A trip full of surprises.. Good News! 6/16

[dddisrunner]

Hello everyone this is my very first attempt at this... so here goes...

Okay a little background first...

Me, I am 36 and have been to Disney in 1983,87,93,96,98,02 and 06 but never stayed on property.

My DH is 40 and has been to Disney in 96,98,02 & 06 and also has never stayed on property.

We have 2 DS ages 7 and 5 they have been in 2002 and 2006.


Our dates are April 24-May 1, 2007! It's approaching so quickly I can hardly wait! Anyway, this is one of those unplanned trips, meaning it wasn't planned six months to a year in advance. It just sort of came together. We were just in Orlando in August of 06 for 12 days, 7 of them at Disney Parks. It was the first trip for our sons, that they actually remember. On their first trip they were 2yo and 5 months.

I have to say that I am proud to have given birth to 2 Disney freaks like me! Everyday since we have been home from our trip last summer not a day has gone by that boys haven't mentioned Disney in some way, shape or form. My DH and I were thrilled that they got so much out of the experience.

O.K. back to this trip... I was looking at the WDW website as I frequently do and saw that they were advertising the free ticket upgrade so I casually mentioned it to DH and his response was less then enthusiastic So I knew to persuade him I was really gonna have to lay it on thick! All the while I'm thinking to myself that I want it to be a surprise for our boys..., I start pricing packages and checking flights desparately trying to keep the total cost at a reasonable level. Everyday for a week I didn't mention it I would just text message him little things like disney,disney disney. Well he never even acknowledged that I had done this So now I was thinking forget it it's the furthest thing from his mind!! Then the television and cable networks start helping me!!1 It seemed like divine intervention but everynight when we would go to bed and turned on the news there would be a disney commercial on! After the 3rd night in a row of this he finally laughed! OK.. he was starting to crumble.... then the very next day the airfare that I was looking at dropped from $800 round trip for all 4 of us to $600 for all of us, so I went through the whole WDW website quoted a trip including the dining plan and left it on the computer! When he came home for lunch he went on the computer and saw the deal he was impressed! Now I was actually getting a conversation from him about it Now don't get me wrong my DH loves vacation and spending time with us and Disney for that matter, he is just extremely practical when it comes to finances , which is usually a good thing although not when I am dying to go back to my favorite place on Earth! So I started telling him about the dining plan and all the choices and restaturants and stuff and I told him about allears.net and how he could look at all the menus! Do you know that this is what finally sealed the deal!! Yes it's true ladies and gentlemen the way to a mans heart is truly through his stomach!! Hooray were going back to Disney!! Can't wait to stay on property at the Pop Century Resort.

Okay now I am freaking out trying to plan everything and think about how I can make this trip seem different and stand out since we were just there 8 months earlier! ! But that is the truly magical and wonderful part of Disney, there are so many things to do and see that it never gets old or boring!! Who am I kidding I thrive on this stuff!

Oh Yeah! DH thought the boys should have something to look forward to so we told them about the trip!! There are a few surprises for them along the way that they will absolutely love!! So at least we can be excited for that!

O.K. the plan... please comment back and give me your thoughts, ideas and experiences. That is the thing I love most about these boards is all the wonderful knowledge and experiences that are shared.

Tues. April 24th depart Philadelphia 6:30 am Arrive MCO 8:49. So excited to have the 1st flight out! Hope it all goes well. Take Disney's ME to the POP. Here is the first SURPRISE the boys best friends from home will be there TOO! They will be sharing a whole day together in the Magic Kingdom with Dinner at the Crystal Palace! They are also staying at POP too. I cannot wait to see the look on their faces when they see their friends! We will also stay for Wishes tonight too! A first for all of us!

Wed. April 25th Sad to say goodbye to our friends but they went back to their condo in Naples Back to the Magic Kingdom today, not sure if we will hop to MGM or not. We spent 3 days here in Aug. it was the boys favorite park. We have an ADR at Kona Cafe for dinner! Then I think we will call it a day. Maybe will get in a swim tonight but I'm sure we will be exhausted from such an excitingand long day the day before!

