What do you want for your 40th Birthday? Day 4 UPDATED 12/17 About This Page:

[guarn3md]

What do you want for your 40th Birthday?
A trip to Disney, of course…
Trip Report

How I got this trip approved by my DH I’ll never know, he must really love me.

October 2007: DH looks at Delta skymiles account and says we have enough miles for three tickets to Hawaii and we should take DS to Maui. So after spending 2 hours on the phone with Delta representative I finally found three available reward seats to and from Maui. The only problem is we have to fly out of Dulles, DH is not happy, but we book the tickets. Shortly after I find a wonderful condo at The Whaler on Ka’anapali Beach and book that too. So now we were all set for a Hawaiian family trip for 10 days the beginning of August. DH announces that will be our only trip for 2008, hmmm that is just not going to work for me.
Jump ahead a month… DH and I will celebrate our 40th birthdays in 2008 – his is Jan. 2nd and mine is June 11th. I decided to throw him a surprise party over the Christmas holiday while we are visiting family in NJ. I also decided to give him a trip to Las Vegas for the two of us – something he has always wanted to do. So I do some research and find a package with 3 night’s hotel (Mirage) and airfare for under $900. I book this trip for Feb 8th – 11th and present it to him at his party. DH is thrilled.
We now move ahead to Jan 2008 and we are busy planning our trip to Vegas when DH says to me I was thinking of giving you a trip to Turks and Caicos for your 40th birthday in June. So I nonchalantly turn to him and say “what I would really like for my 40th birthday is to spend time with my family in Disney World!” DH’s ready response – “We are not going to Disney this year; we are already going to Hawaii!” I don’t listen to that response and start talking to Mom about the possibility of a family trip to WDW. She talks to my Dad who then says he is not going to Disney in June, but would love to go in November at Thanksgiving. Ok – I can celebrate my 40th birthday 5 months late, right??!! I contact Cheryl at Small World Vacations who gives me a price for The Wilderness Lodge November 21 – 28. And at the beginning of February I put a hold on two rooms (one for us and one for parents) at the Wilderness Lodge. I have to pay the deposit by 2/15, after the Vegas trip. In the end DH conceded and the trip was booked by 2/15 and shortly thereafter airline tickets were secured on AirTran. As I was planning and scheming this trip I was talking to a friend of ours (met through our boys doing Tae Kwon Do) about the trip I was trying to plan for November. She texts me one day in early February and asks if they can tag along, she loves Disney too! Of course we are happy to have them come so they make their plans. The decided to stay at Port Orleans, Riverside and to drive down! A few months later they change their reservation to All Star Movies and are still driving down!!!

Coming up... Cast of Characters and we get down to the details - The Trip Report

[disneydani]

Now that is a way to celebrate turning 40!

danielle

[DyanKJ130]

WOO!! HOO!! Way to work that trip in there!! Great start! Looking forward to more

[guarn3md]

Cast of Characters:
The Guarniere’s:
Me: Debbie, age 40, 6th trip to WDW, Behavior Specialist in an Emotional Disturbance Regional Program located inside a middle school
DH, John, age 40, 5th trip to WDW, Applications Engineer working with UV lights, he travels from Annapolis, MD to Gaithersburg, MD (around DC beltway) 4 times a week – very stressful.
DS, Connor, age 7, 3rd trip to WDW, 2nd grader with an extreme love of books – he packed 10 chapter books in his carry on luggage! He told me he was going to read all the way to Disney and not touch his Nintendo DS!

The Guarniere's enjoy a Luau in Maui!

The Garrison’s
DMom – Judy, age 65, 4th trip to WDW, Foster parent for over 35 years – has cared for over 100 babies!
DDad – Harry, age 67, 4th trip to WDW, retired
DSis – Asia, age 4, has been a foster child of my parents since she was 4 months old and soon to become my sister since my parents have decided to adopt her!


My parents and Asia at John's 40th Bday party!

The Shawkey’s
Anne, age 34 – we met through our son’s Tae Kwon Do classes
Mark, age hmmm I don’t know, Anne’s DH, police officer
Grant, age 7, Connor’s friend from TKD
Garrett, age 19 months


Ds with Friend Grant at my 40th Surprise party. My Son has icing from the cake on his mouth!

