Our Daughter's Second Disney Trip Will Be Before Her First Birthday!?! - Mar 2011 PTR

[ChildAtHeart82]

Joining in! What a fun birthday surprise for your DW, and OMG how can you keep it a secret?!? When I'm in planning mode, I can't help talking to DH and the kids about it all!

Don't you just love how easy it is to make the trip just a little longer? We ended up adding a night to our March trip for better airfare too!

It's so tough to keep this a secret, especially since I want to make sure we get to do what she wants to do on the trip! I know she suspects that I'm planning a trip, but for now I have her convinced that I'm just dreaming about another trip and I know she doesn't expect a March trip. She has asked a few times if I'm planning a trip for April. My most recent way of asking questions is saying, "I read on the DIS that someone was planning this for their next trip. What do you think about that?"

It is so easy to add time to a trip. It makes sense, but I also know I'm always looking for a reason to add more time. I'm off now to check out your PTR.

 

[ChildAtHeart82]

I'm very excited to read your pre and post trip reports! We will be taking our daughter on her first trip in May when she is just over 11 months old.... I look forward to learning from you!
And your daughter is ADORABLE!

Thank You! I look forward to passing on everything we learn.

 

[Colleen27]

Everything with an asterisk is a place we haven't been before. As you can see, we're trying a lot of new places! Typing out the list, I noticed I left a few more meals open than I thought. I'm thinking of Liberty Tree Taven for lunch on 5 March if I can get a reservation. I'll check when I get home because I can't access the site at work. I also left us three opportunities to eat at Beaches & Cream because I would like to eat there, but they don't take ADR's. If we can eat there our first chance, I'm open to suggestions for another lunch ADR I should make for 7 or 8 March in addition to Via Napoli.

So, what do you think? Is this a good plan?

Wow, you have some great choices there. California Grill and Narcoosees are a toss up as our family's favorites - the sushi lovers in the family prefer CG, and the lobster lovers prefer Narcoosees.

Good thinking leaving a few opportunities to hit Beaches & Cream. We tried to get in there on both of our warm weather trips and ended up at ESPN Club instead because the waits were so long.

Liberty Tree for lunch is quite nice, a little heavy to be what I think of as "lunch food" but so good you keep eating long after you're full.

For a lunch in addition to Via Napoli, have you thought about Teppan Edo? We really enjoyed our meals there, though if you have a teppanyaki grill close to home it might not be as special for you. We so seldom get to enjoy that style of dining and the food is just so good! It is one of my 12yo's absolute must-dos.

Oh, and those "eating trips"? They get addictive... We're going to be on the deluxe plan for the 3rd time in March, and now we're tossing around the idea of the platinum plan for DH & I (only - no kids!) for our anniversary trip in 2012. Eventually I'm going to try every TS restaurant at WDW, if all of our favorites don't keep getting in the way!

 

[therussells08]

Great ADRs! I love the whole list! I really wanted to eat at the Three Broomsticks when we went to the WWoHP, but the line was insanely long! Oh well, you'll have to let me know what you think of it!

 

[Punchy]

This is so funny - we'll be there at the same time (Feb 28 - Mar 9), also staying at POFQ.

It will be my husband and I, and our infant son.

We were also in WDW in Oct. 2008 for our Disneymoon (which was his first trip).

 

[ChildAtHeart82]

Wow, you have some great choices there. California Grill and Narcoosees are a toss up as our family's favorites - the sushi lovers in the family prefer CG, and the lobster lovers prefer Narcoosees.

Good thinking leaving a few opportunities to hit Beaches & Cream. We tried to get in there on both of our warm weather trips and ended up at ESPN Club instead because the waits were so long.

Liberty Tree for lunch is quite nice, a little heavy to be what I think of as "lunch food" but so good you keep eating long after you're full.

For a lunch in addition to Via Napoli, have you thought about Teppan Edo? We really enjoyed our meals there, though if you have a teppanyaki grill close to home it might not be as special for you. We so seldom get to enjoy that style of dining and the food is just so good! It is one of my 12yo's absolute must-dos.

Oh, and those "eating trips"? They get addictive... We're going to be on the deluxe plan for the 3rd time in March, and now we're tossing around the idea of the platinum plan for DH & I (only - no kids!) for our anniversary trip in 2012. Eventually I'm going to try every TS restaurant at WDW, if all of our favorites don't keep getting in the way!

