"For the first time in forever, I'm getting what I'm dreaming of." Sept 2015 PTR

[Sisa]

So funny catching DS under the table instead of his usual seat!

Planning a trip can be very stressful, especially when going back and forth about things. But it will all work out!

The skirts are adorable

Thanks, I am sure we will be happy with whatever we decide. It's just making those decisions final.

Thank you!

I'm loving your trip report. And just so you know I changed our trip up until the last minute. I think I changed ADRs until the week before. I even tried to change hotels the month before our trip. No matter when you go, where you stay or eat you'll have a wonderful time.
DH wasn't a Disney fan but now he can't wait to go back.

Hi! Thank you for reading! You're making me feel better about feeling so unsure and making changes. I know we will enjoy our vacation regardless of our decisions.

Joining in...we are currently planning our 1st trip to WDW. You have given me so many great ideas already and I have loved everything I've read thus far. So this fellow Seattle Seahawks fan who is heartbroken can't wait to keep following!!!

Hi! Welcome, so glad to have you joining in! Yay, I am SO thrilled to have helped you with ideas for your first trip! When are you all going? Ugh, such a sad sad loss. Nice to hear from a fellow Hawk fan as I have only seen Patriot fans on here so far. Thank you for your kind words!

First off, hilarious picture of DS under the table! Nothing like a good tantrum picture to keep around for future use!

The plans sound like ours, up in the air! It's hard deciding what to do; so much to see, so little time!

If I may interject on the keys idea; save it for another visit. I live in Miami, which is about 4 hours south of Orlando, and about 4 hours north of Key West (the last key before Cuba). The keys are great, very relaxing or a wild party, depending on where and when you go. There is family stuff to do and nightlife stuff for adults only, but trying to hit the keys AND do 10+ days in WDW with two little ones sounds like a lot to me. But then again it could be a great adventure!

Can't wait to see what you guys decide as far as park days, water parks and such; ADR days are coming up quick!!

Haha, yes I will be saving this photo for later on

Thank you so much for your opinion on the Key West idea, it helps give me a better idea of timing and such. Is there a beach closer to Orlando that you would recommend? Basically, I am looking for not too crowded (ideally) but white sandy beaches and the blue-green gorgeous water because we have neither of those here in WA. Just rocky beaches and nasty looking water that you don't even want to put your feet in.

 

[RunnerMommyof4]

We are going in June of 2016. Staying at POR. I just made my Pre Trip Report, so I have a place to put all these great ideas! I know where did all these Patriot fans find from. We are use to going to games at Century Link...big difference!

 

[Sisa]

We are going in June of 2016. Staying at POR. I just made my Pre Trip Report, so I have a place to put all these great ideas! I know where did all these Patriot fans find from. We are use to going to games at Century Link...big difference!

Awesome, what is the link to your PTR? I want to follow along. Nothing like a game at Century Link field, nothing like the 12's either.

 

[MissMaryQC]

Thank you so much for your opinion on the Key West idea, it helps give me a better idea of timing and such. Is there a beach closer to Orlando that you would recommend? Basically, I am looking for not too crowded (ideally) but white sandy beaches and the blue-green gorgeous water because we have neither of those here in WA. Just rocky beaches and nasty looking water that you don't even want to put your feet in.

Cocoa Beach isn't too far from Orlando, maybe 30 minutes, if memory serves; this was the beach we went to when I lived in Orlando. Like any place there are areas that are crowded, but you can find some nice, quiet spots. I'd visit their tourism site http://www.cocoabeach.com/ cause they have good info about family activities and such. And one Google search will show you how gorgeous the beach is there!

 

[Sisa]

Cocoa Beach isn't too far from Orlando, maybe 30 minutes, if memory serves; this was the beach we went to when I lived in Orlando. Like any place there are areas that are crowded, but you can find some nice, quiet spots. I'd visit their tourism site http://www.cocoabeach.com/ cause they have good info about family activities and such. And one Google search will show you how gorgeous the beach is there!

Thank you SO much!!!

 

[RunnerMommyof4]

Awesome, what is the link to your PTR? I want to follow along. Nothing like a game at Century Link field, nothing like the 12's either.

As soon as I learn how. That's my newbie question. I can't add a signature or figure out how to post a link.

 

[Sisa]

As soon as I learn how. That's my newbie question. I can't add a signature or figure out how to post a link.

Your ticker shows up as your signature, so you do have one. As for the link, I wish I could help. I can't figure how to add a link to my table of contents since they switched to the new system.

