Celebrating our Super baby! 6-day at Pop in September PTR

[ShanLubey]

Hi everyone! I am so excited to start my Pre-Trip Report of our first stay at Disney as a family of three! A little background will be included with our cast descriptions. We're staying at Pop from September 4-9, 2012 on the Deluxe Dining plan - yay!

The Cast

Mike (my husband) - he has been to Disney three times, twice as a child and once as an adult with me. He is most interested in the dining, Frontierland at MK and the Rockin Rollercoaster.

Shanna, aka me! - I have been to Disney 3 times. Twice with cousins in my teenage year and once in August of 2010 with my husband of just two short months! The last day of that trip we learned the best news ever - we were PREGNANT! We had only been married for two months, but that was the best news of our lives! I can't wait for the DDP (I love to eat) and to experience traveling with our DS.

Sam - This little man will be 1.5 when we visit Disney! He is a pretty special little boy. When we went to the doctor after that positive pregnancy test, we learned we were having TWINS! We were so thrilled. Unfortunately, my pregnancy was plagued with problems. At 19 weeks, we lost our son (twin A) and I delivered him. By no other way than by miracle, I stayed pregnant on bedrest for 7 more weeks until DS was born 14 weeks early.

He was in the hospital for 94 days and on oxygen until early September 2011, when he was 7.5 months old. He's a miracle and a joy and has given us more hope than we could ever imagine. We will be celebrating his anniversary of losing the oxygen tubes AND being a March of Dimes Ambassador for our local chapter. I cannot express how excited we are to watch him take it all in. We know his only excitement will probably be with the balloons or stuffed animals, but we hope to make it an annual trip that he can grow to love (hopefully as much as we do!)

I am doing this PTR as a "blog" of sorts to keep track of my plans and to hopefully get feedback!

Only 102 more days!!

 

[ShanLubey]

Our Family at this year's March for Babies!

 

[Alysa]

What a beautiful baby boy! You look so happy in that picture! Looking forward to hearing more about your trip!

 

[MinnieLovesMickey]

What a sweetie! I can't wait to hear about your plans.

 

[ShanLubey]

What a beautiful baby boy! You look so happy in that picture! Looking forward to hearing more about your trip!

Thanks! I look forward to sharing!

What a sweetie! I can't wait to hear about your plans.

I am so excited to continue sharing our PTR!

 

[ShanLubey]

My husband and I decided on a whim to plan this trip. We then decided that we wanted to go within the next few months. I was NOT going to wait six plus months knowing that Disney was on the horizon. We looked at the promotions as a big deciding factor. I am not working right now so we're on a budget. Some people say that my budget isn't really "budget travelling," but it's a lot less than I am used to!

While browsing online, we found a FREE DINING PLAN option but we had three days left to book it, and we were limited to travel in August-September. With a child that has major asthma issues and Chronic Lung Disease I was ready to pass this up. No way in God's green earth would I be toting around a nebulizer machine, three inhalers, medication and everything else travel related. After talking to his very holistic and refreshingly unmaterialistic/cheap pediatrician, we booked the free dining plan option for September 4-9. I love that his doctor picked the dates for us.

We leave the day after Labor Day and I hope that means that crowds will not be crazy. School is just starting, after all.

It was easy to decide where we'd stay. We wanted Value and we liked how Pop had its own bus. AoA is opening around that time, and we were tempted to stay there but a family suite wasn't an option and I was too excited about being 109 days away. I was not going to push it back a few weeks to stay at LM. No way, no how.

Speaking of countdowns -

We've got 99 problems but a trip ain't one!!

I'll be doing more posting tonight if they baby FINALLY gets his butt to sleep. I am thinking that 10:45PM is way past his bedtime and mine too. Maybe he'll accept the bribe of meeting Mickey to fall asleep tonight..

Next up - Dining, my favorite part of vacation at Disney and really, any day!

 

[MinnieLovesMickey]

My husband and I decided on a whim to plan this trip. We then decided that we wanted to go within the next few months. I was NOT going to wait six plus months knowing that Disney was on the horizon. We looked at the promotions as a big deciding factor. I am not working right now so we're on a budget. Some people say that my budget isn't really "budget travelling," but it's a lot less than I am used to!

