We can go!! No we can't. We can go!! A PTR-Finished 1-26

[melnbil]

So it all started in the spring of 2012, me (Melody), my husband (Billy) and my son (Chandler) started discussing going to Disney again. We wanted to go for MNSSHP in October 2013, as well as F/W Festival. When Chandler's school schedule came out in April/May we saw he didn't have a fall break, and decided it just was not in the cards. Then in June, my husband's father passed away and we thought it might be fun to go during Christmas break. His mom then got sick and was in poor health. We didn't want to risk planning a vacation and then something happening while we were gone so we chose to wait. After almost 6 months of mourning, Marie (MIL) passed in November. I asked my husband again about a vacation sometime this summer. He said we could. I started pricing WDW vacations, and they were just too much, so we decided on Gatlinburg, TN. And the planning began. I had made hotel reservations, and started looking at activities to fill our day. One dreary January day, I was checking my facebook page and lo and behold.....the Dis announced a new Disney offer. I checked it out and began plotting. Turns out, we could go to Disney for just a couple hundred more than Gatlinburg. So when he came home from work, I carefully planned my strategy and showed him the numbers. Would he give the go ahead??? He did! He did! He did!! So now we are planning an almost two week trip staying at POP. I then ordered a 2014 planning video, and a couple days later got a PIN code in the mail. We are now staying at AKL on the 25th of May for one night, room only and then beginning our package on the 26th. Sorry for the lack of pictures, photobook and I don't get along. Please feel free to comment and follow along as I reveal my plans for the trip.

Introductions
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=50529457#post50529457

The Lodgin's
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=50538702#post50538702

Let's get this party started!
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=50552225&posted=1#post50552225

Daily Plans
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=50570706#post50570706

 

[anniebabymu]

I'm here! Excited to see another May PTR!

 

[Loftin716]

Wow! Sorry for you losses. I'm sure this trip will be well worth your wait! I don't travel til June and it cannot get here soon enough!

 

[wiigirl]

Following along!

 

[wreckdiva]

Sorry to hear of all the loss. Most definitely a much needed trip, which I am Sure can't come fast enough! How exciting!!!!!!!! Hooray!!!!

 

[melnbil]

I'm here! Excited to see another May PTR!

Glad to have you!!

Wow! Sorry for you losses. I'm sure this trip will be well worth your wait! I don't travel til June and it cannot get here soon enough!

Thank you. I agree May/June needs to hurry up!

Following along!

Welcome.

Sorry to hear of all the loss. Most definitely a much needed trip, which I am Sure can't come fast enough! How exciting!!!!!!!! Hooray!!!!

Definitely much needed. It needs to get here like tomorrow!!

 

[blueangel2]

Hi, I'm following from the facebook group. Glad to have another PTR in May to follow along with

 

[melnbil]

Going on this trip will be:

Me (Melody). I am a 41 stay at home mom. I enjoy Genealogy and all things associated with it, I also enjoy Disney. This will be my 5th trip to the world. I went in 1988 as a sophomore in high school, and then again in 1990 as a senior. Both times, I went with the band. The second trip, we marched at night and actually led the MSEP. It was awesome!! The third trip was in 1999 with my husband (his first trip) for a belated honeymoon. We were young and naïve at the time and while we had fun, it was not the most enjoyable trip, as we were sunburned on the first day and miserable most of the trip, not to mention broke. The last trip we took was in 2011, and our son's first. This trip was a whole new experience, being able to see it thru his eyes gives a whole new meaning to magic.

My husband (Billy). He is the income in our family, and the one who gave me the go ahead to book! He works at Federal Mogul. He enjoys playing video games and anything animation related. He loves to watch Disney movies and cartoons. Right now he is fascinated with My Little Pony and Sophia the First He isn't on the disboards, so maybe no one will tell him I said that.

Finaly, our son (Chandler). He is a 3rd grader at Pleasant Valley. He is an A student, with one B to his name last nine weeks. He is extremely smart, and has ADHD, so takes medication to help keep him under control. He too enjoys video games, especially watching walk throughs on youtube. He is excited about going back to Disney and getting to do Pirate's League.


Photo0352FourBySix by melnbilc, on Flickr

 

[melnbil]

Hi, I'm following from the facebook group. Glad to have another PTR in May to follow along with

Thank you for coming over. I started your report yesterday. Going to finish it now.

 

[melnbil]

My plans are in the midst of a MAJOR OVERHAUL!!!! Days, ressies, resorts you name it! As soon as I get them sorted, I will start sharing!!

 

[anniebabymu]

My plans are in the midst of a MAJOR OVERHAUL!!!! Days, ressies, resorts you name it! As soon as I get them sorted, I will start sharing!!

