On The Road and Disney!

So I'm sitting in our room at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort trying to speed through this update so that I can go enjoy the BEAUTIFUL morning while Erin gets her pedicure at the spa. So it'll be a breeze through and hopefully I can flesh it out for the blog later.

The first day's drive as long but we did it. I did quite a bit of Driving in Oregon... until we hit Portland. Erin had forgotten to tell me where to turn and I ended up on one of the bridges that are HUGE and HIGH! I FREAKED OUT. We obviously survived but that was horrible. I also drove over the Shasta bridge, which was not fun either, but I did it. I conquered my fear and I will never do that again.

We made it to Bakers Field a little before 11pm and were so thankful it was a Hilton. Our Seattle hotel was just a bed and a shower, but the Hilton was Heaven after all of those hours (something like 17 hours) driving. The beds were wonderful. The room even had a microwave. It was fab. We almost wanted to stay there and forget the rest of the trip, but teh thought of Disney (and adventure) called by morning and we were out and on the road again headed for Amarillo.

The trip to Texas was uneventful but even longer than the first days drive because the GPS decided to go with the shortest DISTANCE and not shortest time. So we ended up on a few "back roads" through Arizona before hitting I-40 again. But it was all good. Arizona is brown. So it New Mexico. I did a fair amount of driving, but really Erin is the champ. Girl just GOES.

Amarillo to Baton Rouge almost did us in. We had planned a two hour stop in Fort Worth to meet up with friends and ended up staying for over five hours. Don't get us wrong we are NOT complaining. We haven't seen them in FOREVER and it was great catching up. We started off at teh Chappells house and we got to meet their two little ones who are possibly the cutest siblings EVER. Jack and Zoe were so entertaining. We also met Casey's friend Kristen while we were there. She was very shocked that we were doing the road trip ha ha!

Then we made our way to the Nichols' home. Got to spend a great amount of time with Ms Mary, Joel, Jessica and Pastor Dean. Definitely needed that visit. We stayed so long that Ms Mary and Jessica took us to dinner. HUGE THANKYOU to them for that because we were sooooo tired of the food we had been eating while in the car. We said our goodbyes ( including Ms Mary going all mom on us about calling if we get into trouble and pulling over and sleeping if we got tired. YES MA'AM!) and then it was off to Baton Rouge. We got into the hotel at 1:30am. And I had a melt down. I ended up losing my debit card (Erin, the hero, found it before we headed to Disney) and I smashed my right foot and so now I have no skin on my ankle a HUGE BRUISE and it's swollen! Not fun!

The drive to Disney was the shortest of them all but still came in at just under 10 hours. We FREAKED when we hit Disney property. So much so that when we stopped to take photos of the sign, Erin started screaming DISNEY BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! so then I joined in! We drove into the Coronado Springs, the guard at the front welcomed us home and chatted with us a bit (We love you, Gary!) and then we checked in. Now, you may remember we were worried Erin would be sleeping on the floor because we could only get a King sized bed room, but at check in I asked and got what I wished for. TWO BEDS! We are in Cabanas again. Main floor, water view, and it's a corner room which means we are quiet. We're right across from the laundry too which will be fab when I do my laundry later this week.

We ate at the Maya Grill and really it's just been perfect so far. I promise to write more. But, really, if you want to keep up with us TWITTER is the best way - http://www.twitter.com/tonichelleak as that's the best way I can keep updating without having to pay internet fees. Disney ain't cheap!

Well, I'm going to edit the photo album on facebook and then head out and enjoy the day! Love you all!

Day One: The Meet Up

Today started out early for me. I was up at four and had no way of falling back to sleep, there was just too much excitement! So I finally got up at six and putzed around for a half hour before getting ready. I felt soooo bad when I said goodbye to Yuka. No clue as to why. I actually cried when I left her. How horrible am I?

The baggage check was easy, they didn't even weigh my bag! haha! then it was a breeze through TSA and off to my gate to wait to board. I was hungry so I bravely decided to get a single hashbrown from McDonalds and a sprite. Ate that and then took the dremamine as it said to take it a half hour to an hour before the 'event'.

