The life of a planner is full of tough choices, isn't it? A February 2017 PTR

[MamaMeggie]

Hi Everyone! Welcome to my PTR. You'll have to bear with me since this is my very first report of any kind and this will only be my second Disney trip as an adult, so I am by no means an expert. However, I love love to read about everyone else's plans and I thought writing this might be a good way to focus my plans, which are all over the place right now.

So, here it goes! I'm Megan, mom to Will (age 8) and Caroline (age 7) and wife to Travis. We are both over 30, enough said

Our first trip to Disney was for Caroline's 5th birthday in May 2014. We stayed for 5 nights at Port Orleans Riverside. Overall it was a really great trip, other than when I panicked when my plans were not working out in reality like I imagined in my head. Oops. Luckily I managed not to scar the children for life and they have been asking about a return trip for months now.

Although DH firmly maintained that we would be going on ONE family trip to Disney, I knew that we would return one day when both kids were old enough to go on all the rides - plus we can't go on one birthday trip and not go for the other kid's! I can imagine the life long griping now.

So, in March of this year I pointed out that February 2017 would be our best chance for several years for going over Will's birthday (it's frequently over President's Day and I knew I didn't want to go then), and he agreed that this was true and we should do it. "But this will be the last trip, right?" Yes, dear, of course.

Then real life happened and we had a ton of extra expenses over the summer so I didn't even want to bring up a Disney trip. Finally we were about 187 days out from the dates I was thinking of, so I had to mention it again. And he still agreed! We may be eating a lot of rice and beans til February, but it will be worth it. Plus I told him we could rent DVC points and potentially save some dollars that way.

So, I filled out a form for DVC rental, thinking that since we were past both the 11 month mark and the 7 month mark that we may be out of luck. But we were lucky! We are staying at the Polynesian from Feb. 9th through the 14th, woohoo!!

Now, to figure out how to add pictures to these posts....

 

[MamaMeggie]

OK, let's see if I can add some introductory pictures.

We happened to arrive during Star Wars weekend for our first trip, so our very first character meal was with Leia Minnie and friends. It was a really good first impression. The characters were fabulous and the food was a lot better than we were expecting (especially the lobster mac and cheese, mmmm).


Another highlight was Crystal Palace. We had a PPO reservation, and this *may* have been when my freak out happened. [which was really not my fault, I just wanted the perfect picture in front of the castle without crowds. That's all.] Anyway, once we made it to breakfast and I changed Caroline out of a princess dress behind our table, it was great. These characters are my favorite, and the kids had fun too.


Here's most of the family on the teacups:


On Caroline's birthday we went to dinner in the castle. Definitely the perfect setting for a 5th birthday, and the princesses were lovely, but this was my least favorite service-wise of the trip.

I have realized that I don't actually have a picture of myself on this trip on this computer. Thank goodness for Memory Maker (although those aren't on this computer). Here's a random non-Disney pic of me and Caroline from this spring.

So, that's us!

 

[MamaMeggie]

Since we were just over 6 months out when we booked the trip, I was feeling pretty behind. I only had a few days to decide on our ADRs!! The stress!!

I don't know about y'all, but I'm finding it harder to plan this trip than our last one. I feel like there are a lot more unknown factors this time. Should I plan an evening in Animal Kingdom? Will we be able to see the Star Wars fireworks every night? Who knows??

So, my ADR day arrived and I decided to have some alternatives some days. Here's the current plan:
Thursday, Feb 9th - drive in from Mississippi. We'll order Ohana room service. [side note - Ohana was DH's favorite meal on our last trip and he requested to eat here every night. I am not kidding.]
Friday, Feb 10th - Boma at 7:30, assuming Animal Kingdom will close at 6.
Saturday, Feb 11th - dinner at Ohana at 7:20 [you're welcome, DH]
Sunday, Feb. 12th - breakfast at BOG at 8am, then dinner at Epcot. I have Akershus booked for 8:10, but I think I'll probably switch this to Garden Grill.
Monday, Feb. 13th (Will's 9th birthday!) - dinner at SciFi at 5:00, and hopefully Star Wars fireworks that night, maybe with the dessert party
Tuesday, Feb. 14th - breakfast at BOG at 8am. Start drive home in the afternoon.

I secretly would like to eat in the castle again, especially during the fireworks. But I'm not sure what night I'd fit it in, plus there are so many places we haven't tried.

 

[MamaMeggie]

Surprise, Surprise!!

Our first trip was a complete surprise for the kids. At the time, they were in PK4 and Kindergarten, and we picked them up a few minutes early from school the day we were leaving to drive halfway to Orlando from Mississippi. DH and I hid in an office off of the reception area, and when both kids arrived at the front desk we popped out with a bunch of Disney balloons for the surprise. This fell a little flat, maybe because I didn't really have a good plan on what to say when we popped out and they were kind of confused. See the confused look still remaining outside?


