CAN'T A GIRL GET SOME READERS? Pic Heavy PTR: 2 DAYS TILL WE LEAVE!!! Update (9/9) [Archive] - The DIS Discussion Forums

PrncessA

08-09-2009, 07:49 AM

Woooohooo!! We're going to Disney World!!!!! Can you believe it? I can't! Not until next week when I book and pay for it. Then my teddy bear of a hubby can't change his mind! This trip has been put off MANY times so I am in shock!!

This is my first pre-trip report and my first trip to Disney World! Sorry I can't stop saying it!! We're going to Disney World!!! I bring it up in nearly every conversation I have. "Yes I would love a refill, by the way we're going to Disney World!" "Yes I faxed all the paperwork this morning boss, don't forget I'm going to Disney World." I am pretty sure my DH is already tired of the words, but I keep reminding him that if we had made the plans months ahead then it would have been ALOT more. LOL

Needless to say I am excited!!!!!!! The kiddos don't know yet, and we aren't sure if we are going to tell them. DD(2) wouldn't really understand. DS(4) might but since he has never been he wouldn't really understand the excitement. I think little surprises at a time might be best. We're going on a plane, the resort, the pool and Disney World. Have I mentioned we're going to Disney World?!?!?

First let me introduce you to our little cast o' characters....

Meet: Me aka Mommy aka Sara. I am 26 and I love Disney!!! Always have always will! I run the child care at a health club so Disney is always on in one form or another. Give me old Disney movies or shows and I will happily sit and watch them for hours. When I was little I would sneak out of bed at night and turn on the Disney Channel and watch black and white reruns of MMC. Give me NEARLY any Disney Movie and I am hooked. I love me some Princess Aurora, Belle, Buzz and Mickey Mouse!!

I have never been to Disney World or on a plane so this is an adventure as well as a lifetime dream! Closest I have ever come is taking DS to Disney on Ice last year. LOL I am a little OCD about planning for Disney, but am WAY behind since the trip had been canceled and postponed. Now I have a month!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v461/Aurora8387/108_6981-1.jpg

Meet: DH aka Grumpy aka Erik (37). He is not the Disney fan that I am but in our family not sure there would be room or money enough for that! LOL He loves making me and the kiddos happy and will do almost anything for us. This includes packing up and heading to Disney. Honestly I think the YouTube video I showed him w/ the family singing the Cars song did it. Brought tears to his eyes the big teddy bear! He has been to Disney once w/ his ex-wife but they did it as a day thing and he rode Small World 5 times and Space Mt. once.He doesn't remember anything else. Just for proof later on I need to add that it was HIS idea to stay at WL! I had already priced POP and he said if we are doing it do it right. LOL Don't have to tell me twice!!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v461/Aurora8387/100_0278.jpg

Meet: DS(4) aka Little Chief aka Ethan. He is a ball of energy and the light of my life! He's a Disney Child! His first Disney love was Toy Story which he watched over and over for months it seemed. He talks along w/ the characters in Toy Story 1 &2, Wall-E, Cars, Bolt and Aladdin. He sleeps every night w/ his Woody doll and his Bolt plush. He loves Donald Duck!! He is a fantastic kid and a great big brother!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v461/Aurora8387/100_0161.jpg

Meet: DD(2) aka Princess aka TERROR aka Lorelai, lol. She has been called Princess for so long that she literally thinks she has two names. LOL She is the only girl and knows it. She walked very early to keep up with her brother! She is a princess to the bone, very independent and very loving! She hates being reined in and is ready to go go go all the time. She is tiny so I know she is too small for some rides Ethan will ride, not sure how well that will go over. She loves any of the princess or fairies. She is gonna LOVE meeting the Princesses and be terrified of the the non-face characters most likely.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v461/Aurora8387/100_0456.jpg

So that's the crew... a little crazy and wacky but ready to go to DISNEY!!!

The Plan (Hopefully) (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33092237&postcount=6)
ADR WishList!!! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33098328&postcount=8)
Shopping and Waiting! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33122994&postcount=10)
I BOOKED and ADR's (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33127326&postcount=11)
Only I Could Have Done It (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33185597&postcount=20)
FANTASMIC (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33202663&postcount=21)
Sneakers and More (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33245308&postcount=24)
YouTube and Mail (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33257243&postcount=28)
Package Arrived! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33269421&postcount=31)
House of the Undecided (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33372936&postcount=35)
TIE-DYIN' THE KIDS (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33471633&postcount=37)
Dining Options (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=33502592#post33502592)

SilverL

08-09-2009, 02:58 PM

You're staying at Wilderness Lodge? That will be fantastic, I'm sure! :woohoo:

If you're a month out, I think we'll be arriving at Pop the week after you.

Your princess is adorable!

1stvisit0909

08-09-2009, 03:10 PM

yeah for you!! We had a little more time to prepare...althought not much more!

We are keeping it a secret from our kids. We aren't telling them until at least the airport! they've never flown and will be so excited! (ours are 8/4)

Its gonna be fun!!

Raecheal

08-09-2009, 03:38 PM

Oh... I'm completely in!! popcorn::

trickiwoo

08-09-2009, 04:06 PM

I feel your excitement!!! I'm going to WDW for my first time next month!

Your kids are so adorable!!!

I can't wait to hear more about your trip!

