Another Graduation means another trip to Disney! Oct 2022 PTR

[1Princess1Prince2006]

Hey y’all!

Welcome Disney friends to our October Pre-Trip Report!

We officially hit the 100 day mark until our trip begins!

My daughter and I road tripped from WV to Disney last year in July 2021. She graduated high school and this was my present to her. We had a fabulous time, and as we stood in line for Splash Mountain on our last day, we knew we wanted to come back, but we wanted a time where there would be less crowds and it would be a lot cooler.

We put the trip on the back burner, though, because my son is graduating from high school in May 2023, so that was taking precedence over a Disney trip at the moment.

Buuuuuttttt, then ABC had a special about the 50th Anniversary…

So I started looking…

And feeling kind of guilty that my other kid didn’t get to go to Disney with us the last time we went in July…

So I started looking at the calendar, and looking at Disney’s website, and looking at my budget...

And you know what?!

It might just actually work!! If we stayed at a value resort and did base tickets, it would all work out and even be affordable (well, by Disney standards).

So, let’s begin with the WHO, WHEN, and WHERE…

The WHO:
Me, Lori (43) - The mom, the planner, the lover of Disney that I have passed on to my kids. My favorite park is Magic Kingdom (so classic) with Hollywood Studios being a very close second. My favorite ride is Pirates of the Caribbean. My favorite characters are the Fab 5…Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto, and my favorite movie is Beauty and the Beast.

(Please excuse the scraped up face...that is a story in and of itself from last years trip and I hope not to repeat it this year!)

DD, Lindsey (19) - She’s a broadcast journalism major at West Virginia University and will be heading in to her second year of college. Her favorite park is Magic Kingdom, favorite ride is Peter Pan, favorite character is Judy Hopps, and Fox and the Hound is her favorite movie. (We literally watched that and Dumbo on repeat when she was little). She also wanted to add that her favorite princess is Belle.


DS, Denton (also known as DR…17) - He just finished his junior year of high school and will be starting his senior year in a few short months. He lives in AZ with his dad, step mom, and 2 little brothers (Lindsey and I live here in WV). He’s my sporty kid who is a phenomenal pitcher! This will be his graduation trip because after graduation he plans on joining the Marine Corps and there will be no time to add a vacation to Disney before he heads off to boot camp. (So far this is his plan, but it could change due to baseball and possible offers). The last time he went to Disney World he was 4, so he doesn’t remember much, but he’s been to Disneyland a few times since he’s been older. His favorite park would be Disneyland, which I’m equating to Magic Kingdom. His favorite ride is Incredicoaster (again, no real DW experience), his favorite character is Stitch, and favorite Disney movie is Cars (another one on repeat in our house). He added his favorite princess would be Tiana.



The WHEN:
October 5-9, 2022

My kids’ fall breaks end up falling at the same time. DR will just be wrapping his up, and Lindsey has a long weekend during that time, so it worked out perfectly! I’ll have enough vacation time saved up as well, so I’ll literally be getting paid to be in Disney! (I’ve never had paid vacation at any of my jobs so this thrills me!)

I have yet to buy our plane tickets, but I need to get on it! I’ve been looking and mine and Lindsey’s tickets from Pittsburgh to Orlando aren’t crazy expensive, it’s what I’ll be paying for DR to fly out of AZ and back that’s crazy! I wish I could get him to fly out of Phoenix, but his step mom will be driving him to the airport since his dad is deployed at the moment, and her having to drive 2 hours (4 round trip) to drop him off with 2 little boys in tow is not fair to her or them. So, I’ll be sticking with his home airport of Tucson and just deal with it.


The WHERE:
All Stars Music in a standard room (I would have done Sports, since it’s my son’s graduation trip and he’s a sports fan, but there were none available and it’s not remodeled).

I had us booked at Pop first for the Skyliner, but decided to save some money and switch.

We’re only doing 3-day base tickets, with a break day on one of the days and going to MNSSHP that night. I do have Genie+ added to our tickets (our reservation was made before they changed it to where you have to add it every day). Since we have only 3 day tickets, I don’t think we are going to go to Animal Kingdom. My daughter and I were very underwhelmed with it when we went in July (I was not a fan of the bumpy walkways, it made my feet and ankles hurt), so I think we’re skipping it and sticking with only MK, EP, and HS.

So, that’s all I have for you guys tonight. My bed and book are calling my name since I have work bright and early tomorrow morning.

Have a good night friends!

 

[tigerlilly]

Exciting plans! Have you made your daily park plans? Which park which day?

Your children are darling! How fun to take a mom, daughter and son trip!

Airfare is definitely crazy from the west coast right now. We are going in September from LAX and I actually bought our tickets in early March! I bet on prices going up and I bet right. Our DD and her husband are going in October and she has yet to purchase because prices are so high.

So good luck getting a great price at just the right time

I want to post a pre-trip report but I have analysis paralysis lol... I can't seem to make a "perfect" plan. So I love reading others!!!

