"How Much Overtime Do I Need to Pay for This??"- Aug 2017 PTR 3/7 Update! ADR Photos

[emma212010]

HELLOOOOO Humans!
Welcome to my August 2017 PTR! I am your host, Emma, and I am joined by my DBF, Troy.




We like to have a good time



We are embarking on a magical getaway to the most wonderful place on Earth. I just can't contain my excitement. Before I get too carried away, let me introduce myself.

Hi, my name is Emma. I am a 23 (almost 24) year old Kindergarten Teacher and 7th grade girls basketball coach. I am also a Disney College Program alum from fall 2015. I had the most amazing experience of my life, and I HIGHLY recommend ANY college student to apply. (If you would like more info, or just to chat about it, I'm more than happy to talk DCP!) I was a Merchandise CM and I worked in Hollywood Studios in Mickey's of Hollywood for a while until I was selected to open Launch Bay Cargo in December. It was SUCH an AMAZING experience!!




I look so tired






I met two of my best friends there (who were actually my roommates) and I'm actually a bridesmaid in one of their weddings this May! I've been going to Disney my entire life (thanks to my mom who is Zuzu03 here on the Boards), and I am so excited to bring my DBF for his 5th (ish) trip. He went for the first time back in 2013 with me when we helped my mom move. You can read about that TR here: "It's a Nice Song, but They Won't Stop Singing!" You can check out my other TRs in my signature. After visiting me a couple times while I was on my DCP, I think my DBF fully understands why Disney is so amazing and why I love it SO much. I'm also certain he has just quite possibly maybe almost taken a SIP of the kool-aid. (I'm hoping that on this trip, he will take a big ol' gulp!) That means, it has to be perfect! My DBF, Troy is 24 (almost 25), and works at an insurance company (for now). We live in Vermont with our two furbabies Oliver (12 year old Black Lab and 2 year old Pembroke Welsh Corgi).



I love to write and talk Disney, so I am going to try my best to keep up with this PTR and do a TR after my trip to help my PDD (Post-Disney Depression).

Ok, here are the trip details-

The When: Wednesday, August 2, 2017- Wednesday, August 9, 2017
The Where: Disney's Pop Century Resort
The Why: Um, because it's DISNEY!!!
The How: Flying in to MCO and taking DME to Pop.

Story behind the title:
Well, my DBF and I have been going back and forth over if we could swing a WDW trip this year. I am DYING to get there, and I have been playing with the numbers and everything, and when I showed DBF how doable it was (in my opinion) his response was "how much overtime do I need to pay for this?" Cute, right? Well, as a teacher, I don't get overtime, so I'm totally jealous of his ability to rack up the $$$ just by working a couple extra hours a week. (I work way more hours btw )

So! Without further ado, let's get on with planning our trip!
​

 

[emma212010]

Table of Contents

Basic Details

Daily Plans

ADR photos part 1

ADR photos part 2

Instagram: emma212010
Twitter: emma212010​

 

[MummyButterfly]

So excited to follow along!!

 

[emma212010]

So excited to follow along!!

Yay!!! Welcome!

 

[emma212010]

I wanted to share some more details of our trip. We will be there for basically 7 full days (we leave early on the 8th day) and 7 nights. So, we have a 7 day park hopper ticket which we plan to get full use out of! We will be at Pop Century which we’ve stayed at before many times.


I’m awaiting a discount to come out during our dates, but if it doesn’t happen, I will not be heartbroken. We will also be on the Quick Service Dining Plan this trip, and I am excited to plan out some good meals to take full advantage. We already have BOG breakfast booked for our first full day, so that’s exciting. I will try to get it for lunch too. If anyone has suggestions of the best places to use QS dining credits, please share!! I would like to eat at one TS restaurant this trip- I know, so sad. I have never limited myself so much, but on this Dining Plan, it would be silly to not use it. I’m thinking a breakfast (which is not usually a good option to use a QS credit on). I’m just trying to think of the best day/park. Some of the ones I’m thinking about (not just breakfast) are Beaches and Cream, Trail’s End, The Plaza, The Fountain, and 50’s Prime Time. I love them all! It’s going to be so hard to choose.