PrncessA

08-09-2009, 08:59 PM

Thanks for the well wishes everyone!! With how overwhelmed I feel right now I need them. LOL

Setting our tentative plans:

The Plan: I'll take one 7day/6night dream stay at the Wilderness Lodge, Walt Disney World Sept. 15th-22nd please. Add the Deluxe Dining Plan and all the Character Dining we can get!:cool1: Oh and hold the humidity!
:thumbsup2

The Dates: Tentitive... All weekend I have been pricing flights for next month. Our goal is to leave anywhere between the 9th-16th. I priced Disney and as long as we leave before then our rates are the same. It would actually be cheaper to fly out the 11th, but I'm not sure if I want to arrive on a Friday.... :confused3

The Flights: The only thing I know for sure is we are flying out of Chicago ORD since we live next door and DH has insisted on direct flights only. :scared1: Not sure what scares me more... flying with a two year old that loves to climb things and doesn't sit still or paying for checked luggage! I spent all evening trying to mentally picture fitting everything into one checked suitcase and 3 carry-ons to save $30. In the end I am no closer to deciding. Stay tuned...popcorn::

The Transportation: A Tiffany Towncar Van, DH made the decision on this as well. Sure he did... :rolleyes1 It was a close call but not having to wait for a bus or make stops, and being able to stop at Publix for the 15 things I know I will forget pushed it over the top! I think DH just wants to see someone holding his name on a card, LOL.:cool2:

The Resort: Wilderness Lodge :cloud9: Standard room. Hey if we are looking a rooftops at least they are Disney rooftops!!!

The Tickets: 6 Day Park Hoppers, no water parks the resort pool will be heaven for the kids.

Food: Yes please!! I am one of the lucky who receive pins all the time. Over the last 3 years I have gotten 10 or so of them in the mail and email, but I have never been able to use one. So in the last couple months I had deleted at least 2 pin emails.:guilty: So I called and Disney said "Come eat on us!" So we are, well at least partly. My dining pin was for DDP. We are a food family and character meals and CRT are my goal! So DxDDP it is. Paying the difference comes out to $420 for 6 nights. Stay tuned for my ADR wishlist!

Goals: This will be a kiddo oriented trip, so we are doing Dumbo or Die. LOL Our kids have never been night sleepers, they are up early and fall asleep late, even when they have long days, but they do need their naps. So early morning and late nights will be my plan w/ a long break in the middle of the day for naps and swimming.

Expectations: MAGIC & MELTDOWNS, We are realistic, we know our kids and this will be a touch and go trip.

SPECIAL PLANS:
*Disney's Pirate Adventure for Ethan
*Lorelai's First Haircut (I was saving it for Disney)
*As many Character Meals as we can fit in!

disneyscrappinjan

08-09-2009, 09:56 PM

I'm in!:banana:
What a wonderful looking family. Good luck on your ADR, I have had a hard time getting what I want our next trip is Sept. 26-Oct. 4.But I did get MNSSHP ticket so I am happy!:thumbsup2. I am not sure how far from Chicago-Midway airport you are but thought I would tell you they have very reasonable flights through Southwest and they have 2 checked baggage per person FREE! Can't beat that. You are doing great on your report keep it up. I am working on 2 (in sig line) ptr., so check it out if you would like.:cool1:

PrncessA

08-10-2009, 10:41 AM

Thank you Jan! I can't wait to read yours! I am so nervous about ADR's they are my biggest worry right now. As for Midway we are a little farther away but DH is doesn't want to fly out of Midway, but luggage costs might drive the bargin... How does their seating go? It's first come first serve right?
-----------------------------------------------------

What does a normal person do when they find out they are going to Disney World but haven't booked it yet???:cool1: Not sure because the MOMENT DH suggested it 10,000 thoughts popped into my head about outfits, ADR's, plane tickets, luggage and if I need a bigger SD card for the camera.:confused3

Thursday night my poor DH innocently ask if I wanted to go to Disney World.... Friday I called and priced it out.... Saturday I bought new luggage, Buzz shirt for Ethan, Princess outfit and new Princess swimsuit for Lorelai...Saturday night, cashed in some MyPoints for Starbucks Gift Cards for airport and some Disney Movie rewards for Cars Hat & Watch and a Princess Hat & Watch... Sunday bought another luggage set to compare and contrast, new shorts for Ethan and Minnie Mouse Outfit for Lorelai... cursed that fact the the Disney Store left our mall last year! DH has even gotten into it and brought home a bag full of Disney goodies for the kids from Dollar Tree. I came close to asking him to stop at Home Depot and pick up some Mickey's!!

I have been engrossed in trying to figure out our rough schedule and ADR wish list so that as soon as I book I can start trying to get them. This is a completely intimidating thing for me, I have read for hours on it but for some reason the booking process is stil blurry. Hopefully it will click soon. LOL My OCD planning has already amazed DH as I was making notecards for all of my restraunt wishes.... should I tell him I plan on laying them out by day and rearranging them until they all fit correctly? Or that the first thing I thought of when I woke up is "I hope we get a ADR for CRT!!"?:rolleyes:

My goal is to get most of our Character meets done during meals, minus those who don't appear at meals. We have 16 meal credits and I want to eat at twice that many restraunts.... I am hoping this helps if I can't get an ADR at one or two... By the end of the trip we will be wishing we had a cow's stomachs, lol.

ADR Wishlist
Character Meals
CRT of course! My dream ADR would be for breakfast day 7 of our trip, our icing on the cake as we say good by to the World w/ MK.
Akershus Princess Breakfast (Day 3)
Garden Grill- This is probally going to be one of the first to go.... I really want to go, but the kid's really don't know Chip and Dale Epcot is full of possibilities....
1900 Park Fare- My original plan was for two meals here breakfast and dinner to experience both Character meals but I have narrowed it down to breakfast with Mary and Alice and the gang since, I hate missing Lady Tremaine and step sisters but I don't think Lorelai would really get it. My hope is to schedule this to precede with Ethan's Pirate advendture (crossing my fingers they can fit in another Pirate!)pirate:
Crystal Palace- Dinner day 2
Chef Mickey's- Breakfast 2, our first full day we have to start off with the Main Mouse!!!
Tusker House- Donald's Safari Breakfast, this might not make the cut either since hopefully we will see Donald at Chef Mickey's not sure yet..

