A Magical Birthday Celebration 4/22-4/27 PTR

[livsmom04]

Hello there! So we have booked our yearly Disney World Trip again and this time we're going at a Different time of the year. Last year we went in July and we found out it was a bad idea to go. Not only did we have to deal with the heat (which wasn't as bad as we thought it would be) but we had to deal with the Brazillian Tour Groups.

Well we are going April 22-April 27th this year and even better yet, we're going to be in the World on my daughter's 8th birthday this year.

Now let's get started with the introductions!

Charlotte (Me)

I am the mastermind and the one the has the obsession with Disney World. I'm the one who does all of the planning, reservations and most times pay for the trip. This is my who knows how many times to Disney World but my 3rd time with my daughter, and my 2nd time with my boyfriend. I absolutely love everything Disney!

Next is:

Jason, DBF

Jason is just as much as a Disney Fanatic as I am. He loves going to DW and we both have decided to start planning annual Disney Trips while we can. He is the one who drives down to Disney World because honestly I've been banned because I'd rather sleep on the way down then pay attention to the road.

And finally the reason we're going this year in April:

Olivia, DD

Olivia too loves Disney World. She just got back from a trip with her dad in December and told me she didn't have a good time. She's is really looking forward to this trip because she will not only get to be in Disney World on her birthday which is April 26th but she will also be seeing her cousin who works at Disney World too. She loves all of the Buddies' movies and loves Snow White and Rapunzel.

Next post is on our reservations.

 

[livsmom04]

Up Now is our reservation information.

We are staying at Pop Century Resort. Olivia's choice was the Art of Animation Resort but since we won't be there when they are open she chose Pop Century which is where we stayed at in July 2011. We had a great experience there and hope to get the same good service while we're there again.

Next is Advance Dining Reservations:

Sunday, April 22:

5:05pm Tony's Town Square Restaurant

Monday, April 23:

5:15pm Cinderella's Royal Table (Olivia's request and we got it!)

Tuesday, April 24:

1:30pm Rainforest Cafe in Animal Kingdom
6:20pm The Plaza Restaurant

Wednesday, April 25:

8:45am O'hana Breakfast (We've done this before loved it!)
4:25pm The Garden Grill in Epcot

Thursday, April 26: (Olivia' 8th Birthday!!!)

12:25pm Hollywood & Vine Lunch
5:50pm 1900 Park Fare Dinner

 

[livsmom04]

I'm so organized when it comes to planning vacations yet at home I'm not so much. lol. Well I have our days already planned and it's going to be so much fun!

So here is our literary:

Saturday: We will be driving to Orlando and staying in a hotel (we haven't chosen which one yet) for the night before our arrival on Sunday. We are traveling from North Carolina to Florida which for us makes a total of 9-12 hours depending on whose driving.

Sunday: Arrival day at Disney World!! We are going to most likely eat at a fast food restaurant that morning or something like Cracker Barrel. We will eat lunch in the World and can't wait. We will check in sometime in the morning and yes we know our room won't be ready but we want to get our information so that we can go to the world. We will be in Magic Kingdom that day as well.

Monday: Magic Kingdom day!

Tuesday: Animal Kingdom

Wednesday: Epcot

Thursday: Hollywood Studios

We will most likely head back to MK every night like we always do and ride as many rides as we can and also we love to see Wishes each night we're there.

Today is a big day because today I paid off the rest of the balance of our trip! Our trip is Paid in Full!!!

 

[FairestOfThemAll]

I love reading about other peoples' ADRs. About 'Ohana breakfast... what did you love about it? The food? The atmosphere? Everything?

I love the 1900 Park Fare dinner - for the characters alone, it's worth a Table Service credit! They really play their characters well.

Congrats on paying it off!!

 

[livsmom04]

I love reading about other peoples' ADRs. About 'Ohana breakfast... what did you love about it? The food? The atmosphere? Everything?

I love the 1900 Park Fare dinner - for the characters alone, it's worth a Table Service credit! They really play their characters well.

Congrats on paying it off!!

We loved the atmosphere and the way that the characters came around in a timely manner. Plus we loved how they were really helpful when it came to my food allergies. When I booked the reservations last year I put on there that there was a special request. When we went to reservations, they asked me about the special request and I told them about my allergic reaction to kiwi fruit and also to sausage. They then sent the chef out to our table and she asked me the same questions and what would happen if I come in contact with them. They made sure that our food did not come near any of those and the food was delicious! My daughter said she was really impressed by this breakfast. She requested we go to this again. There was no reason for us not to book it again.

1900 Park Fare Dinner has been one of our favorites since I took Olivia there in 2010. It's a must when we go everytime to Disney World.

 

[livsmom04]

We are trying to figure out what other meals we want to book or if we want to just get quick service meals. Decisions, Decisions!

 

[livsmom04]

I bought a new Disney princess dress for Olivia to wear on her trip to Walt Disney World. I'm trying to decide if I want to book a BBB appt for Olivia on the day we eat dinner with the Princesses. I'm thinking yes.

