POP for my 40th!! A short and sweet PTR- August 4-11, 2011 ~UPDATE: 7/26

[solobel]

Hello all! My name is Belinda, and I am late to the game, obviously. Should have started writing this PTR months ago, but what the heck, right?

In 2 1/2 weeks, we are going to WDW for 7 glorious nights! It will be our 2nd family trip. The first time we went, 2 years ago, was for our friends' wedding. It was a wonderful trip, but exhausting, as DD was only 3, and we had all the wedding events to partake in. Also, last time, SIL, BIL and DNiece decided to join us, along with another SIL (DH's twin sister, who is single, and DH's brother, wife and DD). While it was great for DD to have a playmate, it got a little intense having to coordinate everyone's likes and dislikes and preferences, etc.

This time, we are going just the 3 of us. DD is now 5, and has very few real memories of our last trip. This time, she knows nothing about it, as we are surprising her the night before we leave! I plan on writing her letters from different princesses, each saying something to the effect of, "We miss you, and we are so sorry you can't come visit us!!" I'm going to leave them for her scavenger-hunt style. The last letter will be from either Snow White or Minnie, and will say, "SURPRISE!! You and Mommy and Daddy are getting on a plane tomorrow!!" I hope her reaction will be a great one!

Finally, this trip is in celebration of my upcoming ~gulp~ 40th birthday. I can't be there on my actual birthday in September because I will have just gone back to work, so we are doing it in the summer instead.

I will update later with intros of myself and my family.

Chapter Links:

ADRs

Surprise letters from the Princesses

Planned itinerary

 

[solobel]

OK, here are some intros:

I am Belinda, 39 until September. I am a teacher, and I work at a school for children with autism spectrum disorders.

This is DH, Joel, 35. He's in sales for a company that does promotional items and luggage.

Here is DD, Maya, 5 years old.

She is pretty heavily into princesses. She loves to dress up and re-enact scenes from Disney movies. She will start Kindergarten in the fall. Everyone asks me if she is ready; my answer is, "Is Kindergarten ready for Maya?" She is a character and a half. Very bright and outgoing, usually happy, but when the moods come on, watch out! Sometimes I think she thinks she is 15 and not 5.

I brag about her a lot...maybe because I was never "supposed" to have her. I suffered through many years of infertility and treatments with heartbreaking outcomes before suddenly becoming pregnant with her out of the blue. Then, she was born 11 weeks premature, weighing a little over 2 lbs. and spent 8 weeks in the NICU. I just feel like we were so lucky to have her, and to now have a child who is healthy and growing normally and with no lingering prematurity-related issues. OK, /proud mama speech over (blush.)

 

[solobel]

I am now in the midst of making a Disney Activity book for Maya. Well, actually, I'm just modifying one I got here on the DIS. It has colouring pages, dot-to-dots, word searches, mazes, etc. I'm hoping to use it on the plane, and maybe during long waits in line.

I also want to create some pages specific to each park: Ex: "My favourite thing at MK was _________________."

We do have all of our ADRs booked, and I will post them soon.

 

[solobel]

I was just in the grocery store with DD, and we bumped into a colleague of mine. Right in front of DD, she says, "So, did you guys already go to Disney?" Now, she and I spent a long conversation about how the trip was a SURPRISE that we have been planning for months.

She realized it and clapped her hand to her mouth. I covered by saying, "No, we went 2 years ago and we're not planning on going back until Maya is about 10." Which is what we say to DD when she asks if we can go.

Thankfully, DD is just still oblivious enough to not catch on.

 

[kdka421]

Hello! Just read through your PTR so far. Love the story at the end about almost giving away your surprise, so glad your daughter didn't catch on.

Been browsing around the PTR forum looking at other first time PTRs since I just started one myself. Thanks for sharing your story, and I look forward to reading more!

 

[ZFamily5]

I'm in! Maya is just a little bit younger than Thing3 (my youngest sister)! It's such a fun age to take them, their eyes light up at every little thing! Can't wait to hear all about it!

 

[solobel]

Thanks, kdka! I started reading your PTR before, too! What a wonderful thing you are doing for your parents! I have to finish reading it later.

ZFamily- You are right, I love that DD is still little enough to believe all the magic. I cannot wait to see her face when Tinkerbell flies from the castle during Wishes, and many other things!!

 

[ZFamily5]

ZFamily- You are right, I love that DD is still little enough to believe all the magic. I cannot wait to see her face when Tinkerbell flies from the castle during Wishes, and many other things!!

I know you've probably done a lot of research on what your DD will like, but here is my younger sister's list of favorites:
Magic Kingdom:
-Big Thunder Mountain
-Peter Pan
-It's a Small World
-Dumbo
-Haunted Mansion
-Winnie the Pooh ride

EPCOT:
-Figment ride
-Living with the Land
-Test Track
-Soarin'

Hollywood Studios:
-Disney Junior show
-Little Mermaid show
-Toy Story Mania

Animal Kingdom:
-Kali River Rapids
-Parade
-Safari ride

 

[kdka421]

Thanks, kdka! I started reading your PTR before, too! What a wonderful thing you are doing for your parents! I have to finish reading it later.

