Trip Report She Thought We Were Going To The Beach...Surprised?

Hello Everyone!

This is my first attempt at a trip report so bear with me!

WHO:
Me - JoAnna (25)

Daughter - Gracie (6)

Sister - Halie (22)

WHEN:
May 6th - May 13th

WHERE:
Port Orleans Riverside

WHY:
Halie is graduating from college with her Bachelors in Psychology (I believe that's what it is), and Gracie will be celebrating the completion of her first year of big girl school, Kindergarten.

A little background first. In September of 2015 we went to WDW to celebrate Gracie's 5th birthday. I the summer before I had decided that we wanted to go to Disney, and then realized that her birthday was a great time to go. She wasn't in school yet, so it was so easy for us to just choose a date and go. This also meant that I didn't have to worry about throwing a birthday party, which I was all for! I packed her birthday gifts and took them with us so she would have some gifts to open on her special day. We stayed in AoA Little Mermaid Room and had a blast. She was able to eat her birthday breakfast at CRT, what more can a girl ask for?

Some pictures from that trip to follow.

 

[WDWDarling]

Awww thanks Are yall staying at POR as well?

Not this time. We stayed there last year and I really loved it. One of the most peaceful moments I've ever had at Disney was sitting outside our room with a cup of coffee, watching the rain fall on the river. Ughhhh, I wish I was there now instead of at work lol.

This year we're doing a split stay at the Swan and Caribbean Beach.

 

[MomofPrincessGrace]

Not this time. We stayed there last year and I really loved it. One of the most peaceful moments I've ever had at Disney was sitting outside our room with a cup of coffee, watching the rain fall on the river. Ughhhh, I wish I was there now instead of at work lol.

This year we're doing a split stay at the Swan and Caribbean Beach.

Ahhhh im so excited. Rainy days at Disney are 1000000% better than any day at work . The Swan looks so nice! From what I have heard its much quieter than other resorts.

 

[MomofPrincessGrace]

In 50 days we will be in WDW. I am getting more excited everyday!

 

[MomofPrincessGrace]

38 Days!!!!! We went and saw Beauty and the Beast yesterday, I went in with low expectations because I didn't expect Emma Watson to do a good Belle, but boy was I wrong. The movie was told so well, and Emma did SO MUCH better than I thought she would. The Beast was also portrayed very well. There were a few parts where I got teary eyed. I will definitely be buying the DVD when it comes out.

 

[Zipadeelady]

*sigh* 38 days!! I'm so jealous right now..

 

[MomofPrincessGrace]

*sigh* 38 days!! I'm so jealous right now..

It literally cannot get here quick enough!

 

[MomofPrincessGrace]

30 Days!!!!! Magicbands are in the process of getting shipped any day now. I also received some Mickey Mail with the little savings booklet they send our with the Magic Your Way packages. Ordered Gracie an autograph book off Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BSWX1LE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) and it is soooo cute. Last trip we just had a flip-pad type book, but this one we can insert the pictures of her with the characters next to their autograph. For less than $14 I think this is a steal, plus I used a gift card making it an even better deal.

 

[MomofPrincessGrace]

Look what came in the mail yesterday!

We also have the super cute luggage tags, which we wont be using since we are driving. I wonder if the luggage tag style you get depends on the color Magic Band you request. We had 2 pink and 1 purple Magic Bands, and we got 2 pink and 1 purple luggage tags... Just an observation.

I will say that I was thinking these bands were going to be much bulker than our band in 2015. I tried on our old band and compared it to the new ones and the new ones definitely feel thinner. I also like the disc shape of the Mickey head, almost had the same look as if you were wearing a watch.

23 more days!

 

[Zipadeelady]

Yea!! I love Disney Mail!!! Our last trip also had luggage tags that matched our bands so I'm guessing it's intentional.

23 Days!! Are the bags packed yet?

 

[MomofPrincessGrace]

Yea!! I love Disney Mail!!! Our last trip also had luggage tags that matched our bands so I'm guessing it's intentional.

23 Days!! Are the bags packed yet?

Not yet. That is my plan for this weekend. With it being Easter weekend we are going to be super busy, but I have to start. I have made a list of some last minute things to buy (sunscreen being the most important) and plan on getting everything bought, including snacks and drinks for on the way down, Friday. 3 weekends until the trip and I am starting to feel the packing pressure. I know one things though, I will make sure that I remember kids toothpaste. Packed toothbrushes for me and Gracie but only remembered my toothpaste which burned Gracie's mouth. Payed around $4 for a travel size kids toothpaste in the AoA gift shop.

