Just Keep Swimming

It's amazing how much stuff you pack other than clothes. I thought I was all set until I remembered the travel hamper, flat iron, more shoes, little gifts and stuff for the kids. I just kept shoving the stuff in there. Those cases are packed! Wow!

In the car, Victoria asked, 'how many planes are we taking Tuesday?' I told her two planes.

"Two planes to go across the world." She said.

"No, across the country actually."

"I was never very good at Geometry"

Geography!

"Yeah, that"


I decided I did not have enough 'stuff' on my Zune so I added some audiobooks and a video or two. I have more chargers, wires and other gadgets than I know what to do with.

Panic sets in

I finished my last work week before vacation. Since some people took the day off, it was fairly quiet. I cleared my desk so Monday is all set to finish up some odds and ends. My plan is to drop the dogs off before going to work on Monday.

I know I canceled an excursion some time last week. I checked my reservation yesterday to see it was still there. Given Disney's policies on cancellation, this is something I want to be sure is done before boarding. I printed my confirmation to be sure.

My luggage isn't large enough. I should probably pack another bag. I don't want to. I don't even remember what I have packed. Delta has released a statement indicating anyone who purchased tickets prior to April 9th are eligible for refunds for extra baggage fees. Why don't I just pack another case?

Whatever possessed me to book a friggin' canopy tour? What the hell was I thinking? It seemed like a good idea six months ago. Six months ago I thought zipping through trees and over rivers was a great idea, now not so great. Why didn't I opt for some land-cruising tour of the town? I'm going to harness my fat ass to a line and zip across the sky without a net?

Check off: Hair done

Another quick day at work and feeling fairly productive. Things seem to be coming together and most situations appear to point to a favorable outcome. It will be nice to leave on a good note. (for a change)

Got the hair done today. One less thing off the list to do before vacation. I'll probably run around most of the vacation with a hat on or a scrunchie in my hair, I don't know why I bother.

Money Money Money

Vacations cost a lot of money. I pretty much spend all year pinching pennies to be able to go on vacation. Bargaining is my hobby I suppose. Mary from Mousesavers.com announced on her web site ticket prices for Disney would be going up today. I had thought about what type of tickets to buy for Disney for our upcoming year. We have plans to do Disney for Christmas this year and an August vacation. We are taking a group of folks at work in April of 09. Knowing work would have to purchase a ticket, and being unsure of how many days we'd need for the year, I went ahead and bought annual passes for me and Victoria.

The cost of annual passes is pretty steep and they expire in a year. What I like about annual passes is the freedom you have to come and go from all four of the parks. When you have park hoppers, you have to plan your days carefully. Buying a ticket which never expires can be a smart move for someone who isn't sure of their vacation plans. But with the annual passes, we will have the freedom to hop into a park on arrival day, if only for a couple of hours, and not fret over 'wasting' a day. By buying my annual pass vouchers last night, I avoided the 50 dollar increase which begins today.

The cost of the annual passes were about the same price as a ten day park hopper with no expiration. We probably could have managed with a ten day pass for our two trips but it would have meant work buying a ticket for April, and planning the days carefully. You park for free in the parks, which at 11 dollars a day can add up if you stay off site like we do. I was able to use 235 Disney Reward dollars to reduce the sting a bit.

10 days to lift off

We are in the home stretch. Two weekends and one work week before vacation. Victoria finished up her volleyball camp this week. She really enjoyed it. I don't know how many opportunities there are in town for kids younger than middle school to play. Next week she is going to a different town to participate in a basketball camp. She has participated in our town's basketball camp for several years but there was some problem with the one this year so we signed up in another town.

Today I'll finish up laundry and prepare to pack the clothes. It's a week early but I really want to get the clothes and toiletries packed. Next weekend I'll pack the shoes. This way I won't be a maniac next weekend packing and preparing to leave. We'll see how my plan works out.

I bought a travel coffee mug/french press combination. I love Disney Cruise Line, but I don't like the coffee they serve. I'm going to give this little baby a shot and see how it works. The hotel room at the Howard Johnson Anaheim will have a coffee maker, refrigerator and microwave in the room so it won't be necessary there. It does insulate so it might work as a pool mug as well.

TGIF!

It's a good feeling, knowing it's Friday and I have plenty of time to pack but leaving very soon. Two weeks from today we'll be going to the San Diego Zoo for the first time.

I went ahead and canceled an excursion this week. We had plans to do a canopy tour and an evening excursion in the same day. Because of Disney's restrictions with canceling on board, I decided to just go ahead and cancel it now. I think we made the right decision.

Getting closer

This week I finished a long overdue investigation at work. I really did not want to go on vacation knowing it was overdue. The investigation itself was done, actions taken, but the darn paperwork was waiting. I feel a whole lot better knowing it is done. YAY!

Having a bat in your house is very unsettling. I'm worried after having my first bat in house episode that I'll return from vacation having been evicted by a bat family. I haven't seen any further signs of bat activity. I can't stop singing "NA NA NA NA NA NA BATMAN NA NA NA NA NA NA BATMAN"

Yesterday I printed out all sorts of lists. I have all of Victoria's clothes chosen and believe we are doing quite well. This weekend I'll get some of my clothes in order and pack one suitcase combination of our clothes. The thought is if one piece of luggage gets lost, one of us won't be without clothes. My luck will be both will be missing. I'm determined to take less toiletries this time.

I bought plane tickets for my work group yesterday. It was a little bit of a chore, booking 7 people's airfare, insurance, printing, writing out checks for payment from each person's account. We're going to have such fun though.

I keep thinking in terms of "in two weeks I'll be..." Two weeks from today we'll be deciding which Disney park to do 'again'. I'm excited about the leisurely pace before the cruise. Last time we were maniacs in California.

Tonight is the last night of Summer Hoops, the summer basketball league. It was a good summer and it went by fast. I think the 7:45pm games are late and will be glad when it's over because it means another step closer to our vacation.

We're getting there!

I made reservations for the dogs to be kenneled. The cost is going to be outrageous but I have peace of mind they'll be ok. Today we received our cruise documents. I don't know why I feel the need to constantly check our passports but I do.

I'm just happier when I'm planning Disney vacations. I really am. We are planning to take some folks we support to Disney next year and I made tentative plans for some homes to rent. Immediately it was a better day knowing I was making plans for Disney.

Counting down the days

I found my Rainforest Cafe member card. I knew it was somewhere and refused to pay the five dollar fee to send away for a new one. I do have two gift cards for use while in downtown disney but we may use one next week when we go to the Mall for a pre-cruise/birthday/celebration shopping spree. I think the West Farms Mall may hold the only Disney store left in Connecticut.

We really do have enough clothes for the summer and for the trip. If Victoria grew, and I got smaller, we'd both have even more.

Vacation Planning

Less than 90 days until our next vacation. April vacation was nice, but since it was only an hour away, it was relaxing minus the adventure part.

We are doing a repeat cruise of our 2005 adventure. We will be sailing with our vacation-cousins again and are looking forward to it.

Our plan includes a California stay before embarking on the Disney Magic in San Pedro and sailing for fifteen days through the Panama Canal. Disney made some nice changes to the ports, so it won't feel like exactly the same cruise.

Some pre-planned excursions include a canopy adventure in Puerto Vallarta, snorkeling in Aruba, and exploring a bit in Accapulco, Cabo San Lucas, and Cartagena. While in California, we'll be visiting the mouse but hope to spend a day at the San Diego Zoo.