I finally found a way to get DH excited about Disney! - ADDED LINK TO TRIP REPORT

[amandaw]

Originally Posted by pinkxray

What a great change it in plans I am so jealous you are going to do Disney races before me, but I am very happy for you anyway

Thanks! You should just make a short trip by yourself & come run the 5K with me.

Originally Posted by pinkxray

I have told DH repeatedy that if I am not pregnant within the next 2-3 months I am doing the half in Feb. but he just sort of brushes me off. He seems to think I can't do a half marathon and not pass out Maybe I'll see you there. Would Ed do the Half Marathon in Feb? I would be willing to take extra photos for you since you can never have too many of your DH in a tutu.

You can do it! That would be so much fun if we were able to meet up there! Ed definitely plans to run the Half Marathon in Feb. I would like to run it as well if I can by then. If nothing else, I would do the 5K though. If we both run the Half Marathon, we'll have to find a willing adult to accompany us to take care of Reid during the race.

Yes, you can never have too many pics of your DH in a tutu. I can't wait to see mine!

Originally Posted by pinkxray

Isn't the Couch to 5K great? I am so happy it is working out for you and getting you more Disney time.

I'm really enjoying it so far. I just still have a hard time believing that I will get to the point of being able to run 3 miles.

Originally Posted by tinacaplan

That sounds great! I would love to be able to run/jog at Disney.

Thank you!

BTW.....I hope you have a fabulous upcoming trip! Can't wait to hear all about it.

Originally Posted by RGirl

HELLO!!!!! It feels like I have been gone forever!

Well, hi there stranger! It's good to see you back!

Originally Posted by RGirl

LOVED the New Orleans pics. I haven't been since I was a kid - hope to go back someday!

Thanks! You should definitely make a trip back one day. I think you would have a great time.

Originally Posted by RGirl

Good for you, Amanda!!!!!! This is great! POR and POFQ are high on my last to try - can't wait (as usual) for your trip and TR!

Thank you! I'm excited to try POFQ. I like that it's on the small side, as far as resorts go. I'm really starting to get excited about the trip now!

[RGirl]

Originally Posted by amandaw

Well, hi there stranger! It's good to see you back!

Thanks! You should definitely make a trip back one day. I think you would have a great time.

Thank you! I'm excited to try POFQ. I like that it's on the small side, as far as resorts go. I'm really starting to get excited about the trip now!

Oh, I will definitely take Willow to New Orleans one day!

I'm so glad that you are feeling excited for you trip. I know I'm excited about it!

[amandaw]

Originally Posted by RGirl

Oh, I will definitely take Willow to New Orleans one day!

That would be a fun trip for y'all! Reid & I could meet y'all!

Originally Posted by RGirl

I'm so glad that you are feeling excited for you trip. I know I'm excited about it!

Thanks! I'm happy to finally be excited about the trip. It was silly of me not to be excited about going to Disney. And I'm glad you're excited for me, too! Now, the trip just needs to get here! Oh wait - I have to be able to run 3 miles first. Guess it's a good thing I still have a little while.

[RGirl]

Originally Posted by amandaw

That would be a fun trip for y'all! Reid & I could meet y'all!

Thanks! I'm happy to finally be excited about the trip. It was silly of me not to be excited about going to Disney. And I'm glad you're excited for me, too! Now, the trip just needs to get here! Oh wait - I have to be able to run 3 miles first. Guess it's a good thing I still have a little while.

Oh, even better!!!! We will definitely do NO one day - you know how important it is to me to take trips with DD (it really is our only down time together). How fun it would be if we could all meet up!

Oh, I understand that sometimes it can be hard to get excited about even a great Disney trip. Hi - you've watched me struggle with the cruise and read about how much I struggled with DLR. I think sometimes we have such great memories that it is very hard to believe that the reality of the next trip can live up to the memories and the expectations. You are all going to have so much fun!!!!

[pas130]

Originally Posted by amandaw

Hopefully, that's the last of the changes. Or at least for the major stuff.

Change is good!!!! I'm very happy for you!

[amandaw]

Originally Posted by RGirl

Oh, even better!!!! We will definitely do NO one day - you know how important it is to me to take trips with DD (it really is our only down time together). How fun it would be if we could all meet up!

That would be so much fun! We could go to the French Quarter, take the kids to the Aquarium, there's also the zoo & a children's museum. But, there's so much to walk around & see too.

Originally Posted by RGirl

Oh, I understand that sometimes it can be hard to get excited about even a great Disney trip. Hi - you've watched me struggle with the cruise and read about how much I struggled with DLR. I think sometimes we have such great memories that it is very hard to believe that the reality of the next trip can live up to the memories and the expectations. You are all going to have so much fun!!!!

I think you're right. And when you throw in unknown elements (a 1st time cruise or a resort that wasn't your first pick), it can just make you doubt that the vacation is going to be ok. I do think we're going to have a great time! And y'all will as well on the cruise!

[PirateKate]

Congratulations on doing the 5K! That'll be so exciting! Disney races are the best and the only thing that I find can motivate me to run.

Your trip to New Orleans looks amazing! New Orleans is such a fun place to visit and a great choice for an adults only trip.

Carter has that same Mickey shirt, too. I love it!

[CandleontheWater]

I think you guys are really going to like POFQ! I really like the PO resorts, and the boat to DTD is an added bonus. You can use the pools at both Riverside and FQ, since they are sister resorts, and that's a real perk!

[amandaw]

Originally Posted by PirateKate

Congratulations on doing the 5K! That'll be so exciting! Disney races are the best and the only thing that I find can motivate me to run.

Thank you! Yeah, I figure there is any chance of me getting into running, it'll be Disney to do it!

Originally Posted by PirateKate

Your trip to New Orleans looks amazing! New Orleans is such a fun place to visit and a great choice for an adults only trip.

We really had such a nice short get away. I think Ed wants to do that race again next year, so we'll probably do the same as this year. Who knows.....maybe I'll run that one with him next year as well.

Originally Posted by PirateKate

Carter has that same Mickey shirt, too. I love it!

Gotta love Target & their Disney shirts! I'm hoping they'll get some more over the summer so I can stock up for our trip.

Originally Posted by CandleontheWater

I think you guys are really going to like POFQ! I really like the PO resorts, and the boat to DTD is an added bonus. You can use the pools at both Riverside and FQ, since they are sister resorts, and that's a real perk!

I do think we're going to enjoy POFQ. I like that it doesn't seem too big. I definitely plan on at least walking over to Riverside to check it out as well.

[smellyia]

I decided to follow along after checking out your siggie link and first I must say that son of yours is precious...like should be in that WDW commercial with One Republic guy singing in the background precious!

I also LOVE your Goonies shirt and how funny is it that I reference said movie in my next post - I'm furiously googling looking for this shirt as a stocking stuffer for DH.

I really like your ADR's and find I have a habit of constantly reviewing them and thinking about options in WDW foodland...you're not the only one....there are just soooo many choices and sooooo little time!

I wanted to do the same as your original plan with bringing DD to WDW the winter (that first or 2nd week in December) for the pretty Christmas decor, and I am still keeping my fingers crossed it will happen even though we are going next month.

Your family is beautiful! I can't wait to read more plans.

Question for you...how do you edit your title of a thread you started like with noting "updates 4/16" or something like that?

[amandaw]

Originally Posted by smellyia

I decided to follow along after checking out your siggie link and first I must say that son of yours is precious...like should be in that WDW commercial with One Republic guy singing in the background precious!

Hi! I'm so happy to have you in on my planning!

Awww, thank you! It's funny you mention that commercial. My son Reid LOVES that commercial. In fact, I was just telling someone else on another thread that the song came on the radio in the car the other day. He immediately started screaming, "That's the Disney song!"

Originally Posted by smellyia

I also LOVE your Goonies shirt and how funny is it that I reference said movie in my next post - I'm furiously googling looking for this shirt as a stocking stuffer for DH.

I was so excited to find that shirt! I have a ridiculous amount of love for that movie. Try this link for the shirt (I think it's the same one): http://shoproadtriponline.com/Other_...movie_T_s.html

If the website doesn't pull up the 1st time, try to refresh & it should.

Originally Posted by smellyia

I really like your ADR's and find I have a habit of constantly reviewing them and thinking about options in WDW foodland...you're not the only one....there are just soooo many choices and sooooo little time!

Thank you! I've already made a few changes as of this weekend. I need a good month at WDW to do all of the ADRs I'd like to try. Don't think Ed is going to go for that though!

Originally Posted by smellyia

I wanted to do the same as your original plan with bringing DD to WDW the winter (that first or 2nd week in December) for the pretty Christmas decor, and I am still keeping my fingers crossed it will happen even though we are going next month.

Y'all definitely have to go one year at Christmas time. Since your daughter is still little, you have time. I would go the 2nd week of December. Low crowds, good prices, good weather! We've been a few times during that week & love it!

Originally Posted by smellyia

Your family is beautiful! I can't wait to read more plans.

Thank you so much! Stay tuned! I'm going to try to get rolling with real plans in an update tonight.

Originally Posted by smellyia

Question for you...how do you edit your title of a thread you started like with noting "updates 4/16" or something like that?

If you go to your original post, click the edit button. Then, click on the Advanced Edit button. From there, you will be able to go into your title & edit or add info!

[amandaw]

I'm finally ready to start rolling out some of our plan details to you good people here! But, I must warn you that this first set of details is not very interesting or fun. Sorry! Alright, here we go..........

Our trip details will begin on Thursday, Sept. 27th:

On this day, Ed will go to work as usual and Reid will go to school. I will have all the fun of getting to pack for the whole family for our 10 day trip. Now, I know some of you will color me crazy but I must confess this.......I actually like to pack. I don't like to unpack after a trip. But, I love packing. I think it's the OCD/Anal-retentive monster in me. I love making lists! Santa ain't got nothin' on me - I make lots of lists & check them more than twice! I will probably begin with the list making around the 1st week of September. Anyway, back to packing! I will have done all of the laundry on Wednesday so that as soon as I get back home from dropping Reid off at school, I can start packing immediately.

