August 2012 Pre-Trip Report - There IS a method to our Disney madness! I swear!!

[AuroraNJ]

Part 1 NEWBIE HERE!!!

Hi there!

This is my very first pre-trip report so please go easy on me! Its jammed packed already with pics because I decided to take a trip down memory lane as I was preparing for this upcoming trip. I was going through all my cameras & old memory cards & came across so much stuff that brought back great memories. Theres even a few things that arent in the parks anymore & I figured Id share that for anyone who wants to take this trip down memory lane with me Ill be attempting to write my own trip report after reading hundreds of trip reports over the years. I think it could be a fun & also a nice souvenier of our trip for my daughter to look back on. I'm starting out with this pre-trip report of sorts. I hope someone enjoys it!

This is the princess...​

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And the Mommy...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/10840868@N02/7747696818/




We first started going to Disney when she was 2. I thought she started remembering most of our trips when she turned 4 and although she can recall quite a bit its probably mostly a blur for her.

This is her first time ever meeting Mickey when she was two. Sorry its a little blurry.


Minnies house in the old ToonTown! No more




This pic is from Storytime with Belle in the MK where they now have the Merida meet and greet. This was really cute as Belle would read part of her story to the audience and a handful of kids would be chosen to join in the show on stage. It was very cute.



DD's fav princess at one time


Another one of her favorites at one time


Meeting Jojo Circus at MGM&if youll notice I have a really hard time calling it Hollywood Studios or whatever lol I remember she was soo excited to see Jojo and Golioth that she just collapsed hugging them. They sat down with her for a few minutes so she could regain her composure. It was like she was seeing a long lost friend. It was a tearjerker! lol


Alladin, Jasmine and Aboo in Epcot WS


Someones a little shy!!!


This is my absolute favorite picture sequence&its us on the teacups and Adrianna starts out ok and then all of a sudden looks queasy and then by the end of the ride she in D.O.N.E. Poor thing&she really looked like she was having fun at first. Its still one of her fav rides so shes fine with it.


Hugs and kisses with Minnie in the old Toontown Judges tent


So have I bombarded you with enough pics yet? Part of what I've been doing to build up anticipation for our upcoming trip is looking at all the pics from our past trips. I have a few more to share which I'm sure you could've guessed. So as you can see I'm quite the photographer...not saying I'm a GOOD photographer but I try to take lots of pictures nonetheless.

My next few updates...if anyone is interested in continuing to read haha...will be more about our trip preparations...little shopping excursions, stocking up on Disney pins for trading, trying to juggle ADR's around, trying to pack and prepare in stealth mode so we don't tip my mother off who would have a hairy canary if she found out we were going to Disney AGAIN! haha I'll also tell you a little more about myself and my family and hope you'll find that there is a method to our Disney madness. ​

 

[stitchywoman]

You are both LOVELY! I started a trip report years ago and then never managed to finish it! But I love reading other people's! The pictures are nice and they give a good background, so thanks.

 

[AuroraNJ]

You are both LOVELY! I started a trip report years ago and then never managed to finish it! But I love reading other people's! The pictures are nice and they give a good background, so thanks.

Awe! Thank you soo much! You're very kind

 

[Heidi Lou]

Your little girl is absolutely ADORABLE!!! Happy planning to you!!! These are great pics!

 

[AuroraNJ]

Your little girl is absolutely ADORABLE!!! Happy planning to you!!! These are great pics!

Awe thanks Heidi Lou! I appreciate that

 

[AuroraNJ]

PART 2
I’M PERFECTLY QUALIFIED TO WRITE THIS PRE-TRIP REPORT! AREN’T I? OH WELL!

As we’ve gone through pics recently to psyche us up for our upcoming trip it seems to refresh my daughter’s memory…well, for both of us actually since I have the memory of a goldfish…I’ve heard their memory is like 5 seconds so by the time they swim all the way around their bowl it’s like a whole new world for them again. Kinda like Dory from Finding Nemo…a lot like me. Yes, I’m a real blue.

The old Liberty Tree Tavern character meal. This was one of our favorites. We really miss this a lot!




Adrianna clearly could not help herself & HAD to touch the fins!


Surely she remembers Mickey bars because they’re still one of her fav treats to this day. As you can see she thoroughly enjoys them :


So let me take a minute here to qualify as the great Mike Scopa would say Love that guy! My love for Disney started at about the same age as my daughter when I was 2. My parents lived in Ft Lauderdale, FL when I was younger & I’d been to Disney at least a dozen times before I was 9 which is when we moved to scenic New Jersey. I went on a family trip with my parents in 2000 when I was 23 & my childhood love for Disney was completely rekindled. We stayed at the Polynesian. There was so much I had no clue even existed at Disney that for many years I didn’t even know what I was missing! That’s another reason I decided to do this trip report. I learn so much by reading other people’s TRs & listening to podcasts & researching various websites that just when you think you know everything there is to possibly know about Disney you can always stand to learn something new. I’m hoping there’ll be at least a few tips or tidbits in my report that might be new or helpful for someone else. So we’ve been AP holders on & off for the past 8 years now. I went in 2005 with my parents, my husband & DD & stayed at OKW. My then husband & I returned the following year in 2006 and stayed at Pop Century.















In 2007 we divorced & my father & I took my DD about 3 times that year. We stayed at Wilderness Lodge, Grand Floridian & Beach Club.








