The best laid plans of mouse and woman... a pre-trip report

[gallmcduck]

your trip is getting closer. Loved your pics

 

[JLR]

your trip is getting closer. Loved your pics

Thanks!

Wow - I can hardly believe that my trip is only 5 weeks from tomorrow!

I ordered Ride Max - I don't know that it will give me all that much more than TGM, but we'll see. It I think is helpful in developing the strategy for the evenings we will be at MK. It looks like we may be able to get a fair number of rides done on the two evenings, so we don't have to be totally commando on our rope drop day.

I still don't know when or at what park we'll use our GAD FPs. It is comforting to have them just in case!

It is funny that my daughter, who still doesn't know we are going told me the other day"when we go to Disney we HAVE to eat at Cat Cora's restaurant!" I wanted to tell her I've got you covered honey! I just played it cool.

Madeline's birthday is on Wednesday. I want so badly to tell her! She is being so good about this delay of gratification thing! I hope she won't be too tired at the airport when I finally tell her!

 

[cmp1111]

Wow - I can hardly believe that my trip is only 5 weeks from tomorrow!

So close!

 

[smithpack]

I was wondering why I hadn't gotten your latest update, and then I noticed that I still had not subscribed to your thread. Don't worry, I am subbing now. Your trip is so close, and I look forward to hearing about it. Your DD is going to be so excited!!!



Love the care package production line, and I am sure that your younger DD that was on the table was a big help. I know how that kind of help goes.

 

[JLR]

I was wondering why I hadn't gotten your latest update, and then I noticed that I still had not subscribed to your thread. Don't worry, I am subbing now. Your trip is so close, and I look forward to hearing about it. Your DD is going to be so excited!!!



Love the care package production line, and I am sure that your younger DD that was on the table was a big help. I know how that kind of help goes.

I'm sure you do! I always forget about subbing and then end up searching all over for the threads!

Now I've got this big huge list of everything I want to bring, but of course I really don't want to check any bags on the way down. (I am planning to check a bag for souvies on the way back) Normally I travel very light, but the more you DIS, the more you think you need!

Madeline's 9th birthday was yesterday. We had cupcakes at school and a nice supper at a local Thai restaurant (her choice). Awesome food - totally cheap except that I had to leave an enromous tip to cover the truly masterful mess the twins left. Now that I think of it - I wish I had taken a picture of te mess!

My newest dilemma: contact lenses.

My DD is in no way ready for contact lenses, but I thought it would be great for our Discovery Cove day. Well at her eye appointment they gave us a whole bunch of single day disposable lenses. We are going to try them out this weekend. If she can tolerate them we may use them throughout the trip - then she can wear real dark sunglasses instead of the clip on kind. How wierd is this - she wears the same Rx as I do! I am still going to order prescription goggles for her, just in case. She can use those for swim class and this summer.

 

[gallmcduck]

I'm thinking you may be on your way to wdw How did the surprise go? Was it just great to see DD's face at the surprise? Have a wonderful trip

 

[bitohoney]

Yay I found someone going the exact same dates as me!

 

[gallmcduck]

Duh I've just realised that we are still in March silly me you've still got a month Hope the suprise goes as planned

 

[JLR]

Yay I found someone going the exact same dates as me!

-*Yeah! I hope the crowds and weather cooperate. I'll write more later. My children are trying to "help."

 

[JLR]

Gall McDuck: How I wish!!!!! But I am in the last 4 week countdown.

Bitohoney: I feel the same way. I am so euphoric I want everyone else to have this happiness! Too bad our kids are such different ages - otherwise we could share our GAD FPs.

Woo Hoo

I checked the Discovery Cove site today and learned that they lowered the price on the day I want to attend (4/25) $40 per ticket! So I saved a total of $85.60!

I am still debating about the Sea World Guided tour. I think 7 hours starting at 10:30 in the morning on day 7 of our trip will be too much! If I cancel that, that is $225 back in my pocket although I'll have to spring for lunch, drinks, and snacks.

I still have NO idea if Madeline will be a ride junkie or not! State Fair Midway rides don't give you an idea of what a real ride is like!

Oh well - even if I choose "wrong" I think we'll have an awesome time!

Oh - you know all this talk of money saved: well not really in the long run. I bought a laptop to take with us! I've been resisting getting one - I like the old towers! But last fall I could really have used one at a conference, and best buy had exactly what I wanted for less than $400 so I got it! I thought it would be nice to be able to run Ridemax in the morning and download (and upload to photobucket) my photos every night as back-up. So see - I'm not really saving anything!

I was using the laptop to access DIS the other night (when I had to stop my post) when the babies went nuts for the dancing banana! Now they ask me several times a day if they can see the dancing banana and the pictures of "mommypoppymadlinlenafifnana" from the first page of my pretrip report! I cannot believe that Madeline hasn't caught on yet!

She is very funny! She is voraciously planning for Minneapolis! (Sound like anyone she is related to?!): Mall-of-America, the indoor amusement park and aquarium, all the shopping, the pool at the hotel, the Minneapolis zoo and she read that Minneapolis has an American Girl Store. I hope she won't be too disappointed to go to Disney!

 

[smithpack]

That is too funny that Madeline is planning for Minnieapolis. She will be so excited about Disney, but she may panic that she doesn't have any plans.

