Our 2nd Anniversary Disneymoon - Aug. 30 to Sept. 6! *We're home! 9/7*

[DisneymoonJess07]

Not too much going on on the planning front.

I need to get back into this, since we are getting closer & closer!

 

[DisneyFaeriePrincess]

Haha, gosh darn life getting in the way of disney planning!!

 

[DisneymoonJess07]

Seriously, nothing should get in the way of Disney!!!

HOWEVER - some big news!


Can we do the Paid in Full dance!!!!!


I also need to figure out our list of things I need to get done - hmmm.

 

[hhockman]

Hey Jessica,

I can't believe I didn't make it over here before now! I always read the PTRs?TRs of people that post on mine.

It looks like you've pretty much got it all under control. My lists are definitely a work in progress (and I need to do more work) but feel free to "share" all you want.

Cirque is awesome. Definitely worth it! I think everyone but us is actually going to see it on our trip (meaning my parents, my brother and SIL, and maybe her mom). We just can't afford the $$$ for 5 of us or we'd go too.

Looks like you have a great plan so far. Can't wait to see what you add to it.

 

[DisneymoonJess07]

HHockman,

Don't worry about not getting around to me until now - I haven't been around much lately due to not having enough brain power to think about it due to a lot of great and not-so-great things.

In great things - I was in a wedding on June 28 for one of my best friends and it was a great wedding. Plus, I had a great dress, she got a makeup artist and a hairdresser, so I looked fabulous. And another set of friends of ours got married on July 5. So that's been great. However, my dad also had his prostate surgery on June 22. It really went fabulously well, and he's working half days again, but it was pretty major surgery so that was stressful for the family. We went to visit them on two weekends, plus this wedding, it's been crazy. So we're glad to be staying home and feeling like life is a little more normal. I am really excited that my appetite for Disney planning has been whetted. Mostly lately, the most I can do is escape into my Sims 3 for a little while, rather than do anything productive. Too much going on, I think. I'm feeling a lot better today though.

Also, my mom keeps asking about how much our trip cost and what kind of deals we got and if that deal is still available. I would love for them to go. I think they would have a great time together! How cute would that be. Or, maybe we could all go together next year

Anyway, other than that - just wishing summer would actually start in Chicago. It is currently 63 degrees and drizzly. Oh well.

 

[DisneyFaeriePrincess]

That's for being all paid!! Woohoo!! Oh and I'm glad to hear that your father's surgery went well and he's doing well! Oooo I play the Sims 3 too!! Such a fun game!! Haven't played in a while though, I think you've whetted my appetite for it!! Ugh I know what you mean about summer not coming. It's 64 here in PA too and I think today's the first day it hasn't rained in like a month and a half! Of course the days not done yet so rain could be on the way.

 

[DisneymoonJess07]

I really love the Sims 3 - I even have a blog about my games. I'm a little nerd, but what is life if you can't be a little nerdy?

I'm sorry to hear the weather isn't great where you are too - bummer!!

 

[DisneyFaeriePrincess]

Haha, being nerdy can be fun! I don't really care who thinks I'm a nerd or not, hey it makes me happy!! Yeah so far not rain and the sun's still out so perhaps we'll have a rain free day today!!

 

[DisneymoonJess07]

So, this evening, I registered for Garden Grocer and made a short list of favorites. We're hoping to do breakfast and snack stuff through them.

I'm also working on my Disney binder. Lots of fun stuff! We are also planning to go Disney shopping at the Dollar store on Sunday. We just have to figure out when since DH wants to go play with a friend who lives a little far away and so he'd have the car for a while on Sunday. So we'll see what happens with that scheduling wise. It's marginally possible to walk to the store, so maybe if the weather cooperates I could do that...the weather is supposed to be partly cloudy and seventies, so that might work. I have a friend that I'm trying to improve, so maybe she'd be interested in going with me, since I know she's a walker. Hmmm...I'll keep you guys posted.

ETA: Looks like it's about 1.5 miles from our house and just a touch farther for her. Hmmm.

 

[mommytothreeboys]

Hi Jess! Glad you're back in "planning mode". Good to hear that your Dad's surgery went well and things are starting to settle for you.

Yay for a Disney binder! Can't wait till I can use mine again!

Paid in Full!! That's the BEST feeling isn't it! Is Raif getting more excited?

I'm so busy here...leaving to go on a 10 day camping trip with the family. I'll check back in when I get back! Until then...Happy Planning and Happy Disney shopping!!

 

[DisneymoonJess07]

Hi Jess! Glad you're back in "planning mode". Good to hear that your Dad's surgery went well and things are starting to settle for you.

Yay for a Disney binder! Can't wait till I can use mine again!

Paid in Full!! That's the BEST feeling isn't it! Is Raif getting more excited?

