"We aren't going to Disney World every year" Pre-trip+pics 6/23 update!

[mickeysmyboy]

Well, I'm new around here. But, I love it! Especially all the pre-trip and trip reports! If this is half as good as the ones I've read I'll be happy.

So here goes!

Cast of Characters

Me, Melissa, 32, SAHM, planner extraordinaire, in love with Mickey since I was a kid

DH, John, 32 (turning 33 during our trip), civil engineer who owns his own company, willing participant in the trip, but closet disney nut

DD, Dorothy, 6 (turning 7 during our trip), our one and only princess! She love Cinderella, Jasmine, Tinker Bell and Hannah Montana. She IS TINKERBELL! Cute and sweet with all the sass!

DS, John, 5, the sweetest, most pure hearted little thing in the whole world! He is the essence of everything Walt wanted Mickey to be! I hope he stays that way forever!!

DS, Ryan, will be 9 months when we go. Funniest, happiest little baby every! Thinks everything his big brother does is hysterical and loves to flirt with women!

This is us during our last trip, October 2006

This is baby Ryan. Isn't he adorable?!

Also on the trip MIL, FIL, SIL and BIL.

Trip March 8th - 16th 2008! Staying at GF!! SIL and BIL are splitting their stay between GF and AKL.

A little back story; DH and I both went to WDW once as kids. Funny thing is there is a very good possiblity that we actually went the same week alllll the way back in April of 1987. Weird isn't it? We could have stood next to each other on line!

When we got married in 1999 I wanted to honeymoon in WDW. DH wanted to know why the heck we'd want to go to WDW for our honeymoon So we went to St. Lucia. Good thing we didn't go to WDW, DH got the flu on our honeymoon and spent the week sacked out in a lounge chair by the pool!

Then in 04 DH and I were in the middle of having our house built and living with MIL and FIL. The house took longer to build then expected and I was getting a little antsy and told DD that we should go to WDW for DD's birthday. He thought I was completely nuts. OK, maybe he's right

Then finally my MIL decided she wanted to go to WDW for her 60th B-day! Yippee! That spawned our Feb/March 05 trip. We (really just me) drove from NY to VA and took the auto train. I swear we're lucky to be alive today. It snowed between NY and VA and the roads we're terrible! The Delaware Memorial Bridge was a sheet of ice and I didn't think we'd make it across. I will never drive that far again!!! The train ride was an experience, not sure I'd do it again. Once we got to WDW we had a blast! We stayed at AKL! We made a lot of rookie mistakes but had a wonderful time!

A few months after that trip I told DH I wanted to go again and thought we should go for Halloween in 06. He agreed but told me "We aren't going to go to Disney World every year!" Ok, well Oct 06 was 19 months! I planned everything this time, we flew and stayed at WL. We love WL!! Love, Love, Love WL!! We went to MNSSHP on Halloween and had a blast! I was about 8 weeks pregnant with Ryan and FIL had just had surgery so we kind of took it easy, but it was fantastic.

Celebrated DS's 4th b-day at Chef Mickey's. His birthday was a few days after we got home but whose counting!

We had the best time every!! It was truely a magical trip and very relaxing! DH gotten biten by the bug!! It happened sometime on the night of Halloween He still talks about MNSSHP!

He'd kill me if he knew I put this picture here! Shhhh!!!

A few months before that trip DH, who sails Sunfish competitively, placed 2nd in a big race and landed a spot in the Sunfish World Championships! Wonderful! But, he got to go away, without us, for a whole week! In all honesty, if DS Ryan wasn't 3 months old at the time we would have gone with him. But, I could see taking a baby to the beach for a week. Plus, we live at the beach, just a different one! I told DH that if he was going to go away for a week alone we would be taking a family vacation in March or April when I thought Ryan was old enough to travel. I didn't say WDW, I was thinking it, but I figured he'd say no way. After all, we aren't going to WDW every year! He said WDW ! After I checked to make sure this was the same man I married I said OK! Then he said with a baby it's probably easiest to stay at a monorail resort ! After I checked again to make sure this was my husband I said ok and started planning a trip to WDW staying at Poly!

A few weeks later MIL mentioned that her and FIL would like to go to WDW again. They didn't know our plans so, I told her about them and told her they were more the welcome to come. She said SIL and BIL wanted to go again too. The more the merrier! I started planning Magical Gathering!!

More to come...

