Wheeler's Wishes - Pre Trip Report

[pcnine28]

Hi Zoe
Those career options sound very exciting, but have I been watching too much Bones lol.
I have a slight knowledge of the FSS as I was a Police Officer before I became a full time stay at home mummy :-)

[sarahewoods]

Of course Nine xx did you buy one too? xx

[Guest]

We got tickets and won zilch... and I was going to buy a $100,000,000 13 bedroomed, 23 bathroom mansion on Lake Butler which had a 1/2 acre swimming pool!

[Guest]

Hi all...

sorry about the lack of updates... there will be one up either this weekend or next!

I can do one though which is frankly scary, at the time of our next trip - 2012 - I will be 25! eeeeek

Edit: and I have a new username!

[Guest]

UPDATE #5 – 468 DAYS TO GO

Well, mum has just gotten off of the phone to Virgin Holidays and we are all booked up to go between 26th September and 17th October 2012!

We also got our Disney Tickets with Virgin as they worked out the cheapest for us – we have only got 14 day Ultimates as the first week we are doing a few days at Vero Beach, Busch Gardens with a night or two in Tampa/Clearwater/St Petes and then onto Universal for 2 nights at Hard Rock Hotel (I will get my way! ) before Disney!

So since our last update we haven’t really been up to much as I have been a bit hectic at University finishing off my Masters degree!

Over the Easter break I was completing a Skeletal Report, I had to spend 12 hours looking at a skeleton, and then even longer looking at pictures of said skeleton to try and work out why he may of died 350 years ago! The skeleton was indeed a man, to be specific a Caucasian male between the ages of 18 and 34! Have also just got the marks back for this and I got 60%, I would have liked more but the lecturer who marked it is quite a harsh marker so at least I know that I deserved the mark!

April 27th to May 6th I was at a simulated missing persons case which required my archaeological brilliance to help locate some bones! Well, I say those dates I was actually only really about 75% there! It started off well on the Wednesday, and after the briefing from the “Senior Investigating Officer” we headed out to the possible crime scene (I know pcnine28 will appreciate this!) and did a visual search; it was at about this point where it had begun to go downhill! I had started to feel nauseous and feint, so I left the inner cordon which is where my memory of the event goes a bit sketchy as the next thing I knew I was laid on the floor with two of my lecturers looking over me! The rest of the afternoon was spent laid in the back of a van being made to drink water every five minutes by the unit leader after I refused either them calling an ambulance or them taking me back to university!

I got told under no uncertain circumstances to turn up on the Thursday, and if I did that one of the members of staff would drop me home on the way out to the scene, so Thursday I went to the doctors to see if they could see if there was anything wrong with me… yet again something that I cannot comprehend how is related to my weight was! So that annoyed me a little; what annoyed me even more was the way two of the other four people in my group behaved towards me the next week even though one of them is supposed to be one of my closest friends!

Anyway, that weekend was spent relaxing, we watched the Royal Wedding and had a little buffet/picnic lunch whilst it was on and spent a nice weekend relaxing! Before it was back out onto site and to finish the investigation. Most of the time between then and now has been spent on doing work which is related to that, until last Thursday when I had mock court and had to be the Expert Witness, the defence council and the prosecution council… all of which I completely hated!

Back to the Florida stuff! I’ve printed off maps and directions from Orlando to Disney’s Vero Beach Resort (92.7 miles, estimated time 1 hour 35 minutes), Disney’s Vero Beach to Busch Gardens (147 miles, estimated time 2 hours 38 minutes) and Busch Gardens to Disney World (68.4 miles, 1 hour 4 minutes) – yes it’s quite a bit of driving for mum but it was her idea!

I have also done a spreadsheet for planning, and a front cover for the folder which will have the same sections as the spreadsheet!

I got a new camera last year, a Panasonic Lumix TZ8 and have been playing with that today, I was going to go for a walk and take some pictures but the weather has been a bit useless here today so I haven’t really felt like it, and the cat is misbehaving so have had to resort to taking pictures of the stuff that we use to plan!

So this is the front cover for the folder



The Unofficial Guide



The Brits Guide



Map Man’s Map



The DVC Planner and Points Charts



The Pesky Cat



I’d like to add that these are the first pictures that I have taken with this camera and it is quite different from my old one!

