And Your Wish Will Come True....a September 2014 PTR

[Howgreat]

Hi all!

My name is Leah and I'm a 29 year old wife and mother of 2 boys.



That's me! I'm a former high school teacher, now stay at home, almost (this coming fall) homeschool mom. I never, ever dreamed I would be a stay at home mom, much less a homeschooler, but life rarely happens the way you plan, right?

Anyway, this is our 4th trip to Disney since taking our first son in 2011 when he was 21 months old. We were hooked and returned during Christmas week 2012 and September 2013. We loved September so much, that we decided to try it again this year.

Let me introduce the cast:



This is L. He's the cutest, curliest haired (though you can't tell in this picture), blue eyed 2 year old I know. He's also quite a stinker. I can definitely tell at this point that he's going to be my wild child. He loves Mickey and the gang, Jake, Captain Hook, Woody, and Buzz. Oh, and Frozen. When I told DH I had called to book our trip last week, L kept saying, "You ready, mom? You ready?" and when I asked him, "For what?" he said, "For Disney World!" Poor child thought we were going now.



This is K. He will be 5 soon, which is so hard for me to believe! He will "officially" start kindergarten with me in the fall, but he already reads and does all kinds of things. If you ask him who taught him, he will say, "Myself", which is practically true. I have worked with him, but he is easy to teach. He loves watching Disney ride videos on youtube. He is obsessed with Star Wars confused3 I have no idea how that happened) and loves Mickey, Jake....well, pretty much everything Disney. This is him on his first trip, watching MSEP with DH:



See that look on DH's face--of childlike wonder! Now, you know the real reason we go. I kid, I kid. He does love Disney just as much as the rest of us, though. DH is my high school sweetheart; we've been together for 13 years and married for 7. He started a fairly new career as an insurance agent about a year and a half ago and is also a youth pastor at our church. I don't think he has a favorite Disney movie or ride (he kind of likes them all), but he does have a favorite restaurant at Disney--Liberty Tree Tavern at MK.

So that's us. DH bought me the Wishes soundtrack for Christmas this year and as much as I love the whole show at Disney, the music really touches me. A Disney trip is always a wish come true for us because we're a (basically) one income family. I teach piano and guitar lessons in the evenings during the week, but that's nothing big. We love Disney, though, so once a year, we save very carefully and go have the time of our lives. It's so worth it to us!

Anyway, we already have ADRs and Magic Band colors picked, so I'll update soon with that. I'm also going to need some help planning out FP+! I hope some of you read along!

 

[Howgreat]

I booked our trip last Friday, as soon as free dining was released for DV card holders. We would have purchased the dining plan no matter what, but free is even better. I'll give you details on our trip, but probably not exact dates.

Looking at my signature, you'll see we always stay value, namely All-Star Music. There are 2 reasons for this: it ensures that we get to go to Disney every year because the price isn't astronomical and it holds some nostalgic value for me. My family stayed at All-Star Music for my only childhood visit to WDW when I was 10, so it just brings back good memories of my first trip. Really, at this point, we're a big fan of the values (or at least ASMu). We've never had any problem with cleanliness or noise, we like the theming, the food court is always good, and we have 2 small children, so the room size is just right. Here are some pictures of ASMu from past trips:




(LOVE this ice cream cookie sandwich!)



Ok, not many, but we really are happy staying here.

As I said in my intro post, we're traveling in September for the second year in a row. In 2012, we went with my parents and sister during Christmas week (22-27) and it wasn't bad as I thought it would be, but definitely packed. Last year, we loved the free dining, the low crowds, and--oh, did I say the low crowds?! The only thing we did not like was the heat, but we can deal. Last year, on the day we were supposed to be driving home, we went to MK for what was supposed to be a couple of hours and ended up staying for the 3 pm parade, because we were able to do SO much! We got there a little after 9 and were able to ride: Peter Pan's Flight, It's a Small World, the carousel, the tea cups, Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin (more than once, I'm sure), Peoplemover, Aladdin's Magic Carpets, Philharmagic, Winnie the Pooh, and it seems like there were a couple more. That was with only 1 legacy Fastpass, people! I'm kind of excited at the prospect of FP+, but also understand that there will be lines for the other rides--that we fully intend to stand in.

