For the First Time in Forever-

[mdsouth]

For the First Time in Forever – A WDW Trip to See My Son March in MK

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CHAPTER LINKS

Chapter 1 - How it all began
http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=52227358&postcount=2

Chapter 2 - Booked and ADR's Made
http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=52269178&postcount=7

Chapter 3 - Waiting and Watching the Weather
http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=52295641&postcount=12

Chapter 4 - And Away We GO!
http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=52295689&postcount=13

Chapter 5 - Magical Ride on Magic Express
http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=52344172&postcount=18

Chapter 6 - Arrival at Port Orleans French Quarter
http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=52357255&postcount=19

Chapter 7 - Soaking in the Magic in Magic Kingdom!

Chapter 8 - MK Part 2 - Off to Neverland!
http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=52445172&postcount=32

Chapter 9 - Wild, Wild West
http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=52483192&postcount=33

Chapter 10 - Crystal Palace Dinner with Pooh and Friends
http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=52536780&postcount=34

Chapter 11 http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=52566124&postcount=37-Continuation of Crystal Palace Dinner

Chapter 12 - Early Morning at PORFQ
http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=52597436&postcount=41

Chapter 13 - Checking Out Our Future in EPCOT
http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=52620294&postcount=51

Chapter 14 - Journey Into Our Imagination
http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=52645249&postcount=54

Chapter 15 - Princesses Galore!
http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=52669950&postcount=59

Chapter 16 - Lunch in Norway with the Princesses
http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=52692110&postcount=63

Chapter 17 -Anna and Elsa in PERSON!
http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=52708705&postcount=75

Chapter 18 - Soarin' in Epcot
http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=52769148&postcount=79

Chapter 19 - Disney Works its Magic with a Picky Eater
http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=52795743&postcount=80

Chapter 20 - Hangin' with the Fab 5
http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=52817101&postcount=85

Chapter 21 - Exploring Epcot at Night
http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=52854698&postcount=94

Chapter 22 -It's All about the Animals
http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=52965953&postcount=97

Chapter 23 - Kicking Back at Animal Kingdom
http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=52970788&postcount=102

Chapter 24 - Caught in a Rainstorm and Dinner with Royalty

Chapter 25 - Redo at the Zoo = Animal Kingdom Day 2

Chapter 26 - Redo at the Zoo Part 2 -\

Chapter 27 - Lunch at PORFQ

** I haven't figured out how to get the chapter links since they have updated the DISboards. I hope to have it figured out soon. When I do, I will add the actual links to Chapters 24-27.

Chapter 36 - Princesses and BOG
http://www.disboards.com/threads/fo...ver-updated-8-4-with-bog-lunch.3326486/page-9

Chapter 37 - Soaking in Atmosphere at MK

For the First Time in Forever-UPDATED 8/4 with BOG lunch


Let me just start by saying this trip was one of many firsts!
It was the first time my son’s high school marching band would be performing in the Magic Kingdom! Here is a picture from our actual trip!

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Now for the Introductions:
mdsouth - I am an official DIS lime green Mickey head* carrying nut! I have been in love with WDW and Disney ever since I was a little kid and that was eons ago. To give you an idea how old I am, I remember going over to my grandparents's house on Sunday nights to watch, "Wonderful World of Disney" television show in color. We only had a black and white tv at home.

My favorite WDW park is Magic Kingdom.
Favorite rides: It's a Small World, Peter Pan, Soarin', and Test Track
Favorite Fireworks Show: Wishes
Favorite Table Service Restaurant - O'Hana

My DH is not a Disney lover. He tolerates WDW every four years or so for my sake. He doesn't get why I love it so much and how it is better than other amusement parks. I am still working on him though. He prefers shorter trips and is someone who wants to sleep in on vacation. Ugg!!!Totally opposite of me. For this trip, he came down on Thur, a full four days after my DD and I were there. So, it worked well for us. He had spent a few days with us at Disney, without having to be there for a long week. It was ideal for him. He enjoys roller coasters and most of all, just walking around taking photographs of everything! He is a photobug!

My DS is a senior in high school. On this trip, he was the reason for our family's visit. His marching band was going to march in a parade in the Magic Kingdom on Valentine's Day 2014. He arrived on Thursday with his band.
His favorite rides are: RocknRoller Coaster, Test Track, Soarn, Thunder Mountain Railroad and Space Mountain.

My DD was ten years old on this trip. Her favorite Disney movies are: Ratatouille and 101 Dalmations and The Lion King.
Her favorite rides are: Peter Pan, It's A Small World, Soarn', Test Track and Thunder Mountain Railroad. She wanted me to add NOT Space Mountain!!!

