Pre-Trip Lawdy, Lawdy, Look Who's Turning 40 - PTR

I was really tempted to call this the “What the heck are we doing?!?!!?-PTR,” but the reality…this trip is my 40th birthday present to me. Still, it’s one crazy convoluted mess, so at some point you’ll probably catch on to the reason behind the secondary title.

WHO...

Ok...enough about that...there will plenty of time to address the planning insanity.
If you're new to my reports, I'm Sandy...

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I've been going to WDW since 1985 - even lived in Florida for a while. Soooooo, let's just say I've been to WDW a number of times. :D Beyond that, my 40th is about a month before this trip and this is my gift to me. I'd considered going on my actual 40th; however, I promised myself that our next trip would involve MNSSHP...so, September it is. And if you're familiar with the Cake Talk...I promise you....THERE WILL BE CAKE! In fact, there will be 2 CAKES! But more on that later.

Also, I'm usually the one behind the camera, so you won't be seeing much of me when it comes to the actual TR. Hey, I at least take TONS of pictures (like thousands! :eek:). And if you do see me, I doubt you will ever see my hair down since it's usually up on top of my head in the heat and humidity.
Like this...
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...although, I may add a flower to make it ... well ... cute.

Hey, we live in Texas so heat is our norm, but we also approach it wisely and hair up like this is a great way to keep cool when not wearing a hat to keep my head from baking in the sun.

OK, enough about me (for now)...let's talk about the girls.

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The brunette is Kendall...she'll be turning 7 about a month before the trip...and the blonde is Sammie...who will be turning 5 a little over a month after the trip. This will be the girls' 4th trip to WDW.

The girls are total characters. Seriously. Kendall is a drama queen, but insists she's no diva (yeah right!). I could be really mean and post a video of a more recent meltdown, but I'll spare her. Sammie is our tomboy and quiet little trouble maker. Just recently, she tried to see how much toilet paper she could flush down each toilet in the house. Too bad I noticed we were suddenly down 6 rolls AFTER her experiment.

Next up...DH...

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He likes, but does not love WDW. He's made it very clear that he's bored with trips to Disney. I told him I'd planned this trip for just me and the girls, but he was invited to come if he'd like. Well, when the first of two SWA fare sales hit, I cornered him on the matter and he agreed to go. Ultimately, I think he has fun and enjoys seeing the girls having such a good time and experiencing new things as they grow. So, I spent several months of having this trip booked not knowing if he'd be joining us... and if things go well job wise...he may still have to bow out. Soooo...really, who knows.

Beyond us...

We are actually being joined by 5...YES 5 ... more family members on day 3 of our trip. My parents will be joining us along with my brother's family. They all live in south Florida, so it's a fairly easy trip up for them. Well, assuming my brother & fam are still able to make it come trip time. They have a bunch of stuff going on and while they've booked lodging and all have orders in for discounted tickets through their employers (perks of living in FL), there's still a chance they'll back out. So, if DH has to stay home and if they back out...we could go from a party of 9 to a party of 5. Insanity I tell you!

When and Where...
Well, the when is fairly drama free...

Sept. 19 - 23

I just rebooked our air, so our arrival and departure changed, but I think it's for the best...since it saved us an additional $512. So instead of arriving at 11:45a, we're arriving around 2:50pm. I don't see that being a huge deal. On the flipside, we'll be getting a lot more time on our last day. I think our original flight had us leaving MCO around 2pm, but now we're leaving just after 7pm. So, more time with my family and more time to play on our last day.

