First Timers Took on the World! *COMPLETED 12/16*

ddstratton · 11-05-2008

We're back from our trip, and it's time to start the Trip Report!

First off, let's go over the Cast of Characters:

DH - 38 (turning 39 on our trip). Never been to Disney World. Not over-the-top thrilled about going, either. He's pretty easy-going on our vacations. Most likely will not ride many rides. He just likes to go along. I wonder how many he ended up going on???

Me - 36 (turning 37 on our trip). Never been to Disney World either. Definitely an obsessive planner type. But I don't get upset if each little thing doesn't go as planned. I just love the fun of planning. I plan on going on as many rides as I can. How about me? How many did I end up going on?

DD - 9. She's never been to Disney World. Is very excited to be going. Her main goal in going to Disney World is to meet Pluto. She says she'll go on all the rides with me, but will likely change her mind on a few of them... What do you think? Did she go on them, or back out?

DMom - 58. Never been to Disney World. My mom. VERY excited to be going. She WILL ride all of the rides with me. So, did she?

I'll post the next segment immediately. That installment will cover the beginning of our drive to Florida from New York.

mrsksomeday · 11-05-2008

YAY woohoo, I can't wait to read this one popcorn.

ddstratton · 11-05-2008

Our first official day of vacation!!! I woke up just after 5:30 in the morning. I took care of a few last-minute things, got a shower and finished packing up the van. At around 6:30, we called Mom and told her to come on down. She lives about five or six miles from us. She arrived (driven by my brother) and we packed her bags into the van. We left at 7:18 am. The trip meter read 45. I set it back when I filled the gas tank a couple of days before. It was 25 degrees when we left.

Just before the Coopers-Curtis bridge (about 20 miles down the highway), we passed an accident. A rig had overturned, right off the road, upside down, taking out the guardrail.

Notice the ice on the windshield still?

We stopped at the McDonald’s just past Williamsport, PA, at 8:51 am. DH got a large chocolate milkshake and we got 2 hashbrowns for DD. Total cost was $4.23. We left here at 8:59 am.

We stopped at a Rest Area at 10:55 am, and left at 11:03.

DD kept up her tradition of finding water fountains.

We stopped at IHOP in Hagerstown, MD, at 11:46.

Mom had the Combo (2 eggs, 2 pieces of sausage, hash browns & pancakes), DH had the Colorodo omelet with hashbrowns, DD had the chicken strips with apple slices, and I had the bacon temptation omelet with pancakes. Total here was $38.71. I don't have any pictures of the food. Even though I had meant to, I just never seemed to get pictures of our food... I always thought about it too late.

DH was apparently a wee bit bored while waiting for our food. He created a tower of coffee creamers. Then tried to hide it from me.

We left IHOP at 12:41. We stopped for gas at the 7-11 in Hagerstown. $41.00 for 14.699 gallons. $2.78/gallon.

As we were leaving Hagerstown, MD, it was 58 degrees.

We stopped at a rest area at 2:27. $1.75 for a pepsi for DH, and $1.25 for a bag of Doritos for DD. We left the rest area at 2:42 pm.

Notice the water fountain theme still?

At this rest area, we picked up some of the hotel discount books. We found a coupon for the Holiday Inn Express in Emporia, VA.

They had an indoor pool! We stopped in here (it was before our reserved hotel), and they had a room! Total cost for the room was $79.09.

I canceled the reservation for the Econo Lodge online.

This was really a very nice room. It was clean and the beds were very comfy.

We drove to the Cracker Barrel for supper.

Mom just loved the fact that they had the fireplace going.

Mom just had the house salad, DD had chicken strips and mashed potatoes, DH had a huge bacon cheeseburger and corn, and I had chicken strips, corn and mac & cheese. They brought some cornbread muffins and biscuits. Besides the meal, I bought a dot-to-dot book for DD and a big pen. Total here was $36.23. I used a $25 gift card I had earned through MyPoints.

We stopped at the gas station for some milk. One quart of milk cost us $3.19!!! Yikes!

After returning to the room, we went to the pool. The pool was very warm, but the hot tub was cold! We swam for a while. The pool was very chlorinated. I don't have any pictures of the pool, as my underwater camera took some really lousy pictures.

After swimming, I took our suits and towels to dry. The dryer cost $2.00, and didn’t do a great job of drying. But at least they weren’t dripping any more. I spent $1.00 on an orange soda.

While I was drying the clothes, DH gave DD a bath. Mom was already dozing when I got back from the laundry. I caught up my notes, reheated my left over chicken strips and relaxed before bed.