 

[CruisingCamper]

We will be there with you. March 9th-16th. I wish we were leaving on Saturday, but no luck. The airline that we have chosen only has flights on Sundays and Thursdays, so the 9th it is!!

My DH says that we can't go to WDW every year either, but I think we will. He loves it as much as me, it just won't admit it. You see, we went in 2006 and came home with a souvenir!!! We had been trying to have a baby for 4 years!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Then we went to WDW, and BAM!! Came home and I was having a baby. So it's a very special place for us, I guess you could say the "Happiest place on earth".

We have purchased a timeshare with RCI, not DVC, so the trip as far as lodging will be cheaper to go every year, but now that it's getting close, I am sad to be staying off-site. We stayed at the WL last trip and Saratoga springs.

Looking forward to more of your pre-trip report.

 

[natale1980]

Sounds to me like - before you know it you'll be joining the Disney Vacation Club .
Can't wait to read more!! Going to Disney with a 9 month old is a blast!! We took my son when he was around that age... and plan to take our daughter next winter/fall too.

-nat

 

[stagemomx3]

We'll be there the same time too 8th-18th at CSR. My DH says we aren't going to Disney every year, but I don't listen. Of course our Disney will usually be Land not World.

Love the picture of your DH in his Prince Charming costume in front of the pumpkin.

 

[lazidazi07]

Count me in! Its so cute how your DD's Prince Charming was her dad! How adorable!

 

[mickeysmyboy]

Sounds to me like - before you know it you'll be joining the Disney Vacation Club .

LOL! We actually had a converstation a couple weeks ago DVC. DD has Disney stock that was given to her as a gift when she was a baby. We got the annual report and there was a advertisment for DVC in it. He was interested, but he's A LOT more frugal the me!

 

[mickeysmyboy]

So the planning began! But, it was late winter - early spring 07. Still really far out. To early to make any kind of ressies. Just a lot of time to think, read, write lists, write notes, and on and on and on and on!

Luckily, we had other things to plan for or I might of gone completely crazy!

Baby Ryan was due June 9th 2007!

We hadn't intended on having a third baby. But, a friend of ours had a baby in April of 06 and DH got baby lust ! We got rid of most of our baby stuff when we moved out of our old house. We didn't have a place to store it in the time between knocking down the old house and building the new one. So, there was a lot to be done. Being completely OCD I got to work early and within a few weeks of finding out for sure (I really mean for sure, he wasn't shy ) that DS was going to be a DS I was all set and everything was in line.

Baby Ryan joined our family May 30th! His entrance into the world was a bite rough. I was Strep B+ this time and am allergic to Peniciliin. So they induced me and gave me another antibotic for the strep B. Ryan was born struggling to breath. Really struggling Our peditrican tried for a long time to stabilize him. But, everytime she got him to a good place he'd go down hill again. She decided it was best to transfer him out of the hospital to a hospital with a NICU. It was so scary! They were affraid that he had contracted the Strep B. So he was transfered via ambulance with a team of 1 doctor, 1 medical resident, a nurse and 2 emts to a hosptial 40 minutes away He spent 3 1/2 days in the NICU. Every test was fine! All he ended up with was a little bit of juandice. It was the scariest time of my life! My poor baby lying there in the hospital all hooked up to machines! DH and I thank god everyday that he's a perfect little baby and we pray for all the families with truely sick babies who were in the NICU.

We were soo happy to bring him home!

So, after the shock and exhaustion of having a newborn wore off a bit I wanted to get on with the plans! I needed a vacation in my sights!

I waited, and waited and waited. Alllllllllllllllll the way through July. It made no sense to me that people who were going in January could make ADR's but they couldn't reserve a package I know, I know, they changed the system yadda, yadda! Finally! August 5th came! Halleluiah! I could make the ressies! I called MIL and told her I could make them, but wait SIL isn't sure where she wants to stay! Are you kidding me? How much time have you had to figure this out?! MIL knew I was annoyed and she was annoyed too. She had me go ahead make the ressie and said if SIL wanted hers changed she could change it. Fine with me! So I made ressies 3 rooms at Poly March 8th - 15th!!! Yippee!!

I was very excited at the prospect of staying that Poly. It looks so beautiful! But, wait! I kept getting this pang in my stomach! What was it?

Oh! It's the fact that we're totally in love with WL!

DS loved it so much he hugged one of the totem poles!

Sunrise over Bay Lake! How could you not love that!?

But I held back! I wasn't going to change to WL. We really want to stay at a monorail resort.

