Well, it's been quite some time since I wrote a TR around here...more than a year, in fact (here's my last one, if you're curious). And to say that my life has changed since then would be a massive understatement! Actually, the past two years have really seen a lot of change...
First, my mom passed away very suddenly in June 2011 of a rare heart condition (we didn't discover it until she passed away). Then my employer let me go after being frustrated with the amount of time I missed because of my mom. So, I ventured out onto my own and launched a successful freelance career. I lost some weight (although I gained a little back last year, I'm now lower than I've been since I was 19 - and I'm not done yet! 69lbs down so far, though).
Then, some of you may recall that I was moving to Orlando last summer. In fact, I had my reservations booked and was ready to sign a lease on my trip last June. June 7 to be exact. But first, I had something very important to take care of...I was the maid of honor at my sister's wedding on May 26th. It seemed like a nice way to say goodbye to my life in Buffalo and transition to my Orlando move.
Of course, things never work out how we plan, do they?
At the rehearsal dinner, I really hit it off with the best man. Hit it off at the wedding. And when he asked me out at the wedding, I felt like there was no harm in it. Just a fun date or two before moving.
Soooooo....our first anniversary is coming up on May 31
I work from home and my family really didn't want me to move. Plus, I had this nagging thought that I should hang around Buffalo for awhile and see if this new "thing" went anywhere.
The best decision (or non-decision, lol) I've ever made!
So, of course, to celebrate our first anniversary, we are headed to WDW! Here we are last week at a baseball game, for reference:
He hasn't been to WDW in 20 years, and while he's not a Disney geek, he has his own geeky loves, so he appreciates mine
Here are the basic details:
Airline: Southwest, direct flight arriving at 8:40am (he hasn't flown in over 10 years so I wanted it to be as easy as possible!). I paid extra for Earlybird Checkin so that we can guarantee A boarding too.
Hotel: POR. My favorite resort is FQ, but I couldn't get a passholder rate for them, plus I think that it's more romantic at POR anyway.
Parks: Well, originally we weren't going to do any parks! BF's son is 9 and hasn't been to WDW. We're taking him in February, but BF didn't want him to feel like he was missing out on anything. I had no problem with that, so I was planning fun things in DTD and at resorts for a nice, long weekend. Then, after his coworker came back from WDW and brought guide maps, BF casually brought up to me one day that maybe we could just do things that kids don't like as much. He realized that when we go in February, we're probably not going to be able to do those types of things, and he doesn't want to miss out, so we'll just hit adult-friendly rides. Lol, sounds good to me! So, we're spending parts of 3 days in MK, Epcot and DHS. I also think this will be a good opportunity for him to check out some rides that maybe his son will or won't like. The only way he'll know for sure is if he experiences them! So we may get in a few extra rides as well
I'm not a heavy duty planner, but I did layout our days roughly to maximize our time over the long weekend:
Friday, May 31
-Arrival at MCO: 8:40am
- Take DME to the resort and leave our bags
- Head to MK and hit HoP, CoP and TTA (plus just people-watching, wandering around to see what his son might want to do in February and photo ops...oh, and food!)
- Head back to POR and check-in get ready for our anniversary dinner (this is our actual anniversary date)
- 5:30pm Reservations at Shula's (I've never been and we're excited, since BF is a huge Dolphins fan). I just bought my dress this weekend
- Post-dinner Head back to MK for MSEP and Wishes (Wishes is at 10, so we'll probably do the second MSEP at 11)
Saturday, June 1
- Wake up whenever
- Rent a SeaRaycer at POR. I have always wanted to do this, and I think BF will love it - it's very low-key and vacation-y without being too "parks" and hectic for him. He hasn't been on vacation in more than a decade, so I really want him to relax and have fun.
- Head to DHS and check out GMR, maybe Idol and Lights, Motors, Action. BF is a huge car nut, and I mentioned that this show might close. He feels badly that his son might miss it, but he really wants to see it this trip. I explained to him that there are certain things we absolutely cannot do without his son (he is a massive Star Wars fan, so of course we won't be going near Star Tours...ironic, since it's a Star Wars weekend! No TSMM too!). We'll walk around a bit and just soak it up.