Raif seems a little more excited now - but it's been hard to focus on, since we've been so busy. I'm trying to get things together for him to look at for touring, but we'll see how it goes!

I'm so busy here...leaving to go on a 10 day camping trip with the family. I'll check back in when I get back! Until then...Happy Planning and Happy Disney shopping!!

Enjoy your camping trip! I will for sure put up pictures when I get stuff and there'll be lots for you to read when you get back! I appreciate you stopping by with everything going on!!

 

[hhockman]

I'm glad you're back in planning mode Jess! I know you've had a lot on your plate. I can't believe you guys are fussing that it doesn't feel like summer. We had two weeks of temperatures over 100 degrees and are so very thankful for the high 80s we've had this week because it feels cooler! You'll get your share of warm weather at Disney. At the end of August it will be HOT!

It's good that you're working on your binder. I'm still trying to decide if I need one, or if my Passporter will be enough. I had one last time, but I'm haven't decided if I want to mess with it this time.

Somehow we are almost half way through July (and I thought June went by fast) so your trip will be here before you know it. Can't wait to hear what's going in your binder next!

 

[DisneymoonJess07]

Heather -

I've been working it on it this evening - I spent a bunch of time working on my touring plans at work - it's been hectic, but totally uneven so I had a dead hour and a half with NO ONE in the office, so I had some time to play with it. I'm still working on them though - it's making me more excited to go.

I also decided what to do about my binder - I was worried about finding something small enough to fit into my Bagallini or in the other cross the shoulder bag we have, and then only having one copy of things. The photocopier at work does booklets (it's a great feature!) and so I figure the Wednesday or Thursday before our trip, I will print out three copies of the trip stuff - one for me, one for hubby and one for the room so if it gets lost we have the stuff we need. The only thing is that I'm doing it as 8.5 by 5.5, so I have to reformat things from 8.5 by 11, but it's good to make sure I have what I need.

June went by incredibly fast, and July is wizzing by as well, so I am hoping to get everything done soon. I also need to start looking into the grad school stuff, but there are only so many hours in the day. I think with us having a proper weekend not going anywhere really, it will help with motivation to do things during the week, since neither of us will feel deprived of playtime.

So my booklet so far has 8 sections in the table of contents, but I'm sure I will add more. It looks really cute since it is all done in Disney fonts - Waltograph and Waltograph IU. Aside from that - so glad tomorrow is Friday!!

 

[DisneymoonJess07]

So, first off, the local Dollar Tree by us is very cute. It turned out that Raif and I went together, because he was actually very interested in going. So, we went in. I wish we had a some kids - there were some super cute Disney toys there! We got some great stuff though - and Raif found some good stuff for work.

We got (and I apologize for the lack of pictures - I'm lazy) two hand held fans (one purple and one green) that I tried at home - they work pretty well. Aside from making Raif feel better about the heat, they seem like a good investment for $1. We also the chapstick w/spf 15, triple antibiotic ointment and hand sanitizer.

We then stopped by Old Navy - and that was annoying. We had called earlier in the day to find out when they closed, and they said 9PM. We get there at 5:45, to find out that they close at 6PM. ARGH. Anyway, we still managed to find me two pairs of capris in record time. Actually, I think one pair was actually Bermuda shorts because I am SHORT and a lot of the longer cut capris were like floods. Anyway, we did it.

After that, we went to Target and got Raif some flip flops, me one more pair of "capris" (also Bermuda shorts) and a couple of other things we needed. Then we headed home...a good afternoon of shopping.

The only unfortunate thing was that the Dollar store did not have a stitch of clothing in it that wasn't for dolls, so I have to figure out what I'm going to do for my disigns. I think I'm just going to do Jiffyshirts for mine, but I'm not sure if Raif even wants any of them. So yeah.

Yay Disney! And I have been working diligently on our touring plans, and all that stuff going in what has been named our "Disney Booklet" It's looking pretty awesome so far, if I do say so myself !

 

[DisneyFaeriePrincess]

So, first off, the local Dollar Tree by us is very cute. It turned out that Raif and I went together, because he was actually very interested in going. So, we went in. I wish we had a some kids - there were some super cute Disney toys there! We got some great stuff though - and Raif found some good stuff for work.

We got (and I apologize for the lack of pictures - I'm lazy) two hand held fans (one purple and one green) that I tried at home - they work pretty well. Aside from making Raif feel better about the heat, they seem like a good investment for $1. We also the chapstick w/spf 15, triple antibiotic ointment and hand sanitizer.

We then stopped by Old Navy - and that was annoying. We had called earlier in the day to find out when they closed, and they said 9PM. We get there at 5:45, to find out that they close at 6PM. ARGH. Anyway, we still managed to find me two pairs of capris in record time. Actually, I think one pair was actually Bermuda shorts because I am SHORT and a lot of the longer cut capris were like floods. Anyway, we did it.

