A Princess Goes Home!! PTR

P.S. I just watched the trailer for 'Saving Mr. Banks', I am dying with excitement over here!!! Mary Poppins was my absolute favorite movie growing up and I think I watched it at least once a day over the coarse of a year. It is such a perfect movie. Also I adore Tom Hanks. Seeing him a Walt Disney is beyond thrilling. I just LOVE it!!!!!
 
Alright, the girls are down for a nap (@ the same time. It is a miracle!!). Finally time for me to start laying out some plans for our trip!! Lets start with my general plan and then I'll go more into detail as I have time. I'm going to leave out exact dates for safety reasons, I'm sure all of you Disers are fantastically nice people that would never ever dream of stealing our stuff while we're away... But who knows. There could be some sneaky pirates in the mix!! If so, "Yo ho, yo ho, don't steal my stuff from me".

Saturday: Arrival Day
Sunday: Resort Day
Monday: MK
Tuesday: Epcot
Wednesday: HS
Thursday: Resort Day
Friday: MK
Saturday: Epcot
Sunday: MK
Monday: Depart

I know. I know. We are missing Animal Kingdom this trip. We decided that it would make more sense to spend more time at Magic Kingdom. There are just so many thing we want to accomplish there and I don't want to feel rushed. AK was our sacrifice because we only have two musts at that park... Kilimanjaro Safari and FOTLK. I will miss those this year, but something had to be cut and V needs his down time or he is a grumpy dwarf.

Okay, let's jump right on in!!

Saturday:
Our flight departs at 3pm central time. We can all assume at that point I will be happily drugged and zombie like. I do worry about V potentially having to take care of all three of us girls on the flight, but he is a tough man. We will load the Kindle up with a couple of movies for Lo. Plus this is her first flight so I am sure she will be thrilled to take it all in. There is the minor detail that I will need nurse Reese for take off and landing, but I'm sure we'll manage. She's a pro!! We are scheduled to arrive @ 6:35pm eastern time.

We are planning on taking the ME to Port Orleans, but I've never actually used this service before so I'm not 100% sure I completely grasp how it works. Do we have to wait around at the airport until the bus is full? Do we have the option of getting our own checked luggage? I love the convenience of the luggage delivery, but if it takes up to three hours to get the bags we may not get them until past 10pm. On average how long does it take from landing at MCO to checking into the hotel? Any guidance on these things would be so so helpful!!

I assumed it would take about an hour and a half until we were walking into our room at POR, so I made an 8:45pm dinner reservation at Boatwrights. Plenty of cushion time and time to have the groceries I order delivered. So now, here is my latest pondering... Do I surprise everyone at dinner with a custom cake? Here are my thoughts, I love cake. The custom cakes are adorable. But would it be too much dessert since we already get desserts with the dining plan? I say no. We could have it for breakfast or a snack, right? Also do I get a mini cake that feeds one-two or the 6" round that feeds 5-6? These are the questions that fill my brain constantly right now... It's a good problem to have ;) Apparently it can be tricky to get through and order the cakes @ POR. We actually booked this vacation with a TA, my cousin. She's the one that woke up at the butt crack of dawn to book with free dining, but other than that I like to do everything. I think I'll have her take care of this cake thing too!!

I anticipate a late night tonight, so the next day we will sleep in and take it easy!
 
Joining in! You have such a beautiful family. All I could think about when I was reading your plans for flying was that scene in Bridesmaids. Just don't mix idea B with idea C and you will be fine!
 
I read all the info on Magic Express, they will pic up your bags if you want but if you choose to get your bags yourself do not put the Me tags on the luggage then pick them up at baggage claim. Bring them to the bus, they will put them under the bus like greyhound. Then you can get them when you get off. I haven't heard of anyone waiting long for the bus I think they fill up pretty fast. So that's what I know lol :cloud9:
 


Joining in! You have such a beautiful family. All I could think about when I was reading your plans for flying was that scene in Bridesmaids. Just don't mix idea B with idea C and you will be fine!

Thank you & WELCOME!! I'm cracking up!! Can you imagine a Disney version of that scene? "There is a colonial Minnie Mouse on the wing!!!" I'm just imagining Minnie in her Liberty Tree outfit. Oh, that's funny!!
 
