We're driving 17 hours??? AGAIN??? Yes Dear, I'm THAT kinda guy.

[itJeff]

Our December trip with with some first timers. We got a 2 bedroom villa and they will be staying with us. We gave the mom the "Walt Disney World with Kids" book. She read it cover to cover in about 3 days. We've got the first "planning meeting" scheduled for February.
You'll have to let me know how it goes with the first timers!

3 Days! Wow! Someone is obviously excited about going!
We were kinda nervous about going with anyone else. We are a 'commando' type family (thanks to me!) and didn't want to push our style on anyone else, or have anyone else slow us down. I know, I know.... we shouldn't think that way, but we do.
There are two other families that we know that are going the very next week and 2 weeks after us. We sorta made sure that we weren't going at the same time as them. (I know, we're terrible )

Anywho, when this family told us that they were going at the same time, we decided that it was DESTINED for us to go at the same time as someone we knew!

I think we'll have a lot of fun. They talk like they want to 'go' and 'do' as much as we do... we'll see. We've said all along that we want to take a little slower pace and try to enjoy things a little more... we'll see.

You got THAT right!!

Somehow I don't think you could EVER take that title!

I thought I had already sub'd to this PTR?? Anyway... sounds like you've got a good plan. And the extra day! SCORE!! It's always nice to get extra holidays

Sounds like you are schooling that family well! I hope all works out for both of your families.

I'm trying really hard to let you keep your title.

Thanks for joining us here. I love reading everyone else's reports... I hope I'm not boring anyone with my constantly changing plans.

 

[FreezinRafiki]

3 Days! Wow! Someone is obviously excited about going!
We were kinda nervous about going with anyone else. We are a 'commando' type family (thanks to me!) and didn't want to push our style on anyone else, or have anyone else slow us down. I know, I know.... we shouldn't think that way, but we do.
There are two other families that we know that are going the very next week and 2 weeks after us. We sorta made sure that we weren't going at the same time as them. (I know, we're terrible )

Anywho, when this family told us that they were going at the same time, we decided that it was DESTINED for us to go at the same time as someone we knew!

I think we'll have a lot of fun. They talk like they want to 'go' and 'do' as much as we do... we'll see. We've said all along that we want to take a little slower pace and try to enjoy things a little more... we'll see.

It's still your vacation - you spend a lot of money to go to WDW and enjoy your time with family. I totally understand not wanting to be "burdened" by another family. We're lucky - my in-laws live down there and we can visit fairly often. We can take the time on this vacation to slow down and make sure they see the things they want to see.

 

[FreezinRafiki]

Jeff? You still around? Haven't heard from you in quite a while...

 

[itJeff]

Jeff? You still around? Haven't heard from you in quite a while...

Hey Barry, I'm still alive. School is keeping me busy this semester. I think I went three weeks without even logging into the Boards!

I've been having to rely on podcasts for my Disney fix. My counter on my desktop says I have 91 days 16 hours 15 minutes and some odd seconds until we leave for Disney!

I hope to be paying the trip off shortly. That will be a relief to have out of the way. Then it's just little things... ya know, like new breaks for the van, possibly new tires, some type of DVD player for the trip in the van. That van sure is costing me alot on this trip.

We started a 'countdown calendar' for the girls. I took a picture of the three of them and Cinderella (from our trip in 2007) and had it printed as a 18"x22" poster at Wal-Mart ($7 + change).

I then carefully cut it into 95 pieces and placed them into numbered envelopes. (yes, I can be a little narcissistic at times) I cut a poster board to the exact size of the poster, and drew a bunch of question marks on it. Each morning they get to place a new piece of the puzzle on the board.

The suspense of knowing what the picture is drives them crazy. So far, they have guessed everything from a picture of Mickey Mouse, to a picture of all the princesses, to themselves dressed as princesses. It should help keep them excited for a little while.

I'll try to remember to post something every now and then so everyone knows I'm still alive.

 

[DisneyDaddy-O]

I'll try to remember to post something every now and then so everyone knows I'm still alive.

I know how sometimes life gets in the way with everything Disney.

Good to here all is well.

Love the puzzle idea, very cool!!

 

[FreezinRafiki]

That puzzle reminds me of the movie Major League, where the manager puts a cardboard cut out of the new ex-showgirl owner, and they tear off one piece for each win they need to take the division. Their version was slightly dirtier.

Nice job

 

[itJeff]

I know how sometimes life gets in the way with everything Disney.

Good to here all is well.

Love the puzzle idea, very cool!!

Thanks! I got the idea here on the boards. I have no idea which thread, or I would give credit... oh well.

That puzzle reminds me of the movie Major League, where the manager puts a cardboard cut out of the new ex-showgirl owner, and they tear off one piece for each win they need to take the division. Their version was slightly dirtier.

