dolphinmickey9170
07-18-2008, 12:10 PM
Still three weeks away, but I'm getting so excited, I just needed to share with someone.
This has been one looooong summer. I took the semester off from nursing :nurse:school because I needed a break……Break? What break? What am I doing? WORKING…….No fun…no sun; except for our 4 day weekend trip to Maine :vacation: to see my family, Katy’s boyfriend, Josh, and another family that I met here on Intercot -- John and Karen (DWHUBBY and DisneyWhirled). They have become a very special part of our family. We have such a great time when we are together.
As for the no fun…no sun comment, I have been working 4 and 5 twelve hour shifts per week since we returned from our May trip. Let’s face it; I could really use the extra money for the DDP (it’s going to be $1500 for two weeks). It’s really tough working 12 hour shifts because you don’t always get out on time, then the ride home (thank goodness I live within 5 miles of work), fix dinner, clean up, shower, wind down and try to get to sleep before midnight, just to get up by 5am and do it all over again the next day. Ben :fireman: has been working extra hard as well. He does his four shifts (2 days, 2 nights) for the city fire department, and then works 3 shifts for a private :ambal: company. So, he works 7 days on – one day off, for each eight day rotation. UGH!! A well deserved vacation, hopefully full of R&R. Yeah, right…me rest?….relax? That is too funny! I’m not so sure I know how to rest, but Karen said I didn’t do too badly on our last trip.
We considered driving, however, the few extra dollars it would cost to fly is well worth every penny compared to how yucky I would feel when we arrived in WDW (it takes 12 hours to get there by car). What helped was I had a credit from my last ding fare to use, so this saved us $108. Yeah!! So our $801 round trip tickets for the three of us, plus Keara who flies free, only cost me $693. Still kind of high when you compare the price we paid for our last trip ($489), but at least with Southwest we don’t have to pay more for our checked luggage. So, I’ll take it. Besides, we will feel much better and less tired when we arrive in MCO at 8:15 am.
We will be spending time with another family we met here on Intercot, Kathy (kakn7294) and Phil and their DDs from PA. We met them last August during a mini meet and have been chatting ever since making the plans for this trip together. We look forward to making many memories with Kathy (Kakn7294) and her family. Kathy has been working very hard and has made Keara a beautiful Alice in Wonderland dress (http://inlinethumb29.webshots.com/39900/2438263280102032678S600x600Q85.jpg)for a special breakfast we will be attending together. She also made a dress for her daughter (http://inlinethumb27.webshots.com/40602/2940853590102032678S600x600Q85.jpg). Kathy has some awesome talent in the sewing department!! Thanks so much Kathy….I can’t wait to see the girls in their matching dresses.
Now, on with the show………….
We are one very large cast of characters for this trip!!
Me – 37 – three weeks shy of my 38th birthday!
Ben – 43 – just a big kid at heart – We are celebrating our 2nd anniversary
Katy – 17 – wishing her cutie, Josh, could be with us – he’s going next trip with us
Keara – 22 months – her 4th trip to WDW
Kathy (kakn7294), Phil, Steph and Megan from PA – lovers of all things Pittsburg!
Will (Wilful) and Shannon, Magic Never Ends Podcast, from Baltimore, to be known as MNE from here on out
Keegan, Adventures of a Teenage Disney Geek and his little sister Podcast, Mattie; with parents Matt and Phyllis, to be known as the Dysfunctional Super Family (DSF) from here on out
Aug 10th – Flying out from BWI at 605am…we will land in MCO at 815am, DME to VWL check-in, hopefully scoring a tour with “Stan,” our Garden Grocer delivery should arrive, then to AK to meet up with Kathy…then to Epcot for TeppanEdo dinner with MNE & DSF, then to EMH at MK til 2am. Not sure if we will make it that long as we will have been up since 330am.
Aug 11th – Epcot day with mini meet at 2pm at the Margarita :marg: Stand in Mexico, Pick a Pearl (our first time) and LeCellier dinner with Kathy, Phil, Steph and Megan.
Aug 12th – DHS day, MUST do Toy Story Mania, Sci-Fi for dinner then over to Epcot’s EMH. Today, I am having an anniversary surprise edible arrangement delivered to our resort for Ben.
Aug 13th – 1900 Park Fare breakfast with Kathy and family, staying at the MK then Crystal Palace dinner with Kathy and family. Then possibly over to DHS EMH.
