If we can keep this trip a secret, it will be a Disney miracle! *TR LINK ADDED 12/12!*

[KatMark]

Great intros, great photos and congrats on the ADR's. Although I am surprised you got a couple of them so close together. When I've tried to "change" an ADR that I had one at a very similar time, I had to cancel the other one first. Before I saw you got your ADR's, I was going to say go for Chef Mickey's breakfast...definitely better than dinner, but I see you didn't even book Chef Mickey's.

 

[KathyM2]

I'm here to follow along!! I'm trying to keep my trip a surprise from DD as well...at least until it gets closer if I can't keep it until we actually leave!! I am hoping for both of us that we can do it lol I've had a couple close calls already when I've left Disney planning stuff open on my computer and DD has seen it...I've covered up by saying that I'm helping a friend who has never been to Disney plan their trip...I think she bought it...

 

[jandlinz]

Joining in! Great pictures of your boys! Your ADRs look awesome. I didn't know you could schedule them so close together and then cancel based off fast passes. You learn a new trick every day, right?
-Lindsey

 

[hokieinpa]

I also followed you over from your October TR which I started reading to see any tips for travelling with littles. I've been reading every tr I can that has babies or young toddlers to get some tips for our August 2015 trip with my due in a week and 2 days baby boy

Thanks for joining in! And congratulations!!

Our youngest was 17 months old on our first trip. It was an experience but a great age since he could walk and explore but was happy at times to sit in the stroller and observe. I'm a little more worried for our next trip since he seems to be resisting the stroller more now.

I'm here...back to catch up.

Great intros, great photos and congrats on the ADR's. Although I am surprised you got a couple of them so close together. When I've tried to "change" an ADR that I had one at a very similar time, I had to cancel the other one first. Before I saw you got your ADR's, I was going to say go for Chef Mickey's breakfast...definitely better than dinner, but I see you didn't even book Chef Mickey's.

Thanks for following along!

I was really surprised that MDE let me book a few close ADRs - especially Ohana and 10:00 and 10:55! I'm trying to remember exactly how I managed it but it was awfully early and I only had one cup of coffee in me! I think I searched for one as a general "breakfast" reservation and one as a specific time slot (10:00) and I guess it was an MDE glitch?

I did have a Chef Mickey's breakfast booked that morning but switched it to Ohana after a quick chat with my mom. We decided to try something new and I'm excited for Ohana!

I'm here to follow along!! I'm trying to keep my trip a surprise from DD as well...at least until it gets closer if I can't keep it until we actually leave!! I am hoping for both of us that we can do it lol I've had a couple close calls already when I've left Disney planning stuff open on my computer and DD has seen it...I've covered up by saying that I'm helping a friend who has never been to Disney plan their trip...I think she bought it...

Thanks for joining in!

The surprise part is easy now since it's pretty far away but I'm sure the time when I need to pack and prepare will be hard! I'm trying to decided how and when to do the reveal - maybe the day before? Or the morning of our flight?

It does help that we are planning on going in May as well and the boys know about that trip. So if they see Disney stuff in the mail or I mention in to a friend, I can just pass it off as our "after Easter and your birthday" trip!

Joining in! Great pictures of your boys! Your ADRs look awesome. I didn't know you could schedule them so close together and then cancel based off fast passes. You learn a new trick every day, right?
-Lindsry

Thanks for following along!

I'm so in love with every ADR - especially Ohana and BOG! And of course, Crystal Palace seems like it's going to be our must do every trip!

I was really surprised about how close I got my Ohana ADRs - 10:00 and 10:55. I thought you had to have a 1-1.5 window. I think I searched for one as a general "breakfast" reservation and one as a specific time slot (10:00) and I guess it was an MDE glitch? I'll take it however it happened!

 

[KathyM2]

Yeah I'm having the same dilemma about the reveal...whether to do it at home or before or at the airport. I think if I get to departure day and she doesn't know yet, she will figure it out at the airport at least when we get to our gate and it says "Orlando" she will know for sure because...why ELSE does anyone go to Orlando lol

 

[Leshaface]

Because I got them all...every single one!

YAY!!! I love when it works out perfectly like this!

Totally joining ADR Hoarders Anonymous with @Elevationist and @Dugette

BOG was a grab after I had everything booked. I checked more out of curiosity. But then I got to thinking...our CP breakfast/brunch will be a big meal. But a snack (meaning - cupcakes) at BOG wouldn't be a bad thing! I think we'll get a few meals to split and some cupcakes to share! I'm looking forward to seeing the castle!

