The Family That Runs Together...Vacations Together-A May 2012 PTR *5/12

[amazingact21]

Great DHS plans!

Good luck with the TSMM rush and the RnRC marathon!!

I'm hoping I don't return with too many battles scars from the TSMM madness.

If I had my choice, I'd be riding RNRC over and over again right now...

 

[amazingact21]

An Update on Our Pre-Trip Preparations:



46 days!!! The countdown is slowly, painfully creeping down, one digit at a time. Ever since our first trip in December 2010, the longest Alex and I have gone before going back to WDW was 5 months.


Our last trip there was October 2011, meaning we’ve already been waiting 5 months, and we have another month and a half!



We’re not conditioned to this kind of depravation!



Thankfully, Alex, my mom, and I are keeping busy and trying our very best to not think about May.


Alex has been working hard and keeping ready for the 5K. The other day he ran 3.1 miles in 28 minutes…just because he felt like his usual 1.5 mile run wasn’t enough.


Crazy man….

Needless to say, he’s more than ready for the Expedition Everest 5K.



I have been reading up on the exciting Disney news, several of which have made me very happy.


Number 1: All value rooms are getting fridges!!!


As soon as I saw this, I posted on my mom’s facebook wall with the link and a comment that said, “Whoooooooooooo!!!!!!!!” I’m sure people thought I’d lost my mind, but just a few weeks ago, we were debating on whether or not to take a cooler and keep it stocked with ice.


Both of us prefer liquid coffee creamer in our coffee, and we really only like the Coffee-mate brand. Most of the individual travel packets you find in the stores are International Delights, and we just couldn’t deal with them for an entire week.


So with All Star Sports getting fridges solves a big problem for us.

(After my mom saw my post, she immediately called my phone and shared in my excitement. I have officially converted her into a Disney nut.)


Even Alex joined in the fun by stating last night that he was using one of his snack credits to buy a tie-die cheesecake.


“I never use my credits until the last minute, so I’m going to buy another one and keep it in the fridge.”


He has a serious tie-die cheesecake obsession. I should probably be a little concerned…



Number 2: A few of the Fantasyland attractions have already had soft openings. The new, clockwise Dumbo, Goofy’s Barnstormer, and the train station stop. Now, Dumbo isn’t exactly a huge priority for me, but I really want to see some of the new Fantasyland.



In addition to keeping current on Disney news, I’ve also been keeping up with my 5K training.



My normal distance has been 2.4 for the past few weeks, but last Friday, Alex and I went on a 3.2 mile trek around our neighborhood.


I did it in 47:44, which is 11 minutes longer than my 5K time from last year’s race. I’m hoping this last month will push me to shaving off this extra time and hopefully improve my stamina.

As it is, I can still only run for short bursts at time (my longest is 4 minutes straight). But, the race is beginning to loom closer and closer, which will give me a good kick in the right direction. I sure as heck don’t want my time to be worse than last time.


That’d be bad…



My mom has been incredibly busy planning for the trip. We went shopping last Thursday, and I helped her buy new clothes for the trip. She bought 3 new pairs of shorts and 4 new tops. I shopped around for myself, but didn’t see anything that caught my eye. We’re still hoping to go to a big outlet mall about an hour away to do some more major purchases.


One of my favorite things about getting ready for a Disney trip is buying new outfits to wear in the parks….



My mother also made a gigantic purchase yesterday.



See…for the past year or two, she has had her car break down constantly. My parents have shoveled a total of 2 grand into repairs that just break again after a few months.


My mom was getting pretty sick of it, and she did not feel comfortable driving it down to Orlando and then around Disney.


So…she bought a new car yesterday.


Alex and I were excited, because we’re going to be the drivers while on the trip, and it’s such fun driving a new vehicle.

Hence, my justification in including it in this PTR...



She bought a 2011 Limited Edition Toyota Highlander. (Which, amusingly enough, was not a car she ever looked at.)

(Sorry about my younger brother being in the photo, I had to snag the pics from her facebook page. I actually haven’t seen the car myself other than these photos.)


The great thing about this new vehicle is that we have ample room. It’s always a challenge getting suitcases, dog cages, backpacks, laptops, camera bags, etc in Alex’s teensy tiny two-door car. With this huge SUV, I can pack only what I need for a few days in Alex’s car and drop off all my other luggage with my mom. This also means we can bring more outfits, more bags, and possibly not even have to worry about doing laundry if we don’t want to.


The girl in my mom and I are extremely excited.



