It's My Birthday & I'll Disney if I Wanna! ~ A Dec 2015 PTR - COMPLETE!

[Elevationist]

It's My Birthday and I'll Disney if I Want To!
(Counting Down Until my 35th Birthday Trip)

A December 2015 Pre-Trip Report​

Hi, everybody! I just returned yesterday from my first ever SOLO trip to Walt Disney World! It was a WONDERFUL trip... So wonderful that I'm already planning the next one! I do hope you'll join me, and keep me company as I while away the months, weeks, days, and hours until my big fat birthday trip to Walt Disney World!

THE DETAILS:

Who: Myself, my Aunt Debby, and my Uncle Mark!
What: My 11th visit to Walt Disney World, and their 1st!
When: December 4-11, 2015
Where: Disney's Art of Animation Resort
Why: Because it's my birthday, and I'll Disney if I wanna!


THE BIRTHDAY PARTY:

ME: Billie, 34 years old
~ WDW planning is my life. I work as a travel agent and my favorite part of my job are my Walt Disney World clients. I wish I could say I'm a lifelong WDW junkie, but sadly that's just not the case. I have memories my first trip when I was 5 years old, with my mother and father and grandmother. But coming from a family who doesn't vacation, I wasn't exposed to WDW again until I was 17 and a senior in high school. We came down for "Grad Night," but being thrill-seeking teenagers, Disney was boring and Universal was more fun. (I'm hanging my head in shame even as I type this! ) Fortunately, a year and a half later, a good friend who did have a love of Disney invited me to join her on a trip at the beginning of January 2000. And wouldn't you know it, I had the most amazing time, and I cried the night we left. I finally understood the magic, and I have been hooked ever since, returning as often as possible! Thanks to a combination of poor finances and no traveling companion, it took me nearly 5 years to get "home" again, the longest I've EVER gone between WDW trips as an adult, and I swore I'd never let that happen again. And now being back from my Sept. 2014 trip with a killer case of the post-Disney blues, I figure it's time to start planning the next one!

Favorite Character: Minnie Mouse
Favorite Movie: Beauty and the Beast
Favorite Princess: Belle
Favorite Song: Someday My Prince Will Come
Favorite Park: Epcot, with Magic Kingdom a VERY close second! (Almost too close to call!)
Favorite Ride: I'm incapable of choosing one over all favorite! However, my favorites in each park are Splash Mountain, Soarin', Tower of Terror, and Kilimanjaro Safaris.
Favorite Show: Illuminations, but Celebrate the Magic is slowly starting to edge it out!


I'll need to interview my aunt and uncle and steal some photos off of their FB page so I can add info sections about them. Will work on that soon.

__________________________________________________________

THE UPDATES:

