145 Middle Schoolers: Wicked Awesome or Epic Fail???DeParting-Such Sweet Sorrow p. 76

[luvpoohandcompany]

Love the fantasmic pics Dee and so glad you got another little morsel of alonetime I think you did an amazing job of keeping your cool (almost all of the time) on this trip. I can find 1 teenager tough going at times so can only imagine your pain

"Brave" is definitely the understatment of the century

I too will be sad when this report is over

I think the only solution is for you to plan another trip to the world (I bet Ben agrees with me)!!

 

[DrMomof3]

I have still never seen F! Hard to believe, right?
I've been known to buy souvenir clothing after "mishaps" (like the time that Zachary peed on my lap during Disney Junior).

Amanda

 

[teekathepony]

Great F! pictures! I've never sat on the left side before, I'm always on the right. I don't really love F! I can't quite put my finger on why, but I think it's because I get frustrated watching blurry movie clips and want to see some fireworks already, you know?
Also you got some gorgeous night pictures at DHS. And I literally could feel the relief when you bought a dry t-shirt.

 

[ddluvsdisney]

I thought exactly the same about your Brave caption lol even before reading it!!

How did you get so lucky again being on your own??!! I think someone was watching out for you and giving you a much deserved break.

I got my flights on Monday for July. I scored $70 one way on the way down!! And $140 coming home. I think those were the best prices I have ever gotten.

Dee~ wasn't sure if you saw this I think you missed it. Have you looked into your flights for July?

 

[jenseib]

Great updates. I can feel the wetness. It comes to a point where it gets old I bet.
Love the new shirt!
I bought a beach club one while I was down there. I LOVE it.

 

[JanetMom]

I managed to miss your latest update.

Even soaking wet, the idea of being alone in a park at night sounds wonderful. I too would have gone to see the show without the boys in tow. Good idea!

And yes, "Brave" is a perfect caption!

 

[natebenma]

Oh crud! Looks like I haven't done replies in a while! Sorry about that!!!

Cute!

Have a great Thanksgiving.

Finally back to check out your F! pictures and you have me convinced that I should go see it this summer! It's been a long time and its such a fun show!

CUTE T!

I hope you do go! I'd love to see your pictures from the show. There are some really neat effects during F!

I am picky about clothes- I don't like anything too girly, so this t-shirt was perfect.

Love the fantasmic pics Dee and so glad you got another little morsel of alonetime I think you did an amazing job of keeping your cool (almost all of the time) on this trip. I can find 1 teenager tough going at times so can only imagine your pain

"Brave" is definitely the understatment of the century

I too will be sad when this report is over

I think the only solution is for you to plan another trip to the world (I bet Ben agrees with me)!!

I have always really enjoyed solo time at the World, and I REALLY loved having it during this trip.

I'll be sad too when the trip report is over. It has been "fun" reliving the events of the trip. I hope we can get a trip planned. It would be nice to get a discount "pin" to encourage us along. This summer is really the time to do it since it would be 2 years since our last family Disney trip and two years to Ben's class trip.

I have still never seen F! Hard to believe, right?
I've been known to buy souvenir clothing after "mishaps" (like the time that Zachary peed on my lap during Disney Junior).

Amanda

I can believe it! I have never really seen Wishes. Saw Nightastic from the Poly beach and saw some of the Wishes fireworks from bus stops, but we have never stayed to watch the show. My DH is not into crowds.

Mishaps like going on Jaws in December because your friend convinced you you that you don't get all that wet???

Great F! pictures! I've never sat on the left side before, I'm always on the right. I don't really love F! I can't quite put my finger on why, but I think it's because I get frustrated watching blurry movie clips and want to see some fireworks already, you know?
Also you got some gorgeous night pictures at DHS. And I literally could feel the relief when you bought a dry t-shirt.

Thanks for the compliments about the pictures. F! is not my favorite show, either. I find the part with the bad guys from Pochohantas kind of boring. The projections in the water are pretty cool, though (but blurry)

Dee~ wasn't sure if you saw this I think you missed it. Have you looked into your flights for July?

I haven't looked into prices- that is usually Mark's job and apparently it came as a surprise to him that I would like to go to Disney this summer. The other problem is that Teena will be away during the week we usually go- I really want to meet up with her. Haven't seen her since 2009!

Great updates. I can feel the wetness. It comes to a point where it gets old I bet.
Love the new shirt!
I bought a beach club one while I was down there. I LOVE it.

Thank you! I don't purchase many souvenirs, but I was glad to get this one. It felt nice to put it on, and I enjoy wearing it now that I am home. Also love my Beach Club shirt that a friend bought for me.

I managed to miss your latest update.

Even soaking wet, the idea of being alone in a park at night sounds wonderful. I too would have gone to see the show without the boys in tow. Good idea!

And yes, "Brave" is a perfect caption!

Were you distracted by the shiny new thread??? Apparently I was too!

Being alone was AWESOME. You know, if I had been more comfortable, I might have considered heading over to MK to close down the night- I had been to the 3 other theme parks that day.