While browsing online, we found a FREE DINING PLAN option but we had three days left to book it, and we were limited to travel in August-September. With a child that has major asthma issues and Chronic Lung Disease I was ready to pass this up. No way in God's green earth would I be toting around a nebulizer machine, three inhalers, medication and everything else travel related. After talking to his very holistic and refreshingly unmaterialistic/cheap pediatrician, we booked the free dining plan option for September 4-9. I love that his doctor picked the dates for us.

We leave the day after Labor Day and I hope that means that crowds will not be crazy. School is just starting, after all.

It was easy to decide where we'd stay. We wanted Value and we liked how Pop had its own bus. AoA is opening around that time, and we were tempted to stay there but a family suite wasn't an option and I was too excited about being 109 days away. I was not going to push it back a few weeks to stay at LM. No way, no how.

Speaking of countdowns -

We've got 99 problems but a trip ain't one!!

I'll be doing more posting tonight if they baby FINALLY gets his butt to sleep. I am thinking that 10:45PM is way past his bedtime and mine too. Maybe he'll accept the bribe of meeting Mickey to fall asleep tonight..

Next up - Dining, my favorite part of vacation at Disney and really, any day!

Yay for getting your trip booked! I love Pop Century. For as big of a resort as it ts, everything is pretty close to the food court, buses and pools. You guys are going to have such a fun time. There's nothing like traveling with a little one.

Sounds like your DS has sleeping habits like my DS, good luck with that.

 

[ShanLubey]

Getting good ADRs was getting me nervous. How would we get the choice spots with less than 110 days out?

Good news: we did! Of course, I am still playing around with the choices. I am still quite satisfied.

Last time we visited WDW, we came with my uncle and cousins. They wanted mostly CS meals but we did eat at Teppan Edo, 50s Prime Time Cafe and The Plaza Restaurant. All were great! But this trip is going to be very different. LOTS of character dining for my son, paired with some signature dining for Mom and Dad.

Dinner at Teppan Edo was HOT!

Now here is what really matters - the plan!

Arrival day - Cinderella's Royal Table dinner at 6:55PM followed possibly by the Wishes Dessert party
Day 2 - Playhouse Disney Play n Dine at Hollywood and Vine lunch at 12:35PM
Hollywood Brown Derby for dinner at 7:15PM (hubby's choice)
Day 3 - Tutto Italia lunch at 11:45AM
Rose & Crown Pub and Dining room dinner at 7:05PM
Day 4 - Tusker House breakfast at 8:05AM
Yak & Yeti lunch at 1PM
Day 5 - Crystal Palace breakfast at 8:50AM (just early enough to get in the park a little early!!)
Cape May Cafe dinner at 7:05PM
Day 6 - no plan. It depends on flight departure time!

The only restaurants out of these I have eaten at is Crystal Palace and Tutto Italia. Everything else will be new to me. I am beyond thrilled to have a new dining experience and to eat with the characters FOUR TIMES!! I didn't want to be a complete slave to our ADRs so we have left a meal a day to CS. I don't think there will be much room left in our tummies once we are done with this plan!

I am not the only person who loves food at Disney, right? Better start exercising now.

 

[MinnieLovesMickey]

Your dining choices sound great! I've eaten at both Rose & Crown and Yak and Yeti, both are really good. Your timing for R&C should line up pretty well with Illuminations.

We're doing 3 character meals, so don't feel too bad. I'm pretty excited to see the interactions.

 

[ShanLubey]

DAY 1 plan!

We'll be flying out of Boston in the earliest flight evvvver - 6:30am departure. But it's ok, because it will be a 9:50AM arrival at the happiest place on earth. We'll have to have everything packed up in the car and start driving to the airport by 3:30AM. We're hoping to wake up our baby at this time, feed him and give him his breathing treatments on the road all in hopes of getting him to sleep on the flight. It would be more or less his bed time around then.

We'll be flying our favorite carrier of them all:

This is from our last trip to Disney. Most of the pictures I will use in this post/PTR are from our previous trips.

When we get to MCO, we'll head to Terminal B and hop aboard the Magical Express. Last visit, we hired a town car and while it was nice, it was not necessary. We actually found our driver too chatty and talked too much politics. Not my cup of tea with a stranger!

