Taking my nieces back to WDW and on DCL! *5/9 Excursion time!

[Smile4Me]

Cute idea!! I still haven't put the last pages that I finished for Justin's scrapbook in for him yet! Lol. Last time I tried, his mom had taken in to show his other grandma. (she keeps saying she wants to take him again with some of his younger cousins because she has a niece in Tampa the could stay with...and it makes me mad because he gets so excited about it, and I have no idea if its going to happen anytime soon...I wish she wouldn't lead him on like that) ANYWAY- We booked our trip yesterday! September 24-October 1st!
It was one of two big black friday purchases for myself !!! (we got some furniture for our new house as well)

Whats your plan for DL? Can't wait to hear about it.

 

[BelleBway]

That is so cute! I think they'll love it!

You really got into the scrapbooking! Meanwhile, I haven't done it for months since I've been away.

You'll have to let us know how it goes in a month!

I will! I still want to take them to Tangled. There was a DCL commercial when I went to see it, so if they show it, it would be neat to see if they react...

How's the CP going? How long does it last?

Cute idea!! I still haven't put the last pages that I finished for Justin's scrapbook in for him yet! Lol. Last time I tried, his mom had taken in to show his other grandma. (she keeps saying she wants to take him again with some of his younger cousins because she has a niece in Tampa the could stay with...and it makes me mad because he gets so excited about it, and I have no idea if its going to happen anytime soon...I wish she wouldn't lead him on like that)

Aww, poor little guy...

ANYWAY- We booked our trip yesterday! September 24-October 1st!

Yay! Where are you staying?
(and yay for the furniture for your house, too!)

Whats your plan for DL? Can't wait to hear about it.

Right now I am doing the DL happy dance because a very nice UPS guy came by with my travel docs! They'd left a notice yesterday saying they'd be back Monday and I was just about to call to ask if they could change the delivery to my office or hold it for pickup. (it's a 1/2 hr drive through a toll road to get there if I wanted to pick it up) But now I have them, and it's always fun to have travel documents.

My plan for DL is to pray the crowds aren't too insane. The one good thing is that this is a solo trip- I move much faster by myself and won't need to worry about getting separated from anyone in the crowds. Plus they have single rider lines at a bunch of places.

Beyond that, I'm staying onsite so I'll do magic mornings at DL both days and then head over to DCA early because I think they let onsite guests in for Soarin before the official opening. I've booked a dinner package for World of Color (new nighttime show at DCA), a dessert/reserved seating thing for Fantasmic!, and a Holiday Tour that people on the DL boards rave about which gives you express entrance to the 2 holiday re-themed rides (HM and IASW) as well as a reserved seat for the Christmas parade- with hot chocolate and gingerbread cookie. So I think I'll have an awesome time regardless of crowd level.

 

[Smile4Me]

So I think I'll have an awesome time regardless of crowd level.

I think you just captured whats so great about Disney! You can have a fantastic time just being there!

 

[BelleBway]

My mom told me today that, due to various medical reasons, she doesn't feel up to travel. She wanted me to go without her, but that wouldn't feel right.

That's all I have to say right now.

 

[ZeroToHero]

I will! I still want to take them to Tangled. There was a DCL commercial when I went to see it, so if they show it, it would be neat to see if they react...

How's the CP going? How long does it last?

It's good - it's pretty cold down here now, and I got sick the other night, so I'm trying to fight that off. I have exactly five more weeks down here, and then I head home.

One of my roommates self-termed today, so she just left about an hour ago. I don't think I will miss her much, in fact, it might make the next month more bearable.

My mom told me today that, due to various medical reasons, she doesn't feel up to travel. She wanted me to go without her, but that wouldn't feel right.

That's all I have to say right now.

I am so sorry - canceling trips that you are really excited about is the worst, especially for reasons like this. I hope everything is okay with your mom, and hopefully you'll be able to plan something that she can enjoy with you on your birthday, even if it's not Disney.

