Pre-Trip Birthday Surprises and Running Princesses

Hey everyone!
I realize that I just finished my last TR and this PTR is a little premature since I don't have anything super specific planned but I am so excited that I need to write about it :)
So lets get started:

Who?
So…I'm pretty sure the trip will be my Mom, myself, and my sisters Betta and Jill (I'm trying to convince my Dad to go so we will see how it works out!). We all were last at Disney in June 2014 (yes, just about 2 months ago)
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From left to right: me (Megan), Betta, my mom and Jill at the Boardwalk!

When?
This is another detail I am working out. The original plan was to go from Feb 20 to Feb 25 but my residency schedule has changed a bit so I won't be able to go until the 21st and the more I think about it the more I can't only stay for a few days so I'm hoping to convince at least one person (*cough my mom cough*) to stay a bit longer

Where?
I had originally planned on looking into renting DVC points but something about not booking through the Disney website makes me nervous. I'm still pretty torn…I want to try new places (like the Wilderness Lodge or Animal Kingdom Lodge) but we also love Port Orleans French Quarter so much that I can't think about staying anywhere else.
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Why?/the story behind it
I went into a major Disney depression after getting home from the last trip and really needed some motivation to get me through ICU and some of the other tough intern year rotations so I contemplated going on a Disney trip during my scheduled vacation in February. I even said I would go alone haha. In any case Betta and I discovered that the Princess Half Marathon happened to coincide with my vacation time so we decided it would be fun to do it! We talked about it and everyone thought I was joking but when the day came to register Betta and I registered! After thinking about it I really wanted to do something special for my moms birthday coming up (its her 60th so its a big one for her…shhh don't tell her I told you). At least in our house 60th B.Days are a big deal, and especially now that my mom is a cancer survivor. So we decided for her birthday present Betta, Jill, and I would pay for the hotel and the plane tickets and all she would have to pay for is the park tickets. Well, when I told my Dad the plan he wanted in so he said he would pay for the tickets for her so she wouldn't have to pay for anything (I actually find this funny sounding, as if my Dad and Mom don't share a bank account haha)! The whole thing happened so fast I kind of forgot to tell Jill until like 5 pm and told her that if she wanted to do it she would have to sign up fast but she was too late and the half was already full. :( Well, fast forward to about 2 weeks ago and she discovered that she could get in via a charity group so she signed up as well!
I am now just trying to work on my Dad coming even if he doesn't run :)

The Surprise
So I would love to keep this a secret from my Mom until we actually left but thats unrealistic since she obviously has to train haha Also, she's pretty OCD like me and it would drive her nuts if I didn't give her proper time to plan. So her official birthday is on Thursday, but since I have clinic until 10 pm I won't be around to celebrate. Instead, we will be going out to dinner on Friday and thats when we will tell her! I still can't decide how to tell her so any suggestions would be appreciated. We were going to wrap a magic band and give it to her but I wish I could think of something more creative!

I'm also like dying inside because my Mom keeps talking to me about planning a trip for 2 years haha

Ahh can't wait!
192 Days :)
 

Doc Disney

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Yay!!! So happy she was surprised. Glad the clue ideas worked out. I think it was so sweet that she cried because she was upset you girls spent money on her! I am so excited for all of you. I think it will be so much fun to do a girls trip. Sounds like you really had to twist your mom's arm to get her to stay longer with you! Can't wait to read more of your plans.

Thanks for all the ideas! She always gets mad at us for spending money :) haha and yes I did not have to twist her arm very much to stay! I can't wait to start planning reservations!
 

Doc Disney

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Booked (most) of our ADRs today! I make a rookie mistake this morning and thought that it was 180 days until only our first day and had no plans to make an ADR for that day so wasn't really paying attention to the website UNTIL I remembered that its not like 180 days until every day of the trip its 180 days and you can book for the entire trip! Ah I nearly had a panic attack (jk, I'm not that dramatic) but luckily had some down time at work and could get all the ones I wanted.

Saturday: we plan on eating at the POR cafeteria since they have pasta which is a good thing to eat before a big run (although not gonna lie I have been known to eat chicken fingers before half marathons haha)

Sunday: Half marathon day! California Grill at night…so excited to go back there!

