All of my training has prepared me for this moment -The FULLY AWESOME Pre-Trip Report

[abbybeth]

With apologies to all Disney and Pixar movies that will be shamelessly and irreverently quoted, allow me to welcome you to our little adventure.

What are you getting into? A girls weekend that will involve dressing up like a princess, consuming pastries and booze, attempting to hit 4 parks in 2.5 days and whatever else we can cram into our schedule.

The cast members:

Abby: That's me. I will be leaving behind a pouty cat who could care less that I'm going to Disney. She'll just be upset that I'm leaving. Hopefully I can buy back her love with the Disney cat treats that she prefers above all other cat treats on this earth. It worked last time...

Eren: Eren is leaving her DH to his own devices for the weekend. He's just pouty because he's not coming, but I told her to tell him that really she's just going on a recon trip to make sure that their trip to Disney will be the best trip possible. It's a sacrifice that will be difficult, but she's willing to do it for him. Her DIS name is princess_snowy_eb.

Eren and I met in college and have been having scheming, plotting adventures ever since. She's the Si to my Am.

Holly: Holly is also leaving behind a pouty DH and 3 awesome kids who are quite jealous that she's taking off to Disney without them.

Holly and I met when I decided to start highland dancing again. For those of you who joined me on my last pre-trip/trip report, you'll recall some cute pictures my dad decided to share of my in my kilt from my dancing days. Well, last summer I started up again and was lucky enough to find Holly. She's not only my dance teacher, but an awesome friend. Also a very proud Michigan State Spartan! I would say that Holly is the Minnie Mouse to my Daisy Duck.

I've demanded, err .... encouraged them both to join us here on this pre-trip report as well.

The schedule of events:

Thursday October 1 - Arrive and check in to the Port Orleans French Quarter Resort
Friday October 2 - MGM (sorry, it just rolls off the tongue/keyboard better than Disney Hollywood Studios) in the morning and MNSSHP that evening
Saturday October 3 - EPCOT all day - future world in the morning, Food and Wine Fest in the afternoon and evening.
Sunday October 4 - Animal Kingdom, heading home

Today offically marks our double digit dance 99 days to go!

 

[princess_snowy_eb]

Wait for it...

D-I-S-N-E-Y!

Aw Snap!

We're going to Disney girls!!!

 

[abbybeth]

Well, my first trip (and also my most recent trip) to The World was in September 2007. My parents decided that they wanted to go for their anniversary and allowed me to come along. It was the first time either my mom or I had been and my dad hadn't been since WDW expanded past MK. It was INCREDIBLE. If you have some time, the trip report link is in my siggie - Fairytale Remix.

Needless to say, I've been trying to figure out a way to go back ever since. Unfortunately I'm a 20something with student loans and a cat with a taste for fancy food so I'm not exactly rolling around in piles of money.

Here is said cat, guarding my many Mickey heads liberated from the Home Depot.

Then Disney released their little birthday ploy.

I ignored it at first, telling myself that it wouldn't work out.

A few more commercials later, I decided to order the new DVD. It's fun to watch and maybe I could get a pin code.

No pin code, but my birthday fell on a friday and if I could get in free .... I started playing with fuzzy Disney math*

*for the uneducated, fuzzy Disney math or FDM, is the process by which you run imaginary numbers combined with imaginary savings and eventually end up with an end cost that magically seems much more affordable

I decided that maybe I could do a quick solo trip to the world, get in a park free, explore the resorts and dip my feet in the pixie dust.

I emailed Eren about my idea, because I can usually count on her to talk me out of doing something crazy. Or join in. I expected her to tell me I was really being irrational and perhaps I should stay in and have a nice birthday at home. Maybe catch up on my knitting, have a blue plate special and get to bed at a decent time.

Eren said she'd like to go!

A few weeks later I casually mentioned it to Holly in passing that I mightbemaybeconsideringalittlebitpossibly going to Disney for my birthday. Maybe solo, maybe with Eren, maybe not at all.

To which she responded, well, I'll go with you!

My little solo trip had expanded to 3! A true girls weekend! So we were set to go October 9-11.


Then came the big wrench, the wrench that everyone waits for, hopes for, prays for, gives offerings to their Mickey Big Fig for.


