My 14th trip, his first...a PTR to save DBf's sanity

[PrincessAmongPrinces]

Thanks, and

I'm really excited about this, because I think it'll be a lot of fun. I love planning things (if you hadn't already picked up on that).

POFQ is one of my favorite resorts, so I can't wait to go back. And I do love the DDP...it just takes so much stress out of everything. Pay once, and then I don't have to worry about it the rest of the trip. By the way, I see from your ticker you'll be down there in December...when do you arrive?

The next update should be my Day 1 plans. I've been holding off on that because I don't know park hours, but I have at least an idea of what I want to do. If Disney cooperates haha.

Haha I'm a big planner too. I'm really trying to tone it down for this December trip bc it'll be a big group, but its hard! I want to make itineraries!! My family has been teasing me because I have spreadsheets with estimated park hours, crowd levels, ride height restrictions and for ADR confirmation numbers when I can make them. We are going Dec 7-14th, and I can't wait!

We've never done a mod hotel. We've actually only stayed onsite once, and it was at ASMovies. I think my DH would love POFQ, he loves New Orleans, so I think he'd enjoy the atmosphere there. I'm already thinking ahead for a 2014 trip, and I'm looking at doing ddp. I agree with you that it's less stressful to just know that your meals are paid for, and you can just enjoy them.

Not too much longer until park hours are officially posted!

 

[wdwgirl03]

Congrats on your new job!

 

[Lorelei528]

First off....

Congrats on the Job!!! That is EXCELLENT news!!

We will be in WDW from Nov. 30-Dec. 14th so also the same times as you...I have no idea about the FB group, so as of now, I'm not in it.

For steak, I say either Yachtsman Steakhouse or Artist Point. Both are two points though...

We have been to Teppan Edo only once so far on our last trip but now it's officially one of our faves and added to our must-dos!
Boma is one of our faves too and we usually stay at AKL, so it works out. You might want to think about Sanaa instead of Boma as I think the food is spicier there (and you can see the animals from the window). Me and DH are spicy food lovers. I have never really found anything at Boma that is really that spicy. Flavorful yes and I like I said we love it there, but you might want to look into Sanaa....
I make our ADR's on June 3rd! LOL....I am hoping to get BOG as well! Eek!

We are going to MVMCP as well. Are you thinking about going?

Can't wait to hear all about your plans! I've had my Excel sheet (which we call "the Bible") done for awhile now.

High five OCD planner!!

 

[SoccerDogWithEars]

Congrats on your new job!

Thanks!! I'm super excited.

Haha I'm a big planner too. I'm really trying to tone it down for this December trip bc it'll be a big group, but its hard! I want to make itineraries!! My family has been teasing me because I have spreadsheets with estimated park hours, crowd levels, ride height restrictions and for ADR confirmation numbers when I can make them. We are going Dec 7-14th, and I can't wait!

We've never done a mod hotel. We've actually only stayed onsite once, and it was at ASMovies. I think my DH would love POFQ, he loves New Orleans, so I think he'd enjoy the atmosphere there. I'm already thinking ahead for a 2014 trip, and I'm looking at doing ddp. I agree with you that it's less stressful to just know that your meals are paid for, and you can just enjoy them.

Not too much longer until park hours are officially posted!

I can't wait! Those park hours are really killin me having to wait. I've stayed at a good portion of the hotels on property. We're snobs...we hate staying offsite. As a family we did it once, and were miserable. I love being able to catch a bus back to the resort for a nap.

First off....

Congrats on the Job!!! That is EXCELLENT news!!

We will be in WDW from Nov. 30-Dec. 14th so also the same times as you...I have no idea about the FB group, so as of now, I'm not in it.

For steak, I say either Yachtsman Steakhouse or Artist Point. Both are two points though...

We have been to Teppan Edo only once so far on our last trip but now it's officially one of our faves and added to our must-dos!
Boma is one of our faves too and we usually stay at AKL, so it works out. You might want to think about Sanaa instead of Boma as I think the food is spicier there (and you can see the animals from the window). Me and DH are spicy food lovers. I have never really found anything at Boma that is really that spicy. Flavorful yes and I like I said we love it there, but you might want to look into Sanaa....
I make our ADR's on June 3rd! LOL....I am hoping to get BOG as well! Eek!

