THE DISNEADS ARE HEADED TO WDW! Update 5/21...We're outta here!

[sneadae]

I was dreading making those reservations...especially since I'm a bit of a night owl. I think I had gone to bed about 3am the previous night, so 6:55 rolled around pretty quickly.

I ended up being on the phone for almost 1 hour, and i think about 45 minutes of that was with the people dealing with the 'New' system. She put me on hold and kept checking in on me telling me it would be a few minutes longer (good thing too..cause I may have fallen asleep if she didn't). Hopefully they've got their issues figured out.

For you OCD-ers out there like my wife...the spreadsheet method was nice. Everything was there in a nice grid showing where we would be, and what our ideal restaurant and time was. I don't know what I would have done without it.

I love that she is a planner...otherwise our trips would be a whole lot of 'so...what do you wanna do? .... i dont know. what do you wanna do?' I am a lucky guy!

Aw, how nice! Well, I made that spreadsheet especially for you dear. There were way too many details and I knew that might throw you over the top that early in the morning. I'm so thankful you got up to do them...the fruits of your labor will pay off in May.

 

[sneadae]

SUNDAY, MAY 24

We decided to dedicate this entire day to Hollywood Studios and the Star Wars Weekend Event. Let's start by saying that I am not a Star Wars fan. But, being the nice wife that I am, I decided that CJ would love to be there for Star Wars weekend, and since this trip was celebrating his birthday, he should get a few wishes and suprises in there too.

In the past, I have not planned to see Star Wars weekend. Little CJ was also getting to the age where he is showing interest in Star Wars, so he too would enjoy it.

So, little A and I will just tag along and enjoy the other attractions.

Let's talk about Breakfast. Our plan is to be there at rope drop, and I will tell you why in a second. So we decided for breakfast this day we will either eat the goodies from our room, or we will grab a counter service at the resort. From past experiences, we've learned that there's not much to offer for breakfast at Hollywood Studios, so we'll grab a poptart and some fruit and be on our way.

Why do we want to be there at rope drop? Well, CJ wants to audition for American Idol and I want him to make it on the show. I don't really know if there is a strategy for making it on the show, but we are gonna try. CJ has always wanted to audition for the real thing, but now he's too old. Poor guy.

CJ can really sing. He can also play guitar. I really think he has a good shot, if he doesn't get too nervous. One time, we went on a cruise. The cruise had karaoke all week long in the lounge. Every night, one person/group was chosen to participate in the final show the last night of the cruise. It was held in the big theater. If I remember correctly, CJ was chosen for that last show...but I can't remember what he sang??? [CJ, help me out here] He did an awesome job and I remember being so proud of him. But I think he got beat by a couple of people from the UK who sang Love Shack? Or maybe it was an elderly man who sang Unchained Melodies. I can't remember...all I remember was it was kinda a big deal and it was a lot of fun. So he will be auditioning for American Idol.

 

[sneadae]

So, after we accomplish and see all that we want to see at HS, we will most certainly go back for a nap! But we have one plan that might throw a monkey wrench into our nap plans.

On this day, we have two reservations, simply because I just don't know how my kids are going to be behaving after a long day at HS. First, we have the Fantasmic Dinner Package scheduled at Mama Melrose's for 3:40 PM. This timeslot would fall directly into our nap/rest period back at the resort. So, if the kids seem like they are okay, and we can do the early ressie and then be able to see Fantasmic, we will not have a naptime. Something tells me this is NOT a good idea.

Our second option would fall after our nap/rest period. We have Dinner ressies at Chef Mickeys for at 6:50. We've never done CM dinner. So, if the kids have a melt down and/or need a nap, we'll skip F! and just go to CM for dinner. F! is not a big deal to me. I know this might make me unpopular on here, but personally, I just don't love it.

So, I'm guessing we will know right away whether we are going to make F! Dinner package or not, so the plan is to cancel the one we decide not to do. In fact, I may actually decide before we go on our trip, so it may be cancelled waaaaaay before, but either way, I promise to cancel one or the other.

We don't have any night options planned, because as I mentioned, we are leaving our evenings open to do whatever we choose. If we do F! we will hit the sack as soon as we are back in our room. I'm sure all will be exhausted.

I will leave you with a couple of photos from one of our trips last year:

This is DH stuck on It's a Small World...I think he was about to ring someone's neck

Little CJ enjoying a dole whip float!

Hubby CJ enjoying a dole whip float...

And, finally, my dole whip float...

Up next, Monday, May 25th!!

 

[shordiebecka]

Loving your pre-trip report! what a cute family you have and such a nice hubby

Your trip sounds like so much fun..I'm so nervous about calling when it's time for me to make ADR's!

