Blog.TheUltimateFieldTrip.Com
Subscribe for UFT flashbacks and to read the latest news about our 2010 trip.
We've been making Disney Dreams come true for Homeschool Families since 2005!
Blog.TheUltimateFieldTrip.Com
Subscribe for UFT flashbacks and to read the latest news about our 2010 trip.
We've been making Disney Dreams come true for Homeschool Families since 2005!
Why I Love UFT
The Ultimate Field Trip grabbed my attention from the moment it appeared in my in-box April of 2006. We had about 2 weeks to figure out if the FREE Dining offer and low price was an e-mail scam or not & register! After a few inquiring calls i was super excited and convinced Carol Beth was an awesome person! One thing that appealed to me was meeting other home schooling families from across the United States. I thought wouldn't it be cool for our family to become e-mail pals? sorta like the Pen Pals i had as a kid - anyone remember "Send it to Zoom"? I joined the Yahoo group and so did my daughter, our middle son was a little too cool for that. ( he was 17 after all) We chatted a bit and the excitement began to build.
The kids were encouraged to bring something to trade with each other during the meets and we could also decorate our windows if we wanted. I agonized over this! I finally came up with an idea and now I HAVE to decorate our windows, and those traveling with me every year!
The first night we could wear our UFT shirts or the color red and met by the Monorails outside of Magic Kingdom for group photos. We all hopped onto the monorails and went off to our dining reservations for the evening. Our 1st dining experience was 1900 Park Fare at The Grand Floridian!
WOW we had never dined like this before! David laid out on one of the fancy smancy couches after dinner - Cinderella and Prince Charming were highlights for Stephanie but the awesome buffet totally captured his attention!
We continued to meet more UFT families throughout the week during the different group meets and dining experiences. Everything about UFT was optional and I really liked that - this way if were were tuckered out or in the middle of a magical moment all our own we didn't have to feel pressured to attend. A funny thing happened along the way though - we REALLY wanted to make every meet! When we found ourselves waiting in the bus line or for an attraction we almost always recognized another family from The Ultimate Field Trip.
When our magical trip came to an end I really did not expect to return to Disney for quite some time. Even when Carol Beth asked me to consider being a Host for 2007 I said no.
THEN - it happened. My Sister got a-hold of this and came up with an idea - a Princess Trip idea. Our husbands were not able to travel with us this year both due to work issues and voila a princess trip was born! Next thing you know I'm calling Carol Beth back, yes would you give us a quote, uh......sure I'll host for 2007 too and well you could say the rest is history!
Now, I'm a 3D Travel Agent and I still love The Ultimate Field Trip it's my favorite field trip ever! I truly enjoy meeting all the new families and seeing how the families are growing. I've been returning every year since our first trip in 2006. I am excited to be taking a more active role in the planning of UFT this year and looking forward to being on property with my husband and daughter during UFT 2010. I can't wait to see familiar faces and meet new friends as well.
My daughter has been working alongside me and is a 3D Jr. Agent. She also shares my love for UFT and sprinkles her own type of Magic wherever she goes.
I can't wait to see you at The Ultimate Field Trip 2010!
Charlene Hanyzewski
Don't Forget to say Please and Thank You!
UFT Thank You cards front 
UFT Thank You Card back
Since beginning The Ultimate Field Trip in 2005, we've strived to make our legacy bless those who help make our trip so magical, the cast members. Back then I read an article written by the owner of the Disboards and Dreams Unlimited travel agency. Despite being "out" he wrote an article condemning behavior at Gaydays and why he chose not to align himself with it. Without going into that muck and mire, not to mention the political controversy surrounding it, I was left with solid inspiration to never be "that" group of homeschoolers. I wanted to make sure everyone who saw our group in the parks, in our resorts, as a group or apart, as a blessing. How could we do that when others are blessing us so immensely every time we turn around? After researching a bit, I found a site that produced Thank You cards for Cast Members. I took that idea and ran with it (and now they are many places, which is great!)
The stories of how cast members have been blessed by so many of those attending have varied from sweetly touching to profoundly life changing. I'd like to share it with one of my favorite pictures of my kids with Dexter, who was busy sweeping the street at Downtown Disney - a thankless job, at best. But look what happens when someone thanks him with a sweet little card.
How to Make your own beautiful Cast Member Thank You Cards for UFT 2010 - after you have right clicked on each one and selected save as, then downloaded it to your computer.
1. For the Back of the Thank You Cards open the downloaded .doc file in Microsoft Word 2003 or later. Earlier versions of Word MAY work, but could have formatting issues. Microsoft Works or Wordpad will NOT work correctly.
