The most magical first birthday! - A Sept 2019 PTR - UPDATED 8/22!

[CaseFace5]

Hello DISers!!

My name is Casey and I am a Disney Fanatic (Hi, Casey) Haha! Yesterday I officially booked a September trip to WDW that has been many years in the making and one that I have always dreamed about! A little more on that later..

I have been to Disney 11 times, many of which have been the last few years. My trip history looks like this:

1995- First trip with family. Where I lost my first tooth! Stayed at Dixie Landings
2001 - Summer trip with my parents. It was the summer before 8th grade. We stayed at POFQ.
October 2010- Quick weekend trip with my Aunt, Uncle, Cousin and Sken! Stayed at All Star Sports
December 2011- My cheer team made it to Nationals! Stayed at All Star Music
March 2012- Took a trip with my cousin and her two kids. Stayed at All Star Movies
March 2013- Went again with my cousin and her kids. Stayed at All Star Sports.
April 2014- Went for 2 days to see the Cheerleading Worlds. Stayed at All Star Sports.
March 2015 - Went with Sken. Stayed at POR.
December 2015- Went to Nationals for a second time! Stayed at All Star Music.
September 2016- Went with Sken, got engaged! Stayed at All Star Sports.
January 2018 - Mother/Daughter trip with Mom! Stayed at AKL

Let's get into some of the details!

The Who:
Me! Casey.

I am a payroll professional for a local school system. Up until two years ago, I was a coach for Pop Warner cheerleading. I stopped coaching because I got married, and then we got pregnant! I am also a fur mom to an almost 6 year old Black lab named Tessie.

DH - Sken

We got married in October of 2017, and while we didn't have a Disney wedding, I made sure to throw in some Disney touches!

Sken is a driver for a beer company. He was never a huge Disney fan, but I have dragged him on a few trips and I have managed to turn him a little. He still isn't at the point that I am, but I think after this trip, he just might be!

Here are some of my favorite pictures from some of our previous trips!









So if any of you are popping over from my last TR, you know that I ended it by announcing that we were expecting! My due date was November 2nd of last year and to our surprise and delight, Baby K decided to arrive three weeks early! We did not find out what we were having so we were also surprised in the delivery room to find out we had the most perfect baby boy! Dis friends - please say hello to our new little mister..

DS - Alex




During my last TR I also spoke about how I was asking Sken if we could celebrate my 30th birthday in Disney and then pushing for a 1st anniversary trip so we could do Halloween and Christmas, but then those plans got put on hold because of Alex. I then switched to asking (okay, telling) Sken that we were going to bring Alex to Disney for his first birthday! Alex's first birthday falls on a pay week so we are not able to go for his actual birthday so I started looking into time around then, and because September is free dining and we like to eat.. the end of September it is!


The What/Where/When:
We are booked for September 22-26th at Port Orleans Riverside.

I hope you join in and help me to plan this very special trip! I've always looked forward to bringing my child to Disney so that I can see the magic in their eyes and I can't even believe that I get to finally do just that!

 

[CaseFace5]

Chapter Links!

A silly mistake and some possible tagalongs!
Some changes have been made!
Huge Changes!!
More changes? This one wasn't my fault..
Possible ADRs and a real life update!
ADRs made!
FP Selections and real life updates galore!
Starting to get outfits together! And some Mickey Mail!
​

 

[missangelalexis]

Congratulations Casey! Your son is beautiful!

Can't wait to hear what you have planned for September!

 

[missjackiemcg]

Oh, you have me just about fully in tears now!!! Taking Jimmy on his first trip to Disney was one of my most favorite memories ever!! I'm so excited for you to get to plan for and take your son on this MOST magical of trips.

 

[CaseFace5]

A silly mistake and some other possible tagalongs!

So we decided we are going to invite my parents and MIL to come with us. We would like the help and think it would be a special trip for them as well!

Mom



Her last trip to Disney was our Mother/Daughter trip last January. Before that, she hadn't been since 2001. We had a BLAST and she was covered in Pixie Dust for her birthday! (Shameless plug- you can read all about it in my TR linked in my siggy!)

