Homecoming Trip

[Bellanota]

When: Aug 22-28, 2014
Where: Art of Animation
Why: Celebrate Military Homecoming



Good Morning / Afternoon

After finally annoying everyone I am deployed with I finally decided to post a pre-trip report so maybe I can get feed back on my ideas from people who care. Please help me out with any ideas on how I can improve. I am always up for ideas. I am going to post the whole report as I get time between working out here, but for starters here is my into:


About the trip: This is the first trip to WDW for my daughter and the second for my mother. I have personally been there four times, and always wanted to go back. I never got go a little kid and I am excited about seeing Disney through my DD’s eyes.

About me: I am currently deployed to the Arabian Gulf with the United States Navy and have been for the last 6 months. I have a couple more months left on deployment and am ready to be home at this point. This is my third deployment (second since my DD was born) and it wont be my last. I have always loved everything Disney. Beauty and the Beast is my favorite Disney movie since it has my favorite Prince and Princess in it. I am a divorced Single Mom who has used the military as way to give my DD a much better life then I had at her age.

About my party member:
MY DD will be turning 6 one month after our trip and has been asking to go to Disney for the last two years. She like many girls her age is obsessed with Frozen at the moment, but when you ask about her favorite Princess she changes it every day. I am a single parent since she was two and she has had to grow up with me deployed twice in her life. That means she has been bounced between VA and TX to live with me or my mother. But so not having the stability I would like to give her she is very bright and would plan this trip if I would let her.

My mother is also going with us, referred to as Grammy. Grammy hasn’t been to Disney since she took us when I was 16. The problem is back then she was suffering really badly from undiagnosed bi-polar and doesn’t remember much about the trip. So in a lot of ways this is her first real trip. She has helped me raise my DD since my divorce and I am treating her to this trip as a thank you.

 

[Bellanota]

About the trip: I have been planning on planning this trip for the last couple of years. I extended on sea-duty to be able to afford this trip and I was also waiting on my DD to be old enough to remember this trip. This is DD's first trip Disney and also my chance to thank my mother for always being there for me.

When: We will be there for Thanksgiving. Two of my previous trips have been the week of Thanksgiving and I think it’s the perfect time to visit.

Where: We are staying the Little Mermaid area of AoA. When picking the resort I wanted over the top Disney and AoA seemed to fit that nicely. With only three of us the Little Mermaid rooms seemed perfect and Arial is one DD’s favorite princesses. I hired a travel agent just to make sure I got the Little Mermaid rooms.


Dining: I we are on the Dining plan that gives us one sit down meal at day. I have all these meals booked and will post the details later. I think I am addicted to making ADRs however since not a day goes by that I don’t look to see what’s available.


Finances: Coming off a deployment I was able to save a lot of money for this trip. For the most part money is not a problem because I have been saving for two years and then being in a combat zone for 9 months I have put up a couple of thousand after the trip is paid off just to make sure everything it taken care of.

Travel: We are driving in. Grammy is flying in to meet us in VA and we will be driving down that same night. I couldn’t see paying close to 1k for plane tickets from VA to FL. While money isn’t an issue that just seemed a bit over the top so we are driving. It’s a 10 hour trip, but with two adults I am not worried about it.

 

[Bellanota]

Day 1: Arrival, Check in late head right to room
Day 2: Magic Kingdom, CRT breakfast
Day 3: Hollywood Studios, H & V Lunch
Day 4: Epcot, Princess Lunch
Day 5: Animal Kingdom, Tusker House Breakfast
Day 6: Thanksgiving Day, 1900 Breakfast, Magic kingdom, BBB, BoG Dinner
Day 7: Check out, pre-rope drop CP breakfast, Magic Kingdom


In Depth Plans
Day 1:
Due to when Grammy’s flight gets in we can’t leave VA till around 1 pm. With it being a 10 hour drive we are going to be getting to Disney sometime around 11pm. So we are heading right to our rooms. I didn’t get tickets for this day and plan on DD sleeping in the car most of the trip down. This is going to be a long drive with Grammy and I switching off. I have made this drive before and luckily for me a deployment has made it to were I am more awake at night anyhow. I just bought an Ipad with plans to make sure I have Disney games loaded on it. I also have a car Charger for my laptop so DD can watch movies on the way down there.

