I'd love to go on a weeklong impromtu trip to WDW, thank you very much!

[luvflorida]

Two weeks ago, my daughter called me on the phone and said, "Guess what I got in my e-mail today? THE invitation!" I knew exactly what she meant by "THE invitation". She received an invitation by Disney to attend the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration. To say she was excited would be an understatement!

And what she said next, made ME very excited! She asked, "Would you like to go with me?" Whaaaat!?!? Would I like to go with you? Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh! Of course I would!

My daughter got the invite two weeks ago, and we leave one week from tomorrow!

And, we aren't the only two going on this wonderful trip! The DSMMC is very family oriented, and all attendees are encouraged to bring along family members.

So, here is what we've accomplished in the past two weeks:
Made three different flight reservations (Phoenix to Orlando) for seven people. My daughter, three grandkids and I will fly out the day before the conference. My son-in-law and my husband will fly out to join us for a few days toward the end of the trip. All seven of us will fly back to Phoenix on the same flight.

Made reservations at three different Disney resorts and one off-site hotel, reservations for Magical Express and one rental car, customized and received two different sets of magicbands (we'll pick up another set when we arrive) lined up fastpasses and dinner reservations (not too successful due to such short notice!) and planned and revised, and planned again, our days in the parks. We'll receive 7 day park hoppers through the DSMMC, so lots of planning!

Anyway, my head is still spinning and the planning continues! Several times I've thought about doing a trip report and several times, I've scrapped the idea. Tonight, as I sat here making another list of things I need to do, I decided it would be fun to do a trip report. I've done several over the years (I'll provide links to them) and I really enjoyed doing them and looking back over them from time to time. Such memories!

I've learned so much, and gotten so much enjoyment, from reading trip reports on the DIS. I hope others will enjoy mine as well! Photography is a hobby of mine, so you can expect lots of photos!

In my next post, I'll introduce you to the family and give you an idea of what we have planned while at Disney!

 

[luvflorida]

Here are the links to three trip reports that I've posted on the DIS. As you can see, all three trips were to Disneyland. We are native New Englanders (the trip reports explain it all!) now living on the West Coast. Growing up in Maine, our own kids spent time visiting Disney World, but our grandkids only really know Disneyland. So, we are very excited to take them to WDW!

http://www.disboards.com/threads/carter-gives-cars-land-two-thumbs-up.2948312/

http://www.disboards.com/threads/a-four-year-olds-touring-plan-this-ones-not-in-the-books.3124405/

http://www.disboards.com/threads/first-trip-to-disneyland-with-all-three-grandkids.3248477/

My next post I'll share some updated pics of the family and post a bit about our plans for this trip!

 

[luvflorida]

Well, I've been trying to post a few pics, but not having much luck. I'll try again later.

Instead, I'll post some more trip details.

Hotel reservations:
The Disney Social Media Moms Celebration is being held May 5-8, at the Yacht and Beach Club Resort. So, those accommodations were all set for us.

Other accommodations include three nights at a value resort. As I mentioned in my first post, we originally planned to fly overnight on Wednesday and arrive early Thursday morning. However, the more we thought about taking a flight involving two stops late at night with three young ones, we quickly decided against it! We also realized everyone would be tired the next day. We decided it made a lot more sense to fly out on Wednesday the 4th, and spend the first night at a value resort. The other nights at a value resort will be at the end of our trip. My husband and I will be staying off-site for a few nights, also.

The last time I stayed at the Yacht and Beach Club Resort was twenty years ago! My husband, myself and our three kids (ages 6, 12 and 16 at the time) spent a week at the Beach Club. We loved it! I remember at the time, our older daughter (12) was obsessed with The Beatles. I've always been a huge fan of The Beatles, so I've made sure my kids and grandkids were introduced to their music at an early age! Anyway, I can't tell you how many times we walked from the Beach Club over to the UK pavilion to see the British Invasion band that was playing at the time. Let me just say, it was a lot!

