Less than TEN days to go; I can do this! *Updated 12/2*

[squeegee]

For a brief real-life update: We took DD to the Sherwood Forest Faire this past Sunday. Tickets were BOGO, and she was under six and therefore free. She had a blast, had her first pony ride (after a brief episode of being chicken), and got her face painted. Am still healing from surgery, so couldn't ride anything and was a bit pooped by noon, but a good time was had by all.



The one in the spinning swing thing is blurry, but I'm no pro photographer. it took me about 30 shots to get that one. Lol.

 

[squeegee]

Day 7 (Edited from Day 6 due to spreadsheet change 2/26)

Sunday, 12/13

Magic Kingdom



Dining plans:
Crystal Palace Buffet breakfast (OOP/TS Character Meal) pre-opening 8am
Snack or OOP for lunch
CRT Dinner (2x TS Character Meal) 6-ish

A loose outline for the day:
Wake up, head to MK for breakfast
Use FP+, ride things
Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique around 11:00, as soon after breakfast as possible.
Return to the resort for a nap
Return to MK for dinner
MSEP and/or Wishes (try to get 4th FP+ for MSEP)
Return to resort for the night.

Additional Must-do's:
Festival of Fantasy Parade

Coveted FP+:
Enchanted Tales w/Belle
Peter Pan
Big Thunder

The idea was to hit all four parks before doing any repeats, and, actually, until park hours/recommendations, etc., are released, all my "days" are adjustable. Copy, Cut, Insert!

BBB is going to be a hit, for sure. DD is already looking forward to dressing up like a princess, and I've got plans to sew six costumes for her, plus take the ones she already has, so I think she'll have a different costume for every day, if that's what she wants. After Halloween last year, I bought really nice Ariel and Rapunzel dresses that should fit by the time we go. I've already got fabric for an Elsa and a Belle, plus patterns for a Snow, Anna, Sophia, and Aurora. She has a Cinderella that she's already outgrown, and I just wasn't fond of the way it turned out - but maybe something new will come out with the new movie? I already have a hard time convincing her to wear "real" clothes in the morning on a daily basis, so I'm just not going to fight over it at WDW.

I'm really looking forward to the dinner in the castle - we bandied about the idea of doing the breakfast there, which we would have done if we'd decided to do the MVMCP, but since I couldn't justify the expense of the party, we switched to dinner at the castle. DH is really big on breakfasts, so he won't let me have a day go by without one. We did the Crystal Palace buffet last time we were there, and I remember it being pretty good. Again, I'm a standard eggs-n-bacon kind of gal, but DH will try the more unusual items, like breakfast pizza or a frittata. DD has seen some Winnie the Pooh cartoons, but it's not her favorite thing, so I'm wondering how she'll react there.

 

[squeegee]

Day 6 (Edited from Day 7 due to spreadsheet change 2/26)
Monday, 12/14

Epcot



Meal Plans:
Trattoria al Forno Breakfast (OOP/TS) 7-ish
Snack or OOP for lunch
Tangierine Café (Morocco) Dinner (QS) 6-ish

Loose outline for the day:
Wake up, head to Epcot for breakfast
Use FP+, ride things
Return to the resort for a nap
Return to Epcot for dinner
Catch Illuminations at 9pm if we missed it before
Return to the resort for the night

Additional Must-do's:
Captain EO, Innoventions,
Continue Kidcot Passport

Coveted FP+:
Captain EO
Spaceship Earth
Living w/The land

This will be our second Epcot day, and I anticipate spending more time up in the "front" of the park, as opposed to World Showcase - though I will definitely sneak in more WS time, even if I end up cris-crossing the park ten times. I could use the exercise. LOL.

The meal plans for today's breakfast are a little flexible, since Trattoria is so new - I can switch it around with, say, the Cape May breakfast or something if I have to, though the Waffles with coffee mascarpone sounds really yummy to me. Am also looking forward to the Moroccan dinner; I think I'd like the Table-service version better, but I don't think I want to pay for yet another full sit-down meal, y'know? And if we end up hating Moroccan food, at least we're not out a lot.

