My *first-ever* trip report: Pre-trip scoop

[JennSox11]

The Intro

Hi fellow Disney-lovers! I will be in Disney May 13th – 20th and I could not resist starting my trip plan early. I have spent so much time reading about everyone’s wonderful trips in the past I figured it was time I joined in on the fun. Plus, I just HAD to start my TR early! (sorry in advance for large picture sizes....I'm still figuring this whole thing out!)

So why start my TR early, you ask? Because I am not allowed to do anything else! Other than pack my suitcase and be ready for a 6:30am flight to FL I have nothing to do and it is driving me crazy!!

Here’s the cast:

That’s me during our December 2011 trip. I’m 28 years old, although deep down there’s an 8yr old princess in hiding. I L-O-V-E all things Disney. Ok, not all things (I just don’t get who Duffy is, what he's doing at WDW and why Mickey hasn't done something about it yet!!)

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There is my BF during our June 2011 trip. We went to HS together, although didn't reconnect for a long time and it's been wonderful ever since. We are currently still fighting over who gets to wear the “I am the biggest Disney nut” crown. He’s on Disboards somewhere (hi babe!), so I can’t go into too much detail or he will shoot me (don't worry! Not literally!!), but he’s my best friend and I am truly lucky to have him in my life. (ok, that should score at least a few brownie points!)

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That’s us during our June 2011 trip.

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These guys will not be joining us to Disney, ever, but I couldn't leave them out of the line-up:

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So we leave in…wow, I don’t know how many days! I need to go make a ticket, even though the wait is almost over. As Disney-lovers, we were surprised with a trip as a Christmas present, and this is that trip! It was an open-ended trip (meaning we could pick details, dates and the like) so we decided on May for a few reasons. 1) I finish my semester in the beginning of May; 2) BF’s year pass expires in June; 3) We just couldn’t wait any longer!!


Next:
Chapter one: What I do know.....so far!

 

[saintstickets]

Sign me up coach! I'm in for your TR. We are going 5/19-5/25 so we'll be arriving as you are leaving. Have a great time but don't use all the magic up...save a little for us!

 

[JennSox11]

Sign me up coach! I'm in for your TR. We are going 5/19-5/25 so we'll be arriving as you are leaving. Have a great time but don't use all the magic up...save a little for us!

Welcome! And don't worry, I'll leave a little magic behind for you, you'll just have to find where I hid it!

I realized that I probably did not post this thread in the best location on the boards (apparently there is a whole forum just to countdowns and live reports....*oops*), but I will continue forward even if it ends up just being you and I reading it! I'm working on Chapter 2 now, so an update should be coming later this afternoon. TTFN!

 

[JennSox11]

What I do know...

So as I mentioned, I’m not allow to do any of the planning. Even more than that, I started out not know most of the details of our trip. BF is planning it as a total surprise. The good thing is, he’s never been great at keeping secrets, so I’m sure I will learn little bits here and there. Our first trip to Disney together (also was out first ever vacation together) was kept a secret as well, and he did an amazing job planning, so I’m not too worried about it.

And there are 16 days until my trip (I finally counted…now I’m getting really excited!! )

So here is the latest convo about the trip:

Me: See, I need to know what we are doing so I know what to pack…..so, whatcha got planned?
Him: It’s going to be hot, pack summer stuff… and a few dressy outfits.
Me: I’m not getting any more info out of you, huh?
Him: Nope! So stop trying.

…a week later….

Him: So, don’t you want to know what we are doing at Disney?
Me: Of course!
Him: So why haven’t you asked?
Me: Because you told me not to!
Him: oh yea, well, here’s a little info…


(Please note: Some of these items are label under a specific day as a guess. A few items he told me specific dates, others he just told me what we were doing, but not the day we were doing them on.)


Sunday:

• Arrive in FL around 9:30am.
• Spend the morning in a private cabana at the Poly, have lunch at either Kona’s or Capt. Cooks
• Check in at the Polynesian
• Dinner at Ohana (YUM!)

Monday:

• Character Breakfast at Ohana (although I think we are going to pass on this one…)

Tuesday:

• Day at EPCOT
• “Nature Inspired Design” Segway Tour
• Ending the day with Dessert Party at Magic Kingdom’s Tomorrowland’s Terrace. I love love LOVE this! What isn’t to love: great view of the castle for fireworks, delicious desserts all bite size so you don’t feel greedy going up for seconds (or in my case, thirds), they have the most amazing chocolate covered strawberries which I have vowed this trip to figure out a way to sneak some back to the room. (I’ll let you all know how that goes!), and something that surprised me the first time - Tinker Bell must land on the roof because she literally looks like she’s going to fly right into you.