So, that's the when, but the where is complicated...and still bugs me. :(

We were originally booked at the Contemporary...my fave. I was hoping fall discounts would mirror summer discounts so I could splurge on night 1 and stay in an MK facing room in the tower...then switch to the garden wing...but NO...the Sept discounts did not mirror the summer ones. On top of that, Mousesavers (via Small World Vacations) posted some incorrect info on the discounts for the Contemporary. They posted that MK view was 5% (which is correct) and standard rooms were 20% (which was incorrect). I put off calling by a day b/c I didn't know what to do. Overnight, I decided to switch to WL with a 30% off discount since it's a greater savings and it's DH's fave. The % never came up when I was on the phone with Disney that day, but I had to call about something else the next day and found out that the Contemporary discount was 30% for all non-MK facing rooms. Unfortunately, everything in the garden wing was gone and a full trip in the tower was more than I wanted to spend...sooooooo, WL it was. I did complain to Mousesavers and they corrected the problem, but I wonder if I would have gotten the room I wanted at the 30% discount if they'd posted the correct info.

So, now we're staing in WL. Most of our trip was geared for staying at the Contemporary, but WL isn't a huge transition. We'll be staying in a bunk bed room with a woods view. I figure at least it'll make it fun for the kids. I've also asked for 5th floor on the MK side.

Far from a good picture, but we had a nice view from our standard view room the last time we stayed at WL.
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I know most people love WL and I shouldn't whine, but I really didn't care for the bedding on our last visit. The room also felt very cramped. Don't get me wrong, the resort is stunning...I just had some issues. Imagine that. I am also wondering how it will feel to have a non-holiday stay at WL. Last time we stayed there...we had a room over the lobby and this beauty greeted us every time we left our room.

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Still, we had a great time popping over for drinks at Trout Pass during our summer trip in 2011.... and clearly, there was no tree up at that point.

We are also going to try going stroller free this trip and should have less to bring clothing wise since it's a warm weather trip....so, hopefully that will help the room not feeling as cramped.

Honestly, the real lodging drama is the rest of the family. My parents and brother also lost out on the Contemporary discount, feel that 20% is too little for the Poly, and refuse to stay again at WL... so they're now staying at the Dolphin. Seriously---what's going on here!!!!????!!!! This is really putting a monkey wrench in all of our early morning plans. We'll manage, but not without certain people whining about it. I guess at least they got a really awesome AAA rate...like under $150/nt.

COMING UP...

Calling it a night, but coming up:
Dining
Cakes
Surprises - and to think I said I'd take a break from these
Special Goodies for the Girls
MNSSHP
The Tickets
The School Issues
...and a host of other things.

Thanks for reading :)
 

HouCuseChickie

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Hoping posting more PTR info will help put me in a better mood. I'm just awfully grumpy right now. :( Between just finding out that some woman scolded Kendall at the pool to getting the wrong sugar flower for a cake...not happy. So, I had to put in another flower order...and if I see this woman at the pool again, there may just be some trouble. :mad:

OK...on to more positive things...

CAKE

Yes, I know ... I'm excited about it too!!! :D

First, let's talk about free cake... i.e. cupcakes. When we went for the girls' respective birthdays, I put their birthdays on each and every single ADR, but I don't need that. I put my birthday on the Chef Mickey's ADR, but that's only because it's the meal for my big cake. Same thing with my mom...the 'Ohana ADR will have her bday on it, but she'll be getting a custom cake at that meal. The only other ADR with a bday celebration on it is Crystal Palace, and that's for Jake.

I know...free cupcakes isn't what we're really interested in. So, let's talk custom cakes.

MOM's CAKE

My mother is aware that I'm getting a larger cake. I asked her if she wanted a larger one as well, but she prefers the mini wedding cake since it's got a great cake to frosting ratio. I have not made her cake sketch yet (will post it once it's ready), but I have 2 inspirations.

1. This wedding cake...


2. This part of the movie...
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Mom has made it very clear that she does not want a fondant covered cake, but is OK with fondant decorations. She's also not into all of the more uncommon flavors, so it's going to be a yellow cake with white chocolate mousse and vanilla buttercream.

I can walk you through my personal visual for the cake, but I know it will make more sense once I have a sketch...but here goes...

