Preemie Princess Meets the Mouse

[dreamsofdisney]

Welcome to my Pretrippie!



This will be my first attempt at writing a PTR/Trip Report, but this trip has been SO anticipated, and I know there will be TONS of magical moments to share, so I thought I’d give it a try! I should warn you in advance that I tend to be a bit wordy especially when it comes to my two favorite topics: my kids and DISNEY! I’ll try to rein things in a little, but you can be sure there will be lots of back stories and photos galore to keep you entertained. (I hope!)

First, let me introduce our Cast of Characters:

Me – Sarah (38) As you probably guessed, I am the Disney fanatic in the family! (DS is a close second) I used to work full-time as an Autism therapist, but only work weekends ever since DD was born. My first trips to WDW were when I was 12 & 13 – quick day trips with my family while visiting relatives in Florida. My true love of WDW started when I took DS for his first trip in 1999. (More on that later…)

Favorite Characters: Mickey and Belle
Character I’m Most Like: Jane (from Tarzan) and Belle…with a little Tink thrown in for good measure!
Favorite Park: SO hard to choose! I love them all for different reasons, but Animal Kingdom is the most "me."
Favorite Disney Restaurants: So far, Boma and Le Cellier

DH – Chris (42) – Still doesn’t believe we’re going on this trip. He’s the logical, rational one. We can’t afford it, so how can we go? (More on that later, too…) We’ve been together 10 years and married 5. He’s an amazing therapist and a great dad. Barely tolerates my Disney obsession, but always manages to have some fun on our vacations. Plus, I just remind him of his fantasy baseball and Texas Hold’em obsessions and there’s not much he can say about me being a DISaholic! Since he grew up in New England in a family with four boys, his first trip to WDW was when I took him in 2001 to celebrate earning his Master’s Degree.

Favorite Characters: Sully from Monsters Inc. and Mr. Incredible
Character He’s Most Like: Also Sully and Mr. Incredible (and sometimes Grumpy!)
Favorite Park: Animal Kingdom
Favorite Disney Restaurants: Le Cellier and Whispering Canyon Cafe

DS – Anthony (17) I can’t believe he’s a senior! At 18 months, he was diagnosed with Autism and he was completely non-verbal until the age of 3. Once he began speaking, he had strictly echolalic speech for about a year – mostly reciting lines from favorite movies or tv shows. By 4 ½, he had conversational speech, but he was still a quirky little guy. Sweet, but odd. His love of Disney started early and was INTENSE. Since there’s a lot of time to fill before our actual trip, I’ll probably have another post dedicated to Anthony and his very interesting story. For now, I’ll just tell you that he attends a regular public high school, and he’s really into theatre and politics. He’s been looking forward to this trip – his 8th – to celebrate the hard work of applying to colleges and finishing up his high school career.

Favorite Characters: Mickey Mouse and Captain Jack Sparrow
Character He’s Most Like: Donald Duck for his temper, and Pinocchio
Favorite Park: Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Favorite Disney Restaurants: Boma and Le Cellier

DD – Sophia (19 months) Our miracle baby…really! DH and I tried for years to conceive and finally, after 7 rounds of IUI, we were expecting a little girl! Just like her brother, Sophia’s story is a long one, so I’ll dedicate a post to her later on. For now I’ll tell you that she was born at 25 weeks, weighing 1 lb. 2 oz. and 11” long. (She's the "Preemie Princess" from the title.) After 4 months in the NICU, she came home and is making great progress. Tiny, but mighty, we always say! She has some issues due to her prematurity, but more about that later. She’s as cute as can be and loves books, music, playgroup, and peek-a-boo!

Favorite Characters: Mickey, Minnie and Nemo
Character She’s Most Like: Belle - for her love of reading; Ariel - because she loves fish and marine life and wants to walk like everyone else!
Favorite Park: None yet, but it will probably be Magic Kingdom
Favorite Disney Restaurants: She doesn’t eat table food, but I’m guessing she’ll like any restaurant where Mickey is!

So that’s us! Nice to meet you!



Now for the trip details. We’ll be staying at (drum roll, please…)

ANIMAL KINGDOM VILLAS – JAMBO HOUSE
April 6th through April 16th, 2011
Basic DDP​

I'm two weeks away from making ADRs and you can bet I have them all planned, plus airfares for April come out soon, and I'm hammering out the details of our daily itineraries. I'll be posting more in-depth introductions, plus some pictures from some of our previous WDW trips. Hope you'll come along for the ride!

Coming up next: OUR STORY

 

[Disneychix]

Your title caught my attention, I also had a little preemie- but mine is a Prince! your DD looks beautiful and born at only 25 weeks is truly a fighter!

We also honeymooned during hurricane Wilma-but we were in WDW and it was only a tropical storm by then. Still enough action for me!

Good luck with all the planning!

 

[shelbys mommy]

I am in! Your daughter is beautiful & such a miracle! I can't wait to read more!!!

 

[Tink-erin-belle]

I’m in too, Sarah! You have a beautiful family! I can’t wait to read more about them and your trip plans.