I was worried about the flight because there were a high number of young children (like under two years, younger) and I feared it would be a noisy flight, but shockingly it was uneventful in every possible way. I got to my seat and found that our middle seat would be empty, that is always a nice bonus! The gentleman sittin on the aisle helped me with my bag even though I didn't need it and then spent the next three hours ignoring me.

We made fantastic time, bringing a three and a half hour flight down to three hours. Apparently we had a good tailwind ha ha! The dremamine worked once I was in the air - on the ground it made me sick to my stomach, which is ironic. But I was thankful for the tummy that wasn't doing backflips!

I felt so good, in fact, that I got one of their crappy pay for meals. I got the cheese and fruit platter. It had definitely been sitting out a while. The grapes were shrivelled and very close to rotting. The Cheese was good, and the apple slices were firm. So it wasn't a total loss, but it didn't come close to filling me up. But, maybe that's a good thing.

Now I'm just waiting for Erin to get here with her mom. They're in between Spokane and Seattle right now. I'm watching an SVU marathon on TV right now but I think I'm going to log off and try to sleep to pass some time.

Might blog more tomorrow, but it's going to be a long drive so who knows. Will take pictures, I promise.

ONE WEEK!!!!

I can't find a video of disney clips set to the song, so we'll have to go with a music video by the artists!

ONE WEEK TILL ROAD TRIP! HECK YES!

Single Digits, Baby!

We have officially hit the "get excited" mark as we are down to NINE DAYS before our whirlwind adventure begins! Erin says she's already started packing, which I guess is a good thing because she is now sick as a dog. And top it off she has to work! Poor girl!

Cannot wait to blog from the road!

19 Days and Counting!

We've hit the teens! It's getting so close I can taste it, kinda, sorta, not really. Can't taste much of anything now that I have a massive head cold. I've been scrapbooking this month to pass the time, and reliving our last trip and getting excited for the next.

Erin informed me this weekend that our schedule is outdated. That I need to update it, so I will do that now before logging off of the computer to scrap some more.

Ultimate Magical Road Trip
November 7 - 24, 2010

November 07: Seattle, WA
November 08: Bakersfield, CA
November 09: Amarillo, TX
November 10: Baton Rouge, LA (with a short stop in Dallas-Fort Worth area)
November 11: Coronado Springs Resort (AKA WALT DISNEY WORLD)
November 12: Magic Kingdom
November 13: EPCOT
November 14: Disney-Hollywood Studios & Pirates Cove Mini Golf
November 15: Animal Kingdom & Disney-Hollywood Studios (Extra Magic Hours)
November 16: Magic Kingdom (Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party)
November 17: Whatever day - Mini Golf, Downtown Disney, etc.
November 18: Animal Kingdom & The Hoop-Dee-Do Revue
November 19: EPCOT
November 20: Magic Kingdom
November 21: New Orleans, LA
November 22: San Antonio, TX
November 23: Albequerque, NM
November 24: Salt Lake City, UT (Toni flies out to go home, arrives on the 25 in Anchorage, AK)

Happy now, Erin?

ONE MONTH AWAY!

Okay, technically it's not a month until tomorrow, but by this time next month I will be doing the last minute packing scramble so it counts as ONE MONTH to our most awesome road trip adventure yet!!!!!!!!!!!!! FREAKING EXCITED!

Just a Video

We hit double digits for our trip (starting November 7 when I fly down to Seattle and Erin drives over from Montana) yesterday. In 102 days we will be driving into Walt Disney World properties! Check in at CSR and then head over to AKL for dinner at Boma! YUM! Cannot wait!

Overdue for an Update!

Wow, we've been extremely bad about updating our journal. Not sure what that is about, other than we're both extremely busy working to pay for our obsessive habit of travelling. I can't speak for Erin, but I know that the only thing that keeps me in my job is the fact that I have trips that need to be paid for. I think Erin enjoys her job, though, so lucky for her.

Anyway, we have everything booked except my airfare. Still trying to find the best deal, though, and it's going to be expensive as we are starting in Seattle for the road trip and ending in Salt Lake City. It's a long story as to why - mainly I was not paying attention when I was planning out our days on the road, and so Erin's mom came to the rescue and told us to forget Seattle on our return trip and head for Utah. Thanks Patty! You are a life saver!