You've got me intrigued! Can't wait to hear!

 

[melnbil]

You've got me intrigued! Can't wait to hear!

Working on the beginning of the trip now.

 

[melnbil]

As I said yesterday, our plans have gone through some major changes, all on their own with no help from me. Our trip began as an eight night, nine day trip beginning on the 26th of May, all at the same resort. Now, it is a 13 night 14 day trip that includes 3 hotels. I booked our room the 10th of January for our package; room, 10 day base tickets and Deluxe Dining. One day last week, I received a PIN for 35% off of room only, but we had to book by the 15th of February. Well, I called and added a night on the day we were driving (25th) at AKL so my son could experience the resort. It was then I decided to leave mid-afternoon on the 24th so we could get there earlier on the 25th. The more I thought about it, the more I realized it isn’t a good idea to go from deluxe to value. So, since we are leaving the 24th, I decided to add a night to the beginning and swap AKL to the end of the trip as a surprise. So all reservations are DONE!! Yep, no more changin’.

They look like this:

May 24th-we will leave Jacksonville, Alabama around 9ish. No hurry, stop eat breakfast, gas up the car, get ice, etc. and hit the road. Chandler has no idea when we are going, only the summer. So I will just tell him we are going to eat. I knew that we will end up driving all the way thru, but could not justify another night on our package, so I booked The Hilton Orlando @ Lake Buena Vista for the night. We will check in and “sleep”. Yeah we all know there won’t be no sleeping we will be too danged excited.

May 25th-we will wake early and check-out, then drive the 15 to 20 minutes to Pop Century for our package. We will stay here thru June 5th.

June 5th-we will check-out of Pop, letting Chandler think we are going home. But he is in for a big surprise!! We will eat at Chef Mickey’s that morning and visit DTD for the day. But after we get back to POP to pick up our car, instead of driving home, we will drive to AKL instead!!!

I am ready to get there already!! I know it will go by too fast when we do, so for now.....I am enjoying the planning.

 

[blueangel2]

As I said yesterday, our plans have gone through some major changes, all on their own with no help from me. Our trip began as an eight night, nine day trip beginning on the 26th of May, all at the same resort. Now, it is a 13 night 14 day trip that includes 3 hotels. I booked our room the 10th of January for our package; room, 10 day base tickets and Deluxe Dining. One day last week, I received a PIN for 35% off of room only, but we had to book by the 15th of February. Well, I called and added a night on the day we were driving (25th) at AKL so my son could experience the resort. It was then I decided to leave mid-afternoon on the 24th so we could get there earlier on the 25th. The more I thought about it, the more I realized it isn’t a good idea to go from deluxe to value. So, since we are leaving the 24th, I decided to add a night to the beginning and swap AKL to the end of the trip as a surprise. So all reservations are DONE!! Yep, no more changin’.

They look like this:

May 24th-we will leave Jacksonville, Alabama around 9ish. No hurry, stop eat breakfast, gas up the car, get ice, etc. and hit the road. Chandler has no idea when we are going, only the summer. So I will just tell him we are going to eat. I knew that we will end up driving all the way thru, but could not justify another night on our package, so I booked The Hilton Orlando @ Lake Buena Vista for the night. We will check in and “sleep”. Yeah we all know there won’t be no sleeping we will be too danged excited.

May 25th-we will wake early and check-out, then drive the 15 to 20 minutes to Pop Century for our package. We will stay here thru June 5th.

June 5th-we will check-out of Pop, letting Chandler think we are going home. But he is in for a big surprise!! We will eat at Chef Mickey’s that morning and visit DTD for the day. But after we get back to POP to pick up our car, instead of driving home, we will drive to AKL instead!!!

I am ready to get there already!! I know it will go by too fast when we do, so for now.....I am enjoying the planning.

The surprise of realizing the stay isn't over yet is so exciting. Just the look on his face will make it all worth it. I wanted to keep our trip a secret from my dd, but I couldn't I was too excited about it. Now she's saving every penny she gets for souvenirs, in fact she received about $200 in cash over christmas (from out of town relatives) and she decided to save it rather than buy toys. I'm so proud of her.

GL keeping the secret, that's a lot of discipline

 

[anniebabymu]

As I said yesterday, our plans have gone through some major changes, all on their own with no help from me. Our trip began as an eight night, nine day trip beginning on the 26th of May, all at the same resort. Now, it is a 13 night 14 day trip that includes 3 hotels. I booked our room the 10th of January for our package; room, 10 day base tickets and Deluxe Dining. One day last week, I received a PIN for 35% off of room only, but we had to book by the 15th of February. Well, I called and added a night on the day we were driving (25th) at AKL so my son could experience the resort. It was then I decided to leave mid-afternoon on the 24th so we could get there earlier on the 25th. The more I thought about it, the more I realized it isn’t a good idea to go from deluxe to value. So, since we are leaving the 24th, I decided to add a night to the beginning and swap AKL to the end of the trip as a surprise. So all reservations are DONE!! Yep, no more changin’.