After changing into comfy clothes, the excitement began to set in:

This trip will also be a surprise, but it will be their Christmas present so they'll know for about 5-6 weeks that we are going. Who has given a trip for Christmas before? Any suggestions?? I've been looking on Etsy for a cute countdown calendar, but I'm not sure how to approach the surprise. Another factor is that both still believe in Santa, so we'll need some Santa gifts out as well. Hmmm. Maybe Santa loves Mickey and sometimes gives trips!

 

[Dreamport]

Hey there, Megan! Fellow February Diser along for the ride. Your kids are the perfect age for Disney magic and the whole family looks adorable! I love how your little guy dressed as Prince Charming for his sister's birthday meal at the castle. Riverside is my dream resort to stay at someday. How was it?

We haven't given a trip as a Christmas gift, but did as an anniversary one. My parents just got a card with the itinerary printed out, a Mater sticker and him saying his "I'm happier than a tornado" line since we'd saved enough to take our folks to the Cars Suites (it was a thank you for all the vacations we'd taken as kids). Christmas, though.... My father (er, Santa...) did make me go on a scavenger hunt one Christmas morning and at the end was Disney dollars. Scrooge McDuck had apparently left some treasure which took DSis and I all around the house (as 20-something adults, mind you). Maybe you could do something like that? Buzz and Woody left something in one of their rooms, Randall took it through their closet to the kitchen cabinet where Remy took it away but dropped it in the sink; Dory/Nemo something with the pipes... no idea why I'm going with all Pixar characters. End with Lilo & Stitch (or Moana & Maui if they're popular enough) since you're staying a the Poly!

 

[cmarsh31]

Christmas sounds like a great surprise/present! We'll be there during the dreaded President's Week but with older kids, school vacations are the way to go!

 

[ariane37]

Hi Megan Been meaning to get over here but school just started this week so it's been a little nuts. Love the pictures from your last trip, and that Prince Charming outfit on Will I also love the shirts they're wearing on the teacups. We've never surprised our kids but it sounds so fun! Congrats on getting the Poly less than 7 months out, too; we've rented points many times and it does get difficult after that mark. ADR's look good also; looking forward to hearing more!

 

[MamaMeggie]

Hey there, Megan! Fellow February Diser along for the ride. Your kids are the perfect age for Disney magic and the whole family looks adorable! I love how your little guy dressed as Prince Charming for his sister's birthday meal at the castle. Riverside is my dream resort to stay at someday. How was it?

We haven't given a trip as a Christmas gift, but did as an anniversary one. My parents just got a card with the itinerary printed out, a Mater sticker and him saying his "I'm happier than a tornado" line since we'd saved enough to take our folks to the Cars Suites (it was a thank you for all the vacations we'd taken as kids). Christmas, though.... My father (er, Santa...) did make me go on a scavenger hunt one Christmas morning and at the end was Disney dollars. Scrooge McDuck had apparently left some treasure which took DSis and I all around the house (as 20-something adults, mind you). Maybe you could do something like that? Buzz and Woody left something in one of their rooms, Randall took it through their closet to the kitchen cabinet where Remy took it away but dropped it in the sink; Dory/Nemo something with the pipes... no idea why I'm going with all Pixar characters. End with Lilo & Stitch (or Moana & Maui if they're popular enough) since you're staying a the Poly!

We really liked Riverside! When we booked I was hoping for one of the rooms with the Murphy bed so we could spread out sleeping a bit more, but that didn't work out and we were just fine. I can't remember now in which building we were, but it was very close to the bus stop and a nice stroll through the gardens to the pool and main building. The kids adored the pool with the water slide. It was just a very nice, peaceful setting. I would recommend it! We had our car and probably drive half the time and took the buses half the time, and we didn't have any issues with the transportation at all.

I love the scavenger hunt idea! DH will do that occasionally for presents, so he would get really into that!

 

[MamaMeggie]

Christmas sounds like a great surprise/present! We'll be there during the dreaded President's Week but with older kids, school vacations are the way to go!

Yes, when they get older I can definitely understand not taking them out of school. Will's in third grade and I'm a bit nervous about missing what will likely be 5 days. I'm going to promise their teachers to include lots of learning opportunities . Epcot is basically science/social studies/history all rolled into one, yes?!

 

[MamaMeggie]

Hi Megan Been meaning to get over here but school just started this week so it's been a little nuts. Love the pictures from your last trip, and that Prince Charming outfit on Will I also love the shirts they're wearing on the teacups. We've never surprised our kids but it sounds so fun! Congrats on getting the Poly less than 7 months out, too; we've rented points many times and it does get difficult after that mark. ADR's look good also; looking forward to hearing more!

