NEWS FLASH: You must be 4YO to go to Disney! Oct '11 PTR, 10/24 WE'RE BACK! p 18

[Pixiedust530]

to my very first Pre-Trip Report. I have been excessively planning this trip for what seems like an eternity. It's probably been more like a year or so, but considering I still have 7 months to go....that's an eternity!

I am a Disney veteran...this trip in Oct. will be my 6th. Although I am a veteran, I am by no means an expert. My first 4 trips were before the age of 14 and I had little to no input on the trip's activities. If there's one VERY important thing you need to know about me, it's that I am an obsessive compulsive planner....and I do mean OBSESSIVE! Not having input (ah hem...control) makes me crazy!

My most recent trip was as an adult with a group of friends. The original trip was to be 2 couples (myself and my "then" husband were one of the 2) and another male friend. About a month before the trip the other couple split up and my only female companion on the trip backed out. So....as a 20 something I went to Disney with 3 guys (NO PLANNING SKILLS) and to top it off found out I was pregnant the day we left home. Let's just say the trip was not exactly what I had hoped.

This time around I am taking the bull by the horns and ensuring that my visit to the World is as perfect as possible. If you have any extra Pixie Dust lying around please send it my way! I'll take all the good vibes I can get!

I am so excited to share my trip plans with all of you. As I said, I am by no means a Disney expert...but from what I have read here on the boards, MANY of you out there ARE experts. Please feel free to make suggestions, provide input on my plans or just join in on the fun! I hope you will follow along with me as I share all the wonderful things I have planned for our family vacation!

It's getting late so I must wrap it up for tonight....

NEXT UP - Introductions of the Cast


**TABLE OF CONTENTS**
Introductions: The Cast of Characters
The When & Where
How We're Getting There
4 Years Old to Go to WDW?
ADR Details
Magic Kingdom MUST Do's
EPCOT MUST Do's
Hollywood Studios MUST Do's
Animal Kingdom MUST Do's
Mini Update: A 'lil Disney shopping!
Official ADR List: Reservations Confirmed!
Disney Math
KY Derby and Disney
Day 1 - Travel Day
Day 2 - Hollywood Studios
Day 3 - EPCOT
Day 4 - Rest Day
MORE Disney Shopping
Day 5 - Magic Kingdom
Life Update: Who and How!
Fun NEW idea in Progress...Video Included!
Day 6 - Animal Kingdom
Day7 & 8 - EPCOT, MNSSHP & Departure
Trip Update w/ pics
Packing and Tie-Dye
The BIG Surprise & We Leave TODAY!
WE'RE BACK!!!

[Pixiedust530]

Welcome back! Next up is the Cast of Characters....and we are definitely characters!

ME-Stephanie: (31... 32 on the trip)
I am mom to Caden, the most sweet and lovable 4 year old on the planet. I am the mastermind behind this entire trip and I have been planning like crazy for over a year. I am a compulsive planner. I LOVE to plan...as in making spreadsheets for EVERYTHING and organizing them in a pretty little binder. I love ALL things Disney and am looking forward to something new this year...Food & Wine at EPCOT!


Wayne: (41)
Wayne is my wonderful boyfriend of 2 years. Caden and I are so lucky to have him in our life. He is a Disney virgin (never even been to Florida) and I am so excited to share the Magic with him. He's not quite as enthusiastic about the trip as I am, but he's very laid back and just goes with the flow. He lets me be the crazy planner I am. He is an animal lover (we have 4 dogs) and has a passion for taking pictures. I am looking forward to him capturing all the wonderful scenery at WDW.


A few pics of us together:


DS-Caden: (4)
My one and only little man...I call him my Cader-Bug! This will be his very first trip to WDW. I have decided to surprise him last minute (more on that later), but I want to make sure he KNOWS what Disney World is and is excited when I tell him we are going. I have been showing him the planning DVD and other videos and pics online and he is very excited (even though he doesn't know he's going yet)! He is my pride and joy and I can't wait to introduce him to the magic!


When I initially started planning this trip over a year ago the cast consisted of just the 3 of us above. When I started telling my mom and grandparents about the trip they had that look in their eye like they wanted to go. My grandparents (Caden's Great-Grandparents) took me on 3 of my 5 Disney trips as a child. They love Disney too and really want to be there for Caden's first visit...he is their ONLY great-grandchild. Caden is my mom's only grandchild so she of course wanted to jump on board to be there. I basically told them all that if any of them wanted to come along they were more than welcome. Sooooo....the trip now has 3 additional cast members...introductions below.

