Pre-Trip We are trying new things, darn it!- September 2016

Since I have recently become obsessed with trip reports, I have decided to try my hand at one for my upcoming trip. Hopefully I can entertain and enthrall anyone who wants to read.

So... here we go. The Players...

Me: Dale, 37, full time Nurse, part time writer, very amateur photographer (Though I was asked to do my friend's wedding in October... )... First trip to a Disney Park- Disneyland in 1989 I was 10, and been obsessed ever since... this will be my 15th trip to Disney World. (Also under my belt, 5 trips to Disneyland and One day in Disneyland Paris)

AND Frank, my husband (35)... Retail Manager... I can't tell you when his first trip to Disney was "I don't remember!" he says... But together we've been about 1 times (And twice to Disneyland) Favorite Quote- "I am smiling." As you will see in many pictures, he may have a different definition of the word "smile" than most people...

Our story- I first saw Frank in high school, we were in Marching Bands at different schools, but I noticed him since he was in the Color Guard and I thought it was really cool that they allowed a guy to do it. A few years later, my friend and I were out to a late dinner after work, and he pointed out a couple of people he went to high school with one of whom was Frank... We officially met a couple years later at a bar... and we have been together since 2003. Married last year about 5 days after it become legal in Ohio.

SO... this trip starts with our trip last year, September 2015 at Pop! For some reason, I decided to read through the little book they put in the room, little did I know about bounceback offers... And saw that it was Free Dining if you book before you leave, so... I said, "Hey, Frank, are we coming back next year?"
And we decided that we were.

September 15-22 at Caribbean Beach in a Pirate Room (Because I am 37 going on 10), Free Dining, 6 day Park Hopper was the original booking...

Now, this was the longest we'd ever gone in advance for booking, so I was thrilled to have the extra time to really research where we wanted to eat and whatnot, and set a countdown for the days.

Sidenote- The 2015 trip, I decided I was tired of eating at the same restaurants all the time, so I told Frank that we would be trying a few new places... (He's a bit of a picky eater) but it worked out, and he enjoyed most of them. So THIS year, I decided to throw caution to the wind and go with ALL new places... but that's a story for another time.

 

[midnightsun]

I'm excited for your trip! Reading about all you have planned is so much fun. We're going to be there at the same time, maybe we'll see you!

Sidenote- The 2015 trip, I decided I was tired of eating at the same restaurants all the time, so I told Frank that we would be trying a few new places... (He's a bit of a picky eater) but it worked out, and he enjoyed most of them. So THIS year, I decided to throw caution to the wind and go with ALL new places... but that's a story for another time.

I am the picky picky eater in the relationship and my boyfriend is the foodie. I've compromised on this trip and will be going to new restaurants with him. Looking forward to reading more!

 

[catmandoo]

So, where were we... (It's been a long week!)

Day 60 was fast approaching, and I knew I had to set my alarm to get up right on time. I didn't tell Frank what day it fell on in fear that he'd wake up and try to make fastpasses and ruin all my plans... I'm trying to keep SOME elements of this trip a surprise.

Of course, his favorite ride at Epcot is Soarin, which kind of terrifies me, but I go on it just so I'm not waiting around for him. And I did love that Orange scent. I'm terribly sad it's gone.

Anyway, Frozen was my only definite fastpass that I wanted. So, on July 16th, there I was, and checked our first day, which is when we traditionally go to Epcot (I'm not sure how this tradition started... it's just what we do). Of course, there were none available. But I did manage to snag one for our last day. Now, I'm not opposed to waiting in line you see, I just would rather have the fastpass. Also, I understand why, but I'm a bit annoyed that it's lumped in Tier 1 with Soarin and Test Track... Anyway, so I made all my selections, and our trip is shaping up to look something like this...


