It's about time!!! (PTR)

Hey hey everybody! I am actually going to start a PTR (and finish it), and do a TR when I get back (and finish it)! Which I am not sure has EVER been fully accomplished. I am a terrible finisher. I tore the wallpaper out of our hall bath after we moved into our new house (in July) and have yet to do anything else to it. True story. Which reminds me, maybe I will paint this week......

Moving on: I have had a SERIOUS hiatus from The World. Coming up on 3 years. Ri. Dic. U. Lous. I have had longer lapses of time in between trips before, but I was little and didn't know the diff. So for me to go from visiting twice in one year, to not at all for three, well, needless to say I am Disney sick. We had a couple of trips booked since then, but due to other circumstances, never came to fruition. SO, "It's about time!"

Our vacation is going to be filled with a slightly (read: completely) different cast than my last few. While I am desperately going to miss my partner in crime, I still haven't completely forgiven her for spending a week at Disney/the Dream without me back in October. I wasn't even invited. How rude. Nevermind that it was her honeymoon! Or that I had just given birth 3 weeks prior. LOYALTIES PEOPLE!!! Ok, totally joking. Kind of

That's Steph on her honeymoon. That is not her husband. She may wish it was sometimes. I am going to miss her this time

That's me (Megan) at my baby shower over the summer. I don't think I have a more recent picture of me (except when I was actually in the hospital...and I am NOT sharing that one lol). This will be my 9th visit to The World. Count it. NINE! I'm thinking for my 10th I should get to do something special. I'm gonna run that by my hubby. Lol. I love Disney and all things Disney. The boys' bathroom is Disney (you know, that bathroom that hasn't been painted). I am the brains behind this whole operation.

That's my hubby (Ian) over there. This is his first trip to The World. *collective gasp* In his 29+1 years, he has never been to see Mickey. Poor guy. He is so excited after everything he has heard from us, so I hope it doesn't disappoint. While I may be the brains, he is the...financial backer if you will. Since about halfway through my pregnancy (although not by choice initially) I became a stay at home mama. So he is the sole bacon-bringer, and I am the cooker.

That handsome little dude is not a newcomer to this trip. That's Brett. Or Bubby as we call him. He's 10 and in 5th grade. He's my "baby" and growing up too darn fast. This will be his 5th visit to The World. Which is pretty darn good considering Ian hasn't been at all. He is most likely going to have to miss some baseball for this trip. Oops. Bad baseball mama, I am. But that's what happens when the season runs from March to October. Sheesh.

And that little dude would be the reason to our most recent cancelled trip. That's Mr. Lucas. Or, Lukie Pukie as he is so affectionately called by his mama. Since September 4th, he has been pretty much the center of everyone's world. I have spent just about every second with him since (except for that glorious few grocery shopping trips I got to take alone...few and far between). The farthest he has been away from home is pretty much the mall for Christmas shopping. I realize he will remember and appreciate absolutely nothing from this trip. But I will.

That's my sister, Molly. I believe this will be her 4th visit to The World. Which I just now realized is less than Brett. Well that's a bummer for her. She will be 20. Tomorrow as a matter of fact. She's going to the big-girl university next year. She is joining us because, well, she wants to go and we asked!

 

[meganw1985]

Hopefully attending will be those old folks up there. That's my mom (Julle) and dad (Ron) at our last family Disney vaca in 2008. My mom can't make up her mind and book already. Even though she KNOWS she can't miss Luke's first trip to Disney, and, surprisingly, my dad is itching to go. "To make sure that Bub has a good time". Give me a break. He has the Disney-itch and we all know it! Just can't admit it

We will be spending 6 glorious nights at this little beaut:

I have stayed at many a Disney Resort. Caribbean Beach and Coronado Springs included. So to round out my moderate resort experience, we had to book Port Orleans. (And French Quarter just doesn't really appeal to us). Don't get me wrong, my all-time dream is a week long stay at the Poly (heck, I'd even take the Contemporary, or even Wilderness Lodge or Beach Club again!) But have you SEEN the deluxe prices nowadays?! SHEESH! Highway robbery it is! I suggested maybe a family suite @ AoA, or even just staying at the Pop. My hubby vetoed both of those. And I have to say, I was slightly relieved. We stayed 1 night at Pop with 3 of us (and Bub was much smaller then) and there was NO room. I can't imagine 4 "adults" and an infant in a value room. And, bonus: we get one of those trundle beds.

