*The Laughing Place is Where I'm Bound! SEPT 2016 PTR* Final Update 9/10- New TR Link!!!!

[Mollydolly334]

Hello Friends!!

Welcome to my September 2016 PTR!

I just finished up my Aug/Sept 2015 TR, which you can see here: Mother-Daughter Trip of a Lifetime!! WDW August 29-Sept 3 2015

The trip report was titled "Mother-Daughter Trip of a Lifetime" because....well...it was supposed to be a once in a lifetime trip!

But, because that pixie dust worked it's magic on us, we're going back again!!!



So....Without further ado.....Let's get this show on the road!!
​

Who?

Me!

Name: Molly
Age: 21
Favorite Disney Park: Magic Kingdom
Favorite Disney Movie: Aladdin
Favorite Disney Ride: Tie between Splash Mountain and Rock n Roller Coaster
Favorite Disney Restaurant: Sci-Fi Dine In Theater
Favorite Disney Resort: Polynesian Village Resort​

Mom!

​

Name: Lori
Favorite Disney Park: Magic Kingdom
Favorite Disney Movie: Beauty and the Beast
Favorite Disney Ride: Haunted Mansion
Favorite Disney Restaurant: Coral Reef
Favorite Disney Resort: Animal Kingdom Lodge​

When?

**September 3-9 2016!!**​

Where?

Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa! (Outer Building, Garden View)

(Instagram- Credit to dicky_bettenburger)

​

Why?

1. To spend time together as mother and daughter <3
2. My college graduation present!!
​

 

[Mollydolly334]

How Did this Trip Come About??

While watching Wishes on the last night of our Aug/Sept 2015 trip, both my mom and I shed some major tears! As we were hugging, she whispered in my ear, "Don't worry Molls, we'll come back again next year."

Well, when we got back and I brought up the idea of a return trip, my mom was a bit skeptical. Her and my dad were going to Europe in September 2016, plus we were doing work on the backyard and needed to save up money for that. When I found the Magical Deals for 2016, I tried to tempt my mom again, since she is my favorite person to travel with! She explained that I can go with someone else, but she couldn't come.

So, in January, I went ahead and planned for 7 nights at the Polynesian with my best friend, Leah for August 28 - September 4 2016. We went together in 2010 with my family and stayed in a condo offsite, and that was the only time she had been to Disney, so I wanted to show her the joys of staying onsite! Plus, we also travel well together and Leah truly "gets" the Disney spirit like me and Mom. But, unfortunately, plans with her job changed and she couldn't get the time off she requested She promised that we could go September 2017 (another possible trip to look forward to, yay!), and this left me content, so I sort of forgot about a Disney trip for awhile.

That is, until I came home for spring break. When I was home, my mom informed me that her and my dad would not be traveling to Europe anymore, partially because of the recent terror attacks, partially because of our pricey new backyard setup. My mom mentioned that maybe instead of traveling to Europe, we could do Disney World as a family! This sent me into crazy planning mode!! But, things weren't going together great. My dad couldn't go on the dates we wanted, plus he has a different touring schedule than Mom and I and was worried about being too hot/tired. In the end, he decided to just let us do another mother-daughter trip, since he does a boys trip every year with his buddies to an "away" Packers game. We decided on going back to the Poly, since it is one of our favorites and we would get a great deal! Thus, our trip was on!! We quickly picked September 3-9 as our dates. We felt that 5 nights was a bit too short of a trip last time, plus if we were staying Deluxe, we wanted to take an extra day to enjoy the resort.

So, it was sold! September 3-9, 2016 at the Polynesian Village Resort! ...Or was it????

​

 

[Mollydolly334]

Resort Thoughts and Changes

We were originally planning on staying at the Poly this trip, because it was one of the cheapest Magical Deals and we know that we love this resort. All of our choices for these dates were: Beach/Yacht Clubs, Contemporary, Polynesian, and Grand Floridian.

Well, we knew that we didn't want to stay at the Beach/Yacht Clubs, since we had just stayed there the past few trips. Contemporary was ruled out since the theming doesn't appeal to us. So, it was between Polynesian and Grand Floridian, and the Poly won because of it's more relaxed theme and cheaper price.

