Hip, Hip Hooray for Christmas Vacation TR--Updated 4-12-06
About This Page:

KrisLuvsDisney · 01-01-2006, 03:22 PM

Adventurers: Myself (2nd trip to both DC and NYC)
DH Mike (1st trip to DC and 2nd to NYC)
DD Myka (1st trip to both)

Destination: Well DC and NYC of course
Dates: 12/21/05 to 12/27/05

Background Info: DH and I had been to NYC for our honeymoon which was in September of 2001. We had arrived just 18 days after 9-11. We had so much fun and loved our trip we both agreed to return soon and bring DD. We try to take turns picking our vacations that we take every Christmas. So the last two trip DD and I had picked Disney and DH is so not into Disney. Well since it was his pick, he put his [img]http://smileys.*************.com/cat/29/29_4_36.gif[/img] down and insisted that we go back to NYC for our Christmas vacation! I reluctantly agreed, but knew it was time to let him pick [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif[/img] I told him that it was his trip and he had to make all the plans! I mean come on...I handle all the plans for all the other trips we take!

So late one night back in the summer, DH wakes me up [img]http://smileys.*************.com/cat/7/7_11_5.gif[/img] and tells me the biggest part of the plans are made. I am thinking good, okay now can I go back to sleep...hey says not yet I want to tell you all about it! We are going to DC and NYC! I must admit I was pretty proud of him [img]http://smileys.*************.com/cat/23/23_5_118.gif[/img] He had gotten a great deal on airfare and room rates for both places. In DC we are going to spend 2 nights at the Holiday Inn Capitol and a night at The Watergate. In NYC we are going to stay 3 nights at the Belvedere Hotel.

DH researched about shows going on in NYC and got us all tickets to see A Divas Christmas Spectacular and The Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall[img]http://smileys.*************.com/cat/4/4_19_1.gif[/img] We both set about researching things we wanted to do and bought some great travel guides for both cities. We also purchased our tickets for the Old Town Tolley Tour in DC. We decided that meal decisions would be made on the trip instead of making any ressies now...we would just play it all by ear!

The next big thing for us to think about was how are we going to get from DC to NYC [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/questionicon.gif[/img] We priced flights and decided against that! We came up with two other options, we could rent a car and drive in and drop the car before entering Manhattan and get another to return to DC for our return flight home or we could take the Amtrak [img]http://smileys.*************.com/cat/3/3_2_113.gif[/img] from DC (Union Station) to NYC (Penn Station). We struggled with this right up until our trip...we just didn't know what we wanted to do and weather would play a part in the decision we made.

Now all we had left to do was decide on how we got from DC to NYC, pack all those cold weather clothes[img]http://smileys.*************.com/cat/36/36_1_64.gif[/img] we would need, take care of Santa Claus [img]http://smileys.*************.com/cat/36/36_15_1.gif[/img]and just get all out excited about the trip!

The two weeks before our trip turned out to be really wild! We had Christmas parties to attend, Christmas with relatives to host/attend, Pekeno night at our house (my girls game night that I do once a month with 11 other ladies and we take turns hosting it in our homes), hair appointments, and semester exams to deal with!

The night before we left I was up until I can't remember when packing, getting everything printed off the computer and ready to go for our trip! I finally crashed sometime in the early morning hours of 12/21 dreaming of our trip![img]http://smileys.*************.com/cat/7/7_6_5v.gif[/img]

Next post: Mike, I just don't think we are going to make our plane![img]http://smileys.*************.com/cat/23/23_15_11.gif[/img]

**DyanKJ130** · 01-01-2006, 03:29 PM

Great start - You have hooked me right in!

KrisLuvsDisney · 01-01-2006, 04:08 PM

Mike I just don't think we are going to make our plane!

Well 12/21 finally arrived and we all got up bright and early! Myka and I had to go to work and school today...Mike had taken the day off to run errands and finish up any last minute things that needed to be done.

