"Where are we staying again??" - My very first, an October 2011 PTR

[ZehnJahren]

I'm in & see ya there. It will be AWESOME!

I'm joining! We'll be there the same time.

I love that you're taking your mom. My mom and I are great friends too and we've had the ability to take many trips together.

I love seeing more people going at our time! Well, kinda, because I want it to not be TOO busy, but there are so many people with PTRs that are going when we are, so it gets me all excited! When I spoke with my mom yesterday, she said that she already had her suitcase out - I've been fighting not to pull out the suitcase, but I DO have a little pile of things I'll be taking with me already put aside.

This is my mom and my first trip together as adults, really - we've been out to visit family and on trips like that, but nothing that's solely for fun. Wish we had a little more time, but it is what it is - it'll be great, since we're really focusing on Epcot and MK, and not too awfully worried about HS or AK. We're both very much looking forward to it.

 

[ZehnJahren]

... since I posted anything, but boy oh boy is it BUSY this time of year for me. Usually I'll run through the boards when I'm taking a break from work during the day (which is happening less and less these days), but this morning I was looking at StitchSpawn's PTR and she had posted this link: EasyWDW's 2011 Halloween Decorations and Merchandise. I was so excited to see this; Halloween and the spring months are the only times of the year I haven't been to the World, so it's a nice preview! Of course, I immediately sent the link to my mom; her work is more restricted with their internet, so if she can't look at the link there I intend on emailing her at home to make certain she sees some of this stuff!

Other than that, I'm still checking day to day on getting a dinner reservation at Rose & Crown that would allow us to see Illuminations. The reservation I dumped a few weeks ago finally got snagged up by someone, so I hope they enjoy it!

Here's me and Mom on our Leave a Legacy tile from 2000; Epcot is the only park Ma went to on that trip, and even that park she only got to visit briefly, so I'm glad we got this little souvenir - now, we're always at Disney! (We're the third picture from the left in the bottom row of four)

 

[ZehnJahren]

And, oh yeah - 41 days til I leave for the World!

 

[IheartDDuck]

It's getting close! I keep looking at my countdown daily too and I can't wait.

 

[teekathepony]

And, oh yeah - 41 days til I leave for the World!

Super exciting!

I love that you guys are on the Leave a Legacy tile, so cool! I've always wanted to do that.

 

[justakrazymom]

Loving the PTR thus far!

 

[ZehnJahren]

Loving the PTR thus far!

Aw, thanks! I enjoyed your PTR so much, and am loving your TR! These trips get so exciting; there should be a warning somewhere: "those with heart conditions or prone to nervous exhaustion should take caution while planning a WDW vacation".

 

[ZehnJahren]

So it hit me I haven't done the "Day by Day" portion of this PTR, so here goes:

Day 1/2 - Tues 10/11/11: I arrive. Late.
Work all day (great distraction!), then go home and gather my things. Drive the 10 minutes to the airport around 6-ish. Depart O'Hare Airport at 7:50 and arrive at Orlando around 11:27 (give or take; hopefully, we'll land early!). No luggage to pick up (DBF will bring my stuff for Ft. Myers when he comes down on Saturday), so I'll head to ME and see how long the bus will take. If it's going to be an hour or more, I'll suck it up and take a cab.

Day 1 - Wed 10/12/11: Ma arrives / Epcot day!
She'll be flying in and arriving at 12:15 p.m. Good Lord willing (and the creek don't rise) she'll be at POP by 1:30. I will have been in a park all morning (haven't decided which yet; also kind of depends on how late I get in on Tuesday night); once she settles in, we'll have lunch (probably at Pop!) and then head out. So far, I'm thinking EPCOT for EMH - I have a 5:30 at Rose and Crown that I thought I canceled but it's still on my reservation page. I also have a Via Napoli for 7:45 p.m. (love the pizza there!)

We'll just cancel whichever one we don't want at the concierge, once she makes it in - unless I can get the coveted 8 p.m. for Rose and Crown; really want to try and see Illuminations that way!

