Our 1st Trip .... Take two!!! An August 2017 PTR

[HizMinnie2015]

Ok so I'm going to try this again... I'm not very good at it; I'm not a diary kind of gal LOL. However this is a good way to not only keep track of stuff but also get advice from more worldly travelers.

So onto the Juicy Stuff.

WHO - Me, DH, DD - Morgan -28, and 2 GDS Emmett -8 and EJ -5
What - Family Vacation (1st for Morgan and her boys)
Where - Disney World Florida
When - August 11th to August 18th 2017
Why - Because Morgan won't go alone (more later)
How - Part Driving Part Flying

Want to know more? Well come on aboard and follow along. I'll be posting frequently in the next couple of days!

 

[HizMinnie2015]

I will try to figure out photos... been here awhile and still not sure how to do it correctly LOL Sorry about the size of photos... I have ZERO Idea on how to size them down.

This is my S/O Martyne and myself. We have been together for 10 years; one of these days we plan to get married just haven't set a date lol

Martyne (or Pops or Papa) is 41 and an IT Coordinator for an Engineering Firm. He loves his job; he has no children of his own, thankfully some days, because he is a big kid himself.

Then there's me (Alicia or Mom or Nana) I will be 46 on our trip; I am a newbie Disney TA, I work full time as an Account Manager for a manufacturing company. I love what I do but I could do it from anywhere too... if that makes sense. I am a big kid sometimes; Martyne and I have a great relationship and Disney is a great addition to our things to do!

 

[HizMinnie2015]

This is Morgan - She is my oldest child and will be 28 on our trip. She is a single mom, and works full-time for Aldi's Grocery. She has a college education in Nursing, but hasn't been able to pass the bar yet.

These 2 hams are our grandsons - EJ (L) will be 5 on our trip and Emmett (R) will be 8 on our trip. EJ has a hearing/speech impediment but he is a ladies man... he loves to snuggle and cuddle and gives everybody a hug. He is generally a happy kid, but if he is mad... watch out, he has the temperament of a bull. Emmett is a Nana's boy. He is ADHD but if you have anything to with numbers, with math or with electronics he will be in heaven. He loves to be at Nana and Papa's house as its full of electronics lol.

 

[HizMinnie2015]

Back Story -

My DH and I went to Disney for our 1st time ever in October 2015 and had a fantastic trip... Not long after I became a Disney TA and have been talking non-stop about Disney and my love for it. Morgan decides she want to take her 2 boys to Disney, but she cannot do it alone. Morgan suffers from Manic Depression, Bi-Polar, Anxieties, and split personality. So she called me and basically said "Mom, we are going to Disney and I'm taking you along PERIOD". I had to laugh and just say ok, she was determined to take the boys.

Upon telling DH - he was like well if ya'll are going so am I. So hence the 5 of us are making this trip.

We are booked at Port Orleans Riverside from Friday August 11th to Friday August 18th. In that time, DD and DH will be visiting Universal for a day while Nana and both DGS start in Epcot and work our way through whatever mischief we can get into <3. On our last day we are also going to Daytona Beach for a few hours, weather permitting.

DH and I are leaving on Thursday night right after work (5:30p cst) with the boys. We are driving from Chicago to Orlando. Hoping that nothing too crazy happens, we should arrive by 5pm ish on Friday. DD, however, lives in Iowa AND has to work on Friday. So she will be driving to our house after she gets off work, and catching the first flight out on Saturday morning. We haven't booked her ticket yet; but I am closely watching SW and United for lower prices. Hoping that in the next couple of weeks they will drop so we can buy her ticket.

We Booked a BB while on a short trip, I was able to move that around so that we landed at POR.

Looking forward -
ADR day = Sunday February 12th
60 days for FP/Check-in = Monday June 12th
Arrival Friday August 11th

Next Post - ADR Plans!

 

[Sarahh1027]

Joining in!! What a fun trip you guys have planned!! Just a couple days till your ADR day!
Best of luck, I hope you get everything you want!
Cute grandsons by the way

 

[HizMinnie2015]

Hello and Welcome Sarah!!! Glad you could make it!

So this week has been full of UPS and DOWNS, changes, more changes and then just a slight change LOL!

Morgan called me a few days ago and wanted to know how bad I would hate her if she wanted to move Disney to 2018. Not that I'd hate her, but this trip is already in full motion. Her S/O is having a rough time right now and Morgan felt it would be better to help than go to Disney right now. So after talking for awhile, it was decided that this trip would be just me and Martyne, and we would book a BB for Morgan to go with the boys in 2018 and I would tag along.

However, the planner in me always tries to look for an opportunity.... So I moved things around trying to figure out how to be able to take at least one of the other grandkids. Then my sister/niece wanted to go. However, when my sister found out the cost she backed out. So then Martyne said yanno, this trip was originally for the boys. Why you don't ask Morgan if she can compromise on the cost a lil and we will take the boys, and she gets a vacation.

