Pre-Trip Because I'm Driving Myself Crazy...

... and, because I'm chomping at the bit to fast forward to June already, I figured I would post what I have so far for our plans and welcome feedback. DH just isn't as into planning all of this as I am (which annoys me even more, since the trip was actually HIS idea lol) so I feel like I need someone to help me hash out my thoughts so I don't make any newbie mistakes or focus on the wrong things, etc.

Background:
DH and I have been married for 7 years (will be 8 years when we get to WDW, with an arrival right after our anniversary). These last few years have been VERY tough. We've both undergone several changes, including weight loss surgery (between the two of us we have lost about 350 pounds and kept it off), me losing my job and finally finding another one in January, family issues on my side of the family... you get the idea. Nothing so traumatic that we couldn't survive as a couple, but definitely a challenge.

When I found out that I was going to have a full-time job again, we decided that this summer would be a good time to begin trying to start our family. This thought process led my husband to decide that this summer would be a good time to get out and enjoy Disney together, since it would be our last opportunity to do so without kids in the picture (yes, I know WDW is a lot of fun for families with kids, but I also know it's a different experience when it's just two adults in your party).

Plan Basics:
We decided to book for the end of the spring discounts at Pop Century. Cost is still a huge factor here since my pay is being prorated until September... I'm a teacher, so the good news is I now will get paid during the summer, but since I'm working less than half of the year, my monthly pay isn't much more than it was when I was subbing in the fall. We opted to NOT do a dining plan because we figure we won't be eating enough to be worth it... we will probably be bringing protein bars, baggies of almonds, etc with us each day and maybe eating at one or two QS places while in the parks. Breakfast every day will be at the Pop, except for a day when I booked breakfast at 1900 PF on a whim in case we decide we want a character meal. Knowing DH, we will probably end up cancelling that and using that money towards drinks at Epcot or souvenirs, but we'll see!

Rough Sketch:
Here's what I have so far for that week. Eek!

Sunday:
Check in at Pop around lunchtime and head to MK since they have EMH late that night. Trying to decide if we should relax by the pool for a little while before heading that way, or if we need to get to the park as quickly as possible. Thoughts?

Monday:
Planning to sleep in after being at MK until 2 am, so I figured we would probably end up at HS so we can use their evening EMH as well.

Tuesday:
Hopefully we will be at AK by about ten am. Based on suggestions from friends who know my food tastes, we have lunch ressies at Rainforest Café for 2pm. I figure we will probably finish up at AK around 4 and head back to the room to relax for a while before meeting local friends at DTD for a late dinner.

Wednesday:
Epcot, perhaps? And maybe get back to the hotel for the movie under the stars?

Thursday:
As of now, breakfast at 1900 PF. After that, no clue... I figured Thursday and Friday would be our chance to try and revisit some of our faves before we leave.

Friday:
Some local friends are joining us at Epcot in the evening. They have AP's, though, and don't care which park we visit together... I just figured DH and I would want to stay late and enjoy the EMH after they leave... but maybe MK would be a better choice?

Saturday:
Check out and head home.

Feedback is much appreciated! I'm planning to put this all into my account on touringplans to determine which rides to FP+. Our trip is the first week of June and I get to start FP+ this coming Wednesday.

 

[FlaggNL]

It is comming closer and closer for you sounds better and better by the day

 

[cw1982]

So, I got the email this morning! My magic bands are on their way!

We added a couple of things to our plans:

1) We will now be doing lunch at Teppan Edo on the same day that we do dinner at BoG. I know, that's a lot of TS in one day, but DH talked to a buddy who talked him into giving them a chance, despite the lack of fried rice lol. I figured we could still spend the day at Epcot, eat lunch at TE while we are there, and then hop on the monorail and get to MK for dinner.

2) Despite my instincts about not really caring about 7DMT, I happened to book fastpasses for it for Friday right before the site crashed. I figure we can always switch it back to Peter Pan or trade it out for something else if we decide we don't need it before Friday, but I wanted to have the option to ride it if the lines were insane for the rest of the trip (which they probably will be, unless we get lucky during those evening EMH).