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We had the most fantastic room our first stay at the Beach Club! We were given a complimentary upgrade to water view & what seemed like the last room on the edge of the property closest to Epcot! All we had to do was open our sliding glass doors & walk out onto our balcony, past the pool right onto the pathway along the water to Epcot. It was amazing!


We were AP holders in 2007, 2008 and 2009. So surely that justified us returning another three times annually! In 2010 my daughter & I went by ourselves in November & stayed at Pop. We returned to Pop once again in 2011 in October & did MNSSHP for the f1st time. That was fantastic & a def repeat if we ever go again at that time of year. Now that brings us up to the current year & since my DD is going into 4th grade this year we can't really take her out of school anymore so we’re doing an August trip this year & upgrading to YC.

So in preparation for this trip I took my daughter to get her hair cut Thursday night. My daughter actually left for Myrtle Beach, SC on Friday & she is there now. Since her father & I are divorced she visits him every other weekend throughout the year & 2 weeks in the summer. Last summer they went to Disney in August & this summer they’re at Myrtle Beach. So yeah, my DD got to go to Disney twice last year, once with each parent. This year will be her 12th visit to Disney. Spoiled brat! Haha
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[AuroraNJ]

PART 3 A Summer Roundup & preparations are on their way!!!

I’ve been to Disney World at least a dozen times & have never had the same exact experience twice! We learn, eat, ride & experience something new every time we go. We like to try to stay at different resorts although we seem to have leaned towards Pop Century the past few years. Since my daughter is still young she enjoys & even prefers Pop Century over any moderate or deluxe resort. There’s a level of excitement in the air at Pop that can’t be matched anywhere else on property. There’s just so many happy people at Pop Century having the time of their lives & my daughter loves the crowds & excitement. As I get a little older it's getting tougher for me to stand around waiting for the busses at Pop. Standing in 100 degree weather with the blazing hot sun beating directly down upon my head for like 45 min while I’m standing & smiling like a lunatic while waiting for a bus at Pop is shaving years off my life every time I go now. I just know it is & I don’t think I can do it anymore.
So, that being said….this trip we’re staying at The Yacht Club! I'm figuring it’ll probably be pretty hot while we’re there & I thought we should stay in a resort that has a great pool like Stormalong Bay since we’ll be spending as much pool time as possible on this trip. We’ve stayed at Beach Club before & loved being able to walk to Epcot & take the boat to Hollywood Studios. I thought Yacht Club would be slightly less crowded than Beach Club & closer to the boat launch because I’m lazy like that. Also, there was a fantastic 30% off discount for Deluxe resorts & I jumped on it! We haven’t stayed deluxe in awhile & we’re seriously overdue. I need a break from Pop Century. Plus we’ve never stayed a YC before & we’re super excited. We've also never been to the Disney water parks before & I’m looking forward to checking them out. I’ve heard that they are so phenomenal that they will pretty much ruin you for any other water parks. Let’s hope not though!

We’re AP holders at Sesame Place in Langhorne, PA and that’s pretty much what we’ve been up to this summer on weekends that I have my daughter.








We’ve also gone to Camelbeach waterpark in Tannersville, PA which is really nice. In the winter it operates as a ski resort but they have the ski lift going all year long.



This is Camelback in the winter.


We took one trip to Six Flags Hurricane Harbor in Jackson, NJ as well. That was fun…I was pleasantly surprised at how nice it was. It was pretty clean & there were plenty of water slides. The only problem were the long lines for the water slides…every one was like a 45 min wait at least.

We stayed at The White Sands Oceanfront Resort & Spa for a few nights this summer. It couldn’t have been more perfect! We were right ON the boardwalk & had a nice studio suite with a balcony. We were a short 5 min walk to all the bars & restaurants on the boardwalk & didn’t have to worry about driving at all. It was clean, the staff was pleasant, parking was no problem & the rate was reasonable for the location. There were 2 pools that were both on the edge of the boardwalk with ocean views. It was soo nice…I would def stay there again!


So we’ll be staying at the Yacht Club 8/23-8/29. So that’s 6 nights & coincidentally we’ll be there for my birthday which is on the 24th. I didn’t plan it that way but I’ll take a birthday in Disney any day! I’ve tried to plan my daughter’s birthdays in Disney in prior years in lieu of having any more big parties. I just can’t take her out of school anymore & that’s another reason why we’re going in August which really isn’t my preference. I do enjoy the later park hours though! When we went in November two years ago the park seemed to close by 9 almost every night & sometimes earlier to the MVMCP. This will be a girls only trip & we’re super excited.

I got my Amazon.com order in the mail last night & I was so excited to see everything I ordered has made it in time for our trip next week! I ordered a new Stitch case for DD's iphone which is super cute & I know she'll love. I also ordered her a lot of 25 trading pins which I’ll surprise her with when we get to Disney. She developed a love of pin trading on our last visit & seems to really enjoy it. Since pins are like $25 for a set of 5 in the park & this set of 25 pins was $15 I figured it was a great deal & a good way to get her started on her pin trading collection. I was so unprepared for DD to take to pin trading like she did on our last trip & I think we ended up spending around $75 on pins last year. I also ordered a Mickey phone case for my new 4S. It was a mandatory upgrade…I destroyed my 3g last week & I don't even wanna talk about it




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