Birthday Adventure in a Galaxy Far, Far Away: A Sept/Oct 2019 Adults Only PTR Update 9/15!

Gina Starr

DIS Veteran
Joined
Mar 29, 2015
Welcome to my second PTR! My first one was thrown together like a month before the trip and was more of an intro to the trip. I want to start this one now so I can talk through my plans and (inevitable) changes in plans. So hopefully this one is better than my first!


I’m Gina and my travel and life partner is my husband Donnie. We are high school sweethearts and have now been together for more than half my life. This will be our 9th trip to WDW as adults. We went with my sister and her family in 2014 and it was a small disaster so we wanted a do-over trip which is when we caught the bug.


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(Literally the only picture I have of us together from the 2014 trip)

I guess I will start with our introductions in case anyone here hasn’t read along with my previous TR (which can be found here) And I will throw in our favorites too since mine tend to change every trip.


Gina

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I’m a 30-something (when did I turn 30?!) homebody whose dream is to be on house arrest. Is that weird to say? I just really like my house. If I’m forced to be outdoors I enjoy boring things like movies and shopping. I have lost 100 lbs in the last 18 months or so and I’m still getting used to being a thinner version of myself.

Favorite Park: Magic Kingdom

Favorite Ride: Haunted Mansion

Favorite Show: Country Bears or Carousel of Progress

Favorite Character: No idea... right now I will say Rapunzel

Favorite Snack: GF Beignets or anything from Erin McKennas

Favorite Resort: French Quarter



Donnie

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He’s also a 30-something year old but he would love to be “out” all day. They say opposites attract right? He just likes to do stuff but stuff usually means spending money we should be saving for the next Disney trip. So he settles for being at home and he has been super into Disney vlogs so we usually watch them every night before bed.



Favorite Park: Magic Kingdom

Favorite Ride: Flight of Passage

Favorite Show: Finding Nemo the Musical

Favorite Character: Genie

Favorite Snack: Pineapple upside down cake with Dole Whip

Favorite Resort: French Quarter



Coming up: the when, where, and why!

 
Popped over from your TR to here! It looks like we keep missing each other - I was at WDW a couple of weeks before you in January, and am going back in August 2019. I haven't planned much for the August trip other than making the reservation so I'm excited to see how your plans come together :)
 


Following along! :wave2: I also like staying at home when we’re not on vacation:rotfl: so i don’t think that’s weird at all.
 
Hello! Following along!

Hi! :welcome:

I'm here to follow along!

:welcome: Thanks for joining!

Popped over from your TR to here! It looks like we keep missing each other - I was at WDW a couple of weeks before you in January, and am going back in August 2019. I haven't planned much for the August trip other than making the reservation so I'm excited to see how your plans come together :)

Hi! :welcome: Aww man! I literally have our resort reservation and a single ADR and nothing else planned.😳

Following along! :wave2: I also like staying at home when we’re not on vacation:rotfl: so i don’t think that’s weird at all.

:welcome: I’m glad someone else gets my love for being home!

Joining in! I could sleep almost at any time so I also love being at home lol

:welcome: Lol! I used to be able to sleep anywhere but then I got old and I would wake up with headaches so no more of that for me.
 


102 Days!

My mom made a “scrapbook” (I use the “ because it’s literally a spiral notebook) from my first WDW trip in 1992. Should I make a whole post with pictures from it or just add a few per post? Here’s an example including commentary:

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(My dad, me, and my sister at Medeival Times. I was 4, almost 5 and she was 9. That appears to be Big Bird on my fanny pack, stylishly worn around my neck)


Let me explain how this trip started. Literally one day after we agreed we wouldn’t be able to get back to Disney til January 2020 we booked a trip for September 2019. We REALLY want to get to Disneyland soon and we try to be responsible adults and do one big trip per year (plus we were considering road tripping to Disneyland which would easily add a week to our trip and we wouldn’t have enough time off work to do Disneyland and Disney World in the same year but that’s a story for another time!) We have both really wanted to get to WDW during some holiday season to get to a party. We decided on September for Halloween cause we both thought MNSSHP sounded like more fun between that and MVMCP (is that the right abbreviation?) Not to mention my birthday is in September and we’d be able to check out Food and Wine! So all that to say since we have AP this year and we might not be back to WDW til 2022 we figured what the heck! And booked a trip.