I know this update lacked in a lot of pictures and intricate details pertaining to WDW, but these were just things that I felt fit in with my planning, and I wanted to share my progress. Hope it didn’t bore everyone!

 

[wakica]

NICE WHEELS!!!!
WOW!! Alex is doing GREAT with his running!!! That's an amazing time
Your doing well too though I'm discovering that i am still having troubles with outside running so I know I'd be well over your time to get the whole 5K in and I can't run longer than one song outside (so 3 - 4 min) wheras inside i could go like 10 and 20 min at a time. Need to work on my pacing or something. I think I push myself harder outside which is NOT good for my lungs.

That IS great news that they are getting fridges in the Values. It's about time they figured that out. People have been bringing their own fridges in for like how long now???? And people pick value for a reason - being they need to do the trip economically. it's not like they can fit all their meals in there either so it's nice they have finally caught on! Are they upping the prices too now?

 

[teekathepony]

Hooray for 46 days!
Value rooms are getting fridges? That's awesome!
I was pouring over the new Fantasyland pictures the other day and drooling. Dumbo isn't particularly my thing either, but they made it gorgeous!
Sounds like you're doing well with your training! I'm happy to say I'm making some slow progress myself.
Congrats to your mom on the new car!!

 

[MEK]

Great progress with your runs! I know just want you need to keep the motivation going - a new pair of running shoes. I just bought a new pair yesterday and they are uber comfy. I can't wait to try them out.

Woo hoo for having brand new transportation to take you to the World! That's really awesome!

 

[amazingact21]

NICE WHEELS!!!!
WOW!! Alex is doing GREAT with his running!!! That's an amazing time
Your doing well too though I'm discovering that i am still having troubles with outside running so I know I'd be well over your time to get the whole 5K in and I can't run longer than one song outside (so 3 - 4 min) wheras inside i could go like 10 and 20 min at a time. Need to work on my pacing or something. I think I push myself harder outside which is NOT good for my lungs.

That IS great news that they are getting fridges in the Values. It's about time they figured that out. People have been bringing their own fridges in for like how long now???? And people pick value for a reason - being they need to do the trip economically. it's not like they can fit all their meals in there either so it's nice they have finally caught on! Are they upping the prices too now?

I've heard running on treadmills can be really different than running outside. At least you're giving yourself plenty of time to make the transition.

Hooray for 46 days!
Value rooms are getting fridges? That's awesome!
I was pouring over the new Fantasyland pictures the other day and drooling. Dumbo isn't particularly my thing either, but they made it gorgeous!
Sounds like you're doing well with your training! I'm happy to say I'm making some slow progress myself.
Congrats to your mom on the new car!!

I was pretty happy when I saw the fridge news. I pick my resorts more on convience at this time in my life, and I like knowing that now I'll have a fridge if I stay in a value. It's kind of hard to believe they took this long in getting them.
The new Fantasyland looks so nice. I remember seeing a picture of the bathrooms and going, "Ooooh!" alex thought I'd lost my mind.

Great progress with your runs! I know just want you need to keep the motivation going - a new pair of running shoes. I just bought a new pair yesterday and they are uber comfy. I can't wait to try them out.

Woo hoo for having brand new transportation to take you to the World! That's really awesome!

New running shoes are nice. I wish I could get a new pair, but I just bought the ones I have 6 weeks ago. I think DH would freak if I spent another 100 on new ones.

 

[amazingact21]

Oh man oh man.
I just came back from my Monday run around the neighborhood. Currently, it’s 77° outside, but with that bright Florida sun shining down, it felt like it was a hundred degrees.


I know we had a warm winter, and all, but I’m starting to really nervous about Orlando in May. We were spoiled last year with temps that reached mid-80s all week. I am not conditioned to doing the parks when it’s extremely hot out. I tend to get cranky when the weather is stifling.

Fingers crossed this heat doesn’t cause trouble on my trip!



Day 4 Plans

Monday, May 7th:


With Magic Kingdom having Extra Magic Hours the night before, I figure we’ll be getting to sleep pretty late, so I chose to do a park that opened a little later for today.



Epcot!

As soon as we drive over and go through the ticket area, the three of us will go get Soarin’ Fastpasses and hopefully ride standby one time.

My mom is really excited to try this attraction out. She went parasailing in the Keys a few years back, and when I described Soarin’ to her, it brought memories her adventure back. She even asked if we could go on it more than once!


I’m taking her asking for multiple rides before she’s even tried it as a good sign.


And, I mean, it’s Soarin’ it’s hard NOT to want to go on it over and over again.