*For those Disers who don't understand the reference to the lime green Mickey head, years ago when the DIS first got its start, people would wear some type of Mickey tag on their backpacks or purses to show their association to the DISboards. The tag would include a lime green Mickey head shape. The idea was to help us recognize each other in the parks. Some people even decorated their resort room windows or doors with them. I didn't see any displayed while I was there this past Feb.

 

[mdsouth]

It all started when my son came home from school in April to tell us that his band director had announced the location of his next marching band trip. He said that they would be marching in a parade in Walt Disney World! I was so excited! I was more excited than my son! It also just happened to be my birthday, so it was the perfect present!!

It was the first trip back to WDW since our Summer of 2009 trip.

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I had been secretly planning a return trip for several years and just trying to figure out a way to convince my husband, a non-Disney fan, to go back. This was the perfect reason I needed. My son’s band goes on a trip every other year, and this was his second one. He went by himself to perform in the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Florida but I wasn’t about to let him go to WDW without me!

I knew that I just wanted to plan a family trip and tag along with the band. I was not signing up to chaperone. I am a middle school teacher, so I deal with teenagers on a daily basis. I just wanted to be able to enjoy a trip to Disney and be there to see my son march down Main Street U.S.A and Cinderella’s Castle. Magic Kingdom is my all-time favorite amusement park ever!


I immediately started putting my plans into action! The only problem was that our band director did not have any set dates so I had to wait, and WAIT and WAIT for several months until he got the dates finalized with Disney and their travel agent. During this time period, I started a Disboards thread for February 2014 planners. isrocks:
I really enjoyed discussing plan with other Disney fans. Much of our discussions were centered around pin codes and the possibility of discounts for Feb. We also analyzed our options, trying to determine if free dining, or a play, stay and dine discount would be save us more than a room only discount As the weeks and months moved along, I had fun adding to our growing list of Disers going in Feb.

 

[krysmama2]

Following!

 

[ariane37]

Hi there mdsouth Good to see you! I was on the Feb. 2014 thread you started and we were at POFQ the same time as you We just got back from WDW again on 9/2 after a week stay at CSR!! Weather was a little different than back in Feb. lol.

Looking forward to reading your report and reliving our trip too!

 

[PrncessA]

I'm in!

 

[mdsouth]

Following!

Thanks for checking in! It is nice of you to join my TR as you are planning your own trip to PORFQ! It is exciting to have someone to share my experiences with.

Hi there mdsouth Good to see you! I was on the Feb. 2014 thread you started and we were at POFQ the same time as you We just got back from WDW again on 9/2 after a week stay at CSR!! Weather was a little different than back in Feb. lol.

Looking forward to reading your report and reliving our trip too!

Hi! ariane37, it will be fun to compare notes since we were there at the same time. I envy you in that you have had another trip since then. I am pretty sure that on your latest trip you weren't wearing sweatshirts and jackets like we did in Feb.

I'm in!

Yea! PrincessA, I appreciate you letting me know you are following along!

 

[mdsouth]

FINALLY, in August the dates were finalized, he would be marching in the Magic Kingdom over Presidents’ Day weekend in February 2014! I was a bit bummed about the dates because I know that the parks are pretty crowded around weeks of a holiday and that also makes the cost higher.

But I was very excited to be going in February instead of taking another trip in the hot summer months, so I quickly got over the little letdown and jumped on the phone to book my reservation. I booked an Art of Animation Little Mermaid room, February 13-17.

My DD was ten at the time and we both thought we would really like the resort based on the pictures. My family had previously stayed at Caribbean Beach resort and Coronado Springs Resort so it would be a first time at a value for us. I decided on AoA this time hoping to cut the cost of the trip a little bit.


Well, in October, the discounts were out and so then I had to make a decision, since the Art of Animation resort was fairly new it was not included in the discounts on the Little Mermaid room, just the suites. But I was extremely excited to see that POR French Quarter was included!

I immediately called and had my reservation changed to the French Quarter. I ended up reserving a garden view room with the Play, Stay and Dine plan.

I am a teacher, so going in February was really a treat for me. We normally would go in the summer once school was out. I kept watching the prices of airfare and planned my ADR's!

Thursday, Feb. 13 - Ohana for dinner
Friday, Feb. 14th - BOG for lunch and Liberty Tree Tavern for dinner
Saturday, Feb. 15th Whispering Canyon Cafe dinner

In my heart of hearts, I know that three days was just not going to be enough for me. I was super excited just to be going but I kept trying to figure out getting flights that would give me the most time at Disney.