Monday: Sci Fi Diner…last trip we loved it and decided its a must do every trip now

Tuesday: Tutto Italia…I'm not a huge fan of Italian food but I really enjoyed it here last trip (may have been the sangria)

Wednesday: Plans are to go to Animal Kingdom so I'm thinking Flame Tree BBQ…no other plans this day food wise

Thursday: This is the day I am most excited for I think…the Hoop De Doo Revue!!! I have always wanted to do this, especially after reading @prfctlyximprct 's report, but didn't think anyone else would want to. When I brought it up to my mom she said she would go so I thought we could plan it for when after my sisters leave but then they wanted to go too! I am soooo excited!!! I did sweeten the pot a bit by saying I would pay for it with the rewards I racked up on my new Disney credit card (I payed for the trip on it and plan on paying off a loan on it so I can rack up a ton of points pretty fast).

Friday: 1900 Park Fare in the morning…yum!

Saturday: Ok, I lied maybe this is the day I am most excited for…when I realized my mistake earlier in the day my first thought was OMG I realllyyy wanted to go to BOG for dinner and I know how hard it is to get a reservation so no way am I going to get one. Imagine my pleasant surprise when I got a reservation and there were actually plenty of time options!

Sunday: this is the day I have not planned yet…its just my mom and I (well…so is BOG but neither here nor there) so I want to do something nice for dinner. Any suggestions? We are both semi picky eaters and my mom is not super into fancy dinners so any suggestions would be appreciated!

Monday: maybe a lunch reservation, perhaps at Liberty Tree Tavern? Who knows!
 

TheMouseFan

Well-Known Member
Booked (most) of our ADRs today! I make a rookie mistake this morning and thought that it was 180 days until only our first day and had no plans to make an ADR for that day so wasn't really paying attention to the website UNTIL I remembered that its not like 180 days until every day of the trip its 180 days and you can book for the entire trip! Ah I nearly had a panic attack (jk, I'm not that dramatic) but luckily had some down time at work and could get all the ones I wanted.

Saturday: we plan on eating at the POR cafeteria since they have pasta which is a good thing to eat before a big run (although not gonna lie I have been known to eat chicken fingers before half marathons haha)

Sunday: Half marathon day! California Grill at night…so excited to go back there!

Monday: Sci Fi Diner…last trip we loved it and decided its a must do every trip now

Tuesday: Tutto Italia…I'm not a huge fan of Italian food but I really enjoyed it here last trip (may have been the sangria)

Wednesday: Plans are to go to Animal Kingdom so I'm thinking Flame Tree BBQ…no other plans this day food wise

Thursday: This is the day I am most excited for I think…the Hoop De Doo Revue!!! I have always wanted to do this, especially after reading @prfctlyximprct 's report, but didn't think anyone else would want to. When I brought it up to my mom she said she would go so I thought we could plan it for when after my sisters leave but then they wanted to go too! I am soooo excited!!! I did sweeten the pot a bit by saying I would pay for it with the rewards I racked up on my new Disney credit card (I payed for the trip on it and plan on paying off a loan on it so I can rack up a ton of points pretty fast).

Friday: 1900 Park Fare in the morning…yum!

Saturday: Ok, I lied maybe this is the day I am most excited for…when I realized my mistake earlier in the day my first thought was OMG I realllyyy wanted to go to BOG for dinner and I know how hard it is to get a reservation so no way am I going to get one. Imagine my pleasant surprise when I got a reservation and there were actually plenty of time options!

Sunday: this is the day I have not planned yet…its just my mom and I (well…so is BOG but neither here nor there) so I want to do something nice for dinner. Any suggestions? We are both semi picky eaters and my mom is not super into fancy dinners so any suggestions would be appreciated!

Monday: maybe a lunch reservation, perhaps at Liberty Tree Tavern? Who knows!
Those ADRs look great! So glad you were able to get BOG! We are trying Liberty Tree Tavern for lunch in October. The ooey gooey toffee cake just looked like something I had to try at some point! Sounds like you have another fun trip planned! Have a great time!
 

prfctlyximprct

Well-Known Member
Booked (most) of our ADRs today! I make a rookie mistake this morning and thought that it was 180 days until only our first day and had no plans to make an ADR for that day so wasn't really paying attention to the website UNTIL I remembered that its not like 180 days until every day of the trip its 180 days and you can book for the entire trip! Ah I nearly had a panic attack (jk, I'm not that dramatic) but luckily had some down time at work and could get all the ones I wanted.