After that, we went to Target and got Raif some flip flops, me one more pair of "capris" (also Bermuda shorts) and a couple of other things we needed. Then we headed home...a good afternoon of shopping.

The only unfortunate thing was that the Dollar store did not have a stitch of clothing in it that wasn't for dolls, so I have to figure out what I'm going to do for my disigns. I think I'm just going to do Jiffyshirts for mine, but I'm not sure if Raif even wants any of them. So yeah.

Yay Disney! And I have been working diligently on our touring plans, and all that stuff going in what has been named our "Disney Booklet" It's looking pretty awesome so far, if I do say so myself !

Well at least your day was somewhat productive!! I have the same problem with capris and bermudas, I am quite short as well. I am still searching for a pair of capris that actually fit me!! One day I'll find them!! Yay for the Disney Booklet and touring plans!!

 

[DisneymoonJess07]

Well at least your day was somewhat productive!! I have the same problem with capris and bermudas, I am quite short as well. I am still searching for a pair of capris that actually fit me!! One day I'll find them!! Yay for the Disney Booklet and touring plans!!

I did quite well at Old Navy, considering I had 30 seconds to look for them. I still need more though...

Anyway, I think I'll post our touring plans now...wahoo!

 

[nu2wdisneyw]

HHockman,

Don't worry about not getting around to me until now - I haven't been around much lately due to not having enough brain power to think about it due to a lot of great and not-so-great things.

In great things - I was in a wedding on June 28 for one of my best friends and it was a great wedding. Plus, I had a great dress, she got a makeup artist and a hairdresser, so I looked fabulous. And another set of friends of ours got married on July 5. So that's been great. However, my dad also had his prostate surgery on June 22. It really went fabulously well, and he's working half days again, but it was pretty major surgery so that was stressful for the family. We went to visit them on two weekends, plus this wedding, it's been crazy. So we're glad to be staying home and feeling like life is a little more normal. I am really excited that my appetite for Disney planning has been whetted. Mostly lately, the most I can do is escape into my Sims 3 for a little while, rather than do anything productive. Too much going on, I think. I'm feeling a lot better today though.

Also, my mom keeps asking about how much our trip cost and what kind of deals we got and if that deal is still available. I would love for them to go. I think they would have a great time together! How cute would that be. Or, maybe we could all go together next year

Anyway, other than that - just wishing summer would actually start in Chicago. It is currently 63 degrees and drizzly. Oh well.

Hey Jess!
Welcome back...don't worry we were waiting for you. Glad life is starting to settle for you again!
For being paid in full!!! We just paid our trip off today!! Can't wait to read more. And we are glad you are back!

 

[DisneymoonJess07]

Making this booklet has been funny, because it's been using a lot of skills I've developed at work making brochures and guides for things. I suppose that's a good thing, right? Especially since I use at work so many of the fun computer and graphic design stuff I've learned on my own time. Anyway, the first page says

Raif and Jessica's 2nd Anniversary Disneymoon
August 30 to September 6

And then the table of contents. I like it like that. Yes, I'm strange. Hopefully, it'll make the booklet easier to use when we hit exhaustion on about day three.

Anyway, the first actual page of the booklet is the packing list. I figure that will help us bring back everything we brought with us, and also help us to remember everything we wanted in our parks bag.

Page 3 is a page with our detailed travel plans, including all our confirmation numbers for our transportation and flights. Page 4 is emergency information, including the information of the person who is parakeet sitting for us (still to be determined and filled in). Page 5 is the Resort information, including our reservation number, and then Page 6 is a map of the resort.

Page 7 has a short summary of our itinerary (and can be deleted if neccessary, but it's nice for now). And...Page 8 starts the touring plan.
Sunday, August 30
5:30 AM - Towncar pick up
6:15 AM - Arrive at Midway
8:15 AM - Depart Midway
12:00 PM - Arrive at MCO
2:00 PM - Approx. Arrival at POR
Begin touring plan when we get to Magic Kingdom (although the plan says to get there by 2PM, and we won't get through all this before our reservations)
Fastpasses for Buzz Lightyear
Jungle Cruise*
Enchanted Tiki Room
Hall of Presidents
Haunted Mansion*
Tomorrowland Transit Authority
Carousel of Progress
Use Buzz Lightyear FastPasses*
5:30 PM - Dinner at The Wave
After Dinner - Return to MK to finish the touring plan, see Wishes and stay as long through the EMH as we want (till midnight)
Page 9 - A list of the attractions that are open at EMH (and the ones that are open on EMH are starred on the touring plan)
Page 10 - Monday's Touring Plan - depending on where we end up on our list after EMH will determine how much of this we do on Monday.
7:15 AM - Wake Up, Breakfast (in the room)
8:00 AM - Leave POR
8:30 AM - Arrive MK
9:00 AM - Touring Plan
Ride Buzz Lightyear, if we haven’t
Winnie the Pooh
Snow White’s Adventure
Peter Pan’s Flight
Mickey’s Philharmagic
It’s a Small World
Get FP for Splash Mountain OR ride if wait is >20 min
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Pirates of The Caribbean
Ride Splash Mountain with Fast Pass
Eat Lunch at Ray’s Electric Umbrella
Tour Mickey’s Toontown Fair
Laugh Floor Comedy Club
Carousel of Progress