So I guess that’s the story of how, when, and why all wrapped up. Now, where? POFQ is our second home. Our first two trips were off property but everything else has been at POFQ (plus a few trips with an add on day elsewhere). We absolutely love it. It’s quiet, compact, and beignets! But unfortunately it won’t work with our budget this trip. We looked at all the different promotions (which are all gone now thanks to Galaxy’s Edge) and decided on All Star Movies in a preferred room. I’m super sad that we can’t stay at POFQ but if my choices are no Disney trip and staying at ASM then it’s a no brainer.

When we made our hotel reservation our days off at work were Sunday and Monday but just this week we got a schedule with Saturday and Sunday off! I am so freaking excited to have the actual weekend off for the first time in like 5 years. Anyways, we originally had the trip planned for checking in Sunday and checking out Saturday. (Which is more than the originally planned 3-4 days) We pulled a Gina and Donnie (that’s what we’ll call it) and added a day at the beginning so now the trip is Saturday- Saturday. So we went from not going at all, to a 3-4 day trip, to a 7 day trip, to an 8 day trip. I promise we will NOT add any more days. We literally can’t- we are out of vacation time until 2020.

I will leave you with another quality picture from 1992

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(I’m thinking this was at Universal Studios. I’m not picking my nose, I swear! I’m scratching it, really I am!)

Coming up: General plans and things that have already changed
 
Hi Gina,

I am joining in! I seem to add a day to my trips as well!
I love hanging out at home when I am not traveling, I get it!!
We have never stayed at an All Stars yet, Pop and AoA are the 2 values we have stayed at!
I really like writing down my plans for our trips, it does help me get a better picture of our trip!
 
Hi Gina! I'm here! :wave:

Homebodys UNITE! Virtually, of course. Not in person because our couches are too comfy for that, and we just lit a candle.

MNSSHP is a LOT more fun than MVMCP IMO, you guys made the right choice with a September trip!

Really loving these plans so far, can't wait to read more!
 
I'm here!

I love seeing old pictures so I say post them!

I've never stayed at All Star Movies but have stayed at the other 2. I've always enjoyed them when I've stayed there, and like you said it's better than no Disney at all!
 
Love the old pics! My boys grew up with Nickelodeon!!! Fond memories indeed!!

We stayed at ASM and loved it! We are definitely the "do whatever you have to do to get there" people!! Staying at a value resort when the budget dictates is perfectly fine!! You get a lot of bag for your buck there!!
 
Joining in! You and your husband are definitely similar to me and my DH! Its too funny. My DH actually just got into Disney vlogs too and we are going to do our best to vlog all of our trips this year lol we'll see how it goes! I definitely think its easier to do when both of you are on the same page and its not just one of you talking to a camera!

What are your dates? Me and DH will be ther 9/9-9/17 (ours also started as like a 6 day trip and is now an 8 day trip, yolo right?! haha)
 
Hi Gina,

I am joining in! I seem to add a day to my trips as well!
I love hanging out at home when I am not traveling, I get it!!
We have never stayed at an All Stars yet, Pop and AoA are the 2 values we have stayed at!
I really like writing down my plans for our trips, it does help me get a better picture of our trip!

:welcome: I’m nervous to stay at a value. I’ve been spoiled with POFQ!

I can’t get into the spreadsheets like other people but just writing it down on paper or even using my trusty notes app on my iPad helps.

Hi Gina! I'm here! :wave:

Homebodys UNITE! Virtually, of course. Not in person because our couches are too comfy for that, and we just lit a candle.

MNSSHP is a LOT more fun than MVMCP IMO, you guys made the right choice with a September trip!

Really loving these plans so far, can't wait to read more!