And that's it for Day 1 of our 14 day trip. I know, there are a lot of silly details here, but that's what I took notes on. I like the little trivia stuff, like how much time we spent at rest areas, and what we spent for meals. More of my obsessive-planning-type personality coming out. :D

mrsksomeday · 11-05-2008

They are not "silly details" at all. Great start!! I can't wait to read more!!popcorn

retiredkid · 11-05-2008

I love reading the details....makes a TR interesting
more, please

scott-loves-disney · 11-05-2008

this shoudl be fun. can't wait to hear more.

that hotel room was really nice.

I will raise your reputation by 1 for starting your tr. rotf

I have no idea what it is but it came witht he boards.

Shoe · 11-05-2008

I'm here.
Love Cracker Barrel.
One of my favorites.mickey b

geminiangel · 11-05-2008

:D I've been waiting for this report!!! Followed your Ptr and love your writing style.

lifelong_dreamer · 11-05-2008

Reading along :)

ddstratton · 11-06-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrsksomeday

They are not "silly details" at all. Great start!! I can't wait to read more!!popcorn

Thank you! More to come soon.

Quote:

Originally Posted by retiredkid

I love reading the details....makes a TR interesting
more, please

Thanks! More will follow soon.

Quote:

Originally Posted by scott-loves-disney

this shoudl be fun. can't wait to hear more.

that hotel room was really nice.

I will raise your reputation by 1 for starting your tr. rotf

I have no idea what it is but it came witht he boards.

I've no idea what it is, either! But thanks! The room really was quite nice. The price for this room was about $20 more than the Econo Lodge I had reserved. The room was nicer (I'm sure), there was an indoor pool, and the breakfast was much nicer.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shoe

I'm here.
Love Cracker Barrel.
One of my favorites.mickey b

Thanks. We love Cracker Barrel, too.

Quote:

Originally Posted by geminiangel

:D I've been waiting for this report!!! Followed your Ptr and love your writing style.

Thank you very much!

Quote:

Originally Posted by lifelong_dreamer

Reading along :)

Thanks for reading!

11-05-2008	#1 (permalink)
ddstratton I've been playing again. Big surprise, huh? Moderator Info Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Bath, NY Posts: 924	First Timers Took on the World! COMPLETED 12/16 We're back from our trip, and it's time to start the Trip Report! First off, let's go over the Cast of Characters: DH - 38 (turning 39 on our trip). Never been to Disney World. Not over-the-top thrilled about going, either. He's pretty easy-going on our vacations. Most likely will not ride many rides. He just likes to go along. I wonder how many he ended up going on??? Me - 36 (turning 37 on our trip). Never been to Disney World either. Definitely an obsessive planner type. But I don't get upset if each little thing doesn't go as planned. I just love the fun of planning. I plan on going on as many rides as I can. How about me? How many did I end up going on? DD - 9. She's never been to Disney World. Is very excited to be going. Her main goal in going to Disney World is to meet Pluto. She says she'll go on all the rides with me, but will likely change her mind on a few of them... What do you think? Did she go on them, or back out? DMom - 58. Never been to Disney World. My mom. VERY excited to be going. She WILL ride all of the rides with me. So, did she? I'll post the next segment immediately. That installment will cover the beginning of our drive to Florida from New York. __________________ Darla Mom's Going Back - May '10 Pre-trip First Timers Took on the World - October '08 Last edited by ddstratton; 12-16-2008 at 08:53 PM.. Reason: Updated

11-05-2008	#2 (permalink)
mrsksomeday I have just met you and I love you Administrator Info Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Southern Illinois Posts: 1,712 Awards Showcase Total Awards: 2	YAY woohoo, I can't wait to read this one popcorn. __________________ . . What a plan! Simple, yet insane. (May, Oct. & Dec. 2010 PTR) Does this mean we aren't going to the Mountains? 11/09 trip report