We have booked all of our hotel rooms for the road trip both going down to Disney and coming back. And, of course, we have the Disney trip booked and are paying it off each month. If Erin would send her check on time, it'd help a great deal, but can't complain too much I suppose as it's getting done little by little. We have a little over six months to go, and November cannot come soon enough.

Anyway. Here are our Travel Plans.

Day One: Seattle, WA
Toni flies in from Anchorage. 9:50am
Erin drives in from Deer Lodge. 9-10pm
Hotel: America's Best Value

Day Two: Bakersfield, CA
Leave Seattle by 5:30am.
Get into Bakersfield 10pm.
Hotel: Hilton Garden Inn

Day Three: Amarillo, TX
Leave Bakersfield by 6:30am
Get into Amarillo by 9:30pm
Hotel: Travel Lodge Amarillo West

Day Four: Baton Rouge, LA
Leave Amarillo by 6am
Get into Dallas Fort Worth by Noon (meeting up with Shorty and the Nichols! CAN'T WAIT!)
Leave DFW by 4pm
Get into Baton Rouge by 11pm
Hotel: Crestwood Suites

Day Five: DISNEY, BABY!!!
Leave Baton Rouge by 9:00am
Get into Lake Buena Vista by 7pm
Hotel: Coronado Springs Resort!

Then, on the way back....

Day One: New Orleans, LA
Leave Disney :( by 9:00am
Get into New Orleans by 7pm
Hotel: Prince Conti Hotel (French Quarter, Baby!)

Day Two: San Antonio, TX
Leave New Orleans by 10am
Get into San Antonio by 5:30pm
Hotel: Travel Lodge Amarillo/Riverwalk (!!!)

Day Three: Albuquerque, NM
Leave San Antonio by 9:00am
Get into Albuquerque by 8pm
Hotel: Days Inn - Midtown

Day Four: Salt Lake City
Leave Albuquerque by 6pm
Get into Salt Lake City by 4pm
Toni flies away :(


that's all the updating I can do for now!

Itinerary & Dining Plan...

here's how it's gonna look, tentative as I have yet to see the November Disney calendar, as it doesn't come out for a little while yet...

November 08 - Seattle, WA to Bakersfield, CA
November 09 - Bakersfield, CA to Amarillo, TX
November 10 - Amarillo, TX to Hattiesburg, MS (or Jacksonville, MS)
November 11 - Hattiesburg, MS (or Jacksonville, MS) to CORONADO SPRINGS RESORT!

On the road we'll be eating outta the car, Erin's gonna stock up on food stuffs at Costco before we head out.

onto the Disney itinerary (subject to a bit of changing once we get the times calendar from Disney).

November 11 - Check in around 6pm, Dinner at Maya Grill Animal Kingdom Lodge's BOMA!
November 12 - Magic Kingdom Day 1 - Breakfast Dinner @ Chef Mickey's
November 13 - Disney's Hollywood Studios - Lunch @ 50's Prime Time Cafe
November 14 - EPCOT Day 1 - Breakfast or Lunch @ Akerhaus
November 15 - Disney's Animal Kingdom - Breakfast @ Tusker House
November 16 - Magic Kingdom Day 2 - Dinner @ California Grill (During the Fireworks)
November 17 - Freebie day/Downtown Disney/Mini Golf - Lunch @ T-Rex
November 18 - EPCOT Day 2 - Dinner @ 1900 Park Fare
November 19 - Disney's Animal Kingdom & Hollywood Studios - Dinner @ The Hoop Dee Do Review
November 20 - Magic Kingdom Day 3 - Counter Service lol (no changing of park day)
November 21 - Check out in the morning and go home :'(


no itinerary for the road trip back... yet.

New Plans...

Still doing Disney, still doing Disney in November...

STILL DOING A ROAD TRIP! Just going in a different direction. Instead of me flying to Montana and going through the mid-west we are now going to drive from Seattle down I-5 down to LA then across the southern states to Disney...

Call us crazy, but we're counting down the days; ha ha!

Dates are November 8 - 24, 2010. Yes, that's right, I fly home the day before thanksgiving lol.

This should give us 10 nights and 9 days in the World. We're going to try out the Dining Plan as we want to do a couple of the "signature dining" spots and this would probably be cheapest. California Grill during Wishes, here we come! <3

So everything is back on and almost as good as planned. Can't wait to book the trip, I might just do it this weekend! ha ha!

We've hit a snag...

Come to find out our trip is not official. Erin only has a week officially off, she'd been counting on a second week. Not good. She was informed this past week that there wouldn't be a second week. Hm.

So this puts us in a situation where we will most likely have to fly down. August is still an option that way, and that also brings in November as an option.

Now, my feeling is that if we're going to fly I'd rather go down in November, becasue we would hit Disney while it was in Christmas mode. That's something I've wanted to see for quite a while.

Problem is: 2010 was supposed to be a roadtrip year. So I am somewhat bummed if this is what is going to happen.

Also big problem is if we go in November - it cramps my job option style, Erin won't get to go to Haille's birthday trip to Disneyland... and it's not a road trip lol

She's going to plead her [our] case again next week. Then we'll really has out the whole plan...


so that's where we stand at teh moment... I'm torn as to how I feel...

Yes, We're Going to Disney Again...

After a lot of back and forth, Erin decided about a month ago that Disney would be more fun than Canada. As much as we were both excited for it, she was being pulled towards the world's largest People Trap. So, three days of Toni being stuck in bed with a back/neck issue calculating expenses later: we find that it'd probably run a thousand dollars cheaper than the canadian road trip. Canada is expensive!

But we had a dilema! One of the main reasons we were doing the Canadian trip was for the road trip aspect of it! So, we thought, why not just drive down to Disney World! It shouldn't take THAT long, right? And if you think about it, gas is a heck of a lot cheaper for a car than two seats on an airplane. So I'll be flying down to Montana and we'll take off from there.

Basically, we're doing the same weeks/amount of time that Canada was going to be. Which, after figuring travel time to and from Florida, gives us twelve FULL days in the parks. We're going to stay (at this point in our planning anyway) at teh Coronado Springs Resort this time - for the FULL time - and with the average heat being what it is in August we will definitely be spending quite a bit of time there at the pool/in the rooms. Which I don't have a problem with. Naps are great.

So, yes, this will make three Disney trips in three years back to back to back. Disney 2009, Disney 2010, and then Disney[land] 2011. I am not worried of Disney burnout, but we are talking of changing it up for 2012! we have to, addiction is not good... right? ha ha!

So on that note I will close out this entry. Three entries in the span of 24 hours... I'm not excited at all, am I? ha ha!



Hope you like our layout... it was a pain to put together, but we got it up!

Disney Dreamin'

Had my first travel nightmare last night, it's actually why I'm up so stupidly early here in my room. Blah.

It basically started out with Erin and I driving up to the Coronado Springs Resort (so I assume this was, in fact, a dream about our road trip next summer) and unloading. For whatever reason I let Erin take my luggage and her luggage and she went and checked in while I guess I had a valet take her car away ?? Who knows why my brain had it that way. As I'm standing on the curb (why didn't I go in?) I noticed others also arriving and wheeling to their rooms and what not. My brain identified one as DisneyDiana from Passporters (whom I've never met lol) but she really looked like one of my coworkers! Go figure!

Anyway while I'm waiting for Erin to return with our room assignment I realize - I don't have my purse or my camera or laptop... they're back in ALASKA! All I have is a suitcase with clothes. Now, if we were really on the road trip I KNOW I would have figured that out well BEFORE we got to Disney (if I didn't have my purse I wouldn't have gotten on the plane because I wouldn't have an ID! lol), but apparently my brain wasn't thinking clearly [bad pun!].

So I start freaking out and then Erin comes back and says we'll just call my parents and they'll have to FedEx my stuff down. Um, okay, I don't live with my parents how the heck are they going to get my stuff and ship it down? Shouldn't Judy and Gaylord do that?? Then off we went to our room. We were in the Cabanas again, just a different "Cabana" lol... everything was pretty much the way I remembered it (I would hope so)... and then I woke up because I was still freaking that I didn't have my stuff.

*facepalm* is it August yet?

-Toni