3 Girls taking on the World

[dlnsmmy1]

Hi to all. This is officially my very first pre trip/trip report. I have been a lurker on the trip reports board for years, but never tried my hand at it. Soooo I figured I'd try it out. So here goes.

This trip is our annual Mother/Daughter trip with one addition. My daughter. My mom and I have been taking this trip for several years now and this year we felt my daughter was finally old enough to join us. She turned 4 in February.

Now now no flaming for.."how could you go to Disney each year and not take your little girl". You see I am a disney holic and we live about an hour away from Disney world. So my children go to Disney on a regular basis. Almost monthly. So Mother/Daughter weekend is about no men and no whining. DD is finally at this point.

So here are the introductions of those going...and those sadly left behind.

Me (31) - I am a disney FREAK. I would live in Disney World if I could. I absolutely love Disney. I never get tired of going and doing the same rides, same shows over and over again. I am also a mom to two beautiful wonderful children and the wife to one non disney loving husband. I am also a full time student at the University of South Florida. Yes I know things would have been easier if I had finished college before marriage and kids (thanks mom) but such is life and I am working on it now, as well as working for an Insurance company part time.

DD(4) My little cinderella. She is the daredevil of my two. She loves everything princess. She is sweet and dramatic and keeps us all in stitches with the things she says. For example - When she turned 4 I told her what a big girl she was now and how grown up she is. My sweet little princess puts one hand on her hip and says "Yeah, So can I drive the car" Where do they get this stuff.

MawMaw (young at heart) I like to think of her as Mary Poppins. Practically perfect in every way. I truely mean that. My mom is a saint. She had to be to keep from killing me along the way. I was a difficult, to say the least, teen. But I made up for it by giving her the only two grandchildren she has. My mom like me is a disneyholic. My parents also live right next door to me, and I love it. She is the best mom and grandma ever and I strive to have her patience and good nature.

Now for the cast not coming...hahahahahahaha..The MEN!!!

DH(32) I like to call him Grumpy. He is not a Disney fan. Which baffles me continually. You see, we spent our honeymoon at Disney and he loved it. However a few years ago he went back to college as well, and somewhere somehow, some brainwashing occured there and he began to feel that disney is corporate america....blah blah blah....taking our money... blah blah blah...same thing over and over....blah blah blah. Anyway, I have devised very sneaky ways to get him to disney. sports, sports and more sports. I send him off to events while the kids and I hit the parks, and it keeps him relatively quiet. He is a great guy, husband and father but also very busy. Right now he is doing his internship and final piece of his education puzzle...thank goodness...

DS (7) My little prince. He is the sweetest most sensitive little boy I know. He will not be happy as this trip gets closer, but I have promised him some alone time at the world as well. He will have a great time with his dad while we are gone. But I will miss him. I'm one of those moms who doesn't like to be away from the kids.

Ddad (my dad) As Disney obsessed as my mom and I and definitely not happy as this trip approaches. He keeps trying to talk my mom into taking a little trip just the two of them before ours gets here, he just can not stand it that we will be in the world without him. Not just because of his love for the mouse, but also because as wonderful a dad as he is, he likes to be in control. And mother/daugther weekend is totally out of his control. Which I love. Yes I tried to make my father crazy every chance I had growing up, but once again the grandchildren are my saving grace.

So that is our crew. We are getting close to our trip so we are super excited. Next up...deciding where to go, when to go, where to eat...etc.

 

[XxDisneyFan00xX]

Excellent start!! I cannot wait to read more!

 

[CinderellyCinderelly]

Yay! I just started my first TR too! Good luck & have fun!

 

[dlnsmmy1]

Alright...So when to go, where to stay, what to do, where to eat...

As I mentioned before we go to Disney quite often, so the plans for this trip took off while we were, yes you guessed it, at Walt Disney World. My mom and I took the two kids to Disney for a long weekend in February to celebrate their birthdays while Dh and DDad were at a bow shooting competition. We have known since last years trip that we would be going on our mother daughter trip again but had not decided all the details as of the February trip. So before we left for the bday trip we had decided we would go during the kids spring Break. It of course does not coincide with mine from USF but since my mom works for the school system and Dh is interning at a High School, this week seemed to be the best fit.