So this is where we are; Martyne and I are covering the room our food and tickets and Morgan compromised and is paying for just the tickets/food for the boys.

So with all that settled its time to look at ADR's and meal planning. I have everything ready and ADR day is Sunday. The boys will be with a Florida Friend for one night so that Martyne and I can go to Narcoossee's to celebrate our 10 years, which is 8/7.

We do have the DxDP and plan on using a part as QS Meals on the go in the middle of the day. Hoping that we can get something quick so we can either keep moving or take back to our hotel and eat while swimming.

Here is what I have planned for ADR's.
1 Rose & Crown
2 Narcoossee's
2 BOG
3 O'Hana
4 H&V
5 Sci-Fi
6 Tusker House
7 The Wave
8 Garden Grill
9 Crystal Palace

 

[Sarahh1027]

Oh my goodness so many changes!! I'm sorry that Morgan can't go and that her s/o is having a hard time, but I'm happy that you and Martyne get to go and bring along the boys with you!! Will this be their first Disney trip? and your 10 year anniversary!?
What a special trip this will be!
I'm trying to plan a signature for my upcoming September trip and I'm stuck between Narcoossee's and Yachtsman Steakhouse. What made you guys pick Narcoossee's? Did you go there on your last trip?
BOG and Sci-Fi will be awesome! Love both of them!
I'm also looking into Garden Grill! Will you guys be doing dinner or breakfast there?

Best of luck booking this weekend!!!

 

[HizMinnie2015]

It will in fact be the boys' first trip. In fact, it will be their 1st real trip to anywhere other than coming to my house. We live 6 hours apart. and Yes, I cannot believe that its been 10 years since I found my prince... crazy how time flies when you are having fun!

We didn't do any signatures on our 1st trip... we were too busy trying out so many other places; especially since it was just the 2 of us. "I" picked Narcoossee's based on its location in the Grand Floridian. I like that its right near the boat dock; I'm scooter bound during our trips so it will be nice that we can take a bus to MK and then get on a boat to go to dinner. The biggest thing is that we can go outside on the deck and watch the fireworks at MK if I can get the 8:30ish ressie. Fingers crossed there.

We are planning on a pre-park ADR at Garden Grill hopefully. I love that its a family style buffet so we don't have to get up and down plus I know for sure we will see Chip & Dale. I already know we won't get everything done. Looking back at our trip while planning this one, I can see how much we missed out on. I want the boys to meet the characters and get autographs. We are buying 11x14 canvases to have the characters sign. This way the boys can hang them on their walls when they get home with their fav photos. I love autographs. But I think books are a waste. I never open mine from last time. So I'm using Canvas for myself this time too. That way both boys get the signatures and one set of boards is for me and one for them Go Nana for being smart!!! LOL

I've started looking at packing my van and whether we should use suitcases or something else... I have never driven this far with kids or for a trip this long... so it will be interesting to say the least!

 

[HizMinnie2015]

ADRS!!!!!

We are traveling with a HUGE group of Disney friends and we are all staying at POR. However because my little group has anxiety issues and other disorders; we aren't doing much with them really except some pool time mid-day while the sun is hottest.

Sunday morning was the 180 day mark. One other gal and I are both checking in on Friday; Several of our group were up by 4:30 central time and chatting in FB Messenger. (Can I tell you just how EARLY & UNGODLY 4:30am is??? LOL) The other gal was making lots of ressie's for the entire group. Thankfully I only had our little group to take care of.

We added a couple of things - to the ADR list
Dinner on arrival night... I'm still torn on this. The ressie is at 1900 Park Fare; and the only reason I made it was to see the Tremaine Sisters. However after traveling for almost a full day by van to get there; I'm not so sure the boys will be keen on sitting for dinner. DH thinks we should just get some QS and take it to the pool area, eat, swim and let the boys wear off some of that pent up energy.

We also added Mama Melrose's/Fantasmic Pkg on what was suppose to be our no park day. I love this show but I also want to see the Star Wars fireworks... so we will need to be in DHS 2 different days.

After all that this is what we ended up with -
1900 Park Fare 8/11 7:10 PM
O'Hana 8/12 7:30 AM
The Wave 8/12 8:00 PM
H&V 8/13 8:45 AM
Sci-Fi 8/13 6:00 PM
Tusker House 8/14 9:00 AM
Rainforest 8/14 6:30 PM
Narcoossee's 8/14 7:35 PM
Garden Grill 8/15 8:05 AM
R&C 8/15 7:20 PM
Crystal Palace 8/16 9:35 AM
BOG 8/16 7:00 PM
M.M./Fants. PKG 8/17 3:10 PM