"Wow Mom! WDW is the same age as you are??"

[emksmama]

I need an outlet for my frantic Disney thoughts that are changing at the speed of light, so here goes a pre trip journal to try and keep it all straight!!! We are planning a SURPRISE October trip to WDW, and I cannot wait!!

Here we are on our last trip, July 2012, which was my husband and DDs' first ever Disney trip.

and these were their faces on our last night

When we went before, my parents treated our family plus my sister to 4 days/six nights at SoG, and we had an AMAZING time. We booked the trip in April and went in July, no DDP, no ADR's, just kinda went with what we wanted to do. We had park hoppers, so that made it easy when the weather didn't cooperate on our second day and we got soaked at AK. Anyway, this time around, it's just DH and I and our girls. Emily is 11 and will be in sixth grade when we go, and Molly will be 10 and in fifth grade. My babies are growing up!

The girls have been asking about going back, and we always told them "as soon as Mommy gets a teaching job". Well, I got my teaching job last August, and on New Year's Day, DH said "hey, let's plan a surprise trip to WDW!" He'd resisted Disney for so long, and then after my parents took us, he fell in LOVE. So we booked the trip with a friend of mine who is a Disney TA, and here we go!!

Next up...trying to figure out our itinerary so I'm ready to make ADR's on the 23rd!

 

[emksmama]

Here's our plan as of right now. We have 5 days/4 nights booked at POP Century with the DDP, no Memory Maker yet but I'll add it before we go. DH wants to add MNSSHP, so I've already told our TA to add that. If FD comes out, I think we'll upgrade to Coronado Springs...I really want to keep the DDP, and DH would love to try CS.

We are driving from north central Indiana, but we'll stop on the way down. In 2012, we drove straight through and were exhausted. We left around 6pm Saturday and got to SoG around 2pm Sunday. Went to DTD that night, and DH and I were so tired, the crowds freaked me out and I was so paranoid about losing the girls I just couldn't enjoy it. Then our van died coming home and we left it in northern Georgia (lesson learned...do not EVER write "Disney or Bust!" on a 12 year old minivan with 150K miles on it...) so we decided our days of driving straight through are left in our 30s.

As of now, we plan to leave early Sunday morning, October 19, and tell the girls we are going to either Gulf Shores, AL or Myrtle Beach....and just see how things unfold. I'd like to make it as far as Valdosta, GA (about 12 hours), DH says Macon (about 10). We'll see how the girls do, since their seats don't recline in our new car and they won't be able to sleep like they could in the van. Either way, I'd like to be at our resort by noon or so on Monday.

Current plan (copied from my help post in another forum):
Monday: Epcot, no ADR, just a QS meal
Tuesday: MK all day, including MNSSHP that night (costumes all day? leave MK mid afternoon to go back to Pop and change?), hoping for a BOG lunch FP
Wednesday: HS all day, lunch at 50s Prime Time, then would like to catch Fantasmic! that night
Thursday: Epcot all day, Akershus breakfast, QS & snacks later
Friday: MK until DH says we have to leave to hit the road, Chef Mickey's for breakfast?

But then I started thinking that maybe I should plan on HS on Monday since they have the PM EMH, and then that would fulfill our HS visit this trip. We are OK with skipping AK since we did it last time and didn't visit HS. So then I thought of this itinerary:
Monday: HS with 50s Prime Time ADR, Fantasmic!, EMH PM
Tuesday: Epcot until mid afternoon with Akershus breakfast, go back to Pop and change, then MK for MNSSHP
Wednesday: Epcot?
Thursday: MK all day
Friday: MK

MK is our favorite park, Epcot a close second. Last time we barely touched the World Showcase, and would love to spend more time exploring everything and catching more shows. I don't plan to take in much of the F&W because of the girls.

For our ADR's, there are several I'd love to do but until I figure out which park on which day, I feel like I can't decide on my ADR's.

Epcot: Akershus breakfast for sure, possibly Garden Grill (Chip n Dale for DH) for dinner?
I'd like to do two breakfast buffets...Akershus on our Epcot day, and then can't decide between Chef Mickey's or Crystal Palace. Is CP good for dinner? That's also a possibility...do Chef Mickey's on Friday morning, and CP for dinner on Thursday.
HS: I definitely want to do 50s Primetime Cafe but am open to other possibilities.

 

[emksmama]

When DH and I first started planning this (and he's pretty much done hearing about it, hence this pre trip planning journal!), we agreed that one day at HS was plenty, with at least 1 1/2 each for MK and Epcot.

