Pre-Trip The "I Graduated & Mom Can Get On Everything" Trip

Hello, hello fellow Disney lovers & welcome to my first PTR!
*yay*
I have been reading PTR's and TR's on this website for about a year now and I am obsessed.

A little background: I have been to Disney a lot.... like 20 something times. However, the last trip was in 2008 and it is sad to say that I don't remember most of it. The trip actually seems prehistoric - I'm talking the Fasspasses were paper and there was no such thing as a Magic Band. Since High School, I told my mom that I know going to Disney is a lot, with funds and time, but I wanted to go for COLLEGE graduation. In 2009 as a Freshman in High School that seemed so far away. Fast Forward to 2016 - I graduate December 22nd from University of Maryland - Baltimore County with a Bachelors Degree in English - Communication and Technology! Mom kept up her end of the bargain and we are going to Disney!

So not only is this a big deal because I graduated, but this is also a big deal because my mom had major weight-loss surgery last year. While she doesn't really like to talk about it, she LOOKS GREAT and she FEELS EVEN BETTER! We went to Hershey Park a few months ago and she was thrilled that she was able to get on everything no problem - so now, she's even more excited about going to Disney!

Okay on to the fun stuff:

When: January 17th - January 21st 2017 (We wanted to wait until the Holiday mumbo-jumbo was over)

Where: Art of Animation in The Little Mermaid Room (literally OBSESSED with anything related to The Little Mermaid)

Who: Just Mom & I

You should get used to these pictures because we never take any serious ones... That's mom on the left & me on the right - aren't we cuties

Plans & Must Do's (while we really want to do everything, we both have must do's!):

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January 17th: We land in Orlando around 8:30 - after that it is off to Epcot!

Must Do's: Frozen Ever After (this is new for both of us!), Soarin' (Mom has never been on this & It's all she has talked about since we booked the trip ), Test track (I heard this has changed - also, mom has never been on this)

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January 18th: Animal Kingdom/Disney Springs Day

Must Do's: Kilimanjaro Safaris (we want to try and do this first thing - a definite FP), DINOSAUR (an oldie, but a goodie in our family), Festival of the Lion King (we both really want to do this)

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January 19th: Home Sweet Home - Magic Kingdom

Must Do's: PREPARE FOR A LONG LIST LOL - Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin (one of my favorite's), Haunted Mansion (oldie, but a goodie), Pirates of the Caribbean (one of Mom's faves), Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (this is new for us), Journey of The Little Mermaid (a new one for us), Enchanted Tiki Room (it's tradition & one of Mom's faves)

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January 20th: Hollywood Studios

Must Do's: Tower Of Terror (I absolutely HATE this ride - not because it's bad, but because i'm afraid of elevators but i promised Mom 1 ride and 1 ride only), Beauty and The Beast - Live on Stage (this has become a tradition), Fantasmic! (we heard this was great), Rock 'n' Roller Coaster (we LOVE this ride), Toy Story Mania (one of my faves)

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January 21st: Magic Kingdom until we have to leave

Must Do's: basically try to squeeze in everything before we have to go home

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We aren't planning any meals or anything because mom can only eat like three bites and she's full so I didn't see any point in planning any huge meals.

Also, I know I'm 22, but I still want to meet characters! I'm having them sign pieces of fabric and my aunt is going to make them into a blanket for me - super excited about that

So that's our trip! Any tips or input is welcome! Also, would love to hear favorite quick service places to eat in different parks. Like I said, it has been like 8 years - any help would be great

 

[PacNWTigger]

Congratulations on your upcoming graduation and Disney vacation!! What a wonderful way to celebrate! And congrats to your mom too on the weight loss! I look forward to hearing more about your trip.

 

[MomofPrincessGrace]

Congratulations on graduating college. This trip is well deserved. Just wanted to give you a tip for the fabric you are going to have the characters sign. Take a hoop (like for cross-stitching) with you to put the fabric in before they sign. This will make it a lot easier for the to sign the surface of the fabric. Looking forward to your TR!

 

[SpaceRanger014]

Congratulations on graduating college. This trip is well deserved. Just wanted to give you a tip for the fabric you are going to have the characters sign. Take a hoop (like for cross-stitching) with you to put the fabric in before they sign. This will make it a lot easier for the to sign the surface of the fabric. Looking forward to your TR!

Thank you for the tip!

 

[blreinsel]

I love your autograph quilt idea! I'm 24 and meeting characters is ALWAYS one of my top priorities at the parks, so don't feel bad.

 

[JustKeepSwimming]

So excited to read your report! In terms of quick service places, we love to do the pub or the place in Mexico in the world showcase. We also seem to always end up eating at Cosmic Ray's or Casey's Corner in the Magic Kingdom.

 

[SpaceRanger014]

Finals week is upon us & that means..... 42 DAYS TIL DISNEY!

 

[kaitertot5249]

Yay! Congrats on graduating and your trip to Disney!!!! Everyone is given a free pass to let their inner child shine while they're at Disney. My boyfriend and I went on a long weekend trip last January, we were 22 at the time and meeting characters was one of our top priorities too (our first purchase was an autograph book )!

The end of January was a great time for us to visit, it was MLK weekend and crowds were forecasted to be pretty high but we didn't feel like it was crowded at all. We were able to do everything we wanted to and more. Wait times weren't bad at all, our longest wait was 30-minutes for Winnie the Pooh which surprised us but we weren't complaining! One tip I do have for you is in regards to weather and packing -- it gets chilly at night in January so make sure that you bring a sweatshirt (and long pants if you don't wear them all day) to put on once the sun went down. I'm pretty sure the temps dropped down into the low-50s maybe even upped-40s while we were there and we were NOT prepared. That being said, the mid-day temps were incredible! Low- to mid-70s every day!

I hope you have a great trip!!!! Good luck on your finals!

 

[SpaceRanger014]

Graduation was yesterday & we are at 25 MORE DAYS!

 

[SpaceRanger014]

Mom decided to gift me the gift of ANY character meal of my choosing. We had done Chef Mickey's when I was younger, but wanted something different. We both agreed we wold be Tusker House on the day we go to AK. We've never been here, but I have heard good things. Still Counting down the days!

 

[John C. Shepherd]

congrats on your Graduation and to your mom for her surgery. You both are cute and look to be alot of fun to hang out with anywhere.
As for charactor meets dont be embarrassed i get giddy when ever i go to disney. I hope you have a great time, love the plans you have and the autograph idea.
Let us know how it all goes when you get back.