My DH and I talked it over and decided that I and my DD would head down four days earlier and arrive on Sunday, Feb. 9th. So, I would get to be there for a full seven days! I added a room only stay at the beginning of my trip.

I was working on my plans and and trying to make fast pass plans. I made some for the later part of the week but was disappointed that I couldn't make any for the beginning of the trip since it was a room only reservation.

Once again, I was on the phone with Disney and modified my reservation one last time about 47 days out. I cancelled the room only portion and just added days to my Stay, Play and Dine package. The bad part was that I would have to pay for dining for my DH the four days he would not be there. I decided to make this negative into a positive! I just planned more table service ADR's. It was a chance for me to go to several restaurants that I had always wanted to try.

So, now my ADR's were:

Sunday - Crystal Palace dinner with Pooh and friends
Monday - Akersaurs lunch with the Princesses in Epcot and dinner at The Garden Grill in Epcot
Tuesday - Boma's at Animal Kingdom Lodge
Wednesday, Feb. 12 - 1900 Park Faire at Grand Floridan
Thursday, Feb .13 - O'hana
Friday, Feb 14 - Liberty Tree Tavern
Saturday, Feb 15 - Luau dinner at Poly

 

[librarygeek]

Nice, I'm looking forward to reading about your trip! How exciting to have your son marching in MK!

Awesome that you were able to add days onto the beginning of your trip. More time in Disney is always good, plus I'm guessing it was a lot less crowded those first four days! I did Presidents Weekend once and it was definitely crowded, though we made it through and still had a great time and I'm sure you did too

I do wish Disney was a little more flexible about the dining plan options - like in your case with your husband coming later. I still have to figure out how to book the dining plan without tickets since I have an AP - I've heard I can do it but don't know how yet!

 

[mdsouth]

Nice, I'm looking forward to reading about your trip! How exciting to have your son marching in MK! Awesome that you were able to add days onto the beginning of your trip. More time in Disney is always good, plus I'm guessing it was a lot less crowded those first four days! I did Presidents Weekend once and it was definitely crowded, though we made it through and still had a great time and I'm sure you did too I do wish Disney was a little more flexible about the dining plan options - like in your case with your husband coming later. I still have to figure out how to book the dining plan without tickets since I have an AP - I've heard I can do it but don't know how yet!

I plan to add a new update tomorrow. I have it written but am working on uploading pictures into photobucket tonight so I can have add them to my report.

You are right the first four days were a lot less crowded than Thursday on.

I bet someone here can help you with the AP and dining. Having APs would be great. Did I read that you were planning another trip centered around a race?

 

[ariane37]

You are right the first four days were a lot less crowded than Thursday on.

We went down on Feb. 8th, so the Sat. before President's weekend, and the crowds were SO nice through the 13th I definitely noticed an increase by Fri. the 14th, but the only day I really thought was actually "crowded" was President's Day itself.

Next year President's weekend coincides with Mardi Gras, and if it's anything like when that happened in 2013 it'll be CRAZY crowded

Can't wait to read more!

 

[Guatemommy]

Totally subbing!

 

[mdsouth]

Chapter 3 – Waiting and Watching the Weather

My plans were all set, Fast Pass Plus reservations, ADR’s the resort and the plane tickets bought. I just had to sit and wait.

While I was waiting, I continued to hang out on the Feb. 2014 thread and heard reports back from my fellow Feb. Disers whose trips were in early Feb.

This winter was the worst winter we have had in eons! Snow continued to fall and seven inches fell a couple days before we left. The temperatures were extremely low. The week before I left temperatures were ranging from a low of -11, yes, a NEGATIVE eleven to a high of twenty-one!

With all the snow on the ground and more expected that weekend, I was really worried about my flight out being delayed or cancelled. n

I was flying out of my local airport and it only had two flights a week that went directly to Orlando. So, if my flight was cancelled or delayed it would be really hard for me to get another flight. I would have to get one that flew to Atlanta and then transfer to one that went to Orlando.

We went down on Feb. 8th, so the Sat. before President's weekend, and the crowds were SO nice through the 13th I definitely noticed an increase by Fri. the 14th, but the only day I really thought was actually "crowded" was President's Day itself.

Next year President's weekend coincides with Mardi Gras, and if it's anything like when that happened in 2013 it'll be CRAZY crowded

Can't wait to read more!

Wow! I can only imagine what the crowds with Mardi Gras and President's Day together will be like! Probably a lot like the summer crowds were when we went around July 4th! Definitely enough to make a grimace!

Totally subbing!

Thanks for joining! Next up, is my flight down!

 

[mdsouth]

Chapter 4 – Away We GO!!!

