SO EXCITED!!!!! Our first trip to WDW...and during the Christmas season! (New 10/13)

[clynngibson]

Hi! I'm pretty new to Disboards, but am sooooo excited to be planning our first trip to WALT DISNEY WORLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Introductions:
I am Christa! I am a graduate of THE Ohio State University. Go Bucks!! I am a pharmacy tech at a great hospital here in North Carolina. I love my job!!

Travelling with me will be: DH Orienthus, DD4 Olivia (will be turning 5 during our trip), and DS1 Carter. Orienthus and I have been together for almost 10 (TEN!!) years and married for 4. Olivia and Carter are the BEST kids I could ever ask for! I just love them so much and I cannot wait to see them experience Disney magic!!

My parents, Teri and Danny, will be meeting us there from Ohio!! They are great parents and grand parents! I just wish we lived closer. (My fault, I know. lol I'm the one that moved away!) They are less than a year from retiring and moving to Florida for good! I am so excited for them!! My mom is a new Diser, too!! (HI MOM!!)

My DD has no idea we are going. I don't think we are going to tell her until we're there. LOL Otherwise we'd hear about it every single day until time to go!! I am exposing her to many Disney movies and letting her watch some YouTube videos of Disney, though. Just to let her know it exists, so she's excited when she finds out where she is!!

Details:
We will arrive Sunday, December 2nd and stay until Sunday, December 9th.

We are staying off property (gasp!) at The Hawthorn Suites at the Convention Center. I've seen lots of great reviews and we got a great deal, so I hope we will enjoy our stay there!

Food:
Our hotel has a free breakfast buffet every morning, so that made it an even better deal for us! I was not planning on making many ADRs, but I can't help it!!! I WANT TO EAT EVERYWHERE!!! LOL

The Plan:
Arrival Day-dinner @ Big River Grille and Brewery @ the Boardwalk and dessert at Beaches and Cream...just taking it easy this day.
Day One-Eating Around the World in Epcot (just snacking and getting what looks good at World Showcase)...Candelight Processional and Illuminations
Day Two-Animal Kingdom's Rainforest Cafe for lunch, something quick for dinner...mabye MVMCP this night. Or if we decide not to do it, DTD or putt putt...somethign fun!
Day Three-MK, lunch @ Kona Cafe, Quick Service for dinner, nighttime parade, Castle show, and Wishes!
Day Four- DHS, lunch @ 50's Prime Time Cafe, dinner @ Francesco's in Orlando (bought a Groupon for this place...hope it's yummy!!), back to DHS for Fantasmic!
Day Five- BBB in MK before park opening (yay!!), hopefully getting into BOG for an early lunch, Celebrate a Dream Come True parade, early dinner @ Cinderella's Royal Table for Olivia's 5th birthday (!!!), small bday party for DD at the hotel (anyone know where to get a yummy bday cake in Orlando?), DTD in the evening.
Day Six-We will decide which park to go back to based on where we had the most fun or where we felt like we missed the most. If I had to guess, I'd say we'd return back to MK, but I'm open to returning anywhere!! We haven't made any ADRs for this day.

Thanks for reading!! Any suggestions are welcome and appreciated!!!! I am planning on doing some Disney Movie Nights with activities, so I'll be posting pics of those! Our first one is tomorrow with Princess and the Frog!!

TABLE OF CONTENTS
The 5W's: Who, What, Why, When, and Where! (You're here!)
How are we gonna pay for this thing?
Movie Night: The Princess and the Frog
Disney Double Feature: Finding Nemo and The Little Mermaid
Updated Itenerary!​

 

[ksromack]

Hi! I'm pretty new to Disboards, but am sooooo excited to be planning our first trip to WALT DISNEY WORLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Introductions:
I am Christa! I am a graduate of THE Ohio State University. Go Bucks!! I am a pharmacy tech at a great hospital here in North Carolina. I love my job!!

My hubby is from Warren Ohio, which is close to Youngstown. He's a major Buckeye fan! I think it's wise to keep the trip a secret. You just need to capture your dd's precious face once she realizes where she is!

We're starting our trip at IOW at Universal on Dec 8th so our trips will overlap just a bit. Enjoy every minute of this and take plenty of pictures! I promise, this will not be your last WDW trip

 

[clynngibson]

My hubby is from Warren Ohio, which is close to Youngstown. He's a major Buckeye fan! I think it's wise to keep the trip a secret. You just need to capture your dd's precious face once she realizes where she is!

We're starting our trip at IOW at Universal on Dec 8th so our trips will overlap just a bit. Enjoy every minute of this and take plenty of pictures! I promise, this will not be your last WDW trip

O-H to your hubby!!