Thanks for the encouragement! I'm excited about trying all these and I'm sure DW will be once she knows we're going. I'm not sure if I'm going to tell her right away about all of our ADR's or not once I tell her we're going. We tried Teppan Edo on our December trip and really liked it. We are pretty big fans of that style of restaurant, but we don't have anything like it in South Dakota. It's on the short list of places we'll try to get into if we get B&C early. I hope both of us can get to every TS in WDW, but I know what you mean about favorites getting in the way!

Great ADRs! I love the whole list! I really wanted to eat at the Three Broomsticks when we went to the WWoHP, but the line was insanely long! Oh well, you'll have to let me know what you think of it!

I'm hoping it's not as busy when we go. I've been watching the Harry Potter crowd thread a lot. If there's a huge line, we'll probably just go somewhere else, but I really hope we can get in.

This is so funny - we'll be there at the same time (Feb 28 - Mar 9), also staying at POFQ.

It will be my husband and I, and our infant son.

We were also in WDW in Oct. 2008 for our Disneymoon (which was his first trip).

That is so neat! A little weird, but still neat!

 

[ChildAtHeart82]

Quick update. I added an ADR for LTT on 5 March. I've been checking to see what kind of ADR's are available last minute and I've developed a list of places we'll try for if we get Beaches and Cream on the first try. So far, I've been thinking Teppan Edo, Coral Reef, and Biergarten.

I will try and post a longer update whenever I find a good chance to post when DW won't get suspicious.

 

[Sandy Mouse]

First, I love your idea of keeping this as a surprise for your wife, and your daughter is beautiful.
We will be at POR March 3 - 11 (me, my youngest DD, DGS17 and DGD2). I like your ADRs - you're trying some places on my wish list for future trips. This trip we're trying Teppan Edo (DGS's choice), Boma and Ohana (DD's choice), then a lot of character meals (and the only one of those where we will expect great food will be CRT). We took DGD last February when she was 21 months. We had a box of disposable bibs and and she was good to go. She loved the rides, the characters and everything.
Have a great trip and I might see you there.
BTW, I went to college in Rapid City and have some great memories of the area, but that was a long long time ago.

 

[OhdahLolly]

Also joining you!

I have to say that your DD is so precious.


for your final payment!


You've got excellent choices on your ADRs. I wanted to suggest since once of your QS meals for Epcot is open, that Yakatori House is also pretty excellent. Then again, so is the Tang Cafe if you like middle eastern!.

 

[ChildAtHeart82]

First, I love your idea of keeping this as a surprise for your wife, and your daughter is beautiful.
We will be at POR March 3 - 11 (me, my youngest DD, DGS17 and DGD2). I like your ADRs - you're trying some places on my wish list for future trips. This trip we're trying Teppan Edo (DGS's choice), Boma and Ohana (DD's choice), then a lot of character meals (and the only one of those where we will expect great food will be CRT). We took DGD last February when she was 21 months. We had a box of disposable bibs and and she was good to go. She loved the rides, the characters and everything.
Have a great trip and I might see you there.
BTW, I went to college in Rapid City and have some great memories of the area, but that was a long long time ago.

Hi! Thank you! I'm glad I only have to keep this a secret for another month or so. We tried disposable bibs on our last trip and DD kept pulling them off. We ended up just accepting that her clothes might get dirty when we fed her. We've been in Rapid City for just over a year. We're enjoying it but the cold is rough, even for two people who like winter.

Also joining you!

I have to say that your DD is so precious.


for your final payment!


You've got excellent choices on your ADRs. I wanted to suggest since once of your QS meals for Epcot is open, that Yakatori House is also pretty excellent. Then again, so is the Tang Cafe if you like middle eastern!.

Thank you! I will keep Yakatori House in mind for that Epcot day.

 

[ChildAtHeart82]

So, here is the rough plan for which parks we'll go to on which days. For the most part, the plan is pretty flexible. We'll make sure we're at our ADR's and other than that, go to the park we feel like going to. Our touring will be steered more by doing our must-do lists for each park. I will post those in later updates.

