May 2011 PTR - Who says you have to pay the post office for a passport? 3/26

[merbobear]

I've been lurking these boards for a while, and joined very recently. I have gotten so many great tips and ideas as I've been reading , and I thought it was high time that I add my own PTR to the mix.

First I'll intro the major players:

Mike - he's my boyfriend of about 4 1/2 years! He's about to be 33 and has been to Disney twice - once as a child and once as an adult (but before I knew him). Both were trips with his mother.

Adison - our daughter. She's a 3 year old princess who has never been to WDW! She's definitely the main inspiration for wanting to take this trip.

And Me, Merideth. I'll be 31 in a few weeks. I've done Disney once before, but it was a whopping 14 years ago, so needless to say, I am out of touch with all that WDW has to offer, and basically a Disney newbie!

I thought it might be nice to share as we plan our trip..and not just any trip, but a fairly last minute one at that - Our travel dates are May 2-9. We are searching for a great price on airfare before we book our trip, but my "saved" trip includes 7 nights at POP, 6 day base ticket, and a possibility to hit Sea World.

Any travel tips and advice you can throw my way during this PTR is more than welcome.

 

[merbobear]

Table of Contents:

Good Eats!
Creations
Basic Itinerary
Disney merch & my very own princess

 

[merbobear]

I've been reading and reading nonstop all about WDW and what's considered a must-see, must-do, or must-eat...the ideas are just swirling around in my head, so I figured it might be a great idea to start jotting down a few ideas.

First thing's first, I can't wait to try Boma! I am vegetarian, and it sounds like Boma does veg. better than any other restaurant on property, so I am just itching to taste all they have to offer. We are definitely going to do a dinner there.

We also have plans to do at least one character meal. A lot of people seem to love Chef Mickey's for breakfast, but honestly we are not huge breakfast eaters...I am planning to use our table service credits mostly for dinners. We are about 99% sure that we will go for the 2 TS credit dinner at Cinderella's Royal Table. I know that a lot of people swear by getting ADR 180 days out, but I have perused the reservations online, and there are still plenty of spots left for us to eat, so I am not super worried about it!

As far as counter service goes, we will hit Wolfgang Puck Express for one meal, and beyond that it is completely up in the air - if anyone has suggestions, please feel free to chime in!

 

[merbobear]

Another topic already - I was just sifting through some old threads and I saw a wonderful idea - invitations to table service meals! I love to tinker in Photo Shop, so any customized prints that I can make to bring along on our trip are right up my alley!
I am definitely going to make official "invitations" to Adison for all of our character dining! She will love to get an invitation to dinner from Mickey!

Also on my list - custom autograph book (I found a great deal on a 5x7 flip book - 40 pages for $5!). Each page will have a simple background and a picture of a character - hopefully by the end of the trip, we will have collected autographs from everyone in the book! (Speaking of this - I know to include all of the princesses, fab 5, etc...but any other must-have characters to add? Anyone? Bueller?)

Finally, I will be making some cute decor for our window at POP! Our names, mickey heads, and a few prints to hang as well (I started one today, a Jasmine theme...it says "A whole new world..my first Disney vacation!").

Any other ideas, please share! Oh, and if anyone is interested, when I complete my autograph book, I am happy to share the files for anyone else who wants to get one printed up!

 

[merbobear]

I have been working diligently today on a very basic itinerary for our trip!
The dates have changed...May 6-7 being grad nights has really convinced us to push our trip back (by one week), so our new travel dates are 5/9 - 5/16!

Like I said, this is very basic - just the parks that I think would work best for each day and the parades/fireworks/etc scheduled for that day (also a couple of my 'must have' ADR's - had to make sure that CRT would be avail for one of our dates in MK!). We are doing basic tickets, so no park hopping for us - which means if we do any ADR for a park, it has to be the day we tour the park. Hopefully this will work out! I have read pros & cons about being in the parks on EMH days, so we have a mix of days where we will or will not be visiting a park on it's EMH day. Any advice on how to tweak this (if at all) would be fabulous! Once I get my itinerary refined a bit, I will transfer this info into spreadsheet format, but for now I thought it was easier to jot down all the details in a simple text file!