So, having stayed before at the Beach Club, my daughter and I were excited to learn that this time we'll be staying at the Yacht Club.

This trip is going to be very different from any trip we've taken before to WDW or Disneyland. And, that's partly why I decided to do a trip report. The DSMMC has some amazing events planned for everyone, and there are a few nighttime events scheduled after the parks are closed to the public, which I am very excited about! We won't even know all the details and specifics until we're there. I do know there are scheduled dinner/entertainment events and a few breakfast events, among other activities. I'm hoping to have a lot of interesting information to share in my trip report!

When we aren't attending DSMMC's planned events, we're free to explore the parks on our own (or do whatever else we'd like). There will be one day where my daughter will be attending conference sessions for most of the day, and I'm trying to plan how to best spend that time with the grandkids.

In my next post, hopefully I'll have the picture issue resolved (I know it's me and not the computer!) and I'll post what we have scheduled so far.

 

[luvflorida]

Here is the crew going on this wonderful adventure! If you've checked out the links to any of my previous trip reports, you'll see how much the grandkids have grown! The youngest wasn't even born until a few days after our trip in 2013.

This is me, Sharon. Retired elementary school teacher, wife, mother to three grown children, grandmother to three (soon to be four!) grandchildren. This was taken last fall when I celebrated my 60th birthday along with Disneyland's 60th. Well, we're the same age, so what better place to celebrate turning 60! I also went on a 60th birthday celebration trip in June last year to Walt Disney World. It was a girls' only trip, just my cousin (she turns 60 this year, and we are more like sisters than cousins) and me, and we had a blast! So, it was a great year celebrating the big 6-0 in Disneyland AND Disney World!

This picture was taken last summer during a cross country trip to visit my brothers and their wives. My husband and I drove from Arizona to Maryland, then up to Maine and back to Arizona. We had a wonderful time sharing memories from days long gone! That's me in the middle with my husband, Larry. To the left is my older brother and sister-in-law, and to the right is my younger brother and sister-in-law. They're not going on this trip, though. I just like the pic! My husband is coming along toward the end of the trip.

Here we are with our younger daughter, Mallory. She is turning 26 this year, but she's still our "baby"! Mallory lives in Denver, and she's an amazing dance teacher/choreographer, and also a certified fitness instructor. She's living her dream! She's not going on this trip, either. Again, just thought I'd include a pic of her.

Here is my older daughter, Megan, and her family. She is the reason we are going on this wonderful trip! Thanks, Megan! Keep on blogging! LOL! Megan is a part-time high school teacher (dance/show choir choreographer) and also works part-time for my husband's business. She also blogs! Megan is a terrific mom to my three beautiful grandkids! Her husband, Daniel, is a high school music/choir teacher, and a great father to my three beautiful grandkids! He will also be joining us toward the end of this trip.

And now, I'd like to introduce the loves of our lives! Our first grandchild was born seven and a half years ago, and life has never been the same! My husband and I are absolutely loving being grandparents! This little guy was the main reason we packed up and moved across the country. We arrived in Arizona a few weeks before he was born. We saw him when he was thirty minutes old, and it was love at first sight! We've felt that way with every grandchild. So much love, joy, happiness and just plain fun! Anyway, I digress! Carter turns eight in August, and he has recently become a big fan of Harry Potter and anything to do with Star Wars. He is smart (he's in accelerated classes- I'm a grandma, I can brag!) sweet and very funny! He starts third grade in August.

This is our second grandchild and first granddaughter, Vanessa. As you can see by her shirt, she's five! She has a February birthday. Vanessa is also a sweetheart, like her big brother. She's very smart, very perceptive, and a bit of a perfectionist. Vanessa loves the Disney princesses, Palace Pets, and any kind of arts and crafts. She starts Kindergarten in August.

And, here is our youngest grandchild, Prince George. LOL! It IS our youngest grandchild, but dressed as Prince George. This was his Halloween costume last year. He's almost the same age as Prince George and looks a lot like him, so it was the perfect outfit for Halloween.

