Queenie's Trip to Disney - 9/30-10/8

[crissy1974]

Welcome!

This is only my 2nd pre-trip report. I really didn't do a great job on my 1st one. Hoping to make this one much better!

Let's start with introductions! First..........we live in Northeast PA. Coal cracker region!

There is me..............36 year old. I am a Buyer/Planner for a strapping company. I am also the Activities Chairperson/Club Reporter for the local car club and a board member for the local animal rescue. I just became a WDW fan in August 2008 when we took our DD (at the time age 2) for her 1st visit to WDW. Went in 1999 with boyfriend and his parents for the first time and had a good time, but wasn't thinking of a return trip.

Onto boyfriend (BF). He is 37 and works at a dairy bar. He does all sorts of stuff at the dairy bar, to include making ice cream (YUMMY). He LOVES his job! He's not much of a Disney lover, but is really into the convenience of a Disney vacation. This trip was actually his idea!

We've been together for 13 years. Hmmmmmmmmm, bet your asking why we're not married????? It's a little tough to explain, but we are very happy together. Let's just put it this way........I am stubborn and VERY independent!

Now.........onto the best part of our family...........DD4. She is the BEST thing that ever happened to me! She loves EVERYTHING Disney. This will be her third trip to Disney. When we come home from each trip she asks, when can we go again???? She will be starting kindergarden in the fall. My baby is growing up!!!

We decided for this trip that we will once again be staying at POFQ. We LOVE this resort and the convenience of it. You will probably hear the word, CONVENIENCE several times in this thread!

Stay tuned to hear how my August Virginia Beach trip turned into a September/October Disney trip! Plus........a HUGE surprise!

Hoping to post some pics! I see I am not able to post attachments. Need to do some further research to figure out how to change that! I usually read other posts.............again, this is only my second thread. Hoping I will ge the hang of this QUICKLY!

 

[crissy1974]

So, I left off saying that we were SUPPOSED to go to Virginia Beach this summer in August for vacation. First he complained about the drive (guessing 8 hours). Then he complained about not knowing what hotel would be good. Make a long story short, he complained about EVERYTHING! I finally asked him and DD what they wanted to do for vacation and they both looked at me as if I were stupid and then said DISNEY! BF loves the convenience (staying on property, meals planned, days planned, etc.) and wanted to go in December again. I said not two years in a row. I loved Disney at Christmas time, but I am the worst at getting organized. We came home and I had 3 weeks left to decorate, get the tree and go Christmas shopping. It was a total nightmare.

I had mentioned November. I love the fall and thought for sure that fall decorations would be up at Disney. Then I seen the dates for the Christmas Party. Yikes..............so early in November. It was right around this time that they extended the FREE DINING to Oct 2nd! YIPPEEEEEEE.

This is where the SURPRISE comes in.................DD b-day is Oct. 3rd. YEAH we are celebrating her 5th b-day at Disney. Now this got me super excited!!! I couldn't wait to start planning!

Reservations are made at POFQ (love this resort). We upgraded to Deluxe Dining (have never done a Disney trip without it - even though we always have something left, whether it's meals or snacks).

I knew ADR's would be hard since we were well into the 180 day mark. Argh! We wanted to try some new places this time around, but was worried we wouldn't get in. We missed out on 1 place - Le Cellier. Oh well, maybe next time.

Here's the plan:

9/29 - Arrive later at night. Epcot has EMH. It seems that we always arrive later at night and go to the park that has the EMH. Usually its Magic Kingdom, but this time around it's Epcot. We will probably go to Epcot and find something small to eat (snack of some sort). Or, maybe this time around we will be smart and stay at the resort, unpack and grab something at the food court. We'll see!

9/30 - Hollywood Studio Day
Breakfast 8:15 - Hollywood and Vine
Dinner 7:10 - Sci-Fi Drive-In (We've eaten lunch here, but not dinner).

10/1 - Animal Kingdom Day
Breakfast 8:15 - Tusker House (Favorite spot for breakfast).
Dinner 7:30 - Boma (MY favorite place to eat in all of Disney).

