we're finally going to disney world!! (april 2009)

[rsjj]

ok...after reading some ptr's, i thought i'd give it a try. not sure if i can make it as exciting as the ones i've read, i don't even know where to begin, or what...so i'll just type away...

our family is going to disney world in april. 4th to 11th, to be exact. it will be our very first trip there. we are so excited...actually me, mostly!! there's 4 of us...DH, myself, DS9, & DS7. strange...the kids are not as excited as i thought they would be. i know i haven't really been talking about it as much, maybe that's why? i don't know. but i can hardly contain myself!! as it gets closer...i'll get them more involved.

it all started when i had to use up a voucher for southwest airline, which was going to expire in april. so i was digging thru trying to figure out where we should fly to for our little "vacation". originally, i thought maybe new york, or seattle. but no matter how much "research" i did on those 2 cities, i wasn't really sold on the idea. then, a friend of ours mention that maybe we should fly to florida...so i started looking & came across the 4/3 night deal. plugged in our dates & checked out the prices. ran it by DH to see if he wanted to do disney world...and here we are!

maybe this is sounding very boring...but i'll just keep typing away...

apparently there are SO MANY resorts to choose from!! so i figured out that there are 3 types of resorts, value, moderate, & deluxe. ok, there are the villas...that wasn't an option for us. originally, i was looking into a value resort, since we'll basically be sleeping in it...but DH wanted a "nicer" hotel, so we're at a moderate. it was crazy just even deciding on a resort!!

btw...we're from southern california, and have aps to disneyland. so when i was doing my disney world "research", i was thinking, why can't it be simple like disneyland, where there are only 3 resorts to choose from?? but i guess wdw is much much bigger than dl.

anyways...back to resorts...so i read some reviews, stuff on the disboards, saw some pix, looked at the location of the resorts...and basically just randomly picked a moderate resort. i know i did all that "research" but i wasn't really looking for anything in particular. i was just reading info! we are staying at coronado springs resort. since never having been to wdw...we have nothing really to compare it to. i'm really excited to be staying there, since i've been seeing some really nice pix! i was so relieved when i finally decided on it!! and i booked our place of stay. this was like 3 weeks ago. then, i asked my DB & SIL if they wanted to join us. and they said yes!!

and so that's when our planning really started! more to come later. i'm hoping someone is reading this. if not, that's ok...cuz this is kinda fun on my own!

 

[mommytothreeboys]

Hi! I'll hop on! I'm doing my first PTR as well for our April trip so we can explore the "whole new world" of pre-tripping together!!

 

[DiamondDiva305]

Im in cant wait to hear more

 

[Disneyfan71]

YAY..a PTR You will ABSOLUTELY love WDW...I've been to DL once and liked it too. Of course it's the original--and well entirely different than WDW..but that's what makes it so unique!!

 

[trinaweena]

i'm doing my first ptr too, we're going in march so i'm in

 

[rsjj]

ok...i'm back. thanx for reading!!

we are flying and not renting a car...using disney's magical express to get to wdw. since we are staying on site, i figured we can use their transportation system. although i've read many good/bad things on it. but i figure we'll just go w/the flow. how bad can it be? so what if we have to wait in line for buses. that's half the fun. i'm sure our DSs would love to ride on the buses, and we also want to try out the boats/water shuttles they have. i think that takes you to dtd? have to do more research on that...

so my SIL figured out all the early entry/late exit stuff...magic hours? and here's our "plan" so far.

sat. 4th-arriving at 5pm.
i guess we will just have time for dinner? haven't figured out what to do in the evening...maybe we'd be too pooped to do anything. if we're not, maybe we'd head into dtd. ride the water shuttle/boat!

sun. 5th-mk
we'll have our niece (DN?) w/us, who is 2 for the evening, while my DB & SIL dine at ca. grille. so we'll probably check out the monorail, and head back into mk in the evening for spectromagic & wishes. not sure if these 2 are "doable" in one night?

mon.6th-ak
this is the one park i'm really looking forward to!!

tues. 7th-ep
i think this is the park that our oldest would be more into...cuz he's really into the fast rides/roller coasters now.

wed. 8th-hs
i think we'll head back to our resort & lounge at the pool in the afternoon. this may be quick one that we can finish in a short time. so maybe we might do dtd in the evening as well. and if not, we can go back in for magic hours.

thurs. 9th-ep
my DB & SIL will take our DSs for the evening, so DH & i can have a "nice" dinner. will try to go into fantasmic...

fri. 10th-undecided about which park to go to...

sat. 11th-undecided...cuz our flight is at 4...or 5?
not sure if we'll have time to go into a park this day? since we're taking the magical express...and i read that we have to leave couple hours before our actual flight time.

what do you think? please let me know what i might be missing...since DH is leaving all the planning up to me...i'm turning to all of you here! thank you for reading!

more to come...the next installment, i will introduce ourselves..."the cast"...we're called, right? see...i'm still learning the lingo here!

