It's A Small World ~ Pre Trip Report

[ariel2006]

Thanks guys, hopefully another update should be up soon

Originally Posted by _tinkerbell_

Sammie it sounds fab hun !

This also just reminded me that i never read your full TR from WDW last year !

I read your pre trippie but not the report

I must go find it

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Definitely go and read my trippie, i've nearly finished it, only 2 more days to go

[Guest]

Woo hoo, great to see your new trippie in the making, looks like it will be another mammoth one, yay! Will be looking forward to seeing what you get up to and your pictures are always fab, we stopped in Pigeon Forge for a night on our holiday in 2005!

[ariel2006]

Originally Posted by mInNiE

Woo hoo, great to see your new trippie in the making, looks like it will be another mammoth one, yay! Will be looking forward to seeing what you get up to and your pictures are always fab, we stopped in Pigeon Forge for a night on our holiday in 2005!

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Heya, glad your joining me again

What did you think of Pigeon Forge?

[Guest]

that cabin looks absolutely gorgeous, your Mum will love it.
I love reading your reports you go into so much detail. You are all going to have such a great time.

[ariel2006]

OK I'm a few hours late but I hope everyone will join me in my Cowboys, Chicken and Country Music SDD


Only 9 days and 17 hours to go... wahoo!

[ely3857]

Originally Posted by ariel2006

OK I'm a few hours late but I hope everyone will join me in my Cowboys, Chicken and Country Music SDD
Only 9 days and 17 hours to go... wahoo!

See more...

[Guest]

I really enjoyed your last trippie Sammie. Especially looking forward to this next one. Six trips to look forward to, a girl after my own heart

[Guest]

:mic keywal

Have a great trip.

[ariel2006]

Birthday Plans and Surprises

Mum's Birthday

Well as you know this trip is primarily to celebrate my Mum's 50th birthday. Now when we were going to New York I spent ages researching for all the things we could do to make Mum's birthday extra special and memorable. I had finally made a plan for the day which I was pretty happy with and then we decide not to go... typical. The trouble is there is so many amazing shows, high class restaurants and memorable attractions in New York to pick from, the task of trying to match it in a place I know very little about was going to be a hard quest.

I asked Mum if there was anything she specifically wanted to do on her birthday and she kept replying with the same answer "Oh I'm not sure". So I asked her if she wanted us to make it a surprise and she said yes.

So I looked at the options. Dollywood was out as it is closed on Tuesdays and Thursdays and her birthday is typically a Tuesday. I couldn't find any restaurants which stood out either so asked what she thought about doing Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede which she thought was a great idea. We had already decided we were going to do it and when we went to watch it in Florida a few years ago it was so much fun, great food and a great show so it seemed a perfect choice. So I booked us tickets in the preferred section and also pre-ordered us all a souvenir cup.

So the evening was sorted, now for the rest of the day. Now Mum loves walking and goes out nearly everyday. She also loves beautiful scenery so the most obvious choice seemed to be to go into the mountains. Mum and Nick are slightly worried about the bears in the area so we will do one of the auto routes and then get out and walk when everyone feels comfortable. We also plan to take a big picnic, I have heard that Walmart do big subs as well as the usual crisps and cakes and soda.

So we had the day sorted and the evening but we still seemed to be missing the "Wow" factor, something she could look back on and think "On my 50th I did... and it was amazing", something she couldn't do everyday. As soon as I first started looking at Pigeon Forge I saw helicopter tours advertised, they started at just $10 and I thought it would be an awesome place to go in one. I didn't tell Mum about it so we could maybe do it as a surprise and eventually I decided, with Dad and Nick's approval, that we would do a flight on her birthday. Now booking this is slightly risky, you see Mum is terrified of heights, which was the reason that up until our 2005 trip to WDW we had only flown abroad with her once, every other trip was made by ferry. However, when we initially started discussing New York I said I wanted to do a helicopter tour which Nick, Dad and Sophie agreed too. However Mum was adamant she didn't want to do it but we asked her if she would mind the rest of us doing it. She then began to say that maybe she would do i if she didn't have to think about it first, so we said we might book it as a surprise, which she seemed happy with. However every time we discussed the trip she would always mention about doing the helicopter tour and even looked into booking it. So for this reason I decided to book it, and she doesn't know about it so she doesn't have to stress about it and we all believe she will enjoy it lots.

So after we decided to do the flight, and after several emails to find a company whose helicopters would accommodate the 5 of us, we had to decide which tour to do. There were quite a few different ones, ranging from a 4-5 minute introductory flight and 10 minute flights over Pigeon Forge or the mountains to 30 minute 'see-it-all' flights. After discussing money matters and the fact that Dad would have to raise the money for him, Mum and Sophie without Mum knowing, which could be hard, we decided on one of the 10 minute rides. But then changed our minds again and decided on the Gatlinburg ride, an 18 minute flight, flying 40 miles over the local towns and into the edge of the Smokies. We all thought this flight sounded great and would give us chance to see a bit more, I managed to persuade Dad by offering to pay for Mum, so I hope she enjoys it... else I'm blaming him .

So that was the day pretty much decided, apart from a few small details. Firstly there was breakfast, which we decided would probably be best to have at the cabin. If its a nice morning we can have it on the balcony looking out over the mountains, and having it in the cabin will mean less rushing too.
And then there is the evening. Dixie Stampede starts quite early at 6pm so we will probably be home again by 9pm, which is still relatively early. So I decided to get some decorations, and we will get some drinks and snacks from Walmart and have ourselves a mini little party.

Now whether the day actually pans out as we have planned we will have to wait and see, I just hope its the perfect day for Mum as she really deserves it .


Southern Belle Lunch Cruise
For easter I gave Mum, Dad, Kate and Sophie some American themed gifts bags which contained New York pens and key rings, some American chocolate and a voucher (homemade, in case for some reason we couldn't do it) for a New York City Night Cruise.





Well obviously we aren't going to New York (good job they were homemade and not the real deal ) so I was trying to think of something I could do for them instead. Then I saw the Southern Belle lunch cruises and thought this would be a nice surprise.

Heres a bit about the cruise:
Take a great Chattanooga cruise along the scenic Tennessee River while enjoying one of our fabulous dinner cruises, daily lunch cruises or daytime sightseeing cruise. This is a vacations experience you won’t want to miss!
The daily Lunch Cruise features our "Deluxe Deli Buffet" with a delicious assortment of deli meats, cheeses, breads, condiments, ranch style beans, coleslaw, potato salad, potato chips, chocolate chip cookies and Chattanooga's moon pies (upon request) and soft drinks, iced tea and coffee!


A few other little surprises

* They don't know what hotel we are staying in in Chattanooga, they are expecting something along the lines of a Travelodge in an out-of-town location. We have also upgraded the room package to include late check out, wine and chocolates/fruit/cheese on arrival, breakfast.

* They are expecting a small cabin not the beautiful cabin we have booked.

* Rock City - they know we are stopping in Chattanooga again on the way back to Atlanta but do not know where we are visiting. From the pictures and descriptions I have seen of Rock City I am sure they will all love it, especially Mum.

So thats all the surprises I have for now but I'm sure there will be more along the way

Coming Up: Present Time

[Guest]

wow wow and wow, i really wish that when my daughters grow up that i get some wonderfull suprises like you have arranged for your mum.

what a lucky lady she is to have a daughter who appreciates her sso much like you.

i hope you all have an amazing time and that your mum enjoys all the treats you have arranged for her.