The one where we go to DISNEY WORLD....December 2016 PTR Updated! 10/27

[chasingthtdream08]

Hi Everyone! Is this too early to do a PTR? I hope not. I've been a long time lurker of the DIS but just recently started posting this year, so some of you may have seen me around!

When: Nov 30 - Dec 8
Where: Port Orleans Riverside - Pool-View Room
Disney Dining Plan
4-Day Park Tickets (debating about upgrading to hoppers)
Attending MVMCP
(Will dive deeper into plans in further post)

About Us:

Me! My name is Kaitlin and I just turned 26. I have been a lifelong (obsessive) Disney fan.


I am from Milwaukee, WI (any other DISers from MKE?). I currently work for a luxury hotel as a manager. Two months after I graduated from High School I did the Disney CareerStart Program (which I think is no-longer) and worked in Merchandise at DTD West Side (Mickey's Groove, Candy Cauldron & DisneyQuest Emporium). Most recently, I did the College Program in Spring of 2012 in Full Service F&B at Mama Melrose in DHS. After my CP I stayed in Orlando for 2.5 years and moved back to Milwaukee in Winter of 2014. I have had countless trips to Disney with family and more recently friends, the first being in 1995.

Favorite Park: Epcot
Favorite Attraction: DINOSAUR
Favorite Resort: Polynesian
Favorite Restaurant: 'Ohana (I feel I should be biased to Mama's)
Favorite Snack: Either a Mickey Premium Bar or Cream Cheese Stuffed Pretzel
Favorite Disney Movie: Beauty and the Beast


This is my boyfriend Jordan! He's also 26.

Jordan isn't nearly the big Disney fan that I am. But he puts up with me, happily! He has been to Disney a few times with his family and then came to visit me during both of my times with Disney.

Favorite Park: Hollywood Studios (he would say Universal but this is a Disney survey!)
Favorite Ride: Rock N Roller Coaster
Favorite Resort: He can't stop talking about Port Orleans French Quarter (good thing we're staying next door)
Favorite Restaurant: Well he loves beer cheese soup (tried it at Food & Wine) so I'm going to assume it's Le Cellier (for right now, but I'm sure that'll change when he sees all the ADRs we have in store)
Favorite Snack: Beer Cheese Soup from F&W (can't stop talking about it)
Favorite Movie: Beauty & The Beast

Our Story:

We met in Middle School and were pretty good friends. We went all through High School again, just being good friends. We had our first job together at McDonald's. We didn't start dating until the summer between Junior and Senior year of High School. We both had actually previously had crushes on each others best friends. But I guess we just ended up realizing that we were good for each other. We dated all throughout Senior year of high school and then I went off to the CareerStart Program. It was very tough but he knew that it had always been my dream to work for WDW. The distance was tough so we ended up breaking up while I was there. After that for about 5 years we had always kept in contact and remained on good terms with each other even though we had both dated other people. In September of 2014 when I was living in Orlando we decided to give it another shot and then ultimately I moved home to Milwaukee. We currently live together and are very happy and in love


And that's all for that post folks!

Next Up: Trip Itinerary

 

[Raeven]

Not too early I started mine for September and December trips ages ago I just get too excited when it comes to Disney. Our December trip actually starts the day after yours ends.

 

[chasingthtdream08]

Not too early I started mine for September and December trips ages ago I just get too excited when it comes to Disney. Our December trip actually starts the day after yours ends.

Good to know I'm not the only one who's way too excited. It's all I can talk/think about.

 

[ariane37]

Definitely not too early, I started my Nov. PTR back in April! We're going Nov. 19-26th so unfortunately leaving a few days before you arrive. The closest I've ever come to a Dec. trip is leaving on Dec. 1st to come back home once lol, but at least we've been able to see all the Christmas décor on past Nov. trips.
Look forward to following along

 

[CatNipRules]

Definitely not too early. I'm planning a trip for September 2017 and I started it already. I love POR. My favorite resort by far. We are staying at All Star Music for our trip this September, but it will change for next year. Next year is going to be POR and a few days at the Contemporary.

Can't wait to read more.

 

[Mollydolly334]

Milwaukee (area) girl right here, Woohoo! Cant wait to read more!

 

[chasingthtdream08]

I'm back!!

Sorry it took so long. Life.....always getting in the way. I hope you all don't mind but I was thinking of making this a sort of blog. Life stuff included.....but mostly Disney trip planning....aka Pre-Trip Report, just like the board says.

This summer has just been one event after another. But it's almost August and finally starting to slow down. Two weekends ago was my little sister's graduation party and going away party. She's moving to North Carolina to marry her Marine boyfriend....not a fan of the idea but always will support my baby sister. Anyways, how this relates to Disney trip planning....1. She had a Mermaid themed party, it was super cute. and 2. My aunt, from Colorado, that I hardly ever see or talk to attended and sat my sister and I down and gave us both savings bonds that she had, had for us for over 10 years. It was going to pay for a good chunk of our trip! It was very unexpected but so welcome. I thanked her a million times over!

Here's a pic of the mermaid themed party! You can see I wore my Ariel shirt.


I am going to Six Flags Great America in Chicago on Monday and am excited to get to a theme park. Closest to Disney I can get around here. Looking forward to just enjoying the day with Jordan and his family riding rollercoasters. Plus, I get Monday off. Holla! Three day weekend!

I believe since the last time I updated this (my first post) I was able to do my ADRs. Since my original ADR date, I've moved things around and have got everything I wanted and at the times I wanted. Also found out that Neil Patrick Harris will be the narrator for our day at Epcot!

Tomorrow I plan on getting my itinerary post done, so you can see my plans for each day!

Thanks for reading along everyone!

 

[chasingthtdream08]

Planning Progress: (I got this from another post and saved it to my desktop, but cannot remember who.....sorry to not give credit where credit it due. If someone knows or has seen this before, please let me know!)

Trip Dates? Nov 30 - Dec 8

Resort? Port Orleans Riverside

Park Tickets? 4-Day Base Tickets (We're doin it, one park per day)

Disney Dining Plan? Yes, purchased the Standard Disney Dining Plan

Memory Maker? I hope to purchase this before my trip, funds are a little low right now

Booked Package? Yes, through the WDW website.

Package Payment Progress? 87% paid for. I've been paying a small portion every paycheck, almost there!

Additional Savings Progress? I have a ton of change that I've been collecting. I also have some Disney gift cards. Once the package is paid off, this is my next task. Our philosophy for this trip is pre-pay for as much as possible so all we have to bring is souvenir money.

Airplane Tickets? Was able to purchase our Southwest flights in June using all my Southwest Credit Card points! We will be flying out of Milwaukee - 45 min layover in Atlanta then onto Orlando! On the way home we got a nonstop flight!

Magic Express? We will be renting a car! So I am a little sad we don't get the initial excitement of Magical Express.

Stroller Rental? Just me and the BF, so stroller needed!

Itinerary? Next post I promise!

ADRs? Our ADR day was June 3rd, if I recall correctly. And I got everything I wanted, will share in itinerary post!

FastPasses? Our 60 Days will be Oct 1st!

Packing? Haven't started packing but have been collecting little things when I'm out shopping, whether it's some toiletries or portable phone chargers....any small thing I can think of or that peaks my interest.

 

[chasingthtdream08]

Itinerary Post!

I'm going to start this with the day prior to our departure date as we are traveling some......I feel that this post will be very much my blabbering, but please bear with me!

November 29:
We will both have to work this day, I get out at 5pm and Jordan gets out at 9pm
I booked us a hotel room by the airport for the night before
Brand new hotel - Hilton Home2Suites for a family and friends discount of $59
This really has me excited because the rate was so cheap and they waived our "Park and Fly" charge of $35
So basically we get a brand new hotel room, breakfast, airport shuttle and 8 nights parking all for $59, I'll take it!
We live about an hour from the airport, so this will give us some extra time to sleep-in in the morning
Although I'm sure I won't need it, I'm sure I'll be roaring to go at 4am....our flight doesn't leave until 10am

November 30:
Wake Up probably around 6am - Normal getting ready routine
Breakfast in the hotel lobby
Depart Hotel at 8am (Flight departs at 10am) (I am still a firm believer on getting to the airport 2 hours before departure, even our small MKE airport)
Once thru security, maybe grab a coffee and salivate for a while until we can board. (This is where I wish I knew how to insert GIFS into my posts)
Get herded as we board, per usual Southwest boarding.
Hoping to get a window seat and probably squeeze Jordan in a middle seat, sorry!
This is probably where I will kick myself for not choosing the non-stop and instead choosing to layover in Atlanta.
I plan on bringing just my iPad, phone and maybe a magazine or two.
Once we arrive in Orlando (3:20pm), hoping to have a hassle-free time getting our bags and then heading down to Level 1 to get our rental car thru EZ Rent a Car.
I'm sure there will be some bumps in the road with our task above, but we can hope for a quick, smooth time.
Once we finally get out of the airport, we will drive straight to Port Orleans Riverside for check-in.
We have a Pool-View Room, we were upgraded when we got a pin-code in our email.
I will be faxing in a room request for high floor, mansion building, close to food court.
After check-in I want to totally unpack, I'm an organization freak. So I'll need to unpack completely and put things where they belong within the room. I'm sure Jordan will be hooking up all his electronics and watching TV, probably trying to catch Pokemon around the resort....
Once settled in the Resort, we will be heading to I-Drive 360 on International Drive!
I have already purchased tickets for the Orlando Eye and Madam Tussauds Wax Museum (this is part of my pre-pay for as much as possible plan!)
I'm sure we'll spend a good portion of our evening there and then want to swing over to Walmart on Turkey Lake Rd, to grab some snacks for the room and any other things we might have forgotten.
Bed time!

Dec 1:
Epcot Day!
Park Hours: (8am-9am EMH) 9am-9:30pm
You'll learn quickly that we are not RD people, we like our sleep, especially Jordan.
We plan on getting to the parks around 10am-11am each day (yes, I've been warned that this is not ideal...blah blah blah)
This is still vacation and I plan on sleeping in!
Anyways....FP+ plans include: Frozen Ever After, Mission:Space & Spaceship Earth.
I really hate the tiering system....of course we also want to squeeze in Soarin and Test Track and we will! As a tier one, I just assumed FEA would have the longest waits versus Soarin and Test Track...
Dining Plans: Lunch at Sunshine Seasons (1 QS credit pp) and we have TWO dinner ressies at Le Cellier (2 TS credits pp), not sure which one to keep...I have a 4:30pm one which initially I thought was too early then was able to snag a 5:55pm one. But now I'm thinking we kinda want to drink around the world and maybe it's a good idea to start in Canada with a big meal before we do that, and the 4:30pm one would be perfect for that. 5:55pm is now starting to sound too late if we don't want to have to backtrack, which we will. I think I just talked myself into keeping the 4:30 and canceling the 5:55.
Anyways....I digress. Neil Patrick Harris will be the narrator for our night at Epcot for Candlelight Processional....we both LOVE him. But since Le Cellier doesn't offer the CP package (which is crazy to me as one of their most expensive restaurants, they really can't throw in a CP voucher?) and we only have one day in Epcot, we don't really want to wait in line so we were hoping to catch some of it from outside of the theater in the America pavilion gardens....which I've been told is a pretty good spot to watch from. So that's the plan with that!
I love Illuminations, so we will definitely be sticking around for that. Then take the bus back to the resort and probably pass out after our first day theme-parking!

