The World's Smallest Trip: The Countdown

[dakjoskaimiksmom]

We are officially at 79 days till our 4 day trip to WDW!


After much flip-flopping, planning, de-planning, and re-planning (see here: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2478132 ), we are go for take-off!


This trip is a mere 4 days, and only covers 2 days at Magic Kingdom and Gatorland (which has nothing to do with Disney). Obviously, we'll be skipping a lot. But as the saying goes, we must cut our coat to fit the cloth. So snip, snip.

If you've followed along, you know that making this trip happen has been like pulling teeth from a pitbull. However, I learned to channel my inner Sicilian Grandmother, so I am now a force of nature to be reckoned with (at least where vacations are concerned!).

Now for the good stuff.....

The members of our teeny-tiny trip include:

Me, 36

Kaiya, 7

-and-

Mike, 5

Kai and Mike have never been to Disney World, and this trip is a surprise. The big reveal is on Christmas Eve, after their Christmas Program at school. I tell you, I've been LIVING for this surprise!

I should explain that this is Trip #1 of 2. The 2nd trip will be Universal Studios for my other 2 kids. We haven't nailed down a date for it yet, but....I think we're looking at February.

Anyway, back to the WST:

This pre-trippie will be my outlet these last 78 days, since I can't really squeal about it to the kids, and lord knows everyone else in my family (husband, mom, etc.) are sick of hearing about it.

I'm going to attempt to post pics and all that jazz, to make it more interesting (and since I am SO going to print this whole trip jobber out for scrapbooking purposes -- at which I am skill-less).

 

[dakjoskaimiksmom]

Fall semester is over and our trip is 10 days away!

I need to catch up on this pre-TR big time. I hate getting all involved in a Trip Report, and then finding out the writer flaked out and left it unfinished. Drives me crazy. I may let this one (and my Universal one) age and ferment a bit, but I WILL finish them. Even (and especially) if I'm the only one reading them.

The basics:

We're staying at Celebration Suites Jan 7th through the 10th. I can only hope it hasn't gone as far downhill as my fellow DISers would have me believe. Then again, I'm not a hotel snob by any means. NOT implying that anyone else is, but... You give me a room with no bugs and clean sheets, and I don't care if it's decorated in vintage 1970's avacado green. It's all good. I'm not one to hang out at the hotel anyway.

We have 2 day/1 park passes, so we're going to stick solely to Magic Kingdom. And, yes, I AM aware that we're going during marathon weekend. At least, I became aware 2 weeks ago.

We will be heading to the park way early and hoping for the best as far as road blockage goes.

The 10th will be spent at Gatorland, since I went hogwild and bought "The Grunt Package". Free train rides all day will make for happy kids.

I still haven't figured out what we're going to do on arrival day. Swim maybe, if the weather cooperates. Or possibly Old Town, since it's next to our "resort". I'll have to think on it some more. Downtown Disney is a no-go, as much as I'd like to hit it. Kai and Mike a major-league whiners (I admit it), and I don't have the mental fortitude to deal with them in what amounts to a giant outdoor toy mall. As the only adult going, I just won't be able to drink THOSE blues away back at the hotel, so I'm not even going to subject myself to it.

The kids' surprise was a blast. It was the highlight of Christmas Eve (for me, anyway). If the Scavenger Hunt video ever finishes uploading to Photobucket, --it's at 3% now-- I'll be posting here. Just ignore the clutter of my mother's house.

More in a bit!

 

[dakjoskaimiksmom]

As I said, I have a lot of catching up to do. Since Photobucket is uploading so slowly, I thought I'd take this opportunity to add my 2 cents about Airtran.

Ah, Airtran. The thorn in my side.

I went with them not for great prices or free luggage check-in (they have neither), but because they are in sync with Magical Express. If only I'd known that we wouldn't be staying on property, I'd have gone with someone else. Like Albatross Air, maybe.

I bought my tickets in July, so giddily, and with the optimism that only a person who flies once every 10 years can possess. Sigh. Little did I know about flight changes. Oh, yes. It can happen to you.

Our original flights were Jan 7th at 7:35 am, and Jan 10th at 7:30-ish pm. This would have given us optimum Orlando time. I was stoked.

But every week since July 8th, our flights have been changed. We now leave Jan 7th at 9:30-ish am, and Jan 10th at 5:30-ish pm (I'm not going to check the exact times because, lord knows, they'll change again). This has us arriving in Orlando at 12:30 pm, then picking up our car at Alamo, getting groceries, and checking in at our hotel. Doesn't leave much time for, well, anything that day, does it?

