so much to do, so little time

[autoracepr989]

I'm kinda new to the board but figured I'd give this a shot. I was at Disney twice around my birthday when I was little & figured after not having been there at all in 8 years I needed to go back. The reason for the hiatus was that the last time I was at WDW I met a wonderful guy that I thought I was going to marry before he was KIA in Iraq a little over 5 years ago. I couldn't face going back but after taking time to think about it this is the right time to go.

My sister will just be finishing up a 6 week stint of working when I get down there and my mother will be flying down the same day as me just on a different flight. I'm flying down May 11 and will be staying on property until I put my sister on a flight the May 15. I then spend 2 nights with family around Tampa while enjoying the beach & Clearwater Marine Hospital & Aquarium. Then my mom & I get the 3 day drive back home.

I've already made ARDs for Mama Melrose's on my 25th birthday along with the plans to take in Fantasmic(a show my sister knows well) with my mom. I'm still debating about a character meal or another ARD for breakfast.

I've kinda planned the first full day I'm there as being AK & Studios. The day i fly in I'm planning to hit DTD & Boardwalk. Don't know what order we'll do MK & Epcot in.


I don't really know what else to put here rite now, so please let me know if I've missed anything or what you'd like to know

 

[autoracepr989]

Ok I read some other pre trip reports and figured out I should probably let you meet the players in this Disney trip

First you have me, a 24y/o college grad that hasn't been able to secure a fulltime job in my degree field. Not for a lack of trying. I was engaged to a wonderful man that I met at WDW on spring break 2004 until he was killed in Iraq. I'm going back to school in fall so I am taking this trip as a last trip for a bit. I'll be celebrating myt birthday on the first full day we have at the world.

next we have my mom, an early 50's PTA for a non-profit. Once she heard I was going down she jumped on board to come along. She has made several trips down since 2007 alone. She has gone on every Disney trip I've ever taken.

Finally we have my sister, a 22 y/o that is a cast member at Disney and is staying a few days over her 6 week commitment as a seasonal employee to enjoy the parks with her mom & sister. She started out in the Career Start/College Prorograms and now works seasonally as much as she can down there.

Staying behind are my father, a real stick in the mud, for lack of a better discription when it comes to Disney. My 20 year old brother is also staying behind to work and spend time with his girlfriend.

Once I get enough posts I'll post the pictures of us all

 

[autoracepr989]

Mom said today she was disappointed that no one showed interest in character meals and that she had looked into Chef Mickey's a while ago, like when she booked her & DS flights. (Note I had mine before they had theirs) I just hit the jackpot on ADRs.... I got dinner at Chef Mickey for DM & I for the Monday we are there. Can't believe my luck since I know that they are hard to impossible to get even this far out or close to the trip dates depending how you look at it.

Figure I can use it as a joint b-day thing for her & I as well as a late Mother's Day deal. I haven't figured out what I can do for her for mother's day besides a card. Any suggestions???? She didn't want to eat anywhere specific soo I'm at a loss. Please keep in mind though that I am flying down to Disney though so I'm limited by luggage room since I'm gone for 9 days between Disney, the Aquarium, & Driving home.

Help Please!!!

 

[autoracepr989]

Made reservations at Kona Cafe for breakfast last night. Sounds like it should be a good place for breakfast. I also have counted the change I've been saving since January and I have got $51.95 saved. That plus my pto cash in that I'm doing will be giving me over $500 for the trip. mom & sis start thier drive down to start her six weeks tomorrow. That means my trip is really close

 

[OrangeJuice]

Hey I'm joining in

Your trip is coming up real fast!

You've been lucky to get such great ADRs. We LOVE Kona Café for breakfast. The coffee is great and so if the Tonga Toast!

I do have one suggestion of a mother's day gift that wouldn't take up much room. You could try and get a good ride photo or photopass picture of all of you together and then place it into a nice frame. It would make for a great memory of the trip.

Looking forward to hearing more about your plans

 

[autoracepr989]

OrangeJuice and thanks for joining in. Also thanks for the photo idea. I'll have to see what I can do along those lines.