10/2 - Epcot Day
Breakfast 8:30 - Akershus (DD favorite)
Dinner 7:45 - Coral Reef (Hopefully get closer to the tank this time since we have a b-day). Any tips on how to do this???? Please help!

10/3 - Magic Kingdom - DD B-DAY
B-Day Breakfast 9:30 - 1900 Park Fare (Never did this breakfast - only dinner).
B-DAY Dinner 4:10 - CRT (Will order special cake for this one). (Also heard they changed this a little bit and now the Princesses come upstairs along with the Fairy Godmother and 2 mice.) Can anyone confirm this???

10/4 - Open Day (Play it by ear!)
Breakfast 8:55 - Cape May Cafe (This is a new one for us.)
Dinner 6:45 - Whispering Canyon (Another new one.) (I've been warned not to ask for ketchup.)

10/5 - Open Day (Probably Magic Kingdom since it's our last full day.)
Breakfast 9:25 - Chef Mickey's (New one.)
Dinner 8:00 pm - Spirit of Aloha (Another newbie.)

10/5 - Departure Day
Flight is leaving Orlando International at 1:20, which means we will probably leave property around 10 am. Guess we'll grab something at the food court or wait until the airport.

Glad that is all done!!!! Now, onto more fun stuff. What special surprises should I pack this trip, what could I do to get her ready (as if I need to do anything)! That brings me to another point (my pre-trip title)................when we went last year it was a complete and total surprise. She had no clue! I thought for sure she would figure it out when we got to Orlando International, but it didn't click until we were on the bus and halfway to Disney. I am guessing she didn't remember the video from the year before. Not really sure she was paying attention either. It was very funny when she finally did realize. She yelled..............OMG - I'm going to Disney. The whole bus (half full) started to laugh!

Gabby brings up her b-day trip to Disney at least once a day. She also is insisting that we are bringing Ariel home to be her new sister. Wonder how this is going to play out when we see Princess Ariel. Uh oh!

Hmmmmmmmmmm, let me think. What can I pack in Gabby's backpack for the plane ride down. Need some new surprises. Also, need to plan a countdown calendar. Had one for myself last year at work (drove my co-workers crazy), but couldn't let DD know about it. This year she can be part of it. Yeah! Must be creative, must be creative, must be creative. Huh, who am I kidding!

 

[crissy1974]

Hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day. My grandfather was a WWII Veteran. He passed away in 1992 while I was away at tech school for the Air Force. I think about him all the time! God Bless all who are in the military!!!!! (I got out a few years ago.)

I know that a b-day at Disney will be special enough, but I've been thinking lately....................how can I make it more special??? Some of my thoughts......

(1) Upon check-in at the resort have BF and DD go to food court for a snack or something. I will hurry up to the room and decorate the front door, window and maybe the mirrors. (We did this last year on our December trip. I even took white Christmas lights, cut out Mickey Heads and found some pretty neat Disney decorations at the dollar store to take.) I wonder if the resort will frown on putting decorations on the walls! Anyone know?

(2) Send a package ahead of time with some wrapped b-day presents inside and pretend they are from Disney characters. Hopefully the resort will put it in our room and not hold it at the front desk. I'll have to call and check to see if it can be done. Last year we were surprised with a Disney Florist surprise on our table when we walked in. {Remember, I am a buyer. One of my vendors that I deal with on a daily basis has a wife that is a DISNEY LOVER. She talked him into ordering it for us. It was a cooler filled with snacks, drinks and personalized ears for DD. I have the BEST vendors!}

Does anyone have any other ideas????

Besides worrying about the b-day plans, I am also trying to lose weight for this trip. When I got pregnant with my daughter I gained 50 lbs, even though the doctor told me to not gain more than 20 lbs. Yeah right!!! I smoked a pack a day. The day I found out I was pregnant I threw them out and haven't smoked since. I think quitting smoking was one of the best things I did for myself, however I know that is what made me gain weight. Argh!