Let me share with you my favorite ride photo from September 2013:





That was K's very first time riding Splash Mountain, so I'm not sure why I'm the one who looks terrified.

On another note......

As soon as I booked this trip, we picked our Magic Band colors. DH picked orange, I picked pink, K picked red, and L picked green. I've seen lots of pictures of decorated Bands on here and on Pinterest, so we may have to try that.

Coming up next: ADR's!

 

[MarbleBob]

(LOVE this ice cream cookie sandwich!)

Man, that ice cream cookie sandwich looks so yummy right about now!!! I'll have to add one of those to our list of treats to get on our next trip

Looks like you have a great trip planned so far

 

[Howgreat]

Man, that ice cream cookie sandwich looks so yummy right about now!!! I'll have to add one of those to our list of treats to get on our next trip

Looks like you have a great trip planned so far

Thanks for reading! The ice cream cookie sandwich was delicious!

 

[Howgreat]

I think a lot of us would agree that food is a VERY important part of a Disney vacation. I don't get up at 7:00 at the 180+10 day mark to book BOG, but we do enjoy planning our meals.

We're not trying any new restaurants this time, but we're happy with the ones we picked. We're staying for 6 nights, so we have 6 TS meals planned.

1)Boma (dinner)-We have an ADR at Boma for our first evening. We've been there 2 other times and love the variety of food. Surprisingly, my DH, who is not very adventurous foodwise, loves this restaurant!

2)Via Napoli (dinner)-We've eaten here one other time and tried pasta dishes, but we're thinking about doing pizza this time. Love those cool pizza ovens!

3)Chef Mickey's (breakfast)-Where else can you see Mickey and his best pals without waiting in line (or booking a FP+ )? We've eaten here one other time as well, and while the food isn't exceptional, it was good. Plus, I just think it's cool to be in the Contemporary and watch the monorail go through.

4)Hollywood and Vine (breakfast)-We've been to H&V for a non-character dinner, but the boys LOVE Jake, Sofia, and Doc, so I thought we'd try this one again.

5)Liberty Tree Tavern (dinner)-I actually like the pot roast at lunch better than the Pilgrim's Feast, but dinner fit into our schedule more. The food is always good, though, and I like the Johnny Appleseed cake (though it does not measure up to the Ooey Gooey Toffee cake).

6)Kona (breakfast)-I forgot about this one! We are trying a new restaurant. I wanted a meal at the Poly and the boys didn't want to eat with Lilo and Stitch. Plus, I've been wanting to try either the macadamia nut pancakes or the Tonga toast. It's going to be a hard decision.....

Ok, so QS meals....I was planning on eating a few at the ASMu food court, but I heard a rumor it may be closed down for refurbs in September. I'm less sad about the food aspect than I am about having a close place to refill my mug with delicious, Disney hot chocolate.



Anyways, I know right off we're going to eat at Pizza Planet on our DHS day, because DS1 loved it on the last trip. I think he liked the games more than the food, though.



I actually liked the pizza and of course, the cappuccino cupcake was yummy!

I'm also hoping to eat at Wolfgang Puck express again.



This macaroni and cheese was out.of.this.world! And what a great value for a QS credit.

For our Epcot day, I'm thinking maybe Sunshine Seasons. DH and I have eaten there a couple of times before (no picture, though) and the food was pretty good. I like all of the choices and the atmosphere inside of The Land.

One other place, I know for sure we will eat at MK is a place most people talk about NOT liking--Pecos Bill.



Now listen, I know this looks like a plain, old Disney hamburger and fries, BUT there is a toppings bar--and it has sauteed onions, pickles, and all kinds of stuff really. Also, though--cheese sauce you can dip your fries in. And last time, we got an order of sweet potato fries that were really awesome. Yes, it is crowded and loud, but we always manage to find a seat somehow.

So, yay for Disney food! I have a snack wish list, too, but I'll save it for later. All this food talk is making me hungry!