The Magic will happen for us in September-2010

[Miriade]

Hello you all!!!
I am a member of this fabulous forum for a little while.
But I was resisting the temptation of a Pre Trip Report thread all for myself (and DF) as I was not with all the documentation "OK" to go.
Long story short: Brazilian citizens need to apply for an USA visa and it's a little hun, bureaucratic, not very fast process to say the least.
Today I got Uncle Sam benediction and my appliance was accept. In a few day mu passport with the ten years good USA visa will be at my home!
So, NOW I am very happy to begin this thread!
A little bit of me:

You can call me Gigi and I'll answer. *lol* It's a kind nickname for one with an old fashioned name such as mine: Virginia!
And this is me:

I am an veterinarian, 34 yo, I am 'newly' engaged to Luiz (he reads this forum sometimes but he thinks I am getting too technical about WDW after reading so much stuff!), we're living together for the past year, our wedding is been planned to take place in May 14 2011.
And we don't want, for the time being to have kids. here is Luiz -and as he does not know I'm posting his pic I choose one I like and he don't

Nevertheless I am proudly owned by a fantastic and charming trio of cats; my beloved calico British SH Helen, who's my BF indisputable favorite; my furry black Persian Alec & the cat-who-thinks-like-a-lap-dog the silver bi color Persian Sir Lancelot! Here they are:
Flying Cat Alec:

Helen :

Lancelot:

On a side note one of the best things of leaving my mom' s house was being able to raise cats. She's more a dog person...but she'll die before saying so.

When do we decide to go to WDW?

Because New Zealand was tooo much far far far away and the air fare was an arm & a leg! LOL
We have dear friends who are indeed planning a Australia & N.Zealand vacation this year. I was invited and I was considering to go (with DF thinking about tagging along or not). I gave up that kind of trekking-diving trip first b/c both me and DB were out of a good shape and we don't do diving... a major flaw to a trip in these wonderful parts of the world!
Then b/c some Luiz's co-worker are really Disney-maniacs and neither of us have ever being there, they began the campaign 'convincing me to go to WDW' with photos, then links to YouTube videos about WDW and finally I succumbed.

So we are going to WDW in September!

 

[Miriade]

Hello again!
The date is already set as both I and BF have September as a good hopeful 'no peak season' vacation time planned since the not-happening NZ trip! So we got 06/09 till 26/09 to travel around Orlando.
Now it's time to go after a good TA.
Because of the DISboards I decided to get a quote from Dreams Unlimited for the WDW part of our vacation.We got a little angel as your agent. Her name is Kim. She's special as she needed a lot of patience with all my newbbie doubts!
Undoubted we got a better deal the Brazilian TA can get. So we closed a package with the Free Dining Plan included for the first part of our trip. From 06/09 to 20/09 we'll be guest in the Port Orleans Riverside (Magnolia branch *crossing fingers*) as I used the www.portorleans.org to set the dispute in which moderate resort should we book for this very first WDW on property stay!
And we got our Universal tickets and our air fare from a good Brazilian TA (later we do discover DU can do the U part but with another quotation asked but we already have booked our flight and tickets!)

 

[Miriade]

And we got the Free Disney Dinig Plan...
But the very first time I ever ever hear about Free DP was in the WDW site and as fast as I could I wen to to DISboards to get a better idea...
What's the Free dining Plan???
What's an ADR?
Table Service? Dinner Shows? Characters meals?
Counter Service, Snack Credits? W
here do we want to eat?
What we will probably want to eat in 'so far far away September' (my dear fiancee is a very pick eater)..?
ARGHT!!! Too much information... We got a brain short circuit at first.

Soooo, we begin to check allears, disboards, wdwinfo to check menus, where the restaurants where located , which kind of meal , ambiance we want to try, we got a lovely funny time choosing our ADR!
And our DU TA ,Kim Harkness, made short work of all our confusion and once we set the 'where', she's wonderful to check the date and availability. So we are going to enjoy a lovely luau and the western dinner show (I simply forgot the names!)...No Cindy's Royal Table for us, this time, but we choose to do Chef's Mickey's instead.
I'll post our ADR locations... See what do you think!
Hopefully later I'll change this PTR to a Trip Report with a dining plan review!
I am going to keep this PTR slowly updated b/c right now my job became a little more time consuming and messed up with a new organizational structure to cope with... Hun, my service was actually extinct, so now I'm wondering how I'll work outside my 'little box'...
I wish till September things will be smooth all again!
Gigi

 

[deslynnpatterson]

i am joining in to read your PTR! we are also going in sept the 9th- 18th we are staying at Cornado springs. The free meal plan is awesome i love it-- do you have in mind were you are going to eat yet?

 

[Miriade]

i am joining in to read your PTR! we are also going in sept the 9th- 18th we are staying at Cornado springs. The free meal plan is awesome i love it-- do you have in mind were you are going to eat yet?

Welcome deslynnpatterson and thanks for joining!
We have set all the Table Services, ADR all made! But about the Quick Service we are going to improvise
I mean; I don't know if I'll be ever hungry as I've been looking at the size of the entree and for a person who's been through a bariatric surgery 3 years ago, it's too much food. My fiancee, Luiz, is a good eater nevertheless he's picky (In good Portuguese "fresco" ) and he won't eat no kind of seafood or fish dishes that I love so I am glad I can ask whatever I seafood entree I want, with no regards for the cost or leftovers...
I want to see (and eat!) the deserts!!! We both have a candy tooth and between the TS desserts and the snack credits I believe we are going to gain lovely extra pounds as WDW keepsakes!
I can say we're gonna to have our "Welcome Dinner" in 09/06 at Boma, in the AKL!
See you around!
Gigi

 

[Miriade]

Full Balance payment done!!! 65 days till our Very first WDW vacation and I decided to have our WDW package alread paid in fully!
That way I am not going to have the chance to spend the money reserved for Disney in other things!!!

 

[Miriade]

Let me show you all our ADR!
So let's begin with our ADR already all planned and booked (no thanks to my efforts our Dreams Unlimited TA took care of all those bookings! Thanks Kim!)
09/06
Boma - "Welcome to WDW Dinner" 5:55 pm
(B/C DF really loved AKL - maybe we get the finances strong enough to book it!)

09/07
Biergarten - 2:00pm

09/08
Yak & Yeti - 5:45pm

09/09
Liberty Tree Tavern - 11:45am
Rose & Crown Pub - 7:45pm

09/10
Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show - 8:00pm
Our first Dinner Show! I hope dearly the weather will cooperate!)

09/11
San Angel Inn - 12:50pm
(now I'm worried about this ADR... is this place closed for refurb or not? )
And today we got La Nouba tickets for the 6:00 pm show.

09/12
Chef Mickey - 7:50pm
(Our first proper 'character meal')

09/13
Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater - 3:35pm

09/14
Crystal Palace - 4:30pm
(And our day at the MNSSHP!!!)

09/15
No ADR, actually we are thinking about call this day our 'day off' to relax; I want to book some spa treats for us both we'll see...

09/16
Hoop Dee Doo Musical Revue 7:15pm

09/17
Coral Reef - 12:00pm

AND that's it!
What do you think about our choices?
We got our 3 last day on property "ADR free" to explore out WDW attractions I must say it was a merry time surfing the restaurant menus and reviews to pick up our choices and we tried to get a chance to have different experiences. You'll notice no signature restaurant is shown (I wanted to try some but BF was against using the TS credits this way!:lol)

See you around!