Every now and then I bring out all my Disney albums. {That is the one thing I do for myself every visit. I buy a new photo album at Disney and fill it with the pictures from that trip.} I look at my 1999 album and think, boy was I skinny! Then I look at the 2008 pics and think............OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I did lose some weight for our trip last year, but still look really really bad! I honestly didn't want to be in that many pictures. I would feel bad telling CM not to worry about taking a picture of all 3 of us. They are all so nice and offer at every character spot, but I just had to say no! My goal is to lose 20 lbs by the start of our trip (9/29). I started this at the beginning of May and lost about 4 lbs. I have no self control! Also, I'm pretty sure that I've gained back those 4 lbs this weekend. I decided that we would do smore's in our firepit. HUGE MISTAKE! I normally don't buy this stuff for our house. For some reason when it's in the house I think I need to eat it ALL. Monday's are my normal weigh-in day. I forgot this morning. Oh well. I figure if I weigh-in on a Monday it might make me more conscious over the weekend. I was reading another pre-trip report and she records her weight loss in her pre-trip report. I think I am going to do that as well. I think it might make me more accountable and it may even help. I don't want to have to put a weight gain.

Just an FYI.............after losing that 20 lbs I still have another 30 to go to be at my goal weight. To date I have lost 25 lbs. Okay, it's time to end this post. I really would like to go on my treadmill, but it's just to darn hot. I bought myself a new yoga DVD. I think I will try that instead. BTW - my exercise routine consists of going to the gym everyday on my lunch break (I must admit, I am very good at doing this). I do weights 3 days a week and cardio 2 days a week at the gym. At nights I usually do an hour on my treadmill. I usually do 2 30 minute programs that are already programmed into my treadmill. The total calories lost (according to the treadmill) are around 500. Oh and I am dog sitting this week and she usually wakes me up early. When she wakes me up early I try to do some ab work. Now, tell me why I am not losing more than 1 pound a week! This week I am going to try to do a food journal. Let's see if that helps.

 

[crissy1974]

So............this is going to come in handy. Finally figured out how to post pics. I just need to figure out how to make them a tad bit bigger. Yeah me!

Went shopping today and picked up a surprise for Gabby's airplane ride. Found a Princess Tiana diary set on clearance ($3.00). She loves to write and doodle. Should come in handy. I'm hoping Toy Story 3 comes out on DVD around the time we leave. Last year I surprised her with the movie UP for the plane ride. Hoping to do it again this year with another new movie.

Also purchased Alice in Wonderland w/ Johnny Depp. Still unsure if I like this movie or not. DD loves it! She thinks the Queen is hysterical!

 

[crissy1974]

So, I left off saying that we were SUPPOSED to go to Virginia Beach this summer in August for vacation. First he complained about the drive (guessing 8 hours). Then he complained about not knowing what hotel would be good. Make a long story short, he complained about EVERYTHING! I finally asked him and DD what they wanted to do for vacation and they both looked at me as if I were stupid and then said DISNEY! BF loves the convenience (staying on property, meals planned, days planned, etc.) and wanted to go in December again. I said not two years in a row. I loved Disney at Christmas time, but I am the worst at getting organized. We came home and I had 3 weeks left to decorate, get the tree and go Christmas shopping. It was a total nightmare.

I had mentioned November. I love the fall and thought for sure that fall decorations would be up at Disney. Then I seen the dates for the Christmas Party. Yikes..............so early in November. It was right around this time that they extended the FREE DINING to Oct 2nd! YIPPEEEEEEE.

This is where the SURPRISE comes in.................DD b-day is Oct. 3rd. YEAH we are celebrating her 5th b-day at Disney. Now this got me super excited!!! I couldn't wait to start planning!

Reservations are made at POFQ (love this resort). We upgraded to Deluxe Dining (have never done a Disney trip without it - even though we always have something left, whether it's meals or snacks).

I knew ADR's would be hard since we were well into the 180 day mark. Argh! We wanted to try some new places this time around, but was worried we wouldn't get in. We missed out on 1 place - Le Cellier. Oh well, maybe next time.

Here's the plan:

9/29 - Arrive later at night. Epcot has EMH. It seems that we always arrive later at night and go to the park that has the EMH. Usually its Magic Kingdom, but this time around it's Epcot. We will probably go to Epcot and find something small to eat (snack of some sort). Or, maybe this time around we will be smart and stay at the resort, unpack and grab something at the food court. We'll see!

