CAUTION- There are a lot of words
If you followed my recent runDisney trip, I ended it by thinking I might have three WDW trips on my calendar. Well, the February 2021 trip my husband mentioned is going to probably be replaced with a city trip...DC, NYC, or Boston. I'm not opposed to this. In fact, I had a feeling he'd decide this upcoming summer visit would be enough WDW for a while. The bigger one is me deciding to scratch Marathon Week for 2021.
I still am thinking Dopey by 50...so either 2023 or 2024, but after our recent ski trip, we decided I really need to save up for a new vehicle. I'm really hoping I like the new Bronco, but the release timing is going to be too close to that race weekend and I think the funds really should go into the new ride. I do want to do more runDisney stuff before I tackle Dopey and am now thinking Wine & Dine as well as Star Wars for 2022 (since I'm just not into princesses), but we'll see. Either way, I need to learn how to balance WDW stuff with race stuff before tackling Dopey...since I was a mess this past time around. It's also a year and a half off and I don't want to jinx anything, but I think I may have decided on where I'd like to run my first marathon...since I don't want to go into Dopey with that being my first. I know plenty of people make Disney their first, but it's just not what I want to do. In any event, my body and brain are starting to get back into running after the post-race blues, so I'd really like to make it happen and if I do, the one I found really goes well with my other major travel love.
OK, so what is still a go is July 2020...and the trip just grew by a day...well, sort of.
For the first week, we're staying in a beachfront condo in Panama City Beach, FL.
If you've followed me before, you know that I HATE the beach. I like the ocean, but HATE the beach. Sand is not my friend. No, I didn't choose this destination, nor is it really a vacation in the traditional sense. My younger one plays travel softball and this is their big trip to nationals. I have no idea what the game schedule is going to be like, but our time will likely be split between baking at the softball fields and sitting at the gulf front pools. This is a pricier tournament than many of our others, so rather than doing a separate big vacation like our National Parks trips over the last couple of years, my husband suggested we head to Orlando after we're done playing. Here's where it gets complicated...
1. IT'S A SURPRISE - Yes, many of you know that I LOVE a surprise. This time it's different. We're not telling the kids because we don't want to make any of the other teammates jealous. This tournament may be the only summer travel some of these kids get. For others, they may get a smaller trip later in the summer (we go back REALLY early, so not a ton of summer break after July), but not Disney or something else big. And then there are others that may have other bigger travel, but we're just trying to be considerate. We also want the kiddo focusing on softball and not thinking about true vacation time after softball. I've done so many surprises that I'm actually kind of surprised out. I'm sure I'll come up with something special, but it may be incredibly simple. The kids will probably be buried in their devices as soon as we get in the car, so I'm considering just driving and not say anything until one of them notices that we're going the wrong way. It might be funny to see how far we get. And then I could just turn around and hand them their Magic Bands once they figure it out. It would be really funny if we made it all the way to the Maingate. It would be like we were recreating the big surprise of 2011...before they could read!
2. IT'S A LONGER TRIP - Well, not in the sense that it's a long trip or that we've added any extra days as a whole. Confusing, right? My husband gave me the dates of the tournament and I booked Disney lodging after the tournament according to those dates that he gave me. Well, he gave me the wrong ending date. Long story short, we're checking out of our condo the day before the check-in date for the Disney lodging that I initially booked. I guess at least we found this out last night, which as also the last day for the summer room discounts being offered. The room category I booked at the resort I picked was sold out, so I decided to make it interesting. I'll get into more of that below.
3. IT'S A FAMILY THING - I haven't decided if I'm going to tell the kids or not, but my parents are meeting us there for some of this. I do have the perfect reason why they wouldn't be able to join us if asked. My parents are FL resident AP holders, but their passes are blocked out for our travel dates. So, the kids would buy that. What the kids are probably going to forget is that my parents got stuck on the Skyliner in January and got some complimentary park tickets out of it for their inconvenience. It happened right after my parents and I discussed this trip, so it was kind of meant to be. This should also enable us to cut out for an evening and celebrate our anniversary while my parents hang out with the kids. What's really funny...if it weren't for David assuming my parents' APs would work for these days, this would have been a Universal trip.
