Celebrating 15 Years of Love and Laughter! A September '14 PTR! UPDATE 09/15

[UGAFan0829]

Hello, and welcome!!!!


Since our vacation is officially 33 days away, I thought now was as good a time as any to start a PTR. Actually, this is only the second PTR I've ever done, though I have written several reports. I'm not nearly as talented as some of the contributors on this board, but hopefully you'll enjoy my ramblings and want to stick around.

So, I suppose I should do some introductions here...
First up is my DH, Mike:

Mike is 37 and works for an industrial tire company. His #1 character is Donald, followed by Pubmaa and Rafiki. I'm very lucky that Mike loves Disney almost as much as I do. He's awesome in helping me plan almost every detail of our trips. I should also mention that Mike's favorite ride is a tie between Splash and Big Thunder.

Then there's me, Missy:

My favorite character happens to be a honey loving bear--that's right, Winnie the Pooh! He's been my favorite from way before Mike and I ever visited Disney for the first time. I also happen to have a soft spot for Stitch, Tiana, and Donald! I'll be 35 by the time this trip rolls around and work in Criminal Justice. My favorite ride is Space Mountain, hands down!

And now a little more about us as a couple...

September 11 will be our 15th anniversary. Of course there was no doubt that we'd celebrate it with Disney, but at first we just weren't sure whether it would be in the World or at sea. We're fortunate to have taken 5 cruises on DCL and can't wait to make it 6 sometime soon. We took our first cruise back in 2005 and our first trip to the World in '06...we were totally hooked after that. In 2009, we celebrated our 10th anniversary with a 7 night cruise followed by 5 nights in Disney as brand new DVC members. Even though we haven't cruised in a few years and were just at Disney back in February for the Princess Half, financially it made more sense for us to go back to the world--having DVC and AP's was a huge contributor to that. To try and make this trip a little more special, we decided to do a few new things that we've never done before and I'm terribly excited to try them all!

A lot of people don't understand our love for Disney, especially since we don't have kids, but we just tell people that it's our happy place, and it truly is. It's the one place that we can go to and forget and leave all the stress and worry of adult life behind! One of the greatest things I treasure about Disney are the friendships that have been made!

Coming up, I plan to post our daily plans and would love to have comments and feedback...we're trying several new restaurants and I'd love to hear what you think about them! So for now, I'll leave you with a general overview of our plans: September 6-13 with the first 3 nights being at Beach Club Villas, and the last 4 being at the Grand Floridian Villas.

I hope y'all will stay tuned!


UPDATE LINKS:
Day 1 Plans
Exciting News/Day 2 Plans
Day 3 Plans
Purchases & Day 4 Plans
Day 5 Plans
Day 6
Day 7
Last One-Day 8
I'm baaaaaack!

 

[EeyoreEma]

I can't wait to hear more!!! I'm just sad that we won't be there together this time!!! You and Mike are going to have an awesome trip, and I am looking forward to reading all the ramblings!

 

[UGAFan0829]

I can't wait to hear more!!! I'm just sad that we won't be there together this time!!! You and Mike are going to have an awesome trip, and I am looking forward to reading all the ramblings!

Hello, my friend! I'm so glad you're here!

 

[UGAFan0829]

I can't wait to hear more!!! I'm just sad that we won't be there together this time!!! You and Mike are going to have an awesome trip, and I am looking forward to reading all the ramblings!

Hello, my friend! I'm so glad you're here! I'm glad there's at least one person who won't mind my rambling!

I'm sad that we won't be there together as well! But we do have January to look forward to, right?

 

[UGAFan0829]

I have to start today's post by sharing a super exciting picture:

ONE MONTH TO GO!! I can't even tell you how excited I am!

Now, on to the plans for our first day...
Saturday, 9/6:
Check-in to Beach Club Villas (hopefully by 9 am at the latest)
Head over to Epcot
FP+ for Maelstrom
Lunch ADR at Via Napoli
FP+ for Soarin'
FP+ for Turtle Talk with Crush
Back to the resort for a counter service dinner and some swimming in Stormalong Bay.

