It's My Birthday & I'll Disney if I Wanna! ~ A Dec 2015 PTR - COMPLETE!

[Elevationist]

I can't believe I read your TR and the whole time I didn't notice that you had a PTR in your signature. I'm so glad I finally found this!

Less than a month to the 1 year mark ... which means less than 7 months to ADRs and less than 11 months to FP+ (I think ... my math may be wrong).

And I have hit the post-Disney blues too ... especially sad because my next trip may not end up being until 2021 (I may go for a race-only trip in February, but even that's not definite, and beyond that Disney is financially impossible for me for the foreseeable future ... but I do want to get there in 2021 for the 50th anniversary)

I'm looking forward to following along with the planning! And the weight loss - losing weight for Disney is a great goal!

Also, I don't know if you're working on your birthday, but if you are ... you should wear your tiara (I really love that tiara, it's beautiful and it looks great on you!)

YAY! Hi, Sarah! So glad you're here!

Your math is spot-on! Actually...

206 Days until ADRS!
326 Days until FP+!
386 Days until Check-In!

(I have widgets set up on my phone to tell me these things! )

I understand those Disney blues! Though it makes me happy to hear that I'm not the only one who thinks and plans that far in advance. These are my tentative (and somewhat nuts) plans through 2021...

2015 - December - Week at WDW
2016 - Year off from traveling to save for new car
2017 - October - Week at WDW
2018 - December - 4 days at WDW, followed by my first (4-night) Disney Cruise
2019 - October - Week at WDW
2020 - December - Celebrate 40th Birthday with first trip to Disneyland
2021 - October - 10 Days at WDW for 50th Anniversary
2022 - Maybe something non-Disney? (Yeah right!)

You know, I'm NOT working on my birthday this year! It's on a Wednesday, so I took some vacation time. I'm off starting that day, and not due back at work until the following Monday. Gonna have a nice quiet staycation in my apartment! However! Thanks to your BRILLIANT suggestion... You better believe I'll be wearing my tiara to dinner that night with my family.

 

[SarahDisney]

YAY! Hi, Sarah! So glad you're here!

Your math is spot-on! Actually...

206 Days until ADRS!
326 Days until FP+!
386 Days until Check-In!

(I have widgets set up on my phone to tell me these things! )

I understand those Disney blues! Though it makes me happy to hear that I'm not the only one who thinks and plans that far in advance. These are my tentative (and somewhat nuts) plans through 2021...

2015 - December - Week at WDW
2016 - Year off from traveling to save for new car
2017 - October - Week at WDW
2018 - December - 4 days at WDW, followed by my first (4-night) Disney Cruise
2019 - October - Week at WDW
2020 - December - Celebrate 40th Birthday with first trip to Disneyland
2021 - October - 10 Days at WDW for 50th Anniversary
2022 - Maybe something non-Disney? (Yeah right!)

You know, I'm NOT working on my birthday this year! It's on a Wednesday, so I took some vacation time. I'm off starting that day, and not due back at work until the following Monday. Gonna have a nice quiet staycation in my apartment! However! Thanks to your BRILLIANT suggestion... You better believe I'll be wearing my tiara to dinner that night with my family.

Widgets on your phone ... that's a good idea. You have less than a week until it's 200 days to ADR day - I hope you've started figuring out which ones you want!

I love that you have all your trips through 2021 planned out! You're way more planned out than me - I just know that I want to go at some point in 2021, not entirely sure when (October will probably be too crowded for me). I want to do Disneyland in 2015 for the 60th anniversary, but I don't think I can swing it ... I guess I'll just have to do the 75th anniversary in 2030.

And I love that you're going to Disneyland for your 40th birthday - some may consider this blasphemy, but I kind of like the parks in California better. It'll definitely be a great place to celebrate your big birthday!

Speaking of birthdays ... I'm glad you're going with my suggestion and wearing the tiara to your birthday dinner. I'll be checking back in a month to see pictures - so make sure you post some!

