Disney-crazed and counting down! My pre-trip report

[DisneyDarling13]

Hello fellow DISers! I am absolutely beyond excited for my upcoming Disney World vacation so I've decided to take a stab at a PTR! I've been reading some PTRs over the last month or so, so I think I've got the hang of this!

Let me start off with a little introduction: I'm Rachel, I'm 28, I live in Buffalo, NY and I do Quality Assurance for a mortgage corporation. I work hard, and sometimes very long hours, so a vacation is always welcomed. When it's a Disney vacation though, that's a whole different story!!! I have an amazing boyfriend, Marcus. He's 31, works as a security officer and is in the process of becoming a New York State Corrections Officer! We've been together for about a year and a half, but have known eachother for about 4. Here we are on my 28th birthday and also at the Dave Matthews concert earlier this month:

Marcus has never been to Disney World and he is fully aware and accepting of my obsession. I knew (and so did he) that it wouldn't be long before we took a Disney trip (I'm actually surprised it took THIS long!), so in my head I've been planning this trip for a while! When I got the special free dining pin code in the mail I knew it was a sign to go

Unfortunately, even though the boy is excited to go, he is nowhere near as excited as me. Since he's never been there, he has no idea what he's missing. I talk about it all the time and we've done some YouTube surfing and we watched the Netflix specials, etc. But his logic is that until he sees and experiences everything himself, showing him all this "stuff" won't really mean much. I won't admit this to him, but he hurt my feelings a smidge when he said that, but I guess I can understand where he's coming from. SO, DISboards has become my excitement outlet!

So, the trip so far is looking a little like thiiiiiiis....

We leave suuuuuper early on Saturday October 19. We need to be at the airport by 4:45 or 5 at the latest. Our flight leaves from Buffalo-Niagara International at 6:30 and is a non-stop to Orlando. Arrival time is 9:10am. I'm hoping to be on the Magical Express by 10:30 at the latest and "checking-in" at the hotel by 11:15. As much as I just want to ruuuuunnnn to the Magic Kingdom, I'm thinking we're going to explore a little around the resort, maybe take a swim and if we're lucky enough to get in the hotel room early, a little catnap in the AC so that I don't have a Grumpy Gills on my hands! Around 3 we're going to head to the Magic Kingdom and hit one of my favorite attractions first, Pirates of the Caribbean, and get a Dole Whip!!! Dinner is at the Crystal Palace at 7:45. After that, it's Wishes and then back to the hotel for some sleep so we can gear up for our first full day in the World!

That's my intro and my first day plans....more to come!!!!

Have a magical evening everyone!!

 

[DisneyDarling13]

Continuing on....I think I've decided that Marcus and I are both going to get new sneakers for the trip. He has a love affair with Nike so I know we'll be making a trip out the Nike Outlet for some new kicks soon. I don't know how long we should be "breaking them in" for though. If we leave October 19, do you think going sneaker shopping in early September would be best? My trip will be paid in full (YAY) on September 4, so after that, all extra money can be used for spending money there and anything else we may need to get ready for the trip! I was considering buying a new camera for the occasion but I'm still not too positive on that one yet.

I also realized that I left out a major detail in my first post and that's where we're staying! We're staying at the Caribbean Beach Resort for the entire time we're there...9 nights. I'm hoping to spend some quality time at the pools there. I stayed there in September 2010 and even though the theming at the major pool is fantastic, I found it to be a little overcrowded. I think we'll stay in the quiet at the smaller pool located near our building.

As far as getting everything in order here in Buffalo, I've pretty much mapped out where we're going on what days, and more important, all of our dining reservations are taken care of. I'm starting to figure out mentally what I'll be packing clothes-wise. Even Marcus asked me what I think would be a good amount of "outfits" to bring. This will be the longest vacation I've taken at Disney, so I want to be prepared. The goal is to have everything taken care of mid-week of the week we leave so that nothing is left behind and we'll be all set!

Getting more and more excited everyday!!

 

[happybelle]

Joining in. New shoes (properly broken in) are always a must for Disney.

 

[JessicaKnits]

Joining in! I agree, new shoes are a must for Disney. If you don't have a job where you're on your feet all the time, I think getting them sometime in September will be good. I got some awesome neon blue/lime green Nike's for my trip last year, and I only wore them for that trip, so they will be making a return trip for my next trip!

 

[DisneyDarling13]

Hi happybelle and JessicaKnits! This is my first ever PTR so I don't have many joiners, but thank you for joining! I'm happy to have some people to bounce ideas off of!

I work in an office and unfortunately don't move around as often as I'd like...I do walk about a mile and a quarter on my lunch most days and get in a 2ish mile walk with the dog on most evenings, so I can wear the sneakers then to break them in. I figure if I start wearing them mid Sept on my walks, I should be good to go by the time our trip comes around. Marcus can be ridiculously stubborn sometimes so I'm hoping he'll at least wear his on our dog walks....he runs and goes to the gym but I don't think he should be breaking his in that way...just walking, right?

Also, JessicaKnits...quick question...how do I get the links in my posts like yours? I love that idea!

 

[happybelle]

Walking any amount is a great start! As for breaking in the shoes....I think as long as they fit his feet comfortably, without hotspots, he should be fine.

 

[DisneyDarling13]

Happybelle when are you going to Disney World next?!