9/30 - Hollywood Studio Day
Breakfast 8:15 - Hollywood and Vine
Dinner 7:10 - Sci-Fi Drive-In (We've eaten lunch here, but not dinner).

10/1 - Animal Kingdom Day
Breakfast 8:15 - Tusker House (Favorite spot for breakfast).
Dinner 7:30 - Boma (MY favorite place to eat in all of Disney).

10/2 - Epcot Day
Breakfast 8:30 - Akershus (DD favorite)
Dinner 7:45 - Coral Reef (Hopefully get closer to the tank this time since we have a b-day). Any tips on how to do this???? Please help!

10/3 - Magic Kingdom - DD B-DAY
B-Day Breakfast 9:30 - 1900 Park Fare (Never did this breakfast - only dinner).
B-DAY Dinner 4:10 - CRT (Will order special cake for this one). (Also heard they changed this a little bit and now the Princesses come upstairs along with the Fairy Godmother and 2 mice.) Can anyone confirm this???

10/4 - Open Day (Play it by ear!)
Breakfast 8:55 - Cape May Cafe (This is a new one for us.)
Dinner 6:45 - Whispering Canyon (Another new one.) (I've been warned not to ask for ketchup.)

10/5 - Open Day (Probably Magic Kingdom since it's our last full day.)
Breakfast 9:25 - Chef Mickey's (New one.)
Dinner 8:00 pm - Spirit of Aloha (Another newbie.)

10/5 - Departure Day
Flight is leaving Orlando International at 1:20, which means we will probably leave property around 10 am. Guess we'll grab something at the food court or wait until the airport.

Glad that is all done!!!! Now, onto more fun stuff. What special surprises should I pack this trip, what could I do to get her ready (as if I need to do anything)! That brings me to another point (my pre-trip title)................when we went last year it was a complete and total surprise. She had no clue! I thought for sure she would figure it out when we got to Orlando International, but it didn't click until we were on the bus and halfway to Disney. I am guessing she didn't remember the video from the year before. Not really sure she was paying attention either. It was very funny when she finally did realize. She yelled..............OMG - I'm going to Disney. The whole bus (half full) started to laugh!

Gabby brings up her b-day trip to Disney at least once a day. She also is insisting that we are bringing Ariel home to be her new sister. Wonder how this is going to play out when we see Princess Ariel. Uh oh!

Hmmmmmmmmmm, let me think. What can I pack in Gabby's backpack for the plane ride down. Need some new surprises. Also, need to plan a countdown calendar. Had one for myself last year at work (drove my co-workers crazy), but couldn't let DD know about it. This year she can be part of it. Yeah! Must be creative, must be creative, must be creative. Huh, who am I kidding!

Okay........so I figured I better explain the picture of BF. Yes, he is really sleeping. This was taken on our 2nd to last day in Dec. 2009. We were having lunch at The Pinocchio Village Haus and our daughter was poking around (as usual). I was talking to him about our next step after lunch and got no response. I looked up to see this. It was quite funny. We were getting looks from just about everyone in the place. I finally decided to wake him and then I said that maybe for our next trip I should schedule some "rest time".

 

[bentos]

Okay........so I figured I better explain the picture of BF. Yes, he is really sleeping. This was taken on our 2nd to last day in Dec. 2009. We were having lunch at The Pinocchio Village Haus and our daughter was poking around (as usual). I was talking to him about our next step after lunch and got no response. I looked up to see this. It was quite funny. We were getting looks from just about everyone in the place. I finally decided to wake him and then I said that maybe for our next trip I should schedule some "rest time".

lol I tend to fall asleep on the spot pretty often. happens more with old age.

 

[crissy1974]

lol I tend to fall asleep on the spot pretty often. happens more with old age.

Uh oh - since he'll be another year older for this trip I guess I better watch he doesn't fall asleep on me again. It could get embarrassing.

I do plan on scheduling some down time at the hotel this time around. Our last two trips were go go go!

 

[crissy1974]

Today I decided I better call and make the reservation for the BBB. We have done this the past 2 years and DD LOVES it. I must admit..........the first year it was for me. I just couldn't resist. We did the whole thing (castle package)...........the hair, make-up, nails, dress, shoes, crown, wand and pictures. Did I mention that the first year she did this she was only 2? I was soooooo worried that they wouldn't take her since the starting age is 3. No worries at all. She would have been 3 in two months, which is why I don't think they gave me any problems.