Thursday September 15th, EPCOT
Spaceship Earth 1:55-2:55
Soarin 3:35-4:35
Imagination 4:55-5:55
Tokyo Dining 6:50P

Friday September 16th, A water Park (Undecided which), MNSSHP
The Plaza Restaurant 5:15P
Halloween Party

Saturday September 17th, Animal Kingdom and Hoop Dee Doo Revue
Kilimanjaro Safari 1000 -1100
Expedition Everest 1135-1235
Finding Nemo 1230-1250
Hoop Dee Doo Revue 8:30P

Sunday September 18th, Magic Kingdom
Dwarfs Mine Train 1010-1110
Be Our Guest Lunch 10:45A
Peter Pan’s Flight 1150-1250
Space Mountain 305-405

Monday September 19th (Anniversary Day!) Hollywood Studios, Epcot
Toy Story Maina 1050-1150
Star Tours 1145-1245
Tower of Terror 1245-145
Boatwrights 5:05P
Illuminations Dessert 8:00P

Tuesday September 20th, Maybe a Water Park (The other one), Disney Springs, Maybe ANimal Kingdom if there is a NIghttime show at that point.
T Rex 3:00PM

Wednesday September 21st, (Last Day ) Magic Kingdom, Epcot
The Crystal Palace 9:15A
Living with the Land 11:55 AM - 12:55 PM
Frozen Ever After 1:20-2:20

And that's what it looked like after fast passes were made. Sometime in those days (my timeline is a little fuzzy here) I discovered the
Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular Dessert Party. Now, here's the thing about me and Star Wars. I'm a casual fan, but my brother is obsessed. So much so, that once upon a time he got Star Wars Trivial Persuit for Christmas one year... we decided to play as a family, and he rolled the highest, so got to go first, and he won the game before anyone else even had a turn.

So, anyway, when The Force Awakens came out, he asked if Frank and I wanted to go, so we went with him and his 2 boys... and I just loved it. It was the first time I actually loved a Star Wars movie, and I'm not sure what it was, but we ended up seeing it thee times in the theater. So... with my new love of Star Wars and my eternal love of Fireworks and Dessert (in an alternate universe I'd be a pastry chef, but my parents wouldn't let me go to cooking school) I knew I had to go... so as soon as I saw the dates were released, I book for our last night, which now looks like this...

Wednesday September 21st, (Last Day ) Magic Kingdom, Epcot, AND Hollywood Studios
The Crystal Palace 9:15A
Living with the Land 11:55 AM - 12:55 PM
Frozen Ever After 1:20-2:20
Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular Dessert Party 7:00 pm

So, should be a nice full trip... on a side note, I'm thinking of purchasing Memory Maker, but I'm not sure. IS it worth it for those who've gotten it? We don't really stop for photo pass, but I think it'd be a fun thing to do... Meet and Greets, Ride Photos, stopping on the middle of Main Street USA... Like the title say, We are trying new things, Darn it!

So, two weeks until more fast passes to be made... Would I be able to snag Frozen again?!

 

[midnightsun]

We got Memory Maker our last trip and it turned out to not be worth it for us.

We found ourselves not wanting to stop and wait to get a picture, there was always somewhere else we'd rather be heading (a ride, food, show, etc). I would have liked to get a couple of pictures with the characters but the lines deterred us from doing so (except Tiana, had to get a picture with her).

I did like having all the ride photos. That was cool. But even if I did get pictures with all the characters I was interested in, price wise we still wouldn't have broke even.

In my opinion it's only worth it if you see yourself naturally stopping for a lot of pictures. Otherwise to get your money's worth you're going to have to work it in like you would dining reservations or FP+.

 

[ScarletBegonias]

Memory maker is totally worth it for me! Disney is the only place I get pictures of my whole family and I don't have to worry about lugging a camera all day! I don't think I will ever go and NOT get it! They are my favorite pictures of us!!

 

[Scoppin]

So, where were we... (It's been a long week!)

Day 60 was fast approaching, and I knew I had to set my alarm to get up right on time. I didn't tell Frank what day it fell on in fear that he'd wake up and try to make fastpasses and ruin all my plans... I'm trying to keep SOME elements of this trip a surprise.

Of course, his favorite ride at Epcot is Soarin, which kind of terrifies me, but I go on it just so I'm not waiting around for him. And I did love that Orange scent. I'm terribly sad it's gone.

Anyway, Frozen was my only definite fastpass that I wanted. So, on July 16th, there I was, and checked our first day, which is when we traditionally go to Epcot (I'm not sure how this tradition started... it's just what we do). Of course, there were none available. But I did manage to snag one for our last day. Now, I'm not opposed to waiting in line you see, I just would rather have the fastpass. Also, I understand why, but I'm a bit annoyed that it's lumped in Tier 1 with Soarin and Test Track... Anyway, so I made all my selections, and our trip is shaping up to look something like this...