Departing at 5:30 means airport at 3, dropping off the car, and checking in for our return flight. Again, it chops off a lot of our day.

And don't get me STARTED on the whole TSA thing. Not that THAT can of worms is Airtran's fault, but it's one more thing that makes me ALMOST wish to go to Orlando by horse and buggy.

Photobucket is now at 16%. I must go tend to my sheep on Frontierville (FB game), but I will return with happier posts.

 

[dakjoskaimiksmom]

I wrote 4 clues (in poem, no less), and printed them out on pirate-y looking paper. Then I sat for over an hour cutting each page out, so they'd look genuine. More or less.

One clue per child, which were then hidden around grandma's house between the kids' Christmas Service at church, and our traditional Chinese restaurant dinner.

The scavenger hunt was a hit, but they had a little trouble grasping the "surprise" part--probably because I forgot to add something to their gift bags. The older boys, going to Universal, got bags of Harry Potter-related stuff. The younger 2 kids got Disney-related things. I also made them each a trip planner-type notebook, so they would know where they were going when they saw them (which are what I forgot!). Not having those vital clues made it a little tough for them to figure out the point of the scavenger hunt.

What can I say? I was stressed.

Ignore all the clutter. My mother single-handedly fixed the economy this Christmas, and her entire house was full of presents and the results of her hoarding problem.

Without further ado, the video:



Disclaimer: The last clue refers to underwear and poo. The underwear are Kota's; when he stays over at my parents, my father swears he finds underwear under the dining room table for days after. We don't know why.

The poo comes from Kota's Chihuahua, Kelsey, who prefers to poo under the dining room table when she's at grandma's house, rather than the backyard. Gross, yes. My father cleaned the carpet before any gift bags were placed there, but he maintains that he's not Noah, so Kelsey is no longer welcome in their house.

 

[dakjoskaimiksmom]

9 days left! It's really all I can do to keep from packing right now.

Although...I DO have all the vitals bagged up. You know, the kids' outfits, my stunning new Tink bag, maps, tickets, etc.

Since we have a full kitchen at our disposal, we're going to do breakfasts and lunches at the suite. I hear there's a Publix across the street from the hotel, but I mapquested directions to Winn-Dixie just in case.

I have virtually no memory of eating at Disney World on our last trip, but I DO remember going to the Sci Fi. I wasn't all that impressed, although that could be because I was grossed out by the cm thinking I was my father's wife. That's enough to put anyone off their feed.

I figure, wherever we are when dinner rolls around is where we'll eat. No table service whatsoever. I know in March dh and the big kids will want to do T-Rex at DTD, and lord-knows-what-else around Orlando. On this trip, however, I have my way: minimal restaurant time, maximum MK time.

Our 2 days: at MK will go something like this:

7 am- breakfast in room and get ready to go
8 am- leave for MK (extra travel time with the marathon going on)

--snacks as needed--

12 pm- back to the hotel for lunch/swim/siesta
3 pm- return to MK till close (8 one day and 9 the other)
--dinner whenever we get hungry--

As previously mentioned, I rented a car. Naps are going to be a must for Mike (5) and me. Plus I'm big on driving aimlessly through unfamiliar cities. It's fun, and I always seem to find interesting new places to stop and look around.

 

[MK2010]

Just so you know...I read your TR. How exciting to take just two of your kiddos. I lament with you about the airplane. That would drive me OVER the EDGE. When we went last year, our flight home got bumped up by a couple of hours. It totally chopped our day. I was bummed. And yes, I am NOT impressed by the new TSA screening. I am flying to Disney with my friend and her family this year. I'll have to really think about it when it comes time for me to take my family back. Don't really think I want TSA guys looking at monitors of my kiddos. Who knows what crazies are sitting back there.

I love the DDP which is probably why we'll never stay off property. Off course, now that there is free dining that's where we're at. I would pay for it, but why when you can get it for free right?

I'm not a big hotel snob either. The onsite values are fine for us. (Only if we go during value season, lol) And I don't really get all the fuss about all the different restaurants. Food is pretty much food to me. Although, I must say a week of counterservice would get monotonous. I do like variety.

