Military Wife, Husband Deployed, 2 Daughters **Updated! Single Digits Dance!**

[Disneyfreak92]

Hey! I just found your pre-trip! You're doing a great job.

I just posted on monymony's thread about meeting up. Hope it works out. It would be fun! It's getting really close. How excited are you?

 

[monymony3471]

Susan-Do you think you can meet up with Lynda (disneyfreak92) and myself on the 26? We were thinking at the Carrousel around 1pm.

I know we all have our own plans but maybe we can all plan to have our lunch then? Isn't that near pinnochio village haus? or something like that.

 

[SusanMomOf2]

I had to redo everything, and I won't be there on the 26th... changed to Epcot. Let me look at y'all's (born in Alabama) days, and maybe one will match up!

 

[SusanMomOf2]

Again, my husband shared some of his feelings with me, and it's his desires that I still not spend so much on our trip. So, I deleted 2 days, and am now booked from November 25-30. I'm ok with it. I think I went overboard trying to book 8 nights in the first place. We're both fresh out of college with loans to pay off, and a few credit cards to pay off not to mention 2 car payments and a fledgling savings account.

I'm lucky/blessed to be going at all. And the most I've ever stayed at Disney was 3 nights, maybe 4, so this will be a treat to have 5.

So, now that that's all said and done, and I do believe that this will be the last big change for my trip, I want to share my itinerary:

Saturday November 25th: Wake up early, drive to Memaw and Pepaw's house, pick them up, and drive to the House of Mouse. Drive: 6-7 hours. (Side note: We take I-10 and will drive right through Tallahassee on the GAME DAY where UF plays FSU and may I insert a BIG GO GATORS here!!! USC may be #3 in the BCS poll, but that can and should change next week, I hope. End side note.) I want us to get to WDW by noon so we can make it to Downtown Disney by 2 PM because DD6 Ali has a Bippity Boppity Botique appointment then. (DD22m Kirsten will get the Fairy Mother treatment by me: hair bow, little girl makeup, and nails. Maybe next year for her with a Fairy God Mother.) After we're all dolled up, we will hit the Magic Kingdom and TAKE OUR TIME that evening. Our big ADR (advance dinner reservation) is at Cinderella's Royal Table at a LATE 9:15, but I'm not complaining!!! We may catch Spectro at 8 that night, but I may save it for another MK day.

Sunday November 26th: Today is Epcot, and we will bring my parents with us there. They have seen Magic Kingdom twice with me, so this time I think they'd just eat up Epcot. Myself, I've never seen the World Showcase, so it will be such an experience for us all! We have lunch at the Coral Reef at noon. I love seafood, and I love the sea. I used to think I was a mermaid when I was 8 and The Little Mermaid came out. Afterwards, we have a dinner package for the Candlelight Processional at 6:15, and we will be dining at the Garden Grill at 4:00. This is one of the most EXCITING things of our whole vacation. I'm a Christian, and I love anything to do with Jesus and not just Santa or presents (even though they rock, too). I can only imagine it!

Monday November 27th: Today is our return to Magic Kingdom to ride all the rides and see all the characters. I'm like SO excited about Magic Kingdom. We have an ADR at the Crystal Palace at 1 PM. I've never had an ADR, and this time I wanted to make as many as I can to ensure we eat some GOOD food (things besides hot dogs and hamburgers). Around 4, I hope we're hungry again because we'll be having dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern. I And at 7, we present our tickets for Mickey's Verry Merry Christmas Party. Alongside the Candlelight Processional, this is something I'm REALLY excited about! Hot cocoa and snow? I've never seen snow. I'm going to love me some snow!!! (I say a lot of I's, but I mean we's.)

Tuesday November 28th: It's a day at MGM, and I really don't like this park too much. Not like I do MK and E. Anyway, it DOES have some things I like, but my main reason for going here is for my fancy shmancy dinner at the Brown Derby at 3:40 PM. That's a late lunch, huh? I think this day we'll sleep in if needed, and eat a late breakfast with my parents. I have the Fantasmic dinner package, and that show starts at 7 PM. I've never seen Fantasmic before, so that'll be a treat!

Wednesday November 29th: Back to our favorite park, Magic Kingdom. I'll do what I didn't get to do from Monday. We have lunch at Tony's Town Square at 1. I think the spaghetti scene in Lady and the Tramp is the BEST, so I can't wait to go to their restaraunt. Other than that ADR, my day is open for possibilities. There's Spectro and Wishes tonight, so we'll probably see those then.

Thursday Dovember 30th: Go home. BUT...! We live 6-7 hours away, so that means we have to leave by 3 or 4, so we'll definitely go to either MK or E. MK has EMH (extra magic hours), so we may go there. But then again, our one day at Epcot may not be enough. I will leave this day open.

So, that's my itinerary all summed up. I don't want to go to Animal Kingdom at all because I don't do Expedition Everest, and I don't like animals that much (love to ride horses and love dogs as pets, but never really liked zoos or aquariums.) I just didn't have a ball last time we went to AK, so I'm just going to wait and do it next trip when my husband comes home.

I will have a park touring plan for MK thanks to Tour Guide Mike. He helped me fighre out which days are best for which parks.

Let's see, I have 13 days to go. I'm thrilled!

 

[Avivasmom]

We will be at MK on Wednesday the 29th...free all day have an ADR at 1900 Park Faire in the evening...maybe we can meet up.

I cannot wait to go but now something happened to my Jeep UGH (think electrical)..it is alway something.

 

[SusanMomOf2]

Yeah, Dori, that sounds great! After lunch would be great. Around 2:30 perhaps?

 

[Avivasmom]

Sounds good to me...tell me a good place where to find you. It will be me, Aviva and my DH (nicknamed Spider).

 

[Fairy_Tale_Bride]

Hi Susan!

I just found your trippie after I posted my 1st pre-trip report! Your two girls are adorable!

I will also be in WDW during part of your trip! We're arriving Thanksgiving day!

I bet you are so excited! I know I am!

Not too much longer now!

It's so great that your girls will get to have such a magical holiday!

 

[SusanMomOf2]

I'm to excited to sleep... remember that WDW commercial?... that's me {{right now}}. In a couple of hours, I'll be doing that "single digits dance."

I just don't know what to do at this point. I mean, what can I really pack? We don't have an endless supply of clothes, so I'm sitting here realizing I can't pack them *yet*. I don't know the weather, so I can't figure out how many warm weather outfits to pack and how many cold weather outfits to pack. My parents borrowed my suitcases, so I am without them for a day or two.

Ok, so I can't pack. I wonder what else I should do? Does anyone handwrite their itinerary or print it? I don't have a printer that is hooked up that works that has ink and that has paper. I have one, it's just sitting there looking blankly at me. It lost its purpose a long time ago. I do have a friend and a library to use for my printing needs, but somehow, that hasn't worked out yet.

I can't find my ponchos. They're SOMEWHERE. I took them to a football game just in case like a month ago. ... Found them. Still in the trunk of my car. I looked in my van, remembered I took the car, viola!

I guess a finalized packing list will help me feel more organized. Then I need to plan (somewhat) what I want to do for MVMCP 5 hours of GOOD STUFF! I decided (with the help of the Families board) to leave my mini-DH (Kirsten 22 month) at the room with my parents so me and my mimi-ME (Ali 6) can go to the party and just do WHATEVER WE WANT. But, I'd like a list of must-sees and must-dos. Like, maybe we can ride the 3 mountains, you know? If the lines and crowds aren't that bad. After I make that little list, I probably should sleep? GOOD IDEA!

Packing list
MVMCP must-see-do list
Sleep

 

[monymony3471]

Oh Susan, I haven't slept in days! I am just full of dreams, and thoughts, and ideas, and it's just an endless mess in my head and there's no off button.

My DH lays down and is snoring in less than 2 minutes. Who falls asleep like that?

I looked up the weather report, cause we are a bit more north than you, and it said, mid 70's for the high today, and mid 50's for the low today. Partly cloudy. For me, I have a pair of shorts for the kids everyday. Some t's, some long sleeved t's, 2 sweat shirts each, they will arrive with their light coats. I did pack hats and mittens, cause at night you never know?

The boys each got 2 pair of those pants that zip off and turn into shorts. So, on the cooler days they can wear those and if it gets warmer they can zip the bottoms off.

