Thawing out... A march 2011 PTR *Updated* Birthday PICS

[BMC423]

Hello Everyone, This is my first PTR so please bear with me.

Who's coming:

DH: John
Was introduced to the Disney magic when we went there for our 1st Anniversary. While not completely obsessed with Disney he supports my obsession (as long as he doesn't have to do any planning ).

DS: Michael
This trip is all about him, I wanted him to have is first hair cut @ Harmony Barbershop. We leave the week after his second birthday. This will be his 1st time at Disney. He loves all things Mickey Mouse (just like his mommy).
Here he is on Halloween:

And here he is costumeless:

Finally Me: Bickiana
I work part-time at a bank but I'm going to school for my masters in what I really love childhood education both general and special ed.
I have loved Disney since I can remember, it all started when my mom would let me choose a movie to buy at the Disney store (one per month) So I had a pretty nice collection going on... my birthdays were all Disney themed. My first trip to Disney I was in 6th grade and it was a end of the school year trip just my mom and me. That year we only went to MK and well I was happy with that I had no idea what I was missing! My second trip was in High School, our marching band went for Magic Music Days and that trip was super fun but again we only went to MK and HS. Then I became a teenage troll and thought Disney was for babies . Until I was planning our wedding and I really really really want to get married at Disney... didn't happen but that's ok. When we went there in 2008 for our anniversary my obsession came back. It was like meeting up with an old friend. ANYWAY... I recently found DIS and really I'm hooked. All my trips have been unplanned just go and see what happens. Well not this one I'm driving DH crazy with ADRs, and itineraries. So I after reading many PTRs I figured I would give it a go. OH Yeah here's me:

Up Next: Our Resort Reservation goes POP!

 

[ash-n-brensmom]

Another first timer to the PTR world here for the ride!!! We are going in March as well...looking forward to reading your plans!!

 

[BMC423]

Another first timer to the PTR world here for the ride!!! We are going in March as well...looking forward to reading your plans!!

YAY! Thanks for joining! I'll be reading your PTR as soon as I'm done with my update

 

[BMC423]

Soooo... we decided to make the trip but we still needed to pick our dates. Since I did want this to be my son's birthday gift we wanted to go close to his birthday. We just had to wait and see when my school would be on Spring break. Luckily break is from March 7-12 and that meant we could leave the week after my son's bday The next order of business was where to stay. I have only stayed on site once before, we stayed at All Star Movies on our last trip and while I was perfectly fine staying at another value on this trip I really wanted to experience a different one. From what I've read all the All Star resorts are pretty much the same except for of course the themes. So we decided on POP.

So I was ready to book, expect the online system was down so I kept putting it off and putting it off until finally I just called. Yay we were booked!
We went with the dxddp and since this was our first time using the ddp it was research time for me. Where to eat and when and was this whole ddp thing even worth it? I was still trying to figure it all out when I got a letter in the mail from Disney I was sooo excited to see what it was, I knew it wasn't my ME tags it was still to early for those. On the top left hand corner it said "for your future enjoyment". I tore open the envelope and imagine my disappoint when I read that the hippy dippy pool would be closed during our stay.

I know that there are two other pools there but since we had requested a preferred room I knew that this was the pool that would be closer to us. Also I could only imagine how crowded the other pools were going to be. So DH and I had to make a choice either stay with what we had or switch. I have always wanted to stay at the Contemporary and did a price check and yeah it was way over our budget. So I called to see what was available and well the only thing was CSR. So that's where we are staying now.

Next Time: Daily Itineraries and ADRS

 

[ash-n-brensmom]

YAY for your upgrade!
We tried to get a room at CSR with our pin code but it kept coming up unavailable..I'm thinking at the time they only had king rooms left for that discount and they don't allow a family of 4 in them. I'm excited for you...those rooms look beautiful and the beds are queen if you have a room with two beds!! The pool at the dig site looks like lots of fun too!!!
I'm gonna keep looking for your updates!! Plus we will be there for some overlapping dates..we might be at the same parks sometime!!!

