Hubby was right-Those 2 free tix would end up costing him a bundle 2/3 update

[Tink2Day]

Usually a lurker on most trip reports but Subbing!
Your itinerary looks great and like a lot of fun.
Oh, and The ABC's, are just adorable

 

[999ghostslover]

Erin, we are out of town right now, but I am subscribing and will catch up when I get back. Can't wait to read all about the surprise trip.

Thanks Kathy! Hope you had a great time out of town. I still need to do a review of CSR on your three. Boy, did we love it there. It was so nice.

I think you are making the right choice. We did enjoy Hoop Dee Doo, but I think you should save that for when you all can go as a family. It is definitely something the entire family can enjoy.

Actually he was the one who said he wanted to go with us. When we went most of the theater was filled with teenagers. I think that's what I like about Winnie the Pooh he is a character that everyone can enjoy. Just put somethings in Tots2Teens. Now getting ready to get things together for Kids Kloset.

Yes, hoop de too will be better with the whole family and with a car. Tom wants our next trip to be a cabin at Fort Wilderness. It won't be for awhile but that would be the perfect time to do Hoop De Doo. And I will be asking you a ton of questions about your experiences there.

Usually a lurker on most trip reports but Subbing!
Your itinerary looks great and like a lot of fun.
Oh, and The ABC's, are just adorable

Oh that is so great. I lurked for a long time too. I never knew when to jump in. Glad you are joining. I should give you one of these like the good little thread host that I am. Thanks. I love my A,B,C's. Alphabetizing my kids makes life really easy.

 

[999ghostslover]

Last time I did a PTR I came up with a Disney Bucket List. Here it is.
Pick a Pearl
Go to a WDW wedding
Eat at OHana
Eat at Vicky and Al's
Take a Disney Cruise
ABD somewhere
Go to Disneyland
Surprise someone with a Disney trip.
Stay at the Grand Floridan
Stay at the Boardwalk
Do the Food and Wine Festival
See the Candlelight Processional
See Fantasmic
Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party
Go to Typhoon Lagoon
Ride on an ME bus
Shop at Basin
Stay at AuLani
Eat at CG during Wishes
Ice Cream at Ghiradelli OR Beaches and Cream
Hoop De Doo
Camp at Fort Wilderness (or at least stay in a cabin)
Ride Mission Space
Eat at Le Cellier
Tea at the Grand Floridian
Spa treatment of some kind
Adults only trip
Backstage Magic Tour

I had every intention of knocking a couple of things off that list during our last trip. After all the awfulness I am sad to say that only one thing got knocked off. It was the first one. I had prepurchased off ebay one of the pick-a-pearl cages that looks like Cinderella's coach.

Well, wouldn't you know my kid picks the biggest oyster they have had there in a really long time. It barely fit any of the expensive cages they had. But I did splurge and buy her one (although not nearly as cute as the ebay one).

So, this time I am hopeful that a few of these will be knocked off the list as well. But I'm not setting myself up by assuming that any will. I HOPE to
Ride an ME bus
See Fantasmic
Eat at 'Ohana
Surprise someone with a Disney trip
"]
It is possible we may also
Shop at Basin
Eat Ice cream at Beaches and Cream or Ghiradelli
Ride Mission Space

I also have a few goals for the trip. These aren't do or die kinda things and many have been done before. I just really hope that we can include them in our plans.
Get Abby into Jedi training academy
Watch the Castle Memories show (or whatever they replace it with)
See Mickey at his new Main Street location
Meet Rapunzel (this is our primary objective this trip)
see one new show somewhere
Go to Guest Relations at some point and write a thank you note to one cast member. I always want to do this but we are usually so hot and covered in cranky kids. Hopefully, Abs and I will make the time to do this.
Ride Astor Orbiters.
Eat a cupcake
Go to Caramel Kuche
Do Kim Possible
Meet at least one other new character somewhere

Well, only time will tell what we will be able to accomplish. I know that many times the things that don't make our must-dos are the best moments of the trip. Last trip, the day we checked out of the hospital we went to Epcot for a couple of hours. We sat in a quiet spot with no one else around and ate ice cream. The kids were well behaved and it was really peaceful. I had a frozen chocolate banana on a stick (I think my body was craving the vitamins) and it was so wonderful. Best moment of the trip.

 

[kokotg]

Aw, I love the idea of a Disney bucket list! I think I might have to make one myself as a way of demonstrating to DH why it's so important that we keep going back .

 

[999ghostslover]

Aw, I love the idea of a Disney bucket list! I think I might have to make one myself as a way of demonstrating to DH why it's so important that we keep going back .