 

[Ava]

These are my tentative (and somewhat nuts) plans through 2021... 2015 - December - Week at WDW 2016 - Year off from traveling to save for new car 2017 - October - Week at WDW 2018 - December - 4 days at WDW, followed by my first (4-night) Disney Cruise 2019 - October - Week at WDW 2020 - December - Celebrate 40th Birthday with first trip to Disneyland 2021 - October - 10 Days at WDW for 50th Anniversary 2022 - Maybe something non-Disney? (Yeah right!)

You are definitely not the only one who thinks years ahead when it comes to vacations! I'm always thinking about when/where we can go next. Just yesterday I stumbled into a thread about Disneyland so I started reading a bit about it and now I'm itching to go west! I keep calculating how old the baby will be in x year, to figure out when she'll be old enough to handle the long flight cross-country and tall enough for at least most of the rides. I'm also planning on a Disney cruise, once she's old enough to go to the kids club with her sister (and we can afford it!)

I love your plan of going to Disneyland for your 40th - 2020 for me, too! (When you say it like that, it sounds not too far off. Yikes!)

 

[Elevationist]

Widgets on your phone ... that's a good idea. You have less than a week until it's 200 days to ADR day - I hope you've started figuring out which ones you want!

I love that you have all your trips through 2021 planned out! You're way more planned out than me - I just know that I want to go at some point in 2021, not entirely sure when (October will probably be too crowded for me). I want to do Disneyland in 2015 for the 60th anniversary, but I don't think I can swing it ... I guess I'll just have to do the 75th anniversary in 2030.

And I love that you're going to Disneyland for your 40th birthday - some may consider this blasphemy, but I kind of like the parks in California better. It'll definitely be a great place to celebrate your big birthday!

Speaking of birthdays ... I'm glad you're going with my suggestion and wearing the tiara to your birthday dinner. I'll be checking back in a month to see pictures - so make sure you post some!

Actually, I DO have all my restaurants picked out for my next trip! At least tentatively. They may change when the park hours finally come out for December 2015 and I figure out my itinerary for the week.

There will be tiara pics in a few weeks for my birthday, I promise!!

You are definitely not the only one who thinks years ahead when it comes to vacations! I'm always thinking about when/where we can go next. Just yesterday I stumbled into a thread about Disneyland so I started reading a bit about it and now I'm itching to go west! I keep calculating how old the baby will be in x year, to figure out when she'll be old enough to handle the long flight cross-country and tall enough for at least most of the rides. I'm also planning on a Disney cruise, once she's old enough to go to the kids club with her sister (and we can afford it!)

I love your plan of going to Disneyland for your 40th - 2020 for me, too! (When you say it like that, it sounds not too far off. Yikes!)

Maybe I'll see you in DL in 2020, then! If not crossing paths at WDW before then!

 

[Elevationist]

So I thought I'd share my crazy planning sickness with you guys. (That's what a PTR is all about, right?)

Even though my trip is still over a year away and the park hours won't be released for months yet, I used the December 2014 hours as a template to start a rough draft of planning. While I know everything I've done so far will be obliterated the moment I get my hot little hands on the December 2015 park hours, this at least allows me to start a rough outline.

Here's a scan of my hand-written notes so far (anything that says "Open" means it's unplanned and flexible):

The first two days are the only ones that I'm set on. It looks like this year, the Christmas parties are on Tues, Thurs, Fri, and Sun. If that's true of next year, I'll make that arrival day our MVMCP instead. On my trip this past September, I did it that way, I did MNSSHP on my arrival day, and it worked out great! And I want to surprise my aunt with Cinderella's Royal Table. I last did it over 10 years ago, so it will almost feel like new for me. I'm keeping it a secret from my aunt & uncle. I think she will flip when she finds out we're having dinner inside the castle with all her favorite princesses.