I read all the info on Magic Express, they will pic up your bags if you want but if you choose to get your bags yourself do not put the Me tags on the luggage then pick them up at baggage claim. Bring them to the bus, they will put them under the bus like greyhound. Then you can get them when you get off. I haven't heard of anyone waiting long for the bus I think they fill up pretty fast. So that's what I know lol :cloud9:

Thanks for the info!! V had a good plan tonight that we will just wait and see how much junk we would have to drag around and then make a decision on whether or not to check the luggage with ME, he's so smart ;) I knew I kept him around for something!
 
I interrupt this PTR to insert a story about when I was a part of creating the Disney magic!!

I grew up in a single parent home as a single child. My mom was a very very dedicated business woman who quickly climbed up the corporate ladder at one of the largest companies in the world. Because she was so dedicated to her work we moved around quite often. From the ages of 8-10 I lived in a small suburb of Paris, France and attended the American School of Paris. It just so happened that during that same time period Euro Disney was putting on its finishing touches and preparing for it's Grand Opening. Several of the students at my school were the children of Imagineers, in fact the father of a good friend in my class was responsible for the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. If I had known then what I know now about Disney... I would have exploded.

A perk of having so many Disney kids at my school was being able to be a part of the Grand Opening celebrations!! Disney wanted to have children standing at the castle opening morning singing and skipping and smiling for all the international media to see... I COULD DO THAT!! I could sing and skip and smile! So my school choir learned to sing 'it's a small world' in French and a couple other songs. We were bused out to the site a few times to practice with other schools, learn where to stand and we were also fitted for our costumes!

Let me tell you, the bus rides and the costume fitting were traumatizing for a 3rd grader. First of all the bus ride. Disney acquired land in France much like they acquired land in Florida, under an assumed name without disclosing their intentions initially. Well, the surrounding farmers were non too pleased when they found out Disney would be opening their gates. So, in protest, they placed signs on the property they owned leading into Disney property. These signs were graphic. Mickey with a gun wound in his head, Mickey hung by a noose and other things I can't remember. It was crazy!! I remember all of us being so excited to see the castle for the first time and then all of our innocent little eyes getting bigger and bigger filled with fear as we saw these insane signs. Poor little kiddos. Once we got there of course everything was wonderful and did not include the horrors we imagined. UNTIL we were fitted for our costumes. I think by that point I was clued in on Santa and the Easter Bunny and I'm pretty sure that I knew the characters were not real. But, seeing Goofy try on his costume was a shock to me!! Here I was seeing him in his body costume without a character head on. NO HEAD. It blew my little 9 year old mind. That's the day I grew up. Hahahahahaha, just kidding. But really it was life changing.

The rest of my experience was really cool! Our voices were actually recorded for the American portion of 'it's a small world' (the Euro Disney version has the song sung it the native language of the section you're in) so my little voice is immortalized on that ride!! Opening day was overcast and grey but non the less went wonderfully. I vividly remember standing inside the castle waiting to run, I mean SKIP, out on stage to sing. While we were standing there all the characters took their places too. Every character imaginable was standing around us and although I knew that Goofy need to have some dental work done it was still so magical. Disney gave us all one free pass to visit the park and we were all very happy little kids.

Here's a youtube video of the Grand Opening. We were the little ones in the peach cardigans starting around 5:40ish. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9TpO6Oy850

Yup, there's my 15 minutes (more like seconds) of fame. Such an incredible experience!!
 


I'm joining in, and I'm all caught up! I'm so glad your whole family is healthy and happy now. I can think of no better place to celebrate life! :goodvibes

Also I just have to tell you how attractive your family is. Seriously. Your daughters are just beautiful!

I bet yall will just love POR! I just stayed there last month and I was in love right away. The note and gift from Tiana was such a cute idea.

You're ACTUALLY a part of Disney history! That's amazing!
 
I'm joining in, and I'm all caught up! I'm so glad your whole family is healthy and happy now. I can think of no better place to celebrate life! :goodvibes

Also I just have to tell you how attractive your family is. Seriously. Your daughters are just beautiful!

