We're Home... time to work on the TR. Surprise! A Birthday Trip January 2012- PTR

[MylilTink]

Clever title, huh!

So, DH and I decided to surprise our daughter with a trip to WDW for her 5th birthday!

When: January 8-13
Where: OKW (renting points)
Who: Amelia, amazing daughter, DH, amazing daddy and husband, and me!

A little story:

Our first family trip (and my first visit as well) to WDW was in September 2010. DH was worried DD, then 3.75, wouldn't remember a single thing about the trip. Boy was he wrong! DD, to this day, nearly a year later, remembers just about everything from that trip (she takes after me -- memory like an elephant) and has been asking to go back.

DH and I had talked, and decided to plan a trip for DD for her 6th birthday. However, since we cancelled a vacation that we had planned for November 2011, we decided to use that money and surprise DD with a trip to WDW for her 5th birthday!

We have all our ADR's made and got every restaurant and time we wanted, include dinner with Cinderella on DD's actual birthday!

We haven't decided how we're going to surprise her, or any other special surprises while we're in Disney, so I'm hoping to get some ideas from y'all fellow Diser's!

 

[MylilTink]

The other night DH and I knocked out all our ADR's in a matter of a few minutes (a half hour really) and we were able to book every restaurant and time we wanted without any compromising!

And, since we're going to be on the Deluxe Dining Plan, we can revisit our favorites and try a few new places as well.

We're revisiting our favorite restaurants:

• Hollywood & Vine (breakfast)
• O'hana (dinner) DH's favorite
• Tusker House (breakfast with Donald)
• Kona Cafe (breakfast)
• Le Cellier (lunch) DH and mine favorite!
• Cinderella's Royal Table (dinner)

and trying a few new places:

• Olivia's Cafe (breakfast)
• Jiko (dinner)
• Restaurant Marrakesh (dinner)
• Mama Melrose

We're a one park per day family as we find it so much easier to figure out where we want to eat. Also, there will be two days that we don't have a lunch planned and will probably use our snack credits for some munchies.

 

[DWGal210]

Yum! Your ADRs sound good!! I'm partial to O'Hana as well - I love that place!!

 

[MylilTink]

Well, due to Disney announcing their free dining and offering it the week we were planning... I changed our reservation from OKW to Coronado Resort!

We crunched the numbers and the cost was nearly identical, but what sold us to change was that we were getting an additional day of parks and food for 'free'. Now, we're trying to figure where to eat and which park we want to visit on the day we arrive.

Suggestions are welcomed!

 

[MylilTink]

Yum! Your ADRs sound good!! I'm partial to O'Hana as well - I love that place!!

There is some good food at O'hana! I was impatient during our visit and felt everything was taking too long.

 

[MylilTink]

So, after reading other trip reports I decided to look into ordering a special birthday cake for DD; does anyone have any suggestions or know where I can go to look at choices?

 

[MylilTink]

Earlier this week the hubs and I bought our plane tickets!

the total was $628 for 3 round trip, direct flights, tickets... not too bad.

4.5 months left!

 

[Oliquig]

Hi, joining in! There is a great cake thread on the Restaurant board, the first post there gives all the information on when and where to order from depending on which restaurant you want the cake at.

Your daughter will be so surprised! Are you going to tell her last minute, just before you go?

I am going with my bff and her daughter, and her daughter has no idea, but it is so hard not to tell her!

 

[ZFamily5]

I'm in! Love surprise trips!! My parents surprised us once...woke us up an hour before going to the airport and told us it was Easter. It wasn't, but they had hidden Easter eggs over the house. Each egg had a letter in it, and together they spelled something like "We're going to Disney World". Can't wait to hear more!!

 

[MylilTink]

Hi, joining in! There is a great cake thread on the Restaurant board, the first post there gives all the information on when and where to order from depending on which restaurant you want the cake at.

Your daughter will be so surprised! Are you going to tell her last minute, just before you go?

I am going with my bff and her daughter, and her daughter has no idea, but it is so hard not to tell her!

Hubs wants to surprise DD the morning we fly out; I, on the other hand, am thinking that surprising her on Christmas morning would be more fun because then she'll have time to 'think about it' and let the excitement build up.

When we tell her is still 'up' in the air at this moment.

I'm in! Love surprise trips!! My parents surprised us once...woke us up an hour before going to the airport and told us it was Easter. It wasn't, but they had hidden Easter eggs over the house. Each egg had a letter in it, and together they spelled something like "We're going to Disney World". Can't wait to hear more!!

How old were you? DD doesn't read very well (she's about 4.5), but I bet she'd be able to make out the words (or recognize them at least)!

