2 Adults, 1 Child: Endless Possibilities! - June/July 2023 PTR

[HeadintheClouds]

Hello out there to all of my like-minded, Disney-loving adults on this here magical side of the internet. Thank you for stumbling into my humble abode errr…first Pre-Trip Report. I have no idea how to start this thing so excuse me for rambling (I do that a lot). I’m Nysha, a 30-something year old millennial from small town, South Carolina.

I’m an RN which is just a fancy term for boo-boo fixer. And I’ve loved Disney since I first stepped foot inside Magic Kingdom when I was 12 years old. I mean what’s not to love? The food, the rides, the people, the smells. It’s why I return year after year and why our credit card has so many miles on it.



Nysha's Favorites:
Ride: Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster
Movie(s): It’s a toss-up between The Fox and the Hound and The Lion King.
*Honestly as I’m typing this, I’m realizing these are the two most depressing Disney movies of all time and I’ve managed to single-handedly place both of them in my top 2. Remind me to psychoanalyze myself after this.
Snack(s): Dole Whip or Grey Goose Slushie
Restaurant(s):
These change year after year due to that up and down roller coaster of emotions that the food quality consistently puts us through *cough* ‘Ohana *cough. *
In park: Hollywood Brown Derby
Out of Park: Wine Bar George for brunch.

So now that you know more information about me than you probably cared to, you’re probably asking who’s coming along with me for the ride.
Excellent question!
And the answer would be my darling hubby, Kalan.

Kalan works in quality assurance at BMW and when he’s not being ever so proficient at his job making sure all of us BMW owners are safe; he’s funding our Disney trips. Probably the top reason I married him…well that and love (in no particular order). His first time going to Disney was with me in July of 2019, and needless to say he fell in love with the magic.

He also proved to be my Prince Charming when he proposed marriage to me in Cindy’s castle a few years later.

*Pardon me. It was a typical July day and I look a hot sweaty mess here. The suns rays decided to pistol whip me and then humidity couldn’t wait to tap in and start suffocating me to death. Yup they jumped me right before my proposal. Cowards.



Kalan's Favorites:
Ride: Splash Mountain
Movie(s): The Lion King
Snack: Pulled Pork & Mac & Cheese from Flame Tree BBQ
Restaurant(s):
In park: The Hollywood Brown Derby
Out of Park: Narcoossee's



Also, for the first time joining us will be our beautiful little girl Amina. She is the sweetest, most precious baby that you will ever meet (and I promise that’s not the momma bias talking). She will be 18 months old on this trip.

Being completely transparent I can’t help but to feel a little nervous...mainly excited but there's a tinge of "can we do this?!" Disney can be stressful and adding an 18 month old seems like it may be daunting. But hey, I’ve dealt with blood and guts for a living so if anyone has the nerves of steel for this, it’s me. However, I am definitely all ears for any tips, tricks (magic or otherwise ) that you can give me!

I hope you enjoy this possibly chaotic PTR and that you’ll stick around while we get all of these last-minute kinks worked out in these next few months!

xx​

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

Following along! Can’t wait to hear all about it!

 

[SEAGULL59]

Following!

 

[HeadintheClouds]

Following along! Can’t wait to hear all about it!

Following!

Thank you!

 

[DLo]

Following along. Looking forward to reading more.

 

[HeadintheClouds]

Following along. Looking forward to reading more.

Thank you!

 

[HeadintheClouds]

The 5 W’s

Who:
(Please proceed to post #1) ← in case you just completely bypassed that.

What:
That remains to be seen! Stick around for my trip report.

When:
June 30th - July 11th.

Where:
Pop Century! We love this resort and I think with all the bright, fun colors Mina will love it too! Plus we…I love the Skyliner - Kalan hates heights and prefers that his feet stay planted firmly on the ground.

Why:
Because it’s Disney.
Because I’m a tired healthcare worker.
Because I want to take my daughter on her first Disney trip as soon as possible.

