My Daughter, The Graduate July 2021 PTR

[1Princess1Prince2006]

Hello fellow Disney fans!

It’s been awhile since we’ve been to Disney. A really long while. Like 14 years long while.

(Well, my kid has been to Disneyland a few times over the past couple of years while visiting her dad in CA, but I haven’t been in a long 14 years).

My daughter graduated high school at the beginning of June and I asked her what she wanted. I figured she would say a new laptop, or some type of jewelry, but nope, it was a trip to Disney that she wanted.

Oh the walls she plans to find and take pictures in front of! For aesthics...whatever that means

Cast of Characters
ME - Lori, 40-something Mom, Chipotle employee by day, Disney planner by night

I don’t have a list of likes and dislikes at Disney since it’s been awhile since we’ve been there. I do enjoy Pirates of the Caribbean in Magic Kingdom and Test Track in Epcot. My kids were so little last time that I didn’t get on many thrill rides. (At least it’ll change this time around).

I’m a sucker for Lilo & Stitch, and have just gotten into the Marvel movies. I’m loving Loki and The Falcon and The Winter Soldier on Disney+.


My DAUGHTER - Lindsey, 18, newly high school graduate, and she’s my princess

Lindsey will be attending WVU in the fall and majoring in Journalism. She works as a host/server at a local restaurant and loves her job.

She is a fan of Belle and Beauty and the Beast. She’s into Minecraft and Youtube. And is a big Harry Potter fan. I asked if she wanted Universal instead, but she was there 2 years ago with her dad, and she wanted some Disney in her life.

(Sidenote: I do have another kid. He’ll be a junior this coming fall, but lives in AZ with his dad, step mom, and 2 little brothers. Baseball is his passion and can play a lot more out there than in WV. :Crossing my fingers for at least a partial baseball scholarship somewhere for him when the time comes: So, if you see me mention a DR kid, that's just my son).


When and Where
July 24-Aug 1 staying at the Rosen Inn Lake Buena Vista

We’re leaving bright and early on July 24 and driving to Orangeburg, SC for the night. It’s a little over half way (almost a 9 hour drive), but it’ll get us to Disney in 5 hours the next day.

Yes, we’re driving. I haven’t decided if I’m crazy for doing this or if it’ll be a wonderful mother/daughter bonding trip.
At least my kid can help with driving. I won’t be able to sleep or relax, but it’ll be nice to be in the passenger seat for a bit. I just need to get her out of the WV/VA mountains and then I can have her take over for a bit.

We’ll leave SC on the 25th and check in to the Rosen Inn Lake Buena Vista that afternoon.

I was planning to stay on property, but I wanted to be able to spread out a little more than a value room. I had signed up for AAA for our trip to AZ this past March, and figured let’s see what deal they can get me for this trip. Discounted tickets and a great rate on the room, sure we’ll try it out!

The reviews look pretty decent, I’ve watched a lot of YouTube videos about the place, and it's close to Disney. I know the downside is that I’ll now have to pay for parking at the parks, but at least we’ll have our car and can come and go if we wanted to.

So that’s it for this chapter of our trip report. We are still in graduation party mode around here and we’re about to head out to 2 of them for the afternoon/night. (I didn't get to the post up before we left, so enjoy my kiddo at her 2 BFF's grad party).

Up next, our park plans and ADR's!

 

[a1tinkfans]

Congrats to your grad. Safe travels and Happy Bonding… making those memories that last a lifetime!! Disney… here u come.

 

[1Princess1Prince2006]

Congrats to your grad. Safe travels and Happy Bonding… making those memories that last a lifetime!! Disney… here u come.

Thank you! We have 36 days to go!

 

[1Princess1Prince2006]

Park Days and ADR Plans

I started researching our trip back in February thinking is this really going to happen with a worldwide pandemic going on?

But, as more and more things were becoming relaxed and opening up, and vaccines were being talked about, I started taking this trip a little more seriously.

We traveled to AZ in March to see my son and celebrate his 16th Birthday.


I had joined AAA at the beginning of the year to get discounts on a hotel room and rental car, so I figured I look and see what they had for discounts on Disney.

I did get a discount on park tickets, and after researching hotels, I was able to get a discount on that as well. Also, for the hotels on our drive down and back I was able to get discounts as well.

Are we at a 5 star hotel and inside the Disney bubble? Nope, and I’m OK with that. I work hard for my paycheck, and still need to budget, especially since I have a college tuition bill to pay for in August.