We are hitting the road on July 3rd. Not quite a week after my birthday. Due to cost effectiveness, we will be making the 14 hour drive in my Trailblazer instead of our old 2 hour standby Southwest Airlines. I will be doing the majority of the driving, since we will be leaving after my hubby gets off his midnight section of swing shifts. I don't mind though. Daytime driving is no biggie. It's the nights that get me. However, we will be traveling with a 10 month old. So I'm expecting a lot of stops. I am not expecting to make it the whole way that day. My goal is to make it through the majority of Georgia (because that state is a nightmarish, black hole of a drive). If we have to stop, we have to stop. Perfect trip: we will make it all the way to Disney and grab a room Downtown Disney area. So we will see.

We will check in to POR on July 4th. Only thing I have planned for this day is dinner @ Biergarten and Illuminations. I'm hoping we can actually get in to the park to make our reservation, it being a holiday and all. I'm not sure what happens if it is closed due to capacity?

We check out on July 10th. In between we have reservations @ Sci-Fi Dine In (at the demands of my 10 year old, who swears they have the best mac & cheese ever, although I'm positive it's the same junk as everywhere else), Chef Mickey's (breakfast), Ohana (dinner), Boma (dinner), Crystal Palace (breakfast), and Cape May (dinner). I'm hoping to sneak in a quick lunch at Be Our Guest in there somewhere, and of course our favorite: Cosmic Ray's! We booked the dining plan. For convenience purposes only. After many times of number crunching and exploring all of our options, it was coming out pretty much even across the board (give or take a buck or so). I really wish I could justify getting an AP and TiW card, but what good would it do me to have an AP by myself? It wasn't going to be any cheaper. After talking to my hubby about it, he told me to book the DP just so it would all be taken care of ahead of time (short of one meal, which will be OOP). Plus I am going to get as many free refillable mugs as I can. All of mine have seriously disappeared from my house. And snacks. I'm a fruit tart lover.

Also after talking with my hubby, I got us park hoppers with the water park fun & more add-on. He really wants to go to Blizzard Beach. And I honestly wouldn't mind a couple hours at Typhoon Lagoon. I <3 water parks. So for $20 more a ticket, we are getting 6 fun visits. Instead of $50 for a day's admission to Blizzard Beach. Explain that one to me?? We will probably visit the water parks a couple of times, and maybe Disney Quest, as my oldest is becoming a video game lover and I think he will love it.

Am I missing any details?? Oh yes. Sadly there is one very important family member that will not be making the trip:

That's my baby girl, Lucie. She hasn't hardly been away from me since we adopted her on August 13. Just my 3 days in the hospital. And boy was she glad when we got home! I love her bunches! I tried to get Ian to let me take her to the Best Friends Pet Care so I could go see her, but his mom and dad live in the country and have a dog she can play with, and basically said I was being ridiculous. So she will stay at Maw & Paw's while we are gone

And just to round it out:

That's Perry. Perry the catapus. He isn't going to care that we're gone. As long as someone comes to feed him.

So I think that's all there is! I am going to use this TR to document all the little Disney details that happen to pop into my everyday life up until trip time. (Mickey pancakes, anyone??) But I promise there won't be much. I just need anything to get me by the next 125 days! Woo hoo!

 

[Zipadeelady]

Sounds like a great trip!! I loved Typhoon Lagoon. Blizzard Beach not so much....not sure really why. Maybe it was the water roller coaster or the shark reef at TL. Also your dog is A. DOR. A. BLE.

 

[disneygirl1]

I see you booked?!?!?! YAY!!! Gave up waiting for the discounts to come out? Can't say I blame you... I would have done the same thing! You can always have the discount applied when it comes out. Enjoy your trip. I know I sure can't wait for mine to get here!

 

[meganw1985]

Sounds like a great trip!! I loved Typhoon Lagoon. Blizzard Beach not so much....not sure really why. Maybe it was the water roller coaster or the shark reef at TL. Also your dog is A. DOR. A. BLE.