 

[MomofPrincessGrace]

TEN MORE DAYS! I have pulled out everything to pack, and I am sending Gracie to her grandparents this weekend so I can pack in peace. My goal is to have everything packed and the car loaded by Thursday. Halie's graduation ceremony is Friday at 4, so I will only be working half the day and we probably wont be getting home until around 9 p.m.

I also just booked the Family Magic Tour in MK upon suggestion from @Much-Pixie-Dust for Friday, May 12th. The tour is like a scavenger hunt for the kids and it lasts about 2 hours. For only $50 per person it seemed like a great add-on experience. We were planning on that Friday to be our just do whatever we missed day anyway. We can keep our Enchanted Tales FP and will just head to Town Square Theater right after.

I did have to switch around fast pass times, and because there were no more available FP for 7DMT we dropped that and picked up Splash Mountain for 12:15-1:15 which will probably feel pretty nice during the heat of the day. The earliest time I could get for Peter Pan was 4:45, but we have dinner at 1900 Park Fare, so I took at 7:50 FP slot but might drop this if we get to ride Peter Pan on the tour.

Does anyone have a ride that they enjoy riding at night that has a different experience during the day? We might change from Peter Pan to something else if there is something recommended to be ridden at night. I know I want to ride the People Mover at night, for a different ride feel. Any suggestions?

 

[MomofPrincessGrace]

So I am back. I have been avoiding the forums since coming back due to the post-Disney depression that occurs when coming back to reality. I can't remember play-by-play details, but I will try my best to give you all a look into our super fun trip. I am planning on having all of the pictures uploaded this weekend (I have a bunch), but until then I guess I can start with the drive down to Orlando...

 

[MomofPrincessGrace]

So we left from just south of Birmingham around 4 a.m. with plans to get to the resort around 3 p.m. EST. We arent the type to make many stops, just usual potty breaks and stops to stretch our legs. Once we got to the Florida welcome center we decided that we would give Gracie a card that said "You Thought We Were Going To The Beach, But We Are Actually Going To DISNEY WORLD!" I also had her ear hat from last trip and her magic band ready to go. Now let me preface this, Gracie loves the beach because that means that we are staying somewhere with a pool. She isnt a big fan of sand, or the ocean, but just likes the atmosphere...and the pool. For a few weeks leading up to the trip, she was telling everyone that she was excited about the beach. You may ask why we decided to use "beach" as our code word. Two reasons really. She knows that the beach is in Florida, so we could talk about what our plans were in Florida without her being suspicious. Also, she knows that when we go to the beach, we leave early in the morning. With that being said, back to what happened. We get to the welcome center, everybody had a bathroom break, and we meet back at the car. I had my sister take her to the bathroom, so i could get everything out and waiting for her. I was so excited I couldnt stand it. I hand her the card, she reads it, and she says, we arent going to Disney, we are going to the beach! She automatically goes into what I can only explain as denial. She wanted to go the the beach. Of course, me being the completely rational parent that I am, get mad because she is acting so ungrateful. I start to cry because I am SO upset and deflated that she isn't excited about Disney and I didnt get anywhere near the reaction that I hoped so hard for. We get back on the road, and I have my sister show her pictures of where we are staying, that the pool has a waterslide, and try to really get her pumped up and excited. After about 20 minutes I believe that the confusion wears off, I stop being upset, she puts her ear hat on and starts getting very excited about Disney. She wants to know every detail and all of our plans, which really helps passing time.

Next up: Phone crashes, road construction, and seeing Port Orleans Riverside for the first time.

 

[amjt660]

Wow - 4 months after - I can't remember what I did 4 days ago (but then I am old(er) than you)
I usually wait a couple of weeks to write a TR

I hope you are back in good (Disney) spirits and I look forward to the pics and the stories

Max

 

[MomofPrincessGrace]

I forgot to mention, but the day before we left was my little sister's college graduation. I got luck (in my opinion) because the air conditioner at work went out so I got to take of the day before and the day of her graduation. Since we were leaving the next morning, I really needed that extra time to pack up last minute things.

 

[MomofPrincessGrace]

Wow - 4 months after - I can't remember what I did 4 days ago (but then I am old(er) than you)
I usually wait a couple of weeks to write a TR

I hope you are back in good (Disney) spirits and I look forward to the pics and the stories

Max

Thanks Max! I am going to try my hardest to remember, Im sure I will forget some small stuff, but hopefully I can hit all the big points!