 

[RunnerMommyof4]

http://www.disboards.com/threads/oc...-vacation-this-could-get-interesting.3375948/

 

[ursalita]

Still loving your movie nights - I love how you choose the lesser known movies. And those skirts are super cute!

Wow! You're making lots of changes. It sounds like you are going to be able to fit a lot of stuff in. I love the idea of taking a break from Disney to go to the beach and Universal. I definitely agree with the poster who cautioned you against going to Key West. DH and I visited Miami before we had kids and did the drive to Key West and back. It was lovely - Miami and Key West are awesome - but I wouldn't try to do that plus Disney with kids. I think the drive from Orlando would definitely be too much if you're not planning to spend some time there. I'm glad they were able to give you recommendations on a beach closer to Orlando. Good thing it's Florida and you don't have to drive to far to get to a beautiful beach.

 

[Sisa]

Still loving your movie nights - I love how you choose the lesser known movies. And those skirts are super cute!

Wow! You're making lots of changes. It sounds like you are going to be able to fit a lot of stuff in. I love the idea of taking a break from Disney to go to the beach and Universal. I definitely agree with the poster who cautioned you against going to Key West. DH and I visited Miami before we had kids and did the drive to Key West and back. It was lovely - Miami and Key West are awesome - but I wouldn't try to do that plus Disney with kids. I think the drive from Orlando would definitely be too much if you're not planning to spend some time there. I'm glad they were able to give you recommendations on a beach closer to Orlando. Good thing it's Florida and you don't have to drive to far to get to a beautiful beach.

Thank you, we enjoy all kinds of Disney movies!

Yea, I think I've talked DH out of Key West. A beach closer sounds much more ideal for me.

 

[Sisa]

Pete's Dragon FMN #25 and Alice in Wonderland FMN #26

Before I start this, I want to pause a moment and just say..................................


WE ARE OFFICIALLY BOOKED.......FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, I may be just a little excited about this! It feels more real to have it booked.

My latest stress has been that we are planning to use our tax refund to help pay for the trip, unfortunately we didn't get back near what we were hoping for, so it's time to get creative and save like crazy.

I was excited to see the Disney Movie Rewards finally had the $10 Disney gift card reward available. I have been saving my points for them. So I cashed in my points and have a couple free gift cards on the way. I will continue to add points and hope I can get a couple more gift cards before our trip.

We also ask for Disney gift cards for the kids' birthdays instead of presents, so they should be set for spending money.

I'm hoping to score the free dining promotion if offered again this year, which means we will just have to pay the upgrade fee to get the Regular Dining Plan. Which is still a good chunk of money for 11 nights, but ends up cheaper than staying at a Moderate.

I'm really hoping airfare will go down soon too, it's so expensive for 4 of us to fly across the US. It also is a bummer because there is only one non-stop flight to Florida.

But overall, I am just extremely thrilled to be booked! Everything else will work out.

Pete's Dragon FMN #25

My DD adores this movie so much, which makes me happy because it was one of my favorites as a child.





Alice in Wonderland FMN #26

For Valentine's Day, we chose Alice in Wonderland. Seemed fitting with the Queen of Hearts and all. This was one movie I could actually make some decor for. I enjoyed making a string of cards and the cards men. My DD thought the cards men were the greatest thing ever. Score for Mommy.



We had some guests join us, which means even more fun.



The kids' favorite part...pouring their own tea and drinking from tea cups.

 

[DisneyHoover]

Hello
I'm joining in a little late but congrats on being officially booked! That's a bummer about the tax refund though
I absolutely love your family movie nights -- they are so cute and your creativity with figuring out themed food is incredible! I can't wait to see more of them

 

[alyssathegrand]

Hi! Loving your posts, your movie nights are so fun!

I just wanted to chime in on the Key West idea. I'm a native Floridian who lives between Orlando and Key west. I just want to tell you that its a LONG drive. Probably right around 7 hours from Orlando. Once you hit the keys it's one-lane traffic almost all the way down and depending on your dates/proximity to Labor Day, traffic can be absolutely terrible. It is very beautiful but there is not, in my opinion, a TON for little kids there.

I think that there are lots of lovely beach towns much closer to Orlando (or at least not as far as Key West). If you want something like a "beach getaway" but with a more reasonable driving distance (about 2.5 hours away from Orlando) I personally recommend Delray Beach (which I think is the best in Florida). There are also beaches much closer to Orlando I'm sure but I can't really recommend any because I haven't visited any.

