3 Blondes (re)Storm The World PreTrip Report (9/10/2008)

[Mom2Evie]

The cast for this trip is Mom2Evie (me), my BFF from college CymbalDiva and Evie (my lovely DD7). We're doing free dining again this year. Last year was our first experience with it & we're hooked. We'd never stayed at POP before, but thought we'd give it a try. CymbalDiva and I met almost 20 years ago. Wow, I can't believe its been that long. We were roommates for a short time in college but friends for life. We were separated by time & distance as we graduated & got married, but a college reunion brought us back together a few years ago. Even though we're about 1,600 miles apart, our friendship has remained strong with phone calls, trips to visit each other & planning WDW vacations. Since her DFi hasn't ever been to Disney and is fairly certain he never wants to go, that makes it perfect for the two of us to go without interfering men.

My DH isn't a Disney Hater at all. He just doesn't feel the need to go every year and certainly not twice a year. Heck, I'm glad he's agreed to go back next year for Spring Break and even suggested a Land/Sea trip with Disney Cruise Lines!! DH is a school teacher and since our trip is in September, he has to stay home. DH doesn't approve of our daughter missing school. Last year, she missed 4 days of the 2nd week of school. This time she'll only be missing 2 days. He isn't exactly happy that she'll be missing school and on some days is under the mistaken impression that he's the president of our marriage and gets VETO power over decisions. I simply think he gets input.

When we went September 2007, I was very sure we wouldn't be able to go back this year so we didn't book bounceback. By the time April 10, 2008 rolled around, BFF & I knew that we just had to do it. I was actually on vacation in the Great Smoky Mountains on April 10th with no internet access. So I called up BFF with my log on info and had her book the trip for me. Of course, we could have waited until I got home or at least until I got down into town to hijack some hotels wireless signal, but we didn't.... we couldn't!! We booked our room by 10:00 AM EDT.

Now we're in the planning stages: ADR, outfits & accessories, plane tickets, etc. You're welcome to come along for the ride!!

 

[Poohbear67]

can't wait to read more and more. Too bad that I am really bad at writing or I would do a trip report too. Way to Go !!!!!

 

[cymbaldiva]

Great start - I'm so excited!

We're going to Disney .... again!!!

 

[dizluvah]

Enjoy your girl's trip!!!

 

[NorweJenNY]

Pop is a fun place to stay... very nostalgic. You'll like it.

I've never gotten a chance to try free dining yet... darn school schedules. If we ever start homeschooling, we'll be there in September! I'm sure!
Definitely make some ADRs as soon as you can. Enjoy it!

 

[Mom2Evie]

Well, Cymbaldiva has her RT plane tickets. She'll be arriving much earlier in the day on the the 10th than we will be. I'm leaving DD in school that day, so we'll fly down that evening. I've purchased our tickets for the flight down but not the flight home just yet. Since we live close to 2 airports, one having SouthWest, the other having Airtran, booking affordable flights is EASY.
We've gotten some of our ADRs already made. Grand Floridian SuperCaliFragilistic Breakfast with Mary Poppins, Alice & Friends. Teppan Edo with a group of other Pop'ers, 50's Prime Time so BFF can have some fried chicken, and finally dinner at Whispering Canyon. We've picked out a few of our CS options too: Cantina de San Angel (nachos & a margarita, baby!), Casey's of course (unless what I heard about the buns is true) and likely Columbia House in MK. Everything else is yet to be determined.

 

[Mom2Evie]

The cast, from left to right
CymbalDiva, Evie & Mom2Evie

Evie & me

CymbalDiva & Evie

 

[Mom2Evie]

We'll also be attending MNSSHP again this year. Last year it rained for a couple of hours of the party, so there wasn't really much trick or treating going on. I don't have a picture of CymbalDiva, but she was a lovely Cinderella. Evie was Mulan and I was Minnie. Here is a picture of us taken at Halloween a month after our trip.

I'll be wearing the Minnie costume again, but Evie will be Vidia, a fairy from the new Tinkerbell series.

I wish the pictue were better, but I took it with my camera phone. Her hair is normally blonder, but it's wet in the pic.

 

[Mouse Freak]

Look foward to hearing more.... Look out boys!

 

[Mom2Evie]

Finally figured out the plane tickets/time. I was really struggling with what time we should fly home on Sunday. We have the choice of 2 airports within 20 minutes and another 60 minutes away. There wre several non-stop flights into each airport, all at various times. The ones that were uber affordable ($40)were early in the day or late in the evening, slightly higher in price but later time ($82), and the ones in the late afternoon and therefore really convenient were a bit pricier ($135-$200). I needed to get DD home at a decent hour. She'll be already missing two days of school and the Monday morning following our trip is a school day.

I consulted three different subject matter experts today for assistance in making the decision.
My BFF because she knows me, knows my DH, will be on the trip and has a vested interest in what time I leave on Sunday.
Julie, a very good friend up here that knows my hubby, has been to Disney and also has two children about my daughter's age.
Lastly, Louis, a former co-worker and fellow Disney nut that would err on side of the parks.

When I mentioned taking the flight late in the day down there but early in the day home, Louis instantly hit on the biggest dilema But you'll miss two full days in the park! True. Julie discussed the merits of the good flight time going to the airport 60 minutes away and contrasted them with DH having to drive both ways on what should have been a nice Sunday home alone for him. Together we all decided to take a flight on the airline that arrives 20 minutes from home at 9pm. Since DD's bedtime is normally 8:45pm, this really wouldn't be that big of a deal. Likely she'll be exhausted and sleep on the plane, in the car driving home AND in bed once we arrive home.
So, we'll be flying out of MCO around 7:30 pm. That gives me lots of time to do the Animal Kingdom right this trip, hang out another day with my BFF and not be rushed to get packed, eat breakfast, a quick trip to AK and then leave for the airport by noon for a 3pm flight like last September. Considering that one alternative was to leave the resort before 9am, I think this will work out just fine.