I was wondering why you had these two super close together...but your reasoning is spot on!

 

[hokieinpa]

YAY!!! I love when it works out perfectly like this!

There was so much stress leading up to ADR day! I had read so many stories of just zero availability. So life is good right now!

I was wondering why you had these two super close together...but your reasoning is spot on!

An ADR for dessert only is totally justified, right?

 

[hokieinpa]

TREX, Bows, MVMCP and DC Mini TR


****************************************
110 Days until FP+
170 Days until Disney!
****************************************


So I'm borrowing this countdown header idea from @Elevationist because I love it!

This will be a little hodgepodge of updates. I got quite a few things accomplished in the past week or so and we even threw in a quick trip to Washington DC!

First up, if you remember from last time, I was really interested in booking an ADR at TRex for our arrival day. I couldn't find any availability on MDE so I went ahead and booked Rainforest Cafe at DTD as a backup.

I had read about lots of people having success contacting TRex directly, so a few days later I called and had an ADR at a great time - no problems! So our new ADR is 5:45 on Saturday 11/28.



The boys love dinosaurs so this will be a big hit. And I think there is some kind of dig pit somewhere?

The only thing that makes me uneasy is not having a confirmation number or anything linked in MDE. The hostess I talked to said my confirmation "number" is my last name. This does not sit well with my organized, plan-making frame of mind, but what are you going to do?

Next up, if you remember, I picked up some classic Minnie ears during our October trip. I wore them almost everyday.





Well, I was reading a blog a few days ago and found a girl that makes awesome Disney bows! And not only that, she will transform your Minnie ears so you can switch the bow out! So instead of ears with the same bow everyday, she adds a loop and you can change the bow!



How perfect! I can wear cute Disney bows and my ears! She can make the bows with barrettes, headbands, etc. as well.

So I went ahead and ordered 3 bows. Really a bargain since I get a mystery bow with my order for ordering by a certain date!

So these are the bows I picked out. All will be clipped onto my Minnie ears or I will be able to wear them alone.

Classic Minnie:



Ariel Bow:



And a Christmas party bow. The one I picked will be in the top left!



So I'm pretty excited to wear these in the parks in a few months!

The company is called Magical Ribbons if anyone is interested! She is on Facebook and Instagram and has her own site as well!


Next up, I went ahead and purchased Memory Maker and MVMCP tickets and they arrived this week!






I got an actual Memory Maker card - which is strange last time because it was just linked to my Magic Band automatically. I need to check MDE to if it is already linked to my account.


The last update is a mini, super small TR for our DC trip.

We live about 3 hours from Washington DC so we have enjoyed several quick weekend trips to explore!

Nate requested this trip to see the "dinosaur parts" and he was very excited!

They enjoyed swimming in the pool of course!



We stayed at a Residence Inn in Springfield, VA and it was great! On Saturday morning, we took the Metro into the city. Another exciting experience for the boys!



Our first stop was the Air & Space Museum.

Jake enjoyed piloting this little plane!



Nate and Colin found a "space potty" and were highly amused. Boys.



We liked the model of the Lunar landing!



But one of my favorite exhibits was on early aviation and popular culture. They had a really early Mickey short called "Plane Crazy" on and I got this shot!



Next up, we took a shortcut across the mall and through a sculpture garden!



Stopping for a snack and a picture.

We made our way over to the Natural History Museum. This was the home of dinosaur bones and cool animals!

So naturally, lion stance from Nate.



In the fossil area, Nate was very excited by this sample of dinosaur "waste"!




And no trip to the Natural History Museum is complete without a visit to the Hope Diamond!




We wrapped up our day with dinner and swim. For dinner, we went to a restaurnt I had read about on Trip Advisor. It received rave reviews from both tourists and locals - Mike's American Grill. It was amazing! We'll be going back when we're in the DC area for sure.

Next up, the National Zoo!



Precious, right?

Now, not so precious. A huge beetle made out of dead bugs.



Colin posing with a statue of a salamander!




Pandas!



And Jake was asleep before we even left the parking lot.




So that wraps up this update! Thanks for following along!

 

[Elevationist]

****************************************
110 Days until FP+
170 Days until Disney!
****************************************


So I'm borrowing this countdown header idea from @Elevationist because I love it!

I had read about lots of people having success contacting TRex directly, so a few days later and had an ADR at a great time - no problems! So our new ADR is 5:45 on Saturday 11/28.

