Will This Countdown Ever End? October PTR *5/28 Vacation Pinterest Board

[eaj1228]

October 9th-18 Pre-Trip Report

I am so excited!! I have a little less than seven months until my dream Disney World trip. This will be my fifth trip to the world along with my dad and brother. However it will be the first time my best friend and her family joins us. We went to Disneyland three years ago and had so much fun but I don’t think they are prepared to see how different Disney World is.


Who, Where, Why? All in the post below.

Day One Plans


Pre Trip Education for the Girls

Planning Anxiety

Shopping Fun and Weight Loss Frustration

Awesome Week, ADR Plans, and Yes, I am a Disney Freak

Sad News, ADR's, and Vera Addiction

A Scare, Weight Loss Rut, ADR Times, Room Requests

Starbucks, Sleeping Arrangements, Day Two Plans

Shopping and Movie Suggestions?

Pinterest!!
Who:

Erin: That’s me I am also known as Auntie E. I am an Obsessive Compulsive trip planner. I pretty much love all Disney movies but my favorites are Beauty and the Beast, Tangled, and Enchanted. My favorite character is Alice. I have been on Weight Watchers for the past year lost about 40 pounds and I am about 12 pounds away from my goal. I recently made a deal with my father for him to pay for my first tattoo (an Alice in Wonderland tattoo) when I finally reach my weight loss goal. I am determined to have my tattoo prior to my October trip.

Andy: My younger brother who is 24 years old. He is trying to be the chief
trip planner. He loves Phineas and Ferb, Stitch, and Grumpy.

Kent: My dad who is the ultimate Grumpy fan. Last year he got his first tattoo of Grumpy of course! He was raised a Disney fan. He grew up in Northern California and went to Disneyland regularly. He is a little stubborn and doesn’t like change. I had to bully him into trying Disney World several years ago but he was insistent on staying off site for the first trip. I finally wore him down into staying onsite and now we have DVC.

Nessie: My best friend/sister from another mister. Our dads have worked together since before we were born and I was born forty weeks after her. I truly believe that God put me on this earth so we could be best friend.

She loves villains and during our last trip to Disneyland she flirted with Captain Hook unfortunately he wasn’t much of a catch; he did have insurance but it turns out it was an HMO. Oh well, it wasn’t meant to be, Captain Hook didn’t like me much anyway (it must have been my taunting him by saying “tic-toc, tic-toc”). Her favorite movie is The Little Mermaid and her favorite character is Vidia. She is also the proud mommy of the two coolest girls I know.

Emma: She is Nessie’s older daughter and is 7 years old. She is very sweet and creative. I love her artwork and I think she is a future Disney animator. Her favorite movies are The Little Mermaid and Peter Pan.

Isla: Nessie’s little one. She will be turning 5 years old right before the trip. She is very sassy and silly. She loves Toy Story. Her favorite ride in Disneyland was The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh which she made sure her Auntie E took her on many times. Below is a picture of Isla and the Jessie doll I got her for her 4th birthday. Can you tell how she decided to play hairstylist and cut her own bangs?

Josh: Nessie’s ex-husband and proud father to Emma and Isla. Andy has many plans for hanging out with Josh and hitting Epcot to drink around the world with him.

Where: We are doing a split stay this trip we are staying in two bedroom villas at both resorts. The first five nights at Animal Kingdom Lodge Kidani Village with a savanna view. I can’t wait to see the girls react to animals being in the back yard.

The last four nights are booked at our home resort Saratoga Springs. We stayed there last year and loved being so close to Downtown Disney. I requested the Congress Park area.

Originally we wanted to stay at Beach Club but they were all booked. We saw a video tour on youtube of the two bedroom savanna view room at Kidani and it looks amazing.

Why: This will be Nessie, Josh, Emma, and Isla's first trip to the World. This trip will be right after Josh and Isla's birthday's and right before Emma's. So much to celebrate.

 

[eaj1228]

Day One Plans

We are from Seattle and I was able to find a decent fare on Southwest. Nessie, Andy, my dad, and I all got tickets. We land at 4:55pm Orlando time on the 9th and will be departing at 5pm on the 18th. We are lucky because the plane does stop both ways but we don't need to change planes.

Josh and the girls are going to take another flight TBD. Poor guy having to fly cross country with a 5 year old and an almost 8 year old by himself. Sounds like oodles of fun. Emma is very excited about flying.

Originally we were planning on staying at a value or moderate the first night. Since airfare was so expensive this year we decided we are going to take a year off from Disney World next year and decided to borrow some points from next year.