 

[mommytothreeboys]

we are flying and not renting a car...using disney's magical express to get to wdw. since we are staying on site, i figured we can use their transportation system. although i've read many good/bad things on it. but i figure we'll just go w/the flow. how bad can it be? so what if we have to wait in line for buses. that's half the fun. i'm sure our DSs would love to ride on the buses, and we also want to try out the boats/water shuttles they have. i think that takes you to dtd? have to do more research on that...

We loved the Disney transportation system. We never had a problem with LONG waits. We did have to wait at times, especially if it was a busy time, like at park closing. But that was to be expected. I was impressed with how well the buses managed to get people where they needed to be as efficiently as they did. I know this may not be everyone's experience, but we are looking forward to using Disney transportation again in April. As far as I am concerned, I'm on vacation and even waiting for a bus in sunny Florida is better than doing laundry in my dreary basement!

mon.6th-ak
this is the one park i'm really looking forward to!!

My family Animal Kingdom!

wed. 8th-hs
i think we'll head back to our resort & lounge at the pool in the afternoon. this may be quick one that we can finish in a short time. so maybe we might do dtd in the evening as well. and if not, we can go back in for magic hours.

The reason this park takes more time, at least in my opinion, is because there are a lot of show attractions that you have to schedule in. Don't miss Lights, Motors, Action and Beauty and the Beast. Also if DS likes fast rollercoasters make sure he rides Rock n Roller Coaster!

thurs. 9th-ep
my DB & SIL will take our DSs for the evening, so DH & i can have a "nice" dinner. will try to go into fantasmic...

Can't remember if you said you have park hopper passes, but to do Fantasmic and Epcot in the same day you will need them.

fri. 10th-undecided about which park to go to...

Only one MK day? You may want to go back there!

sat. 11th-undecided...cuz our flight is at 4...or 5?
not sure if we'll have time to go into a park this day? since we're taking the magical express...and i read that we have to leave couple hours before our actual flight time.

You will have to be back at your resort by about 1, but you can tour in the AM. Or...hit DTD for some last minute souvenirs!

what do you think? please let me know what i might be missing...since DH is leaving all the planning up to me...i'm turning to all of you here! thank you for reading!

more to come...the next installment, i will introduce ourselves..."the cast"...we're called, right? see...i'm still learning the lingo here!

Looks good so far! Can't wait to meet your cast!

 

[mbordeleau]

We'll be going in April too (18-25). Looking forward to read more of your PTR. I started my 1st PTR as well.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2075314

 

[Disneyfan71]

Sounds like a good plan I hope that you have a wonderful time.

One thing about Orlando International, the lines through security (at times) can be VERY lengthy. I was there less than a year ago and the line was at least 45 minutes long. HOWEVER, if you have internet access you can search for security wait times and will give you an estimate. And since you're traveling the day before a major holiday it might behoove you to get there by 1:30 or 2:00... I used to work for the airlines Hope this helps.

 

[rsjj]

mommytothreeboys...thanx for all your tips! i haven't really looked at all the shows available at hs to even think about show times & what not! as for mk only for one day...i thought since we go to dl often, all the rides might be the same? that's my reasoning...but i'm sure i could be wrong!! and no, we don't have park hopper option...i didn't even realize fantasmic wasn't at epcot. my next thing is to get the entertainment from each park straight!!

btw...how do you quote my things in separate blocks, like you did?

 

[rsjj]

Sounds like a good plan I hope that you have a wonderful time.

One thing about Orlando International, the lines through security (at times) can be VERY lengthy. I was there less than a year ago and the line was at least 45 minutes long. HOWEVER, if you have internet access you can search for security wait times and will give you an estimate. And since you're traveling the day before a major holiday it might behoove you to get there by 1:30 or 2:00... I used to work for the airlines Hope this helps.

i thought since i was using disney's me, i have no say in what time they're taking us back to mco? from what i understand, they tell me what time we need to meet them to have them take us back to the airport, right? i could be wrong....

 

[rsjj]

hello, everyone! the cast...

we are a family of 4.

me...i am our family's "entertainment director". i love to plan things. my ideal vacation is to see everything, and do everything! i know that's impossible sometimes, b/c my family doesn't really cooperate. but i know it's their vacation too, so i guess i must compromise. anyways...i teach during the day, and when i'm off...i'm a chauffeur for my 2 DSs. then, i turn domestic & cook...

DH...he is our "ceo". when he gives me the "ok" to plan a trip, then i start doing "research". his ideal vacation is rest, relax, lounge, etc. so as you can see...we must compromise, when we travel together. but we do have a wonderful time! he's very easy going, works hard, and loves gadgets & technology. wherever we stay...i try to find a place that has wi-fi, just for him! i love him that much!!

DS9...he is starting to love roller coasters. he's into basketball & hapkido. he loves to play video games, takes after DH! if he had a choice, he would play all day, every day! thank goodness i still have a say in that! he loves to read!! he can go thru books so fast...he loves to go to the library. he's very strong willed & righteous. he's a really good kid!