Non-Character Meals
Sci-Fi Dine-In - DH and I love the concept of the restraunt
Biergarten- Another iffy.. DH loves German type foods, me not so much. TBD
Mama Melrose- Fantasmic Package Hopefully
Coral Reef- I have been dreaming about eating here since I was young and saw the Disney episode of Full House, LOL. I know I heard they were stopping the personal diver signs and menus... did they?
Artist Point and/or Whispering Canyon Cafe- Since we are right there maybe we take a night or morning slow and stay "home"

CS meals haven't escaped my OCD either, I have to have alternitives if the kid's breakdown and quick is what we need. Casey's Corner, Pizzafari, Cosmic Rays, Noodle Station.... the list goes on.

I would LOVE to go to California Grill and see Wishes but I don't think this will be the trip, just another reason to come back soon!

Next Up:
The Luggage Debate of 08/09 and Booking Day

SilverL

08-10-2009, 11:48 AM

Hey,

As far as Biergarten goes, the best thing about the World Showcases is that one person can eat in Germany and the rest of the party can eat in America if they're more picky. You could just do CS around the world and let everyone pick what type of cuisine they want.

Don't let ADRs intimidate you too much. If you've seen my PTR, you know that I FORGOT to make mine in the AM at 90 days, but I still got all of the restaurants I wanted. However, I was not trying for CRT or anything like Le Cellier. I was trying to get the Fantasmic Package at Mama Melrose, but that was unavailable, so I took a regular reservation instead.

Have a list of restaurants, dates, and time ranges at hand when you call. I scheduled one TS meal a day, so I was able to be very flexible. I asked for 6:00pm for all of my dinners, but I was prepared to accept anything from 3pm to 6pm. However, I didn't want anything after 6pm on park days so we wouldn't miss nightly events.

You can also call the dining line ahead of time and go through the automated process that directs your call just to see what it's like and then hang up when you get on hold. Then you know what's coming!

In general, most ADRs are not that hard to get if you can be flexible. For CRT, you probably should call right at 7am EST at your vacation 90 day mark. If you can't get it on that day, then call at the 90 day mark for that day you want to eat there. So if you want to eat there 3 days after you check in, call 3 days after your first 90 day mark. They release more seats at that time.

PrncessA

08-11-2009, 08:48 PM

How long can a person sit on the edge of their seat? :confused3 How many times can someone make a ADR wishlist, backup wishlist and try and figure out how many different options she can use to try and get all of her ADRs?

I am about to go CRAZY! I have been waiting for 5 days now to book and I am crossing my fingers it happens tomorrow!!! I was moving funds around accounts (we don't use credit cards) and now I have to wait until tomorrow to be sure everything has settled. I hate that since we are so last minute I couldn't just pay the $200 down but the whole amount has to be paid at once.I am tempted to stay up until midnight to see if it happens then, I'm not insane doesn't everyone do that? :sad2:

Well to keep myself busy we took a little trip to the Disney Store:banana:. We had already decided to buy a few gifts at home and take them with us as "Tinkerbell" surprises. *Mental note to self... buy sparkly confetti. We picked up each of them two playsets: Toy Story 2 and Wall-E for DS and Princesses and Fairies for DD. Sunglasses were on sale so I got them each a pair: Buzz and Aurora. They had the cutest Tinkerbell shirts for me so I got one and got DH a Grumpy t-shirt. It says "Backoff!" Totally the mood he was in today so it fit him.:cutie:

Here are a few pics of the stuff we have collected over the last few days, I haven't pulled out my treasure chest yet that I have added some Disney things too throughout the year. I think I used quite a bit at Easter so I am not sure what all I have.

New Luggage of course
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v461/Aurora8387/100_0487.jpg

Dis Clothes
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v461/Aurora8387/100_0486.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v461/Aurora8387/100_0485.jpg

Surprises
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v461/Aurora8387/100_0483.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v461/Aurora8387/100_0484.jpg

I am on the fence about few things for this trip.
*Autograph books... yes or no. I am leaning toward no, but I never know what will spark their interest even if it doesn't mine. I can see them getting into it, but just as easily see them finding it boring. Now that I am talking about it I am leaning more into it....:confused: Maybe I will play it safe and make one, if they don't use it no harm. Opinions?

*Pin Trading: sounds addicting! I think Ethan would enjoy this but I think it might better be saved for next trip. Any opinions/experiences on a mature 4yo pin trading?

*Epcot Passports: DH wants one too. LOL I don't think Lorelai will get it but she will want one if Ethan has one, she will like the "book" part of it. She carries small books in her Aurora purse all the time.

PrncessA

08-12-2009, 07:51 AM

I BOOKED! WOOHOO! If the kiddos and DH weren't all asleep I would be pumpin' the music and dancin' around! :cool1::cool1::cool1: I have seriously thought about waking DH up and telling him everything... but I don't think it would be very magical....:sad2:

First thing this morning I jumped up and called my friend Mickey Mouse and we are going to see him in less than a month!! I am telling you the magic is happening already! I was able to book almost ALL of my first picks for ADR's!!

Confirmed Plans:

Wilderness Lodge Sept. 11th- Sept. 17th, 2009
6 Day Park Hopper Tickets
Deluxe Dining Plan
We don't plan to go to a park the day we arrive, so I only got 6 park days. If I had got 7 for the extra $10 I would have felt pressured to spend time at the park and I don't think we would ever make it to DTD! LOL

Since we are booking so late I was terrified of the ADR situation. CRT, Princess Breakfast, Fantasmic Package and Chef Mickey's was my goal.The lady who helped me w/ the ADR's had to be the sweetest in the world! She went out of her way to help me!