 

[DisneyDarling13]

Well today is our 3 month mark! There's something about that mark that I've been looking forward to...although I can't quite put my finger on it! It may be that it's only a quarter of a year, 90 days, whatever! But at 3 months, things start feeling real! I've been starting to "smell" Disney every time I talk about it, and it's all getting so close! I don't feel like I'm talking about something that is still so far away because it really isn't! The rest of our summer is pretty booked...basically something every weekend, so by the time it's all over...we'll only be a little over a month away! Marcus is seemingly getting more and more excited. He's been asking me over the last week or so little questions that reassure me that he's thinking about the trip and excited, just in a different way than me. Yesterday, out of the blue, he asked me what items we would be bringing into the parks on a daily basis. Which brings me to my point...what do you guys bring to the parks?

Since we don't have kids yet, traveling light is relatively easy. When I go, I typically bring one of those nylon drawstring "backpacks". On a normal day I'll toss my poncho, water bottle, camera and chapstick/lip gloss. I always get annoyed with the condensation on my water bottle, so I end up leaving that at the hotel. I'd like to be a little more organized this time around (The man is an ORGANIZATION FREAK and I don't want him to realize we may be unprepared at any time throughout the vacation ) He's also a pop nut (that would be "soda" for all you people in other parts of the country haha) so the refillable mug perk is something he's really looking forward to. I know him, and I know for sure he is not leaving that hotel without his refillable mug....EVER. This is going to cause the problem of "where the heck are we storing that thing once it's empty", which is why I never leave the hotel with my mug. He'll be a different story, though. So I've heard such things as bring a large Ziploc bag to store it in, or put a napkin in between the mug and top and throw it in your backpack. The mug will easily fit in our backpacks (he's undecided on whether or not he's going to carry one) so I think storing it in a storage Ziploc bag would be the best idea. That way any possible stickiness will stay OFF of everything else. Other than the mug, I think I'm sticking with the basics...I'll have my ID, credit card, and Key To The World card in a storage lanyard and I'll throw the poncho, camera, and water bottle in the backpack as well. Cell phone and chapstick will most likely stay in my pocket...unless I happen not to have one, and then I'll hand them off to Marcus the water bottle I have is a leak-proof Camelbak with the "bite and sip" straw...literally the best invention ever. If you don't have one, get one! I've heard a tip about wrapping the water bottle in a small hand towel or washcloth to prevent the condensation from going everywhere. Not a bad idea! So what do you guys bring with you? Any other tips?

 

[JessicaKnits]

Hi happybelle and JessicaKnits! This is my first ever PTR so I don't have many joiners, but thank you for joining! I'm happy to have some people to bounce ideas off of!

I work in an office and unfortunately don't move around as often as I'd like...I do walk about a mile and a quarter on my lunch most days and get in a 2ish mile walk with the dog on most evenings, so I can wear the sneakers then to break them in. I figure if I start wearing them mid Sept on my walks, I should be good to go by the time our trip comes around. Marcus can be ridiculously stubborn sometimes so I'm hoping he'll at least wear his on our dog walks....he runs and goes to the gym but I don't think he should be breaking his in that way...just walking, right?

Also, JessicaKnits...quick question...how do I get the links in my posts like yours? I love that idea!

Do you mean the links in my signature to my reports?

 

[JessicaKnits]

Well today is our 3 month mark! There's something about that mark that I've been looking forward to...although I can't quite put my finger on it! It may be that it's only a quarter of a year, 90 days, whatever! But at 3 months, things start feeling real! I've been starting to "smell" Disney every time I talk about it, and it's all getting so close! I don't feel like I'm talking about something that is still so far away because it really isn't! The rest of our summer is pretty booked...basically something every weekend, so by the time it's all over...we'll only be a little over a month away! Marcus is seemingly getting more and more excited. He's been asking me over the last week or so little questions that reassure me that he's thinking about the trip and excited, just in a different way than me. Yesterday, out of the blue, he asked me what items we would be bringing into the parks on a daily basis. Which brings me to my point...what do you guys bring to the parks?

Since we don't have kids yet, traveling light is relatively easy. When I go, I typically bring one of those nylon drawstring "backpacks". On a normal day I'll toss my poncho, water bottle, camera and chapstick/lip gloss. I always get annoyed with the condensation on my water bottle, so I end up leaving that at the hotel. I'd like to be a little more organized this time around (The man is an ORGANIZATION FREAK and I don't want him to realize we may be unprepared at any time throughout the vacation ) He's also a pop nut (that would be "soda" for all you people in other parts of the country haha) so the refillable mug perk is something he's really looking forward to. I know him, and I know for sure he is not leaving that hotel without his refillable mug....EVER. This is going to cause the problem of "where the heck are we storing that thing once it's empty", which is why I never leave the hotel with my mug. He'll be a different story, though. So I've heard such things as bring a large Ziploc bag to store it in, or put a napkin in between the mug and top and throw it in your backpack. The mug will easily fit in our backpacks (he's undecided on whether or not he's going to carry one) so I think storing it in a storage Ziploc bag would be the best idea. That way any possible stickiness will stay OFF of everything else. Other than the mug, I think I'm sticking with the basics...I'll have my ID, credit card, and Key To The World card in a storage lanyard and I'll throw the poncho, camera, and water bottle in the backpack as well. Cell phone and chapstick will most likely stay in my pocket...unless I happen not to have one, and then I'll hand them off to Marcus the water bottle I have is a leak-proof Camelbak with the "bite and sip" straw...literally the best invention ever. If you don't have one, get one! I've heard a tip about wrapping the water bottle in a small hand towel or washcloth to prevent the condensation from going everywhere. Not a bad idea! So what do you guys bring with you? Any other tips?

Condensation drives me nuts too! I have been looking for a great condensation-proof water bottle to take with me on my next trip. I found a great website that has a nice listing of condensation proof water bottles. Not sure if you would want to get another one if you've already invested in a Camel Back, but you can check them out here.