Aww, thanks hon

Your countdown ticker seems so close...and then it's hard to believe that my trip is just a couple weeks after yours!

Unless I missed it, have you said yet where you're going to be staying? Curious to know! Look forward to seeing your ADRs too - hubby and I are foodies, hehe.

 

[solobel]

We are staying at Pop Century. We stayed there last time, too, and we loved it there! Though, I've never stayed anywhere else before that, always only did day trips to MK before 2 years ago. I've been to MK many times, but finally only went to DHS, Epcot and AK for the first time 2 years ago.

 

[solobel]

Here are our ADRs:

Thurs. August 4th- Hollywood & Vine/Fantasmic dining package

Fri. 5th: Chef Mickey's for Dinner

Sat. 6th: Hollywood & Vine, for Character breakfast. DD will freak when she sees Special Agent Oso!! That evening, DD will go to the Sandcastle Club while DH & I eat dinner at the Yachtsman.

Sun. 7th: Norway Akershus

Mon. 8th: AK during the day, then head over to DTD for Planet Hollywood. I HAVE to go to PH because I love their Cap'n Crunch Chicken!

Tues. 9th: Crystal Palace for breakfast

Wed. 10th: Maya Grill for dinner. We had to try it, because DD's name is Maya

 

[ZFamily5]

ADRs look great! We enjoyed Hollywood and Vine a lot our last trip and we LOVE Crystal Palace and Chef Mickey's! Can't wait to hear more!

 

[StephaniexMarie]

Hello!
Your trip is so soon! We will both be at POP the same time. (I'm going the 3rd-13th with my mom. )
Maya is a little cutie and your ADR's sound fun!

 

[solobel]

Hello!
Your trip is so soon! We will both be at POP the same time. (I'm going the 3rd-13th with my mom. )
Maya is a little cutie and your ADR's sound fun!

Cool! I'll be enjoying a tie-dyed cheesecake, too!

 

[solobel]

2 weeks?! 2 weeks??? Ack!! I have so much to do. I really have to finalize all my lists of things to buy/take. I have to write the letters to DD from the princesses and finish her activity book. I'm starting to feel the crunch.

 

[solobel]

Yay! I have finished the letters to DD! I don't think I have enough posts to attach them here, so I will just quote them. Picture them done up in a pretty font, with clipart of each character.

Letter # 1:

Dear Maya,
How are you? It's been so long since I saw you at Disneyworld! I heard you are 5 years old now!
I really wish I could see you again. Prince Eric and I would love to sing and dance with you!

Love,
Ariel
P.S. look inside your play fridge for another surprise!

Letter # 2:

Hello, Maya! Aren't you a sweetie? Someone told me you are starting Kindergarten really soon!
I wish you could come to visit me. I live at Disneyworld- that's really far away.
I hope one day I get to see you! Be careful, and don't eat any poison apples!!
Love,
Snow White

P.S. - Check inside your dress-up bin! I think I saw something there!

Letter #3:

My Darling Maya,
You are growing more beautiful each day! I think you are a superstar! Someone told me you can jump off the diving board! Is that true?
I hope one day you will visit me at my castle at Disneyworld. Prince Charming and I would be so happy to see you! We could make funny faces at my mean sisters!
Love,
Cinderella

P.S. I think Mickey and his friends sent you a box. Maybe Mom and Dad know where it is!

We will then bring out a cardboard box. Inside will be fun Disney-related stuff: the activity book I made, a Minnie Mouse T-Shirt, stickers, etc. There will also be a helium balloon which will pop out of the box when she opens it. Attached to the string will be the last letter:

Well, HOT DOG!! Hello, Maya! This is Mickey Mouse! My friends and I have a big surprise for you!! Are you ready?

SURPRISE!!
Mommy and Daddy are taking you on an airplane to

DISNEYWORLD!!

You are going to Disney tomorrow!

Meeska! Mooska!!
Mickey Mouse!!

Hopefully she will get excited and have a great reaction.

I've seen some videos on Youtube where the kid gets upset because he wanted to go to Chuck E. Cheese instead! I know little kids don't "get" what it takes to make a WDW vacation happen.

 

[ZFamily5]

Sounds like a great way to surprise Maya! Can't believe how soon your trip is!

 

[solobel]

Sounds like a great way to surprise Maya! Can't believe how soon your trip is!

I know!! I can't believe it either.

I've been looking through some of the disney pedicure threads, and I think I'm going to try to get something like that done. I have an appointment the Saturday before we leave and I'm going to ask my nail place if they can do something with Mickey heads.

BB soon with our daily itinerary.

 

[ScotsMinnie]

Your plans sound great. I hope she is surprised and I'm sure she will be over the moon to go to WDW!

 

[solobel]

My nail place wasn't able to do anything disney-related. They pretty much like to stick with traditional nail art- flowers, line designs, etc. Anything else scares them . But they're nice anyway.

We tell Maya tomorrow! Everything is set up. Tomorrow I will go to the balloon place to get a princesses helium balloon. Then, I will pack in a box: Belle lipbalm, Cinderella bath pouf, Princess baseball cap, activity book & pencils/pencil crayons, stickers, flashing pins and the balloon with the last note attached. Then, when she comes home from daycare we will do the scavenger hunt for the letters. I really hope her reaction is good!