As soon as I got the ticket confirmation number I started thinking about park days. We have a 5-day base ticket and I asked my daughter what park she wanted to start and end in, and how she wanted to use the other 3 park days.

It was a no brainer that she wanted to start and end in Magic Kingdom.

The other 3 days she wanted it as Hollywood Studios, Epcot, and lastly, Animal Kingdom, in that order.

I was able to reserve the park days no problem as it was still early and all days were still green on the calendar. I checked a few weeks ago, and some days had turned yellow, but since capacity is being opened more it’s looking better and all days are back to green. I’m sure that will totally change before we leave.


ADR’s have been a little more challenging.

I had 2 restaurants that I wasn’t able to get my first go around. I finally snagged 1 of them the other day and was super excited about it. The other one I’m still chasing. I keep trying every day, multiple times a day, and still nothing. I have a feeling a week, or even days before, I’ll get it. If not, I’ll try the waitlist while in the park that day and see what happens.


So, our daily plans…


July 24 - Say goodbye to the kitties for the week and leave WV bright and early Saturday morning. We’ll drive to Orangeburg, SC, and stay at a Super 8. Most likely grab something to eat and then relax for the night.

(Percy's on top and Molly is on bottom. Percy is our little fatty and Molly is our little mini kitty. And yes, they are named after Harry Potter characters because my kid loves Harry Potter. She really, really, REALLY wants another cat, but I'm putting my foot down.

July 25 - Leave SC and arrive at our hotel in the early afternoon. I’m hoping we’ll be able to check in and our room will be ready, but if not, there is plenty in the area we can check out. From looking on Google Maps I see we are pretty close to an outlet that has a Disney store. I figure we can go check that out before we head to Downtown Disney at some point during the day. Dinner will be in Downtown Disney but I’m not too sure where. I didn’t make ADR’s for this day because I didn’t want to be weighed down with having to be someplace at a certain time if we were busy and not close by. Hopefully we can get a little swim time in before bed, but if not it’s not a big deal. Hopefully it’ll be an early bedtime because we have our first park day in the morning!

July 26 - Magic Kingdom day! My daughter has already said we are going from opening to closing with no breaks. We have an ADR that night at Liberty Tree Tavern. This was my pick for dinner. My daughter could really care less, but the menu sounds good to me and being in some A/C for an hour sounds like a great time!

July 27 - Hollywood Studios! It’ll be another park open to close days. I’m hoping that we’ll be able to snag a spot for ROTR first thing in the morning. This is the one day I’m still trying to get an ADR for. My daughter really wants to dine at the 50's Prime Time Cafe but I haven’t been able to get a spot. I keep checking multiple times on a daily basis, but nothing. I’m hoping if we can’t get an ADR, then we’ll be able to get on the waitlist at the park for lunch or dinner there.

July 28 - Epcot! I’m not sure if this will be an open to close park day or not? I think it’ll just depend on how we are feeling that day. We may just take a break back at the hotel and come back later, or just sit and people watch if we want breaks. I’m excited that we’ll be there for the Food & Wine festival. Eating around the World sounds like a great time to me! I didn’t make an ADR anywhere in Epcot and figured if we really wanted someplace, then a quick service restaurant will do.

July 29 - Animal Kingdom. Again, I’m not sure if this will be an open to close park day or not. I have a feeling we’ll be there long enough to do what we need to do, and that after a late we’ll head back to our hotel for the day. I have an ADR today at Yak & Yeti. This is another restaurant that I really want to try and I’m looking forward to the dessert!

July 30 - Last day in the parks and we’ll be ending it in Magic Kingdom. It will definitely be an open to close day with no breaks at all. The only other place that my daughter wanted to eat at was Tony’s Town Square. She loves, loves, LOVES Lady & the Tramp! When she was little she watched this movie over and over and over again. I had to buy a new DVD because she wore the first one out. She had a stuffed Lady that we had gotten on one of our trips to Disney when she was little and she loved that thing! So, needless to say dinner at Tony’s was a must have for us. (She loves Beauty and the Beast, too, and I suggested lunch or dinner there, but nope, absolutely no interest. Lady & the Tramp won out!)

(Not the best pictures, but she loved her Lady, and apparently had Tamp as well).

July 31 - Check out of our hotel and then head to the Polynesian for breakfast at the Kona Cafe. I had originally made an ADR at the Grand Floridian Cafe, but I was able to snag an ADR at Kona and I’m happy I did! We may stop at Downtown Disney before we head out, or we may just get on the road after breakfast, it depends on our moods. We’re driving to the halfway point in SC (Rock Hill area this time...8 hour drive from Orlando) and spending the night at a Choice hotel.

