Pre-Trip Join me as I go down the rabbit-hole of planning...

I'm a bit of an over-planner. Husband said I had to go find some Disney friends and pester them with my Disney indecisions.

Dates: October 3-6
Resort: Port Orleans French Quarter
Event: Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party
Guests: Husband, Myself and The Boy (9)

Look at that! I wrote out all the words. I was feeling sassy.

How does one write a pre-trip report? Well, start at the beginning and when you come to the end, stop! I wrote out a lot of details and information about my upcoming Disney trip and it looked like a crazy-lady manifesto of anxiety and indecision. I think I will write this in installments and spread the nutty goodness more evenly.

In 2012, DH and I decided we needed a Boy and dog-free vacation to Vegas. (skipping Vegas vacation details) United Airlines is horrible so we had $500 in flight vouchers that expired in November of 2013. We wanted to do an adult vacation again this year but, flights to Vegas were over $500. Husband offered a family vacation to Disney for MNSSHP as an alternative. Yes, Husband is great.

Coming up...Resorts, Food, Costumes, crappy photography and KIRF.

 

[Zipadeelady]

Sounds like your husband and my husband should get together and have a beer while the ladies talk Disney. Ready to see the rest of the details.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Air prices are the reason we skipped Vegas this year as well. Not once did I see air drop to a reasonable price on ANY carrier. And United...well, nothing makes you miss the good ol days of Continental like having to fly United.

Now personally, I enjoy a good crazy-lady manifesto but clearly I personally like to post in installments and as things come up. Can't wait to read more!

 

[Pooh'sBuddy]

I'm a bit of an over-planner.

It's all relative. Around here, it's just fun talk!

 

[ThatBrunette]

@Zipitidoda Husband liked that idea!

@HouCuseChickie I miss Eastern (If You Had Wings). You have a lovely and logical thread and you indulge my silly responses.

You are right @Pooh'sBuddy. I fall short of the over-planner definition for this site. I think I just look slightly fussy here.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

@HouCuseChickie I miss Eastern (If You Had Wings). You have a lovely and logical thread and you indulge my silly responses.

I remember flying Eastern and I remember If You Had Wings...as well as the later Delta Dreamflight. I think I even saw it during it's brief stint as "If You Could Fly."

I enjoy silly

 

[Pooh'sBuddy]

You are right @Pooh'sBuddy. I fall short of the over-planner definition for this site. I think I just look slightly fussy here. [/USER]

You're not fussy! It's all good. We're all just very passionate about our Disney.

 

[ThatBrunette]

I noticed that some trip report people use different fonts. Let me know what you think.

Oh, editors and edits are welcome. I'm a Desktop Publisher and happily accept redlines.

In 2010, Husband had a conference at the Swolfin* that coincided with MNSSHP. The room was paid for so The Boy and I went along. While getting ready for the party, The Boy started throwing up. We missed the party. Husband said we deserved a do-over.

In 2011, a family trip was demanded/requested by my SIL. (skipping months of planning and profanity) She chose dates in November we couldn’t do and a cruise I couldn’t do. (I have a weird balance issue.) We agreed to meet them in WDW for the last few days of their vacation. (This paragraph is hard to write without venom.) My BIL came close to ruining the trip for me because he is a jerk. Husband said we deserved a do-over.

*I call it the Swolfin because I can’t remember which hotel was our hotel. Other than dealing with the puking quickly and professionally, the hotel was unremarkable. My friends, who are Starwood members, said that being Starwood preferred made the hotels fabulous and the benefits were great.We got off the buses at the wrong hotel more than once. For a hotel, they were okay. For a hotel on Disney property, they were magicless.

 

[tare]

Over planning never. Best to be prepared!!!!

 

[ThatBrunette]

Another source of anxiety is the dog.

Last year, we rescued a dog. neither my Husband nor I grew up with pets so we're in uncharted territory. Harley is a nervous 5lb Maltese. She showed up in our backyard in May of 2012. We called the Humane Society and adopted her a week later.

Harley is a loveable and snuggly dog. Her mission in life is to be close to me and give me licks.


HarleyJuly2013 by ThatBrunette, on Flickr

A kennel is not a good place for Harley. Our vet has space and we have local Pet Hotels.

After much anguish, I remembered that one of our friends is a tiny dog owner/lover. I brought Harley over for a visit and things went well.