Wednesday:

• Day spent at Discovery Cove. I have never been, BF has been once. All I know is that I need to bring my snorkeling gear and we will also be swimming with a dolphin. I can’t wait! We have to be there pretty early for the dolphin swim, so hopefully a coffee run is also planned. Has anyone been to DC before? What are some suggestions for a first-timer?

Thursday:

• Princess Breakfast at Akershus (I’m still deciding on this one. The adult in my says no, way too noisy and such….the little girl wishing to be a princess is screaming YES!)
• Lunch at Le Cellier (we have tried to get reservations here for dinner on our last two trips – I’m thrilled we made it for lunch…..no hopefully it lives up to the hype!)
• Dessert Party again (he booked two and is planning on nixing one a few weeks prior to the trip – he wanted to give me options…..meanwhile – I’m trying to convince him to do both)

Friday:

• Character breakfast at Chef Mickey’s at 7:00 am(this one I’m excited about, not the 7am part though….I can’t wait to get pics with the Fab 5. Maybe 7am means less little kids?)

Saturday:

• Wild Africa Trek Tour (as an animal lover and Disney lover – this is the best of both worlds!)
• Day at AK, mostly to see Festival of Lion Kind and Finding Nemo show. I want to explore the trails around the Tree of Life a bit too.

Sunday:

• He said there’s a breakfast planned, but I have no idea what it is.
• Flight home at 8:30 PM.

Wow, all typed out that is looking like a lot – and I still don’t know when we are doing Hollywood studios, a I know there are a few things there we both would like to do. BF also mentioned there's a "fancy but not too fancy" dinner earlier in the week that I need to bring nice clothes for, which I can also wear walking around in the park in. Hmmm.....I'm trying to think of any other clues he has mentioned. Nothing comes to mind. Isn't he amazing, planning all of this for me totally on his own?

Well, if anyone has advice on the following topics I would greatly appreciate for you to share:

• Discovery Cove - any & all would be great.
• Character breakfasts as adults (w/no kids)
• Princess breakfast v. Chef Mickey v. Ohana's Character breakfast: think food, chaos level, etc.
• Things to do at HS - never been on of my favorite parks, but we are making it a point to spend some time there this trip, we def neglected it during the last two.
• Anyone been on the Wild Africa Trek tour? Any tips/advice of what to look out for? How's the food they serve you? Is the ride pretty bumpy/rocky (for those who get motion sick?)
• Lunch at Le Cellier - recommended items on the menu?

 

[saintstickets]

Ending the day with Dessert Party at Magic Kingdom’s Tomorrowland’s Terrace. I love love LOVE this! What isn’t to love: great view of the castle for fireworks, delicious desserts all bite size so you don’t feel greedy going up for seconds (or in my case, thirds), they have the most amazing chocolate covered strawberries which I have vowed this trip to figure out a way to sneak some back to the room. (I’ll let you all know how that goes!), and something that surprised me the first time - Tinker Bell must land on the roof because she literally looks like she’s going to fly right into you.

I LOVE Wishes Dessert Party! You cannot have a better place to watch the fireworks and the desserts..... If you want to see some pics of when we went 2 years ago in May, 2010 to get your mouth watering, go to the TR link below.

Day spent at Discovery Cove. I have never been, BF has been once. All I know is that I need to bring my snorkeling gear and we will also be swimming with a dolphin. I can’t wait! We have to be there pretty early for the dolphin swim, so hopefully a coffee run is also planned. Has anyone been to DC before? What are some suggestions for a first-timer?

In addition to following you to WDW, we are going to follow you to Discovery Cove! We are going for the 1st time Tuesday, 5/22. I think this will be the highlight of our trip.

Lunch at Le Cellier (we have tried to get reservations here for dinner on our last two trips – I’m thrilled we made it for lunch…..no hopefully it lives up to the hype!)

Mmmmmm....I had the mushroom filet mignon and OMG! For some stupid reason, we did not get the cheddar cheese soup that everyone raves about The desserts were good but unremarkable IMO. Overall, a great place to eat!

Dessert Party again (he booked two and is planning on nixing one a few weeks prior to the trip – he wanted to give me options…..meanwhile – I’m trying to convince him to do both)

AGAIN?!?! WOW! That is fantastic. See if you can get a pic of the elusive Tinkerbelle flying overhead. Most people only get a blur.

Wild Africa Trek Tour (as an animal lover and Disney lover – this is the best of both worlds!)

This is on our bucket list but not this trip. I'll be looking forward to reading your review.

Day at AK, mostly to see Festival of Lion Kind and Finding Nemo show. I want to explore the trails around the Tree of Life a bit too.

We haven't seen the FOTLK in over 5 years so it is time to go back!

Looking forward to your TR. I'll check in each night while we are at WDW to see if you've started.