Vienen mis amigos a la Coronado Springs --- A September 2014 Pre-Trip Report

[MonsterWDWmom]

Hi Ann,

Your plans look great! I can't wait until we get to make our fastpass only about 17 more days now. It looks like our dates are similar, I heard it is an awesome time to be in the World Can't wait to see what else your vacation holds!

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

So, totally off topic here, but I just booked our hotel for Playlist Live 2015. I know you already have your ressies, but I don’t know what rate you got. If you call and say you’re with PlayList Live then the rate is $186 per night ---- a heck of a lot less than the website, so I figured I’d let you know. (YOU TOO, ERIN!!)

OMG, thank you!!! I was able to call and they cancelled my CRAZYEXPENSIVE reservation and made me a new one at the cheaper rate!

 

[Victoriasmom98]

Well howdy everyone! It’s been a bit since I’ve done an update, so here I am! I believe we left off with my telling you about our daily plans…
Thanks to Little Mix, September 12th is our second EPCOT day. This was supposed to be our ”free day” with Victoria going to the Little Mix concert, but the concert was cancelled. The group listed the reason as they wanted to work on their next album without any distractions. Yeah, whatever. Our fastpasses for the day are: 10:15am Spaceship Earth, 11:20am Soarin, and 1:10pm Mealstrom with Garden Grill being our dinner plans at 4:20pm. I know that is a bit early for dinner, but it was the best I could do being so close to the date. I think we’ll probably try to be as close to Rope Drop as we can so we could ride Test Track, even though I don’t like this new version very much. I miss the test track dummies and the auto body shop displays.



Honestly, I don’t really care about building my own car. I think we may do the Yorkshire County Fish Shop in England for a counter service lunch. I don’t want to eat a huge lunch since supper (dinner, whatever you call it) is so early. Oh well.



I just don’t want to be criss-crossing from one World to another. I’m hoping to concentrate on the World Showcase once our fp’s are done. Hopefully it will be a nice leisurely day. I definitely want to stay for Illuminations. We didn’t do that in March and I think out of all the fireworks shows, it is my favorite. Besides, there are usually ducks to play with while we wait. Yep, gotta give some loving to those Disney Ducks!! Oh, and not to leave out the other birds as well, we will feed them, too! (yes, even though Disney asks you not to. I’m a rebel!)

September 13 is scheduled to be our one and only Animal Kingdom day.



Victoria does not like touring this park whatsoever! Our deal with her is to have a family breakfast at Tusker House, ride Kilimanjaro Safaris, Expedition Everest and Dinosaur (all have been fast passed) and then she can leave and go back to the resort while Peter and I finish out the day. I love just taking the time walking the trails and seeing all the animals. I’m anxious to see the Festival of the Lion King in its new home! I know I’m going to miss Victoria if she does go back to the resort, but it will be nice to have some alone time with hubby-poo! I’m not sure where lunch will be, but since Victoria is scheduled not to be with us, we may try someplace new. That’s on my agenda --- to research counter service places in AK. I’d be willing to listen to your opinions on this! So please…..give me some suggestions! I plan on staying until closing which I believe is 6pm, but I’ll have to check.



Animal Kingdom will be the place where I debuting my newest creation…..





I thought this material would be perfect for AK!! Someone left squares of fabric on the Free Table at work (yes, we have a free table! Weird, but cool!). I first sewed the squares together and then cut out the pattern and voila! There was only enough “wild” material for the front so I got some black fabric for the back & sleeves. I think it came out pretty good. I just have to hem the sleeves and bottom and it’s done. I already started on one made out of princess fabric. I’ll show that one when I’m done. Believe me, I’m no seamstress, but I chose a really easy pattern and no one is going to look that closely at my stitching, so it’s ok.

September 14th is REST DAY with a dinner ADR of Whispering Canyon Café at 5:20pm. I tried to get a table at Crossroads, but there were none available. Peter’s going to be sad as this is the only place he eats and loves grits! I’m sure he’ll get over it. I chose WCC as we went there 2 years ago but were not seated in the main dining area, so we weren’t part of all the “activities” that go on there. I just think I need a re-do for this one. Hopefully it will be a better experience this time. I will definitely request to be in the main dining area.



Except for the baked beans, this looks soooooooooooooooo good!!!



This is where we want to sit and participate in the fun!!!
More to come…..

 

[stindall]

Hello! Subbing here, though I haven't read through your entire post yet! I did notice you have ak on the 13th and so do we! What time are your fast passes? If you see a girl with blue hair that's me!