- Lunch reservations at Sci-Fi Diner. Ironically, the menu items people complain about here (burgers, chicken fingers, pizza) are pretty much the only foods BF likes! So, I thought the ambience and food selection at Sci-Fi made it a good choice. I also thought his son might be freaked out by the corny horror movies playing (he's sensitive to that type of stuff), so it was a good choice.
- Once we've seen what we want at DHS, we'll head back to POR to relax at the pool, depending on time.
- I made 8pm reservations for a horse-drawn carriage ride at POR. I've never done this either, and I think it'll be so romantic. I'm such a dork!
- We'll probably head to Downtown Disney afterward to relax and enjoy ourselves a bit. I think BF would really like Planet Hollywood, so we'll probably end up there.
Sunday, June 2
- This day is all Epcot. We're skipping Test Track (which will be hard for BF, but we know that his son will LOVE it!) and most of Future World (except SSE, which I think will be a snooze for his son-blasphemy, I know - but it's my second favorite ride in WDW, so I'm kind of glad we get to ride it). I think we'll hit UoE, though, as it's another guilty pleasure for me, and his son will definitely not enjoy that one, lol.
- We're really going to take our time and enjoy WS. I've never been able to drink around the world, and I don't hold my liquor that well so we won't exactly do that, but we're definitely going to snack and drink our way around. A really leisurely pace, since we're in no rush and nothing we want to see will likely be busy or have lines. This will also be a great opportunity to see more WS entertainment, which I never really get to do. I am super excited about really slowing down and savoring WS with my BF.
- I made us ADRs for Via Napoli at 6:20, since I know he'll love the pizza, and I've always wanted to go there too.
- And lastly, we'll enjoy Illuminations before heading back to POR.
Monday, June 3
- Super-early flight at 8:45 so we'll be home by noon. DME will probably pick us up at 5:45...ugh!
Honestly, the most magical part of this trip for me will be taking my BF there. It's my favorite place in the world (obviously), and to share that with him will be incredible. I'm also excited that we're doing things a bit off the beaten path (at least for me), and things that I've never done before...we're making our own memories, for sure
I'm really excited, and I guess it's time for me to get back on track with my TRs. Any other suggestions for things we should do?
First, my mom passed away very suddenly in June 2011 of a rare heart condition (we didn't discover it until she passed away). Then my employer let me go after being frustrated with the amount of time I missed because of my mom. So, I ventured out onto my own and launched a successful freelance career. I lost some weight (although I gained a little back last year, I'm now lower than I've been since I was 19 - and I'm not done yet! 69lbs down so far, though).
Then, some of you may recall that I was moving to Orlando last summer. In fact, I had my reservations booked and was ready to sign a lease on my trip last June. June 7 to be exact. But first, I had something very important to take care of...I was the maid of honor at my sister's wedding on May 26th. It seemed like a nice way to say goodbye to my life in Buffalo and transition to my Orlando move.
Of course, things never work out how we plan, do they?
At the rehearsal dinner, I really hit it off with the best man. Hit it off at the wedding. And when he asked me out at the wedding, I felt like there was no harm in it. Just a fun date or two before moving.
Soooooo....our first anniversary is coming up on May 31
I work from home and my family really didn't want me to move. Plus, I had this nagging thought that I should hang around Buffalo for awhile and see if this new "thing" went anywhere.
The best decision (or non-decision, lol) I've ever made!
So, of course, to celebrate our first anniversary, we are headed to WDW! Here we are last week at a baseball game, for reference:
He hasn't been to WDW in 20 years, and while he's not a Disney geek, he has his own geeky loves, so he appreciates mine
Here are the basic details:
Airline: Southwest, direct flight arriving at 8:40am (he hasn't flown in over 10 years so I wanted it to be as easy as possible!). I paid extra for Earlybird Checkin so that we can guarantee A boarding too.
Hotel: POR. My favorite resort is FQ, but I couldn't get a passholder rate for them, plus I think that it's more romantic at POR anyway.
