Shine On Harvest Moon - Sept 2013 PTR

[Suziewan]

Time to start documenting the planning of our September 20-28, 2013 trip! Technically, the harvest moon will be on September 19th, and we arrive on the 20th, but I really wanted to use it in my title so please squint your eyes if you can't bear my approximation in order to use a cute cliche.

Our cast consists of:

Me (Angie) - Pragmatic single mom
Grama (Darlene) - My mom, Grama at large
Son (Cameron) - My 8 year old who is an interesting mix of sarcastic and sensitive -- in other words, he dishes it out, but can't take it

Cameron and I have been to WDW 3 times previously (Dec '10, April '12, Jan '13) and can't wait to go back again. Our last trip was interesting as were both quite moody -- my excuse -- I was PMSing, and somehow it seemed like he was too.

Grama has never been...when I was growing up we could not afford to go and she was not at all the type to even have the inclination to go, she has always been happy to spend her leisure time curled up with a book...this will be a far cry from that type of holiday!


Here come the pics:

Cameron

Grama

and me

 

[Suziewan]

I am having a scary moment in my planning! I went online to make a partial payment on our trip and after asking me to confirm my country before continuing the system somehow defaulted to 'pay the balance', and it went through. This is amazing to me because I have a low limit on my credit card, I'm not a big fan of debt, so it should not have been approved by my bank, but also should not have changed from the option I selected and typed in.

I just called and spoke with a CM who said I will have to call another number tomorrow and explain it to them; but I'm a bit nervous since she did not say anything to reassure me that they would fix this.

I need some good vibes please! My bank will charge me an over-limit fee and I'll also end up paying interest on this if it has to stay on my credit card.

 

[lsenquiz]

Joining it. We will also be going in late September (15th - 28th) with our 8 year old son and have a PTR going as well (I actually have 2 going - one for our May trip and one for our September Trip).

I am sure that Disney will credit you the payment back to your card. They have had alot of problems with their system lately. Honestly I am impressed that you were able to make a payment online at all

 

[Suziewan]

Lisa -- Thanks for joining! I should have been cautious about the online system, but it looked like it was working so I tried it You're right they did credit me the difference and I'll have it back on my credit card in 10-14 days. I'll go over and check out your PTR, cool that we have 8 yr old boys in common. Does yours go for the big-thrill rides? Mine is a little hesitant about them at the moment.

ETA - I see that you are a fan of the 3rd week of September; my BFF went for the same week last year and loved the low low crowds - that's what convinced us to pick that week this year. Are the evenings cool at all at that time of year in your experience?

 

[Suziewan]

Here is a layout of our days and parks, I will update with the plans for each day and then link to those plans here:

ADR Plans

Friday Sept 20 - Arriving late so just heading to POP to settle in & eat pizza by the pool.
Saturday Sept 21 - Epcot
Sunday Sept 22 - Hollywood Studios
Monday Sept 23 - Typhoon Lagoon (a first for us!)
Tuesday Sept 24 - Magic Kingdom
Wednesday Sept 25 - Blizzard Beach (first time as well)
Thursday Sept 26 - Epcot (first day of FW)
Friday Sept 27 - Magic Kingdom
Saturday Sept 28 - Animal Kingdom

 

[lsenquiz]

Lisa -- Thanks for joining! I should have been cautious about the online system, but it looked like it was working so I tried it You're right they did credit me the difference and I'll have it back on my credit card in 10-14 days. I'll go over and check out your PTR, cool that we have 8 yr old boys in common. Does yours go for the big-thrill rides? Mine is a little hesitant about them at the moment.

ETA - I see that you are a fan of the 3rd week of September; my BFF went for the same week last year and loved the low low crowds - that's what convinced us to pick that week this year. Are the evenings cool at all at that time of year in your experience?

My little man is still afraid of the big thrill rides but we are hopefull he will get past it for our upcoming May trip. I am glad it will be just DH, DS and I so there won't be the peer pressure he experiences during our September trip. I am fully prepared to use bribery to at least get him to try some of them

We have been going the third week of September since 2008 and love it. We go during this time because our School district has fall break during that week. For most of our trips it has been pretty hot. It does cool off a little in the evenings but never usually dips below mid 70's even during the night. We are from the south so the heat does not bother us much and the low, low, low crowds make it so totally worth it.

