Trip Report Didn't we JUST do this?

Yup. We did. Yup, 2nd trip in a couple months. In June, we did a rather unique trip for our clan. Playing the vague role of chaperones, but really just a safety valve, and doing what amounted to an adults only trip was pretty cool. Then we got home, and we got to talking, and dates showed up on RCI, and my parents had some extra RCI points b/c of no traveling for 18 months, and we wanted one more family vacation before our daughter heads off to college.

Need I say more? So, we are back at Old Key West from August 20-27. Hot on the heels of two weeks of me teaching marching band camp, our daughter saying goodbye to many of her friends going off to other colleges (her college starts very late - we drop her off on Labor Day weekend for a week of freshman orientation - classes start a full week later), and lots of online teacher training for whatever the new school year holds.

We decided to put the impetus of planning on our daughter, so she has picked our days in which parks as well as most of our table service meals (we jumped in with a couple ideas). If you've never followed along on our trip reports, I'm a rather... well, let's just say excessive planner. So, being a bit hands off this time is tough for me! But knowing that our original plans for the past two summers included an extended trip around Europe and college tours of the northeast and California, both of which had to be canceled - well, she deserves to have a little control over something!

Obviously, no control over the masking situation... but we did totally fine last July!

Normally, I'd wait until the week before our trip to start the Pre-Trip portion of the proceedings, but I'll be teaching marching band from 8am-5pm for the next couple weeks and the mental state upon return home those nights is fragile at best! The few days before we leave are not quite as intense, but I don't foresee a ton of PTR time during those days. So, here we are. I'll check in tomorrow or Friday with the basics of the plan!

 

[DiSnEyF@n]

Sounds like a wonderful plan! Your first day is my last day.

 

[brifraz]

Here we are just a week away from our trip. Honestly nothing big has changed with our plans... or if it has, the girls came up with the changes and haven't told me, since I've been out of the house pretty much constantly for the past couple weeks!

There has certainly been some talk of trying to get tickets to one of the Boo Bash nights while we are there. We've done MNSSHP in the past the girls have done an After Hours Party. We loved both of those events for very different reasons. MNSSHP is great for characters and entertainment, but was pretty crowded when we went. The After Hours they went to was great for attractions - they did almost everything in MK in a couple hours. Having now heard that they are far more similar to the After Hours events, we are definitely interested in having a night of ride time in MK. Of course, both nights while we are there are currently sold out - but having read that they sold a few tickets on site the day of the party has us curious if that might happen again. I'm guessing there are a decent number of COVID cancellations happening, so... we shall see!

 

[brifraz]

Alright, getting ready to rock. Drive down starts tomorrow night after my marching band rehearsal. We've been overnight drivers for many years now, but also are now getting past the age where it can even be remotely described as easy. Thank goodness for adding that third driver into the mix!!

When our daughter was very young, I used to burn a new MP3 CD for each drive down. It would feature a variety of Disney songs, each family members current favorites, and some other fun driving material. Early on it was a somewhat short CD because overnight we would switch the music for whoever was driving. Then it evolved a bit as our daughter grew up and she became more involved in music selection. There was always a lot of material from our wealth of Disney movie soundtracks and park music, lots of stuff from the three They Might Be Giants children's albums and the Barenaked Ladies kids album, some Backyardigans tunes, quite a bit of the Beatles and Madness (some of the first 'adult' bands she really got into), and our daughter's latest fave (Selena Gomez, Taylor Swift, etc.). Of course, all that music was stuff we had on CDs and I had ripped to our computer. Now, that computer is long past it's days of ripping and burning music (heck, I'm shocked it still turns on) and almost all of those CDs have moved on to a better place...BUT, we did manage to find a disc from 2011 and a couple from 2017 (the last year I burned CDs for the drive). And as part of the 're-living youth trips' theme, we will be listening to those pretty much exclusively on the drive down and back. None of us really remember what is on them specifically, so it's going to be a little adventure!

