A Surprise fit for a Princess...A Pre-Trip Report

[Disneyfan71]

Have Fun!!!!!!

 

[princess&her4princes]

Mickey, Here We Come!

"Come fly with me. Come fly, let's fly away...." the words of Frank Sinatra have been playing in my head all day! I love this song and I've even choreographed a dance for one of my ballet classes to it a few years ago. How fitting, right? We'll be flying away to Orlando in just over 15 hours!!! Holy moly!

Well, I did about 90% of my packing today. My room looked like a disaster area. I had 3 suitcases laid out on the bed and tons of my clothes scattered about. My DH packed last night, so that was good. He only took up 1/2 of the largest suitcase. I packed our DD's stuff in that suitcase as well. We don't want to go over those 50 lbs! So, I had a suitcase all to myself which I filled quite easily. I plan on looking at my suitcase again tonight to see if I really need all those shirts. Odds are, I'm not removing anything. In the 3rd suitcase, we're packing snacks and our DD's booster seat (just the bottom portion). We don't want to check it with the luggage because it's so small and we don't want it to get lost or damaged. All we have left to pack is toiletries and those can't get packed until tomorrow morning. I have packed up the travel sized items that I bought, but there are still a few things we'll need to throw in. Also, I can't finish packing my DD's carry-on until she goes to bed. She'll question where her precious Nintendo DS is! I'm charging my camera and ipod as I type this, so those will be all ready to throw in my bag tonight. Oh boy. I'm so excited!!!! Earlier today, my heart was pounding, my hands were shaking and my palms were sweaty. I can't wait until tomorrow!

Here are the plans for tomorrow (just in case you forgot...and I like talking about the trip!):

4am-Wake up time! DH and I will get up, shower, etc before waking up the princess
4:45am-Surprise Time!!!!
5:30am-My parents pick us up for the airport
7:45am-Depart from Buffalo (good-bye icky weather)
9:15am-Scheduled landing time at JFK. Does it really take an hour and a half to fly across the state?
10:20am-Depart JFK and head to beautiful, warm Orlando
1:20pm-Land at MCO!!!!
We then have to gather our luggage, pick up the rental car and head over to the hotel. After we check in, get settled, etc....it's time for a quick trip to Public's (grocery store) to pick up a few items. Then......
6:30pm-Ressie at T-Rex!!! I'm sure we'll get there earlier then that and we'll be walking around DTD. We'll shop or just hang out at DTD for the evening and then it's off to bed for Epcot the next day

I just want to thank all of you for reading my PTR. It's been great being able to share this with all of you. I really don't know what I would have done with these boards. My DH would probably be ready to ring my neck!!! I do plan on doing a TR when I get home. I can't leave you all in suspense of our big surprise. That would be downright cruel. I hope to check in to the DIS every now and then while I'm gone. I don't want to get too far behind in the TR's that I'm currently reading. They're too much fun to read! I hope to get onto the laptop during our short layover at JFK tomorrow. I can give everyone a sneak peak at the big surprise. I'll save the big details for my TR. Sorry...gotta start the TR with a bang! Again, thanks for reading!!! I'll give Mickey a big hug for all of you!!!

Have a wonderful time!!!!!!!!! hope the surprise goes off with a bang! And try to get some rest, you have a big week ahead of you!!! WOOHOO!

 

[VroomVroomLightning]

Have fun!! Give Tigger a hug for me please! I am so excited to see your daughter's reaction! I am so excited for you!!

 

[pamouselover]

She is in WDW!

 

[Dancegrl624]

Hey everyone! Yes, we're here in Orlando. The weather has been absolutely perfect!!!! I'll have much more to report on in my TR once I get back.

 

[crzyred]

Hey everyone! Yes, we're here in Orlando. The weather has been absolutely perfect!!!! I'll have much more to report on in my TR once I get back.

Yay!!
Hope you're having a great time!

 

[princess&her4princes]

Hi!! Hope you're having a magical time!!! And that your DD was totally surprised, can't wait to hear all about it!!