I hope you do start one. I like a bucket list because it is things you want to accomplish in a lifetime. I ay not get to Aulani in the next 18 years but I really want to go at some point.

 

[Lady Lallie]

I love your bucket list. I really need to sit down and make a Disney one. I also love the idea of writing up a comment card for a Cast Member, so many CMs have made my trips magical in the past, I need to remember to recognize them for it!

 

[jenjolt]

I'm here! So glad you get to go back with your daughter!!!!

Love your bucket list...hope you have many fun trips to be able to do it all!!!!!!

 

[KatMark]

Erin, I am finally caught up (we were out of town for the weekend and I came home sick and am still sick and trying to fight it before we leave in two weeks).

Although I am not a value lover, if we were to go to one, I would definitely pick Pop--I've heard great things about it and it does look fun and nostalgic.

Your dining reservations are great -- we loved Yak & Yeti when we were there...it was one of the best meals of our trip.

I hope you get to do a lot of your bucket list wishes.

 

[999ghostslover]

I love your bucket list. I really need to sit down and make a Disney one. I also love the idea of writing up a comment card for a Cast Member, so many CMs have made my trips magical in the past, I need to remember to recognize them for it!

Yes, I have heard that Disney really takes those cards seriously. AS amazing as 99% of cast members are I'm sure the majority of people call/write to complain because that sticks in your brain more. I just hope I remember to do it!!

I'm here! So glad you get to go back with your daughter!!!!

Love your bucket list...hope you have many fun trips to be able to do it all!!!!!!

THanks. It was fun making the list last year and revisiting it this year. I like that it doesn't put pressure on me. Like I thought about scheduling a tea at the GF because it is on the list but this trip is short and I had a breakdown at GF last summer when we were at 1900 PF but Dh and DS were back in the emergency room and I didn't know what was happening with them. One of those moments when you want to be present at 2 places at once. The 1900 PF people were rude and some cast member in the lobby was rude to my mom. I never even heard what that was all about. Anyway, I want to hold off on going back there so we will wait on the tea.

Erin, I am finally caught up (we were out of town for the weekend and I came home sick and am still sick and trying to fight it before we leave in two weeks).

Although I am not a value lover, if we were to go to one, I would definitely pick Pop--I've heard great things about it and it does look fun and nostalgic.

Your dining reservations are great -- we loved Yak & Yeti when we were there...it was one of the best meals of our trip.

I hope you get to do a lot of your bucket list wishes.

I really hope you get over your illness. My kids were all sick with quick nasty high fever viruses over the weekend but knock on wood Tom and I avoided it.
I imagine this trip will not make me a value lover either. I'm just looking at it as a new Disney experience that this mom of 3 would not otherwise experience. I'm so glad you liked yak and yeti. It was between there or an early 50s prime time dinner that day. I think 50s PTC will be better with my husband and the boys too. The food and Y and Y looks soooo good.

 

[brookelizabeth]

I'm here now!

I am just loving your girls-only trip!!! And dinner in the Castle is perfect for it!

I love your Bucket List idea. I keep saying I need to make a Disney Bucket List, but I haven't yet. Perhaps when I start really planning for the cruise next year I can make a cruise one.

 

[999ghostslover]

A cruise only bucket list would be perfect!

 

[PirateKate]

I bet you all will get a lot of that bucket list done this trip! It has to be so much easier traveling with one kid instead of three.

Your ADRs sound fabulous. I think CRT is the perfect place to with on a mother-daughter trip.

 

[Moira222]

Hi Erin! I followed you over here from KatMark's PTR ... your kids are cuties! and I am more than a bit envious of your mommy & me trip.

I am not sure where you posted the story of what happened last trip - it sounds like a night mare to have your baby in a hospital anywhere but esp on vacation away from home and your trusted doctors!


Your reservations sound like fun. Hoop dee doo is a lot of fun, but yeah, hubby & B&C would really love it too, and its one of those "the more the merrier" sort of places.

I know folks would argue with me but i will always pick breakfast at Akershus in Norway over Cinderella's royal table. the food is much better IMHO.

I hope you can manage to keep the secret from A

Here is something from my bucket list that I think my DD would enjoy the most.... a carriage ride at POFQ. just the girls. my girl is such a diva - she loves stuff like that.

 

[999ghostslover]

Hi Erin! I followed you over here from KatMark's PTR ... your kids are cuties! and I am more than a bit envious of your mommy & me trip.

I am not sure where you posted the story of what happened last trip - it sounds like a night mare to have your baby in a hospital anywhere but esp on vacation away from home and your trusted doctors!


Your reservations sound like fun. Hoop dee doo is a lot of fun, but yeah, hubby & B&C would really love it too, and its one of those "the more the merrier" sort of places.