(Isn’t the soundtrack for it so relaxing? I find myself listening to it if I need a few minutes of calm in my day.)


Unfortunately, my mother’s favorite Disney ride will be down for refurbishments while we’re there. (Test Track) She was disappointed with that piece of news, but I’m looking at it as a chance (to see how high Soarin’ standby wait times will “soar”) to take her on some of the less popular rides.


I’m sure we’ll do Mission Space once and for sure Maelstorm when it opens, but I am also excited to go through Nemo and visit the aquarium again.


While we’re waiting for World Showcase to open, we’ll do a bit of shopping in MouseGears, stop by Club Cool, maybe let Alex go on Sum of all Thrills.

And, of course, admire the Flower and Garden Festival!

We have a 12:55 lunch reservation at Coral Reef, and none of us have ever eaten here before. A new experience for all of us. Originally, I’d planned to eat at Teppan Edo, but I wasn’t too excited about this meal, so I decided to pick a new place that Alex would love, since this will be his last day with us.


After lunch, depending on the heat and our moods, we’ll either stay for a bit longer, or we’ll head back to the resort for some pool time.




Whenever we feel like we’re ready to head back to the parks, the 3 of us are going to dump Alex’s bags in his car and drive over to the Beach Club and eat dinner at…


Beaches and Cream!

Alex and I enjoyed this so much last year, that we just knew we had to it again.

The ice cream here is some of the best we’ve tasted (and trust me, we’re experts on the stuff). And, we’re going to do something I would only do on vacation…


Eat a very light dinner and fill up on…


The kitchen sink.

I know this thing is a monster, and I don’t honestly think we’re going to finish it all, but man, we sure are going to enjoy trying.


For awhile, I figured we would order a No Way Jose and a Milky Way Sundae and split it three ways, but then I thought if we were going to get 2 separate ones, we might as well get the Kitchen Sink and spend a little less. I am guessing we’ll order two dinner items, probably the burger and the chicken sandwich just so we have some decent food in our bellies before we pile sugar and chocolate and whip cream into it.


I know it’s terrible, but I am so looking forward to eating this. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve been in the middle of my runs and have been about ready to quit, and this dessert pops into my head and reminds me why I’m exercising 30+ minutes a day.


It’s probably the wrong incentive to use to work out, but hey, whatever gets me going…


My only worry is…I’m allergic to strawberries, and I know they use strawberry ice cream as one of the components. We’ll only be able to order this if they can make it without the strawberries. Anyone have any experience with being able to remove a staple item like an ice cream flavor off the Kitchen Sink?



Once we roll out of the restaurant, Alex and I will show my mom the Beach Club and take in its beauty. I hope we get there around the same time we did last year, where we get to watch the sun set behind the bright buildings. It’s a beautiful sight to take in.

After we feel like we can breathe again, we’ll drive over to Hollywood Studios for the night. The park has evening EMH from 9 to 12.


I know my mom enjoyed Fantasmic! the last time she saw it, so I am going to do my best to go to it this night. Alex and I went to it on our December trip and enjoyed it; I think we won’t mind watching it again.

After the show’s over, I’ll want to head over to Rock N Roller Coaster and go on it at least once.


I think my mom will want to wait in line for TSM, but I’m only going to do it if she absolutely loves it. I just don’t think the attraction is worth a 60+ minute wait.


We’ll stay until either we’ve had enough or Alex starts getting tired. Outside of the park, Alex will say his goodbyes and get in his car and drive the 45 minutes to his parent’s house. My mom and I will take the bus back to the resort.


I’ll admit, it’s going to be a little weird having Alex leave Walt Disney World while I’m still there. I cannot wait to get some quality mother/daughter time, but I’m also afraid I’m going to catch myself going, “Alex loves when we do this ride at night,” or “I think Alex would like eating here.”


The worst part about him not being there is going to be not having his amazing sense of direction. (Excluding race day morning last year.) He has NEVER needed a map in the parks. Not even when it was his very first visit. And he can just jump in the car and get us to a park or resort with little help from the GPS.


I’m going to get my mom so lost later on in the week…



I am TERRIBLE with directions. I’ve been to Disney World 3 times in the last year, and I still could not get from Test Track to Soarin’ without help. (I got lost on my way to my stateroom one night on our cruise. THAT was embarrassing.) Add that to the fact that I have poor eyesight at night, and my mom and I are in for some fun car rides.


I can see us spending 30 minutes driving around Disney, looking for All Star Sports….


