How can this be? 35 Days to Disney?? Sept PTR

[hockeyprincess25]

Everyyear I say I am going to do a PTR and then a TR when we return, but to be honest...they scare me! I love to write (and I like to think I am good at it!) but what if others don't get my writing style? Well, just like I tell my boys... who cares what others think! Do your thing!!

But as a warning... I suck at technology... so there will be little along the lines of graphics at first...hopefully I will get it figured out though and I can add some great pics and gifs.

So...The title is right... 35 days until Disney!!!

Who? Me and my 'little' man. I am a mid 40 mom of 3 boys. Former DL AP holder. Disney lover. My 'baby' boy... is now 9!!! We went on our first trip when he was 7. He had begged and begged to go. I couldn't get any of my other family on board (then 19 yo, 13 yo and DH) I finally said who cares...WE ARE GOING!! So it was just the two of us. I was so scared to take him alone. On a plane. To the busiest place we had ever been. I get nervous taking him to the 'big mall' alone. BUT, we did it! And ....IT WAS AWESOME!!! It is our annual get away now.

This year our trip will be the longest yet..Sept 1-11. *maybe 12 more on that later*

We stay at Pop because that is where our first trip was and I am comfortable there.

We get the Park hopper for 10 days, upgrade free qs dining to Deluxe and plan for MNSSHP.

Even though the trip is sooo close there is still so much to be decided! So, follow along on the crazy adventures and troubles that we get into along the planning path...

 

[DexLabDeeDee]

Hi! We'll be there around the same time too! I'm excited to hear about your plans. It's coming up fast, isn't it???

Adding pictures is really easy. All you have to do is right click on an image, then "Copy image" and then come to your post and click on "Paste".

Sometimes your pics may be too big. If that happens, I usually use something like Picasa (free!). I then open my picture with Picasa, go to File -> Export Picture to Folder. Then I choose "Resize to 800 pixels" or whatever pixels you want it to be. Picasa will open up the Export folder for you and then you can copy/paste just like above.

Hope this helps! It really isn't too hard - once you do it a few times you'll get the hang of it!

 

[hockeyprincess25]

Hi! We'll be there around the same time too! I'm excited to hear about your plans. It's coming up fast, isn't it???

Adding pictures is really easy. All you have to do is right click on an image, then "Copy image" and then come to your post and click on "Paste".

Sometimes your pics may be too big. If that happens, I usually use something like Picasa (free!). I then open my picture with Picasa, go to File -> Export Picture to Folder. Then I choose "Resize to 800 pixels" or whatever pixels you want it to be. Picasa will open up the Export folder for you and then you can copy/paste just like above.

Hope this helps! It really isn't too hard - once you do it a few times you'll get the hang of it!

I

Thanks! That does help a ton. I will see about adding some pictures later.

 

[hockeyprincess25]

Day 1

I have never been this disorganized for a trip. I think that is why it feels like it is creeping up so fast! I have the bones of the trip done. (ADR's, FP, and MNSSHP) but honestly I can't say which park we will be at when. I am pretty embarrassed to say it actually. I have been so tied up with work and kids and sports that I have actually put this trip on the back burner for too long!!
​

Our flight is early and direct so we will arrive at 10 am. I am expecting to be checking out the resort by Noon at the latest. We will be directly going to TRex as that is arrival day lunch tradition. Usually we walk through DTD (or DS now I guess right?) but this time I have Epcot on my mind for our first FP of the trip...

2:55 Mission Space
4:20 Frozen Ever After
5:20 Living on the Land

We then need to hightail it to HS as we have dinner at Sci Fi at 7:05. It is a busy travel day and we will be having 2 bigger meals, but they are about 6 hours apart and honestly because we will likely not eat in the morning we should be fine hunger wise. If we wind up not as hungry for dinner we will get boxes and bring it back to the room. I am always up for a late night snack.

I have in my plans to see Fantasmic! but I have that on another day too just in case we can't get to it!


Once we get dinner done and back to the resort, I promised my travel partner we could go and swim for a bit. We will see how that plays out... He will have been up for 15 hours at that point and he really isn't great with limited sleep.

Swim or no, he will shower and then go to bed and I am sure in our famous Disney tradition tell me 'I'm not ti.....' as he passes out asleep EVERY.TIME. I will unpack a little as this is our home for the next 11 days and I can't stand to be disorganized in small spaces...it is too chaotic for me!

So day 1...pretty busy for a travel day... I recall our first trip my TA told me to just go to eat and then rest... I thought...easy for you... I am the one spending thousands of dollars and been looking forward to this for decades... We are going to hit the ground running...