So I waited some more. This time thinking, reading, writing wtc about ADR's etc.

I'm not patient when it comes to this people!!!! It was killing me! At least if I had something else to plan for or project to do I'd have something else to think about. But, there was nothing! Just, some summer fun!

Then September finally came...

 

[CruisingCamper]

Can't wait to read more!!! I love the WL too!!

 

[mickeysmyboy]

So September came! The older kids went back to school, the March WDW calendar came out and I could make ADR's!

I waited until that day, I'm not sure exactly which day it was! We had already confirmed with everyone what they wanted to do and what they didn't etc. Suprising seeing as SIL and her DH are a bit wishy washy and aggrevate me most of the time.

Here's how it look on the big ADR making day;

Saturday, March 8th
5:15 Spirit of Aloha for all 9 of us

Sunday, March 9th (DD's 7th B-day!!)
9:30 am BBB for DD in the castle
5:35 pm Chef Mickey's for all 9
Magical Fireworks Cruise all 9

Monday, March 10th
International Dinner and Illuminations Dessert 7:30 all 9

Tuesday, March 11th
early show of Hoop Dee Doo minus SIL and her DH

Wednesday, March 12th
8:00 am Kona Cafe Breakfast all 9
SeaWorld
No dinner adr

Thursday, March 13th
Dinner and Fanstasmic all 9
4:30 dinner at Hollywood and Vine

Friday, March 14th (DH's 33rd B-day!)
6 pm Fulton's Crabhouse
(I had to call back later in the week to make this ADR, they only do 180 days from the dining date)

Saturday, March 15th
11:50 Lunch Crystal Palace minus SIL and her DH

I was on the phone for an hour and a half, but everything went smoothly and I got everything I wanted at the times I wanted and the CM was super nice!

Then I waited some more! I could tell, and really hoped, from the calendar that it was likely that there would be & Party on the 11th and 14th. We really wanted to go. We had a blast at MNSSHP!

Luckily, this wait had something to keep me busy! I think I might have a minor case of ADHD DS birthday was coming and he wanted a Halloween Party for his birthday! Okey Dokey! I can do that. Being the crafty mommy that I am I hand made the invites and a lot of the decorations. I planned to have the party outside. But, monsoonly rain kept 23 4 years and their parents in my not big house The party was a huge success, the kids decorate pumpkins, trick or treat bags, danced to halloween music, had a limbo contest and ate pizza and cupcakes decorated to look like various bugs! Oh and MIL came as Donald Duck ( ) and FIL came as Goofy!!!

After I recovered from that & tickets came out!! Yippee! I call MIL and tell her. She says her and FIL are in but SIL and her DH aren't sure. I can't post I want to on this subject. It's just not appropriate. I call and order the tickets! The kids are super excited!

DS played Pirates in the living room with Daddy's halloween costume and his Mega Fort. Certainly can't tell the kid had pneumonia at the time!

There was a little adr adjusting to be made. Had to cancel Hoop De Doo. No biggy, we've done it twice, MIL and FIL once. But, the next morning MIL calls because FIL really wants to go to Hoop De Doo. He loved it last trip! So I call and make an ADR for the 7:15 show on the 12th figuring we'd have enough time to get back from Sea World and over to Fort Wilderness. OK!

Then a few days later MIL lets me know SIL and BIL want to go to & now. so I call for their tickets.

A few days later SW fares for March are released! This made me very happy! I don't feel completely secure in the trip until airlines have been booked! Yeah!! So we get the same flight as last time. 7 am SW out of Islip/McArthur Airport, arriving MCO 9:40 am! I call and book a limo also!

Everything is falling into place! We just have to wait some more!

 

[stagemomx3]

Hey Melissa we are going to Pirates and Princesses March 11th too!

 

[MomofCKJ]

Just signing on! Adorable family you have, so cute!

We will be there March 10-16th and attending the P&PP on the 11th too!

Allyson

 

[CruisingCamper]

We will be at the P&PP on the 11th also.

What's the International Dinner and Illuminations Dessert?

 

[mickeysmyboy]

We will be at the P&PP on the 11th also.

What's the International Dinner and Illuminations Dessert?

The International Dinner and Illuminations Dessert is a Grand Gatherings Experience. Your party has a special dinner of foods from the countries of the world showcase in the Galaxy Center (I think thats what its called, but its the building over where the baby care center is) and the you get a special reserved area for Illuminations and have dessert while you watch.

We're very excited about it! My MIL and FIL love Illuminations! Our last trip we finished our dinner at Biergarten right before it started and we couldn't see too well. DH, myself and the kids had missed it during our trip in 05. I can't wait to see it from "front row center!"

 

[CruisingCamper]

The International Dinner and Illuminations Dessert is a Grand Gatherings Experience. Your party has a special dinner of foods from the countries of the world showcase in the Galaxy Center (I think thats what its called, but its the building over where the baby care center is) and the you get a special reserved area for Illuminations and have dessert while you watch.

We're very excited about it! My MIL and FIL love Illuminations! Our last trip we finished our dinner at Biergarten right before it started and we couldn't see too well. DH, myself and the kids had missed it during our trip in 05. I can't wait to see it from "front row center!"

How do you book a Grand Gatherings Experience? Is it for folks with AP's, or resort guests only?

 

[mickeysmyboy]

How do you book a Grand Gatherings Experience? Is it for folks with AP's, or resort guests only?

I'm pretty sure its for WDW resort guests only. You have to have 8 people or more in your party, not including kids under 3(their free and don't count toward the gathering). Even if your all staying at different resorts they can link you all together and make you a gathering. There are a few other experiences as well, the Magical Fireworks Cruise to see Wishes, there's a Character Breakfast at Tony's in MK and a Safari. There is a Magical Gatherings # but I can't think of it off the top of my head. Normally I called the regular WDW # and asked for Magical Gatherings.

 

[mickeysmyboy]

So, we last left me waiting.....

By now it was November. Thanksgiving was coming. We were going TO DH's Aunts house. I don't particular enjoy this occasion. But, DH's cousin and her DH are also huge Disney fans, so it can't be all bad! At least I can talk to them about Disney!

November was a great month, I got a wish of mine! Last year I asked DH to go to NYC and see the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. He looked at me like I was from another planet! and said "No way!" So, this year I asked again. Persistent aren't I? He said yes! So, I got tickets online and started making a few plans. I haven't been to NYC in way to long and our kids have never been to the city besides to go to a wedding. Everyone was excited!

It just so happened that our 100 days mark was coming up! 99 days was the day we went to the city! What a way to celebrate!

We saw the tree

Wow! The picture doesn't do justice. It was beautiful!

We saw the show. It was wonderful! We’ll definitely do it again in the future. After the show we did a few more things. We went to the "Top of the Rock" very neat but, I'm not big on heights We had some very yummy NYC pizza, walked a bit and then it was time!

Time for what?

A Disney fix! Like I said, what a way to celebrate 99 days! World of Disney NYC! 3 stories tall! Full of all sorts of wonderful things! I could have spent a million dollars! But, DH wouldn't have that We made a few purchases. A few things for the kids, a very cute mickey necklace for me to wear on our trip and a few Christmas things. Then we got to see characters! We're weren't even in WDW and we got to see Disney characters!!

Reindeer Pluto!

and Santa Goofy!

Yippee!! It made me feel all warm and fuzzy! It was a little piece of WDW right in the middle of NYC!

A few days earlier DD and I had made our countdown calendar,

Last year we did a paperchain, it was just to loooonnngggg and depressing!

We began to slowly mark off days and I got to work on a few surprises for DD for her birthday, 3/9. She’ll be turning 7 so she’s getting away from frilly, girly and more into bling!

her pants

her shirt to go with the pants, do you see the hidden mickeys?

her sneakers

and her birthday outfit (I ordered the shirt from zazzle and embellished it)

DS was upset that he didn’t have any, so I made him these

Little miss nosy saw something interesting in a bag in my closet shortly after I finished then and the surprise was no longer a surprise! Uggh! But, being the good mommy I am I thought it would be fun for DD and I to go to breakfast together before her appointment at BBB. So, I made and ADR for Kona Café 8 am 3/9! Yummy, Tonga Toast and Kona Coffee, can’t go wrong!

We enjoyed out holiday season. We watched the new Samantha Brown Christmas show which left the kids asking “when we can go to Disney World for Christmas?” We watched the Christmas Parade which prompted more “when can we go to Disney World for Christmas?” questions. A few years! I promise! We had all sorts of fun Disney decoration from our 06 trip and from World of Disney. It was very nice to have a little Disney Magic in our Christmas!

We spent a few days in PA over Christmas at my parent’s house. When we got home there was a letter from WDW waiting for me. I was all excited! After all it was 12/27, my birthday was the next day. Perhaps Disney knew and sent me a birthday surprise! Maybe we won something! The envelop said “For your Future Enjoyment” Winning a free trip would certainly be for my future enjoyment!