Dec 2:
Hollywood Studios Day!
Park Hours: 9am-7pm (7pm-9pm EMH)
FP+ plans include: Rock N Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror & Star Tours
Dining Plans: Lunch at Mama Melrose with Fantasmic! Dining Package 1:35PM (1 TS credit pp) (my former location when I was on the College Program )
Dinner somewhere on Sunset Blvd (these are probably my most vague dining plans of the entire trip)
Other attractions include: Great Movie Ride, Toy Story Mania, Beauty and the Beast, Muppets 3D, Voyage of the Little Mermaid & Star Wars Launch Bay
Not too much to see at HS these days so we plan on arriving a little later yet again...especially when we have the EMH
We are not actually planning on seeing Fantasmic, I got the dining package at Mama's because it includes an app with your meal which is an extra bang for my buck on the Dining Plan and their calamari is to die for!!
I am debating on doing the Star Wars Dessert Party...Jordan doesn't have much of a sweet tooth, but boy do I and I also saw that they have a small selection of things other than desserts and then the drinks seem fabulous and the atmosphere. I am not such a huge Star Wars fan, but Jordan is so I think he'd enjoy this experience and the price isn't terrible!

Dec 3:
Disney Springs Day!
Dining Plans: Lunch at Disney Springs, maybe Wolfgang Puck Express or Earl of Sandwich (1 QS credit pp) and Dinner at California Grill (2 TS credits pp). We were able to get 8:55pm dinner at CG and hope to be able to see Wishes during our meal!
This is our rest day, if you will. Not quite in the middle of the vacation, but I figured taking off from the parks on a Saturday might be a good idea. I am so pumped to check out Disney Springs...on my first College Program I worked on the West Side so I do feel somewhat at home when I'm at Disney Springs. I also can't wait to see the transformation and do some shopping!
I thought taking the boat from our resort might be a nice relaxing part of the day too.
We thought about maybe doing a game of mini golf too at Fantasia Gardens!
My friend who lives in the area, offered to get us into SeaWorld this day and I would love to but I think once we throw SeaWorld in there, it'll turn into a whole day thing and I just don't want to be pooped and exhausted. So sadly, I think we'll have to pass.
I hope we can find some time for the pool this day (and that the weather will allow it).

I think I'm going to take a break now and return later to do the rest of my trip. Again, I apologize for how wordy this is!!

 

[ariane37]

I'm debating the SW dessert party, too, for our adults-only trip next month. Neither DH nor I are SW fans though lol, but the desserts look SO much better than at other dessert parties plus we'd get a guaranteed good spot for the fireworks............idk, have to put a bit more thought into it, and fast!

Your Day 3 sounds like fun! Oh, wait until you see DS, it's so different than what it was. I really like it We were there last year in March, August, and November, and then again this year in January and it's been interesting watching the transformation. Now there's been a huge part opened since our last visit, and we don't plan on going to DS until November, so I can't wait to see the next change!

 

[chasingthtdream08]

@ariane37 The SW dessert party seems really worth it for the price, especially with the grown up beverages included! Also, I think every dessert that I saw I want to try! I also like that they have some healthy options like fruit and some savory options with the cheese and olives.

 

[chasingthtdream08]

Itinerary Post 2!
I'm back!

Dec 4:
Universal Orlando Day!
Park Hours: 9am-8pm (Both parks!)
Dining Plans: Lunch at Three Broomsticks & Dinner at Kobe Steakhouse (on I-Drive)
Jordan is obsessed with Harry Potter, cried for days after reading the final book (he'd kill me if he knew I told people that). I have been to both parks, when I was an AP when I lived in Orlando, Jordan has only been to Hogsmeade but not to the new Diagon Alley.
This day will start out super early, I plan on leaving POR no later than 8am. We'll probably do breakfast at Riverside Mill.
I'm still debating on where we should start. I'm thinking Universal Studios and head straight to Diagon Alley. I want to complete all of the Studios side before we head over to IOA. I think he'll really love Rip-Ride-Rockit too! Once we have finished up all attractions that we want at US we will take the Hogwarts Express over to IOA, I hoping around 1-2 and grab lunch at Three Broomsticks. (We got the US quick service dining plan with the Coke Freestyle cups, so I'm excited that we have pre-paid for our meals). We'll probably close down IOA then head to Kobe Steakhouse (yummmm)
And then back to POR