:welcome: Thanks for joining! I have read some of your tr but I’m a bad diser and never comment! I will have to fix that ASAP!

Yes, virtually. In addition to the candle, my dog just laid his head on my lap so I’m stuck here for the day. (Forget the fact that he’s 5 pounds!)

I’m super excited for MNSSHP! Now just to decide which day to go...

Hi there,

Joining in!

Lol at the throwback picture and you claiming to not be picking your nose :rotfl2:

Looking forward to hearing more about your plans.
Tanz x

:welcome: Thanks for joining in! I’ve got lots more throwback photos to share!

I'm here!

I love seeing old pictures so I say post them!

I've never stayed at All Star Movies but have stayed at the other 2. I've always enjoyed them when I've stayed there, and like you said it's better than no Disney at all!

:welcome: I’m a little nervous to stay at All Stars but with our recent decision to drive a lot more I think my biggest concern of transportation won’t be a problem.

I have a ton more old pictures. Not as many showing off the amazing 90s fashion as I’d hoped but some good ones.

Love the old pics! My boys grew up with Nickelodeon!!! Fond memories indeed!!

We stayed at ASM and loved it! We are definitely the "do whatever you have to do to get there" people!! Staying at a value resort when the budget dictates is perfectly fine!! You get a lot of bag for your buck there!!

:welcome: Thanks for reading along! I loved Nickelodeon. I remember watching whatever Nickelodeon show they had at Universal, maybe Double Dare?

I’m nervous about staying at a value but everyone so far has said the same thing so I’m sure we will be good!

Joining in! You and your husband are definitely similar to me and my DH! Its too funny. My DH actually just got into Disney vlogs too and we are going to do our best to vlog all of our trips this year lol we'll see how it goes! I definitely think its easier to do when both of you are on the same page and its not just one of you talking to a camera!

What are your dates? Me and DH will be ther 9/9-9/17 (ours also started as like a 6 day trip and is now an 8 day trip, yolo right?! haha)

:welcome: It seems like our dates will overlap a bit. We check in on 9/14!

I honestly don’t know how the vlogging is going to go. I am soo awkward. I tried to tell him we need to do like Disney Food Blog and not show our faces. :rotfl2:We are just going to use our phone but we bought a gimbal and mic. Don’t want to invest too much on equipment if we don’t actually do it. He just wants to be like Tim Tracker and have a Disney pay for him to go places!
 
Haha its definitely awkward to vlog, I totally agree!!

My husband is the complete opposite, he always buys everything he needs to do something and then realizes he doesnt want to do it lol but hes good at reselling things so at least its not a complete waste! I feel like phones are so great now that it will be a good way to vlog!!

My DH also wants to be Tim Tracker :rotfl:I don't think he understands just how long those two have been at it though to get to that point!

Although tbh I haven't enjoyed their content lately with how many things have been sponsored/hosted. I can only imagine how honest you can be in those situations. Like yeah they aren't paying you to be nice but if you give a bad review you basically will end any future relationships lol idk I would just like some fun non-spon content!
 
Hopping over from your TR. Looking forward to reading more. I love POFQ too! and please keep posting the old pics. Fun too see how things have changed.
 
My husband is the complete opposite, he always buys everything he needs to do something and then realizes he doesnt want to do it lol but hes good at reselling things so at least its not a complete waste! I feel like phones are so great now that it will be a good way to vlog!!

Lol- I’m a mean wife so I don’t let him buy stuff like that!

Although tbh I haven't enjoyed their content lately with how many things have been sponsored/hosted. I can only imagine how honest you can be in those situations. Like yeah they aren't paying you to be nice but if you give a bad review you basically will end any future relationships lol idk I would just like some fun non-spon content!

I know what you mean. It’s tough cause I like them but I’m also a little sick of the sponsored stuff. Happiest Vlogs is starting to get invited to stuff too and those videos seem a little fake. WDW Couple seem to post the least amount of sponsored stuff and I really like them!