Thurs. April 26th Animal Kingdom my DS's both LOVED Dinosaur! I have heard great things about the new Nemo show and cannot wait to check it out. Also, my DH and I LOVE,LOVE Everest and we are hoping to convince DS 7 to join us(he is a little intimidated by coasters) of course DS5would die to go but misses the heght requirement by about 2 inches then we are headed to Downtown Disney where both boys (after seeing some pictures) wanted to get the "cool dude" package at BBBoutique! I also love the shopping at DTD. OK next SURPRISE, both of our boys are STAR WARS freaks but DS5 could tell you every last detail of every movie... this child is into Star Wars bigtime... so we are headed to Once Upon a Toy so they can make their own lightsabers!! How cool is that! Then we are going to Epcot for an ADR @ Marrakesh. I was nervous about this one but a concession was made by me to go to Disney! Besides, the kids meal there is great for our kids. Then we will end the night with Illuminations!! Something then we have NEVER seen before(if you can believe it!) This is one of the things I am most excited about!

Friday, April 27th THE BIGGEST SURPRISE The boys will be going on the Albatross Pirate Cruise, that leaves from the Yacht Club Marina. They will be gone from 9:30-11:30! It all sounds so cute. They get lunch and get to search for treasure. I know they will be safe as the will wear lifejackets the CM's are certified lifeguards too! I am so thrilled to be able to let them do this. For them this truly will be a dream come true! Has anyone had any experience with this particular Cruise? please let me know! Of course that means DH and I will have some time to ourselves! but we cannot imagine what we would do during that time! Any suggestions? After the boys get back from the cruise we will be headed to one of the waterparks. Were not sure which one yet. This was part of our free ticket upgrade and wanted to take advantage since again this is another thing that we have never done at Disney! Anyone have a suggestion for which park would be better? We have an ADR for Boma tonight as well! I am thrilled to eat here and actually walk around the AK Lodge as well and I think the boys will love it too!

more to come later...

 

[tiggerbell]

Wow! Sounds like a great trip you have planned! Can't wait to read how it all turns out.

I have only eaten at Marrakesh once, but I loved it and would go back again (if I ever vacation with anyone who wants to try it!!! It was my EX that talked ME into trying it, and I'm obviously not going back to Disney with HIM anytime soon!)

If you are nervous about it, the FEAST was a safe bet - nothing too exotic (I read you right, didn't I? YOU were not the one to pick that restaurant, right???)

 

[dddisrunner]

Yes Tiggerbell it was me who is nervous about Marrakesh. I am actually looking forward to trying new things though so we'll see how it goes! Thanks for your post. I have never done a trip report before so I was kind of nervous. I will post more about the last few days soon!

 

[dddisrunner]

Hi again, okay back to the pre-trip planning. As I stated in my 1st post, I wanted to do different things this time around... The boys asked last time about getting character autographs but I was too concerened that we would miss too many attractions, shows, etc. so I said no! I know mean right.... well this time around I want them to be able to do this so on Tues. 4/24 with dinner at the Crystal Palace that should get us started. I am desperately trying to get into Chef Mickey's on Sat. 4/28 but the earliest dinner ADR they have is 8:20pm way too late!!!! I guess I will try back every few days to see if someone cancels

Sat. 4/28/2007
Today we are going to spent the day at Epcot. Right now we have an ADR at the Coral Reef for 5:45pm, I thought the kids might like the fish tanks. Does anyone know if there are any bad seats here? While we are at Epcot I also would like to go to the Character meet & greet. I read on these boards that if you show your Disney Visa you get a voucher for a free picture . Is this true? If so, this would be another great opportunity for some autographs. No real surprises planned for today but Epcot is truly there 2nd favorite park, sounds silly right? but they loved the KidCot stops back in August. My DS5 kept saying he was the King of the World and would wave that thing back and forth. It was so cute! If we can get into Chef Mickeys earlier then 8:20 then we will probably eat there if not Coral Reef it is. We will leave Epcot after dinner though having seen Illuminations already and probably head to DTD or back to the POP to swim!