Less than a month to go! It's getting more and more real every day!

AND... I might be getting the job I've wanted for a year now! The only thing is, I might have to sell my motorcycle to pay for our food for the trip if that happens, because I'll be working a week less at my current job (where we are required to work a week at the end of June... I was planning to use that money to pay back our credit card to pay off the food balance lol). But honestly, I haven't ridden that bike much at all since DH bought it for me, and paying for the insurance is currently just an added drain on our checking account. So I'm good with that, if it means we can still afford to eat the way we want on our trip and I can still get the job I wanted!

 

[cw1982]

It just hit me that three weeks from NOW I will be spending the night with friends in Orlando and waiting for the next day to check in at WDW! Wow, where is the time going?!?

We have updated our plans a little, thanks to the addition of 7DMT FP+ and some developments in our ADR's.

Here's a comparison (updates in blue ):

Sunday:
MK (after checking in at Pop at lunch time)
FP+: Space, Peter Pan, BTMRR... finished with FP+ by 6:45
Update: ADR at BoG for 7:20 baby!

Monday:
DHS
FP+: ToT, RnRC, and Star Tours
Lunch at SciFi at 2:40
Update: Changed FP+ from RnRC to TSMM on the logic that I'm more likely to be able to get FP+ for RnRC as a 4th FP+ than I would have been TSMM. Plus, Touring Plans seems to think the wait for RnRC will be 30 minutes or less during night time EMH, so hopefully that will help (especially if we can ride it during Fantasmic!)

Tuesday:
AK
FP+: Safari,and EE before lunch, Kali after lunch
Update: we decided to to Rainforest Cafe for dinner at DTD with our local friends, so lunch will probably be QS at Flame Tree. I moved up our last FP+ time so that we might be able to get more FP+ in and revisit EE before we leave that day... AK doesn't strike me as a park that we would want to spend all morning trying to revisit if it's just for one or two rides (but if I'm wrong, we'll change things on the fly... no big deal). Oh, and while we are at DTD, I've been told we MUST stop at the Ghirardelli shop for some sweets!

Wednesday:
Epcot
FP+: Soarin, Mission Space, and Journey w/ Figment
Update: changed the Figment FP+ to Spaceship Earth. We also decided to get ADR's for Teppan Edo for dinner, so now we will be at Epcot pretty much all day this day unless we decide to hop back to MK after dinner (although dinner is at 7:50, so we will probably hit pretty heavy traffic when we leave right as Epcot is closing... so by the time we would make it to MK, we would only have about two hours left to do anything, so it might be better to make this a night we relax by the pool with a fruity drink). I am a little excited now, though, that we will have an entire day at Epcot and can be in less of a rush to take in all of WS on Friday evening.

Thursday:
Revisit AK and HS to redo faves
Update: ADR for dinner at Coral Reef. As long as we are able to get a FP+ or manageable normal line for RnRC on Monday, we probably won't need to revisit HS today, so it'll probably be either hopping from MK in the morning to Epcot at night, or we may just relax by the pool until lunch and then head to dinner. This day may also be a good day to ride the monorail, just for the heck of it! I want DH to experience this at least once, and I want to show him the Contemporary Resort, since that's where we used to stay when I was a kid lol. FP+ for this day still reflects the HS choices I made before, but this will probably change that Monday night when I see how we do for RnRC.

Friday:
Revisit MK and Epcot
We have BoG FP+ for lunch from 1:35-2:05!
Update: FP+ this day for BTMRR, 7DMT, and Space. I'm going to cancel our lunch at BoG since I was able to get the dinner I wanted on Sunday. So, this will give us a chance to try some other QS options for lunch and be on less of a structured schedule for our last day in the parks. We may take a ride on the monorail this day before heading to Epcot to hang out in WS for the evening (if we don't get to it on Thursday).