I thought 12 noon would never arrived! As soon as the [img]http://smileys.*************.com/cat/12/12_1_100.gif[/img]rolled around I was out the door! I headed straight over to Myka's school to sign her out. We then went home put the luggage in the car and waited for Mike to get home. We finally were out the door by 12:30 and I had to make a quick stop in Corsicana in regards to my drivers license...and a quick stop it was!

We were all talking non-stop on the drive and getting so excited about our trip! There was no traffic on I45 at all...Yeah! When we got into [img]http://smileys.*************.com/cat/25/25_4_4.gif[/img]we were even more excited to see that the traffic was moving right along! After I got on I35 things were moving but had slowed down some...then all of the sudden we came to a dead [img]http://smileys.*************.com/cat/12/12_2_1.gif[/img] We just sat there, we couldn't get over to exit off...NOTHING! We finally began to move at snail speed and by this time we were getting a little worried so I worked my way over to exit off! We finally found a radio station that said that there had been a very bad wreck and they where shutting 183 down to take care of it...GREAT! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img] [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/ukid.gif[/img] We finally got off and headed down some streets we didn't know, but in the direction of DFW. I was starting to really stress now and was wishing that Mike had wanted to drive! I sent a text message to Sheana (Sheana 1226) that I didn't think we would make it and told her what was going on! She was so sweet telling me we would make! Within a few minutes we found a road we knew and where on our way! We told Myka to [img]http://smileys.*************.com/cat/12/12_6_16.gif[/img]We pulled into the Parking Spot and got our luggage loaded on the shuttle in no time and were headed in. The shuttle driver said, "You can make it! Don't worry I will speed up to get ya there!" [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/thanx.gif[/img]

We walked right up to the USAirways counter and were waiting (Erin was still doing some paperwork at the counter) to begin checking our luggage at 4:00 for our 4:35 flight...we all were starting to feel a little calm! Then Erin says, "I am sorry you missed your flight." [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/ukid.gif[/img] [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img] [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/crazy.gif[/img] WHAT? It hasn't left the ground yet...what do you mean? She told us that it was now 4:09 and that we had to be checked in by 4:00, but we could fly standby on the next flight. We were so upset, but remained calm! I wanted to say we could have been checked in by 4:00 if you hadn't finished all your other work first, but I didn't...it wouldn't help the situation any! I asked her [img]http://smileys.*************.com/cat/23/23_31_7.gif[/img]was there any way we could get on our flight since it hasn't left yet and she said no. The computers shut down at a certain time to let those flying standby know if they are going to get on a flight or not.

We were so bummed![img]/ubb/images/graemlins/zcry.gif[/img] She was a very nice person and it wasn't her fault...she even made the comment that there had been other people late on different flights due to the same accident. She set us up for standby on the next flight that was scheduled to go out that same evening and explained everything to us about standby. We thanked her for doing what she could to help us and she apologized that she couldn't do more. We then went to the gate and waited to see if we would make this one.[img]http://smileys.*************.com/cat/23/im/w8ing.gif[/img] I sent Sheana another text to let her know that we did miss our flight and then we ended up calling each other and I told her the whole story of what went wrong! She told me she would send pixie dust our way that we got on the next flight!

Finally, they began boarding for the flight, but I could tell with the amount of people waiting at the gate that we weren't going to get on that flight. The USAirways people were so nice and they told us they had 1 seat left...I told Mike he ought to go on. Myka and I could catch the flight early the next morning. He thought I was being a smart a$$ and told me "NO" in a very mean voice! I told him whatever and we set up our standby stuff for the next morning. I then sent Sheana a text and told her we didn't make it and would hopefully leave the next morning! I also called Mike's parents to let them know so they wouldn't be worried about us. I promised to keep everyone updated on our status!