When: November 21st – 28th, 2008 (Nov. 22nd – 29th – Shawkey’s)
Where: The Wilderness Lodge, Woods View (All Star Movies – Shawkey’s)

Here is the next 9 months in a nutshell – ADR planning, May calendar debacle, ADR’s made, Cinderella’s breakfast secured, Spreadsheets made, baskets for all the kids planned, much shopping for baskets, Spreadsheets revised and revised and revised…

OK – enough background let’s get to the Trip Report!

[disneydani]

What could be better than sharing your trip with family and friends! Looking forward to the deets.

danielle

[bsblady01]

more please

[Colexis Mom]

Great start!! More please

[Meggera]

Great intro. I am looking forward to hearing about your trip!

[DyanKJ130]

Great cast!!

[darusso]

Great birthday presents. I think half the fun is the planning. Sounds like you are ready. Those are dome gud pics too. Waiting for more.

[guarn3md]

Thursday, November 20th
Day before departure and much to do… Today was a full school day for Connor and I, John was able to work from home which was good since I needed him to drop our dog, Toby, off at the kennel. After school John and I met at Connor’s school for his Fall Parent Teacher Conference. His teacher nicely made time for us since we were going to miss conferences the following week. The conference lasted about an hour and then we were on our way home. Then we had to pack up the hamster, Rex, for his trip to another friend’s house for the week. We secured Rex with friend Bethany and with only a few tears were on our way home again. Then we took Connor’s fish to a neighbor’s house, another friend – Chris was going to watch the fish! So now our zoo was safe and secure for the week. John had work to finish and I had packing to finish so we got to it. Connor made sure he had enough books for the trip, plus some Bionicle’s and his Nintendo DS. Connor was excited about getting to sleep in his clothes – I figured the early wake up would go smoothly if he was already in sweat pants and hoodie.
John and I got to bed by 11:30pm. I found it difficult to sleep! We set the alarms for 4:30am and wanted to be out of the house by 5:15am at the latest.

Friday, November 21st


John couldn’t sleep and ended up waking early around 4am, this woke me up so we got an early start. We got to BWI and found parking in the Daily lot with no problems. We got on a bus quickly and then to the AirTran terminal. Here is where we encountered our only problem of the trip.

• Side note – While planning our Hawaii trip I convinced John that we needed new luggage so we went to TJMaxx and bought 2 new pieces – large and medium Delsey suitcases. I think a few people on these boards have bought this luggage style. Anyway, we flew Delta to Hawaii and had no problems with the large piece – no one questioned the size and why should they – the manufacturer’s specs clearly show its’ total measurement is 60.5”.

back to Trip Report…
So we bring our three bags to the AirTran check-in and I give the gentleman my bag. He proceeds to take out the tape measurer and tell me that my bag measures 62” and that it is oversized and I have to pay $39. So I tell him nicely, No that is wrong that my bag is a standard size and that I flew with it to Hawaii and had no problems. He says, curtly, Ma’am your bag is oversized and you need to pay $39. I tell him again – No and take out the manufacturer’s specs that I keep in the bag – and show him that it measures 60.5”. Now two other guys come over and measure my bag – one says he gets 61”. I still need to pay $39. I tell them I want to see the manager and the gentleman tells me he is the manager and that I have to pay $39. I tell him I am not paying for a bag that is standard size. He tells me – well you’re not getting on this bag on the plane without paying the oversized fee and I have to get others on the plane so either pay the fee or take your bag. At this point John hands over a credit card and then I look at my son and he is near tears and I feel so bad. We pay the fee and check the other bags in and leave. DS then says – “Wow mom we almost couldn’t go to Disney because of you and your standard bag!” DH and I fume about the charge all the way to the gate – we are definitely going to dispute the charge! On the way home we were not charged the fee! So I guess my bag shrunk while we were in Disney! After arriving at the gate, my mom called to check on us – she couldn’t sleep and was getting ready for their departure. I relayed the baggage story to her and then said we were done discussing the incident for the rest of the trip. However, the $39 cost became a running joke, which helped to alleviate some of the frustration.
I bought some bagels and juices for the plane ride and we boarded the plane around 7am. Our plane took off on time – 7:15am and we had a smooth ride to Orlando. DS read some books but he also played his Nintendo DS! I knew he would! We got to Orlando on time – 9:20am. We took the quick monorail ride to the main terminal. Then down to Magical Express. I checked us in and we went to get in line – wait… what line?? There was no line and a bus was waiting. We walked out and got on a bus and the bus out at 9:50am! It was making four stops 1) Polynesian, 2) Grand Floridian, 3) Wilderness Lodge and 4) Contemporary. We were the third stop. We settled in for the quick ride.