Parks: Well, originally we weren't going to do any parks! BF's son is 9 and hasn't been to WDW. We're taking him in February, but BF didn't want him to feel like he was missing out on anything. I had no problem with that, so I was planning fun things in DTD and at resorts for a nice, long weekend. Then, after his coworker came back from WDW and brought guide maps, BF casually brought up to me one day that maybe we could just do things that kids don't like as much. He realized that when we go in February, we're probably not going to be able to do those types of things, and he doesn't want to miss out, so we'll just hit adult-friendly rides. Lol, sounds good to me! So, we're spending parts of 3 days in MK, Epcot and DHS. I also think this will be a good opportunity for him to check out some rides that maybe his son will or won't like. The only way he'll know for sure is if he experiences them! So we may get in a few extra rides as well
I'm not a heavy duty planner, but I did layout our days roughly to maximize our time over the long weekend:
Friday, May 31
-Arrival at MCO: 8:40am
- Take DME to the resort and leave our bags
- Head to MK and hit HoP, CoP and TTA (plus just people-watching, wandering around to see what his son might want to do in February and photo ops...oh, and food!)
- Head back to POR and check-in get ready for our anniversary dinner (this is our actual anniversary date)
- 5:30pm Reservations at Shula's (I've never been and we're excited, since BF is a huge Dolphins fan). I just bought my dress this weekend
- Post-dinner Head back to MK for MSEP and Wishes (Wishes is at 10, so we'll probably do the second MSEP at 11)
Saturday, June 1
- Wake up whenever
- Rent a SeaRaycer at POR. I have always wanted to do this, and I think BF will love it - it's very low-key and vacation-y without being too "parks" and hectic for him. He hasn't been on vacation in more than a decade, so I really want him to relax and have fun.
- Head to DHS and check out GMR, maybe Idol and Lights, Motors, Action. BF is a huge car nut, and I mentioned that this show might close. He feels badly that his son might miss it, but he really wants to see it this trip. I explained to him that there are certain things we absolutely cannot do without his son (he is a massive Star Wars fan, so of course we won't be going near Star Tours...ironic, since it's a Star Wars weekend! No TSMM too!). We'll walk around a bit and just soak it up.
- Lunch reservations at Sci-Fi Diner. Ironically, the menu items people complain about here (burgers, chicken fingers, pizza) are pretty much the only foods BF likes! So, I thought the ambience and food selection at Sci-Fi made it a good choice. I also thought his son might be freaked out by the corny horror movies playing (he's sensitive to that type of stuff), so it was a good choice.
- Once we've seen what we want at DHS, we'll head back to POR to relax at the pool, depending on time.
- I made 8pm reservations for a horse-drawn carriage ride at POR. I've never done this either, and I think it'll be so romantic
. I'm such a dork!- We'll probably head to Downtown Disney afterward to relax and enjoy ourselves a bit. I think BF would really like Planet Hollywood, so we'll probably end up there.
Sunday, June 2
- This day is all Epcot. We're skipping Test Track (which will be hard for BF, but we know that his son will LOVE it!) and most of Future World (except SSE, which I think will be a snooze for his son-blasphemy, I know - but it's my second favorite ride in WDW, so I'm kind of glad we get to ride it
). I think we'll hit UoE, though, as it's another guilty pleasure for me, and his son will definitely not enjoy that one, lol.- We're really going to take our time and enjoy WS. I've never been able to drink around the world, and I don't hold my liquor that well so we won't exactly do that, but we're definitely going to snack and drink our way around. A really leisurely pace, since we're in no rush and nothing we want to see will likely be busy or have lines. This will also be a great opportunity to see more WS entertainment, which I never really get to do. I am super excited about really slowing down and savoring WS with my BF.
- I made us ADRs for Via Napoli at 6:20, since I know he'll love the pizza, and I've always wanted to go there too.
- And lastly, we'll enjoy Illuminations before heading back to POR.
Monday, June 3
- Super-early flight at 8:45 so we'll be home by noon. DME will probably pick us up at 5:45...ugh!
Honestly, the most magical part of this trip for me will be taking my BF there. It's my favorite place in the world (obviously), and to share that with him will be incredible. I'm also excited that we're doing things a bit off the beaten path (at least for me), and things that I've never done before...we're making our own memories, for sure
I'm really excited, and I guess it's time for me to get back on track with my TRs
. Any other suggestions for things we should do?