One thing that I'm thinking about when looking at my plans is regretting paying for park hoppers, as it almost looks like we wouldn't have needed them. At the very least, the only day we might use them as of now is Friday with an even slighter chance on Thursday. Is it really worth the extra money we shelled out for the PH option to only use it once? Hmm...

Other than that, I'm beyond thrilled!

 

[cw1982]

Just have to say right now that I'm so glad that I have this trip to focus on! Between crap going on at work and drama with my circle of friends, planning this trip and focusing on all that will be following it is truly my happy place right now. 13 days!!!

Thank you to anyone who is still following this. I'm sure I'm boring everyone to tears, but having this outlet to come to and hash out my thoughts has really helped me along.

 

[mrdrift]

Great plans sounds like a blast. I am glad you can focus on this trip to help with all the drama from work and friends. And always remember one thing, keep posting whatever you want to talk about, it will never bore us faith full members, because that's whats these forums are all about. We are here to listen and read then respond and support as best as we can.

 

[seahawk7]

... and, because I'm chomping at the bit to fast forward to June already, I figured I would post what I have so far for our plans and welcome feedback. DH just isn't as into planning all of this as I am (which annoys me even more, since the trip was actually HIS idea lol) so I feel like I need someone to help me hash out my thoughts so I don't make any newbie mistakes or focus on the wrong things, etc.

Background:
DH and I have been married for 7 years (will be 8 years when we get to WDW, with an arrival right after our anniversary). These last few years have been VERY tough. We've both undergone several changes, including weight loss surgery (between the two of us we have lost about 350 pounds and kept it off), me losing my job and finally finding another one in January, family issues on my side of the family... you get the idea. Nothing so traumatic that we couldn't survive as a couple, but definitely a challenge.

When I found out that I was going to have a full-time job again, we decided that this summer would be a good time to begin trying to start our family. This thought process led my husband to decide that this summer would be a good time to get out and enjoy Disney together, since it would be our last opportunity to do so without kids in the picture (yes, I know WDW is a lot of fun for families with kids, but I also know it's a different experience when it's just two adults in your party).

Plan Basics:
We decided to book for the end of the spring discounts at Pop Century. Cost is still a huge factor here since my pay is being prorated until September... I'm a teacher, so the good news is I now will get paid during the summer, but since I'm working less than half of the year, my monthly pay isn't much more than it was when I was subbing in the fall. We opted to NOT do a dining plan because we figure we won't be eating enough to be worth it... we will probably be bringing protein bars, baggies of almonds, etc with us each day and maybe eating at one or two QS places while in the parks. Breakfast every day will be at the Pop, except for a day when I booked breakfast at 1900 PF on a whim in case we decide we want a character meal. Knowing DH, we will probably end up cancelling that and using that money towards drinks at Epcot or souvenirs, but we'll see!

Rough Sketch:
Here's what I have so far for that week. Eek!

Sunday:
Check in at Pop around lunchtime and head to MK since they have EMH late that night. Trying to decide if we should relax by the pool for a little while before heading that way, or if we need to get to the park as quickly as possible. Thoughts?

Monday:
Planning to sleep in after being at MK until 2 am, so I figured we would probably end up at HS so we can use their evening EMH as well.

Tuesday:
Hopefully we will be at AK by about ten am. Based on suggestions from friends who know my food tastes, we have lunch ressies at Rainforest Café for 2pm. I figure we will probably finish up at AK around 4 and head back to the room to relax for a while before meeting local friends at DTD for a late dinner.

Wednesday:
Epcot, perhaps? And maybe get back to the hotel for the movie under the stars?

Thursday:
As of now, breakfast at 1900 PF. After that, no clue... I figured Thursday and Friday would be our chance to try and revisit some of our faves before we leave.

Friday:
Some local friends are joining us at Epcot in the evening. They have AP's, though, and don't care which park we visit together... I just figured DH and I would want to stay late and enjoy the EMH after they leave... but maybe MK would be a better choice?