Saturday: we plan on eating at the POR cafeteria since they have pasta which is a good thing to eat before a big run (although not gonna lie I have been known to eat chicken fingers before half marathons haha)

Sunday: Half marathon day! California Grill at night…so excited to go back there!

Monday: Sci Fi Diner…last trip we loved it and decided its a must do every trip now

Tuesday: Tutto Italia…I'm not a huge fan of Italian food but I really enjoyed it here last trip (may have been the sangria)

Wednesday: Plans are to go to Animal Kingdom so I'm thinking Flame Tree BBQ…no other plans this day food wise

Thursday: This is the day I am most excited for I think…the Hoop De Doo Revue!!! I have always wanted to do this, especially after reading @prfctlyximprct 's report, but didn't think anyone else would want to. When I brought it up to my mom she said she would go so I thought we could plan it for when after my sisters leave but then they wanted to go too! I am soooo excited!!! I did sweeten the pot a bit by saying I would pay for it with the rewards I racked up on my new Disney credit card (I payed for the trip on it and plan on paying off a loan on it so I can rack up a ton of points pretty fast).

Friday: 1900 Park Fare in the morning…yum!

Saturday: Ok, I lied maybe this is the day I am most excited for…when I realized my mistake earlier in the day my first thought was OMG I realllyyy wanted to go to BOG for dinner and I know how hard it is to get a reservation so no way am I going to get one. Imagine my pleasant surprise when I got a reservation and there were actually plenty of time options!

Sunday: this is the day I have not planned yet…its just my mom and I (well…so is BOG but neither here nor there) so I want to do something nice for dinner. Any suggestions? We are both semi picky eaters and my mom is not super into fancy dinners so any suggestions would be appreciated!

Monday: maybe a lunch reservation, perhaps at Liberty Tree Tavern? Who knows!


HOOP DE DOO is amazing!!! :)
 

mrdrift

Well-Known Member
WOW !!!!! To be able to pull off the surprise is just truly wonderful, congrats :p. Loving the ADR's you have planned. Hoop De Doo is a really great show that the whole family will enjoy, I know my family loves it. Once again congrats for being able to get BOG ADR, that is really hard to get and will be a magical event for the family. Will be watching for the trip report.
 

CtDisneyGuy33

Well-Known Member
NICE!! Another great trip report coming up! Looking forward to the Pre-trip as well!!

I think after reading your last trip report, I may end up writing one this time. We'll see tho..

Also - seeing what the season looks like for the Bills, you definitely will need something to look forward to :)
 

Doc Disney

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Those ADRs look great! So glad you were able to get BOG! We are trying Liberty Tree Tavern for lunch in October. The ooey gooey toffee cake just looked like something I had to try at some point! Sounds like you have another fun trip planned! Have a great time!

Thanks I am definitely excited! I agree with the toffee cake at Liberty Tree Tavern it looks so yummy. I could not believe that I got BOG! I was so surprised.
 

Doc Disney

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
So glad you got all your ADRs. Especially BOG! Love that place and I only got to eat lunch there. Dinner must be amazing!!

I've heard such great things about dinner and lunch. I was really disappointed last trip when we didn't make it to our lunch Fast Pass but am really excited I can make up for it with dinner! Even better :)
 

Doc Disney

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
WOW !!!!! To be able to pull off the surprise is just truly wonderful, congrats :p. Loving the ADR's you have planned. Hoop De Doo is a really great show that the whole family will enjoy, I know my family loves it. Once again congrats for being able to get BOG ADR, that is really hard to get and will be a magical event for the family. Will be watching for the trip report.

Thank you! I literally do not know how I kept it a secret, especially since I currently live with my parents and every time my mom brought up Disney I wanted to tell her so bad. One day she asked if Betta and I signed up for the marathon and I said no and felt so bad lying haha. I'm glad to hear about Hoop De Doo I have heard great things but the rest of my family don't seem as into it as I am…but oh well I'm excited haha. I literally can not believe I got BOG so excited!
 

Doc Disney

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
NICE!! Another great trip report coming up! Looking forward to the Pre-trip as well!!