Sun. 4/29/2007
Today I have planned for us to spent the entire day at MGM we also booked the Fantasmic Dinner package at Mama Melrose's. Fantasmic is also something we have never seen before! Can't Wait! I also love the Parade at MGM my ds5 almost died last summer when he saw Darth Vader walking down the street. Also Tower of Terror is their absolute favorite ride in WDW! (MIne Too!) We also promised them we would eat lunch at Toy Story Pizza Planet so hopefully that will be great too! I hope the weather cooperates and Fantasmic goes off! If not I guess some frantic rearranging will be taking place!

Mon. April 30th Our last day!
Today we are actually planning on splitting up. My DH and DS7 will be heading to Disneyquest. DS7 loves the virtual MK game. So he is thrilled to be tall enough (just @52 in.) to be able to participate in all the attractions there.) DS5 and I will probably repeat his fave's I guess? I'm kind of at a loss.. does anyone out there have any suggestions of something we can do? Our ADR for dinner tonight is for Chefs De France @ 6:20 and then I guess we will hop to the EMH park just to get in a little more fun and rides before we leave!

Anyway these are our plans as of right now. I'm sure we will move some stuff around. I keep surfing the DIS as I am new to the boards and I keep getting new ideas! I feel bad that we aren't hopping more but the way the ADR's worked out coupled with the advice from TGM and UG this was the best I could come up with.. Anyway, I am so looking forward to surprising the kids with the few things we have planned that they don't know about! Also, you never know it is Disney and the year of a million dreams! Thanks everyone for looking and please feel free to comment back with questions, idea's or suggestions!

Sincerely,
dddisrunner

 

[tiggerbell]

Hi again, okay back to the pre-trip planning. As I stated in my 1st post, I wanted to do different things this time around... The boys asked last time about getting character autographs but I was too concerened that we would miss too many attractions, shows, etc. so I said no! I know mean right.... well this time around I want them to be able to do this so on Tues. 4/24 with dinner at the Crystal Palace that should get us started. I am desperately trying to get into Chef Mickey's on Sat. 4/28 but the earliest dinner ADR they have is 8:20pm way too late!!!! I guess I will try back every few days to see if someone cancels

Sat. 4/28/2007
Today we are going to spent the day at Epcot. Right now we have an ADR at the Coral Reef for 5:45pm, I thought the kids might like the fish tanks. Does anyone know if there are any bad seats here?

I have not eaten here yet, but through different trip reports I have heard that there's no bad seats - but if you ask and want to wait (if they can manage because it's not too crowded) you can be seated against the tank.

While we are at Epcot I also would like to go to the Character meet & greet. I read on these boards that if you show your Disney Visa you get a voucher for a free picture . Is this true? If so, this would be another great opportunity for some autographs.

I found THIS info on another thread...
I did it last Nov with my friend. The line wasn't bad for us adults but if you have lil ones it could be bad. We waited about 30 min one day and 15 min another.
WE had mickey, minnie, goofy one day and Mickey, pluto another. They will not tell you who your in line for until you get into room or you get someone who did it to tell you.
They give you a voucher to pick up your 5x7 pic at epcot camera center same day as picture is taken during normal park hours. They do put the pictures on your photo pass so you can always buy more if you wish or if like us you have them on photo cd.
You can get 1 photo per day per card. So if you and DH each have card that's 2 pics/day.
it's located in innoventions where the fire safety thingie is.

No real surprises planned for today but Epcot is truly there 2nd favorite park, sounds silly right? but they loved the KidCot stops back in August. My DS5 kept saying he was the King of the World and would wave that thing back and forth. It was so cute! If we can get into Chef Mickeys earlier then 8:20 then we will probably eat there if not Coral Reef it is. We will leave Epcot after dinner though having seen Illuminations already and probably head to DTD or back to the POP to swim!

Sun. 4/29/2007
Today I have planned for us to spent the entire day at MGM we also booked the Fantasmic Dinner package at Mama Melrose's. Fantasmic is also something we have never seen before! Can't Wait! I also love the Parade at MGM my ds5 almost died last summer when he saw Darth Vader walking down the street. Also Tower of Terror is their absolute favorite ride in WDW! (MIne Too!) We also promised them we would eat lunch at Toy Story Pizza Planet so hopefully that will be great too! I hope the weather cooperates and Fantasmic goes off! If not I guess some frantic rearranging will be taking place!