Any thoughts on Boma breakfast??


Over the next few months I will be sharing my day to day itineraries as well as bucketlist items, personal events, and more! Stay tuned!​

 

[OrangeJuice]

Hello! I'm joining in! My wife and i tried Boma on our last trip and really enjoyed both the food and the ambiance. The only downside is that it is kind of a detour unless you are staying at AKL.

 

[emma212010]

Hello! I'm joining in! My wife and i tried Boma on our last trip and really enjoyed both the food and the ambiance. The only downside is that it is kind of a detour unless you are staying at AKL.

Yay! Thanks for joining in! I've done Boma dinner but I hear the breakfast is better! I love AKL and try to resort hop every trip, so that wouldn't be a problem. I will have to show DBF the menu and get his opinion on it. Gosh, I would love to stay there, though!

 

[Raeven]

Following along!

 

[emma212010]

Following along!

Yay!!! Welcome!!

 

[Zuzu03]

Well of course I'm in!!!

 

[emma212010]

Well of course I'm in!!!

Yayyy!!!! Hi Mom!!

 

[Sarahh1027]

Hi there! I'm joining in!
Found your PTR link in your signature and I also plan on taking a look at your past TR's!!
That's so exciting that you did the DCP! It looks so much fun! I'm at community college but if I was a full-time student I'd definitely had applied! My friend applied and got in but then didn't do it- it drove me crazy!
That's also so cool that you're a kindergarten teacher because I was originally in school for Elementary Education then I changed it to Early Childhood and planned to teach either kindergarten, first, or second grade! I still might go down that path someday, but right now I'm just finishing up my basic math courses trying to pass time until I can get into the Air Force.

Now onto your trip!
Your trip sounds great so far! Pop is where we originally were going to stay but during the time we're going All-Star Sports is the cheapest and we're definitely looking for the most affordable value as pathetic as that is! haha
I love your boyfriend's response about overtime! Sounds like mine- he tells me I can do all the planning and when I ask him if something is too much he tells me to just tell him what he owes. Such a good boy

Can't wait for more updates!

 

[emma212010]

Hi there! I'm joining in!
Found your PTR link in your signature and I also plan on taking a look at your past TR's!!
That's so exciting that you did the DCP! It looks so much fun! I'm at community college but if I was a full-time student I'd definitely had applied! My friend applied and got in but then didn't do it- it drove me crazy!
That's also so cool that you're a kindergarten teacher because I was originally in school for Elementary Education then I changed it to Early Childhood and planned to teach either kindergarten, first, or second grade! I still might go down that path someday, but right now I'm just finishing up my basic math courses trying to pass time until I can get into the Air Force.

Now onto your trip!
Your trip sounds great so far! Pop is where we originally were going to stay but during the time we're going All-Star Sports is the cheapest and we're definitely looking for the most affordable value as pathetic as that is! haha
I love your boyfriend's response about overtime! Sounds like mine- he tells me I can do all the planning and when I ask him if something is too much he tells me to just tell him what he owes. Such a good boy

Can't wait for more updates!

Yay! Welcome!!

It was the most amazing experience of my life! I miss it everyday. You definitely should apply! I totally think community college is eligible.

That is so amazing that you are going into the Air Force! Early Childhood Ed is a lot of fun but definitely exhausting!! The kids have an insane amount of energy.

