Loves Disney
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 15, 2005
- Messages
- 6,935
I fear I might be sacrificed at the next official meeting of the family counsel regarding our 2008 Disney World vacation. I do not know what we are doing at 10:32 on Friday, July 25th. Laminated day cards are uniformly cut and made while the newsletter gets printed out on a necessary basis. I do not have those memorized. As the secretary of this counsel, I have done nothing. I fear the world is not quite ready for the releasing of the Fantasmic Four (as we call ourselves for the obvious reasons that there are four of us and that we have seen Fantasmic! two whole times.) Lets just call this a fair warning.
Were finally nearing the light at the end of the tunnel! I cant believe how far weve come. To obsessing over online Disney forums and making our dinner conversations center around the Mouse, to obsessing over online Disney forums and making our dinner conversations center around the Mouse. I assure you, you have not had a Disney counsel meeting worth the effort if it did not include a lemon-chicken with pasta dish and assorted vegetables accompanied by the sounds of Spectromagic, Wishes, and/or Tower of Terror area loop music. Our counsel meetings are very official events some might even inquire whether a jacket and tie is necessary to attend such a gathering. Perhaps the most important requirements of these meetings, however, are participation and preparation. Ill tell you one thing, if you dare question the number of days before departure, the stare of unexplainable deaths will be driven into your soul by the president of the counsel. In the event of an absent president, terms of mockery will be delivered by the vice president. This is the big cheese, baby - keep up or suffer the consequences!
The planning process is every bit as intense as it sounds. The process does not end with placing the fork down after a dinner counsel meeting. On a day-to-day basis, we must learn and know our schedule in full and know how and when we will reach each scheduled item. We must know before hand what the crowds will look like and what temperatures to expect while we are down there. Cleary the art of surprise is something we hold dear to our hearts. In order to acquire this knowledge, we make good use of online resources such as DISboards.com. We watch television shows such as the travel channel during any airing of a Walt Disney World Resort special, and then, of course, we have our bibles, The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World and Birnbaums Walt Disney World (The Official Guide to Walt Disney World). I am thoroughly surprised that we have not started to recite verses from different chapters that include how to avoid 2 hour queue waits via Fastpass and where to purchase a Dole Whip. Aside from research, the planning process is about getting involved with some pre-vacation magic. Ever wake up in your own home to the sounds of the Magic Kingdom morning show? I have. Good Morning never sounded so magical. Live365.com, online tracks, and CDs in music players around the house all expel the sounds of the World and quite frankly, Im not complaining. Its nice putting a soundtrack to the prologue of our adventures.
This brings me to my next thought there is always this one song that, no matter where you are or what youre doing, takes you straight to the parks and away from reality if even only briefly. For me, there are several. I could be jogging with my iPod on shuffle and get totally lost in some good rock music and then, out of no where, hear the Universe of Energy. While some would complain, I only savor that moment because it is that moment at which I can just close my eyes, and pretend that my music has taken me to a place of cool air and dark surroundings a place known for its outstanding ability to put people to sleep.
We have a week left until go time and as any avid Disney fan/planner would know, this is the final countdown. Our luggage has surfaced from the shadows of closets and our packing piles have begun. Sometimes we allow visitors to enter our house during this period of check-listing, itinerary reviews, ADR (advanced dinner/dinning reservations) placements, Disney song obsessions, and weather updates for the day we will land in Orlando, Florida. Visitors must abide by a certain set of unspoken rules. To question why there are at least 2 countdowns in the house for our trip could result in a no drink invite. To touch any packing pile in process might lead to five or more minutes of awkward silence. To laugh at any signs of a Disney obsession will undoubtedly lead to immediate removal of the guest from the house. There is no room here for people who dont respect the Happiest Place on Earth. Sometimes we allow visitors during this period but theres a simple warning to enter at your own risk.
This is only the beginning. On July 22nd, 2008, the Fantasmic Four will enter the Disney World gates. Ready or not, here we come!
Were finally nearing the light at the end of the tunnel! I cant believe how far weve come. To obsessing over online Disney forums and making our dinner conversations center around the Mouse, to obsessing over online Disney forums and making our dinner conversations center around the Mouse. I assure you, you have not had a Disney counsel meeting worth the effort if it did not include a lemon-chicken with pasta dish and assorted vegetables accompanied by the sounds of Spectromagic, Wishes, and/or Tower of Terror area loop music. Our counsel meetings are very official events some might even inquire whether a jacket and tie is necessary to attend such a gathering. Perhaps the most important requirements of these meetings, however, are participation and preparation. Ill tell you one thing, if you dare question the number of days before departure, the stare of unexplainable deaths will be driven into your soul by the president of the counsel. In the event of an absent president, terms of mockery will be delivered by the vice president. This is the big cheese, baby - keep up or suffer the consequences!
The planning process is every bit as intense as it sounds. The process does not end with placing the fork down after a dinner counsel meeting. On a day-to-day basis, we must learn and know our schedule in full and know how and when we will reach each scheduled item. We must know before hand what the crowds will look like and what temperatures to expect while we are down there. Cleary the art of surprise is something we hold dear to our hearts. In order to acquire this knowledge, we make good use of online resources such as DISboards.com. We watch television shows such as the travel channel during any airing of a Walt Disney World Resort special, and then, of course, we have our bibles, The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World and Birnbaums Walt Disney World (The Official Guide to Walt Disney World). I am thoroughly surprised that we have not started to recite verses from different chapters that include how to avoid 2 hour queue waits via Fastpass and where to purchase a Dole Whip. Aside from research, the planning process is about getting involved with some pre-vacation magic. Ever wake up in your own home to the sounds of the Magic Kingdom morning show? I have. Good Morning never sounded so magical. Live365.com, online tracks, and CDs in music players around the house all expel the sounds of the World and quite frankly, Im not complaining. Its nice putting a soundtrack to the prologue of our adventures.
This brings me to my next thought there is always this one song that, no matter where you are or what youre doing, takes you straight to the parks and away from reality if even only briefly. For me, there are several. I could be jogging with my iPod on shuffle and get totally lost in some good rock music and then, out of no where, hear the Universe of Energy. While some would complain, I only savor that moment because it is that moment at which I can just close my eyes, and pretend that my music has taken me to a place of cool air and dark surroundings a place known for its outstanding ability to put people to sleep.
We have a week left until go time and as any avid Disney fan/planner would know, this is the final countdown. Our luggage has surfaced from the shadows of closets and our packing piles have begun. Sometimes we allow visitors to enter our house during this period of check-listing, itinerary reviews, ADR (advanced dinner/dinning reservations) placements, Disney song obsessions, and weather updates for the day we will land in Orlando, Florida. Visitors must abide by a certain set of unspoken rules. To question why there are at least 2 countdowns in the house for our trip could result in a no drink invite. To touch any packing pile in process might lead to five or more minutes of awkward silence. To laugh at any signs of a Disney obsession will undoubtedly lead to immediate removal of the guest from the house. There is no room here for people who dont respect the Happiest Place on Earth. Sometimes we allow visitors during this period but theres a simple warning to enter at your own risk.
This is only the beginning. On July 22nd, 2008, the Fantasmic Four will enter the Disney World gates. Ready or not, here we come!