I went with the "Brave" caption because they didn't have one that said "Sucker!"

 

[ddluvsdisney]

Well we told the boys about the possible new job for DH. It went rather well. DS15 wasn't really fased (typical teenager-you know the kind) As long as we weren't moving he was fine. DS11 hasn't stopped asking about going down and looking at condos. He is rather excited
I'm glad that is over with- I was nervous all week.

 

[natebenma]

Well we told the boys about the possible new job for DH. It went rather well. DS15 wasn't really fased (typical teenager-you know the kind) As long as we weren't moving he was fine. DS11 hasn't stopped asking about going down and looking at condos. He is rather excited
I'm glad that is over with- I was nervous all week.

Sorry it has taken so long for me to get back to this! I hope things are still going well with the upcoming changes and planning. Please keep us posted!

 

[natebenma]

Final Day of the Trip.

Just like arrival day, our group would be on two different flights. This is when being in the later group paid off. The flight for Group A was at 9 am, so I believe that meant a 6 am ME pickup. Holy early wakeup call, Batman!

Our flight was at 11. We had to meet at 7:30, then head over to Cinema Hall for the 8 am ME bus.

No breakfast provided this morning. I had already taken care of my coffee earlier, but in addition to having a wicked caffeine addiction, I don’t do very well when I haven’t eaten. You may recall that I still had a meal voucher since I had to pay OOP for my sushi in Japan the previous night. Although breakfast is not best use of a voucher, what else was I going to do with it? I thought this would be an appropriate end my trip:

I shared my waffle with Nate, who in turn shared part of his piece with another student. Hard to believe that one little waffle could feed 3 people! (It didn’t)

Magical Depress was uneventful. Nothing really exciting happened at the airport- everyone hit the Food Court for something to eat, then we just hung out waiting to board the flight. There were minor seating issues when we were boarding the plane. There was a mom with 3 young children and their seats were all separated, so some of our group shifted around so they could sit together. A couple of the boys’ television monitors were broken so I offered to switch seats since I would be reading on the flight.


The Landing:

We arrived back in Boston, got onto a chartered bus back to the middle school where everyone’s families were waiting to pick up their kids. Well, almost everyone’s family! Where were Mark and Ben? I had told Mark what time we would be there and even texted him our ETA from the bus on our way home. When I called they hadn’t left the house yet, so I guess it is a good thing that I reminded them to pick us up!

So let’s summarize this trip, shall we:


The Lows:

Worrying for 6 months about whether my son would keep his eligibility for the trip~ Late Nights~ Early Mornings~ EMTs at the Airport~ Stitch as the first attraction~ Lunch at Cosmic Rays~ No Ride on Kali~ Puking Boys~ Unrelenting Rain~ Photobombers ~Counting to 20, again and again and again!


The Highs:

Backstage at Haunted Mansion~ Meeting an Imagineer~ Great rides and photos on ToT and EE~ Solo lunch at Starring Rolls~ Flirting with a Green Army Man~ Best.Safari.Ever~ Seeing the Beach Club from the Friendship Boat


Thanks for following along on our trip! Of course, the big question… Would I do this again???


Check back in approximately 900 days as I take on the World with Ben and his classmates!

 

[eandesmom]

900 days?

I hope there is a non chaperone trip to somewhere in between now and then!

Is that really all your voucher got you? One waffle and one piece of bacon? Ouch!

Very glad you didn't have the early flight, 7:30 is early enough to be packed and ready to go.

 

[Missyrose]

Wow, the trip is over? The Mickey waffle was clearly the perfect way to end a Disney trip -- a last taste of magic (though we all know Disney bacon is less than magical).

I'm with Cynthia, 900 days?!?! When's the next trip? We're all dying to know!

The landing of the plane looked like a lot of fun! You survived! And without killing any of the teenagers to boot!

 

[jenseib]

Thanks for sharing. I think you did really good. I know it had to be hard to go with the rest....when many times they were clearly wrong!

 

[MEK]

900 Days? Is that the exact date or an estimate?

Still?

What grade will Nate be in in 900 days?

Inquiring minds need to know.

I definitely hope you've got a future planned.

And I hope you go back and finish your Atlantis TR.

Thanks so much for a great TR!

 

[natebenma]

900 days?

I hope there is a non chaperone trip to somewhere in between now and then!

Is that really all your voucher got you? One waffle and one piece of bacon? Ouch!

Very glad you didn't have the early flight, 7:30 is early enough to be packed and ready to go.

Sounds like a long time when I write it out like that!

No firm trips to Disney planned, but I would like to go back this summer. It will 2 years since our last family vacation to Disney and two years until Ben's class trip.

We do have a family vacation to the Barcelo resort in the Riviera Maya, Mexico in February and we are really looking forward to that. It will be our 3rd visit there.

There were a few pieces of bacon, and one waffle. I think I got a juice for Nate, too. Compared to some of the awesome QS meals you can get in the parks and the resorts, that meal was not very cost efficient.