I totally understand going with the cheapest!!!! We are in the same boat! I'd rather go to Disney more often and stay at a value then not go so I can save for a moderate or deluxe!
That is too funny about your boyfriend I wish he would be more involved with the planning, though! I love talking Disney AND even though he will say he doesn't care, but I know he definitely is opinionated

 

[emma212010]

Wow, we completely changed our minds and decided to go with the regular Disney Dining Plan! This makes me super excited to plan ADRs! I’m trying to get the best values on the DDP, so it’s a struggle (but my guilty pleasure) to look at all the menus (and try to ask DBF’s opinion on everything) to make sure we are saving money. It’s really hard to plan out our daily plans without being able to schedule FP+ yet. We do have a rough outline of where we will be each day with some ADRs booked as well! Here’s how it looks so far:


Wednesday 8/2 (Day 1)

We will arrive in MCO by 9:00am and get on the DME right away! I’m hoping to be checking in at Pop by 11:00am. We plan on grabbing snacks at Everything Pop. If our room is ready, we will go unpack and get settled. If not, then we will just drop our bags with luggage services, and head out to MK right away. We have a BOG dinner reservation at 4:40pm. We plan on staying at MK all night, watching the new Happily Ever After fireworks show, having a snack at the Ice Cream Parlor, and riding a couple rides. MK has EMH until 11pm that night. I’m not sure how long we will last as it will be a long day, but I’m hoping we can take advantage of at least some of the EMH!


Thursday 8/3 (Day 2)

We will head right back over to MK for rope drop this morning and book it over to Frontierland and Adventureland for Big Thunder, Splash, and Pirates. I’m hoping to squeeze these all in before our breakfast reservation at BOG at 10:25am. (Yes, I love BOG and we are eating all three meals there this trip!) After breakfast, I’m hoping to have scheduled some FP+ reservations like 7 Dwarfs, Space Mountain, and Buzz Lightyear. We will of course sprinkle in other rides like the TTA, Monster’s Laugh Floor, etc. We are planning to eat lunch at Cosmic Rays, and then leave MK for Epcot by 1pm. At Epcot, we will check ride times/try to make FP+ for Test Track, Frozen (lol in my dreams), Soarin, etc… whatever we can find! Then we will begin our walk around WS! We have dinner ADRs at Biergarten at 6:45pm. We will then stake out a good spot for Illuminations at 9pm.


Friday 8/4 (Day 3)

This morning we will have breakfast at Everything Pop (using some snack credits). Then we will head right over to DHS for rope drop at 9am. We will book it over to my favorite, Tower of Terror, then Rockin Roller Coaster, Toy Story Mania, Star Tours, Great Movie Ride, and hopefully watch the March of the First Order. I also want to stop into my old stomping grounds: Launch Bay and Launch Bay Cargo to see if any of my coworkers are there/ go down memory lane! Then, we will leave the park for lunch and head over to the Boardwalk Bakery for a quick service lunch. I also really want to try the ice cream at Ample Hills, so we will use a snack credit there. We love the Epcot resort area, so it will be nice to stroll around there. That afternoon/evening we will head over to AK. We have ADRs at Tusker House at 5:50pm. We are hoping to visit the Land of Pandora and see Rivers of Light that evening as well.


Saturday 8/5 (Day 4)

My mom is planning on coming up to join us this weekend (she’s a high school teacher and they will have started school when we are there, so she won’t be able to come during the week). For breakfast this morning, we are just planning on grabbing some snacks from Everything Pop again (maybe a strawberry and banana smoothie?) for a snack credit. We are headed over to AK this morning which has EMH at 8am. We plan on spending most of our time in Pandora and exploring the new land! We will have lunch at Flame Tree BBQ to use some QS credits. This afternoon/evening we are still unsure of where to go. I need to consult with my mom and figure out our plans.


Sunday 8/6 (Day 5)

This is a food-heavy day! We will be at MK for rope drop this morning because we have ADRs for The Crystal Palace at 8:50am. We also have lunch at BOG scheduled for 1:10pm. I really want to see the Muppets Present Great Moments in American History, and the closest showtime is 2pm. I want to do HM while in the area and then go get a good spot for Festival of Fantasy at 3pm. Then we will use our FP+ which are yet to be made (obviously). We will probably have a snack around dinner time as we have a late ADR scheduled. We will watch the Happily Ever After Fireworks (maybe from the Poly beach??) and then have dinner at Chef Mickey’s at 9:25pm.


