(WE ARE BACK! TR LINK!) The-BFF-Birthday-bash PTR turned ANNIVERSARY trip

[-Hope-]

I completely understand why you're feeling some guilt. I'm feeling it also... and my kids are all grown up!! My 27yo ds and my 25yo dd are both Disney lovers too!! I will never forget our last 'family' trip. My ds was 16. It was our last night and our tradition is to take the ferry back to the TTC on our last night so that we can see the castle until the last possible moment. Anyway, we were standing at the rail of the ferry and ds started crying!! When I asked him what was the matter, he said "I'll never be back here as a kid again!!" OMG!! I got crying right along with him!! Of course I said "You'll always be a kid when you come to Disney" but I knew what he meant. College was coming up... real life... work... and he was right. That was his last carefree trip at his most favorite place!

Then... my dd and I shared a week at Disney (just the 2 of us) the year after she graduated from college. Even though I knew that she loved Disney, I didn't realize how much until we walked onto Main St the first night of our trip and she stopped... stared at the castle... and just smiled from ear to ear. Then she said "My heart is complete!!" My kids have the Disney Gene!! So how can I go on a solo trip!?!?!?!

Well, let me tell you, I didn't even want to tell my kids that I was thinking about it. I felt so guilty!! Of course I'd rather do a trip as a whole family (dh, ds, ddil, dd, and her bf) but I can't afford to take all of them and they can't afford the trip on their own yet.

The way this solo plan happened is that we recently found out that my husband is going away to MS for 7 weeks in August/Sept. I don't mind having alone time when he goes away... I've been a military wife forever... but we have some major medical troubles going on in my family right now and the thought of being alone this summer is scary. So we decided that if things with my dad are ok... I need to get away!! So, the plan is that I am going to go visit my dh for a few days in MS, spend the weekend together in New Orleans... then go to Disney for 5 days of alone time!! I really need this!!!! So I finally gave in and told my kids that I'm "thinking" about doing a Disney trip without them. I planned a family dinner and while we were sitting there... I said "So, while dad is gone, I think I'm going to go visit him". The kids didn't flinch much. They said it was nice and hoped I had a good time. Then i said "And I'm considering flying from Biloxi to Orlando and spend a few days at Disney by myself". Well let me tell you... all of the kids started smiling and got really excited for me! They were so happy that I was doing something for myself. My ds, who hasn't been to Disney since his honeymoon 3 years ago got up, gave me a huge hug and said "Mom, you deserve this! You always do everything for others, go and enjoy yourself!!" My kids made me cry!!

So please, when you feel guilty, remember that sometimes we need to take care of ourselves in order to take care of others!! Your kids will understand. And of course... they will love the souvenirs that you bring them back!!

I love that reaction! So sweet.

My kids aren't so happy and excited for me- my daughter is really irked any time anyone does something fun without her. I'm okay with it though because I know deep down they don't really mind and they just like to give me a hard time. I also know that it's okay for them to be disappointed and I want them to see me doing things for myself- I would never want them to grow up thinking they had to completely sacrifice themselves to parenthood. What exactly am I sacrificing for if they are just going to grow up and sacrifice everything? That's not to say that I don't make sacrifices and put them first but sometimes I have to make room for myself.

Plus I just blame it all on Karen. I keep telling Kya that *I* didn't choose WDW- Karen did and since it's her birthday I *have* to go along.

Hope, what a nice friend you are...and looking at that pie is making me hungry.

Aww, thanks. It really was tasty with very little effort on my part.

I want to stay at POFQ. Maybe next trip.

You didn't ask but here is my opinion on staying at a deluxe resort. I've been to WDW twice. First trip we stayed at All Star Movies. I loved it except for the busses. They kind of sucked Last trip we splurged and stayed at Beach Club. It's a beautiful resort and the bus situation was much better and to be in walking distance of EPCOT was cool.

I'm a self-confessed hotel snob. I've stayed at Motel 6 type hotels but hated every second of it. So when I was planning my second trip to WDW I just knew that the deluxe resorts were for me and would be worth every penny.

The Beach Club is beautiful and the rooms are larger but I don't think they are worth the extra money especially if you're pinching pennies. For my next trip (hopefully for the 1/2 marathon ) I'm thinking I'll go with a mod, probably POFQ and just visit the deluxes and save my money for all the wonderful souvenirs.

However, I do want to stay at the Poly and that might change my opinion on everything. The option of the monorail might win me over. I really hate the busses

Jodi

I totally agree about having more money for souvies. I admit I'm not a hotel snob at all and if I have a comfortable mattress and a decent pool I'm pretty happy so when I look at the pics I don't feel any special pull to the Deluxe rooms or amenities- it's just that walk to Epcot that would be nice. But POFQ has the water taxi to DTD so that's pretty great as well. At any rate though this trip is *ALL* about Karen so I'll follow her lead.

 

[-Hope-]

Not much posting or planning going on right now. Karen's hubby was home for the weekend and we did all get together but the only talk of Disney was me rubbing it in Rey's face that I get to go to Disney with Karen.

He assured me it was only because she felt sorry for me.

They postponed the release of Mirror Mirror. IMdB originally posted that it would release on the 16th of March but the trailers finally hit tv and the official release will be March 30. So, we have a couple of extra weeks to figure out what we're going to do.

Those of you who haven't followed along on any of Karen or my TRs and PTRs before will be in for a treat. We both love a good Disney day! Decorations, food, fun activities- and lots-o-pics for your viewing pleasure.

AND when we have Disney days the girls disappear after they eat and (grudgingly) let us take a few pics so Karen and I have lots of time to talk about trip planning!

What I'm trying to say is... stay with us folks, we promise to be more active really soon (as long as Rey doesn't try to do me in with Cake vodka again...)

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Yes, I'm sorry, I've been away b/c Rey is home. He's home 1 more day too! My house looks like a tornado hit it though, I seriously had to fill the coffee pot water in the bathroom sink!

Tons of stuff to get done today and it's supposed to hit 80?!!? AND my husband is home? I'm not sure how I'll pull this off! I swear I'll be back though!

 

[Cinderella's slipper]

In a pooh like voice, "Happy Belated Birthday, Karen. It seems I am a bit behind here." Looking forward to reading more about your plans.

POFQ is great - particularly with the recent update. The resort is uniquely sized among the disney properties so that all the amenities are within a very short walking distance; particularly at the end of a long day in the park (perhaps not a problem for two runners). The walk to POR is pleasant and it's nice to have the advantage of enjoying both facilities. Our room was in Building 3, 3rd floor. Walking down the stairs, just outside our room and we were seconds away from the food court (coffee), and the gift shop. The pool bar was very convenient, yet when it was closed there was only a short walk to the indoor bar for a beverage in the evening.

In the past, I stayed at two deluxe resorts:
1. Polynesian - it was wonderful. The one distinct advantage I saw from staying here, was the view of space mountain, Grand Floridian resort and the castle all lit up at night, as we walked the grounds along Bay Lake. When we were there the gas torches were lit and island music played in the evening. Our room was spacious and comfortable.
2. Animal Kingdom Lodge - Savannah view - we were able to afford our stay here through a one time discount. Frankly the walk from the lobby to our room after the end of a long day was exhausting, and while we had a savannah view, we weren't in our room for any amount of time. Also because of the discount, the only rooms available had bunkbeds in them, which was a trade-off, but it made the room feel very small. During our stay in 2009, the bus service at this resort was dreadful. It often took much longer than 20 minutes for many of the buses.

Happy Planning!

 

[-Hope-]

In a pooh like voice, "Happy Belated Birthday, Karen. It seems I am a bit behind here." Looking forward to reading more about your plans.

POFQ is great - particularly with the recent update. The resort is uniquely sized among the disney properties so that all the amenities are within a very short walking distance; particularly at the end of a long day in the park (perhaps not a problem for two runners). The walk to POR is pleasant and it's nice to have the advantage of enjoying both facilities. Our room was in Building 3, 3rd floor. Walking down the stairs, just outside our room and we were seconds away from the food court (coffee), and the gift shop. The pool bar was very convenient, yet when it was closed there was only a short walk to the indoor bar for a beverage in the evening.