And yes, I know we can take the bus, but I hate how long they take and the fight for seats and waiting in the sun for one to roll up, only to discover it’s not the bus you need. I like being able to get in my car and go…



Well, there’s our plans for that Monday. A pretty easy-going day, in my mind. I’ll probably have to call it “The One Where Alicia Stuffs Her Face and Goes Into an Ice Cream Coma” on my TR, but I think it’ll be worth it.



I really want to get that movie theme night posted, but I STILL haven’t dug up that memory card. Which is sad seeing as Alex and I are hoping to do another movie night on Wednesday. This one is going to be Lilo & Stitch!

 

[PirateKate]

I actually had mixed feelings about the refrigerators going in the values. Of course, when you're at a value resort, it's great. But the fridge at the moderates was always one of my key arguments when convincing Jeremy that the values wouldn't do. Once the values get queen beds there'll be no argument left!

I hope the weather is nice for you all. There is a certain level of heat at Disney World that makes everything uncomfortable, but hopefully it can stay in the mid eighties.

I think the Kitchen Sink is an excellent running motivator. I hope they can leave the strawberries out for you. It seems like the sort of thing they could do.

 

[MHTeacher]

Fantasmic is one of our favorites! We never miss it!

Last trip when we stayed at Beach Club, we had a Kitchen Sink one afternoon. There are five of us, and we weren't able to finish it off-but we sure enjoyed trying! I'm not sure about leaving out an ingredient, but Disney is usually good about working around food allergies for people.

 

[pinkxray]

I just read on a trip report that you are able to leave off items in the Kitchen sink. In the TR, they left off certain sauces and a flavor of ice cream they didn't like

I love Fantasmic, especially when the boat full of characters comes out

 

[teekathepony]

Yay for Epcot day! Soarin' is my favourite ride I think. (It changes every few days!)
I would love to try a Kitchen Sink, but if we go the two of us wouldn't come close to finishing it! (Also, I don't think ice cream is a bad motivation for running! ) Disney is always so accommodating, I'm sure they would be able to make it without the strawberry sauce.
I usually have a terrible sense of direction and my DH has a great one, but for some reason in Disney we switch! I have a Disney map in my head.

 

[amazingact21]

I actually had mixed feelings about the refrigerators going in the values. Of course, when you're at a value resort, it's great. But the fridge at the moderates was always one of my key arguments when convincing Jeremy that the values wouldn't do. Once the values get queen beds there'll be no argument left!

I hope the weather is nice for you all. There is a certain level of heat at Disney World that makes everything uncomfortable, but hopefully it can stay in the mid eighties.

I think the Kitchen Sink is an excellent running motivator. I hope they can leave the strawberries out for you. It seems like the sort of thing they could do.

I didn't even think about the fridges doing that to the moderates. I bet there are a lot of people that now have that same problem with their DHs or DWs.

Fantasmic is one of our favorites! We never miss it!

Last trip when we stayed at Beach Club, we had a Kitchen Sink one afternoon. There are five of us, and we weren't able to finish it off-but we sure enjoyed trying! I'm not sure about leaving out an ingredient, but Disney is usually good about working around food allergies for people.

I'm hoping Disney will work with us on the food allergy. They're so good about everything else, I don't see why they wouldn't.

Fantsamic is a good show, and I think it's especially nice during the summer.

I just read on a trip report that you are able to leave off items in the Kitchen sink. In the TR, they left off certain sauces and a flavor of ice cream they didn't like

I love Fantasmic, especially when the boat full of characters comes out

Awesome! Thanks for letting me know! Now I don't have to stress about possibly missing the Kitchen Sink!

Yay for Epcot day! Soarin' is my favourite ride I think. (It changes every few days!)
I would love to try a Kitchen Sink, but if we go the two of us wouldn't come close to finishing it! (Also, I don't think ice cream is a bad motivation for running! ) Disney is always so accommodating, I'm sure they would be able to make it without the strawberry sauce.
I usually have a terrible sense of direction and my DH has a great one, but for some reason in Disney we switch! I have a Disney map in my head.

I don't think even having 3 people will make much of a dent in the Sink, but I don't see the point in ordering 2 different sundaes, and I can't see 1 being enough for us. I think it'll be fun to test it out and just see how much we can get through.

A Disney map in your head must be nice!

 

[MEK]

I've been to Florida the last two years in May and while it was warm, it wasn't horrible. And remember - when I hit 80 degrees in May I am usually coming for 50 or 60 degree weather. I think you will be OK unless its June HOT!

This summer I'm going in June. 3 years ago I sad I would neve go in June again because of the heat.

