We are finally going back, and no, we are NOT driving! A May/June 2013 PTR

[danicaca]

Ok, I already have our itinerary planned, and all ADR's are made. I have only changed one, and that is because we decided to do the TT Dessert Party to watch Wishes! We are keeping this a secret, especially since we probably won't be able to get tickets until 30-60 days out. If we can't get tickets, we don't want the kiddos to be disappointed! Most days, we will be eating breakfast in the room, with groceries delivered (any faves for grocery delivery out there? We have never done that!) Here is our schedule, so far:

Day 1-(Tuesday, May 28th) - Arrival Day; plane lands at 11:30, ride ME to POR, get settled in to the resort if room is ready and head to Epcot for some more relaxed touring and dinner at Biergarten at 6:30, back to resort by 8 or so for bed.

Day 2-(W 29) - RD MK, QS lunch, 4:30 dinner at BOG, back to resort by 8.

Day 3-(Th 30) - RD HS, lunch at 12:05 MM w/Fantasmic Package, leave after lunch for afternoon rest, return to HS by 5 or 6pm for filler rides, QS dinner, and F! We may or may not take the break, as this is our only full day at HS. Our other day will be mostly dedicated to SWW!

Day 4-(F 31) - Sleep in morning. Animal Kingdom with late start, QS lunch, stay until we are ready to leave. Possibly head to DTD for QS dinner, back to resort by 9 or so.

Day 5-(S, June 1) - RD Epcot; lunch at Akershus at 12:10, focus on Future World, QS dinner, leave when tired, early bed time! This will be my first real day at Epcot. I have never seen World Showcase, so, so, so excited!

Day 6-(Sun 2) - RD HS for SWW, stay until after parade, then back to resort for swim/rest, return to HS for QS dinner and Hyperspace Hoopla - stay until close! Another first, never been here after dark!

Day 7-(M 3) - Sleep in, late start at Epcot, focus on World Showcase and eat QS around the World. Dinner at Rose and Crown at 7:50, stay for Illuminations - hopefully watching from R&C! My girls eat very slowly, so this should be doable!

Day 8-(T 4) - not sure, we may not decide what we want to do until we are actually there that week! We will have park tickets, so probably at least a little bit of park time, maybe DTD for some shopping... Dinner at 1900 Park Faire at 6:00, back to resort by 8 or so.

Day 9-(W 5) -RD AK, 10:10 at Tusker House. Stay until 2 or 3, then back to resort dinner at 6:15 at HDDR. We are very excited to eat here!

Day 10 (Th 6) - RD MK, 10:00 breakfast at 1900 Park Faire, back to MK, dinner at Liberty Tree at 4:15, TT Dessert Party and Wishes!!!!!!!!

Day 11 (F 7)- Departure day, flight leaves at 3:30, we will probably sleep in and enjoy breakfast at POR before getting on ME!

Whew! I know we packed a lot into our 11 days, but we will always judge our plans by how we are feeling. If we get tired, we will head back to the resort for some down time - of course I want to explore our beautiful resort! Also, I have to thank the gals over at the EasyWDW boards for helping me with this itinerary. I was a bit more ambitious with my first draft, and I think we all would have been sick/exhausted/dead by day 3! But, I have never gone there for this many days before, and they got me back onto a more doable itinerary!

 

[Djjsperry]

Yes, we are doing a much more relaxed itinerary this trip! We will also be eating breakfasts at the BCV. I am the big breakfast eater and would love to do Tusker breakfast at animal kingdom but don't think I could get the family on board with it.

 

[danicaca]

So I bought a large Rubbermaid tub to start saving all of my Disney stuff in. You know, like those little purchases you make anytime you see something cute that you can use for your trip, even though it is over a year away - yeah, that kind of stuff, only lately it has become more of the non "fluff" stuff, and things that we will actually be using Anyway I thought it would be easier to show you rather than tell you, and in case you have not already noticed, I am more of a visual kind of gal... so here are some more pics!

The bin - um yeah, it is a tad full at the moment, I guess I can start putting stuff in our suitcases - I didn't take any pics of those, but the girls got some cute ones for Christmas!

The stuff - these are all of the t-shirts I have been collecting. I forgot to include mine and DH's Star Wars shirts, but they are there, trust me I got a good deal online at the Disney Store right before Christmas. A lot of the t's were 2 for $25! I also found a couple at Wal Mart on clearance for $3!!!

Some, ok a lot, of jammies for the girls - they will get the new ones in their arrival day gifts.

some cute tutus that I, thankfully, don't have to make!

My new crocs! I am not normally a croc wearer, but I figured these had to be better than the flip flops I wore last time - yikes! Also, I got these both for $35 shipped from Zulilly.com. When I tried them on in the store, they were $35-$40 a pair! Yipee!

Arrival day gifts - these are a secret, I am really excited to give these to the girls -at least some parts of our trip can be a surprise!

Accessories - a new crossbody bag for me to carry my camera equipment in, lanyard wallets for the girls, purses, and jewelry.

My cute new jammies that I bought myself for Christmas!

Some hairbows, that I did not have to make myself!

Cinderella shoes - Ellie got these for Christmas - now I need to find Olivia some!

Misc. Odds and ends. Sunscreen, a nightlight, handsoap for the room, M&M tubes for pressed pennies, cute light saber suckers for SWW day, my $100 giftcard that I got for Christmas!, clickable Sharpies for autographs, and glow bracelets/necklaces for nighttime fun!

Airplane stuff - lots of markers/crayons, coloring books, activity books, and headphones. The girls will be bringing their DS's and we will have my iPod and our tablets for them (and us) too. I did not take a pic of it, but I also have a small camera for Ellie to use, along with its charger - boring

That is all so far - I will be adding as I start creating pretty soon! I still need to get the girls some shoes, but I want to wait until closer to our trip so they don't grow out of them!

 

[lovethattink]

Hi, I followed the link from facebook too.

Great introductions! You have a beautiful family.

Wow! 11 days at POR Royal rooms. Sounds like the perfect vacation for two little princesses.

I see you are following the POR thread, have you also discovered Andrew's website on POR? http://portorleans.org/riverside-info.php

Our dates are May 28th to June 7th. We decided on these dates because we want to be there for Star Wars Weekends, and we have heard from several Disney friends that this week after Memorial Day is one of the best weeks to go if you must go during the summer. Since the girls get out of school before Memorial Day now, this just seemed like the best time for us. Someday, I want to go in October for the Halloween stuff, and in December for the Christmas stuff. Someday...

Star Wars Weekends are a big draw for my family. We are all geeks. We will be there each weekend!

October and December are also great times to go. October also has the F&W festival and the Christmas decorations just can't be beat.

Ok, I already have our itinerary planned, and all ADR's are made. I have only changed one, and that is because we decided to do the TTDesert Party to watch Wishes! We are keeping this a secret, especially since we probably won't be able to get tickets until 30-60 days out. If we can't get tickets, we don't want the kiddos to be disappointed! Most days, we will be eating breakfast in the room, with groceries delivered (any faves for grocery delivery out there? We have never done that!) Here is our schedule, so far:

Most people use Garden Grocer for delivery

Day 1-(Tuesday, May 28th) - Arrival Day; plane lands at 11:30, ride ME to POR, get settled in to the resort if room is ready and head to Epcot for some more relaxed touring and dinner at Biergarten at 6:30, back to resort by 8 or so for bed.

Yum! Biergarten.

Day 2-(W 29) - RD MK, QS lunch, 4:30 dinner at BOG, back to resort by 8.

BOG is awesome! We've eaten there for lunch and dinner. I prefer the lunch menu better, but prefer the dinner dining experience. Those cupcakes are to die for! They are to be eaten in the wrapper with a fork. At lunch I struggled to get mine out of the wrapper and my cupcake went flying across the table, LOL. So at dinner I asked the server if there was a secret to getting it out of the wrapper. He said it's meant to be eaten IN the wrapper. I had the strawberry cupcake at lunch and the Lemon at dinner. The lemon was my favorite.

Day 3-(Th 30) - RD HS, lunch at 12:05 MM w/Fantasmic Package, leave after lunch for afternoon rest, return to HS by 5 or 6pm for filler rides, QS dinner, and F! We may or may not take the break, as this is our only full day at HS. Our other day will be mostly dedicated to SWW!

Day 4-(F 31) - Sleep in morning. Animal Kingdom with late start, QS lunch, stay until we are ready to leave. Possibly head to DTD for QS dinner, back to resort by 9 or so.

Day 5-(S, June 1) - RD Epcot; lunch at Akershus at 12:10, focus on Future World, QS dinner, leave when tired, early bed time! This will be my first real day at Epcot. I have never seen World Showcase, so, so, so excited!

Day 6-(Sun 2) - RD HS for SWW, stay until after parade, then back to resort for swim/rest, return to HS for QS dinner and Hyperspace Hoopla - stay until close! Another first, never been here after dark!



Last year RD was way before the official RD time. I think they let us in around 7:20 and RD was suppose to be 8am.

Day 7-(M 3) - Sleep in, late start at Epcot, focus on World Showcase and eat QS around the World. Dinner at Rose and Crown at 7:50, stay for Illuminations - hopefully watching from R&C! My girls eat very slowly, so this should be doable!

Day 8-(T 4) - not sure, we may not decide what we want to do until we are actually there that week! We will have park tickets, so probably at least a little bit of park time, maybe DTD for some shopping... Dinner at 1900 Park Faire at 6:00, back to resort by 8 or so.

Day 9-(W 5) -RD AK, 10:10 at Tusker House. Stay until 2 or 3, then back to resort dinner at 6:15 at HDDR. We are very excited to eat here!

Day 10 (Th 6) - RD MK, 10:00 breakfast at 1900 Park Faire, back to MK, dinner at Liberty Tree at 4:15, TT Desert Party and Wishes!!!!!!!!

Day 11 (F 7)- Departure day, flight leaves at 3:30, we will probably sleep in and enjoy breakfast at POR before getting on ME!

Whew! I know we packed a lot into our 11 days, but we will always judge our plans by how we are feeling. If we get tired, we will head back to the resort for some down time - of course I want to explore our beautiful resort! Also, I have to thank the gals over at the EasyWDW boards for helping me with this itinerary. I was a bit more ambitious with my first draft, and I think we all would have been sick/exhausted/dead by day 3! But, I have never gone there for this many days before, and they got me back onto a more doable itinerary!

Are you sure just a partial day will be enough Star Wars for your husband? There is alot packed at SWW each day. And much of the day is spent waiting in lines, either for shows or characters.

Studio Central and Kennythepirate should both have detailed reports of the times and schedules for SWW.

 

[danicaca]

Hi, I followed the link from facebook too.

Great introductions! You have a beautiful family.

Wow! 11 days at POR Royal rooms. Sounds like the perfect vacation for two little princesses.

I see you are following the POR thread, have you also discovered Andrew's website on POR? http://portorleans.org/riverside-info.php



Thanks so much! I actually found the POR thread through the Port Orleans website!


Are you sure just a partial day will be enough Star Wars for your husband? There is alot packed at SWW each day. And much of the day is spent waiting in lines, either for shows or characters.

Not sure about this mid-day break either. We plan to be at the park at least an hour before opening, want to get the girls signed up for Jedi Training. We do not plan to do anything but Star Wars stuff that day, except maybe ride Star Tours! We also do not plan on getting any actor autographs or doing a lot of shopping. There are probably only a few characters my girls will want to meet. Hopefully DH and I can go back on a trip by ourselves sometime!

Studio Central and Kennythepirate should both have detailed reports of the times and schedules for SWW.

I love KTP! Using a combo of his character touring plans and the TP site - that is my next big project, coming up with touring plans for each day!

 

[lovethattink]

I love KTP! Using a combo of his character touring plans and the TP site - that is my next big project, coming up with touring plans for each day!

Just a heads up on the SWW characters, some of them have over an hour wait. Typically the FAB 4, Darth Vader, and Chewbacca are huge draws. Luke, Leia, R2D2, and C3PO are potluck on who you get. They have scheduled times but the lines are not necessarily indicative of who you will get. Nice thing, it's airconditioned there!

I used Kenny's time guides for characters Christmas week. He was dead on.

I like to compare and contrast TP with EasyWDW. Some times they agree 100% with each other. Other times, not so much. I don't know why I do that though. We never follow any type of touring plan. TP is always part of my Christmas present from DH though.

 

[danicaca]

Just a heads up on the SWW characters, some of them have over an hour wait. Typically the FAB 4, Darth Vader, and Chewbacca are huge draws. Luke, Leia, R2D2, and C3PO are potluck on who you get. They have scheduled times but the lines are not necessarily indicative of who you will get. Nice thing, it's airconditioned there!

Thanks for the info - I know most of what we will be doing is standing in line! Oh well.
I used Kenny's time guides for characters Christmas week. He was dead on.

I like to compare and contrast TP with EasyWDW. Some times they agree 100% with each other. Other times, not so much. I don't know why I do that though. We never follow any type of touring plan. TP is always part of my Christmas present from DH though.

I like EasyWDW too. I went through and found all of the posts where he timed his ideal mornings at each park, and copied those plans as well. I hope between EasyWDW, WDWPrepschool, Touring Plans, and KTP, I will be set!

 

[danicaca]

So I already said what I was making, but again, I am a visual gal, so I thought I would share my ideas in picture form!
First, gotta show you my purse - mine just has the initial D on it, and I got the matching polka dot wristlet - gotta love Thirty-One! Hoping to find a lanyard while we are there to put the wristlet on!