But you want to know what the response is from 99.999% of the people I’ve told? Not, “how sweet!” Not, “it’s going to be so much fun!” Not, “Amina’s going to love it!” It’s:

“You’re taking her at 18 months? Why? She won’t remember anything!”

With, “Disney is so expensive,” trailing not too far behind in 2nd place.

Me and Kalan are both well aware of the price. Kalan has cried in the bathroom, receipts in hand, screaming something about “being in financial ruin” after every Disney trip we’ve ever taken.

*I mean I think that’s what he’s saying. I’m not really sure. I barely pay attention to all those theatrics, I’m too busy planning the next trip.

So trust us, we know how expensive it is. And we are also astute enough to know she won’t remember this trip. But here’s the thing people:

Her. Parents. Will.

Even though her birthday was on February 14th, we are going to be celebrating her birthday along with our engagement anniversary on this trip.

Kalan thinks I’m certifiable but does anyone else celebrate the day they got engaged? Let me know if I’m actually clinically insane or if he deserves a night on the couch for calling his lovely wife crazy.

But honestly, we just want to celebrate life in our happy place.


FYI: Hospital Pictures Below

Me and Amina went through a lot last year. She was supposed to be a 4/20 baby but she was born two months early weighing in at 2 lbs.

I woke up with cramps so severe it literally brought me to tears. Checked my BP multiple times and the systolic (top) number climbed from the 160s to the 170s to the 180s. I went into L&D that morning and I had an emergency c-section by 10 that night.

I was diagnosed with HELLP syndrome.

If you’re not familiar with HELLP - it’s like the crazy sibling of pre-eclampsia. The sibling that never comes around (it’s super rare) and when they do they’re just really toxic (I ended up in ICU with 20 blood transfusions, had to be put on oxygen, suffered a collapsed lung and my liver shut down).

Amina stayed in the NICU for almost three months. She was diagnosed with failure to thrive, and she also had heart, lung and GI issues. It was a very tumultuous time for me and her but especially for my husband, who never left our side.

Since it was 2022 hospitals were still limiting visitors because of the virus that shall not be named. So after 7 PM he was supposed to go home. The nurses actually encouraged him to go home and get some rest. He told the nurses he didn’t want to be too far away from me (the hospital was an hour away) so he would just sleep in the car. They felt so bad for our family that they found a room for him to stay in on the unit above us. God bless those nurses because they didn’t have to do that.
I joked with them at one point “drinks on me.” (Get it? Because alcohol affects your liver and at the time my liver was shut down…never mind. Tough crowd. )

But despite all that we went through, our fairy tale ending arrived. I got discharged home and then Amina finally graduated from NICU (she even got the graduation cap and commencement music on our way to the car). So we both lived to tell the tale.

(And oh, how I will use this tale to guilt my husband and daughter for the rest of our lives *cue evil laugh*)

So the ultimate answer to the “why” is why not?

Because…life.

And life is most definitely, most assuredly, undeniably and unquestionably for the living…and as long as we’re alive we plan to kick a** - (can I say a** on here? ) - and ask questions later!

Next up:
Those strategic and well-thought-out Disney plans: a.k.a the itinerary!

xx​

 

[Tatum20]

That certainly seems like something worth celebrating!

 

[BPPHL2002]

Just wanted to say I took my now 11-yr old to WDW when he was almost 3 (he's a fellow nicu grad!), and people had similar comments. We have amazing photos with his faves, Buzz and Woody, and I wouldn't trade those memories for anything. We haven't been back because of life and I'm just starting to look into going back again, so I'm looking forward to seeing your plans grow and reading your plans and reviews. I hope you have a great time with your lovely family!

-B

 

[MrsSaraG]

Following along!

Also. We took our daughter when she was 2. She certainly doesn't remember it, but we do. And it was magical. Ignore the naysayers and have a great time!