And the winners are.........

Cindy's Table: 9:30 Dinner on our first full day!! I searched online and she searched when I called and this was the only reservation we could find for breakfast, lunch or dinner for our entire stay. We got it!!!!!!! :dance3:

Crystal Palace: We got a early 8:05am breakfast on our first full day. This is fantastic. Our first moments in MK will be before the park becomes overcrowded!!! Plus since we have a early breakfast and late dinner leaves plenty of time to go back to the resort and relax during the afternoon!!!

Storybook Princess Breakfast: Another miracle!! 9:35am 3rd day of our trip!!

Coral Reef: 12:50pm for lunch 3rd day, am thinking about changing it since it is a little close to breakfast.

This was my favorite: 1900 Park Fare 8:05am Breakfast on our 5th day. Not only did we get the earliest ADR possible, but we had to because.....................

They had a slot available on the Pirate Cruise Adventure the same day! The cruise leaves at 9:30 and she said to be there at 9:00 or so. Great part is that since they are both at the GF she said if we weren't done eating or seeing Characters only one of us has to take Ethan to the docks. So we can continue eating. I am in heaven!!!!

The two that were not available were Chef Mickey's and the Fantasmic Package. She said Fantasmic is only showing once during our stay but to keep trying back for both.

I am so excited! Now all I have to do is book the flights. That more than anything is making me queasy w/ all their non-refundable talk. At least at Disney I hear the words, "Cancellation Period" not with the tickets. :sick: Does travel insurance cover airline ticket prices?

Next up: Airline Booking

ddstratton

08-12-2009, 08:14 AM

Congrats on getting the ADR's! Sounds like some nice plans.

SilverL

08-12-2009, 12:14 PM

I'm pretty sure that you can get Travel Insurance that does cover flights. However, here is another option:

Find your perfect flight, and one or two acceptable alternatives on a site like Hotwire. You can have them e-mail you alerts on that flight in case it's getting full or if the price changes, etc. Basically you can keep track of this flight you want to book but haven't yet.

You can also check the flight on SeatCounter: http://www.seatcounter.com/ That will give you an idea of whether or not the flight is filling up.

With this information on hand, you can be pretty sure that there is still availability on the flight, which for me means that I don't have to purchase my tickets right away. I felt comfortable and secure in my decision to hold off. We have no travel insurance, but at this point we know unless there is a major catastrophe, we will be going on our trip. So we've booked the flight.

BTW, kudos for avoiding those credit cards! :cheer2:

sisaaliyah

08-12-2009, 12:52 PM

Congrats on your trip and ADR's!! :goodvibes

Just wanted to throw into the mix (since you're contemplating the autograph book), how about doing the pressed pennies instead? Last year when we went DS was 2.5 and he loved :love: looking for the pressed penny machines and watching it work. We bought one of the pressed penny books at the parks and will take it with us on our next trip to add to it. For DS he is shy and wouldn't actually ask the characters for their autograph...it was enough just to get him up there and get a picture, and I didn't want to be the one doing the asking for the autograph. Also, the pressed penny machines sometimes would be found around some of the rides DH would be on and it was something we could do while waiting for DH to ride.

Pixie dust for a GREAT trip and hope you get the other ADR's you're trying for.

PrncessA

08-12-2009, 01:56 PM

The flights to MCO were filling fast so we went ahead and booked. No travel insurance yet, I have decided wether to get it or not.

Pressed pennies is a great idea!! I had completely forgot about them! Both the kids will love them! Thank you!

PrncessA

08-12-2009, 02:07 PM

PrncessA

08-13-2009, 04:51 PM

Woohoo! I got was able to find a 8:10 reservation at Chef Mickey's!!! Woohoo!

:hippie:

SilverL

08-13-2009, 08:11 PM

Pressed pennies were a big hit the year we took all of my cousins (6 kids on one trip!). They're cheap, fun, and a nice distraction in gift shops. "Where's the penny machine??" instead of "I WANT POOH BEAAAAAAAR!" :rotfl2:

PrncessA

08-13-2009, 09:50 PM

Started our countdown today. Ethan helped me make it using Mickey heads from home depot. He has no idea what the "big surprise" is at the end of the countdown even with all the Disney themed stuff going on in our house right now.

Oh to be young and not have a clue! He has however picked up on my excitement, he has been bouncing off the walls for days. Everytime I'm online he is standing beside me pointing at which ever Disney character pops up on the screen. He gets so excited on the ADR page he loves all the pictures on there.

PrncessA

08-16-2009, 04:51 PM

It's been a couple days since the last update so let me fill ya in. :thumbsup2
BTW, what's a girl gotta do to get some posters up in here?:dance3:

So last we left we started our countdown...... Not sure what DD and DS are more excited about the countdown or the mickey heads they get every night. ;)

This weekend was a light weekend on Disney merch. since we are preparing for DH's surgery tomorrow. I picked up a off brand Misty Mate, it was HORRIBLE and is sitting on my counter waiting to be returned. I learned my lesson and ordered a package deal on Ebay of two Misty Mates and 4 arctic ties. Gosh I love Ebay. Headed to Dollar Store yesterday and picked up some ponchos and saw they had Aurora and Cars child umbrellas. Thought hard about getting them, but in my kids' they would be weapons! :headache:

So on to the exciting part:

For the last week and a half I have been drivin' DH Disney CRAZY, talking ADR's and fireworks and transportation and rides and the list goes on... and on... and on.... Ya get the picture! I was SOOOOO excited that I got nearly EVERY ADR that I was hoping for. I had my schedule ready and knew when and where we were going.