In the past, I stayed at two deluxe resorts:
1. Polynesian - it was wonderful. The one distinct advantage I saw from staying here, was the view of space mountain, Grand Floridian resort and the castle all lit up at night, as we walked the grounds along Bay Lake. When we were there the gas torches were lit and island music played in the evening. Our room was spacious and comfortable.
2. Animal Kingdom Lodge - Savannah view - we were able to afford our stay here through a one time discount. Frankly the walk from the lobby to our room after the end of a long day was exhausting, and while we had a savannah view, we weren't in our room for any amount of time. Also because of the discount, the only rooms available had bunkbeds in them, which was a trade-off, but it made the room feel very small. During our stay in 2009, the bus service at this resort was dreadful. It often took much longer than 20 minutes for many of the buses.

Happy Planning!

Thank you for the great insights about the pros and cons of mod vs. deluxe!

The small size of POFQ is definitely a big draw! For Karen after the race (she's the only runner, not me) it will be nice to get back to the room quickly and be able to rest if she needs to. And I remember the looooong walk back to the room at ASMu after a day in the parks. We'd stay until we couldn't stay any more which meant total exhaustion only to have this terribly long trek to our room. So, a more compact resort really sounds fantastic.

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

In a pooh like voice, "Happy Belated Birthday, Karen. It seems I am a bit behind here." Looking forward to reading more about your plans.

POFQ is great - particularly with the recent update. The resort is uniquely sized among the disney properties so that all the amenities are within a very short walking distance; particularly at the end of a long day in the park (perhaps not a problem for two runners). The walk to POR is pleasant and it's nice to have the advantage of enjoying both facilities. Our room was in Building 3, 3rd floor. Walking down the stairs, just outside our room and we were seconds away from the food court (coffee), and the gift shop. The pool bar was very convenient, yet when it was closed there was only a short walk to the indoor bar for a beverage in the evening.

In the past, I stayed at two deluxe resorts:
1. Polynesian - it was wonderful. The one distinct advantage I saw from staying here, was the view of space mountain, Grand Floridian resort and the castle all lit up at night, as we walked the grounds along Bay Lake. When we were there the gas torches were lit and island music played in the evening. Our room was spacious and comfortable.
2. Animal Kingdom Lodge - Savannah view - we were able to afford our stay here through a one time discount. Frankly the walk from the lobby to our room after the end of a long day was exhausting, and while we had a savannah view, we weren't in our room for any amount of time. Also because of the discount, the only rooms available had bunkbeds in them, which was a trade-off, but it made the room feel very small. During our stay in 2009, the bus service at this resort was dreadful. It often took much longer than 20 minutes for many of the buses.

Happy Planning!

You had me at POOL BAR.

 

[KatMark]

I just wanted to pop in and be sure I didn't miss anything. Our youngest son proposed to his girlfriend on March 9 and things have been hectic with spreading the word, going to look at halls, etc., when we went to spend last weekend with them in Iowa where they will be married.

 

[-Hope-]

I just wanted to pop in and be sure I didn't miss anything. Our youngest son proposed to his girlfriend on March 9 and things have been hectic with spreading the word, going to look at halls, etc., when we went to spend last weekend with them in Iowa where they will be married.

How exciting!

You haven't missed a thing! Things have been really hectic here as well. Karen and I are both teaching a class this session for our homeschool co-op, her work schedule has been crazy, I've been trying to get my son more active in some outside activities and well, just life! There hasn't been much time for either of us to think about our trip lately. It's just a busy time of year!

 

[DrMomof3]

I'm sorry I missed your birthday Karen.
I'm also afraid of DVC rentals because of the reasons you stated.


Amanda

 

[-Hope-]

I'm sorry I missed your birthday Karen.
I'm also afraid of DVC rentals because of the reasons you stated.


Amanda

Yep, too much could go wrong for my taste. I know lots of people have had great success with DVC rental and I think it's a great option if you're okay with losing out on the money if something goes wrong.

Anyway, as you'll see in the update I'm about to post there's no way we could do DVC rental because our dates are not concrete!

 

[-Hope-]

Okay, I know we promised a Disney Day but it did not happen.

We were all set to have a Snow White themed day and then go see Mirror Mirror Friday but it just didn't work out that way. We are both currently OBSESSED with The Hunger Games so we opted to go see that over the weekend instead. It left little time for planning a Disney day and even less money in the budget to see another movie less than a week later. Seriously, do you know how much movies cost these days?? I am saving my quarters for slushies so that movie is going to have to wait- it'll be in theaters for a few weeks anyway. Oh, and as an aside- there's ANOTHER Snow White movie coming out this summer.