I have been to TL twice before. The first time (2000, I think?) I did the shark reef and I remember being scared out of my gourd and swimming across as quickly as possible. Plus I didn't really like the snorkel equipment. I have since mellowed out so I think I will like it. I have a weakness for wave pools My hubby loves speed slides, so BB was looking right up his alley. So we are doing both!

Thanks Lucie is a mama's girl. My hubby wanted a dog as SOON as we moved into our new house (4 times the size of our tiny rental, and over an acre of land). Me, not so much. I was 8-1/2 months preggers and not interested. We went to our local pound (not a no-kill shelter) and lo and behold she stole our hearts.

I see you booked?!?!?! YAY!!! Gave up waiting for the discounts to come out? Can't say I blame you... I would have done the same thing! You can always have the discount applied when it comes out. Enjoy your trip. I know I sure can't wait for mine to get here!

Nope. Didn't wait. I told my hubby "I'm booking AND I'm going to pay it off so its harder to back out!" LOL. Still hoping for a discount though. We MAY decide to downgrade if there isn't one, as paying for 4 adult prices is pretty pricey!

Our trips are so close together! Its a shame we won't be down there at the same time! Our boys would have a blast!

 

[Zipadeelady]

Thanks Lucie is a mama's girl. My hubby wanted a dog as SOON as we moved into our new house (4 times the size of our tiny rental, and over an acre of land). Me, not so much. I was 8-1/2 months preggers and not interested. We went to our local pound (not a no-kill shelter) and lo and behold she stole our hearts.

Thanks for saving lucie!!

 

[disneygirl1]

I have been to TL twice before. The first time (2000, I think?) I did the shark reef and I remember being scared out of my gourd and swimming across as quickly as possible. Plus I didn't really like the snorkel equipment. I have since mellowed out so I think I will like it. I have a weakness for wave pools My hubby loves speed slides, so BB was looking right up his alley. So we are doing both!

Thanks Lucie is a mama's girl. My hubby wanted a dog as SOON as we moved into our new house (4 times the size of our tiny rental, and over an acre of land). Me, not so much. I was 8-1/2 months preggers and not interested. We went to our local pound (not a no-kill shelter) and lo and behold she stole our hearts.



Nope. Didn't wait. I told my hubby "I'm booking AND I'm going to pay it off so its harder to back out!" LOL. Still hoping for a discount though. We MAY decide to downgrade if there isn't one, as paying for 4 adult prices is pretty pricey!

Our trips are so close together! Its a shame we won't be down there at the same time! Our boys would have a blast!

LOL!!! Good for you!!! I know Brett is around the same agee as Devon and once he hit 10 and had to start paying the ADULT prices that was a huge hurt $$$ wise!!! In my eyes as long as your in Disney does it really matter where you stay? Hopefully you don't have to downgrade though, mods are some much better then the values!

I know our trips are so close together it is a shame we won't be there at the same time! I think Devon and Brett would have definitely had a blast!!!

 

[meganw1985]

Today was a big day for trip planning! Went to my mom's and booked her trip for her. The convo went kinda like this:
Mom: "OK. Tell me how much it would be without the discount, and then with the discount, to make myself feel better."
Me: I do the math, and even compare for what it would be at Pop. "Mom, I really don't care where we stay. I just want us all to go."
Mom: "So, it's about a savings of $310 at Port Orleans, and $200 at Pop. Yeah, not worth it. Book Port Orleans."
Me:

When I got home, I called Disney to modify our ressie to take advantage of the room discount, link our 2 ressies together, and cancel my sister off of ours since mom and dad are now going.
Cast member: "I show we owe you a refund of $1,132. Is that OK?"
Me: "UM yes please!!!!!!"

lol. I plan on putting the majority of that on gift cards for shopping, tips (can they take tips off of a GC?) and misc. purchases. The rest will be put back to go towards gas. Which I'm expecting upwards of $600+ booooooo.

Oh well, magical day

 

[meganw1985]

Does anybody know if I will be able to take a pool floatie to the pool and the water parks (for the lazy river) for the baby? I don't see any rules against it in the policies, but I've never seen it done, either.