Talked with mom tonight & found out we got a different pin added to our reservation saving us $50 on our stay. I'm all for saving even more money. I've started to pack/get things togeather. A couple coworkers have asked for things to be brought back for them. One ased for autographs so she can use them as a clue for her grandkids that they are going to see Mickey. Thinking I'll do them on a couple photomats at chef Mickey's.

A little off topic but I've gotta share this. I've been approved as a MAW volunteer. My schedule hasn't worked with their needs until the near future. I go to orientation a week & a day before wdw

 

[autoracepr989]

OK here are the pics as promised...

first up is me... I'm actually at a nye party with a group of guys

Next we have my sister & mom on one of the previous trips they took to the world

And finally just because I still love this pic of him, Nick , the reason I stayed away for a long time

In other trip news my mom & sister started driving to wdw today. While they hit the road I hit up the disney store at our one mall...I got one of the pairs of ears they were giving out as well as some shirts for the trip. This got me to start packing and it's kinda freaky but I'm thinking I'm almost done packing now except for certain clothes and misc. odds and ends that I can't pack til the time of the trip.

I'm ending up with a backpack, my purse, and a carryon size suitcase that's getting checked since mom has two free checked bags and only is going to check one otherwise. I not only have that stuff to get togeather, but I have to make sure to have a small bag with other pjs & my travel clothes for the night before I leave. 4:30 am check in is not a good time to expect someone to pick me up at my house & get me to the airport, so I'm spending the night at my parents so they can drop me off. Mom's flight isn't until that afternoon.

I am glad to have gotten most of my packing accomplished since I have the start of race season with a practice day April 1 (this saturday) and the first race is April 14 & 15.

Signing off for now so that I can get some sleep.

 

[autoracepr989]

Well ran into a tiny hiccup tonight with all of the trip plans & things I need. I've got to take my phone in for service since it keeps closing apps on me. Most frustrating is when I'm working & it shuts safari down randomly. I have extended warrantyso I'm hoping the store can help. Anyone eslse have this prob with the iPhone 3GS?

 

[autoracepr989]

Got my phone fixed and talked with a cousin in FL. Her & her family may join mom & me at the aquarium when we go.

I need to book our tickets as well as my birthday present of a picture with a dolphin. I'll do that tomorrow as Ive not felt very good today.

I feel like I'm just talking to myself right now

 

[autoracepr989]

Well mom made it back from the world safely and now I'm posting more on here for our trip. After talking for a while on the phone last night, we have some decisions to make. We have to figure out if we want to add the DDP to our ressie taking our OOP cost from about $80-$85 each just for our ARDs to $100 for our entire trip. We can get it for about $25/nite/person. Basically we'd be adding $300 to the trip, but between mom & me alone in ARDs we have $160 spent. thinking it may be worth it.

We also are responsible for figuring out where we're gonna be stopping on our drive from Safety Harbor, FL back to Milwaukee, WI. We know we have a ressie for a lake house in KY on the way home, so just gotta get one more place figured out. We might just wing this though.

I also have recieved an invitation to apply as a host family to a college-age baseball player from late may until mid-aug. have the app mostly figured out, but still don't have the question "Why do you want to be a Host Family and what benefits can you offer to the player?" answered...

Ok I guess I can post what we do have figured out for where we're gonna be when on here as well.

May 11: arrive at ASSp/DTD/Boardwalk (DTD & Boardwalk depend on what time I get in. I'm gonna try to go standby on a 630 flight so I'm gonna be heading to the airport by 430 am)

May 12-MY BIRTHDAY!!!: Depending on if/when ds works this day will dictate the time that we get into the parks. the plan for dm & me is to get in & get our parkhopper for the day then head to AK.
I want to see the Lion King show as well as possibly hit Kilimanjaro Safari & character spots. Think pics with them on my b-day will be funny After this the plan is to head to Studios to take in Lights, Motor, Action & Beauty & the Beast. If we don't get on the other rides I would like to get to most are open during EMH so can always get them the night before we leave. We have ressies at Mama melrose at 1655 and then plan to see Fantasmic at 2100 .

