September 2013 with a twist - New 9/13 - we are on our way!

[lsenquiz]

I already have a TR going ( SWW, BCR & Technically, we were literally on Mars! ) for our May/June trip but wanted to start a PTR for our September trip. We have been going to Disney the third week of September since 2006. We love it. Last year I attempted to do a live trip report(Live from BWV Sept 2012) while we were there but it got to be more than I could handle as I wanted to update every evening and most evenings I was just plain exhausted.

So this year I thought I would do a PTR followed by a TR that I could take my time with and do it right.
First up as always the cast:

Me(Lisa) - I work fulltime in IT but have the luxury of working from home. My only hobby is planning vacations. I prefer Disney but am happy as long as I have a vacation in the works. My favorite park is Hollywood Studios with EPCOT a close second, favorite attraction is Soarin and favorite character is Jiminy Cricket.


Photo0222 by Disneyalwaysn4ever, on Flickr (I am the one in the orange)

DH(Lets call him Grumpy - although he is really not) - He also works fulltime in IT(same company as me) and could have the luxury of working from home but prefers to go into the office. All of his hobbies revolve around sports and Boy Scouts with my DS. His favorite park is Hollywood Studios, favorite attraction is RnR and favorite character is Grumpy.


39493300017 by Disneyalwaysn4ever, on Flickr

DS8(he will be 9 on the trip we will refer to him as Buzz) - He loves Star Wars, video games and Super Heroes. His hobbies usually involve a screen of some kind(TV, Tablet, Laptop etc&) although he is showing a real interest in Boy Scouts. His favorite park is Hollywood Studios, favorite attraction is Star Tours and favorite character is Buzz Lightyear.


Photo0295FourBySix by Disneyalwaysn4ever, on Flickr

DC(Disney Cousin Lets call her Tink) - My partner in crime. Tink has been to Disney more times than she can count. Her first trip was as a baby and she has gone back at least once(sometimes twice) a year since. She has way more energy than me and keeps me going on these trips. Her favorite park is Magic Kingdom, favorite attraction is Splash Mountain and favorite character is Tinkerbell.


Photo0222 by Disneyalwaysn4ever, on Flickr ( She's the one in the grey)

Tinks DH(Lets call him Swat) - I think his favorite park is Hollywood Studios, favorite attraction is RnR and I have no idea if he even has a favorite character(probably not).


Photo0563FourBySix by Disneyalwaysn4ever, on Flickr ( he's in the grey sleeveless shirt)

Tink/Swat's - DS9(We will refer to him as - Gunz) - He loves the great outdoors. His hobbies are hunting & fishing. He finally got to the point on our last trip where he was willing to ride most everything except RnR which was a big leap from the previous year where we could not even get him on Soarin. I think his favorite park is Hollywood Studios, favorite attraction in ToT and favorite characters are Chip and Dale.


Photo0300FourBySix by Disneyalwaysn4ever, on Flickr

Tink/Swat's - DS8(We will refer to him as - Stitch) - He is very much like his brother. He loves the great outdoors. His hobbies are hunting & fishing. He is the daredevil of our little ones. I think he rode Everest the second he was big enough. He came very close to getting on RnR last September so I suspect we will have no trouble getting him on there for our upcoming trip. I think his favorite park is Hollywood Studios, favorite attraction in ToT and favorite character is Stitch(or at least it was the only one I could get him to take a picture with the last trip).


Photo0304FourBySix by Disneyalwaysn4ever, on Flickr

Tink/Swat's - DD6(We will refer to her as Ariel) - Our only girl since my DD21 stopped being able to go because of college). She loves everything about Disney and anything to do with the princesses. Her hobbies are dressing up like a princess and she has almost all the princess gowns. Her favorite park is Magic Kingdom, her favorite attraction is the M&Gs with the princesses and her favorite character is Ariel.