09/30/14: It Begins!
10/01/14: Booked!
10/04/14: Not-So-Solo Anymore
11/18/14: The Preemptive Planning Madness
11/28/14: Happy Turkey Day!
12/02/14: It's Almost My Birthday!
12/03/14: Okay, NOW It's My Birthday!
12/04/14: One Year From Today, Ya'll!
12/12/14: Mickey Mail
12/13/14: Magic Kingdom Must-Do's
12/15/14: Christmas is Coming!
12/17/14: Epcot Must-Do's
12/23/14: Hollywood Studios Must-Do's
12/27/14: Happy Holidays, Ya'll!
12/31/14: Happy New Year!
01/12/15: Animal Kingdom Must-Do's
02/07/15: DisneyBounding?
02/11/15: Sushi Night
02/14/15: Happy Valentines Day!
03/07/15: Rebooted ADR Wishlist & Cheap Park Hoppers
03/12/15: Ramblings and Bits & Bobs
03/21/15: Tickets and Countdown Widgets
03/23/15: Soooooo... This Just Happened...
03/23/15: Movin' It to A New PTR
04/10/15: Whining About MVMCP
04/20/15: DISapalooza Diagon Alley Party
05/01/15: Sicky-Poo
05/05/15: Can I PLEASE Have Some Park Hours?
05/11/15: December Park Hours, and Happy Mothers Day!
05/12/15: The Spreadsheets Begin...
05/18/15: 200 Days to Go!
05/23/15: Candlelight Processional?
05/25/15: Retail Therapy
05/29/15: ADR Babbling, and Kitty Shenanigans
05/31/15: Show Me Those FurBabies!
06/03/15: Prepping for ADR Day, and The Princess Club
06/06/15: ADR Eve... I Got This!
06/07/15: Finally, ADR Success!!!
06/08/15: Just a Recap and... Puppies!
06/17/15: By Popular Demand... A BORING Update!
06/22/15: Booked for 2016, Woo!, and MagicBand Decals
07/05/15: Deflecting a DIS Mobscene, and Pants are EVIL
07/13/15: My Very First Sorta Touring Plan
07/14/15: See? I Listen To Ya'lls Advice Sometimes!
07/20/15: Landry's Club Card, and More Touring Plan Revisions
07/27/15: Mad Paint Skillz, Yo
08/03/15: Shiny New Laptop, and Iron-On Party!
08/10/15: Minnie's Holiday Dining, and Other Stuff
08/17/15: Star Wars Launch Bay, Swanky Magic Bands, and a Food Crisis!
08/24/15: MagicBand and Park Bag Shopping (Yes, Again!)
08/27/15: Double-Digits Dance Party!
09/04/15: 3 Months! And the Great Bag Debate: Resolved
09/08/15: Spreadsheet Tweaks and Real Life Venting
09/14/15: Universal Tickets, More Shopping, and The BoG/MSEP Conflict
09/21/15: The Packing List, More Retail Therapy, and Our Sweet Ride!
09/25/15: Preparing for FP+ Night, and Even MORE Shopping
10/05/15: Mission: FastPass+... Accomplished!!!
10/08/15: Day 1 Plans - Travel & MVMCP
10/12/15: Day 2 Plans - Universal Orlando
10/15/15: Day 3 Plans - Epcot & Hollywood Studios
10/17/15: Milestones, CP Narrator, and Seeking Advice from Chickens
10/19/15: Day 4 Plans - Rest/Free Time & Disney Springs
10/22/15: Day 5 Plans - Animal Kingdom & Hollywood Studios
10/26/15: Day 6 Plans - Magic Kingdom
10/29/15: Day 7 Plans - Animal Kingdom & Epcot
11/02/15: Day 8 Plans - Travel Home
11/04/15: One Month until Disney World!
11/06/15: MagicBands have Shipped!
11/12/15: Our MagicBands are Here, and Disney on Ice!
11/20/15: 2 More Weeks!, the MasterPLAN, and Kitty Snuggling
11/25/15: It's Single Digit Day, Ya'll!
11/27/15: 1 Week! And also, Crisis Averted! (I think So, Anyhow...)
11/29/15: My Floors are Clean and My Bags are Packed!
12/02/15: Two More Days, and Office Birthday!

 

[Elevationist]

PROGRESS:


Dates? December 4-11, 2015

Resort? Art of Animation, 7 nights, Little Mermaid Room

Park Tickets? 5-Day Park Hopper w/ No Expiration tickets! - Purchased!

Disney Dining Plan? Always!!

Memory Maker? Absolutely! Will never go on a long trip without it again!

Booked Package? Locked in and good to go!

Package Payment Progress? 100%

Additional Savings Progress? 100%

Scooter Rental? Booked and confirmed through Walker Mobility. (And I'm getting a pink one!)

MVMCP? Purchased! We are partying on Friday, Dec. 4th!

Universal Tickets? Thanks to a very generous friend, we have Team Member comp 1-Day Park-to-Park tickets!

Itinerary? Built and planned out and good to go!

ADRs? Booked! I got EVERYTHING that I wanted on my ADR day!

FastPasses? Scheduled! Got all that I was after but 7DMT. Oh well!

Packing? Packed and ready to go! Let's do this!

 

[Elevationist]

So that tiara in the photo above? That was my most treasured purchased from the trip I just returned from on Sunday.

I've refused to take it off. I wore it to my first day back at work this morning, even. I work in a travel agency and we do a lot of Disney consultations and have Disney stuff all over the office, so my boss actually let me get away with it! It kept me amused, and bringing a little of the magic from my trip with me today helped me get through that first day back.