Mon. April 30th Our last day!
Today we are actually planning on splitting up. My DH and DS7 will be heading to Disneyquest. DS7 loves the virtual MK game. So he is thrilled to be tall enough (just @52 in.) to be able to participate in all the attractions there.) DS5 and I will probably repeat his fave's I guess? I'm kind of at a loss.. does anyone out there have any suggestions of something we can do? Our ADR for dinner tonight is for Chefs De France @ 6:20 and then I guess we will hop to the EMH park just to get in a little more fun and rides before we leave!

My words of advise - avoid MK on a Monday!!! I learned last May the hard way. That was the only crowd we saw all week!

Anyway these are our plans as of right now. I'm sure we will move some stuff around. I keep surfing the DIS as I am new to the boards and I keep getting new ideas! I feel bad that we aren't hopping more but the way the ADR's worked out coupled with the advice from TGM and UG this was the best I could come up with.. Anyway, I am so looking forward to surprising the kids with the few things we have planned that they don't know about! Also, you never know it is Disney and the year of a million dreams! Thanks everyone for looking and please feel free to comment back with questions, idea's or suggestions!

Sincerely,
dddisrunner

 

[ibelieveintink3]

Well i must say you are quite the persuader! i loved the stuff about you're little hint dropping with your DH! sounds great! luckily i was born into a disney obsessed family. this year we're going in may (16-26) for the 7th time!!! anyway...more about you and you're trip haha

my imput regards food! haha

Kona in the poly is amazing. we've stayed at the poly for the past two years and are staying there again this year. kona is deff fabulous. the food is deilicious and your DC will LOVE their cute dessert selection! however, if you can squeeze it in they have the BEST BEST BEST breakfast (tonga toast) ever!!

HAVE FUN!

 

[dddisrunner]

Kona in the poly is amazing. we've stayed at the poly for the past two years and are staying there again this year. kona is deff fabulous. the food is deilicious and your DC will LOVE their cute dessert selection! however, if you can squeeze it in they have the BEST BEST BEST breakfast (tonga toast) ever!!

HAVE FUN!

Thanks ibelieveintink3 We have read so many great reviews on Kona and are so excited to try it! I am also looking forward to eating at some of the other resorts so we can check them out! Maybe one day we can stay at a luxury resort!

 

[ibelieveintink3]

Kona in the poly is amazing. we've stayed at the poly for the past two years and are staying there again this year. kona is deff fabulous. the food is deilicious and your DC will LOVE their cute dessert selection! however, if you can squeeze it in they have the BEST BEST BEST breakfast (tonga toast) ever!!

HAVE FUN!

Thanks ibelieveintink3 We have read so many great reviews on Kona and are so excited to try it! I am also looking forward to eating at some of the other resorts so we can check them out! Maybe one day we can stay at a luxury resort!

Not a problem!! Yes Kona is amazing! I hope you enjoy! Stay at the poly at least once if you can. It's an awesome atmosphere. You'll go inside the great ceremonial house and just DIE!

 

[dddisrunner]

Tiggerbell, thank you for your input and I will def remember to avoid MK on a Mon. I guess we will see how the line is at the Epcot character meet and greet and make a game time decision!

 

[dddisrunner]

37 days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am extremely excited! Can you tell?

Ok! So I was able to change from Coral Reef to Chef Mickey's on Sat. 4/28! Persistence paid off(thanks timandlesley) . We had a 8:20 ADR for CM but I called each day and finally got 6:40! With all the excitement over on the codes/rates board I called to see if we could upgrade to WL using the 40% code , there was a code attached to my name just not for the dates we are going. Oh well next time for sure!

I'm starting to panic a little bit because we are so close but no ME luggage tags yet I called ME and they said we were registered so hopefully they will arrive soon!

I need to learn how to post pictures I think that would make my report a little more interesting! Anyone that could explain it that would be great All the other reports I read are so witty and well written. I am learning for my TR though

Anyway, off to get ready to eat corn beef and cabbage! Happy St. Patricks Day!