Last year our trip was a SURPRISE. She had no clue!!! She talked about her experience at the BBB so much after our last visit that I couldn't resist making some type of appointment. I ordered a dress online and made the reservation for the crown package. Well, we got there and she took one look at the dresses, turned to me and put on the OH PLEASE MOMMY look . Of course I couldn't resist. We ended up walking away with Ariel's dress and shoes. Ugh!

Anyhow, I figured I would make an appointment for Oct. 3rd (her b-day). I called and requested 1:00 pm and got 12:50. It couldn't have worked out any better! We are getting the crown package again this year and I am hoping she will want to wear the Ariel dress from last year or her Cinderella dress (we'll pack both)! I'm sure I'll get the look for a new dress. We'll see!

While on the phone making the reservations I mentioned to Tony that we were celebrating DD's 5th b-day. He asked if my ADR's were marked in the celebration window. I told him that the day of her b-day we had put down that it was her b-day. He said...............we must mark it as a celebration window. He said it basically means that at every ADR they will make a fuss about her b-day. I was only hoping for a fuss the day of her b-day. So, with the wave of Tony's wand it was done. DD will have the best 5th b-day ever! Thanks to Tony for being such an AWESOME person and helping me out with this. Hmmmmmmmmm, I should call his supervisor tomorrow and let him/her know how thrilled I was with Tony's service.

BTW - we are leaving her appointment a SUPRISE!

 

[crissy1974]

During the week we received a message that our flights have been changed and to please call. I finally got around to calling this morning.

Last year the airline (same one) changed our flights too, but it was only by a few hours so it didn't matter (especially since that meant we were arriving earlier). I guess that is what I expected this time. Boy, was I wrong!

Our trip was scheduled for 9/29 - 10/6. They cancelled the flight on 9/29 and put us on the flight departing 9/30. Okay, no big deal! The flight for 10/6 got cancelled and they put us on a flight returning 10/8. Two days later. We were originally going to fly out of Allentown. If we wanted to fly out of Allentown than this was the option! At this point I asked about flight times out of Philadelphia. Yes, they had them on our original trip dates. I told her to change it to Philly!

It took the lady what seemed FOREVER to get all of this done. While she was changing our reservations I got to thinking. If we drive to Philly we will have to pay for parking. Plus, we'll burn more gas and have to pay the tolls. Hummmmm, if we stick with Allentown and leave a day later and come home two days later it is really only extending our trip by 1 day. By this time the reservationist told me that she was done making the changes. I quickly asked her if we needed to change again, would we have to pay a fee. She said no since it was an airline change.

So, as of now, we are still going 9/29 - 10/6. HOWEVER, I emailed our travel agent to find out if there is availability at the resort and how much $ it will cost to stay an extra day! I honestly don't think it will be much more than the cost of parking, extra gas and tolls! Oh, and we would have to tip at the airport if we fly out of Philly! If we fly out of Allentown my aunt will drop us off and pick us up at the door (no tips needed).

Another plus is that we would return on a Friday. It would give me the weekend to do the wash and relax a little bit before going back to work!

Stay tuned to see what we decide...........................

 

[crissy1974]

Over the Memorial Day holiday my mom called and said her friend was selling a playhouse/swingset. They purchased it 4 years ago in Lancaster and paid a little over $2,000 for it. They sold it to us for $100. I feel like we robbed them!

We were so excited that we went on Memorial Day to get it. It was such a hot day to be messing around outside, but it was for our baby girl!

We finally got it in the yard today.............thanks to Daddy and the help of his buddy! Our plans are to pressure wash it this week and stain it (along with our deck and our fence). Will post some pics once it's all done! You won't believe the bargain!

We've been in the market for something like this for the last two years. Each time we go shopping for one we decide to spend the money on a Disney vacation instead! The sets that we were looking at run in between $1500 and $3000. Well, this time the price was right and it didn't cut into our "Disney Funds". Yeah...............