 

[DisneyFansInNYC]

Sounds like a great trip.....a very busy 1st day but that is how we like it too. Enjoy!

 

[hockeyprincess25]

Sounds like a great trip.....a very busy 1st day but that is how we like it too. Enjoy!

Welcome! I like to stay busy at home so of course on vacation I am going to stay busy too!!

 

[hockeyprincess25]

Day 2
​

So, after a busy day 1 we are taking the morning a little easy. As of now we have no breakfast plans. Last year, I waited until we got up and moving and then looked on the app to see what reservations were available. If we don't see anything we like, we will do something from the food court. We will swim a little and then shower and rest. We have 2 Beaches and Cream. I can.not.wait. for the strawberry shortcake!!

This dessert may be the reason I get my Dad to Disney. He LOVES strawberry shortcake and I think this may be the best I have ever had.

Once we are all done with the Yummy desserts, we will be heading over to MK for

This is the reason we are going! We LOVE halloween!! My son would rather TOT through Magic Kingdom then our streets! Who wouldn't right?

This year I would like to watch the parade. Last year he was so caught up in the rides with short lines and tot-ing we never watched it. Hoping they have the candy corn soft serve too!!

We will likely stay until close to the end. Last year we made it until 11 or so. Once back to the resort he will quickly shower and then go to slee....

The big question for this day is COSTUMES??? Last year he did Pirate's League and loved it, but the make up? Ugh...to much!!

Oh BTW...this is my little man... Adorable in his get up right?

So I have a Ana dress that I could wear. I brought it last year, but was apprehensive once I got there I was regretting not putting it on...so to dress up this year or not?

 

[DexLabDeeDee]

Yay! You have pics!

You HAVE to watch the parade. It is awesome. Make sure you get to your parade spot at least 15min early so that you can see the Headless Horseman ride by (if the ground isn't wet)!

And I say, dress up! It is a lot of fun and you won't be the only adult there dressed up.

 

[hockeyprincess25]

Yay! You have pics!

You HAVE to watch the parade. It is awesome. Make sure you get to your parade spot at least 15min early so that you can see the Headless Horseman ride by (if the ground isn't wet)!

And I say, dress up! It is a lot of fun and you won't be the only adult there dressed up.

Thanks for your help! Pics are super easy! I am not at all techie and I got that!!

I will bring the Ana costume...actually...confession time... I have already pulled out the suitcases and started putting stuff in them as I buy it. I love to pack... but this is probably why I over pack for every trip we have ever gone on! LOL

 

[hockeyprincess25]

Day 3
​

So, assuming we stay late at the MNSSHP this is a planned sleep in day. Which for us, at Disney means 8. We are going to leisurely get up and showered (for me, I like to shower am and pm daily).
Breakfast ADR at 10:10 at Tusker House. This is a must do for us. Not even for the characters or food, the juice. DS remembers the juice every time. Drinks gallons.

We plan to finish there and go directly to our first fp... the Noon Lion King show. Another must do. The first time we went he almost refused to go. It will be boring he said. I convinced him the air would feel good. He left...in LOVE!! Had to have a Simba stuffie ASAP in love! Of course, I obliged.

We leave there in cut across the park for Nemo at 1. Have never seen it, but wanted to every trip. Hopefully it will live up to the expectations.

Directly from there, it is Kali. Our last fp.

You will note that there are no fun rides... I have begged DS to do EE. He refuses. Last year he was in hysterics on it. Not sure I am up for it this year. Crossing my fingers he changes his mind. Dinosaur is closed. Which totally bums me out. He loves that.

Dinner is at 4:45 at Coral Reef. I am hoping we can get that a little later. When I made the ADR AK didn't have night hours so the plan was to go to dinner and then back to the resort for swim and activities.

With night hours at AK we may wind up back there for a night safari and a show. That is not decided until I see how we feel. Maybe a good night to rest and relax.

 

[hockeyprincess25]

On a transportation side note... I booked our flights home today. I waited long enough and the flights were starting to go up. It was only $3 a ticket, but I know they are going to creep up more and more as we get closer.

 

[hockeyprincess25]

Day 4​

Early Morning planned here for Hollywood Studios. There are EMH so we plan to get there and register right away for Jedi Training! DS has done this on everytrip and LOVES it! He is a Star Wars geek and his buddies are all so excited that he gets to do it again!

We will try and get a ride in *maybe Star Tours since we are right there and you can NEVER ride that too much!* and then we have 8:55 Hollywood and Vine Breakfast.