Details had been planned. I have been reading everything I can online, books, trip reports, tips, anything I could find. I had a outline of our days in and out of parks..... adr's ready for each park. Anyone know what I am forgetting? I didn't until Friday night at around 3am I woke up with the sudden thought that I hadn't even LOOKED at park hours!

Let me tell you as a first time planner to DW I am a little over my head. I plan to be better informed than the MANY parents who I have talked to at the gym who hated *gasp* DW because of the lines, lack of sit down dining and nearly every one of them had no pictures of their children with characters. I listen with closed ears to them since after lurking on the Dis for years and longing for my own dream vacation I have learned some of the secrets. :surfweb:Or so I thought!:headache:

How simple an oversight. I just assumed Disney would be open when I wanted it to! :rolleyes1

Do this weekend has been filled with no lack of pouring over schedules and figuring out how much I will have to change around! So far I have been able to keep much of it how I originally planned. Biggest mistake is my ADR for CRT. I was so excited to get the ADR even if it was at 9:35pm that I didn't ever imagine I would miss Wishes or Spectromagic parade.

So of course my first heartbreak came when learning that Spectormagic is at 9pm and Wishes is at 10pm. HEARTBREAK I tell you!!!

Now along with snagging an ADR to Ohana, I am checking the ADR's constantly for an earlier ADR to CRT. I was lucky enough to move it to 8:40pm and we might make Wishes. But Spectromagic is only on 2days of our trip and I don't want to miss it!!!

On top of this I had resigned myself to the fact that we might pass on Fantasmic since all the packages are booked, the line to get in is a little long for a 2yo and 4yo. I don't know why they only plan ONE showing every 7 days! But after watching it on YouTube with the kiddos they were so excited and I loved it.

Any opinions on waiting for it? Is it worth the wait? Do they often add shows? If they do is it always on the same day or do they add a day?

So tomorrow is DH's surgery and I am terrified out of my mind. Any thoughts and prayers would be appreciated VERY much!!!

PrncessA

08-17-2009, 09:17 PM

Quick update since it has been a very long day!

DH had extensive ( and I mean extensive) dental surgery today so he has been out of it all day. Before he went in he reminded me to call the ADR booking and see if Fantasmic was available, lol. Boy I love that man! In fact it was one of the first things he "ask" me when he got out of surgery. And by ask I mean wrote down on a pad of paper.

So about 15 mins into his surgery and I called and amazingly got an ADR for the only Fantasmic show during our stay! Of course it is at the Brown Derby and that is a 2credit meal but that is fine since I had decided to cancel our ADR for CRT because not missing Wishes and Spectromagic is more important to me than CRT. We have an ADR for Akershus so I am not worried about lack of Princesses. Plus DD wouldn't get the wishing star or wand like DS and she would notice. So we will hold off on CRT till our next trip.

I was so preoccupied today that I put the kiddos to bed without letting them pull off a Mickey head. DS ran out of their room yelling "MOMMY WE HAVE DO THE COUNTDOWN!!!!" He told my mom all about it today when she came to watch them. He has no idea what the "big surprise" is but he can't wait.

Raecheal

08-17-2009, 09:30 PM

PrncessA

08-20-2009, 09:31 PM

i'm taking it everything went well with DH's surgery? :goodvibes I love all the surprises you picked up.. that's a lot of things!!!:woohoo:

Your ADR"S look great..congrats on getting ADR's for the Fantasmic show.

Thank you! DH is doing good, sore still but he is recovering fast. Says he wishes Disney was tomorrow. Don't we all!!!!

PrncessA

08-20-2009, 09:55 PM

Update:

So I am waiting for our Disney packet to arrive.... not sure when to expect it since we booked so late before our trip. Question... Since this is our first trip I have no idea what to expect. What all comes in your package that you get in the mail. We aren't doing ME, do we still get luggage tags?

Went shopping today for new sneakers for DH without him since he is still recovering. Got him a pair of Skechers and of course had to look for some for me. I am NOT a sneaker wearer, I have exactly ONE pair that I use when I work out. I work at a gym and I wear flip flops every day. I am would live year round in flip flops if the weather allowed me to. But alas I live in the Windy City and winters here FREEZE. Still you will catch me wearing flip flops if there is no snow on the ground.

But I digress.... as I was saying I picked up both of us a pair of sneakers. I didn't try mine on as I am a firm believer in trying on at home and returning. Don't know why, it takes more time and energy. But I don't like pressure of sales people, and they seem to single me out. Case and point...... So I am paying for my shoes and the sales guy asks me if I want socks. No thanks..... I ended up buying socks. Granted they were moisture wicking socks that I needed anyway, I just had no intention on buying them. Turns out that is the only thing I will be keeping from my trip. Both mine and DH's shoes are tight in the toes, so back I go tomorrow. :confused3 Maybe I will try them on tomorrow.

I have also moved around some ADR's so that we are going to EPCOT our first day since they have EMH's and that gives us a full day off in the middle of our trip to lounge and go to DD to shop!! I added a early dinner at Raglan Road since DH is a huge Irish Beer lover!

DS has been told no less than 10 times about our trip from different sources and he still is clueless. Again... don't we all wish we were that carefree. They are on a huge Little Einsteins kick right now, which is weird since they weren't big on them before. Thank goodness I booked a character meal at H&V! They will love it!