Gigi

 

[Miriade]

Hello, there!
As I've been reading in this fantastic 'should be a sticky thread of the year' http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=772074&highlight=greatest+tips I started to do some shopping with my first WDW Trip. what I do get till now:
1. the modular shelf unit you can hang in the clothes area for an extra storage in the vanity area, and hopefully keep my bathroom things organized . It's the smaller (only 3 shelves) version of this :

2. A travel size kit for my daily use and very specific shampoo , liquid soaps and co. It has all the little bottles under the permited capacity for international flights (100 mL).
3. Packs of zip lock small and big bags. I'm afraid I could not find the gallon size in Brazil... but everything with a minimum chance of leaking into my suitcase will zipped! And I'll bring 'extras' for the snacks, camera, and many other usages
4. Saver Space bags... Hun, I've never ever used them but I thought it was a very good chance they'll allow me and BF to bring back everything we bought and our clothes... That's it IF we can grab 'the use' of a vacuum cleaner with POR mousekeepers when we are packing...
5. some cute magnets for my door decorations. I still need to find some other things! Halloween is not really a Brazlinian holiday so I'll need to wait till September to find more options! I'll promise our mousekeeper I'll take the whole set off before I leave! No hot glue or superbonder!
6. An easy going "ventilated" costume for the MNSSHP we're going to attend on 09/14. My fiance has forbidden me to get a complicated looking or suitcase space consuming attire... I saw some pics of amazing costumes but... I am already glad he sayw he will wear something 'themed'!
7. Lanyards and crystal plastic card holders like those used in conventions I'll bring them to hold our KTTW cards, fastpasses, photopass and probably my Visa too...
8. Small purses. I am a woman who needs big purses where I dump everything I want to carry with me, I cannot go out of my door using a simple small bag or purse. Nope. No way. Never. So as a 'WDW practice' I bought myself smaller 'over the shoulder' bags. One brown and one pink... I must confess till now I was total failure. Only very small errands I could accomplish without felling 'naked' on the streets... I know I am not 'bring down the house' with me to the parks and only barely the essential will come from my room to the parks but I cannot forsee my essentials and my darling ones in those bags... as I know he won't carry a thing with him except his lanyard and portable fan...


And all those shoppings even before we're moving!!!! And I mean really moving... This Friday our furniture and big appliances will be going to their (and ours!) new home! I hope I can finish packing all my 'personal', 'fragile' and 'I don't want the mover's touching this and that!' before Friday.... . Tonight I only finished my sitting room decoration figurines (I really love my unicorns, dragons, horses, dogs and cats figurines. I used an incredible ammount of bubble plastic in each one of those dozen of figutines!!!)
OMG, now I'm tired... almost midnight around here! I should be sleeping already ! But it's sooo nice to DIStalk!
See you all around!

 

[Miriade]

Hello there! Just a quickie update!
1. oOnly more 4 whole weeks of happy antecipation till we face a long international flight from Guarulhos Airport (GRU) with one stop at Panama City and from there to MCO Airport!
2. Photopass preordered TODAY. I hope it'll allow me to have pics with both of us in WDW instead of our usually vacations photos with one or the other showing
See you around!
Is yet too soon to start packing?!?!!?

 

[Miriade]

Hello there!

Oh, well, this Pre Trip report is doomed to end soon!

(I will consider doing a Trip Report only when I get back b/c my fiance fully refuses to bring his netbook. No internet surfing for me once we are in Orlando!)

In 3 days I'll be travelling for my very first Walt Disney World experience and my travel companion in these 20 blessed days of fun and magic *cross fingers* is my fiance, Luiz. He's been an angel indulging my crescent obsession with planing this trip.

We have soooo much to celebrate (and be thankful for!): our engagment this Easter; our newly bought home (we've just move in!); our wedding next May and surely enough our first visit to the most magical place in Earth!

On my paranoid side I STILL have to PACK everything!
*deep breaths*
Don't panic!
I will have the time!
*deep breaths*

Oh thanks goodness it's only 3 more days of waiting b/c this final week before I'm finally on vacation has takes its toll. I've never ever been so edgy around work and officially this was the least productive week of my life as a public officer. I am tired of 'planning-details-for-my-WDW-trip-pretending-I'm-working'.