Thursday September 15th, EPCOT
Spaceship Earth 1:55-2:55
Soarin 3:35-4:35
Imagination 4:55-5:55
Tokyo Dining 6:50P

Friday September 16th, A water Park (Undecided which), MNSSHP
The Plaza Restaurant 5:15P
Halloween Party

Saturday September 17th, Animal Kingdom and Hoop Dee Doo Revue
Kilimanjaro Safari 1000 -1100
Expedition Everest 1135-1235
Finding Nemo 1230-1250
Hoop Dee Doo Revue 8:30P

Sunday September 18th, Magic Kingdom
Dwarfs Mine Train 1010-1110
Be Our Guest Lunch 10:45A
Peter Pan’s Flight 1150-1250
Space Mountain 305-405

Monday September 19th (Anniversary Day!) Hollywood Studios, Epcot
Toy Story Maina 1050-1150
Star Tours 1145-1245
Tower of Terror 1245-145
Boatwrights 5:05P
Illuminations Dessert 8:00P

Tuesday September 20th, Maybe a Water Park (The other one), Disney Springs, Maybe ANimal Kingdom if there is a NIghttime show at that point.
T Rex 3:00PM

Wednesday September 21st, (Last Day ) Magic Kingdom, Epcot
The Crystal Palace 9:15A
Living with the Land 11:55 AM - 12:55 PM
Frozen Ever After 1:20-2:20

And that's what it looked like after fast passes were made. Sometime in those days (my timeline is a little fuzzy here) I discovered the
Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular Dessert Party. Now, here's the thing about me and Star Wars. I'm a casual fan, but my brother is obsessed. So much so, that once upon a time he got Star Wars Trivial Persuit for Christmas one year... we decided to play as a family, and he rolled the highest, so got to go first, and he won the game before anyone else even had a turn.

So, anyway, when The Force Awakens came out, he asked if Frank and I wanted to go, so we went with him and his 2 boys... and I just loved it. It was the first time I actually loved a Star Wars movie, and I'm not sure what it was, but we ended up seeing it thee times in the theater. So... with my new love of Star Wars and my eternal love of Fireworks and Dessert (in an alternate universe I'd be a pastry chef, but my parents wouldn't let me go to cooking school) I knew I had to go... so as soon as I saw the dates were released, I book for our last night, which now looks like this...

Wednesday September 21st, (Last Day ) Magic Kingdom, Epcot, AND Hollywood Studios
The Crystal Palace 9:15A
Living with the Land 11:55 AM - 12:55 PM
Frozen Ever After 1:20-2:20
Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular Dessert Party 7:00 pm

So, should be a nice full trip... on a side note, I'm thinking of purchasing Memory Maker, but I'm not sure. IS it worth it for those who've gotten it? We don't really stop for photo pass, but I think it'd be a fun thing to do... Meet and Greets, Ride Photos, stopping on the middle of Main Street USA... Like the title say, We are trying new things, Darn it!

So, two weeks until more fast passes to be made... Would I be able to snag Frozen again?!

Very interesting plan you have there. It is almost as if I was looking at my own plans. Taking my DS and DD on a surprise trip on almost the exact dates. We arrive on the 15th and leave on the 23rd. We will also be celebrating a special event, DS will be turning 11. We will be at MK on the 16th with tickets to MNSSHP. Then a late start at AK on the 17th. We are then back to AK on the 20th and then to celebrate DS's birthday at HS on the 21st. He is a big Star Wars fan so planning on a whole day of Star Wars beginning with Jedi Training. Our paths may cross a few times.

 

[Second Star to the Right]

Following along! I love how full your trip is, the regular parks, MNSSHP, the water parks, the dessert parties...I totally wanna join you!! I'm also really looking forward to hearing how your meal at Boatwrights is! The menu looks amazing, but I couldn't make it work for this trip. We will actually be getting to the world not long after you leave. But I think your second trip and ours will cross paths!

 

[catmandoo]

So, turns out I forgot that day 60 for Trip number 2 was coming up because work has been hectic lately and... something else occured that I will talk about in a moment.

