Spirit of America Oct 10-17, 2008 - Anyone else going??

[Kidoctr]

We're booked for ABD's Spirit of America tour in October. There are 6 of us - myself, DH, 9DS, 11DD, and DH'S parents, "Mimi" and "Papa". I've been searching all over for a SoA TR but only found one that hasn't been finished. We're DVC and about a week after we get back from this trip, DH and I head for WDW to run the Tower of Terror 13K during the Food and Wine Festival. This is our first ABD - hopefully the first of many! Would LOVE to do the Enchanted China trip someday.


Hoping to hook up with other Adventurers!

 

[Mickeyfans4ever]

On our Backstage Tour in June two groups had experienced the Spirit of America tour. They really loved it. I don't believe anyone will ever be sorry they chose an Adventures by Disney tour.

 

[Kidoctr]

On our Backstage Tour in June two groups had experienced the Spirit of America tour. They really loved it. I don't believe anyone will ever be sorry they chose an Adventures by Disney tour.

I can hardly wait! I don't know if I'm more excited about a Disney Adventure or just the fact that I'm NOT the one doing the planning and arranging on this one!

 

[Kidoctr]

Hmmmm....guess we're on this trip all by ourselves?

How about a general question then.....for those free 1/2 days that we have, has anyone made meal reservations ahead of time or do you just "wing it" for lunch or dinner? I LOVE planning vacations even though it's so time-consuming so it's weird that I've done nothing to prepare for our trip. Making a few dinner reservations in DC or Philly might make me feel better.

 

[Mickeyfans4ever]

I can hardly wait! I don't know if I'm more excited about a Disney Adventure or just the fact that I'm NOT the one doing the planning and arranging on this one!

I agree that not having to make all the arrangements on our ABD Backstage tour made my trip a true vacation. I never had to guess where or what time everyone would want to eat nor what they wanted to do. Bigger bonus is you won't hear any comments that you made bad arrangements.
Sorry I can't say about your tour but on our Hollywood/Disneyland tour I did not make any arrangements in advance for any of the meals on our own. Once there we realized that Disney fed us so well we didn't need much when we were on our own. We found many places to eat in the area we stayed. Hope you have a wonderful time on you trip. We live in Virginia and know first hand that Williamsburg and Washington have a ton of things to do and enjoy.

 

[Kidoctr]

Thanks - that's a great point. We might not want to eat somewhere that requires reservations if Disney otherwise feeds us well. Maybe I'll just bite the bullet and "wing it". I'll have to let that sink in for a month or so and maybe by the time October rolls around, I'll be feeling ok about doing that. This is a big step for me....

 

[Mickeyfans4ever]

Good luck! Hang in there and don't worry too much about those meals. Things do tend to work out for us planners when we don't plan every detail! Leave the worries to the magic of Disney!

 

[Kidoctr]

Leave the worries to the magic of Disney!

There's nobody else I would even consider to handle our travel arrangements! Thanks to all the trip reports that I've been reading, I'm feeling better and better about "winging it" with the help of our ABD guides!

 

[Kidoctr]

About 2 months ago - maybe it's just the 6 of us going and we'll have the guides all to ourselves??

 

[wsapooh]

I will be on the 9/4-9/11 2008 Spirit of America Tour. I have been a Disboards member for a little while, but am pretty much a lurker. In my lurking, I have also been looking for TRs on this tour. I'm only finding that same unfinished one that you found, I'm sure.

I do intend to offer a full trip report complete with photos (but no spoilers!) when I return. Although it will be very close to your departure date by then, hopefully you will find it useful.

I leave for a conference at DL within 48 hours of my return from ABD SoA. Enough time to unpack, do some laundry, and repack again. Because of that, I can't promise that my SoA report will be posted right away, but it should be done before you leave.

I have found that reading trip reports from various tours to be very informative. Even though they don't have anything specificly to do with SoA, I'm finding the common thread of that special Disney magic to be abundant everywhere.

 

[Kidoctr]

Hi Laurie - thanks so much! I can't wait to read it! Have a FABULOUS time!

 

[wsapooh]

I am curious to know what you are most looking forward to about this tour. What made you choose this one?

In asking that, I feel it's only right that I answer the same questions.

I think the thing I am most looking forward to is the bike ride around the Mall in Washington DC. That sounds like so much fun!!

I have been to Colonial Williamsburg before. I absolutely loved it and am thrilled to be returning. Seeing a young man in colonial dress walk past the taverns on a chilly fall evening carrying a lantern lit by a candle as dusk fell, I was immediately transported to another time.

Visiting Independence Hall, seeing the Liberty Bell, and finding a great cheesesteak in Philadelphia are top priorities.

DH and I chose this tour (just the two of us) because of my love for history and DH's deep sense of patriotism. I have been to Washington DC and Williamsburg in the past but DH hasn't been to any of these areas. We are both giddy at the thought of seeing some of our national treasures through the eyes of Disney. We are frequent WDW guests and have grown accustomed (and spoiled by!) the incredibly high level of service that Disney brings to everything they do.

 

[Kidoctr]

I am curious to know what you are most looking forward to about this tour. What made you choose this one?

In asking that, I feel it's only right that I answer the same questions.

I think the thing I am most looking forward to is the bike ride around the Mall in Washington DC. That sounds like so much fun!!

I have been to Colonial Williamsburg before. I absolutely loved it and am thrilled to be returning. Seeing a young man in colonial dress walk past the taverns on a chilly fall evening carrying a lantern lit by a candle as dusk fell, I was immediately transported to another time.

Visiting Independence Hall, seeing the Liberty Bell, and finding a great cheesesteak in Philadelphia are top priorities.

DH and I chose this tour (just the two of us) because of my love for history and DH's deep sense of patriotism. I have been to Washington DC and Williamsburg in the past but DH hasn't been to any of these areas. We are both giddy at the thought of seeing some of our national treasures through the eyes of Disney. We are frequent WDW guests and have grown accustomed (and spoiled by!) the incredibly high level of service that Disney brings to everything they do.

Great question! Looks like we have a lot in common except that I've never been to Philly or Williamsburg. Truth is, I was quoted for the ABD Enchanted China tour and after I picked my jaw up off the floor , I started looking at something more local. DH and I discussed it and felt that the SoA tour would be up our alley. We intended to bring the kids with us and decided that October would be perfect. They'll miss some school but more than make up for it in the history that they'll be learning. The tour sounded so interesting that my in-laws decided to come with us . My father-in-law is recently retired from the National Park Service so my DH and his brother grew up in several National Parks in the Southwest. DH and my FIL are both history buffs and my DH frequently likes to watch the history channel. DH also served in the Air Force a number of years back so I hear 'ya about the sense of patriotism.

Now, another truth be told, I am NOT a history person. I'm doing well to remember who fought which world war. Honestly. I think this stemmed from my terrible high school experiences with a really awful US history teacher. Hated him. Hated the subject. I am AWFUL with dates - can't remember them to save my life. (When was the War of 1812 fought? ). I'm hoping a hands-on experience might change my mind. I did enjoy National Treasure and NT2, though.

I'm particularly looking forward to dining with Ben and biking through the mall. We're also psyched about getting to stay at the Great Wolf Lodge in Williamsburg. We just spent a weekend at the GWL in Grapevine for my DS' birthday in June. The only reason I even knew about it was because I looked it up after seeing it on our SoA itinerary.

Finally, we are HUGE Disney fans. DH and I honeymooned at WDW 16 years ago. Returned for our 10th and 14th wedding anniversaries, have made the Food and Wine festival a new tradition last year, and bought DVC in 2005. Just last week, I added on another 100 DVC points. We visit Disney almost annually - wish we lived closer! When we return from our SoA tour, we leave the following week for the F&W festival where DH and I will run the Tower of Terror 13K.

 

[wsapooh]

I hear ya! History was never my favorite subject in high school either. Dates? Yeah...right. NO IDEA! I think that's why so many people hated history in high school because we were always forced to learn dates. What was missed were the stories of history. It's storytelling! And that's when it becomes interesting to me. I didn't start to appreciate history until a trip to Boston in 1994. But it wasn't until I went to Williamsburg in 2001 that I learned to really love it. The costumed interpreters there are fantastic storytellers and don't make you feel at all like you're in a history class. It becomes fascinating. And you just know that Disney, famous for its storytelling, is going to make it even better!

Glad to hear you've got such a great group going on this trip with you! How fun! DH and I are celebrating our 15-year wedding anniversary on this trip. Then, I'm immediately off to the conference in DL. 20 days after that I'm off to WDW with a girlfriend - the same time you're doing your ABD. Back to WDW the first week in December with DH, SIL, and SIL's DH. What can I say? It's an addiction!

We LOVE Epcot Food & Wine! October is such a great month at WDW with the Festival and MNSSHP. That's usually when DH and I go. But this year we wanted to see WDW dressed in its holiday finery. I've seen it during the holidays a few times but DH hasn't and he thinks it's about time he did. I consider myself very fortunate to be doing to WDW twice this year during such fantastic celebrations.

There are many other ABD vacations that DH and I would like to take. Being huge Disney fans, we had a hard time deciding between SoA and Backstage Magic. There are so many great adventures here in the US to choose from. Our ultimate goal is to get to do Viva Italia. But until our bank account grows a bit and the US dollar is stronger, we are very content to see the many diverse sights of our own great country.

*cue the National Anthem*

We are discussing Backstage Magic, Quest for the West, or Southwest Splendors. I know we won't make a decision on that until after the New Year, so we may end up going with whichever one still has space available! But that's OK. Can't really make a wrong choice!

 

[Kidoctr]

I just finished reading your trip report! It was awesome! Thanks so much for posting it. We leave a week from tomorrow....I can't wait!

Is anyone else going with us???

 

[wsapooh]

You're gonna have such a great time!!

I know Elizabeth will not be there since our Adventure was her last on SoA. But please tell Karen "hi" from Laurie & Dan. She is a riot. And have a Chownings Root Beer for me!

Looking forward to hearing your report when you get back!

 

[Kidoctr]

We had a FABULOUS time! I can't believe it's already been a month since we've been back. It's taking me a while but I do have our trip report done but only about half of the days have pictures inserted. Here are the links to what I've gotten updated so far:

Adventure by Disney - Day 1 - Oklahoma City to Philadelphia
Adventure by Disney - Day 2 - Philadelphia
Adventure by Disney - Day 3 - Philadelphia to Washington DC

Edited to add: My trip reports contain a LOT of information about what we did, saw, and all of the special Disney "touches" and "surprises" that were a part of our tour. Unlike some other ABDs, we were NOT sworn to secrecy about any part of our tour so I've included every detail. Enjoy ~