Hopping over from your TR. Looking forward to reading more. I love POFQ too! and please keep posting the old pics. Fun too see how things have changed.

:welcome: Thanks for joining! I have many more throwback pictures to share!
 
Hey everyone! How’s your weekend been going? This was the first weekend we had Saturday off and the power went off at 7:30 am which woke us up (we are the kind of people who sleep with a fan on 365 days a year). Since we were up so early we decided to go to garage sales where we found this!

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(Those lines are just a reflection)

It was $3 and the frame isn’t in good shape but we couldn’t pass it up! The lady selling it was a AAA agent and Disney gave them all these as gifts. There’s no year on it but I think it’s a little older since none of the Asia parks are represented. Unless AAA doesn’t offer travel planning for those parks. Back to trip planning and some throwback photos!


I will post some general plans since I literally have like one thing specifically planned. We are undecided on when we will leave home. We live a 14 1/2 hour drive away. We don’t fly. For many reasons I won’t bore you with. Donnie actually loves going on road trips and I get motion sickness so I will take Dramamine and sleep 75% of the time. He will have audio books and music to keep him company. We are thinking of leaving after work Friday and driving through the night. If we don’t do that, we will sleep for a few hours and leave around 2 or 3 in the morning. We want to arrive Saturday early enough to get into a park. Which park that will be though remains to be seen.

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(My park ticket! AK wasn’t open yet, of course)

Sunday is my birthday! When this was going to be our arrival day I was looking for dinner ideas around Magic Kingdom because it’s a party day and we weren’t going to go to the party on this day but now that we are arriving the previous day... I still have no idea what we are doing. Yea I need to make some actual plans. But I DO know that we are doing the Afternoon Tea at the Grand Floridian. I briefly mentioned that I am gluten free in the intro and I have read a few reviews of the this experience from a gf perspective and it seems like something I would enjoy.

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(I googled it and it looks like $87 in 1992 is about $158 in 2019. I just went to Disney’s website and a 4 day Park Hopper kid’s ticket starting on June 21, 2019 is $535.57 :scared:)

I have no other individual day plans at all. Our fp day is still over a month away so I have lots of time to think about it and I’m sure I will wait til the day before to actually plan anything. Maybe this ptr will force me to plan further in advance. Some things I know we will do just no idea when:

Food and Wine: Probably will just check out the food. Neither one of us really drinks and I’ve been known to say “this would taste better if it didn’t have alcohol in it” At least we will save a ton of money. And unfortunately the Eat to the Beat artists while we are there don’t interest us. Why couldn’t we be there when Hanson is?!

Mickeys Not So Scary Halloween Party: One of the main reasons we chose September to go. I have to do way more research to make plans. Do I do the dessert party on top of an already add-on event? Especially since I’m gluten free and who knows what they can offer me. Then I heard about a buffet with Cruella de Ville but no official word on that. I think our must dos are the fireworks, parade, stage show, meet at least one big character/set of characters, trick or treating, and the rides with overlays. Okay, that’s a lot. Help!

Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge: oh yea, there’s this little land opening two weeks before we get there called Galaxy’s Edge. We have been watching all the vlog coverage from the Disneyland opening and getting super excited. The opening date was announced after we planned the trip but we were happy when we heard it would be open. I have seen all the movies but I’m certainly no super fan. Smugglers Run worries me due to the motion sickness I mentioned before but I will just make sure I have had my Dramamine and wear my sea bands. I definitely want to check out Oga’s Cantina as their menu shows some delicious looking non alcoholic drinks. Donnie wants to build a lightsaber and a droid. We have incentive programs at work so he might save that up over the next few months to do one or both.

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(What we did in MGM. I apparently rode Star Tours? I can’t ride it anymore, it makes me ill! Not sure what the Animation Tour is... and my mom’s handwriting still looks the exact same 27 years later!)

Coming up: you tell me! Not sure yet!


 
That's such a cute print!

You have some GREAT plans so far. I'm not GF, but I've done the Grand Floridian Afternoon Tea before and it is a wonderful way to spend some time!
 

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