On another front I was examining our movie collection and noticed a few important movies they kiddos need to see were missing. So I went on Ebay to get them since Disney is FANTASTIC about pulling movies of the shelf:headache: before I get them. So I choose one..... then two... then three... then four... and before I know it I am at $100. And there are still more I want. Don't be fooled we are huge DVD collectors(see photo in first post) and have dozens of Disney movies but not all of them... that's what I want. LOL So I come across a Disney Collectors set of movies. 174 of them to be exact.... and it included all of the ones I wanted... and everything we already owned. So that was purchased a couple of days ago from a wholesaler, why pay a middle man. And all of our current DVD's will be sold on Ebay or Disc Replay to eat about half the cost or so. It doesn't come with individual cases for the movies but we keep the kid's movies in a cd book so that isn't a problem for us.

reyasmommy

08-21-2009, 01:49 PM

Enjoying your TR!!! :thumbsup2 Everything looks GREAT! You're doing an excellent job. ;)

I wanted to mention that I think your DS would LOVE pin trading. When I took my DD to Disneyland last year she was 2 1/2 and enjoyed it. When we take her to WDW in March she'll be 2 weeks shy of her 4th birthday, so I know she'll understand and enjoy it even more.

I'm also up in the air about the autograph books?!?! I didn't do it for our trip last year because she was terrifed of all the costumed characters and wouldn't go anywhere near them, so obviously she didn't care for their autographs. I'm hoping she will have grown out of her fear for our upcoming trip since she'll be 1 1/2 years older?!?!? I might still get one for the princesses though since I know she'll be into meeting all of them.

I understand your love of flip flops.... i wear the same black pair every single day... I cry when the snow comes and I have to wear closed toe shoes. :(

Well, you've gotten me in the mood to do some Disney shopping... think I'm going to go hit the mall!! :rotfl2:

I look foward to hearing about your trip!

gingerfeathers

08-21-2009, 03:39 PM

Love your report so far! Looks like you're going to have a fabulous time!

We're arriving the day after you. Very excited!!

SilverL

08-21-2009, 05:48 PM

I live on the coast of Washington where it rains all the time and I still wear flip flops, even in the winter :rotfl:

You are going to get a booklet with the terms and conditions of your package, as well as vouchers for 30 mins at a resort arcade, $15 off at Planet Hollywood, etc. Along with this, you will get the commemorative luggage tags. Don't worry. The tags that come with the ME booklet are yellow sticky ones so that the ME people can identify it. They're not real luggage tags.

PrncessA

08-21-2009, 07:27 PM

You are going to get a booklet with the terms and conditions of your package, as well as vouchers for 30 mins at a resort arcade, $15 off at Planet Hollywood, etc. Along with this, you will get the commemorative luggage tags. Don't worry. The tags that come with the ME booklet are yellow sticky ones so that the ME people can identify it. They're not real luggage tags.

Great! Thank you!

I have almost gave in and thought about making a signature album. I was also thinking about cutting up some of the fabric I bought to make new curtains for their room and making character squares for signatures and backing them for curtains. Thought that would make their curtains "special". Guess it all comes down to time......

I printed all of our mousekeeping and server envelopes today. We are eating at alot of buffets so tips are a little simpler. I have got our days 75% finalized but I haven't even started our touring plans. My plan is to try and follow a touring plan for MK since there is SO much that I want the kids to do, focusing on the mornings and evening and relaxing during the afternoons.

FINALLY got some mail today. I have been ordering and ordering online and nothing had come yet. I received the Misty Mates and Arctic ties today and although it was freezing here today I can see how the Misty Mates work. Also got the the Shanrene bracelets in the mail today, VERY FAST!! I ordered them Wednesday evening, that is some fast service. They are fantastic and the kids will love them. Orange for DS and pink for DD, w/ their names and "if lost call *********". Great products!!!

Ethan was in a very lovey mood today and sat on my lap while I was online. He is all about Disney and we watched some of the rides on YouTube, he is a little iffy about going too fast, but when I told him I would hold his hand he became very "cool" and said he could do it all on his own. pirate:

Since we are flying for the first time we are trying to teach him about it. So today I ask him where Disney World was and he said "far far away". So I told him we had to fly to get there and he ask if the plane would turn sideways and we would fall out. It was too cute. So we showed him a few videos on YouTube of planes taking off, from the outside and out of the window of planes. He was so excited about how high they were above the ground. So we will see how he takes flying when it comes down to it.

I am addicted to The Dis more than ever! DH is amazed that I can find so much to read on here! I am amazed he hasn't researched at all! LOL

MomTo4+more

08-22-2009, 12:25 PM

PrncessA

08-22-2009, 09:31 PM

Hello from a fellow Chicagoan! We are in the city. I am taking my kids to Disney for the first time in November thanks to Make-A-Wish! It's been so ery fun planning and preparing for it!

What are the Mickey Heads at Home Depot? What section of Home Depot are they found in? I still don't have a countdown calendar, and I need to make one!

An option for the autograph book is taking unlined notecards with you. You could gather signatures and then add stickers and decorations when you get home. Put them in a small photo albomu. Voila! You have an autograph book. Then you haven't spent much of anything if it turns out your kids just aren't into it.

You have lots of fun ADRs planned! Have you checked out the Disney outlet at Gurnee Mills yet? They had super deals there several weeks ago.

Thanks for sharing your excitement with us!

Don't ya just love the weather here this year? We have taken the kids swimming only a handful of times this year! I was thinking today (as I froze) that I could not wait to be sitting in the sun at the pool!!

The Mickey heads are in the paint section. They are actually paint chips for disney colors. They are great to decorate with! Don't forget to pick up extra lime green ones for the Dis!!

I cannot believe that I didn't think about driving up to Gurnee!!! We went to the Aurora outlet mall today but they don't have a Disney outlet. FANTASTIC sale at the Children's Place. Nearly everything was $2.99! Too bad I couldn't find many clothes to fit DS, 3T and 4T seems to go fast there.

Congratulations on your trip! I hope that you have a magical time!