The Bows:
I ordered a whole bunch of these sequin Mickey heads, so most of the bows will have them. I want to do some clips like these:

And something like these:

The AK bows - but mine will be lime green:

And probably a few like this, but with the sequin head:

And my fave, the Epcot one! I bought this ribbon from the gal that made this one:

These are the dresses I am making - fabric is already purchased - our JoAnn's is going out of business Good deals for me, but sad to see it go!

The shirts - something along these lines:

My mousekeeping envelope idea:

And something like this for the autograph books, but mine will have the clear acrylic covers:

And I think that is it for now - HA! I also am throwing around the idea of making something for our window at POR, but DH said that would be embarrassing to him - Not sure, I have found a few cute ideas, but it will be the very last project I attempt, everything else has priority! I also need to make my LGMH for my bag, but that will not take long at all! Whew! I am worn out just looking at the list!

 

[Corrine 1973]

I am just loving all the pictures in your PTR so far. So cute!! I agree with tink, you will need more than half of a day at SWW, there is so much to do there.

Such cute outfit ideas, I really need to sit down and plan out the outfits for my DD. I only have the Outfit ready for our DAK day. That reminds me I need to get new shoes for myself and my kids as well. Oh and I might just have to steal some of those ideas for bows to. My daughters hair is super curly so I will probably pull it back everyday to prevent frizziness.

I also need to to pull out my tote so I can start getting all our stuff together.

 

[lovethattink]

Those bows and dresses are darling! It's wonderful that you sew and are "crafty" to make all those wonderful items.

How did you make your Mickey countdown chain? (the ears part)

 

[MelMel11]

Count me in!! Love the thirty one bag. We are going in June! Can't wait to hear more.

 

[danicaca]

Those bows and dresses are darling! It's wonderful that you sew and are "crafty" to make all those wonderful items.

How did you make your Mickey countdown chain? (the ears part)

I have not actually made it yet that is just a pic I found. The ears are just circles, and you fold down a little part, like maybe 1/2 inch and glue to the black chain. I will probably be making it soon - probably starting at 30 days.

 

[danicaca]

Count me in!! Love the thirty one bag. We are going in June! Can't wait to hear more.

Glad you are here!

 

[emilyindisney]

All your crafty ideas have enticed me to sub! Your girls are going to look too cute! I love your binder too! I've got one, but its only plain white, haha! Can't wait to hear more!

 

[lovethattink]

I have not actually made it yet that is just a pic I found. The ears are just circles, and you fold down a little part, like maybe 1/2 ince and glue to the black chain. I will probably be making it soon - probably starting at 30 days.

Thanks. You have found some great ideas!

 

[magrudersmakes3]

Glad to see you here! Thanks so much for the compliment! Where are you staying?

We rented DVC points this time to try another deluxe resort so we are staying at BLT, but POR is our favorite resort. The girls are going to love the royal rooms!!

Also, congratulations on your weight loss. I know how hard it is as my husband and I just accomplish it this year.

 

[danicaca]

We rented DVC points this time to try another deluxe resort so we are staying at BLT, but POR is our favorite resort. The girls are going to love the royal rooms!!

We looked into renting points, kind of wish we had - we could stay at Beach Club for only $400 more than POR! We probably should try a moderate first before going deluxe! I have a feeling once we try deluxe, we won't want to stay anywhere else!

Also, congratulations on your weight loss. I know how hard it is as my husband and I just accomplish it this year.

Thanks! I am still a work in progress, hoping to lose another 30 before we leave! I was really unhappy with how I felt and looked on our last trip! My goal one day is to run the princess half!

 

[danicaca]

All your crafty ideas have enticed me to sub! Your girls are going to look too cute! I love your binder too! I've got one, but its only plain white, haha! Can't wait to hear more!

Glad you can join me! I started reading your PTR last night - so jealous you will be there in just a couple weeks! I still have 148 days to go...

 

[emilyindisney]

Glad you can join me! I started reading your PTR last night - so jealous you will be there in just a couple weeks! I still have 148 days to go...

I have a little countdown on my whiteboard and I remember way back when it was over 200 days to go. Luckily, the time went by quick!

 

[magrudersmakes3]

Thanks! I am still a work in progress, hoping to lose another 30 before we leave! I was really unhappy with how I felt and looked on our last trip! My goal one day is to run the princess half!

We thought that too. We stayed at BW and while it was great, we found we didn't use the amenities as we were always in the parks. We are doing BLT this time for the location to MK. The next one we want to try is BC.

Good luck! I have heard once you run the Disney races that you are hooked. I haven't even ran it yet and am working on which ones I can do next