So, let's get into the details I know so far...
WHO-
There's Kendall, Sam, and David
And there's me, Sandy
My parents (I'll add pictures of them in the actual TR)
WHEN-
July 2020
WHERE-
Panama City Beach, FL and WDW
I also mentioned some lodging decisions. Before I found out things were a day off, I booked us into BWI in a standard view room.
When I checked last night, there were no standard view rooms left for the discounted price. Option 1 was to spend a night in a garden view room, which was only a little bit more. Option 2 was to spend a night in a studio deluxe villa which I believe was around the same price as the standard view room. Option 3 was to go with something completely different. I thought about splurging and booking the Contemporary for a night and I thought about going more economical and booking Pop or ASM. As I was looking at suites at AOA and thinking about the BWV studio, it reminded me that I've always wanted to stay in the cabins. After discussing plans for this extra Orlando day we now have and thinking we may have some food left over from our condo in Panama City, I decided to book a cabin for the night.
I'm thinking about also making the resort change as a surprise. Not 100% sure how I'm going to do this, but I've got some ideas.
WHAT- WDW Parks AND Universal
Yes, I think we're going to take this extra day we now have and visit the Universal parks. I doubt we'll get to do it all, but if we keep Harry Potter stuff as our main goal, I think we'll be OK. We figure Disney can just move our luggage from the Fort to BWI and we can drive over to Uni. For WDW, it's just two park days and I'm sure we'll hop. I hate to sound so nonchalant about it, but there's more familiarity with it. David and I still don't know if we want to even mess with ROTR, I have no idea what anyone would prefer for a tier 1 in HS (one of the downfalls of a surprise), and we also haven't seen any opening date for the Ratatouille ride, so we're not sure if Epcot needs to be a FP booking must over another park. Then there's also the musts in MK...like is it more important to us to ride Big Thunder and Haunted Mansion vs. the new stuff in HS...because with only 2 park days, we're going to have to make some tough choices for FPs.
DINING-
Talk about being all over the place!!!
Day 1- I've been toying with the idea of booking Hoop Dee Doo since we'll already be at the Fort and it's an experience I've always wanted to try it, but I'm not ready to drop the $ on it ... especially since I don't like the options for my dietary needs. It's Disney and they will make sure I get fed, but I'm not loving the allergy friendly options I'm seeing. So, for now...we're trying to decide between Toledo and Narcoosee's for night one. I have wanted to explore Gran Destino Tower (love Dali) and the menu at Toledo looks very interesting, but Narcoosee's is a better view and better first night at WDW feel...even if we're just lukewarm on their food.
Day 2- I haven't booked anything since we plan to hit Universal. I have a few ideas of places we'd like to eat, but I have no idea where we'll be and when.
Day 3- I have a Crystal Palace breakfast booked as well as a Skipper Canteen dinner. I really don't want to be at MK all day and I'm really hoping we can make CP work for the entire family on day 4, so this might all change.
Day 4- I have a late morning breakfast booked at CP for all of us. We're planning to split off for dinner. I currently have Beaches & Cream booked for my parents and the kids. David and I have an ADR booked at Yachtsman. He wanted steak. I'll spare you all of why I won't book Le Cellier or Shula's. Our anniversary is a right after we get back from the trip, so it would be nice to have some kid free anniversary time.
Day 5- I was hoping to do the Southernmost Point fun run at OKW that morning, so I booked an ADR at Olivia's to follow. We'll see how that goes. This may change if nobody wants to do the run or drive for breakfast.
So, that's it for now, but I'll probably have updates here and there. Hey, I'm still recovering from last night's resort drama!
