Forsooth! My Kinsman and I Undertake the World... Updated with Our 2009 Plans 12/11

[LastLookAtTheCastle]

Welcome, dear reader
Upon your gentle ear, I thus beseech your patience.
Admit this, my report of travel and travel yet to be undertook
To a World within this land
Where royalty and fairies play
With mortals and with mice.
Together there, we go forth on adventures
Sublimely maddening, and yet maddeningly sublime as well,
Finding within our old and withered breasts
The echoes of childhood, long since shaken.

Hear me, reader!

Or…

I humbly offer this Pre-Trip report, covering the invasion of my family, plus my mom and stepdad, to Walt Disney World, at the end of January 2009.

And it's less than 180 days now (even if I can't make all my ADRs – grumble grumble) so I'm ready to start sharing our plans and getting the countdown started in earnest.

Who's with me?

Next up... the players.

 

[LastLookAtTheCastle]

Chapter Two

The Humble Players in Our Play

Hi. I'm K. I go by LastLookAtTheCastle because that's my favorite parting moment when we're leaving MK – always our first and last park on our visits. We always stop right by the train station, turn around, take a deep breath, and whisper a fervent wish that this "last look at the castle" will be followed in short order by another "first look at the castle." It's like my family's own personal Kiss Goodnight in our own minds.

I'm a wife and mom, a double graduate of Virginia Tech, B.A. and M.A. in British Lit (Thou shall be treated to trip report chapter written solely in fakey Shakespearian!), and a devoted fan of the Hokies (go ahead, ask me what a Hokie is). I work in the marketing department of a large company that manufactures aquarium and pond products, and I enjoy it immensely. I work with a great group of people, and like the work I do. I'm active in politics, love to travel, have several tattoos, and I never underestimate the power of ketchup or peripheral vision. I adore Stitch and Donald.

I've been married to DH for nine years. He's a long haired hippie computer analyst, addicted to homebrewing, and his Blackberry. We're all about the dichotomies, people. He would ride Everest and Space Mountain all day if allowed. He will turn 39 while we're there in January, and is going to Universal to ride some "real" rollercoasters to celebrate.

With DH, I have DD, who just turned 7. She was all about the princesses up until about a year ago, and now she's turned all tomboy (which means, as she says, she can still like Tinkerbell, because [as a visor she owns attests] she is "so not a princess.") She is going into 2nd grade, about to test for her orange belt in Tae Kwon Do, and an obsessive reader. Currently, we're reading Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire together. She's stubborn, incredibly witty for a kid, and highly technically oriented. Like her father. Along with Tink, she loves Mulan (also not a princess) and Monsters Inc.

We also claim DS, 3.5. We call him "Tall Tales" because where his sister is all business and sass, he's dreamy and imaginative. He's an animal lover, and most of his stories involve animals, so I can't wait to take him to AK. Just recently, when the "Christian the Lion" video was everywhere, he watched it and calmly informed me he'd "done that too… and then gotten a piggyback ride." He's big for his age (only a few inches and pounds off his sister) but cuddles like a newborn. A very large and sweaty newborn. He is a devoted Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Toy Story fan.

Grandma – my mom. The two things she loves most in the world are WDW and her grandchildren, so when you combine the two, she's beyond verbal. She just sniffs and shakes her head a lot. She, too, is involved in politics, and works with animal rescue. She's not a Disboard reader, but I send her photos and clips so we can share our Disney Moments during the workday. She likes to play the part of the hard-nosed career woman, but she's really just a big softie full of emotional goo. She also sports a Disney character as a tattoo. More on that later. She loves old-school Disney and the Haunted Mansion.

Pappy – my stepdad. Been married to Grandma for 11 years, and together for 13 years before that. He's a retired Marine, and a cowboy. At least in his own mind. He likes Disney, but likes watching Grandma and the grandkids enjoying it more. He has a huge heart, and is a good man.

When: January 24-31, 2009 – one night at POP, and the rest of it at the glorious and wonderful Polynesian.

Next up... history!

 

[tinkfan355]

Ohhh cant wait to read! I love these PTR. I think i MIGHT do one too.

 

[Alysa]

I HAVE to subscribe to a pre-trip with forsooth in the title. Can't miss one by a Brit Lit major!

Your tale, sir, would cure deafness.

Can't wait to hear more. Cheers!

 

[LastLookAtTheCastle]

Months have passed... and so it's time for an update... if only because

ALL MY ADRs ARE MADE!

More on that later in a different chapter. We have the history to cover.