Your Epcot plans sound great. I am anxious to try a Coral Reef lunch. Some of the food I've seen on some of the other TRs looks so darn good. Yum! It's also possible I may do it on our last night at the world in June.

 

[wakica]

Your Epcot Day sounds GREAT!! Our first ride at Epcot will be Soarin too but for me it'll be in the Fast Pass line while DD and DH ride it. it made me nauseous last time. Not sure though if I should take something for it and just ride it?? Or just avoid it?? I'll figure it out sooner or later I guess.

and HEY! I'm ALL for rewarding running with TREATS!!!! I find it's my best reward. LOL. As a matter of fact this is a picture I have on my pinterest board wish list....

It's true you know - i like to run b/c it justifies my eating dessert more well, that and the fact that I want to run in a 5K race in WDW!!!

 

[amazingact21]

I've been to Florida the last two years in May and while it was warm, it wasn't horrible. And remember - when I hit 80 degrees in May I am usually coming for 50 or 60 degree weather. I think you will be OK unless its June HOT!

This summer I'm going in June. 3 years ago I sad I would neve go in June again because of the heat.

Your Epcot plans sound great. I am anxious to try a Coral Reef lunch. Some of the food I've seen on some of the other TRs looks so darn good. Yum! It's also possible I may do it on our last night at the world in June.

It would take a lot for me to intentionally plan a WDW trip in June. I know the heat doesn't bother some people, and when I'm back home on the beach, I love it, but I just don't do well walking around sweating under the sun.

I'm very curious to try Coral Reef and see if it's as good as all the reviews say it is.

Your Epcot Day sounds GREAT!! Our first ride at Epcot will be Soarin too but for me it'll be in the Fast Pass line while DD and DH ride it. it made me nauseous last time. Not sure though if I should take something for it and just ride it?? Or just avoid it?? I'll figure it out sooner or later I guess.

and HEY! I'm ALL for rewarding running with TREATS!!!! I find it's my best reward. LOL. As a matter of fact this is a picture I have on my pinterest board wish list....

It's true you know - i like to run b/c it justifies my eating dessert more well, that and the fact that I want to run in a 5K race in WDW!!!

That bottle is awesome!!!! That's definitely my motto.

Taking chances like riding something you know has made you ill in the past can be risky. I know I did that with MissionSpace once and regretted it. And I think there's so many other things to see in Epcot that skipping it wouldn't be the end of the world. But, then again, I know it must be a little frustrating reading everyone else rave about it and not sharing that sentiment.

 

[amazingact21]

Okay,this has absolutely nothing to do with my May trip; I just wanted to ask my readers.


Say you were wanting to go to Walt Disney World in December. It wouldn't be a huge trip, just a chance to see the holiday decorations and spend time with a loved one. Maybe eat at one table service restaurant.


What moderate resort would choose to stay at???

(I understand everyone has their favorites, and that a lot of it has to do with personal preference, I'm just curious as to what is people favorite mod.)

 

[UGAFan0829]

Hands down, no doubt about it, my choice would be Port Orleans Riverside!

 

[pinkxray]

I have only stayed at POR but after staying there have pretty much no desire to stay at any other moderate. It would be perfect for a x-mas trip

 

[MHTeacher]

What moderate resort would choose to stay at???

We've only stayed at two---Coronado Springs and Port Orleans Riverside. We stayed at CSR years before the last rehab, but I really think the new rooms are beautiful and relaxing looking. The grounds were beautiful.

POR is beautiful as well. It's a very peaceful resort, and I think the theme is carried out better. We've stayed in both sections--the mansions and the alligator bayou. Everyone always says the boat to DTD is such a perk, but personally I believe I can walk faster than that boat, so that little perk doesn't impress me much!

I will say that the food court at POR wins hands down for me!

 

[Nermel9]

I think we're going to be at Epcot that day too! I forget though...we might be at MK that morning, I don't remember! But we'll definitely be at DHS for magic hours that night, however, no Fantasmic for us, just lots and lots of Tower of Terror and RnRC!

For a moderate resort during a Christmas trip, I'd either go with POFQ or POR. I'd probably lean a little more towards POR, just because of the new Royal rooms, but if you just want a standard room, I'd go with POFQ. The other 2 are nice, but I like to stay in resorts that kind of fit the time of year that I'm going (doesn't always work out that way!) so for me, CBR and CSR just aren't Christmasy. However, POR and POFQ definitely seem like they could be! Especially in a Royal Room! (Ok, I'm just obsessed with the Royal Rooms, sorry! )