We called and got a room at the Hilton Inn and Garden suites at DFW for the night and they sent a shuttle to pick us up. In the shuttle Mike said, "Why would you say something like that about me going ahead of you guys?" I told him it would be easier to get 2 standby seats vs. 3 and we have already paid for the room in DC for the night and at least someone would be staying in it!! He then apologized and said that makes sense...I should have done that! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/foreheadslap.gif[/img] [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/whistling2.gif[/img]

So we checked into the Hilton and I called our hotel in DC to let them know what was going on and that we would check in tomorrow...hopefully!

Here is a pic of our room for the night

We went downstairs to eat supper then headed back to the room to get our baths and get ready for bed! We had an early morning ahead of us! We wanted to be at the airport at 5:00am so we could be first on the standby list for our flight!

After Myka took her shower, I found this on the mirror!

It has all our names and DC and NYC on it with a big heart around it! Writing on mirrors became a tradition for her throughout the trip!

Next up: Will we make it to DC? Who is Sooner Steve?

DebbieG · 01-01-2006, 04:21 PM

Oh my goodness! What a way to start your vacation! Hope it got much better!

Debbie

KrisLuvsDisney · 01-01-2006, 05:09 PM

Will we make it to DC? Who is Sooner Steve?

12/22/05 Day 1 which should have been Day 2 of our trip!

The alarm when off bright and early at 4:15am [img]http://smileys.*************.com/cat/7/7_11_1.gif[/img]. We needed to be at the airport by 5 since we were flying standby and the flight was scheduled to leave at 7:25am. I went on through security while Mike and Myka handled checking our luggage. I wanted to be at the counter when the USAirways people got there so we would be at the top of the list!

After Mike and Myka made it through security, Mike told me that we were going to make this flight [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/woot.gif[/img] [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/thewave.gif[/img] because they still had 10 seats available! Mike and Myka went and got us breakfast since I refused to leave the area! When they got back we ate and waited for our boarding call! They finally called us and told us we were good to go! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/thewave.gif[/img] [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/woot.gif[/img] [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/thanx.gif[/img] As we were boarding I called Mike's parents to let them know we were on our way and sent a text message to Sheana too!

Mike sat with Myka on the plane and they watched her DVD player and played her Gameboy while I slept some and read!

We arrived in Washington at 11:25am! We got our luggage and headed outside to catch a cab to our hotel! As we were driving in we saw Jefferson Memorial.

We got to the hotel and checked in and headed to our room!

I called to let everyone know we arrived and sent Sheana a text too! We wanted to freshen up and change clothes...then we headed out to see DC!

Today was the day we were supposed to do the Old Town Trolley Tour so we headed to the nearest Trolley stop. We walked 2 blocks to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. We got through security and began exploring! Myka's favorite subject is Science, so she loved it here! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Mike and Myka at Smithsonian Air & Space Museum

Myka in front a Lunar Vehicle used on the moon.

Mickey Guitar...my Disney fix in DC!!

After exploring the museum a while we got a little hungry and went to the food court to eat [img]http://smileys.*************.com/cat/23/23_12_13.gif[/img] Myka and I both got Chicken Salad sandwiches, I got a water and she got a cherry slush; Mike got a Chicken Panini, a brownie (we all shared it) and a water...total $32.00! Lunch was pretty good.

We then headed to the museum gift shop for astronaut ice-cream (Myka had heard about it and was dying to get some).

From there we went out to the trolley stop and waited for the next trolley. It pulled up within 5 minutes and we board and were greeted by Sooner Steve[img]http://smileys.*************.com/cat/23/23_29_100.gif[/img] He realized that we had just begun the tour and offered us some advice. Sooner Steve told us he would let us ride to the Welcome Center and see if they would let us do the tour tomorrow due to our flight/late arrival.

We rode the trolley around with Sooner Steven and took in all the sites of DC! He revealed many historical facts to us during our ride. We went by Washington Monument too and I got a good photo...see.