Photo0289FourBySix by Disneyalwaysn4ever, on Flickr

Tink's Mom and my aunt(we can call her Aunt P) - She is the Disney patriarch of the family(although I am the planner). She has been going since her children were little(which explains all of Tinks trips). I think she has probably been over 50 times. Her hobby is sewing and taking care of her grandkids. Her favorite park is Magic Kingdom, favorite attraction is the Electric light parade and I am not sure who her favorite character is but suspect it would be one of the fab 5(I will ask her the next time I seen her)

Tink's Dad and my uncle(we can call him Uncle F) - Aunt Ps partner in crime. He has also been going since his children were little. His hobbies revolve around taking care of the 20+ acres their house is on and taking care of his grandkids. He also loves Nascar. His favorite park is Magic Kingdom, favorite attraction is the hall of presidents and I doubt if he has a favorite character.


p&f by Disneyalwaysn4ever, on Flickr

Whew! So that is our crew for our annual September trip. I will post more about our plans later as this update has taken longer than I expected.

 

[lsenquiz]

Chapter 1 - Some History on our Grand Gathering
Chapter 2 - Dates, Plans and the Twist
Chapter 3 - Day 1 - Bay Lake Tower!
Chapter 4 - Day 2 - EPCOT
Chapter 5 - Day 3 - 1st half - Magic Kingdom
Chapter 6 - Day 3 - 2nd half - Mickey's not so Scary Halloween Party
Chapter 7 - O'hana's Breakfast and Resort Change
Chapter 8 - Real Life Update
Chapter 9 - Day 5 - Animal Kingdom
Chapter 10 - Day 6 - Magic Kingdom
Chapter 11 - Day 7 - Hollywood Studios
Chapter 12 - Day 8 - Disney Dream(Day 1)
Chatper 13 - Day 9 - Disney Dream(Day 2 - Nassau)
Chapter 14 - Day 10 - Disney Dream(Day 3 - Castway Cay)
Chapter 14 - Day 11 Disney Dream(Day 4 - final day)
Chapter 15 - Where do I go from here?
Major Changes - anyone new to the PTR should start here:
Chapter 1.1 - Introductions
Chapter 2.1 - Resort Changes
Chapter 3.1 - Day 1 - Boardwalk Check-in
Chapter 4.1 - Day 2 - Animal Kingdom
Chapter 5.1 - Day 3 - Magic Kingdom
Chapter 6.1 - Day 4 - Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party
Chapter 7.1 - Day 5 - Hollywood Studios
Chapter 8.1 - Day 6 - Epcot
Chapter 9.1 - Day 7 - Magic Kingdom
Chapter 10.1 - Day 8 - Hollywood Studios
Chapter 11.1 - 29 Day Dance!!!!
Chapter 12.1 - Day 9 - Resort Change and Down Day
Chapter 13.1 - The Weekend that reset priorities
Chapter 14.1 - I made shirts and some pre-vacation purchases
Chapter 15.1 - Day 10 - Animal Kingdom
Chapter 16.1 - Single Digit Dance!!
Chapter 17.1 - Day 11 - Magic Kingdom
Chapter 18.1 - Days 12-14 - Catch All

 

[StitchIsOurHero]

Just joined in on your other PTR from our Skisney thread. I saw this PTR and clicked on it since September is my favorite time to go (when I can get off work) and realized it was yours too!

Looks like a fun crew and a great time of year!!

 

[lsenquiz]

Just joined in on your other PTR from our Skisney thread. I saw this PTR and clicked on it since September is my favorite time to go (when I can get off work) and realized it was yours too!

Looks like a fun crew and a great time of year!!

I joined your PTR also. I am looking forward to being able to read it this weekend when I will have time to really absorb it.

 

[labordefam3]

Joining in. We will be going in September also! We've only ever been in Nov/Dec, and we are really looking forward to a different Disney season.

 

[lsenquiz]

Joining in. We will be going in September also! We've only ever been in Nov/Dec, and we are really looking forward to a different Disney season.

You will love it. It is our favorite time of the year to go. It can still be hot but we enjoy the longer days and the low low low crowds.

 

[indimom]

Wow, sounds like an awesome group of travel partners.

We tend to vacation alone. No one else likes our early to bed, early to rise, commando style. lol. Actually, only two of our 7 siblings on both sides of the family even like Disney.

I know! What's wrong with these people???? Maybe they didn't just wake up on the wrong side of the bed. Maybe they were born on the wrong side of the bed???

In truth, I get so much grief for my Disney love that I have yet to tell anyone we're going "again." Maybe I won't tell them at all. lol.

Oh well, their loss, and more Disney for me.

 

[lsenquiz]

In truth, I get so much grief for my Disney love that I have yet to tell anyone we're going "again." Maybe I won't tell them at all. lol.

