mainelyj
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 30, 2002
As the title states, I am beyond excited for my upcoming trip to WDW. I feel I needed to start at PTR, because I am bursting at the seams and needed to release some energy by writing my thoughts down. We will arrive in Orlando on June 21st and plan to depart on June 29th. I will start with introductions.
First, there is me - I am 47 years young - I work as a middle school nurse (I so luv my job, but I can not wait until school is out. It has been a long challenging school year.) I am married and have two grown sons - DS1 is 22 and DS2 is 20. My DH is 52. DS1 is excited to make this trip with me, but he has been off and on about going. Right now he is off - bummer. So, at this point, I am traveling without my family. DH started a new job and can not go.
Second, there is my mom - she is 68 years young and is my travel partner.
She is not easy to travel with, but I am hoping with the relaxing nature of this trip - she should be ok. She is very physically fit, but sometimes she can be argumentative and demanding. I have consulted her with every aspect of the trip and have incorporated some unexpected surprises, that I know she will enjoy.
My niece and her friend were also supposed to go with us - they are graduating high school in a couple of weeks. Though, they have not saved any money and will not be going. I did offer this trip to my niece - with all expenses paid, but she did not want leave her friend behind.
Third, my brother and his finance and her 13 year old son will be meeting us in Orlando. Her nic name is Minnie - need I say more??
My first trip to WDW was in 1983 - I was 17 years old. Ever since then, I have been hooked, and so has my family. I am sorry they are not going, but I am also excited to spend time with my brother and his family and my mom.
We are Marriott Grande Vista owners - and I have a 3 bedroom unit reserved for us. Right now, it is me, my mom, my brother and his family who will be on vacation.
Our plans - mom and I will leave Maine very early in the morning on Wednesday 6/19. We are driving to Richmond, VA and will be staying overnight at a Marriott Courtyard, right off of I-95 ($38 includes tax) (DS2 works for Marriott Corp and we got great family rate because of this). If we leave Maine at 6am, I hope to get to Richmond by 6pm.
Thursday 6/20 - get up early, and head south. If we can again get back on the road by 7am, we can avoid Richmond rush hour traffic. We are staying just north of Richmond and I read the morning traffic can be awful. The first surprise for my mom, will be spending the night in Saint Augustine - staying at Marriott Fairfield Inn for $38 total. Mom likes the beach and I thought we can enjoy an evening dinner and visit the beach this night.
Friday 6/21 - Breakfast is included at the hotel. We can head back to the beach and have a nice tour of the Castille (I think that is how to spell this). My mom loves visiting local bakeries - I will check tripadvisor.com for choices in this area. I also heard there is an incredible Disney Outlet store close to our hotel, that is must visit. I think it is 1.5 hours to Orlando - so I would like to leave around noon - 1pm.
Check in at Marriott Grande Vista is 4pm, but I am hoping our unit will be ready sooner - I will call before we leave Saint Augustine to be sure. Surprise #2 for mom: I plan to have dinner at the House of Blues - I have a restaurant.com coupon for $50 of $100 worth of food. I will have a cooler in my car to take back to the resort the left overs and maybe dessert to go. I have tickets to LaNouba's 6:30pm show. My mom always says, during past visits to DTD, she would like to see this show. She does not know we have tickets. I will make her dress up for dinner and when she says again, "I wish we can see LaNouba", I will say guess what, your wish has come true. I cant remember how much I paid for the tickets, but I got a great deal by being a Circ Club Member.
My brother is working in DC this week and they should be arriving at our villa late evening. They are also driving.
For my next installment, I will detail the rest of our plans.
Thanks for reading and please feel to offer suggestions.
First, there is me - I am 47 years young - I work as a middle school nurse (I so luv my job, but I can not wait until school is out. It has been a long challenging school year.) I am married and have two grown sons - DS1 is 22 and DS2 is 20. My DH is 52. DS1 is excited to make this trip with me, but he has been off and on about going. Right now he is off - bummer. So, at this point, I am traveling without my family. DH started a new job and can not go.
Second, there is my mom - she is 68 years young and is my travel partner.
She is not easy to travel with, but I am hoping with the relaxing nature of this trip - she should be ok. She is very physically fit, but sometimes she can be argumentative and demanding. I have consulted her with every aspect of the trip and have incorporated some unexpected surprises, that I know she will enjoy.My niece and her friend were also supposed to go with us - they are graduating high school in a couple of weeks. Though, they have not saved any money and will not be going. I did offer this trip to my niece - with all expenses paid, but she did not want leave her friend behind.
Third, my brother and his finance and her 13 year old son will be meeting us in Orlando. Her nic name is Minnie - need I say more??
My first trip to WDW was in 1983 - I was 17 years old. Ever since then, I have been hooked, and so has my family. I am sorry they are not going, but I am also excited to spend time with my brother and his family and my mom.
We are Marriott Grande Vista owners - and I have a 3 bedroom unit reserved for us. Right now, it is me, my mom, my brother and his family who will be on vacation.
Our plans - mom and I will leave Maine very early in the morning on Wednesday 6/19. We are driving to Richmond, VA and will be staying overnight at a Marriott Courtyard, right off of I-95 ($38 includes tax) (DS2 works for Marriott Corp and we got great family rate because of this). If we leave Maine at 6am, I hope to get to Richmond by 6pm.
Thursday 6/20 - get up early, and head south. If we can again get back on the road by 7am, we can avoid Richmond rush hour traffic. We are staying just north of Richmond and I read the morning traffic can be awful. The first surprise for my mom, will be spending the night in Saint Augustine - staying at Marriott Fairfield Inn for $38 total. Mom likes the beach and I thought we can enjoy an evening dinner and visit the beach this night.
Friday 6/21 - Breakfast is included at the hotel. We can head back to the beach and have a nice tour of the Castille (I think that is how to spell this). My mom loves visiting local bakeries - I will check tripadvisor.com for choices in this area. I also heard there is an incredible Disney Outlet store close to our hotel, that is must visit. I think it is 1.5 hours to Orlando - so I would like to leave around noon - 1pm.
Check in at Marriott Grande Vista is 4pm, but I am hoping our unit will be ready sooner - I will call before we leave Saint Augustine to be sure. Surprise #2 for mom: I plan to have dinner at the House of Blues - I have a restaurant.com coupon for $50 of $100 worth of food. I will have a cooler in my car to take back to the resort the left overs and maybe dessert to go. I have tickets to LaNouba's 6:30pm show. My mom always says, during past visits to DTD, she would like to see this show. She does not know we have tickets. I will make her dress up for dinner and when she says again, "I wish we can see LaNouba", I will say guess what, your wish has come true. I cant remember how much I paid for the tickets, but I got a great deal by being a Circ Club Member.
My brother is working in DC this week and they should be arriving at our villa late evening. They are also driving.
For my next installment, I will detail the rest of our plans.
Thanks for reading and please feel to offer suggestions.
They say today is a great day for 