Aug 1 - Finishing up our drive back to WV (8 hours) and weeping that I have to go back to work the next day.



So, that’s it for this chapter of this report. I stayed up way too late working on this and I’m so ready for bed!


Up next, recent park purchases!

 

[1Princess1Prince2006]

We have 35 days left until we head to Disney!

Both my daughter and I were off work tonight, so I did a quick Disney Movie night with her. Is this childish? Sure is, but I get to spend time with my kiddo, and I think she loves it too.

So, tonight was...

This was another childhood favorite of my daughter. She wore this DVD out along with Dumbo and Lady & the Tramp.


Dinner was...


Copper's Hen house Oven Baked Chicken
Tod's Fried Taters
Widow Tweed's Strawberry & Cream pie

Yes, I cheated on the pies. McDonald's strawberry cream pies for the win! And I of course needed to add some green, so spinach salad it was.


I think Miss Molly was getting into the movie as well

 

[JAMIESMITH]

Sounds like a great way to celebrate your daughter's graduation!

 

[1Princess1Prince2006]

Sounds like a great way to celebrate your daughter's graduation!

Thank you! We both can't wait!

 

[1Princess1Prince2006]

We have 28 days left before we leave for Disney!

I'm still trying to get an ADR for 50's Prime Time, but no luck. My daughter and I keep going over the plans on a weekly basis, but still nothing has changed. She did ask what happens if we don't feel like going to the ADR's we have set, and I said we can always cancel them. We'll keep them for now, but we just need to make sure we cancel them the day before.

I did sign up for Touring Plans, and while maybe it really wasn't needed, I feel better going in with a small plan. I need to go in and do more research on it, but I have 28 days to get things settled!

Her and I had the same day off this week, so a Disney movie night was in order.

Lady & the Tramp!

It was nothing elaborate, just a spaghetti and meatball dinner with a tomato/mozzarella side, and the live action Lady & the Tramp. Both her and I had never seen the live action one and I loved, loved, LOVED it! Neither of the cats were interested in watching this one.






I have been buying/ordering things here and there for our trip. I have a few packages coming in this week, so once I get them in I'll do another post. I'm starting to make a packing list and things needed for that. I'm kind of glad we're driving down so we will have room to spread out and can pack a little more on the heavy side.

My daughter and I go back and forth on who's car we will be driving down. I have a SUV and she hates driving it. She has a little car, and I hate driving it. And while you'd think hers would be great on gas mileage, nope, we have almost the same size gas tank and it costs almost just as much as mine to fill up, so for that reason alone, my car will most likely win out because we have the extra space and she can lay down in the back seat to take naps. I guess we have a few more days to figure this out, but I need to get an oil change done and my car cleaned out if we are taking it.

So, until next time Disney friends, enjoy your day!

 

[J'aime Paris]

Enjoying your TR! So fun you are doing Disney theme nights to raise the excitement level for your trip!

Congrats to your DD!

 

[1Princess1Prince2006]

Enjoying your TR! So fun you are doing Disney theme nights to raise the excitement level for your trip!

Congrats to your DD!

Thank you! And thanks for reading!

 

[Toolulu22]

I am reading your TR and realize that a week from now you’ll be on your way. You will have a great time!

 

[1Princess1Prince2006]

Hello All!

It's been a few weeks since I've last posted. Work has been short staffed, so lots of extra hours has been going on. Things are finally getting back into a good groove with some new hires, so getting a few days off before we head to Disney is a plus.

We also got to tour the WVU campus again and see her dorm room last week. This is definitely the school for her and she is so happy with her choice! Oh, and college shopping has been fun!



My daughter is currently at the beach with friends for her senior trip. She'll be home tomorrow and has had fun this past week. Once she's home it'll be unpacking, getting laundry done, and repacking for her. I plan on getting mine done on Wednesday when I have a day off. I'm not one to wait until last minute just in case I need to go buy something, but my kid sure is!


Today we have 7 Days until we leave for Disney! Our plans have not changed at all. We'll need to finalize some things this week, but I doubt much will change.


I have been in a shopping mood these past couple of weeks, not only for college, but for Disney too! I LOVE to shop! And getting to shop for Disney is the best kind there is!