I definitely want to do Universal the next day (Saturday). I'm doing this just for Aunt Debby and Uncle Mark. I went in September, and had a GREAT time, but didn't feel the need to go back next year. Then when they decided to join me and I found out they were dying to go see the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, I knew I'd need to work in a day. The reason I want to do it first thing is that I can't take an afternoon break there like I can at the Disney parks. I figure doing it early in the week when my energy levels are higher is the best thing.

Everything after that is flexible and will likely totally change in about 5 months when the Dec. 2015 park hours come out. But it did give me a chance to think about how I'd like to structure our days, and how much time I want to allot for each park.

And to also think about FOOD! Glorious FOOD!

I narrowed it down to ideally:

Table Service ADRs

• Cinderella's Royal Table (with 1900 Park Fare as a back-up if I have trouble getting an ADR)
• Ohana (I did this in September after my Universal day, and I was there with a window-view during Wishes, so I'm hoping to replicate the experience next year)
• Mama Melrose (I've never done this one, having always read lackluster reviews... But I avoided Coral Reef for the same reasons, tried it on my last trip, and LOVED it! So I thought I'd take a chance!)
• Tusker House (I did this last time for breakfast, and want to try it for lunch this time... Plus, I need to make sure I have a guaranteed Mickey-meet for my companions!)
• Coral Reef (I did really enjoy this one, but wouldn't necessarily do it two trips in a row, however I think my aunt would really like it for the aquarium view)
• Be Our Guest (My aunt's one VERY specific request, so crossing my fingers I'll be able to land another dinner ADR for it)
• Boma (For breakfast, because I did this for my departure day breakfast on my last trip, and it was perfect)

Counter Service Must-Do's

• Sleepy Hollow (Been itching to try one of those waffle sandwiches)
• Landscape of Flavors (I'm sure we'll end up eating here a few times, but I'm dying for some more of their gelato!)
• Wolfgang Puck Express (Been trying to get over here for a meal for a few trips now)
• L'Artisan des Glaces (I just HAFTA to try the Ice Cream martini!)

Will probably put together lists of my Must Do's in each park soon!

 

[SarahDisney]

I love that you have a calendar printed out and your tentative plans already written in. I'm sure it'll change when the park hours come out, but still ... that is exciting.

Great dining choices!
In terms of Mama Melrose - I can't tell you anything about the food (because I can't order off the menu, which actually really confused our server), but the restaurant itself is really cute and I really liked the theme and decor.

Only about 200 days until you get to make ADRs!!!

 

[cinderkelly]

I'm here!! Excited to follow your PTR!

Congrats on the weight loss! That's awesome!!

I wish my DH would let me plan our trips that far in advance, I would love it! I'm excited you have a Disney cruise planned in there. We did our first 4 night cruise his past September and absolutely loved it!! We have another "penciled in" the calendar for our 10th anniversary in 2016...seems so long from now

I think it's awesome you have family that are as excited to go to DW as you, makes it so much fun. It will deifnately be different than going solo but you get to play tour guide

 

[Elevationist]

I love that you have a calendar printed out and your tentative plans already written in. I'm sure it'll change when the park hours come out, but still ... that is exciting.

I just wanna do DISNEY THINGS! Even if I have to re-do them a million times between now and then!

Great dining choices!
In terms of Mama Melrose - I can't tell you anything about the food (because I can't order off the menu, which actually really confused our server), but the restaurant itself is really cute and I really liked the theme and decor.

I'm glad to hear it! It gets really mixed reviews, but other than Brown Derby, it's the only one in HS that I haven't eaten at. I normally only spend enough time in that park to do the 7 attractions I care about (ToT, RnR, Great Movie Ride, Star Tours, Muppets, TSMM, and Fantasmic). But with my Aunt & Uncle going for the first time, and they might want to do some other things in the park, I figure I better plan an in-park meal here, and I get to try something new!

Only about 200 days until you get to make ADRs!!!

197 days now!!!

I'm here!! Excited to follow your PTR!

Yaaaay! Welcome! I'm so glad you're here!

Congrats on the weight loss! That's awesome!!