I'm jealous that school just started for y'all. Growing up I always started the Tuesday after Labor Day so I'm always shocked when back to school is early August. It's still summer!

My mom made that shirt for him, and I'm wondering if I can get him into a similar one on this trip. The princesses just loved it, and he in turn ate up the attention - when I asked him recently what his favorite thing from our trip was, he said eating at the castle .

I've been working on daily plans here and there - this week has been a nightmare, but I can't wait to get some feedback on plans. And I bet I'm way behind on your dining report! I'll have to get all caught up this weekend since Monday we are starting a strict diet and I won't be able to read about food without throwing my iPad across the room.

 

[MamaMeggie]

So, I've been a terrible pre-trip reporter, but I have been keeping up with other reports on the Dis and news and such. We are now less than 3 weeks out, SQUEAL!

As I said before, we planned to give the kids the trip as their main Christmas present. I stacked and wrapped 2 giant boxes (I did NOT expect that to take so long on Christmas Eve, but luckily we didn't have anything else to put together). Inside, way on the bottom, I put countdown stickers and a countdown calendar that I made, 2 travel games, and a Disney guidebook and Disney maps. Thanks @yulilin3 !! For the surprise aspect, we got several white and silver balloons and I wrote one or two words on each one: "Caroline and Will" "You" "Are" "Going" "To" "Disney World", then when they ripped the paper off the top the balloons popped out and they had to put the words in order for the message.


They figured it out pretty quickly and were excited - altogether it was a better surprise than last time, plus they've enjoyed talking about it since then.

 

[yulilin3]

YAY!!!! love surprises

 

[MamaMeggie]

And now, on to the plans!!

We will leave around 2:30 on Wednesday the 8th to drive from MS to Orlando. Our flight options are terrible (for anything direct we'd have to drive 3 hours north or south, or 4 hours east), and we don't have any budget options like Southwest or Frontier. Therefore, driving is really our best option - plus I get to pack whatever I want, we have a car while we're there, and we can visit my grandparents in Gainesville on the way back. The drive is between 10 and 11 hours, and I'm hoping to get 8 hours done on Wednesday, so that we can get up bright and early on Thursday and make it to Orlando in less than 3 hours.

Day 1: Thursday
Ideally, we'll drive into the parking lot at the Poly before 11. I'm sure our room won't be ready, but we can grab lunch somewhere and explore. Possibly let the kids swim if it's a nice day.
I made fast passes at Magic Kingdom for the afternoon. Originally they were all on the same side of the park (Big Thunder, Pirates, and Jungle Cruise), but the kids have asked numerous times if we have passes for the Mine Train, so I switched JC with that, and we'll just trek across the park. We don't actually need a fast pass for 7DMT, since we'll be riding it for sure later in the week, but that's a birthday surprise so I didn't want to explain.
So, FPs are: 2:00 - Big Thunder Mountain RR; 3:00 - Pirates of the Caribbean; and 4:05 - Mine Train

We are planning on ordering Ohana room service for dinner back at the Poly that night and then watching fireworks from the beach.. . . BUT I realized I don't have a night planned in MK at all, so I may make everyone hop on the monorail after dinner so we can see the castle projection show. We'll see how tired everyone is.

 

[MamaMeggie]

Friday, Day 2

This is where y'all will begin to see my packing as much in instinct to kick in. If you think I'm being ridiculous, speak up!

There are EMH from 8-9 at MK this morning, so my plan is be at MK in Fantasyland and Tomorrowland for that hour, then at 10 (or whatever time is closest to 10) take the Express Bus to Animal Kingdom.

We have a 10:45 reservation at Tusker House, and I believe the bus drops us off relatively close to the restaurant. If it's still running in 3 weeks, I think my plan can work! Obviously if they stop it everything is ruined. RUINED!
I made our FPs for AK this day and am planning on spending all day here.
11:55 - Safari; 3:20 - Everest; 5:30 - Festival of the Lion King

I'd like to see the Tree of Life awakening (I'm sure that's pretty much all that will be happening that night, ha), and then we will catch a bus to Animal Kingdom Lodge for dinner at Boma at 7:30. Then we'll probably uber back to the Poly.

 

[MamaMeggie]

Quiet morning here so rest of plans in one post. I'm all alone, drinking coffee, thinking about vacation. Yay!