Captain EO was not at WDW last time we were there, and while I'm not the biggest MJ fan, I think it's one of those "classic" things I've got to see if I get the opportunity. It's another thing I'm not looking for videos of on You-Tube, so I can see it for the first time in-person.

 

[MrSqueegee]

I'd like to go on the record as saying that I am not adorable.

As a matter of fact, I'm probably the most difficult, unruly, caustic person you're ever likely to encounter.

 

[squeegee]

I'd like to go on the record as saying that I am not adorable.

As a matter of fact, I'm probably the most difficult, unruly, caustic person you're ever likely to encounter.

Oh, dear.

 

[squeegee]

Another real-life update, 'cause I gotta grouse:
I saw my endocrinologist today, expecting to start the process of iodine radiation for my recurrent thyroid cancer (surgery was late January), only to find out that, because I had two CT's with iodine contrast, I have to wait another three or four months for the radiation. Was all psyched up for getting it over and done, and getting back to "normal," and now I'm just ticked. It's nobody's fault - it just sucks.

He also mentioned that I should get back in to see my surgeon as soon as I can, because I'm still having shoulder pain after the neck dissection. I had expected to hop right into radiation and have that time for healing, so I wasn't too concerned that my shoulder still hurt, or that I still wear out so easily. But now, since I'm not having the time off extended by radiation, it's a scramble to get back in to see the surgeon, and there's the stress of worrying whether or not I'll have to go back to work before I'm even 75% ready.

And then, because the waiting doesn't suck enough, my short-term disability will consider this current claim closed after 14 days back at work - so the radiation process (about a month long) will be a completely separate claim subject to yet another 2-week unpaid exclusion period. Grrrrrr.

I suppose at least I should be thankful I have good health coverage and the short-term disability policy in the first place, and I am, but it's just all so frustrating to deal with. Good news is that the boss has said I can take my disney time (unpaid, but approved), whether I have the vacation time saved up then or not.

Ok, done grousing. Will get back to the regularly scheduled programming soon.

 

[SJSloan]

Day 2 plans:




With a Little Monster in tow, the first park must, of course, be MK. We'll wake up early - which she's used to anyhow - and have a quick breakfast at the Riverside Mill (Bounty platter for me, please!). I plan on having the FP for late morning/very early afternoon, and I'm leaving some time in there for an afternoon nap (but I don't really think she'll go for it). Best-case scenario, she'll pass out in her stroller and DH and I can enjoy some quiet strolling, shopping, and people-watching for an hour or two. We had 'Ohana for breakfast on our last trip, and I think DD will love the little conga line stuff they do, and it doesn't hurt that she likes Stitch.

I'm joining in. I LOVE your spreadsheet and am about to create one of my own. Thanks for the idea.

In your post you mentioned Ohana for dinner and said that your daughter likes Stitch. I'm not sure if you know that Ohana is only a character breakfast; they don't have characters at dinner. And there is no conga line at dinner, there is however a coconut race for kids.

I can't wait to keep reading....right after I creater this spreadsheet.

 

[squeegee]

I'm joining in. I LOVE your spreadsheet and am about to create one of my own. Thanks for the idea.

In your post you mentioned Ohana for dinner and said that your daughter likes Stitch. I'm not sure if you know that Ohana is only a character breakfast; they don't have characters at dinner. And there is no conga line at dinner, there is however a coconut race for kids.

I can't wait to keep reading....right after I creater this spreadsheet.

Cruds. I forgot that it was only a breakfast character meal. Will have to revise. She doesn't know Stitch is there yet, so I don't think she'll be heartbroken. THANK YOU for catching that for me.

 

[squeegee]

Okay, did a quick revision of the spreadsheet:


Swapped around a couple of days to avoid the MVMCP, but that might change. I know most folks, if they're not going to the party, avoid it because of early close, so that it means lighter crowds and more productive mornings on party days (and heavier crowds on non-party days) - but I definitely want to see some of the night-time parades and fireworks. I think that I'll end up shifting days around again once the park hours and parade schedules and such are made available.