We are thinking we will hit Mara the first night for dinner and the pool at Kidani.

If we are ambitious we are going to go to Downtown Disney. My family loves Wolfgang Pucks Express best use of a counter service credit in our opinion. We will still be on west coast time so if we get to the resort at 6pm it will feel like 3pm to us. We usually are able to adapt to the time change quickly since the flight is so exhausting.

My dad is a terrible flyer and usually needs to take a prescription that makes him sleep during most of the flight. Last year we got to the resort after midnight and he was totally wired. This time he can go offsite to the grocery store and stock up on goodies while we sleep. I have tried to tell him about garden grocer or other grocery delivery services but he would rather take a cab and do his own shopping. We are going to have dining plan and have no real plans on dining in the room. I think we will just get some drinks, snack foods, milk, and cereal.

 

[eaj1228]

Since Nessie is my sister from another mister I usually call her daughters my nieces or honorary nieces.

I am so excited because I am going to have them over at my house this weekend. Nessie recently got a new job out of state so the girls are with their dad full time while she is getting settled. I am missing my best friend like crazy and I am sure the girls are missing her too. Thank goodness for phones and skype.

We usually love to go shopping for stuff for the trip way ahead of time but both girls are growing like weeds. We have a Disneyland height chart at my house and usually the first thing Emma does when she comes over is check to see how much she has grown and what attractions she can go on. My heart literally swells with pride when she does this. I am thinking it is better to hold off on buying them outfits. One of the best things about going in October is being able to raid the clearance racks of summer clothes for new clothes for the trip. The planning is half the fun with a Disney trip and I love putting together outfits for girls to where to character meals.

My brother and I are planning on taking them to the Disney Store and have them pick out new beach towels. I looked online and they have some really cute ones and I was at Sears the other day and saw some Disney themed ones there too. We love bringing our own towels to the pools.

I am also planning on having them watch some Disney movies this weekend. They have watched many of the classics like anything with a princess or Pixar movies but I don't think they have watched Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book, and The Lion King yet. If I can get the girls to watch one new movie every couple weeks I think they will be Disney experts by the time we go.

Andy is planning on making rice krispie treats with the girls this weekend as well. I am pretty sure he is going to try and convince them that rice krispie treats are a breakfast food in Disney World.

Needless to say I am pretty excited for this weekend.

 

[eaj1228]

I love going to Disney with first timers. I love experiencing the magic though their eyes. One of the major problems with going with first timer's is they don't understand the importance of planning. This is something I am running into now. Nessie doesn't really have any opinions about what we do or what ADR's we choose and I don't think Josh understands that I will be waking up at 3am (oh the joys of being a west coaster) to make reservations for a dinner we will be having in six months.

Has anyone else experienced this? If you have how did you deal with it? I have no problem doing the planning. I have been doing it for years with my own family but I don't want to see anyone disappointed.

 

[PixieMama]

Joining in!

I love going to Disney with first timers. I love experiencing the magic though their eyes. One of the major problems with going with first timer's is they don't understand the importance of planning. This is something I am running into now. Nessie doesn't really have any opinions about what we do or what ADR's we choose and I don't think Josh understand that I will be waking up at 3am (oh the joys of being a west coaster) to make reservations for a dinner we will be having in six months.

Has anyone else experienced this? If you have how did you deal with it? I have no problem doing the planning. I have been doing it for years with my own family but I don't want to see anyone disappointed.

Yes! On our 2010 trip, we had a group of 8... me, DH and our 2 DDs, as well as DH's brother, his wife, and their 2 kids. They were all first-timers and had no clue, LOL! I planned everything and felt a bit overwhelmed. And like you, I was worried that someone wouldn't like an ADR I'd chosen or something I'd planned... and then it would've been my fault! Oy, the pressure! Luckily, everyone had a great time and my in-laws said they would've been completely lost without my planning!

 

[eaj1228]

I had so much fun with Emma and Isla this past weekend. They are probably the coolest people I know. We talked about the trip a little bit. I try not to talk about it too much since it is so far away and Isla doesn't really have a concept of time yet. I have some DVD's of the Travel Channel specials about Disney World. I am debating showing them to the girls. On one hand I want to show them all of the cool things about Disney World and on the other hand I want them to be totally surprised.

We did watch tons of Disney Channel this weekend. We caught the Tangled Ever After short a couple of times. Everyone thought it was cute but Isla was frustrated it was so short. We also watched The Little Mermaid.

