Pre-Trip Keeping My Fingers Crossed for June 2016

It's time to pull out the planning binder again!!

As of right now, we have:

"We" is me, Amy, my husband,Brian, and our three kids, Logan, Lily, and Owen. Here we are from the last trip we all took together in October 2011:

We have all been since then, just not at the same time!
Owen and I went with my mom in Dec. 2012.

And Brian and I went for my 40th birthday in November 2013.

Then the kids and I went to the parks and on a cruise in June 2014 with my parents and my brother's family.

And finally, Brian and I went on a cruise and to MK last October.

We've had a lot of upheaval recently, so we are not 100% sure we will be taking this trip, but I am being optimistic at this point!! However, we are not telling the kids until we know for sure. It is killing me to not be able to openly plan this trip!!
We have booked a 5 person room at Caribbean Beach Resort June 3-11, 2016. Brian and I honeymooned in the Jamaica section back in 1998, and we are hoping to stay there again!

I know there is a lot of hate for CBR on here, but we loved it on our honeymoon and Owen and I loved the pirate rooms on our 2012 trip, so I am really excited that they finally have rooms that have queen sized beds and sleep 5!! I figure we will take advantage this time, as next time we go we will need more than 1 bathroom, and Owen will be too big to sleep in the murphy bed!

We are obviously too far out to have any set plans yet, but you better believe that I already have the whole trip planned out in my head!!! We are going to spend our arrival day at the pool, hopefully have dinner at 'Ohana, and spend the evening at Downtown Disney/Disney Springs. We will have 2 days at MK, 2 days at Epcot, 1 day at AK, 1 day at DHS, and go to Typhoon Lagoon the remaining day during the week with a possible evening in MK. I still haven't decided how to spend departure day. A lot will depend on the timing of our flight. We will likely have breakfast at 'Ohana, then do some miniature golfing before returning to the airport, but we may hit a park if time allows. Dining plans include: 'Ohana (breakfast and dinner), Crystal Palace breakfast, Akershus breakfast, Garden Grill dinner, Tusker House breakfast, Mama Melrose Fantasmic! package, and 1900 Park Fare. I believe that we will be there during Star Wars weekends. I have no desire to fight the crowds during the weekend, but I'm hoping they will have the special dining during the week again, and I will try to schedule one or both of the character dining experiences for us. I'm also hoping to try to fit in the new Adventureland Veranda restaurant at MK. Also excited that the new night show will be open at AK. I don't really care, but Lily will be excited that the new Frozen ride should be open too.
I can't wait to share the plans with you all as they get firmed up!!
 

Tuvalu

Premium Member
I have an ADR at Beaches and Cream on Monday night which is the last night of Frozen Fun, so I thought I might try to see the fireworks from outside of the gates.
Make every effort to see the Frozen fireworks!! It is 8 minutes of solid amazement. Take the boat from Yacht/Beach and when you disembark look for the giant flag poles on your left. Between these poles are 3 benches where you can sit and watch the fireworks. You *should* be able to hear the music, but won't hear the character dialogue going on onstage inside the park. The show begins at 9 p.m. (but check a Times Guide or the app just to be sure) but the fireworks won't start right away. (We watched them from this spot 3 times last week; the fireworks bursts began 10-15 minutes past 9.)

As an added bonus, if you turn towards Epcot while you're waiting you can see the fireworks from Illuminations :D.
 

smk

Well-Known Member
So sorry to read of your husband knee issues. I hope it is a quick fix! I want to go so bad this year but we have decided to put it off for now. I secretly hope things change and we can go but my health is still so iffy (long term steroid use for poly arthritis and now a compression back fracture and two places broken in my pelvis, damn steroids). I have been on medical leave for three months and vacation is not in the scary budget at all! In fact a kink in the grocery bill will throw us off budget! I am living for trip reports! Hope to read more of yours!!
 

TheMouseFan

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Make every effort to see the Frozen fireworks!! It is 8 minutes of solid amazement. Take the boat from Yacht/Beach and when you disembark look for the giant flag poles on your left. Between these poles are 3 benches where you can sit and watch the fireworks. You *should* be able to hear the music, but won't hear the character dialogue going on onstage inside the park. The show begins at 9 p.m. (but check a Times Guide or the app just to be sure) but the fireworks won't start right away. (We watched them from this spot 3 times last week; the fireworks bursts began 10-15 minutes past 9.)