Beach Club has been on my resort wish list for a very long time! We've tried booking there several times in the past and never had any luck, so to finally be staying there has me overjoyed!

As for our lunch at Via Napoli, I can't wait to try it as it will be our first time. I've heard nothing but good things about it1 If anyone has any feedback or recommendations on what to order, I'm all ears!

Our last FP+ is scheduled for 2:55, so I'm hoping to be out of the park by 5:30 or 6, at the latest. Since we'll only have 3 nights at the Beach Club, I want to spend as much time as we can enjoying the pool, and that's just what I have planned for the rest of this particular evening. As for dinner, we don't have anything definite planned, but I am leaning towards taking advantage of the convenience of Hurricane Hanna's!

And that's it for Day 1! I'd love to hear what you think of our plans--the rides and the restaurants, even the resort!

 

[JKSWonder]

Hi there!

I've read all of your other trip reports and just stumbled upon this one when I noticed it posted in your signature.

We stayed at the Beach Club for the first time in August 2013. I loved it. The pool area is amazing and the walk to Epcot just can't be beat.

 

[UGAFan0829]

Hi there!

I've read all of your other trip reports and just stumbled upon this one when I noticed it posted in your signature.

We stayed at the Beach Club for the first time in August 2013. I loved it. The pool area is amazing and the walk to Epcot just can't be beat.

Thank you SO much...I really appreciate that! And I'm glad that you stumbled across my signature!

I'm definitely looking forward to the pool. I'm sure DIS'ers agree that it's the best on property. I'm also excited about the walk to Epcot. How about the walk to Hollywood Studios, how is it?

I see that you'll be on the Fantasy in just over a week--that's awfully exciting too!

 

[EeyoreEma]

Get the margherita pizza - YUMMMMMMMM!

 

[JKSWonder]

Thank you SO much...I really appreciate that! And I'm glad that you stumbled across my signature! I'm definitely looking forward to the pool. I'm sure DIS'ers agree that it's the best on property. I'm also excited about the walk to Epcot. How about the walk to Hollywood Studios, how is it? I see that you'll be on the Fantasy in just over a week--that's awfully exciting too!

Yes! We leave 8/16 on the Fantasy and we are doing five days at the Contemporary after that. We have never stayed there and this is the longest Disney trip we have ever taken, so we are all pretty excited.

We actually never did the walk to HS. I would have done it, but my kids are totally lazy! . We took the boat to HS. Nice, relaxing ride if you are not in a rush and can wait for a boat.

 

[UGAFan0829]

Yes! We leave 8/16 on the Fantasy and we are doing five days at the Contemporary after that. We have never stayed there and this is the longest Disney trip we have ever taken, so we are all pretty excited.

We actually never did the walk to HS. I would have done it, but my kids are totally lazy! . We took the boat to HS. Nice, relaxing ride if you are not in a rush and can wait for a boat.

I just know y'all are going to have the BEST trip! I mean, the Fantasy AND the Contemporary...how awesome. I'm totally excited for you!!!!!!

I can understand your kids not wanting to walk to HS...you can't beat taking the boat! I just figure that I'm going to need all the exercise I can get with all the eating we're planning on doing!

 

[UGAFan0829]

Get the margherita pizza - YUMMMMMMMM!

Not sure how I missed your post, Erin! What exactly comes on the Margherita? You know I'm picky!

 

[UGAFan0829]

I'm sorry that I haven't updated since last week. Unfortunately, my sister was taken to the ER Sunday and then admitted to the hospital. She has some heart issues going on, so she's been my focus for the past couple days. I actually took the day off work yesterday to be with her at the hospital in anticipation of her having surgery. The surgery didn't happen yesterday, but we are praying that it can be done tomorrow. The crazy thing is, she just graduated as a Paramedic on Friday night! If anyone wants to send any prayers or positive thoughts, I would surely appreciate them!