Day 2 - Thurs 10/13/11: MK day / MNSSHP
This day is the big one. We will have stayed relatively late at Epcot last night during EMH, and today will be a LONG day! Breakfast at Pop; we plan on rope drop, then at 1:15 p.m. I have a reservation for us at Liberty Tree Tavern.

Then, we may head back to Pop around 2:30/3 to take it easy; maybe a nap (hey, we're OLD!) or a swim or something, then get ready again and head back for our first MNSSHP!!!

We plan on staying until the party is over. Then, we'll bypass the bus and cab it back to Pop and head to bed!

 

[teekathepony]

Sounds good so far!

 

[IheartDDuck]

Sounds like some good plans so far. That pizza from Via Napoli looks so good right now.

 

[ZehnJahren]

Man, I'm falling behind. I'm so dang busy, but I'm going crazy so I need a minute to relax. How better than posting my day 3 and day 3 1/2 plans???

Day 3 - Friday 10/14/11: MGM, Epcot, MK?
This should be an interesting day. I really would like to hit rope drop at HS so that Ma and I can take a spin on TSMM - I know she'd really really like it. She probably wouldn't be too good at it, but she'd really really like it.

Plus, we'd wanna go see an old favorite: Muppet 3D!!

We have lunch reservations at 1:15 at 50s Prime Time Cafe. I've never eaten here, and I picked it over the Sci-Fi because Ma is a child of the 50s. (I also requested a room overlooking the lake in the 50s building at Pop).

Then, maybe we'd want to slink back over to Epcot for a quick stroll, doing other stuff we didn't have a chance to do on Wednesday. We'll see what happens; supposedly Friday is a bad day to visit HS, according to Touring Plans. If it's too busy, we'll bail early.

Finally, I reserved the Wishes Dessert Party for the both of us; I didn't tell her about it, as I thought it would be a nice surprise. We already decided we'd head back to MK for the fireworks that night, since Mom said she "didn't know when she'd ever be back" and she would be glad to go see them. Little does she know I've arranged for us to have some delicious desserts and a good, relaxing view of the fireworks! So I hope to get to MK early enough that we can grab a ride or two on Splash, HM, and Pirates before our reservation comes around.

Day 3 1/2 - Saturday: Departure Day
Aw, the saddest day. I'm hoping we can hit rope drop at HS (again??) so we can take a quick spin on TSMM, get a pair of fast passes, and maybe hit ToT or something else there before mom has to get back for her bus. I'm going to talk to her about switching her flight to a later one; then we could have a little more time.

Once Ma leaves, I'm on my own for awhile. DBF will be flying into Orlando late that afternoon, arriving around 3:20, I believe. He'll pick up our rental car and call me; I'll go back to Pop to grab my carry on and wait for him. Once he arrives, we'll POSSIBLY run to DTD so I can do some quick shopping - then we're heading for our timeshare in Ft. Myers until the following Saturday! Ahh, a nice, long vacation awaits!

So I really don't know what I'll be doing that afternoon. If I stay at HS, I can use Ma's ticket to get myself an extra fastpass or two (yes, I know - I'm a cheat). If I go elsewhere (MK, maybe?), I'd be fending for myself. Maybe this would be a day to go to AK? I am just not a big fan of that park; Mom and I didn't even discuss the possibility of going there. She's never been, and I just don't care much for it.

I figured it was better to do Disney first so that I'd have a week on the beach to recoup before heading back to work. But man, it's gonna be hard hard hard to be so close to Disney and not going! Especially since I'll leave the parks on Saturday in possession of my very first-ever AP!!! I've always wanted one of those, my whole life, and now I'm gonna get one!

 

[ZehnJahren]

So, there's another group of two attempting to do what I'm doing at Rose and Crown - get a decent seat for Illuminations! I've been stalking the reservations trying to get a late one, and I saw that finally someone snatched up my discarded early reservations for 10/12. Then, there was another reservation for 2 that opened up at 6:50 p.m., but I figured that was STILL too early and I wasn't going to dump my Via Napoli reservations unless I had a GOOD time at Rose and Crown, so I ignored it. Within a day, my old reservation for 2 was open, and the 6:50 p.m. reservation was snagged.