The one problem with them being over is it makes watching what I eat so difficult. I am about 12 pounds away from my goal and I feel totally stalled. I am on Weight Watchers and made some really bad choices over the weekend. I couldn't seem to keep myself from snacking on goldfish crackers and eating Isla's leftover PB&J. I did a 69 flight stairclimb event over the weekend for Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and I think I am going to end up with a gain. I am determined to be at goal by August so I can get my tattoo prior to the October trip.

My brother went on Disneystore.com to have the girls pick out beach towels. I just ordered them and a couple other items.

Emma picked out a Minnie Mouse towel. We had it personalized with her name.

Isla picked out a Rapunzel towel. We had it personalized as well.

I thought this swimsuit was adorable and ordered it for Isla.

My brother found this tee and showed it to my dad who insisted on getting two of them for Emma. One for the trip and one to give to her prior to the trip. Everytime we watch Phineas and Ferb my dad goes on and on about how much Isabella reminds him of Emma. I have been known to beg and bribe Emma to get her to say "Whatcha doin?" in front of my dad.

We got Isla the two tees above. She loves Tink and is occasionally known to pout. I thought the Minnie one would be fun for a character meal at Chef Mickey's.

We also got each of them a nightshirt. Emma got Ariel and Isla got a Tink one.

I ordered these in a bigger size for each of the girls and I am going to stash everything away except for one of the Isabella shirts away until the trip.

 

[eaj1228]

Joining in!

Yes! On our 2010 trip, we had a group of 8... me, DH and our 2 DDs, as well as DH's brother, his wife, and their 2 kids. They were all first-timers and had no clue, LOL! I planned everything and felt a bit overwhelmed. And like you, I was worried that someone wouldn't like an ADR I'd chosen or something I'd planned... and then it would've been my fault! Oy, the pressure! Luckily, everyone had a great time and my in-laws said they would've been completely lost without my planning!

Thanks for joining in and sharing your experience. While I am planning this I keep on reminding myself that when I went to WDW the first time we didn't have a single ADR planned and still had an awesome time. All of this anxiety is in my head because I am so lucky that everyone I am going with are really easy going. The girls will be happy just to be at the parks and pool and as a group the little one having a good time is the most important thing to all of us.

 

[eaj1228]

I don't know if anyone is readiing this but I thought I would have a quick update. It has been an awesome week on pretty much all fronts.

I have been working on losing weight and I am officially 10 pounds away from goal! I have been hitting the gym hard this week and I am hoping to be at goal by Independence Day. Going to the gym has been something I struggle with. I have a really close relationship with my bed and I tend to enjoy sleeping in and I hate going to the crowded gym in the evening. One of my coworkers and I have decided to meet up at the gym at 6am or earlier 4 days a week. I am planning on getting my first tattoo to celebrate my weight loss. I am planning on getting at a tattoo of Alice from Alice in Wonderland holding a Mickey Mouse balloon. Any thoughts what color the balloon should be?? I am thinking red or purple.

Nessie came back home. Moving out of state just didn't work out. On the not so awesome news is Nessie might not be going to WDW with us. I should know for sure by monday. The most important thing to me is that Emma and Isla get to go. I told Nessie that if things don't work out for her and she is unable to come she will probably have the oportunity to come with us some other time a few years down the road.

I showed the girls our Disney Store order online on tuesday and they loved everything. Isla wants to wear her Minnie Mouse tee for Valentine's Day and when I went into the swim suit area of the website she proclaimed the swimsuit I got her was her favorite before I even told her I bought it. I guess this means I have a black belt in shopping (cool points for whoever can guess which movie the reference comes from).

I also chatted with Josh about our ADR's and plans since we are near our 180 day mark. He is fine with anything I plan. The only thing he wants is to be able to take one day off to golf. I chatted with my dad and brother and we put together a list of what we want to do. We get to make our ADR's on friday!! We have gone to all of these restaurants before and will be paying OOP for several meals. We have many character meals on the agenda so we can avoid standing in endless lines for character pictures.

ADR List
Chef Mickey's Dinner. Not the fanciest food at Chef Mickey's for dinner but awesome character interaction.

Tusker House Breakfast. Love the juice here and was thinking about getting a late breakfast ADR.

Le Celliar Dinner. Probably my favorite restaurant. Love the Mushroom Filet.

50's Primetime Cafe. We did this twice on the last trip. We love the food and antics. I did get in trouble once using my "walkie talkie" at the table.

Crystal Palace Breakfast. Hoping for a pre-park opening ADR. Awesome food.