 

[1Princess1Prince2006]

Exciting plans! Have you made your daily park plans? Which park which day?

Your children are darling! How fun to take a mom, daughter and son trip!

Airfare is definitely crazy from the west coast right now. We are going in September from LAX and I actually bought our tickets in early March! I bet on prices going up and I bet right. Our DD and her husband are going in October and she has yet to purchase because prices are so high.

So good luck getting a great price at just the right time

I want to post a pre-trip report but I have analysis paralysis lol... I can't seem to make a "perfect" plan. So I love reading others!!!

I do have our park day plans, but I feel like they keep changing. LOL I know I've changed them twice since booking.

I bought my son's ticket out here and got a killer deal! I have yet to book his return flight. Those are

And thank you! I send my kids videos on Instagram about the parks and I know my son is excited. It will definitely be a great time!

 

[1Princess1Prince2006]

Hey y'all! Welcome back Disney friends!

It's time to talk about TRAVEL!

I bit the bullet an bought my son's ticket from Tucson to Pittsburgh last week. It was a really good deal that I couldn't pass up! I originally had him flying here on 9/28, so I could spend a few days with him before we left for FL, but after talking with his dad and letting him know the dates he asked if I could switch the ticket to 9/24.

Since it's fall break, his step mom and little brothers will be traveling at that time as well, and will be leaving on 9/24. At first I said no I wasn't going to change it, I figured DR wouldn't want me to change the date and enjoy the alone time at his house, but he said yes that he'd rather come early! His ticket to fly out was $178 (that was a super good deal!) and then the change fee was only $30, so it wasn't too bad!

I have yet to book his return flight because those are all still a little on the higher side. They range anywhere from $350-700 depending on the airline and time of day. I really doubt I'll be finding anything cheaper, so I'll be buying that in the next few days as well. The ones that are the lower end all leave later in the evening (like 5-6 PM) which could be a good thing, but that puts him back late in AZ (like 11-midnight) and he has school the next day, so I'd prefer an earlier flight with a normal afternoon time for him to get in.

But, for all of us to get down to FL, we will be road tripping it! Again because of airline costs and the crazy amount I would be paying for the 3 of us to fly, driving down is definitely the cheapest option. I bought a new car a few months ago and it gets super great gas mileage! Round trip, if gas stays at this price, it will be around $225, add in a hotel for the night on the road, and even parking at the hotel, it's still cheaper than flying.

My son and I will leave here on 10/3 to drive to Morgantown (1.5 hours) to meet my daughter and spend the night at her apartment. Bright and early on 10/4 (most likely by 8) we'll leave Morgantown and stop somewhere around Savannah for the night (10 hours). On 10/5 it'll be another early morning to finish the last 4 hours to get to WDW!

Both my kids can drive, so it'll be nice to have 2 drivers that can help out when needed and I'm tired of driving. On the way home it'll just be my daughter and I driving and depending on what time I get my son't flight out we will either drive the entire way back with no over night stop, or we may have to. I'm hoping I can get him a flight time out between 9-11AM so we can drive the entire way home.

I will say it will be nice to have my car on property. When we went last July we stayed at a hotel just outside of the Disney Springs area. We drove to the parks each morning, were able to go to the grocery store as needed, and we were able to bring what we wanted. The only annoying thing was the walking from our car to the parks each morning and night since there were no trams, but since those seem to be up and running, I don't think it'll be too bad. (Although I need to see if they are running at all parks, or if it's only select ones). And I know we can take the buses from the resort to the parks, but depending on crowds and wait times, it might just be easier to drive. It's all something we can decide when we get there and take it day by day.

I think I'll end my report here for the day. Kind of a boring update if you ask me, but it's nice to get some of my rambling out to see a plan starting to form.

Hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable 4th of July weekend! I unfortunately have to work most of it.

Until next time friends!

 

[tigerlilly]

Happy Fourth of July to you too!!

Boring updates are fun too! lol. If we were able to drive to WDW we totally would (we are in CA)...so we have DL but not WDW. Can't wait for the next update

 

[1Princess1Prince2006]

Happy Fourth of July to you too!!

Boring updates are fun too! lol. If we were able to drive to WDW we totally would (we are in CA)...so we have DL but not WDW. Can't wait for the next update

We drove it last year and it honestly was not bad at all! It will definitely be nice to have the extra drivers to help me this year.

And I'm jealous that you have DL close to you! I'm hoping when my son graduates in May to make a trip to DL, but we may save that for when he graduates from boot camp. But, those plans are in a holding pattern until the beginning of 2023.

 

[1Princess1Prince2006]

Hey y'all! Welcome back Disney friends!

Hope everyone had an enjoyable 4th of July! My daughter and I went out to dinner and then our local park to watch fireworks on the 3rd, and then just chilled at home on the 4th. I ended up having the day off, and a few more after that, so I started on a new diamond painting. I love those things! Lindsey also had to pack since she left on the 5th to head to TX for a few days to see her brother and uncles.


Golden Hour on the 3rd of July!