Stepdad

He hasn't been since that trip in 2001 and it itching to get back. They haven't committed yet, but I think they just might if he has a say! LOL.

(don't have any pictures of MIL.. if I find one I will add it)

I texted my parents asking them if they wanted to join and my mom texted back to remind me that my Aunt is getting married the night before we are supposed to check in.. in CT. We live in MA and Alex isn't invited to their wedding... oops! This is causing a bit of a snag. We booked with free dining and when I look to adjust the dates back by a day or two, there is no availability (at POR). So I am going to keep my eyes peeled and hope that something comes up and if so then I will change it. If it doesn't, then we will just have to take a later flight that day and figure that all out. We could also add a day and just fly in late that Sunday and hit the parks on Monday.. We will see. ​

 

[CaseFace5]

Congratulations Casey! Your son is beautiful!

Can't wait to hear what you have planned for September!

Thank you!! I am so excited to plan another trip!

Oh, you have me just about fully in tears now!!! Taking Jimmy on his first trip to Disney was one of my most favorite memories ever!! I'm so excited for you to get to plan for and take your son on this MOST magical of trips.

Thank you! I CANNOT WAIT! Just thinking about it gives me all the goosebumps!

 

[lauren_elizabeth]

Joining along! We’ll be there 9/7 - 9/14! There’s lots of availability that week... and pricing is cheaper

Congratulations on the birth of your son! He is precious!

 

[CaseFace5]

Joining along! We’ll be there 9/7 - 9/14! There’s lots of availability that week... and pricing is cheaper

Congratulations on the birth of your son! He is precious!

Hello and welcome! I thought about looking for that week, but my mom is super busy at work that time of year and we are really hoping they tag along because we could use the help so I stuck with the last week.

 

[CaseFace5]

Some changes have been made!

So I have been stalking the Disney website everyday and yesterday I was finally able to find some availability for POR with free dining for the same week. So I called (My MDE is not working for some reason ) and got our dates adjusted. I also upgraded us to a Royal Room! Sken and I stayed in a Royal Room on our March 2015 trip and we were big fans so I decided to do that again! So our adjusted trip is now Sept 23-27! Here are some pictures of our Royal Room from that trip!






The headboards light up with fireworks and that was Sken's favorite part! He kept getting mad that it wouldn't stay on and would shut off after a few minutes.

I also wanted to try to find a room at POR because he really loved the boat to DS last time. I have to do what I can to sway him and get him onboard with a trip, so I do things he likes lol!



Something else that is getting me excited about going back to POR is that I FINALLY saw Princess and the Frog this weekend! I had been wanting to watch it but couldn't find it anywhere in stores or on demand. It was finally on this weekend and I really liked it. Sken watched the whole thing with me and he liked it too!

I was also going to look into historical dates for MNSSHP because I would love to do that again, and to my surprise they both released the dates today and tickets are now available! So based on dates and our trip, we will be attending MNSSHP on Sept 24th. Sken and I attended the party on our last trip, but it pretty much got rained out and we missed out on a ton of things! I am hoping that it's not a washout again and I am so excited to do family costumes! Here are our costumes from last time!




(This would be so much better if I had a shield and he had a blaster on his hand LOL!)

We went to MNSSHP the day Civil War was released so naturally we went as Captain America and Iron Man. I am thinking we go as Toy Story characters this time! We will see!

I am glad they released the party dates too because that will help me to plan our park days and ultimately our ADRs. I asked Sken where is the one place he wants to eat and he laughed at me for asking so early! He knows that we need to book way in advance so he said he wants to go on MDE and look at menus and will let me know! I have a few places in mind that I would like to try for too. Need to find out if my parents are on board so I can get their input too!

So readers, what is your MUST DO ADR?

As for a real life update.. Alex is three months old today! How did that happen?? I can't even believe it! I took this picture of him this morning. He is my smiley boy! He also has a hat that matches this outfit that has Mickey ears! So cute!


​

 

[missangelalexis]

Very nice that your parents and MIL will possibly be joining! It will be nice for everyone to experience Alex's first trip!