I have layered stuff for them too. So they can take a layer off at lunch and put back on after dinner.

Mal being so little I can pack stuff for her in the back pack and it won't take up much room. I'm glad she's potty trained. I don't have to pack diapers!!!!!!

 

[Disneyfreak92]

I totally understand your trouble sleeping, Susan! I can't stand it! I mean, I can't believe we are going to be there next week, and at the same time, I can't imagine how I am going to get through the next week. Do they make a pill for this addiction to Disney? A 12-step program perhaps? As a friend of mine who lives down there says...I couldn't make it past the 1st step anyway. Yes, I have a problem. No, I don't want to do anything about it...except return to WDW.

When we went down there last December, I packed a lot of long- and short-sleeved T-shirts (that way I could wear the short-sleeved over the long-sleeved if necessary, and it was), hoodie sweatshirts, jeans, capris, and shorts. This year, I also have some of the roll-up capris that can be pants too, so I will be taking those.

As for MVMCP, don't forget the hot cocoa and cookies stations and the characters dressed in their holiday attire! Also, the parade is very cool, and you absolutely, positively DON'T want to miss Holiday Wishes! Someone told me that last year, and I thought to myself, "Well, duh!" But I was also thinking, "How much more 'wow' could it really be than the regular Wishes!?" Trust me! It is WOW! I will not say how or why, but I was so surprised at one point that I said a very non-Disney word to express my awe. Fortunately, I don't think anyone heard me. DH didn't, and he was right next to me.

Also, it looks like you are going to be at one of the MVMCP's that we are attending. Would you like to meet up?

 

[SusanMomOf2]

DF92: Hi. Yeah, that would be awesome to meet up! Maybe for the parade or Wishes? What do you think?

 

[Disneyfreak92]

We will probably stake out a fireworks spot EARLY, and attend the second parade. Not only do I LOVE the fireworks, but it is also one of my favorite things to photograph. And I really learned how to do it right after MVMCP last year, so this will be a first try for me with Holiday Wishes! I like the middle of Main Street between Casey's and the Plaza restaurant, but just a few yards closer to the castle. Let me know if you want to meet for fireworks or the parade afterwards. I don't know which parade you plan to attend. There is one at 8:15 and one at 10:45, with fireworks at 9:30 in between.

 

[SusanMomOf2]

We will probably watch the second parade, too. We can meet at a good location for the fireworks. Do you already have a place in mind?

Susan

 

[SusanMomOf2]

Allrighty then... it's the Day before Thanksgiving. Oh how much there is to do! I still have to pack the other half of our clothes. I'm probably 2/3 packed and that's good since I'm leaving in 3 days. I also have to clean up my home for 2 reasons: first, I want it to look good when we come home, and second, I want it to look good when everyone comes over tomorrow (mom, dad, sister, her boyfriend, her 2 sons, my brother, and maybe 2 friends). I have to cook Thanksgiving dinner. I've never hosted it at my house before, and I've never been responsible for cooking the turkey, so this will be quite an experience! Then there's Black Friday... a whole other thing to do. I'm going to get the Gameboy and Dora TV from Wal Mart. How little sleep I'll be getting since Friday is an early day and so will Saturday be (that's the day I leave for WDW).

Well, here's to a FUN day today filled with more packing, cleaning, and laundry.

 

[tubachick]

Have a good trip, and good luck friday at walmart

 

[Disneyfreak92]

Hey Susan! It is soooooo close now! For fireworks, I like the middle of Main Street between Casey's and the Plaza restaurant, but just a few yards closer to the castle. We usually try to stake out a spot as the first parade is ending. I have a tripod that I use for fireworks, so I take up a little space. (And should be easy to spot.) I will send you a PM as well. Can't wait! We leave in the morning...oh my goodness!!!

 

[Avivasmom]

Happy Thanksgiving..you are brave to go out on Friday...I will be staying home snce my holiday shopping is finished!!!

Aviva still has no clue we are going. She thinks we are going Dec 1st for some reason...no idea why that date come up, but it is our 10th wedding anniversary.

So let me know a good spot to meet up and I PM'd you my cell number!!

 

[monymony3471]

Hey Susan have a great time on your trip. I sure hope it's all that and more! If we don't see eachother, I always have your Trip Report!