Dec 5:
Animal Kingdom Day!
FP + Plans: Expedition Everest, DINOSAUR & Kilomanjaro Safaris
Dining Plans: Lunch at Flametree BBQ & Dinner at Ohana 8:30pm
Other Attractions Include: Tough to Be a Bug, Lion King, Rafiki's Planet Watch
Again, another late start. Hoping the park hours are extended some so we can experience the safari at night and the Tree of Life awakenings. ROL doesn't appeal to me and I think it's because Jungle Book: Alive with Magic just looks so awful. So I don't have high hopes for ROL.
We'll probably head straight from AK to the Poly and enjoy Trader Sams or the beach...depending on how early we are we may even monorail resort hop for a bit.

Dec 6:
Magic Kingdom Day!
Park Hours: 9am-7pm (7pm-12am MVMCP)
FP + Plans: Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Space Mountain, Peter Pan's Flight
Dining Plans: Be Our Guest Lunch & Liberty Tree Tavern Dinner
I won't bore you with what attractions I want to hit, because it's a lot. Pretty much everything and anything. I wasn't initially planning on doing MVMCP but this is our only day in MK and I want to watch the fireworks on Main Street and figure we can get a lot in, ride-wise, during the party hours. Jordan will just die at Be Our Guest, BaTB is his absolute favorite Disney movie. I hope he gawks over it like I do every time! We do plan on hitting the park pretty early this AM. Possibly taking a mid-day break depending on how much we can get done in the morning. Should be a great day!

Dec 7:
Disney Departure Day
We will depart POR and head to Daytona for the day/night. Depending on weather obviously. We have a hotel booked and paid for there so I'm sure we'll make it out there at some point. My hope is that it's just sunny and maybe 70 if we're lucky. If it's a cold or rainy day we might just hang out in Orlando and go to a movie or something. May even add a day onto our park tickets if we can in time after seeing the weather forecast. But our real hope is that it'll be a perfect day to enjoy the beach and we can just relax on the beach and grab a nice oceanside dinner.

Dec 8:
Real Departure Day
We will have to leave Daytona around 8:30am to make sure we are at MCO by 10am, shouldn't be an issue. Just don't want to run into any traffic. Our flight leave at 12:10 and we'll be home after a nonstop flight by 2pm. And then I'll be really really sad.

 

[CatNipRules]

Really loving reading all your plans. It's getting me in the mood for my trip!!

 

[chasingthtdream08]

Hi again!

I've come into the double digits....FINALLY! 98 Days to go!

I figured I would lay out my day by day plans a little bit more organized and with pictures since my itinerary posts were a little bit of a jumbled mess. So feel free to ignore those....maybe I'll delete. Sorry, new PTR author here!

Day 1 - Nov 29th

This is actually our day before departure day! But we are staying in a hotel, so I can consider it Day One, right?

Jordan and I will probably both work this day. Me getting off at 5pm and him getting off at 9pm or earlier if he can swing it.

We will then head to Home2 Suites right next to the airport, which is about 45 mins from our house.

(Doesn't the decor remind you guys of Cabana Bay at Universal?)

It's a brand new hotel and I got a smoking deal I couldn't resist. $59 for the night including parking for all the days we are in Orlando, breakfast, free airport shuttle and of course a hotel room for the night.

Hopefully head to bed somewhat early although I'm sure I'll be bouncing off the walls with excitement.



Day 2 - Nov 30

YAY! Departure Day!!

You may ask, why did you get a hotel room when you only live 45 mins away? Again, because I got the smoking deal mentioned above. Also our flight leaves at 10am and I didn't want to deal with rush hour traffic and construction! Plus we get more time to sleep in!

I plan on eating breakfast around 7:30am then grabbing the airport shuttle by 8am. I want to make sure we get through security with plenty of time to spare.

Flight leaves MKE at 10am

Have a quick layover in Atlanta, then landing in Orlando by 3:20pm!

We have a car rental to pickup at EZ Rent a Car in the terminal. I'm a bit nervous about it because they didn't get the best reviews but their price was tough to be beat. Plus most of the other rental places didn't get much better reviews. Seems like people are really hard on the car rental industry. I booked a compact but am hoping we can upgrade to a mid-size SUV for a discount once we're at the counter.

Once we can break free of the airport, we will be on our way to POR!

We have a pool-view room and I'm putting a request in for high floor, mansions. I assume with the time that we'll have a quick and easy check-in process. I'd like to drop our bags off and unpack. Hopefully buzz through that.

Once done, we are heading to I-Drive 360!

I am super afraid of heights but think I will be fine with the large enclosed capsules that I've seen. We will also be doing the wax museum so I can get some selfies with some of my favorite celebrities!

After we are done having our fun here we'll do a quick trip to WalMart to grab some breakfast/snack essentials. Then back to POR for the night!

 

[chasingthtdream08]

Day 3

Epcot Day!
FP+ - Frozen Ever After, Spaceship Earth, Mission: Space (These are preliminary as I haven't hit my window yet)
Lunch: Sunshine Seasons
Dinner: 4:30pm Le Cellier



Other Attractions I want to hit:
Test Track
Soarin'
The Seas with Nemo & Friends
Living with the Land
The Three Caballeros

It was hard for me to come up with my Tier 1 FP as I really want to ride all three (Test Track, Soarin & FEA). I chose FEA because it's something I haven't done yet and with the third theater just opened for Soarin' I assume the lines will be a bit shorter and I figured we could do Single Rider for Test Track. Although looking at my list of wanted attractions, I could probably wait in line three times over for these three rides and still be fine.

I chose Sunshine Seasons for lunch as we are on the DDP and I've heard it's a great option! Plus, I've never eaten there.
I chose Le Cellier because I ate there once back in 2005 and it was just amazing, so I can't wait to introduce Jordan to it! He's a big steak eater! We've also made the beer cheese soup at home from the Le Cellier recipe and we are both in love!!



After dinner, we plan to walk around and explore World Showcase and try some drinks around the world! I love World Showcase so much so I actually hope to get a head start at it prior to dinner!

We probably won't catch Candlelight Processional, but may listen for a few minutes at the back of the theater as we both LOVE Neil Patrick Harris.

Illuminations is a must!

 

[chasingthtdream08]

Day 4

Hollywood Studios Day!
FP+ - Rock N Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror & Star Tours
Lunch - 1:35PM Mama Melrose Fantasmic Dinner Package
Dinner - Fairfax Fare

MMMMMMMM Steak and Mac & Cheese....can't wait for you at Mamas.

Other Attractions:
Toy Story Mania
Muppets 3D
Great Movie Ride
Voyage of the Little Mermaid
Beauty & The Beast
Star Wars Launch Bay
One Man's Dream

This will be a later start day as you can see there's not much to do at this park! I am really excited about eating at Mama's because that's where I did my College Program. We are actually going to skip Fantasmic but hope to do the Star Wars Dessert Party! I did the F! Dining Package cause I wanted to get an app with our meal!

There is EMH this night so I wouldn't mind hitting up ToT or RnR several times!

Then we might head over to Boardwalk or off property to Buffalo Wild Wings to watch the Sharks game. Jordan is a hockey nut and won't want to miss the game!

 

[chasingthtdream08]

Day 5

Disney Springs/Rest Day

Lunch - Blaze Pizza
Dinner - 8:55PM California Grill

I am still not totally sold on California Grill. We're pretty basic eaters and this menu seems a little out of our league. But we will make the best of it! The views of the fireworks are what I'm here for! Plus all the reviews are glowing, so I'm sure I'll walk out loving it!