Day 2:
The first day is huge. I have managed to come up with an Elsa costume for DD. The idea is to lay the Elsa costume out along with an invite to breakfast at Cinderella’s castle the night we get in. That way when she wakes up its like the Fairy Godmother has left her a surprise. (I was thinking Tinkerbell gifts, but mine are bigger then most Tinkerbell gifts so we are calling them Fairy Godmother gifts and plan to do one each night). So we have a 930 ish breakfast at CRT and she will be costume for it. I also have themed each of our days with matching shirts and the first day is Frozen so Grammy and I will be in Kristoff and Anna shirts. I am packing DD’s Elsa shirt and jeans in my backpack so if she wants to change we can. I haven’t bothered to try and get a touring plan yet because I am still waiting on my fast passes in a month. I also wouldnt mind a later CRT if one comes up.


Day 3:
This is our Hollywood Studios day and possibly a short day we will see how it goes. We don’t have a princess dress yet for HS, but I am debating getting her a Sophia the first one. So there is no Fairy Godmother gift just yet. She does however have an invite to lunch at H&V with the Disney Jr people. This day is still kinda in flow cause I have heard they do a Disney Jr Dance party during the EM hours but I wasn’t planning on being in the park open to close. For the Family shirts we have Disney JR theme: DD in Sophia Grammy in HuggleMonsters and me in Doc McStuffins.


Day 4:
Epcot on day 4 with a Fairy Godmother gift of a Rapunzel dress. I am still not sure if I want to change that dress or not. I have been debating a Belle dress instead. We have a Princess lunch and the rest of the day is for us to enjoy. This is my favorite park and I am bummed we cant fit a meal in at San Angel Inn, but I think two ADRs in one day would be too much. For Shirts we have Princesses: DD in Rapunzel, Grammy in Snow White and me in Belle

Day 5: Animal Kingdom. No princess day here for sure. Still working out Fairy Godmother gift. None of the princesses fit and from what I have seen this is the park she will get the dirtiest in. We have breakfast at Tusker House. This is my back up short day if we make Day 3 a long one. Planning on dinner at the resort and possibly pool time if the weather is nice. For the Shirts Lion King: DD in Simba & Nala, Grammy in Timon and Pumba, and me in Rafaki.

Day 6: Thanksgiving day and huge day. For a Fairy Godmother gift she has a “Rag” Dress of Cinderella’s. (the one at the start of the movie) and an invite to 1900 for a special breakfast. From there I am going to have the CM give her an invite the BBB in the afternoon to turn her in to a princess. We have BBB in the afternoon. I have already set aside money for a full package with a dress since like I said her favorite princess changes day to day. After BBB we have dinner at BoG a few hours later. The Fairy Godmother in training is going to give her invite to that when she is done. This is her special day and its all about making her a princess. Shirts for the day: ATM its Little mermaid or Classic Mickey themed, but I might change this do other Princesses not used on the Epcot day.

Day 7: Check out day. For a Fairy Godmother gift I am thinking a Tinkerbell dress or a Merida one. We have a CP breakfast pre-rope drop and the plan is spend until right after lunch in the park. I am hoping to get reservations to like Chief Mickey at around 2 pm, but that hasn’t worked out yet. Either way by no later then 4 pm we are leaving to start our drive back. We will stop half way to VA to sleep for the night. Shirt for the day: Classic Mickey / Little Mermaid

 

[Bellanota]

Here some of the images of stuff I already have for this trip: I also have custom clothback packs with the Frozen Peeps on them, but mom hasnt sent me a picture of them yet.

Sample of the Shirts:

Sample Invitation to a meal:

Invite she is getting in the mail before the trip:

Rupunzel Dress:

Elsa Dress: