Mission Impossible ! Planning my First Disney Trip which is my Wife's Birthday trip

[Raven0207]

[/SIZE]Here is my first installment of my PTR for our upcoming Disney World trip in October. So who am I ........................

My name is Jeremy and I'm the DH to my wonderful wife of soon to be 7 years Andrea

or as most of you know her as AAshleySEG ! We are die hard Disney Fanatics and try to make the most of every trip we make to "The Place Where Dreams Come True".

Disney is where our dreams came true many years ago and hopefully I can respark the magic once more to give her the best trip to Disney World she has ever had. If you have read her trip reports of our past adventures then you know this is no small feat and on top of that.............. this is the first time ever she has given me the keys to the car and let me plan the entire thing. Trying to think of ways to impress her and still find great things to do that we either haven't done or haven't in a long time is hard but thats the beauty of Disney World, there's always new magic and adventures coming all the time.

So the idea behind the trip is for me to plan her 30th Birthday at Disney World and take it to the next level. With my job I'm rarely home for her birthday so this is a treat to be able to do this for her. I plan to set up all reservations, activities, and events to maximize the fun factor for the trip but still allow us the pleasure of enjoying the laid back and relaxing pleasure of a vacation all at the same time. October can not come soon enough !

Thank you for taking a moment and seeing what I plan to offer and see how many grey hairs pop out of my head as I plan the best adventure for the best person in my life. I hope I'm able to make this trip Magical !

Plans for the first day of Andrea's 30th Birthday Trip
Resort Surprise-Accomidations While at WDW

 

[Raven0207]

So our journey will start on the glorious day of October 9. What started as a necessity during an earlier trip has now become our new norm. Our bags will be packed and when I get off work we will jet out of town for our long journey of 9 hrs to Disney World.

Leaving on Thursday the 9th (which is the day prior to our scheduled arrival at Disney World) we journey down the long road that is called I-95. Along the way the sights run from far and few to numerous while traveling through NC all the way to Florida. We travel to a medium town in GA called Brunswick, GA. Right off the exit we always set a reservation at the Holiday Inn which is one that has been remodeled and is a great place to rest your head for a few hours. We have not ever run into a problem here and can be gotten for a reasonable price.

Next morning we continue our journey to Disney World stopping along the way for food and gas. Nearing lunch time we should be arriving at the gates to "The Happiest Place on Earth" where we will continue on the EPCOT for a taste of the world flavors during the Disney Food and Wine Festival. Since we will by this time have already tasted all the wonders on our previous trip in September we will hit up the favorites but I'll have to make sure we leave plenty of room for our planned dinner at the newly reopened and renamed Monsieur Paul's in the French Pavilion at 5:30. I'm trying to hit a few places on this trip that we have never been to and this was the first one on my list. We always talk about going to dinner at one of the two restaurants in France but we have never taken the time to do so. I am so I'm hoping this will be my first hit of the game. The menu looks wonderful and for the quality of the choices the price is very fair.

After dinner I'm still u in the air but I'm thinking of taking her to see the show La Nouba at Downtown Disney. We have seen the show in the past but it is one that draws you back over and over again. If you have never seen the show you need to plan it into a future trip. By far it is worth the money.

By the time we get out of the show it would be nearing 11:00 that night so it would be time to take the Princess back to her chamber and let her rest for the night. I have plenty of ideas and plans for this trip and I need her to be well rested for the remainder of the trip.

 

[waitomo]

Perhaps I need to have my husband follow your posts as you plan for your trip--it is a wonderful thing that you are doing.

 

[MidnightParade]

Joining in! I have been following Andreas PTR's and they have been great! Can't wait to see what you have planned for her!

Love the France pavilion, its beyond pretty at night! Sounds like a great first night dinner and La Nouba would be fun too...and it is french as well, great first night theme!

Can't wait to hear the rest!

 

[Raven0207]

Perhaps I need to have my husband follow your posts as you plan for your trip--it is a wonderful thing that you are doing.

Yeah have him do that so I don't feel like the only lost soul doing this !

 

[Raven0207]

Joining in! I have been following Andreas PTR's and they have been great! Can't wait to see what you have planned for her!

Love the France pavilion, its beyond pretty at night! Sounds like a great first night dinner and La Nouba would be fun too...and it is french as well, great first night theme!

Can't wait to hear the rest!

