I started building a scrapbook planner to hold all the informational goodies we are going to be bringing along with us. I took some pics to share:
All of our plane whos-its and whats-its go here. I must've printed every receipt/e-mail confirmation and flight time change twice!
Our flight departs at 7:10 am, very happy about that. Not too terribly early, but not too late either. ..Eep, I'm super nervous about the flying part, I get butterflies in my tummy just thinking about it...I haven't been on a plane in over 10 years! That's okay though, DF promises to hold my hand.
We're going to bring a portable DVD player and a fun TV series. ..No, you guys. Episodes of LOST won't be on the menu of what we'll be watching. I simply refuse! ..Some madlibs to pass the time, and I know for sure I'll have my iPod with me, I must have music if I wanna keep the jitters away!
First stop is Houston. We'll have nearly a 2-hour wait before we board again. A teensy bit longer than I was hoping for, but it could be worse, right? Our last take-off is at 10:15 and it's onto our first destination (landing at 1:08): Jacksonville, FL.!
Neither of us have ever rented a car before, but after much research and consideration, we decided to go with Hertz. We found a decent (I guess?) deal on a car for a week (5th-11th) costing us 424.23 total. And from what I understand, a 200.00 deposit since we're doing the whole debit thing.
Hopefully all works out well, We'll see!
We thought it would be really fun to drive out a day ahead (4th) of our flight and stay at the fancy shmancy Hyatt Regency Hotel by DFW 'cause 1.) it's right there, we wouldn't have to rush like a couple'a crazies the next morning to get to our flight on time, and 2.) ...Have you seen the place? It's b-e-a-YOU-teeful! ...plus, 3.) The uh...Dallas Galleria isn't too terribly far. Ladies, you know what that means; Shopping!
DF's step-dad got us an amazing deal at the Courtyard by Marriott. Very exciting stuff!
Then of course, the ever so gor-juh-mous *sigh* Polynesian resort.
We found a couple ticketed things we wanted to do both on the way to the Mouse's House and while we're there. First on the list is the St. Augustine Ripley's Believe It Or Not Odditorium, how could we pass it up?? -- I was here in 2008 with my family but didn't get to see everything I wanted to. For DF it'll be his first time so I'm really curious to see what he thinks of it! =)
Our first day on property we're revolving around Islands Of Adventure. We're pretty big Potter fans so of course, we *have* to see the brand new Wizarding World. I'm most excited to explore the shops, especially the ones with all the crazy candy...like chocolate frogs, acid pops, bertie bott's every flavor beans-and I don't even like jellybeans!
We're gonna grab lunch at Three Broomsticks and I'm absolutely stoked to try the Pumpkin Juice (and possibly even sneak a chug of DF's butterbeer, it sounds fantastic)!
And then of course there's
MVMCP, we wouldn't miss it for anything!
Any and all of the most important addresses we could possibly think of.
I ended up jacking the maps from my 2010 passporter guide DF bought for me...(shhh..)
All park hours including EMH are right here! We lucked out on our World Showcase day, we'll be travelin' til midnight. =)
Now can you believe we've even planned where we'll be having breakfast at in the airport + printed out menus for it? Yes, folks.. it's that bad. ..But it's SO good at the same time!
Lunch in Dallas @ Genghis Grill. Never tried but DF's told me amazing things!
Dinner in Dallas @ Cracker Barrel. This place is too cute, plus the food is southern. You have to be insane to not love southern cooking.
Breakfast next morning @ DFW - Einstein Bros. Bagels... Super yummy muffins! I have one here at home but don't get around there too often. Had an orange cranberry muffin once and I was in love at first bite! Can't wait to try them out again! =)
We agreed after arriving in Jacksonville we should have lunch at The Cheesecake Factory. I've never been, only heard how amazingly nummy the food is..and C'mon, they have like 40 billion different types of cheesecake. How wrong can ya go? I especially have my heart set on their pumpkin pecan cheesecake...Hmm, makes me think of DF's moms'...oh my goodness it's incredible. Not so sweet that it overpowers the pumpkin, but not too pumpkin-ey that it hides the fact that it's cheesecake either. Wow, I would totally love some pumpkin cheesecake right now...Mmmm... Oh, sorry. *ahem*
Let's move on, shall we?
We're going to have dinner at the romantic
Cap's On The Water. I'm going to make DF try fried gator tail with me! Fried gator tail over candlelight and a glass of Spinetta...Can you imagine?? -- Oh, by the way, has anyone ever tried Spinetta? Is it as awesome as it sounds? You see, I'm not a big drinker but I plan to splurge on this vacay!
I found a place to have a quick and cheap breakfast the next morning; The Courtyard Cafe (served in the courtyard of the amazing Lightner Museum). It's so close to the Ripley's Believe It Or Not Odditorium so it's perfect.
Now, for a little FYI about me, I'm absolutely crazy about cupcakes and Doug knows it. He found this little cupcake bakery called Luli's so we're going to swing by and get a few...or half a dozen on our way out of St. Augustine. *sigh* I can't wait!
Once we arrive at the Poly, we plan to drop off our things and head right back out on the road. We're going to Celebration Town Center to see Now Snowing! We're going to have lunch at this cute little spot called Uppercrust Pizza. Who doesn't love pizza? C'mon!
Dining ressies! I used my favorite disney movie theme for this one. =)
If you've read the previous post, you know the yummy spots we've picked to dine. I can't wait to post loads of yumminess for you guys on the food porn thread!
And now, for my favoritest part ev-AR. We'll be doing a lot of driving around, and we both love music, so I decided to make us a few mixed CDs to bring along. ..Okay wait, I fibbed. I've started the tracklists but have yet to actually make the CDs...in fact, I plan to keep adding until the trip finally arrives. Maybe I'll post the tracklists up here when I'm done!
So yup, that's my planner. I hope you enjoy!