Thanks! It's gotten slow-going now. I did manage to drop one more pound this week. Admittedly, I need to try harder, though.

I wish my DH would let me plan our trips that far in advance, I would love it! I'm excited you have a Disney cruise planned in there. We did our first 4 night cruise his past September and absolutely loved it!! We have another "penciled in" the calendar for our 10th anniversary in 2016...seems so long from now

Aww, how exciting!!! I have a fear of open water and boats... Disney is the only people I trust enough to go out to sea with! And I want to try to conquer my fear as well.

I think it's awesome you have family that are as excited to go to DW as you, makes it so much fun. It will deifnately be different than going solo but you get to play tour guide

It will be different, but I'm looking forward to seeing their faces! It's going to make planning a challenge, though. In the past, when I've planned trips for myself and others, we were all in the same age group and mostly interested in the same attractions. My aunt and uncle are in their 50s, and my aunt is severely susceptible to motion sickness. Which means she can't ride any of the thrill rides... Which are what I usually get Fastpasses for.

So I'm really going to have to think about how to do our FP+ when the time comes, and how I can still do all the things I want to do but still make sure that they have a good time, too. Maybe do things like set them up for a FP+ for the Jungle Cruise (which I'm not a fan of) while I go use a FP+ for Splash Mountain. Then we meet back up afterwards. Something. PLANNING!!!!

 

[Wood Nymph]

I enjoyed your last trip report and am looking forward to reading about your plans for December 2015. We went to WDW last Dec - well actually - Nov 30th to Dec 5th, and loved that time of year. I think you picked a good week. We would love to go back that same time in 2015, before our annual passes expire, but the 2015 RO bounceback doesn't cover those dates this time.

I wanted to add something about your aunt. I get motion sick, too. I am more than happy, in fact grateful and relieved, to wait outside a ride while the thrill seekers do their thing. And if they can do it with a fastpass so I don't have to wait too long, it is a double bonus.

 

[Elevationist]

I enjoyed your last trip report and am looking forward to reading about your plans for December 2015. We went to WDW last Dec - well actually - Nov 30th to Dec 5th, and loved that time of year. I think you picked a good week. We would love to go back that same time in 2015, before our annual passes expire, but the 2015 RO bounceback doesn't cover those dates this time.

Hi, Sue! So glad you're here!

Yeah, when I was there in September, I checked the Bounceback offer that was in my room, but it didn't extend into December. And I REALLY want to go for my birthday. Right now we're booked at AoA at rack rate, but I figure I'll keep an eye out for discounts codes over the course of the coming year. If I do, I'll likely be moving us up to a moderate resort (probably POFQ) since the AoA Little Mermaid rooms never qualify for discounts.

There's also the option of waiting until the Military/DoD rates (which I qualify for through work) are released sometime over the summer, then switching. That's 35% off of moderates, and would actually come in a few dollars cheaper than rack rate at AoA. But that also depends on if it looks like I'll still be at my same job towards the end of next year or not. Playing it by ear.

I wanted to add something about your aunt. I get motion sick, too. I am more than happy, in fact grateful and relieved, to wait outside a ride while the thrill seekers do their thing. And if they can do it with a fastpass so I don't have to wait too long, it is a double bonus.

I knooooow, my aunt says the same thing! I still feel bad though! I know doing it this way will be unavoidable at times. But I'm hoping that in some cases, I can set it up so that she and my uncle can go do something while I get my thrill fix. I'm sure it'll all work out somehow, and while I'm nervous, I also appreciate the planning challenge!

 

[lamom18]

I'm here!! Excited to follow your PTR!

Congrats on the weight loss! That's awesome!!

I wish my DH would let me plan our trips that far in advance, I would love it! I'm excited you have a Disney cruise planned in there. We did our first 4 night cruise his past September and absolutely loved it!! We have another "penciled in" the calendar for our 10th anniversary in 2016...seems so long from now

I think it's awesome you have family that are as excited to go to DW as you, makes it so much fun. It will deifnately be different than going solo but you get to play tour guide

My DH has started to get annoyed at times, because of my advance planning. We are also planning for 2016 (December 18-22) and it's also our 10th Anniversary!