My friend has a 6 yo girl and I have offered to pick up a thank you featuring her favorite character and sent a post card from Mickey.

Who rescued who?

The Dog's full name is Dr. Harleen Quinzel.

 

[ThatBrunette]

6 days to go.

Okay, I'm starting to get good nervous and bad nervous.

Good nervous - We're going to Disney World! I'm doing a group costume with Husband and The Boy for the first time. I'm almost finished with the costumes and props. I want to get a jillion photopass photos of us and visit some old favorites. I'm letting the boys choose the schedule for the second day so I can't overplan.

Bad nervous - Crowd levels are growing. I'm worried about pushy rude people. My son is not an aggressive person. I don't want him shoved out of the way or unable to get to see the parade because he's not willing to 'throw elbows'. I've seen a few reports come back from people who have had crowd problems. What if we get a crappy room? What if the plane is late? What if WDW runs out of magic before we arrive?!?

Any suggestions for calming the anxiety?

 

[HouCuseChickie]

6 days to go.

Okay, I'm starting to get good nervous and bad nervous.

Good nervous - We're going to Disney World! I'm doing a group costume with Husband and The Boy for the first time. I'm almost finished with the costumes and props. I want to get a jillion photopass photos of us and visit some old favorites. I'm letting the boys choose the schedule for the second day so I can't overplan.

Bad nervous - Crowd levels are growing. I'm worried about pushy rude people. My son is not an aggressive person. I don't want him shoved out of the way or unable to get to see the parade because he's not willing to 'throw elbows'. I've seen a few reports come back from people who have had crowd problems. What if we get a crappy room? What if the plane is late? What if WDW runs out of magic before we arrive?!?

Any suggestions for calming the anxiety?

I'm probably not the best person to be commenting on anxiety right now, but I'm sure it'll be fine and you'll have a wonderful trip. It's only been a little over 4 days since we left the magic bubble and I can assure you, there was still a TON of magic in there for everyone It's funny, our time at the party last Friday was very relaxed. We made a point to attend the 2nd parade, so that may have helped, but still- very little stress involved. And if you get a crappy room- you ask for a better one. I know- a hassle, but I'd like to think the odds are in everyone's favor to get a decent room. And if you haven't done online checkin, you may do that to help your odds. I was going to skip it, but when I saw the kinds of room requests I could add on- well, I figured it could only help- and it did.

 

[ThatBrunette]

I would not bet my anxiety against yours right now. Thank you for trying to calm me even though you have more important things to do. I'm glad you're my imaginary internet friend.

When Husband travels overseas, I get a bit weird. The artist Peter Max was in town yesterday. (His work inspired the art for the movie Yellow Submarine) I had nothing for him to sign and I had nothing clever to say to him. I'm off my game with Husband gone and the Disney anxiety started to creep in. Peter Max is the nicest person, ever! He saw me hovering back and came up and introduced himself. I felt like such a dork.

I'm hoping that after the first night at POFQ, I will calm down and be able to enjoy myself.

 

[ThatBrunette]

As of 12pm yesterday, Husband became unemployed. What are we gonna do?

We're going to Disney World!

Yup, we're part of the shut-down. My husband works/worked for The National Institutes of Standards and Technology (NIST). They are the people who keep time. Normally, I would put the link for the atomic clock (time.gov). The site is down because of the closure.

 

[Zipadeelady]

I understand the "bad nervous". I tend to be a worrier and am always wondering if...will the room be big enough, will it be too crowded, are the kids to old for another trip to Disney, what if we miss opening show. Ugh the stress of a Disney vacation. But I know once we get there all will be fine, my husband will slow down my pace, my kids will have a great time and who cares if our room is to small...WERE AT DISNEY!

 

[HouCuseChickie]

As of 12pm yesterday, Husband became unemployed. What are we gonna do?

We're going to Disney World!

Yup, we're part of the shut-down. My husband works/worked for The National Institutes of Standards and Technology (NIST). They are the people who keep time. Normally, I would put the link for the atomic clock (time.gov). The site is down because of the closure.

Man, this shut down is just sickening. I hate seeing all of these people in these positions. I'm guessing you're now at WDW ... hoping it's a wonderful trip. And hoping some of this government crud turns around soon.