 

[BMC423]

YAY for your upgrade!
We tried to get a room at CSR with our pin code but it kept coming up unavailable..I'm thinking at the time they only had king rooms left for that discount and they don't allow a family of 4 in them. I'm excited for you...those rooms look beautiful and the beds are queen if you have a room with two beds!! The pool at the dig site looks like lots of fun too!!!
I'm gonna keep looking for your updates!! Plus we will be there for some overlapping dates..we might be at the same parks sometime!!!

Yeah, we got a king preferred (I found out after it the preferred are far from the dig site pool, but thats ok). I'm very excited We will be there for overlapping dates, we will prob. be at the same Fantasmic show on 3/6 and we too are doing DTD on the 7th. So I'll be on the look out for your LGMH, don't think i'll have any since I don't frequent HD that much .

 

[ash-n-brensmom]

Yeah, we got a king preferred (I found out after it the preferred are far from the dig site pool, but thats ok). I'm very excited We will be there for overlapping dates, we will prob. be at the same Fantasmic show on 3/6 and we too are doing DTD on the 7th. So I'll be on the look out for your LGMH, don't think i'll have any since I don't frequent HD that much .

Have you been on the March thread on the Doing the Happy Dance thread area? They have a LGMH with a Mardi Gras theme that you can print and hang on your park bag or stroller!! It's pretty cute, and no Home Depot needed!! We made some HD tags for all of our bags even DD's so we should be pretty obvious, plus I plan to get at least one of the Mardi Gras ones printed!

 

[BMC423]

thanks for the heads up will def. take a look later

 

[BMC423]

DAY 1: Sunday 03/06
So the 1st day of our trip is a Sunday, I could not chose between Saturday or Snday at first. I decided on Sunday because that will give us a day to handle any GASP last minute details. here is our plan for Sunday:

*Wake Up @ 3:00am yes super early but our flight is super early!
*Head out to JFK @ 4:00am we have to be there at 4:30 its about a 30 min. ride to the airport from home.

*Check in and TSA and then its time for Coffee for John and me. I'm hoping my DS will go back to sleep once we get done with check in.
*Jet Blue Flight scheduled to depart @ 6:20am
*Scheduled to arrive @MCO @ 9:20.
* We expect to be on the ME by 10:00

* Hopefully we will be done with check in @ CSR around 11:20
* Then its off to DHS

* ADR for Lunch @ Hollywood and Vine

* Then its off to some of our must do attractions:
1. TSM
2. Muppets
3. Disney Jr. Live
4. Honey I Shrunk the Kids Play Area
* Back to CSR for unpacking and napping
* Then its back to DHS for a dinner ADR @ 50s PTC and Fantasmic

We hope to catch the parade but we'll see how my son's mood is

 

[heathsf]

Yay I found your PTR! Your first day sounds great! Early flights are great because you still get pretty much a full day in the parks. And Fantasmic is a great way to end your first night!

How are crowds supposed to be that week? I was there once mid March (I forget the exact dates it was in 2005) and it was GREAT!

And how exciting for your DS's first trip!

 

[BMC423]

Yay I found your PTR! Your first day sounds great! Early flights are great because you still get pretty much a full day in the parks. And Fantasmic is a great way to end your first night!

How are crowds supposed to be that week? I was there once mid March (I forget the exact dates it was in 2005) and it was GREAT!

And how exciting for your DS's first trip!

yay! you found it. I love early flights I know its a pain to wake up that early but I love having a full vacation day instead of spending the whole day traveling. I don't know how crowded its going to get but it is Mardi Gras so a lot of the schools down South are on Spring Break. It's ok though I mean I always expect to deal with crowds

 

[BMC423]

On to day two...
7:30 Breakfast ADR @ Maya Grill

8:15 Head to Animal Kingdom

Our List of Must Do:
* Kilimanjaro Safari
* The Oasis
* Tree of Life
* Camp Minnie Mickey
* Lion King
* Finding Nemo
* Parade
Our Might Do List:
* Wildlife Express Train
* Affection Station
* Habitat Habitat
* TriceraTops Spin
12:30 ADR @ Yak and Yeti

1:30 Back to CSR for Nap
5:00 Head to DTD
7:20 ADR @ Cap'n Jack's

9:30 Bed Time

 

[heathsf]

Day 2 is looking good. By the way, are you planning to write a TR after the trip?