Without any further ado

Monday
Arrive @ WDW approx 10 am
Lunch @ Pop

Disney's Hollywood Studios 9am - 9pm (NO EMH)
Block Party Bash Parade 3pm
Fantasmic! 9pm

ADR:

Tuesday

Sea World
9-7
Show times not yet published


Wednesday

Disney's Animal Kingdom 9am - 6pm (EMH 8a-9a)
Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle Parade 3:45pm

ADR: Boma avail. 6:20 / 7:10 (AKL)

Thursday

Magic Kingdom 9am - 11pm (EMH 8-9am)
Celebrate A Dream Come True Parade 3pm
Main Street Electrical Light Parade 9pm
Wishes Fireworks 10pm

ADR: CRT avail 8:25PM (or see Sunday times)

Friday
Epcot 9am - 9pm (EMH 9p-12a)
Future World 9am-9pm
World Showcase 11am-9pm
IllumiNations 9pm

ADR:

Saturday

Epcot 9am - 9pm (NO EMH)
Future World 9am-9pm
World Showcase 11am-9pm
IllumiNations 9pm

ADR:

(Backup plan - If epcot covered in first day, add another day to any park.
MK: 9-11
DHS 9-7 (no fantasmic). EMH 8a-9a
AK 9-6

Sunday

Magic Kingdom 9am - 9pm (EMH 9p-12a)
Celebrate A Dream Come True Parade 3pm
Main Street Electrical Light Parade N/A
Wishes Fireworks 9pm

ADR: CRT avail 3:50 / 8:10 / 9:15 (Or see Thurs)

Monday
Hopefully squeeze in some type of character breakfast & maybe some spare time in DTD before coming home



Here are my concerns, right off the bat - will waiting until Thurs to finally hit MK keep us from feeling like it's a true Disney vacation? Will we be able to do AK in one day (at least the highlights)? Will we be able to do DHS in one day? (Assuming we are on property and can eat a quick bite, I would hope to be at DHS by 1pm - is that doable w/ a 10am arrival in ORL? Further, is DHS doable in 8 hours? With a 3 year old?! ) I am half talking to myself right now, and half waiting for someone to pipe up with some sage advice!

 

[matkensgirl2000]

I think you could cover AK in one day, no problem. DHS shouldn't be a problem either. As far as waiting 'til later for MK, I think if it's the day you'd be able to spend the most time in the park and get the most done, I'd wait. Especially with a 3 year-old. Besides, if you start your trip there, she may always be clamoring to go back and then you won't be able to do ANY of the other parks.

 

[merbobear]

I think you could cover AK in one day, no problem. DHS shouldn't be a problem either. As far as waiting 'til later for MK, I think if it's the day you'd be able to spend the most time in the park and get the most done, I'd wait. Especially with a 3 year-old. Besides, if you start your trip there, she may always be clamoring to go back and then you won't be able to do ANY of the other parks.

So true, she is very insistent and wants what she wants..and she wants it now! That's part of the reason that she doesn't know about our trip yet (the other part is that I would like to just go there and let her find out what is happening as it happens)..I know if I said to her today "Do you want to go to Disney and meet Mickey Mouse and Cinderella (etc)?" that she would think we were going immediately. Thanks!

 

[merbobear]

This is just a quick post so I can show off my little girl, Adison.

She is the #1 reason that we are heading to WDW, so I figure she deserves a post of her own!
Lounging..

Eating her pancakes (notice the shape of the pancake on her plate!)

Here she is at her 3rd birthday party.

And this is not a great picture, but it's the only one I got of her opening one of her Valentine's Day gifts - her Belle gown (She doesn't know it yet, but she will be needing this when we eat at CRT!).

Which brings me to...our Disney merch! I have been picking up a few things here & there to bring along on our trip - clothing and little gifts (which she will receive during our plane ride and throughout our stay). I love getting a bargain, and I love to help others save too, so I will be sharing the price and where I purchased as I post our merch!

Actually we will start w/ something for me! A cute little wristlet from Toys R Us. I believe this was $5!

Figurines: 98 cents each & stickers $1 @ TRU, Alice book 50 cents & Princess lip balm set $1.99 @ Target.

Cinderella wand $1.50, Minnie ribbon $1.50, Princess silly bands $2 @ Walmart. Canon lens cap, free with camera purchase

Tiana shirt $3 @ WM.

Tink shirt $3 and shorts $3 @ WM

Minnie tee $1.25 @ WM (this is technically valentine's merch - found in toddler/baby clothing, but could possibly be located w/ seasonal!)

Minnie & Mickey pj's (long sleeve & pants) $1.25 @WM (again, valentine's merch). Not sure if I am going to leave these as pj's as is, possibly turn them into short sleeve & shorts for pj's, or even use the front of the top and sew a skirt onto it to make it a dress..many possibilities!). For a buck, I could not pass these up!

So those are my bargains..anyone else care to share their finds?

Well, that is all from me right now! I did make some ADR last night, but I am still hemming and hawing over whether to keep them or switch them up a bit, so I will talk about that in a future post.

 

[britt_ji]

The customized autograph book is a great idea!
I love all of the clothes and items you've purchased.
Thanks for the ideas!