 

[HeadintheClouds]

Sounds Like a Plan!
(Pt. 1)

So these are our tentative plans right now. I figured I would post a layout of what direction I’m headed in. Finalized plans will definitely be after our ADR’s are secured. Because as we all know, ADRs can change things. Depending upon not only securing the actual ADR but securing the dates and times that we want them to be.
Ugh, why does Disney have to be so complicated? And why do I torture myself year after year doing this?
It’s a very toxic relationship, but I'm not ready to break up just yet.


June 30th
Arrival day!
So we decided to drive to Orlando. Well, decided is a strong word. We are still going back and forth. I haven’t driven to Orlando in years. And when I say years I mean it’s been well over ten years. As I got older I started loathing long car rides. I just wanted to get there. This would be the one area we are deciding to budget on. Rental car prices for 12 days would be an added cost + the cost of the flight. I know some people solely rely on the Disney transportation system, but I personally love having a car while down there.
​

Pros to not flying:

• We don’t have to spend money on a rental car
• We will have our own car we can use whenever we need it
• Therefore ↓
• We don’t have to rely solely on the Disney transportation system

Cons to not flying:

• That long car ride
• ↑ Mina may not do well on a long car ride (She's never been in a car for this long before and we live in SC so the drive is about 8 hours)
• We can get to Orlando in less than two hours from our home airport if we fly

Pricing for a rental car looks like it would be between $700-$1000

We really need to finalize this part of our trip asap because flight prices go up the closer you are to your flight date. At this point, I don't care if we take a plane, train, or a hitchhiking ghost, we just need to get there.


July 1st
Magic Kingdom
We always start our trips in this magical land of imagination, happiness and pixie dust. I mean where else can you meet Cinderella, bounce with Tigger and eat Mickey bars while simultaneously crying tears of joy during the fireworks show?

Ride Goals:
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (AM)
Journey of the Little Mermaid (AM)
Mad Tea Party (AM)
Peter Pan’s Flight - Early Entry
Mine Train (PM)
Dumbo (AM or PM)
WDW Railroad (AM)
Haunted Mansion (PM)

Show(s)
Mickey’s Philharmonic (AM)
Happily Ever After (PM)

Just realizing, as I’m typing this, that Peter Pan will likely be Amina’s first ever Disney ride! I’m getting excited and emotional just thinking about it. I can only imagine how I’m going to be when she’s actually there. So if you’re in MK on July 1st and you see a mom in Fantasyland sobbing like an idiot while simultaneously trying to snap a million pictures of her daughter, don’t worry, it’s probably just me.



July 2nd
Epcot
I wanted to make sure that we reserved Epcot before the 6th because that’s the last day of the Flower & Garden Festival. I love everything about the festival; the food, the entertainment, the topiaries (omg those topiaries! I’m getting a boost of serotonin just thinking about them). And I’m always excited to try a few different snacks every year whereas, Kalan is excited about the drinks. I would love to partake in the drinking around the world challenge. But the way my liver is set up, I’m too much of a lightweight. I would be staggering by the time we hit Norway. Kalan always makes fun of me, I tell him “hey, at least I’m a cheap date.”

Ride Goals:
Frozen Ever After - Early Entry
Gran Fiesta Tour (AM)
Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure - (AM; ILL)

The great thing about having 10 park days is we can spread out the parks/rides a lot more. Which will be a dream, especially with a toddler. So we don’t have to do so much in one day. I’m thinking about adding Guardians on this day. Maybe ride it when we go back in the evening? We only have two Epcot days and if we absolutely love it, it will be great to have ridden it twice.



July 3rd
Hollywood Studios

Ride Goals:
Tower of Terror - Early Entry
Rock ’n’ Rollercoaster (AM)
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway - (AM; ILL)
Muppet Vision 3D (AM)

Tower of Terror, as the name implies, is quite literally terrifying, and that’s why I love it! Nothing gets me more pumped for the day then riding it first thing in the morning (before breakfast, of course.)
I also really hope I get to hear “make it a stretch. In fact, make it a super stretch” on my trip. I love rock ’n’ roller coaster and while I’m glad it’s getting a much needed refurb, I hate that it may not be open when we go back.
Runaway Railway is such a cute edition to HS. I was definitely in my feelings when they announced they were closing The Great Movie Ride. But this ride was definitely much needed. I mean how can you have a whole theme park dedicated to Disney but not have a ride dedicated to the one who started it all?