 

[lovepooh]

Sounds like a awesome trip!! we are going ourselves a week from Monday for the first time in 3years also! Hope to read all about your trip report!

 

[meganw1985]

50 days people!!! So excited!!!

Last night we had our first (of 16 planned: that is 2 per week up until departure day), Disney movie night parites! I picked out 16 Disney movies, (I was going to do only 8, 1 a week until we leave, but there are so many I wanted to do I went for 2 a week), and made up special menus to go with each one, and activities! Since it is just me and Brett (since Luke can't participate fully) we have also invited my cousin Mia (she's 7) who is also going to Disney for the first time in July! Not with us, though I seriously wish! Her dad has been before, when he was little, and he isn't a "Disney" kind of guy. He said he would never take the kids (she has an older brother, Austin, who is almost 14 and never been either). Their mom has never been, but has the makings to be a "Disney" kind of gal I really want to help Mia get excited about her trip, the way we always do! So last week, I Put all 16 movie names in a bowl, and Brett drew 2. First up was Lilo & Stitch! One of my faves, and definitely one of my fav menus!



Got the plates, cups, and table cloth from the Dollar Tree. The coconut cup I got from the Polynesian years ago.



Close up of the menu.



Here's Mia cutting out her flowers for her lei.



And my silly boy putting his together.



Here's my other silly boy trying to get in on the action! He always wants to be involved...



Yummy, soooooo good! The kids would have eaten ALL the chicken but I made them save a couple pieces for Ian when he got home from work. I left the sauce off in case Mia didn't like it. She's kind of picky. But wouldn't you know it, she loved it! I ended up not making chicken kabobs because my grill ran out of gas, so I just made strips. I don't like to make the wings as they take too long to fry (they are better fried than baked) and too messy.



Ended with this piece of deliciousness right here! Num Num! (This is from a box BTW. I did not want to make from scratch!) And watched the movie while eating it!

So there was party #1! 15 more to go! Tomorrow night is Snow White night. I seriously have not watched that movie in years. And I think Luke is trying to get into character today...as Grumpy lol. I will try and get all those pics posted after!

 

[Zman-ks]

Great pics!

 

[farrellbarrel]

This looks very exciting and the kids are adorable!

 

[meganw1985]

On Wed night we had our 2nd Disney movie party! It was.......



I didn't take many pictures this time, as there were more people here. My parents and sister decided to join us lol.

Dinner was (loosely) German inspired!



And the kids "dug for diamonds" AKA ring pops, in my Halloween candy cauldron!



They once again had a lot of fun, and are looking forward to next week's parties!

Earlier in the day, or maybe it was Tuesday, I'm not sure, I received some terrible news. My aunt texted and said that Austin's coach had cancelled their tournament in Orlando, and rescheduled it with 2 others, one in Indianapolis, and one in Chicago. So she was soooo bummed that they were possibly not going to get to go. Mia was going to be CRUSHED. She came over on Wednesday for the party anyway, and we had a good time. My aunt and uncle came over toward the end of the movie and started talking to my mom and me about prices, etc. so they could go anyway. And wouldn't you know it! The only time they are available to go is WITH US!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was seriously so excited I wanted to jump up and down! I get to see my 7 yo cousin see Cinderella's Castle for the first time! My mom and I had wished and wished we could go at the same time, and now we get to! I have been on the phone with my uncle, and on the Disney website all morning getting them booked.

So plans are as follows:
7/2: My uncle (Brad), aunt (Sandra), and kids (Austin & Mia) are leaving to head down
7/3: They will be going to Sea World today, and it is also Austin's birthday! They will be checking in to Riverside today. We will also be leaving home today to head down.
7/4: We will be getting into Orlando sometime early in the AM (prob around 1 or 2? depending on traffic and such) and *hopefully* getting a room around DTD. My mom thinks she will want to stop in GA, but I need to get closer to the Magic! Our original plan was for me and my sister to go outlet shopping in the morning, but since the rest of the fam will be waiting on us, we will prob postpone that until later in the trip. I need to get Mia to the Magic Kingdom ASAP! We check in to POR today. We have ADRs at the Biergarten @ 5:50pm for party of 11!!! Goal for the day: watch 4th of July Illuminations!
7/5: We have ADRs at Sci Fi @ 11:05am today
7/6: ADR at Ohana @ 9:30pm (yuk). I am hoping to move these to earlier time closer to the trip. If not, oh well. That's only 8:30pm our timezone.
7/7: Breakfast ADR at Chef Mickey's @ 7:30am. Also, dinner ADR at Boma @ 7:30pm. Probably head to MK after breakfast, and stay at AK until they close at 7.
7/8: Brad, Sandra, and the kids are leaving today *sniff sniff*. We had no ADRs booked for this day, so will probably spend it at the water parks since we have WPFM tickets and they do not.
7/9: Breakfast ADR (party of 7) at Crystal Palace @ 8:10am. Dinner ADR at Cape May Cafe @ 5:05pm.