 

[lsenquiz]

Okay, here is a layout of our days and parks, I will update with the plans for each day and then link to those plans here:

Friday Sept 20 - Arriving late so just heading to POP to settle in & eat pizza by the pool.
Saturday Sept 21 - Epcot
Sunday Sept 22 - Hollywood Studios
Monday Sept 23 - Typhoon Lagoon (a first for us!)
Tuesday Sept 24 - Magic Kingdom
Wednesday Sept 25 - Blizzard Beach (first time as well)
Thursday Sept 26 - Epcot (first day of FW)
Friday Sept 27 - Magic Kingdom
Saturday Sept 28 - Animal Kingdom

I see you are doing the water parks this trip. We did them for the first time in May 2010 and I was shocked at how well my DS did. He went on everything that he was tall enough to do I am sure your DS will have a blast.

We will be at MK on Friday the 27th also! Just in case you did not know, both your MK days will more than likely be MNSSHP days(the parties are usually on Tuesdays and Fridays in September) which means that MK will close at 7pm to all guests that do not have MNSSHP tickets. Not sure if you are planning to go to the party(it is awesome if you are) but if you are not I just wanted to make sure that you knew the park hours will be short. However, on a positive note the park will be very dead that day because not many people want to "waste" a day at a park that closes at 7pm. We actually prefer it because we can do everything we want between park opening and 7pm and still have some time in the evening to spend at the resort.

 

[Suziewan]

Lisa -- I try to get my DS to try the thrill rides too. We will have seasons passes to our local amusement park, so it all starts there this summer. He went on TOT when he was 5, but now he gets scared in the pre-ride preamble and we've been in line and left twice. I think he's going to love the waterparks -- if we happen to have rainy days I'm going to switch it up and take him to Disney Quest instead.

We are planning to go to MNNSHP on the Tuesday, we've been to MVMCP but we've heard this is even better so we are excited. On Friday the early closing and low crowds suit us well, we have a full last day on Saturday but it will start early, so we will need to get packed up that night.

 

[lsenquiz]

We are planning to go to MNNSHP on the Tuesday, we've been to MVMCP but we've heard this is even better so we are excited.

You will absolutely love MNSSHP! The parade is the best there is IMO. We have been twice and are planning to go Sept 17th.

 

[Suziewan]

Okay, here is how I *think* our first day will go...

I'm going to attempt a surprise for my DS. I've been unable to manage to surprise him with a Disney trip so far because I'm simply unable to keep my mouth shut about it. This time my plan is to tell him we are leaving on Saturday morning bright and early, but really our flight is late on Friday afternoon. I will finish his packing on Friday (I'll have the day off) and then my DM and I will go pick him up from school and bring a disney t-shirt for him to change into. I think I'll also make a surprise travel bag for him for on the plane.

We land in MCO at 7:30 and I know I'm going to start feeling the magic seep in when I see this:

and I'm crossing my fingers and toes that we will be able to have all our stars align and make it to POP by ME around 9:00ish.

I'm hoping the magic bands are in use by then and that the rumors of being able to use them to go right to our room are true. If so we will go check it out and then maybe head to the pool for a quick swim before bed.

and since we will be in the air over dinner, and likely to just have snacks, maybe....

(these pics borrowed from the internet)

 

[starann]

Joining in. I was looking to see if we had any of the same park days....nope, not a one!

We are hoping to surprise our boys....just not sure how we are going to do that!

 

[Suziewan]

Joining in. I was looking to see if we had any of the same park days....nope, not a one!

We are hoping to surprise our boys....just not sure how we are going to do that!

I would love to do a complete surprise trip, but I just don't have the self control! I'll look forward to hearing how you surprise them.