Anywho... we did get together to gab this afternoon, just with no adornment. We came up with an itinerary for the Princess Half weekend as well as an alternate itinerary in case Karen's PF doesn't heal in time for her to train. We are really, really, really hoping for the Princess weekend but if she can't run it just seems like it would be a lot less magical for her to see everyone else with their medals.

So, onto the plans!

Plan A:

Saturday February 23: Travel/Expo/DTD

• Fly to Orlando, ME to resort
• OOP meal either during travel or upon arrival at POFQ
• Karen to check in at Expo
• Water taxi to DTD
• CS1 at Wolfgang Puck Express
• Make it an early night because Karen will have a big day tomorrow!

Sunday February 24: Princess Half/Epcot

• Breakfast in room
• Karen running Princess Half, Hope taking pics and acting as
• CS1 Lunch at resort
• Karen will rest AS MUCH AS SHE NEEDS TO and then we'll head over to Epcot.
• TS1 Dinner at Marrakesh
• We can stay for Illuminations or head back to the room early depending on how tired we (especially Karen) are.

Monday February 25: DHS/Epcot

• Rope Drop
• S1 Breakfast at Starring Rolls
• Hop to Epcot after spending morning at DHS
• CS3 Lunch at Sunshine Seasons
• Back to resort for a small break
• Water taxi to DTD
• TS2 Dinner at Raglan Road

Tuesday February 26: MK

• TS3 Breakfast at Crystal Palace pre-rope drop
• S2 Lunch anywhere in MK
• TS4 Early dinner at Kona
• Either head back to MK for Wishes or watch from the beach (or head back to the room early if we decide Wishes without the kids is just too much)

Wednesday February 27: AK/Travel

• AK rope drop to ride EE
• CS4 at resort
• DTD to use snack credits if our ME time is late enough

Plan B in next post...

 

[-Hope-]

Alright, no PH would mean arriving the following week. Not ideal as the first week of March is a bit more crowded than the last week of February (though not much). BUT without the PH to think about we can avoid the weekends altogether so that helps!


Monday March 4: Travel/MK/DTD

• Fly to Orlando
• CS1 @ POFQ upon arrival
• MK
• We can stay at MK all night OR go to DTD (look at us, being all go-with-the-flow)
• OOP Dinner- can do CS or just snack around

Tuesday March 5: MK/Epcot

• TS1 Crystal Palace breakfast pre-rope drop
• S lunch, either at MK or after hopping to Epcot
• TS2 Dinner at Marrakesh

Wednesday March 6: DHS/Epcot

• Rope drop
• S2 Breakfast at Starring Rolls
• Hop to Epcot
• CS2 Lunch at Sunshine Seasons
• Take monorail to Poly for TS3 Dinner at Kona

Thursday March 7: AK/DTD

• AK to ride EE
• TS4 Lunch at Sanaa
• DTD
• CS3 Dinner at Wolfgang Puck

Friday March 8: Travel

• CS4 at POFQ or DTD depending on when we catch ME

 

[-Hope-]

Hey, Karen- when you read this you can change the thread title to show an update.

 

[DrMomof3]

I think both plans look good! The nice thing about the half marathons at Disney is that they start so early that you finish in the morning still. Hopefully Karen feels good afterwards so you can have fun!
How did you like Hunger Games???

Amanda

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Thanks for typing it all up Hope!

I have to apologize for avoiding the thread for a while. I'm still having lots of pain with my plantar fasciitis and it did start to get better until I ran just about the length of a driveway and then the pain was back all over again. So, this has me in a funk and worried that I will never be able to run again. I know I still have time, but I don't even feel like I can plan the trip b/c I don't know what will happen.

Luckily, BFF to the rescue! Has anyone noticed that Hope is the best friend ever?!?! She came over and listened to me go on and on and then we planned this alternate trip for the "just in case" scenario. It made me feel much better.

So, I need to get off my tush and start biking, b/c that is something I CAN do, and stop wallowing about not being able to run. I like both our trips, although doing the Princess after all these injuries and setbacks would surely feel amazing, so I'm hoping it still works out.

Amanda, I loved Hunger Games. I preferred the books b/c there's so much more character development and detail than the movie, but the movie did a pretty good job! Some deep messages in the storyline about humankind and I love that kind of thing!

 

[Tink-erin-belle]

Both plans look great, Hope! I certainly hope that Karen’s PF heals in time to train for the PH. If not, I like Plan B too. If I am not mistaken, wouldn’t that put you guys in Disney world on Karen’s actual birthday?

That’s not a bad consolation trip, huh, Karen?!? I really hope that you get better soon and that biking will help to lift your spirits!

I was curious about how you guys liked Hunger Games. I'm glad you liked it! I really wanted to go see it this weekend but the kids and I ended up doing other things. You know, you could have turned it into a Hunger Games movie day! I believe they have several party ideas on the web I know, I know, it’s not Disney, but I really like the parties you guys throw!

 

[-Hope-]

I think both plans look good! The nice thing about the half marathons at Disney is that they start so early that you finish in the morning still. Hopefully Karen feels good afterwards so you can have fun!
How did you like Hunger Games???

Amanda

Yep, the marathon barely changes our plans since it's over so early.

I loved The Hunger Games! The books are definitely better for the reason Karen stated. BUT the books never brought me to tears while the movie did more than once so there are things that translate better on the screen, at least for me.

Both plans look great, Hope! I certainly hope that Karen’s PF heals in time to train for the PH. If not, I like Plan B too. If I am not mistaken, wouldn’t that put you guys in Disney world on Karen’s actual birthday?

That’s not a bad consolation trip, huh, Karen?!? I really hope that you get better soon and that biking will help to lift your spirits!

I was curious about how you guys liked Hunger Games. I'm glad you liked it! I really wanted to go see it this weekend but the kids and I ended up doing other things. You know, you could have turned it into a Hunger Games movie day! I believe they have several party ideas on the web I know, I know, it’s not Disney, but I really like the parties you guys throw!

Thanks, Erin! Yep, if we go with plan B it will mean that we'll travel and arrive the day before Karen's birthday so that would be fun too.

We already decided that we should have done a Hunger Games day and that we'll have to do it when the next movie comes out.

 

[Tinker326]

Sorry to hear that the pain is still with you Karen... I hope it gets better for you sooner rather than later!

If you do go for the Princess Half- my sister in law (who ran it last year) advised to come in a day early for the expo as Saturday was crazy & nothing was left... she is making us go in Friday for that very reason next year! I cannot validate her experience... I'm just going with her flow.. since she's BTDT! I'm pretty sure I'll still just be focused on not dying during the race and not caring about what T-Shirt I get at the expo!

I can not WAIT to see Hunger Games. I devoured the 3 books months ago. Now I just need to find the time to go see the movie. Glad to hear you both liked it!

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

What's THAT a picture of, you say? Why that is Coronado Springs Resort if you didn't know. What does that have to do with this pre-trip report?? Well, I've decided that I need a couple nights away with my husband, and after pricing just about everywhere, including the city we live 100 miles from, we decided that we can't get more bang for the buck anywhere but Disney! Sooooo...and it's still a big so...it will greatly depend on my summer petsitting and if my business is as good as last summer...Rey & I are planning a short 3-night getaway to CSR November 5th!

I realize this doesn't have a ton to do with THIS PTR, but it does a little b/c I will be able to upgrade my ticket when there to an AP so that I get AP discounts for my BFF trip!

So, as you can imagine, I have been scouring the DIS for pics of CSR and I have fallen in love. It looks perfectly romantic and I'm hoping we can pull this off b/c we deserve a little time alone!

I've been biking since I cannot run, and that makes me feel better, it's really all I can do with my feet like this. Spring is in full force here, so I know we haven't been too busy updating b/c Hope & I are both busy, but if you are still reading...thank you!

Uh...Hope...Rey wants to go to Raglan Road. Can we go somewhere else? Again, he steals me away...

 

[DrMomof3]

I totally cried while reading the Hunger Games! I guess I'd better bring lots of tissues to the movie....

OMG Karen! I hope you get to go! That pic of the resort is amazing!!!
We've often found that Disney is less expensive than many "equivalent" places we've considered.

Amanda