Saturday:
Check out and head home.

Feedback is much appreciated! I'm planning to put this all into my account on touringplans to determine which rides to FP+. Our trip is the first week of June and I get to start FP+ this coming Wednesday.

Earl of Sandwich at DTD in Marketplace is a must foe us every trip. You can get generous sizes sandwiches for around $6. We sometimes take the bus directly there from our hotel or get ourselves to Port Orleans Riverside and take the boatride on the Sassagoula river to DTD. That is my favorite. I highly recommend taking that boatride at night- very romantic. Have fun!

 

[cw1982]

Earl of Sandwich at DTD in Marketplace is a must foe us every trip. You can get generous sizes sandwiches for around $6. We sometimes take the bus directly there from our hotel or get ourselves to Port Orleans Riverside and take the boatride on the Sassagoula river to DTD. That is my favorite. I highly recommend taking that boatride at night- very romantic. Have fun!

Thank you for the awesome suggestions! I had figured we may end up eating at Earl of Sandwich after checking out on Saturday the 7th. We'll probably be leaving right at the cutoff for checking out on time, so it would be a perfect opportunity to do some souvenir shopping at DTD and eat lunch before we hit the road.

Oh, and I love the idea of riding the boat at night! I'll definitely be trying to work that into our plans Thanks again!

 

[cw1982]

Great plans sounds like a blast. I am glad you can focus on this trip to help with all the drama from work and friends. And always remember one thing, keep posting whatever you want to talk about, it will never bore us faith full members, because that's whats these forums are all about. We are here to listen and read then respond and support as best as we can.

Thank you you guys are awesome!

 

[prfctlyximprct]

You're gonna have a blast!!

 

[cw1982]

You're gonna have a blast!!

Thanks! I can't wait!!!

 

[cw1982]

Omg! My mother-in-law just surprised me with a seashell that she coated and made into a pendant for me! It'll go perfectly with the dress I plan to wear to BoG next Sunday (oh wow... yep... next Sunday!)

Here's a pic of the shell itself:

It has a lot more purple in it than what you can see in that picture, but I couldn't get my phone to pick it up much better than that.

Now a poorly taken, makeup-lacking selfie with me wearing it for size reference:

The bed in our guest room is covered in my clothes that I'm packing for the trip. I can't wait to drag out the suitcase and start filling that sucker up!

 

[cw1982]

So, in case planning a WDW trip isn't enough, I imagine I'm going to be ready for a nice long nap on the drive down to Orlando on Saturday. Yesterday was my last day for the spring at work, but I had a job interview at four (we were dismissed for the summer at lunch yesterday). I honestly didn't think I was going to get the job, because I had heard that they were actually looking at an internal candidate, but I decided to go to the interview anyway, and at the very least get practice in going to interviews lol. So imagine my surprise when the principal called me back this morning to tell me they were one step away from offering me the job! So, now I am going to have to make myself focus on the trip so I don't obsess over the job offer until it's official lol. I also have my car in the shop right now, because I needed some body work done and wanted it done before our trip (couldn't do it until now though thanks to my work schedule).

In 48 hours, I'll be on my way to Orlando to spend the night with friends before we head to the Pop Century... and yet I have so much else going on right now! Craziness!

 

[RubyLee]

So, in case planning a WDW trip isn't enough, I imagine I'm going to be ready for a nice long nap on the drive down to Orlando on Saturday. Yesterday was my last day for the spring at work, but I had a job interview at four (we were dismissed for the summer at lunch yesterday). I honestly didn't think I was going to get the job, because I had heard that they were actually looking at an internal candidate, but I decided to go to the interview anyway, and at the very least get practice in going to interviews lol. So imagine my surprise when the principal called me back this morning to tell me they were one step away from offering me the job! So, now I am going to have to make myself focus on the trip so I don't obsess over the job offer until it's official lol. I also have my car in the shop right now, because I needed some body work done and wanted it done before our trip (couldn't do it until now though thanks to my work schedule).

