It's gonna be hot hot hot! July - August 2013 PTR

[catherines_mama]

Back to the July / August PTR ...

We covered:
Sunday - Epcot
Monday - Animal Kingdom
Tuesday - Epcot
Wednesday - Typhoon Lagoon

THURSDAY - Hollywood Studios and although we have AP and the ability to "hop" I think we'll do all day at HS.

Rope drop is the plan, and how FP+ will factor in I don't know.
Toy Story Mania, Tower of Terror & RNR are musts. We also love all the shows and the Great Movie Ride. We've never done the backlot tour and I've never done it since I was a kid and it was MGM and a working studio. I was even in it once, I rode the bee's wing in one of the scene's LOL ages ago...

We have no problem leaving at lunch and heading back to the resort for a swim. We'll need to be back by 5PM for dinner at Sci-Fi.

I've eaten here with friends when Catherine was really little, but never with Steve & Family. Really excited!

The plan is then to catch Fantasmic. Again, Catherine and I have seen this, but it'll be a 1st for Steve and the kids.

 

[catherines_mama]

I never thought I would be so 'slack' but we've been so busy. Catherine has volleyball 5 days a week and Jack has baseball 3 days a week and nearly every weekend. Emma just announced that she wants to play softball in the Fall. I'm excited for her, I am, she needs something more athletic (she just does dance once a week now). But softball is 3x a week. This mama is nothing but a taxi.. beep beep

VACATION PLANNING
Friday 2 AUG is our MK day! Well start with 8:05 ADR at Crystal Palace, this is a tradition for us. We do this ADR on every vacation and I don't think we'll ever STOP doing it. We love it!

Being in the park early, we plan on exploring Fantasy Land this morning. before heading over to Adventure & Frontier Land.We'd have hopefully done Tomorrow Land Monday night. But it's also PM EMH so we'll come back after our afternoon break for that.

Saturday - KID PICK - this is where we sit down and ask the kids what they want to do. I am guessing they will probably want to go back to MK and do more there if we missed anything then go to AK (knowing my kids) but who knows. We won't have anything in the PM but maybe DTD since we leave Sunday AM.
we enjoy these fly by the seat of your pants days

That's it... time to go home sniff sniff

 

[carissanboys]

I'm here and subscribed! You have a lovely family!

Looking forward to hearing more about your plans.

 

[catherines_mama]

HI! So a quick catch-up on us and the trip planning. A few details I wanted to add in.

We decided this trip to not do DDP. We've done DDP since our 1st family trip in JUNE 2009, and every trip since. But now that the 2 older kids are the size they are and eat pretty non-stop, and now that DH and I don't eat so much anymore because of our diet we figured it might be a huge waste of money.

I spent a day where I sat down with the menus and planned everything out. I took into consideration that we might NOT want to do so many TS and calculated it all out and yeah, TIW worked out really wall for us. With the trip in FEB that I took + this trip, we come out ahead with TIW.

I bought it in FEB and it was really easy to use. I found myself still booking some TS for this trip, but not as many and I didn't feel pressured to do them every day. Just when it felt like they fit in organically.

Now - our diet. We are doing great! We are both halfway to goal! we've dialed back a bit, only because if you've researched Medifast it is expensive. both of us on it, we're spending a lot each month. We are doing 3 + 2 instead. 3 Medifast + 2 protein each day. Our coach agreed and thinks we are doing okay as long as we keep up with the exercise etc. I can't wait to post vacation pictures and compare them to those horrid ones from FEB! GO ME!

I'm curious where FP+ is and if it'll change our touring at all. I kind of like it, I kind of don't. I would love not to have to leave my family to run across a park to retrieve FPs. I'm good enough to plan ahead, but then again I don't like the thought of not being able to park hop and grab FPs at night at another park and sometimes I am THAT GOOD that I can fit 4 FPs into a day.

Then there is the "do we switch our APs to RFID?" We aren't renewing them after this trip, so do we battle that headache? Decisions Decisions...

ILs are still on board to join us - they will be offsite at the Hilton Timeshare they own at. They are busy ILs though. They are headed there Memorial weekend for our Neices' 1st visit. I've been helping MIL plan and made some autograph books for the girls. They are 11, 8, & 5. DH and SIL kept pace with each other on popping out kids until until DH's divorce LOL.

We still have an open invite for my sister to join us, we loved having her with us in OCT of last year and hope she'll join us again.

Okay - i think that's it. I'm just ready for this school year to slow down. But I know 2 weeks into summer I'll be screaming for school to be back in. LOL Just no making me happy

 

[carissanboys]

Congrats on being halfway to your goal!

We did the dining plan once before and it was awesome to have the option to eat whatever we wanted anywhere. But it was a lot of food and I knew it'd be cheaper to not do it, especially since we had the cabin and could make two meals a day there.

 

[catherines_mama]

Oh some planning is happening here....

* I reserved our room for the Saturday night when we arrive in Orlando but before we check-in at WDW on Sunday YAY

DH wants to leave EARLY on Saturday and get there with time to relax by the pool with a cocktail and decompress before the busy week.

* My Sister has been told which ticket to get (@ AAA) and will do that soon

* I re-arranged a couple of days and ADRs. I was in direct disagreement with easyWDW and throught I'd change things if I could, and I could, so I did. Looking forward to seeing how it works since I've never used those plans before.

- NEXT - I need to book Einstein's week at the vet / kennel. I neglected to add that into the budget so I need to hustle up and do that. Whoops! I'll want to add a couple days for him at doggie daycare so he can go play.

We have some busy weeks of baseball coming up with 3 road trips in the next 6 weeks. I'm tired of hotels and can't wait til our stay in our villa!