 

[Dancegrl624]

Hi everyone! We're home now and I'm totally depressed. I cried yesterday morning and I've been weepy since we got home. At home, I'm just reminded of planning the trip and having so much fun doing it. I don't want to get back to normal. Well....I hope to start up my TR soon. I'll probably take a peek at my photopass pics tonight so I can put in the order for the cd.

 

[Disneyfan71]

Glad to see you back but I know it was hard leaving. I know when we leave I'll be very sad. But this gives you all the more reason to plan another trip

 

[pamouselover]

Hi Meghan, Hope you had a wonderful time. You were missed. I know I am even more depressed now, since DH did our taxes last night and we are not getting back half of what we did last year. Looks like no cruise for us this year!

 

[princess&her4princes]

Hi Meghan!
I hope the trip was everything you hoped for and then some! Can't wait to hear all about it. When your write your TR, you'll relive your trip again and this just means, it's time to plan another one!!

 

[Dancegrl624]

Hi Meghan!
I hope the trip was everything you hoped for and then some! Can't wait to hear all about it. When your write your TR, you'll relive your trip again and this just means, it's time to plan another one!!

The trip was AMAZING!!! I told my husband he needs to give me some sort of timeline for our next trip so I can think about it in my head. I would love to go back this year, but unless we win the lottery, that's not going to happen. My mom wants the whole family to go maybe next year, so that would be fun (my parents, little sis, my older sis & BIL and us). That would be 8 so....grand gathering??? Who knows. I need to upload my pics from my camera and edit my photopass pics and then I'll start my TR.

 

[princess&her4princes]

Hi Meghan,
Do you think you can point me in the right direction as to where to find the boarding passes you made for your DD? I was thinking of making them and putting them in my Mom's birthday card to surprise her for our trip in September! If I can figure it out, that is!! Thanks!!

Looking forward to seeing pics and hearing all about your trip!!

 

[Disneyfan71]

I can't wait to read your TR and see the pics. It's kind of sad that we couldn't have gone back in January but kind of glad we didn't...then it would be over

 

[pamouselover]

Meg Did you start a TR yet?

 

[Dancegrl624]

Hey everyone! I have not started my TR yet. I know, I know....I've been home for a week and a half. I have to edit my photopass pictures and upload the pics from my camera. I'm going to try and get a move on the pics today. Please bear with me!!!!

 

[Dancegrl624]

Hi Meghan,
Do you think you can point me in the right direction as to where to find the boarding passes you made for your DD? I was thinking of making them and putting them in my Mom's birthday card to surprise her for our trip in September! If I can figure it out, that is!! Thanks!!

Looking forward to seeing pics and hearing all about your trip!!

Here's the link to the boarding pass thread

Boarding Passes

 

[princess&her4princes]

Hey everyone! I have not started my TR yet. I know, I know....I've been home for a week and a half. I have to edit my photopass pictures and upload the pics from my camera. I'm going to try and get a move on the pics today. Please bear with me!!!!

Can't wait to see them!!!!

Here's the link to the boarding pass thread

Boarding Passes

Thank you!!!!!

 

[Dancegrl624]

I did it! I'm finally starting my TR!! We've been back for a few weeks now, so it's definately time to relive my trip. First I'd like to introduce my Cast of Characters for any new readers:

I'm Meghan..a 26 year old wife and mother. I work part-time in retail, I'm a ballet teacher and I'm a member of a professional dance team. I ADORE WDW and this was my 8th trip to the World. As a child, we went to WDW every few years and they were the best vacations ever.

My DH, Tony (25)...My DH is an Assistant Branch Manager for a local bank and enjoys pretty much anything to do with sports. He enjoys WDW, but he's not a Disney nut like me. This was his 3rd trip to the World.

Our DD, Madison (6)...The star of our family. She definately is our little princess She has a bit of an obsession with cats (we have two) and loves playing her Nintendo DS. She also takes Irish dancing classes. This trip was all about her and she didn't even know it!