Nice job

That's hilarious, I never would have thought of the reference. We're up to 5 pieces on the board. DD(4) asked if it the whole picture is grass. She keeps us in stiches most of the time.

 

[FreezinRafiki]

That's hilarious, I never would have thought of the reference. We're up to 5 pieces on the board. DD(4) asked if it the whole picture is grass. She keeps us in stiches most of the time.

Yes, kids, this year's vacation is to a grass farm in Kentucky. 6 fun filled days of watching it grow!

 

[steelernut]

We will be going May 23rd - 28th. Jeff 37, Jenn 34, Jake 4. This is our 1st trip to WDW. We will be staying at POR. Driving down from SC. We are doing the Park Hopper. Eating at Chef Mickeys, Hollywwod & Vine, Cape May, & the Spirit of Aloha dinner show.

itJeff - I see your staying at POR May 23rd too. Hope you guys have a great time.

 

[jundland]

Hey Jeff, I read on the Dad's Club thread about the back seat eruption of Mt. Evan, and had to come over and see if you had an installment here.

I'll be waiting to hear more. I bet that there is not much worse to clean up than cheesy poofs.

 

[itJeff]

We will be going May 23rd - 28th. Jeff 37, Jenn 34, Jake 4. This is our 1st trip to WDW. We will be staying at POR. Driving down from SC. We are doing the Park Hopper. Eating at Chef Mickeys, Hollywwod & Vine, Cape May, & the Spirit of Aloha dinner show.

itJeff - I see your staying at POR May 23rd too. Hope you guys have a great time.

Awesome! We did the Spirit of Aloha on our last trip with the in-laws in 2007. You'll enjoy it. It's not something that we'll do again for a while (there's just so much to do at WDW), but we had a great time. We've also eaten at Hollywood & Vine. Our girls loved the Playhouse Disney characters. Leo (I think that's his name) gave one of the girls an A+ on the picture she drew!
We're doing Chef Mickeys, haven't eaten there yet. What day are you going there? I think we're there on the 28th.

Hey Jeff, I read on the Dad's Club thread about the back seat eruption of Mt. Evan, and had to come over and see if you had an installment here.

I'll be waiting to hear more. I bet that there is not much worse to clean up than cheesy poofs.

I just read Barry's TR tonight. We've had incidents similar to that before. That is no fun at all. The smell is the worst part. We are going to have to really think about the snacks that we bring along for the drive. hmmmmmmmmm

 

[jundland]

How about water and rock candy....no odor or color

 

[itJeff]

Here's the current state of the countdown poster. We're 64 days away from leaving. woohoo! (this was from yesterday)

A couple of weeks ago I finalized our package & dining reservations. I did add an additional night and park day to the package. Our finalized dates are May 23 - 31 with 8 park days. We'll head back home on the 31st, and make it home on June 1st. My birthday is the 2nd, so I'm taking that day as vacation also. Who wants to return from DisneyWorld and go back to work on their birthday? I much prefer to go back to work on my unbirthday.

We got our tax refund in, and it went right back out to Disney! There's just a little left to pay on the package. That makes us very happy.

I had double reserved some of our ADRs, because I wasn't sure about the schedule and if we were for sure going to have the additional day. Once I had the schedule finalized, I made sure to cancel the ADRs that we weren't using. The confusing part was making sure I didn't cancel the wrong ones. Luckily, I'm anal about planning and had everything documented.

So, let's review....
Reservation finalized - check
ADRs finalized - check
Plans coordinated with friends who are going @ the same time - check
Countdown started - check
New brakes on the van - check

<BACKSTORY ALERT>
The charger connection for our video camera broke about a year ago. So, we've been without a video camera since. Well, I finally decided to find a charger and now have a video camera!
So, I decided to finally pull a bunch of video over to the PC, so that I can make DVDs.
<END BACKSTORY>

Well, I finally get the video from the tapes of our 2007 trip to WDW. We've been watching some of the videos with the girls. It's amazing how quickly they've grown. Out youngest was just 2.5 when we were there, and she was too cute. Our middlest (it means the most middle) was 5 and was so adorable. Out oldest was almost 9 and was such a 'big girl'. It always surprises me how much they change. It completely reminded me of why we go to all the trouble of planning, and the expense, and the upcoming drive, and the headache. It's all worth it.

Still left on my 'to do' list:
Pay off the remainder of the package
Purchase a DVD player for the van
Possibly new tires
Pick out some back-up touring plans (in case there are crowds)
Find a hotel around O-town to stay the first night (5/22)
Copy all my plans to my BB for ease of access
Print out plans to carry in the backpack in case the phone dies (told you I was anal)
Book the Family Magic Tour (I think we get a AAA discount)

Here's the current version of "the" spreadsheet. I know you're all dying to see.

 

[itJeff]

How about water and rock candy....no odor or color

I'm sure that will go over great!