I should have been thrilled, right?! My favorite resort for 6 nights on a mother-daughter trip!! But, I kept re-thinking our resort choice. First of all, if Leah and I went to Disney in 2017, we would definitely stay at the Poly because it is perfect for "first timers." So, would I really want to stay at the same resort two trips in a row?? Second, the GF kept pulling at my heartstrings. I couldn't help but think of how we felt when we first walked into the lobby on our last trip. Plus, the GF just screams "girls trip" and the elegant theming is to die for! Third, since the pricing for GF is so ridiculous, I felt as though we should spring for this deal because we may never get the chance to stay here again!

I brought these points out to my mom, and turns out she was secretly thinking the same thing!! So finally, on March 30th 2016, we booked our 2nd Mother-Daughter trip!! September 3-9th at the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, with 6 day park hoppers!



This is where I put my Disfriends to work!! To those who have stayed at the GF before, which is the best Outer Building to request? After looking at the maps, Big Pine Key is what I am considering right now, because we would love being close to the pool and main building! However, reviews have stated that Big Pine Key tends to be noisy. Has this been true for you? Boca Chica is also a contender! We are not sure about Sago Cay/Conch Key because of their locations; we like being in the middle of the action!

So, please let us know your opinions on the best Outer Building for a garden view room!! Any advice is appreciated!​

 

[longlostprincess]

I lurked so much on your trip report but hadn't gotten around to making an account but i finally did! Your Sept. trip sounds like it'll be great, excited to hear more!

 

[Mollydolly334]

I lurked so much on your trip report but hadn't gotten around to making an account but i finally did! Your Sept. trip sounds like it'll be great, excited to hear more!

Welcome girl!! Thanks for following among!

 

[DisneyJo]

How lovely that you're going on another Mother & Daughter trip!

I've stayed in Sago Key at the GF which was OK, we overlooked the monorail. To be honest all the rooms are pretty close to the main building so anywhere will be nice. We found you got a lovely view of the MK fireworks right by Gasparilla Grill

 

[missangelalexis]

Joining in! This sounds like it's going to be such a wonderful girls trip! Can't wait to read about more of your plans and your ADRs!

 

[Mollydolly334]

How lovely that you're going on another Mother & Daughter trip!

I've stayed in Sago Key at the GF which was OK, we overlooked the monorail. To be honest all the rooms are pretty close to the main building so anywhere will be nice. We found you got a lovely view of the MK fireworks right by Gasparilla Grill

What a great tip!! Hey, as long as I'm at the GF, I'm not complaining Thanks for reading along!

Joining in! This sounds like it's going to be such a wonderful girls trip! Can't wait to read about more of your plans and your ADRs!

Welcome, girl!! Glad to have ya

 

[jodi90]

So excited to follow along. I would love to stay at the Poky or GF

 

[Mollydolly334]

So excited to follow along. I would love to stay at the Poky or GF

Thank you so much for following along! I'm very excited

 

[Mollydolly334]

123 Days Until Disney!!!



Hello readers! I figured you guys should have an update!
Since I am still toying around with ADR times and days, those will be saved for a different day. But, I have a few real-life updates on the trip that I thought you may find amusing!

Sadly, I haven't gotten any Mickey Mail yet!! I know, terrible Last year, as soon as we booked, we received a pamphlet that said, "The ___ Family's Incredible Vacation" with a picture of the Incredibles on it! It had all of our hotel information and came with our Magical Express tags. I'm wondering if I haven't gotten it because we haven't paid in full yet, nor booked DME? But I read on other threads that some families simply never got theirs! I really hope I get one soon, that little packet was so fun to read!

In shopping news, I bought a new dress for the parks last Saturday!

Its very simple, but that's why I love it! I purchased it from Rue 21 for $17 I love wearing dresses to the parks since they are so light and airy, plus this dress was amazingly comfortable. I think that maybe I will wear this on our Epcot day! I'll be on the lookout for more comfortable dresses and rompers for Disney, and if you have any suggestions, please feel free to let me know! I'm always on the hunt for great fashion deals!!

In other news, my mom was cleaning out our storage room back home and found THIS!!!!

Talk about vintage!! She doesn't even remember buying this, but was very excited about it and couldn't wait to Snapchat me a picture! Last trip, my mom wore a fanny pack, but it became huge and heavy because we crammed so much stuff into it. We like to take lots of random things into the parks, such as hand sanitizer, baby wipes, mini sunscreen bottles, chapstick, etc. Now I'll have a fanny pack for myself too! I loooove things from the 90's, and it is Disney, so this is the most perfect bag for me ever! Plus, how cute is the Mickey head zipper?!?! I am willing to bet that Mom bought this back in 1994, when my family went while my mom was 6 months pregnant with me. (See, that's why I love Disney so much! I was exposed to it even while in the womb! )

Other than that, nothing much new around here! I'll be around soon with concrete ADR plans and food fantasies galore!