Saturday, Day 3
I'm planning on being at Epcot most of the day today and taking advantage of the International Festival of the Arts. I'm so excited to try food from the booths, seeing different artists around the world, and taking the animation class.
Schedule: arrive at park at 8:30 (park opens at 9) and head to Test Track first. We don't have a FP for Test Track since I picked FEA one day and Soarin' our other Epcot afternoon.
FPs are:
9:10 - Mission Space, then 11:45 - FEA and 1:35 - Spaceship Earth. They are ideal since it's kind of back and forth but I had to take what I could get for FEA! I'm planning on using Mission Space toward the beginning of the hour, then FEA toward the end of the hour. And we may not even use the Spaceship Earth one since we can probably go on that whenever we want.
Lunch will be festival booths before FEA, and possibly a quick stop at a CS for the kids in Mexico. And I definitely need an avocado margarita after reading so much about them from @ariane37 !
We'll wander after visiting Anna, Elsa, and Olaf - our last trip Epcot was our melt down day and we spent exactly ZERO time in most of the countries. I want to visit some characters, get some treats, and explore.
After a couple of hours (again depending on the Feb weather) we'll head back to the Poly to slide down a volcano

We have dinner at Ohana at 7:20. Wishes is at 9, so we may end up watching during dessert.

Sunday, Day 4
We have a PPO breakfast at BOG at 8am. I've been reading a lot about the new opening procedures and people cancelling PPO reservations, but it's our only meal in the Beast's castle this trip so I'm keeping it. The only thing that irritates me is that they are letting everyone in at the same time with reservations before 9, but they may always have done that? I'm planning on a quick castle picture, then heading to eat, and hopefully getting towards the front of the line at whatever headliner the kids want, then getting in rides we didn't do on Friday morning, plus a visit to Liberty Square to see the Muppets.
Then, we'll hop on the Express bus to Epcot for lunch and our FPs:
1:10 - Soarin'; 2:10 - Pixar Shorts; 3:35 - the Seas with Nemo

We have a princess dinner at Akershus at 6:50. I'd really like to move this a bit because it's not at a good time to fit in one of the Broadway shows. No luck yet, but we'll see.
Illuminations is at 9. I'd like to see this since I've never seen it, but we have ALL early mornings and may be worn out at this point.

Monday, Day 5
Will's Birthday!! Star Wars focus today May the Force Be With Will!
We'll arrive as early as early as possible to get in line to sign up for Jedi Training. I have a PPO breakfast booked at H&V, but I think I'm going to cancel because my kids are past being interested in those characters.
FPs are:
9:30 - Star Tours; 11:15 - TSMM; 1:05 - Tower of Terror (we'll see if we all actually get on this!)

We have a 5pm dinner at Sci Fi, then we'll head over to get a spot to watch the Star Wars show.

Tuesday, Day 6
Surprise!! Extra Magic Morning! We'll head over to MK and ride the mine train as many times as the kids want, as long as I get a couple of rides on Pooh

We have to drive home today , but I'd like to stroll through Epcot quickly since it's Valentine's Day and I'd like to see the princesses with their princes. We'll see what DH allows . . .

We have to stop in Gainesville for a quick visit to my grandparents, so that will also add time to the drive and I think he'll be antsy.

 

[MamaMeggie]

Ok, what is left to do?
Luckily I read @StarWarsMomofGirls! report yesterday and remembered about Tinkerbell gifts. I won't do this every day, but it will be fun a few nights. And I discovered that the Disney Store is having a sale for 40% off some toys for a couple of days!
Finalize clothes. I feel like we'll need a lot of options since it could be 78 degrees or 48 degrees.
Buy memory maker. Love having a lot of whole family pics!
Possibly order some things from Amazon to deliver to the Poly. We'll need some breakfast options in the room for early mornings.
Make (more) lists - shows and rides we don't want to miss but don't have FPs for, and CS and snack options so we use all our credits.
What else??? I'm sure there's more to be done!!

 

[ariane37]

YES! I'm glad the avocado margarita is on your schedule I hope you enjoy is as much as I do!

I'm jealous you get to experience the Festival of the Arts, they announced it when we were down there over Thanksgiving and right away I Thought it sounded so neat. I hope you do a TR when you return!

Are they definitely having the Princes meet with their Princesses in Epcot on Valentine's Day? I love that! We were there for Valentines Day in 2014 but that didn't happen

 

[MamaMeggie]

I love love avocado, so I am positive that I will!
I've been reading reports about it and drooling over festival menus. Our first trip was during Flower and Garden, and I loved all the topiaries and displays, but I'm especially excited about the artist booths. I think that will be really special. I'll do my best to report back, but I may be blue coming back to the real world!
Hmm, I don't know. I just read someone's post about it. We'll just breeze through and see who we can spy, if anyone.

 

[MamaMeggie]

Magic Band decals arrived yesterday!! They turned out really well. DH declined any decoration (party pooper).

 

[ariane37]

Very nice! Yours are the first new style MB's I've seen decorated. I'm still not sold on the new style, I'm going to get them for our next trip even though we don't need them just to see what they're like