Celebrating my Un-Birthday Disney Style-April 2010-New 5/3 - The TR has started!

DisMomAmy · Oct 16, 2009

I know the "What are you celebrating?" theme will be gone in 2010 but my family has decided that I need to change my birthday. I have never had my own day... my brother's birthday is 3 days after mine and now that I'm all grown up, six years ago I went and had a baby the day before my 30th birthday so I share (happily) my day with Zach. I also share my other special day, Mother's Day, not only because we celebrate my mother and DH's mother, but because my mother's birthday is May 13th so we are often celebrating her birthday near Mother's Day too. We are the only family members who own a house so I am always hosting the celebrations... including my own birthday & Mother's Day. This year DH (Tim) decided we needed to find a day to celebrate me, with that being said, this week I booked our airfare and the planning has begun.

Here we are on the last day of our April 2009 trip:

Alexander (9 next month):

Alex at soccer:

Zach on his 6th birthday:

Zach at soccer:

DisMomAmy · Oct 16, 2009

I started posting information about this trip on my 2009 TR so I'm going to copy it over here. Here's what I posted yesterday about airfare & rental car:

So yesterday morning, after being haunted by the ghost of Southwest all night long, I got up and posted here on the DIS. Then I checked the Southwest prices and they had arleady gone up!! Every flight went up by exactly $5. I guess that's the penalty for procrastination.

I emailed Tim to tell him what had happened and he told me to just go ahead and book something so I could sleep again. (Until the week before our trip at least... )

The answer to the burning question... APRIL is the winner!

Here is what I booked:

Southwest Manchester - Tampa
Thursday, April 22nd 7:55am - 11:20am

Returning on Southwest Tampa - Manchester
Sunday, May 2nd 10:40am - 1:40pm

The return flights were cheaper out of Tampa plus that gives us the flexibility to switch things around if needed and visit family on either end of our trip.

And I've already booked a minivan for 10 days for $550! I think that's a great price since I was only finding prices over $1000 in my initial research. I used carrentalsavers.com. Of course I'll be watching those prices closely and probably re-book several times before April.

The reason we ended up with April was really about the flights. Direct filghts are important for us and the weather can be unpredictable for travel in February.

I did go back and cancel & rebook our flights as two separate itineraries in case a great rate opens up in Orlando for the return flight or in case there are other changes we want to make - we won't have to cancel both flights and risk the prices going up (which they probably will).

Right now the plan is to visit Jeff (Tim's brother) & Karen (Jeff's girlfriend) & the kids (J(17) & K(13) - Jeff's kids with his ex-wife) for the first weekend then check-in in Orlando on Sunday. We'll be visiting Tim's grandmother, who just turned 90, sometime during the week.

There you have it! I'll finish up this TR shortly then I'm going to take a little break for a while. I'll probably start a PTR closer to our ADR time in January... or sooner if I feel like it. We'll see...

DisMomAmy · Oct 16, 2009

I wasn't going to start this PTR until January, when I thought I would be making my ADRs. But then I heard a rumor... Here's what I posted on my TR:

Dear Dis-Friends - I need help again!!

I've read a few things about ADRs switching back to 180 days on October 27th but I can't find anything official or even somewhat official. Has anyone else heard about this?? I've also heard that park hours will go back to 180 days as well... let's hope so because if that's true I need to make ADRs starting on the 27th!! And since we're staying off-property I'll need to get up early every day to make each ADR. Help!!

DisMomAmy · Oct 16, 2009

After searching all day, I finally found something "official" about the return of ADRs at 180 days. The 2010 Disney Dining Plan brochure states the following:

"Our Table Service restaurants, character dining and dinner shows
book quickly and the restaurant and seating of your choice may
be limited or may not be available during your visit. Please make
reservations online at disneyworld.com/dining or by calling
407-WDW-DINE up to 90 days prior to your visit for the best options.
Beginning October 27, 2009, for arrivals Jan. 25, 2010, and beyond,
reservations may be made up to 180 days prior to your visit."

You can find it for yourselves here: http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/vacation-packages/2010/dining/
Scroll down about 1/3 of the way and click on "Disney Dining Plan" and you'll find the brochure. The information is listed as the second "Great Tip!"

I guess I'll start working on the itinerary... :headache:

Momof2Disneyboys · Oct 16, 2009

Am I first??!! :cool1:

DisMomAmy · Oct 16, 2009

Momof2Disneyboys said:
Am I first??!!

Yup!! Thanks for coming! :yay:

Charleston Princess · Oct 16, 2009

I am here, Amy!!! :yay:

MRYPPNS · Oct 16, 2009

Gee Girl.... you have been one busy bee this morning!

DisMomAmy · Oct 16, 2009

Charleston Princess said:
I am here, Amy!!!

Thanks for coming over!! :goodvibes

MRYPPNS said:
Gee Girl.... you have been one busy bee this morning!

It's too cold to do anything else! :cold:

Hope you don't mind that I stole your theme - celebrating me! It's such a good one. :thumbsup2

praisehisname · Oct 16, 2009

I'm here! That's so cool that your DH decided to give you your own day! :lovestruc

Denise

DisMomAmy · Oct 16, 2009

praisehisname said:
I'm here! That's so cool that your DH decided to give you your own day!

Denise

Yes- DH giving me my own day is cool - even cooler that I turned it into a week at WDW!

jordanyosh · Oct 16, 2009

good. I made page 1 and am here from the start! :thumbsup2

mousescrapper · Oct 16, 2009

I'm here...and I'll do my best to stay up to date....let me help plan it may snap me out of my no-Dis funk....

Scrappie J~

DisMomAmy · Oct 16, 2009

jordanyosh said:
good. I made page 1 and am here from the start!

Glad you could make it Jordan!!

mousescrapper said:
I'm here...and I'll do my best to stay up to date....let me help plan it may snap me out of my no-Dis funk....

Scrappie J~

Hi Julie!! Thanks for coming along. I wasn't planning to start this until January but the ADR thing is going to require some input from my DISfriends - hopefully you can help me out with some of that! I'll be posting my guess of EMHs & evening entertainment and first version of my itinerary soon for suggestions. I could use a bit of a break too so I suspect that once I get my ADRs done I'll be slowing down to work on some Christmas projects.

Sorry about the no-DIS funk. :hug:

mommytothreeboys · Oct 17, 2009

Did I make it onto page 1?? SO excited to share in the planning of this new trip!

:banana:

DisMomAmy · Oct 17, 2009

mommytothreeboys said:
Did I make it onto page 1?? SO excited to share in the planning of this new trip!

Woo Hoo!! Page 1!! :cool1:

Glad to have your help!!

eandesmom · Oct 17, 2009

RATS! page 2

DisMomAmy · Oct 17, 2009

eandesmom said:
RATS! page 2

That's OK - I'm still happy you are here. :goodvibes

mousescrapper · Oct 17, 2009

Amy

1 WEEK and 3 days.....till ADR time.... :scared1:

where the LIST? :confused3

let's get some pre-eating done.... popcorn::

J-

DisMomAmy · Oct 18, 2009

mousescrapper said:
Amy

1 WEEK and 3 days.....till ADR time....

where the LIST?

let's get some pre-eating done....

J-

I'm on it!!

Celebrating my Un-Birthday Disney Style-April 2010-New 5/3 - The TR has started!

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