 

[Disnead]

Why do we want to be there at rope drop? Well, CJ wants to audition for American Idol and I want him to make it on the show. I don't really know if there is a strategy for making it on the show, but we are gonna try. CJ has always wanted to audition for the real thing, but now he's too old. Poor guy.

CJ can really sing. He can also play guitar. I really think he has a good shot, if he doesn't get too nervous. One time, we went on a cruise. The cruise had karaoke all week long in the lounge. Every night, one person/group was chosen to participate in the final show the last night of the cruise. It was held in the big theater. If I remember correctly, CJ was chosen for that last show...but I can't remember what he sang??? [CJ, help me out here] He did an awesome job and I remember being so proud of him. But I think he got beat by a couple of people from the UK who sang Love Shack? Or maybe it was an elderly man who sang Unchained Melodies. I can't remember...all I remember was it was kinda a big deal and it was a lot of fun. So he will be auditioning for American Idol.

I think if you remember we were both up there and we sang Cheeseburger in Paradise. We got beat out by the UK people who sang Love Shack.

I'm gonna audition for the experience as long as it doesn't take too much out of my day. I dont want to spend a ton of my vacation waiting around. Nerves I dont know about. I've been on stage singing and playing my guitar in front of a lot of people more times than I can count, and I dont really get that nervous. However, I do get nervous when I am without my guitar...it just feels weird to just have a mic. Hopefully they let you choose which song to sing and not some short list of preselected songs...Anything Beatles I can sing, but Grim Grinning Ghosts...not so much.

 

[APB513]

Hi I'm enjoying your pre trip report

Sounds like you all are going to have a great time. And you are going to LOVE the Disney Cruise!! My kids are asking when can we go on another one!

 

[sneadae]

Loving your pre-trip report! what a cute family you have and such a nice hubby

Your trip sounds like so much fun..I'm so nervous about calling when it's time for me to make ADR's!

Don't be nervous...just talk fast and have all your stuff ready to go. AND, have a backup plan too!!

Thanks for reading!!

 

[sneadae]

Hi I'm enjoying your pre trip report

Sounds like you all are going to have a great time. And you are going to LOVE the Disney Cruise!! My kids are asking when can we go on another one!

I can't wait for the cruise part. I am going to wear myself OUT during the week at Disney, just so I can relax on the cruise and soak up the sun.
Glad you are enjoying our report - Thanks so much for reading!

 

[sneadae]

MONDAY MAY 25

Monday is one of my favorite days that we have planned. We are doing some new things that we haven't done before, AND, we are heading to Epcot. And I love Epcot!!

Epcot is one of my favorite parks. Why? Well, this is where I spent most of my childhood when visiting Disney. See, my parents are not big "thrill seekers" and my Dad is always looking for an educational opportunity. He thrives on knowledge and always wanted me to be exposed to things that would help me to learn and grow. They saw Magic Kingdom as one of those typical "theme parks" but Epcot as a place where we could learn as a family. Hokey, I know. And living about 15 minutes from Kings Island all my life, I guess they compared MK to KI. Even though you and I know there IS NO COMPARISON!

So, I have lots of memories at Epcot. Some of my childhood favorites were Journey to Imagination, The Land, Body Wars (which is no longer there), the "big ball" and the Mexican Pavilion ride. Every trip to Epcot, we would eat at Mexico. Okay, now everyone think back to a time when you didn't need an ADR. We literally walked up and got a table, every time, with no wait!!! Ah, those were the days. And forgive me if this offends you, but the food at Mexico then was actually good! I don't know what has happened with that.

I have some old photos of me at Epcot with my family when I was younger, but I need to scan them in. Once I scan them in, I will post.

Let's get to the plan for the day. Epcot. So our first course of action is gonna be breakfast, of course. And I am super excited for this breakfast, because we are eating at Kona! We have never eaten at Kona, but those Pineapple Macademia Nut Pancakes are calling my name. The DISNEAD'S love the sausage at the Polynesian. So Kona it is. Not to mention the Kona coffee. And since we are not morning people, we are definitely coffee drinkers!

After Kona, we will walk to TTC and hop on a monorail to Epcot. That's where we will spend the day doing Little CJ's favorites. Some of his favorites are "the fast cars" which is what he calls Test Track. He likes to ride that with his daddy. He also likes the Ellen ride, even though a couple of trips ago, that was a traumatic ride. He had to pee so bad and I didn't realize what a long ride that was. The poor kid nearly peed his pants while on the ride. CJ had to whisk him off the ride and run for the potty. So, take note: DO NOT RIDE THE ELLEN RIDE IF YOU HAVE TO GO TO THE BATHROOM!

 

[sneadae]

I just lost part of the PTR. I had finished our day at Epcot, but somehow, the window closed and I lost it. I was just getting ready to hit the post button. Stinkin Windows!!