Unfortunately, I did not get fast passes for Frozen for the second trip... but I'm happy with our selections anyway.Jungle Cruide 1:35-2:35
Sunday October 2nd, 2016- Magic Kingdom and Disney Springs
Jungle Cruise 1:35-2:35
Peter Pan'S Flight 3:45-4:45
Space Mountain 5:10-6:10
Paradiso 37 945p

Monday OCtober 3rd, 2016 Epcot
Living with the land 9:05-10:05
Soarin 10:40-11:40
The Seas with Nemo and Friends 11:45-12:45
Chefs de France 2:00pm (Eat to the Beat Dining Package)
Wilson Phillips Concert 5:30 (I think)

So, really short trip, but it's worth it so Frank can see his favorite band.

In the midst of all this planning, We were talking about next year... we've already decided that we're going to try the Disney Cruise in 2018 for our 15 year anniversary, but I wanted to plan something different for next year... Somehow in my Wikipedia-ing I got to be a little obsessed with Tokyo Disney and thought it might be an interesting treat since Frank FINALLY got a passport... so that was the initial plan for 2017, skip Florida and head to Japan.

UNTIL... I saw that more tickets were going to be released for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Now, a little back story... I have been obsessed with Harry Potter since I read the first one in 1998... Books, movies, anything. In 2010, when The Wizarding World opened in Orlando, I knew I HAD to go... and we did. (Kindly ignore my Jorts... I have no excuse)

Anyhow, So I parked in front of various computers throughout the day and got in the ridiculous queue system they have for tickets... and 15 hours later, came away empty handed. I was heartbroken. So life went on, and I went back to planning for Tokyo.
A few days later, i just happened to catch a tweet about cancelled and returned tickets. I thought, "hey, one more check won't hurt..."

I kept getting single tickets... single tickets... briefly thought about buying two singles and sitting separately, but no...

Then it happened. Somehow I found two tickets together... with a warning about "Restricted leg room", now Frank being 6'4 popped into my head... but... I booked the tickets.

SOOOOOOO, Looks like next year's trip will be to Jolly Old England to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child!!!

And I'm looking in to hopping on the Eurostar over to Disneyland Paris for a couple days... just to keep the Disney in my life.

Anyway, that's about all the trip planning I've got, both trips are paid off, all flights booked... just might buy some more gift cards for our meals on the second trip... and now we wait. 33 days to go... got my packet with the Mini-Golf vouchers and such today... just waiting for the magic bands so I can get to decorating!

 

[catmandoo]

After a very rainy weekend away with my sister in New York City (saw a couple shows, had a couple great meals) I returned home to find my MAGIC BANDS HAD ARRIVED!!!

It was, I think, our trip in 2013 that we first got the bands... when they were still being tested, and I was thrilled. I do enjoy me some new technology... last year I decided to decorate them after seeing a few fun designs online... so, again this year I decorated... Here's a little before and after

AND... a little Nail Polish later...

Side note, mine glows in the dark. The held up surprisingly well last year, so I'm hoping for the same this year...

Here are last years, just for fun...

22 days to go! (and another magic band package in a couple weeks for trip #2!)

 

[catmandoo]

Just about 33 hours to go... Finished up work today, and off tomorrow! I suppose I should try to do some packing and get all set. I've been pouring through some other trip reports and getting excited.

I ended up getting the Memory Maker since Frank and I rarely get any pictures together and this will be a good excuse. Unfortunately was unable to book a tour for a little surprise since the only ones I was interested in were all booked, but I did order a little gift basket for Frank for our arrival.

Much needed break coming soon!

 

[officialtom]

Happy to see Boatwrights's on your dining list. POR is our home resort and it's one of our favourite restaurants on property. The corn bread is unbelievable!

 

[NeedMoreMickey]

Following along. Can't wait to hear your favorite dish at F&W. Will be the end of October

 

[littleroo]

So excited for you two! Have a great time. We will be just missing you on both ends of the trip. We are there sept. 22 until oct. 2. Lots of pixie dust coming your way!!!

 

[catmandoo]

So we got back from our first trip a few days ago... and are anxiously awaiting our next trip in 7 days... we've run into a hitch, though... My mother-in-law has invited herself along. So... that should be... fun?

Anyway, I'll work on a mega-2-trip report when we get back... just got to get through a week of work!

 

[DimpledDevil18]

Hope you had a good time! Enjoy your 2nd trip! You are such a good hubby to surprise Frank with another trip just to see Wilson Phillips.