 

[Sisa]

Hello
I'm joining in a little late but congrats on being officially booked! That's a bummer about the tax refund though
I absolutely love your family movie nights -- they are so cute and your creativity with figuring out themed food is incredible! I can't wait to see more of them

Hi! Thank you, it feels amazing to having it be official! Yea, it is a bummer about the taxes, but we will make it work! Aw, thank you, I am glad you enjoyed our movie nights. I get a lot of ideas from the DIS, so that makes it much easier to figure out. Thank you so much for joining in!

 

[Sisa]

Hi! Loving your posts, your movie nights are so fun!

I just wanted to chime in on the Key West idea. I'm a native Floridian who lives between Orlando and Key west. I just want to tell you that its a LONG drive. Probably right around 7 hours from Orlando. Once you hit the keys it's one-lane traffic almost all the way down and depending on your dates/proximity to Labor Day, traffic can be absolutely terrible. It is very beautiful but there is not, in my opinion, a TON for little kids there.

I think that there are lots of lovely beach towns much closer to Orlando (or at least not as far as Key West). If you want something like a "beach getaway" but with a more reasonable driving distance (about 2.5 hours away from Orlando) I personally recommend Delray Beach (which I think is the best in Florida). There are also beaches much closer to Orlando I'm sure but I can't really recommend any because I haven't visited any.

Hi! Thank you!

Thank you for your feedback on Key West, it definitely doesn't sound like a great idea. I didn't think about the traffic either, no thanks!

I will look into Delray Beach for sure, thank you so much for the recommendation!

 

[MissMaryQC]

Yay for booking!!

I agree, it makes it much more real when you log into MDE and have your reservation there! I customized my MB maybe a week after we booked; too excited! Sorry about the tax return, I'm hoping for the same, haven't even started to file yet .

Good score on the gift cards from MDR! I always get DVDs with my points so I never have any when the GCs come out.

I do have a trick for you though. Are you familiar with Swag Bucks? It's an online rewards program. BUT unlike others you get points for stuff other than shopping. I watch videos and take surveys; already have $50 worth of a target GCs which are going to buy Disney GCs. It's been very helpful for me to put away some extra money for our trip! I'm happy to PM you the link if you want to check it out.

Love the two movie nights! AinW looks great, you did wonderful decorations (see what I did there?). I love Pete's Dragon! I hear Disney is doing a reimagining soon, not sure how I feel about that...

 

[Sisa]

"Yay for booking!!

I agree, it makes it much more real when you log into MDE and have your reservation there! I customized my MB maybe a week after we booked; too excited! Sorry about the tax return, I'm hoping for the same, haven't even started to file yet .

Good score on the gift cards from MDR! I always get DVDs with my points so I never have any when the GCs come out.

I do have a trick for you though. Are you familiar with Swag Bucks? It's an online rewards program. BUT unlike others you get points for stuff other than shopping. I watch videos and take surveys; already have $50 worth of a target GCs which are going to buy Disney GCs. It's been very helpful for me to put away some extra money for our trip! I'm happy to PM you the link if you want to check it out.

Love the two movie nights! AinW looks great, you did wonderful decorations (see what I did there?). I love Pete's Dragon! I hear Disney is doing a reimagining soon, not sure how I feel about that..."

Yes, seeing the MDE is so neat. I've had the app forever, but it means so much more now! It's super awesome. I ordered our MB yesterday, so fun!

I always save up all my reward points just to get the GCs, I did it for our DL trip too. It helps!

Okay, I am loving this tip...I've heard about swag bucks but never heard from anyone who does it. I would love more info on it! Thank you so much!

I agree, I heard about the Pete's Dragon reimaging too. I also am not sure how to take it.

Thank you for all your feedback, I appreciate it!

 

[CaseFace5]

Congrats on booking!!! It's such a great feeling to be official!

Love the family movie nights pictured above! Those little card men are adorable!! Do I see a countdown chain too? Are you close enough to start counting on the chains??? SO EXCITING!!!!

 

[ursalita]

Congrats on booking the trip!

Do you do the Disney Movie club? How do you like it? I was thinking about joining because I'm having trouble finding some of the Disney movies I want to see. It's not like I can go rent them at Blockbuster. I worry that I will forget to send the cards back and end up with movies we don't want or already have.

 

[missangelalexis]

Congrats on being booked!! Such a great feeling.

Alice night came out great, love the decor!