As my title suggests, this trip was a HUGE surprise for our DD. You can read all about my planning and sneakiness in my PTR.....A Surprise Fit for a Princess...a Pre-Trip Report (I apologize for the pics in my PTR. I deleted a whole bunch of pics from photobucket and it's now messed with my PTR. I'm very sorry...but I'll have PLENTY of pics in this TR!) We started planning this trip over the summer and it was very hard to keep it a secret. The week leading up to the trip was extremely hard. My DH and I almost blew it a few times! So, I guess I'll just start with departure day!

January 24th
I could NOT sleep the night before. I was just too excited and kept waking up every few hours. I finally decided to hop in the shower at 3:40am. I know...I'm like a kid at Christmas! After my DH and I were both done getting ready, we woke up Madison at 4:30am. Now, before I continue, let me repost some pics of the big surprise box.

The gift all wrapped up

A few little surprises

Some of Maddie's favorite books

The BEST book ever!!!

Our "boarding passes"

So, we woke her up and said that we had found this present in the back of our closest. We had forgotten to give it to her on Christmas since we bought it such a long time ago. She was very excited, but also very tired. She really liked all the little gifts, especially The Guide to the Magic. It took her awhile to figure out the boarding passes though. Once she figured it out, her smile got so big!

Look at that...Priceless!

She was so happy! She did let out some tears, but it was because she was so tired. She wanted to lay down for a little while longer, but that lasted about 2 minutes. Then, she was ready to go! We had some Nutri-Grain bars and granola bars at home for a light breakfast. Who can eat that early in the morning? It's impossible. Once we started getting Maddie ready, her excitement kept growing and growing. She just couldn't believe it!

My mom picked us up at 5:20am and had a gift for Madison: Princess shirts and a sweatshirt! I then had to shove those clothes into a suitcase. We got to the airport around 5:40am and there was NO line at the JetBlue check-in counter. Hooray!!! I had never seen that before! And, our luggage didn't go over the weight limit. Whew! I thought for sure a few of our suitcases were super heavy. They added a family line at security and it was wonderful. All of the screeners were super friendly (even at such an early time). We got to the gate before 6am! Our flight didn't even leave until 7:45am, so we had some waiting around to do. So, Madison and I browsed through her "Guide to the Magic" book (This book became our lifesaver that week) while my DH went and got us some bagels. Very yummy! Madison also got a start on her schoolwork. My DD actually enjoys homework. It's very nice.

Our flight to JFK only took 45 minutes, so we got to hang out at the new JetBlue terminal. It was very nice and had free wireless. I had to get on the laptop and check the Dis! Our flight to MCO was on time and it was such a nice sight to see palm trees!!! Our baggage didn't take long to retrieve, but our car sure did! The line was super long, but looking back, it didn't take an eternity.

Patiently waiting for our rental car

The view from the rental car pick-up. Beautiful!

Continued in next post.....

DTD and T-Rex
Morning at Epcot
Epcot Afternoon Pt.One
Epcot Afternoon Pt.Two
Magic Kingdom Pt. One
Magic Kingdom Pt. Two
Animal Kingdom
Magic Kingdom Day Two Part One
Magic Kingdom Day Two Part Two
DHS
Last Day

 

[Dancegrl624]

Con't...

After we got our car (a very nice Ford Focus) and GPS (which we later named Helen), it was off to the hotel. We were able to check in early and had a view of the quiet pool on the 6th floor. Sadly, the Pirate pool was closed. Major bummer! However, the pool by us had a water slide which our DD really enjoyed. After we got settled in and unpacked, it was off to Public's to buy some groceries. Once we got everything put away, we freshened up for dinner at T-Rex.

Here are some pics from our hotel, Horizons by Marriott

The view from our patio/balcony

Madison and Tony relaxing on the patio

We were in Building 28

Our room was on the top floor right across from the stairs

Pool area

View of the water slide looking towards our patio/balcony

Looking down the "main street" area

Another view down the street

The Check-In building

There were pool tables, ping pong table, etc in this area

Another look at the pool area

I do have pictures of our actual hotel room, but I forgot to load them to photobucket. Maybe I'll do that later.

Up next...DTD and T-Rex