Zip-A-Dee-Do you really want to come with us? Pre-trippie

[Guest]

Pre-trippie

I can’t believe it’s that time again, but here I am writing another pre-trippie!

This report won’t be a full blown, mega epic like the last one as we are only going for 8 nights, but I will try my best to make it as amusing and jam-packed full of information and pictures as possible!

This trip was booked before we went on the Queen of Crocs Culinary Coronado Capers last August and was going to be a girlie-bonding trip for me and The Biff (or DD Beth as she is more commonly known!)

DH (Andy) had decided he’d be totally Disneyed out after our 4th visit and suggested we go without him! So us girlies were looking forward to doing all the things we love to do the most, without hearing the usual hefty sighs and moans we have to put up with when we suggest spending an entire evening wandering round The World of Disney Store or riding It’s a Small World for the 6th time in a row!

Beth was more than happy with the knowledge she would be doing all the big, scary rides on her own whilst I sat knocking back frozen lemonades and minding the bags, so this trip was going to be perfectly tailor-made for both of us!

I booked flights with Virgin for the 5th February, using Miles Plus Money, and 8 nights in a Studio room at Saratoga Springs Resort! This would be our 1st ‘proper’ DVC vacation! We’d had a 2-night taster stay during our last visit and we totally fell in love with the place, so we were really looking forward to a full-blown stay!

And this is where the original plans completely fall apart! Andy fell in love with SSR just as much as I did and started making noises about tagging along on our girls-only holiday!

Me: But you said after a 3 week stay you’d be sick of Disney and wouldn’t want to go back again next year!

Him: Yes, but it would be nice to spend a whole week at SSR to get the full benefit of the Resort!

And they say women are bad for changing their minds!

So the weekend after we arrived home I begrudgingly, I mean lovingly, booked his flight! For a fleeting moment I did think about booking him on a different plane just to teach him a lesson for messing up our plans, but that wouldn’t be the actions of a loving, devoted wife, would it?

Then I had to do the most heartbreaking thing of all - Beth and I had to give up the row of 2 seats we’d managed to secure right at the very back of the plane! We were so looking forward to having no-one sitting next to or behind us - it was going to be one of the highlights of our trip - but that selfish hubby of mine decided he couldn’t sit 20 rows ahead of us next to a bunch of complete strangers and insisted we all sit together! I thought he'd enjoy the change of company, but he wasn't having it! We managed to reserve the same seats we had last year - the last row of 3 in front of the rows of 2, so it was some consolation, but we weren’t overly happy with the change! MEN!

We then started toying with the idea of giving the theme parks a miss and just spending the week enjoying all that SSR and Downtown Disney has to offer and maybe visiting a water park! This would be our 5th and definitely not our last visit, so skipping the parks just this once wasn’t going to be such a big deal!

Then we started considering a split-stay, but we couldn’t make up our minds where we wanted to stay! Andy and Beth both fancied Animal Kingdom Lodge, but it’s probably my least favourite Resort! I’d always wanted to stay at The Boardwalk, but our recent bad experience of their bus service has put me off and those long corridors remind Andy of The Shining, so that was a no-no! The only one we all agreed on was Wilderness Lodge! We’d all loved the look of it when we visited last year, so finally a decision was made! We will now be spending 5 nights in a Studio at SSR followed by 3 nights in a 1-bed villa at VWL!

Now most of you know me well enough by now to realise I’m not a happy bunny unless I’ve got at least one holiday in the pipeline, so a few weeks ago, with many thanks to Mr. Tesco, we started discussing a possible trip for Christmas 2008! This is when Andy came up with the idea of buying Annual Passes to cover both visits!

Yes, I know we said we wouldn’t be doing any parks this time, but the closer it got the louder I could hear the lure of Disney calling to me! The idea of staying at VWL, a mere ferry ride away from MK, and not actually stepping foot in the place struck me as being total torture! I had visions of becoming delirious with longing and jumping the park gates in the dead of night, wearing nothing but my nightie, just to get my fix!

So our quiet, relaxing trip has been discarded in favour of a full on parkfest! It will be a non-stop, go-go-go marathon from dawn to dusk and I can’t wait!

As well as doing the parks and DTD we are planning on visiting The Florida Mall, Prime Outlets and Festival Bay so Beth can spend every penny of her birthday and Christmas money in Hot Topic and Build-a-bear! Andy will be buying his usual suitcase full of shoes and trainers! And I will be stocking up on Christmas decorations and Yankee Candles! The odd pair of Crocs or two may also find their way home with me!

Now for the confession that will have all of you who remember last years military planning extravaganza reeling with shock and despair!

With only a month to go I have done absolutely no planning whatsoever! There is no itinerary, I haven’t even looked at the park hours yet and … wait for it …


I haven’t made a single adr!

Having so many adr’s last year slightly took the fun out of it and towards the end of our stay we felt it became a bit of a chore, so this year we are just going with the flow!

We may possibly eat at the Rainforest Café (Beth’s choice) The Turf Club or Nine Dragons (my choice) and Whispering Canyon Café (Andy has chosen this one purely because he thinks the fear and anxiety it caused me last year was hysterical! :angry: ) These will be organised while we’re out there and the rest of the time we will be eating at Counter Service places!

See, I’m not such a manic obsessive after all!

So there you have it! My pre-trippie is at an end! It may not be the best planned trip we’ve ever had, but I’m sure we’ll have a fabulous time and still manage to do everything we want to in just one week!

Oh, and incase I’ve upset or offended anyone, I am of course more than happy that my Darling Hubby is coming with us! There is plenty of time for Beth and I to have our girlie trip and, if I’m honest, it just wouldn’t be the same without Andy …





… without him who would pay the bills and carry the cases?

[Clare]

I can't believe how fast your trip has come round!

Naughty DH, trust him to mess up your plans

[angie-noo]

I will carry your cases V if i can come with you. Could we just borrow Andys CC- we may need it

[Sue]

Ooooo Vron, I can't believe that it's nearly that time already..
Please give Wilderness Lodge a big hug from me

[Ste]

Take me with you...

[Guest]

No ADRS?, no planning and not even looked at the park times? i'm frankly shocked! How lazy can one be!?

I can't believe how quick it has come around! Bet you have fun!

[dave and lesley]

vron, don't you know us DH#s are here to keep you girls on their toe's
ste's stuck in a travelodge...take me instead

know what you mean about the adr's , we did the same last year, and it seemed to be a little bit like planning round the meals we gad booked.

have fun,

dave

[lisas]

We have only ever done a intenary once, I prefer just to go with the flow , hope you have a great time and look foward to your trippie when you get back.

lisa

[Guest]

Originally Posted by Ste

Take me with you...

See more...

Hun, it will be just like you're there with me ... at the end of the phone!

Are you up for a repeat of last year?

[Funkymum]

Wow not long now, how exciting looking forward to reading your trippie very soon