Planning to stay in the room where it happens... hopefully! **First PTR Updated 9/5!**

[PadfootnProngs]

"I'm going for bougie-casual..." The catalyst for what ended up being a handful of BIG changes to an upcoming September Solo trip. Are you ready to read all about the room where I THINK it will happen??



But I’m getting ahead of myself…You don’t even know me yet!

Hi beautiful Disboard-babies! My name is Erika, and this is my FIRST time conceptualizing, writing, and posting a Pre-Trip Report for my first ever… (insert drumroll here)

TRIP REPORT!!!!!

Yep yep yep. After lurking like a creep for years I’m popping the cherry, ripping the bandaid off, and jumping in head first (take your pick) to write about what I believe will be the trip of a lifetime…. At least until I do it all again in the next year or two!

First, a table of contents for your viewing pleasure:

1. Cast & Crew
2. The beginning stages of planning
3. Current state of reservations
4. 5 W's
5. ADRs & FPs
6. The full picture

The Cast & Crew



*Deeeeeep breath* Hi. You'll get to hear all about my boyfriend and I for this trip. My name is Erika, his name is Josh. We've been friends 4evah and dating for about 5 years, currently living in sunny Colorado. And we love it that way!

Now I DID say this is a solo trip (how could it be if your boyfriend is there??!!?!) but I'll explain later. Because of that, I'm going to be super rude and do my intro first.



That's me! I go by Padfoot in most public forums, but you already know my real name so the cat's out of the bag. I’ve been alive and kicking it on this planet for just over 28 years, and I have a passion for all things life, all things Harry Potter (if you couldn’t tell already from my username), and all things Disney! My other passions also include wildlife conservation, (musical) theatre, singing, and books on books on books! (any other voracious Fantasy readers out there??)

By day…. I actually do none of those! To feed my million and 1 passions I work as a Training Specialist for a tech company.



For the most part I enjoy my job and those I work with, and it allows me to dedicate time and finances to literally all of the passions I listed above, so I definitely can’t complain!

By night… I spend a decent chunk of my time volunteering at my local Zoo, teaching voice lessons, running a Harry Potter book discussion group, and snuggling with my beautiful fat angel cat, Catniss. I also do relax (like a lot, I promise) often with DFB/Timthetracker videos, reading, Netflix, music, gaming, the usual. I love seeing musicals and supporting our local theaters!

So now that you know me and my life and my social security number, a bit about my Disney background.



I fell in love with Disney at an EARLY age, and spent the last 5 years as part of a Disney Princess birthday party company here in CO. I was usually playing Merida or Sofia the First, but got to rock the Anna wig a few times. I no longer do this as logistics were getting in the way unfortunately. HOWEVER. This opportunity reignited a love for all things Disney that had been put on the back burner for a bit, and turned into me planning a week long trip for my boyfriend and I (see our adorable faces above) this past January. Long story short, upon arriving home…. I KNOW I NEEDED TO PLAN ANOTHER TRIP RIGHT AWAY!! And let me tell you all, I am a P L A N N E R! So, enjoy my neuroces.

So I will go through what seems to be the norm of Disney favs, but full disclosure: I have only been once as an adult, and otherwise was under 10 the last time I went.

Favorite Park: Epcot but sometimes MK
Favorite Resort: POFQ, where we stayed in JAN
(though that may change this trip…)
Favorite Ride: Haunted Mansion
Favorite Restaurant: Tiffin’s
Favorite Movie: Do I have to choose? Today, it’s Aristocats
Favorite Character: My girl Merida!!!
Hogwarts House: I'm a Gryffindor through and through, with some Ravenclaw tendencies

So for “brevity” sake (hahahahhaaa….) I’ll keep my section at that. You’ll get to know me more as the PTR/TR goes on… if you can’t tell… I’m an open book and have a bit of an excited ramble going!

Then there's this guy.


He's beauty. He's grace. He has the cutest face.

Seriously though. This is Josh. He's my sillier half, and an all around gem of a human.

He is a musician who is also in school currently for woodworking, as he aspires to open his own Luthier business! He's patient and kind, and basically very cool, and I'm very lucky. As I mentioned before: we went on a trip together in January (Polite Pig was SO DELICIOUS BTW) and even though he's not close to being as Disney obsessed as me and generally isn't much into crowds and theme parks, we had a really great time!

Our January trip was really special, because I finally got to share with him how meaningful the magic of Disney is to me, and let him in on that feeling.

Though I promise I didn't lie, THIS IS A SOLO TRIP TO WDW. Josh is joining me for 2 days at my other magical home, Wizarding World!!! We found he had some pretty bad motion sickness in WDW, so we'll be using Dramamine at WW. But you'll hear more about him then. Otherwise, here are the need-to-knows!

Favorite Park: Epcot
Favorite Resort: POFQ (the only resort he has stayed at)
Favorite Ride: Spaceship Earth
Favorite Restaurant: California Grill
Favorite Movie: Hercules
Favorite Character: Today I think it's Kronk!
Hogwarts House: He's a beautiful Hufflepuff with occasional Slytherin tendencies

Last, because you will see me mention her a trillion times, the real light of my life.



This is Catniss. Other aliases: Fats, Mimi, *insert high screech here*, beebeeeeee, Fattybabes, meow meow fuzzy fats. She's everything that is sassy and fluffy and good in this world, and makes me proud to be a catmom. My good friend from work lives in my apartment and tends to her needs while we're away, so she never goes a day unspoiled.

Favorite Park: My Patio
Favorite Resort: The Dirty Clothes Hamper
Favorite Ride: Sleep
Favorite Restaurant: The Food Bowl
Favorite Movie: Birds in the Window
Favorite Character: The Human who Feeds
Hogwarts House: 10000% a Slytherin ❤

SO. This "stars of the show"-intro has run long. And I have to get to work. I know this didn't even start to cover WHERE OR WHAT IS HAPPENING but shhhhhh I promise it will all be revealed soon. I'm on a work trip in Cali with nothing to do in the evenings (EXCEPT GO TO DISNEYLAND TOMORROW) so I will add the rest of my intro tonight.




THANK YOU SO MUCH if you've made it this far for my first ever PTR, I'll try to cut to the chase a bit more this evening. See you then! ​

 

[PadfootnProngs]

I’m back! Just like I promised.



SO I’m not sure if people usually go this in depth for a PTR (I’ve read a lot of TRs, new to PTRs), but I’m going to keep going.

Get ready for the good stuff! So I know these are usually created live, like as changes and bookings are happening. Because I didn’t decide to do this until now and my trip is in a little over 2 weeks, I’m going to give you the play by play of how I started, and where I am now.

Ready, set…. LET’S GO!


The Beginning: Jan/Feb 2019

Picture it: Sitting on the worn couch wrapped in a Game of Thrones blanket. Watching longingly out a sleet-covered window, dreaming of sunnier days experienced with The Mouse just weeks prior. A chill in the air despite the nearby space heater. The chill of missing magic…



THEN. It hits you like the first drop on Tower of Terror. It doesn’t have to be this way! You can get back there, and find your magic again. I emailed my friend who also happens to be my very trusted TA with the following subject line:

“A SOLO TRIP??!! Crazy or...?”



I got a quick reply 10 minutes later (and reassurance) that NO. I’m not crazy. Just a Disnerd who should start planning a solo trip to Food & Wine!!

So start planning we did. After many crazed hours that day debating and lots of weighing pros and cons, and sleeping on it for good measure, I came out with the following (I will mark each ‘first’ with an *):

Take One: “I want to keep it frugal”
September 7-14: Wizarding World & Disney Food & Wine Fly in early Sept 7th for a pool day (Josh was a maybe at this early point because school) Sept 7-10th stay at Endless Summer resort for WW/Universal Head to Disney solo* early the morning of the 10th and stay at Pop through the 14th Food & Wine* Fly out afternoon of the 14th Quick Service Food Plan Maybe a Halloween Party or Marceline Tour, but no hard decisions yet*

I was around 220ish days out at this point, so no further decisions had been made. I did start immediately researching Food & Wine though. As I started to look into booths and restaurants and do my research, Josh found out he WOULD be able to join me for the 1st day of WW! So he would now be flying out with me on the 7th, doing our arrival pool day, spending a whimsical day with me at WW, then flying home the morning of the 9th.



The Middle: March 2019

This was super exciting, and obviously called for a bit of celebration! This lines up with our anniversary so I thought it would be a fun excuse to splurge a bit. I decided walking-distance from Universal and Express Passes were now a must. I had also upgraded my dining plan as my ADR day got closer.

SO… Around 200ish days out here’s where we were:

Take Two: “Let’s make make Universal celebratory!”
September 7-14: Wizarding World & Disney Food & Wine Fly in early Sept 7th for a pool day w/ Josh Sept 7-10th stay at Lowe’s Royal Pacific* resort for WW/Universal Head to Disney solo* early the morning of the 10th and stay at Pop* through the 14th Fly out afternoon of the 14th Disney Dining Plan Maybe a Halloween Party or Marceline Tour, but no hard decisions yet*

This felt good. This felt like I was being smart but also a bit luxe, and splurging in the right areas. And we all lived happily ever after… until...

The Beginning of the New Beginning: August 2019

Fast Forward to last week. Here’s where things start to get wild. (continued in the next post)

​

 

[PadfootnProngs]

The Beginning of the New Beginning: August 2019

So here we are last week. Around 25 days out from my trip. All seemed calm.

Until my lovely TA friend (who helps me put all of my planning in place) told me that her and her husband, both friends of mine, had nailed down that they were going the same week as me for Food & Wine.... AT THE BEACH CLUB!!!!!



This was a whole new level of upgrade I had never considered. And really, didn't have to consider, except it sounded like SUCH a dream! Walking to and from Food & Wine at my leisure, seeing my friends when I want and going solo when I want, taking bougie to a whole new level that I normally would not do for just a "me" vacation. Hell, I was currently booked at Pop because I figured I'd be spending so much time in Epcot it wouldn't matter!

But.. what if I had options? So just for ****s and giggles, I asked my friend to look into pricing for any Beach Club availability. "Just for fun". (who was I kidding?)


The Bad News: Beach Club was sold out
The Good News: There was a room open... a Deluxe Studio at the Boardwalk
The Less Good News: The price

Ohhhh the sticker shock. I hesitated. I almost fainted. Then I had my friend put a hold on the room so I could do some research into the resort, and into my bank account.

I watched videos, I looked at pictures, I read reviews, I hunted for Trip Reports... would it really be worth the money? Walking back and forth would be really nice with all the food, but suddenly I DID want something a bit nicer... in between sweat sessions. Being on a solo trip makes the Boardwalk MUCH more appealing... hellooooo Jellyrolls!

Maybe a smaller upgrade was the answer. Maybe Wilderness Lodge or even going back to POFQ would fill this newly ripped open hole in my heart.

Well... hold on my beautiful princesses and princes. Here we are today:

Take Three: “I'm going for bougie-casual... Let's do it!!”
September 7-14: Wizarding World & Disney Food & Wine Fly in early Sept 7th for a pool day w/ Josh Sept 7-10th stay at Lowe’s Royal Pacific* resort for WW/Universal Head to Disney solo* early the morning of the 10th and stay at Boardwalk* through the 14th Fly out afternoon of the 14th Disney Dining Plan Halloween Party*



The transformation is complete.

WHAT
HAVE
I
DONE????

Just set myself for an INCREDIBLE WEEK AT FOOD AND WINE. That's what.
Did I originally feel anxious for the money? A bit. Did I originally feel extra AF? A lot. But you know what?

I'm all in!



So just to keep track, here are all of my "firsts" on the list thus far (more to come!)

* Solo Trip
* Stay on Universal Property
* Stay at a Deluxe Disney resort
* Attend Food & Wine
* Meet up with friends at WDW
* Attend MNSSHP
* First PTR (ahh!)

I'm going to bed for the night, but I will update in the next couple of days with my full FP/ADR schedule.

Thanks for reading thus far, even in the final hours of my PTR window...

Let the games begin!

​

 

[PadfootnProngs]

The 5 W's

So after reviewing a few other PTRs (this is my first, excuse any weirdness please!) I realize maybe I'm being a bit too verbose at the very beginning. I want to make sure all the basics are coming across! So, here are the 5 W's to help simplify:
​

Who: Me (Erika) mostly, and a little bit of my boyfriend (Josh)
When: September 7th-14th (I leave 2 weeks from tomorrow!!!)
Where: Lowe's Royal Pacific @ Universal from the morning of the 7th-morning of the 10th; 10th-14th at the Boardwalk Villas
What: A trip to Wizarding World mostly with the boyfriend, followed by a solo Disney trip for Food & Wine!
Why: I completely re-fell in love with WDW in January when we went for an anniversary trip. That was my first time going as an adult, and when I Came back, I NEEDED to get my next trip on the calendar! I take some sort of solo vacation yearly, so this seemed like a good opportunity!

Okay, NOW my next post will be detailed ADR/FPs and my itinerary. Talk to you then!​

 

[lvcourtneyy]

Joining in! Sounds like a fun trip. It's amazing how a budget-friendly trip changes as the plans keep growing lol. I think you'll love the Boardwalk though!

 

[PadfootnProngs]

Joining in! Sounds like a fun trip. It's amazing how a budget-friendly trip changes as the plans keep growing lol. I think you'll love the Boardwalk though!

Thanks so much for joining!

It's definitely wild- having all of the time to get excited between planning to go, and actually going, I think is what does it! Have you stayed there before? It looks pretty close to perfect, I'm so excited!

 

[lvcourtneyy]

Thanks so much for joining!

It's definitely wild- having all of the time to get excited between planning to go, and actually going, I think is what does it! Have you stayed there before? It looks pretty close to perfect, I'm so excited!

Yup I've stayed there twice- once on the DVC villas side and once on the regular hotel side! You can't beat the location!

 

[kclark9830]

Sounds amazing!!! We stayed at the Boardwalk last year and it was fabulous. I'm sure you'll enjoy!

 

[Minniemoo15]

Sounds like a great trip!! Beach Club/Boardwalk area is our favourite.

Just a note - if your BF gets motion sickness at WDW, be extra prepared at Universal. Screens, screens and more screens. The only ride that has ever made me even slightly nauseous was Forbidden Journey ... that sucker knocked me out for hours The whole wizarding world though is absolutely phenomenal. I could spend hours just walking around and exploring.

 

[PadfootnProngs]

Sounds amazing!!! We stayed at the Boardwalk last year and it was fabulous. I'm sure you'll enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by! It's great to hear all these positive endorsements for it, and to know that you enjoyed it so much. I can't wait to get there and share my take on it with you!

Sounds like a great trip!! Beach Club/Boardwalk area is our favourite.

Just a note - if your BF gets motion sickness at WDW, be extra prepared at Universal. Screens, screens and more screens. The only ride that has ever made me even slightly nauseous was Forbidden Journey ... that sucker knocked me out for hours The whole wizarding world though is absolutely phenomenal. I could spend hours just walking around and exploring.

Thanks so much for joining!
Oh no, I'm sorry that it made you so sick! It's DEFINITELY good to note that. Luckily we've both been before, but it was before they opened the 2nd park. He had a similar experience to you with Forbidden Journey though, so he might end up chicken exiting that one to still see the line. We're stocking up with plenty of ginger and Dramamine!

Isn't it the most incredible experience?! The immersion is unbeatable. I can't wait to take the Hogwarts Express and see the Diagon Alley side!

 

[PadfootnProngs]

ADRs & FPs



Happy Sunday everyone! I hope you all had a spectacular weekend.

I'm not gonna lie... mine has been pretty lazy so far! I got home from my work trip late Friday night. Yesterday I had wanted to grocery shop, run to Target for a few things I will need for our trip, etc, but it definitely turned into a "binge Orange is the New Black and have a laundry party" kind of day. Which was a-okay in my book! And honestly after having a super busy "always on" work trip for a week, I was reeeeally happy to just have a day to myself to unwind.


Perfection
I'm a pretty big introvert (any other INFPs here? ) so getting that time to myself for recharging is SO critical if want to function normally. This is part of why a solo trip was so appealing to me!

Today though... today is my day to get back to it and get ready for the week!

Me yesterday: "Let's get up early tomorrow to get a head start on the day!!!"
Me this morning at 10am:



Oops!

So, while I drink 2,000,000 liters of coffee and actually get ready to start my day, I thought I'd add my FP/ADR lineup here! This isn't the full scope of everything I plan on doing (that'll come later this week), but hopefully this gives you a bit of an idea of how I'm planning on structuring my week.

So without further ado... Here we go!!




Day 1: Travel/Arrival Day: Universal

No reservations or Fps today! I'll get more in depth on this in my next post, but since we arrive early, our plan is to relaaaaaaaaax and enjoy the resort.

Day 2: Universal



FP: We have Express Pass because of the resort we are staying at! This is the only park day Josh will be joining me for, so we plan to make it Wizarding World heavy so he can experience the new WW park.

ADR: 8:50pm - California Grill

Since this is Josh's only full day before he has to head back home for classes, we made a late reservation for California Grill! We closed our trip with this in January, and unfortunately were running a bit late, didn't have time to change, ordered too much food, etc. And while it was still fun and tasty, we want to redo this for a really magical experience. This was a semi-last minute add, but I was able to snag a time using Mouse Dining. I think this will line up with fireworks too, which will be spectacular!

Day 3: Universal

FP: Express pass again! Josh leaves this morning though, so it's a solo day. I will definitely go back to WW, but also do things like Hulk coaster and Spiderman that would normally make him a bit sick.

ADR: NO reservations today!! Since it's my first day solo, I plan to keep things pretty loose

It will definitely be tough I think to say goodbye to Josh this morning knowing that we won't be sharing in the rest of the magic together, but I'm happy he gets to go at all!

Day 4: 1ST DISNEY DAY - Epcot/MK


Today is the day!!!

FP: 12:00p-1:00p Spaceship Earth
1:00p-2:00p Mission Space
2:05p-3:05p Soarin'

I think I am in the minority that I actually liked Mission Space? I plan on doing lots of Epcot this trip, so I didn't feel pressured to fit everything in here. But especially after the resort trip, this is going to be the most PERFECT way to kick things off!

ADR: No dining reservations but....

IT'S HALLOWEEN PARTY NIGHT!!!



I'll be switching over to MK for MNSSHP some time that evening. I've been looking forward to this ALMOST AS MUCH AS I LOOK FORWARD TO REAL HALLOWEEN!!! I'm 10000% a fall kind chick and love all things spooky, so I'm incredibly excited to see the costumes, parade, etc.

Day 5: HS/Boardwalk?

FP: 10:25a-11:25a Tower of Terror
12:30p-12:50p Beauty & the Beast Live
1:35p-2:35p Star Tours

ADR: 2:15p Oga's Cantina (!!!!)
5:15p Trattoria al Forno

Okay okay I know what you're thinking: "A FP for Beauty & the Beast? Really.....?"
This day became a bit of a challenge because:​

1. I think I will end up making this my early Galaxy's Edge morning​
2. My friends who will be staying at Beach Club have a late night Oga's reservation that I'm trying to switch to​
3. Almost all rides in HS is Tier 1 right now!!​

So this day is definitely subject to change... But honestly even if today is only HS and exploring the Boardwalk (maybe Jellyrolls that night?) I'll be so happy!! I have never eaten at Trattoria, so I'm excited to try something new.

Full disclosure... I've never seen a Star Wars movie. Yikes, right?



BUT I am still super excited to experience GE and see the detail they've put into it. I have friends in California who have been a few times now to the DL version and LOVE it!! So I'm grateful that I get to go check it out. And with Disney+ coming out, I can catch up retroactively!

Day 6: MK or Epcot /AK

FP: 3:05-4:05 Expedition Everest
4:20-5:20 Kali River Rapids
6:40-7:40 Flight of Passage

ADR: 12:50 Sanaa

Oh my god guys I am SO excited to try Sanaa!! So My Fps don't start until later this day, so that morning before my ADR I'm going to either get in some Food & Wine time, or head over to MK for a bit! I'll probably nail this down between now and my next post with a full schedule.

I've been wanting to do Sanaa since my last trip though, and I can't wait to check out Animal Kingdom Lodge! AKL Savannah View was actually one of the options I was looking at when I decided to upgrade, but because I'll be there for F&W, Boardwalk made more sense.

Not an ADR, but I'm really excited to get Satu'li again that night for dinner- it was SO delicious last trip!

Day 7: Morning TBD/Epcot (last full day!)

FP: 2:10-3:10 Seas w/ Nemo
3:20-4:20 Living w/ the Land
4:25-5:25 Frozen

ADR: 8:45p La Hacienda de San Angel

So I'm still hammering out my morning, but I'm excited for a full afternoon of Food & Wine!! I might honestly just spend the morning at World Showcase so I can try lots of the offerings then, and still be hungry for La Hacienda that night. This ay will have more details in the next post

Day 8: MK/Travel (last day)

This will be my last day so ALWAYS MK!!

FP: 10:30-11:30a Splash Mountain
11:50a-12:50p Mine Train
1:00p-2:00p Peter Pan

No ADRs this day

I fly out this evening, but still plan on packing my morning full of MK fun! I definitely prefer going out on an MK visit (saying this like I'm an expert...from my one experience ) because for me, that has the most "Disney Magic" feel and gives me closure.


Literally raining Disney Magic

SO.... If you were counting, you might notice that I am short one ADR! I am keeping one Table Service credit in my pocket to plan on the fly. This trip, I'm trying to find a balance of structure but flexibility, and I think that'll be a good opportunity to do that. Maybe a breakfast one of my lighter mornings? We'll see!

THANK YOU for following along so far, and I'm excited to give you all the more "fleshed out" version of this later this week/next weekend!! ​

 

[cinderaimee]

Just popped over here to check out your plans and I am so excited for you! I few solo days sounds like so much fun! I am a major introvert as well (ISFP!) so I totally understand.

Great call on switching to the Boardwalk! We stayed there in 2016 and loved the location, the vibe, the nighttime atmosphere, everything! And F&W just being a few steps away is totally worth the bump in cost.

Following along!

 

[PadfootnProngs]

Just popped over here to check out your plans and I am so excited for you! I few solo days sounds like so much fun! I am a major introvert as well (ISFP!) so I totally understand.

Great call on switching to the Boardwalk! We stayed there in 2016 and loved the location, the vibe, the nighttime atmosphere, everything! And F&W just being a few steps away is totally worth the bump in cost.

Following along!

Sorry for the delay- thanks so much for stopping by!

That is sooo good to hear you found it to be worth it too, and really loved staying there! I think it'll really make a huge difference in the trip, and has me all the more excited!

It's going to be such a great week- I can't wait to share it when I get back!

 

[PadfootnProngs]

The Full Picture

So.... it's been more than a week. Oooops!



So sorry for the delay! I've been insanely busy trying to wrap up multiple big projects at work, making sure my car/apartment are ready for my friend to stay here when I leave, and just life happenings in general. But tomorrow is Friday, and you know what that means.....



Checking my clock e v e r y h o u r because.... it will be my final day to get work/prep done before we LEAVE FOR DISNEY & WIZARDING WORLD!! WOOOO!!!

Luckily I actually have quite a bit of work to do both for actual work and around the house, so it should go fast. (it better!) This came up SO quickly and I'm getting so unbelievably excited!I can't stop listening to DFB & Tim Tracker videos in the background of my work, and have started a snack priority list...

I wanted to make sure to post one more time before heading out, and fill in a few of the gaps from my schedule above. To help with my TR when I come back, I've decided to pack a journal to bring with me and keep in my daypack. Especially with being alone, I think the schedule I have will lend itself really nicely to taking a few quiet moments each day and jotting down my thoughts, what I'm enjoying, etc. I'm hoping between this + picture time stamps I can puzzle together a semi-entertaining Trip Report for you lahvely people!

So.....



I won't recount everything I posted above, but I will fill in the blanks for you, or inform you of any updates:

Day 1: Arrival Day

Nothing has changed this day! We will still be arriving early (~11:30 at MCO) and head over to Loews Royal Pacific for a relaaaaaaxing pool day! We're planning on either doing dinner at the resort, or walking over to City Walk, but trying to keep it flexible. Do any of you have Favorites at City Walk?

Day 2: Universal Day 1

Same same same EXCEPT I do want to add that we're hoping to come back and rest a bit before Cali Grill, since I am sure we will be tired from getting up at the ungodly hour of 4am the day before.

Our CG reservation isn't until 8:50 (fireworks!!) so I think we should have plenty of time!

Day 3: Universal Day 2 (First solo day)

This day I actually have NOTHING planned solidly except my Universal tickets. Josh leaves in the AM, and I really want to embrace my first solo day!

I'm planning on really diving into Wizarding World, riding everything that makes Josh sick, and checking out City Walk a bit. Butterbeer FOR DAYS!!



If only Tom Felton would be there! Kind of fun story:

I had a MAJOR crush on Daniel Radcliffe growing up, and sent him a really cringe homemade valentine one year when I was in like, 6th or 7th grade. I had previously written to him and got a signed photo (likely from his publicists). For the valentine I got....

Silence.

I probably came off like a little creep. He was my 2nd celebrity crush though (first being Jeremy Sumpter from live action Peter Pan), and since I loved Harry Potter so much it felt like a match made in heaven!

Anyway, I'm excited for the laid back nature of Universal for this day!

Day 4: DISNEY DAY-Epcot/MNSSHP!!!

SO above I said I had no reservation this day... I decided to make a (possibly) temporary reservation.

Here's the scoop.

Like I mentioned in the previous post, I had 1 TS credit I was saving. I decided I really wanted to try Le Cellier and use up the credit so I can snack more, but I'm having a hard time getting one for when I need it. SO. For now, I made a Skipper Canteen "Linner" reservation between Epcot/MNSSHP, but I'm ready to drop it if need be! LC would go in tomorrow's slot and replace Trattoria al Forno. But we'll see!

Day 5: Hollywood Studios/GE/Flex Evening

So this day is fairly similar with the early GE (though they're doing boarding groups, so this is an 'if I can make it work' thing). I then plan to hang out in HS most of the day, head over for an early dinner at Trattoria al Forno (or Le Cellier if the above works out), then head either into Epcot or back to HS for some night time drinks and/or Fantasmic!

Day 6: Animal Kingdom

This is my FULL AK day! I'm planning on getting there semi-early (we'll see how much sleep I'll have gotten before this ) to get in a few rides before my Sanaa lunch. Afterwards though, straight back for my fast passes! I'm still planning on Sa'tuuli for dinner that night because OMG IT'S SO GOOD but also have a few snack items I want to try. Sooo... I guess I'll just have to eat all the things.



See above ^ Me

I probably won't stay for ROL that night, and might head back to the boardwalk to check out Jellyrolls!

Day 7: Flex Morning/F&W

Here is is... my final full day. And I plan to live it up!!

I have a flex morning down, meaning I'll probably hit up HS if I missed anything previously/want to revisit, or will just head over to MK for the morning!

My Epcot FPs start in the afternoon, so I will probably head back that direction around 12/1/2 (depending on if I want to rest at all) and hit up more Food & Wine in between my fast passes. I've been checking out all the booths on DFB and I've been hungry for weeks...


GIVE ME THAT RAQULETTE

I'm finishing off with La Hacienda as planned for dinner (unless I can get LC for this day and switch LH to Wednesday??) and catching one of the final shows EVER of Illuminations! I'm ready to cry. Hard.

Day 8: MK/Travel

There aren't any changes to this day. I'm happy to end in MK and am going to squeeze every last drop of magic out that I can before heading back to MCO.


SO.... That's it!
I am trying to keep things looser than the last trip because it's just me, and I REALLY want to take advantage of that. But you'll get to hear all about how closely I stuck to this when I come back in my TR!!

A few things now listed that I do want to try to find a way to fit in...

* Happily Ever After *
* Pool/Resort time *
* Disney Springs for a late night *

So a little side note: I have been on a health/fitness journey over the past couple months, and though I'm excited to really just relax at Disney, I am still trying to be mindful. Especially after trying on outfits to bring, and deciding to try on my FAVORITE pair of overalls that haven't fit in a bout a year (I couldn't button the sides). And though they're a touch tight in the booty, look who is looking DISNEY READY new ears and all??? (ignore the messy room please) I'm so excited to fit into them again, and am feeling great and ready to see all the steps I'll be taking next week!

It isn't only me though who is excited...someone else is ready to party in Florida too...



She's the bestest sleepy fur baby

Well, it's about time for me to say goodnight. I am so, so excited to get to share everything with each of you when I get back. Thanks so much for reading this far, and I'll see you all on the other side of the magic! Only 2 more sleeps. ❤



​

 

[Disney102015]

Have a great trip! Looking forward to your TR - our trips overlap and I am SO torn about skipping Wizarding World this time!

 

[cinderaimee]

Have so much fun!!

 

[lvcourtneyy]

have a great trip!