In 48 hours, I'll be on my way to Orlando to spend the night with friends before we head to the Pop Century... and yet I have so much else going on right now! Craziness!

WDW may be just the thing to distract you!

Good luck & thoughts about the job!!

 

[cw1982]

WDW may be just the thing to distract you!

Good luck & thoughts about the job!!

Thanks!

Oh, I got so excited that I completely forgot to come back and update: I did get the job! I will officially (pending school board approval, which almost never falls through) be starting back to work in August in a school that is half the commute away, offers me a better schedule, lets me teach better classes (in terms of the curriculum), AND the entire department was in my interview, and they all had a vote in who got picked, so I already know they like me. What more could I ask for?

So now I have yet one more reason to celebrate: the weight loss, our anniversary after a very trying year, the decision to start trying to have kids, and now a new job! I'd say the pixie dust is already making its way too me a few days early

 

[RubyLee]

Thanks!

Oh, I got so excited that I completely forgot to come back and update: I did get the job! I will officially (pending school board approval, which almost never falls through) be starting back to work in August in a school that is half the commute away, offers me a better schedule, lets me teach better classes (in terms of the curriculum), AND the entire department was in my interview, and they all had a vote in who got picked, so I already know they like me. What more could I ask for?

So now I have yet one more reason to celebrate: the weight loss, our anniversary after a very trying year, the decision to start trying to have kids, and now a new job! I'd say the pixie dust is already making its way too me a few days early

Congratulations!! That's wonderful news-especially now you can celebrate & not wonder about the job on your trip!

 

[cw1982]

Congratulations!! That's wonderful news-especially now you can celebrate & not wonder about the job on your trip!

Thanks I love it when things fall into place like this!

 

[Mr Toad]

... and, because I'm chomping at the bit to fast forward to June already, I figured I would post what I have so far for our plans and welcome feedback. DH just isn't as into planning all of this as I am (which annoys me even more, since the trip was actually HIS idea lol) so I feel like I need someone to help me hash out my thoughts so I don't make any newbie mistakes or focus on the wrong things, etc.

Background:
DH and I have been married for 7 years (will be 8 years when we get to WDW, with an arrival right after our anniversary). These last few years have been VERY tough. We've both undergone several changes, including weight loss surgery (between the two of us we have lost about 350 pounds and kept it off), me losing my job and finally finding another one in January, family issues on my side of the family... you get the idea. Nothing so traumatic that we couldn't survive as a couple, but definitely a challenge.

When I found out that I was going to have a full-time job again, we decided that this summer would be a good time to begin trying to start our family. This thought process led my husband to decide that this summer would be a good time to get out and enjoy Disney together, since it would be our last opportunity to do so without kids in the picture (yes, I know WDW is a lot of fun for families with kids, but I also know it's a different experience when it's just two adults in your party).

Plan Basics:
We decided to book for the end of the spring discounts at Pop Century. Cost is still a huge factor here since my pay is being prorated until September... I'm a teacher, so the good news is I now will get paid during the summer, but since I'm working less than half of the year, my monthly pay isn't much more than it was when I was subbing in the fall. We opted to NOT do a dining plan because we figure we won't be eating enough to be worth it... we will probably be bringing protein bars, baggies of almonds, etc with us each day and maybe eating at one or two QS places while in the parks. Breakfast every day will be at the Pop, except for a day when I booked breakfast at 1900 PF on a whim in case we decide we want a character meal. Knowing DH, we will probably end up cancelling that and using that money towards drinks at Epcot or souvenirs, but we'll see!

Rough Sketch:
Here's what I have so far for that week. Eek!

Sunday:
Check in at Pop around lunchtime and head to MK since they have EMH late that night. Trying to decide if we should relax by the pool for a little while before heading that way, or if we need to get to the park as quickly as possible. Thoughts?

Monday:
Planning to sleep in after being at MK until 2 am, so I figured we would probably end up at HS so we can use their evening EMH as well.