My fave ride!

July 4th
Rest Day
So I always end up doing a "rest day" on our longer trips. I put rest in quotes because Kalan still doesn't consider it a rest day. I also just don’t like to be in the parks on July 4, the heat is suffocating enough without being packed like sardines. Nothing like the smell of body odor and churros wafting in the air.

July 4th 2019; Animal Kingdom Lodge

Goals:
We will be mainly going to the pool and eating on this day. I'm thinking of going to Trader Sam's and maybe Beaches & Cream? We'll see. I'll be posting all of our ADR's in another post. I'm about 99% done with figuring out what I want and when I want it.


July 5th
Back to the Magic

Ride goals:
Space Mountain (AM)
Buzz Lightyear’s Spin (AM)
Tron (AM; ILL)
The Peoplemover (AM)
Carousel of Progress (AM)

We are so excited for Tron! Neither me nor Kalan have watched the movie, so that’s definitely on our list to watch.
Have any of you watched Tron? I’ve heard a lot of mixed reviews, mainly negative.
Space mountain is a classic and a must do on every trip. I know Amina will love Buzz Lightyear and using the ride controllers. Seriously, at home I can hand her an expensive, state of the art toy and she would rather play with paper or the tv remote. Gotta love a 1 year old. So I’m sure she’ll be bursting at the seams to take control of the joystick on this ride.

Amina playing with the box my makeup brush came in.


up next:
Sounds Like a Plan! (Pt. 2)
The 2nd half of this wonderful trip.

 

[Bama Mom]

Oh my word! First disney trips for your little one are the best! My oldest two were almost 3 and almost 5 when we took them for their first trip and it was so magical. Don't worry about the naysayers, they are fuddy duddies.

 

[HeadintheClouds]

Sounds Like a Plan! (cont.)

July 6th
Hollywood Studios

On this day we plan on just staying around Galaxy’s Edge. I was contemplating booking us a build a droid reservation but Kalan reminded me that we aren’t exactly build a droid people. I mean we can appreciate Star Wars but we aren’t super fans of the franchise. I do want to meet Darth Vader and Chewbacca though. I’ve heard that’s a really cool meet and greet.

Has anyone done it before? Any cool stories?

Ride Goals:
Smugglers Run
ROTR
Star Tours
Star Wars Launch Bay to meet some characters.


July 7th
Animal Kingdom

Ride Goals:
Safari
Rafiki’s Planet Watch
Navi River Journey
Avatar
FOTLK

The biggest thing we are doing today is going to Rafiki’s Planet Watch to let Mina get up close and personal with some of the animals there. She loves animals and she is so enamored with our teacup morkie, Nahla. I’m excited to see how she reacts to getting to see/pet different ones. The safari is another must do and so is FOTLK. She loves music so I’m sure she will love clapping and bouncing along to the songs.

July 8th
Epcot

Ride Goals:
GOTG
Test Track
Mission: Space
Soarin’
Nemo
Spaceship Earth

If we don’t get Guardians on our other Epcot day I’m going to try to get it for this day. Super excited for this ride even though Kalan doesn’t share my same enthusiasm. He gets motion sickness pretty bad. He’s willing to try it out though. However, I can already foresee him and Dramamine becoming besties on this trip.


July 9th
Magic Kingdom

Ride Goals:
Pirates
Jungle Cruise
BTMR
Country Bear Jamboree
Tiki Room
Magic Carpets

I think Mina will love the carpets ride. Especially being squirted with water and going up and down in the air. I haven’t been to the Tiki Room since I was a kid and Kalan has never been, so it will be interesting to see how he likes it (or not ). Pirates is always a fave and I haven’t been on Jungle Cruise since before the movie came out (yes, that long). It’s amazing that Disney is so extensive that you can go years without doing multiple attractions. Gotta love it.