Whispering Canyon Cafe Dinner. I wanted to do Hoop Dee Doo but my dad and brother didn't so this was our compromise. We love the antics of the servers.

Kona Breakfast. Our favorite breakfast place. My dad wants to go a least twice.

Akershus Breakfast. The girls have to meet the princesses and my father is absolutely in love with Snow White who we saw there last year. The food is pretty good too.

Whispering Canyon Cafe Breakfast. My brother hasn't stopped talking about breakfast there since we went last year. The only problem we had is we asked for them to refill one thing on the skillet and we got a whole new one. I don't think I was ever so stuffed in my life.

1900 Park Faire Dinner. We are going to this one purely for character interaction. The food has been hit or miss before. We figured if we don't like the food we can grab counter service after.

Tutto Italia Dinner. We love this restaurant. Last time my dad and I both had Costata Di Maiale Alla Valdostana - breaded pork chop, stuffed with prociutto ham, and fontina cheese. It was so delicious.

1900 Park Faire Breakfast (just me and the little ones possibly Josh or Nessie). Totally selfish on my part. I am dying to show Alice my tattoo. I might schedule Josh on this one if Nessie can't come since it is a buffet and it would be easier to have some help with the girls. I think I will be fine solo. I might check with the girls and see what they want to do.

Kona Cafe Breakfast (just Dad and Andy possibly Josh)

We got the package from Disney Store yesterday and I decided to celebrate by going to the mall. I am a Vera Bradley addict and went to the mall that was a little further out of town to hit the only Vera Bradley store in the state. I resisted temptation and didn't get a thing.

I did hit the Disney Store and geeked out on all of the merchandise there. I love Disney Animators' Collection dolls, this is the Rapunzel one. One of the people who work at Disney Store came up to me because he noticed my excitement and my Disney World hoodie and we chatted for a bit. He asked me if I ever thought about working at another Disney Store that just opened in the area part time. I honestly felt kind of honored. I don't know if a second job is something I am interested in right now. If I am ever able to work four 10 hour shifts at my current job I would consider trying to get a second job for Disney.

 

[eaj1228]

Woke up dark and early this morning to make my ADR’s. I tried to make them online but it my resort reservation number wasn’t working online. The joys of living on the west coast is waking up at a quarter til four am to make Disney ADR’s. I guess it is better than living in Alaska or Hawaii. I was only able to book for the first half of the trip and I got all of the ADR’s I wanted and the times I wanted or at least close to it. I got my ADR’s for Chef Mickey’s dinner, Tusker House breakfast, LeCelliar dinner, 50’s Prime Time Café dinner, Crystal Palace breakfast, and Whispering Canyon Café dinner. Since we have a split stay I have to call back in a few days to finish my ADR’s.

The girls are excited for the character meals. Isla remembered seeing Captain Hook at a character breakfast in Disneyland and him not liking me much. She was glad we would not be dining with him. I told them about 1900 Park Faire dinner and they mentioned that the stepsisters were not nice to Cinderella. I hope the girls teach Anastasia and Drizella a few things about being nice to their sister from another mister Cinderella.

I chatted with Nessie last night and she decided not to come this year. I am really bummed but I am trying to look on the bright side of things. I told her since she isn’t coming this year she can come with us in a couple of years and the girls should be able to show her the ropes since they will be the park vets and she will be the rookie. I am thinking a girls only trip for when Emma finishes elementary school would be just the ticket. Since Nessie isn’t coming we will be a party of six and not seven so someone will always have someone else to buddy up with and no one will have to sit by themselves on a ride.

Onto happier news the other day I went on ebay and purchased the Vera Bradley Tech Organizer in Lemon Parfait. This is an item Vera Bradley is no longer making this product or anything like it. I think it is an awesome solution to the first world problem of having so many chargers and tech accessories and is a way prettier and functional way of keeping these items organized. I played with it this morning and was able to fit my laptop charger, video camera charger, digital camera charger, phone charger, and extra battery for my video camera. I am taking all of these with me to Disney World.

A few years ago I saw people raving about Vera Bradley on disboards and I didn’t understand the hype. I even thought most of the stuff was ugly. Now I am a Vera addict. All it takes is one pattern and you can be hooked. I am totally in love with all of fun patterns, matching accessories, and functional pockets.

Is it kinda sick/sad that I am already thinking about packing when my vacation is about 6 months away?

 

[lbuzz52]

Joining in, found you from PixieMama's thread. Our trips will overlap.