So somewhere between april 4 - 13. Which days exactly and where? So these questions remain unanswered as we check into Port Orleans Riverside for our bday weekend. We walk through the door and what wonderful surprise is waiting for us on the table....yep you guessed it a bounceback offer. mom and I immediately start smiling. We will be making firm plans before we check out of this hotel...and thus it began. The planning...

We decided to go April 5 - April 8, 3 nights would be good enough right...we'll see about that.

So I get on the phone...we would love to stay in an Epcot hotel but what would be available at this late date.... Boardwalk that's what.

So we booked it....a great rate... 40% off. I was ecstatic for about 2 seconds when my mommy guilt kicked in. You see, just before we left for our POR trip my son told me in his cutest sweetest way, that he would love to stay at the Boardwalk sometime. I tried and tried but it just wasn't available during our Feb trip. So when I booked it for the trip we would be going on without him, I got this horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach and decided I probably should not talk about the hotel in front of him. I vow that I will make plans to go to the boardwalk again very soon after the April trip and take him.

So hotel....check.
Dates...check

Restaurants...no check

Now the fun begins. As you may have realized we are not 180 days away from our trip date....more like 60ish. This is the dilemma we find ourselves in very often. I wonder if most Florida residents do the same. We never make plans for a trip that far in advance. So....we have never......i hate to say it... we have never eaten at CRT. whew there I said it. But yes, it is never available. So when we began picking out our choices for the mother/daughter trip we half heartedly wrote down CRT.

But wouldn't that be great. My daughter thinks the castle is hers already but has never been inside it. We could do BBB and then eat with Cindy...ahhh the memories.....

Up next....will we get CRT...where else will we choose to eat...how come our countdown says POP instead of BWI.????

 

[Loriann70]

I'm here! Great Start! Can't wait to hear more!

 

[dlnsmmy1]

Will we get CRT???? Where else will we dine??? Whats up with BWI

We have our resort and our dates, and we are both beaming with the thought of taking my little princess CRT. Now for the hard part. Securing the reservation.

I immediately picked up the phone and got dining on the line. I wasn't picky, any day any meal would do. Even dinner. We just want to be in the castle. But as you all probably guessed. No such luck. Booked except for 9ish. There is no way my 4 yr old would make it that late for dinner. So I did what every other CRT hopeful does. I got on the Dis and begged and begged. but nothing. I don't blame you all...if I had CRT I wouldn't give them up either. I also called every day multiple times a day...then finally, one afternoon on my third try of the day...it seemed as if the clouds had parted....I heard "Yes, we have a table available at 4:00 pm" as I take 2 seconds to pause and continue with "OK we'll take it" She says, Oh I'm sorry, its gone now. WHAT!!!!! what do you mean it's gone now. I go from top of the world to hitting the ground. How is that possible, ahhhhhhgggghhhh. So I hang up. thinking.... I will never ever get this restaurant. Yes....the poor me routine. As I hang up the phone I think to myself...hmmmm. Maybe I'm not calling often enough. It seems these ressies go faster than I expected when someone else releases them...sooooo. I immediately pick up the phone and try again. This time I get smart....
The minute the rep picks up the phone I say "I am looking for CRT...any day 4/5 - 4/8, any time before 6 pm. If you find it book it, don't ask, just do it....." And she says..ok I have you booked for 4/5 at 4:30 for dinner...... Yippppeeeee!!!!
I can not believe it. I actually got it, DD is going to go nuts. Now, of course before now we have already made our reservations for all of our other restaurants....which now have to be switched due to our newest dining addition. Lecellier and Narcoosees are the two I'm worried about..but no problem. We had our choice of days and times. Unbelievable!!!

So I also book BBB for noon the day of CRT and hang up happy as a clam.

As I hang up the phone it occurs to me....4/5 is the day we arrive. Even though we live close by, it is still an hour and half drive. We will have to rush that morning to get the car packed and to the hotel so we can get to MK in time. What should I do...push back the BBB time.... Heck no...
We need to add on another day. So I call back and add 4/4 to our reservation. And now our glorious girls only trip is up to 4 glorious nights.

Maybe now I can breathe for a moment...crises averted. Or so I thought. A few days later my dad finds out that the contracting job he has been on for years is coming to an end, and they don't know what he is going to do now, and DM may not be able to afford Disney.
So what does any good daughter who owes her mom the world, and also can't stand the idea of cancelling this trip do????