 

[Suziewan]

Time to document the ADRs -- it will be interesting to see how long they stay like this. After getting everything I wanted I had this uneasy 'hmm...nothing to worry over, obsess about or hunt down' feeling. I started talking with my mom about what I had planned and I realized that there wasn't much variety in our dinner plans, so I ended up cancelling Le Cellier (yes, I know, I can hardly believe it either) so that we could make it to a couple of other places.

This trip I didn't book as adventurously as I might have if it was just DS and I, but my mother likes pretty plain food and there are certain restaurants I just knew she would like to try.

Friday Sept 20 - Pizza by the pool, no ADR
Saturday Sept 21 - Dinner @ The Garden Grill with Chip, Dale, Mickey & Pluto

Sunday Sept 22 - Lunch @ The Sci Fi Dine In Theater (DS wants to take his Grama there) and Kouzzina for dinner. We ate at the Sci Fi in April 2012 I thought it was 'okay' and DS kept saying he was bored, but he is now telling my mother how cool it is and he really wants to take her here. I've heard good things about the Picnic Burger, so I may give that a try this time. I've heard amazing things about Kouzzina and this will give us our first look at Disney's Boardwalk area as well.

Monday Sept 23 - Water Park & DTD -- we'll do 2 CS this day with dinner at Wolfgang Puck Express and/or Earl of Sandwich -- I have a feeling my mom would prefer EOS, and I'm dying to try WPE, so we may visit both places.

Tuesday Sept 24 - Dinner at The Wave before MNSSHP -- DS ordered a burger he wasn't crazy for last time, but he loved sharing my beef tenderloin and the make your own sundae for dessert.

Wednesday Sept 25 - 50's Prime Time Cafe - I want to take my mom here, the 50's is her decade and she is going to love the theming here.

Thursday Sept 26 - This is the first day of F&W so we are planning to snack around the world (can't wait!) and then have a late dinner at Via Napoli which will be a new restaurant for all of us.

Friday Sept 27 - Dinner at Be Our Guest -- how could we resist taking Grama here? To be honest, I had a steak last time that was 'just okay', but I love the atmosphere and I'll try a different menu item this time around.

Saturday Sept 28 - Breakfast with Donald Duck at Animal Kingdom - I Donald Duck and have heard great things about the breakfast at Tusker House (we had a great lunch there in 2010).

 

[lsenquiz]

You will love the Boardwalk area. This is our stomping grounds as we always stay in an EPCOT resort (most of time it is BWV). I just love the energy of this area especially in the evenings when all the entertainers are out.

 

[Suziewan]

Lisa -- I'm looking forward to exploring the boardwalk, I like to fit in something new on every trip. I've head great things about Kouzzina as well, have you eaten there?

 

[Suziewan]

Here is the plan for our first park day - Saturday Sept 21 - Epcot

I am anticipating that we might not get a very early start this day. It is my mom's first time, so she may want to absorb the surroundings a little and I have little doubt that if I don't let DS get a swim in first thing in the morning I'll be hearing about it all day long.

Sometimes I think I should just rent a cheap local hotel room with a pool for our vacations, I swear he'd be just as happy.

Still, I'd like to get to Epcot as early as we can so that we can hit a few attractions, such as Soarin', Test Track, Mission Space, Spaceship Earth and The Land in the morning. I'm wondering if it is possible to do those 5 by lunch time in September? If the low crowds hold I think we can do it. I also have to keep our pace reasonable though so that we won't wear out my mother's little legs on the first day. I'll avoid crossing back and forth across the park as much as possible, even if it means waiting a bit longer in some lines.

Once we get most or all of these done the plan is to head to the World Showcase to browse and shop, but also to eat, I'm sure my mom will need a break by then, so either we'll go to the Electric Umbrella (where I've never eaten btw) or eat something quick service in the World Showcase. Something is telling me we will take the boat across and grab something from the nearest country. We've never eaten in Germany, so that might be a good option.

I've already explained to DS that we have to keep Grama in mind on this trip, her comfort and the things she would like, but I think that an Agent P mission might be just the thing after lunch followed by a little exploring in the World Showcase.