Sara: (69... 70 on the trip)
My grandma. She's AMAZING and was like a second mother to me most of my childhood. We are very close and a lot alike. she is very mucha planner like me. It will be hard for her to follow my plans for the trip, but she'll do it because she loves me! She was there for my first WDW trip in 1984 and wants to be there for Caden's first trip as well.


Charlie (70... 71 on the trip)
My grandpa. He's the Eeyore of the group. He's fun and full of energy when he wants to be, but he's the grump for sure. He is excited to be there for Caden's first trip, but is already complaining about all the walking he'll have to do. You would think that after being married to my grandma for 51 years that he would be used to a Type A, compulsive planner......NOPE! He asked me if I had bathroom breaks scheduled in or if he was just out of luck.


Suzanne (50... 51 on the trip)
My mom. She is super excited about going to WDW with us. Right now she is still trying to save enough $$ so she can go. We have included her on the reservations for now, but none of us have the extra funds to pay her way so she will HAVE to save enough if she wants to go. I won't go into details, but lets just say that this will be a CHALLENGE for my mom. I hope she is able to go, but I know that I can't stress and worry over it.


There it is....the Cast of Characters for our October adventure in The World!

[blessedmom4]

Caden is a cutie! How wonderful he has grandparents who WANT to spend time with im, what a blessing! Looking forward to reading more...

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Whoohoo! Hi Stephanie! You had me at Obsessive planner!

[-Hope-]

Hi Stephanie- another obsessive planner following you over from Karen's PTR.

[Pixiedust530]

Originally Posted by blessedmom4

Caden is a cutie! How wonderful he has grandparents who WANT to spend time with im, what a blessing! Looking forward to reading more...

We are VERY blessed! The best part for me is that Caden has GREAT-grandparents that are still alive and in good enough health to join us on a week long journey! I really can't imagine what it would be like without them tagging along. Thanks for finding your way here and for following along!

Originally Posted by Twoboysnmygirl

Whoohoo! Hi Stephanie! You had me at Obsessive planner!

Hehehe....so glad you came over! It's good to know there are more people like me out there...I tried to tell my boyfriend I wasn't the only one! Now I have PROOF! Bwahahaha

Originally Posted by -Hope-

Hi Stephanie- another obsessive planner following you over from Karen's PTR.

Awww...thanks for joining in. This is so exciting for me and I am thrilled to have other obsessive planners to share the excitement!

[stephielela]

Joining in!! I can't wait to hear about all your plans! It sounds like you guys will have an awesome time!!

[Pixiedust530]

As promised, it’s time to detail my ADR’s for the trip. These are by no means final and in fact I would love suggestions. Our family will be on the Regular Dining Plan so we’ll each have 7 TS meals, 7 QS meals and 7 snacks to use for the duration of the trip.

On our arrival day we are not going to a park…we will all be WAY TOO TIRED after driving all night for 14+ hours. I know Caden will be eager to “GO” to Disney World and I wanted to do something special for him on the first night since we won’t be visiting a park. I decided that Character Dining was the way to go… at Chef Mickey’s in the Contemporary! Caden is not at all afraid of characters & I know he will LOVE getting to meet Mickey & the gang right off the bat!

Beginning the day after our arrival and check-in, we will be doing 1 day in each park, an off day at the resort/DTD, a 2nd day at EPCOT for Food & Wine Festival & that same evening at MK for the MNSSHP (I think. MNSSHP is still up in the air and open for debate.)

So here is how our dining choices break down for the rest of our trip:
Magic Kingdom Day
Lunch at Crystal Palace (Character dining with Pooh & Friends)
Dinner at a QS location

EPCOT Day
Lunch at Akershus (Character dining with Princesses )
Dinner at Teppan Edo

Hollywood Studios Day
QS meal for lunch or dinner
F! Dining Package at Mama Melrose’s or Hollywood & Vine
**I would prefer to do the F! Pkg for an early dinner (4:45ish) but will take whatever I can get even if it is lunch. I have never eaten at HW&V or MM so I would love some feedback, suggestions, reviews, etc. Our family loves Italian, but I like the choices that a buffet offers as well. I may not “get” a choice anyway depending on what is available on my 180 mark.**

Animal Kingdom Day
Breakfast at Tusker House (Character dining Donald’s Safari Breakfast)
Lunch at QS location (Probably Flame Tree BBQ)
Dinner at T-Rex in Downtown Disney