I also swapped out 'Ohana dinner for the Whispering canyon at WL. Dh really enjoyed the AYCTE platter last time, and since they brought it back, more or less, I think he'll be happy to see that change made. Little Monster will love all the hoopla, I think. She's rowdy at restaurants anyhow, and is almost 100% certain to ask for the ketchup (and mommy is not going to warn her in advance).

Having dinner at the WL that night also gives us the chance to maybe catch the EWP, let the Little Monster see the geyser, and/or tool around the Fort Wildnerness Campground for a while. Plus, IF Free dining comes out and IF POR is excluded, and IF we don't get a PIN, we might end up staying at WL anyhow IF they have FD. Lots of "If's," LOL.

 

[squeegee]

Day 8
Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Epcot



Meal Plans:
Grand Floridian Café Breakfast (OOP/TS) 7-ish
Biergarten Lunch(OOP/TS) 11-ish
Garden Grill Dinner (TS Character Meal) 6-ish

Loose outline for the day:
Head to GF for Breakfast
Head to Epcot via Monorail!
Use FP+, ride things
Have lunch
Return to the resort for a nap
Head back to Epcot for dinner, Catch Illuminations at 9pm
Head to DT Disney
Return to the resort for the night

Additional Must-do's:
Living with the Land
The British Airwaves

Coveted FP+:
Test Track
Mission Space
Journey into Imagination

This is my last scheduled Epcot day. *sigh* I hope that if I squeeze in three full days at the park, I will feel like I got to see everything I really wanted to, at a leisurely pace. I know that Little Monster is likely to make anything faster than "leisurely" impossible anyhow. On our last visit there, I took TONS of pictures of the flowers in WS, and I'm going to try to do something similar this time around. I have a completely black thumb, and am always impressed when I see healthy, thriving flowers. LOL

Last time, we missed Living the with the Land, but we did catch Soarin', and loved that. Little Monster loves going "way up high," so I think she'll enjoy the ride, but I'm not sure the scenic landscapes themselves are going to impress her.

I will be sad to leave Epcot at the end of the day, especially since it will be many years until we can return, but there are still two-and-a-half park days to go...

 

[squeegee]

Here's the part of my spreadsheet I used to determine whether a meal was going to be using a dining credit or be OOP, and to figure how much I ought to save up for tips. Everything's an estimate, and I looked at the online menus to figure out what we're most likely to order at each restaurant, plus a little margin on the OOP ones in case we order something extra. For the OOP restaurants, I used the same entree-dessert-drink format that is on the DDP, since that's how we usually like to eat anyways (except DH wants an appetizer instead of dessert usually, when he can - he knows he can't on the DDP ones, but I expect he'll get an appetizer instead of dessert at the OOP ones).

The DDP worked out very well for us on the last visit, but there were just too many restaurants we wanted to hit this time, so there are going to be some OOP's. We decided against the upgrade to the Deluxe plan, because of Little Monster. She just wouldn't be okay with the extended timeframe involved in dining at most of the signature restaurants, and three TS in a day, every day, would be way too much time in travel between restaurants. LOL. There is always the "Grown-up" trip that I'll be dragging DH on once Little Monster is on her own. Then it'll be a Signature every day!

$1393.10 is the OOP cost of the dining plan for us this year, so we're pretty much just going to break even on it if we pay for the dining plan, but we're big suckers for the psychological effect of having it all "pre-paid." On the Plan, I'll order the filet mignon every night if I want to. If I was paying OOP for it on the spot, I most likely would not. Silly, I know, but it helps make it feel like a vacation if I don't have to think of the money while I'm there.