DS7...he's our dare devil. he's so into food. he'd be the first to try anything! he loves dessert...has a sweet tooth like me! he's into basketball as well. he loves arts & crafts. told me he wanted to come w/me when i get invited to those stampin'up demonstration things. (card making, stamping party) he is very easy going, goes w/the flow, and just all around good kid as well.

as you can see...i'm lucky to have 2 wonderful boys!! honestly...they do have their moments!!! they are not perfect, i know. but they're my DSs, and i love them dearly!! they both love star wars! our latest thing is...they'll read a book, and if it's made into a movie, we'd go to blockbuster & rent the movie to watch!

there is our cast.

oh...last night, we had a "family fun night", and we watched the disney vacation planning dvd thing that we got in the mail! so now, all they talked about today was "wdw". yay...i've got them hooked!!

this ptr thing is kinda fun...more to come next time. thanx for reading! good night!

 

[Disneyfan71]

i thought since i was using disney's me, i have no say in what time they're taking us back to mco? from what i understand, they tell me what time we need to meet them to have them take us back to the airport, right? i could be wrong....

From what I've read if you're with a participating airline (ask a cast member which ones they are) you can check in at the hotel but I think it's like 3 hours before your flight. I'm almost certain they get you to MCO in time before your flight. Just be ready to wait in the security lines Oh before you do go through security, there is a Disney Store (from what I remember) and a Sea World Store

 

[trinaweena]

i figured we can use their transportation system. although i've read many good/bad things on it. but i figure we'll just go w/the flow. how bad can it be?

I used Disney transportation the entire time I was down there last year and we had no problems with any of it

head back into mk in the evening for spectromagic & wishes. not sure if these 2 are "doable" in one night?

I def. think they are doable in one night

thurs. 9th-ep
my DB & SIL will take our DSs for the evening, so DH & i can have a "nice" dinner. will try to go into fantasmic..

.

Fantasmic is at DS so unless you have a park hopper I would siggest trying for it on a day you go to DS because it def should not be missed

 

[mommytothreeboys]

mommytothreeboys...thanx for all your tips! i haven't really looked at all the shows available at hs to even think about show times & what not! as for mk only for one day...i thought since we go to dl often, all the rides might be the same? that's my reasoning...but i'm sure i could be wrong!! and no, we don't have park hopper option...i didn't even realize fantasmic wasn't at epcot. my next thing is to get the entertainment from each park straight!!

btw...how do you quote my things in separate blocks, like you did?

At the top of the text box where you type in your response, there is a little icon that looks like a conversation bubble....if you highlight text then click on that it will quote whatever you have highlighted. That's how you break up a large post into smaller blocks so you can respond to individual statements. If that's not clear, you can PM me and I'll try to do a better job of explaining!

oh...last night, we had a "family fun night", and we watched the disney vacation planning dvd thing that we got in the mail! so now, all they talked about today was "wdw". yay...i've got them hooked!

How fun! Now that you've got them hooked, just reel them in!!

 

[mommytothreeboys]

Oh..I wanted to comment on your ME question. If you are flying a participating airline (there is a list on the transportation board on this forum) you can check your bags right at your resort when you check out. That way you do not have to do so at the airport. That part really has nothing to do with the time you will board the bus to the airport. Whether you check your bags at the resort or not, you will get a paper the night before you check out with a time to arrive at the resort to catch the bus to the airport. It is generally about 3 hours before your departure time. If you checked your bags earlier, you just board the bus. If not you grab your bags from wherever you have left them for the day, load them on the bus, and board the bus. I would suggest arriving at the bus stop about 15 minutes before your scheduled time just so you can be sure you have everything in order. They are pretty punctual and you wouldn't want to miss your bus due to a potty break or a last minute trip to the gift shop!

 

[rsjj]

Oh before you do go through security, there is a Disney Store (from what I remember) and a Sea World Store

[/QUOTE]

thanx for the tip. i think mco is the best airport! it's like a shopping mall there!! w/so many stores & even a big food court! i know if i've missed any souvenirs, i can always do a last minute shopping at mco!

 

[rsjj]

At the top of the text box where you type in your response, there is a little icon that looks like a conversation bubble

i didn't even notice all that up on top! i'm hoping this is working...

How fun! Now that you've got them hooked, just reel them in!!

so all they talked about on the way to school in the car was...wdw!! it worked! especially my youngest...when are we going? how long does it take to get there? etc.!! yay!!!!

i'm hoping this conversation bubble thing is working...wish me luck...

 

[rsjj]

I would suggest arriving at the bus stop about 15 minutes before your scheduled time just so you can be sure you have everything in order. They are pretty punctual and you wouldn't want to miss your bus due to a potty break or a last minute trip to the gift shop!

that's what i've read here...so that's why i was afraid of going to the parks on our last day, since we would have to rely on disney transportation. really wouldn't want to miss our bus back to the airport!! that would be really bad!

btw...thanx for the tip on breaking apart & responding in smaller pieces! it worked!

 

[rsjj]

I used Disney transportation the entire time I was down there last year and we had no problems with any of it




I def. think they are doable in one night

.

Fantasmic is at DS so unless you have a park hopper I would siggest trying for it on a day you go to DS because it def should not be missed

my bad! didn't realize they were at 2 different parks! good to know that wishes & spectromagic is doable in one night. may just have to do that w/our niece in tow! thanx for your tips!