I call disney reservations and check on the price of switching to a value resort. It would cost less for the entire stay at POP than I had already paid for 1 day at BWI.. So I made the switch. I tell mom, now the entire hotel stay is already paid for and is much much cheaper, CRT is already paid for, we can go really cheap on other meals if we need to....can we still go please please please.

woohoo trip is still on!!!!

up next... what happens when annual pass codes come out and they offer dining to passholders....and time to plan our park itinerary

 

[chiefdragon]

Loving your TR. I did the same thing wtih my DD when she was 2 and took my DM with me as well. It is one trip that now of us will ever forget.

 

[dlnsmmy1]

Hi all, just wanted to say thanks for taking the time to stop by and read my little trip report. Thank you for all the positive feedback as well. Next installment coming right up.....

 

[dlnsmmy1]

What happens when the AP codes come out...what about an itinerary...


After all of the chaos and excitement of tracking down CRT and resort reservations, the planning got kind of quiet for awhile. I kept checking the disboards and mousesavers for codes. I couldn't help but think I might get an even better rate with Fl. resident or AP codes. The boards were a buzz the few days leading up to the code unveiling but I don't think anyone saw AP dining coming. That has always been one of my gripes. I never go for the dining package because the rates we get as passholders/residents are awesome and it doesn't seem feasible to pay rack rate just for food. Sooooo I get up and check all my favorite spots one morning and see the codes have arrived and people are going nuts....the dining offer has everyone a twitter.

So I call to see what all the fuss is about. I get the CM who apparently took 3 vivarin that morning. When she answered I told her I was calling to check AP rates for my trip, she says " have you heard about the dining plan" I of course play dumb and say..."No" She gets all fraptious (its a southern thing) and says " I AM SO EXCITED FOR YOU, THIS IS GOING TO BLOW YOUR MIND" (yes its in caps cause thats how she sounded) She explains the plan is available to AP holders now. So we get the dining plan at regular price but can add it to our discounted room. So I asked for more info, when she tells me the price I thought... there is no way. We didn't plan on spending that much on food, we don't eat 3 meals a day and snacks. So I politely tell her no thank you. She was not taking no for an answer. I was on the phone literaly for over an hour while she kept trying to convince me what a good deal this was. Now I work in customer service and we are trained to listen to our customers. They give you clues as to what their true needs are. Well I told this rep at the beginning of the call about the financial situation that caused the resort change, so please explain to me why she kept pushing an extra 1000.00 meal plan on me, when I kept telling her no. Yes I know I should have hung up, but I try to be nice. So finally I convince her there is no way I am taking dining on this trip, maybe next time and her demeaner changed immediately. It was all business, wham, bam thank you ma'am. Here is your new AP rate...yippeeee. I saved $20 more.

I am a happy camper. Now I have the daunting task of planning the itinerary. What to do what to do. drum roll...... TGM. Yep tour guide mike. I had already picked which resort we would go to each day so that I could make dining plans, now I just needed to get more detailed.

So tourguide mike and I got to work. I wont give details because I solemnly swore and pledged my first born to keep my TGM info to myself. But if anyone is trying to decide whether or not to try it...please do. I have used it before and his tips are right on.

So we are going to hit the Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, and animal kingdom this trip. We always fit in a DTD visit somewhere along the way.

Oh and as a side note....along the way my dad found a really great contracting job, so the trip is definitely a go and all crises are averted at my parents house. However due to my parental guilt we did not change back to the BWI. We are staying at POP and I have promised to take my son to BWI soon.

Now back to the plan. We will be having our meals at POP, CRT, Le Cellier, and Narcoosees, as well as a few counter service snacks along the way. We only do one full service meal each day. I am excited because we love Le cellier, it is one of our must do every time we go. But the others I have never been to before. So I have been studying the menus trying to decide what the DD and I will both have.

Resort - check
AP rate - check
Restaurants - check
Itinerary - check
Packing list - ????

I absolutely love lists...I live for trips so I can make a list...my mom made one packing list a few years ago and saved it on her computer so she just prints it out each time and packs away. Not me, I love writing out the list. I make a new one every time. Yes I am nuts. So I start thinking about what I need to put on the list, because of I course I must write the list in my mind first and then I will commence to writing it on paper.