I know it's a mini wedding cake, but I think they can still work in a lot. I want the bottom tier...the larger one... to be sky blue buttercream w/fondant kites. I want the top tier to be red and white striped. The while chocolate carousel is too much for a mini cake, but I know for certain that they can also put individual white chocolate carousel horses on cake...so I want a single horse as the cake topper. The big ? is the measuring tape. It is a must because it's going to say "Grandma Holly Practically Perfect in Every Way" - the rest is up in the air until I sketch. I really would like the full blown measuring tape and have each of the grandkids named on it (i.e. Love Kendall)...sort of the way Jane and Michael were on Mary Poppins' tape. On the flip side, that may put the price through the roof or be too complicated...so I might just have the measuring tape be fondant tier borders. Although, that might be too wide for such a small cake or compete too much with the actual cake decor. Soooo... sometime next month, once I'm past a client cake...I'll get to sketching.

This cake is for dinner at 'Ohana, so it means I'll be working with Pat at the GF. She and I have not worked well in the past and if we have any friction or crazy pricing...I will see if Chef Brian at the Contemporary will do it and let me pick it up at The Wave.

MY CAKE

I can't begin to tell you just how much I love my cake idea. I was really tempted to pick something that would involve the "small" castle, but I think my idea is much more "ME." It's also very involved... I've never seen them do anything like it...so, I'm kind of nervous I might be greeted with a NO. I have a back up plan, but hopefully you'll agree that my back up plan isn't nearly as WOW as plan A.

So, plan A involves several of my favorite things...Donald...the ridiculous humor that goes with Donald...Mary Blair's art...and the actual IASW decor based on Mary's art.

So, here are each of my inspiration photos...

Donald inspiration...
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IASW Inspiration...
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Mary Blair Inspirations...


Kind of a crazy mess...right? Well, I think I've figured out how to pull it all together into a cake...IF they are willing to do it.

So, let's start with Donald. They make a white chocolate Donald...
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And like all of the 3D figures, they can "paint" him...
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So, hopefully you're picking up on the theme...i.e. I want him to be dressed like he's in the South Seas room in IASW. The challenge...will they be willing to dress him in a grass skirt and put a flower lei around his neck. I know they "can" do all kinds of things to the figures...but they're not always willing to do it. Usually the biggest issue is asking them to do something that isn't in line with that character, but the Donald sculpture pictured above is one of two Disney Donald figurines that have been approved with Donald in a grass skirt. Disney also used to offer custom shirts with Donald in this attire. Sooooooo, it's an approved look for Donald. They may argue that Donald is normally in a sombrero when being represented in IASW...I really don't want that, but I will settle for it if it's my only option.

OK...so, now that you know what I want as the main topper on the cake...let's look at my preliminary cake sketch...
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It's rough, but I was doodling at work while on hold. It's not to scale since the face portion on the IASW queue backdrop will need to be higher to be visible above Donald (thankfully, he's a shorter figure), but I love how I was able to convert the 50th anniversary details on the DLR IASW queue into a great 40th bday nod on the cake. The intetion is to keep all of this in white, silver, and gold...like the current WDW IASW queue (the DLR one is now all in color...kind of like the way the WDW used to be). I think the muted white/silver/gold will make Donald and what I have planned for the base really pop. My main concern here is that the few IASW cakes I've seen that involve any of this have been kind of blah. So, it's really vital that my final sketch make these aspect POP! I see paint pen purchases in my future!

So, now it's time to pay homage to Mary in this. In the cake industry...it's very common to cover the cake board/drum with fondant, but it's not nearly as common at Disney. Still, I've seen a few cakes where they've done it...so I'm hopeful. I initially wanted the board/drum covered in edible images of Mary's art, but there's a possiblity that they may not have rights to the art for these purposes. Then it hit me...why not cut outs? So, I found inspiration from her art and think they could do fondant cutouts of some of the more iconic structures.

So, here's what I came up with...


The blank spot in the middle is where the actual cake would rest. It's funny, I had to hold my cake sketch pic (sans Donald) above the base decor pic just to illustrate the concept to my friends. Hopefully, you guys get it....because I'd feel really silly taking a pic of me holding the cake sketch above the base sketch.