Wooooooooo! Congratulations!

The only thing that makes me uneasy is not having a confirmation number or anything linked in MDE. The hostess I talked to said my confirmation "number" is my last name. This does not sit well with my organized, plan-making frame of mind, but what are you going to do?

That bothered me too for the 20 minutes that I had a T-Rex reservation over the phone! As you know, I've since secured one via MDE, but I totally understand your nerves because I was grappling with the same thing!

Well, I was reading a blog a few days ago and found a girl that not only makes awesome Disney bows! And not only that, she will transform your Minnie ears so you can switch the bow out! So instead of ears with the same bow everyday, she adds a loop and you can change the bow!

OMG! I love this idea! I have the silver sequined ones pictured, and it would be SO FUN to put different bows on them!!!

God, that pool looks amazeballs. It's been SO HOT here already. I want to live in a swimming pool for the next 3 months.

Did you bring it home for me?

PANDA!!! I love pandas!!!

 

[Leshaface]

I had read about lots of people having success contacting TRex directly, so a few days later and had an ADR at a great time - no problems! So our new ADR is 5:45 on Saturday 11/28.

This is great news!

he only thing that makes me uneasy is not having a confirmation number or anything linked in MDE. The hostess I talked to said my confirmation "number" is my last name. This does not sit well with my organized, plan-making frame of mind, but what are you going to do?

Yep, this would make me nervous too. But i'm sure everything will be fine. If not, just throw a HUGE fit if they give you any trouble

STOP!! These are waaaaay cute! Oh my gosh, I need these. But first I need to start wearing Minnie ears I don't think i've ever wore any before. Not sure why



That is so cool that you're not too far away from DC. I've only visited once but would love to visit again. We only spent one day there, but got a lot done (of course you can when you don't have kids in tow right?)

Every woman's dream to own

OH my gosh, way too cute!

Ick, I immediately started scratching the moment I saw this

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

I'm sure everything will work out just fine with T-Rex. I've made phone reservations with them in the past and we had no problems when we arrived.


Love the DC photos, the museums are great and I adore the National Zoo! Your boys are the cutest.

PS. I may have to go buy some ribbons. You have aided my shopaholic tendencies!

 

[KathyM2]

Great update!! Way to go on getting that T-Rex ADR...my DS would love that too!! Loved also reading about your DC trip...I am going there with my DS next week and loved reading about everything you did...we will be doing some of the same! Also - I'm gonna go check out your reco for Mike's American Grill...becasue I will be on the lookout for places to eat with my picky boy...if you have any other recos I'd love to hear them!

 

[missangelalexis]

Glad you were able to get the T-Rex reservation!

Love the bows you picked out! So awesome that you can attach them to your Minnie ears.

I also got a physical Memory Maker card. I wasn't sure why because it was definitely linked to my magic band.

Sounds like a fun trip to DC!!

 

[missjackiemcg]

Love your bows!! A couple years ago, I got a set of Minnie ears at the Disney Store sale that has three interchangeable bows and clips that attach to the bows, too. I am always mixing and matching, which my husband has very little patience for. Too bad, I control the timeline in Disney World!! hahahaha!

 

[MissMaryQC]

I love the bows! I think that's such a cute little Disney touch. I don't know about you, but I'd TOTALLY wear them on a daily basis!

Glad you got your T-Rex ADR. I understand your uneasiness. Even for dinner's here at home if I don't get a number or something I'm a little uneasy. I'm sure all will be fine, and I know your boys will LOVE it!

DC looks like a great trip! Living in Miami there aren't a ton of places we can just drive to... There is this one place we're pretty close to though

Heehee, seriously though, I'd love being a quick drive from DC. I've only been once as a young teen ager, but I have fond memories of the area.

 

[KatMark]

What a fun update. I love what you are/can do with your ears and the ribbons are adorable.

What a fun trip to DC. I went there right after I graduated (many moons ago) and LOVED the National Zoo...it's a great zoo.

I'm glad you got your ADR at T-Rex...I bet the boys will love it there.

 

[hokieinpa]

Wooooooooo! Congratulations!

That bothered me too for the 20 minutes that I had a T-Rex reservation over the phone! As you know, I've since secured one via MDE, but I totally understand your nerves because I was grappling with the same thing!

Yes, I'm so happy to have that one locked down! It was so easy and there was plenty of availability. I think I'll keep my eye out for one on MDE just to have it 100% confirmed and ready to go!