I'm hoping my plans turn out as well as I hope. I know that the Disney Concierge at the Animal Kingdom Lodge told me for this being my first trip that I have planned, i have covered all the bases and basic things people miss. I'm hoping all this planning months in advance and days on end with Disney will pay off

 

[Raven0207]

When i wrote my last reply I realized something, I forgot to tell everyone where we are staying. (Sorry like I said it's my first trip report.) To make this trip more grand for the surprise and the fact DVC didn't have anything for this time period, I went for all or nothing and threw my chips in for a gamble. We have been traveling to WDW for years now and there are only a resorts we haven't stayed in and out of the ones we have we usually have great accomidations. This trip I decided to take it to the next level and I booked the Animal Kingdom Lodge Club Level for her birthday.

Everyone and everything we have read has said once you do club level you will always want club level so I figured I would go for it since she has stated in the past a desire to see what all it entails. So far by the perks I have received now even before I get there makes me want to do it again. After you book your room, a AKL CL Concierge calls you and confirms your trip and talks to you about all the features of the level. They also work with you personally to ensure all your booking of reservations, excursions, and activities are taken care of. If you want to change something or add more you give them a call and they will take care of anything on Disney property. It's great being able to call a number and someone picking up right away everytime you call.

The plan is to use most of the perks you get with being in Club Level during this trip which does include a tour that you can only get if you are on the Club Level. Now I just have to sit down and finalize my plans for the rest of the trip. I can't make these tough decisions as easliy as Andrea can. Hopefully I'll update this PTR by the end of the day with the Oct 11th schedule of events.

 

[waitomo]

When i wrote my last reply I realized something, I forgot to tell everyone where we are staying. (Sorry like I said it's my first trip report.) To make this trip more grand for the surprise and the fact DVC didn't have anything for this time period, I went for all or nothing and threw my chips in for a gamble. We have been traveling to WDW for years now and there are only a resorts we haven't stayed in and out of the ones we have we usually have great accomidations. This trip I decided to take it to the next level and I booked the Animal Kingdom Lodge Club Level for her birthday. Everyone and everything we have read has said once you do club level you will always want club level so I figured I would go for it since she has stated in the past a desire to see what all it entails. So far by the perks I have received now even before I get there makes me want to do it again. After you book your room, a AKL CL Concierge calls you and confirms your trip and talks to you about all the features of the level. They also work with you personally to ensure all your booking of reservations, excursions, and activities are taken care of. If you want to change something or add more you give them a call and they will take care of anything on Disney property. It's great being able to call a number and someone picking up right away everytime you call. The plan is to use most of the perks you get with being in Club Level during this trip which does include a tour that you can only get if you are on the Club Level. Now I just have to sit down and finalize my plans for the rest of the trip. I can't make these tough decisions as easliy as Andrea can. Hopefully I'll update this PTR by the end of the day with the Oct 11th schedule of events.

How long will you be there Jeremy? Pam

 

[Raven0207]

How long will you be there Jeremy? Pam

This trip will take place starting Oct 9th through Oct 13th. Andrea's birthday is on the 12th and I plan to encompass this whole trip around the events of that day.

 

[MidnightParade]

I was wondering where you would be staying! Club level sounds awesome and I didn't know they would call and discuss with you! I kind of find that hilarious because I follow the AKL FAQ thread and there are still lots of people staying at club level asking questions, which some of them are valid, yes, but some of them I would have thought the concierge would have covered.

Soooo since you are staying club level are you thinking of doing the club level special safari? I think its the Sunrise safari?? Or is that the tour you mentioned? That will be pretty awesome!

 

[waitomo]

Hi Jeremy, how long is your trip? Pam

 

[Raven0207]

I was wondering where you would be staying! Club level sounds awesome and I didn't know they would call and discuss with you! I kind of find that hilarious because I follow the AKL FAQ thread and there are still lots of people staying at club level asking questions, which some of them are valid, yes, but some of them I would have thought the concierge would have covered.

Soooo since you are staying club level are you thinking of doing the club level special safari? I think its the Sunrise safari?? Or is that the tour you mentioned? That will be pretty awesome!

Yep we are doing the Sunrise Safari. It was a must. The Cherry on top of it is the fact it only occurs once a week and the day it happens on is......... Sunday mornings which also just happens to be Andrea's Birthday . I don't think that could have worked out any better. I love the attention so far from the Club Level Concierge, it's actually sad a little that everytime I call them now the same cast member (Don- Wonderful Guy) remembers me when I call and asks me What are you planning or changing today! Gotta Love It !