So, I will be back later with the remainder of our Epcot day. I have to run the kids to school and babysitter and then I'm off to work. But I will have it up by the end of the night!!

Sorry!!

 

[Disnead]

He also likes the Ellen ride, even though a couple of trips ago, that was a traumatic ride. He had to pee so bad and I didn't realize what a long ride that was. The poor kid nearly peed his pants while on the ride. CJ had to whisk him off the ride and run for the potty. So, take note: DO NOT RIDE THE ELLEN RIDE IF YOU HAVE TO GO TO THE BATHROOM!

What's worse was he had JUST been potty trained. He told us that he needed to go as we were going in and sitting down....so he sat the entire 30 minutes or whatever jumping and squirming. I felt so bad for him. To this day I am surprised I didn't get peed on.

 

[mommyofknl]

Hey! Just found your PTR, love it so far! We will be at CBR May 25-31. We are super excited, it's my first trip (and our girls' first trip) and DH has only been once when he was really little. We have ADRs at Boma on Tuesday also! I think ours is around 7ish.(I'm not real sure because now that the ADRs are made, I'm not looking at that spreadsheet again until we get there! So stressful!) Anyway, maybe we'll see you there!

 

[HeatherBelle614]

Oh! I'd love to have the nerve to try out for the AI there. I hope it goes well!

The picture on IASW cracked me up!

Mmm; dole whip float! I've never tried one, but it's a must for this trip!

Keep the updates comin'!

 

[sneadae]

I'm back! Whew, what a day! So, last time you heard from me, I was getting ready to head out the door to take little man to school and little gal to the babysitters, and then I was off to work. Today was picture day at his school, and me being the bad mommy, I totally fogot. So, I decided to try and run him into Old Navy quickly to buy a new shirt and maybe some new shorts, since it was his SPRING pictures. Well, I get to Old Navy, we pick out some things, try them on, and then finally make our way to the front register. I was psyched because I had gotten in on some great sales, or so I thought. When I got the register, the items would NOT ring up with the sale price, and I got so frustrated, so I stormed out of Old Navy without a thing. And, we were out of time and he was already a minute late for school.

When I got back to school, I told the teachers I would be right back with some clothes for his pictures (YES, I WAS THE ANNOYING MOM TODAY). They said they would wait and have him go last for his picture. So off I went to get him something to wear. At first, I decided not to go to Old Navy, and that I would go to Target or somewhere else. But the more I thought about it, the more I wanted those $10 shorts. So I went in to get them. Well, wouldn't you know....the shorts, with the sign posted directly above them stating that they were $10, were not actually $10. Imagine that! So, after arguing with an employee for what seemed like forever, I took a picture of the display with my lovely cell phone camera, and told her I was gonna send a picture to the corporate office - because I felt like I had wasted a huge amount of time. Well. That changed their tune completely. They would, indeed, honor the price of $10 for the plaid shorts.

So, long story short...I got the shorts, ran them back to him at school, changed his clothes (twice, because I couldn't choose an outfit), and then back home to get to work on stuff.

There was more craziness to my day, but I'm too tired to type it tonight. Let's just say I hope tomorrow is a better day. I had a "mommy meltdown" but I'm hoping tomorrow will bring happiness

Okay, moving on with Monday, May 25....

 

[sneadae]

So, I was talking about the Ellen ride. Little CJ loves the Ellen ride, and when Ellen is on TV, he says "HEY THAT'S THE LADY FROM DISNEY!" It makes me laugh when he says that.

After we get all our rides in, we'll head back to the resort for a good nap and possibly a swim. We're getting to the point of our trip where we are going to start winding down...in other words, we are going to be wiped out. SO naps will be needed.

We have a LeCellier dinner reservation for this night. Last time we had LeCellier, I was less than impressed. We had dinner there about 2 years ago, and all I can remember is that my steak was burned. CJ got a cheese plate that he didn't care for, but he loved his steak, so who knows? Maybe it will be better this time around.

After dinner, I am really excited about seeing Illuminations. I don't think I have ever seen it! Usually by that time at night, we are so wiped out that we are on our way back to the room, but this time, I hope to be well rested and ready to watch! My hope is that in between dinner and illuminations, we can stroll around the world and catch some of the great entertainment we have missed out on. Also, I wouldn't mind walking over to the Boardwalk Bakery for some yummy treats!!

Next up, Tuesday May 26! This day will be our off day!! So, we might just stay out late and party til the wee hours of the dawn on Monday night I am really looking forward to our off day. Lots of details coming up!!!

I will leave you with some of my favorite pictures from our last trip:

This is Little Man and me in front of the tree at the American Pavilion...