I just love that part in Peter Pan when Peter takes Wendy’s hand and shouts, “Away we go!” as they all fly out the window to Nevernever Land.

The day finally arrived, February 9, 2014! Like most, no matter how much I had packed and planned I still was a bit frazzled that morning, rushing around. I didn't sleep very well that night since I was anxiously watching the weather about the snow storm heading our way.

Usually, I wake up about a hour before my alarm clock rings and am instantly awake and ready to get up. This morning, I was a bit of a sleepy head since I had finally managed to fall asleep around 3 or 4 am and it was not 5:30. I jumped in and out of the shower and got my DD up and ready.

I put on my jeans and my light blue short sleeve Winnie the Pooh shirt. I had chosen to wear my Winnie the Pooh shirt since we would be dining with Pooh later that night at the Crystal Palace! Below is the only picture we got with Pooh. It is not the best of my DD since she is looking down but it is all I have. I will share a couple more pictures of our dinner later.


My son and husband were up and getting ready for church. They were going to take us to the airport, see us off and then head to church. After throwing the last minute stuff into our luggage we were out the door. Fortunately, we did not get as much snow as expected, around an inch or so. We still had about six to seven inches of snow still on the ground from a previous snowfall and the temperature was predicted to only reach a high of negative thirteen degrees!

The airport is very close to my home, only about fifteen to twenty minutes away. We were scheduled for a direct flight to Orlando’s International Airport. It was expected to be a two and a half hour flight. We were scheduled to arrive in Orlando at 10:00 am. My DD had one bag to check and the rest was carry-on luggage. I had my purse and a small bag with my Ipad and our swimsuits and a change of clothes in it. My DD had her little purse and her Nintendo bag with her.

We hugged my DH and son goodbye, and headed through the security gate. I went through first, followed by my daughter. As she went through the gate, the beeper went off and she was asked to step aside for a more thorough check. The security guard says that it goes off randomly to select passengers for a wand screening. So, the wand came out and she was quickly scanned. She was cleared and we then headed upstairs. By the time we got to our gate, they were beginning to board our flight, so we did not have to wait long.

We flew Frontier Airlines and had chosen our seats when I booked the tickets. We would be sitting in the first row of the plane near the cockpit. My DD had the window seat and I had the seat next to her. Beside me on the left was a lady about my age heading down to Orlando to visit her mother. She and I struck up a conversation as we waited for the rest of the passengers to board. Once everyone was onboard they announced that our plane was going to be deiced before we took off.

Unfortunately, the flight was delayed longer than expected because the deicing truck was not working and had to be quickly repaired as we waited. All in all, our flight was delayed about an hour to an hour and a half while they worked on the truck and then deiced the plane. The actual flight was perfect! We had a smooth take-off and landing and there was no turbulence while we were in the air.
Haley really enjoyed her window seat. It was fun to see the ground change from being all white to seeing the patchwork quilt pattern of grass and crops. I wish I would have thought to have my DD take some photos while we were in the air.

Once we arrived at MCO, it was close to 11:30 am. Instead of jumping on the Magic Express bus, we stopped and had a quick lunch at the Burger King in MCO. I was super anxious to be on our way but I knew that my DD needed something to eat and it gave us a chance to just catch our breaths after the flight. We sat by a window and enjoyed looking out at the palm trees and sunshine!

 

[librarygeek]

I bet someone here can help you with the AP and dining. Having APs would be great. Did I read that you were planning another trip centered around a race?

Two trips, actually! I had already been planning to go the first weekend in October (I leave in two weeks!) and it just so happened that the Tower of Terror 10 miler was that weekend so I signed up. And then in February I'm going again to run the Glass Slipper Challenge - a 10k on Saturday followed by the Princess Half Marathon on Sunday!

 

[librarygeek]

I'm glad to hear your trip wasn't affected by the weather! When we went last February I was very worried about all that snow, but luckily it didn't affect us either. There were just so many bad days though!

 

[mdsouth]

Two trips, actually! I had already been planning to go the first weekend in October (I leave in two weeks!) and it just so happened that the Tower of Terror 10 miler was that weekend so I signed up. And then in February I'm going again to run the Glass Slipper Challenge - a 10k on Saturday followed by the Princess Half Marathon on Sunday!

Wow! Two weeks and you will be running in another race at Disney. I just finished reading through your account of the Princess one last Feb. I enjoyed seeing the photos.

October and February have to be the top two months for low crowds and great weather at Disney. I would love to go in Oct or early November some time.

 

[mdsouth]

I'm glad to hear your trip wasn't affected by the weather! When we went last February I was very worried about all that snow, but luckily it didn't affect us either. There were just so many bad days though!

