Our Last Trip to WDW (Maybe) - May 2009

[ryansall]

Hi, everyone. Long time lurker here, but with my trip still a few weeks off, I have been planning like crazy, and decided to share my efforts with you. I don't have pictures yet, but I'm planning to upload some when I get home, but let me introduce you to my family.

Myself, 32 - Disney geek extraordinaire. I first went to WDW with my grandfather back in the early 1980s, and went to EPCOT on the second day it was open. Even got my picture in Southern Living. I do a blog about Disney films, but my real passion is the parks.

DW, Sally - 34 - Yes, she robbed the cradle. I would not be a Disney geek if not for this woman. In college, she took me to see the Lion King, and I got into the new Disney animated films. We went to WDW on our honeymoon, 11 years ago, and we have been often since.

DS, Connor - 7 - A brilliant little boy, destined to be an artist, because he draws constantly, creating his own comic books and portraits. Loves Star Wars, LEGOs, Spider-Man and all your typical boy stuff. He's been to WDW at least twice a year since he was 11 months old.

DD, Lorelai, 2 going on 16 - My princess. She's adorable, always wanting to wear princess clothes and dresses. No jeans for her. She's a handful, but I love having her around.

We're WDW veterans, as you can probably tell. We live in Atlanta, so it's only a long weekend to go down, although we've been on longer trips as well. Sally and I have been at least 15 times since we got married, not including 5 trips to Disneyland. The kids have been at least twice a year, but last year we blew it out.

I got a new job in October of 2007, with a big raise in salary, so I made DW promise to let me buy and use an annual pass. We went for a week in Jan '08, a weekend trip with just adults in March, 3 days in April, 3 days in July and 2 days in December. But we haven't been back since!

So, we're planning one more big trip. Why is this the last trip? When are we going, and when can you see my adorable children? Stay tuned!

 

[ryansall]

Alright, so as promised (now that I got Photobucket to work), here are some pictures of your cast of characters, and they really are characters:

This is me about 22 pounds ago. I made it my goal to lose 40 pounds this year, so I'm trying to get 30 off before our trip in May, knowing that I will pig out while I'm there. This pic is me on the MK tram from our December '08 trip.

This is DW, 34, the world's most beautiful woman, IMO. We've been happily married for 11 years, honeymooned at WDW, and have been going back ever since. I love this woman!

And here's DS, 7 and DD, 2. Adorable, aren't they?

So, I will get into the full story of this trip in a later post, but the basics are that we're saying a week, 5/23-30 at the Poly, taking advantage of the 4/7 deal to make that work.

It's probably our last big trip for a while, because when DD turns 3, we have to pay for 4 tickets, which would make WDW more expensive than some of our other vacation options. So, that in mind, we decided to take one last big week long trip.

Next up, I'll post the full story of our booking and some more pics from our earlier trip.

 

[ryansall]

Okay, so as mentioned before, our plan was to have one last big trip to WDW, but finances were tight at the beginning of the year. The 7/4 deal got extended right around DW's birthday in January, though, so we snatched it up and booked a week at POFQ from 5/23-5/30.

Then, my company unexpectedly gave me an 8% bonus in March, so after doing the practical things (DD's preschool tuition, DW's grad school tuition) we had a little left over, and decided to upgrade to the Polynesian.

This is a life long dream for me, because I've been going to WDW since I was 5 years old with my grandpa, and I have been longing for the Poly ever since. The day my travel agent confirmed the upgrade, I was walking on air.

So, we have a week at the Poly on the DDP, with 7 day base MYW tickets, no park hopping. Hopping is pretty hard with the two kids, so we figured let's save the money, plan better and have a couple more TS meals.

Speaking of meals, I'll lay out the itinerary in the next post, but in the meantime, some shots of our last trip. First is my favorite pic of DD, with one of her classic looks at the Hoop Dee Doo:

And DS getting ready for his birthday trip to the LEGO store:

I love the fact that he's already collecting pins. I have him trained!

Back soon with the full schedule from our trip, and I'd love some feedback, as I tend to overplan, so if you guys have some suggestions, I'd love to read them.

 

[WDWfantasy]

Thanks for posting......looking forward to hearing more about your plans.

 

[ryansall]

Thanks! I was kind of nervous about posting (who would care about my trip), but it feels good to do it. I have to finish my blog post for the day and endure a fire drill, but then I'll be back with the ADRs and park plans.

 

[ryansall]

Just got word that DD has finally (drum roll please)...

Pooped in the potty!

If she keeps it up, she would be fully potty trained. The reason that pertains here, is that we told her if she did that, she could wear her princess dresses that we got her for Christmas when we're at WDW.

Here's a shot of her in the dress she chose to wear today:

Ok, so that down, here is the itinerary. I'd love some feedback, as I tend to overplan things:

5/23 - Arrive around noon - check into the Poly
Monorail over to the MK, lunch @ Casey's (love some hot dogs)
Do some rides until 6:35, when we have ADRs at Crystal Palace
Finish up there, then back to the Poly for Wishes from the beach @ 9

5/24 - This is DS's day - Star Wars Weekends at DHS
Up early (7:30) for b'fast at Capt. Cook's
Head to DHS by 8:30, commando touring
Lunch @ Hollywood and Vine @ 12:00
Stay until Block Party Bash, then back to the Poly
No dinner plans, so either pool and pizza or maybe DtD

5/25 - AK Day
Again, b'fast at Capt. Cook's @ 7:30
Off to AK
Lunch @ Tusker House at 12:00
Make sure we see Nemo and FOTLK, then back to Poly for naps
Dinner is at Raglan Road @ 6:00, then DtD shopping

5/26 - Epcot
Akershus Breakfast at 8:10
Future World touring all morning
Lunch @ Sunshine Seasons, then back to Poly to relax
Return to Epcot for WS touring, including eating our way
around the world! (And yes, the kids love this)

5/27 - This is our slow day
B'fast @ Chef Mickey's @ 8:00
DS has the GF Pirate Adventure @ 9:30
DW is taking DD to MK for characters (princess, fairies) while he's gone
We all meet up in MK for lunch
Probably spend the afternoon at the pool
Evening in MK, possibly doing SpectroMagic

5/28 - Back to Epcot
No particular plans today except for Tutto Italia ADRs for dinner

5/29 - Last Day - MK Marathon
B'fast at Kona, then over to the MK
Fantasyland and Adventureland all morning
Lunch @ Pecos Bill's
Back to the Poly for a rest, then dinner at 'Ohana
Spent as much time in the MK that evening

We get up early 5/30 and drive home for a 7 p.m. wedding, so that's the plan. Suggestions?

 

[ryansall]

Gone over the weekend for a family get together, but I'm back with a quick update on our plans.

So, here's our thinking:

Scrap Hollywood & Vine on 5/24, and instead stay in the Studios, then go back to the Poly and have dinner at either the Wave or Kona.

Scrap Raglan Road on 5/25 and go to WPE, so we have more shopping time.

Thoughts?

P.S. - DD is back off the potty bandwagon , so I'll welcome tips for helping her get back up to snuff.

 

[ryansall]

Sorry for the long delay on this PTR, but it's been a busy few weeks. My wife's cousin passed away at the beginning of the month , and it's been quite the roller coaster ride at work, so we are getting back to normal now.

The upside is that it's only 4 weeks from today until we leave for WDW!

We've made a few changes to our plans, so let me redo them here:

Friday, May 22
Leave work @ 3:00
Drive to Lake City, FL (should get there by 9)
Spend the night at Jameson Inn

Saturday, May 23
Breakfast at the Cracker Barrel
Finish the drive to WDW
Check into the Polynesian
Finish off the day at the MK, with dinner at Crystal Palace

Sunday, May 24
'Ohana Feast for Breakfast (why leave the Poly if you don't have to?)
SWW at the Studios
Evening at the Boardwalk

Monday, May 25
Animal Kingdom day
Lunch at Tusker House (1st time for us)
Slip out around 3 to head over to DtD
Dinner @ the Wave

Tuesday, May 26
Epcot, Day 1
Akershus for the Princess amongst us (another first)
Future World a.m.
Nap
Eat around the World p.m.

Wednesday, May 27
Magic Kingdom/Resort day
B'kfast at Chef Mickey's (our 1st time)
DS has the GF Pirate Cruise
Take DD to MK for Princess/Tink meet n greet
Afternoon nap
MK for Spectro/Wishes

Thursday, May 28
Epcot, Day 2
Future World a.m.
DtD afternoon
Dinner @ Tutto Italia
Back to Poly for beach, fireworks, EWP

Friday, May 29
MK Marathon Day
Cram as much magic in as possible
Kona b'fast, monorail to MK
All day MK running
Break for dinner at 'Ohana
Back to MK for as many rides as we can do

So that's the revised plan. What do you think? I'm going to hopefully upload some more pics of previous trips, so you guys can see what we have done with the kids in the past. In the meantime, here's another pic from our last trip, with our princess meeting her favorite princess (at least then it was her favorite)

And, of course, I must add that DD is now officially potty trained! God is good!

That means we are saving major money, less stress trying to catch her accidents every day, and we're loving it. Plus, since we promised her we'd take her to meet the princesses in her princess clothes once she was PT, now every time she goes, she asks, "Now can we go to Disney World?"

I'll be back with more pics and hopefully some more plans.

 

[Disney127]

Love reading your posts, you have a beautiful family! We are headed to WDW in May too! Staying at the CBR - pirate rooms

And after our WDW vacation, we are off to Atlanta for a few day, visiting friends.

Looking forward to hearing more about your plans!

 

[ryansall]

Love reading your posts, you have a beautiful family!

Thank you, I'm rather fond of them.

So, my plans are pretty set, which means it's now time for the pre-Disney worries!

Have I thought of everything?

Did I plan too much?

Will we have enough money for food/souvniers, etc.?

Seriously, does anyone else go through this? For some reason, all day Saturday I was worried about our itinerary, whether we had too much on the docket. I've been looking forward to this trip since December, and I sometimes feel like I put too much pressure on myself to enjoy the trip, rather than actually enjoying it, if that makes sense.

It took a couple glasses of wine and some reassurance from my beloved DW to calm me down. But, the next day, we began the task of the Disney pre-shopping!

Anyone else have this ritual? DW and I sit down and decide all the things we have put off because of $$$ the first part of the year that we will need for our trip. Our list this year:

Shorts - since last summer, she's lost 26 pounds, I've lost 21, and DS has grown two sizes

Sunglasses - it used to be a tradition that I got a pair of Mickey sunglasses in Ocala at the Disney Welcome Center on the way. But now that it's gone what will I do?

Shoes - I need new tennis shoes since I've run the soles off mine trying to lose weight, and DD has torn up her Mickey Crocs, as she does most things in her world.

Groceries - our kids are not breakfast eaters (DS eats cereal like Seinfeld 3-4 times a day, and DD has sippable yogurt and a banana most mornings) so we decided to get cereal, a 1/2 gallon of milk and yogurt so we don't spend our snack credits there.

Swimsuit - DW decided to treat herself to a bikini , since she lost weight down to her pre-wedding weight (over 11 years ago!)

There's more, but mostly the mundane stuff (video tapes, cases of water, sunscreen). But we decided to go ahead and get started, because it would give us something to look forward to as we prepare to leave in only 4 weeks!

 

[Disney127]

Seriously, does anyone else go through this? For some reason, all day Saturday I was worried about our itinerary, whether we had too much on the docket. I've been looking forward to this trip since December, and I sometimes feel like I put too much pressure on myself to enjoy the trip, rather than actually enjoying it, if that makes sense.

Hey, you are not alone. We leave in 19 days and I am looking thru my itinerary day and night! It's been 10 years since our last visit and I am just trying to get as much in as possible even though I know that we can't possibly get everything in. Just have to plan another trip, I guess. I am going to try to just go with the flow and enjoy being with my family!

 

[ryansall]

Glad to know it's not just me! You haven't been in 10 years? It's going to be awesome. I remember the first time I went back...

(insert wavy dream sequence lines, or if you prefer, fog, per Ellen's Energy Adventure)

My Disney obsession started with my honeymoon, in 1998. My grandpa had taken me often when I was a kid, 3-4 times in 6 years. But after he died, my parents never took us back. I quit watching the movies, and wasn't really into Disney until college, when I met my wife.

After we were married, we spent a glorious week in Disney, and I reveled in all the things I had missed! Tower of Terror! Rock N' Roller Coaster! Alien Encounter! Ellen's Energy Adventure! I even tried to take her on my favorite attraction of all time, the Enchanted Tiki Room, only to discover it had been ruined! We still have a picture on our dresser of me shaking my fist at the "Under New Management" sign.

But we didn't go back again until after our son was born. So I guess my obsession was really born on a different trip, across the country...to Disneyland!

Okay, I just wanted to get that out. There's a long story about how the Disneyland trip changed my life, but you guys wouldn't want to read that, would you?

 

[Disney127]

Glad to know it's not just me! You haven't been in 10 years? It's going to be awesome. I remember the first time I went back...

Yup, it has been 10 long years! We have been to Disneyland 3 or 4 times in the last 7 years or so but it is not Disney World. Can't wait!

 

[ryansall]

Originally posted by Disney 127

Yup, it has been 10 long years! We have been to Disneyland 3 or 4 times in the last 7 years or so but it is not Disney World. Can't wait!

That's awesome. Some things in WDW are not nearly as good as Disneyland (Pirates, Fantasmic), but others are awesome (Everest, Epcot). When do you leave?

 

[ryansall]

Okay, so due to lack of popular demand, the story of how Disneyland changed my life (I promise this relates back to my May trip):

So after my wife and I got married, we didn't go to WDW again, but I was in love with Disney again. I worked horrible jobs, first in Knoxville, TN then back here in Atlanta, trying to get ahead and make enough to support us, which ended up making me sick.

While I was recovering from one of many illnesses, I started watching the Disney movies on VHS, first the new ones, but then back to Fox and the Hound, Rescuers, Cinderella and more. I had forgotten how much I loved them!

Then, I discovered Mouse World Radio (thanks, Mike Newell). Listening to all the great music made me long for a Disney trip. Through a variety of circumstances, though, I couldn't go to Florida, and had friends who had been moved to Anaheim. So, we went out to visit for a week.

It was pure bliss I read all about it for weeks on end, and counted down to the trip for 9 months ahead of time. I don't even remember my birthday or Christmas that year, just Disneyland. I'd post pictures, but we didn't have a digital camera then.

When we came back, we had a nice little souvenir - DS! He was born in December of 2001, 9 months after our trip.

But that wasn't the only big change. Shortly after he was born, I was laid off from my horrible job.

Looking back on it, it was great. But at the time it was scary, living with a new baby on my DW's teacher's salary. But my experience at DL had made me want to work in the theme park business somehow, so as a lark, I applied for a job at Six Flags Over Georgia. Cut to 4 months after my first interview, and out of the blue I get a call:

SF: "Ryan, this is Tina from Six Flags, how are you?"

Me: "Fine, thanks" True answer - not that great. I have no money.

SF: "Well, we're thinking of making some changes around here, and we wanted to see if you were available to come in tomorrow to talk about it."

Me (inside)

Me (to her): "Let me check my schedule"

(I rifle through some papers to make it sound like I have a schedule to check)

Me: "Yes, I think I can make that work."

Long story short (too late!) I got hired the next day!

I spent five awesome years there, and it enabled me to get a handle on my career, spend more time with my family, and learn a deeper appreciation for the theme park business and Disney.

Plus, it gave me the chance to go to Disney more! My first trip to Disney since our honeymoon was when DS was only 11 mo. old. I'll post pics of that trip next time.

 

[ryansall]

So, as I said in my last post, we returned to WDW when my son was only 11 mo. old, because after our trip to Disneyland in 2001, we couldn't stand not to go to the parks anymore.

Since we live in Atlanta, all I had to do was take off a Monday, and since my wife was a teacher, she had the week of Thanksgiving off. We took off Friday night, drove to Valdosta, GA, then finished off the drive on Saturday morning.

We were poor, so we stayed in the HoJo Maingate East, a mistake we would not repeat. But we had a great time.

Look at the matching double chins! We only had tickets for the Magic Kingdom, because DW and I were going to go back to WDW for our 5th anniversary in January of 2003. But we couldn't wait!

We started developing some of our family traditions here. Like sprinting down through the castle to Dumbo, then doing the Unofficial Guide plan of Dumbo, Pooh, Pan, which we always joke is our favorite Chinese dish.

I distinctly remember feeding him baby food outside Cosmic Ray's while DW rode Space Mountain, and he fell asleep in Adventureland while we enjoyed a Dole Whip.

This was our first table service restaurant since our honeymoon, at Tony's Town Square. It was a bad meal, but the boy loved it!

We had a great day at the Magic Kingdom, drove all the way home the next day, and we had created the long weekend getaway we would use for the upcoming years. After this trip, we have gone at least twice a year since.

Next up, our summer 2003 trip. For some reason I don't have pics of our anniversary trip, but it was wonderful

 

[Jitzy]

I love your pictures. It 's great that you have so many. Lately, I've been scanning all of our pre-digital pictures onto a cd. What a task! But I keep thinking of my FIL who lost all his pictures in a hurricane last year What would I do without pictures of our kids, (the first one in '92)?

Congratulations to you and your wife on the weight loss!

I look forward to hearing more about your trip!

 

[Disney127]

Some things in WDW are not nearly as good as Disneyland (Pirates, Fantasmic), but others are awesome (Everest, Epcot). When do you leave?

We are leaving on May 16th (18 more sleeps ) and staying until the 27th before we head to Atlanta. We just love the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland. But we are looking forward to trying out Everest and enjoying all of DisneyWorld since it has been so long that we last visited. I think that the 'atmosphere' is different in DisneyWorld compare to Disneyland if you know what I mean. Disneyland and California Adventure are both fun but at DisneyWorld, there is so much more! We love Disneyland too and since it is closer to us, it is cheaper for us to go there.

 

[Disney127]

[

QUOTE=ryansall;31564135]

Long story short (too late!) I got hired the next day!

I spent five awesome years there, and it enabled me to get a handle on my career, spend more time with my family, and learn a deeper appreciation for the theme park business and Disney.

Plus, it gave me the chance to go to Disney more! My first trip to Disney since our honeymoon was when DS was only 11 mo. old. I'll post pics of that trip next time.

[/QUOTE]


What a nice Disney story, sometimes things happens for a reason. The pics of your son are beautiful, they sure grow up fast, don't they?

Re-read your plans and I feel like I should do something like that. We do have tentative plans for each day but I guess that it all depends on the crowds. My DH doesn't know it yet but me and my DDs are already planning to go back next year! That is if we can save up some $$$. Talk about being obsessed with going to Disney, haven't even started this upcoming trip and already planning the next one! LOL! If only my DDs aren't in school for 9 months of the year and we are not working full-time, we would be seeing Mickey all the time! But if I wasn't working full-time, we could never afford a Disney vacation!

 

[ryansall]

Originally posted by Jitzy

I love your pictures. It 's great that you have so many. Lately, I've been scanning all of our pre-digital pictures onto a cd. What a task! But I keep thinking of my FIL who lost all his pictures in a hurricane last year What would I do without pictures of our kids, (the first one in '92)?

Congratulations to you and your wife on the weight loss!

Thanks, I had to dig deep into my files to find everything, but it was a fun challenge. Unfortunately, while doing so, I realized I needed to upgrade my computer

Sorry to hear about your FIL. We lost a bunch of pictures of my son from 12 mo. to 24 mo. in a computer crash, but we have most of them.

Thanks on the weight loss. I've got a goal of losing 3 more pounds by the day we leave (May 22), so I've got to behave for a little while longer.

Originally posted by Disney127

What a nice Disney story, sometimes things happens for a reason. The pics of your son are beautiful, they sure grow up fast, don't they?

Re-read your plans and I feel like I should do something like that. We do have tentative plans for each day but I guess that it all depends on the crowds. My DH doesn't know it yet but me and my DDs are already planning to go back next year!

Oh, things definitely happen for a reason. That job gave me some of my best friends, and led to my current job, which pays more, gives me more time off, and has enable my wife to stay home and pursue her writing career. She is working to become a full time author.

And don't worry, I'm working on plans to go back for Food & Wine!

I'll be back later today with pics of our next trip, in summer of 2003!