It's A Small World ~ Pre Trip Report

[ariel2006]

A Little Bit of Trip Planning


I went to Mums for a few days over my birthday and the day after my birthday we decided to have a planning session, our one and only. We planned to get KFC, as to make it authentic of course (yes I know were not going to Kentucky but were going to the South, home of the Southern Fried chicken), but it was such a nice day in the end we had a big BBQ instead. After filling up on BBQ food, and some southern fried chicken, we all sat down to discuss and finalize our holiday plans. I showed them the plan I had come up with and we discussed it on a day to day basis. I showed them websites for all the different places and restaurants I had found to visit, and they all agreed they looked good. Discussing it all together made us all so excited and made it all seem so real... and by the end of the night our plan was complete, all we had to do now was get on with booking things.



Tours and Tantrums

When I first looked into Atlanta the first thing that drew me to it was seeing that they had a 6 Flags Magic Mountain. I have seen so many programmes on the parks, and always see their rollercoasters on Top Rollercoaster programmes so thought it would be a great opportunity to go there. Then I found the City Segway Tour, which sounded like the perfect way to see the city, and more fun than sitting on a bus or trolley. At first we were worried Sophie may be too young, but then saw it was for people 12 and over... perfect as she was 12 at the beginning of August. We asked her if she wanted to do it, as I was worried she would say yes and then change her mind when we got there but surprisingly she got so excited about doing it. Then, just before we booked it I emailed the company to double check she would be okay to do it, only to find they had a minimum weight of 100lbs, and she was quite a bit off that. I didn't think she would mind too much but she was so upset, at first she cried and then that turned into one of her very rare but quite explosive tantrums. From then on everything was stupid... when I asked her about what she wanted to do instead and gave her options she just replied "I dont want to go to the stupid zoo", "I dont want to see the stupid panda", "I dont want to go stupid shopping"... and so it went for the next hour or so, everything and everyone was stupid, and it was all the stupid segways fault . I knew Nick really wanted to do it, he loved it so much in Epcot I had to literally drag him off at the end. And although we hadn't mentioned it to Dad I knew he would absolutely love it. Mum was in the middle, but then decided she really wanted to do it, which was good as Nick didn't want to be responsible for Dad... you see he is the kind of person who is always hurting himself, always doing something incredibly stupid and almost impossible to most other humans, and although segways aren't rocket science to use, it may be beyond his capabilities :pgig

So that was decided, Mum, Dad and Nick were going to do the segway and I was going to look after Sophie. From the beginning I said that if Sophie couldn't do the tour then I would stay with her and we would find something fun to do, just the two of us. Of course at first she didn't want to have stupid sister time, but then she snapped out of her mood and decided it would be great fun. We decided to go to Georgia Aquarium, it was close to the segway office and to other attractions and it looked like fun. Then being the avid planner I am I looked in to any tours they may have to make it extra specially fun for Sophie. They did do one where you can swim with a whale shark but after seeing the size of the blinking thing I quickly put that in the definite NO pile. On the YES pile however went the backstage tour, an hour tour learning about the running of the aquarium and getting closer to the animals. Heres a rundown of the tour:

* Visit the top of the live coral reef exhibit where you will
discover the secrets of the tropical waters and the
mangrove forest.
* Observe where the Aquarium team cares for the animals and prepares their food as you visit the Commissary and Veterinary Clinic.
* Hear the sounds of the "sea canaries" as you look over the top of the beluga whale exhibit.
* Enjoy the view at the top of the largest ocean exhibit in North America (Ocean Voyager), and observe the world’s largest fish, the whale shark, as it swims below you.
* Includes complimentary souvenir photo at top of an exhibit.

And so I booked the tour for Sophie and me as part of her birthday present, which she loved. Hopefully it will be a great experience and we will have lots of fun . And the segway tickets are booked too, I brought Dad his for his birthday present, which is why we didn't tell him about it, we love to surprise him for all the hard work he does.



Happy Birthday To You...