 

[Raven0207]

Well I'm finally taking the time to work up the second day of our October trip to WDW. It's funny that it has taken me this long to write this day's plans when this day is all about slowing down, relaxing and taking it all in. Every single one of our trips is about cramming as much into a short period as we can that we are worn out when we get home just from everything we did. Not this time. This is a vacation trip. I personally work 6 days a week, 13-14 hrs a day 8 months out of the year and this is one of those times.

We want to take in all that is the Animal Kingdom Lodge Club Level so I am planning for us to have breaks throughout the day to allow us to try all the different meals, snacks and beverages they offer throughout the day. With a late night at La Nouba on Friday night we will more than likely try and sleep in...... so that means we will get up around 7 am. Yes 7 am is late for us. I get up around 4 am (Yes there are 2 4am's in a day) for work so we are both on a early morning routine.

First things First : Breakfast !!!!!!!!
And where might we try breakfast??? Why not the AKL Club Level. We always are light on breakfast meals so the pastries and pickups the CL offers would be ideal for us to start the day. The selection of choices is great, if you’re interested a few people on Youtube have videos up of all the offerings throughout the day. To top it all off, Andrea's second favorite WDW treat is severed there as much as she wants all day long .............. Jungle Juice ! We will be picking it up by the gallon !

Next thing for our laid back day is taking in the resort and the pool. We have never (at least I haven't) taken in the experience of the Jambo House pool. We love the Kidani Village and I figure for a relaxing day, a dip in the pool while laying out and resting would be a great way to pass the time.

Around lunch time I expect us to continue a WDW tradition that we do pretty often. A round of Miniature Golf at Fantasia Gardens. I know what you’re thinking " You’re a Disney World ! You’re supposed to go to the parks!" Well we go to the park very often to the point we run out of things to draw our interest if a special event isn't going on. We love all the other things Disney offers around the parks that we can plan an entire trip and never enter the park once.......... well we do have to make trip inside the gate of MK to get popcorn but that’s it. There is always something new and something you have never done that you could do every day outside the parks. Look into it and you would be surprised how much fun you could have.

After Andrea kicks my butt at miniature golf, we will make our way to the Grand Floridian for Afternoon Tea in the Garden view Tea Room. When we first started going here it was always easy to get in cause for most people they will go " who wants hot tea in Florida and at WDW" Try the experience once and you will see why it’s very hard to get a reservation there anymore. The fact they also do The Princess Tea for Little Princess's there also doesn't help but I'm telling you the experience is wonderful. To sit there enjoying the slow pace of the world while you sip on fresh warm tea and enjoy finger sandwiches, pastries, and deserts you will want to go back again.

The journey will continue back to AKL CL for the afternoon selections of complementary drinks, snacks and cocktails. It's another one of those perks of the club level we want to ensure we have a chance to take it.

Dinner that night will be at the newly renovated California Grill at 7:05. We have always talked about going here but since we love Victoria and Albert’s so much we always go for it over Cali Grill. The menu is great as always and is considered by most to be one of the best restaurants at WDW. We will wine and dine ourselves till the moon come out.

A night stroll around the resort will be an end to the night. I'm pretty sure there is an evening selection on the CL so we may swing by the concierge area before turning in for the night. Tomorrow is the birthday of my wonderful wife. We have an early morning to start so we need to ensure we have plenty of rest prior to then.

 

[MidnightParade]

Oh man, Club level is just going to be so awesome!!

Sounds like a fantastic day planned out! I love all that taking it easy. Love the idea of the afternoon tea! Years ago on a visit to Jamaica the resort would do an afternoon tea and it was quite fun. Going to a real proper fancy tea must be just that much better!

Yikes 13-14hrs days 6 days a week?! I hope you get nice big chunks of time off for that! .....or get paid amazingly well! (Or have a really super cool job! lol)

 

[Raven0207]

Oh man, Club level is just going to be so awesome!!

Sounds like a fantastic day planned out! I love all that taking it easy. Love the idea of the afternoon tea! Years ago on a visit to Jamaica the resort would do an afternoon tea and it was quite fun. Going to a real proper fancy tea must be just that much better!

