Leopardchucks
Riff Raff, Street Rat
- Joined
- Mar 15, 2018
Hello all!
This will be my very first PTR ever. I've been really enjoying reading through these threads and getting lots of ideas from all you creative planners. I have decided to participate in creating my own PTR for a couple reasons. First, I think my family is sick to death of listening to me drone on and on about the teensiest details of our vacay. Also, this format provides a more organized reference for such details aside from my scribbly Leuchturm bullet journal.
INTRODUCTIONS
I am Heather.
View attachment 495492
I am the big ol' Disney nerd in the family. I have been to Disneyland a bajillion times, but only to WDW once before. I work as a manager at a popular seafood restaurant in fabulous Las Vegas, NV. I'm a collector of all things Mickey. I love going to concerts, urban exploring and working on all kinds of art projects. Since I have visited before, I am really excited to organize a fabulous first trip for my two favorite people.
This is Frank.
Originally from Anaheim, California, Frank is my partner and the love of my life. He is currently working on his Masters in History and Anthropology. He collects vintage Star Wars toy figures/vehicles. When he isn't studying or hanging with me (and the kiddo), he can be singing or playing guitar in one of his punk bands. He is a very go-with-the-flow kinda dude and is really content with letting me do all the planning. He's just happy to be along for the ride. He likes all the rides, but has expressed a lot of interest in Country Bear Jamboree and the People Mover because he hasn't been able to see them since his childhood (they removed from Disneyland a long time ago.)
Here is Gumby!
View attachment 495494
Gumby is my super awesome 16 year old son. His legal name is Johnny, but only doctors and teachers call him that. lol Everyone in our family and circle of friends calls him by his nickname, even my grandmother! This kiddo is the sweetest mama's boy you will ever meet. He is severely autistic and is non-verbal. However, we have never let that stop us from going out and doing things as a family. Gumby adores amusement parks, swimming, dancing, watching YouTube and EATING ALL THE SNACKS! He has been to Disneyland several times and we are annual passholders for Knott's Berry Farm. His favorite rides are Splash Mountain and Haunted Mansion (just like his mom.)
We are a family of thrill-seekers. We love exploring new places and trying new activities. Give us all the roller coasters! Give us all the unusual food and drinks! Plop us all in a log flume and we will never be happier.
Thanks in advance for joining us on our planning (and touring!) journey. I look forward to sharing our experiences with everyone.
VACAY DATES:
The plan is to do 16 days in January. Arriving on the 4th in late afternoon and departing on the 19th in the evening. We chose these dates because the amount of school Frank will be missing is minimal. Because Gumby is in an adapted special education program, we have a great deal more flexibility with absences than many other parents of teens do. For me, this whole trip will eat up my entire chunk of paid vacay days, but it's worth it. We anticipate getting 10-day hopper + tickets. Park hopping is essential for us as it allows us the ability to adapt in the case of over-stimulation and not being restricted to certain parks in dining/attraction plans. Having the start of the Festival Of The Arts occur while there will be super cool. However, we are not looking forward to the Marathon Weekend crowds.
TRAVEL SPECS:
We will be flying from Las Vegas and utilizing Magical Express to get to and from WDW. For the remainder of the trip, we will be reliant upon Disney transportation. I'm particularly jazzed to check out the Skyliner. We might use Uber or Lyft here and there, but I want to avoid unnecessary spending. Gumby thinks the transportation systems are just as fun as some rides. I am going to make an effort to ride each one of these : monorail, ferry boats, skyliner, buses.
HOTEL:
Pop Century!
I had a split stay last trip (All Star Sports/Polynesian). It ended up being a big hassle for me. I felt like I wasted half a day just schlepping my crap around and checking-in. This time, I chose our lodging based on price and location. Pop Century is sooooo close to the Skyliner. Since we are getting park hopper plus passes, we can get our water slide fix at one of the water parks. Needing just a comfy and convenient spot to sleep and bathe, PC will suit us perfectly. I'm really hoping to take some fun pictures around the resort. Fingers crossed we end up in the building with the Mickey Mouse phone statue. I have already booked our rooms as a "room only" stay, but I intend to upgrade to a package as soon as those are released. The friendly CM I spoke to while booking explained that those packages will for sure be released BEFORE my ADR booking window.
ITINERARY:
Our focus is on experiencing each attraction at least once! I'm aware it's a lofty goal. We have a handful of must-do dining planned and a list of some must-have snacks. Our ADR date is July 8th. A lot of my planning will depend on park hours and special events (Race weekend, festivals, EMH, etc). I compiled a list of must have snacks and a few must-try activities. Out of my lists, I broke the ADRs, snacks and activities up by park. We will have a loose daily agenda with a few daily goals (attractions, food,etc). The rest of the time can be used to re-ride stuff (Gumby looooves repetition) or relax and decompress.
My next post will describe our dining plans. Table service, Quick service, snacks and our plans to stock the room with goodies from the grocery store.
Thanks for reading this far!
This will be my very first PTR ever. I've been really enjoying reading through these threads and getting lots of ideas from all you creative planners. I have decided to participate in creating my own PTR for a couple reasons. First, I think my family is sick to death of listening to me drone on and on about the teensiest details of our vacay. Also, this format provides a more organized reference for such details aside from my scribbly Leuchturm bullet journal.
INTRODUCTIONS
I am Heather.
View attachment 495492
I am the big ol' Disney nerd in the family. I have been to Disneyland a bajillion times, but only to WDW once before. I work as a manager at a popular seafood restaurant in fabulous Las Vegas, NV. I'm a collector of all things Mickey. I love going to concerts, urban exploring and working on all kinds of art projects. Since I have visited before, I am really excited to organize a fabulous first trip for my two favorite people.
This is Frank.
Originally from Anaheim, California, Frank is my partner and the love of my life. He is currently working on his Masters in History and Anthropology. He collects vintage Star Wars toy figures/vehicles. When he isn't studying or hanging with me (and the kiddo), he can be singing or playing guitar in one of his punk bands. He is a very go-with-the-flow kinda dude and is really content with letting me do all the planning. He's just happy to be along for the ride. He likes all the rides, but has expressed a lot of interest in Country Bear Jamboree and the People Mover because he hasn't been able to see them since his childhood (they removed from Disneyland a long time ago.)
Here is Gumby!
View attachment 495494
Gumby is my super awesome 16 year old son. His legal name is Johnny, but only doctors and teachers call him that. lol Everyone in our family and circle of friends calls him by his nickname, even my grandmother! This kiddo is the sweetest mama's boy you will ever meet. He is severely autistic and is non-verbal. However, we have never let that stop us from going out and doing things as a family. Gumby adores amusement parks, swimming, dancing, watching YouTube and EATING ALL THE SNACKS! He has been to Disneyland several times and we are annual passholders for Knott's Berry Farm. His favorite rides are Splash Mountain and Haunted Mansion (just like his mom.)
We are a family of thrill-seekers. We love exploring new places and trying new activities. Give us all the roller coasters! Give us all the unusual food and drinks! Plop us all in a log flume and we will never be happier.
Thanks in advance for joining us on our planning (and touring!) journey. I look forward to sharing our experiences with everyone.
VACAY DATES:
The plan is to do 16 days in January. Arriving on the 4th in late afternoon and departing on the 19th in the evening. We chose these dates because the amount of school Frank will be missing is minimal. Because Gumby is in an adapted special education program, we have a great deal more flexibility with absences than many other parents of teens do. For me, this whole trip will eat up my entire chunk of paid vacay days, but it's worth it. We anticipate getting 10-day hopper + tickets. Park hopping is essential for us as it allows us the ability to adapt in the case of over-stimulation and not being restricted to certain parks in dining/attraction plans. Having the start of the Festival Of The Arts occur while there will be super cool. However, we are not looking forward to the Marathon Weekend crowds.
TRAVEL SPECS:
We will be flying from Las Vegas and utilizing Magical Express to get to and from WDW. For the remainder of the trip, we will be reliant upon Disney transportation. I'm particularly jazzed to check out the Skyliner. We might use Uber or Lyft here and there, but I want to avoid unnecessary spending. Gumby thinks the transportation systems are just as fun as some rides. I am going to make an effort to ride each one of these : monorail, ferry boats, skyliner, buses.
HOTEL:
Pop Century!
I had a split stay last trip (All Star Sports/Polynesian). It ended up being a big hassle for me. I felt like I wasted half a day just schlepping my crap around and checking-in. This time, I chose our lodging based on price and location. Pop Century is sooooo close to the Skyliner. Since we are getting park hopper plus passes, we can get our water slide fix at one of the water parks. Needing just a comfy and convenient spot to sleep and bathe, PC will suit us perfectly. I'm really hoping to take some fun pictures around the resort. Fingers crossed we end up in the building with the Mickey Mouse phone statue. I have already booked our rooms as a "room only" stay, but I intend to upgrade to a package as soon as those are released. The friendly CM I spoke to while booking explained that those packages will for sure be released BEFORE my ADR booking window.
ITINERARY:
Our focus is on experiencing each attraction at least once! I'm aware it's a lofty goal. We have a handful of must-do dining planned and a list of some must-have snacks. Our ADR date is July 8th. A lot of my planning will depend on park hours and special events (Race weekend, festivals, EMH, etc). I compiled a list of must have snacks and a few must-try activities. Out of my lists, I broke the ADRs, snacks and activities up by park. We will have a loose daily agenda with a few daily goals (attractions, food,etc). The rest of the time can be used to re-ride stuff (Gumby looooves repetition) or relax and decompress.
My next post will describe our dining plans. Table service, Quick service, snacks and our plans to stock the room with goodies from the grocery store.
Thanks for reading this far!