Eta: we'll also be at Epcot on the 11th!

 

[Victoriasmom98]

Hi Sam and thanks for joining!!!

Let's see....our AK fast passes are:
9:05am Kilamanjaro Safaris
10:25am Expedition Everest
11:25am Dinosaur

So, I'll look for girl with blue hair and you can look for my wacky animal print shirt! It would be cool to meet someone from the boards during this trip!!

 

[Victoriasmom98]

Hi Ann,

Your plans look great! I can't wait until we get to make our fastpass only about 17 more days now. It looks like our dates are similar, I heard it is an awesome time to be in the World Can't wait to see what else your vacation holds!

Hi Megan and Welcome! Oh, I tell you I was so relieved when I got to make my fastpasses. It's just another step in the process that must be done, especially if you try to get A&E or 7DMT. Good luck with yours!!!

 

[SarahDisney]

Just wanted to say hi because I’m enjoying reading your detailed plans.

Just a tip re: Victoria missing school (and you may have thought about this already) – before you leave, have her ask friends in each of her classes if she can get their notes when she gets back (in this day and age there may even be one or two students who type notes either in class or after and can email them to her) – that way when she gets back, it’ll be easy for her to get notes on what she missed and catch up.
I missed my first week of Freshman year of HS because I was out of the country, but I didn’t think to ask in advance if I could have someone’s notes, so it took me a few days to track down notes for all of my classes and get copies.

I LOVE the AK shirt. I think it’s perfect for the park!

I can’t wait to see what you have in store for the rest of the trip.

 

[Victoriasmom98]

Hi Sarah!! thanks for joining in! I see you are a new poster to the boards, well welcome and enjoy all the info you can find here. Thank you for the nice comment on my shirt. I know it's pretty loud, but hey, in Disney, you can wear all kinds of interesting things and be considered NORMAL....oh heck.....normal is overrated anyways!

Victoria is already planning on getting her assignments before leaving. We do this almost every year, but this year she is taking advance placement English and History, so it may be a bit tougher than usual. I think she'll be fine. As you can tell by my post I do feel very strongly about the school telling me what I can and cannot do regarding Victoria. I've never had a problem before, so I'm not anticipating one now.

I hope you keep on reading!!

 

[margo30]

Hi Ann - Sounds like you are planning a great trip in September with your family! I also will be at WDW 9/8 - 9/19 staying in the Wilderness Cabins with my Mom, Brother, and sons (Brandon-25, Josh-23) and Neice (Zoe-18). I look forward to reading your past trip reports.

 

[Victoriasmom98]

Hi Ann - Sounds like you are planning a great trip in September with your family! I also will be at WDW 9/8 - 9/19 staying in the Wilderness Cabins with my Mom, Brother, and sons (Brandon-25, Josh-23) and Neice (Zoe-18). I look forward to reading your past trip reports.

Hi Margo!! Wow, you are really a new poster, aren't you!! Well, like I've said, welcome and enjoy the boards!! So are any of our park days lining up? I'd love to meet you in person --- I love to meet all my readers in person! You'll just have to post pictures of those cabins --- I've never seen them. I think they may remind me too much of camping, and I HATE CAMPING!! Your travelling group sounds awesome. I wish my Mom could still travel with us, but she feels she couldn't keep up at 74! I bet your boys and your niece are gonna have a blast! Is this anyone's first time?

 

[Victoriasmom98]

I HAVE GOOD NEWS!!! We received an offer on the property in Starks and have accepted it. It is WAY lower than what we wanted or were asking for but Peter feels it’s time to just walk away. $25,500 is the agreed upon price and that will at least pay the current mortgage on it in full and pay some on the credit card. We were really hoping on paying that sucker off, but it will be easy to pay off since there will be no more expenses in relation to Starks, so that’s an extra $300 a month. Yay! I do have mixed feelings about it as we were hoping on paying off the credit card AND the two car payments we have, but it’s ok. At least that chapter will be closed and we can move on. We will be having a “YOU BUY/YOUHAUL” day soon. The purchaser is only interested in the mobile home and since both homes are completely furnished, we will be selling off the appliances and furniture. I already have offers on the stove, washer and dryer, so I’m hoping this will go smoothly. I just can’t wait until this is behind us and we can focus on DISNEY!!! The closing is supposed to be August 15th and I ask for prayers and good thoughts that it all goes as planned!