Started working on this over the weekend! I was working on Christmas ones that were smaller, this one is the biggest for me to work on yet and I can't wait to see the finished product!


She's off to TX for a few days! She enjoyed her trip, even if she wanted to maim her brother most days while there.


And lastly, I'm throwing in a picture of our flowers around our back door! My flowers are doing fantastic back here and our Mickey mat is my very favorite!

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Since both of my kids were together this past week, we chose park days and kind of put together a plan for ADR's. I will be making ADR's on 8/6 (while I move my daughter into her new apartment). We decided not to do AK. I am not a fan of the park and honestly we won't miss it. We will be doing MNSSHP on 10/6.

10/5 - Epcot
It may or may not be an early start? I'm thinking we can drive the entire 14 hours to Disney on 10/4 and stay somewhere overnight to head to Epcot for rope drop, or we can drive a little over halfway and drive the remaining 4-5 hours to be at Epcot for rope drop. It's a I'll know more after next month kind of plan. If we drive the entire way we can sleep in for a bit before rope drop, if we split the drive it'll be an early morning to get there to the park for rope drop, and that's why I'm kind of choosing to do the entire drive on 10/4.

ADR - Garden Grill for either lunch or dinner and then graze at the Food & Wine booths. We may do a QS meal as well in World Showcase.

10/6 - MNSSHP
We'll relax at the resort in the morning/afternoon and most likely head to Disney Springs for a bit of shopping and lunch. We have tickets to MNSSHP tonight so we'll head over there at 4 and enjoy the night hitting the candy stations, riding rides, and seeing characters. My kids plan on dressing as Mabel and Dipper from Gravity Falls for the Halloween party.

No plans for ADR's and will just do QS meals at the resort and MK. Lindsey and I are at D-Luxe Burgers the last time we went and we might try that again, or I really want to try the Chicken Guy! Lindsey is not a big chicken eater (food poison from McDonald's did the trick for her) so we might just stick to burger and fries and call it good.

10/7 - Hollywood Studios
Rope drop this morning! (Side note: I saw my aunt and uncle at Target a few days ago and we were talking about our upcoming trips to Disney. My uncle was like, "Yeah we love MGM! I know it's not even called that anymore but it will always be MGM to me!")

ADR will definitely be 50's Prime Time! I tried and tried and tried to get an ADR the last time we went but was unsuccessful, but as I look and see as I get closer to our time to make reservations they always have Prime Time available now, so I'm hoping I can snag either a lunch or dinner, it honestly doesn't matter.

10/8 - Magic Kingdom
This will be our last day!

Rope drop and hoping I don't fall flat on my face in front of the castle this time around! (I did that last July as we were waiting for the ropes to drop. I slightly chipped my front tooth, had scrapes on my nose and chin, and banged up my knees pretty badly. First Aid wasn't even open yet, and honestly there was no point in even going because nothing was going to stick to me since I was sweating and covered in sunscreen. I cleaned up in the bathroom, took some Advil, and we went about our day. Honestly it wasn't that bad, just that my knees hurt getting on and off rides).

Yup, I was exhausted by this point.

I may make an ADR at Tony's for dinner or I may not. We did Liberty Tree Tavern the last time and my daughter hated it! I thought it was great, all except that I couldn't have the dessert due to a slight tree nut allergy.

10/9 - Travel home
I'm hoping to snag an 'Ohana breakfast ADR in the morning before we all have to head home, but we'll see if it actually happens, and the time my son's flight leave Orlando.


This is definitely a short trip, but any trip to Disney is a win in my books!

Hope y'all have a great day! I'm off to shop for college things for Lindsey and get some needed things for her new apartment.

 

[1Princess1Prince2006]

Hey y'all! Welcome back Disney friends!

Life Update:

My son started his SENIOR YEAR a few weeks ago!


He's also on student council as the senior student body representative, so he was the Bobcat for Open House.


Lindsey has kept me busy with college stuff. My kitchen looks like Target has thrown up in there, and her bedroom is overflowing with bins of clothes and shoes. She moves into her new apartment on Sunday, so we're packing cars tomorrow and I'm hoping everything fits! But, tonight we're having dinner with my dad and step mom for a good bye dinner.

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Now onto a TRIP UPDATE:

Tomorrow is the day to make ADR's!

I think the only sit down meals we plan on doing are 50's Prime Time and I'm hoping to snag an 'Ohana breakfast!

My back up plan is Chef Mickey's for a breakfast or Garden Grill for lunch/dinner.

The back up to those back ups is Tony's Town Square. I know, not exciting at all, but it's at least a place that we will all enjoy.

I also purchased DR's ticket for his flight back home. His flight leaves at 7AM, I was hoping for a little later, but he'll at least get back into AZ early and will have time to rest and relax before he heads back to school on Monday morning. It was the best deal I could find ($258), considering later flights were going for $6-700.

I've also done some Disney shopping, but I'll update that tomorrow when I have official ADR's and hopefully more of a plan. Just wanted to give a quick update!

Have a wonderful day!