I think after reading your last trip report, I may end up writing one this time. We'll see tho..

Also - seeing what the season looks like for the Bills, you definitely will need something to look forward to :)

You should write a TR! They are fun to write and to read!
Your trip is coming up so soon thats so exciting!
And as for the Bills….I usually don't think much about preseason but their last game was scary bad….hopefully its not a good indication of the actual season haha
 

CtDisneyGuy33

Well-Known Member
You should write a TR! They are fun to write and to read!
Your trip is coming up so soon thats so exciting!
And as for the Bills….I usually don't think much about preseason but their last game was scary bad….hopefully its not a good indication of the actual season haha


Yeah, Ive seen so many good ones on here, especially yours,that I think I'm going to try to write one. Its great to try and rehash a trip like that. It will probably be nowhere near most of them, but I think I'm going to give it a shot. The crew I'm going down with is borderline lame, so it may be a very short report..lol.

I seriously cant wait 23 more days for the trip! I took the advice from here on Port Orleans FQ so I hope its great and I just got my MagicBand yesterday - so it will be a trip of new things on this one. Again, reading all these reports and seeing the great things that go on, I'm praying the trip is half as fun!!

And the Bills..eek. I saw that game and came away thinking it is definitely going to be a tough season, but who knows. I think the Bills should get Tebow, that would be interesting. Like I said before, no Stevie Johnson means Sammy Watkins better pick it up quick. No matter what, it cant be as bad as trading my boy Logan Mankins off the Pats- unreal!!

Buffalo Bison fan as well?
 

Doc Disney

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Yeah, Ive seen so many good ones on here, especially yours,that I think I'm going to try to write one. Its great to try and rehash a trip like that. It will probably be nowhere near most of them, but I think I'm going to give it a shot. The crew I'm going down with is borderline lame, so it may be a very short report..lol.

I seriously cant wait 23 more days for the trip! I took the advice from here on Port Orleans FQ so I hope its great and I just got my MagicBand yesterday - so it will be a trip of new things on this one. Again, reading all these reports and seeing the great things that go on, I'm praying the trip is half as fun!!

And the Bills..eek. I saw that game and came away thinking it is definitely going to be a tough season, but who knows. I think the Bills should get Tebow, that would be interesting. Like I said before, no Stevie Johnson means Sammy Watkins better pick it up quick. No matter what, it cant be as bad as trading my boy Logan Mankins off the Pats- unreal!!

Buffalo Bison fan as well?

All trip reports are great! I'm sure yours will be as well (even if you have lame travel companions…haha…which is something you definitely need to fix).
You will really love POFQ! It really is my favorite Disney hotel (so far…or probably permanently since it seems like we stay there every trip now)

ugh the Bills…I am semi dreading Sunday…it must be nice to be a fan of a team that consistently wins…haha
I am technically a Buffalo Bisons fan but will admit I can only take watching so much baseball and actually haven't seen a single game this season thanks to work

Its officially September which means the month of your trip! So exciting!!!
 

Doc Disney

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Well…we finally figured out how long everyone is staying!After twisting some arms (or rather barely having to do anything to convince everyone) my mom and I are staying from Feb 21st until March 2 (as you may have guessed based on our reservations) and Jill and Betta will both be staying from Fen 21 to Feb 28th. I'm so happy they both plan on staying longer than we originally intended! It was probably partially because I insisted we get a 10 day park hopper and since they are staying in our room they have to have the same package so they figure might as well stay and use some more of the tickets! It will definitely be interesting having almost 3 full days of just my mom and I…I wonder what we will end up doing since its never been just 2 of us there :) Ah…is it February yet??? (also, really wishing it was February since I really don't feel like doing ICU haha)
 

Doc Disney

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
We also just booked the Wishes Dessert party for Friday while we are there! Its something new for us and I have read great things about the dessert parties so am really excited for it! Its a little confusing when you book it because you make a reservation for 6:00 (well actually we made it for 6:20) but Wishes isn't until 10…I read somewhere they just always make it for 6 now and change it closer to the day. Either way I hope choosing the later time doesn't interfere with anything I just didn't know whether to pick 6 or 620 and if there was a major difference besides them just trying to space out everyone haha.
 

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