I am so glad your surprise went well. I wish I had thought of a scavenger hunt for my kids. We just told them the night before. Well actually, we lied. We told them we were going to San Antonio to meet up with their grandparents for a mini vacation and they got all excited about seeing the Alamo and swimming in the pool. So when we got to San Antonio and broke the news to them that we were going to Disney instead of the Alamo they didn't take too kindly to the news. In fact, there were tears and gnashing of teeth. All was forgiven once we got to the parks. We def. didn't share that video with the whole Let the Memories Begin campaign!

 

[dakjoskaimiksmom]

Hi!

Oh, I wanted to wait til the last minute and surprise them, but I have a big mouth.

I think my oldest was onto me, toward the end. The only thing that distracted him is that my sister announced that she's taking him on a Nickelodeon cruise in May, otherwise my cover would have been blown.

I saw a video on youtube where the kids were mad that they had Disney World sprung on them. They thought they were going to visit a friend, so they were all crying. That must be more common than I thought! lol

As for the TSA screenings, I used to work at a house of correction. I'm curious to see how bad the pat-downs are, since I keep hearing they're "prison-style". As weird as it sounds, I'd rather have the kids go through that than the nudie scanners. At least I can sort of prepare them for it beforehand. Assuming, of course, that we even get picked.

I've actually calmed down on the subject (somewhat). A month ago I was bugging out to anyone who'd listen. lol

Thanks for reading!

 

[dakjoskaimiksmom]

That title actually just popped up on it's own from one of my school assignments, but it might just fit here.

Look at my ticker. I was SO CLOSE to getting on a plane with my kids and no drama. Well, no ADULT drama. I expect it from the kids. But I just had a nice chat with my sister-in-law on facebook, and it appears that everyone thinks this trip is the reason we didn't come visit them for Christmas. This could only have come from my mother-in-law.

Lord, give me the strength.

I have been ignored for the last 2 years, I think. That is how long I've had this vacation planned (in all its various states of being). I've been shouting it from the rooftops, and yet it was a complete shock to dh's side of the family.

For the record, we didn't visit them on Christmas because dh didn't have enough days off work to drive to Tennessee and back. NOT because I spent all our Christmas money on Disney World, for Bob's sake.

Anyway, as Alice said,"I shouldn't like to go among mad people." Mental illness is no joke, particularly when you marry into it.

I set her straight about the whole thing. It's actually rather funny in that it's usually MY family that's melodramatic. At least we got this out of the way. Hopefully that will be the end of the weird relative episode.

(And really do look at my ticker. We're almost there!)

 

[dakjoskaimiksmom]

I went out to Walgreen's last night and bought all our little travel-size necessities. Lil shampoo & conditioners, toothpaste, mouthwash, etc. I still need to get quart Ziplock bags and a new hairbrush. Maybe I'm weird, but I don't like loose hairs all over my suitcase.

We're only checking 1 suitcase, I think. I'm wavering on it. You may have figured out by now that I am cheap, and paying an extra $30 for my clothes to vacay with me is not cool. If I can get away with carry-on only, believe me I will.

I'm also debating leaving our winter coats behind. I'll have to keep checking the weather before I jump off that bridge, though.

I have the kids' backpack o' fun partially packed for on the plane. We're bringing coloring supplies (of course), Mike's Leap Pad, and Kai's new DSi (thanks, Auntie Kim!).


We're going next door to my parents' house for New Year's early tonight, so I'll be posting "The Budget" tomorrow for your viewing pleasure.

Happy New Year!

 

[dakjoskaimiksmom]

Gatorland's train is going to be down starting Monday the 10th. Grr. So we can A) go Monday anyway, or B) go Friday and hope we get through the airport fast enough to make it worth our while, and pray I can figure out something fun to do on Monday.

This really chaps my booty, since I bought the Grunt package because of the unlimited train rides. They didn't say anything about weeklong repairs when I bought the tickets.

Even worse, I discovered this tidbit while showing Mike the train on their website. So now he knows a train exists, and he's all excited about it. Double grr.

 

[dakjoskaimiksmom]

As promised: The Budget


3 Plane Tickets @ Airtran, non-stop roundtrip: $789
WDW 2 Day Base Tickets (1 adult, 2 kids): $490 (inc tax)
Gatorland Grunt Package, 1 adult, 2 kids: $85 (inc tax + s&h)
Car Rental (Priceline.com) @ 4 days: $145.01
Celebration Suites @ 3 nights: $166.59
Travel Insurance: $39
Groceries (Snacks, Breakfast & Lunch): $120
Eating out (Counterservice): $80
Parking @ MK x 2 Days: $28
Gas for Car Rental Return $50

Total: $1992.60

Not quite as thrifty as I'd have liked, but not spending 20+ hours driving and seeing the kids SO excited about flying in a plane is totally worth it!

I also have a coupon for a free coupon book at Old Town (if that makes sense) and the Orlando discount card.

(Note: I estimated high on gas and groceries. Better safe than sorry! )

 

[dakjoskaimiksmom]

....such as the fact that my new battery charger is STILL not here.

I ordered it on Amazon for the new camera, since it's got an oddball battery. It was supposed to be here by the 29th, so on the 30th I emailed the seller. He says, "Oh, it's lost or in limbo with the post office. I'll send a new one on Monday (yesterday)".

Funny thing about tracking shipments: the post office KNOWS when someone prints out a label but neglects to use it on a shipment. So the guy is lying. Most of his feedback is good, but all the bad (2%) and quite a few of the good mention things getting "lost or in limbo" in the mail. Hmmph.

So the old camera will just have to suffice. At least it takes AA's. I have a charger for those.


On another note, dh is no longer taking us to the airport. He got roped into working Friday, so now my mother is dropping us off. This should be interesting.

She's already harping about A) Florida being a cesspool of pedophiles and serial killers, B) Not being invited, C) Hotel doors being locked, and D) Me not relying on AAA to hold my hand through the booking process.

I'll always be 12 to her.

On the upside, Mike is completely packed, and Kai and I are halfway packed. I picked up the last of our odd and ends yesterday, and I programmed Alamo, Airtran, and Celebration Suites into my phone.

We have 2 1/2 days left!
-------------------------------------------------

Update: The seller INSISTS my battery charger will be here by Thursday. I didn't even have to use my mad face.

BUT...now my check card has a big crack. Of course I have no time to request a replacement from the bank, so I guess I'll be taping it and praying it doesn't break all the way through while we're gone.

 

[dakjoskaimiksmom]

Forgot to mention our "fun" project of the day: Airport Prep.

On the advice of other flyers more experienced than I, I decided to give Kai and Mike some idea of what to expect at the security checks, and the airport in general.

As in, "Your Charlie Brown gets to go through the X-ray machine!", and "Your baggie has your name on it. Hand it to the agent so he/she can look at your toothpaste". They even practiced handing their Ziplocks to each other, and had a grand old time pretending to be TSA agents.

We practiced walking through the metal detector (kitchen doorway) without touching the sides or running.

Then we got to the funny part.

I explained to them (in words they'd understand) that on the slim chance they were asked, we'd be opting out of the AIT's. The words "opt out" struck them, so they spent quite a bit of time yelling them at each other.

I also showed them how, in a patdown, you can tell what someone has in their pockets, socks, etc. I said it might be weird that a stranger is touching them, but that I'd be right next to them the whole time. Kai is VERY ticklish everywhere (even her ankles!), so I can just see her giving the KGB--I mean TSA--agents a run for their money. It's probably hard to frisk someone who's laying on the floor contorting with laughter.

I'm sure we'll get through with no issues, but I'd rather have them know what to expect than have a major crisis in the middle of Concourse C because they're tired and have to take off their shoes.

We also covered "Staying with mom while her purse gets checked at Disney", and "We carry our own bags at the airport" (I figure that one might slow them down should they feel like running ahead!), as well as the very necessary "A plane is just like a car; we stay buckled in our seats unless we have to go potty".

If we can make it to our seats without a meltdown, lost child, or fighting, I will consider it a very good omen for the rest of this weekend.

 

[dakjoskaimiksmom]

I have sooo much stuff to do tomorrow (today).

Laundry
Finish packing
Kota's IEP meeting at school
Hit the Disney Store for gift cards
Flight check in

And I'm praying that battery charger arrives today.

And of course now is when I'm too excited to sleep. I'm going to be exhausted come daylight. I can see it now.

 

[macraven]

sleeping is highly overrated.......

 

[dakjoskaimiksmom]

sleeping is highly overrated.......

Yes it is.

 

[dakjoskaimiksmom]

Kids are bathed and in bed, everything's packed, and my charger showed up in the nick of time.

I'll be starting my tr ASAP when we get back, so stay tuned!

 

[macraven]

i'll be here waiting................



have lots of fun!