Also, we got our ME packet. My mom's flight information was wrong, so I had to call them. I noticed that on the vouchers for ME, it states that we're going to POP, and as you know I'm keeping our hotel under wraps, so I asked if Ma had to have the voucher in order to ride the bus. Yes, she does. So now I'm trying to figure out how to send her these vouchers without letting on that the words "POP-Classic" doesn't necessarily mean that's where we're staying. I figure I"m gonna have to wait until the last minute and overnight the vouchers to her if I want to keep the surprise very late. Ma is such a good sport, though; I bet if I asked her not to open the envelope until she got to MCO, she wouldn't. I don't know - is it really a big deal for her to know where we're staying?

 

[ZehnJahren]

Ok, someone needs to talk me back from the ledge.

Every other day, I want to change resorts. I have never stayed at Pop, and I think my ma will love it - and I love the price - but every couple of days (especially those associated with any type of drinking) I want to change to a moderate resort. Where? Honestly - does it matter? I want to stay at POFQ again. Or Caribbean Beach. Or Coronado Springs. Or really ANYWHERE other than where I've decided since I am never satisfied with my current plans!!!

Pop will be fun; I can get a 50s building room for my ma, it'll be great with the yummy food court,and a nice big store there as well.... But I can't help thinking about all the other resorts. Most recent is the desire to change to Coronado Springs Resort, since I see other PTRs with people staying there. UGH! Save me!!! HELP!

 

[IheartDDuck]

Ok, someone needs to talk me back from the ledge.

Every other day, I want to change resorts. I have never stayed at Pop, and I think my ma will love it - and I love the price - but every couple of days (especially those associated with any type of drinking) I want to change to a moderate resort. Where? Honestly - does it matter? I want to stay at POFQ again. Or Caribbean Beach. Or Coronado Springs. Or really ANYWHERE other than where I've decided since I am never satisfied with my current plans!!!

Pop will be fun; I can get a 50s building room for my ma, it'll be great with the yummy food court,and a nice big store there as well.... But I can't help thinking about all the other resorts. Most recent is the desire to change to Coronado Springs Resort, since I see other PTRs with people staying there. UGH! Save me!!! HELP!

Okay, back away from the ledge......

Honestly, POP is a very nice resort and I love staying there. The food court is great and you do lose out on that when you switch to moderates. It's a very fun resort and it's all been recently re-furbed.

I have not stayed at Coronado Springs resort in quite a while. The reason being is that the resort was just too big for my taste. Too far to walk to get to a bus and I find their food court to be a little complicated with having to tip and everything.

So, if you couldn't guess, my suggestion is to stay with POP. Saving money is great. I look at it this way. It's just a place for me to rest my head. That money can be spent doing so many other fun things in Disney.

 

[ZehnJahren]

Okay, back away from the ledge......

Honestly, POP is a very nice resort and I love staying there. The food court is great and you do lose out on that when you switch to moderates. It's a very fun resort and it's all been recently re-furbed.

I have not stayed at Coronado Springs resort in quite a while. The reason being is that the resort was just too big for my taste. Too far to walk to get to a bus and I find their food court to be a little complicated with having to tip and everything.

So, if you couldn't guess, my suggestion is to stay with POP. Saving money is great. I look at it this way. It's just a place for me to rest my head. That money can be spent doing so many other fun things in Disney.

First, thank you for your even-mindedness.

Second, I KNOW Pop is probably the best place, and we are just wanting to rest our heads. I have so much else planned, I should really try to keep the accommodations cheap. Just from time to time I just want to make a change because I really really really want to treat my mom right! You know? I want to pay extra just so she's WOWED - will she possibly be wowed at Pop? She's never stayed on property - I just want her to get to the hotel and be excited! That's why I keep trying (trying) to change my mind.

 

[IheartDDuck]

First, thank you for your even-mindedness.

Second, I KNOW Pop is probably the best place, and we are just wanting to rest our heads. I have so much else planned, I should really try to keep the accommodations cheap. Just from time to time I just want to make a change because I really really really want to treat my mom right! You know? I want to pay extra just so she's WOWED - will she possibly be wowed at Pop? She's never stayed on property - I just want her to get to the hotel and be excited! That's why I keep trying (trying) to change my mind.