Aug 14th – Not really planning much today, we’ll see what transpires after our O’Hana breakfast with MNE & DSF. Then dinner at Cape May with MNE & DSF and then to Epcot’s EMH. **Slight change of plans, we are now going to check out the Adventurers Club after dinner.
Aug 15th – Epcot day with Akershus breakfast, our second mini meet at 2pm at the Norway Bakery then Coral Reef dinner with Kathy and family, then to MK for EMH til 2am with MNE & DSF, I think!?!
Aug 16th – MK today then a Chef Mickey’s breakfast and dinner with MNE and friends from the Disney Podcast Network – this is their last full day. Do you think CM twice in one day is overkill? Nah. :eat:
Aug 17th – Epcot today, all of our friends leave today. Then we are going back to VWL for a swim and some rest, watch the water pageant and Katy and I will try to do MK EMH til 3am while Ben and Keara sleep. We shall see.
Aug 18th – AK today with Boma for dinner then DHS EMH.
Aug 19th – Ben and I have breakfast plans at Capt. Cooks while Katy and Keara hang at the resort. Then we will take a surry bike to FW. This should be a relaxing day with Trails End Buffet for dinner.
Aug 20th – DHS today, Welcome Home Wednesday @ BW, then Winter Summerland for Mini golf. No TS meals planned
Aug 21st – AK today with dinner at The Wave.
Aug 22nd – MK today with dinner at GF Café. This is our last full day.
Aug 23rd – Checkout, do whatever strikes us, DME will pick us up around 430pm. We will need to use up remaining snack credits.
There will be NO :alarm:ALARMS set, with the exception of our breakfast ressie days. I want this to be a relaxing, take your time, kind of trip. We’ll wake when our internal alarm clock goes off. But honestly….It seems I am not able to sleep past 730 anyway. I guess it is just the excitement!! Why sleep when you are in the happiest place on earth.
I plan to take a true account in comparing dollars to dollars on the dining plan. I want to see if the new plan saves us any money, or if we should just bag the DDP in the future. So be looking for this report upon our return!!
This is gonna be great!!
Sorry....it's kind of long, but thanks for reading!! WOOHOO!!
This has been one looooong summer. I took the semester off from nursing :nurse:school because I needed a break……Break? What break? What am I doing? WORKING…….No fun…no sun; except for our 4 day weekend trip to Maine :vacation: to see my family, Katy’s boyfriend, Josh, and another family that I met here on Intercot -- John and Karen (DWHUBBY and DisneyWhirled). They have become a very special part of our family. We have such a great time when we are together.
As for the no fun…no sun comment, I have been working 4 and 5 twelve hour shifts per week since we returned from our May trip. Let’s face it; I could really use the extra money for the DDP (it’s going to be $1500 for two weeks). It’s really tough working 12 hour shifts because you don’t always get out on time, then the ride home (thank goodness I live within 5 miles of work), fix dinner, clean up, shower, wind down and try to get to sleep before midnight, just to get up by 5am and do it all over again the next day. Ben :fireman: has been working extra hard as well. He does his four shifts (2 days, 2 nights) for the city fire department, and then works 3 shifts for a private :ambal: company. So, he works 7 days on – one day off, for each eight day rotation. UGH!! A well deserved vacation, hopefully full of R&R. Yeah, right…me rest?….relax? That is too funny! I’m not so sure I know how to rest, but Karen said I didn’t do too badly on our last trip.
We considered driving, however, the few extra dollars it would cost to fly is well worth every penny compared to how yucky I would feel when we arrived in WDW (it takes 12 hours to get there by car). What helped was I had a credit from my last ding fare to use, so this saved us $108. Yeah!! So our $801 round trip tickets for the three of us, plus Keara who flies free, only cost me $693. Still kind of high when you compare the price we paid for our last trip ($489), but at least with Southwest we don’t have to pay more for our checked luggage. So, I’ll take it. Besides, we will feel much better and less tired when we arrive in MCO at 8:15 am.