FREE DINING



Which, of course, did not fit in with our dates. I had to decide - would I like to be in the Magic Kingdom ON MY BIRTHDAY? Or would I like to eat free food for an entire weekend? Birthday or free food.


As you saw in the prior post, we are now going October 1-4. Food for the win!

So, while my birthday will be the following weekend, I will wear my birthday pin proudly and have it noted on our ADRs and celebrate. With lots of free food!

We're looking at the following ADRs:

Early seating at 1900 Park Faire for breakfast Friday Morning
Dinner at Libery Tree Tavern before MNSSHP Friday Afternoon

Dinner at Rose & Crown Saturday evening, possibly timed for Illuminations

The other meals will be filled in with counter service and Food & Wine snacking.

More to come!

 

[Hedy]

Wow, Zoe's grown up! I'm happy Eren's going (as I think it should be interesting). Who's watching Zoe, though?
Plus of being single-no Dwhatever to leave behind.

 

[Lease]

I'm excited that you are going back. It's my turn to live vicariously through you!

 

[abbybeth]

Wow, Zoe's grown up! I'm happy Eren's going (as I think it should be interesting). Who's watching Zoe, though?
Plus of being single-no Dwhatever to leave behind.

I'll have to post a more recent shot of her, Zoe is a full blown adult kitty now! She's also currently sporting a collar with silver lobsters all over it, which is awesome. She will be staying with my parents, who are already very excited to have their "Grandkitty" come to visit!

 

[abbybeth]

I'm excited that you are going back. It's my turn to live vicariously through you!

me too - it should be a great trip and I've never taken a trip with just girlfriends, so I'm excited about that too. All three of our personalities and senses of humor line up really well, so I have a great feeling about it!

 

[nobodies36]

Glad to see the trip is coming together. Can't wait to read more.

And joining in on the DDD:

 

[mla1977]

Sounds fun! I'm in!

 

[Glendamax]

Meeeee Too!!!!

 

[abbybeth]

I will be ordering our tickets to MNSSHP this weekend! Again, I'd been holding off in hopes that the Disney Free Dining Gods would smile down upon me and extend their dates.

Naturally, this means that they probably will as soon as I order the tickets.

Anyways, this was a huge highlight of our trip in 2007 - even though we lost half of the evening in torrential downpours. Still fully awesome.

Being the responsible, well-centered, well-adjusted adults that we are we will be attending in costume. Duh. As Disney Princesses. Again, duh. What else would you expect of responsible, well-centered, well-adjusted adults?

Granted, walking around MK in a full hoop skirt, layers of satin and an up-do shellacked in Aqua Net for superior hold doesn't sound like the most comfy option. Packing it into your carry on isn't as fun as it sounds either. So, what's a princess lovin' threesome to do? Get in touch with their inner working girl!

We will be going as Disney princesses in their working/day dresses because we are crafty, clever geniuses. Also all three of us sew, so we can make our own awesome outfits. Eren will be Snow White because she looks like Snow White (which now makes her DIS name make sense, right?), Holly will be Cinderella because she looks like Cinderella and I will be reprising my role as Belle, which received great accolades two years ago.

Exhibit A:

I will be remaking my costume as I was never quite happy with it. The pattern wasn't right, the fabric wasn't right, but it was ok for the time.


Well, that may be it for now, just wanted to throw up a quick update. I'll have a busy weekend ahead of me as I have a dance competition in Ohio. I'll post pictures upon my return, wish me luck!

 

[abbybeth]

Glad to see the trip is coming together. Can't wait to read more.

And joining in on the DDD:

Hey Lisa! Things are getting off the ground now, it's sinking in a bit more now that the countdown is shrinking!

Sounds fun! I'm in!

Hi!! Thanks for joining us! Things will start picking up around here pretty quickly so I hope you stick around!

Meeeee Too!!!!

Hey Sis, glad you made it over!

 

[Hedy]

Costumes sound great-I'm envious of your abilities.

 

[Abby's Dad]

... and I will be reprising my role as Belle, which received great accolades two years ago.

Yeah, but you'll have to do without that handsome clown !

So bring that pre-trippie on!

 

[hmillerbarilla]

Yay! This will be so fun! Happy Planning!