If you followed my recent runDisney trip, I ended it by thinking I might have three WDW trips on my calendar. Well, the February 2021 trip my husband mentioned is going to probably be replaced with a city trip...DC, NYC, or Boston. I'm not opposed to this. In fact, I had a feeling he'd decide this upcoming summer visit would be enough WDW for a while. The bigger one is me deciding to scratch Marathon Week for 2021.
I still am thinking Dopey by 50...so either 2023 or 2024, but after our recent ski trip, we decided I really need to save up for a new vehicle. I'm really hoping I like the new Bronco, but the release timing is going to be too close to that race weekend and I think the funds really should go into the new ride. I do want to do more runDisney stuff before I tackle Dopey and am now thinking Wine & Dine as well as Star Wars for 2022 (since I'm just not into princesses), but we'll see. Either way, I need to learn how to balance WDW stuff with race stuff before tackling Dopey...since I was a mess this past time around. It's also a year and a half off and I don't want to jinx anything, but I think I may have decided on where I'd like to run my first marathon...since I don't want to go into Dopey with that being my first. I know plenty of people make Disney their first, but it's just not what I want to do. In any event, my body and brain are starting to get back into running after the post-race blues, so I'd really like to make it happen and if I do, the one I found really goes well with my other major travel love.
OK, so what is still a go is July 2020...and the trip just grew by a day...well, sort of.
For the first week, we're staying in a beachfront condo in Panama City Beach, FL.
If you've followed me before, you know that I HATE the beach. I like the ocean, but HATE the beach. Sand is not my friend. No, I didn't choose this destination, nor is it really a vacation in the traditional sense. My younger one plays travel softball and this is their big trip to nationals. I have no idea what the game schedule is going to be like, but our time will likely be split between baking at the softball fields and sitting at the gulf front pools. This is a pricier tournament than many of our others, so rather than doing a separate big vacation like our National Parks trips over the last couple of years, my husband suggested we head to Orlando after we're done playing. Here's where it gets complicated...
1. IT'S A SURPRISE - Yes, many of you know that I LOVE a surprise. This time it's different. We're not telling the kids because we don't want to make any of the other teammates jealous. This tournament may be the only summer travel some of these kids get. For others, they may get a smaller trip later in the summer (we go back REALLY early, so not a ton of summer break after July), but not Disney or something else big. And then there are others that may have other bigger travel, but we're just trying to be considerate. We also want the kiddo focusing on softball and not thinking about true vacation time after softball. I've done so many surprises that I'm actually kind of surprised out. I'm sure I'll come up with something special, but it may be incredibly simple. The kids will probably be buried in their devices as soon as we get in the car, so I'm considering just driving and not say anything until one of them notices that we're going the wrong way. It might be funny to see how far we get. And then I could just turn around and hand them their Magic Bands once they figure it out. It would be really funny if we made it all the way to the Maingate. It would be like we were recreating the big surprise of 2011...before they could read!
2. IT'S A LONGER TRIP - Well, not in the sense that it's a long trip or that we've added any extra days as a whole. Confusing, right? My husband gave me the dates of the tournament and I booked Disney lodging after the tournament according to those dates that he gave me. Well, he gave me the wrong ending date. Long story short, we're checking out of our condo the day before the check-in date for the Disney lodging that I initially booked. I guess at least we found this out last night, which as also the last day for the summer room discounts being offered. The room category I booked at the resort I picked was sold out, so I decided to make it interesting. I'll get into more of that below.
3. IT'S A FAMILY THING - I haven't decided if I'm going to tell the kids or not, but my parents are meeting us there for some of this. I do have the perfect reason why they wouldn't be able to join us if asked. My parents are FL resident AP holders, but their passes are blocked out for our travel dates. So, the kids would buy that. What the kids are probably going to forget is that my parents got stuck on the Skyliner in January and got some complimentary park tickets out of it for their inconvenience. It happened right after my parents and I discussed this trip, so it was kind of meant to be. This should also enable us to cut out for an evening and celebrate our anniversary while my parents hang out with the kids. What's really funny...if it weren't for David assuming my parents' APs would work for these days, this would have been a Universal trip.