Tuesday, 1 March: Arrival Day, Get Settled, DTD Maybe?
Wednesday, 2 March: WWOHP and the rest of Universal/IOA
Thursday, 3 March: Epcot
Friday, 4 March: Animal Kingdom
Saturday, 5 March: Magic Kingdom
Sunday, 6 March: Epcot
Monday, 7 March: Hollywood Studios
Tuesday, 8 March: Free Day
Wednesday, 9 March: Departure Day

As I was writing this, I realized that I'm not sure if I can wait until Saturday to see Magic Kingdom. We will probably head over there one night early in our trip for Dole Whips and then stay for Wishes if the timing works out.

 

[ChildAtHeart82]

I was bored tonight and added a table of contents. My PTR is small enough that it's probably not necessary, but I had the time. Moving on, since we could visit the parks in any order on our trip, I decided I would do our To-Do Lists for each park in the order I felt like doing them. I'm going to start with Magic Kingdom.

Must-Do
Hall of Presidents
Dumbo
Peter Pan's Flight
Snow White
Philharmagic
it's a small world
Carousel of Progress
Peoplemover
Dole Whip
Wishes

Nice To Do
Space Mountain
Splash Mountain
Pirates
Haunted Mansion
Astro Orbiter
Laugh Floor
Winnie the Pooh

There are probably some things on our Must-Dos that could be moved to the Nice to Do List. I want to do a lot of the Fantasyland attractions that we didn't do in December and that Lucy can ride with us. It will also be nice to ride Dumbo before they move it. Hall of Presidents is on there because it is the one thing on our list for our December trip that we didn't do. It's been a long time since I've done Hall of Presidents because it's always been one I've skipped to do more thrill rides. We may or may not do the mountains since we'd have to do them single rider and DW isn't the biggest fan of them anyway. If we did them, it would probably just be me riding while DW and DD wait and I want to minimize the times that we do that. Since we were just there, I think we'll be happy just being there even if we don't do much. With the low crowds, though, I think we'll be able to do a lot.

So, what do you think? It's quite possible that I left something obvious off of our list.

 

[lilys.mom]

HI...Plans are coming along nicely! I must ask what is peoplemover?????
Your must dos look great!

 

[Jenvenza]

I will be there with my little girl March 5-12! We are staying at POFQ! Glad I found your PTR!

 

[PirateKate]

I think your plan looks pretty good! I'm not sure Lucy will enjoy the Hall of Presidents, though. I'd make sure to bring some puffs. It's very nice to not make your wife wait around with Lucy while you ride all the thrill rides. That might not be very magical.

 

[TinkerbellLuvr7]

I'm here!!

All the plans sound great! It looks like we'll miss you by a week and 1 day! I'll throw some pixie dust for both of our trips as we also missed you guys in Dec by a few days (we left on the 14th) and boy was it cold!! We're hoping for 70s and 80s this trip which is what we were hoping for in Dec! I'd even deal with 90s, it's better than what we have now!!

 

[photographymom517]

Just finished reading your PTR! I have no idea how you're keeping such a huge secret!!! I've heard of others doing it as well, but I know that I'm not that self-controlled! There's NO WAY I could keep a secret about a Disney Trip!!!!

Your plans look really great! I've never eaten at any of the restaurants you mentioned so unfortunately can't give you any advice there! But I can say that they are highly rated restaurants & sound great because most of them are on my list for next trip! I definitely want to get Chefs de France & Ohana and my husband has been looking forward to Via Napoli. We also had an ADR for Crystal Palace last trip but had to cancel it because we were just too exhausted to wake up that early the next morning...so next trip I'm planning it earlier in our trip. I've heard tons & tons of great things about Yachtsman Steakhouse & Narcoosee's!

What restaurants do they have on-site at the Port Orleans resorts? Just wondering because we're thinking about staying there next trip. I think there's only 1 table service at PO Riverside, correct?

Looking forward to hearing more about your plans! And please let all of us know after you tell your wife about her surprise!

 

[ChildAtHeart82]

HI...Plans are coming along nicely! I must ask what is peoplemover?????
Your must dos look great!

The people mover has had a few names over the years. It was also called the Tomorrowland Transit Authority. It's basically a slow-moving ride through some of the attractions of Tomorrowland. It's elevated and goes around the second "floor." It's a nice break after walking around the parks and it's nostalgic for us.

I will be there with my little girl March 5-12! We are staying at POFQ! Glad I found your PTR!

Small world!

