Aussie Wendy
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 4, 2008
Despite my worries about the parents and the fact we weren't meant to be going away as noted below, we had an amazing trip again. The links to each day's TR will be embedded in the itinerary below.
Tues 21 Oct. Our first encounter with a dragon
Wed 22. Back in my happy place and our 2nd encounter with a dragon.
Part 2: Good Night MK
Thurs 23. Epcot Part 1: Reminiscing.
EPCOT Part 2 Around the World in 4 Hours
EPCOT Part 3: Around the World continued
EPCOT Part 4: Illuminations
Fri 24. Magic Kingdom Part 1: In my happy place
Part 2: A rose by any other name'
Part 3: Exploring new Fantasyland
Part 4: Our 3rd encounter with a dragon
Part 5: There she is
Part 6 Halloween Party
Part 7 Boo to you
Part 8 Goodnight Magic Kingdom
Interlude: POFQ
Sat 25. Animal Kingdom - where the dragon was trying to hide.
Part 1 On Safari
Part 2 Afternoon Delights
Part 3 Nemo
Part 4 Shopping
Sun 26. Farewell to WDW for now. Part 1: DHS
Part 2 Lunch at 50's Prime Time Cafe
Part 3 RPH
Mon 27. Harry Potter and the best dragon of all. Part 1
Part 2 The London Waterfront
Part 3 Shops and more shops
Part 4 Buying bank notes and serenaded by Celestina
Part 5 Lunch at the Leaky Cauldron and Knockturn Alley
Part 6 Tales of Beedle the Bard The Fountain of Fair Fortune
Part 7 Hogwart's Express
Part 8 Hogsmeade and that amazing castle
Part 9 Hogsmeade exploration
Part 10 Riding the Flight of the Hippogriff with Buckbeak
Part 11 Goodnight Monday
Tues 28. Discovering there is a lot more to Universal than HP
Part 1 Minions
Part 2 Encounter with a Decepticon in the streets of New York
Part 3 Super excited BTTF and the Simpsons!
Part 4 Getting Wet
Part 5 Lunch at Mythos
Part 6 Evening at IOA
Wed 29. Last hours at Universal
Part 1 Hooray for Hollywood
Part 2 What is scarier: Seuss or clowns?
Part 3 "Dr Seuss Sr Seuss"
Part 4 Farewell Universal Studios
Thur 30. KSC
Part 1 Our first encounter with rocks: Moon rock
Part 2 Into space
Fri 31. Enough of the rides, now for rocks
Part 1 Unlike Bugs, we take the left turn to Albuquerque
Part 2 Do you know the way to Santa Fe?
Part 3 History lessons
Sat 1 Nov. Atom bombs in the desert. Los Alamos to Durango
Part 1 Early morn in Santa Fe
Part 2 Shops
Part 3 Secret squirrel business
Part 4 North to Colorado
Sun 2 Nov. Mesa Verde to Monument Valley
Part 1 A history lesson at Mesa Verde
Part 2 Driving around Cliff Palace and Mesa Top
Part 3 Driving into the sunset
Mon 3 Nov. Monument Valley
Part 1 Desert Songs
Part 2 Desert Songs Continued
Part 3 Lost in the Desert
Part 4 Sunset
Tues 4 Nov. Off to Page
Part 1 Sunrise over Monument Valley
Part 2 Visual Overload
Part 3 More of a Visual Feast
Part 4 Ending the Day at Horseshoe Bend
Wed 5 Nov. Bryce Canyon National Park
Thurs 6 Nov. Zion National Park
Fri 7. Las Vegas
Sat 8 Nov. Home again
I should be catching up on others posts having been awol while my internet disappeared for days but instead I need to post my pre-trippy and get some feedback on an upcoming October trip. The title refers to the fact that after a big European holiday last year, DH said no big trips in 2014, we need to save some $ for the retirement fund, he needs to spend some rec leave on jobs around home - fair enough I thought. We planned a mini-trip to see his school friend in Tassie and agreed on a week away around May (which has since been brought forward to the start of April when PIO seduced me with a visit to the Melbourne flower and garden show and we put the trips together with some good airfares across the Tasman).
Only I got a new contract which ended up being far more hours and more stress than I wanted but more $ than anticipated; then first my Dad and then my Mum got taken very ill and now require a lot more tlc than before; we lost a good friend to cancer and two others were taken ill and are now having chemo; and various other incidents meant while car pooling to work every day rather than dwell on all the bad things going on, conversation centred around what a good time we had on holidays, and how much we enjoyed DLP and before I knew it DH says, with your new job we could probably afford a short trip overseas back to DL or WDW but just a week to ten days and NO side-trips. "Yes dear". But ......
Top of my wishlist is to see Halloween at one of the parks and visit HP at Universal, the latter even more so after having visited The Making of Harry Potter at Leavesden Studios in London last year. We both loved our first and only visit to WDW in 2008 with our DD. So having secured Air NZ fares at a price I couldn't resist (even though Virgin has almost now matched it which would have saved us that extra detour via Auckland and given me one more day-we won't go there) the plans are as as printed above.
The road trip location (its not a holiday without one-notice I sneaked one in!!) has been planned because of the weather and needing to avoid snowy roads as no car chains with rental. Now I have read up about New Mexico I half wish I had planned just to spend a week here and spend longer in all the museums in Santa Fe and ABQ plus headed out to White Sands and Carlsbad Caverns etc. Oh well - next visit!