I opened the letter! Then I heard a sound.

A sound, what sound, you may ask.

The sound of my plan unraveling!!

The letter read “blah, blah, blah, blah, yadda, yadda, yadda, ya, the Poly is so wonderful, we have so many guests who return year after year, blah, blah, yadda, yadda. But, we need to refurb the pool and it isn’t going to open during your stay.” I can deal with refurbishments. I completely understand why they need to be done and I’m not mad their doing it. But half the fun (ok maybe a quarter) of going to WDW from NY in March is to swim!!! Especially for my kids! I booked the package August 5th, it would have been nice if they knew then and had told me. Of course, I was glad I got a heads up and didn’t find out when we got there! I would not have been pleased.

What to do, what to do?

Yes, we could still stay at Poly and use the beach pool at GF. But, what the point in that? We were staying at poly we wanted to use the poly pool. I need to stay in the theme!

Not 5 minutes after I opened that fateful letter MIL called, did we get the same letter she and SIL did? Yes! I said maybe we could change hotels. It was ok with her and SIL. DH I talked briefly about the Contemporary, but we wanted the true Disney theming so no Contemp. We talked about WL. We really love WL. Then DH had one of those light bulb moments (is that what Oprah calls it?) “What about GF (well, he said The Grand Floridian) honey?” I checked once more, just like I did back when we first discussed the this trip and staying at a monorail resort, to make sure that this man sitting on my living room couch was indeed the man I married. The frugal man I married. It was! I called to see how much more GF would cost. I spoke to a really nice CM and explained we were looking to change because the pool at Poly will be down, who said “Geeze, it would have been nice if you knew the pool would be down back when you booked.” Great minds think alike! So, I waited for a quote, my heart punding, palms sweaty! It wasn’t that much more, especially in the scheme of things! Go for it, DH said! Checked with MIL, go for it she said! I went for it! I swear I was dizzy with excitement!!

I made our final payment at the same time! Our reservation had been changed to GF and the final payment made! No turning back now! Then there were a few adjustments to be made. But, believe me, I could adjust so we could stay at GF! I cancelled our 2 breakfast ADR’s at Kona. I didn’t think we’d make it to them if we weren’t staying there. I made one for DD and I for her birthday at 1900 Park Fare. We can’t wait! It should be more fun then Kona! DD and I were talking about our trip and she realized that if we went to Sea World we’d miss a day at WDW. All of a sudden she doesn’t want to Sea World. As much as I remember loving Sea World when I was a kid going there this trip was going to be kind of inconvenient. We aren’t renting a car, although we probably would have to go just for the day. So, no Sea World. Well do it in a few years. More days at WDW!

I could live with that!

Coming up, Counting down....

 

[MomofCKJ]

I can see your disappointment on the Poly pool but I bet the GF will be simply fantastic!

And your DDs outfits are so cute! Did you bedazzle them or something like that? I love the jeans!

Allyson

 

[mickeysmyboy]

I can see your disappointment on the Poly pool but I bet the GF will be simply fantastic!

And your DDs outfits are so cute! Did you bedazzle them or something like that? I love the jeans!

Allyson

Thanks you!

I actually used little iron-on rhinestones. I bought in the craft section at Walmart. They worked really well and went through the laundry fine. I also sprayed the jeans with spray-on glitter that you let dry and iron to set it.

I had tried another pair with a bedazzler but they didn't come out as nice.

 

[CruisingCamper]

I'm pretty sure its for WDW resort guests only. You have to have 8 people or more in your party, not including kids under 3(their free and don't count toward the gathering). Even if your all staying at different resorts they can link you all together and make you a gathering. There are a few other experiences as well, the Magical Fireworks Cruise to see Wishes, there's a Character Breakfast at Tony's in MK and a Safari. There is a Magical Gatherings # but I can't think of it off the top of my head. Normally I called the regular WDW # and asked for Magical Gatherings.

That leaves me out!! We only have 3 in our party. Oh well, maybe one day.

 

[DISNEYJAZZ]

lovin your pretrip report can't wait to read more and see pix afterward...we are grandparents going wiht our oldest 2 grands ! oh and htie rparents are going too...hehe...can't wiat to enjoy it all with them for the 1st time for us all...well as good as 1st tiem since i haven't ben since 1976! 33 days away!
hope you have a wodnerful grand gathering