I think your plan looks pretty good! I'm not sure Lucy will enjoy the Hall of Presidents, though. I'd make sure to bring some puffs. It's very nice to not make your wife wait around with Lucy while you ride all the thrill rides. That might not be very magical.

Lucy is getting more and more restless with just sitting around so you're probably right abour the Hall of Presidents. We will make sure to have puffs. DW would probably say that she's fine with me riding a bunch of things while she waits. She's said similar things before. Still, it wouldn't be magical for me. As much as I enjoy thrill rides, I don't go to Disney with my family to do attractions by myself all day.

 

[ChildAtHeart82]

I'm here!!

All the plans sound great! It looks like we'll miss you by a week and 1 day! I'll throw some pixie dust for both of our trips as we also missed you guys in Dec by a few days (we left on the 14th) and boy was it cold!! We're hoping for 70s and 80s this trip which is what we were hoping for in Dec! I'd even deal with 90s, it's better than what we have now!!

Hi! I agree about the weather. I think I'd take 90's over the cold we're having right now. I'm a winter person, but I need a break.

Just finished reading your PTR! I have no idea how you're keeping such a huge secret!!! I've heard of others doing it as well, but I know that I'm not that self-controlled! There's NO WAY I could keep a secret about a Disney Trip!!!!

Your plans look really great! I've never eaten at any of the restaurants you mentioned so unfortunately can't give you any advice there! But I can say that they are highly rated restaurants & sound great because most of them are on my list for next trip! I definitely want to get Chefs de France & Ohana and my husband has been looking forward to Via Napoli. We also had an ADR for Crystal Palace last trip but had to cancel it because we were just too exhausted to wake up that early the next morning...so next trip I'm planning it earlier in our trip. I've heard tons & tons of great things about Yachtsman Steakhouse & Narcoosee's!

What restaurants do they have on-site at the Port Orleans resorts? Just wondering because we're thinking about staying there next trip. I think there's only 1 table service at PO Riverside, correct?

Looking forward to hearing more about your plans! And please let all of us know after you tell your wife about her surprise!

I'm only doing an okay job of keeping the secret. I think DW is pretty sure that I'm planning a Disney trip, but I think she will be surprised that it's in March. It's so difficult for me to keep the secret. I only have to stay quiet for a few more weeks.

We really like Narcoosee's. We ate there on our honeymoon. We had an ADR there because I didn't make ADR's until a few months out and there wasn't availability at California Grill, which is what I was trying for. At the time, I hadn't heard of Narcoosee's. I'm really glad we ate there.

Riverside has the only table service for both of the Port Orleans resorts. It's Boatwright's and from the menu, it looks like southern style cooking. We have an ADR there for our arrival day, but we might just eat at the food court that night. I'll make sure to include a review in my trip report if we go.

 

[ChildAtHeart82]

Hi! I'm sorry it's been a while since I posted. I just got back from a two week trip for work and I'm just now getting caught up with things. Before leaving for my trip, I did something crazy to keep the Disney trip a secret from DW. I put the mail on hold for two weeks! I was a little unsure about my choice, but it ended up being a good decision. While I was gone, all of our trip information showed up. We received our Magical Express tags and our final package information. I'm very excited that we got all of our mickey mail! Last time, our Magical Express tags didn't show up and I had to call to get them. While I prevented DW from finding about the trip, she is now really suspicious.

We also got our 2011 planning DVD in the mail. As we were watching it, DW said, "I keep expecting you to say we're going to Disney right now." I almost told her then, but I figured I could do a better job of telling her about the trip. I have some ideas, but does anyone have any suggestions on how to surprise her? Her birthday is a week before we leave so I think that's a good time to tell her.

Now, here's our to-do list for Epcot.

Must-Do
Flower & Garden Festival
World Showcase Exploration
Club Cool
Test Track
Karamel Kuche

Nice To Do
Soarin
Maelstrom
Schoolbread
Chocolate Crepe

Our main thing for Epcot is going to be taking time to explore and see a lot of the things we haven't before. DW has mentioned several times since our last trip that Test Track is her favorite ride at Epcot so we'll make sure that we do that. I regret not going to Karamel Kuche on our last trip.

Schoolbread and the chocolate crepe are near must-do's for me. I liked the schoolbread from our last trip and I get a crepe on every trip.