Now, I'll get back to the happy, positive stuff and reveal our plans for Day 2. But first I did want to share a new (and exciting0 development in our overall travel plans. As you read above, our planned departure day was for Saturday 9/13. We have an in-park breakfast scheduled for that morning, as well as a couple Fastpass+'s in MK, so I knew that we wouldn't be leaving until later in the afternoon. So, after talking about it, we decided to check out the AP rates just to see what was being offered. Initially, we were thinking Art of Animation as we wanted to try a new resort. But, when my search began I soon realized that we would be going with a Moderate since a standard room there was literally only a couple dollars more than a standard Little Mermaid room. And since I've always wanted to stay at Port Orleans, we ended up with a Royal Guest room over at Riverside! I'm so thrilled that not only do we get to stay an extra night, but also that we'll get to try another new resort!

With all that out of the way, here are our Day 2 plans:
We're heading to Hollywood Studios, where we have Fastpasses for Tower of Terror, Toy Story Mania and Star Tours. I'm hoping that we'll be able to do Rock N' Roller Coaster and the Animation Academy. As far as meals, we'll eat something in the room for breakfast and will probably have a counter service lunch. We do have an ADR at Beaches & Cream for dinner. This will be our 3rd time dining there, and I'm looking forward to another one of these:


And that's it for Day 2. IF we have enough time after dinner, we may head to the pool for a little more swimming!

 

[JKSWonder]

So sorry about your sister! Sending positive thoughts and vibes her way for a quick recovery.

Port Orleans is our favorite moderate...so pretty. It definitely has a more deluxe feel to it.

In more than 15 trips to Disney World, I have NEVER been on Tower of Terror. I keep meaning to, but just never get there. As it is, I ride all the roller coasters at the World as a single rider because I live with a family of chickens.

 

[UGAFan0829]

So sorry about your sister! Sending positive thoughts and vibes her way for a quick recovery.

Port Orleans is our favorite moderate...so pretty. It definitely has a more deluxe feel to it.

In more than 15 trips to Disney World, I have NEVER been on Tower of Terror. I keep meaning to, but just never get there. As it is, I ride all the roller coasters at the World as a single rider because I live with a family of chickens.

Thanks for the sweet words for my sister. She had surgery yesterday and was able to go home last night. The Dr. isn't sure that he was able to fix the problem, but I'm going to think positive and believe that he did.

I'm glad to hear that you love Port Orleans! We visited there before and I fell in love with it. I think I most excited about being able to walk over to French quarter for some beignets!

I can't believe you've never been on Tower! It's definitely my favorite Hollywood Studios ride! You've gotta make sure to do it next time!

I'm betting that you're about ready to leave for the cruise, so I hope that y'all have safe travels and a very magical time!

 

[UGAFan0829]

Monday, 9/8:
We'll be spending this day in Epcot again...
Our first FP of the day is at Test Track. I have to say, I don't really care for the new version of this ride. But, getting to design your own vehicle is pretty fun. Here's what Mike and I came up with last time:

If it wasn't for that, Trest Track would fall way down on my list!

Our other two FP's are for the Character Spot and Mission: Space.

We really like to try and split up Epcot into two days when we can. On shorter trips, it isn't possible, but for longer ones we usually have one day that we like to use for World Showcase and another for Future World.
Our only ADR for the day is back at the Beach Club for Cape May. This will be our first time dining there for dinner and I can't wait to see what the buffet is like. I've read lots of good things!

Since this will also be our last night at the Beach Club, I'm hoping that we'll have enough time for one last swim in Stormalong Bay before we have to pack up to change resorts the next morning.

 

[EeyoreEma]

Lucky girl - an extra night!!!

Margherita pizza - so simple but so good - basil cheese tomato Yummy - but I didn't see it on their menu when I looked just now, so they might have taken it off.

Hows your sister doing today?

