The Bad Mothers' Handbook Pre-Trippy *Updated 13/10 with itinerary*

[PoppyAnna]

Great pre-trippy, ladies.....

 

[darthtatty]

great start to your pre trip report
its a fantastic idea to go together, great youre both so into Disney and will have a fab time planning.
cant wait to hear more.xxx

 

[wilma-bride]

Just an update on our plans so far - again, Nat's comments/interjections are in pink. Just so you (and she) know, Nat will be writing far more than this when it comes to the actual trip report

Well, today we reached the 11-month mark for booking DVC accommodation. As we had hoped, Nat and John were able to rent some DVC points, which were transferred to our DVC account earlier this year – thanks Lloyd! Unfortunately, they are OKW points and we are SSR owners so I have had to book OKW for Nat, John and family at this point, until we reach the 7-month point when we can look at switching so we are at the same resort.

As Joh says we have booked our DVC resorts. We are both very excited that we have done it, even though we will hopefully be swapping resorts at the 7-month mark.

Which resort to stay at is still a subject of much discussion. I would dearly love to stay at Bay Lake Towers, which is due to open in fall 2009, but the high points and even higher demand preclude the possibility of spending the first 10 nights there. However, I am definitely going to try for a night there at the end of our stay – if that meets with the approval of the Longstaffs, obviously

I'm not as hopeful as Joh that she will be able to secure a much-coveted BLT ressie but fingers are definitely crossed.


We had a planning meeting at the end of October, during a very enjoyable weekend which included a DIS meet at TGI Fridays as well as a trip for the kids (sans Matthew and Daniel, of course) to see HSM3 and a lovely meal at Frankie and Bennies. So, we have at least now decided which parks we want to visit. The list includes:

All four Disney Parks – Magic Kingdom is a must and Nat is on a mission to ride Rock n Roller Coaster so, obviously, a trip to Hollywood Studios is needed. We will also spend a half day at Animal Kingdom and include a couple of visits to Epcot, one of which will most definitely involve the partaking of a few drinkies around the World

It was discussed, at one point, that we may skip Animal kingdom on this visit but im glad to say a compromise was reached!

Im sure the idea of a few drinks in Epcot came from Joh..as you know i don't drink!!

Busch Gardens – somewhere the Longstaffs have never been and DH and I have only visited once, back in 2004

Sea World – again, a first for Nat and co. and a firm favourite of Rhiannon’s

A water park – which one has yet to be decided but it is likely to be a Disney one, probably Typhoon Lagoon

Universal and Islands of Adventure – favourites of both groups, we all agreed a trip to Orlando would not be complete without adding these into the mix

We are still trying to decide whether to register as a Grand Gathering, given that we have the right number of people, as some of the activities available to Grand Gatherings look fairly interesting. The jury is still out on that one though so we’ll keep you posted.

We have registered at the moment but have no idea if we will do any of the things on offer.

I’m sure Nat and I are not alone in hoping for some improvement to the exchange rate before next October. While I’m not sure we’ll be lucky enough to get an increase to anywhere around the $2 to the £ mark, at this moment in time I would be quite happy with anything over $1.70.

I think we have pretty much done all we can this side of Christmas so we will update you again in the New Year - Merry Christmas everyone

 

[BRobson]

Great update ladies

 

[wideeyes]

Seems like you will have a packed holiday. Good luck with BLT, you never know.

 

[florida sun]

Great update girls

 

[jjk]

Great update

 

[mandymouse]

Your plans sound fab girls

 

[Strommie]

It's all sounding fab so far

 

[carolfoy]

how on earth did I miss this??? kovin it girlies, can't wait to read more

 

[TigerKat]

 

[The Fetherstons]

Sounds great girls

 

[wilma-bride]

Happy New Year everyone - I can finally say it - 'We're going to Disney this year'

Just thought I would take the opportunity to update you on the latest developments. The Longstaffs visited us the day after Boxing Day and Natalie and I decided that it would be a good time to reveal to the children one of the surprises in store for the holiday. We had already told them that we would be having a couple of days at the beach during the trip but they had been told we were going to Cocoa Beach - in actual fact, we had been secretly planning a much bigger treat!!!

When Nat, John and the kids arrived on the morning of the 27th December, I had hidden some clues to a little treasure hunt around the house. The 'prize' was an envelope containing a disc which read 'Play Me' - when they played the disc, this is what they saw (click on the video file below to watch).



The kids were absolutely over the moon with their surprise and there were a few tears shed - and not just by me and Natalie Of course, there is much more excitement now about the holiday and we are all looking forward to the cruise element.

The next big milestone will be the 7 month mark, when we can hopefully finalise our accommodation plans.

 

[Tammy Stringer]

What a lovely surprise for them and what a great way of telling them - had you at one point thought not to tell them at all or did you always have it in your mind to let them know beforehand?

Must admit I had a tear in my eye when I watched the video - mind you that song always does it for me to as it brings back such happy memories.

Hey and we can say it too - we are going to WDW this year

Happy New Year

Tam

 

[natalielongstaff]

Tam

Joh tells me you were the inspiration for that song, she remembers you singing it in jellyrolls

We had originally wanted to tell them as we were approaching the ship but as we were all together at xmas it seemed only fitting to break the news .... plus the strain of keeping a secret when you talk as much as we do was just too much

 

[jjk]

Wow what a fantastic surprise,loved the video,

 

[BRobson]

What a fantastic way to tell them ladies Since you started this pre trippie we have also booked to go in October which I am very excited about as we have never done MNSSHP

We haven't told the kids we are going back yet although they probably would be shocked if we went anywhere else now

 

[The Fetherstons]

Wow what a lovely suprise

 

[darthtatty]

aww what a great surprise, i couldnt wait for the new year either- got the chance to say "we're going to Florida THIS year"

 

[SusanEllen]

It's all about style, Joh, and you and Natalie have got it! Walt would be proud of you. You managed to "plus" an occasion that was already nearly as much fun as it could be. Congratulations. Beautifully done.