Things worked out well for us. My son's bus with the band had some difficulty driving down but fortunately the professional bus drivers wee experienced with snow. I was very anxious until the arrived and of course anxious again on their trip back home.


Stay tuned I should have the new installment with our first day loaded soon with pictures. The pictures are giving me some trouble

 

[mdsouth]

Chapter 5 – Magical Ride on the Magic Express

After we had a quick bite to eat we headed down to Magic Express. Let me rephrase that, I basically skipped my way down to Magic Express, bouncing like Tigger all the way because I could not keep my excitement in! We must have just missed a PORFQ bus, because there was no line and we walked right up to the front. A very sweet CM was there to help us use our Magic Bands for the first time. Things worked great and we hopped on our bus.



I was thrilled to see that they had cartoons showing as we waited for more passengers to arrive.


I really enjoyed the trip on the Magic Express. Since I was headed to PORFQ for the first time, it gave me the chance to catch quick glimpses of SSR and Old Key West before we arrived at PORFQ. I have often looked at photos of these Disney Club resorts online , so it was fun to actually see them for myself, though for a very brief amount of time. Old Key West theme reminds me of some of the resorts at Hilton Head Island , South Carolina. Hilton Head Island is one of my all-time favorite beaches.

 

[mdsouth]

Chapter 6 – Arrival at Port Orleans French Quarter

This was the first time we had stayed at the French Quarter. We had stayed onsite at CBR in 2005 and CSR during our last trip in 2009. I had reserved a garden view room and had requested either building four or six. I knew I would be happy in any building since everything I had read on the boards talked about how close all the buildings are together.

When we arrived, Haley and I were the only ones that got off the bus. The rest were headed to POR. The doorman greeted us and welcomed us to PORFQ. We headed into the lobby and were immediately approached by a very friendly CM with an ipad in her hand. She asked if I had checked in online and I said yes. She quickly typed something into the ipad and then gave me a big grin and said that we would be in building six on the third floor, room 6338, and our room was ready! So, we headed out the back door of the main lobby; it was then that I discovered for myself how compact and quaint Port Orleans French Quarter is. I loved the cobblestone streets and the lush landscaping. It was so wonderful to be walking around outside in the warm sunshine with all the green around. I really felt like I was in a dream since just that morning I had left home with negative thirteen degrees. We headed to the left and quickly found building six. Once we got off the elevator on the third floor and started to follow the signs, I realized that we had been upgraded from our booked garden view room to a RIVER VIEW ROOM! (dancing)!


Here was our view looking straight ahead



And this was the view if we looked left from the balcony. The bridge is the divider between PORFQ and POR.



It occurred to me that the sweet young CM who checked us in, had broken out in a large grin when she told me the room number. Of course, I had no idea at the time that we had been assigned a river view room! I have often read in other people’s reports about people getting upgrades, and for the first time it happened to me!


Haley opened the door for us using her Magic Band. She really got a kick out of doing so and took it upon herself to open our door each time we entered throughout our trip.
I, immediately started taking pictures of our room. I wanted to get pictures before the room was messed up with our stuff.
Here is a picture of the inside of our room from the doorway.


And another one of one of the beds, neatly made up.



When we went into the bathroom, I was super excited to see the cute shampoo and conditioner bottles with the little Mickey ears for the caps! I just grinned and had to take a couple of pictures. I brought a couple of the little bottles home with me and they are in my medicine cabinet. So, every morning when I open my medicine cabinet I get a little glimpse of Disney.


We put away our things and then headed out to catch a bus to Magic Kingdom! Magic Kingdom is my favorite park and I was anxious to see it again. We had fast passes for
Peter Pan's Flight® -- 3:55 - 4:55 pm
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad® -- 5:00 - 6:00 pm
Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid -- 6:00 - 7:00 pm

Looking back, I wish we would have spent the warm afternoon swimming at the resort, then head to MK later in the early evening for our dinner at Crystal Palace at 7:00 pm. MK was scheduled to stay open until 1:00 am that night so we would have had plenty of time to eat and ride some rides.

We walked through the main lobby as stopped to get a photo taken with the wonderful CM doorman. He was very friendly and seemed to really enjoy his job.

 

[gracer9977]

Joining in. Looks like a great start to the trip so far.

I am all for leaving the cold and heading for the warmth although my Jan trip did not work well. Traded sigle digits for 40's and 50's which although warmer was not as warm as I would have liked it to be. Only able to swim one day for a few hours when we briefly made it into the 60's. Most of the time we were in jackets with hats and gloves on. Didn't feel like FL.

Looking forward to reading along.