Now, the base portion would be in bright vibrant colors ... just like Mary's art. It also ties in my favorite part of the lyrics "there is just one moon and one golden sun." If you look at the base pic, you'll see that the buildings are joined by curved lines which form a disc. This is to represent the moon. The buildings along with the circumference of the cake represent the sun...i.e. each building is sort of a flare coming off from the sun. Ultimately, it creates an eclipse using the sun & moon concept with the Mary inspired fondant work.

I know...crazy complicated, but by next month I should have a sketch- a colorful final sketch. And even if it's crazy...I hope Chef Brian sees it as the amazing artistic tribute I hope it can be...aside from being a GLORIOUS 40th birthday cake.

And since I'm having it at Chef MIckey's----it would be SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO nice if they were able to get Donald over there at cake time. I am thinking about geeking out and even wearing my Donald shirt, buying Donald ears, and carrying my IASW bag that day.
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I do have a back up plan, but I don't love it...possibly because a member on another forum used the idea and it just wasn't done the way I would have done it.

The back up plan is inspired by these ears...


The cake would follow the colors and striping on the hat portion of the ears...minus the red bow. There would also be 'brass' portholes and life preservers going around the cake with pics of angry Donald - i.e. they'll act as picture frames. The 3D white chocolate Donald would go on top and he'd only be trimmed in gold. The base of the white chocolate Donald would have a red fondant ribbon going around it with his bow tie up front. The cake still feels a bit incomplete, so I'd probably have them make an edible anchor/rope out of gum paste to sit behind Donald as a backdrop.

All in all, the person who previously tried to get a cake based on this design idea wound up with this.
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It's not horrible, but it's not what I would want for this design idea. I can at least sketch exactly what I'd want so I don't wind up with this. Like I said, not horrible, but not WOW either.

But...you're going to have to wait until mid July...at least....for sketches since I have a couple of cakes to make over the next few weeks. And if you've never checked out my personal cakes or want to see what I've been up to over the last year or so... feel free to check out my Cakes set on Flickr:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/houcusechickie/sets/72157624710575326/

Ok...cakes took longer than expected...so, we'll have to cover more tomorrow.


EDIT- I also don't know what flavor I want. Funny how little I'm caring about that right now!
 

HouCuseChickie

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Awesome! Or should I say "Roarsome" ( Henry Hugglemonster).
I hope you have a magical vacation. Looking forward to pics.:D

When I first saw that I just though signs of the zodiac...since I'm a Leo (as is Kendall). Seems kind of fitting for a bday trip.
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ROAR!!!!! :D

I had to look up Henry Hugglemonster. I recognized him as soon as I saw the picture, but for whatever reason the name didn't register. I wonder if this means I'm officially able to tune out the girls' shows?

I'm kind of wondering how many pics I'll take this time. I mean, it's only 5 days...but that's all we did in 2011 and I think I still had around 1,700 pics. We shall see. :)
 

Zipadeelady

Well-Known Member
Thanks!

I'm still shocked that we pulled off the surprise in that first video. We drove from TX to FL...even stopped for the night about 3mi outside of WDW the night before check in and managed to keep it all from them. Of course, it helped that they couldn't read yet ;) It was a relief after months of stealth planning. I'm hoping they still have as much fun w/all of this when they're 16 and 14 :) I'm so not ready for those ages, but it will be here before we know it!

The attendance issues make me crazy. It's not like I want to take her out of school for extreme amounts of time, but penalizing us for a dr excused absence that was a mere 30 min missed at the end of the day and a school promoted early out 20 min before Christmas break is ridiculous. The note concerning the absences for this trip will say that we're going to FL for grandma's birthday and we flew out on Thursday to save nearly $1,000 on travel. They may not like it, but it's partly the truth. I'd thought about flying out Friday morning, but rates go up considerably.