We go in just over two weeks!

 

[abbybeth]

Costumes sound great-I'm envious of your abilities.

I think they'll turn out well, I have a good feeling about it. Of the three of us, Holly is the most experienced when it comes to garment sewing. She makes fabulous creations for her youngest daughter and also does custom sewing for others - she's amazing!

Yeah, but you'll have to do without that handsome clown !

So bring that pre-trippie on!

sadly yes, but we'll have to make do. I hear he's serving as a consultant on this trip though ....

Yay! This will be so fun! Happy Planning!

We go in just over two weeks!

and now it's just UNDER two weeks!!! awesome!


I have to upload some pictures fom this weekend's adventures and then I'll have something to post!

 

[Hedy]

Check this Youtube channel out for princess hair and makeup
http://www.youtube.com/user/AsToldByTammy

 

[abbybeth]

FLIGHTS ARE BOOKED! We're not going to have to walk to Disney after all!

One of the problems, well ... complications of planning a trip where not everyone lives in, about or around the same location is travel.

Complication number two is the price gamble. Feeling out airline prices is kind of like doing the "jean dance" - ladies, you know what I mean. That dance you do with your jeans when you first buy them or get them out of the dryer and have to shimmy and shake to get them on. Buying airline tickets is like that. You try out the prices, you put them in your cart, then you back off, then you look again, then you back off, then you look again, then you back off, then you get a ding, then you back off, you go to purchase, then the flight's gone. Then you finally find one with times that work at a price you might be willing to pay and you take the plunge and hope the price doesn't plumment after you've committed. That's the final jump where you get the jeans on and hope they look good.

We probably didn't get the absolute lowest price, but we didn't do too badly. I think we all ended up at about $150 round trip. We'll all be flying out together and then separating on our return flights. Eren lives a couple hours away from where Holly and I live and will come back a few hours before us so she can get home at a decent time.

It feels much more real now that there are flights purchased. We are REALLY going to WALT DISNEY WORLD!!!!


Heather - thanks for posting that link! Her Belle makeup is pretty much exactly what I did last time, just w/ the extra false lashes. Her instructions are great

 

[mla1977]

I totally agree with you. I just booked my flight to Orlando this morning. Coming home, well, that flight will be booked as soon as I make the final payment on the package. At least for the flight there, I booked through Southwest so I could do a price adjustement if the price drops though. I wish they had a later time for the return flight. That is why I haven't booked the return flight yet. Air Tran may be it for the latest possible return time.

 

[abbybeth]

Well, as I mentioned in the beginning of this little novel, we originally planned to go to Disney October 9-11 so I could be there on my actual birthday. The ticker was put together on that date and once we changed to our official dates I neglected to adjust the ticker. The countdown clock on my work computer was much more adjustable and does reflect the correct count.

My bad counting + free dining ADRs = our 90 day mark is Friday July 4, not Saturday July 11.

Where's the DISnun to come slap my hand with a ruler?! You would think that I hadn't done this whole Disney thing before.


On the positive side of things, I'd assigned the girls dining homework months ago. Yes, homework. I tend to take planning seriously. Other than the parts that involve math.

Our tentative list is as follows:

Friday Oct. 2 - breakfast at 1900 Park Fare
Neither Eren or I have done this meal, though Holly has. Eren hasn't been to the Grand Floridian at all either so I really wanted her to have a reason to be over there and see it's fabulousness. I had originially intended to surprise the girls with Tea at the GF, but it just proved logistically impossible with our schedule. Eren see the GF, I get a character fix and Holly likes it too. Even though we won't get in to POFQ until midnight or so, we want an early seating to get our first full Disney day started!

Friday Oct. 2 - dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern
This is another one neither Eren or I have done but Holly vouches for. It was on the ADR list when I went in Sept. 2007 but we were just too full to keep the ADR. We are looking at a 4:30 ressie before MNSSHP. If this seating time is full, Crystal Palace will be our backup.

Saturday Oct. 3 - dinner at Rose & Crown
This one is new to Eren, but Holly and I have told her it's awesome! We're aiming for a time around Illuminations.


Now I have to decide it it'll be better to try the online system or call .... they may not be manning the phones on the holiday anyways. Guess we'll see what happens!