11-05-2008	#3 (permalink)
ddstratton I've been playing again. Big surprise, huh? Moderator Info Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Bath, NY Posts: 924	Day One - October 20th Our first official day of vacation!!! I woke up just after 5:30 in the morning. I took care of a few last-minute things, got a shower and finished packing up the van. At around 6:30, we called Mom and told her to come on down. She lives about five or six miles from us. She arrived (driven by my brother) and we packed her bags into the van. We left at 7:18 am. The trip meter read 45. I set it back when I filled the gas tank a couple of days before. It was 25 degrees when we left. Just before the Coopers-Curtis bridge (about 20 miles down the highway), we passed an accident. A rig had overturned, right off the road, upside down, taking out the guardrail. Notice the ice on the windshield still? We stopped at the McDonald’s just past Williamsport, PA, at 8:51 am. DH got a large chocolate milkshake and we got 2 hashbrowns for DD. Total cost was $4.23. We left here at 8:59 am. We stopped at a Rest Area at 10:55 am, and left at 11:03. DD kept up her tradition of finding water fountains. We stopped at IHOP in Hagerstown, MD, at 11:46. Mom had the Combo (2 eggs, 2 pieces of sausage, hash browns & pancakes), DH had the Colorodo omelet with hashbrowns, DD had the chicken strips with apple slices, and I had the bacon temptation omelet with pancakes. Total here was $38.71. I don't have any pictures of the food. Even though I had meant to, I just never seemed to get pictures of our food... I always thought about it too late. DH was apparently a wee bit bored while waiting for our food. He created a tower of coffee creamers. Then tried to hide it from me. We left IHOP at 12:41. We stopped for gas at the 7-11 in Hagerstown. $41.00 for 14.699 gallons. $2.78/gallon. As we were leaving Hagerstown, MD, it was 58 degrees. We stopped at a rest area at 2:27. $1.75 for a pepsi for DH, and $1.25 for a bag of Doritos for DD. We left the rest area at 2:42 pm. Notice the water fountain theme still? At this rest area, we picked up some of the hotel discount books. We found a coupon for the Holiday Inn Express in Emporia, VA. They had an indoor pool! We stopped in here (it was before our reserved hotel), and they had a room! Total cost for the room was $79.09. I canceled the reservation for the Econo Lodge online. This was really a very nice room. It was clean and the beds were very comfy. We drove to the Cracker Barrel for supper. Mom just loved the fact that they had the fireplace going. Mom just had the house salad, DD had chicken strips and mashed potatoes, DH had a huge bacon cheeseburger and corn, and I had chicken strips, corn and mac & cheese. They brought some cornbread muffins and biscuits. Besides the meal, I bought a dot-to-dot book for DD and a big pen. Total here was $36.23. I used a $25 gift card I had earned through MyPoints. We stopped at the gas station for some milk. One quart of milk cost us $3.19!!! Yikes! After returning to the room, we went to the pool. The pool was very warm, but the hot tub was cold! We swam for a while. The pool was very chlorinated. I don't have any pictures of the pool, as my underwater camera took some really lousy pictures. After swimming, I took our suits and towels to dry. The dryer cost $2.00, and didn’t do a great job of drying. But at least they weren’t dripping any more. I spent $1.00 on an orange soda. While I was drying the clothes, DH gave DD a bath. Mom was already dozing when I got back from the laundry. I caught up my notes, reheated my left over chicken strips and relaxed before bed. And that's it for Day 1 of our 14 day trip. I know, there are a lot of silly details here, but that's what I took notes on. I like the little trivia stuff, like how much time we spent at rest areas, and what we spent for meals. More of my obsessive-planning-type personality coming out. :D __________________ Darla Mom's Going Back - May '10 Pre-trip First Timers Took on the World - October '08

11-05-2008	#4 (permalink)
mrsksomeday I have just met you and I love you Administrator Info Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Southern Illinois Posts: 1,712 Awards Showcase Total Awards: 2	They are not "silly details" at all. Great start!! I can't wait to read more!!popcorn __________________ . . What a plan! Simple, yet insane. (May, Oct. & Dec. 2010 PTR) Does this mean we aren't going to the Mountains? 11/09 trip report

11-05-2008	#5 (permalink)
retiredkid Pluto Info Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Toronto Ontario Posts: 1,044 Awards Showcase Total Awards: 2	I love reading the details....makes a TR interesting more, please __________________ CATHY Read my Report ----> Bucket list trip to Alaska

11-05-2008	#6 (permalink)
scott-loves-disney If I say big girl panties I will be looking for a new place to live Administrator Info Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: New York City Posts: 7,205 Awards Showcase Total Awards: 9	this shoudl be fun. can't wait to hear more. that hotel room was really nice. I will raise your reputation by 1 for starting your tr. rotf I have no idea what it is but it came witht he boards. __________________ Scott,

11-05-2008	#7 (permalink)
Shoe Nemo Info Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: GA Posts: 100	I'm here. Love Cracker Barrel. One of my favorites.mickey b __________________ CLICK BELOW FOR PUNYS NOT SO PUNY ADVENTURE Index On First Page To Help You Navigate http://wdwenchanted.com/completed-trip-reports/7-punys-not-so-puny-adventure-world-post45.html#post45

11-05-2008	#8 (permalink)
geminiangel Pluto Info Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Las vegas Posts: 922	:D I've been waiting for this report!!! Followed your Ptr and love your writing style. __________________ Apr 2007-POR 6 nts, Feb 2009-OKW 7 nts Alopecia, A World Without Hair

11-05-2008	#9 (permalink)
lifelong_dreamer Pluto Info Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Ontario Posts: 1,185 Awards Showcase Total Awards: 7	Reading along :)

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