I don't think you'll have any problems at 14 and 16. I gave all 3 of my kids the choice of where they wanted to go this year and all wanted to go to Disney. They just don't get real excited until were a few weeks from our trip unlike me who thinks about it everyday till the trip...it's kind-of exhausting. :)
By the way Happy Birthday (a little early) I'm also celebrating my 40th this month. When I was turning 30 I thought i would have a hard time with 40. Now that I'm turning 40 it doesn't seem so bad but 50....that just seems so old!​
 

Pooh'sBuddy

Well-Known Member
Holy pooh, Sandy! Thanks for adding to my to do list! I'll catch up soon. First thought, this Texas girl was totally floored with the humidity! I thought I was used to humidity, but Florida kicked my bum. Secondly, your Donald hula pic made me sign "everybody loves a hukilau. huki, huki, huki, huki, huki, hukilau." :)
 

bethymouse

Well-Known Member
Holy pooh, Sandy! Thanks for adding to my to do list! I'll catch up soon. First thought, this Texas girl was totally floored with the humidity! I thought I was used to humidity, but Florida kicked my bum. Secondly, your Donald hula pic made me sign "everybody loves a hukilau. huki, huki, huki, huki, huki, hukilau." :)
@ Pooh'sBuddy The heat & humidity was more like July & August rather than June!:eek: That's what the weather man said!:eek: The rain came down so hard that I couldn't even see ( 1 day @ MK after riding HM and then getting in line for 40 minute wait to IASW).:eek: I just laughed that one off though.:D What surprised me most was that no one was leaving the park! It was wall to wall ponchos and umbrellas!:eek:
 

Jessica Meier

Well-Known Member
I am so excited for your cakes. I am a little disappointed about not getting the cake I originally designed. :( Just can't justify it. But I am starting a job as a preschool teacher in August, so maybe I can with the extra $. We will see!
 

ejsanta13

Active Member
...starting back up again...



Chef Mickey's: This meal is going to be a pain...just in getting there. My parents and brother/fam will likely need to drive from the Dolphin to make this and we're going to have to pray that the 6:45a boat from WL is running on schedule. Beyond that...we love this meal and think it's a perfect time slot for any park day since you can be done by 8am. This meal is exceptionally special to me for another THREE reasons.
1. My nephew Jake, who turned 1 this week, will be visiting WDW for the first time this trip. Jake is kind of a miracle baby. My brother and SIL were thinking they'd need to adopt after 2 failed IVFs, so right there he was a shock. SIL also has a seizure disorder that made the pregnancy high risk since her meds don't mix well. In the end, she wound up having Jake 2 months early...he spent 2 weeks in the NICU, but she was also pretty sick. She put on something like 9lbs of water weight in less than a 24 hr period, lungs started filling w/fluid, etc. So, very special that he's now healthy...and this will be his very first MICKEY MEETING!!!!!



Next Up...the touring plan...
Everything sounds good. I know the feeling regarding your nephew. My DS4 was also born 2 months early and spent 2 weeks in the NICU, with a return visit for a week only a week later. Kids are very resiliant and fight their way through. His first WDW trip @ 15 months was very special. He now has 3 WDW trips and multiple Mickey M&G's under his belt and is doing great. He is a charmer now, though, and has all the princesses wrapped around his little finger. During one day of our Jan '12 trip, I think he had 4 or 5 lipstick marks on his face from princess kisses...... I know your nephew will have a great time @ the World. Have FUN and eat plenty of CAKE!!!!
 

HouCuseChickie

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I really like both ideas! Can't wait to see more sketches.

I'm realy fond of them as well. Hopefully, there will be no issues with the designs and they'll be well executed cakes.

You're very talented!

Thanks! Definitely a fun hobby :)

Sandy!!! I am loving your ptr! First you look no where near 40!! Your family is precious! AND you are extremely talented. I just love your cake plans. Thank you for sharing

Thanks! Trying not to feel 40 either ;) This kids help with that. The cake work is also fun and challenging...now, hopefully none of it drives me insane!:p
 

HouCuseChickie

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I don't think you'll have any problems at 14 and 16. I gave all 3 of my kids the choice of where they wanted to go this year and all wanted to go to Disney. They just don't get real excited until were a few weeks from our trip unlike me who thinks about it everyday till the trip...it's kind-of exhausting. :)
By the way Happy Birthday (a little early) I'm also celebrating my 40th this month. When I was turning 30 I thought i would have a hard time with 40. Now that I'm turning 40 it doesn't seem so bad but 50....that just seems so old!​

I hope not. Kendall has already been asking for NYC and Hawaii. Europe has also come up too. Nothing like a 6 year old getting upset that you went to Paris before she was even born. :rolleyes: Of course, they still want WDW and started begging the other night when they saw a WDW travel commercial.