PrncessA

08-22-2009, 09:51 PM

IT'S OFFICAL WERE GOING TO DISNEY! Got our welcome packet in the mail today!!:cool1: I was so excited that I dropped all the bags I was holding the moment I walking in the door so I could rip open the envelope!! LOL

After being completely confident in the fact we had booked a standard view room I came across the "Wilderness Room View Photo Thread" and after seeing the pic of the standard view where you can only see roof I was rethinking it....:confused3 I LOVE the courtyard views but I don't think I can make myself pay another $300-400. My plan is to wait and see what our view is like and if we get that view I might pay the extra...... Is that possible? I have heard alot of upgrade stories at the WL, is it more likely if I pre-check-in online or if I wait and check-in at the WL? I don't expect an upgrade, but it would be a nice little icing on the cake. Either way we are at Disney and happy!!:hippie:

Ended up buying a new pair of flip flops for Disney today (my favorite saying right now). I went in to look at the kiddos some Disney Crocs ended up with 2 pair of Capri Crocs for me and none for the kids. The didn't have ANY Disney ones in their size. I can't believe how much Jibbitz are in the Croc stores. $2.50 per peice! I bought a lot of 10 Disney ones on ebay last month for like $2 shipped. Also picked up 4 more ponchos at Wal-Mart. They are cheap enough for me not to care if I throw them away after use.

Wooo hooooo!!!!! We are gettin' close!

kmab00

08-29-2009, 09:10 PM

Hi there! I found your PTR on the WL Q&A thread!

We've been to Disney many times before but this will be our first time staying at the WL. We'll be there September 13-20 so our trips will overlap!

How exciting for your kids! I know they will have a blast! It's SO close!!! I'm super excited! :banana:

PrncessA

08-29-2009, 09:29 PM

Thanks! We are so excited as well!!! I hope your trip is magical!!

beyondblessed

08-29-2009, 09:42 PM

You lucky lucky girl - less than 2 weeks to go!!! I'm caught up on your PTR and waiting for more! :)

PrncessA

08-30-2009, 01:51 PM

Welcome to the house of the undecided!! We are about to change our minds on transportation for the 45th time and it is driving me nuts!!! Wanna watch? popcorn::

One of my worries is our transportation to our early morning ADR's.... and after asking in the WL thread I am was convinced that my fears were correct. Since this is our first trip we are novices at the simple things such as transportation. DH was/is excited about the idea of not getting behind the wheel of a car for an entire week. We always drive to all of our vacations so this is a real treat for us. I booked our Tiffany Van last week and we were all set for not driving.

Then it hit me that we would have so many early ADR's and the buses might not be running that early. And how in the world do we get to the GF at 8:05am? Now my first thought was do we NEED early ADR's? I thought about biting the bullet and committing myself to hours of rearranging touring plans, nap times, ect..... then PRAYING that pixie dust would hit again and the ease of our first ADR search would hit us again. Then I thought about the kiddos.....

Let me tell you about a nice little weekend trip that we took them on a few months ago.... Trying to escape the NEVER ENDING winter of Chicago, we booked a room at a local indoor water park. Thinking that our up at the crack of dawn children would amazingly sleep in the next morning since they would be exhausted from the entire day at the water parks they day before, we planned on a late morning. Our glossy picture was of sleeping in, eating breakfast in our room and returning to the water parks when they opened at 11am. Our reality was the not wanting to go to sleep at just past their regular bed time, waking up at the crack of dawn ready to go go go. And by crack of dawn I mean 6am wide awake, ready to go full force. So after breakfast took all of 5 minutes they were BEGGING to go.

Only a parent trying to keep a children happy in a hotel room for 4-5 hours would know the PAIN we went through. They knew what was downstairs and didn't care it wasn't open yet. Needless to say when we finally did get back to water parks everyone was grumpy after only an hour or two they were ready for their naps. :guilty:

Repeat parts of this with our summer trip to family. This time we did however learn a few lessons. We allowed them to stay up longer at night, in hopes of late mornings. Again no such luck. They woke up with the sun everyday, but at least we had made plans for the mornings. But we would nearly always skip arranged naps in favor of outings. This again turned out to be a downfall. DS will sleep anywhere, always would. DD very seldom sleeps in the car and she has never slept in a stroller. She is way to interested with the goings on around her.

Lessons learned: No matter what time they go to sleep they are up at dawn. Naps at least for DD at the hotel are a must. Food keeps um happy.:laughing:

Moral of the story is we are keeping the early ADR's lest we risk the wrath of the early risers. This also gives us a easy breaking point in the early afternoon for naps, which is a must have. So renting a car or cabs are becoming more and more important.

So I started looking into renting a car. WOW is all I can say about the prices. We rent cars all the time for trips and we have never paid that much for a rental! :scared1: But with van, tips and taxi's it becomes almost even, with the rental coming out a bit more expensive. Then comes the fact that we would have to bring DD's car seat with us, which we wanted to avoid, and the simple fact that DH doesn't want to drive on this vacation.

I left the final decision up to him and he chose taking a taxi when we need it. So there it is....

Now that was a lot of buildup to a lame climax. :cool2:

On other fronts our plans are sailing along swimmingly. We made a trip to a Disney Outlet last week, due to construction a 45min trip took us over 2 hours to get there. Big let down when we got there they were completely out of all little boy shirts. I did manage to find DD an adorable Aurora dress and DS a Mickey outfit. And got DH and I t-shirts, of course grabbed the WRONG size for myself and now I have to find out if I can return it to the closest Disney Store instead of trekking 2 hours to the outlet.... :confused:

I also keep getting mail in regards to our upcoming trip. Not that I am complaining. We have gotten another welcome packet with maps (not the customized maps, we already had those) and info about dining ect. This packet kept saying "Welcome back to the WL" or "Glad you are returning", strange to us since this is our first trip.