 

[catherines_mama]

I am an absolute control freak and I OWN THE PLAN. ME, it's mine and you cannot change it. That is truly how I feel sometimes and it's not always healthy.

When changes are introduced to the plan, my 1st reaction is to freak out. But, if I chill out a bit - ya know - sometimes things are great.

My BFF - the one who has been there from college, the one who picked me up downtown when all the other friends left me there, drunk, the one who was there when the others didn't have time and I needed a shoulder to cry on, the one who stood beside me when my beautiful DD was born, the one who hated my boyfriend b/c he was a jerk,then pretended to like him when we got back together, then was there for me when we got married - and now loves him because he is the best DH ever - that BFF. We've been through utter HELL and back together over the past 16 yrs AND SHE'S COMING TO SEE ME AT WDW!!!!!!

I am SO EXCITED! Of course she picked the day I was not expecting her to! But it was SO meant to be. It's a day with no PM Dinner Ressie and the morning we were going to AK. Okay, move AK to Saturday and scratch the KID PICK day - they'll get over it. They get to see Aunt Andi, Uncle Tim and Ali - they LOVE ALI and all insane 5 yrs of her.

SO the new plans:
Monday - EPCOT at RD
Cape May for breakfast @ 10:50
EPCOT until we are just too tired, maybe 3'ish
(during this time, Andi and her fam will be at Sea World)

I'm putting Andi on my ressie, b/c I have room, since ILs got their own. Hoping ILs will watch the kids so us grown ups can go to dinner and catch up. MY DD12 has helped Andi with Ali many times so we know Ali will mind Cat without a problem. And they can talk walks, go to the Community Hall etc. We'll probably just go eat at DTD.

Tuesday (was AK) - Relax in morning
Relax at pool / lunch at resort / Relax some more
If ILs don't want to veg, they can go park hop and even take a grandkid along if they want, we won't put any restrictions on them. I don't know if Ali will want her friends gone, but it'll be okay.
DTD to shop a bit I hear my god daughter is a fashionista. She told her daddy "Dad this outfit just isn't working for me today" LOL
Then they'll head home (FL West Coast) and we'll head to our 5:30 Ressie at KONA

Modified Saturday (was KID PICK) - Now AK
Funny how it works, this is EasyWDw MOST RECOMMENDED this day - YAY!
We'll just do this for the day. When we are done, head back to the hotel and RELAX We'll be headed home in the morning

So as much as I resist change, when it falls into place SO perfectly, I know its meant to be and easily accept it and its just another reason to be excited for this trip to come! I love my friend and I love her family. I haven't seem them since FEB (Ali's bday) and my family hasn't seen their family since DEC 2011, with not so good memories so time to build new ones and have a great time together!

 

[catherines_mama]

On-line Check-in - CHECK! this is the 1st time I've done it at 60 (well 59) days.

59 days til VACATION i cannot wait - SO VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY ready for this.

 

[carissanboys]

On-line Check-in - CHECK! this is the 1st time I've done it at 60 (well 59) days.

59 days til VACATION i cannot wait - SO VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY ready for this.

Sometimes online Check-in can save a lot of time--like when the lines are long.

You're getting close!

 

[catherines_mama]

Goodness it's been forever and so much has changed. Not so much so in the trip.

The Summer World Series, Jacks big baseball tournament that was the big factor in when we planned the trip- his coach decided not to even participate. The decision was made 1 month ahead of the tourney which is kind of last minute. Chaos! The boys hadn't been doing great, more so a lack of effort than ability.

Jack and Emma's mom went ahead and drove up here to get them last weekend I hate them leaving. But 1 week down already and...

3 weeks til Disney!!! I can't believe it!

My sister is confirmed coming with us. My in-laws were a maybe for a bit but are for sure now.

My best-friend won't be spending that day with us. They are trying IVF and that's the window, so please pray for her and her family. They might try to come over on Sunday, we'll see.

Otherwise our trip is on target. I have so much to do in the next 3 weeks no even Disney related.

It'll help time pass

 

[catherines_mama]

More changes. Not huge ones.


We changed our "arrival night" hotel. Had to cancel a hotel when baseball tournament was canceled and had done the pre-pay deal well to get the money back I had to rebook at a Hilton property, so moved from a Choice to a Hilton (Hampton Inn).

My best friend got a new job!! So she quit her current job which means she CAN come see us. This makes our check-in day more relaxed as we'll spend it with them at DTD, etc.

And then, my boss called me. She is thinking about having me go to our HQ for a mtg Friday 26th. LOL it's 2 hr drive from WDW. If I go, I'll do a 1-way and just meet DH there. Insanity.

I need this vacation. Oh and the baseball team that we did all the planning based on- got an email this morning, the team disbanded. I'm so sad for my son. All the other possibilities in town are having try-outs over the next 2 weeks so boys can hope to get picked up and find a spot. But Jack, he's in FL at his moms. he got hosed. I wish we'd known this before he left.

Anyway, like I said- we need this vacation LOL

 

[catherines_mama]

I'm in complete shock that tomorrow is my last day if work and we leave Saturday! Yikes!

Laundry- in process
Packing - 1/2 way done
Shopping - DH will do tomorrow (he's off after today)
Dog - we drop him tomorrow night, but he's packed
Money - all set
Kids - I think they are all planned out with my in-laws. I sure hope so!

Yay!! I'm so excited!! We so badly need this vacation!

 

[catherines_mama]

We're heeeeeere. At Hilton Garden inn on Palm Parkway. The family is due to wake up in a bit and we will go to breakfast, run thru Winn Dixie and go check-in at Old Key West.

Super excited!!! See y'all in a week!