OP: I'm enjoying you PTR! My DH and I have only been once as a couple, with that being my only visit and his 2nd. We picked that as our "Disneymoon" and 2016 will make 10 years. I've been so excited since we finally determined this summer that we would go back. Our kids know we will go in the future, but don't know that we've already planned our dates. We had to tell them, when they asked, that their DS (2) would have to be 5, so she could be big enough for most of the rides. They just don't know that they'll get a surprise for Christmas before she turns 5. So many things have changed since our last trip (March 2006) and also traveling with kids on the next, has got me reading every tip (solo or with children), so that I can have a base idea of how things will work for our family.

Good luck with the weight loss and I'm excited to see updates!

 

[ursalita]

HI! I enjoyed your recent trip and dining reports so I'm following you here. Congrats on the weight loss and good luck!

 

[Elevationist]

My DH has started to get annoyed at times, because of my advance planning. We are also planning for 2016 (December 18-22) and it's also our 10th Anniversary!

OP: I'm enjoying you PTR! My DH and I have only been once as a couple, with that being my only visit and his 2nd. We picked that as our "Disneymoon" and 2016 will make 10 years. I've been so excited since we finally determined this summer that we would go back. Our kids know we will go in the future, but don't know that we've already planned our dates. We had to tell them, when they asked, that their DS (2) would have to be 5, so she could be big enough for most of the rides. They just don't know that they'll get a surprise for Christmas before she turns 5. So many things have changed since our last trip (March 2006) and also traveling with kids on the next, has got me reading every tip (solo or with children), so that I can have a base idea of how things will work for our family.

Good luck with the weight loss and I'm excited to see updates!

Aww, how exciting to be planning a trip finally after so many years away! I had to go just 5 years between trips, and it drove me CRAZY! If there's ever any questions I might can answer during your planning process, please don't hesitate to ask!

HI! I enjoyed your recent trip and dining reports so I'm following you here. Congrats on the weight loss and good luck!

Thank you so much, I'm glad you enjoyed my reports! My PTR is off to a bit of a slow start... But I suppose that's to be expected when I started it while my trip was still more than 14 months away. Welcome, and I hope you continue to enjoy my ramblings!

 

[Elevationist]

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! (1 day late...)

Hoping that everybody had a wonderful holiday! I wasn't on the Dis much yesterday. I spent most of the day curled up in bed reading. I recently got talked into reading the Percy Jackson books. I braved Walmart on Wednesday night, which was HARROWING . But I knew they had the boxed set of the first five books, and that was how I wanted to spend my Thanksgiving.

I made it about halfway through the first book and then it was time to head over to my Mom's house for Thanksgiving dinner. Now, my family eats holiday meals at normal dinner time, not the middle of the day. So ALL DAY LONG on Facebook, I had to look at people talking about and posting photos of their food. By the time I got in the car to go to Mom's house, I was starving!

I literally walked into the house like this...

And then all the way to the table to fix my plate, too! (The best part was that my mom actually recognized the dance because she's been watching and rooting for Alfonso Ribeiro on "Dancing with the Stars," and she crept cracking up watching me.)

And then it was time for FOOD, GLORIOUS FOOD.

Pumpkin Pie... Doing it Right:

This is my Thanksgiving philosophy:

I hope everybody enjoyed their Turkey Day as much as I did mine!!! Gobble gobble!!!

 

[KatMark]

I had no idea you were going back AND doing a PTR. I'll catch up when I can.

 

[Elevationist]

I had no idea you were going back AND doing a PTR. I'll catch up when I can.

Kathy, your spidey-sense must be tingling! At this very moment, I'm knee-deep in your TR, trying to get caught up! So glad you found my PTR!!!

 

[KatMark]

I'm caught up.

Love the plans and glad you will have company this trip.

We LOVE Mama Melrose and I am sure you will enjoy it.