I know just what you mean. It is amazing to me why people would question your decision to go to Disney as often as possible but don't think anything of doing the same boring beach vacation over and over and over again. Thank goodness for the DIS!

 

[lsenquiz]

As mentioned before, we go to Disney every September with the same crew. We always have a great time. Most of Tinks family and my family stay in a 2 bedroom villa at Boardwalk. My Aunt, Uncle and one of Tinks boys(Gunz) stay in a value. They used to stay at ASMovies but did try a stay at CBR in 2011 and AoA in 2012. They were not real impressed by CBR but loved AoA so I think that will be their new go to resort for September at least.

A little history on how this crew came together. We all live in Ga but our children are in different school districts. Buzz is lucky enough to be in a school district that follows a balanced calendar. That means we have a week off school every 6 weeks with 2 weeks for Christmas and just 9 weeks for summer. I love, love, love it. We have been on this calendar for about 10 years and this is what started our annual September trips. Tinks school district switched to this calendar in 2009 which is what changed our trip from immediate family to grand gathering.

Our 2009 - 2011 trips went off without a hitch. Then came 2012 when Tinks school district decided to move their September break out one week. So for 2012 our break was September 17th - 21st and Tinks was 24th - 28th. Unfortunately, we did not realize this until the trip was completely paid for so Tink had to take her kids out of school for a week.

This brings us to 2012. We really wanted to carry on our tradition of vacationing together but I hated to ask Tink to pull her kids out again so this year we agreed that I would pull my Buzz out. I am really quite nervous about this. Not because I think it is a big deal for a 3rd grader to miss a week of school but because our school district is so darn strict about it. However, I feel strongly that time with family is important so I am going to bravely move forward.

Up next, dates, plans and the twist!

 

[lsenquiz]

Our dates for this trip are currently scheduled for Sept 14th - 29th. The first part of the trip will just be DH, Buzz and I with some of the crew(Tink, Ariel & Stitch) arriving the night of Sept. 18th and the rest coming in on Sept 21st.

This is where the Twist comes in. Tink and I have been wanting to take a Disney Cruise for several years and this will be the year we do it. We have settled on a 4 day Dream cruise which leaves Sept 22nd and returns Sept 26th. I am pretty excited about the cruise but it has thrown me for a loop planning wise since the trip feels very choppy now. This is what it will look like:

Sept 14th - 17th - Lodging for three
Sept 18th - 21nd - Lodging for 6
Sept 22nd - 25th - Cruise
Sept 26th - 28th - Loding for 7(my Aunt, Uncle and Gunz will stay at AoA)

Normally we head down in September, check into a 2 bedroom at BWV and we are good for the trip. However, I simply can not justify just the three of us staying in a 2 bedroom even if it is just for 3 nights. So it looks like we will be resort hoppers for this trip. I figure if we are going to resort hop we might as well use this trip to see some of the resorts I would not consider if we were staying in one spot for 10 straight days.

Some options I am considering are: A studio at AKV with a savannah view for the part of the trip when it will just be the three of us.

It would be nice to be able to sit on our balcony with this view in the evenings:


AKL-sanaa%20056 by Disneyalwaysn4ever, on Flickr
Picture from AKLlodge.com

Camping at Fort Wilderness for the last part of the trip because the boys(Stitch and Buzz) have been begging to tent camp at Disney for about a year now. I am thinking if it was just for three days I could handle it

The kids would love this slide:

fw slide by Disneyalwaysn4ever, on Flickr
Photo taken from AllEars.Net

I would love to watch Wishes from one of these chairs:

fw beach by Disneyalwaysn4ever, on Flickr
Photo taken from AllEars.Net

Chip and Dale are two of our favorite characters so we would not want to miss this:

fw movies by Disneyalwaysn4ever, on Flickr
Photo taken from AllEars.Net

This looks like fun (Tink's family tent camped at FW for two weeks every July)

fw canoes by Disneyalwaysn4ever, on Flickr
Photo taken from AllEars.Net

I am sure I will consider other options also but the two above seem to be at the top of my list for now. I am hoping our whole crew can get together soon to finalize plans.

 

[happybelle]

This trip looks like a lot of fun.

 

[lsenquiz]

This trip looks like a lot of fun.

Thanks and I am having a blast planning it as always!