Now for the great news......

WE ARE TWO DAYS AWAY FROM ONLINE CHECK-IN! The anticipation is gettin' intense! At this exact moment less than two weeks from now we will be at WL taking naps.

I still have last minute shopping to like toiletries, batteries, sunglasses straps and a new fanny pack. But the majority is done. Wow I can't believe we are almost there.

PrncessA

09-02-2009, 02:05 PM

Not really an update but.... http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=33417211#post33417211.

PrncessA

09-06-2009, 08:22 PM

Only 4 more days according to our countdown. DS told me today that he wants to be a bird so he can fly.... to Disney World of course. If he only knew what he was counting down to!:rotfl2:

We are almost done with our prep and the excitement is growing all around. We have pre-packed and checked and rechecked lists. In fact tonight I am making a final list of things that need to be done. Wow, final things... it is getting close!!!

On the Disney front things have changed around a little. ADR's have been moved from time to time and day to day until today we realized that only two days of our seven day trip we were going to use park hoppers. Knowing how much $$ park hoppers added to the total I looked to see if our Hollywood & Vine ADR was available on the day before, and it was. So after DH and I talked we decided to downgrade our park hopper tickets to 6 day base tickets.

*gasp* I actually got DH to sit down and go over our plans for the week and give me his opinion. It was nice to have a second opinion on things and realize possible problems. In the end our two days that were park hoppers were changed to a DHS day and a 1/2 resort sleep in day and 1/2 MK day. And I am very happy with it.

Our schedule:
Day 1:Fly down, arrive at noon, Epcot- ADR's: Akershus, Biergarten
Day 2: MK- ADR's: Crystal Palace, Liberty Tree Tavern
Day 3: DHS- ADR's: Hollywood & Vine, Hollywood Brown Derby Fantasmic Package
Day 4: Resort Morning, MK evening- ADR's: WCC, Plaza
Day 5: No Parks Ethan's Pirate Cruise and DD- ADR's: EARLY 1900PF, WCC, Raglan Road
Day 6: AK- ADR's: Chef Mickey's, Tusker House
Day 7: MK, Fly out late- ADR's: Ohana's Breakfast

That's right folks I got an OHANA'S and I am happy happy happy!!!!!!!! It was the only ADR on the pixie dust blessed trip that I wasn't able to get right away. We have nothing but luck with planning this entire trip and I could not be happier. DS has been learning how to say hello in different languages, it is too cute. He already knew a few thanks to Noggin! German (Toot and Puddle), Chinese (Kai Lan) and Spanish (Dora). He had French and Italian almost down.

I shipped out a box Thursday of heavier items or items I was worried about packing. Some toiletries, glow sticks, tinkerbell surprises, ponchos and a few other things. Packing seems daunting right now.

I also finished our Tie-dye Mickey shirts today and am pretty happy with the results. They were an adventure to say the least.:rolleyes1 I will include pictures at the end of the post of the damage done and the finished products. :laughing:

Our countdown has been aided the past week with a movie a day. So far we have saw Wall-E, Beauty and the Beast, Treasure Planet (DH's fav), Tinkerbell and Lilo & Stitch. Can anyone believe that DH had never saw Beauty and the Beast before. Tonight was the first time, I had no idea:eek:. Up this week will be Lion King, Nemo, Aladdin and most likely Cars or Snow White. All leading up to the main event!!!

I'll leave you with these hilarious pictures..... If you need any reason why DD is tie-dyed read the thread linked right above this....

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v461/Aurora8387/100_0499.jpg
FLOOR
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v461/Aurora8387/100_0504.jpg
FLOOR AFTER CLEANING W/ OXY CLEAN
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v461/Aurora8387/100_0505.jpg
AFTER MIRACLE CLEANER FROM WORK
http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33471633&postcount=37
DD AND DS SHIRTS
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v461/Aurora8387/100_0508.jpg
MINE AND DH'S SHIRTS
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v461/Aurora8387/100_0509.jpg

PrncessA

09-09-2009, 07:34 AM

2 days till we leave and I can't stop moving ADR's. Since our trip was SOO last minute I only had the last month to get my ADR's settled. Well now I can't stop moving them around. We have been so lucky with getting everything we wanted from Akershus to CM to Ohana. But not only that I have changed Akershus 4 times and now it is on a completely different day and we got rid of park hoppers.

This morning I finally was able to get a Chef Mickey's for dinner on a MK day and now I am trying to get a Tusker House breakfast for our AK day. Originally it was a CM breakfast (which I will keep if we can't get TH) but I have heard such good things about TH.

Why does Disney give us so many options and chances to change our minds? It's like going to Baskin Robins and having to choose between 5 different kinds of chocolate ice cream. Who needs that many choices? Not me, I would be happier and less stressed with one plain ole choice of chocolate. As it is I end up picking the weird peanut butter fudge chocolate that ends up being nasty and wishing I had stuck with my original choice of chocolate.

I remember (my last theme park memory) going to Kings Island in Ohio with my mom and sister when I was 18 and although most of the trip was filled with "No I want to go here." I do have a bright memory of the "food" that they served in a HUGE cafeteria. It was disgusting and crowded and inside a large building that could have doubled for a airline hanger for all the decorations they had put up. I am now married to a man who LOVES to eat and I don't hate it either, both the kids are pretty fond of it as well. That memory has caused me many hours of fretting over our dining plans for the upcoming week along with horror stories of not being able to tour on the fly and still get walk up seating.

The point is not only are there too many options for me at DW but I have went overboard trying to choose between them. Right now I am trying to choose between Liberty Tree and Plaza for Dinner..... stay tuned for the dining saga.........