OMG! I love this idea! I have the silver sequined ones pictured, and it would be SO FUN to put different bows on them!!!

They are so very cute! I ordered my 3 bows and now I need to send my ears to her. You can either have her purchase and modify the ears or send her ears that you already own. Now, I will need more bows for our May trip since I need to have a new one for each day...obviously.

God, that pool looks amazeballs. It's been SO HOT here already. I want to live in a swimming pool for the next 3 months.

I'm pretty sure we're going to live by the pool and splash pad this summer!

Did you bring it home for me?

You know, I actually tried. I would have had this update out much sooner but the security guys were just not at all understanding when I told them that Princess Billie just had to have this!

PANDA!!! I love pandas!!!

These guys were so cute! I could have watched them for hours! We actually watch them on the live webcam from the National Zoo site sometimes!

This is great news!

I'm so excited for the boys to see this place! I know the food will be similar to Rainforest Cafe, which we've been too several times but it's dinosaurs...so a must!

Yep, this would make me nervous too. But i'm sure everything will be fine. If not, just throw a HUGE fit if they give you any trouble

A huge fit does solve most problems! But I'm not really anticipating any problems.

STOP!! These are waaaaay cute! Oh my gosh, I need these. But first I need to start wearing Minnie ears I don't think i've ever wore any before. Not sure why

They are super cute! And she has so many bows for almost any Disney character! I'm going to need more, obviously!

That is so cool that you're not too far away from DC. I've only visited once but would love to visit again. We only spent one day there, but got a lot done (of course you can when you don't have kids in tow right?)

We have been going a few times a year since Nate was born. Jim and I went more often before that but at this point their attention span for museums is fairly low!

Every woman's dream to own

They have some really beautiful pieces at the museum!

OH my gosh, way too cute!

It made my heart melt!

Ick, I immediately started scratching the moment I saw this

Not my favorite part of the zoo! But the boys wanted to spend FOREVER looking at it, of course!

I'm sure everything will work out just fine with T-Rex. I've made phone reservations with them in the past and we had no problems when we arrived.


Love the DC photos, the museums are great and I adore the National Zoo! Your boys are the cutest.

PS. I may have to go buy some ribbons. You have aided my shopaholic tendencies!

I'm not anticipating any problems a TRex. I just love having that visual conformation of my ADR!

Thank you! We had a great time last weekend. The zoo was really fun and there was so much for the boys to see and do!

I love the bows - so many pretty choices!

Great update!! Way to go on getting that T-Rex ADR...my DS would love that too!! Loved also reading about your DC trip...I am going there with my DS next week and loved reading about everything you did...we will be doing some of the same! Also - I'm gonna go check out your reco for Mike's American Grill...becasue I will be on the lookout for places to eat with my picky boy...if you have any other recos I'd love to hear them!

I'm so excited to have a TRex ADR! It would just make life so much easier if I could have booked it on MDE. But whatever works!

It sounds like a fun trip you have planned! I think the boys preferred the Natural History Museum over Air and Space if that helps you. And we really enjoyed our lunch at the food court at the Natural History Museum - lots of choices instead of just pizza/burgers/nuggets.

And Mike's American Grill was really awesome, but it's in Springfield, VA. I'm not sure where you are staying but it's about 20 minutes from DC. It was right around the corner from out hotel so it was convenient. Have a great trip!

Glad you were able to get the T-Rex reservation!

Love the bows you picked out! So awesome that you can attach them to your Minnie ears.

I also got a physical Memory Maker card. I wasn't sure why because it was definitely linked to my magic band.

Sounds like a fun trip to DC!!

I'm so happy about getting a chance to try out Trex!

The bows are seriously cute! And getting to wear them with my ears will be fun!

I was a little confused by the card! Last trip I purchase Memory Maker and it just linked to my band, no card. But whatever works!

We had a great time, thanks!

Love your bows!! A couple years ago, I got a set of Minnie ears at the Disney Store sale that has three interchangeable bows and clips that attach to the bows, too. I am always mixing and matching, which my husband has very little patience for. Too bad, I control the timeline in Disney World!! hahahaha!

I've never seen anything like that at the Disney Store. It sounds cute! I'm excited to match shirts and parks, etc. with the bows. And I think your time changing bows it totally justified!

I love the bows! I think that's such a cute little Disney touch. I don't know about you, but I'd TOTALLY wear them on a daily basis!