They look like this:

May 24th-we will leave Jacksonville, Alabama around 9ish. No hurry, stop eat breakfast, gas up the car, get ice, etc. and hit the road. Chandler has no idea when we are going, only the summer. So I will just tell him we are going to eat. I knew that we will end up driving all the way thru, but could not justify another night on our package, so I booked The Hilton Orlando @ Lake Buena Vista for the night. We will check in and “sleep”. Yeah we all know there won’t be no sleeping we will be too danged excited.

May 25th-we will wake early and check-out, then drive the 15 to 20 minutes to Pop Century for our package. We will stay here thru June 5th.

June 5th-we will check-out of Pop, letting Chandler think we are going home. But he is in for a big surprise!! We will eat at Chef Mickey’s that morning and visit DTD for the day. But after we get back to POP to pick up our car, instead of driving home, we will drive to AKL instead!!!

I am ready to get there already!! I know it will go by too fast when we do, so for now.....I am enjoying the planning.

How fun!! I can't wait to hear about his reaction to the "Surprise, we're not going home yet!!" Love it!

 

[melnbil]

The surprise of realizing the stay isn't over yet is so exciting. Just the look on his face will make it all worth it. I wanted to keep our trip a secret from my dd, but I couldn't I was too excited about it. Now she's saving every penny she gets for souvenirs, in fact she received about $200 in cash over christmas (from out of town relatives) and she decided to save it rather than buy toys. I'm so proud of her.

GL keeping the secret, that's a lot of discipline

I would be proud of her too! That is awesome that she wants to save her money.

How fun!! I can't wait to hear about his reaction to the "Surprise, we're not going home yet!!" Love it!

Me too!!

I hope I can keep it secret. I am not good at keeping secrets. Maybe just maybe I can.

 

[melnbil]

We know the who, the when and where we are staying, so lets see what we are doing each day. Now let me preface this by saying that I am by no means an expert. I am writing this to get other opinions as to whether my plans will work. We dont tour the parks like most people and tend to enjoy the not so normal things. That being said, lets get started.

My son gets out of school on the 23rd. I will have everything packed and hidden away in the trunk of the car. He thinks we are going June/July, so being able to hide the fact we are leaving on the 24th should be pretty easy. We will get up like a normal Saturday. I plan on telling him we are going to eat, making sure he grabs his Nintendo 3DS (which he is getting for Easter). As were eating, I will give him his going to Disney shirt and letter that lets him know we are leaving now!! We will gas up the car, grab snacks and hit the road for the 10 or so hour drive.

We will stop along the way for breaks and supper. I hope to be checking in to the Hilton Orlando at Lake Buena Vista by around 10pm or so. We will tuck in and crash, as we have a big day tomorrow!!!

So much for that idea. We are checking in at POP on the 24th after all! The idea of changing hotels three times was not appealing!

 

[melnbil]

5-24
Wake Chandler up at 7 with WDW shirt and letter
Leave by 8 am
Breakfast/Lunch on the road
Check-In @ POP Century

5-25 Magic Kingdom
B-
L - Liberty Tree Tavern
S – Casey’s Corner

Bus @ 7:30 to Magic Kingdom
Magic Carpets of Aladdin
Jungle Cruise
Pirate’s League @ 10:20 AM (B, C)
Pirates of the Caribbean
Tom Sawyer Island
Lunch @ 12:30
Liberty Belle Riverboat
Hall of Presidents
Haunted Mansion (FP) (2:30-3:30)
Festival of Fantasy Parade @ 3 (if it is running)
BTMRR (FP) (3:30-4:30)
Splash Mountain (FP) (4:30-5:30)
Supper @ Casey’s Corner

5-26 Epcot
B-Pop Century
L-Sommerfest
S-Yachtsman Steakhouse @ The Yacht Club 6:05 pm

Catch Bus to Epcot (arrive by 10:30 am)
Soarin’ (FP+)
Explore: Germany (lunch)
Italy
American Adventure
Between 5:15 and 5:30 pm begin walk to the Yacht Club
Supper @ 6 pm Yachtsman
Walk back thru Epcot and catch bus to resort

