"For the first time in forever, I'm getting what I'm dreaming of." Sept 2015 PTR

[Sisa]

Hey Howdy Hey!

I've been debating for awhile now on when I should start a PTR for our first trip to WDW in September 2015. Even though my trip is over a year away, I've decided I need to start getting all the details laid out. This trip has been in the making since our trip to DL in Sept. 2013. We are all dying to go back to Disney.

I've been fortunate to visit DL many times, but a visit to WDW has always been a dream of mine, one which I never expected to come true. Yet, here I am creating a PTR for a trip to WDW!!! To say I am ecstatic is an true understatement.

Another great reason for the trip being next year is my DH and I both turn 30 in 2015. A trip to WDW that I've been yearning to take for years, seems to ease the pain a little

Meet our gang of Disney fans:



Me-The biggest Disney fanatic of the family (of course). I've grown up loving everything Disney and am now sharing it with my children. Like I said, I have been lucky to visit DL several times, but it means even more now (didn't know that was possible) experiencing it with my own children.
Favorite movies: Lion King, Lilo & Stitch, Tangled and Frozen.
Favorite rides: Space Mountain, IASW, Tiki Room and Big Thunder Mountain RR.



DH-Also grew up loving Disney, but was not fortunate to go to a Disney park as a kid (so deprived). While dating, I introduced him to DL. He enjoyed his visit, but his love for the parks really came when we experienced DL with our kids for the first time. He caught the Disney Bug.
Favorite movies: Lion King, Toy Story, he even likes Tangled (but I didn't let that secret out ), and Big Hero 6.
Favorite rides: Space Mountain, PoTC and Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters.




DD5-She will be 6 at the time of our trip. She is our princess. She loved her first visit to DL and has been dying to go back.
Favorite movies: Cinderella, Tangled and Frozen.
Favorite rides: Ariel's Under Sea Adventure, Gadget's Go Coaster, and the Mad Tea Party.




DS3-He will be 4 at the time of our visit. He is our cars and planes lover. He also enjoyed his first visit to DL, he was a bit nervous of the characters and rides. However, he also asks to go back frequently.
Favorite movies: Cars, Planes, all the Toy Story movies and Big Hero 6.
Favorite rides: The Mad Tea Party, Buzz's Astro Blaster and Dumbo.

And lastly my favorite photo from our DL trip

 

[Sisa]

The W's and How
Country Bears Family Movie Night #1
The Deets so far
First purchase & 2nd Movie Night
Home on the Range FMN #3
Winnie the Pooh FMN #4
ADR Plans and Such
Lady and the Tramp FMN#5
Captain America: The Winter Soldier FMN#6
Cinderella FMN #7
Spooky Buddies FMN #8
Pirates of the Caribbean FMN #9
Haunted Mansion FMN #10
Nightmare Before Christmas FMN #11
The Apple Dumpling Gang FMN #12
Pocahontas FMN #13
The Little Mermaid FMN #14
Aristocats FMN#15
Frozen FMN #16
The Santa Clause FMN#17 & The Muppets Christmas Carol FMN#18
Toy Story FMN #19
Honey, I shrunk the kids FMN#20
Robin Hood FMN #21
The Parent Trap FMN #22 & The Sword in the Stone FMN #23
Tom and Huck FMN #24
Skirts and Countdown chain
Pete's Dragon FMN #25 & Alice in Wonderland FMN #26
Mulan FMN #27
Basic Plan and ADR Plan
Princess and the Frog FMN #28
Cars FMN #29
101 Dalmations FMN #30
Hercules FMN #31 and Avenger Party
Brave FMN #32
Muppets FMN #33
Tangled FMN #34 and Jungle Book FMN #35
Planes FMN #36
Up FMN #37 & Three Caballeros FMN #38
Wreck it Ralph FMN #39
Pinocchio FMN #40, Dumbo FMN #41 and Incredibles FMN #42
A bug's Life FMN #43 and Peter Pan FMN #44
Swiss Family Robinson FMN #45, Lion King FMN #46, Star Wars FMN #47 & Big Hero 6 FMN #48
Lilo & Stitch FMN #49, Brother Bear FMN #50, Bolt FMN #51
Beauty and the Beast FMN #52 & Must Do's/Must Try's
Finding Nemo FMN #53

 

[victoriam1119]

Hi!
I'm subbing in!
I LOVE the balloon picture, your kids are adorable! I'm really hoping we can get some cute magic shots when we go.
I've never been to DL and it's on my bucket list for sure!
Do you have your dates for September decided yet? And where you'll stay? Im excited to see all your plans so far!