So, Disney update: I am still waiting to hear back from my travel agent. I must have checked my email 50 times this week (okay, I am exaggerating a little bit). Hoping to hear back from her tomorrow.........oh please, oh please, oh please let her call! If you remember our airline called and changed our flights. So, we can basically leave a day later and stay two days later than originally planned and it won't cost us anything more for the airline. BF and I were talking this weekend and we are basically going to go for it. Heck, it gives us an extra day at Disney! We just need to make sure that everything is okay with the resort. I read on the DIS that people change rooms quite frequently during their trip. Not sure why, but this seems like such a HUGE inconvenience. I could be wrong. We'll see.

Tomorrow is my first "official" weigh-in for this pre-trip report. I'm hoping I did good enough to lose a pound or two!!!! I was pretty good during the week, but then Saturday came along. I went to a basket bingo and had 4 desserts! Yes................F.......O......U........R! Yikes. I just couldn't help myself. I had 2 pieces of choc cake w/ pb icing, 1 strawberry pie and 1 tandycake. It was sooooooooooooooooo GOOD! I did good later that night. I had a salad w/ a piece of grilled chicken on it from Red Robin. I did have some cheesy chili dip w/ chips, but not many.

Okay, it's off to bed for me! Hope everyone has a great Monday!

 

[crissy1974]

Let's see............what should I start off with first???? My weight loss (since it's a positive thing and didn't give me a headache today)! I lost exactly 2 lbs. It's not quite the number I was looking for, but closer to my goal!

Now onto the reason for my big headache today. This PTR should have been titled...................Let me see how many times I can change my reservations!!!!

Remember I left off saying I was waiting to hear back from my travel agent?? Well, I was thinking that maybe I sent the email to the wrong email address so I emailed her again this morning. She was on a mini vacation. Oops! Anyhow, she had replied to my home email earlier that morning. Oops..........again! She said that if I wanted to go a day later and stay 2 days later that I would have to switch to POR or possibly Coronado Springs. UGH!!!!! She checked availability for the new dates for POFQ and NOTHING! How could this be happening to me??? We have the chance to stay 1 more day and I can't stay where I want to stay!!! My whole vacation would be RUINED! Okay, so I whine............ALOT! She did email me the price difference and it was close to $300. Oh well, it was vacation and it would mean one extra day at Disney! But, was I willing to spend that extra money to stay at a resort that I didn't want to stay at??? NOPE! Let's just say that I am STUBBORN! I want what I want and that's it! My travel agent suggested that I keep checking the web site to see if maybe, by chance, something would open up. After doing that a handful of times I got sick of it and my headache hurt even more. I finally decided to call the Disney reservation line!

I told the CM my dilema. She then checked POFQ for the new dates I gave her. She said, "Okay, no problem, would you like me to change that for you??" WHAT???????? I must have asked her 20 times to make sure it was for POFQ and not POR. She said yes, POFQ. We then went over the price (which sounds a little high compared to what I was told by my travel agent if I did this) and that was it. Poof.............some pixie dust my way!

I quickly called the airline to change back to our choice airport of Allentown! While on the phone I asked the reservationist if there is any compensation for my inconvenience. She said it was handled by another department. After changing my reservations she QUICKLY reminded me that if I needed to change them again it would COST US!!!!! Yeah, yeah, yeah!

I got off the phone with her and called their customer care section. I explained to him that this was the 2nd year in a row that I've had issues similar to this with their airline and that in the 7 years I traveled with the Air Force that I NEVER experienced anything like this. (I traveled back and forth between Alaska and PA and never had this issue.) He explained that it might have something to do with hurricane season. Yeah........okay!!!! Whatever! Are you wondering what they did for me?????? We got upgraded to first class seats (one way). He also said this meant we got to take 1 bag per passenger for free. The charge is $15 per bag. We only ever check 2 bags. So, first class seats and we saved $30. I wasn't expecting much, but glad I got something! Hey, seats in the 2nd row mean out of the plane sooner! Plus, the extra leg room will be nice (especially with a 4.......soon to be 5 year old that can't sit still)!

