From: Peppermint Patty on
We're booked! Here's the setup:

DD-I-L Liz decided that she needed a Disney trip this year. It will
be Molly's first trip to WDW she will turn 2 at the end of December.
Liz's parents have never been to WDW save for one day at Epcot many
moons ago. I desperately wanted to go for Molly's first trip and
vowed by hook or by crook that I would get there. Despite much
cajoling, whining, begging, DD Amy said no way. Her little Sara was
born January 4 of this year and there was no way she was going to
travel with the baby and all her paraphernalia yet. Months go by, we
are still begging Amy to go with us and she spills the beans to me
that she is indeed going but wants it to be a surprise to her
brother. That's a long time to keep a secret but we agree that that
is what we will do. Amy's hubby is undecided about going (he's a been
there, done that, why do I have to go back kind of guy) but he finally
does agree to make the trek with us. We always choose December the
week after Pop Warner for our visits and this is no exception. We
agree on our dates, December 12 through December 17 and start
planning. The newbies receive a Birnbaum official guide from me for
Christmas and diligently start doing their homework.

Fast forward to July 31. We are at the cemetery for the blessing of
my mother's headstone. Priest remarks to Amy how cute Sara's
sunglasses are and Amy says, "They're for Florida." Father asked,
"Oh, when are you going to Florida?" Amy replies, "December." Father
finishes the blessing and Liz asks Amy, "So when in December are you
going to Florida," to which Amy replies with an expletive that I can't
repeat here because we are, after all, a Disney group! So the cat is
out of the bag. Which actually makes things much easier to plan and
takes the heat off me because I figured I would be the one spoiling
the surprise!

We have decided on Caribbean Beach Resort where none of us has stayed
before. Liz booked their rooms. I had to wait for a certain monetary
windfall to arrive and when it did Amy and I agreed to meet at AAA
this past Saturday at 11 after an aborted attempt to book last
Monday. It's a long story (as this is turning out to be) but thanks
to lots of misinformation from a AAA employee we weren't able to book
then. I arrived at AAA on time Saturday morning and the office I went
to now has a Disney specialist which is very cool. No one was with
her so I decided to start our arrangements and Amy could join us when
she arrived. At 11:20, my cell phone rang. It was Amy. "Mom, where
are you?" "I'm at AAA and I just booked our trip! Where are you?"
"Which AAA are you at?" "Albany, where are you?" "Latham." She had
started booking but I was all complete except for the deposits to be
paid so my agent talked to her agent (doesn't that sound Hollywood and
la de da?) and we were set. By the way, Amy and I spent the extra $$$
for connecting (not adjoining) rooms in a preferred building. Liz did
not. Because Amy will be there the day before the rest of us, she is
going to see what she can do to get us all in the same building or at
least in close proximity.

Amy is going the afternoon of the 11th so that she doesn't have to get
up in the middle of the night trying to get herself, DH, and Sara
ready and at the airport on time. They will take ME to CBR and settle
in for the night. The following morning, the rest of us will meet at
the Albany Airport (we all live within 30 minutes of it) at the crack
of dawn and off we will go on the first flight of the day to Orlando
on SW! We will take ME to CBR and hit our first park! I'm thinking
about sending a box via UPS ahead with some extra diapers (no, not for
me), distilled water (for me and me BiPAP machine), and some snacks
from home along with my tea mix and a container. May also send my
bathing suit and one day's clothes and my toiletries to save some
space in my suitcase.

Because we are celebrating 3 birthdays and 4 first visits during our
visit we have lots of celebrating to do. Liz and my son are
celebrating her birthday on the 13th. Son-in-law is celebrating his
birthday on the 15th, and my son's birthday is the 18th but we will
celebrate the 17th at the Crystal Palace for breakfast, our last day.

Liz is not purchasing an extra seat for Molly on the plane. She will
be passed from lap to lap and hopefully not make obvious to everyone
on the plane that she is deeply embedded in the terrible 2's which hit
at 18 months. Amy on the other hand has purchased a special harness
made specially for air travel and she will purchase a discounted seat
for Sara. She will be not quite 1 and hopefully in angel mode this
trip and spend the whole time smiling. Liz is bringing their stroller
and I already have visions of my son fighting with it to get on buses
and finally deciding to rent a car to avoid the hassle. Amy purchased
an umbrella stroller but not just your $15 one. She bought a very
fancy umbrella stroller.