Speaking of little adventures, we are definitely planning to try to score some day-of tickets to the Boo Bash. It does sound like an After Hours Party exactly and the wait times are really glorious. Does it cost too much? Yes, absolutely. Will it make it so we are running around far less on our MK days (and maybe even have more relax and nap/pool time)? Yes, absolutely. How much is that time worth?? I think we've made that decision and are pretty comfortable with it.

By the way, for anybody wondering how the heck two public school teachers in the one of the lowest paying districts in Maryland can afford to even think about add-ons like that when taking a second Disney trip this summer... You know that computer I mentioned above, well it's from 2007 and is still what I use for most of my work. My cell phone? iPhone 7 and not planning to upgrade. Cars? Two hybrids, one with well over 100,000 miles and the other getting darn close. We pick and choose what we splurge on very carefully, and family vacation time is pretty much the top of the list!

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Alright, getting ready to rock. Drive down starts tomorrow night after my marching band rehearsal. We've been overnight drivers for many years now, but also are now getting past the age where it can even be remotely described as easy. Thank goodness for adding that third driver into the mix!!

When our daughter was very young, I used to burn a new MP3 CD for each drive down. It would feature a variety of Disney songs, each family members current favorites, and some other fun driving material. Early on it was a somewhat short CD because overnight we would switch the music for whoever was driving. Then it evolved a bit as our daughter grew up and she became more involved in music selection. There was always a lot of material from our wealth of Disney movie soundtracks and park music, lots of stuff from the three They Might Be Giants children's albums and the Barenaked Ladies kids album, some Backyardigans tunes, quite a bit of the Beatles and Madness (some of the first 'adult' bands she really got into), and our daughter's latest fave (Selena Gomez, Taylor Swift, etc.). Of course, all that music was stuff we had on CDs and I had ripped to our computer. Now, that computer is long past it's days of ripping and burning music (heck, I'm shocked it still turns on) and almost all of those CDs have moved on to a better place...BUT, we did manage to find a disc from 2011 and a couple from 2017 (the last year I burned CDs for the drive). And as part of the 're-living youth trips' theme, we will be listening to those pretty much exclusively on the drive down and back. None of us really remember what is on them specifically, so it's going to be a little adventure!

Speaking of little adventures, we are definitely planning to try to score some day-of tickets to the Boo Bash. It does sound like an After Hours Party exactly and the wait times are really glorious. Does it cost too much? Yes, absolutely. Will it make it so we are running around far less on our MK days (and maybe even have more relax and nap/pool time)? Yes, absolutely. How much is that time worth?? I think we've made that decision and are pretty comfortable with it.

By the way, for anybody wondering how the heck two public school teachers in the one of the lowest paying districts in Maryland can afford to even think about add-ons like that when taking a second Disney trip this summer... You know that computer I mentioned above, well it's from 2007 and is still what I use for most of my work. My cell phone? iPhone 7 and not planning to upgrade. Cars? Two hybrids, one with well over 100,000 miles and the other getting darn close. We pick and choose what we splurge on very carefully, and family vacation time is pretty much the top of the list!

I hope your drive goes well, it should be interesting for you all to hear what those cd's have in store for you. And I hope you do get some Boo Bash tickets, no worries about how two teachers can afford going, your money is yours to spend as you want. This teacher and my husband (a pastor) just bought 2 tickets for the Christmas After Hours the Sunday after Thanksgiving, yep it is expensive but we decided it would be our Christmas present to each other this year, we will buy each other one $25-$30 present so we have something to open on Christmas morning but the main gift is the party. Both of us go overboard on Christmas presents and we just don't need stuff, so this was perfect.

 

[cgersic]

The CD's sound like so much fun! I can just hear you all singing along as you're headed down the road. Can't wait to read all about it!

 

[RememberWhen]

Happy driving! I imagine you don’t need to justify a Disney trip too much on here, but I totally hear the need to explain. We’re a 1 income family (and grateful and lucky to be able to do that) with three kids and we definitely prioritize family vacations over other stuff. Enjoy your trip! We’re excited to hear you report back.