Okay, here he is! Harrison will turn three at the end of June. He is just the sweetest little guy! He loves cars, trains and puzzles. He also loves being active and I think his motto is- why walk if you can run! He's smart (all grandparents have smart grandkids!) funny and very loving! He is a big fan of Mickey Mouse, but wasn't too sure about meeting him!This pic was taken last November on a trip to Disneyland, and this is as close as he would get to Mickey. He did not want to get too close to any of the characters, so we're really hoping he'll warm up to them on this trip!

 

[luvflorida]

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Only three more days until we leave!

Still have packing to do, but other than that, we're just about ready to go. We've finalized the schedule for each day, but of course, things can change! Since we haven't had a lot of time to prepare for this trip, our Mickey countdown chain was quite short!

The grandkids have all been to Disneyland quite a few times, but this will be Vanessa and Harrison's first trip to WDW. Carter has been once, but he was only 17 months old, so it'll be like the first time for him, too. This will also be Harrison's first plane trip, so it'll be interesting to see what he thinks of it!

Our plans:

DAY ONE: Fly from Phoenix to Orlando, then take the Magical Express to Pop Century. Spend one night.

DAY TWO: Up early, breakfast at the food court, then make our way over to the Yacht and Beach Club Resort. Registration for DSMMC begins at 8am. After registration is complete, we're free until 6PM.
Morning- Magic Kingdom (most likely Fantasyland)
Lunch- Magic Kingdom
Afternoon- Animal Kingdom
Evening- DSMMC family dinner and entertainment at the Animal Kingdom. We don't yet know what the entertainment will be, but the park will be closed to the public while we're there. Could it be a preview of the new Rivers of Lights? I don't know, but that would be awesome! Of course, whatever the entertainment is, it'll be awesome!

DAY THREE: This is the day that Megan will attend conference sessions for most of the day. It'll just be me and the grandkids until 4:30 or 5. Attendees will be bussed from the Yacht Club to Hollywood Studios for breakfast, while at the same time, there will be a breakfast at the Boardwalk for the families of attendees.

Morning- Megan and attendees to breakfast and sessions. The grandkids and I, and the other families of attendees, will take the boat over to the Boardwalk for breakfast. After breakfast, we'll walk to Epcot and spend the morning exploring. It took me a long time to plan this day! Since it'll just be me with the three grandkids, I didn't want to do anything that involved a lot of transportation and park hopping. I'll have three young ones and a stroller to handle! I also couldn't see getting on and off attractions with all three, and I didn't want to take them swimming. Just wouldn't feel comfortable with only one adult to supervise them. So, I decided wll spend some time checking out the play areas that are set up for the Flower and Garden Festival.

Carter and Vanessa are excited to try the Phineas and Ferb Agent P's World Showcase Adventure, so this will be a good time for that, too. Harry's a bit young, but I think he'll enjoy seeing all the interactive aspects of the game. If the kids really like the game, they'll have opportunities to play it again with mom and dad.

Lunch- Future World

Afternoon- Walk (or take the boat) over to Hollywood Studios. Easy activities including Disney Junior Stage Show and Beauty and the Beast. I know Carter can't wait to hit all the Star Wars attractions, but that will come later in the trip when his dad can do all those things with him. Late afternoon we'll head back to the Yacht Club and meet up with Megan. We're thinking a walk over to Beaches and Cream for ice cream is in order!

Evening- DSMMC family dinner/entertainment at Typhoon Lagoon. Again, the park will be closed to the public, and we won't be doing any swimming, but fun events are planned! Can't wait to see what the entertainment will be!

continued in next post

 

[luvflorida]

DAY FOUR: This day starts early with a family fun run from 6-7am at Epcot. then we'll be transported over to Disney Springs.