This past Saturday we travelled down to Manchester, NH for Peter to look at a 1961 Renault Caravelle. Yep, he bought it, rented a uhaul box truck, and it’s now in my yard! Hey, he only paid $500, so he’s quite happy. I wasn’t so happy driving home 3 hours on roads I don’t know to get back home while he drove the uhaul. Victoria rode with me so it was nice to have time to talk with her one on one. We left our house around noon and was expecting to be home by 6 or 7, but it just seemed to be one thing after another with the uhaul rental, etc that we didn’t make it home until 10pm. My animals were a little nervous…..I had let the rabbits out to roam and they were all huddled in a corner because it was dark, so I had to put them away. The chickens that are allowed to free range during the day were scared of the dark and had to be gathered and caged. Poor little things! Have you ever tried to round up chickens in the dark? Yeah, not the easiest task! And then poor Cutie dog……no bathroom break for 10 hours!!! No accidents, though! She’s such a good baby!!



Speaking of Cutie, she’s been kicked out of doggy day care!!! That sounds really bad, doesn’t it? I used to board her about 3 years ago but since I usually have my friend Jane take Cutie when we go on a trip. She has 3 dogs herself and Cutie loves to play over there. Apparently Cutie was aggressive during the last couple of days at doggy day care THREE YEARS AGO so they will not take her back. Well, Jane’s sister died, so there is no one home during the day now and Jane doesn’t think that fair to Cutie. I now have to find another boarding facility for her. I think she’d be better off at home with someone checking on her and letting her out a couple of times per day, but it’s finding a person who’s willing to do that. She’s a yellow lab and about 80lbs so she’s too much for my Mom to handle. If only I knew of a pet sitter as fabulous as Karen around here! It’s just a dilemma I’ll have to work on, I guess.





The eggs I’m incubating for the local 4H club should be hatching by the end of this week. I can’t wait to meet them! I’m hoping they are all fertilized (there’s 11 in the incubator) but I’d be happy if at least 6 make it. Most of the eggs are from the hens that were born in February, so we’ll see.



In other news we’ll be heading down to Boston on the 9th to see One Direction in concert. Well, WE won’t be seeing them. Victoria and her friend Allison will be seeing them. Peter and I will be hanging out by the pool, in the hot tub, etc. The girls do want to do a little shopping in Boston on Saturday, so I think we can arrange that. I would love to do one of those Duck Boat tours of Boston Harbor. We’ll see if we have enough time to do that. We got a really nice rate at the Holiday Inn in Mansfield, I believe. I love to travel (no, really?) so I’m excited for this!



Can you imagine being in this crowd, though?? Ugh!!







I have finished my princess shirt that I’m planning on wearing to Cinderella’s Royal Table. I just need to hem it. I like the way it came out….

 

[MonsterWDWmom]

On the house selling, sorry you didn't get as much as you wanted but atleast you no longer have to think about it !

Boston sounds like fun, every once in a while my husband and I will head down there. It doesn't have that much of an appeal to us as that is where we grew up and we were there a lot!

Long drive to pick up the car in Manchester, I'm glad you had someone with you though it helps the time to go by faster.

Your were about 20 minutes west of where I live, how funny!

 

[Victoriasmom98]

On the house selling, sorry you didn't get as much as you wanted but atleast you no longer have to think about it !

Boston sounds like fun, every once in a while my husband and I will head down there. It doesn't have that much of an appeal to us as that is where we grew up and we were there a lot!

Long drive to pick up the car in Manchester, I'm glad you had someone with you though it helps the time to go by faster.

Your were about 20 minutes west of where I live, how funny!

Hi Megan!!! It was actually Goffstown where we picked up the car, but I didn't think anyone would know where that was, so I said Manchester as that's pretty close. Yeah, it was a L-O-N-G ride, and I hate to drive in the dark, but it all worked out and Peter has a new project to work on! (Yeah, like the 10,346 other projects he has to work on!! ). We stopped both ways in Kennebunk, Maine as there is a service plaza on either side with a couple fast food places. It's a good break because it's just about 1/2 way. And to think we are doing just as long a ride (a wee bit longer, actually) in 1 1/2 weeks for the concert.

I've been to Boston a few times. I've gone for the Flower & Garden show, school trips, but I never really "toured" it --- there was always something else to do. I think a harbor tour would be cool!

I am excited to not have to think about that darned property anymore. Looking forward to signing the papers and being done with it!!!

 

[Tinker326]

Congrats on the house selling- it will be a relief just knowing you don't have to worry about it anymore even if it was for less than expected!