This day is our rest day with it being a Saturday, I want to avoid the parks! So we will hit up Disney Springs, probably taking the boat from POR which will be lovely. These "rest days" seem to always end up being my favorite. If there's time we might try and use our mini-golf vouchers. And then if there's even more time, I might head over to the outlets and try to see the Disney Outlet stores. And then maybe pool time!

Depending on time and our energy levels we might head to the Contemporary early and try to do a monorail resort tour.

Can't wait to watch Wishes from a top the Cali Grill!

 

[chasingthtdream08]

Day 6

Universal Orlando Day!

Jordan is a HUGE Harry Potter fan, and I love me some Harry Potter as well. So we are super pumped. I've been to both sides (was a UO Annual Passholder) but Jordan has only been to the Islands of Adventure side.

I purchased Express Passes for us JUST to be on the safe side. We have only this one day to see both parks and want to do as much as possible.

I'm pretty set on starting our day on the Studios side wanting to hit:
Rip Ride Rockit
Despicable Me
Mummy
Men in Black
Simpsons
ET
Transformers
Escape from Gringotts
Hogwarts Express
(Along with exploring shops and lands in the park)

IOA side:
Dueling Dragons
Forbidden Journey
Cat in the Hat
High in the Sky Suess Trolley Train Ride
Hulk
Spiderman
Kong
Jurassic Park

We're hoping to have lunch at Fast Food Boulevard in the Simpsons area of the park. We did get the one day quick service dining plan from Universal with Coke Freestyle cups.

If there's time left at the end of the day, depending on how we're feeling, we might hit some more rides or head out to dinner or explore Citywalk.

I want to do dinner at Kobe Steakhouse which has many locations around Orlando. It's my favorite resturant of all time! So lets hope the energy is flowing this day! Good news is both parks close at 8pm which forces us out at a decent time for dinner and still possibly getting back to the resort for a good nights sleep.

 

[chasingthtdream08]

UPDATE


GUYS! I had my FP day and totally forgot to post about it! October 1st was the day. It was a Saturday, so bummer I couldn't sleep in...oh well, I had Fastpasses to make!

Our first day is Epcot and I was so nervous about getting FEA FPs....well I guess I had a reason to be nervous, no FEA FPs in sight Total bummer. I guess we will be doing standby!

So without further ado...here is what we have!

Epcot Day - Dec 1
10:30am - Spaceship Earth
11:40am - Mission: Space
1:05pm - Soarin'

HS Day - Dec 2
12:10pm - Star Tours
3:30pm - RnR
4:35pm - ToT

Animal Kingdom - Dec 5
11:35am - DINOSAUR
12:40pm - Expedition Everest
1:55pm - Safari

Magic Kingdom - Dec 6
11:55am - 7DMT
1:50pm - PPF
5:30pm - Space Mountain


Still bumming a bit about FEA, but we don't really have too much that we need to accomplish on our Epcot day, so waiting in one standby won't kill us!

 

[chasingthtdream08]

Mini Trip Report - Jacksonville, NC

Last minute trip to Jacksonville, NC for my sister's wedding! My sister as I explained in an earlier post was moving to NC to be with her Marine fiance. And the wedding came up quickly after that. My mom and I hummed and hawed about going for a while. First it was going to be a quick courthouse ceremony, and soon it turned into a much larger affair at their church, so we bit the bullet and booked a last minute flight. By the way, this was all a surprise to my sister, she had no idea we were coming, we told her we couldn't take off work!

Thursday Sept 15th:
Mom and I met up after working a full day.

Drove to our favorite mall between Milwaukee and Chicago: Gurnee Mills! Grabbed a quick dinner and looked around in a few stores.

We then headed to our hotel near O'hare Intl for our 5:30am flight the next morning. Settled in pretty quick and headed to bed.

Friday Sept 16th: The longest day....bear with me.
Woke up at 3 AM!!!!! It was going to be a long day.
Grabbed an Uber at 3:30am to the airport
I always am so surprised at how lively an airport is at 3 AM.
We ate breakfast at McDonalds and waited for our flight to board to Charlotte.