May 13 (HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!): We're gonna be starting our day with ressies at Kona Cafe at 0805. Then we haven't decided if we're gonna go to MK or EPCOT. dm & I know though that when we go to MK we need to do Snow White since that ride is closing for good at the end of May. Besides that I want to try and get dm on POC & Splash Mtn while we're there :


May 14 (Last Full Day): We'll start at whatever park we haven't gotten to go to yet. I'll focus on writing EPCOT here thought since I got MK summed up in the 13th plan. If test track by some miracle isn't closed (doubt it'd still be open but it isn't on the refurb calandar I've found anymore the plan is then for us to get on soarin & go through the world showcase to see all of the flower figures. We have dinner ressies at Chef Mickey's for 2000 that night then figure we can head to studios for EMH if we didn't get to do all that we wanted to on Saturday since Epcot will be closing shortly after we get done with our meal.

May 15: have to drop ds off at MCO about noon then dm & I are heading to Safety Harbor for a couple days w/the only connection I have to my maternal grandfather as he passed when mom was less than a year. We plan to relax & catch up since the last time they saw me was 8 years ago.

May 16: dm & I plan to go to Clearwater Marine Aquarium & Winter's Dolphin Tale Adventure. It's here that a cousin from my father's side & her family might meet up with us for some time. I plan to get my picture taken with a dolphin here as well since I have wanted to do that for a while. Then back to my great uncle's house for another night. They are thinking about doing a birthday dinner this night for my mom & I. Mom's birthday is the 18th of may.

May 17: plan is to drive as far as we can as well as enjoy ourselves & stop if we want to go do something.

May 18 (MOM'S B-DAY): plan is to drive to a cousin's lake house property in KY for the night. I'm gonna give dm a card this day as well as I'll have to plot with the cousin & family for a b-day surprise. the cousin will so be in on it. thinking maybe trying to do a cake & just a simple dinner. Don't want to put them out. I'll try to do most of the driving this day. My present is going to be given to her once we are home so that I don't have to keep it from her til the second last day of the trip.

May 19: drive home. Looking forward to this. will most likely spend this night at the parents since I'll need to go grocery shopping & if I stay at their house I'll have milk w/o going to the store late at night.

May 20 will be our built in day in case something ties us up on the road or we decide to spend another day in KY. I'm still off of work this day but if we are home I might take & head up to one race track to surprise all my friend there since I'm not up there much at all this year. Only have 3 weekends all summer that I've planned to go up.

Anyone want to add anything I should do/see? :

 

[autoracepr989]

Sorry not much to post on here about the trip the past couple of days...kinda wonder if people even read it. I haven't been feeling 100% lately though & it all came to a head when I had to leave a basketball game (the first of 4 between tonite & monday) because of my symptoms. I disliked having to do so, but as most people know it's not fun being sick anywhere. that being said, I have been sick a couple of times at disney with what I am pretty sure I'm suffering from now, dehydration & a gall bladder issue. Might be going in to the dr. tomorrow.

 

[autoracepr989]

I'm amazed time is passing pretty quickly for me... I did manage to get a ressie at 1900 Park Faire for our last full park day for breakfast. Mom chose this one and I think is really looking forward to it. sister is working hard already and is having fun as well in Disney right now.

I am enjoying my night off of sporting events. I've been at basketball games 4 out of the last 6 nights before tonight. I love my friends that I'm there supporting but I'm glad to have a night off. I also have 3 more basketball games, 1 basketball photo op, 1 basketball team event that I'm a date for, 2 baseball games, and 2 or 3 races before the end of the month. On the bright side of this, I did get given a special present to open on my birthday at disney by a friend. going to take it with me in my carry on since his wife promised that there are no liquids or anything in it & I trust her since she knows the rules for flying.

I'm starting to think looking at my schedule, When am I gonna pack??? that'll be a bad thing for me to leave to the last minute with my packed schedule and unknown work hours. I've gotta get things finalized around my place for everything that'll be going on. a roommate who hasn't been around anyways is moving out, I need to get ahold of a cousin aobut mom's b-day on the road, & I still need to book my present for at the aquarium that I'm doing.

 

[autoracepr989]

Well in the time since the last post the race team I'm on took a fast time & race win. I've also been busy with work & basketball.