I will ask to be in the early group next time. I'll take the early morning wake up call for some extra resort time on our arrival day. Because of our delayed flight, we didn't get there until 8 PM.

Wow, the trip is over? The Mickey waffle was clearly the perfect way to end a Disney trip -- a last taste of magic (though we all know Disney bacon is less than magical).

I'm with Cynthia, 900 days?!?! When's the next trip? We're all dying to know!

The landing of the plane looked like a lot of fun! You survived! And without killing any of the teenagers to boot!

Answered about the next trip- Mexico, Feb 2013. We don't have a Disney trip currently planned but I'm working on it.

It was fun to see everyones hands in the air as we landed!

Thanks for sharing. I think you did really good. I know it had to be hard to go with the rest....when many times they were clearly wrong!

I knew the trip would have some compromises, but I didn't imagine that it would be as bad as it turned out. No matter what, I am still glad I went and I wouldn't have it any other way.

900 Days? Is that the exact date or an estimate?

Still?

What grade will Nate be in in 900 days?

Inquiring minds need to know.

I definitely hope you've got a future planned.

And I hope you go back and finish your Atlantis TR.

Thanks so much for a great TR!

900 days is an exact-ish count. There are 170 days until the first week in June, then 365 days to 2014 and 365 days to 2015 = 900. The trip isn't always the same week so the count could be off slightly.

Nate will be a Junior in High School (I hope... just saw his progress report ) There is a possibility that Mark would come along and chaperone, too, so we would have to find a place for Nate to hang out while we are gone.

I'll definitely go back and do my last few posts on the Atlantis trip- probably after the first of the year.

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

I really enjoyed reading this wee trip report Dee-thanks so much for taking the time to do it The highs/lows and everything inbetween made it easy to imagine being there alongside you.

By the way, as far as I'm concerned, a school trip where everyone is still in 1 piece at the end of the day is a successful 1 so well done u!!

Hope you get back to WDW between now and Ben's trip with school

Just realised you've come full circle-back to school progress reports

 

[JanetMom]

The Landing:

We arrived back in Boston, got onto a chartered bus back to the middle school where everyone’s families were waiting to pick up their kids. Well, almost everyone’s family! Where were Mark and Ben? I had told Mark what time we would be there and even texted him our ETA from the bus on our way home. When I called they hadn’t left the house yet, so I guess it is a good thing that I reminded them to pick us up!

So let’s summarize this trip, shall we:


The Lows:

Worrying for 6 months about whether my son would keep his eligibility for the trip~ Late Nights~ Early Mornings~ EMTs at the Airport~ Stitch as the first attraction~ Lunch at Cosmic Rays~ No Ride on Kali~ Puking Boys~ Unrelenting Rain~ Photobombers ~Counting to 20, again and again and again!


The Highs:

Backstage at Haunted Mansion~ Meeting an Imagineer~ Great rides and photos on ToT and EE~ Solo lunch at Starring Rolls~ Flirting with a Green Army Man~ Best.Safari.Ever~ Seeing the Beach Club from the Friendship Boat


Thanks for following along on our trip! Of course, the big question… Would I do this again???


Check back in approximately 900 days as I take on the World with Ben and his classmates!

Love the landing shot!

Seriously, Mark forgot to pick you up!!! (That would likely have happend in our family too )

I'd say the good outweighed the bad in this trip. Good for you for going along, and good for you for getting ready to do it all again in 900 days!

Thanks for taking us all along for the ride!

 

[natebenma]

I really enjoyed reading this wee trip report Dee-thanks so much for taking the time to do it The highs/lows and everything inbetween made it easy to imagine being there alongside you.

By the way, as far as I'm concerned, a school trip where everyone is still in 1 piece at the end of the day is a successful 1 so well done u!!

Hope you get back to WDW between now and Ben's trip with school

Just realised you've come full circle-back to school progress reports

Thanks for following along!!! I could always count on an early morning message from you.

I'll so my best to get another trip booked. This trip-report-writing thing is pretty addictive!

Ah yes, full circle on the grades. Hooray! NOT.

Love the landing shot!

Seriously, Mark forgot to pick you up!!! (That would likely have happend in our family too )

I'd say the good outweighed the bad in this trip. Good for you for going along, and good for you for getting ready to do it all again in 900 days!

Thanks for taking us all along for the ride!

Yup, Nate and I were just about the last ones waiting there at the school.

As someone said, everyone in my group came out unscathed, so on that level, the trip was successful! (Not so much the other groups. There was one group that started out with a girl on crutches and had two in wheelchairs and one with a knee brace by the end of the adventure)

Thanks so much for following along and the great comments!

 

[ddluvsdisney]

Thanks for the great TR Dee!! You do such a great job with all the details even if they were a little unpleasant. It sure is a completely different experience doing Disney on a school trip.

I will miss looking for a new update. Hope you have another trip soon so I have more to read.
Have a very Merry Christmas with your family!!

 

[2xcited2sleep]

Thanks so much for sharing your trip with us. I have to agree... 900 days is too long to wait for your next visit!