Sorry you friend won't be able to make it this time.

You ADR's look great. Hopefully the second half work well too.

Love the VB organizer. i may have to grab one of those. I see we may have similar shopping taste. I also purchased the Candice shirt and the Ariel gown in my last order.

Joining in!


Yes! On our 2010 trip, we had a group of 8... me, DH and our 2 DDs, as well as DH's brother, his wife, and their 2 kids. They were all first-timers and had no clue, LOL! I planned everything and felt a bit overwhelmed. And like you, I was worried that someone wouldn't like an ADR I'd chosen or something I'd planned... and then it would've been my fault! Oy, the pressure! Luckily, everyone had a great time and my in-laws said they would've been completely lost without my planning!

we also did an 8 person, multi family trip. and like you and Shannon, i was the one that did the planning. No one wanted to give any input (well, my mom did some, but no one else). I just did my best. there were a couple times that others acted in ways that made me wonder if they would not have rather been doing soemthing else. butthe exhaustion of many park days in the heat does that. and besides, they had their chance to give input. for the most part, everyone was generally appreciative of everything. that being said, i think the most important part of the trip is to schedule "me" time or "immediate family only" time when it comes to group trips.

 

[eaj1228]

we also did an 8 person, multi family trip. and like you and Shannon, i was the one that did the planning. No one wanted to give any input (well, my mom did some, but no one else). I just did my best. there were a couple times that others acted in ways that made me wonder if they would not have rather been doing soemthing else. butthe exhaustion of many park days in the heat does that. and besides, they had their chance to give input. for the most part, everyone was generally appreciative of everything. that being said, i think the most important part of the trip is to schedule "me" time or "immediate family only" time when it comes to group trips.

Thanks for the awesome advice. I am planning on pretty much all of the meals to be together but want to try and keep things flexible enough so everyone feels free to break up in groups naturally. We are pretty lucky with our trip because the adults outnumber the kiddos and if the kids need to go back to the hotel for a break we can take turns doing that.

 

[eaj1228]

I am at home sick today and figured I would take my illness as a sign to update my PTR and curl up in bed and watch Disney movies all day. I am currently watching Mulan for the first time in forever. I think I will bully my brother into renting The Muppets for me today. I am not the only one sick today. My golden retriever, Dug, has a hot spot and has to go to the vet. He is normally the happiest pup and right now he is just lying in the corner. I hate seeing him like this.

Below is a picture of Dug with the ears I bought him in Disney World and they do have his name stitched in the back. I had some awful "mommy guilt" when I was there because I missed him so much. I often daydream about him turning into a human and coming to Disney World with us but I know we would be thrown out because he would harass Chip and Dale.

A couple of weeks ago I showed Josh my planning spreadsheet with all of the ADR’s I planning. He looked at it and went, “We are staying through the 18th? I only requested to be off work through the 16th.” I seriously thought he was messing with me but he was totally serious . While this is going on Emma is jumping up and down saying “18th, 18th, let’s stay through the 18th.” Yesterday he texted me and let me know he was able to get the extra two days added on and will buying his airfare soon.

I went to Weight Watchers last night after a not so good two weeks. I weighed in at my meeting last night and the receptionist just handed my book back to me and said, “At least you’re here and back on the right track.” I had a really bad two weeks and didn’t even try. I have been on Weight Watchers for over a year and I know the program works but haven’t been following it to the best of my ability consistently for the past few months. I have been stuck in a rut a guess. I am planning on signing up for a 5k coming up on Mother’s Day called “The Color Run”. It is a 5k and according to what I hear at every at every kilometer a color is shot at you so by the end you are covered in a bunch of different colors. Currently registration is full but it sold out in like three hours and I was so disappointed I didn’t get in. I heard that they are opening up some more spots on Monday. Hopefully this will be a cure to get me out of my rut.

A couple of days ago I finally finished booking my ADR’s and got everything I wanted. I am still a little uncertain about our times. In the past I would usually book all of our breakfast ADR’s prior to the park opening but my brother likes to sleep in. We are on vacation so I figured I would book them later than usual. I am starting to second guess my decisions for the times of my ADR’s. Has anyone else done later breakfast ADR's? What are your opinions about them?