I'm also in the process of planning a May trip and writing my first PTR.
Good luck with everything...

 

[blessedmom4]

First and foremost...Adison is a BEAUTIFUL Princess! She loooks like she has never had an ill day in her life and is obviously full of joy and fun! I LOVE her Mickey pancakes, yummy! I can tell she bring syou much joy and happiness!

LOVE all your great bargains, it feels good to know you got a deal and that is just that much more money to use towards your Disney Fun! I am excited for you getting to eat at CRT! We never have but hopefully....someday .

The autograph book is an awesome idea as well, I never knew getting a piece of paper signed was so important (OR so much fun!) until Lisa came along...our older three couldn't have cared less.

You absolutely CAN do AK in one day and DHS as well, although there are LOTS of fun shows there...You MUST do Beauty and the Beast! My little Princess LOVES Belle (her favorite, although Rapunzel is now a close second)...I can't wait to see the dress on Adison! She will be stunning...GTEAT start on your PTR. If we hadn't had to postpne our trip we would have been in the World at the same time...it is going to be a GREAT time of year to go!

 

[merbobear]

The customized autograph book is a great idea!
I love all of the clothes and items you've purchased.
Thanks for the ideas!

I'm also in the process of planning a May trip and writing my first PTR.
Good luck with everything...

I get so excited when I see someone else planning a trip around the same time we will be there ..hope we both have great weather and LOW crowds!

 

[merbobear]

First and foremost...Adison is a BEAUTIFUL Princess! She loooks like she has never had an ill day in her life and is obviously full of joy and fun! I LOVE her Mickey pancakes, yummy! I can tell she bring syou much joy and happiness!

Aw thank you so much! She really is the best part of life!

LOVE all your great bargains, it feels good to know you got a deal and that is just that much more money to use towards your Disney Fun! I am excited for you getting to eat at CRT! We never have but hopefully....someday .

I am the bargain queen - dh always says that I am going overboard, but I tell him that it's ok to go overboard when you are spending a dollar or two on a t shirt! I can't wait to do CRT, that is definitely one of my most-looked-forward-to events of our trip, and I know your family will love it when you make your way there too!

The autograph book is an awesome idea as well, I never knew getting a piece of paper signed was so important (OR so much fun!) until Lisa came along...our older three couldn't have cared less.

Thanks! I am so excited to have a custom book for her! I am looking for a printing company that offers a custom printed cover as well, so I can have her name on the cover of the book (by the way, when I am done with all of my pages I will be happy to share - so when you are gearing up for your trip, let me know and I can quickly edit my cover page so you can have a custom book as well).

You absolutely CAN do AK in one day and DHS as well, although there are LOTS of fun shows there...You MUST do Beauty and the Beast! My little Princess LOVES Belle (her favorite, although Rapunzel is now a close second)...I can't wait to see the dress on Adison! She will be stunning...GTEAT start on your PTR. If we hadn't had to postpne our trip we would have been in the World at the same time...it is going to be a GREAT time of year to go!

Belle is a favorite around here too! We have the most love for: Belle, ariel, sleeping beauty, cinderella, snow white, mickey, minnie, donald, and goofy...so most of the typical characters you would expect a 3 year old to be obsessed with! Oh - and we can't forget Tink! I'm so glad I started a PTR, it is really helping to build the excitement (along with sort out the details - they were getting crowded just swimming around in my head)!!

 

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

Hi Merideth! I'm following you over from my PTR! You've got a great PTR going so far!

First I must say, your daughter is adorable! It is going to be so much fun getting to see her experience all of the princesses and the magic at Disney.

I do have a few comments - I hope you don't mind! Regarding not going to MK until Thursday, I completely understand your thought about it not feeling like Disney until you see the castle. We always like to start off at MK for this reason. Also, I think Adison would LOVE Toy Story Mania at DHS, and in order to do it you pretty much have to be there at rope drop - the lines are crazy! It is so worth it though. The FP's run out very quickly (normally before 11 I think). Maybe you could change your arrival day to go to MK for a half a day and then use another MK day to do DHS? Just a thought!

Also, I bet Adison would love Akershus at Epcot. The breakfast there is wonderful and the princesses normally really take their time with the guests. Plus its only a 1 TS which is great!

I can't wait to hear about the rest of your plans! It looks like it's really coming together!

 

[lnk1229]

You are going to have so much fun!! You are going to love CRT- my DBF and I went together in 2009 and it was great as a couple but would have been even more worth it if we had a child to watch enjoy it too.