Chapter Three

The History

I grew up in California, and went to Disneyland many times as a kid. Donald was my favorite as a child, and I have about seven photos, from age 2 through 15, of me with him. Love the duck. That, of course, was pre-Stitch.

I first visited WDW as a college senior – my mom, brother, and I went, as a graduation present for me (college) and high school (him.) This was back in, shall we say, our lower-rent days, and we stayed on I Drive in a Days Inn that hopefully is scrap metal somewhere now. We learned early the habit of going in early, staying until after lunch, leaving the parks for a rest and a nap, and then going back to close the night out. Epcot was a real joy for us that trip, but HS wasn't anything big – this was before ToT and RnRR, of course.

It was during this first trip that my mother realized what a Disney freak I was. I think I'd hidden it well (seeing all of the movies by myself during college, getting soundtracks memorized, etc.) She also become conscious of the fact that college had made me into a world-class OCD planner. Now, I'm not going to reveal my age (36) but this was before the days of the big ole Internet and spreadsheets for everything… instead, I had my nice little fat notebook which I made list after list in – rides to ride and in what order (eat your heart out Touring Plans), restaurants, things I wanted to check out, on and on. I'd make a little nest on my bed and go over maps and Times Guides, and recopy my lists. That kind of organization just drives me, and college had really brought out the best (or the worst) in me. My mom, the complete opposite of the Planner, gave me a talking to about my lists. She wanted me to "let go" and "have some fun" and she…

Watch out.

It's scary.

Confiscated my notebook.


We laugh about this now, but I had to have a discussion with her after we left that I LIKED doing all that "prep" work. It's what gave it reality for me. And it still does.

The next visit wasn't until after I was married and my daughter was born. Yes, I took about seven years off from Disney after my first visit.

When she was two, in 2003, my whole family, including my divorced parents and their spouses (yes, you read right – we're like a sitcom), and my brother and sister and their spouses, decided to do Thanksgiving at WDW. No one wanted to be left out of the fun, and everyone wanted to see DD, the first granddaughter in the family, experience WDW for the first time. It was an amazing trip. DD was all about Fantasyland and AK. She, with the help of the whole family, must have ridden IASW 40 times (right now, Jordanyosh is twitching somewhere, just because I typed that.) We stayed off-property again, in a family suites hotel in Celebration, and rented a gigantic van for everyone to go around in. It was a fantastic trip.

That trip, nine years after the Notebook Confiscation Situation, was fully planned and organized by me, with the help of my dearest organizational friend and pal, Microsoft Excel.*

We had been planning to go back in 2004, but I got pregnant. I'm not a happy pregnant person, so we put it off. Instead, in late 2005, I took DD by myself - just a Mom and Daughter trip for four days. We had a ball. It was full on princesses, all the time, but just an amazing time with my then-four year old girl. I'll never forget it, and I plan on doing the same with DS (perhaps on a 2009 bounceback!)

The most recent trip was Christmas 2006 - five days at the Poly with a castle view. Starting from I Drive motels for our first visit, and working our way up to the Poly is the way to do it.

Next up: 2009 Plans

________________________

*I know professing love for a Bill Gates approved and recommended software product is decidedly repulsive, and as a Mac owner and user, I KNOW that, but I just love Excel. You can do anything in it. You can make borders, color codings, figuring out estimates, totals, etc. It's just perfect for the travel planning freak.

 

[lisaluvsmickey2000]

Great pre-trip so far! I'm in! Since we are going the 2 weeks before you and sharing a photopass, it'll be good to know you!

 

[robincorn]

Joining this thread since I am in your photopass share too plus, i am there the same time as you. Jan 24-31. Maybe as we lan we can give each other tips and maybe there will be some overlap. I am a few years older than you(won't admit how much) and I will be going with my second grader(a boy) also and 4th grader and mother. It is the boys first time and my first in 10 !!!years. I have been there 5 times before though. It is scheduled to get my oldest there before he comes a disney adult(10) for the dining plan and as a needed break since we are currently going through a divorce right now. My plans are

Sat 24- arrive 2:30 at POP. Dinner at Coral reef with diver for my mom's anniversary(she doesn't know)
Sunday 25 MK early lunch Crystal palace
Monday 26 HS Fantasmic dinner mama melrose, small lunch oop at Sci-Fi
Tues 27 Animal Kingdom boma
Wed-MK Ohana
TH- Epcot Tangerine cafe dinner
Friday -choice or park we miss if we take a break day hoopedoo
Sat- what we want don't leave till 7:00.

I look forward to getting to know you.