October 10th
Chef Mickey’s Dinner 5pm

October 11th
Tusker House Breakfast 9:30am
Le Celliar Dinner 7:10pm

October 12th
50’s Prime Time Café 5:15pm

October 13th
Crystal Palace Breakfast 8:10am
Whispering Canyon Café Dinner 5:25pm

October 14th
Kona Café Breakfast 9:15am

October 15th
Akershaus Breakfast 9:45am

October 16th
Whispering Canyon Café Breakfast 8:30am
1900 Park Faire Dinner 4:30pm

October 17th
Tutto Italia Dinner 7pm

October 18th
1900 Park Faire Breakfast 8am (Me, Emma, Isla, and Josh)
Kona Café 8am (Andy and Dad)

Called DVC membership the other day to take Nessie off the reservation and the person I spoke with on the phone was so nice and helpful. She saw I had a 2 bedroom at BCV waitlisted for the last half of my trip and said that she could put a second request in for a dedicated 2 bedroom at BCV’s in to cover all of my bases. I am not feeling too optimistic about our waitlists so I am taking the attitude of “que sera, sera”. If it comes through it would be awesome and if it doesn’t it is fine because we will have fun regardless of where we stay. We will be in Disney World and that is all that matters.

I did put room requests in for my existing reservations. For my Animal Kingdom Villa Kidani reservation I am requesting Sunset Savannah view on the 2nd floor. I hear the Sunset Savannah is the best place to see the giraffe’s and zebra’s and having a lower floor provides the best views. We decided on Kidani over Jambo because of the third bathroom and the fact you can have a lower floor to see the animals better.

For Saratoga Springs I requested Congress Park and a Downtown Disney view. My brother loves being within walking distance of Wolfgang Pucks Express and my dad loved being able to relax by the quiet pool at Congress Park. I love being close to all the shopping at DTD. The only negative to this area is they don’t have a refillable mug station in the immediate area but since we will have access to a full refrigerator this shouldn’t be a problem.

As of right now the bulk of my planning is done. The ADR's are set, my photopass CD is pre-purchased, and room requests made. I still have to request magical express once Josh decides on his flight and add on the dining plan. I am still planning on doing some shopping prior to the trip. I love picking out stuff for the girls and putting together outfits.

 

[PixieMama]

I think your ADRs look great! I've heard nothing but rave reviews about Via Napoli... I am sooo looking forward to trying it in October!

On my family's previous trips, we've only done one breakfast ADR each trip, and we've only ever done late ones. I think around 10 or 10:30... but this way we skip lunch (grab a snack if we need to) and then have a Quick Service for dinner.

 

[silverhaze269]

It really sucks that "your sister from another mister" won't be able to make it with you guys this time But at least now you can plan ahead for when she will be there

I think your goal of an Alice in Wonderland tattoo is awesome!!! I'm in the process of getting mine finished...it's primarily the caterpillar, but Alice is in there, of course. I'm sure you'll be able to meet your goal by October Don't know if you have any tattoos, but if you do make you goal, you want to make sure it's all healed up nicely before you go...it would suck to have to go through all the after care stuff on vacation

Sounds like your plans are coming along really well!

 

[eaj1228]

I think your goal of an Alice in Wonderland tattoo is awesome!!! I'm in the process of getting mine finished...it's primarily the caterpillar, but Alice is in there, of course. I'm sure you'll be able to meet your goal by October Don't know if you have any tattoos, but if you do make you goal, you want to make sure it's all healed up nicely before you go...it would suck to have to go through all the after care stuff on vacation

Thanks for joining in. I would love to see a picture of your tattoo once it is complete. Maybe it will inspire me to stay motivated.

 

[silverhaze269]

It won't be done for a few weeks, I'll pass one along when it is!

 

[eaj1228]

Day Two Plans

Just when I thought I couldn’t be more excited for my trip I heard the news about Starbucks locations opening inside Disney parks. I am from the Seattle area and if I leave house and drive a mile and a half east I can pass three Starbucks locations and a couple independent coffee stands. When we left Disney World last time I was so happy to get my Starbucks fix I even took a picture of my latte and posted it on facebook. Check it out:

I can’t imagine anything more perfect than strolling through the parks with an iced skinny vanilla latte. My dad is more addicted to coffee than I am but isn’t too fond of Starbucks but even he is thrilled to have more coffee options in the park. I am really hoping at least one of the parks has a Starbucks up and running by October. I wonder if they will have fastpasses for the Starbucks line?

On to more important business all of the plans I am dreaming up. We decided sleeping arrangements for the trip. We told Josh that he can have the master since we imagine the girls will probably want to share the bed with him. My dad and Andy are going to take the second bedroom. I will be in the living room on the pullout couch. Emma heard about the fold out chair at Kidani and expressed some interest in sleeping there. Isla mentioned that she wanted to sleep with me on the couch. So it is a major possibility that Josh will have the master bedroom all to himself. I really don’t care. I did tell him that I do want to use the awesome whirlpool tub though.