 

[brifraz]

I hope your drive goes well, it should be interesting for you all to hear what those cd's have in store for you. And I hope you do get some Boo Bash tickets, no worries about how two teachers can afford going, your money is yours to spend as you want. This teacher and my husband (a pastor) just bought 2 tickets for the Christmas After Hours the Sunday after Thanksgiving, yep it is expensive but we decided it would be our Christmas present to each other this year, we will buy each other one $25-$30 present so we have something to open on Christmas morning but the main gift is the party. Both of us go overboard on Christmas presents and we just don't need stuff, so this was perfect.

Thanks! I'm hoping the After Hours is as good as the reviews have been in terms of crowds. I did a similar overboard Christmas last year with Disney items for both of the girls. My wife and I have pretty much stopped getting each other 'things' for any holidays - at this point we just see it as one more thing we will have to move in a few years when we retire!

 

[brifraz]

The CD's sound like so much fun! I can just hear you all singing along as you're headed down the road. Can't wait to read all about it!

And... to take it even further in multiple directions... I was digging through some stuff in our kitchen and came across my first iPhone, which I kept for quite a few years basically as a music player. It still manages to hold a charge and has some playlists from 2014 and 2015 drives. Lots of pretty great potential!

 

[amjt660]

Money can't buy happiness

But it can buy Disney Park Tickets!!!!

You do you - no judgement at all from this guy


Max

 

[brifraz]

Who else gets this lovely view for 14+ hours heading to WDW?

Ah, the joys of I95. We are still about 3 hours out from the World, but the overnight drive has treated us well. It’s an extremely rare case when VA, NC, and SC take about 2.5 hours each. Usually at least one (and often all three) takes over 3 hours.

And to think that just a bit over 12 hours ago my view was this:

Hoping to hit the Old Key West gate a little after 11am (two hours earlier than planned). See you there.

 

[brifraz]

And the 2011 playlist has won the day. Although I think I could’ve done without the Hannah Montana songs!!

 

[macefamily]

You should be driving by my daughter's place of residence.....Jacksonville. I'm very well aware of that I95 stretch. Some crazy FL drivers out there.....

 

[cgersic]

I honestly have never listened to or watched Hannah Montana

 

[krisri18]

Who else gets this lovely view for 14+ hours heading to WDW?
View attachment 581000

Ah, the joys of I95. We are still about 3 hours out from the World, but the overnight drive has treated us well. It’s an extremely rare case when VA, NC, and SC take about 2.5 hours each. Usually at least one (and often all three) takes over 3 hours.

And to think that just a bit over 12 hours ago my view was this:
View attachment 581001

Hoping to hit the Old Key West gate a little after 11am (two hours earlier than planned). See you there.

Makes me *almost* miss my marching band days! Lol fingers crossed the rest of your drive is smooth!

 

[brifraz]

I honestly have never listened to or watched Hannah Montana

Our daughter was the exact right age for the procession from Hannah to then Wizards of Waverly Place (and songs from both were on the 2011 list).

 

[brifraz]

Hey howdy hey! We are here. OKW gates at 10:45am. Parked at our building (no room yet, but a building number to park at) and hopped on the first bus to Magic Kingdom!

Hoping to get some lunch, maybe an attraction or two, and maybe...just maybe... get tickets for Boo Bash tonight.

 

[ferbtones]

Hope you get Boo Bash tickets.

Glad you had a smooth journey.

 

[brifraz]

One more paycheck squarely in the Mouse’s pocket!

And, yes that’s the beautiful background of a Columbia Harbour House table. Getting food into our bellies is definitely a plus!

Pondering some attractions now and being thankful that tonight we can do pretty much everything with very little waits!

 

[cgersic]

That's great news! Did you walk up and get them?

 

[brifraz]

Hope you get Boo Bash tickets.

Glad you had a smooth journey.

That's great news! Did you walk up and get them?

We got into Magic Kingdom at just a couple minutes after noon. There were no signs anywhere about available tickets, but we had heard elsewhere to check at City Hall. So, our first act upon entering the park was to head into City Hall. They actually have a CM fielding questions at the door to try to limit the number of people going in. We told her our hopes and she said that she thought the CM inside would be able to take care of us. Walked in and got three tickets - no problem at all.