The ME will bring us to Pop hopefully by 11am-12pm. We can get checked in, maybe our room will be ready. If it is, we'll go throw our things down, relax for a bit before heading out. If not, then we'll just grab what we need from our carry-ons and head to our first destination...

Where will we first feel the magic with our little man?

 

[ShanLubey]

Day 1 part two -

Once we get out of Pop and head out to a park, we'll visit the quintessential Disney park -

MAGIC KINGDOM!

I cannot imagine the joy on Sam's face with all those sights and sounds. We're going to spend early afternoon doing some shopping to bring home. Mickey Ears for Sam, a tee shirt and toy for my nephew and some other things for little guy. We'll make a stop at the Main Street Bakery for some sandwiches and sweets. Then we'll head to Tomorrowland. One of my favorite attractions in MK is Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor. On our last trip, I texted a joke in and they used it during the show! I was so proud of myself.

We'll have to hit the kid friendly attractions: Astro Orbiter, Buzz Lightyear, Tomorrowland Speedway and maybe meet Buzz Lightyear? That would be just awesome! We might try to do Space Mountain using the Baby Swap technique. We might not. It depends on the standby line length. Anything longer than 45 minutes is a NO WAY.

When we are done in TL, we'll have to look at our watches to decide where to go next. We have a very awesome reservation at Cinderella's Royal Table that we cannot miss. I've lived every day of my life dreaming of being a Princess. If it were socially acceptable for me to come to the Castle dressed as a princess, I would.

I digress... If we have enough time to hit Fantasyland, we will go straight for some favorites. Can you believe I have never ridden Dumbo? It's the plan to get on it with Sam! Last time, I waited for everyone else and a bird dropped a load on my arm. Nasty.

We hope to hit: Dumbo, It's a Small World, the Carousel (Sam's loves the Carousel near our house with photographic evidence below), Peter Pan's Flight, Winnie the Pooh and Philarmagic. Ok. We want to see it all. We do have another day at MK, so we will take what we can get and then head to dinner in the most MAGICAL BUILDING EVER.

I browse the menus for each location and know what I would likely choose if the same exact menu is available. (I love to cook and I love to eat. The theme of this trip for me is EAT EAT EAT.) I'll probably get the cocktail shrimp, followed by the Pork Three Ways and the dessert trio.

After dinner and meeting the princesses, we may go to the Wishes Dessert party for more food. Mike and I haven't decided yet, and it's still too early to book, but I think we'll probably be out of luck since it starts at 8PM and our dinner can't be done in just an hour.

I've never met the princesses. We met the Stepsisters and one of them hit on my husband. I hope the princesses have more class than that mean girl.

We'll watch the parade and Wishes and head back to POP. We must get some sleep and rest up for our exciting DAY 2!

 

[laura74]

Shana, what a wonderful miracle Sam is. I hope you have a wonderful time on your trip.

I see you have a rose & crown reservation for 7:05. If Sam is up to it see if you can for an outside table and stall enough to watch Illuminations from your table. It's a great viewing spot.

 

[ShanLubey]

Before I get to DAY 2, I have to talk about the packing list. I've read a few different 80-some page threads about packing for Disney and I am shocked.

A TOASTER? I cannot see bringing everything but the kitchen sink! We'll be on vacation. I understand that it saves money, but eat soft bread instead of risking crumbs in your underwear. How would you prevent that?

Here is our list:

Clothes/fabric items
4 pairs shorts for each adult
8 tees/tanks for me
6 tees/tanks for Mike
4 pairs of shoes for each of us
1 light weight dress for me
2 polos for DH
1 bathing suit for each of us
10 pairs of adult socks
8 pairs of shorts for Sam (he tends to make a mess)
12 shirts for Sam
5 pairs of socks for Sam
1 beach towel for Sam
2 hats for each of the boys
sunglasses
under roos for all
cardigan for me
sweatshirt for Mike
North Face lightweight rain coat for Sam


toiletries

Aloe
Antibacterial
Baby powder
Extra contacts and extra glasses
Aleve/tylenol
Children’s tylenol and Motrin
Poly-Vi-Sol
Miralax
Sam’s nebulizer, albuterol and pulmicort
Sam’s inhaler
Dental floss
Chapstick with SPF
Nail clippers and tweezers
Q-tips
Anti-monkey butt powder for thighs and feet
Moleskin
Benadryl
Evian water spray
Body Glide