Yay for getting a royal room! They look so magical!

I can't believe they released the MNSSHP dates already! Works out well for you!

Happy 3 months, Alex! That pic is too adorable!

 

[missjackiemcg]

It was so special to have Jimmy's grandparents along for his first Disney trip! I hope Alex's grandparents are able to join you for his 1st trip, too!!

I LOVE that quilt he's laying on in the 3 month picture! Did someone make that for him?

 

[CaseFace5]

Very nice that your parents and MIL will possibly be joining! It will be nice for everyone to experience Alex's first trip!

Yay for getting a royal room! They look so magical!

I can't believe they released the MNSSHP dates already! Works out well for you!

Happy 3 months, Alex! That pic is too adorable!

I really hope they join for his first trip. I talked to my parents about it this past weekend and I think they might just be leaning towards coming so fingers crossed!

I love the Royal Rooms and I'm excited to stay in one again!

Thanks I think he's adorable but I'm biased lol.

It was so special to have Jimmy's grandparents along for his first Disney trip! I hope Alex's grandparents are able to join you for his 1st trip, too!!

I LOVE that quilt he's laying on in the 3 month picture! Did someone make that for him?

I feel like having them come will be special so I really hope they can! I think they are leaning towards coming, just haven't pulled the trigger just yet.

Yes, someone made it for him! I love it so much. The back side is all Mickey's I'll have to find a picture to add if I can find one. The stained glass and Dumbo prints are so cute!


*******************************************************
So not much has changed on the Disney planning front. Work has been insanely busy and I am still trying to go through things that happened during my maternity leave .

I did talk to my parents about coming and it was actually pretty funny. I asked my stepdad if they had talked about it and he said my mom said they aren't going on any vacations this year because Alex is here. I told him I would talk to her about it. When I asked my mom about it she said "No, I said that we can't do any big vacations this year because Alex is here and because we did a few big ones last year!" (They did a Mediterranean cruise last year!) She said that she honestly hadn't looked into it yet to price it out but did seem to get a little excited when I told her it sounded like Bob wanted to come so fingers crossed!

One of the things Sken and I like to do to get ready for our vacation is to watch the planning DVD. Well it turns out that they don't make them anymore . I was bummed, so this past weekend we just watched an old one.

I told Sken that I wanted him to start thinking about where he wants to eat too. He said he doesn't want to do many big breakfasts because they fill him up too much. He did mention that he wants to do Tusker House again, which I am happy about because I was going to try for that one again anyways lol. I also asked if he wanted to do Hoop Dee Do again or Cinderella's Royal Table for the first time (for him). He said he really liked HDDR so I think I will book that as well. I have 62 days to figure it all out though lol.

That's really it, nothing much to add. Sorry this is a lame update!

 

[missangelalexis]

Making progress with your parents! Hopefully they cave!

2 good choices for dining already!

 

[missjackiemcg]

One of the things Sken and I like to do to get ready for our vacation is to watch the planning DVD. Well it turns out that they don't make them anymore . I was bummed, so this past weekend we just watched an old one.

UGH! Me, too!!!!! I still have a couple of old ones stashed away, and I know you can watch the videos online now, but it's just not the same

Glad to hear it sounds like your Mom and Stepdad may be thinking more seriously about joining you for the trip!

I'm doing HDDR for the first time this May (on my birthday!!!!) and I'm super excited about it! We also love Tusker House and CRT. Great choices.

 

[vleeth]

Hi, I followed you over from my report.

They still have the videos, they are online. disneyplanning.com

Did they decide about going? Free Dining is about to end!

I love the cute baby Mickey clothes!

 

[CaseFace5]

Making progress with your parents! Hopefully they cave!

2 good choices for dining already!

I really hope they do cave! Still little movement from them, so I think I need to light a fire lol.

Thanks! We really like HDDR and can't wait to have more POG juice at Tusker House!

UGH! Me, too!!!!! I still have a couple of old ones stashed away, and I know you can watch the videos online now, but it's just not the same

Glad to hear it sounds like your Mom and Stepdad may be thinking more seriously about joining you for the trip!