As we were riding along, Marine One[img]http://smileys.*************.com/cat/1026.gif[/img]flew over us, heading in the direction of the White House. As we were coming around by the White House, we got to see Marine One land on the White House lawn...talk about a magical moment, but DC style! Sooner Steve revealed that he doesn't see that very often and we should feel lucky.

Marine One (I know it is blurry...new camera, still learning how to work it!)

I know this picture is blurry, but if you look between the trees in front of the White House, I promise Marine One is there!

When we arrived at the Welcome Center we got off the trolley and explained to them what happend and they told us to do our tour tomorrow, that it was not a problem.[img]/ubb/images/graemlins/thanx.gif[/img] We walked back out to find that Sooner Steve had waited for us and said he would take us back around near our hotel so we wouldn't have to walk it or catch a cab! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/thanx.gif[/img]Sooner Steve!

We rode on to the National Archieves stop and got off. We took a few pictures and then headed inside.

We looked around and then went to the Rotunda Exhibit Area. Oh the feeling you get when you walk into the Rotunda area and are surround by all those historical documents!

Mike and Myka with the Declaration of Independenc (it is dark due to not being able to use a flash in this room).
It was so quiet in here and the lights are dimmed...I just felt so [img]http://smileys.*************.com/cat/14/14_1_106.gif[/img] We had to explain to Myka how important all these document are and what part they played in history.

From there we headed down 7th Avenue towards our hotel stopping for photos in front of the Washington Monument and the Capitol Building.

When we got back to our hotel we rested a bit then went downstairs to eat supper. Mike had the salmon dinner, I had the cheeseburger, and Myka had the mac and cheese. The cost of our meal was $48.00 and it was all pretty good eating.

We then headed back up to our room for showers and to watch a movie (Flight Plan) and relax! With us getting up so early we were just exhausted today!

We had a good day! We made it to DC and it was not terribly cold either. Sooner Steve helped us out with doing the tour the next day. Marine One landing on the White House lawn was our magical moment of the day!

Next up: The Old Town Trolley Tour!

Shadowfax · 01-01-2006, 06:10 PM

I'm glad that things are looking up! What a stressful way to begin a vacation!
We are heading down to DC in June. I'm curious, what hotel did you stay at? Did you like it?
More, please!

crystalloubear · 01-01-2006, 06:33 PM

Great report - waiting for more!

Tara O'Hara · 01-01-2006, 06:47 PM

Sorry about the rough start, Kris, but it seems like you guys are really enjoying Washington!! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/waytogo.gif[/img] You guys are so cute!!

KrisLuvsDisney · 01-01-2006, 07:24 PM

[ QUOTE ]
I'm glad that things are looking up! What a stressful way to begin a vacation!
We are heading down to DC in June. I'm curious, what hotel did you stay at? Did you like it?
More, please!

[/ QUOTE ]
We stayed at the Holiday Inn Capitol on C Street and loved it. We also stayed one night at The Watergate and we wished we had just stayed at the Holiday Inn...it was a nice hotel, but our location was not as good there as at the Holiday Inn! We had a wonderful trip despite the start of it! If you have any questions while planning just PM me and I will be glad to help out!

lauren-roxy · 01-01-2006, 07:25 PM

Great start and pictures Kris!!!! Can't wait for more!!!

**Cam22** · 01-01-2006, 08:11 PM

Sounds like things got better after the rocky start! Can't wait to read more! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/usa.gif[/img]

**DrDolphin** · 01-01-2006, 08:12 PM

Great start!!! Sorry the beginning was so rough - but sounds like you bounced right back!!

SHEANA1226 · 01-01-2006, 08:47 PM

Great start Kris!!! Waiting for more.

BabieeMelly · 01-02-2006, 12:30 AM

Great start, Kris! I've been looking forward to this trip report for so long. I'm enjoying reading about DC, but I really can't wait for you to get to NYC! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/woot.gif[/img] Looking forward to more!