Still reading!

The driver put on a movie and we sat back and enjoyed the intro to Disney. DS enjoyed the movie. It wasn’t long before we saw the Welcome to Disney gates! Yeah!! We made the first two stops quickly and we were on our way to the Wilderness Lodge. We got there by 10:30am and checked in. We got everything we asked for in our request letter. We had connecting rooms on an upper floor. We were in room #5085 and my parents had #5084. And bonus, our room was ready! We went up to the room and checked it out. I was ok with the room assignment but wasn’t sure about the location over Whispering Canyon Café. I stewed about for a little bit and then DH said go down and talk to them and see if they have any other options. So I did. They told me they could move us but we wouldn’t have connecting rooms – they blocked those off months ago and since the hotel was fully booked for the weekend it wouldn’t be possible to connect only keep us close together. I told them not to worry about and we would be fine with our room assignment. I went up and relayed the info to DH who then wondered if there was any way to change rooms after the weekend, but we let it go… Called my parents, they had just gotten to Atlantic City and were getting ready to board their plane for Orlando. We packed up and headed out to the Magic Kingdom! Yes, finally… Connor didn’t want to leave the room; he was already engrossed in watching Stacy! We watched a lot of Stacy this past week. I would like to buy a DVD of the Top 7 to play at home!!
We walked down to the boat dock and a boat had just pulled up. We boarded and were shortly off to the Magic Kingdom.





At that point we decided that the Wilderness Lodge was perfect – the rooms were nice, the hotel was gorgeous and the transportation to the Magic Kingdom was convenient! We really like the Animal Kingdom Lodge but couldn’t stand being on the bus all the time. 10 minutes later we were walking through the entrance – aaahhhh!
We walked under the railroad and into Main Street and I started crying. DH just held my hand and looked at me! I quickly got myself under control and we asked DS were he wanted to go. He wanted to go to Adventureland and Tomorrowland. So we went right first. We decided to go to Buzz first – there was a 10 min wait. The line went quickly. I sat with DS and DH sat behind. I tried really hard to hit the long range items and the volcano. When we got done I swore my score was 603,000! DH did not believe me – he said it was 63,000 – but how would he know he was sitting behind me. His score was 52,000, so I think there were some sour grapes. We argued over it all the way to Monsters Inc which had a 5 min wait. I tried to find out how to text a joke but couldn’t find the number anywhere?? It wasn’t long before we were in and seated. Then I looked up and there was my face with this caption – “She thinks catsup is made of cats”!! My husband starts cracking up. So the show starts and it is really good. Until I end up in the show! I got picked for the bit where the monster tries to read my mind. OMG – I was really embarrassed, but I played along and had fun. My son was really into me being on the giant screen. The rest of the show was great and we exited. All of us were very excited for my 5 mins. of fame! Magic already!!

Continued in the next post...

[guarn3md]

After, I wanted to try the TTA. We had never done that ride. So I lead the way and there was no wait. We all enjoyed the ride – we couldn’t believe how long it was and how much ground it covered.

Connor on TTA

From there, we went across the hub to Adventureland. Connor wanted to go up the Swiss Family Tree House and I wanted a Dole Whip. So DH and I arranged to meet at the sitting area across from the Dole Whip place. I decided on a Float and took a seat to enjoy, but quickly realized I was in one of those designated smoking areas! That was not going to do! I walked over to the exit and enjoyed my Dole Float and waited for DH and DS.