I bet yall will just love POR! I just stayed there last month and I was in love right away. The note and gift from Tiana was such a cute idea.

You're ACTUALLY a part of Disney history! That's amazing!

Welcome!! Thank you so much for the sweet compliment! They are just as sweet as beautiful :)
 
Okay!! Let's get back to planning, shall we?

Sunday:
I plan on sleeping in as long as possible, waking up and heading to Riverside Mill for breakfast. I plan on ordering anything that includes Mickey waffles!! After that we will either go swimming, fishing or take the boat over to DTD to explore. No matter which option we choose some how we will end up in DTD for lunch. On our last trip V fell in love with EOS so we will be hitting that one up early in our trip! We'll head back to the resort, rest and then continue to enjoy a relaxed resort day. I want to ease the girls into vacation and keep this day very low key. We have reservations @ Cape May @ 5:30pm this evening. To get there I was planning on catching a bus to either Epcot or HS and then hopping on another bus to Beach Club and doing the same on the way back. Is this the best plan of attack? Any better recommendations on how to get over to the BC? Hopefully getting to and from our dinner reservation won't be too big of a pain. We will get to bed as early as possible (maybe after catching some of the movie on the lawn) because we have big big plans for the next day!!

Monday:
We have 8:35am reservations @ CRT so I don't want to be at the bus stop any later than 7:35am. I would love to have time to get photos on practically empty Main Street. Lo will, of course, be wearing her Cinderella dress!!

**Oh my goodness. Writing this out I just had one of those moments when your heart skips. I am so incredibly excited for her to see it all again!! Last time she enjoyed it but didn't really get it. This time she is going to FREAK out. Hopefully I can keep my self together and not go into the ugly cry.**

We will get to Magic Kingdom. At least 50% of our traveling party will then need to be revived. Lo and I will float on a cloud through this entire morning. I have no doubt. Since we will be at breakfast when the park opens I am considering focusing on Main Street, Tomorrowland, and parts of Fantasyland leaving the New Fantasyland section for another day. We will see how crazy the crowds are once we leave the restaurant. I do think our first ride should be the carrousel. Ahhhhhhh,so warm and fuzzy inside!! I am planning on taking a mid day break most days, again we will play it by ear and see how the girls handle everything. Since we are having a large breakfast I plan on snacking through lunch and having Dinner at Casey's Corner. I hope the girls can make it to see MSEP and at least part of Wishes!! I've heard that taking the POFQ bus back from MK in the evening is the best plan of action. We might end up doing that and walking back to POR rather than waiting in a huge line of tired people.

Time to take a break... But I'll be back with more plans!!! :) Happy Monday everyone!
 
I love the moments when your heart skips thinking about being there.... AHHHHH- What are your dates again?

I am wanting to know about the best plan of attack for Cape May Café as well. Hopefully someone can pipe in.

We are going for a breakfast on the day we do the Halloween Party.
 
Joining in! Love your PTR so far. I am going with my family next year in May and also staying at POR. My mom has flight anxiety too and takes anti-anxiety pills also. My tip, via my mom, is to make sure you actually have a seat when you get to the gate and that the flight is not overbooked before taking the medication. This happened to my mom once where she had already taken her anxiety pill for the flight (doctor had only given two- one for the flight there and one for the flight home). She got to the gate and they told her the flight was overbooked and didn't know if they could get her on the flight. Obviously this caused more anxiety. Luckily another flier was willing to give up their seat for my mom.
 
Sounds like a great idea to take it easy at first! As far as getting to the Beach Club, I would recommend taking a bus to DHS and getting on the friendship boat to go to Beach Club (you could also walk, but with two little girls the boat would probably be easier)! If you went to Epcot, you'd have to walk through the entire park to get to the International Gateway and then keep walking to Beach Club. There are no busses from Epcot to the Epcot resorts, since they're so close. :) Hope that helps!

Ack, I don't even have kids but I know how excited you must be to see Lo's reaction! :cloud9:
 
I love the moments when your heart skips thinking about being there.... AHHHHH- What are your dates again?

I am wanting to know about the best plan of attack for Cape May Café as well. Hopefully someone can pipe in.

We are going for a breakfast on the day we do the Halloween Party.