5-27 Animal Kingdom
B- Tusker House @ 9:10 AM
L-
S- Yak and Yeti @ 6 PM

Bus Stop by 6:45 am
Kilimanjaro Safaris
Breakfast @ Tusker House @ 9:10
Pangani Forest Exploration Trails
Discovery Island Trails
It’s Tough to be a Bug
Triceratop Spin
Dinosaur (FP+) (12-1)
Finding Nemo @ 1
Maharajah Jungle Trek
Flights of Wonder @ 3
Watch Parade
Expedition Everest (FP+) (4-5)
Yak and Yeti @ 6
Explore Oasis
Catch bus to resort

5-28 Magic Kingdom
B-CRT 8:05 AM
L-
S-Luau @ Polynesian 5:15 PM

Bus by 6:45 AM
CRT @ 8:05 AM
Enchanted Tales w/ Belle
7 Dwarves Mine Train
Voyage of the Little Mermaid
Pete’s Silly Slide Show
Barnstormer (FP)
Dumbo
Mad Tea Party
It’s a Small World
Take Ferry to TTC @ 3:30
Monorail to Poly
Luau @ 5:15
Boat to MK
Possibly explore Main Street
Back to resort

5-29 Epcot
B-Ohana @ Poly @ 9 AM
L-
S-Tepan Edo @ 5:10 PM

Bus to MK @ 7:30
Monorail/Boat to Poly
Breakfast @ 9
Walk to TTC
Monorail to Epcot
Epcot Character Spot (FP+) (11-12)
United Kingdom
France
Morocco
Japan
Supper @ Tepan Edo
Finish Japan if needed
Back to resort
Laundry

5-30 Hollywood Studios
B-snacks
L-Pizza Planet
S-House of Blues (DTD)

Up at 5 AM
Leave by 5:45 (drive)
Arrive by 6
Goal for the Day
Jedi Training
Star Tours (FP)
Tower of Terror (FP)
Rock N Roller Coaster (FP)
Go with the Flow-see characters, shows, etc.
Star Wars Cavalcade Parade (11 AM)
Drive to resort
Bus to DTD
Supper @ 6:00 House of Blues

5-31 Epcot
B-Pop
L-
S-Fulton’s Crab House 6 pm

Bus @ 7:30 AM
Seas with Nemo and Friends
Soarin (FP)
Living with the Land
Journey into Imagination
Club Cool
Spaceship Earth
Shop and explore Future World
Resort to explore and swim/relax
Head to DTD in time for
Supper at Fulton’s Crab House

6-1 DTD
B-Explore Art of Animation
L-
S-Rainforest Café (DTD) @ 5:30 PM

Up by 9
Explore AoA and eat breakfast
Catch bus to DTD
Ride Hot Air Balloon
Shop
Supper Rainforest Café @ 5:30
Laundry

6-2- Epcot
B-Akershus
L-Liberty Inn
S-Le Cellier

Bus @ 7:00 AM
Breakfast @ Norway 8:10 AM
Test Track (FP)
Mexico
Norway (FP)
China
Africa Cool Spot
Continue around world showcase
Lunch at Liberty Inn
Canada
Supper Canada @ 5:55 PM
Find spot for Illuminations

6-3 DHS
B-Pop
L-Sci-Fi @ 12:40
S-Hollywood and Vine

Bus by 10:00
Indiana Jones Stunt Show (timing)
Lunch @ 12:40
Star Tours (FP)
Muppet Vision 3-D
Toy Story Mania (FP)
Art of Animation Building
Great Movie Ride
Supper @ Hollywood and Vine (5:55)
Make way to Fantasmic

6-4 MK
B-Crystal Palace 8:30
L-
S-Ohana @ 6:30

Bus @ 6:45
Breakfast Crystal Palace
Mickey’s Philharmagic
Peter Pan’s Flight (FP)
Cinderella’s Carrousel
Mad Tea Party
Tomorrowland Speedway (depending on line)
People Mover
Astro Orbiter
Space Mountain (FP)
Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin (FP)
Explore Main Street
Mickey @ Town Hall
Walt Disney Railroad (Full Circuit)
Supper @ 6:30 Ohana
MSEP 9pm
Wishes 10 pm

6-5
B-Chef Mickey’s 9:35 am
S-Mara @ AKL
DTD before heading home

Drive to Contemporary by 8:30 am
Breakfast
Explore Contemporary grounds
DTD to shop
Tell Chandler we are going to supper before we head home
Drive to AKL around 4
Mara for Dinner
SURPRISE-one night at AKL

6-6
B-Boma 9:30 am

Breakfast @ Boma
Explore resort more
Head for home

 

[blueangel2]

Looks like a fun filled week. I'd love for my daughter to experience Pirates League, but I dont think we will have enough time on our trip. Im sure he will enjoy that.