Here are the kids with Santa at Downtown Disney....She doesn't like Santa either!!

And, me and the kids in front of the Mickey/Minnie Santas

Also, I will try to get those old Epcot photos scanned in so that you all can see them - they are so fun to look at!"]

 

[AlohaPolynesian]

That's so exciting about Idol! I'm a HUGE IDOL FAN! (OK, well I pretty much HATE this season so far but that's a story for another time!) You have to let me know how CJ does and how the attraction is!

 

[sneadae]

Wow! Looks like my PTR got buried. Took me forever to find it!!

I'm so sorry I've been gone so long. We had a super busy week. Lots of stress here at the Disnead's. First, we are remodeling our bathroom. So, CJ has been ripping up every little square inch of it. And, we've been tub shopping, tile shopping, and color swatching.

Last weekend, we visited the Disney Store. The closest one to us is about an hour away. We had nothing better to do that day, so we took a drive south to the Florence Mall, y'all.

WHAT A WASTE OF TIME! The Disney Store used to be magical. I used to get all giddy inside when we'd walk through the door. But now it feels so cheap and commercial. The stuff there looks like it is poorly made - especially the cheap tshirts. They have a funny look, like, short and squatty. It doesn't look like it would make a good fit for anyone. Anyway, I won't bother going back. No wonder most of them are closed. Guess I will just stick to disney shopping online.

Then...

I had a stressful week at work. I run a medium sized dance school, and I've been frantically trying to find good, qualified teachers for our Fall 2009 school year classes. Most of my staff is cutting back or taking a year off, so the new schedule has been exceptionally hard to fill. But, miracles happen!! I found what I believe will be the perfect teacher for next season.

Then, in the midst of all that, I have been so excited about our 75 day mark for the cruise. Today, we were able to login and book excursions, babysitting, and all the other cruise things we want to do!

Hang tight, I am working on Tuesday, May 26 and will post it tonight!

 

[sneadae]

Tuesday, May 26

Finally, our long awaited OFF day! I really wanted to make our off day sooner in the week (like, on Memorial Day), but I just couldn't get it to work out with our schedule. Plus, I decided that it wouldn't really matter since we would be on vacation regardless!

I'm really looking forward to having an off day. Reason being, the last several trips we have not taken one. I have no clue why. Actually, yes, I do know why. On our last trip, we were only there 4 days and then we were heading to the beach, so we didn't really need one. The trip before that, it rained EVERY SINGLE DAY - no, I don't mean just rain - I mean DOWNPOUR! We were there during Tropical Storm Faye. What was the point in an off day, when we would have to stay indoors with our crazy kids all day? Not fun. We just decided to hit the parks every day in attempt to keep our selves busy and hope that the sun would come out. I think it finally did - about the time we were boarding the plane to head home.

So, for this trip, our plan is to explore Saratoga Springs! I want to enjoy the pools, take a stroll around the lake, hit Downtown Disney, take an afternoon nap, and just chill...in general.

We have dinner reservations at Boma on this night. The reason we chose Boma is because, as you might have noticed, we have not yet planned an entire day for AK. Well, on our last several trips, I feel like we have spent MORE than enough time at AK, so I've decided that AK doesn't need an entire day devoted to it. Plus, there are only a few attractions that we enjoy there. So, the plan is - if we get bored on our relaxing day, we will head over to AK about 5 PM or so, and ride as many of our favorite attractions as possible. Some of these include: Everest (we take advantage of the single rider line), the Safari, and Dinosaur. That's pretty much it! There's not much to do there for our 2 small kids, so we are only gonna go if we feel like it AND if there is time. Our Boma ressie is at 7:15, which coincides with park closing at 7:00 PM, so this should work out well.

Let's hit the sack early on this night, because.....WE HAVE OUR FAVORITE COMING UP NEXT!!!

CHEF MICKEY'S FOR BREAKFAST ON WEDNESDAY, MAY 27 up soon!!

Also, as promised, I will be posting some old photos of the parks from the early 80's. CJ, as I type, is scanning them in for me. So look for those to be posted tonight too!

 

[sneadae]

That's so exciting about Idol! I'm a HUGE IDOL FAN! (OK, well I pretty much HATE this season so far but that's a story for another time!) You have to let me know how CJ does and how the attraction is!

I am so OVER American Idol. I used to love it, and used to watch it all the time. But they keep changing the rules and doing crazy things, and it seems so boring now. CJ still watches it though.

If it has to do with singing and/or playing guitar, CJ will take part in it! But here's the real question: If it comes down to it, will he choose AI or will he choose the Star Wars Weekend events???

 

[sneadae]

Here are a couple of those old photos:

This is me when I was about 8 years old:

And me with Figment:

And finally, my cousin and me at what is now DTD: