September in Disney--There's a first time for everything...(Sept 2013)

[Howgreat]

Hi all! I've been lurking on the Dis boards for a few months and just recently started commenting here and there. I love reading other people's trip reports because it gives me the little Disney fix I need, so when we booked our next trip, I knew I wanted to write my own.

Our last trip was in December 2012, with my whole family.



That's my mom, me, DS1, my sister, my dad, DH, and DS3. We had such a magical time! We had Christmas dinner at Boma. DS3 was just old enough to recognize all the characters and really enjoy the rides (his favorite was Peter Pan). The crowds were really not as horrible as I thought they were going to be (tip: take advantage of nighttime EMH!!) We cannot go at Christmas again, though as DH's family will probably disown us.

Anyway, we originally thought about going back at the beginning of December as a wedding de-stresser (my sister is getting married at the end of September). After booking and having a bit of sticker shock, we decided to take advantage of FD and just go in September. PROS: only 3 months to wait; weather will be warmer; FREE FOOD!! CONS: Payment due in full in 2 months instead of 5

So, let me introduce you to the cast. My sister will not be going this time since she'll be getting ready for her wedding. Boo! Maybe next time. Her FH doesn't understand why we would want to go to Disney for the 3rd year in a row, so we need to indoctrinate him.



Mom and dad. Best parents ever. Best Papa and Gagi(that's what my boys decided to call my mom) ever. My mom is a teacher and my dad works in HR. They took my sister and I to WDW in 1995 and I still remember all the planning (and I'm sure scrimping and saving, since my mom hadn't started working then and my dad was at a lower level than he is now) they did for that trip. That was the last time they had been to WDW. My dad said they enjoyed this trip so much more because he wasn't adding up the prices of everything the whole time. I think they love watching the boys' faces more than anything.



DH and me. 20 somethings. High school sweethearts. I'm a former high school English teacher, turned stay at home mom, who teachers piano and guitar lessons on the side. DH is an insurance agent. Our first WDW trip together was in 2000, when our chorus class performed at the Candlelight Processional. Unfortunately, neither of us cared that the other existed back then. I think we are both equally crazy about Disney World, though I might show it a little more than DH. Let's just say, I never have to convince him to go. I love the planning part and the anticipation almost as much as the actual trip.



DS (3). This will be his 3rd trip to Disney and he is super excited. He was old enough to really enjoy himself and remember our December trip. He loves Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Jake, Peter Pan, and really just about any Disney character. His favorite ride was Peter Pan's Flight (we got to ride it 5 times in a row during EMH last time). He eats like a bird, but his little brother makes up for it.



And DS(1). I'm excited to see how differently he reacts to this trip than he did in December. He's walking now, so that should be interesting. His favorite part of our last trip was FOOD! Seriously. He's a hoss. He's easygoing and just kind of goes with the flow.

So, that's the cast of our trip! I'll do our plans in the next post.
Come along with us as we get ready for another magical trip to Disney World!

 

[Howgreat]

Table of Contents
Our plans so far
In the meantime....

 

[Howgreat]

We have everything booked! Now, it's time for the 2 most important things--making ADRs and saving the rest of the money for our trip.

DH is an insurance agent and a youth pastor and I teach a few piano lessons on the side, so it takes some budgeting to make a Disney trip happen--it's obviously doable, though! We've never gone in debt for one.

This time, we had a couple of good things happen that accelerated our Disney savings. We had some refunds we didn't expect to get. Also, I am involved in a certain essential oils company and have gotten several commission checks that have all gone in the Disney fund. I had a yard sale several weeks ago, sold some things we didn't need, and made some more. We have a change jar that quickly adds up for spending money. I use an interest free credit card to pay for almost everything (and then immediately pay it off) and will use the credit card points to purchase a gas card. DS3's birthday is in August and we're going to give him a Disney GC as part of his present to pick out things he wants at Disney. A little here, a little there, and we almost have it! Now, to come up with the rest of our reservation payment by July 24! We can do it!

Now, on to ADRs, which are much, MUCH more fun!
I thought I had ADRs made a couple of days after I made the trip reservation. Our original schedule was:

Saturday: QS (at hotel food court or DTD, if we feel like getting out)

Sunday: Crystal Palace (breakfast)
snack
Liberty Tree Tavern (dinner)
Monday: breakfast in room
QS (maybe Sunshine Seasons or Kringla)
Teppan Edo (dinner)
Tuesday: breakfast in room
QS (somewhere in DHS or food court at hotel)
50s Prime Time Café
Wednesday: breakfast in room
Liberty Tree Tavern (lunch, because we love their lunch AND dinner menu)
QS dinner dsomewhere in MK
Thursday: breakfast in room
QS in Epcot
Boma
Friday: breakfast in room
QS in MK before leaving

After mentioning to my parents that we were eating at Boma on Thursday (they're going back home on Tuesday), their eyes lit up and they both said, "I loved Boma!" (we ate there for Christmas dinner on our last trip). So, I decided to move Boma to Monday evening so that they could go. I was going to move Teppan Edo to Thursday night, but DH and I decided to do Rainforest Café because A)we thought the boys would like the theming and B)we can spend some time at DTD that evening since I hadn't built any into our schedule yet. It was hard to move around DTD during December because of he crowds and I'm hoping we can browse a little more leisurely and give DS3 some time to play at the Lego store.

I'm not saying the ADRs won't change before September, but there's our plan for now! 95 days!

 

[Howgreat]

In the meantime, we're going to Hilton Head Island at the end of this month for a wedding. We're only going to be there 3 nights, but it will be nice to have a mini break and take our DSs to the beach.

Any good (but not break the bank) places to eat there? This will be our first time at HHI. We should only have to eat out one night, since the other 2 nights are the wedding rehearsal and the wedding itself. Any places to check out in our spare time?

DS3 is the ring bearer in the wedding, which should be interesting. He's a pretty well behaved boy and extremely smart, but I'm anxious to see what he does. We're looking at it as a kind of practice for my sister's wedding at the end of September. At least he'll have a general idea of what a ring bearer is after this wedding. Should be interesting....just hopefully not in a bad way.

Also, to fill in the time until our Disney trip, I need to throw my sister a bachelorette party/lingerie shower. Luckily, I've already bought her gifts for that as well as the wedding shower gifts. She wants her bridesmaids and a few of her friends to go out for sushi and then come back and open gifts and maybe play some silly games. We don't drink at all, so it won't be wild, but it will be fun!

Anyway, between that and a whole summer full of swimming, outdoor movie nights, playing at the park, and cooking out, I'm sure the time until our trip will fly by--but not too, too fast! I want to enjoy the present and all these precious moments with my family, even though we're not at Disney. Home can be a pretty magical place as well.

 

[difry]

What adorable boys : )

It really pays to plan...yet be flexible. It sounds like a contradiction...but I really believe it makes for the best vacation for all : )

I'm impressed that you have outlined your QA meals. I have a general idea of some I want to eat at...but I don't usually have them that planned out.