I also put my December trip on a 7-Day Hold tonight. I'm waiting on a couple of refunds to hit my account this week. When they do, I'll pay the $200 deposit and check another thing off my list!

 

[stitchfan75]

Following along! We are going in November 2015, staying at CBR. I'm so excited it's my 1st trip to Disney World!

 

[vleeth]

Joining in.

We walked through AOA last year and it was awesome.

Love the tiara.

 

[Elevationist]

Following along! We are going in November 2015, staying at CBR. I'm so excited it's my 1st trip to Disney World!

Yay, my first follower on this PTR! Welcome! Congratulations on your 1st Visit! You're going to LOVE it!!

Joining in.

We walked through AOA last year and it was awesome.

Love the tiara.

Yeah! I'm SUPER excited to stay there next year, I can't wait! And thanks for the compliment on the tiara, I'm just silly in love with it!

 

[Elevationist]

Well, those refunds I was waiting on hit my bank account a whole lot faster than I thought they would. As in, this morning. As in... Guess who confirmed her booking for her trip today?

 

[Elevationist]

Well, a couple of things have happened with this trip in the last few days.

The biggest thing was yesterday. My favorite aunt and uncle are definitely coming with me on this trip. They're SO excited about it. I booked and confirmed their room last night. And they might even bring a friend or two. I told them I need a final headcount before June 1st, so that I can set-up dining reservations on June 7th. This will be a MAJOR change from the solo trip I just returned from and LOVED. I'm a little nervous, but can't deny it will be nice to have company. My aunt also eats very little, so the buffets I'm planning to book will likely be wasted on her, but I know I'll get my money's worth and hopefully my uncle will too. My aunt, bless her heart, is also extremely susceptible to motion sickness , and can't handle rides that are more intense than It's a Small World. So I have absolutely no clue what I'm going to do about FastPasses. Thankfully, I have 12 months to figure it out, though! I also scheduled a Universal day into my plans, at their request. I was going to skip it this year, but they are big Harry Potter people like me, and are dying to see the Wizarding World there.

The other thing was this morning, and it's fairly unexciting. I booked my rental from Beuna Vista Scooters. (For those who don't know from my in-progress September TR, I have to use a scooter while on vacation due to Lupus and Fibromyalgia.) This is just exciting to me because ANYTHING that gets booked and confirmed for a trip just makes it feel that much more REAL!

 

[Elevationist]

I've been debating if I wanted to share this here or not... But I figure I should, if only for a little more accountability. Plus as I get more followers here, I hope you'll celebrate with me as I hit milestones.

During my recent WDW trip, I noted a marked decrease in my energy levels, and rise in my pain levels. I felt like I looked like Baymax (from Big Hero 6) in every single one of my photos... just like I was pumped full of air and inflated. So. I have a very lofty weight-loss goal before this trip.

100 lbs.



I know it's a lot, and honestly, it's not all that I need to lose. My overall goal is 180 lbs. But. My trip is 14 months away. To hit my 100 lbs goal, I've got to lose 1.5 - 2 lbs weekly. In theory, it's doable.

And I'm happy to announce that I lost 8 pounds this week! Anytime I start trying to lose weight though, I start out strong. I plateau about a month in, though. So I'm not getting TOO excited. Just a leeeeetle bit.

I'm adding a line for this to my "Progress" section above. Here's hoping!!!

 

[Ava]

Joining in! Maybe reading someone else's TR & PTR will motivate me to actually write my own!

 

[Elevationist]

Joining in! Maybe reading someone else's TR & PTR will motivate me to actually write my own!

Haha, welcome Ava! Get going on that writing, lady! I neeeeeeeed to read your adventures and share your excitement for the next one!!

 

[tyandskyesmom]

Hey! I'm not quite as far as you in my planning...I'm sort of pre-planning...you know, gathering info and prices and such so that as soon as I am ready after the first of the year I can book knowing what I can do/afford.

We are also looking at December, but Dec 18 - Jan 3...hopefully.

We'll probably have to scane away but I have fond with Disney, it is better to plan big and subtract than the other way around. ANd it gives me a goal to try to hit.