 

[squeegee]

And here's the tab on my spreadsheet with my overall calculations. I have tried to figure out what costs will be if various discounts are available, and how long it's going to take to save up for it. I feel like I'm cutting it close sometimes, but I'm also putting any "surprise" income into it - extra call time, birthday money, any tax refund, etc, and am not accounting for that here, so I'm making better progress than it looks below, most of the time.

 

[elsbit]

This is my first post. I have been lurking for months, but YOUR super awesome post is what made me delurk. I felt very similar to you about Disney. I went for the first time last year for one day. It was an impromptu trip that I only had about a week and a half to plan and was tossed into my lap. I was not a hard core Disney person and was worried it would be too crowded, too chipper, and just not "me". I was worried I would hate it, particularly because I get motion sick. Well, I loved the one day we spent at MK so I am crazily planning to return at Christmas time this year for a much longer trip. I have multiple google docs and have been content in super planning the trip. My husband is more of the whatever-you-want-just-don't-make-me-plan type. Every once in awhile I burst and have to over share my planning strategies. Anyway, please continue to post because I will continue to read.

 

[elsbit]

Oh and I had also been considering a first haircut at Disney for my daughter who will be 4. She had never had a haircut because she had a really hard time growing hair and it is still trying to fill in towards the front (she kind of had this weird mullet/Mr. Burns thing going on). Well, that idea was tossed to the wind this week when her 6 year old sister convinced her to give herself a haircut. I had to take her for a haircut to repair the damage. Just one less thing to do on my WDW schedule.

 

[squeegee]

Oh and I had also been considering a first haircut at Disney for my daughter who will be 4. She had never had a haircut because she had a really hard time growing hair and it is still trying to fill in towards the front (she kind of had this weird mullet/Mr. Burns thing going on). Well, that idea was tossed to the wind this week when her 6 year old sister convinced her to give herself a haircut. I had to take her for a haircut to repair the damage. Just one less thing to do on my WDW schedule.

Thanks for de-lurkifying.
I have all of the scissors in the house hidden, and she's an only child, so I've got my fingers crossed. LOL.
Right now, she's taken to saying she never never wants her cut, and wants it to grow as long as rapunzel's. I'm going to have my work cut out for me convincing her to go through with a little trim. Am thinking that, as the time draws nearer, I'll get a haircut myself (and take her with me to watch), so that she'll want to do what momma does.

 

[squeegee]

Day 9

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Magic Kingdom



Meal Plans:
Chef Mickey's Breakfast (TS Character Meal) 7-ish
Snack or OOP for lunch
Be Our Guest Dinner (OOP/TS) 6-ish

A Loose outline for the day:
Wake up, head to CR for breakfast
Use FP+, ride things
Return to the resort for a nap
Dinner in the MK
MSEP and Wishes, if we want to, or head to DTD
Return to the resort for the night

Additional Must-do's:
"New" Tiki Room, Haunted Mansion, Festival of Fantasy
Gingerbread houses tour - GF, YC/BC, and Contemporary

Coveted FP+:
Splash Mountain
POTC
Meet Tinkerbelle

This will be our third MK day, the day to mop-up on things we missed the first two days, and to repeat the things that Little Monster loved the most. I imagine by this point we'll be pretty tuckered out and the night will be a fairly early one, so the evening plans are flexible. If we've managed to see the parades and fireworks, and don't want to hang out for them again, that's alright. If there's stuff at DTD that we'd rather do, that's okay, too.

I do want to use the monorail to take a tour of the gingerbread creations - I remember seeing the one at the GF last time, and that was pretty cool. The carousel at the Beach club was something we saw "by accident," when we were leaving Epcot one night. We had no plans to be at BC for anything and just took the "back way" one night for the heck of it. Blue happens to be my favorite color, and I couldn't *not* stop in at a resort that was painted blue! LOL.

I remember really enjoying stopping in at other resorts, just to see what's there. I've tried to tailor my dining plans and such so that I get to see several different ones this time around, while also minimizing travel time from place to place, too. Little Monster is not likely to be very content just walking around, sitting on benches people-watching, and window-shopping.