 

[Smile4Me]

Sorry to hear about your birthday trip cancellation...lets concentrate on the here and now...are you super excited about your DL Christmas Trip?!!! Do you have a touring plan in mind at all?

We will be staying at Riverside next September. I tried to talk my boyfriend into upgrading to a king bed, but he wants to keep it budget friendly,,,said he'd rather have the money to buy us a new king bed at home than just sleep on one for a week at Disney...which is hard to argue with!

We will be closing on our house a week from now...our dish wont' be reinstalled til the 27th cause of the holidays and what not...which means unless we stay at my boyfriend's parents house on Christmas Eve or get to his aunt's real early on Christmas day I wont be able to watch the parade which sorta bums me out but in the same we gotta concentrate on the here and now...and right now I'm super excited to be moving into our house!!

Zero to Hero-not to steal Belle's thread but I'd love to hear more about the CP and being there over the holidays!!

 

[BelleBway]

I am so sorry - canceling trips that you are really excited about is the worst, especially for reasons like this. I hope everything is okay with your mom, and hopefully you'll be able to plan something that she can enjoy with you on your birthday, even if it's not Disney.

Thx. My mom's quote was that nothing is life threatening; more quality of life threatening.

Sorry to hear about your birthday trip cancellation...lets concentrate on the here and now...are you super excited about your DL Christmas Trip?!!! Do you have a touring plan in mind at all?

Not totally- aside from forcing myself to get up for early entry. But having been there before (although not in the past 10 yrs), I think I could be happy just walking around and enjoying/photographing all the Christmas stuff in the parks and around the hotel. Just hoping for decent weather.

We will be staying at Riverside next September. I tried to talk my boyfriend into upgrading to a king bed, but he wants to keep it budget friendly,,,said he'd rather have the money to buy us a new king bed at home than just sleep on one for a week at Disney...which is hard to argue with!

We will be closing on our house a week from now...our dish wont' be reinstalled til the 27th cause of the holidays and what not...which means unless we stay at my boyfriend's parents house on Christmas Eve or get to his aunt's real early on Christmas day I wont be able to watch the parade which sorta bums me out but in the same we gotta concentrate on the here and now...and right now I'm super excited to be moving into our house!!

I'm excited for you!

Zero to Hero-not to steal Belle's thread but I'd love to hear more about the CP and being there over the holidays!!

Steal away! I'd love to hear more, too.

 

[ZeroToHero]

I will probably do a pretty big update somewhere when I am back - right now, it's crazy down here. Today is my day off, and I'm spending it doing laundry, grocery shopping, and getting my Xmas presents to my friends.... no relaxing for me, haha.

 

[BelleBway]

Apologies for the belatedness of this post... but stuff happens.

So I headed over to spend New Years Eve with my nieces, and brought my 2009 WDW scrapbook with me. The girls really enjoyed going through it together- they loved seeing themselves, and reminiscing about different events during the trip.

After the "Happily Ever After" page there was a fakeout blank page. Which I then flipped to reveal the following:

One more flip brought us to the following 2 page layout:

...and then there was much rejoicing and jumping around! This made me VERY happy because when I told the girls about the first trip, I think they were too shell shocked to react with anything other than awe. Also, now they know what to expect from vacations and WDW... and they've been talking about wanting to go back.

I had brought a DVD about DCL, so we played that and the girls wanted to know all about the ship. I told them which parts were and were not applicable to the Dream. As expected, J was excited when I told her about the Aquaduck. They were also very happy when I told them we had a veranda room. (the video had a screen with different room layouts) I think J is a little disappointed that she can't go do the kid activities, but then again so am I. (she will be 13, almost 14) M wanted to see the kids menu on the video- and it definitely met with her approval as there were several selections Miss Picky Eater would like. I think J will order from both menus.

I've been very excited reading reports about the Dream's christening and maiden voyages over the past couple weeks. Given the constant snow which has been overwhelming me... it's nice to have something tropical to look forward to.