We are going to MVMCP as well. Are you thinking about going?

Can't wait to hear all about your plans! I've had my Excel sheet (which we call "the Bible") done for awhile now.

High five OCD planner!!

Thanks!! You're so sweet We actually decided to go with Rose and Crown for a steak, and use our 2 credits for HDDR. Once I let slip they would bring you ribs the entire night, he was sold and refused to give it up

My parents and I ate at Sanaa in October, and honestly we were just sort of disappointed. I felt it was more Indian than fusion, and while I love Indian food, I didn't see much I couldn't get right here at home. Boma just has so much more variety, and I can't STAND spicy food, so I'm happy. And the way plans are right now, we'll get over there early enough to go hang out and check out the savannah and the resort.

We aren't going to MVMCP. Thought about it, pondered, decided the only thing we were missing were the parade, and we're not big parade people anyway. Plus, $62 per person is just a little steep for two straight out of college kids.

Yay for other planners!!! We need to start a DPA...Disney Planners Anonymous. "Hi, my name is Annie, and I have an entire notebook dedicated to park plans"

 

[SoccerDogWithEars]

Now that I think I have my ADRs figured out, I can start telling y'all what the basic plan is.

Departure Day-Nov. 30
Wake up probably around 7 or 8 in the morning. This is going to be a new experience for me, because generally my parents and I drive straight through to Disney, and so we get up as early as possible and try to make the best time we can (generally around 8 1/2, 9 hours). But since this trip, our reservation doesn't start until Sunday, we have all day Saturday to do what we'd like. So we plan on taking it easy. We might stop and and spend some time at places that look interesting. I'd like to say we'll split the drive, but honestly, it will probably be Joe for the good majority of the trip. This is because 1. I HATE driving through SC. I just hate it. It's boring, and it takes forever. I don't understand why I-95 has to cut through the widest part of the state.
2. I don't mind driving in Georgia, but every time I do, the weather is bad. Not just rainy, I mean the last two times it's been sunny when I started driving, and then the big black clouds roll in, thunder, lightning, rain so hard you can't see the front of the car, and yes, one time, even hail I don't know what it is, but I've decided I just won't risk it.
Which of course means that Joe will drive through the two biggest states. We'll spend the night at a hotel in Altamonte Springs, right outside of Orlando.

I looked at hotels in Orlando, and yes, some of them were cheaper, but I also figured that after a whole day of driving, we (I) didn't want to deal with Orlando traffic and/or I-Drive. Plus, the hotel we're at is only 30 minutes from Disney, so it's not that big of a deal. We'll grab some dinner, and call it an early night, because the next day is:

Day 1-Dec. 1
It's arrival day!!!!!!! And the first day in Disney!!! This is where the title comes in, because today will introduce Joe to the early-rising, slightly commando way I do Disney. I say slightly commando because in the last few years, my parents and I get up early, do as much as we can in the morning, and then always end up taking an afternoon nap. For me, this is important. You see, I get dehydrated RIDICULOUSLY easy. I had a couple of bad bouts when I was younger, and now it takes next to nothing for me to feel bad if I'm out in the sun. So when I'm at Disney, I constantly am chugging water, generally with electrolyte tablets added to it. But sometimes, even despite this, I just don't feel good. In addition (because, you know, this isn't enough to worry me) I inherited my mother's affinity for migraines. If I don't make sure to drink enough, eat regularly, and listen to my body's plea for a nap, I end up feeling like there's an ice pick lodged in my frontal lobe, and I'm just not a very pleasant person to be around. Luckily, Joe has figured this out after two years of dating, and he is very attentive and is always making sure I'm not hungry or need water. All that being said, I am perfectly capable of going whole days in the park, I've done it, I just need to make sure I'm listening to my body and not pushing myself too hard. And always having Imitrex and Phenergan on standby. Sidenote-I actually had to buy a pillbox recently, because all the prescription bottles I had in my purse made me sound like a drug dealer Never say I'm not prepared.