As an added bonus, if you turn towards Epcot while you're waiting you can see the fireworks from Illuminations :D.
Thanks! My ADR is at 7, so I figure that will give me plenty of time to take the boat over after checking out the Boardwalk area and get situated.
So sorry to read of your husband knee issues. I hope it is a quick fix! I want to go so bad this year but we have decided to put it off for now. I secretly hope things change and we can go but my health is still so iffy (long term steroid use for poly arthritis and now a compression back fracture and two places broken in my pelvis, damn steroids). I have been on medical leave for three months and vacation is not in the scary budget at all! In fact a kink in the grocery bill will throw us off budget! I am living for trip reports! Hope to read more of yours!!
We are hoping it is "only" a meniscal tear, which can be corrected easily with surgery, but they also did a bunch of bloodwork to rule out an immune mediated inflammatory disease as his dad was recently diagnosed with polymyalgia. We should hear back from his doctor this week. I hear you about the steroid use. My father in law is now diabetic and has eye issues from his steroid use. Hope you get to feeling better and get to take a vacation!
 

smk

Well-Known Member
Thanks! My ADR is at 7, so I figure that will give me plenty of time to take the boat over after checking out the Boardwalk area and get situated.

We are hoping it is "only" a meniscal tear, which can be corrected easily with surgery, but they also did a bunch of bloodwork to rule out an immune mediated inflammatory disease as his dad was recently diagnosed with polymyalgia. We should hear back from his doctor this week. I hear you about the steroid use. My father in law is now diabetic and has eye issues from his steroid use. Hope you get to feeling better and get to take a vacation!
That is exactly the road I traveled, first polymyalgia and then once the rheumatologist got a hold of me and did more blood work it turns out to be something a little more complicated. I am fine, just disappointed. Disney World will be there for me one fine day, if I were to go now I would need a EVC and that is not appealing to me at all. I have contemplated a trip just a quick one, but when I look at the numbers it is just not sitting right. I check airl\fare constantly!
 

TheMouseFan

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
So, lots going on at our house yesterday! My mom has decided that it is silly for me to go down to WDW.........and not go into a park, so she gave me money to buy a ticket if I want to. Now I have to decide what to do! I had the whole trip loosely planned out to be very low key and relaxing. My plane is set to land at 4:50 on Sunday, so I figured I would get all settled at Pop, call and schedule my bounce back trip, then head to MK and ride the monorail to Epcot and eventually end up at the observation deck at Contemporary to watch Wishes. Then I would sleep in a little on Monday, head to Disney Springs and have fish and chips for lunch at Cookes of Dublin, then head to Caribbean Beach to get pictures for the kids to see whenever we tell them about the trip. I was able to get a 7:00 ADR at Beaches and Cream, then I thought I would take the boat over to DHS and watch the Frozen fireworks from outside the gates. Monday was just going to be relaxing at Pop and AoA until DME picks me up at about noon. Now I have to decide if I want to go to a park, which park, or if I want to park hop. I think that if I choose to go into the parks, I will get the hopper and start the day at MK, then go to Epcot, and end the day at DHS. Unfortunately, I think I would choose to skip AK this time, only because of the travel time. What would you do?

We also got some bad news about Brian's knees.:( His bloodwork was good, so no immune mediated inflammation stuff going on, but he does have stage 4 arthritis in both knees which means he is bone on bone in spots in both knees. So, no firefighting in his future. He is devastated. He does have tiny meniscal tears in both knees as well, so he got cortisone injections and goes back in 6 weeks to see if surgery is needed.

Only 3 days until my trip to book my other trip in 274 days!!
 

Figgy1

Premium Member
So, lots going on at our house yesterday! My mom has decided that it is silly for me to go down to WDW.........and not go into a park, so she gave me money to buy a ticket if I want to. Now I have to decide what to do! I had the whole trip loosely planned out to be very low key and relaxing. My plane is set to land at 4:50 on Sunday, so I figured I would get all settled at Pop, call and schedule my bounce back trip, then head to MK and ride the monorail to Epcot and eventually end up at the observation deck at Contemporary to watch Wishes. Then I would sleep in a little on Monday, head to Disney Springs and have fish and chips for lunch at Cookes of Dublin, then head to Caribbean Beach to get pictures for the kids to see whenever we tell them about the trip. I was able to get a 7:00 ADR at Beaches and Cream, then I thought I would take the boat over to DHS and watch the Frozen fireworks from outside the gates. Monday was just going to be relaxing at Pop and AoA until DME picks me up at about noon. Now I have to decide if I want to go to a park, which park, or if I want to park hop. I think that if I choose to go into the parks, I will get the hopper and start the day at MK, then go to Epcot, and end the day at DHS. Unfortunately, I think I would choose to skip AK this time, only because of the travel time. What would you do?

We also got some bad news about Brian's knees.:( His bloodwork was good, so no immune mediated inflammation stuff going on, but he does have stage 4 arthritis in both knees which means he is bone on bone in spots in both knees. So, no firefighting in his future. He is devastated. He does have tiny meniscal tears in both knees as well, so he got cortisone injections and goes back in 6 weeks to see if surgery is needed.

Only 3 days until my trip to book my other trip in 274 days!!
I hope all goes well at the 6 week check up!
 

TheMouseFan

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
All packed and ready to go! I've decided to stick with the parks free plan I originally had. Now, off to spend a couple of hours with the kids before I leave for my "work trip"!!
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