Glad you got your T-Rex ADR. I understand your uneasiness. Even for dinner's here at home if I don't get a number or something I'm a little uneasy. I'm sure all will be fine, and I know your boys will LOVE it!

DC looks like a great trip! Living in Miami there aren't a ton of places we can just drive to... There is this one place we're pretty close to though

Heehee, seriously though, I'd love being a quick drive from DC. I've only been once as a young teen ager, but I have fond memories of the area.

I'll be wearing the ears every day! And I'm going to match them to my shirts, parks, character meets, etc! I'm debating getting a few headbands to if I don't feel like wearing my ears.

I'm so happy about TRex! But a confirmation number would make me rest easier - I like seeing it listed right there on my phone!

How did I not know that you lived in Miami! How great to be within driving distance of Disney! We had a great DC trip - thanks!

What a fun update. I love what you are/can do with your ears and the ribbons are adorable.

What a fun trip to DC. I went there right after I graduated (many moons ago) and LOVED the National Zoo...it's a great zoo.

I'm glad you got your ADR at T-Rex...I bet the boys will love it there.

The ears with bows are very cute! I'm excited to match them with my shirts and character meets!

We had a great time in DC! I think the zoo was everyone's favorite - so much to see and do!

I'm so excited to see them as we walk up to TRex and see all the dinosaurs - they will love it!

 

[Ladyfish77]

Joining. Wow, you were a hop, skip and jump from my house when you were in VA (literally, as I live in same town as your hotel!). Glad the boys enjoyed the Smithsonians and the Zoo! There's so much to do here so if/when you come back there will be plenty more to see.

My trip in October is a surprise for 3 of the 5. It's me, DH, DS, friend of DS and my BFF. My BFF is coming to visit next week, so I think I'll spill the beans to her so she can plan to get time off work. It will be her first time as well as friend of DS first time. We'll also celebrate DH's birthday since his birthday is in October!

I enjoy your photos of your boys! Mine were in that age range the first time we took them to WDW. Oh, the stories! Wish I had more pictures.

Glad you got all your ADR's! It will be a fun holiday trip! Maybe you should start a contest to guess the number of nose squeezes on the upcoming trip!

 

[Dugette]

I had read about lots of people having success contacting TRex directly, so a few days later I called and had an ADR at a great time - no problems! So our new ADR is 5:45 on Saturday 11/28.

Glad that worked out for you! And keep peeking at MDE and you may find one in there, if it makes you feel better. I did read the other day that you CAN combine the $25 intro and $25 birthday reward for Landry's on the same visit.

Love all your bows for your ears! Super cute!

We live about 3 hours from Washington DC so we have enjoyed several quick weekend trips to explore!

How great to have all that a short drive away! Looks like you had a great weekend trip!

 

[hokieinpa]

Joining. Wow, you were a hop, skip and jump from my house when you were in VA (literally, as I live in same town as your hotel!). Glad the boys enjoyed the Smithsonians and the Zoo! There's so much to do here so if/when you come back there will be plenty more to see.

My trip in October is a surprise for 3 of the 5. It's me, DH, DS, friend of DS and my BFF. My BFF is coming to visit next week, so I think I'll spill the beans to her so she can plan to get time off work. It will be her first time as well as friend of DS first time. We'll also celebrate DH's birthday since his birthday is in October!

I enjoy your photos of your boys! Mine were in that age range the first time we took them to WDW. Oh, the stories! Wish I had more pictures.

Glad you got all your ADR's! It will be a fun holiday trip! Maybe you should start a contest to guess the number of nose squeezes on the upcoming trip!

We love visiting DC! We don't get quite as much done now that we have 3 boys but they love the museums! I think we're going to try the Air & Space Museum near the Dulles Airport next time.

I'm newly interested in surprise trips, of course! It's so exciting but I think it will get harder the close our trip gets!

I love the idea of a nose squeeze guessing contest! They sure did love those noses last trip!

Glad that worked out for you! And keep peeking at MDE and you may find one in there, if it makes you feel better. I did read the other day that you CAN combine the $25 intro and $25 birthday reward for Landry's on the same visit.

I'll keep my eye open for one on MDE but I'm just glad to have something set! And I really need to get on that Landry's card since it will save so much!

Love all your bows for your ears! Super cute!

I can't wait to get them! I'm excited to wear the Christmas one! Now just to find a Disney Christmas shirt in a few months...

How great to have all that a short drive away! Looks like you had a great weekend trip!

We had a great trip but I think the boys are still recovering!