Speaking of shopping, we've got a tentative plan for controlling her spending, and maybe teaching her a little bit about money management as we go. She'll be just 4.5, so I don't expect a whole lot of self-control out of her, but I think she'll be able to grasp the basics by then. I'm thinking of giving her $150, maybe as one $50 and ten $10 gift cards, one a day, to spend how she sees fit. I originally thought of giving her ten $25 cards, but then I realized I really don't want her blowing $250 on junk she won't care about in a month, or candy. Even $150 feels like a lot, but I don't think she'll be able to get much of anything with less than $10/day at WDW. We will, of course, buy her first set of ears and not hit her spending money for that, but I want to avoid going broke, and I don't want to hear "I want that!" endlessly. I'm hoping that she'll learn to save her cards if she wants something bigger, but I'm not sure what to do if she comes upon something awesome and kinda pricey early in the trip.

On top of that, It'll be so close to Christmas, that we're not going to go over-the-top with Christmas presents like we usually do (She cares more about the number and size of packages at this age than what's in them, so we've always gone nuts at the dollar spot in Target, LOL) - the trip IS the Christmas present.

If any of y'all have taken youngsters that age to WDW recently, I'd love to hear how y'all managed their spending!

One-and-a-half days to go...

 

[squeegee]

I was not a hard core Disney person and was worried it would be too crowded, too chipper, and just not "me". I was worried I would hate it, particularly because I get motion sick. Well, I loved the one day we spent at MK so I am crazily planning to return at Christmas time this year for a much longer trip. I have multiple google docs and have been content in super planning the trip. My husband is more of the whatever-you-want-just-don't-make-me-plan type. Every once in awhile I burst and have to over share my planning strategies. Anyway, please continue to post because I will continue to read.

People have repeatedly asked me why I'm so obsessed, and it's difficult to explain. I'm a naturally high-anxiety person, and always have been. I do my best to keep it under control, but it's not something I can hide. I'm a walking ball of stress, and it shows. I usually hate being crowded in, and I hate being touched - It bothers me when a "stranger" brushes against me as they walk by. I do enjoy rides, though, and only have problems with going upside down on roller coasters - I grey out, which is scary, even though I hear it's harmelss, and then get a migraine from it.

The trip to WDW was the first time I can ever remember being relaxed. It took until the 4th day, but I was able to stop worrying about work, family, money, health, all that stuff that is always hammering on my mind. Only once did the crowds bother me, and that was during Wishes our first MK night. The place is so IMMERSIVE, and the CM's did such a great job of keeping up the illusion, that I was finally able to just enjoy myself. THAT is what makes this place so special to me, I think. I'm not really much of a character-meet-n-greet person (I think Dopey in my avatar was the only one we stopped for outside of the Character meals our friend scheduled - and we only stopped 'cause he had no line), and I never made a trip as a kid, so it's not a nostalgia thing. I think it's really just the ability to shut out the outside world, have everything pre-paid, and have everything set up. I love the "bubble," I guess, and that's what got me hooked.

I'm hoping that I can recapture some of that on this trip, though I know it will be different with Little Monster along for the ride - I don't want to be one of those parents saying through gritted teeth: "Do you know how much this cost? Be Happy, Darnit!", but I know she's not going to let me completely escape the real world. I'm prepared for some button-pushing. I hope. LOL.

 

[squeegee]

In another real-life update, I finally got a return call from my surgeon yesterday, and he's going to squeeze me in next Tuesday afternoon, so that's good. He's going to reassess the shoulder pain and probably send me to PT. Fun times, fun times.
I just hope I'm back to myself by the time the trip rolls around. I don't want to rent a scooter.

 

[squeegee]

Day 10

Thursday, December 17, 2015

Animal Kingdom



Meal plans:
Riverside Mill food court Breakfast (QS) 7-ish
Yak & Yeti Lunch (QS) noon-ish
Sanaa Dinner (OOP/TS) 7-ish, put Little Monster in Simba's Clubhouse?