Getting excited planning it and actually booking stuff finally! Have been very conscious of cancellation policies this time though in case it all goes bottoms up with Mum and Dad's state of health since insurance won't cover a cancellation on that basis. So far I can cancel most things or postpone with minimal rebooking fees until a week or so prior which is good. Roll on October
Tues 21 Oct. Our first encounter with a dragon
Wed 22. Back in my happy place and our 2nd encounter with a dragon.
Part 2: Good Night MK
Thurs 23. Epcot Part 1: Reminiscing.
EPCOT Part 2 Around the World in 4 Hours
EPCOT Part 3: Around the World continued
EPCOT Part 4: Illuminations
Fri 24. Magic Kingdom Part 1: In my happy place
Part 2: A rose by any other name'
Part 3: Exploring new Fantasyland
Part 4: Our 3rd encounter with a dragon
Part 5: There she is
Part 6 Halloween Party
Part 7 Boo to you
Part 8 Goodnight Magic Kingdom
Interlude: POFQ
Sat 25. Animal Kingdom - where the dragon was trying to hide.
Part 1 On Safari
Part 2 Afternoon Delights
Part 3 Nemo
Part 4 Shopping
Sun 26. Farewell to WDW for now. Part 1: DHS
Part 2 Lunch at 50's Prime Time Cafe
Part 3 RPH
Mon 27. Harry Potter and the best dragon of all. Part 1
Part 2 The London Waterfront
Part 3 Shops and more shops
Part 4 Buying bank notes and serenaded by Celestina
Part 5 Lunch at the Leaky Cauldron and Knockturn Alley
Part 6 Tales of Beedle the Bard The Fountain of Fair Fortune
Part 7 Hogwart's Express
Part 8 Hogsmeade and that amazing castle
Part 9 Hogsmeade exploration
Part 10 Riding the Flight of the Hippogriff with Buckbeak
Part 11 Goodnight Monday
Tues 28. Discovering there is a lot more to Universal than HP
Part 1 Minions
Part 2 Encounter with a Decepticon in the streets of New York
Part 3 Super excited BTTF and the Simpsons!
Part 4 Getting Wet
Part 5 Lunch at Mythos
Part 6 Evening at IOA
Wed 29. Last hours at Universal
Part 1 Hooray for Hollywood
Part 2 What is scarier: Seuss or clowns?
Part 3 "Dr Seuss Sr Seuss"
Part 4 Farewell Universal Studios
Thur 30. KSC
Part 1 Our first encounter with rocks: Moon rock
Part 2 Into space
Fri 31. Enough of the rides, now for rocks
Part 1 Unlike Bugs, we take the left turn to Albuquerque
Part 2 Do you know the way to Santa Fe?
Part 3 History lessons
Sat 1 Nov. Atom bombs in the desert. Los Alamos to Durango
Part 1 Early morn in Santa Fe
Part 2 Shops
Part 3 Secret squirrel business
Part 4 North to Colorado
Sun 2 Nov. Mesa Verde to Monument Valley
Part 1 A history lesson at Mesa Verde
Part 2 Driving around Cliff Palace and Mesa Top
Part 3 Driving into the sunset
Mon 3 Nov. Monument Valley
Part 1 Desert Songs
Part 2 Desert Songs Continued
Part 3 Lost in the Desert
Part 4 Sunset
Tues 4 Nov. Off to Page
Part 1 Sunrise over Monument Valley
Part 2 Visual Overload
Part 3 More of a Visual Feast
Part 4 Ending the Day at Horseshoe Bend
Wed 5 Nov. Bryce Canyon National Park
Thurs 6 Nov. Zion National Park
Fri 7. Las Vegas
Sat 8 Nov. Home again
I should be catching up on others posts having been awol while my internet disappeared for days but instead I need to post my pre-trippy and get some feedback on an upcoming October trip. The title refers to the fact that after a big European holiday last year, DH said no big trips in 2014, we need to save some $ for the retirement fund, he needs to spend some rec leave on jobs around home - fair enough I thought. We planned a mini-trip to see his school friend in Tassie and agreed on a week away around May (which has since been brought forward to the start of April when PIO seduced me with a visit to the Melbourne flower and garden show and we put the trips together with some good airfares across the Tasman).
Only I got a new contract which ended up being far more hours and more stress than I wanted but more $ than anticipated; then first my Dad and then my Mum got taken very ill and now require a lot more tlc than before; we lost a good friend to cancer and two others were taken ill and are now having chemo; and various other incidents meant while car pooling to work every day rather than dwell on all the bad things going on, conversation centred around what a good time we had on holidays, and how much we enjoyed DLP and before I knew it DH says, with your new job we could probably afford a short trip overseas back to DL or WDW but just a week to ten days and NO side-trips. "Yes dear". But ......
Top of my wishlist is to see Halloween at one of the parks and visit HP at Universal, the latter even more so after having visited The Making of Harry Potter at Leavesden Studios in London last year. We both loved our first and only visit to WDW in 2008 with our DD. So having secured Air NZ fares at a price I couldn't resist (even though Virgin has almost now matched it which would have saved us that extra detour via Auckland and given me one more day-we won't go there) the plans are as as printed above.
The road trip location (its not a holiday without one-notice I sneaked one in!!) has been planned because of the weather and needing to avoid snowy roads as no car chains with rental. Now I have read up about New Mexico I half wish I had planned just to spend a week here and spend longer in all the museums in Santa Fe and ABQ plus headed out to White Sands and Carlsbad Caverns etc. Oh well - next visit!
Getting excited planning it and actually booking stuff finally! Have been very conscious of cancellation policies this time though in case it all goes bottoms up with Mum and Dad's state of health since insurance won't cover a cancellation on that basis. So far I can cancel most things or postpone with minimal rebooking fees until a week or so prior which is good. Roll on October
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