Soooo le'ts see what I have already done:
- I've got a large brimmed hat with strings to secure it in my head. And it's bluuuuuue (I love blue!).
- I've given myself an afternoon at a beauty parlor few days ago. I've had my fingers and toes nails done in a absolutely dazzling funny bluish-Green color. One I would not use everyday but for me now it means 'WoW! I'm going to WDW!'. Check the color (not my fingernails!! )

-I've also endured the hot wax down there and in the legs... I am not truly very furry but as far as I am concern I don't wish to deal with razors on this vacation. Nope, sorry...
- My passport with USA visa are good to go.
- Vouchers for the rental car, Universal , IoA, Space coast and Busch Gardens tickets are printed and stored.
- Travel insurance for both of us printed and stored. Card will be put in our wallets.
- La Nouba tickets are stored. These are funny b/c it's the only tickets I could not find the option to print the voucher. They mailed me the tickets. Card plastic beauties I want to keep ^_^ as a memento.
- The result of my efforts during the last 10 days or so: a condensed booklet with only 2 A4 pages (and tiny text I admit) but with all the useful info about our vacation; tips fro our Dreams Unlimited TA and from this forum concerning the WDW parks and QS option; our ADR confirmation numbers; the ressie for MNSSHP at 09/14 and good tips of off-side places to go shopping and eat!
- WDW Resort Online Check in DONE!!!
- My tipping envelopes for mousekeeping are already done as the window decorations! I must say I love the work of these very creative fellows in the Creative Boards! I did not do T-shirt printings b/c I was not sure my fiance would consider use them.
- I've read all the tight restrictions for the on board suitcase! All liquids and cream must not go over 100 ml!
See here: http://www.tsa.gov/311/311-carry-ons.shtm .
I am aiming for a sweet smoothly security check... *cross fingers*
- Ahhh; I've printed all the locations for cool snacks for our refreshment moments! And a Snack list also! Thanks DisBoards!

Tomorrow it's Saturday!

First I have to take my 3 cats to the pet hotel (and I miss them already =^..^=) I know they'll be mad at me for the 20 days long of boarding but as WDW does not allow pets at the resorts (not to mention the costs of air travel!) they need to stay here. Then I'm free to enter in fully packing mode Gigi!

I am wondering how many 'complete' outfits should I pack... first thought (usually the correct) is to pack 10 or 12 days wise of clothes and then do some laundry... How many times this week I've mentally pick an outfit just to 'neh' and discart it I need to pull myself together and place everything on my bed! See what work with more than one combination and OMG refrain to take lots of sandals, shoes and purses... Man, that's gonna be tough!
Also we do have a lunch appointment with my uncle... good for a little respite!

Sunday we'll be finishing our packing but I know I'll need a little lay down in the afternoon. Our Copa airline flight will leave São Paulo at 03:30AM so this means going to the International airport at 12:00AM.
We'll do a stop at Panama City and board our plane to MCO with high hopes of arriving at 2:40PM! Knowing myself I will barely sleep as I need dark rooms and silence to sleep - and a comfy bed !
After arriving at MCO Monday we'll take our rental car and I hope to find the right way for a WaltMart or Target b/c I want to buy Breakfast things and some laundry products. I do intend to do one or 2 trips to the laundry and it'll be an educational experience as I've never ever used coin operated wash and dryer machines before!

It's a secret from Luiz, but I've bought some "Welcome" Disney goodies from "The Laughing Place" online store to be delivered at POR! I tried the WDW florist for a gift basket but I could not put my order through... I believe as my billing info was from Brazil the system did not accept it

tAnd here's one more datail to make this trip even more cherished : I'll try to find a bridal shop in Orlando area; to look for a wedding dress for my special day in May. We'll having a gathering at a rustic site so I need to find a dress that won't sweep twigs, leaves and dirt along the hem! Wish me luck!

See you around!

 

[Googelibear]

Ok, did you post a trip report? if so, could you post a link here?

thank you. I hope you had a great time