Also, any drinking on my part and I immediately "need" to change.

No worries. I'm going to say something, and I might get flamed. But, here goes.

IMO, I don't think many of the moderates really have a "wow" factor versus a resort like POP. I think that only comes when you get the deluxes that have the really lavish lobbies and such. I think she will be very happy staying at POP, but I empathize completely with what you are saying. I would think the same thing with my mom too. I think she's going to be thrilled regardless.

I'm totally like you sometimes though. I go back and forth about things constantly. I would say, if you're still thinking about the change, think about how much you're actually going to take advantage of the resort. Is the additional wow worth only seeing it here and there?

Ever even minded, that's me. Now if I could only apply that to myself......

 

[ZehnJahren]

No worries. I'm going to say something, and I might get flamed. But, here goes.

IMO, I don't think many of the moderates really have a "wow" factor versus a resort like POP. I think that only comes when you get the deluxes that have the really lavish lobbies and such. I think she will be very happy staying at POP, but I empathize completely with what you are saying. I would think the same thing with my mom too. I think she's going to be thrilled regardless.

I'm totally like you sometimes though. I go back and forth about things constantly. I would say, if you're still thinking about the change, think about how much you're actually going to take advantage of the resort. Is the additional wow worth only seeing it here and there?

Ever even minded, that's me. Now if I could only apply that to myself......

No flaming from me - I'm usually open to frankness. If someone else flames you, well, I just won't have it on MY PTR. But seriously, I get it. If I could really go deluxe, I would - because that's a different kind of wow factor. I just want it to be such a great trip for her. We're both so excited; I loved POFQ, but it's not so "Disney" as Pop seems to be. If I could choose any two resorts, it would be BC/YC or Contemporary; but I couldn't get anything for those so why would I "waste" my money on a resort that might be like all the others?

We definitely plan on spending next to no time at the resort - it would be silly to spend the extra money for no reason at all. I think she'll think that Pop is super-cool; I just want her to enjoy because she deserves it so much. We're going to MNSSHP (she knows) and have reservations at the Wishes dessert party (she doesn't know!), so we've got some extras planned, I should keep reminding myself that we've got great plans right now; why change them?

 

[IheartDDuck]

No flaming from me - I'm usually open to frankness. If someone else flames you, well, I just won't have it on MY PTR. But seriously, I get it. If I could really go deluxe, I would - because that's a different kind of wow factor. I just want it to be such a great trip for her. We're both so excited; I loved POFQ, but it's not so "Disney" as Pop seems to be. If I could choose any two resorts, it would be BC/YC or Contemporary; but I couldn't get anything for those so why would I "waste" my money on a resort that might be like all the others?

We definitely plan on spending next to no time at the resort - it would be silly to spend the extra money for no reason at all. I think she'll think that Pop is super-cool; I just want her to enjoy because she deserves it so much. We're going to MNSSHP (she knows) and have reservations at the Wishes dessert party (she doesn't know!), so we've got some extras planned, I should keep reminding myself that we've got great plans right now; why change them?

Exactly! That's so cool you're surprising her with the Wishes dessert party. I surprised my mom with it and she just loved it!

 

[ZehnJahren]

SOOOOOOooooo I managed NOT to change my reservations from Pop after IHeartDDuck's timeless words of wisdom, and today marked day 1 of my "Countdown to Fun!!!" emails to my mom. Today, she got a pic of the Generation Gap bridge - no buildings can be seen, just the bridge over the water. Tomorrow, she gets a palm tree - and I'm hoping she can't figure these out quite yet.

I leave in 29 days!! Time's flying by! Tomorrow, I buy her ticket from Undercover Tourist, and I'm off to Woodfield Mall to get my AP this weekend!

Hoping for lines like these:

Or these:

Please and thank you.

 

[IheartDDuck]

Time really is flying by. I love your idea of your countdown to fun with your mom. I do that to Farrell every few days. I send her a picture of something to get her excited about the trip. Although it doesn't seem like I have to do it that much, because she's excited enough to go.