​

 

[longlostprincess]

that dress is so cute, it'll look amazing in the parks

 

[VailRaven]

Following along! We were torn between the GF and Bay Lake Towers, since we are renting DVC points. Ultimately for us we decided on BLT (love that acronym). The location to MK was too hard to resist and it'll be my DD's 6th B-day while we there, and with a 2 year old. The convenience of walking to MK and back for breaks was the deciding factor. GF seems so nice though that we may stay there for the next trip.

 

[Mollydolly334]

that dress is so cute, it'll look amazing in the parks

Thank you! Cute, cheap, and comfortable?? I'll take it!

Following along! We were torn between the GF and Bay Lake Towers, since we are renting DVC points. Ultimately for us we decided on BLT (love that acronym). The location to MK was too hard to resist and it'll be my DD's 6th B-day while we there, and with a 2 year old. The convenience of walking to MK and back for breaks was the deciding factor. GF seems so nice though that we may stay there for the next trip.

Thanks for following along and

I love the BLT acronym too BLT's rooms and views of Magic Kingdom are absolutely stunning. It is on my bucket list to rent out one of their 2 BR villas for me and all of my best friends one day! The location simply can't be beat, plus young kids always LOVE the monorail! GF is more whimsical, but still kid friendly as well with the subtle Alice in Wonderland theming!

 

[Mollydolly334]

Hello Again!

Today during a break from school, I made a list of one Disney movie to watch every week up until my trip! I have seen a few PTRs of people who have done this and I thought it was a fabulous idea! Not only will this get me in the Disney spirit, but it will split up the time and give me something to look forward to every week. I'm not sure if my mom will have enough time to watch ALL of these with me, but I'm sure she will tune into a good amount as well! I decided to start this weekly tradition the week of May 29th, because these next two weeks are pretty hectic for me. On May 14th, I am graduating college with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and a minor in Theatre Performance! Then, I am moving back home to interview for multiple jobs. The next week, I am traveling to San Antonio, Texas for 5 nights for my mother's annual work conference. Life is changing very rapidly at this point; I am both scared to death and ready to plunge into the unknown!

Most of these selections are on Netflix, and the other ones are movies that I have on DVD!
​

Week of May 29th- The Emperor's New Groove
Week of June 5th- Tarzan
Week of June 12th- 101 Dalmatians
Week of June 19th- Tangled
Week of June 26th- Cinderella
Week of July 3rd- Brother Bear
Week of July 10th- Hercules
Week of July 17th- Fantasia 2000
Week of July 24th- The Little Mermaid
Week of July 31st- Mulan
Week of August 7th- The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Week of August 14th- Lilo and Stitch
Week of August 21st- **NO MOVIE THIS WEEK** On vacation with the family in Northern WI!
Week of August 28th- Peter Pan

These are all of my choices! Overall, I was a bit disappointed because I was hoping to get some more classics on the list, like Mary Poppins, Dumbo, Lady and the Tramp, Snow White, and Sleeping Beauty. I could download them online for $20 each, but that price is too steep. I have seen a lot of the ones on my list before (All but Brother Bear and Fantasia 2000), but it will still be fun because I haven't watched some of these since I was a little kid! I'm so excited to get started with my weekly movie countdown!!

That is all I have for now! Hopefully I will be able to update you guys on my ADR plans sometime this weekend!​

 

[Raeven]

Hello Again!

Today during a break from school, I made a list of one Disney movie to watch every week up until my trip! I have seen a few PTRs of people who have done this and I thought it was a fabulous idea! Not only will this get me in the Disney spirit, but it will split up the time and give me something to look forward to every week. I'm not sure if my mom will have enough time to watch ALL of these with me, but I'm sure she will tune into a good amount as well! I decided to start this weekly tradition the week of May 29th, because these next two weeks are pretty hectic for me. On May 14th, I am graduating college with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and a minor in Theatre Performance! Then, I am moving back home to interview for multiple jobs. The next week, I am traveling to San Antonio, Texas for 5 nights for my mother's annual work conference. Life is changing very rapidly at this point; I am both scared to death and very ready to plunge into the unknown!