The nieces were of course excited about returning to their favorite WDW rides; Space Mountain was on rehab last year and I'm sure they will enjoy that, too.

I asked them if there were any restaurants from last trip that they'd really want to go back to. They said anything that had milkshakes. So I guess that means a return trip to 50's PT Now that M will be 10 and charged as an adult, I don't think we will do any buffets; she still does not eat like an adult and it wouldn't be worth it. (although if they'd had their heart set on one, I would have caved) Eek, my 180 days is coming up!

It's looking more and more likely that I will be able to take them to Harry Potter World at IOA but I didn't tell them about this possibility. I figure that I can tell them when we go see the next HP movie in July.

I still don't know where we are going to stay at WDW; I'm a little bummed because the current specials would only cover the 3rd of the 3 nights we'd be there. I'm assuming that I'd have to make 2 separate reservations which would mean 2 separate deposits. I asked them about hotels and they wanted something with bunk beds again. But I think they'd also enjoy being on the monorail line and they loved the GF last time. So right now, I am thinking WL (which I've been to) or GF (which I haven't)

Oh, and as an aside- I had an AWESOME Christmas trip at DL! The peppermint fudge was a surprise hit with me- and everyone gobbled up the samples I brought home on New Years Eve.

 

[MelMel11]

Cant wait to hear more about your plans. We are going to Disney in July with my niece 13 and cousin 14. So I am on the same page with you we went last year but hoping for better this year also.

 

[Smile4Me]

OH YAY! I'm so glad they are psyched for the trip! Thats great that they already have some opinions formed and can help do some planning!

 

[ZeroToHero]

I love the scrapbook! That's so cool. I finally have gotten back into scrapping, now that I am home, and it's great being able to sit down and work on something.

I am glad that they're excited - it's always fun bringing people down for their first trip, but I think it might be even better bringing them a second time if they're excited, because they know that it's going to be amazing.

We're planning on doing the same thing you are in mid-late August - WDW/Universal, followed by DCL. Right now it is on tenterhooks, but hopefully the trip will be able to go through.

 

[ZeroToHero]

Oh, and as for food, we do the same thing about buffets - it's not worth it with my brother, because he really doesn't eat much at all.

That peppermint fudge sounds amazing too...

 

[Smile4Me]

Ah! Thanks for the reminder of scrapbooking...I've been concentrating on my trip back more than I have of putting the finishing touches on my nephews scrapbook...though in my defense, we just finished moving and our printer has been down!
Do your nieces like to scrapbook?!

 

[Smile4Me]

Just checking in Faith! How is the planning going? Park hours out, what about dining plans?

Our trip is the last week of September and we are leaving Oct 1...Airlines are booking through the end of September but I have to wait some more for airlines to release October booking so we can get home! lol.

 

[BelleBway]

Glad to be reminded that I am due to post an update...

Last night I booked our airplane tix! Unfortunately, I decided (for now) against going to IOA/Harry Potter before the cruise; the only suitable flight that would have allowed us to arrive 2 days before the cruise was super expensive compared to other flights. And it would already be a lot more expensive to spend the day at IOA. But we're flying SWA so I can always change my mind. I regret waiting to book until they opened the booking period for our flight home; I think I could have gotten a better rate for the flight down if I'd booked earlier.

So now the plan is to fly down mid-afternoon the day before the cruise. I found a hotel by the port that contains the 2 most essential elements that my nieces look for in a hotel: a pool and bunk beds.

I still don't have any WDW hotel reservations- I am hoping for a discount code that will cover more than 1 night. So therefore I can only book dining one day at a time. Which is not a big deal since I really only cared about booking 50's PTC. And I did. We'll have a lot of food on the cruise and only have a short time at the parks- so I think we'll be good with quick serve.

In other news... I paid off the cruise this wknd! Disney VISA is giving bonus points for charges over a certain threshold in a month, so since I already saved up the money, I figured it was a good time to pay it off. And it's a relief to have it all paid for.

This wknd's activities also included buying a new bathing suit. Wheeeee!

On an unrelated note... in lieu of the canceled birthday trip, I am currently planning to go to Australia toward the end of the year and I'm super excited!

 

[BelleBway]

I love the scrapbook! That's so cool. I finally have gotten back into scrapping, now that I am home, and it's great being able to sit down and work on something.

Thanks!

We're planning on doing the same thing you are in mid-late August - WDW/Universal, followed by DCL. Right now it is on tenterhooks, but hopefully the trip will be able to go through.

Hope it works out for you! I'm guessing you'll be there after we already leave to go home.

That peppermint fudge sounds amazing too...

OMG it was soooooooo good!

Ah! Thanks for the reminder of scrapbooking...I've been concentrating on my trip back more than I have of putting the finishing touches on my nephews scrapbook...though in my defense, we just finished moving and our printer has been down!
Do your nieces like to scrapbook?!

Hey, you totally get a free pass after moving!

No, they don't seem interested in actually making a scrapbook.

Our trip is the last week of September and we are leaving Oct 1...Airlines are booking through the end of September but I have to wait some more for airlines to release October booking so we can get home! lol.

If you read my last update... I'd recommend booking the flight down if it has a good price; I regret not doing that when our flight home wasn't yet on sale. I'm sure the flight I really wanted wasn't so ridiculously expensive when I first checked.

 

[BelleBway]

Despite the fact that I am bitter that my dates span 2 periods and therefore I could only get a discount for my first 2 nites... I am pleased to announce that I finally made hotel reservations.

And we are staying at.....

*drumroll please*

The Grand Floridian!

It's the only deluxe I haven't stayed at, and I was so disappointed to cancel the reservations we had there for my birthday. I know the nieces wanted bunkbeds, but they will just have to deal with staying at a monorail hotel with a theme park view- oh the tragedies of life!

Actually, when we went to the GF for our 1900 Park Fare dinner, J was impressed and said she'd love to stay there. So I think they'll be good. I'm assuming one of them will sleep on the day bed.

(and yes, I sprang for theme park view because if I'm gonna do GF to begin with, I might as well do it in style)

So now my "to do" list consists of the following:
* Book cruise excursions next month!
* Research options for transport to/from the port
* Buy theme park tickets

 

[ZeroToHero]

Wow, they're going to have a blast! I've been inside a GF room, and it's really nice, but I always feel out of place there, like I've walked into a 5-star hotel in sweatpants or something.

Speaking of booking excursions... Did you hear about the new possible itinerary for the Magic in 2012? Rumors are it will leave from NYC... maybe it's a reason to take them on another cruise! Other rumors say that the Wonder might go to Hawaii, which would be awesome, but not something that I could afford... so I'm holding out hope for the Magic in NYC.

 

[BelleBway]

Wow, they're going to have a blast! I've been inside a GF room, and it's really nice, but I always feel out of place there, like I've walked into a 5-star hotel in sweatpants or something.

This is why I was flat out shocked when J said she'd love to stay there. (at that particular point of time, J only wore skirts/dresses under protest; this has changed) There's a reason why it's the last Deluxe for me to stay in. (actually, I also haven't stayed at YC but I did BC and I count them together; YC also seems a bit formal to me)

Still, it will be cool for the girls to have a chance to stay at a monorail resort.

Speaking of booking excursions... Did you hear about the new possible itinerary for the Magic in 2012? Rumors are it will leave from NYC... maybe it's a reason to take them on another cruise! Other rumors say that the Wonder might go to Hawaii, which would be awesome, but not something that I could afford... so I'm holding out hope for the Magic in NYC.

Yeah I saw that! But I'm not taking the girls on another trip until 2013. If then. Can't do it every year. So who knows what the Magic will be doing then; I'm holding out hope for a cruise from LA to Hong Kong and Tokyo sometime so I could hit 3 Disney resorts on one trip. (although I'm thinking that might be too expensive to take the girls on)

Are you still going on a cruise in Aug? How are things going?