 

[BMC423]

Day 2 is looking good. By the way, are you planning to write a TR after the trip?

hey your trip is almost here!
Yes I am planning on writing a TR with tons of pics

 

[brookelizabeth]

Joining in! Thanks for posting on my PTR too!

Your plans are looking good! It's so much fun to plan, isn't it? On your Day 2, March 7, it's AM Extra Magic Hours at AK - are you planning on being there for them? It really allows you to get ahead of the crowds if you can get there early and nail out the big rides. Otherwise, it's a LOT more crowded generally on those days if you don't get there early to take advantage.

CSR is BEAUTIFUL! We really enjoyed our stay there!!!! Everywhere you look it's gorgeous.

 

[BMC423]

So day three is our OFF DAY!

Breakfast ADR @ 9:40 @ Cape May Cafe

No Lunch plans...

Dinner ADR @ 8:00pm @ Chef Mickey's

* Might head to Epcot during the day but not sure yet.*

DAY 4:

Breakfast ADR @ 7:15 Maya Grill

Then it off to Epcot:

FW Must do:

* Nemo
* Spaceship Earth

Lunch ADR@11:40 @ Coral Reef

Nap @ CSR

Then its World Showcase for snacks, shopping, and pictures!

Dinner ADR @ 7:00 Garden Grill

Ending the day with Illuminations

 

[BMC423]

Joining in! Thanks for posting on my PTR too!

Your plans are looking good! It's so much fun to plan, isn't it? On your Day 2, March 7, it's AM Extra Magic Hours at AK - are you planning on being there for them? It really allows you to get ahead of the crowds if you can get there early and nail out the big rides. Otherwise, it's a LOT more crowded generally on those days if you don't get there early to take advantage.

CSR is BEAUTIFUL! We really enjoyed our stay there!!!! Everywhere you look it's gorgeous.

yes yes yes! This is the first trip I'm really taking the time to plan and no Disney trip will ever be the same I am a HUGE fan of EMH so yes I plan on being there early since its my 1st time @AK I'm really just going by advice of what to do there. Everyone's been saying do the safari first since it gets crowded so the EMH is prefect for that

 

[BMC423]

Day 5 is a very busy day its MK DAY!!!!

Wake up @ 7:00 and head out,

Breakfast ADR @ Crystal Palace @ 8:15

Harmony Barbershop 1st Haircut Appt: 12:00

Lunch ADR @ LTT @ 12:55

1:30 head to hotel for Nap
Dinner ADR @ Tony's Town Sq. @ 7:30

MUST DO:
* Dumbo
* Teacups
* Buzz
* POTC
* Jungle Cruise
* Peter Pan
* Philharmagic
* Railroad
* IASM
* Dream Come true Parade
* Wishes

Maybes:
* COP
* Carpets
* People Mover

DAY 6

Our last day

Our flight leaves at 3:30 from MCO

If we don't use our tkts on our free day its a morning at a park OR a morning spent at the hotel relaxing OR DTD....

 

[heathsf]

Last days are so sad

But coming home to write a TR will be a small consolation right?

Your trip is going to be great! I can't wait to hear about the first haircut. I know Disney does something very special but I don't know what!

 

[brookelizabeth]

Yummmmmm...breakfast at Cape May. So, so good. Such a great character meal, nice and calm unlike many of the others. I hope our paths cross, they must might! We might at at MK the same day as you. Nothing is really set, but we will be at BLT, so lots of MK is likely.