I did buy my daughter a set of graduation ears from Shop Disney and surprised her with them. They were on sale and figured I’d get them now instead of waiting until a park day. She’s able to plan outfits around them. :eyeroll: For our Epcot day I want us to wear WVU shirts and she'll be able to wear her graduation ears. We both bought shirts while we toured the campus last week. No pics of those, but we both keep adding to our collection of WVU items.




And I bought myself a new pair of flip flops. I’ve been wearing them to break them in and see how comfy they are. I have plantar fasciitis and high arches so support is definitely needed! I plan on wearing my tennis shoes to start the day, but will switch shoes mid-day, especially if we are in parks from open to close. But, I hate these things! They are clunky and the foot bed has little dots all over them that rub my arches the wrong way when my feet get sweaty. These would definitely not be good for the parks.

I do NOT recommend these at all!!!

So, I ordered a pair of Birkenstocks. I have not worn Birks in years, but I know they will be comfy and great to wear in the parks. I ordered my daughter a pair at the beginning of spring and she wears hers all the time, so I know these shoes will be a must have for both of us on park days!

Sooooooo comfy! And much better for park days!


My daughter and I went up to Pittsburgh one night hoping to hit the Disney Store at one of the many malls they have there, but it had closed. My daughter ended up stopping at Box Lunch and buying a backpack for the parks. She wanted a Loungefly one, and while they had a few that she liked, she wanted this one more.



I also bought her a Bisexual pin from Shop Disney as well. I told her to wait until we were in the parks to pick it up, but she was afraid they wouldn’t have it since Pride Month would be over.



And the last two things I bought was a backpack for myself and a reusable water bottles for both my daughter and I. Both I know will be extremely helpful come park days!



So, that's about it to catch you all on our lives and shopping addictions. I can't believe that by this time next week we'll be in SC and about 5 hours from Disney! So looking forward to our trip and hopefully this week will fly by so fast!

Have a good night Disney fans!

 

[1Princess1Prince2006]

I am reading your TR and realize that a week from now you’ll be on your way. You will have a great time!

YES! 7 Days! We can't wait!! And thanks for reading!

 

[Toolulu22]

YES! 7 Days! We can't wait!! And thanks for reading!

If you haven’t been in 14 years, there will be so many new things to try as well as the old favorites! I haven’t been to the new Star Wars area, but I’ll be interested in your experience there as well as Toy Story Land and Pandora, two of my favorites.

 

[1Princess1Prince2006]

If you haven’t been in 14 years, there will be so many new things to try as well as the old favorites! I haven’t been to the new Star Wars area, but I’ll be interested in your experience there as well as Toy Story Land and Pandora, two of my favorites.

I'm looking forward to getting to see all of those things! My daughter is looking forward to spending time in the Star Wars area, and I'm really looking forward to seeing Pandora.

 

[1Princess1Prince2006]

We have 3 days left!

I'm off from work today and we got a few things accomplished...

1)My daughter and I both figured out outfits and packed what we could. I'm in the middle of doing laundry, so all that's left to pack is what is in the washer and the dryer at the moment.

2)We went grocery shopping for snacks for park days and then to have in the car on our drive.

3)Got my car cleaned out and vacuumed. My daughter hates driving my car (it's a SUV) but we will be taking turns driving, so she needs to get used to driving it. She drove it after we left the car wash and it was like she was learning to drive all over again.

I cancelled a few ADR's, well actually just the one. I cancelled Yak & Yeti on our Animal Kingdom day. Looking over menus, I feel that Animal Kingdom has a wide range of counter service places to try that are unique and will work out better for us. Plus, my kid wasn't really sold on Chinese food. We can always go to the Yak & Yeti counter service if we really want to.

I'm also thinking of cancelling Kona Cafe on our last day (the day we leave). I really want to try the Tonga Toast, but my daughter really could care less. I noticed that Captain Cooks has the Tonga Toast and it's way cheaper, so I figured maybe we could try that. But, also knowing that there's construction at the Polynesian, I'm not sure if I want to deal with all of that or not? If I do cancel that one, it'll be last minute.

I have a manicure scheduled for tomorrow. The salon I go to posted on Instagram that they were looking for "models" for a new trainee that needs some practice. They had a time slot that worked out perfect for my schedule so it's booked. I can only do neutral colors for work, but I want a little Disney magic thrown in, so let's see what she'll come up with.

Other than that, I just need to pack up our car on Friday night when I get home from work. We plan to leave Saturday morning around 8, so getting a lot done the night before will definitely help us out.

Definitely getting excited over here! Hope everyone has a good day!

 

[JAMIESMITH]

I hope you have a great mother/daughter trip!