Other misc items/baby items

Camera
Get Sam an autograph book personalized on Etsy, clicking sharpie
Sun canopy for stroller (attached to stroller)
Rain cover for stroller (store with stroller)
Ponchos from Dollar store
Cellphone and camera chargers
SLEEP SHEEP
Extra wubbanubs
Two pack n play sheets
muslin blanket for Sam
pillowcase for Sam
Packaging tape
Small plastic trash bags for dirty clothes
Diapers and wipes for plane
Sippy cups (3)
Bottles (6)
Bottle brush
Dish soap
Ziploc bags of every size
Fan with mister
Pack all of toiletries, Sam’s shoes, our socks and underwear in a hanging shoe organizer
Lysol wipes
Clothespins for hanging wet bathing suits
Small fleece blanket
Second SD card
Retractable badge holders
Glasses wipes
Digital thermometer
umbrella stroller or full size stroller
diaper bag
Sam's small collapsible drink cooler (for the parks)

I mock those who pack a toaster but I literally bring the entire house with me. Sam is on Pediasure by prescription, so I will have to place a Garden Grocer order for some whole milk and 12 bottles of Pediasure. Ugh - we only get 1-fifty pound bag for each adult. I am so going to have the carry-ons packed to the gills. Any advice on what NOT to bring or what I could possibly be missing?

 

[ShanLubey]

Shana, what a wonderful miracle Sam is. I hope you have a wonderful time on your trip.

I see you have a rose & crown reservation for 7:05. If Sam is up to it see if you can for an outside table and stall enough to watch Illuminations from your table. It's a great viewing spot.

I was hoping for a later R&C res but that was the latest available. We'll see if we can stall!

 

[ShanLubey]

Small little AW moment - we're 1/3 of the way with paying our balance COMPLETELY done with Craigslist/consignment money. That's right!

 

[MinnieLovesMickey]

Great Day 1. That's one of the few things I don't like about living on the west coast, is it takes all day to make it to FL, the only thing that's usually open when we get there is DTD. I'm like you, still haven't decided on baby swap or not. I've also never been on Dumbo, at least not at WDW, so I'm looking to ride with DS for our first ride.

The packing list looks almost identical to mine. Can't think of anything else. We don't bring a toaster, but we do travel with a mini travel Keurig coffee maker. Coffee is very important with so many early mornings and Nescrape doesn't cut it.

 

[marDgreen88]

Your family has such an incredible story! How exciting to be taking your son to Disney for the first time! Your ADRs look awesome and your day 1 plan does as well. Can't wait to read about more!

 

[ShanLubey]

Great Day 1. That's one of the few things I don't like about living on the west coast, is it takes all day to make it to FL, the only thing that's usually open when we get there is DTD. I'm like you, still haven't decided on baby swap or not. I've also never been on Dumbo, at least not at WDW, so I'm looking to ride with DS for our first ride.

The packing list looks almost identical to mine. Can't think of anything else. We don't bring a toaster, but we do travel with a mini travel Keurig coffee maker. Coffee is very important with so many early mornings and Nescrape doesn't cut it.

Good idea with the coffee. I don't drink it, but I'll have to check with Mike. I wonder if those Via tubes by Starbucks are worth the money.

Your family has such an incredible story! How exciting to be taking your son to Disney for the first time! Your ADRs look awesome and your day 1 plan does as well. Can't wait to read about more!

Thank you!! I am so excited planning this trip. All I ever think of is Disney, Disney, Disney, Disney,... You get the idea!

 

[CandleontheWater]

Congratulations on your miracle baby and hitting some big milestones!

You guys have some great restaurants on the list, and I'm sure you're little guy will love eating with the characters!

Your first day sounds great and awesome job with craigslist!

 

[ShanLubey]

I just learned the Electrical parade is only going to play on the Thursday we are at WDW. That means that I have to switch my Thursday at Epcot to Saturday and my Saturday at MK to Thursday. Mike is insisting we don't miss the parade.

That means I lose my Cape May ressie and my prime time slot at Rose and Crown. Fingers crossed I can make equally as cool reservations for these days too.