 

[UGAFan0829]

Lucky girl - an extra night!!!

Margherita pizza - so simple but so good - basil cheese tomato Yummy - but I didn't see it on their menu when I looked just now, so they might have taken it off.

Hows your sister doing today?

We are pretty lucky! I'm excited about staying somewhere new! And now that we've added the extra night, I can now say this will be our longest Disney trip yet!

I actually saw a pic of that pizza in a TR I was reading yesterday and it looked delicious! I like simple when it comes to food, so if it's still on the menu we may just have to give it a try! Thanks for telling me about it!

 

[UGAFan0829]

Good morning! I can't believe that as of today, our countdown is officially in the teens!

This just got real!

Before every single trip I always get very nervous and anxious, and this time's no different! I really can't explain why, other than I'm a natural born worrier and stress brings out the OCD in me. But, things seem to be coming together a little earlier than they have in the past. We went Saturday and picked up all the toiletries and other little things that we'll need. The one thing we did forget is ponchos, which are a must! We've also pulled all the luggage out and have it on the guest bed just waiting to be packed!


Aside from the normal pre-trip purchases, I also got a couple fun new items as well. One is a super cute Minnie headband. I don't normally wear headbands, but when I saw another DIS'er wearing them, I really wanted to get one for myself!

Of course there's a chance that I'll end up not wearing it!

The other really exciting item I received is a new Disney Vera Bradley backpack to use in the parks. I've been a Vera fan for a long time and when Disney and Vera announced their collaboration, I was beyond happy! My normal park bag is a Disney Vera Campus Backpack, so when they came out with them in the Disney print I immediately told Mike that I wished for one for my birthday! He ordered it early and even though my birthday is still a week and a half away, he surprised me and let me open it as soon as it got here!


And lastly in the way of purchases, after debating it for a couple days, we decided to go ahead and get the Memory Maker. Hopefully we'll get enough pictures to justify the price. Some trips we've been really good about seeking out the PP photogs, and sometimes we aren't--but now that we've invested the $$, we definitely have to make it a point to do so this time!

Now, for our day 4 plans...
Tuesday, 9/9:
This is the morning that we'll be checking out of Beach Club and into the Villas at the Grand. This will be our first split stay experience, and everything I've read has said that Bell Services will take care of moving our luggage. I'm assuming that they will pick it up from the room and then we can check out. If that's the case, once it's all taken care of, our next destination will be Animal Kingdom. We have an ADR at Tusker House for breakfast which will be a first for us. After breakfast we have FP's at Kilimanjaro, Disney Pals at Adventurer's Outpost (anyone know which characters those are) and Expedition Everest. Until just yesterday, we had a dinner ADR for Boma, but decided to cancel in with hopes of heading back to the resort to relax and enjoy the pool. Since I won't have to worry about staying dry for dinner, we really hope to be able to end our day in the park with a cool off on Kali River Rapids! Our last adventure there ended up with us soaked, so that's why we're planning it for the end of the day--if the line isn't too long!

With breakfast being a buffet, lunch will probably be something small, likely from Flame Tree. And dinner will probably either be poolside, or from Gasparilla Grill.

 

[EeyoreEma]

Tusker House is one of my most favorite breakfasts!! You lucky girl!! Eat some chocolate covered doughnuts, some mealie pap, the rice with the mustard sauce, and of course everything else that looks good for me! And send me a picture of your food ...

 

[UGAFan0829]

Tusker House is one of my most favorite breakfasts!! You lucky girl!! Eat some chocolate covered doughnuts, some mealie pap, the rice with the mustard sauce, and of course everything else that looks good for me! And send me a picture of your food ...

Chocolate covered doughnuts, I can most definitely do. I 'm not too sure about rice with mustard for breakfast. And I honestly have no idea what mealie pap. You are much more of a food connoisseur than I! I'm sure Mike will be willing to give it a shot though--he loves all that different stuff! I'll be sending lots of pics!