 

[sunlver]

Wow, you pretrip report sounds great You seem to have everything covered.I just love Disney as well...

We are going back in mid June with the 3 kids, 12, 7 and 2...Its been 2 yrs since we have last been there. I am ready to leave now

All these trip reports are so fun to read...

 

[Ciciwoowoo]

My son is also in love with Star Wars... I can't wait to surprise him with the build-your-own lightsaber!

I look forward to hearing about the pirate trip! I have debated about that with my son for a while now... There won't be any other children with us, though, so I'm not sure if he will like it by himself. Also, he just turned 10, and I can't remember what the cutoff age is.

Thanks for sharing!

 

[dddisrunner]

Sunlver- thanks for reading my pre-tr and posting. I love reading all the trip reports too! That is what motivated me to write mine!


Ciciwoowoo- Hi- yes the build your own lightsaber will definitely be a trip highlight for DS5 The cut off for the Pirate cruise is 10 yo. I'll be sure to post about it when we get back! I'll also try to get some pictures too. Hopefully I learn how to post them between now and then! Thanks for reading my report and posting!



OK, I guess Mickey Mouse wanted me to stop worrying about our ME tags because our Magical Express luggage tags came in the mail today!!!! So did my Disney Chase Visa Credit card bill Hows that for a cruel twist of fate!

 

[dddisrunner]

Okay I think I learned how to post pictures...

This is from our dinner at the Crystal Palace last August!

These really aren't pirate hats but I can't figure out how to change the title! Oh well!

29 MORE DAYS

 

[dddisrunner]

I forgot to say thanks to timandlesley for explaining how to go about posting pictures so THANKS!

 

[dddisrunner]

Ok 19 days to go and of course I tried to make a few changes...

I was hoping to change our BBB appt. on 4/26 from 4:30 to 3:30 so that we would have some shopping time around DTD, our ADR that night is for 6:30 at Marrakesh. No such luck! It's not like I waited till the last minute or anything

Situation #2 I wanted to change our ADR at Kona on 4/25 from 6:25 to 5 ish because I wanted to try and give the kids a little more down time at POP. Again no such luck! Oh well!

Worst news of all... My DS7 was supposed to have his birthday party with friends tomorrow. This morning he wakes up PUKING!!!!!!! Arggh! Just great. We had scheduled a tour of a military base and the boys were going to go in a flight simulator and sit inside a plane and we had built this up so much... poor kid was completely devastated!! Of course I am now the meanest mother in the world because I made the call to cancel the party! How come daddy never has to be Mr. Mean Rescheduling is going to be a major problem because they only do the tours during the week! Darn school! Anyway, so I promised him that tomorrow that I will go buy him the Birnbaum's Disney for Kids book! The bookstore in the mall had better be prepared for a lunatic mom if they don't have it!

I also have those pre-trip nerves where it's too soon to pack but not too soon to make lists. Does everyone have enough summer clothes.. blah,blah,blah.

I guess I shouldn't complain but today was just a terrible day around here Thanks for listening

 

[medicgirl911]

Just caught your trip report, LOVIN it, your enthusiasm is contagious!!!
So sorry to ehar about having to cancel your DS party, that sounds like a super cool party, what a bummer!! I understand your frustration, I am also the meanest mommy in the world sometimes, never has to be DH!!! How do they get away with that?? LOL!
I hope your day gets better and you are able to find the Disney for Kids book, I got it for my DD(7) and she really enjoys it. I it is fun to look at it with her and hear her version of things from our trip last year!
*oh and your kids pics are too cute, very adorable!!!

 

[dddisrunner]

Just caught your trip report, LOVIN it, your enthusiasm is contagious!!!
So sorry to ehar about having to cancel your DS party, that sounds like a super cool party, what a bummer!! I understand your frustration, I am also the meanest mommy in the world sometimes, never has to be DH!!! How do they get away with that?? LOL!
I hope your day gets better and you are able to find the Disney for Kids book, I got it for my DD(7) and she really enjoys it. I it is fun to look at it with her and hear her version of things from our trip last year!
*oh and your kids pics are too cute, very adorable!!!