 

[dreamsofdisney]

Your title caught my attention, I also had a little preemie- but mine is a Prince! your DD looks beautiful and born at only 25 weeks is truly a fighter!

We also honeymooned during hurricane Wilma-but we were in WDW and it was only a tropical storm by then. Still enough action for me!

Good luck with all the planning!

Looks like we have some things in common! Wilma sure gave us a honeymoon to remember, huh? At least we have a good stories to tell! Hope your little guy is doing well!

I am in! Your daughter is beautiful & such a miracle! I can't wait to read more!!!

Awwww....thanks! She really is pretty amazing. I'm looking forward to sharing her story with everyone! I've been following your PTR but I'm not sure if I've posted yet. Thanks for stopping by!

I’m in too, Sarah! You have a beautiful family! I can’t wait to read more about them and your trip plans.

Hi! I've been following your PTR, too, so it'll be fun to see where we both are in the planning process. Your kids are beautiful, by the way!

*******​

I'll be back on later tonight with the "Our Story" update. It's a beautiful day here in New England, so I'm going to spend a little time outside with the kiddos today. But first, I need to catch up on the laundry I've been neglecting while reading other people's PTR and TRs!!!

 

[dreamsofdisney]

I know, I know. I had all the best intentions of posting the "OUR STORY" post later that night. Then LIFE got in the way! DD has a lot of medical needs that require my attention, and she's been on a wacky sleep (or lack thereof) schedule lately, so I've had very little time to work on my PTR. I did write the next post, but I really wanted to upload some old WDW vacation pics to add to it, but our computer has been ridiculously slow, and it seems like whenever I get started, I have to go take care of something else with the kiddos.

SO.....We interrupt this barely-of-the-ground pretrippie to post some TRIP PLANNING NEWS!

TOMORROW IS MY 180 DAY ADR DATE!



I guess this says something about me but I've been planning this part of trip for well over a year now! Of course, I've had to tweak the schedule quite a bit based on restaurants that opened or closed, TS credits changing, and changes to our actual touring schedule. It's not perfect, but I think it's one that will work for our family.

[I wish I'd gotten around to the "OUR STORY" part, or the more detailed info about the kids so you'd understand some of the choices a bit better, but I promise I will get to it soon!]

This year, we're doing DDP for the first time. I actually sat down and used the menus to try to figure out approximate costs for each meal, and weighed it against the cost of the DDP plus tips and any extras not covered. The truth is, it breaks out pretty close to even...not a huge money saver for our family. BUT I remember on our last trip - as DH got each bill and grumbled about Disney being all about the money, blah blah blah - thinking to myself that the next time, we would do DDP just to avoid the sticker shock when it was time to pull out the wallet. I plan to snag the bill myself, pay the tip, and remind him that it was all already paid for.

We DO NOT have free dining. I know I never got around to the details (that missing post again!) but we are staying on rented DVC points. That allows us to buy DDP without the park ticket purchase. Our dates were pretty set in stone, and free dining wasn't offered during that time anyway.

We'll have 10 nights of credits, so a few meals will be paid OOP. Definitely our last breakfast. In the past, we've ended up cancelling one or two meals for scheduling confilcts...or simply being too full! We'll see how it pans out. For now, here's what I'm hoping for tomorrow morning:

4/6 - ARRIVAL DAY - Dinner @ Chef Mickey's
4/7 - MK - Bfast @ Crystal Palace; Dinner @ Liberty Tree Tavern
4/8 - Epcot - Lunch @ Le Cellier; Dinner @ La Hacineda
4/9 - HS - No TS
4/10 - AK - Bfast @ Tusker House; Dinner @ 'Ohana
4/11 - BB & TL - Dinner @ Boma
4/12 - US & IoA
4/13 - MK & DTD - Bfast @ 'Ohana; Dinner @ Raglan Road
4/14 - Epcot & HS - Lunch @ Le Cellier (if we skip La Hacienda on the 8th)
4/15 - AK & MK - Dinner @ Whispering Canyon Cafe
4/16 - DEPARTURE DAY - Bfast @ Boma

So wish me luck! I think since I'm not trying to get CRT or Le Cellier for dinner (A last minute change) my chances are pretty good at getting close to what we want. I'll do my best to report back ASAP and get the other post up.



Thanks for sticking with me!

 

[lyncecelia]

I can't wait to read more

my older sister is also autistic. So I know how things come from that end.

This will be a good read

 

[dreamsofdisney]

Last night, before bed, I actually said

"I'm too excited to sleep!!!"​

How silly is that?!? It's not even the night before our trip! Just the night before ADRs!

I got up at 5:45 (Okay, I admit I was awake for a little while since I couldn't wait to get online! I was like a little kid whose parents say they have to wait til 7am to get out of bed on Christmas morning!) Anyway, I got really nervous when I first tried to log on. Just for kicks, I tried to book an ADR for one of my +10 days, fully expecting to get the message saying that it was too early to book. Instead, I got a new message that said something about our check-in being less than 180 days from now, and therefore I couldn't book the +10 online?!?