So, let's get into the details I know so far...
WHO-
There's Kendall, Sam, and David
And there's me, Sandy
My parents (I'll add pictures of them in the actual TR)
WHEN-
July 2020
WHERE-
Panama City Beach, FL and WDW
I also mentioned some lodging decisions. Before I found out things were a day off, I booked us into BWI in a standard view room.
When I checked last night, there were no standard view rooms left for the discounted price. Option 1 was to spend a night in a garden view room, which was only a little bit more. Option 2 was to spend a night in a studio deluxe villa which I believe was around the same price as the standard view room. Option 3 was to go with something completely different. I thought about splurging and booking the Contemporary for a night and I thought about going more economical and booking Pop or ASM. As I was looking at suites at AOA and thinking about the BWV studio, it reminded me that I've always wanted to stay in the cabins. After discussing plans for this extra Orlando day we now have and thinking we may have some food left over from our condo in Panama City, I decided to book a cabin for the night.
I'm thinking about also making the resort change as a surprise. Not 100% sure how I'm going to do this, but I've got some ideas.
WHAT- WDW Parks AND Universal
Yes, I think we're going to take this extra day we now have and visit the Universal parks. I doubt we'll get to do it all, but if we keep Harry Potter stuff as our main goal, I think we'll be OK. We figure Disney can just move our luggage from the Fort to BWI and we can drive over to Uni. For WDW, it's just two park days and I'm sure we'll hop. I hate to sound so nonchalant about it, but there's more familiarity with it. David and I still don't know if we want to even mess with ROTR, I have no idea what anyone would prefer for a tier 1 in HS (one of the downfalls of a surprise), and we also haven't seen any opening date for the Ratatouille ride, so we're not sure if Epcot needs to be a FP booking must over another park. Then there's also the musts in MK...like is it more important to us to ride Big Thunder and Haunted Mansion vs. the new stuff in HS...because with only 2 park days, we're going to have to make some tough choices for FPs.
DINING-
Talk about being all over the place!!!
Day 1- I've been toying with the idea of booking Hoop Dee Doo since we'll already be at the Fort and it's an experience I've always wanted to try it, but I'm not ready to drop the $ on it ... especially since I don't like the options for my dietary needs. It's Disney and they will make sure I get fed, but I'm not loving the allergy friendly options I'm seeing. So, for now...we're trying to decide between Toledo and Narcoosee's for night one. I have wanted to explore Gran Destino Tower (love Dali) and the menu at Toledo looks very interesting, but Narcoosee's is a better view and better first night at WDW feel...even if we're just lukewarm on their food.
Day 2- I haven't booked anything since we plan to hit Universal. I have a few ideas of places we'd like to eat, but I have no idea where we'll be and when.
Day 3- I have a Crystal Palace breakfast booked as well as a Skipper Canteen dinner. I really don't want to be at MK all day and I'm really hoping we can make CP work for the entire family on day 4, so this might all change.
Day 4- I have a late morning breakfast booked at CP for all of us. We're planning to split off for dinner. I currently have Beaches & Cream booked for my parents and the kids. David and I have an ADR booked at Yachtsman. He wanted steak. I'll spare you all of why I won't book Le Cellier or Shula's. Our anniversary is a right after we get back from the trip, so it would be nice to have some kid free anniversary time.
Day 5- I was hoping to do the Southernmost Point fun run at OKW that morning, so I booked an ADR at Olivia's to follow. We'll see how that goes. This may change if nobody wants to do the run or drive for breakfast.
So, that's it for now, but I'll probably have updates here and there. Hey, I'm still recovering from last night's resort drama!