For day one I am planning on starting the day at Magic Kingdom. It just doesn’t feel like I am at Disney until I see the castle and the girls are most excited for the attractions there. I don’t have any breakfast ADR’s planned for the first morning because I don’t know how the girls will adjust to the time change. I am thinking will either grab something at Mara or eat something light for breakfast in the room. I am planning on renting a stroller for Isla from Orlando Stroller Rentals and having it delivered on day one of the trip. I am debating getting a double stroller but I think Emma will be fine walking and if worse comes to worse the girls can take turns.

The girls will probably dictate the plans once we get in the park. I am begging my Dad and Andy not to pressure them into going on “thrill” rides the first day. I remember being a kid and being in tears in Disneyland because I was being forced to go on Space Mountain and I was really scared. Not fun. I want the girls to have at least one day of fun before the traumatic experiences kick in. I am hoping we can get a few attractions in like Mad Hatter Tea Party, Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin, Monster’s Inc Laughfloor, and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh before lunch.

I am hoping we can grab an early counter service meal at Magic Kingdom. Knowing my family they will probably want to hit Pecos Bills. Pecos Bills was the first meal we ever ate at Disney World it holds a special place in our hearts. I usually always save my counter service desert for later in the day so I will probably stash it in my backpack and save it for a late night snack at the resort.

After lunch we will probably try to get a few more rides in. I would love to get the girls on Pirates of the Carribean, The Magic Carpets of Aladdin, and Jungle Cruise. I never made it on Jungle Cruise during my last trip and I am desperate to get my cheesy joke fix. After those rides I imagine the girls will be pretty tired or ready for a swim. I am hoping we can stick around Magic Kingdom long enough to get a Dole Whip. I like Dole Whip Float with vanilla/pinapple swirl. Andy likes just the plain dole whip. My dad is a fan of the citrus swirl.

After our afternoon treat we will probably head back the hotel. We will probably take the girls for a quick swim. While the girls are swimming I will probably relax poolside with a Pina Colava or other grown up drink and gloat to my friends in Seattle that I am sitting in the warm Florida sunshine while they are probably sitting in some torrential downpour via facebook. I love technology! Hopefully the girls will be tired from swimming and will take a nap.

We have a 5pm ADR for Chef Mickey’s this day. We have done dinner here twice. The food isn’t fantastic but Emma and Isla love Old Country Buffet so it is right up their alley. My brother and I have a tradition of getting an alcoholic drink at Chef Mickey’s. My dad doesn’t drink anymore (back in the day he was a Jack Daniels and water man) but he is usually appalled with my brothers drink choice because he will choose a Pina Colava or something really “girly” and it make for some pretty interesting dinner conversation. Below is a pic of Andy and his Pina Colava from last year.

The character interaction at Chef Mickey’s is tons of fun. I can’t wait to see the character’s too. At Chef Mickey’s I usually ask them if they will do the “Hot Dog Dance” for me. Is it weird that I am a twenty-seven year old with no children and I have the “Hot Dog Dance” song on my ipod?

After dinner we will either go to Epcot or back to Magic Kingdom. I am really hoping we can go to Epcot since it is open later. World Showcase is one of my favorite things about Disney World. If we do go to Epcot I am really hoping we can watch Illuminations and I can get a Torontopolitan at the Canada snack cart.

The snack cart Torontopolitan isn’t as good as the ones in Le Celliar but they are one of my faves in Disney World and I like them more than the Grey Goose slush in France. I rarely drink when I am at home since and I am always the designated driver. When I am in Disney I like to take advantage of Disney transportation and “get my drink on”. After Illuminations I am hoping to use a snack credit at either bakery in France or Norway for breakfast the next morning.

After my afternoon and evening of being a lush I should have no problem sleeping. Even if I have a five year old sharing a fold out couch with me.

 

[eaj1228]

Shopping and Movie Suggestions

It seems like the countdown leading to the trip seems endless so to pass the time I have been doing some shopping for the trip. I absolutely love shopping for little ones. We took Emma and Isla’s older cousin, Maia to Disney World three times and each time we took her we would buy her some new outfits for the trip. It is a good thing I don’t have children of my own because I would be flat broke. I love putting together outfits for specific character meals or parks. Usually what I will do is put together an outfit with socks, accessories, and hair ties and put it in a freezer ziplock bag and label it for whichever park or character meal we are going to. It saves so much time in the morning because we aren’t scrambling to find stuff. This was a pretty successful system with Maia and I think the girls will like it as well.
I went shopping this weekend and was able to find some good deals for the girls and myself.