Geez, it takes months to plan a Disney trip and it's over in a few
days, way too fast! I will post more as things develop.
From: Blossom on
Oooo Patty, sounds like a fun time!
B
From: "LinLee" l e e t e e 1 1 at a t t dot on

"Peppermint Patty" <patriciabarber50(a)gmail.com> wrote in message
news:fc0ccd73-3b1c-45ce-9b62-af9a159ac6dd(a)j8g2000yqd.googlegroups.com...
> We're booked! Here's the setup:
>
> DD-I-L Liz decided that she needed a Disney trip this year. It will
> be Molly's first trip to WDW she will turn 2 at the end of December.
> Liz's parents have never been to WDW save for one day at Epcot many
> moons ago. I desperately wanted to go for Molly's first trip and
> vowed by hook or by crook that I would get there. Despite much
> cajoling, whining, begging, DD Amy said no way. Her little Sara was
> born January 4 of this year and there was no way she was going to
> travel with the baby and all her paraphernalia yet. Months go by, we
> are still begging Amy to go with us and she spills the beans to me
> that she is indeed going but wants it to be a surprise to her
> brother. That's a long time to keep a secret but we agree that that
> is what we will do. Amy's hubby is undecided about going (he's a been
> there, done that, why do I have to go back kind of guy) but he finally
> does agree to make the trek with us. We always choose December the
> week after Pop Warner for our visits and this is no exception. We
> agree on our dates, December 12 through December 17 and start
> planning. The newbies receive a Birnbaum official guide from me for
> Christmas and diligently start doing their homework.
>
> Fast forward to July 31. We are at the cemetery for the blessing of
> my mother's headstone. Priest remarks to Amy how cute Sara's
> sunglasses are and Amy says, "They're for Florida." Father asked,
> "Oh, when are you going to Florida?" Amy replies, "December." Father
> finishes the blessing and Liz asks Amy, "So when in December are you
> going to Florida," to which Amy replies with an expletive that I can't
> repeat here because we are, after all, a Disney group! So the cat is
> out of the bag. Which actually makes things much easier to plan and
> takes the heat off me because I figured I would be the one spoiling
> the surprise!
>
> We have decided on Caribbean Beach Resort where none of us has stayed
> before. Liz booked their rooms. I had to wait for a certain monetary
> windfall to arrive and when it did Amy and I agreed to meet at AAA
> this past Saturday at 11 after an aborted attempt to book last
> Monday. It's a long story (as this is turning out to be) but thanks
> to lots of misinformation from a AAA employee we weren't able to book
> then. I arrived at AAA on time Saturday morning and the office I went
> to now has a Disney specialist which is very cool. No one was with
> her so I decided to start our arrangements and Amy could join us when
> she arrived. At 11:20, my cell phone rang. It was Amy. "Mom, where
> are you?" "I'm at AAA and I just booked our trip! Where are you?"
> "Which AAA are you at?" "Albany, where are you?" "Latham." She had
> started booking but I was all complete except for the deposits to be
> paid so my agent talked to her agent (doesn't that sound Hollywood and
> la de da?) and we were set. By the way, Amy and I spent the extra $$$
> for connecting (not adjoining) rooms in a preferred building. Liz did
> not. Because Amy will be there the day before the rest of us, she is
> going to see what she can do to get us all in the same building or at
> least in close proximity.
>
> Amy is going the afternoon of the 11th so that she doesn't have to get
> up in the middle of the night trying to get herself, DH, and Sara
> ready and at the airport on time. They will take ME to CBR and settle
> in for the night. The following morning, the rest of us will meet at
> the Albany Airport (we all live within 30 minutes of it) at the crack
> of dawn and off we will go on the first flight of the day to Orlando
> on SW! We will take ME to CBR and hit our first park! I'm thinking
> about sending a box via UPS ahead with some extra diapers (no, not for
> me), distilled water (for me and me BiPAP machine), and some snacks
> from home along with my tea mix and a container. May also send my
> bathing suit and one day's clothes and my toiletries to save some
> space in my suitcase.
>
> Because we are celebrating 3 birthdays and 4 first visits during our
> visit we have lots of celebrating to do. Liz and my son are
> celebrating her birthday on the 13th. Son-in-law is celebrating his
> birthday on the 15th, and my son's birthday is the 18th but we will
> celebrate the 17th at the Crystal Palace for breakfast, our last day.
>
> Liz is not purchasing an extra seat for Molly on the plane. She will
> be passed from lap to lap and hopefully not make obvious to everyone
> on the plane that she is deeply embedded in the terrible 2's which hit
> at 18 months. Amy on the other hand has purchased a special harness
> made specially for air travel and she will purchase a discounted seat
> for Sara. She will be not quite 1 and hopefully in angel mode this
> trip and spend the whole time smiling. Liz is bringing their stroller
> and I already have visions of my son fighting with it to get on buses
> and finally deciding to rent a car to avoid the hassle. Amy purchased
> an umbrella stroller but not just your $15 one. She bought a very
> fancy umbrella stroller.
>
> Geez, it takes months to plan a Disney trip and it's over in a few
> days, way too fast! I will post more as things develop.

That is a perfect pre-trip report, Patty. Thanks! Looking forward to
updates. It's too bad you won't be arriving in time for the RADP meet
though...

LinLee


From: Steve Russo on
On Aug 11, 8:39 am, Peppermint Patty <patriciabarbe...(a)gmail.com>
wrote:

> at 18 months.  Amy on the other hand has purchased a special harness
> made specially for air travel and she will purchase a discounted seat
> for Sara.  