 

[cymbaldiva]

I think you made the right decision regarding your return flight - and I'm not just saying that because it's the flight I wanted you to pick!!

 

[Mom2Evie]

Since my DD & I are going back to WDW in April for 7 days, I started doing the math for ticket prices versus trading up to an annual pass. I think it will save me about $150 to $175 to trade my DD & my 5 day MYW park hopper tickets up to an Annual Pass when we first get there in September.

The downside is that this should be done before either one of us uses our tickets to access the park. We have reservations to CP at 8:35 that first morning. Hopefully, we can just take care of it ASAP when we enter the park. I would SO love to have a WDW annual pass. It would make it so much easier to just "pop down to Orlando" for a long weekend if DD & I already had passes, just for the cost of a slow season room at a value resort and RT airfare on SouthWest or Airtran!!

 

[Mom2Evie]

Well, its official. Our tickets for MNSSHP have been purchased. We are 100% locked and loaded for our trip to WDW for free dining.

Pop Century Resort booked: CHECK
Dining reservations: CHECK
Plane Tickets purchased: CHECK
Cleared it with DH: CHECK
MNSSHP tickets purchased: CHECK

As of today....

110 days
2,650 hours
159,026 minutes
9,541,567 seconds​

It is 110 days, 10 hours, 25 minutes and 26 seconds until Wednesday, September 10, 2008

 

[Mom2Evie]

Woohoo!! I love the 100 day mark! Tomorrow night, I'll be doing the double digit dance. It looks a lot like this

step 1
step 2
step 3
step 4

step 5 repeat steps 1-4

 

[Mom2Evie]

47 days until we're storming the world!! I also couldn't believe that I haven't updated this pre-trip report since the end of May. But as BFF pointed out to me today:
there's just no drama this year though, I mean,
flights are okay so far, resturants are all still open,
no wand to b! tch about...

Only a couple of things have changed regarding our plans. We're now renting a car. We have an early morning reservation at Park Fare and comments about the shuttle system haven't been favorable. We don't want to miss that! Also, our flights leave at about 7:30PM. If we took ME, we'd have to leave for the airport several hours early and we'd have to leave from our resort. Since we're renting, we can have our luggage in the trunk and head out from Animal Kingdom (or wherever we happen to be). That means more park time for us!!

 

[Mom2Evie]

So, I've been busy laying out plans for touring the parks. I tried to work in another breakfast reservation but couldn't find an opening that fit in with our park days. I was hoping for Akerhaus but no availability. Chef Mickey's or CRT.... of course not. They had O'Hanas for our Epcot day (since its a monorail hotel) but not until 10:45 AM. I think we'd like to be in the park before that.


Also there's been a costume change for MNSSHP. For her birthday last month, she'd asked for a Queen Lucy dress to play in, wear to MNSSHP and maybe to trick or treat in. She honestly looks adorable in it, but I'm supposed to think that.

Then I started worrying about how hot & humid it might be in September. Last year, she wore a long sleeved Mulan dress but we were soaking wet & it cooled off a bit after the torrential rain rolled through. I'm actually hoping AGAINST the rain this year, even if it does cool things down. So as a back up (and surprise), I've ordered her a Hannah Montana tunic dress. I'll pack her a headpiece microphone and her sparkly shoes. I'll let her decide what she'll be wearing once we get down there.

Here's how it's all going to play out:

Wednesday night, plane lands too late to do much of anything. CymbalDiva's flight lands mid-afternoon though. She'll likely be riding ToT & RnRC over and over before our flight even takes off from our airport.

Thursday: Breakfast @ 1900 Park Fare
All day in MK
Dinner w/friends at Teppan Edo
Either stay for Illuminations or head over to DTD

Friday: All day in Hollywood Studios
Lunch at 50's Prime Time
MNSSHP

Saturday: All day in Epcot.
Lunch (& margarita) at Cantina de San Angel
Dinner @ Whispering Canyon Cafe

Sunday:
load up the car with bags & check out
Breakfast @ Boma
1/2 day in AK then heading to the airport for our 7pm flight.

 

[Kristineamb]

Sounds like a blast!
Looking forward to our The Disney Divas Getaway http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1802268
Lots of eating, drinking, shopping, gabbing...
We've got matching t-shirts for everyday and light up tiaras!

 

[Mom2Evie]

3 weeks and counting.....



I'm getting totally psyched about the upcoming trip. BFF & I are talking on the phone much more and swapping emails.

• We're making lists of "must do's" in each park.
• We've made arrangements for the rental car.
• Our WDW package arrived with our luggage tags.
• Our ME tags have arrived for the one NOT renting the car.
• We changed a breakfast reservation from 1900 PF to Crystal Palace.
• Halloween costumes are laid out & ready to go.
• DD new Hannah Montana Suitcases arrived & she's totally stoked!

Am I forgetting anything to do with 3 weeks left?

 

[Alysa]

Hey! I love your trip report so far! I have a daughter Eveie (shhhh) who is going to be Mulan at the halloween party this year too! But she's not blond like your daughter!
Can't wait to hear more!

 

[Mom2Evie]

ONLY 5 MORE DAYS!!!

Those were actually the first words DD spoke this morning when I woke her up. How cute is that?