 

[ZFamily5]

How old were you? DD doesn't read very well (she's about 4.5), but I bet she'd be able to make out the words (or recognize them at least)!

I think I was 5 or 6. A twist on that idea would be to have the eggs filled with pictures (one of an airplane, one of the castle, etc.).

 

[buckeev]

Subscribin'
I love to hear how some folks pull off the last minute surprise announcements. (I can't keep it a secret 'round my home)

 

[MylilTink]

I think I was 5 or 6. A twist on that idea would be to have the eggs filled with pictures (one of an airplane, one of the castle, etc.).

Hmmm... that would work...

Subscribin'
I love to hear how some folks pull off the last minute surprise announcements. (I can't keep it a secret 'round my home)

Oh, I can't keep a secret/surprise at all! Even if I'm thinking of doing/buying something, I end up telling the person I want to do/buy it for! I am horrible at surprises. DH is better, but not by much!!

I am open to any and all suggestions or ideas on how to surprise our DD!!

 

[MylilTink]

Well, we're 2.5 months away from the surprise trip! DH and I are starting to get excited.

DH also broke down, just a little, and told DD that we having something special planned for her birthday. This was brought on because we've been going to birthday parties non-stop (and will continue until Thanksgiving) and DD is telling us what she'd like to do for her birthday party... little does she know!

I still haven't come up with anything to celebrate DH and I anniversary (1/20) and DD birthday...

 

[Oliquig]

It is tough, that's why my bff is telling her daughter on Christmas. Her daughter's birthday is the day after Christmas, so it would be hard to explain why she was only getting travel/Disney themed things for gifts, not to mention no "big gift" in sight. The funniest thing is she keeps talking about stuff we can do at our yearly Superbowl party, since she has no idea we won't be having one this year!

 

[MylilTink]

It is tough, that's why my bff is telling her daughter on Christmas. Her daughter's birthday is the day after Christmas, so it would be hard to explain why she was only getting travel/Disney themed things for gifts, not to mention no "big gift" in sight. The funniest thing is she keeps talking about stuff we can do at our yearly Superbowl party, since she has no idea we won't be having one this year!

Does your bff know how she's going to announce the trip? DH and I are still discussing...

I have finally figured out a surprise for DH: I secretly upgraded our hotel reservation from CSR to AKL! I can't wait to surprise him with this! I was hoping I'd be able to keep this a secret until the day we arrive, but realized that the tags for the luggage will show the resort on it and he'll know about the change for this... hopefully, given when Mickey Mail arrives, I can hold out until Christmas.

 

[krd315]

Surprises are soo much fun I'm sure your daughter will be so excited.

we are surprising our grandchildren in Jan and won't tell them until we pick them up from school to go to the airport.

 

[MylilTink]

Surprises are soo much fun I'm sure your daughter will be so excited.

we are surprising our grandchildren in Jan and won't tell them until we pick them up from school to go to the airport.

Surprises are great! I love the feeling I get when surprise DH or any other family/friend.

It's getting hard to hold out on the surprise for DH, especially now that we're talking about what to get each other for Christmas and all that jazz.

The next month and four weeks can't come soon enough!

 

[MylilTink]

Well, DH knows about the surprise upgrade to AKL. I accidentally spilt the beans on this one. Needless to say, he's just as excited as I am! Now, he just has to pretend to be surprised when my Mom and I tell him on Christmas.

 

[MylilTink]

DH and I have been reading the Dinning thread on a regular basis. We both agree that half the fun of a vacation is dinning at places that are not local to your area. This is why DH made the demand of being on the Deluxe Dining Plan.

There have been a few changes to our reservations since my earlier post:

Sunday, the day we arrive, will be Magic Kingdom:

• The Plaza Restaurant for Lunch
• The Crystal Palace for Dinner

Monday, our first whole day, will be spent at HS:

• Hollywood and Vine for Breakfast (we did this last visit)
• Momma Melrose for Lunch (New)
• O'Hana for Dinner (we did this last visit)

Tuesday will be spent at Animal Kingdom:

• Tusker House, breakfast with Donald Duck (we did this last visit)
• Jiko for Dinner (New)

Wednesday is a full day at Epcot (we didn't visit past France last time; it was just too hot):

• Końa Café for breakfast (DH is drooling for that Tonga Toast already)
• Le Cellier for lunch (can't wait for my NY strip)
• Restaurant Marrakech (New)

Thursday is Magic Kingdom and DD's 5th Birthday! This is also our last day at the parks:

• O'Hana for breakfast (New)
• Cinderella's Royal Table for Dinner

Friday, the day we leave, will be spent in Downtown Disney. Our flight doesn't leave until 7pm, so we'll do our souvenir shopping and lunch at Raglan Road.