I will pick Reid up from school & head home. Hopefully, I'll be done packing by the time I go to get him. But, if not, I'll have to finish that up when we get home. Once everything is packed, Reid & I will start loading up the car. He's such a good little helper so I know he'll enjoy this. Once the car is packed full, I'll go ahead & get Reid bathed.

As soon as Ed gets home from work, we will eat a quick dinner. Once this is done, it'll be time for one last potty break for EVERYONE. I'll get Reid in his jammies & we will load up into my SUV!

Reid travels pretty well in the car. But, I'm not worried about him on this night at all. I may let him watch a movie on the DVD player in the car when we start off on the Interstate. We will be fully loaded with Disney movies! He should fall asleep once it gets close to his normal bedtime. And he'll probably sleep until we stop for the night.

Yes, we will be stopping for this night. As much as I'd love to just get to Disney, it's a good drive for us (about 12 1/2 to 13 hours). Oh, and I forgot to mention that this is our 1st time ever driving to Disney! Since we won't be leaving until after dinner, I have scheduled for us just to drive about 4 or 5 hours this night. That would put us in Mobile, AL or in the FL panhandle. Knowing Ed, he'll want to go further. But, we'll just have to see about that. We'll get some shuteye & wake up rested & ready to get to DISNEY!

On to Friday, Sept. 28th:

I want us up by 6am. We'll get up, get dressed & ready for the day & pack up the car. I want us on the road no later than 7am. Breakfast will consist of items brought from home that can be devoured in the car. If we only drove 5 hours the night before, then we'll have about 8 hours to go on this day. I'm constantly scouring the internet for good road trip ideas to keep little ones occupied ("happy"). I'll share what I come up with later in the PTR. Lunch will be fast food - get down for a potty break but eat in the car. I'm not a fan of eating in the car. But, I need to get to Disney!

My plan is to be rolling into this place by 3pm:



Ed & I will both need to go & pick up our registration packets for our races. Hopefully, this will not take too terribly long because I will be ready to check in here:



I'm thinking by the time we get there our room should be ready. So, we'll go in & get settled in our "home" for 2 nights. As much as I want to stay at Boardwalk one day, I'm okay with changing our hotel to POFQ. I've never tried a moderate & this is the only one I've seriously contemplated in the past.

Once we're settled into our room, we'll go out to explore. After being in the car so much, it'll be nice to stretch our legs. And I'm sure Reid will need to burn some energy! I figure we'll let him play on the playground for a little while. Then, we'll stretch our legs a bit more by walking on over to POR. I wanted to make sure that we got over there to see what it looks like as well.

And since we'll be over there, we will just go ahead & have dinner at the food court at POR. At this point, we will NOT be on the DDP. I'm not starting that up until we check in to OKW.

After our meal, we'll trek on back to POFQ. Hopefully, everyone will be getting sleepy. And by "everyone", I mean Reid. I know Ed & I will have no trouble sleeping but Reid is a different story. He's my little Energizer Bunny. But, I'll get him bathed & in his jammies. And then we'll cozy up in our bed. Ed is the lucky dog who always gets his own bed on vacation. Hopefully, it won't take long for us all to drift off to sleep.

After all, Mommy has a big morning ahead of her!

[shan23877]

Yay for list making! I love it! I also enjoy packing, hate unpacking, and really detest doing vacation laundry. Just today I was packing with the help of 3 lists in 2 notebooks and a reminders list on my phone. The electronic 'check' on the reminders lists makes me very happy. I'm such a dork.

We loved POFQ, and I am a little sad that we aren't staying there again. I loved how small and peaceful it is. The food court at FQ was pretty good too! But, then again, beignets for breakfast make me very, very happy as well.

Maddie is exactly the same as Reid. She could stay up all night, especially if there's a movie or TV on. And, my DH is the one who gets his own bed on vacation too! I don't mind sleeping with DD (she snores less, and is much smaller ) but, sometimes when she's really tired she still has 'accidents'. And who bears the brunt of that? Good ole mom of course. And DH wonders why I need a clean pair of PJs for every night...

Can't wait to hear more!

[CandleontheWater]

I think your plans sound great!

I hate, hate, hate packing, so you'd be welcome to come over and do it for me anytime, pretty please!

I think you've got a good plan to try and get some driving done at night, if you make it to Pensacola, the drive to Orlando isn't bad at all.

I also think the idea of eating at the POR food court is a great one! The food there is good, and you'll have a decent variety to choose from. It also has ample seating, and doesn't get all that crowded in the evenings. You guys could also walk over to the River Roost and catch a few songs from YeHa Bob if you are so inclined. He starts pretty early, and keeps his show family friendly.

[afwdwfan]

Looks like a good plan. The only thing you might consider may be to stay at a hotel that offers breakfast (like a Hampton Inn or Holiday Inn Express, etc.). That way you wouldn't have to pack food into the car to eat that morning and you could get something hot too.

Looking forward to seeing your road trip distraction ideas. When we drove sleeping and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse DVD's were the main forms of distraction. They worked well until about the last 2 hours of the drive.