Sorry about the puppy. We have problems finding care for our dogs too because our newest one is a little stink. Our reliable pet sitter won't sit for us anymore because the dog kept escaping and wrecking havoc on our house and she felt guilty..... we finally bribed our neighbor's granddaughter to do it with a good fee....... and she told us she loved our newest little dog & wants to do it again! So it all worked out! SCORE!!!

Your shirts (both the AK & Princess one) look great!

And have fun in Boston!

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

WOOT! Glad the house sold!

I love the colors in your shirt. I can't sew, like AT.ALL. Ok, I can, but then it gets all jacked up and tangled and jaggedy. I might as well not sew b/c I'm so terrible at it!

Sorry about Cuite, you should call around to the vets and see if you can find her a petsitter! The vets in my area ll know me, it's where I get most of my referrals.

Uh yes, I have tried to wrangle chickens in the dark and it was awful. I'll tell you a secret, but you have to promise not to end our friendship over it. Ready? I hate chickens.

I'm sorry! It's just I have a few clients with them and they are SO HARD to deal with! They never go in the coop until it's too dark and I'm tripping over stuff and stepping in all of their poop...and it stinks and they peck at me sometimes. I don't EAT them, so that has to count for something, right?

 

[Denovagirl]

Hi! Popping in! Your plans look great! How awesome for your DD to get to see that band she loves while at Disney!! I am excited to see my fave band at the F&W festival this year too, so I totally get her excitement!

Cant wait to read more!

 

[SarahDisney]

In other news we’ll be heading down to Boston on the 9th to see One Direction in concert. Well, WE won’t be seeing them. Victoria and her friend Allison will be seeing them. Peter and I will be hanging out by the pool, in the hot tub, etc. The girls do want to do a little shopping in Boston on Saturday, so I think we can arrange that. I would love to do one of those Duck Boat tours of Boston Harbor. We’ll see if we have enough time to do that. We got a really nice rate at the Holiday Inn in Mansfield, I believe. I love to travel (no, really?) so I’m excited for this!

I lived in the Boston area for a few years and did the Duck Tour . . . it was really nice. Sometimes they let you drive the boat, which is kinda fun (they never let you drive it on land, though . . . at least not that I've seen).

I'm glad to hear the house sold - it's nice to have one less thing to worry about.

And I LOVE the Princess dress! So adorable! I'm sure you'll get lots of compliments on it at Disney.

 

[RooRach0906]

Joining In!

Congrats on paying off the trip!

Yay! to getting offer on the house, will be praying all goes accordingly.

Your shirts look great.

Plans are coming along nicely, bummer about the concert being cancelled tho.

Have fun in Boston!

 

[stindall]

Glad the house sold! Even if it isn't the price you wanted you'll feel great getting it off your hands!

Have fun in Boston, I've always wanted to go.

 

[Tink-erin-belle]

Oh, wow, I am sorry you had such a bad experience at Pop! That’s kinda gross that you could see the indents on the bed from people who were there before you! I would not like that! Back to this trip, Garden Grill at 4:20 is a good time of day to go! It doesn’t feel as rushed when you eat that early, and then you have the rest of the night for touring. At least, that was how it worked out for us You have great Fast Passes! I like your plans for your AK day, because it could be very romantic for you and Peter to have some time for yourselves at the park. If you are still looking for counter service suggestions, I really like Flame Tree BBQ. I had the ribs and the kids both had the rib/chicken platter. The birds there were sort of a nuisance since they were used to people feeding them. My kids were feeding them pieces of chicken! I thought that was kinda cannibalistic! I made the kids stop feeding them, but the birds kept coming up to us! This was a few years ago, though. Maybe it’s not still like that. I love your shirts! They are so cute! For someone who doesn’t think they are a seamstress, I think you did a really good job! You don’t like baked beans either? My kids like them, but I can’t stand them! I hope your dinner at WCC is good!

I’m glad Peter was able to sell his property. That must be a relief not to have to think about that anymore. I can’t believe that Cutie was kicked out of doggy day care for something that happened so long ago! I’m sorry about that! She looks like such a sweetie! I can’t picture her ever being aggressive! How are the chicks? Did they hatch yet? I always get so jealous when you talk about your chickens! One day I’ll have some… One Direction?!? I’m not telling True. She would be so jealous of that! She’s getting to be that age where she wants to go to concerts. That’s nice that you and Peter can hang out at the hotel when Victoria is at the concert, though!