We will be spending time with another family we met here on Intercot, Kathy (kakn7294) and Phil and their DDs from PA. We met them last August during a mini meet and have been chatting ever since making the plans for this trip together. We look forward to making many memories with Kathy (Kakn7294) and her family. Kathy has been working very hard and has made Keara a beautiful Alice in Wonderland dress (http://inlinethumb29.webshots.com/39900/2438263280102032678S600x600Q85.jpg)for a special breakfast we will be attending together. She also made a dress for her daughter (http://inlinethumb27.webshots.com/40602/2940853590102032678S600x600Q85.jpg). Kathy has some awesome talent in the sewing department!! Thanks so much Kathy….I can’t wait to see the girls in their matching dresses.
Now, on with the show………….
We are one very large cast of characters for this trip!!
Me – 37 – three weeks shy of my 38th birthday!
Ben – 43 – just a big kid at heart – We are celebrating our 2nd anniversary
Katy – 17 – wishing her cutie, Josh, could be with us – he’s going next trip with us
Keara – 22 months – her 4th trip to WDW
Kathy (kakn7294), Phil, Steph and Megan from PA – lovers of all things Pittsburg!
Will (Wilful) and Shannon, Magic Never Ends Podcast, from Baltimore, to be known as MNE from here on out
Keegan, Adventures of a Teenage Disney Geek and his little sister Podcast, Mattie; with parents Matt and Phyllis, to be known as the Dysfunctional Super Family (DSF) from here on out
Aug 10th – Flying out from BWI at 605am…we will land in MCO at 815am, DME to VWL check-in, hopefully scoring a tour with “Stan,” our Garden Grocer delivery should arrive, then to AK to meet up with Kathy…then to Epcot for TeppanEdo dinner with MNE & DSF, then to EMH at MK til 2am. Not sure if we will make it that long as we will have been up since 330am.
Aug 11th – Epcot day with mini meet at 2pm at the Margarita :marg: Stand in Mexico, Pick a Pearl (our first time) and LeCellier dinner with Kathy, Phil, Steph and Megan.
Aug 12th – DHS day, MUST do Toy Story Mania, Sci-Fi for dinner then over to Epcot’s EMH. Today, I am having an anniversary surprise edible arrangement delivered to our resort for Ben.
Aug 13th – 1900 Park Fare breakfast with Kathy and family, staying at the MK then Crystal Palace dinner with Kathy and family. Then possibly over to DHS EMH.
Aug 14th – Not really planning much today, we’ll see what transpires after our O’Hana breakfast with MNE & DSF. Then dinner at Cape May with MNE & DSF and then to Epcot’s EMH. **Slight change of plans, we are now going to check out the Adventurers Club after dinner.
Aug 15th – Epcot day with Akershus breakfast, our second mini meet at 2pm at the Norway Bakery then Coral Reef dinner with Kathy and family, then to MK for EMH til 2am with MNE & DSF, I think!?!
Aug 16th – MK today then a Chef Mickey’s breakfast and dinner with MNE and friends from the Disney Podcast Network – this is their last full day. Do you think CM twice in one day is overkill? Nah. :eat:
Aug 17th – Epcot today, all of our friends leave today. Then we are going back to VWL for a swim and some rest, watch the water pageant and Katy and I will try to do MK EMH til 3am while Ben and Keara sleep. We shall see.
Aug 18th – AK today with Boma for dinner then DHS EMH.
Aug 19th – Ben and I have breakfast plans at Capt. Cooks while Katy and Keara hang at the resort. Then we will take a surry bike to FW. This should be a relaxing day with Trails End Buffet for dinner.
Aug 20th – DHS today, Welcome Home Wednesday @ BW, then Winter Summerland for Mini golf. No TS meals planned
Aug 21st – AK today with dinner at The Wave.
Aug 22nd – MK today with dinner at GF Café. This is our last full day.
Aug 23rd – Checkout, do whatever strikes us, DME will pick us up around 430pm. We will need to use up remaining snack credits.
There will be NO :alarm:ALARMS set, with the exception of our breakfast ressie days. I want this to be a relaxing, take your time, kind of trip. We’ll wake when our internal alarm clock goes off. But honestly….It seems I am not able to sleep past 730 anyway. I guess it is just the excitement!! Why sleep when you are in the happiest place on earth.
I plan to take a true account in comparing dollars to dollars on the dining plan. I want to see if the new plan saves us any money, or if we should just bag the DDP in the future. So be looking for this report upon our return!!
This is gonna be great!!
Sorry....it's kind of long, but thanks for reading!! WOOHOO!!