I too am adding weight loss to my planning...about a year ago I lost about 80 pounds and felt fantastic. Then life got pretty crazy for a while and I gained about half of it back...and can really tell! I'm in for 100 too. I hadn't quite gotten to discussing that in my pre-planning pre-trip report I just started today. Unfortunately, I keep saying I'm gonna start and keep finding excuses not to! Just gotta do it...I know how much better I feel when I am in better shape...and I have a goal, a reason, and a timeframe!

So, HI! Maybe talking it all out on here will make the time go faster and the planning a bit more fun!

 

[HizMinnie2015]

I'm definitely following this... We are doing our first trip ever next year as a newly married couple... so I get excited to read about others who have been recently... looking for any ideas or suggestions for a newly married older couple... we are mid-40's.

 

[Elevationist]

Hey! I'm not quite as far as you in my planning...I'm sort of pre-planning...you know, gathering info and prices and such so that as soon as I am ready after the first of the year I can book knowing what I can do/afford.

We are also looking at December, but Dec 18 - Jan 3...hopefully.

We'll probably have to scane away but I have fond with Disney, it is better to plan big and subtract than the other way around. ANd it gives me a goal to try to hit.

I too am adding weight loss to my planning...about a year ago I lost about 80 pounds and felt fantastic. Then life got pretty crazy for a while and I gained about half of it back...and can really tell! I'm in for 100 too. I hadn't quite gotten to discussing that in my pre-planning pre-trip report I just started today. Unfortunately, I keep saying I'm gonna start and keep finding excuses not to! Just gotta do it...I know how much better I feel when I am in better shape...and I have a goal, a reason, and a timeframe!

So, HI! Maybe talking it all out on here will make the time go faster and the planning a bit more fun!

Welcome to my PTR!

We can be weightloss buddies! Honestly, I haven't really DONE anything to lose anything in the last week. I think just getting home from WDW and not eating out 3 time a day made me lose. I need to come up with a plan and actually making an effort!

Side note: I started up the December 2015 thead...

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3315134

I'm definitely following this... We are doing our first trip ever next year as a newly married couple... so I get excited to read about others who have been recently... looking for any ideas or suggestions for a newly married older couple... we are mid-40's.

Awe, that sounds WONDERFUL!!!! And welcome to the Dis, too!

 

[Elevationist]

Tick tock. Tick tock. Tick tock.

412 days.

My birthday is coming up in about 6 weeks or so (on December 3rd). Is it sad that the only reason I'm looking forward to it is because it means I'll be at the one-year mark?

I wish there was more I could do for planning at this point. This is brutal. To quote PippiDancer from her PTR: I JUST WANT TO DO DISNEY THINGS!!!!

 

[Elevationist]

Woohoo! Weighed-in this morning, 3 more pounds lost for a total of 11 lbs down! I'm 11% of the way to my Disney weightloss goal!

Also get to ugrade my signature to include this:

 

[Elevationist]

I think I've entered a bit of a Disney funk. I haven't wanted to read my DisFriend's TR's that I've been following. I haven't even wanted to update my own Trip Report or Dining Report. I told myself that I wouldn't let the post-WDW blues catch up to me this time, but it seems that they have. It's just SO LONG until I'm back! 402 days from today!

Does this happen to anybody else?

 

[Elevationist]

400 Days!!!

I know it's still forever away, but it's nice to hit SOME kind of milestone!

 

[Elevationist]

*taptap* Is this thing on?

 

[SarahDisney]

I can't believe I read your TR and the whole time I didn't notice that you had a PTR in your signature. I'm so glad I finally found this!

Less than a month to the 1 year mark ... which means less than 7 months to ADRs and less than 11 months to FP+ (I think ... my math may be wrong).

And I have hit the post-Disney blues too ... especially sad because my next trip may not end up being until 2021 (I may go for a race-only trip in February, but even that's not definite, and beyond that Disney is financially impossible for me for the foreseeable future ... but I do want to get there in 2021 for the 50th anniversary)

I'm looking forward to following along with the planning! And the weight loss - losing weight for Disney is a great goal!

Also, I don't know if you're working on your birthday, but if you are ... you should wear your tiara (I really love that tiara, it's beautiful and it looks great on you!)