First up...DD's list

shirts
shorts
pjs
shoes
cinderella dress....wait....she needs a new cinderella dress


Why didn't I think of this before. 'The dress she wears now has seen better days. She is wearing the thing out. We definitely need a new dress. Off to the disney store I go. I find the new dresses our for spring and I'm not sold on them. They are very cute but you see, there was this dress out in December. It was so pretty, the sleeves were padded and it had a cameo at the waist. I went to get one for my daughter before xmas, I had a 15% off to use, but when I got there I realized it wasn't good until the next day. I figured oh well i'll just come back tomorrow and pick it up. I made sure they had it in her size, they did, so I bid the dress goodbye and promised to come back first thing. As murphy's law would have it all of the dresses were sold out by the next day. I searched the internet but had no luck. So I gave up.

Now that I need a new dress for DD that dress comes back to mind. I immediately run to my second favorite site. EBAY and search for dresses. Ding ding ding...my dress is there and has a buy it now button. Just press the button I tell myself press the darn button. But no the cheapie that I am, I put in a bid thinking I will win it at a lower price than the buy it now. The auction is over in 2 days and no one has bid yet. I know I should kick myself. So 48 hours of trauma are endured and finally the time has come 10 minutes left and whammo someone outbids me. How dare they, don't they know that I am meant to have this dress. So I put in a new high bid, which of course is higher than the buy it now price. Yes I know I am kicking myself right now. Countdown begins...5...4...3...2..1.... "you are the winner" Yipppeeee. I won I won. The dress is all MINE...I mean DD's... This trip is going to be so wonderful. DD is going to be beautiful in her new dress. All decked out to see her castle for the first time.

Now I can go back to my mental packing list.

up next ....men have selective hearing and no memory

 

[dlnsmmy1]

wooohoooo 13 days to go. I can't wait til we hit the single digits.

Happy Easter to all!!!

 

[mkluvsmickey]

Just found your report and am loving it! I too have a husband who couldn't care less about Disney. My daughter and I take many trips with just the two of us!
Looking forward to more.

 

[dlnsmmy1]

Men have selective hearing and no memory....

My husband and I were high school sweethearts. The very first day of high school, I was 14. I walked into my homeroom and there he was. whammo love at first sight. Really I had my eye on him from the very beginning. School started in August and by October we were an item. We dated all 4 years of high school. He proposed on our 4 year anniversary. We were engaged for another year and now married for 12 years. 17 total years together.

I tell you this because it helps you to see why he is so helpless. I made the fatal mistake all those years ago of thinking it was fun to do EVERYTHING for him. Now he can't function alone. Seriously. He also never listens to a thing I say. So it should not have come to a shock to me when after talking about mother/daugther weekend for months, a few weekends ago he says, you are doing what???When???

So I take a minute to fill him back in and remind him that I carefully picked these specific days to be the least stressful for him.

I have learned from previous experiences that if I am going to Disney without him I will have a much better time if things run smoothly for him at home while I am gone. Otherwise I am getting phone bombed with "when are you coming home??? Where is....??"

This time he will only have one child, a very fun, semi self sufficient 7 yr old to keep him company.

Heres to hoping this trip goes as planned!!!


So back to the trip,

I am super excited. We are getting so close. This week I need to begin writing down my packing list and throwing things we won't need till the trip in the bags, such as pressed penny book and pin lanyard. I need to make a list of any incidentals I still need to buy. check my toiletries bag to make sure it is still stocked. I also need to make a shopping list for my boys, make sure they have what they will need in the house while I am gone. Being the OCD wife that I am, I will also make a list for him of where things are he might not remember, such as first aid and extra paper towels..etc. I will also leave him a list of the things I bought for meals as well as the different meds and doses for our son should he get sick while I am gone. Can you tell I am a control freak. But around here I have to be, and it doesn't hurt that I love making lists!!!!

I have been trying to decide what room requests I want to make. I don't get to specific cause I like a little surprise, but at POP I do want to request an area. I'm thinking of the Lady and the tramp buildings. We have never stayed over there before. It looks close to the front and we have never been in that pool either. any suggestions would be appreciated.