At this point I realized that I should email my travel agent and give her the GREAT news! This feeling DID NOT last long! She was a little unsure of my new reservation. She said that normally a CM cannot change a travel agents reservation! I must admit, the CM said that also, but for some reason she was able to do it. She also said the new price did not seem right! She is back from vacation on Wednesday so she will check again and let me know! Worse case scenario, if it's wrong............we stay at POR or Coronado Springs! Ugh! You know this makes me wonder why I go online and it's showing POFQ is NOT available for my new dates 9/30 - 10/8.

I guess I should explain why I prefer POFQ.........................let me start by saying that we LOVE this resort. We just think it's conveniently located within the world. The building/room we like to stay in is conveniently located to bus stop, food court, gift shop, pool, laundry room, and boat dock. Honestly.............I don't think it could get any better! Plus, my daughter wants to try the lizard slide. I forgot to pack our bathing suits last year...........yes, big dummy that I am! Another thing with POFQ over POR is the bus. We were always the first on the bus to the parks. After they picked up at POFQ they would go to POR. So, most of the time the people at the 2nd and 3rd POR bus stops would have to stand on the bus. If you have small children you know what a pain in the butt it is to stand on the bus. If your not holding the kid your holding the back pack and the stroller. Again..................it's all about our favorite word.............CONVENIENCE!

Tomorrow we have kindergarden orientation for DD. I can't believe she starts school in the fall!

Stay tuned to see if our reservations are SOLID for POFQ. I really really really hope so!!!

 

[crissy1974]

It's all set!!!!! The reservation that the CM at Disney made are good to go! I received an email from my travel agent (even though she is on vacation herself)! So, our final and new plans are 9/30 - 10/8, POFQ w/ the upgrade to Deluxe Dining!

I decided that I better hurry up and make some new dining arrangements for the added dates.

Our first night was supposed to be Hollywood and Vine for breakfast and Sci-Fi Drive-In for dinner. This needs to be cancelled since we are arriving a day later. I decided that on 10/6 we will keep this plan and make this a Hollywood Studio day. I know Epcot has extra magic hours, but I needed to fit DHS in our new plan!

On 10/7 I decided to do the Crystal Palace for breakfast and Biergarten for our dinner choice. I really didn't want to do Crystal Palace this time around, but oh well! Please don't misunderstand, we love the Crystal Palace. I just wanted to try new places! Which brings me to Biergarten! We have never tried this. BF really likes this type of food so I figured we would give it a whirl! I've read really good reviews. Hope we like it!

Okay, now I am just going to KEEP MY FINGERS crossed that the airline DOES NOT change again!!!!!

Gabby had Kindergarden orientation today! I dropped her off at 9 am and her daddy picked her up at 11 am. She said she loved it! When I dropped her off there was a daddy dropping off his little girl. She had a death grip on him and she was crying really bad. I felt so bad for her and the father. You could see in his eyes that he was feeling bad for his little princess! Gabby said that eventually she stopped crying and her daddy left. Poor little honey! My child on the other hand didn't even bother giving me a hug or a kiss. She took off running and grabbed a seat. I had to yell goodbye across the room. No worries here!

Calling it an early night! I decided that when I stay up late I get the urge to eat. Not good when you are trying to lose weight!

Until later................

 

[crissy1974]

Yesterday we went to the Monster Jam show in Philadelphia! Let me tell you............it was AWESOME!

We are about 2 1/2 hours from Philly, but it was soooooooooooo worth the drive.

About two weeks ago we were at the Ringling Brothers Circus in Reading. We heard them make an announcement about Monster Jam. As soon as we came home we looked online and found they were going to be at Lincoln Financial Field (for those of your who are not football fans, this is the stadium where the Eagles play). We ordered the tickets that minute!

We've been going to see Monster Truck shows since BF and I have been together (13 years). We LOVE them! Okay, you can now call me a REDNECK! Ha ha! We also have our DD4 loving them. This is her 3rd show in two years.

Normally, we see them in Wilkes-Barre in a very small arena, so they are limited as to what they can do. Let me tell you........................no limiations last night.