Mom & I aren't doing dining plans. Now to just count down the days

 

[autoracepr989]

21 Days!!!!! Getting closer and it's helping me be more excited. I booked my dolphin experience last night for the day at the aquarium. Not only will the aquarium photographer take pictures but my mom, even though she's not doing the program, is allowed into the area to get pics with one of our cameras.

I got a call earlier this week from Dsis as well. She wanted to see which of two different sweatshirt jackets I wanted her to pick up for me. Then she also said that she already had my birthday present....kinda courious to see what it ends up being. No I'm not greedy or anything just courious since for birthdays/christmas it's usually Disney. I'm paying her for the sweatshirt when I get down there.

Mom & I are plotting to take out our relatives to dinner when we stop in KY now. We want to do this since within the month of us doing so it'll be our cousin's 20th wedding anni, our cousin's b-day, my b-day, dm's b-day, & i think it's the anni of our cousin adopting her daughter.

We might be canceling Chef Mickey's once we get to Disney. We are still debating since we'll have 1900 Park Faire that morning and neither DM or I eat tons of food for two seperate meals. We also are thinking of canceling Kona Cafe because Dsis might be working the night before & not be up for the ressie. Dsis very easily could be working at Fantasmic, which with two shows means she won't get to the room til almost 2 am for bed. We'll make that call though once we know her schedule.

 

[autoracepr989]

14 Days!!!! It's starting to really sink in as I've been dealing with getting things ready at work for me to go on vacation. I also was given a nice surprise when I was given my work schedule for the next two weeks and found out that I actually have off from the monday before my trip until I leave. We are cramming all my hours in between Monday and the following Sunday. Looks like long days that way, but it's also going to allow me to do two big things. One is that I'll be able to make sure that everything is ready at my house for me to be gone like that and the second is that I'll be able to see a friend before he goes overseas to Europe for work all summer with his family.

I've had a hard time today & yesterday since I fell down some stairs, thus I've been limited in movement by pain & stiffness. I nailed my lower back & I got my right hip really good in the fall. I guess the good part of this is that I didn't break or sprain anything, just got bruised.

The basketball team wrapped up the season that they had yesterday. Sad to see the team all go seperate ways, but we had a great few months Now onto autoracing full time. I've got to be at the track on Sunday with two cars as well as track official duties. This will help make the days leading up to getting on the plane go faster. then I also have a wonderful orientation at Make a wish coming up and a college orientation. this is me going back for a second degree since I've given up finding anything more fulfilling with my first one.

 

[parker6mom]

sent PM instead

 

[autoracepr989]

Ok quick update on two different fronts in my life. First we had an okay weekend of racing for the team I'm on. We totaled the one car Saturday after the throttle hung but on Sunday we had a second & third place finish. I also am now trying to hide from a kid I knew in high school that's at the track.

The second is that DM & I got placed on the same flight tonight after I'd been dealing with trying to get a flight changed AirTran had changed a layover to being 30 minutes in Atlanta. I'm not comfortable w/ one that short in that airport. I am now on a nonstop & DM got moved to an earlier flight all for no cost.

 

[autoracepr989]

So things have changed for me since I started this PTR in relation to the trip...



I'm off from today until May 25th more than likely. Between what some of my work looks like & a probable wrist sprain I'm having a few (8) extra days off. I also have had some changes to the plans for FL.

I now get into MCO at 1209 pm. Meaning I'll be hitting up the parks that day. The plans for parks are as follows now:
Friday: magic kingdom
Saturday: animal kingdom/studios
Sunday: Epcot
Monday: magic kingdom ( if chosen for xpass this will be the day we have it)
Tuesday: DTD/boardwalk
Wednesday: Clearwater aquarium/winter's adventure


I'm hoping that I'll be able to go without the brace for my wrist by Friday since it won't be fun in the parks. My plans for the days off are wash, dishes, clean house & car, cash in change, pack, get lunch w/friends, & return rented movies

I'm on my way in 3 day 19 hours 43 minutes

 

[Alysa]

I'm so sorry for your loss and I hope you have a wonderful, magical trip IN ONLY THREE DAYS!!!!!

 

[autoracepr989]

I'm so sorry for your loss and I hope you have a wonderful, magical trip IN ONLY THREE DAYS!!!!!

Thanks!!!