As far as ADRs go I have heard Boma is amazing but we weren't able to get reservations there. I took pictures of our dining experiences and included them in my TR if you want a few ideas. We weren't afraid of travel time and as a result we were able to experience many places that were outside the parks- and I must say the best meals we had were not at a park!

Enjoy your trip and I am looking forward to reading more!

 

[merbobear]

Hi Merideth! I'm following you over from my PTR! You've got a great PTR going so far!

First I must say, your daughter is adorable! It is going to be so much fun getting to see her experience all of the princesses and the magic at Disney.

I do have a few comments - I hope you don't mind! Regarding not going to MK until Thursday, I completely understand your thought about it not feeling like Disney until you see the castle. We always like to start off at MK for this reason. Also, I think Adison would LOVE Toy Story Mania at DHS, and in order to do it you pretty much have to be there at rope drop - the lines are crazy! It is so worth it though. The FP's run out very quickly (normally before 11 I think). Maybe you could change your arrival day to go to MK for a half a day and then use another MK day to do DHS? Just a thought!

Also, I bet Adison would love Akershus at Epcot. The breakfast there is wonderful and the princesses normally really take their time with the guests. Plus its only a 1 TS which is great!

I can't wait to hear about the rest of your plans! It looks like it's really coming together!

Thanks for joining in! I might look into changing our first date to MK...but in addition, we decided to go ahead and get 7 day passes. On our last day, our plane doesn't leave until 8:30pm, so we have a bit of time to play that day too, and that was going to be our "free" day. I did get ADR for Chef Mickey at 10:40 am, but other than that it is wide open - so I am thinking it might work out to do DHS rope drop that morning. I guess I have to think that one over!

I managed to get tons of ADR for the week, but I am open to switching them up if we need to. I was just really getting nervous that we would have nowhere to use our TS credits if I didn't book them asap!

 

[merbobear]

You are going to have so much fun!! You are going to love CRT- my DBF and I went together in 2009 and it was great as a couple but would have been even more worth it if we had a child to watch enjoy it too.

As far as ADRs go I have heard Boma is amazing but we weren't able to get reservations there. I took pictures of our dining experiences and included them in my TR if you want a few ideas. We weren't afraid of travel time and as a result we were able to experience many places that were outside the parks- and I must say the best meals we had were not at a park!

Enjoy your trip and I am looking forward to reading more!

Welcome! I am going to check out your TR...I have been reading so many TR lately, and it has helped me in my planning immensely! TBH, I would not have even known that I needed to get ADR had it not been for DIS! We did get one adr at Rainforest Cafe (on a rec. from someone dh works with) - other than that, our adr are all park or resort restaurants. We focused mostly on trying to get in as many character meals in as possible! Boma is my pick, RC is dh's and the rest are all for Adison

 

[merbobear]

I mentioned earlier that I had my ADR mostly set for our trip - I have been keeping track of them in a spreadsheet format (once again thanks to DIS, I probably would not have thought of that had I not seen it done many times in other PTR!)

You might notice that I don't have a set time for CRT...Just looking for some input with that. With Wishes being at 9pm, we should probably opt for the earliest available, huh? In case the chart is hard to read, the available times are 3:50, 8:15, or 9:15. Approx how long does dinner at CRT last?

You will see in my little chart, I have checked off with an X the meals we will be using our various credits. I have not factored in snacks yet, though I do plan to add those in for some dates (I must use up one snack credit on the famous Napoleon in Epcot-France!). I'm not going to have a set 'schedule' for our counter service meals, though I do plan to have a few places jotted down for each park that we would be interested in trying so that we don't just go to the first place we see!

Any comments or advice? A must-eat that we are missing out on?

http://i55.tinypic.com/2ywv2x0.jpg

 

[TinkerbellinNY6]

I am following along too! I am going around the same time, my DMom, DCousin, and myself are going the 14-23 and my older brother and his family will be there for their first trip 15-21! And I see you are from Albany I go to school in Albany!

 

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

I love the spreadsheet! They are so helpful in staying organized when planning. I am constantly thinking of new things to make spreadsheets for!

For CRT, I'd probably choose the early seating, although that might be considered lunch. When we ate there last year, the meal was very fast paced, but it is a set three courses, so I'd definitely plan on an hour. If it was just me and Miguel, we'd go with the 9:15 and just run into the restaurant as soon as Wishes ended, but I have a feeling that would probably be too late for a little one!

 

[merbobear]

I am following along too! I am going around the same time, my DMom, DCousin, and myself are going the 14-23 and my older brother and his family will be there for their first trip 15-21! And I see you are from Albany I go to school in Albany!

That's so neat that you are in my area...it really IS a small world after all! Which college do you go to? There are so many schools here for one little city!