After that, we'll take our midday break poolside.
7:50 PM - Chef Mickey's - we're going to try to get there early, because Spectro is at 9PM. Sigh. It's tough to figure out what to do about this one - I'm almost considering changing this because of Spectro, but I also want to do Chef Mickey's because I don't want to spend a lot of time trying to get together with characters.

Page 11 - Magic Kingdom Map
Page 12 - Tuesday, September 1 - DHS
7:15 AM – Wake Up, Breakfast
8:00 AM – Leave POR
8:30 AM - Arrive Hollywood Studios
9:00 AM – Rope Drop, Begin Touring Plan
Toy Story Mania
Rock’n RollerCoaster
Tower of Terror, OR get FP is more than 30 min
Great Movie Ride
Get FP for Voyage of the Little Mermaid
Backlot Tour
Voyage of the Little Mermaid, or wait until later
Lunch or Lights, Camera, Action (schedule)
Streets of America to the Muppets!
Star Tours OR FP if more than 20 min
Indiana Jones
One Man’s Dream
Animation Tour
Beauty & the Beast

6:35 PM – Sci Fi Diner

Page 13 - DHS Map

Page 14 - September 2 - Epcot 1st day - Sunrise
7:15 AM - Wake Up, Breakfast
8:00 AM - Leave POR
8:30 AM – Arrive at Epcot
9:00 AM – Start Touring Plan
Soarin’
Test Track
Mission: Space
Living with the Land, get FP for Soarin’ if we want
Journey into Imagination
Honey, I Shrunk the Audience
Soarin’ with FastPasses
Lunch
Walk to the World Showcase
Gran Fiesta in Mexico
Maelstrom in Norway, or FP if wait is over 20 min
See Reflections of China
Visit Germany
Visit Italy
See American Adventure
See Japan, Visit Pick-a-Pearl
Visit Morocco
4:45 PM – Akershus in Norway

We'll have an early evening at the hotel or DTD if we're feeling energetic (haha)

Page 15 - Epcot Map
Page 16 - Thursday, September 3 - start late
11:30 AM – Wake Up, Lunch
12:30 PM – Leave POR
1:00 PM – Arrive at EPCOT, begin Touring Plan
Ride Spaceship Earth
Tour Innoventions East
Universe of Energy
The Seas with Nemo
Circle of Life in the Land Pavillion
See O’Canada!
Visit United Kingdom
See Impressions of France
7:35 PM – Rose & Crown

9:00 PM – Illuminations from Rose & Crown

Page 17 - Friday, September 4

7:15 AM – Wake up, Breakfast
8:00 AM – Leave POR
8:30 AM – Arrive at Animal Kingdom
9:00 AM – Begin Touring Plan
Get FastPasses for Expedition Everest
Primeval Whirl
Dinosaur
Kali River Rapids (You WILL get wet)
See Flights of Wonder, if >20 min or walk Maharajah Jungle Trek first
Walk Maharajah Jungle Trek, if you haven’t already
Ride Expedition Everest
Get Fastpasses for Kilimanjaro Safari
Eat Lunch
Take the Train to Rafiki’s Planet Watch
Tour Conservation Station there
Walk Pangani Forest Exploration Trail
See Festival of the Lion King
See Tough to be a Bug, use FP if wait >30 min
Shop Snack etc

And then there's probably more going on than that, but that's all I have so far! More to come I'm sure...

 

[DisneymoonJess07]

Hey Jess!
Welcome back...don't worry we were waiting for you. Glad life is starting to settle for you again!
For being paid in full!!! We just paid our trip off today!! Can't wait to read more. And we are glad you are back!

You snuck in!! I am so glad to be back - I've gotten so much planning done in the past week or so since I've been back. So much more fun than being stressed out!

 

[nu2wdisneyw]

You snuck in!! I am so glad to be back - I've gotten so much planning done in the past week or so since I've been back. So much more fun than being stressed out!

Yep that me!! Up in the wee hours of the night on The DIS!! Great plans so far...you are VERY detailed. Hopefull we will run into each other one day in the parks!!