Tuesday:
Hopefully we will be at AK by about ten am. Based on suggestions from friends who know my food tastes, we have lunch ressies at Rainforest Café for 2pm. I figure we will probably finish up at AK around 4 and head back to the room to relax for a while before meeting local friends at DTD for a late dinner.

Wednesday:
Epcot, perhaps? And maybe get back to the hotel for the movie under the stars?

Thursday:
As of now, breakfast at 1900 PF. After that, no clue... I figured Thursday and Friday would be our chance to try and revisit some of our faves before we leave.

Friday:
Some local friends are joining us at Epcot in the evening. They have AP's, though, and don't care which park we visit together... I just figured DH and I would want to stay late and enjoy the EMH after they leave... but maybe MK would be a better choice?

Saturday:
Check out and head home.

Feedback is much appreciated! I'm planning to put this all into my account on touringplans to determine which rides to FP+. Our trip is the first week of June and I get to start FP+ this coming Wednesday.

I hope your having a MAGICAL trip! Good luck with starting a family...or I could just rent you one or all 5 of ours!

 

[Mr Toad]

The article that came out this morning about the changing rules to FP+ has the potential to change a lot of my plans for the trip! The really bad part, though, is that I can't really make any of those changes until I know exactly what the details are of the changes and when they will be implemented. For now, I've tried to book all of my FP+ times to be right around lunchtime, since I figure 1) we're not likely to go to any of the parks much earlier than that and 2) if we do, the lines shouldn't be that bad before lunch anyway, for the most part, so no need to waste FP+ on those times. Right now, I have FP+ options booked for Sunday through Wednesday. I figure we will wait until a little closer to time to head down there to decide about those last two days, since that partly depends on what days our local friends end up deciding to come out to meet for dinner, etc.

Anyway, as promised, here are some pre-trip pictures

Our wedding in 2006:
View attachment 50665


And, a year ago, when we chaperoned at the prom for the school where I was teaching at the time. I still weigh about what I did in this picture, give or take 5 pounds, and DH has maintained his loss as well.

Fun fact: this is the same dress I wore to homecoming as a student when I was 16! My parents had kept it this whole time, so it kept me from having to buy a new dress and was symbolic in many ways as well... sort of having come full circle.
View attachment 50667

This thread is not supposed to be about my weight loss, but since it's such a huge part of why my life is so different now and why we are to the point where we have so much to celebrate, I thought these were appropriate for the thread.

That's about all I have for now, other than the fact that I went ahead and started my online check in today... kinda crazy that you can do that two months in advance! I requested a super early check in time, though I don't expect the room to be ready by then... someone else here advised me that putting a time earlier than we plan to arrive may maximize the potential of having a room when we finally do get there.

Oh, and we're still debating whether or not to buy the Memory Maker. On one hand, since there's only two of us, it'll be much easier for us to get plenty of pictures together if we shell out the MM money (and this may make my phone battery last a little longer since I wouldn't be constantly taking pics with it). On the other hand, I have heard that the pictures they take aren't the best... and I'll probably be taking a million pictures no matter what lol.

Rock on with the weight loss for both of you! My 2nd daughter has lost 60+ pounds in the last year and a half. Mainly by working out on a treadmill and changing her diet. Went from 206 lbs to 140lbs. So proud of her. I wish I had that kind of commitment!

 

[cw1982]

I hope your having a MAGICAL trip! Good luck with starting a family...or I could just rent you one or all 5 of ours!

It's been absolutely magical so far... no other word could describe it. I can't wait to start my trip report (which will probably happen on Monday).

Rock on with the weight loss for both of you! My 2nd daughter has lost 60+ pounds in the last year and a half. Mainly by working out on a treadmill and changing her diet. Went from 206 lbs to 140lbs. So proud of her. I wish I had that kind of commitment!

Thanks it's awesome that your daughter has done such a great job. She's lucky to have the kind of support it takes to make such a drastic change. Keep cheering her on. I know it means the world to her