We’ve got a busy month ahead of us, I have a Dyslexia and Dyspraxia Screening test which is a whole new thing for me, mum has her regular scans at The Royal Marsden, then we are both going to The Big South Dibb Meet at Itchen Valley again, and then we are going up to Leicestershire to visit a certain ueber planner! That and hopefully go to Champney’s Springs for a mini spa day!


Things To Do
Taxi up to airport
Holiday Insurance
Holiday Money
API’s
ADR’s – we already have a list of quite a few we have made so will just make those again closer to the time!
Prescription/Medical Letter for Caroline
Find somewhere Zoe can watch Grand Prix
Make Wal-Mart shopping list
Accommodation (October & November)
New ESTA’s (ours will have run out)
Tickets – Universal and Discovery Cove
Keys to the Kingdom Tour?
Hotel for the night before - Tesco vouchers

Things Already Sorted
Passports Checked (and valid)
Map’s for Sat-Nav
Flights
Car Hire
Disney Tickets
Seats Requested

Next Update

[Guest]

Do love the front cover that you have done - it is even better in the flesh so to speak.

Yes - as my lovely daughter has already pointed out - we have now moved our dates with Virgin. Have also moved the deposit.

For this year we were having two weeks, but having had chemotherapy at the beginning of this year I don't feel that I could do a full on trip to Disney this year. I have just had a chest infection, with two lots of antibiotics to get over it. The chest infection really knocked me for six (again). So on this fact alone I am glad that we decided to postpone until next year.

So the plan is 3 nights in Vero Beach, 2 nights at Tampa/Clearwater/St Pete's, 2 nights at Universal - you haven't got your way yet Zoe!

Then on to Disney and our first time home on DVC. We are definitely having 8 nights at BLT then hopefully 8 nights at Beach Club Villas (will try and book at 7 month window - but with it being food and wine festival not sure if we will get in).

Thanks for doing all the research Zoe

[sarahewoods]

Hey Zoe and Caroline

Fab update, your plans are really coming together. Sounds like your are going to have a magical holiday.

Sorry to hear you have both not been very well, and goad the 2nd lot of antibiotics dud the trick Caroline.

Looking forward to next month, and meeting you btw in the flesh, take care, and looking forward to motet updates xx

[Guest]

Originally Posted by Cheekieminx

Do love the front cover that you have done - it is even better in the flesh so to speak.

Yes - as my lovely daughter has already pointed out - we have now moved our dates with Virgin. Have also moved the deposit.

For this year we were having two weeks, but having had chemotherapy at the beginning of this year I don't feel that I could do a full on trip to Disney this year. I have just had a chest infection, with two lots of antibiotics to get over it. The chest infection really knocked me for six (again). So on this fact alone I am glad that we decided to postpone until next year.

So the plan is 3 nights in Vero Beach, 2 nights at Tampa/Clearwater/St Pete's, 2 nights at Universal - you haven't got your way yet Zoe!

Then on to Disney and our first time home on DVC. We are definitely having 8 nights at BLT then hopefully 8 nights at Beach Club Villas (will try and book at 7 month window - but with it being food and wine festival not sure if we will get in).

Thanks for doing all the research Zoe

See more...

Mummy, you know that I will get my own way with Universal Hotels!

Originally Posted by sarahewoods

Hey Zoe and Caroline

Fab update, your plans are really coming together. Sounds like your are going to have a magical holiday.

Sorry to hear you have both not been very well, and goad the 2nd lot of antibiotics dud the trick Caroline.

Looking forward to next month, and meeting you btw in the flesh, take care, and looking forward to motet updates xx

See more...

Hi Sarah

Thanks for your comments, we're looking forward to meeting you too!

I think you're part of the reason why we're being organised as it is seeing you do all of the bits that you do that have got me doing this so early!

[taran_j]

Hey Zoe,

only just found your pre trippie after you mentioned it on Libby's thread... this holiday has been somewhat of a rollercoaster ride so far!

Glad to read you mum is doing well!

Just think of all that extra planning time you have now

off to subscribe...

[Guest]

Originally Posted by taran_j

Hey Zoe,

only just found your pre trippie after you mentioned it on Libby's thread... this holiday has been somewhat of a rollercoaster ride so far!

Glad to read you mum is doing well!

Just think of all that extra planning time you have now

off to subscribe...

See more...

Hiya

Rollercoaster? More like a near miss plane crash!

The only problem with having more time to plan is that we keep changing things!

You know you do all the car boot sales etc... do you find DVD's sell quite well or would I be better off music magpie-ing them?