Need help with suprise for my hubby! - Page 2 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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Okay, here is the race I made for my husband. It is a long post but I have put the clue exactly as I wrote it and a little explanation with each clue.
1. "It’s finally here, the long-awaited race! It’s time to get yourself ready for a day of puzzles, racing and rides! Once you are ready to head out you will receive your first clue." -- I gave him this clue right after we woke up that morning. So we got ready to go and then...
2. "Use the enclosed puzzle pieces to determine your first task of the day. You must solve the entire puzzle and then make your way to the location in the image. Ride the pictured attraction to receive your next clue." -- I made a puzzle using a blank, pre-cut puzzle card I bought at a craft store and glued a picture to the front. The picture was of the outside of Pirates. Then...
3. "Who knew there were mountains down here in Central Florida? That’s right, and some of those mountains are located right here in the Magic Kingdom. Ride all of the mountains in the Magic Kingdom to receive your next clue." -- This was called a Roadblock (its from the TV show). So, we rode Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain & Space Mountain. Fortunately, the parks weren't terribly busy so we got right on all them. Then...
4. "The key to your next task is solving the enclosed word search puzzle. First locate and mark all of the listed words in the puzzle grid. Then use the extra, unused letters to spell out your next task. Complete the task to receive your next clue." -- I found a website that creates word searches for free, you just put in how big to make the puzzle and what words you want. The puzzle I created used the leftover letters to spell something else so I had them spell out "Ride the Haunted Mansion". So off we were, then...
5. "Do you know the difference between a merry-go-round and a carousel? Well, a merry-go-round has a mixture of moving and stationary horses while a carousel, like Cinderella’s Golden Carousel located here in the Magic Kingdom, has moving horses only. Determine the exact number of horses on the Carousel to receive your next clue." -- This didn't work because I didn't do my homework and it was closed for refurbishment. So he lucked out of figuring this out. So we decided to go see Mickey's PhilharMagic instead because it is one of our favorites and it is right next to the Carousel. So we saw the show and then...
6. "You must be getting a little tired and hungry from all of this racing. Well let’s relax for a bit and grab some lunch. Go have lunch with Ray to receive your next clue." -- We ate lunch at Cosmic Ray's, then...
7. This was the Detour (also from the TV show) which is a choice between 2 different tasks. It was called: "Relax Awhile or Run a Mile"
"Relax Awhile: Drive over to Epcot and watch a showing of the American Adventure. Once the show is over you will receive your next clue."
"Run a Mile: Drive over to Epcot and complete the following list of tasks in the park. Once you have completed each task you will receive your next clue. Tasks: Ride Living with the Land, Buy a box of popcorn, Drink four kinds of Coke, Swap a pin with a Cast Member, Ride Journey into Imagination." He chose Run a Mile, so we did all the tasks listed and then...
8. "Getting a little thirsty? I know it’s hard for you to resist a good beer when in Epcot. Well, since this race is a gift to you, you should benefit from it and enjoy it fully. So, choose any country from the World Showcase and have a beer. Finish your beer you to receive your next clue." So, he had a beer from Canada and we were able to watch Off Kilter while he drank his beer, then...
9. "Make your way back to the hotel room to get ready for dinner. Once you have finished getting ready you will receive your next (and final) clue." We went back to the room and changed and relaxed a little while. Then...
10. "Well, you started the day with a puzzle so it’s only fitting that you end the day with a puzzle. You know the deal – put the puzzle pieces together to determine the location of the pit stop. Reach the pit stop to receive your reward – dinner!" I had another puzzle like with the Pirates clue but instead of a picture I wrote the restaurant name out and decorated around it. The restaurant was Jiko, one of the places we've never been that he's wanted to go to the most.
Oh yeah, that is why I posted it, use any part of it that you'd like. And post about it after so we can hear about your special day and "borrow" your ideas in the future!!
One piece of advice, if you seal the clues in envelopes, make sure you keep track of which and which and number them in order before sealing. That made it very easy to just grab the next one when it was time. I also had a separate sheet that listed a shortened version of each clue that I kept with me and it also listed the answers to the wordsearch and the carousel question so I didn't have to memorize everything. And I made sure to have a pen/pencil, a pin for trading (since that was part of one of the tasks) and money for lunch and popcorn.
Its my DH's turn to do one for me, I don't know when it will happen but when it does, I'll post that too.
Just wanted to post that sounds like GREAT fun!!. What a wonderful idea!! We live too far from Disney to spend an entire day hopping around, but I might modify the short one for our anniversary evening during EMH at Epcot this fall.
One question: How did you determine how long the tasks were going to take? We'd start at DHS around 6 and need to be in Epcot for anniversary dinner reservations @ 7:15 (which he is aware of). Obviously it could run throughout EMH at Epcot. I am sketching out an idea now, but the timing is throwing me off.
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Last edited by Courtney892; 05-28-2008 at 12:46 AM..
wow it came out great. I would appreciate if you could tell me the web site you use for the world search puzzle? I think I might make one for my DH or mys sis and her bf...
The timing was hard, probably the hardest thing to plan for. I just made sure I gave extra time for everything. I took into account the times we'd be at certain places, like the first few rides of the day I figured would be quick since we got to the park right when it opened so lines wouldn't be too long. But I also figured it would be better to allow extra time than to run out of time. At a couple points during the day I knew we were ahead of schedule so I let my DH know and we did a couple extra rides or stopped and had an ice cream just so we weren't done too early.
There are a bunch of different puzzles to choose from. It took me a while to get the right amount of words and the right size puzzle in order to have the right number of leftover letters but it was fun to make and play around with. Its also nice because it automatically checks to make sure offensive words weren't created since the letter placement is random.
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the kids and I in Cayo Coco, Cuba. March 2011
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