I went to the Disney Store here locally and purchased the Rapunzel Dress that Olivia has been asking for. It's much prettier in person and I'm thinking of making another couple of shirts for Olivia this year as well. Here are some of the shirts that I have made in the past for Olivia and our trips to Disney World in the past.

 

[livsmom04]

So I have one more thing checked off my list to get ready for this Disney World trip! Today I booked our night before our Disney World vacation stay at the Econo Lodge for $49.99. I honestly didn't see paying for anything more expensive because we will only be sleeping there for the night and getting up in the morning to go check in and to go to the world sooner than we planned on doing.

Olivia is getting excited about our trip and she's getting excited about spending her birthday inside Walt Disney World! We can't wait!!!

 

[FairestOfThemAll]

'Ohana breakfast sounds pretty good - I think it just made the cut to be on my short list. Unfortunately, my "short list" is anything but "short"...

The pink Mickey/Minnie head shirt is my favorite! Very cute!

I hope you don't mind, but I've got another question for you. How much does driving from home impact your vacation? Do you have to plan a "recovery" day after spending that much time cooped up in a car? With the cost of airfare more than doubling, my family and I are considering driving (from Wisconsin) for the first time but are unsure how it will affect our trip.

 

[livsmom04]

'Ohana breakfast sounds pretty good - I think it just made the cut to be on my short list. Unfortunately, my "short list" is anything but "short"...

The pink Mickey/Minnie head shirt is my favorite! Very cute!

I hope you don't mind, but I've got another question for you. How much does driving from home impact your vacation? Do you have to plan a "recovery" day after spending that much time cooped up in a car? With the cost of airfare more than doubling, my family and I are considering driving (from Wisconsin) for the first time but are unsure how it will affect our trip.

As far as a recovery, what we do is take breaks during the day as far as driving goes, and we have about a 9 hour drive down. For me it doesn't matter of how long it takes because I won't be driving and my boyfriend used to drive trucks so he's used to the long distances. We drove to Disney last July and we made sure we took plenty of pitstops and breaks for my daughter to walk around and use the bathroom. This time we will be driving straight through and not stopping off in Savannah to sleep. We should arrive in Orlando around 5 or 6 Saturday night, get plenty of sleep and then head to the resort to check in and go out to the parks that morning.

 

[FairestOfThemAll]

Hmm... several breaks and then an early night. It sounds halfway manageable. Thanks!

 

[livsmom04]

Hmm... several breaks and then an early night. It sounds halfway manageable. Thanks!

You're welcome! Glad I could help.

My daughter is getting very excited about our trip. She's even requested she keep up with a calendar so that she can keep the countdown going. Not much longer before we go. I'm still trying to figure out an extra meal for one of the days so that we won't starve to death while we're waiting for our dinners.

 

[livsmom04]

One of the things I need to get done is preorder the photopass cd. This is something that I have taken advantage of for the past several trips and like before this is one thing we can't do without.

This however will be my first year not taking the big camera and while I will feel quite out of place I'm excited about not having to lug it around, put it in triple ziplock bags and looking forward to a more relaxing trip. My birthday was just a few days ago and my grandma gave me extra money to use while on our Disney Trip. How awesome is she? Gotta go get a Thank You Card to give her and tell her how much I appreciate it.

 

[livsmom04]

Today I preordered the Disney PhotoPass CD. This is something that we started getting when we first went in 2010 and it's something that I feel is well worth the money.

We are getting excited about the trip and I have even thought about purchasing several disney gift cards to use for our souvenirs. Let the countdown begin!

 

[livsmom04]

Today I got our Disney Packet in the mail! It's official that we will be in the World in 1 month. We are slowly starting to put together a small bag of things my daughter wants to take like toys, movies and books to read. I personally can't wait for us to leave for Florida.

 

[livsmom04]

So I decided to look at some of our ADR's and changed some of them, but now I'm a little worried because I did an ADR on one morning and the park doesn't open until 9am.

So here is our new ADR List:

Sunday:

Tony's Town Square at 5:05pm

Monday:

O'hana 8:40 am
Cinderella's Royal Table 5:15pm

Tuesday:

Rainforest Cafe in Animal Kingdom 1:30pm
The Plaza Restaurant 6:20pm

Wednesday:

O'hana 8:45am
Coral Reef Restaurant 1:30pm
Trails End Restaurant 6:45pm

Thursday:

Hollywood & Vine 8:25am
50's Prime Time Cafe 1:25pm
1900 Park Fare 5:50pm

The one I am really worried about is the Hollywood & Vine Breakfast. We are staying on site and we know that the park won't open until 9am. So here is our question. Can we take a bus to get to the park by 8:15am to make our ressie's by 8:25am?

 

[livsmom04]

We are so excited to be leaving soon! I have to start packing soon. Yes I can't believe that we are leaving on Friday to my boyfriends house and then leaving first thing on Saturday morning for Orlando. Olivia is beyond excited because she has money to spend down there.