Monday 8/7 (Day 6)

Breakfast, again, will be at Everything Pop using snack credits. I’m not sure how much steam we will have left, but I would like to get to AK this morning for EMH at 8am. If we can, we will hit Everest, Kali, Kilimanjaro Safaris, Dinosaur, and TriceraTop Spin this morning. We will then head over to DHS for a lunch ADR at 1:30pm. We will spend some more time in DHS and then have dinner at PizzeRizzo?? Not 100% sold on this one yet. We plan to stay to watch the nighttime show here.


Tuesday 8/8 (Day 7) Our last full day!

This is an Epcot morning! We will be at Epcot for rope drop at 9am. We have a breakfast ADR at Garden Grill at 9am. We will do Soarin, Living with the Land, etc. I want to make FP+ reservations for Frozen Ever After for sure. Everything else is just gravy. I’m not sure if we will hang in Epcot for lunch or if we will wait and eat at MK. We will use our last QS credits for dinner at Pecos Bill’s in MK that night.


Wednesday 8/9 (Day 8)

Our flight leaves at 9:20am, so we will be up bright and early to catch DME back to MCO. We will arrive home on a nonstop flight at 12:15pm.


So, there’s that! Things will probably change, but it feels good to get some solid plans in place.


I. AM. SO. FREAKING. EXCITED.


I am also in the process of doing the DDP cost breakdown. I will share my plans once they’re done just in case you are interested!​

 

[rdkeim]

I'll be following along with your plans! My DH and I are booked for Dec. 2-9. We're pretty experienced but I think I can learn a thing or two from you

 

[emma212010]

I'll be following along with your plans! My DH and I are booked for Dec. 2-9. We're pretty experienced but I think I can learn a thing or two from you

Yay! Welcome! December is such a beautiful time to visit!!! I love all of the decorations!!

 

[emma212010]

To help pass the time AND for the fun and excitement of it, I wanted to share photos from some of the restaurants we have planned for ADRs this trip. Most of them we (or I) have been to before, but some I will have to snag from the internet (thanks Disney Food Blog for the extra photos!)

I’m obsessed with taking pictures in Disney, so I’m not overestimating when I say I have close to 10,000 photos from over the years. Needless to say, I love taking and looking at Disney pictures. SOOO, I will be sharing a ton of pictures in anticipation of the trip.

Day 1 we are eating right away at Be Our Guest for dinner! I LOOOVE this restaurant for all meals, but dinner has just something special in the air. It’s such a beautiful restaurant.









I LOVE the steak here!




Day 2 we are right back to BOG for breakfast!! I’m telling ya, I love this place.












For dinner, we are trying out Biergarten which I haven’t eaten at in over 10 years.

Day 3 we are having dinner at Tusker House. I’ve only eaten breakfast here, so I’m excited about the dinner options.

Day 4 we are eating at Skipper Canteen (this will be paid out of pocket) with my mom as she is joining us for the weekend. This will be my first experience there, and I am so excited!

​

Continued in next post.



​

 

[emma212010]

Day 5 we are eating breakfast at Crystal Palace which is one of my favorite breakfast spots. HELLO Puffed French Toast!



































We will have lunch at BOG (our third and last time here...I promise!)








Then dinner at Chef Mickey’s...this is a food stuffed day.


h

















The last time I was there (on my college program) for breakfast we got a window seat with an awesome view!!





Day 6 we will have lunch at 50s Prime Time which is always delicious.













https://flic.kr/p/RsJ4hd
Day 7 will be breakfast at Garden Grill. I’ve eaten here many, many times for dinner, but this will be my first time eating breakfast here! I can’t wait!

Well, now I'm hungry!!​