2. Now you can edit your own Family information for each card. When you click on the Family Information you wish to change a selection box will surround the text. Highlight the text you wish to change and then enter the desired text. Text may be rotated 90 degrees, but sould still edit as expected.
3. For the front of the Thank You Cards open the downloaded .pdf file with adobe acrobat.
4. After you have edited the family on all 10 cards, remember to save your changes! Load standard 10 card per sheet business card stock and print.
Free Dining Watch 2010
That’s right! It’s time for FREE DINING WATCH 2010!
Will there be a Free Disney Dining Plan offered this year?
To be among the first to know, email us at freedining@3DTravelCompany.com (the home company for The Ultiamte Field Trip) “ADD ME” in the subject line. As soon as the team at 3D Travel Company finds out whether the discount for the fall is FREE Disney dining or something else (maybe equally good? We’ll crunch the numbers and let you know!) we will blast that information to you!
If you want to make ABSOLUTELY SURE that you get in on the best discount Disney offers for the fall, go ahead and submit your quote and we can hold a space for you today!
How to book? When to book? Where to book? How to get the best price on your Disney trip!
If you just want to get to the nitty gritty of how to do The Ultimate Field Trip, just skip the wordy part at the beginning and start at the bold titles below.
When we started this fun, we only had a few families going. Then we hit 300, 400, 700 and more! I'm not sure if you've heard, but the economy has hit everyone really hard. Last year we dropped down to between 400 and 500 traveling in September during Disney's Free Dining Promotion. Around 100 of those partiicipated in our events onsite. I was actually astounded that so many families were still able to make the trip. 3D Travel Company actually grew last year in our sales, all from word of mouth. I'm thinking that, if people are going to go, they defnitely want the TLC we give them. But, with homeschool families most often being homeschool families and very often having more kids to tote around with them, I know that financial considerations are always going to have to be the frontrunning thoughts for The Ultimate Field Trip to Walt Disney World.
Now we're looking ahead to 2010 and looking at what will be part of this year's trip. For the first time ever, I'm giving over some of the control to another person on our team - Charlene Hanyzewski. Why would I do this? Well, while my family has been blessed to continue to have our income unchanged over the last two years (and believe you me, we're grateful!) we've also been hit rather hard with celiac disease in our family. Between medical bills and ongoing food costs that have skyrocketed for us, we're counting our pennies in a whole new way! I am so grateful that Charlene and her family have taken on the responsibility of being onsite for the entire Ultimate Field Trip this year. Will I still make an appearance? Absolutely! Will my whole family be able to come for the entire time? I'm just not sure! All this thinking about money got me to thinking about all of you and what you are concerned about. Namely, not only How, When and Where to book the Ultimate Field Trip this year, but also how to get the best deal! So, here goes, straight from the horses mouth.
HOW do I book The Utimate Field Trip?
Visit our website and submit a quote. NO MATTER what you put on your quote form, we're going to give you the lowest possible price for your family to go. We get a lot of people who tell us they'd like a platinum or premim package, but we rarely book it. We understand that you don't spend hours researching these things or you'd know that's hugely expensie and, hey! That's why you have us! What is most important to include on your quote form? The names and ages of your family and the dates you plan to spend at Walt Disney World. We can go from there!
WHEN should I book our trip?
You should always book your trip as soon as possible. When you book your trip, it's the same as having hired an advocate for your vacation. There are other groups who put together Disney group trips for homeschool families, but what makes us different is our relationship with Disney. We work with them every day. Once you have your $200 per room deposit (fully refundable until 45 days before you travel) then we consider ourselves on the job. We're looking our for your best interests, including doing everything to lower your bottom line.
WHERE should I stay onsite to get the best price?
Disney Value Resorts! They hold four to a room plus one 0-2 year old. Are you a family of 5, age 3 & above? You can get the best deal at Disney's Port Orleans resort. Of course, we're going to tell you that again when you submit a quote.
What about staying offsite? Isn't that a better deal?
It isn't a better deal to stay offsite. Staying onsite for the past 5 UFT's has been incredibly amazing, as we all received the Disney Dining Plan for free. We can't guarantee that for 2010, but it would be downright shocking if we don't get a great discount. I had lunch with Randy Garfield, president of Walt Disney Travel Company, this January and I feel very hopeful that we'll get something grand offered to us after hearing his projections for this year.
Beyond the discounts we're hoping for are the financial benefit you receive with any package where you stay onsite.
- When you stay onsite you receive Disney's Magical Express - transportation to and from Orlando International Airport (MCO) This eliminates the need to pay for transfers or to get a car rental.