I know folks would argue with me but i will always pick breakfast at Akershus in Norway over Cinderella's royal table. the food is much better IMHO.

I hope you can manage to keep the secret from A

Here is something from my bucket list that I think my DD would enjoy the most.... a carriage ride at POFQ. just the girls. my girl is such a diva - she loves stuff like that.

wElCoMe!!!
Thank you. My kids have been having an extra cute week around here. The kind where you wish you had a video camera everywhere because they just keep saying the funniest things.
I posted it in the podcast forum but here is a link. It was awful. Thank you for your kind words.
You know the castle meal is the thing I keep thinking about changing. But we only have one epcot day and the thought of not eating other yummy WS food. Hmmm. I need to think about that one. We don't have any breakfasts so maybe one would be a good idea. Decisions decisions. Stay tuned!

Great bucket list item!! That would be so cool. With no car and a short trip we probably won't do it this trip. I'm hoping our next Family vacation to WDW will be in the fall at FW cabins. They do them there too, right? Maybe that would work well.

 

[999ghostslover]

Calling all Disers who have pulled off a WDW surprise trip. I need inspiration people!!!


So ! have nearly spilled the beans like one million times. It's just so hard. Disney will come up and I almost start to talk like she knows about the trip. But she does not. In fact at her birthday party she mentioned that she won't get to go back until she is 9 or 10. So, assuming I manage to pull this thing off I need a way to surprise DD.


We did a mini-surprise last time. We had told her we would leave the morning after her kindergarten graduation but instead we left right after her graduation. We stayed at a Hampton Inn and got to CSR a lot earlier the next day so we could do resort stuff. It wasn't a huge deal. We told her by giving her a small graduation Mickey and wrote it on a scroll and she read it. This was at her school amidst the craziness of graduation and friends pulling her for pictures or trying to say goodbye. Let's just say the video isn't going to make a WDW commercial this year. She was, of course, happy. But she was mostly just puzzled. Like her momma, she is a little type A and we sort of threw what she knew out he window. Plus, it really wasn't that big of a deal. One night in a Hampton Inn. Big whoop.


So, for a little while I thought that I would tell her at Christmas. Maybe let her open some WDW stuff. But then I realized that there is the distinct possibility that she may torture her brothers with this information for two months. It is hard for me not to go on and on about the trip but Abby? No way. She would want a countdown ticker and would parade around in every princess outfit to be worn. Been there. Done that. Literally have the T-shirt. So here is my new thought:


The night before the trip "Remind" her of a dentist appt. or something for the morning. Tell her that I will take her to school afterward. Get the boys up and out the door for preschool. Have DH or me take them to school and have Abby go along for the ride. She loves visiting her old preschool. While she is gone pull out all of our Disney stuffed animals and display them on the couch with a sign that says. "We are going to WDW and we are leaving right now" This will require bags to be packed and everything basically done. I think this is what I am leaning toward.

What do you think?

The main problem with this-but I think it is unavoidable-is that I don't really get to say goodbye to the boys. Hopefully that they are young enough that they will be okay. Daddy goes on business trips and they do fine with the goodbye and I think they understand airplane=going away for a few days.

 

[Momof3Gr8kids]

Since you are leaving the day after Valentine's. Why not a card with a poem like this:
Roses are red.
Violets are blue.
Mommy's going to Disney tomorrow
and so are YOU!!!!
You could decorate the card with a Disney Theme. :
Shhh don't tell Father Phil this idea came to me at church when I was praying after Communion. Think of it as a message from God.

 

[999ghostslover]

Yvonne!! I could kiss you the next time I see you and come to think of it have not seen you in a while. That is PER-FECt. I'm doing it. Thank you God, thank you Fr. Phil, Thank you Yvonne. Was that at 11:30 mass? We were at 8:30 with Fr. Roy. PS-This is perfect.

 

[Momof3Gr8kids]

Glad you liked it! We actually went to 5:30 Sunday night.

 

[KatMark]

since you are leaving the day after valentine's. Why not a card with a poem like this:
Roses are red.
Violets are blue.
Mommy's going to disney tomorrow
and so are you!!!!
You could decorate the card with a disney theme. :
Shhh don't tell father phil this idea came to me at church when i was praying after communion. Think of it as a message from god.

i love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[brookelizabeth]

Since you are leaving the day after Valentine's. Why not a card with a poem like this:
Roses are red.
Violets are blue.
Mommy's going to Disney tomorrow
and so are YOU!!!!
You could decorate the card with a Disney Theme. :
Shhh don't tell Father Phil this idea came to me at church when I was praying after Communion. Think of it as a message from God.

This is SO CUTE!!!! What a great, dare I say, heavenly, idea!!!!