After a mild heart attack, I calmed myself down and decided not to panic unless I still had trouble after 6am.

At 6:00 on the nose I tried to log into the "My Reservations" section on the WDW site and it still didn't recognize my confirmation number! Probably because we booked DVC on points (and the ressie does show up there.) Thankfully, when I went back to the main dining site, I was able to book the ADRs without any problem. When I went to book the +10 days, it prompted for my confirmation number, etc, and then redirected me to the online dining reservation site.

Sooooo.........

I WAS ABLE TO BOOK ALL OF THE ADRs WE WANTED!!!​

We even added a BONUS for DD, but we might end up cancelling it if she doesn't seem ready for it by the time our trip rolls around. Here's what we booked:

4/6 - ARRIVAL DAY - Dinner @ Chef Mickey's DDP
4/7 - MK - Bfast @ Crystal Palace OOP; Dinner @ Liberty Tree Tavern DDP
4/8 - Epcot - Lunch @ Le Cellier DDP; Dinner @ La Hacineda DDP
4/9 - HS - No TS
4/10 - AK - Bfast @ Tusker House OOP; Dinner @ 'Ohana DDP
4/11 - BB & TL - Dinner @ Boma DDP
4/12 - US & IoA
4/13 - MK & DTD - Bfast @ 'Ohana DDP; Dinner @ Raglan Road DDP
4/14 - Epcot & HS - Bfast @ Akershus Royal Banquet Hall DDP; Lunch @ Le Cellier (DDP if we skip La Hacienda on the 8th)
4/15 - AK & MK - Dinner @ Whispering Canyon Cafe DDP
4/16 - DEPARTURE DAY - Bfast @ Boma OOP

So that's it! Now what to do I do for the next six months?

I know! Catch up on my posts for our pretrippie! I'll try to post again this weekend!

 

[Tink-erin-belle]

You aren’t alone with being super excited about making ADRs. I was the same way on Sunday night and I didn’t sleep well so I ended up waking up almost too late on Monday! I managed to get online a little after 6. Congrats on getting all of the ADRs you wanted! I think making the ADRs online really makes a difference in getting what you want.

 

[lyncecelia]

Yay for ressies! That's awesome

How excited are the kids? Ever notice that us planners get more excited than them sometimes

 

[dreamsofdisney]

You aren’t alone with being super excited about making ADRs. I was the same way on Sunday night and I didn’t sleep well so I ended up waking up almost too late on Monday! I managed to get online a little after 6. Congrats on getting all of the ADRs you wanted! I think making the ADRs online really makes a difference in getting what you want.

I just posted on your PTR that I think it's really funny that we're following you around the parks. So far, we'll be at each park the day after you're there! Be sure to leave a little magic for us! Looks like we both got lots of good ADRs!

Yay for ressies! That's awesome

How excited are the kids? Ever notice that us planners get more excited than them sometimes

My little one is only 19 months, so she has no clue, but I shared our ADR schedule with DS17. He's a WDW fan and loves to know what to expect, especially as far as restaurants and menus are concerned. He's pretty excited, especially for Boma and Le Cellier! Not as crazy as me, though. I changed my Facebook status to say:

"I might not know what I'm having for dinner tonight, but I know what I'm having for dinner 180 days from now!"

​

DH thinks I'm nuts still, but usually appreciates it when we're there and he sees people getting turned away because they don't have ADRs.

 

[lyncecelia]

I just posted on your PTR that I think it's really funny that we're following you aruond the parks. So far, we'll be at each park the day after you're there! Be sure to leave a little magic for us! Looks like we both got lots of good ADRs!





My little one is only 19 months, so she has no clue, but I shared our ADR schedule with DS17. He's a WDW fan and loves to know what to expect, especially as far as restaurants and menus are concerned. He's pretty excited, especially for Boma and Le Cellier! Not as crazy as me, though. I changed my Facebook status to say:

"I might not know what I'm having for dinner tonight, but I know what I'm having for dinner 180 days from now!"

​

DH thinks I'm nuts still, but usually appreciates it when we're there and he sees people getting turned away because they don't have ADRs.

Haha! I love the FB status! Awesome sounds like something I'd say.

 

[laughinplace199]

Can't wait to hear more of your story. Your kids are both beautiful!

 

[momtwoboys]

So excited I just found your PTR!!! I'm here reading along too I get to make my ADR's next Sat...whooo hoooooo

 

[dreamsofdisney]

TO BE CONTINUED...in our trip report!

I hate to say it, but LIFE got in the way and I never managed to get this pre-trippie off the ground!

The good new is, we leave for Disney ONE MONTH FROM TODAY!!!

Guess I'll just have to start over again with our actual trip report. I promise to reintroduce the cast of charcters and finish the background info. Plus, I pre-purchased the Photopass CD so there will be tons of pics to share!

I'll post the link here once we're home...Hope to see you there!

 

[tinytreasures]

I am here, can't wait to read more.
I have a Preemie miracle too

 

[princesslvr]

Can't wait to read! I'm mom to a 25 weeker too! She came in at 1lb 9oz, she's now a bouncy 6 year old!