Yikes 13-14hrs days 6 days a week?! I hope you get nice big chunks of time off for that! .....or get paid amazingly well! (Or have a really super cool job! lol)

Afternoon tea is great. We tried it on a whim one time and fell in love with the experience. We are starting to love all that is the Grand Floridian more and more each time we visit it.

 

[Raven0207]

To continue on with my PTR on the trip to WDW in October we finally come to the day this entire trip was planned for....... Andrea's 30th Birthday !!!!!

I figured since I felt my last few installments have been a little dull I'll add a few visuals with this installment. This is a double edged sword at the same time cause I will be giving all the hidden details she will be getting on this day.

To start the day I have planned for us to take in another one of the AKL CL perks and booked us the Sunrise Safari at Animal Kingdom

The journey starts at AKL where we meet up with our guides before trekking over to AK to jump on a truck and tour Kilimanjaro Safari as the sun rises over the horizon. This is a safari that is only available to CL guest and only done once a week and it just happens to be her birthday. I spoke to the CM's for the safari and they informed me they will have a little something special for her on the trek. At the completion of the safari we will journey over to Pizzafari for a provided breakfast when you book the safari.

Since we are already going to be at the park I figured a slow paced day walking around AK and doing the things we love to do there would be a good continuation to the day. When we get a little closer to the visit I'll make our FP+ reservations which will include Expedition Everest and Kilimanjaro Safari. After maybe catching a quick bite to eat we will make our way back to AKL and partake upon the mid-day snacks and beverages in the CL.

About this time we will journey back to the room to get ready for dinner. Now if you have read any of Andrea's PTR or TR then you have a good guess where we are going but for those who don't............

our journey continues at Victoria and Albert's for dinner at 5 pm. Now I can't do a regular dinner this night nor just the Queen Victoria room. we have done these so I had to do something Magical ! I made a few phone calls (ok a lot of phone calls) and lined up a few extra's for her magical night.

Upon arrival to V&A Israel Perez, The Maître D' Hotel will great Andrea with a gift fit for a Princess.............

I have already called and ensured that the table is ready with her favorite bottled water from Great Britain, our favorite bottle of wine will be chilled table side and the menu will be set by the Chef with no substitutions. Just the way she likes it. 4 to 5 hours of tasteful delights will fill us as we journey through all the courses of the night all the way to desert and coffee.

By this time she will think the night is over.... but it's not. I still haven't done enough for her. I'll walk her to the car and drive her over to Port Orleans Riverside where I have booked the last horse drawn carriage of the night to just take us around for a evening stroll.

Now the night will end as I walk her back to the room and tuck her in bed to ensure my sweet princess gets her rest as I kiss her good night.

I'm sure by the time we get to the vacation I'll keep adding more and more things on this day just to ensure the best birthday ever. I've still got 5 months to plan so I have plenty of time. This is only the beginning.

 

[Raven0207]

Well I sat down here earlier today to tell about the last day of the trip but then my mind started coming up with new ideas of what to do before we journey home. Needless to say I need to call WDW and make a few changes. Hopefully there will be an update of the final day later today.

 

[MidnightParade]

You're getting her a freakin TIARA!!!!!

If that doesn't make you best husband ever I don't know what will!!

Sounds like a super amazing birthday day! The carriage ride is going to be an amazing end to it!

oooh! Can't wait to hear about these last day changes!

 

[Raven0207]

You're getting her a freakin TIARA!!!!!

If that doesn't make you best husband ever I don't know what will!!

Sounds like a super amazing birthday day! The carriage ride is going to be an amazing end to it!

oooh! Can't wait to hear about these last day changes!

The funny thing is I am on the phone with her as I'm reading your post and I tell her that you must like what I have planned cause you have 6 Bananas dancing ! Can't tell her anything else cause it will spoil the surprise!

 

[MidnightParade]

The funny thing is I am on the phone with her as I'm reading your post and I tell her that you must like what I have planned cause you have 6 Bananas dancing ! Can't tell her anything else cause it will spoil the surprise!

Lol, I always make sure to remind myself not to say anything! And as tempting as it would be to tell her "OMG its so awesome amazing!!!" I won't cause thats just mean and will make it so tempting for her to sneak a peek! Or atleast I know for me it would! lol

Although maybe we should create a dancing banana scale now!!

Seriously, your birthday plans are pretty super cala fragilistic expialidocious!!