Happy Birthday to you too!!!! :D 40 isn't bugging me now that it's here...it was the same way with 30. 50 sounds scary right now, but when the time comes...I will try to embrace it with grace---or a whole lotta drinks and partying. ;)

Holy pooh, Sandy! Thanks for adding to my to do list! I'll catch up soon. First thought, this Texas girl was totally floored with the humidity! I thought I was used to humidity, but Florida kicked my bum. Secondly, your Donald hula pic made me sign "everybody loves a hukilau. huki, huki, huki, huki, huki, hukilau." :)

Sorry. That's too bad that the humidity was rough. I'm really hoping my heat and humidity WDW tricks work for us in Sept. We've been June, July & August...but you just never know if it's going to be avg or really intense. And now I'm going to have that in my head ALL NIGHT! ;)

@ Pooh'sBuddy The heat & humidity was more like July & August rather than June!:eek: That's what the weather man said!:eek: The rain came down so hard that I couldn't even see ( 1 day @ MK after riding HM and then getting in line for 40 minute wait to IASW).:eek: I just laughed that one off though.:D What surprised me most was that no one was leaving the park! It was wall to wall ponchos and umbrellas!:eek:

As soon as I read the rain sentence...all I could hear was "And the rain rain rain came down down down..." Sorry the humidity was yucky. :( Also crazy that nobody was leaving...people always think they're melting in rain.
 

HouCuseChickie

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Love it!! Thank you for sharing!!! :)

No prob! Will be posting more tonight :)

Your ADR choices are fantastic! I've never done Park Fare breakfast but I did the dinner. It was Cinderella, Prince Charming, Fairy Godmother, and two Step Sisters. The food was just okay but the step sisters were the highlight of the evening for me personally. They're very goofy!

Ohana is an excellent choice as is Kona. Both are fantastic!

Thanks! Some are repeats and some are new...so a good mix. Ooooooo- you got the Fairy Godmother at 1900 PF dinner?!!?!? I would much prefer her over Lady Tremaine. The food ratings have kept us away, but it's time to finally try it. I think we've had it booked the last 3 trips and cxld for other things. We really enjoy 'Ohana dinner and my mom is quite excited to go there on her bday meal. Hoping Kona happens b/c Tonga Toast is a WDW goal :D

I am so excited for your cakes. I am a little disappointed about not getting the cake I originally designed. :( Just can't justify it. But I am starting a job as a preschool teacher in August, so maybe I can with the extra $. We will see!

I am too, but I was really hoping you'd be able to do a cake as well. I know...just not something you can justify. Are you going to have Publix do that other cake for you? That's exciting about the job! And the extra $ will surely help.

Everything sounds good. I know the feeling regarding your nephew. My DS4 was also born 2 months early and spent 2 weeks in the NICU, with a return visit for a week only a week later. Kids are very resiliant and fight their way through. His first WDW trip @ 15 months was very special. He now has 3 WDW trips and multiple Mickey M&G's under his belt and is doing great. He is a charmer now, though, and has all the princesses wrapped around his little finger. During one day of our Jan '12 trip, I think he had 4 or 5 lipstick marks on his face from princess kisses...... I know your nephew will have a great time @ the World. Have FUN and eat plenty of CAKE!!!!

That's awesome that he was only in the NICU for 2 weeks! Jake spent a little over 2 months, but some babies just need longer. He'll be right about 15 mos when he has his first trip, so I'm hoping he enjoys it. I know nothing replaces experiencing it in person, but I sent my brother YouTube vids of a variety of WDW things just so he can show them to Jake and make some of the noises at least be semi-familiar. That's so sweet how your DS is with the princesses. Priceless pictures for sure with all the princess kisses. :)

wow...great sketches! :)
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Thanks! I'm really hoping my final ones come together. Can't wait! :)
 

HouCuseChickie

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
THE YEAR OF 40

OK...well, I'm still having sugar flower drama for an upcoming cake, but I'm in a happy place today since I got a good deal on some other travel related matters. Which brings me to "the year of 40." :D WDW is one of a handful of things I have planned that celebrate the milestone. I mean, how perfect is it to celebrate at WDW??? A place where you usually feel like a kid. Beyond that...the year of 40 started early with a trip up to Syracuse with a bunch of college friends and will likely end next summer with a trip to NJ to reunite with family, some high school friends, and show the girls what it's like to have a summer down the shore. There's more, but I think you get the idea. ;)

WAKE UP!!!!

So, I was saying before that I might use the Welcome Medley to wake the girls up on trip day, but then I realized that it's just all wrong. This is a Halloween party trip...so they should be waken up by Halloween music...or at least something spooky.

My friend at work thinks it's going to scare the living daylights out of Kendall, but there's just something about having them wake up to this arrangement of Grim Grinning Ghosts...


(sorry, not exactly a visually stunning video)

She thinks this is the better choice...


I know they use it in Happy Hallowishes, but my gut says that the Haunted Mansion's music will make this more obvious to the girls. I guess I have a couple of months to decide, but I think I'm pretty sure this is the direction I want to go.

TICKET FEARS!!!!

I am a crazy planner in some regards, and not so much in others. For example, I don't need a binder, charts or laminated sheets to go along with our trips. Great for some, but not for me. I also tour and use FPs to my advantage, but won't do a full blown heavily structured touring plan. On the flipside...I like having ADRs totally set and I typically like to have tickets squared away before travel. I'll have some of that done this time, but the tickets (beyond MNSSHP) are something I have to wait on...

Some of you may recall that we had some ride breakdown and lodging issues last trip. Disney was kind enough to give us 2 days of complimentary park hopper tickets for our troubles and inconveniences. Unfortunately, I can't add these tickets to our reservations in advance. So, I have to go to a guest services location to explain the situation, give them all of the info I was told I'd need to provide, and hope they can accomodate us. Most have said that it shouldn't be a problem, but I've never picked up free tickets before...so I'm nervous.

Big Lie or Little Lie
I had previously mentioned telling the girls that we're headed to Vegas and they're spending the weekend at my MIL's, but now I'm second guessing myself. I could tell them that we're flying to FL for Grandma Holly's birthday. It would mesh with the note for school and it wouldn't really be a lie since we will meet up with them on day 3 and we will be celebrating her birthday as part of this trip. They just wouldn't be there when we got there...and I'd probably have to fib and tell them it was just a little trick to get them to WDW. Of course, I'd probably ruin the surprise at Chef Mickey's by going this route. Decisions...

Travel Concerns...

Concern 1
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Concern 2


I really don't know which would hurt the trip more...an Atlantic storm or a Gulf storm, but it's a legit concern in September. The reality, we don't have any other times we can travel to WDW for a while just due to all of the school issues...so fingers crossed that the tropics stay quiet. Of course, I wish for that in general...kind of something you do every year when you live so close to the Gulf and have family in south FL. I know the northeast got the worst of it last year with Hurricane Sandy (not a fan of sharing a name with Frankenstorm...especially after she wiped out a number of places super special to me)...still something to be mindful of with the time of year.

My trip goal...
While I don't LOVE the patterns out right now, I have every intention to leave WDW this time with AT LEAST 1 Disney Dooney. Between points from my Disney CC, Disney gift cards from work, and the 10% in park discount for the CC... I should be able to get at least 1 for very little. Funny when your trip goal is a bag!

Extra thoughts...
Just like last time, I will add updates as I buy things...think about changing things...finish sketches...remember things I've totally forgotten...reach out to the bakeries...etc. Soooooooooooooooooo, keep an eye out for planning updates. Thanks for reading :D
 

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