A Loose outline for the day:
Sleep in, breakfast at resort food court
Head to AK
Use FP+, ride things
Flights of Wonder, FOTLK, and/or Finding Nemo if missed before
Have lunch
AK usually closes at 5, head to AKL for dinner
Tool around AKL
Head to DT Disney
Return to resort for the night

Additional Must-do's:
Afternoon Parade?

Coveted FP+:
Kilimanjaro Safari
Expedition Everest
Primeval Whirl

This is the second animal kingdom day and our last full day in the parks. Again, it will be a day to mop up anything we missed, and repeat things we loved the first time. I envision much time spent at Expedition Everest. With AK usually closing early, I figured it's the perfect night for a "date night" for DH and I. Little Monster will have driven us completely up (and over, across, and back down) the wall by now, so it will be nice to get a little bit of time alone together.

I've wanted to eat at Sanaa ever since I realized it existed, and while it's not a signature, DH and I really enjoy Indian food. However, if he wants something a little more highfalutin', I'm up for going to just about any of the resort signatures, and I'm leaving it up to him. I think he might really enjoy the California Grill sushi. I know that darn near every signature restaurant has a good Filet Mignon, so it matters not to me which one he picks. We'll plan on putting the Little Monster in whichever of the resort kids' clubs is nearest, or at the one in WL, IF we end up staying there. IF Morimoto's is open by then, that might be DH's pick, too. We both used to really love watching Iron Chef together. LOL. There are just too many options. While it would be absolutely awesome to do V&A, I'm not sure I'm up for spending $400-500 OOP for one meal. Maybe when we return for our "Adults-only" trip after Little Monster has flown the coop.

After the meal, if we stick with Sanaa, we can tool around the AKL for a bit, check out the animals outside (do they still do night vision goggles?), and then head to DTD to do a little final shopping, if we want to (and if we've got any spending money left, LOL!).

The next day is Departure Day... Wah-wah.

 

[squeegee]

Day 11
Friday, December 18, 2015

Departure Day



Magic Kingdom



Meal plans:
Kona Cafe Breakfast (OOP/TS) 7-ish
Pinochio's Village Haus (QS) 11:00-ish

A Loose outline for the day:
Handle check-out/luggage stuff
Head to Poly for Breakfast
Head to MK
Use FP+, ride things
Use up any remaining snack credits
Catch Magical Express back to the airport, be at bus stop by 1PM for 4PM departure
Additional Must-do's:

Hall of Presidents
River Boat
Monsters, Inc.

Coveted FP+:
Haunted Mansion
Jungle Cruise
7DMT

And now, for what will be the saddest day EVER... LOL. Departure day. I debated only buying a 9-day ticket and just spending this day at the resort or DTD, but the incremental cost between the 9th and 10th day was small enough that I figured I'd go ahead and get it, so we can spend just a little more time at the MK for Little Monster, and make sure we've had enough chances to see the things we missed before. I'll schedule the FP's for early in the morning, just to be sure we can get a few more rides in without long waits, and we'll use up any snack credits that we have left - last time, I think we took home over a dozen pieces of fudge, and gave it to my dad, because neither of us really likes fudge. LOL.

Of course, all of this also depends on what the flight schedules are this year; I'm working off an assumption that they'll be similar to what they were last year - I'll consider it a bonus if there's an even later flight. The return date is a Friday, so we can get in very late that night and still have a couple days to rest up/unpack before having to return to "real life" Monday morning. I think the timing getting to DME will be a little tight, though, no matter what - I'm planning on checking out and leaving the luggage with bell services, and am not sure how early in the morning I'll be allowed to complete the check-out process and drop the bags off. The earlier the better, I think.

Knowing how my Little Monster is, I'm not anticipating an easy departure - I'm going to have to think of something to bribe her with to get her to get on the DME bus with minimal screaming. Otherwise, I have to hope she's just exhausted and a little homesick, so that she doesn't create too much of a scene. If the flight out there is enjoyable, maybe just the promise of a flight home will do it?