Jungle Cruise was next – again about a 5 min. wait. We love the jungle cruise and all the corny jokes. Connor likes to say the jokes along with the cruise director. After we were just in time for the Tiki room show – much to DH’s dismay. We suffered through and made it out ok! We decided to ride POTC next and found another 5 min wait! Love that ride! After we went over to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad – I think there was a 15 min wait and we were ready to go, only DS says he has decided he is not going to ride that this year! What??? You have ridden it every year since you were four??? So there was much discussion and he wasn’t budging. We gave up and went to It’s a Small World. Quickly got on and got our fix. At this point we were ready for a little lunch and a nap. We hit Casey’s Corner on our way out – DH and I shared the Corn Dog Nuggets and DS had a hot dog. We have never eaten here and we really enjoyed our light lunch. We made a mental note to return again during the trip. We walked back and got on a boat to the Wilderness Lodge. My mom called when we were walking off the boat to the lodge. They were at MCO and had just picked up the rental car. They forgot the mapquest directions I had sent them but Dad was pretty sure there would be signs! You Think!
We got back to the room and I was a little disappointed that the baskets I had ordered for DS and Asia from Disney Florist were not in the rooms yet. I called down to the front desk and they said it was there but the girl was in the process of making deliveries. We were able to lay down for about 45 mins. before the phone rang and it was my parents they were in the lobby. DH was asleep, or at least pretending, so I took DS and we went out to find them. I walked out our room and could see Asia at the check in desk. DS and I ran down the stairs and snuck up on them! They were quickly checked in and we went up to the rooms. I told Mom that the baskets hadn’t been delivered. She had ordered a rose scepter for Asia, she was hoping to have it for dinner. We hung out in the rooms for a bit and got unpacked and freshened up, then Mom and I decided to go down to the front desks and ask about the baskets. We would just take them up ourselves. John took the kids for a walk. We were able to retrieve everything we ordered, plus there was an extra gift for John and I from the Shawkeys (due to arrive tomorrow). It was a blue soft cooler bag with snacks and drinks. There was a thank you note to me for planning the trip! It was really nice and a big surprise. We brought the baskets up to the room without the kids seeing and then went back down and took the flower scepter to the Whispering Canyon Café for them to put on our table. Our table was ready early, yeah! Our server’s name was Sergio aka “Dusty Trails”. We decided not to get the skillets – we were not on the dining plan so ordering the food with the highest amount was not our goal this trip! Mom and I ordered the Roast Chicken, Dad had the Ribs and John had the Meatloaf. DS ordered the bottomless chocolate shake with his meal. That shake was delicious, we all took turns sipping off it and had DS reorder his shake three times! All of our meals were great. I reminded our server of the cake my mom had ordered for Asia. We were celebrating her adoption. He brought the cake out and was putting it on the table when he lost his balance and the cake came crashing to the table!! It almost landed on Connor but Sergio saved it and it just landed on its side and was barely smushed – just one side!

You can see where the cake is not round anymore but smushed, in front of Asia's hand!

It seemed to have woken up our server and then our section of tables got really rowdy. We all enjoyed the cake and shared with the table next to us. They loved the story of how Asia came to be party of our family and then they wanted to take their picture with all of us. So we had a group shot! We ended up having a really fun dinner!

The tree in the lobby of The Wilderness Lodge

After dinner we went back to the room. The kids saw the baskets and wanted to open them. They loved all the stuff and really enjoyed digging through the goodies. I was really pleased with Disney Florist. They let us customize the baskets and send them stuff to put in there too! It was extremely reasonably priced, too!

Mom and I wanted to go grocery shopping. We left John and dad with the kids and went to find a grocery store. I had no problems finding the Crossroads Shopping Center and then we quickly saw Goodings. We had no problems grocery shopping. However, on the way home, we had many problems getting back to the Wilderness Lodge. I missed the exit for the Magic Kingdom and ended up near the Animal Kingdom Lodge. Then when we finally went through the Magic Kingdom gates I didn’t go right and went straight – then I ended up in the Speedway! We finally figured it all out and we were back by 10:45pm. When we got to the rooms everyone was asleep! Mom and I put the groceries away and also went to sleep.

Coming up... Day 2 - What is quicker a boat and monorail or a bus???

[mpwife153]

Great start...can't wait to hear more.
I too told my DH that for my 40th we were going to Disney too!!!
Congrats on your new DSis Asia...what a cutie!!!

[bsblady01]

more please

[Colexis Mom]

What a great first day at the World! Glad you're enjoying the resort, had fun at MK, and that your parents arrived!! More please