Back on the topic of the trip.......the plan is to wake up around 7:00 a.m. We won't need to repack much, as all of our overnight stuff and a change of clothes will just be in a bookbag, so we'll get everything together and check out. We'll grab a bit to eat from the hotel's breakfast, then it's on the road for the last short leg of our journey. I'll be driving so that I get to experience going under this:

And into here:

We'll check in, stash our luggage with Bell Services, hop on a bus and head to......

I just couldn't start this trip anywhere else. With my parents, it didn't really matter, because we've been so many times, but with Joe, I just can't imagine seeing any other park our first day. Plus, since this is a party night, I'm hoping crowds will be relatively low that morning, assuming everyone is holding off and coming that night. We'll hightail it over to new Fantasyland, as last trip we missed the opening by TWO DAYS Yes, I'm still bitter about this. Beauty and the Beast, as I've mentioned before, is my favoritest of favorite Disney movies. I plan to spend time exploring the area, maybe riding Under the Sea, and we could possibly wander to Storybook Circus for a bit. Plans are flexible until about 10:30, at which point I plan on hopping in line for BOG, of course!! I have been DYING to eat here, and while I'm not sure you can get the grey stuff at lunch, the dinner menu just didn't wow me enough to use a TS credit on it, especially since it seems very similar to the lunch menu.

One we're done with lunch, we'll take the super-secret-hidden back way into Tomorrowland. Depending on the line, we'll either ride Space Mtn or grab a FP for later. We'll hit Carousel of Progress, Astro Orbiter, PeopleMover, and Buzz. If we're still feeling pretty good, we'll head over to Adventureland. When we think we've had enough, we'll head back to the resort, and depending on the time, we'll nap and freshen up. Then we'll head back out, grab the first bus that comes by to transfer over to Fort Wilderness, where we will hopefully have a 9:00 p.m. ADR for HDDR. I chose the latest one because a. it gives us some down time if we need, and b. they'll allow you to choose Tier 1 seating at that showing. And I've never sat up front. I've sat in the back of the first floor, and on the second floor, but never up front. I figure it's time. We'll sit back, enjoy the show, stuff ourselves silly on the ribs, probably ignore the strawberry shortcake, or well, I will because I don't like strawberries, and then call it a night once and for all.

Stay tuned for Day 2!! It's gonna be wild

 

[SoccerDogWithEars]

It's been FOREVER since I was last on here. But to be honest, I think I've been on my laptop once in the last 3 weeks. Even right now, I'm only able to get this out because it's slow at work

So much has happened since my last post. I've graduated college, started a new job, hunted for apartments to move out of my parents house, and gone to the Indy 500!!!! It's enough to make a girl exhausted. Which, I have been, so normally when I get home from work, I've barely got the energy to drag myself to the couch, much less type out an installment, so....I've been lazy. My room is proof of that. I still have suitcases from school that haven't been unpacked. But I'm here now, so onto the next day!!!!

Ok, so....I lied. I left off saying Day 2 would be wild, because I had every intention of going to AK that day. BUT then Disney released EMH, and plans changed. So instead, for Day 2:

Back to the Magic Kingdom
Yep, I just can't stay away!! We might hit Epcot that morning and then hop back over, but really I like the idea of spending the entire day there, with a chance to take it easy and soak in the atmosphere. And I really want to see the welcome show. We'll hit all the rides we didn't get to do the day before, and maybe even the ones not high on the "must do" list that are still sweet, like IASW. We'll have an early dinner reservation at Tony's, because I've never eaten there and we both love Italian food. Dinner will be around 5:30, so I'm hoping to be done around 7. We'll meander down to the hub, and stake out a spot. Then MSEP (which, really, I could skip, but Joe thinks it looks cool), and then WISHES!!!! There are no words to explain how happy Wishes makes me. I have the soundtrack, and even just that will bring tears to my eyes. I've also always longed to watch it hand in hand with someone I love, and this is my chance! So after my happy sappy girly moment, it's time for EMH. Depending on how we feel, we may stay and hit some of our favorites again, or we may call it a night and head back to the resort.