Robin

 

[LastLookAtTheCastle]

Joining this thread since I am in your photopass share too plus, i am there the same time as you. Jan 24-31. Maybe as we lan we can give each other tips and maybe there will be some overlap. I am a few years older than you(won't admit how much) and I will be going with my second grader(a boy) also and 4th grader and mother. It is the boys first time and my first in 10 !!!years. I have been there 5 times before though. It is scheduled to get my oldest there before he comes a disney adult(10) for the dining plan and as a needed break since we are currently going through a divorce right now. My plans are

Sat 24- arrive 2:30 at POP. Dinner at Coral reef with diver for my mom's anniversary(she doesn't know)
Sunday 25 MK early lunch Crystal palace
Monday 26 HS Fantasmic dinner mama melrose, small lunch oop at Sci-Fi
Tues 27 Animal Kingdom boma
Wed-MK Ohana
TH- Epcot Tangerine cafe dinner
Friday -choice or park we miss if we take a break day hoopedoo
Sat- what we want don't leave till 7:00.

I look forward to getting to know you.

Robin

Welcome everyone!


Robin, we're staying at POP the first night too, on Saturday! We'll have to find you at the pool or something! DD is going to a Taekwondo tournament on Saturday off-property, but we'll be around in the afternoon/evening. I'm sure the kids can all hang out.

We transfer to the Poly on Sunday morning before our usual CP breakfast.

 

[LastLookAtTheCastle]

Chapter Four - 2009 PLANS

Since last I updated, the lovely 4/3 deal came out, so we've changed our plans a smidgen, really. A trifle...

We're no longer at the Pop for the first night on property, but at the Poly for all SEVEN nights. I'm really happy about that. I do plan on doing a value stay at the end of 2009 with my DS, but this trip, it's all about the Poly, baby. And with the added park tickets, DH is no longer going to Universal (why spend the money if we already have free tickets) so he's planning on drinking around Epcot instead.

So, what do we have in store?

Weeelllll... just because we've moved to 7 nights on property doesn't mean we're not going to stay one night somewhere else. Since I last updated, my DD, Ms. Tae Kwon Do, if you remember, has reached GREEN belt level AND has been asked to compete in her school's NATIONAL TOURNAMENT, which coincidentally, is being held on the Friday and Saturday we arrive in Orlando. It's all fate, isn't it? So, in honor of her kicking butt accomplishments, we've extended our vacation by a day, and we'll now be arriving in Orlando on Friday, January 23, and staying one night at the tournament's hosting hotel!

So, our schedule now looks like this:

Thursday, January 22 - leave after work, and hit the road. Stop just over the border of South Carolina for the night (only about 3 hours, but that's 3 hours closer to DISNEY!)

Friday, January 23 - leave early early, and make it to Orlando by 1pm. Check in at the tournament hotel, and get DD acclimated to the scene. Eat off property that night. Grandma and Pappy arrive via car from MCO that night.

Saturday, January 24 - DD's tournament day. She'll compete in both sparring and forms during the afternoon. When the tournament wraps up, we all pile in the van and head to the POLY! If we have time and energy, we'll head to MK for Spectro and Wishes... nice way to kick things off.

Sunday, January 25 - MK Day! Traditional breakfast at CP, and dinner at WCC. We've never seen the Wilderness Lodge, so we're looking forward to that. HS afterwards, if we're up to it.

Monday, January 26 - AK Day for morning EMH, Kona for dinner, and if we don't make Spectro on Satuday night, then we'll hit it this night.

Tuesday, January 27 - First of two EPCOT Days... and no, I've made no ADRs there. We prefer the snack around the world touring instead.

Wednesday, January 28 - DH'S BIRTHDAY! Grandparents and Grandkids have a Chef Mickey's Breakfast, leaving DH and I to sleep in, followed by our Second EPCOT Day. We close out the day at the CG in time for Wishes.

Thursday, January 29 - GRANDMA'S BIRTHDAY! Mom and I are doing the Keys to the Kingdom tour! And the rest of the group is going to come over to the MK as well for EMH, and then scoot over to DHS. We'll meet them there after the tour for Mama Melroses early dinner and Fantasmic.

Friday, January 30 - MK Day! Another CP breakfast (Grandma demands it) and then a late lunch at Liberty Tree. We plan on closing out the park!

Saturday, January 31 - Breakfast at Ohana, and we MAY have time for a quick swing through a park (but who knows) before we hit the road. Grandma and Pappy get their ME ride at 11:00am.

And then we head home. Don't want to think about that yet. La la la!