Other than our ADRs, I haven't made any plans really. I usually have it planned exactly where we are going, when, and practically have our bathroom breaks planned. But with a baby, you never know. And a party of 11? With half of the party never having been before? I don't want to freak them out. I am so excited to take a little girl to Disney it is ridiculous. I have only taken my son. Well, and myself. My aunt wants to meet Rapunzel lol. Other than that, they really don't have many expectations and have left the whole thing up to me since they have no idea what to do. They aren't "ride people" so I'm having a hard time explaining that it isn't like that, Six Flags or whatever with tons of roller coasters, and there will be plenty they can do. Plus Brett and Austin are going to have so much fun together. They are old enough to where they can maybe have a little "freedom" within the parks. My mom and aunt can play with the baby while the rest of us ride the "big kid" rides, and it will hopefully be a fantastic trip!

47 days til departure!

 

[meganw1985]

We have 20 days left!!!! I have begun watching Disney vids on YouTube daily
Question: we booked the WPF&M onto our tickets. My hubby wanted to go to Blizzard Beach, and I wanted to go to Typhoon Lagoon. Since the WPF&M is about the cost of one day ticket, we obviously decided to do that (wish I had realized this in 2005). Question is, we are probably only going to use 2 or 3 of our 6 fun visits. My mom and dad may not use any (or just 1 or 2). I know this is probably one of those "refillable mug" or "pool hopping" kind of drama-filled questions, but would it be possible for our cousins to use one of them? They are only there 4 days, so did not book the WPF&M option. I know there have been instances where people have let others use their unused dining credits before.

 

[meganw1985]

Shut the front door.

I'm leaving tomorrow!!!!

Eeeeeek!!!

My aunt, uncle, and cousins are leaving today. Driving to Atlanta (approx halfway, about 7 hours) then driving the rest of the day tomorrow, staying out by the airport, so they can hit up Sea World bright and early on Wednesday. They check in at POR Wednesday night and the Disney fun begins Thursday for them!

We leave tomorrow evening (around 7:30-8ish) and have to drop my baby Lucie off with my BFF Steph on the way (they live about half an hour south of us on the interstate) and will be hitting 24 hopefully around the time the boys are settling in for the night. We debated about driving through the night. But with a 10 month old, we thought it might be best, not knowing how he would be in a 14 hour car ride. We will be hitting up St. Pete beach on Wednesday, and visit with a college friend of mine, and then heading to Orlando that evening. We have reservations at the Claremont Inn in Kissimmee that night, and checking in to POR bright and early Thursday morning so we can hit the parks with the cousins!

My parents are getting a late start. My sister had to have this linear algebra class this summer to be able to start her education program in the fall. She is missing next Monday and Wednesday, so she thought she at least needed to go this Monday and Wednesday. She will get out around noon on Wednesday, and they will hit the road (about the time I will be catching some beach rays. Ahhhhhh.) if they drive straight through, should get to the Claremont around 2am. They will possibly not get checked in at POR and get their magic started until lunchtime Thursday. Lol.

Plan for Thursday: gave the "new kids" (Mia and Austin) the choice of Animal Kingdom or Hollywood Studios for the morning. I think we are leaning toward HS. Magic Kingdom after, and Epcot in the evening! Hooray!!!!

But today I have housework, packing, and snacks to make for the car ride/room. I'm gonna listen to live365 an watch YouTube videos while I'm doing my pre vaca chores though