Sounds great, Patty. Let me know how the discounted seat goes. The one
time I tried that it turned out I could grab a better price with a
restricted Internet fare on the SWA Web site.
From: Lisa Cubbon on
On 8/11/2010 8:39 AM, Peppermint Patty wrote:
> We're booked! Here's the setup:
>
> DD-I-L Liz decided that she needed a Disney trip this year. It will
> be Molly's first trip to WDW she will turn 2 at the end of December.
> Liz's parents have never been to WDW save for one day at Epcot many
> moons ago. I desperately wanted to go for Molly's first trip and
> vowed by hook or by crook that I would get there. Despite much
> cajoling, whining, begging, DD Amy said no way. Her little Sara was
> born January 4 of this year and there was no way she was going to
> travel with the baby and all her paraphernalia yet. Months go by, we
> are still begging Amy to go with us and she spills the beans to me
> that she is indeed going but wants it to be a surprise to her
> brother. That's a long time to keep a secret but we agree that that
> is what we will do. Amy's hubby is undecided about going (he's a been
> there, done that, why do I have to go back kind of guy) but he finally
> does agree to make the trek with us. We always choose December the
> week after Pop Warner for our visits and this is no exception. We
> agree on our dates, December 12 through December 17 and start
> planning. The newbies receive a Birnbaum official guide from me for
> Christmas and diligently start doing their homework.
>
> Fast forward to July 31. We are at the cemetery for the blessing of
> my mother's headstone. Priest remarks to Amy how cute Sara's
> sunglasses are and Amy says, "They're for Florida." Father asked,
> "Oh, when are you going to Florida?" Amy replies, "December." Father
> finishes the blessing and Liz asks Amy, "So when in December are you
> going to Florida," to which Amy replies with an expletive that I can't
> repeat here because we are, after all, a Disney group! So the cat is
> out of the bag. Which actually makes things much easier to plan and
> takes the heat off me because I figured I would be the one spoiling
> the surprise!
>
> We have decided on Caribbean Beach Resort where none of us has stayed
> before. Liz booked their rooms. I had to wait for a certain monetary
> windfall to arrive and when it did Amy and I agreed to meet at AAA
> this past Saturday at 11 after an aborted attempt to book last
> Monday. It's a long story (as this is turning out to be) but thanks
> to lots of misinformation from a AAA employee we weren't able to book
> then. I arrived at AAA on time Saturday morning and the office I went
> to now has a Disney specialist which is very cool. No one was with
> her so I decided to start our arrangements and Amy could join us when
> she arrived. At 11:20, my cell phone rang. It was Amy. "Mom, where
> are you?" "I'm at AAA and I just booked our trip! Where are you?"
> "Which AAA are you at?" "Albany, where are you?" "Latham." She had
> started booking but I was all complete except for the deposits to be
> paid so my agent talked to her agent (doesn't that sound Hollywood and
> la de da?) and we were set. By the way, Amy and I spent the extra $$$
> for connecting (not adjoining) rooms in a preferred building. Liz did
> not. Because Amy will be there the day before the rest of us, she is
> going to see what she can do to get us all in the same building or at
> least in close proximity.
>
> Amy is going the afternoon of the 11th so that she doesn't have to get
> up in the middle of the night trying to get herself, DH, and Sara
> ready and at the airport on time. They will take ME to CBR and settle
> in for the night. The following morning, the rest of us will meet at
> the Albany Airport (we all live within 30 minutes of it) at the crack
> of dawn and off we will go on the first flight of the day to Orlando
> on SW! We will take ME to CBR and hit our first park! I'm thinking
> about sending a box via UPS ahead with some extra diapers (no, not for
> me), distilled water (for me and me BiPAP machine), and some snacks
> from home along with my tea mix and a container. May also send my
> bathing suit and one day's clothes and my toiletries to save some
> space in my suitcase.
>
> Because we are celebrating 3 birthdays and 4 first visits during our
> visit we have lots of celebrating to do. Liz and my son are
> celebrating her birthday on the 13th. Son-in-law is celebrating his
> birthday on the 15th, and my son's birthday is the 18th but we will
> celebrate the 17th at the Crystal Palace for breakfast, our last day.
>
> Liz is not purchasing an extra seat for Molly on the plane. She will
> be passed from lap to lap and hopefully not make obvious to everyone
> on the plane that she is deeply embedded in the terrible 2's which hit
> at 18 months. Amy on the other hand has purchased a special harness
> made specially for air travel and she will purchase a discounted seat
> for Sara. She will be not quite 1 and hopefully in angel mode this
> trip and spend the whole time smiling. Liz is bringing their stroller
> and I already have visions of my son fighting with it to get on buses
> and finally deciding to rent a car to avoid the hassle. Amy purchased
> an umbrella stroller but not just your $15 one. She bought a very
> fancy umbrella stroller.
>
> Geez, it takes months to plan a Disney trip and it's over in a few
> days, way too fast! I will post more as things develop.

This sounds so cool! it's almost time for my Grand's first visit
too. He will be two on Ground Hogs Day...

Lisa