drive back or head further down for the next night.
We know we wont get to see everything but some will do just got to work out what we want to see the most.

 

[Mum from oz]

Wow, 3 months will fly by! I would go the balcony cabin. We liked to be able to walk out into fresh air and watch the scenery.

Your itinerary looks great. I really want to do the west coast one day, plus I have friends in Seattle that I would love to see. I hope you are going to do a trip report of some sort!

 

[WAMUMOF4]

Wow, 3 months will fly by! I would go the balcony cabin. We liked to be able to walk out into fresh air and watch the scenery.

Your itinerary looks great. I really want to do the west coast one day, plus I have friends in Seattle that I would love to see. I hope you are going to do a trip report of some sort!

The verandah is booked for Alaska but the compromise is we have to have inside ones for the B2B to LA but we kinda figure with the ship docked for 2 full days in San Francisco that will be OK i hope it has to be for now because our budget is not going to allow anything else at the moment

I am really looking froward to going to Seattle and Alaska I really didn't think it would be something we would get to do with the kids but to do it with Disney
Trip report i dont think i have got past day 2 of the last one

 

[WAMUMOF4]

I called DCL again today after more people posting on the boards that we might not be able to do the B2B cruise
We are not going till know till they have cruised the May cruises whether we can do our Sept ones dont worry about the fact that my itinerary is planned and my flights are booked and paid for


What on Earth do i do
Do i wait i think that is called patience
Change the Alaska cruise to another line?
Just when i thought it was all sorted out

 

[battymum]

What is the problem with doing B2B?

 

[aussietravellers]

What a nightmare! Why wouldn't you be able to do the B2B?

 

[WAMUMOF4]

What is the problem with doing B2B?

Some maritime law that says a foreign owned vessel cant take passengers between 2 different cities in North America without visiting a foreign port and Vancouver where the cruise starts is not considered a foreign port.

They told me today they are waiting to see what the outcome is from the May cruise and then will make a decision basically they are winging it telling passengers they have to book different cabins for each cruise take all there luggage of the ship etc.

I just don't know what to do i don't think i can wait till the 28th of May to find out whether its doable or not