I'll send you a PM with our dates, hopefully we can meet up at some point!!

Joining in! Love your PTR so far. I am going with my family next year in May and also staying at POR. My mom has flight anxiety too and takes anti-anxiety pills also. My tip, via my mom, is to make sure you actually have a seat when you get to the gate and that the flight is not overbooked before taking the medication. This happened to my mom once where she had already taken her anxiety pill for the flight (doctor had only given two- one for the flight there and one for the flight home). She got to the gate and they told her the flight was overbooked and didn't know if they could get her on the flight. Obviously this caused more anxiety. Luckily another flier was willing to give up their seat for my mom.

Welcome!! Oh your poor mother!! I am so glad everything worked out for her. I'm actually dragging my feet on getting a GP to write me a Rx. I really really need to get that done. The closer we get the more anxiety I start to have even thinking about getting on a plane with my babies. That accident in California has not helped me feel better about flying.

Sounds like a great idea to take it easy at first! As far as getting to the Beach Club, I would recommend taking a bus to DHS and getting on the friendship boat to go to Beach Club (you could also walk, but with two little girls the boat would probably be easier)! If you went to Epcot, you'd have to walk through the entire park to get to the International Gateway and then keep walking to Beach Club. There are no busses from Epcot to the Epcot resorts, since they're so close. :) Hope that helps!

Ack, I don't even have kids but I know how excited you must be to see Lo's reaction! :cloud9:

Oh my goodness I am so glad you chimed in with advice on how to get to and from the Beach Club. I would have been so upset if we got to Epcot and had to either take a cab or use a park ticket just to walk through. Thank you so much!!!!


Hey there!! Thanks for sticking around!!!
 
V is home playing with Reese and Lo is taking a much needed marathon nap. Can we all say "Hallelujah!!"? Three year olds, man. They are cray cray y'all.

I don't have time to go over my plans more, but I did want to share a few photos before I forgot! First, I think Lo will really enjoy meeting characters this year so I've been on the look out for an autograph book. All the ones I find that I like are really expensive for an autograph book. I decided instead to just cut 4x6 pieces of card stock and have the characters sign those. That way when we get home I can put them in an album next to a picture of Lo & Reese with that character. I figured binder clips were an easy way to keep it together and if there are two characters at once we can separate easily.




THEN, I went into Hallmark the other day and saw the most adorable little Disney plush dolls. They are so itty bitty and cute! I grabbed an Ariel one for Reese since she did not have a welcome surprise yet :)


Finally for good measure, a picture of Lo & I on the carrousel from our last trip. Love it!! (look we even captured a photo of 'Snow White's Scary Adventure'... this is a vintage photo now.)

 
Joining in on your PTR. Your girls are adorable. Love the outfits you bought for them. My DH and I will be bringing our two daughters to WDW next September and it is very dangerous for buying outfits for them. My Pinterest is filled with outfits I want to buy for the trip.
 
Are you doing the little notes for LO? You have fantastic handwriting... I wish I did.. :)
 
I've been away for several days because it has been crazy busy at our house!! Today we sold V's Harley motorcycle, it had just been sitting around collecting dust for the past several years. It was time. We are also in the process of refinancing our house which is time consuming. Hopefully we will be closing a week from today, so that is exciting!!

In Disney related news I did online check in a few days ago!!! It's the first time I've done online check in. The feed back I read is always very positive so hopefully it goes just as smoothly for us. As excited as I get to have the vacation get closer and closer I also get a little sad. Life is good when you're planning a vacation, especially a Disney World vacation, and I hate when it is over. As much as I would LOVE to go to Disney on a yearly basis, we just can't do that. So this is my big fix for a while :)

Next step is to pay our vacation off. I've been reading a lot about the using a Target red card to get 5% off Disney gift cards to pay for the trip, therefore getting 5% off your package. I don't have a red card yet because I keep leaving my checks at home (to open the debit card) but I plan on getting one next week. The only thing I worry about is the fact that my Target only sells $50 gift cards. I would have to buy almost 60 cards and send every gift card code to my TA to use for our balance. It's kind of a pain but it would save us about $150. Not a ton, but a good chunk of change!!! Any one have experience doing this?
 

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