One thing that is essential on our packing list is a lightweight raincoat. I have lost some weight since our last trip and the one I had was too big for me now so I decided to invest in a new one. I saw a Helly Hansen one I really liked but it was $130. I went to Cabella’s today and found one for $40. It is packable so I can stuff the entire jacket into a pocket that acts like a pouch. Hopefully we won’t have to use it a whole lot. On our last trip my raincoat spent most of the time at the bottom of the backpack.

We went back to the Disney Store and my dad bought a few things for the girls. He bought Emma this Minnie Mouse Romper. Normally I don’t believe in paying full price for things but I have had I knew if this sold out before going on sale I would be kicking myself later. I think this would be cute for Emma to wear at our Chef Mickey’s dinner.

We bought Emma this princess tee shirt.

We bought Isla this fairies tee.

I checked out H&M for the girls for the first time today. They had some really cute stuff at very good prices so I went ahead and picked a few things up.

I got Isla this Minnie Mouse romper. It was $14.95 and had some really cool bead detailing on the straps.

I also got Isla this cute purple dress. It was $7.95.

I got Emma this dress with little ladybugs on it. It was $4.95!!

I can’t wait to show the girls the stuff we got them. I still have some more shopping to do but I want to include them on it. We are planning on having a special day with each of the girls so they can help pick stuff out. Does anyone have any suggestions on stores we should check out?

My brother recently got an iPad 2 and we spent part of last night checking out Disney World on google earth. I surprised myself by finding Aloha Isle quickly. The iPad is pretty awesome. My brother got it for the plane ride. We are flying from Seattle on Southwest for the first time. We don’t have to change planes but we do have one stop going to Orlando and coming back home. The flight to Orlando is seven hours and the flight coming home is about seven and a half hours.

My brother is planning on loading his iPad full of movies and television shows for us to watch. He is being really nice about it and wants to know what I want to watch on the plane ride. I think he feels a little guilty that I am going to end up in the middle seat on the plane since dad called dibs on the window seat. So far we pretty much agreed we won’t watch Disney movies since that will probably make us even antsier on the flight going to Orlando and depress us even more on the flight coming back home. However we already agreed to watch Phineas and Ferb “Summer Belongs to You”.

I think we will want to watch some light hearted comedies and television episodes. My brother is already planning on watching one movie and television show I have no interest in. I am guessing we still have about ten or eleven hours of programing left to schedule. We love shows like “Big Bang Theory”, “South Park’, and “Wilfred”. We also love movies like “Groundhog Day” and “Talladega Nights” but we aren’t going to watch those movies on the plane since we have seen them so many times. Anyone have any suggestions for our programing?

 

[silverhaze269]

Can't really help with store suggestions, but I also recently got an iPad and plan on using it for the flights.

I'll only need enough for like 10 hours total, but the flights are broken up into 2 hours and 3 hours each way.

A recent favourite movie of mine is Zombieland. It's hilarious! I highly recommend it ...it's more of a comedy than a thriller/horror film, sort of along the lines of Shawn of the Dead (but I think this one is better).

I also really enjoyed Scott Pilgram vs The World. It's kinda nerdy, but that's what made it awesome (in my opinion).

If I had a long flight like that though, I'd probably just load up the Lord of the Rings movies, or the Harry Potter movies...nice long ones that suck you in

 

[eaj1228]

A recent favourite movie of mine is Zombieland. It's hilarious! I highly recommend it ...it's more of a comedy than a thriller/horror film, sort of along the lines of Shawn of the Dead (but I think this one is better).

I also really enjoyed Scott Pilgram vs The World. It's kinda nerdy, but that's what made it awesome (in my opinion).

If I had a long flight like that though, I'd probably just load up the Lord of the Rings movies, or the Harry Potter movies...nice long ones that suck you in

My brother and I loved Zombieland. Such an original movie but not something I would typically watch. It is definitely on our list. I am hoping it will be available to rent on itunes by October.

I haven't watched Scott Pilgram yet. I consider myself a nerd so I will probably love it.

Proof of my nerdiness is in the picture below. I was so excited to find a Minnie Mouse nerds plush I posted a pic with it on facebook because I thought it was awesome that Minnie was rocking glasses just like I do.

Thanks for the suggestions.