July 10th
Hollywood Studios

Ride Goals:
Toy Story Mania
Slinky
Aliens
Disney Jr. Play & Dance

I think I’m most excited about riding Toy Story Mania with Mina and watching her dance at the Disney Jr Play & Dance. Like I said earlier, she loves to dance. It’s the most adorable thing ever. I’ll provide proof because I’m sure you guys don’t believe me and just HAVE to see proof of all the cuteness, right?

Yeah…it got a little chaotic at the end.



July 11th
Animal Kingdom

Ride Goals:
EE
Finding Nemo
It’s Tough to be a bug
Dinosaur

The last day! :-( I’m going to be sad it’s over but being (heat) exhausted and our bank accounts being drained like the Florida swamps, will probably overtake that emotion. I think Animal Kingdom is a great way to end a long trip. In my opinion it’s one of the most gorgeous, laid-back parks.

It’s Tough to be a Bug is my favorite show. It was the first show I watched at Disney so I think nostalgia from my childhood keeps it at number one. Although now that I’m the mom of a toddler the title of that show can kick rocks. It’s Tough to be a Bug the Mom of a Toddler That Can Go From Cute to Psychopath in 2.5 Seconds Flat. I guess that’s too long of a title though isn’t it? Doesn’t have a ring to it. I digress…



Alright, so next up will be that long list of ADR’s + how much we budgeted (and I’m going to warn you, it’s a doozy!)​

 

[HeadintheClouds]

Super late but Happy Easter from my favorite bunny!​

 

[HeadintheClouds]

Off To The Races!

So the day is finally coming. Tomorrow will be my version of a 10K race…ADR day. The most stress inducing, anxiety-ridden morning of a Disney planners life. But I know with coffee or wine in hand…(Hey! No judgments, its’s 5:00 somewhere!)…I can get through it. I will pass that finish line.

Me and Kalan love trying old favorites and new ones too. Our plan is to hit the parks in the morning, eat lunch and then go back to the hotel for a mid afternoon nap. After our beauty rest, we'll wake up for dinner in the evening and then rinse and repeat. That’s been our tried and true method even before Amina, so I’m hoping this works for her. But if there’s one thing we’ve learned as parents to a toddler is how to modify our plans.

I’m looking forward to trying Round Up Rodeo and both of us are also looking forward to trying Topolino’s for breakfast. Go figure that we both want the most sought after ADRs. We also want to try and snag Space 220. Sheesh!! We are definitely some big dreamers. But hey go big or go home right? I know there’s a big chance we won’t be able to snag them but hopefully we’ll get a little extra Pixie Dust tomorrow.

BUDGET

We always peruse through the menus and pick out what we could potentially order and then I add in Florida tax and a 20% tip. If we aren’t sure, we usually high ball it and go for the most expensive thing on the menu. I’d rather aim higher when coming up with a final number for our budget. We also add in any snacks we may want while in the parks for that day.

(I only included actual reservations down below, I didn't include all the snacks and drinks we may get, no need to bore you with all of those mundane details.)

Regardless, we probably won’t end up spending as much as listed below but it will be interesting to see how close we get to our final number.

Okay enough rambling:

June 30th
Wine Bar George (Lunch)
Chef Art Smith (Dinner)

Food Budget for the day (including snacks, tips and taxes): $338

July 1st
Be Our Guest Dinner
Dessert Party

Budget: $221

July 2nd
Food & Garden Festival (Lunch & Dinner)

Budget: $311

July 3rd
Sci-Fi Dine-In (Lunch)
Hollywood Brown Derby (Dinner - Fantasmic Dining Package)

Budget: $444

July 4th
Topolino’s Terrace (Breakfast) *may need to switch this day*
The Boathouse (Dinner)