Most of these selections are on Netflix, and the other ones are movies that I have on DVD!
​

Week of May 29th- The Emperor's New Groove
Week of June 5th- Tarzan
Week of June 12th- 101 Dalmatians
Week of June 19th- Tangled
Week of June 26th- Cinderella
Week of July 3rd- Brother Bear
Week of July 10th- Hercules
Week of July 17th- Fantasia 2000
Week of July 24th- The Little Mermaid
Week of July 31st- Mulan
Week of August 7th- The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Week of August 14th- **NO MOVIE THIS WEEK** On vacation with the family in Northern WI!
Week of August 21st- Lilo and Stitch
Week of August 28th- Peter Pan

These are all of my choices! Overall, I was a bit disappointed because I was hoping to get some more classics on the list, like Mary Poppins, Dumbo, Lady and the Tramp, Snow White, and Sleeping Beauty. I could download them online for $20 each, but that price is too steep. I have seen a lot of the ones on my list before (All but Brother Bear and Fantasia 2000), but it will still be fun because I haven't watched some of these since I was a little kid! I'm so excited to get started with my weekly movie countdown!!

That is all I have for now! Hopefully I will be able to update you guys on my ADR plans sometime this weekend!​

We've been watching Disney movies to during our countdown! I DVR a lot of them from Freeform and the Disney channel they play them pretty frequently and they've aired Dumbo and Sleeping Beauty.

 

[missangelalexis]

Love the dress you bought! And that fanny pack is just too perfect!

What a great movie countdown you have planned! I love watching Disney movies before a trip to get pumped too.

 

[Mollydolly334]

We've been watching Disney movies to during our countdown! I DVR a lot of them from Freeform and the Disney channel they play them pretty frequently and they've aired Dumbo and Sleeping Beauty.

Thanks so much, nice tip! I didn't know that Freeform played Disney movies, will have to check that out

Love the dress you bought! And that fanny pack is just too perfect!

What a great movie countdown you have planned! I love watching Disney movies before a trip to get pumped too.

Disney movies are my fave! And thank you! My boyfriend always teases me for wearing fanny packs to theme parks

 

[Mollydolly334]

Real Life Update!!

Hello Disfriends! I thought I'd give a real-life update since my life is pretty much changing by the day! I promise I will update you on my ADRs later this week. I have two finals on Monday, one on Tuesday. After that, I have a paper due Friday, then I'm home free!!

This is how I feel about talking about Disney to people . Luckily, my mom is always up for a talk about our upcoming trip and our plans. However, with some of my other friends, as soon as I mention Disney, their eyes glaze over. My boyfriend gets sad because he says, "You're talking about all of the wonderful things I won't get to see!" All in due time, dear

I just had my last day of classes today. There were a few tears leaving the theatre one last time. The theatre and my drama friends at school have become my family these past 4 years, and I can't imagine how I would have survived college without them. I tried not to be too sad though; I will visit for multiple productions next year and I know that my friends made in theatre will last for a lifetime!

I also picked up my cap and gown in the school bookstore earlier this week. Last night, my boyfriend and I went to Michaels to pick up some craft supplies to decorate our caps! Here is how mine looks so far:

I'm also going to add this cute bow to the back! I love bows, so when I saw this I knew I had to have it. My mom is happy that I'm decorating my cap because she will be able to spot me among all of the other graduates!

One bump in the road did happen this week. Yesterday, I turned on my Macbook Pro in class to find a gray screen with a flashing question mark. Instantly worried, I took it to the tech guys on campus. They referred me to an independent store and they explained that I needed a new hard drive, costing $200 . Now, I wouldn't be so perturbed if this didn't happen to be the SECOND hard drive replacement I've needed in the 3 1/2 years of having this laptop. Seriously Apple, what is up?? The guy at the computer place explained that this happens very often and they've fixed at least two this week with the same problem. You'd think that a $1200 computer wouldn't break all the time? Anyway, it's all fixed now, just in time for finals! The specialists at the store were amazing and replaced my hard drive and transferred all of my old data in less than 24 hours! Crisis averted

Other than that, not much else is new with me! I'll be back later in the week with an update or two!!

​

 

[missangelalexis]

Your cap is looking so cute, can't wait to see it all finished!

Ah, computer troubles are always stressful! I'm glad you were able to get it fixed and didn't lose your data!