 

[Sisa]

Hi!
I'm subbing in!
I LOVE the balloon picture, your kids are adorable! I'm really hoping we can get some cute magic shots when we go.
I've never been to DL and it's on my bucket list for sure!
Do you have your dates for September decided yet? And where you'll stay? Im excited to see all your plans so far!

Glad you're here!
Thank you, I love all the magic shots too! So much fun! I hope we get some good ones in WDW.

DL is my home away from home. It's going to be so interesting for me to see the difference between WDW and DL. I can't even wrap my head around how big WDW really is. I'm sure I will be blown away.

I do have my dates, I am kinda nervous about posting them because I've read other TR where they have had creepers and don't post TR dates anymore. It's sad that we have to worry about that kind of stuff, but obviously my kids' safety is number one. My ticker is set to a random date too.

We are planning to stay at POP and I am excited about it!

I am working on another update, so I should have that ready to post today.

 

[Sisa]

Why:

We all enjoyed our DL trip greatly, we made so many lasting memories and we just can't wait to go back to Disney.

How a trip to WDW came into the picture:

During our DL trip we stayed onsite and decided we must stay onsite always, we can't imagine staying offsite now. We also decided that our trip to DL was not long enough, we wanted to stay longer. We would also be adding an additional park ticket this time because DS now required one due to his age.

With all these factors in mind and increasing the cost of the trip, I decided to check out how the cost of going to WDW would compare. To my surprise, it was actually more cost effective to go to WDW. I started doing my happy dance right there, even before bringing this up to DH. After discussing my findings with DH, it was decided WE WERE GOING TO WDW! I'm still in so much shock, that it doesn't feel real yet.

When:

Picking a time of year was the easiest part, we absolutely loved going to DL in September. The low crowds are such a treat, it would be hard for us to go during peak season ever again. I do still really want to visit during the holiday season with all the decorations at Christmas time though.

So the September time was decided before we even left DL. Then to top it off, after researching, I realize that free dining is typically offered in September. OMG! That was for sure a deal sealer. Like seriously, I was freaking out. What an amazing deal to not have to worry about the majority of the food finances. I love having everything prepaid before we go, it just is so much less stress.

Where:

This has been the hardest part for me. After a bunch of researching, I finally decided on a Little Mermaid room at AoA. I was super excited with this choice, the resort is just perfectly themed for our kids. I just fell in love with it online.

However, then I found out LM rooms at AOA are not included in the free dining offer major bummer, total buzz kill. After some more reading, I have decided we will be staying at Pop Century. I like that POP is still Disney themed and I know our kids will appreciate that at this age. We can always do a moderate or Deluxe when they are older and don't care about the in your face Disney decor. I also like that POP has it's own buses for the resort.

 

[ChanFO]

POP seemed like a good family resort when I was there, so I think you'll be happy with it. And September is great for the low crowds, so if that's the priority you'll love that too. Definitely pack the sunscreen and water bottles, though, because the trade-off is that it is hot, humid, and can take a lot out of you.

 

[Sisa]

POP seemed like a good family resort when I was there, so I think you'll be happy with it. And September is great for the low crowds, so if that's the priority you'll love that too. Definitely pack the sunscreen and water bottles, though, because the trade-off is that it is hot, humid, and can take a lot out of you.

Thank you SO much for your input on POP! It's Disney, I am sure we will be happy anywhere on property
Yes, low crowds is a must especially for my DH, he doesn't have much patience.
The heat and humidity is the one thing I am worried about. We rarely see hot and humid at home, so I am hoping we can handle the heat. We plan on doing rope drop, so if it gets too hot for us, we can head back and swim, then return when we're cooled off a bit.

 

[Sisa]

We just finished our first family movie night! We are doing this weekly until our trip. The kids had so much fun tonight, they really enjoyed it. We did the movie, dinner and let the kids choose a board game to play. They chose Yahtzee.