Morning- Family Fun Run, then 8:30-11:30 for planned events at Disney Springs. Again, we won't know until we're there exactly what we'll be doing. After the planned events are over, we plan on spending some time exploring (shopping!) in Disney Springs. I especially want to take the grandkids to the toy store that has all the Mr. Potato Head pieces. Every time I go to WDW, I bring back bodies and potato head pieces. The grandkids have quite a collection, and they love playing with them. I am so excited that they'll finally get to see where all their Disney potato head pieces come from! I know they'll have fun picking out some new part for their collection.

Lunch- Planet Hollywood

Afternoon- We'll head back to the Yacht Club and go swimming at Stormalong Bay. Then back to the room to rest a bit.

Evening- Magic Kingdom
We really want to do the attractions that aren't at Disneyland, so that will be a priority. We've told the kids about the Pirate's Adventure, Treasure of the Seven Seas, and they are looking forward to completing a mission or two. Should be fun! Other attractions on our list include Enchanted Tales with Belle, Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor, and Stitch's Great Escape.

next up: lots of activity for day five!

If anyone here has done the pirate adventure missions at the MK and/or the Agent P's game at Epcot, I'd love to hear how you liked it and if you have tips to share!

 

[luvflorida]

cont...
DAY FIVE: On this day, our party of five grows to a party of seven.

Morning- Our day will start in Epcot with a special Mother's Day breakfast for DSMMC attendees and families. This breakfast will conclude the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration for 2016. Since we all have seven day park hoppers, we still have a few days left to explore the parks.

My husband leaves Phoenix on Saturday and arrives in Orlando late Saturday night. We have reservations for three nights at a Residence Inn, so he'll spend Saturday night there, and plans are for him to meet us this morning in Epcot. My son-in-law, Daniel, has a later flight out on Saturday. He'll also join us at Epcot on Sunday. We'll spend the morning in Future World.

Lunch- Somewhere in World Showcase. Lots of possibilities!

Afternoon- World Showcase till late afternoon/early evening. We'll then head over to the Magic Kingdom for the rest of the day/evening. I'm really looking forward to seeing the Main Street Electrical Light Parade, as I'm sure it'll bring back a lot of good memories! I love that the grandkids will get to experience this amazing parade!

Also on this day, we'll have to find time to check out of the Yacht Club and switch to other accommodations for the next couple of nights. Larry and I will stay off site at a Residence Inn (have to get those Marriott reward points!) and Megan, Daniel and the grandkids will switch to a value resort.

DAY SIX: Most of this day will be spent in Hollywood Studios

Morning- Megan planned this day for Hollywood Studios mostly due to the Star Wars attractions/entertainment/meet and greets there. Daniel and Carter are big Star Wars fans, so they have a lot planned for this day! Larry and I will join up with them somewhere in the park in the morning. In addition to Star Wars, other attractions on the list include the Frozen Sing-Along Celebration (Vanessa will LOVE this!) Indiana Jones Stunt Show, Tower of Terror, Toy Story Mania, Great Movie Ride, and Voyage of The Little Mermaid.

Lunch- We have late lunch reservations for Mama Melrose's Italian Restaurant.

Late afternoon/evening- continue to explore attractions in Hollywood Studios. The plan is to stay for the Symphony of the Stars fireworks, then head out.

DAY SEVEN: Departure day. We've left this day open for anything we want to go back and do again, or for something we didn't get to, but wanted to. We'll have most of this day for the parks, since we don't fly out until evening.

So there you have it! Like I said, I'm sure there will be changes along the way, but this is what we have planned for this trip so far.

Only one more day until we leave!

 

[luvflorida]

DEPARTURE DAY!! As you can see, the young ones are all set to go! The older folks are almost ready!

This has been a short pre-trip report due to the short trip notice. Three weeks to plan everything. My trip report will definitely not be short! I'm looking forward to sharing some behind-the-scene experiences at Disney World, and sharing lots of photos!

A good day to leave Phoenix, since it's supposed to hit 102 degrees today. Of course, it's a dry heat, right?!?!?! I'm sure it will be cooler in Florida, but I know we'll feel the humidity. But, who cares, we'll be at WDW!!!

Later!