 

[FreezinRafiki]

We were going to do the campfire sing along on our last trip, but it started getting late and the kids were tired, so we skipped it. Since you're driving, you can pack your own s'mores fixings. They sell a kit that you can buy, but I think it's like $5-$7. So if you go that route, you might be able to save a little money.

 

[latexscooter]

Hi, there! I found your PTR after you posted on another thread. After reading your planning adventures I see we have a lot in common too. We will be going May 25-June2 (isn't that your birthday?); DH and I will be celebrating our 10 year next year too; we're staying PO as well - although FQ; and I live for those Disney podcasts to make the time between trips bearable. I can't wait for your next installment. I've read every page this morning and would like to hear more. You've inspired me to think about writing my own PTR but I just don't know if I have what it takes.

 

[itJeff]

We were going to do the campfire sing along on our last trip, but it started getting late and the kids were tired, so we skipped it. Since you're driving, you can pack your own s'mores fixings. They sell a kit that you can buy, but I think it's like $5-$7. So if you go that route, you might be able to save a little money.

Thanks for the tip! We started making a comprehensive list today of everything we'll need to take. Hopefully we can pick up a few things at a time so it won't hurt so much.

Hi, there! I found your PTR after you posted on another thread. After reading your planning adventures I see we have a lot in common too. We will be going May 25-June2 (isn't that your birthday?); DH and I will be celebrating our 10 year next year too; we're staying PO as well - although FQ; and I live for those Disney podcasts to make the time between trips bearable. I can't wait for your next installment. I've read every page this morning and would like to hear more. You've inspired me to think about writing my own PTR but I just don't know if I have what it takes.

I'm glad you found my PTR! Yes, my birthday is the 2nd. I had hoped we could stay long enough to celebrate at Disney, but it just wasn't going to work out. Oh well. I hear you can also celebrate your Un-birthday at The World.

Thanks for reading through my many pages of un-decision. I hope we have our minds made up now. I've never written a TR or PTR before (as everyone can probably tell), but I was inspired by some really good ones. I wish you luck, if you decide to start one!

Maybe we'll bump into each other one day during our stays! Just look for the Crazy guy trying to get his wife and three daughters to make it to everything he's planned out.

 

[steelernut]

ItJeff - We will be eating at Chef Mickeys on the 23rd. I had the brake pads changed on our van yesterday. We are getting very excited!!!!!

 

[itJeff]

ItJeff - We will be eating at Chef Mickeys on the 23rd. I had the brake pads changed on our van yesterday. We are getting very excited!!!!!

WooHoo! It's getting closer every day!

 

[itJeff]

Our girls are starting to talk more about the trip in the past couple of weeks. I ordered the personalized maps from Disney's site a while back. They came in a couple of weeks ago, but I put them up for now. I think I'll let the girls have them at a month out. If you haven't ordered them before, you should try it. It's free and you get to pick the attractions that are on the map. There are two designs and you can order a copy to be mailed to you, or print them out yourself. We ordered the character design.

I got an email today thanking me for ordering the maps, and asking me to share the map-making magic. So, I thought I would share it here.

Our girls have been at my in-laws for the week (spring break) giving my DW a much needed break. They came back today and we caught up on the countdown poster. DD7.5 has almost figured out what the picture is. She thinks it's the three of them with Cinderella when we went to CRT. She has spotted a tennis shoe, that she is convinced belongs to DD5. She is close, the tennis shoe is actually her own. I think she doesn't remember that she was that small (5) when we were there last. Even though she is right about it being Cindy, she doesn't have the location yet. We'll see how long it takes her to figure it out.

On a more practical note...
(and by practical I mean in the joke way)
I found a thread on the boards that has the phone numbers to the phone booths in the UK pavilion in Epcot. Did you know that you can call people in DisneyWorld? I found this very interesting. I told DD11 about it, and we decided to see if we could get anyone to answer the pay phones. I got hung up on a couple of times before getting someone to (sorta) play along. I asked to speak to Mary Poppins, but apparently she was busy. I told the guy that answered the phone that I had some unruly children, and was told that she could help me out. He thought I was kinda weird, even asked me if I was high. Yeah, I'm high on this new drug called Pixie Dust.

Anyway, DD11 has a friend that went to The World for spring break. They had already been to Epcot, but DD11 said it would be funny if she called while they were there and got to talk to her friend. So, being the fun father that I am, I had DW get in touch with the mom to let us know if/when they go back to Epcot. I'll probably see to it that one of her friends call her when we're by there too.

That's all I have for the time being. I've been on spring break this week as well. Next week it's back to the grind of classes and homework. It's going to be very nice when this semester is over, and we head out for The World. 56 days, 17 hours, 7 minutes and 40 some odd seconds until we leave! (give or take a few minutes)