Breakfast over we have FP for Toy Story Mania followed directly by Star Tours. The last fast pass for the day is Indiana Jones. Haven't ever done it and trying new stuff out at all the parks.

Plans now are to be doing Jedi Training after the show and then if time allows back to the resort to freshen up.

We have a 4:00 date with Princesses!! CRT!! I am so excited about this meal. We have done it every trip (and this trip it won't be a one time thing either!) and I just love it.

After dinner, we will do some rides in MK and the Electric Parade. Maybe fireworks? I hate to say another early night but maybe we will hit Disney Springs?

 

[hockeyprincess25]

So last night I got a wild hair and decided to look at runDisney events. I can register for Star Wars Half next week (ish)... And it is during our Spring Break... AND it is about when my big family trip is suppose to take place...So, it looks like that may just happen... maybe...

 

[hockeyprincess25]

Day 5
​

We are starting our day out with DS favorite Character...



O'HANA!!! He loves this meal and meeting the characters. *we may have a few visits to here planned as well...*

As soon as we are done we are monorailing it to Epcot for our first FP of the day...
Soarin' this was a huge favorite on every trip and I am looking forward to a new version.

We then have a little time before Mission Space and then Spaceship Earth.

We then are planning a trek through WS until dinner plans at Garden Grill, which is also one of DS favorite because of the tilapia.

Plans after dinner are loose...illuminations? Maybe a night ride on test track? We will see how we feel...

 

[DexLabDeeDee]

A night ride on Test Track sounds like a lot of fun! I love to do rides at night - especially ones that go fast!

 

[CatNipRules]

It looks like you might be there the same time as us. We can't wait. It's going to be so much fun!!

 

[hockeyprincess25]

A night ride on Test Track sounds like a lot of fun! I love to do rides at night - especially ones that go fast!

I think we did it last year but hey, it is a new year right! We need as many rides as we can get on it. It is one of his favorites! *mine too!!

It looks like you might be there the same time as us. We can't wait. It's going to be so much fun!!

We are 9/1-9/11. I tried to push it to 9/12 but that is hubby's birthday and I have my first PTG meeting as President the 13th so I would like to be back and a little functioning that day!!

Like I said in my first post this trip is definitely my most disorganized. I just had to look to see how many days until my trip!!! We are at 23.... Once I get out of the 20's I know it is going to fly by!! I only have 3 days off from work until then so I am multi-tasking like a maniac!! Because during those 20 days I am training 4 maybe 5 new people!! Not a lot of down time. I have lists galore! I made one for yesterday...that was suppose to be a day off...was called in...so now the list that I wanted to accomplish in one day is going to take me all week!! I am so going to need this vacation!!!!

 

[hockeyprincess25]

Day 6
​

Morning plans are 8:45 BOG breakfast. Park is open at 7:45 for the special event they have going. I am hoping that we will have a relatively empty park one day. Originally this was the day I was hoping for it. We may just cancel the reservation though. I am not sure we are fans of much on the menu...

FP 9:40 for Seven Dwarf
11:25 Space Mountain
1:20 Peter Pan

We will grab a quick lunch at some point (maybe Cosmic Ray he seemed to enjoy that last year) and fit in whatever rides we can around the fast passes. I am hoping to stay on that side of the park however. Last year we did a lot of criss crossing and it was really exhausting.

After PP we plan to go back for a swim and nap. I like to try and schedule them in deliberately a few times. By this point in the trip it is a MUST DO!! While he naps, I will do a little work. I was voted PTG president this year and it is a lot of work. If I let it go for the entire trip untouched it will take me months to catch up!!

Once rested and refreshed we will be going to one of DS's favorites... 50's PT. Followed by the Star Wars Fireworks.

 

[hockeyprincess25]

Real Life Update...


I DID IT!! I registered for the Star Wars Half! Registered little man for the Kid's run too. He is a little bummed that we aren't doing the 5k together but there is no way I can do the 5k and half in the same weekend.

So this will be a whole family trip. I am thinking since there is at least 5 of us going we may rent DVC. Have to look into that though...

 

[ariane37]

Joining now! So far your plans sound awesome and I think it's so cool that you do a mom-son trip! I'd love to do that with at least one of my boys, but I'd really love to do a trip alone with each of them. DH and I have managed to do kid-free trips (which are fantastic, btw!) and are doing another one in 2.5 weeks; maybe I'll have to look into the mom-son one next

Definitely look into DVC for your trip next year. We've rented 5 or 6 times and love it, especially how much $$ it saves you while letting you stay deluxe