 

[Sisa]

In preparation for our first trip to WDW, my free time is consumed of reading everything I can about WDW. There is so much more to learn this time. I thought preparing for my DL trip was quite the task. Haha, that was nothing compared to WDW, good thing I enjoy it. It also helps pass the time until our trip is here.

Thank you to all of you who take the time to write Trip Reports, they have been the biggest help to me. I plan to do one as well, hopefully mine can help someone else at some point.

I am planning to use a travel agent (TA) this time and have one picked out. I have mixed feelings about this, but hoping it will be the right decision. For our DL trip, I enjoyed planning every aspect of the trip myself. Since I've never been to WDW, I just think it might be better to have a partner the first time help me out. There are just so many questions I have, trying to secure a free dining deal (if offered during our visit) and making the ADR's is kind of intimidating...lol.

As for dates, we have some picked out, but due to creepers, I am withholding that information as my family's safety is most important. My ticker is set to a random date.

We were originally thinking 2 travel days and 10 full park days, however, I have changed my mind. So now I am thinking 2 travel days, 9 park days, 1 day at a beach, then finishing up that day at a MNSSHP! EEK, I am super excited with this plan and attending a MNSSHP, I have read so much about them, I am just dying to go! Plus we've never visited Florida and I really wanted to visit a beach, enjoy some down time and see some of Florida. Hopefully being out of the Disney bubble for that portion, won't ruin it.

So that's the plan as it sits now

 

[Sisa]

So I am super excited that I made our first trip purchase. Is it bad that I haven't officially booked, but have already bought shirts for our trip? LOL a little backwards.



We also had our 2nd movie night Monsters Inc. That was really fun, I was bummed that I forgot to dye the eggs and add the olives for the eyes...oops! I also forgot to put the DVD case on the table, like I had planned. Apparently I was having an off day. But the kids didn't care. They were bugging me all day since they woke up wondering when it was movie night time. They got balloons and drew Mike on them, they thought that was pretty neat. Another win for family movie nights. Our next movie night is tomorrow. It will be a little more tricky, we'll see what I can come up with.





Off topic, but tomorrow is also my daughter's first day at Kindergarten...eek! I am so nervous, I am sure to be a wreck all day, so ending the day with a movie night will be just perfect!

 

[victoriam1119]

Haha, I do everything backwards too!!! We haven't officially booked yet either, but I've bought shirts and started their autograph books!

Your movie nights look awesome!!! I need to start making it a weekly event here. I'm pretty attached to my crockpot, so I will have to Pinterest some quick meal ideas for these!

Yay for Kindergarten!!!! How was her first day? How were YOU on her first day? Hope it all went really well!

 

[stitchfan75]

Subbing in because we will be there October of 2015!

We are also using an "earmarked" TA for our trip. I had started doing it myself but it quickly became overwhelming with work and grad school. One of my coworkers is a TA on the side to pay for his disney habit. This will work well for us because I can pm him all day with questions and don't have to sit online waiting for FD to drop.
It will be 4 adults and 4 kids in two rooms at CBR!

 

[Sisa]

Haha, I do everything backwards too!!! We haven't officially booked yet either, but I've bought shirts and started their autograph books!

Your movie nights look awesome!!! I need to start making it a weekly event here. I'm pretty attached to my crockpot, so I will have to Pinterest some quick meal ideas for these!

Yay for Kindergarten!!!! How was her first day? How were YOU on her first day? Hope it all went really well!

Haha, glad I am not the only one backwards Can't wait to see your shirts and autograph books!

Thank you, I have so much fun with the movie nights. I also LOVE my crockpot, it's pretty much my go to for most other meals during the week. Please post your movie night pics when you start them, I would love to see them!

Her first day went great, thanks for asking! She was totally fine and so ready. My husband and I, however, were super sad. It was hard to leave her knowing she would be there all day. It was a long day for us, not so patiently waiting for pick up time. LOL. But we survived and so did she, she had so much fun and really loved it.

 

[Sisa]

Subbing in because we will be there October of 2015!

We are also using an "earmarked" TA for our trip. I had started doing it myself but it quickly became overwhelming with work and grad school. One of my coworkers is a TA on the side to pay for his disney habit. This will work well for us because I can pm him all day with questions and don't have to sit online waiting for FD to drop.
It will be 4 adults and 4 kids in two rooms at CBR!