- When you stay onsite you receive parking for free at all the theme parks. At $14 a day, that really adds up.
Finally, a consideration that often gets overlooked when you're looking for the best deal for Walt Disney World - your time. If you're spending all this money to visit Walt Disney World, do you really want to spend all your time commuting back and forth from your offsite resort? If you take a $2000 6 night vacation, for example (I'm not quoting you a price, just making it easy to understand my point!) then you're spending $333 a day for your Disney fun. Let's say you're in the parks from open (9 am typically in September) all the way through 9 that night - 12 hours. That's $28 an hour. Do you want even one hour of that precious time spent sitting on International Drive every day? There is the additional consideration that by staying offsite you don't get to take part in extra magic hours. Only a crazy person would start their day an hour early - 8 am - and end it at midnight every day. But, I can tell you those extra magic hours made us able to give ourselves permission to leave the hot of the day and swim in our pool, take a much needed nap and enjoy the parks at night as a family. In other words, you can make or break your vacation by your accommodation choice. And, that's the truth!
For any questions you have, feel free to contact your 3D/UFT Travel Agent or you can email me at
CarolBeth@TheUltimateFieldTrip.com
Disney Cruise Line will be a part of our future!
You see, as a homeschool mom I know that peer groups aren't all they're cracked up to be. But just like every homeschool parent, I deal with the fact that the world thinks peer groups are the only way to group children for activities. All homeschool parents must automatically adjust when we take our children to sports, dance, church and the like. I won't go into how that's not the way life is the instant the children graduate from high school, and never will be again. I won't even tell you what a disservice I think it is when children are so immersed in peer groups they can't meet an adult's eye and shake hands or offer a greeting in a personable way, but I will tell you that Disney seems to be understanding a little better! This adds an element of appeal to my family, and I hope yours.
What is this wonderful thing that Disney is doing? Disney Cruise Line is the first cruise line to institute programming where children are able to join in something based on their interest, not on their age! Imagine that! Programs designed to delight children according to interest. Programs where siblings who are used to being side by side in life and learning can be side by side in play and learning. The secure systems will still be the same, where you check your child in and out with counselors aboard. The hours will be the same, with programs available from 9:00 in the morning all the way until 11:00 at night. Much of the programming will be the same tried and true kid favorites, but there will also be additional new fun to partake in, based on individual interests you or your child might have. You, mom and dad? Yes, you! My favorite (though unadvertised) part of Disney Cruise Line programming in the past has been that we parents can also join our children in the various kid areas aboard ship and take part with them in the superior Disney children's programming. I'm here to tell you, I have done it and I can make some mean flubber! Okay, the kids can and I can take pictures. But, it's still so much fun! You can see Noah and Hannah below, enjoying their latest round of flubber making aboard the Disney Wonder. And, yes! This does mean that we intend to add a cruise to The Ultimate Field Trip in the future. And I, for one, can not wait! I love having opportunities to share fun with my children, just like Walt Disney intended when he built his first park. Our fun turns into memories that last us for a lifetime!
The Ultimate Field Trip...In The Beginning
While the abuse ended in March of 2003, I don't think our family really laughed together for a year, not really. That's saying something, because we normally laugh a lot. We laugh at ourselves and at the craziness of life. We laugh at the upside down, topsy-turviness that happens when we attempt to make plans. We laugh because it's how we can get through the pain of growing as a family, as people, and as believers in Christ.
But we stopped laughing. For a very long time.
Then, after much planning and a little bit of hope, we took our family for an 8 day trip to Walt Disney World in September of 2004. And the one of us who hurt worst of all, our son Joshua, cried.
He cried because he couldn't seem to make himself brave enough to ride the "babiest" of rides. We skipped Peter Pan and Winnie the Pooh. We bypassed anything in the dark. We still had a wonderful time at the shows and parades, with characters and dining. But something was missing for Joshua.
Joshua worked himself up on the last day we were there. And he decided to go on the little roller coaster in The Magic Kingdom, Goofy's Barnstormer. Look what happened next!
Come on, Daddy. I mean it! I'm ready.
He's laughing with his daddy. Can you see that?
How is this for pure joy?
This is how The Ultimate Field Trip and 3D Travel Company began. With laughter and healing, magic and new beginnings. None of us will ever forget how it began. The joy we felt had to be shared and we have been blessed to now share it with thousands of other families. And it all started with Joshua's laughter and our healing.
Join us for the rest of the journey as we post here on http://blog.theultimatefieldtrip.com It's all pretty great.