As for your Aunt and her motion stuff, at MK you can always do Peter Pan, Buzz, Pirates, Haunted Mansion, etc.

And good for you setting a goal for a weight loss before the trip. I think it is very doable for you.

 

[Elevationist]

I'm caught up.

Love the plans and glad you will have company this trip.

We LOVE Mama Melrose and I am sure you will enjoy it.

As for your Aunt and her motion stuff, at MK you can always do Peter Pan, Buzz, Pirates, Haunted Mansion, etc.

And good for you setting a goal for a weight loss before the trip. I think it is very doable for you.

Yay, I'm glad to hear another positive review of Mama Melrose!

In MK, we'll definitely be doing all of those things. I'm just trying to figure out the best way to strategize the FastPass+ stuff.

I always get my FPs for thrill rides... In MK, my choices would be 7DMT, Splash Mountain, and either Space or Thunder Mountain. All things she can't ride. And I would like to be able to ride those things, even solo, without waiting an hour for each. So I'm just going to have to do a lot of thinking about how to allot our Fastpasses in a way that will make everybody happy.

Usually when I bring other people, especially newbies, I focus everything on making THEM happy and ensuring THEY get the most out of it. But after my recent solo adventure, where I finally got to do what I wanted without consulting anybody, plus the fact that this next trip was planning for MY birthday... I've promised myself that I will not neglect my wants and needs from the trip because I'm trying so hard to make sure they have a great time. Will I get to do EVERYTHING I want, like last time? Probably not. But I need to be able to do some of it. It's just going to require a level of planning I've never had to do before. It'll be a good challenge for me though!

Thanks for the support on the weight loss! I'm kinda lagging right now, but I keep reminding myself it's the holidays AND my birthday, so I should allow myself a little wiggle room without getting to upset. January 1st, it's ON!!!

 

[Ava]

Just caught up on your last few posts. I love that you've already got a calendar and tentative plans. I do too, haha. I got bored at work one day and started a spreadsheet with the crowd levels and recommended parks for my same dates from 2014. From all I've read they don't change much from year to year, so I figured I can at least get an idea. And I've started thinking about dining plans already too. I think only WDW trip planners understand planning where you want to eat over a year in advance! LOL.

Speaking of... we ate lunch at Mama Melrose last trip and really enjoyed it. I've heard it compared to Olive Garden in quality, but I thought it was much better.

Akershus is also a nice alternative if you can't get into CRT. We did breakfast, so I can't comment on the lunch/dinner food, but it's all the same Princesses.

 

[Elevationist]

Just caught up on your last few posts. I love that you've already got a calendar and tentative plans. I do too, haha. I got bored at work one day and started a spreadsheet with the crowd levels and recommended parks for my same dates from 2014. From all I've read they don't change much from year to year, so I figured I can at least get an idea. And I've started thinking about dining plans already too. I think only WDW trip planners understand planning where you want to eat over a year in advance! LOL.

Speaking of... we ate lunch at Mama Melrose last trip and really enjoyed it. I've heard it compared to Olive Garden in quality, but I thought it was much better.

Akershus is also a nice alternative if you can't get into CRT. We did breakfast, so I can't comment on the lunch/dinner food, but it's all the same Princesses.

I think about food all the time anyhow, so planning my Disney meals a year in advance comes naturally to me.

Oh yay, another Mama Melrose fan! This makes me happy! One of the reviews I read recently also compared it to Olive Garden "but slightly better." I must not have a very refined palate, because I freakin' LOVE me some Olive Garden. So this sounds right up my alley!

Akershus is out this trip, since we're only spending one day in Epcot, and I think my aunt will really like the atmosphere at Coral Reef. My back-up for CRT is 1900 Park Fare. Not ALL the princesses, sure, but I've always wanted to see the step-sisters, I've heard they are hilarious, and my aunt & uncle both have a sense of humor very similar to mine, so I think they'd get a kick out of it. AND it's right outside of MK, so easy enough to just dart over there for dinner.