Medicgirl,

Thank you so much for your kind words I was able to find the Disney book for DS and he loves it, THANK GOD I had to go to 2 bookstores but I found it! He is actually feeling much better today! Thanks so much for posting!

 

[NMAmy]

Woo hoo! How did I miss this? Your boys are adorable. I can't wait to see how the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo Cool Dude package turns out. I'm glad they have something for the boys.

When we were at DTD, the girls were so jealous that they were too big for the costumes and seriously contemplated getting their hair done. They really tickled some little girls we saw by telling them how beautiful they were.

I loved Restaurant Marrakesh--if you don't want to go too exotic, I recommend the shish kebobs. And I'm glad you're going to catch Illuminations--it's my favorite.

I'm very excited for you and I hope you have a stress-free week getting packed and ready!

 

[dddisrunner]

okay everyone this is the final itinerary update for our trip!

Tues. 4/24 Arrival Day
land at MCO aroung 8:30 am
ME from MCO to POP
Check into POP ( this is where boys best friends will be waiting for them) I hope we can keep this a surprise!
Catch the bus to MK
ADR Crystal Palace 5:05 pm
Wishes? (not sure how tired we'll be going to try though so the boys can see it with their friends!)

Wed. 4/25
MK morning
midday break POP/pool
ADR Kona Cafe 6:25
MK for Wishes if we didn't go night before.

Thurs. 4/26
AK Morning
DTD- shopping and BBB
boys "cool dude" package 4:30pm
ADR Marrakesh 7:00pm
Illuminations 9:00 (not sure if we will be done with dinner)

Fri. 4/27
SLEEP IN (sort of) no rope drops today!
Boys Albatross Pirate Cruise YC Marina 9:15-11:30 (Another surprise)
Typhoon Lagoon or Blizzard Beach
POP to change/rest
ADR BOMA 7:10 (probably going to get a cab to go here, so we have more time at POP after waterpark.

Sat. 4/28
EPCOT morning
Disney Visa meet & greet Innoventions West 1:30pm
POP/pool
We have 2 ADR's for tonight Chef Mickey's and Coral Reef not sure which one we'll do.
Night Off

Sun. 4/29
MGM all day (this is DS5 favorite park)
Fantasmic Dinner Package Mama Melrose's 5:00pm
Fantasmic ( Never been before!)

Mon. 4/30 LAST FULL DAY
DH and DS7 Disneyquest
DS5 and I either AK or MGM then waterpark
ADR Chefs De France 6:30
Illuminations
Say Goodbye

Tues. 5/1 DEPART FOR HOME
Depart POP
ME to MCO

SO that's it. The only thing that concerns me is if it rains and fantasmic is cancelled the night of our package. I don't have a plan B for that.
I was also wondering what everyone's thought were regarding when I should tell the boys about the Pirate Cruise? I think they will be fine finding out at the last minute because they will be going together but if I tell them ahead of time and the weather is bad they will be crushed!

I don't know if I should pack pants for the kids? I will put zip up sweatshirts on them for the flight down but do you think I need pants?

I have the boys clothes packed (thats the easy part)
There travel backpacks are packed too... DH and I just have to pack I hate packing for myself, I never know what to bring! DH just has to throw his stuff in the suitcase! He always packs so light and so easily!
This will be the first vacation other than our honeymoon that I won't be doing laundry

OK, so being that we are arriving so early and using ME our luggage will not be available to us right away. I have to pack our day bag for the park and travel with it on the plane... here is the list I came up with please tell me if I'm forgetting something or you think I should add something!

sunblock 3 oz. container
lip sunblock
camera
sunglasses
wet ones (small travel pack)
cell phone
wallet
anti bacterial gel
tissues (small travel pack)
ADR list
pens & autograph books
DS inhalers

How confident can I feel leaving DS other medication at the hotel? I refuse to check it because we need access to it but will it be safe if I leave it behind when we check in? Is this even possible?

That's it the final countdown is on! The weather around here has been horrible I cannot wait to be in that Florida sunshine!

I'll be sure to start a TR when we get back! We don't have a laptop unfortunately so I'll start when we return!