Okay..........we arrived in Philly around 4:45. There was a pit party from 3-6. They had all the trucks in the parking lot and the drivers were signing autographs. You couldn't touch the line for Dennis Anderson (GraveDigger) or Tom Meentz (Maximum Destruction). Way too long! Did I mention it was 92 degrees and on black top. The sweat was rolling off my back (I was stupid and wore a black shirt). Anyhow, I like El Toro Loco (which was not there), however the driver (Lupe Soza) for El Toro Loco were there, but driving a different truck - Grinder. I also like Linsey Weenk (Blue Thunder). I have a small crush on him.............shhhhhh don't tell BF. Ha ha. Anyhow, we stood in line to have our picture taken with Lupe Soza. He was very nice! I'll post pictures later.

Okay............show started at 7. They ALWAYS pay tribute to the military at Monster Jam shows. They had about 15 Philidelphians state their oath to join the Air Force at the show. It totally sent chills up my spine. I can remember when I took my oath to join the Air Force! What a PROUD and memorable moment for those guys! I can honestly say that I have such respect for young people that are entering the military these days due to what is happening in the world. After they took their oath the national anthem was sung. Sorry, can't remember the guys name, but he was fabulous. They said he was a grammy winner. I'll try to find out who it was for the next post! After that they told us that this show was going to be televised!!!!!! They show the Monster Jam shows on SPEED! So, this is going to be the first show they show on Speed in 2011. I can't wait. As soon as they stated this I knew it was going to be a great show!

More to come.......................(hopefully with pics). I took a TON of pictures. You'll have to stay tuned to see if anyone crashed.............. and which 12 Monster Trucks were on site!

 

[BabyEeyore]

I'm glad I found your PTR! I have to go back and read everything (I've read a few posts) but it is almost DD's naptime and I need to help DH clean out the storage closet in the garage. I just wanted to let you know I'm joining in!

 

[crissy1974]

I'm glad I found your PTR! I have to go back and read everything (I've read a few posts) but it is almost DD's naptime and I need to help DH clean out the storage closet in the garage. I just wanted to let you know I'm joining in!

Thanks for joining in! It's exciting to have someone joining in! Thank you! I am fairly new to the boards and do a lot of reading, but not much posting. My PTR last year was BAD. I didn't even do a completed trip report. I plan on following through this year and completing it............start to finish!

Thanks again and

 

[crissy1974]

We are heading off to the fair tonight. It's really not a big fair, but it's only 30 minutes away from our house. Honestly - I agreed to go because this means I don't have to COOK! I hate cooking! On the other hand..................I am trying to eat healthier to get to my goal of a 20 lb weight loss by Disney. Hopefully I will make some good choices tonight.

BTW - my weight loss from last week was 1.7 lbs. Again, not exactly the number I was looking for, but at least it's a loss. I was down 3 by the middle of the week, but I did bad this past weekend. I have my weigh in day on a Monday to try to avoid eating bad on the weekend. I can see that is NOT working!

Hoping to have our Monster Jam update with pictures tonight or tomorrow night. Now - it's off to the fair.....................

 

[BabyEeyore]

Have fun at the fair! I also have a goal of losing some weight before going to Disney. I would LOVE to lose 20 pounds and be at my pre-baby weight. I just haven't kept up my motivation. I need to get my booty in gear, though!

 

[thmar]

Joining in...

 

[crissy1974]

Joining in...

Hello and Hope you are enjoying my 2nd try at a PTR! Hoping to make this one better than the last.

 

[crissy1974]

Have fun at the fair! I also have a goal of losing some weight before going to Disney. I would LOVE to lose 20 pounds and be at my pre-baby weight. I just haven't kept up my motivation. I need to get my booty in gear, though!

We had a great time at the fair. DD had a wonderful time on the rides and I ate a little too much junkfood (corn nuggets, fries, pizza, waffle sandwich, and nachos w/ cheese). Ugh. I stepped on the scale this morning and to my surprise it was .2 under my weigh-in weight from Monday morning. I also ate very badly on Monday!

It is tough to keep up the motivation to lose weight. It seems (with me anyhow) that if I slip up once I use that as an excuse to slip all day long. I laugh, but it's not funny!

I still have to lose another 35 lbs to be at my pre-baby weight. I gained 50 lbs. with my daughter. Then I gained some more after I had her. I quit smoking when I found out I was pregnant and that did me in. Oh well..........I'll just keep trying.