We'll likely catch another boat back over to Future World and then head to our ADR at The Garden Grill. DS and I loved our last dinner there and I think my mom will love the family style menu. If we've missed it in the morning this will be a good time to ride The Land too. Here is a pic of DS getting an autograph on our last trip

After dinner we'll head back to our hotel. I want to keep our evenings a little early to save on our energy and feet. DS will love it if we make it back in time for the outdoor movie at the hotel and a swim.

If the weather is as hot and sticky as I hear it is I'm sure I'll appreciate and end of day dip as well.

 

[lsenquiz]

The crowds are always low in September but I expect they might be even lower this year if the rumors hold true and Disney does not offer free dining.

I do think is is possible to get everything in before lunch but you will need to arrive as early to RD as you can. The wait for Soaring and TT is usually about 30 -40 minutes standby but the wait for everything else will probably be 10 minutes or less(mission space may be as high at 20 minutes).

You might want to FP either Soarin or TT with you being the FP runner.

 

[lsenquiz]

Lisa -- I'm looking forward to exploring the boardwalk, I like to fit in something new on every trip. I've head great things about Kouzzina as well, have you eaten there?

We have never eaten there. Even though we have been 10+ times we have such a long way to go where table service dining is concerned. In the past we have hated taking time out of our day for a sit down meal. However, we are chaning that with this trip because our last trip was so exhausting it is finally sinking through my head that we really need these breaks. I look forward to hearing how you liked it.

 

[Suziewan]

I've taken quite a long break from updating! I've been getting my Disney fix lately by reading Jess' live trip report on her Disney College Program. I didn't know about the program previously and I love reading along and hearing about her experience. I was so excited that I told my DSD17 about it and she said she will likely apply!

I've also heard that they accept adult students...so that is a new goal on my list...to be in the Disney College Program -- likely in about 14 years when my DS might be close to graduating from college himself!

Also Jess has inspired me to do a live trip report in September; I basically did on on Facebook last trip, but I'll try to do it on the Dis next trip.

I wanted to talk about our plans for our 2nd day...Sept 22 at DHS

Since we've been a few times now and because my mom will be coming along with us I'm going to try to keep the pace very relaxed. The only thing is...we have to get there early enough to get our Fast Passes for...

My mom is not quick to catch on to anything electronic or video-game-ish, so it's imperative that we get to ride twice, and we'll need to get there early to manage it I think.

Although on our last trip I found the food to be pretty average, and my DS and his friend were really bored, we are going back to the Sci Fi Dine In Theatre anyway. My DS requested it because he wants to show it to his Gram; I think he remembers it as being fun, but when we were there he complained because they were only showing previews for 1950's style drive in movies (ie/ Attack of the 50 Foot Woman). I'm willing to give it another whirl though, I'll be sure to order something different this time -- last time I had the steak, but it was quite thin, and since I like my steaks medium-rare it wasn't something they could quite accomplish with the very thin steak.

Here is a (not so great) picture of us with some friends at the Sci Fi in April of 2012

We'll be sure to make it to the Streets of America, I think my mom will enjoy that, and to take her on the Backlot Tour, One Man's Dream, The Great Movie Ride and the Magic of Disney Animation. Neither Cameron or my mother are likely to be up for riding the Tower of Terror or the Rockin Rollercoaster, so I think we'll take a pass on those for this trip.

We have an ADR for Kouzzina at 6:30, but I'm not sure if we will walk over or take the boat. I've heard that you need to allow a lot of time for the boat so the plan will be to be ready to head to dinner by 5:30 and then judge how everyone's feet are doing. If anyone has a hint of a blister we'll relax and take the boat.

As I mentioned before, I've never seen the boardwalk area, and I'm looking forward to exploring there for a while either before/after our dinner.

Once again we will aim to make it back to POP in time for the outdoor movie, which I've heard will start around 8:00-8:30 at this time of year.

 

[leshunlenese]

Hey! Im coming from the FB group. I will be there early in the month but I just wanted to let you know that it is true. When I did my college program they did have some adult students but you still had to live in the provided apartments. I am not sure if that has been changed though.