So glad to have you here, and a fellow stitch lover too

Oooh, a trip close to ours, so exciting and I see it is your first trip too! That makes me super excited, I hope you decide to do a PTR/TR so I can follow along!

How cool that you know your TA, that would be super handy to be able to pm any time. Very neat!

CBR was one of the resorts that I originally looked into as well. I can't wait to hear how you like it. What are the ages of the kiddos?

 

[OhioStateBuckeye]

Joining in! Your movie nights are so super adorable, I hope you keep posting them!

I'm a WDW regular who has just recently been to DL a few times, so I'm always interested in reading about the DL transplants who come to WDW for the first time.

Oh my gosh, you guys are going to have so much fun at MNSSHP! Those parties are basically the best Disney experiences I've had!

I can't wait to hear about all your planning.

 

[Sisa]

Joining in! Your movie nights are so super adorable, I hope you keep posting them!

I'm a WDW regular who has just recently been to DL a few times, so I'm always interested in reading about the DL transplants who come to WDW for the first time.

Oh my gosh, you guys are going to have so much fun at MNSSHP! Those parties are basically the best Disney experiences I've had!

I can't wait to hear about all your planning.

Hi! So glad you joined in, I am thrilled to have a WDW regular following. I'm sure I'll come up with many questions during this planning process.

Awe, thank you! I will definitely keep posting them, they are too much fun. We all look forward to Friday nights now. My husband originally rolled his eye when I first told him that I was planning to start them. Now even he is asking, "What's the next one?" I am so glad my family embraces my Disney obsession

I am so anxious to see how different in size and many other aspects, between DL and WDW. I grew up going to DL mainly because we lived closer to CA, but there is no place that I have ever wanted to go more than WDW. I just can't even contain my excitement anymore, that I actually get to go.

Ahhh...your comment about MNSSHP makes me even more excited. All I have read is amazing feedback about those parties and I am really, really looking forward to getting to attend one. The parade and fireworks alone sound incredible, not to mention everything else.

 

[Sisa]

My big Kindergartner on her first day.


My son just had his first day at Preschool today. I thought he'd freak, he just said "Bye, Mom!" That's almost worse I am glad he was so happy and content on going though.


We had our 3rd movie night, Home on the Range. It was a fun time after a big first day of school. The kids enjoyed helping out with decorating and preparing the food.




Okay and my next news to report is super de dooper amazing! We went to our local fair this weekend and it was HOT, we were dragging and just needing something to cool us off. We walked all over, and out of the corner of my DH's eye and in a totally random spot we saw a place serving these...


A FREAKING DOLE WHIP!!!!! OMG, I was going crazy! I thought I wouldn't get to enjoy another one of these until WDW in another year. Now my DH messed up ordering a little because he ordered a Dole Whip Float which I guess came with pineapple juice and the vanilla soft serve, not the pineapple. Well, as they were making mine, they ran out of vanilla and ended up topping it with pineapple! Score!!! It was so amazing, I can't even explain it. I was in Heaven for the few blissful minutes that I got to enjoy it. There is absolutely nothing better than a dole whip when you are in dire thirst on a hot day. Not that you need a reason for one So there is my super awesome, most exciting news for this week!

 

[Sisa]

So Winnie the Pooh was our latest FMN. The kids enjoyed decorating their cups with WTP stickers and they helped make the pudding.





They brought their characters to enjoy the movie with them.

 

[missangelalexis]

Joining in! WOW your first trip to WDW, this is SO exciting!

I think you will love staying at Pop, I've always loved it. And though I've never been in September, I've heard nothing but good things about going then!

I love all of your movie nights!

Look forward to following along!!

 

[Sisa]

Joining in! WOW your first trip to WDW, this is SO exciting!

I think you will love staying at Pop, I've always loved it. And though I've never been in September, I've heard nothing but good things about going then!

I love all of your movie nights!

Look forward to following along!!

Yay, so glad to have you following along!

Glad to hear another POP approval

I am worried about the heat in September and possible ride closures that we really want to try but the lower crowd level and hopefully FD is just too appealing. I've thought about pushing it back to October for possible slightly cooler temps but I just cannot wait any longer. I am dying to go NOW and we still have a year to go (well actually we are less than a year now, that feels pretty cool to say )