Oh, will there ever be pictures!!!!!!!!!!!!!! hahaha Both my mom and I love to take pictures. As you can tell, my DD already knows how to pose when she sees the cameras come out!!! I just need to figure out the video option on my camera. Or better yet, buy a digital video camera, so we can have still pics and video of our special moments!

Enjoy your trip! We were going to try and make it to Universal for a day or two, but decided to save that for next time.

 

[Phatoomch]

Take some kleenex for all those happy tears

Like ksromack says, this won't be your last trip

You have some greats ADRs - I love to eat around the world The only thing I might suggest is booking the CP package if its do-able for your family that way you don't have to line up for hours to get in plus you get VIP viewing for the Illuminations

 

[clynngibson]

You have some greats ADRs - I love to eat around the world The only thing I might suggest is booking the CP package if its do-able for your family that way you don't have to line up for hours to get in plus you get VIP viewing for the Illuminations

I was thinking about it. (I know I need to hurry and decide!! LOL)

 

[DsnyMama]

Hello fellow Carolinian! Subbing along! We too will be in the World in December! Can't wait to read more of your plans!

Made some notes in red!

The Plan:
Arrival Day-dinner @ Big River Grille and Brewery @ the Boardwalk...just taking it easy this day. Love the boardwalk - so magical at night time! We haven't eaten here, but here BRG&B is great!!
Day One-Eating Around the World in Epcot (just snacking and getting what looks good at World Showcase)...Candelight Processional and Illuminations
Day Two-Animal Kingdom's Rainforest Cafe for lunch, something quick for dinner...mabye MVMCP this night. Or if we decide not to do it, DTD or putt putt...somethign fun! I highly recommend MVMCP! Special characters (princes!), hot cocoa, snow, parade, special fireworks, rides open til 12am!! It's great! We did Rainforest Cafe last year and will do it again this year! My kids LOVED the atmosphere!
Day Three-MK, lunch @ Kona Cafe, Quick Service for dinner, nighttime parade, Castle show, and Wishes!
Day Four- DHS, lunch @ 50's Prime Time Cafe, dinner @ Francesco's in Orlando (bought a Groupon for this place...hope it's yummy!!), back to DHS for Fantasmic! We are doing 50's for the first time this year! I can't wait !
Day Five- BBB in MK before park opening (yay!!), small Quick Service lunch @ MK, Celebrate a Dream Come True parade, early dinner @ Cinderella's Royal Table for Olivia's 5th birthday (!!!), small bday party for DD at the hotel (anyone know where to get a yummy bday cake in Orlando?), DTD in the evening. How fun!!! My daughter is finally old enough for BBB and we are doing it this year and then headed over to Cinderella's Royal Table for lunch! I'm sure your daughter will have a blast!
Day Six-We will decide which park to go back to based on where we had the most fun or where we felt like we missed the most. If I had to guess, I'd say we'd return back to MK, but I'm open to returning anywhere!! We haven't made any ADRs for this day.

Thanks for reading!! Any suggestions are welcome and appreciated!!!! I am planning on doing some Disney Movie Nights with activities, so I'll be posting pics of those! Our first one is tomorrow with Princess and the Frog!!

 

[clynngibson]

Hello fellow Carolinian! Subbing along! We too will be in the World in December! Can't wait to read more of your plans!

Made some notes in red!

I love your profile picture! Forget my DD...I am going to be a mess of tears when I see the castle for the first time! haha

We are excited about 50's Primetime. I think it's a restaurant my dad will love!

I hope your DD loves BBB!!! It is such a cute idea!! I can't wait for the Princesses to make a big deal out of Princess Olivia LOL

 

[clynngibson]

Like most people, we knew we had to be on a budget! The biggest savings we found was switching from on property to the Hawthorne Suites. We found such an amazing deal and it's saving us about $800 on the hotel alone! We plan on driving to the parks anyway, so the Disney transportation wasn't really a benefit for us, as with the dining plan. DD doesn't eat enough to warrent the DDP for her. And like I said above, the Hawthorn has a free, hot breakfast buffet every morning. Score!!

I thought I wasn't good at saving money, but what I found was, I am not good at saving money that isn't specified for something! LOL I have had no problem pulling money out every paycheck knowing that it is for our park tickets, or the hotel, or restaurant money, etc. DH and I are fans of the 'envelope method' and not using credit. So, I made an Excel file to keep track of our trip expenses, figured out how much money we need out of each paycheck, and made envelopes to fill. Once we have enough money in the particular envelope, it gets sealed shut and won't be opened again until time for vacation!

To save money, I also secured park tickets before the price increased. We used www.orlandovacation.com to book our hotel and buy park tickets. They don't charge you until 10-15 days before your vacation, but they do guarantee the price at time of booking! The tickets do not have a deposit, but the hotel required a $50 deposit at time of booking, with a $15 cancellation fee, if the reservation is cancelled.