Now Charlotte is 4.5 hours from where my sister lives, it was the cheapest flight we could find....now you can understand why it's going to be the longest day ever.

Flight was smooth and on-time (20 mins early in fact). We again grabbed an Uber at the airport to take us to our car rental pickup (off-airport, cheaper!)

Once we got in our car we were on our way to Jacksonville! It was a great car and quick pickup from Enterprise!

Pretty smooth ride all the way. I think we only stopped once for gas/bathroom/snacks.

We just wanted to get to the hotel to shower and take a small nap before getting ready!

It was funny because my sister was calling us both, separately (of course not knowing we were together) and freaking out about her wedding day and wishing we were there.

Made it safely to Jacksonville, checked into our hotel, dropped off our bags and ran over to Target to grab some last minute beauty necessities. Also a quick drive-thru meal at Chik-fil-A.

Well....we didn't have nearly enough time for a nap. It was 3pm by this time and the wedding was at 6:00pm, 30 mins away. And we still had to beautify ourselves!

Yikes! Getting ready was chaos! We made it out the door by 5pm, in order to get to the church by 5:30pm to surprise my sister! This was the highlight of the trip for me, so anxious to see her reaction that we had actually made it!

The grooms parents knew we were coming and met us outside the church to take us to where my sister was. We knocked on the door and there she was...beautiful as ever and now bawling her eyes out. The reaction we wanted! We didn't come all this way, to have a lackluster surprise moment!

The crying quickly stopped so that no makeup got ruined and we snapped this pic!


We were quickly ushered into the church for the ceremony.

(sorry it's sideways, don't know how to fix)

It was beautiful.

This was followed up by a small reception. This church was so amazing. They offered to pay for most of the wedding with volunteers. They got a volunteer photographer. They got a cake and food donated. It was just beautiful. They had a DJ offer his services. So many wonderful people.

After the wedding, the kids (as I like to say) headed off to a nice dinner and mom and I stuck around helping to clean up the church.

You better believe we were more than ready to head to the hotel and pass out!!! And that's what we did for the evening.



Saturday, September 17th:

This was also a great day. We headed to Topsail Island, NC which was only about 30 minutes from Jacksonville.

We slept in until about 10am and slowly got ready. My sister and new brother-in-law met us at our hotel and we followed them to the beach! We met up with my brother-in-laws family as well. It was a beautiful day. Water was a perfect temperature and the breeze was just right!

(Wish I could get this darn picture to show up correctly, the photo is saved correctly.....gahhhhhh)

Anyways, as you can (sideways) see, it was beautiful. Felt like I was in a Nicholas Sparks movie!

We had lunch at a restaurant on the beach. We then walked on the pier which was cool. My mom, sister and I then went shopping to some cute beach boutique shops. Had a lot of fun!

We were pooped after being the sun all day. Around 5pm we called it a day and headed back to Jacksonville. But not before heading to this cheesy gift shop!



We went to the hotel to shower then went to my sister's house so I could see it and meet her puppies! She has two, Gunner and Harley. So sweet. Her house was the cutest too! The four of us went to a quick dinner and then said our goodbyes as we had to head out early the next morning for our flight.

Sunday, September 18th:
We had to leave our hotel by 9:30am to head to Raleigh/Durham Intl Airport (only 2 hours away, vs our incoming flight to Charlotte) for our noon flight back to Chicago.

Again, another easy drive. Dropped the car off and took the shuttle to the terminal. By the way, Raleigh Intl is probably the nicest airport I have ever been too. I think it's all pretty brand new.

Easy flight again, back in Chicago and O'hare was a disaster, shocker

It took us like 45 minutes just to get off the airport property in our Uber. We made it back to our car and drove back to Milwaukee. It was nice to be home.

Great trip, glad we were able to make it for my sister's big day and glad we got to go to the beach!