Budget: $385

July 5th
The Crystal Palace (Breakfast)
Flying Fish (Dinner)

Budget: $315

July 6th
California Grill (Dinner)

Budget: $303

July 7th
Tusker House (Breakfast)
Jiko (Dinner)

Budget: $382

July 8th
Space 220 Lounge (Small Bites/Drinks)
Le Cellier (Dinner)

Budget: $420

July 9th
Steakhouse 71 (Dinner)

Budget: $260

July 10th
Roundup Rodeo BBQ (Lunch)
Hollywood Brown Derby (Dinner)

Budget: $369

July 11th
Flame Tree BBQ (Lunch)
Whispering Canyon (Dinner)

Budget: $126

=

Total Bill: $3874​

 

[Bama Mom]

I am hoping to snag a Woodys Round up ressie for our February 2024 trip. I hope we aren't disappointed (my hubby is amazing with the smoker and is well known for his ribs in our small town). But I think it will be a really fun experience. We did a Topolino's breakfast in February 2022 and really enjoyed it. Of course that was when you could get a second entree (just a smaller serving) and we left stuffed to the gills. I'm not a big eater at all (I'd rather snack and nibble) but hubby likes a good sit down meal so we only plan one a day and sometimes end up cancelling them if we just don't feel like a big meal.

 

[HeadintheClouds]

Hello gorgeous people! Long time no talk type! Sorry I’ve been MIA. Life has definitely been “lifing” lately lol. Work has been extra stressful the last few weeks. But I digress, on a more positive note - I think I left off on my ADR Day post. Well good news is I got every ADR I wanted and then some! I didn’t get some of them on the days that I wanted but I managed to maneuver some things around.



Changes:

We added an extra day to the beginning of our trip since me and hubby are both off. I was going to add an extra day to our Pop Century reservation but it would’ve messed up our Dining Promo Package. So we ended up trying to find a DVC property at the last minute, specifically Wilderness Lodge or Riviera. Our purpose was to see if next year we wanted to upgrade resorts and this extra day would be the perfect way to find out. But of course none were available, so I was left trying to figure out a Plan B.

Well I was randomly scrolling on YouTube and saw a video on Coronado Springs Resort (which I’ve never personally been interested in.) But I had an inkling to watch it and I’m glad I did because I fell in love with it, specifically the Gran Destino Tower! We booked a waterfront room view and the prices were amazing! It’s like getting a deluxe room at a moderate resort price!
We also changed our Whispering Canyon reservation to Artist Point. This was all my hubby’s idea which kind of shocked me. He was so gung ho about eating at Whispering Canyon again when I was planning the ADR portion of the trip and then out of the blue last week he randomly asked to watch some dining reviews on Artist Point.

This sudden change of plans shocked me for a few reasons. Number one it’s a character meal and while my hubby doesn’t mind them he knows we’re paying extra for the experience at the expense of the quality of food (for most of them), and two Whispering Canyon was one of the restaurants he kept saying he definitely wanted to go back to. So after we watched a few reviews and he looked over at me and said “to heck with the cost, switch it if you can.” I wondered who the heck this man was laying beside me and what did he do with my husband? But more importantly, would this new man buy me a new purse?

Anyway, the change was fine with me, I wasn’t a Whispering Canyon fan to begin with. The only problem is, I didn’t think I would get a ressie so close to our trip because I thought AP was pretty popular. But alas! They had a few spots open on the day we needed! Hopefully that’s a sign and we will love it! I hear the interaction with the Evil Queen is awesome! And hopefully this new hubby of mine will keep this same “to heck with the costs” energy when we’re in all the gift shops.

We also decided just to drive. So I’m interested to see how this is going to go! Lol. Hopefully Amina will sleep most of the way.

One more week to go!! I’m really excited! I can’t wait to Vlog and write up this trip report.


A few random items I’ve gotten in the mail:

My stroller tag which I’m obsessed with

And my Apple Watch/Magicband bling:

​