Like I said, I made more ADRs than I had planned, so our restaurant budget increased a little bit, but I look at it as part of the vacation experience. Our hotel has a kitchenette, but I DO NOT want to cook every night while on vacation! LOL We have had to do that in the past to have a cheaper vacation, but this time, we can afford a little more, so I am taking advantage of it!!! We are still saving money by taking snacks and water into the parks, though.

 

[dburg30]

You had me at THE Ohio State University, then you followed right up with North Carolina which is where a lot of my family lives...

Go Bucks!


My wife and I have no children, but we took our first trip (for either of us) in 07 during the xmas season (well mid december) and LOVED it.

 

[clynngibson]

You had me at THE Ohio State University, then you followed right up with North Carolina which is where a lot of my family lives...

Go Bucks!


My wife and I have no children, but we took our first trip (for either of us) in 07 during the xmas season (well mid december) and LOVED it.

Columbus is the ONLY city I would ever consider moving back north for!! I always say I "grew up" at Ohio State! lol I lived A LOT while there!! hahaha

I'm so happy with the week we chose! It's during the holiday season, so we get all the holiday decorations, MCVCP, etc. but before the huge holiday rush!!

 

[dburg30]

The only thing I THINK you may have to deal with some, is the Pop Warner football / cheerleader world championships that could be happening that week at WDW / Wide World of Sports..
I think it's usually the first full week of Dec and that's the 1-8... I dont know if they have officially announced the dates yet..

 

[clynngibson]

The only thing I THINK you may have to deal with some, is the Pop Warner football / cheerleader world championships that could be happening that week at WDW / Wide World of Sports..
I think it's usually the first full week of Dec and that's the 1-8... I dont know if they have officially announced the dates yet..

I think you're right. I'm crossing my fingers that they won't get in our way! lol

 

[clynngibson]

I was thinking about it. (I know I need to hurry and decide!! LOL)

I wish they would schedule the CP speakers for 12/3. Maybe that would push me one way or the other!

 

[AnnaMariaGirl]

Hi!

I'm Christa's mom and I'm so excited for this trip. Christa is planning everything! This is the first trip I'm taking without having to do all the planning! Christa is doing an excellent job of it! She better be scheduling a naptime every day for her dad tho! haha We don't want him getting grumpy! I'm saving money too since I didnt plan on going on this trip originally! Also, I'm going to start getting in better shape for all this walking we will be doing. (Christa says that I'm "Getting Skinny for Minnie") I'm now a Disboards addict. I'll be watching and seeing what Christa plans for us!

 

[clynngibson]

Hi!

I'm Christa's mom and I'm so excited for this trip. Christa is planning everything! This is the first trip I'm taking without having to do all the planning! Christa is doing an excellent job of it! She better be scheduling a naptime every day for her dad tho! haha We don't want him getting grumpy! I'm saving money too since I didnt plan on going on this trip originally! Also, I'm going to start getting in better shape for all this walking we will be doing. (Christa says that I'm "Getting Skinny for Minnie") I'm now a Disboards addict. I'll be watching and seeing what Christa plans for us!

Yay!! We are gonna have SO MUCH FUN!!!

Nobody wants a Grump!!! lol

 

[clynngibson]

It was our "eat out" night, so we got our favorite cajun food from Popeyes! LOL (Go ahead and judge!) Cajun fried chicken, red beans & rice, and mashed and cajun gravy!

Harris Teeter had these in their case. Perfect!

I found this cute frog craft at Hobby Lobby.

And we made Mardi Gras masks!

LOL Please ignore the bedhead!!!

 

[clynngibson]

I think I read too many trip reports yesterday. I dreamt of Disney all night long. First, I dreamt we got the dining plan for .75/person/day....AWESOME!! And I dreamt we were at the Wishes Dessert Party (something I am not even planning on doing!) LOL What sweet dreams!!

 

[clynngibson]

I got our custom park maps in the mail!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We hadn't checked the mail in a couple days and I checked before I left for work tonight. I am so excited to open them up!!!! Go Disney!!

I get off work for a week Wednesday morning. (I work 7 on/7 off) I have so much I want to do on my week off. I made DD's Epcot autograph book/passport on Shutterfly. I want to get started on her others. I think I'll do one for each park and include it in a little gift bag each morning that is tailored to the park we're going to that day. I keep finding Disney things on clearance to include, also. I'm convinced it's a sign that this trip is meant to be! LOL

How's your planning going?

 

[levenhopper]

Awesome PTR! You're gonna have a great time! I can't wait to see the after-trip report.

 

[clynngibson]

Awesome PTR! You're gonna have a great time! I can't wait to see the after-trip report.

Thanks! We has another Disney movie night and I need to add the pictures for that today. I read your PTR, too. I hope your trip is great!!!