I'm doing HDDR for the first time this May (on my birthday!!!!) and I'm super excited about it! We also love Tusker House and CRT. Great choices.

I agree that watching them online isn't the same. I might watch the DHS one online just so DH can get an idea of TSL but other than that, we will stick with our old DVDs lol.

I do need to get them to finally bite the bullet and decided to come lol. We haven't asked MIL yet because if my parents don't come, then we aren't asking her so we need to figure all that out too.

HDDR is amazing!!! You are going to LOVE it! The food, the atmosphere, the sangria...everything! How exciting that your first time will be on your birthday!

Hi, I followed you over from my report.

They still have the videos, they are online. disneyplanning.com

Did they decide about going? Free Dining is about to end!

I love the cute baby Mickey clothes!

Thanks for hopping over and welcome!

The online videos aren't the same but I will have to give them a try.

I didn't know that it ended!! I will have to check into that. Maybe that is just the fire I need to make sure they book it! LOL. I think they are going to make it, it's just getting them to commit and book.

Thanks! I love all the Mickey stuff he has. DH wants him to have more Batman things lol. He is our kid though, the other day he had on a Batman outfit and Mickey ears hat!


******************************************************************************************

Sorry that this report has fallen a bit behind, work has been crazy and I've been trying to get into the routine of being back at work and bringing Alex to the sitter every day. My cousin watches him, which is SO nice (and affordable!) so it's been going well so far.

My parents still haven't committed, but I have to call my mom today about something else so I will sneak it in there. We tried to talk about it during the Superbowl but Alex was super fussy so that didn't last.

I really need to sit down and plan out my days so that I can book dining in 49 days! I know that I am going to try for Tusker House and HDDR, so I just need to figure out a few other options. I think I want to try for T-Rex because Alex likes Dinos! I might also do a breakfast or lunch at a monorail resort for our MNSSHP party day. I am thinking that if we do that, we can really take that day easy and not over-do it.

Flights still haven't been released on Jetblue for the end of September yet, so I don't know the times on them yet either. I like to do an early morning flight down and late night flight back, so hopefully that will work out for us too!

Hope you all have a magical day!

 

[missjackiemcg]

I've been trying to get into the routine of being back at work and bringing Alex to the sitter every day. My cousin watches him, which is SO nice (and affordable!) so it's been going well so far.

It's awesome that you're able to leave Alex with family while you're working. We were so blessed that our sitter (a friend who feels like family!) had a spot in her home day care for Jimmy when it was time for me to go back to work. He was right down the street, too, so that was an amazing bonus when I was able to sneak away and see him during the day

I think I want to try for T-Rex because Alex likes Dinos! I

We really like the themeing of T-Rex, but just a little note of caution. When the "meteor shower" happens there are parts of the restaurant that are louder/darker/scarier than others. Jimmy was 2 when we ate there the first time and he FLIPPED OUT. We were totally unprepared for how loud it would be since it was our first visit, so just an FYI.

 

[AllyReggie]

I am so excited to read your PreTR/TR!

We will be going just the week before you and bringing our (at the time) 1yr9mo old! I am a little nervous about a Tiny in the parks but since she is already walking so I'll be a bit ahead of the game, I'll be interested to learn how you handle your tiny at the world!

 

[Cloe Colton]

Joining in!

I don't think I ever caught the end of your TR (I didn't find the "watched threads" tab until very recently!) so congrats on your sweet baby boy! How exciting to be going for his first birthday! My DH keeps acting like we are going to wait forever to bring whatever kids we may have which I'll let him believe for now but that won't be the case! haha

HDDR sounds like a great choice for dinner! I'm sure your DH will be on board with whatever you pick haha

 

[TakeMe2Disney13]

Joining in! First off congratulations on your son, he's precious. My LO is turning a year old in March! It seems like yesterday I just brought him home from the hospital.

We recently tried 1900 Park Fare for breakfast and the entire family loved it! I recommend it for sure. Can't wait to read more on your upcoming trip.