When it comes to presents I love to get people things I know they will really like and enjoy. I have found that with Mum, who is a right pain to buy for, that taking her to see a show or getting her something to do or see is so much more appreciated than a top she will take back again in a week. And it means we get to do things together which is always nice. So for christmas 2 years ago I got Mum and Dad tickets for We Will Rock You and for this christmas just gone I took them to see Cirque Du Soleil in London, both which we made mini-breaks, and both which we all (Sophie included) loved and enjoyed thoroughly. So for easter I gave everyone the New York themed gift bags with NY goodies and tickets for the night cruise and for mothers day I got Mum a ticket to see the Lion King on Broadway. So then we dont go to New York and I have got us all surprise tickets for the Southern Belle lunch cruise, and have paid for Mum's helicopter flights, so that was that taken care of. But then I thought about Paul and Sophie's birthdays and what I could get them for the holiday. The segway tour was perfect for Paul so I booked that for him. Then I got him a French Connection wash bag with travel mini's, some extra toiletries and some dollars, so that helped sort him for the holiday. For Sophie I booked her the Backstage Aquarium Tour and also got her some mini-toiletries so now she feels so grown-up to have her own. I also got her (among a million other things, she is majorly spoilt by me, its so hard not to spoil her) some clothes for the holiday, including a really cute top with a guitar on, perfect for our holiday.



So Much To Do, So Little Time...

Like I said before when I first looked at Atlanta we decided we were going to go to 6 Flags Magic Mountains, they also had a water park which looked good but we knew we wouldn't have time to do everything. Then we decided to do the segway tour and the aquarium, and that covered the 2 days we had in Atlanta. However, I did the one thing an avid planner should never do when they have formulated a good plan, and kept looking into local attractions. This is when I found Stone Mountain Park, a park just outside Atlanta which had various attractions from paddle steamer boats, to ariel tramways, mini-golf, duck tours, train rides and walks to the top of Stone Mountain. The park looked lovely, really natural but with plenty to do and see. And it seemed a lot more appealing to Mum's tastes too. I tried to juggle the plans every which way so we could incorporate the segways/aquarium, 6 Flags and Stone Mountain but it just wasn't possible, the segways were only at 10am or 2pm and Stone Mountain Park was about 45 minutes out of town. So in the end I decided I would give up 6 Flags as I thought Stone Mountain was a better option for all of us... although its a shame, it gives us another excuse to go back to the area (always thinking ahead ).



Up Next: Party Planning and Presents

[Guest]

All sounding great so far!

To answer your earlier question about Pigeon Forge, we didn't see much of it as we were only there a night before moving on but I do remember being shocked by it! We had been driving through the Mountains for a few days in the wilderness and then all of a sudden was Pigeon Forge with lights, shops, restaurants and bars and neon everywhere!

Quite funny really, I will have to look on my father's computer to see if we have any photo's to show you! There is a Hard Rock Cafe there too lol which was unexpected! Have a look ... hardrock/locations/ca...54&MIBenumID=3

[purple myra]

The Road Trip to Dollywood sounds fantastic, so refreshing to read something 'different'

[ely3857]

Wow Wow Wow! You are spoiling everyone rotten! Can't wait to hear all about it!



Jodie

[Guest]

WOW! You are so organised! I would be so stresses out booking all these things! Six Holidays in one year that must be a record wish i got more time off work to do this maybe one day! Have a fab time hope your mum has a fab holiday! Oh looking forward to the end of your trip reports too they are so good! x

[ariel2006]

Hey guys, sorry for not posting anymore updates, I have been so busy trying to get everything ready for the holiday, all our luggage and Mum's presents, checking I've got all the reservations etc. And then when I have had a few spare minutes our internet hasn't been working :angry:.

Mum, Dad and Sophie are all here, we've just had a nice chinese and some wine whilst we finish sorting some last minute bits. Were off to the airport tomorrow to stay overnight at the Hilton and then were off Saturday morning... were all so excited, me and Sophie have been screaming all night

Anyway I hope everyone is ok, take care whilst I'm away. Speak to you all soon

[tartan tink]

have a fantastic time, cant wait to hear all about it

[Guest]

Have a wonderful time, looking forward to hearing it and seeing your pics when you're back! Take care, and happy birthday to you mother!

[ely3857]

Have a great time Sammie



Jodie

[Guest]

Have a wonderful time Sammie