Someone in that thread suggested the Fantasmic! dinner package, and in looking at the menus, Mama Melrose is probably our best bet. DD10 and I can split a steak, and DD11 will likely eat spaghetti & meatballs, DH is easy to please. However, can DD10 and I split a meal with the dinner package for F!, or do we have to use 4 TS credits? I've read we can split meals and only use 2-3 TS credits, but wasn't sure how that works with the F! dinner package.

I'm really leaning more towards my second itinerary, spending Monday at HS, with a F! ADR that evening. DD11 HATES thrill rides, freaked out on BTMRR in 2012, so I know she won't want to do ToT or RnR. DD10 may want to do RnR, DH will for sure, I'm ok trying it. HS has more shows and other stuff we'd like to do, so I think that arrival til close, especially with EMH that night, will be plenty of time for us to see what we want at HS instead of spending all day Wednesday there.

So then Tuesday do Epcot until mid-afternoon, shooting for a breakfast ADR at Akershus around 8/9am. Head back to POP for costumes (ack! something else to plan!!!) and then MK as close to 4 as possible for MNSSHP.

Wednesday: Epcot again all day?
Thursday: MK all day
Friday: MK until DH says we have to get on the road to go home.

I could also flip flop Wednesday and Thursday, depending on ADR's. I really want to get a BOG FP for lunch, but unfortunately can't book that until September! Ugh.

Friday morning I know I want to have breakfast at Crystal Palace for sure. The other TS meals I've thought about are Garden Grill (DH's favorite characters are Chip n Dale) at Epcot, maybe Wednesday?

SO much to think about....

 

[emksmama]

No longer so sure about the F! dining package. DD10 and I would likely split a meal/TS credit, but with the package, it doesn't look like we could do that. I also don't see in reading other threads where there is a great benefit for the "VIP" seating.

I still think I want to do HS on arrival day, but maybe aim for an earlier ADR at 50s PT(around 4:30/5pm) and then FP+ Fantasmic.

We'll have 16 TS credits in all. I don't mind paying OOP for some meals, and we'll have snacks and breakfast type stuff in our room. I only want two breakfast buffets, so I know we'll have to use individual TS credits for those. That leaves us 8 credits. I'm thinking we would only use 3 at 50s PT, so that leaves us 5 credits. I wouldn't mind trying Garden Grill on Wednesday at Epcot...I know DH would love seeing Chip n Dale, but it's also a buffet/4 TS credits. That leaves us 1 TS credit, so if we do another TS, we'll pay OOP for at least two meals (assuming I can split one).

That's kinda the cruddy thing...I can't eat a lot, so buffets in general are wasted one me. I had bariatric surgery six years ago, and while I can eat almost anything I want, it's in more child/tween size quantities. Some nights my 10 year old DD eats more than I do! BUT...I really really want the character meal experience for my girls while they are young!

 

[emksmama]

Many changes in the last several days. First off, the girls now know about our trip! DH decided to tell them when we were on our mini day trip to the Newport Aquarium in KY. They didn't believe us at first, but we kept saying "yes, really!" and I showed them the countdown on my phone, and the Disney gift cards I've been buying...then the squeals started!! Ever since it's been a whirl of planning, and everyone is feeling the excitement, even DH!

Finalized our park days this morning, and have our ADR's picked. Now for the 23rd to get here so I can get things booked!!

Arrival day: HS, hoping for Fantasmic! Mama Melrose sometime between 1-5pm. If that doesn't look doable (not sure how much earlier than noon we'll arrive), then we picked Sci Fi as our backup and will FP Fantasmic.

Tuesday: Epcot with Akershus breakfast, CS late lunch, then MNSSHP in the evening.

Wednesday: MK all day, hoping for BoG lunch fastpass. (Changed from MK on Thursday due to MNSSHP Thursday night.)

Thursday: Epcot all day, Cape May dinner, CS and snacks otherwise

Friday: MK until we have to leave to go home, Crystal Palace breakfast ADR (really hoping for 8am!!).

Other than our ADR's and CS meals, we plan to have breakfast in the room...yogurts, granola/protein bars, cereal, or breakfast at Everything Pop!

After doing a lot more room research, if FD comes out, we will upgrade to POR instead of CS. DH watched more videos and read up on the different resorts, and decided that CS just wasn't 'fun' to him. I liked CBR too, but he really really wants queen size beds. I know the girls will do better if they can share a queen instead of a full, so I emailed our TA to let her know of the change. I'd love to get a room in Alligator Bayou with the pull down Murphy bed, but I know it's not a guarantee with only 4 people in the room.

Spring break is now over...back to reality tomorrow!!! 36 more school days, then basically a semester (9 weeks for the summer, then first 9-10 weeks of school) before we leave!