Off Day from Parks/Resort Day
QS breakfast at All-Star Movies Food Court
QS lunch at DTD (Earl of Sandwich or Wolfgang Puck Express)
Dinner at O’hana in the Polynesian

EPCOT Day 2(F&W Festival)/MNSSHP Night
Lunch using snack credits at Food & Wine Festival
Dinner at QS location in MK during MNSSHP

If you’ve done the math , you’ll notice that I have 8 TS meals planned and still have 1 QS meal to use. We will pay for one TS meal Out of Pocket (T-Rex since it's not on the DDP). The main reason we added T-Rex in the first place is because Caden really likes dinosaurs. The other QS credit we will most likely use on the day we checkout to eat breakfast in the hotel food court before hitting the road.

So…there you have it…details of our ADR’s. I would LOVE feedback on any and all choices. If you have suggestion for good QS locations within MK, DHS and AK I am All Ears ! We do have 4 character meals scheduled and even if the food is just okay it really doesn’t matter….they are for Caden!

[MadilynnsMomma]

ADR's look great! Caden is going to LOVE all the character dining!!! I am tossing around the idea of F! dining as well... what is your ADR day?!

[Pixiedust530]

Originally Posted by stephielela

Joining in!! I can't wait to hear about all your plans! It sounds like you guys will have an awesome time!!

Glad to have you along for the ride! I am having so much fun planning and even more fun writing this PTR! I can't wait for October to get here!

Originally Posted by MadilynnsMomma

ADR's look great! Caden is going to LOVE all the character dining!!! I am tossing around the idea of F! dining as well... what is your ADR day?!

Thanks! I am really hoping that he loves all the Character dining...I think he will! I can book my ADR's on April 18...it can't get here soon enough.

[MadilynnsMomma]

Originally Posted by Pixiedust530

Thanks! I am really hoping that he loves all the Character dining...I think he will! I can book my ADR's on April 18...it can't get here soon enough.

UGH - I have to wait til the 25th

[PEANUT1]

Hi Stephanie!! I just stumbled upon your trip report bc your titile was cute then I realized it was a fellow October traveller. Everything looks great so far!! Its very exciting planning your child's first trip.

The only advice I have for you is about Dinosaur....that is one scary ride My daughter was just 4 on our last trip....she really wanted to go on it. I was really hesitant because my 7 year old won't even go on it and I remember taking my 8 year old niece on it years ago and she was totally traumatized.

Anyway, I took my little one on it and I had to cover her eyes almost the entire time....after the ride she told her daddy that she loved it but never wanted to do that again

[Pixiedust530]

Originally Posted by PEANUT1

Hi Stephanie!! I just stumbled upon your trip report bc your titile was cute then I realized it was a fellow October traveller. Everything looks great so far!! Its very exciting planning your child's first trip.

The only advice I have for you is about Dinosaur....that is one scary ride My daughter was just 4 on our last trip....she really wanted to go on it. I was really hesitant because my 7 year old won't even go on it and I remember taking my 8 year old niece on it years ago and she was totally traumatized.

Anyway, I took my little one on it and I had to cover her eyes almost the entire time....after the ride she told her daddy that she loved it but never wanted to do that again

Hello Andrea! Glad to have you along. It's great to be able to read along with other Oct. travelers.

Thank you for the advice on Dinosaur. I have heard so many mixed stories. I think I will start by showing him YouTube videos of the ride. If those freak him out then we'll definitely call it a NO! If he seems okay with the videos we will play it by ear while we are there.

[stephielela]

Jack has a spinning pumpkin light up thing too, I got it for him for MNSSHP last year, and he wouldn't let go of it!!! It's always a good idea to bring your own glo items, since they are about a quarter of the cost of the ones Disney sells!

I've been debating about Dionosaur too... maybe I will have Jack watch YouTube videos of it (are there any?) and see what he thinks?

[Pixiedust530]

Originally Posted by stephielela

Jack has a spinning pumpkin light up thing too, I got it for him for MNSSHP last year, and he wouldn't let go of it!!! It's always a good idea to bring your own glo items, since they are about a quarter of the cost of the ones Disney sells!

I've been debating about Dionosaur too... maybe I will have Jack watch YouTube videos of it (are there any?) and see what he thinks?

Here are a few videos I found:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DVP9gRQeSc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5X7QiRwWD6Y