 

[StitchIsOurHero]

This really does look like lots of fun! I don't think I could tent camp . But I have always thought FW looks cool!!

 

[Alysa]

FW looks fun! I don't know why but I had no idea that you actually camped in a tent, I thought it was RVs!

 

[lsenquiz]

FW looks fun! I don't know why but I had no idea that you actually camped in a tent, I thought it was RVs!

. You actually can camp in an RV or bring a camper but tent camping is also an option.

 

[lsenquiz]

This really does look like lots of fun! I don't think I could tent camp . But I have always thought FW looks cool!!

I have some pretty big doubts of my own on whether or not I can tent camp. If we decide to take this option I may have to have a cabin rented as a backup

 

[lsenquiz]

Day 1 - Sun Sept 15th​

I am still finalizing all of our plans but think I have the first three days of the trip figured out.

So, on Day 1 DH, Buzz and I will be checking into here:


BLT by Disneyalwaysn4ever, on Flickr
Photo borrowed from the internet

I know this is a complete deviation from my original options but I have always wanted to stay here and figure this is our best chance.

Our plan is to arrive at the resort by 9am Sunday morning and get checked in. We will make sure we bring a separate bag with swim stuff since it is unlikely that our room will be ready. Once checked in we will head right to here:


BLT pool by Disneyalwaysn4ever, on Flickr
Photo borrowed from internet

This is where we plan to spend most of the morning. I expect that we will eat a light lunch here:


BLT lunch by Disneyalwaysn4ever, on Flickr
Photo borrowed from AllEars

Our plan is to remain at the pool until our room is ready. Then we will head up and shower and unpack:


blt-studio by Disneyalwaysn4ever, on Flickr
Photo borrowed from the internet

Once we are showered and unpacked we plan to explore the resort. We have never stayed at BLT or the Contemporary so we are pretty excited to explore both. When we are done checking out BLT and CR we will hop on here for a tour of all Monorail resorts:


CR moneral by Disneyalwaysn4ever, on Flickr
Photo borrowed from internet

I think our first stop will be here:


GFloridian by Disneyalwaysn4ever, on Flickr
Photo borrowed from the internet

We plan to get off and explore the resort for a while then will hop back on the monorail to head here:


Poly by Disneyalwaysn4ever, on Flickr
Photo borrowed from the internet

I am super excited to explore this resort as I have heard so many good things about it.

After we are finished at the Poly we will hop back on the monorail and head back to the Contemporary. We plan to have dinner here:


Chef_Mickeys by Disneyalwaysn4ever, on Flickr
Photo borrowed from the internet

This will actually be our second time eating at Chef Mickeys(our first will be a breakfast on our upcoming May trip) but it will be our first time eating dinner here.

After dinner we may head back to the pool for a while. We will end our evening back in our room. We have a room with a Magic Kindom view so I am really looking forward to this view from our balcony:


blt view by Disneyalwaysn4ever, on Flickr
Photo borrowed from the internet

Up next Day 2 - EPCOT

 

[StitchIsOurHero]

Looks like a great day's plan to me!! We've never stayed at Contemporary or BLT either! Love Chef Mickey's dinner. . .we always have fun and good food there!

I love resort hopping and exploring! Poly and GF are so great for me!!

 

[indimom]

I love your plans so far. The Contemporary is my dream resort. I love the style of it. I love the new room decor. Everything about it appeals to me.(Well, except maybe the pool. That looks a little dull compared to some of the others, but I understand that it fits the style.)
I would LOVE the fireworks view. Can't wait to hear about it. What a lovely and relaxing way to end an evening.

 

[lsenquiz]

Looks like a great day's plan to me!! We've never stayed at Contemporary or BLT either! Love Chef Mickey's dinner. . .we always have fun and good food there!

I love resort hopping and exploring! Poly and GF are so great for me!!

This will be our first time taking a tour of the monorail resorts. We are really looking forward to it.

I love your plans so far. The Contemporary is my dream resort. I love the style of it. I love the new room decor. Everything about it appeals to me.(Well, except maybe the pool. That looks a little dull compared to some of the others, but I understand that it fits the style.)
I would LOVE the fireworks view. Can't wait to hear about it. What a lovely and relaxing way to end an evening.

I completely agree. The thing I am most looking forward to is watching Wishes from our balcony.