I also like this name....mommypoppymadlinlenafifnana

Can't wait to hear about Discovery Cove. I have heard good things about it!!

 

[JLR]

That is too funny that Madeline is planning for Minnieapolis. She will be so excited about Disney, but she may panic that she doesn't have any plans.

I also like this name....mommypoppymadlinlenafifnana

Can't wait to hear about Discovery Cove. I have heard good things about it!!

I get a kick out of that as well. I think the way they all say Viviana as Feefeenana is so cute (hard not to copy). My husband says it would be a great name for an all female Sha-na-na tribute band.

I am excited too and if we don't do it this trip it will probably be 4 years since I think it would be cruel to go in 2012 when Elena and Viviana will not be old enough yet to swim with the dolphins. You know this means it's 6.75 years before you can take all your family!

 

[JLR]

Some minor changes in hours at WDW

They are adding spectromagic almost every night I am there except the Grad nights. Does that mean it is going to be packed?

I just booked the Wishes Dessert party for myself and my daughter for Wednesday the 21st - the day we are planning to see Wishes. Now I am second guessing. 2 things: 1. Disney has Wishes scheduled at 9 and Spectro at 10 (only 1 parade that night) - is that possible? Would they keep Wishes early and Spectro later? 2. I was planning to watch Wishes farther down Main Street and "slip" out of the park before the mobs.

I guess there is a third thing: Too much sugar makes me hypoglycemic so I'll probably just be having the fruit anyway.

Maybe I'll cancel.

 

[DisMomAmy]

Hi! Thanks for stopping by my PTR - thought I'd come over and join your fun too. Your plans look great - but it looks like you'll probably be at Discovery Cove & Sea World on the days we overlap so it does't look like we'll cross paths.

Your family is beautiful. I think it's fantastic that you're taking a mother/oldest daughter trip. You will both have blast - and you're staying at my dream resort.

 

[skier_pete]

Some minor changes in hours at WDW

They are adding spectromagic almost every night I am there except the Grad nights. Does that mean it is going to be packed?

I just booked the Wishes Dessert party for myself and my daughter for Wednesday the 21st - the day we are planning to see Wishes. Now I am second guessing. 2 things: 1. Disney has Wishes scheduled at 9 and Spectro at 10 (only 1 parade that night) - is that possible? Would they keep Wishes early and Spectro later? 2. I was planning to watch Wishes farther down Main Street and "slip" out of the park before the mobs.

I guess there is a third thing: Too much sugar makes me hypoglycemic so I'll probably just be having the fruit anyway.

Maybe I'll cancel.

Hi, just came over from your DHS TSM question post and real quick scanned your PTR....our trip dates are overlapping, and we are surprising DD(6 almost 7) with our trip as well. (She doesn't have a clue, she is a total WDW addict and talks about it all the time, but only knows we are going in October.)

So....on your question above, while it's extremely rare to have Spectro after Wishes, it does occasionally happen. (Usually on busy days there are 2 Spectros, one before and one after...but on this date (4/21) it appears only to be after.)

I personally would skip the Wishes dessert party. I have heard many bad reviews for the quality of the desserts, and I can vouch that the location is not the greatest for Wishes (though it's pretty good). So NOT worth the money. The BEST is to stand just south of the hub. If you want to leave right after Wishes, you can still get through the crowds pretty quickly if it is just you and DD. When leaving, a lot of people will be sticking around for Spectro...head into the stores on the right side as you head down main street. (Not, Casey's, but the one just past it.) They are all connected together inside, and you will be able to get through the crowds much faster. (Make sure to check the calendar when you get there...they may throw an 8 PM Spectro in there at the last minute.)

A bit of other advice...the #1 thing that new travelers to WDW do wrong is to not know what they are getting into and not make a plan....the #2 thing they do wrong is plan to do too much. I worry with your schedule you are falling into the second category. Your DD is a bit older than ours, but ours couldn't handle the pace you have. (And she is a WDW-vet, this being her 5th trip). Late nights and early mornings take their tolls after a few days. I am not telling you to change your plans, I am just suggesting that you go into it with an attitude of being flexible, and understanding that you may need to cut some things out of your plan and not be too disappointed.

Quite honestly, as veterans of many trips now - I still find that 10 days is not enough to see everything we want to see - and we don't squeeze in Discovery Cove. If you get yourself too exhausted you simply won't be having any fun. Just remind yourself that you will come back again.

And to answer your other question - yup, I think the crowds will be pretty good sized - a lot of Northerners (NY and Mass both at least) have spring break that week too...another reason we are making it a short trip and dragging it into the following week...hopefully avoiding the worst of the crowds...it won't quite be easter crowds as the Southerners are all back in school, but I expect moderate crowds that week.

 

[JLR]

Hi, just came over from your DHS TSM question post and real quick scanned your PTR....our trip dates are overlapping, and we are surprising DD(6 almost 7) with our trip as well. (She doesn't have a clue, she is a total WDW addict and talks about it all the time, but only knows we are going in October.)

So....on your question above, while it's extremely rare to have Spectro after Wishes, it does occasionally happen. (Usually on busy days there are 2 Spectros, one before and one after...but on this date (4/21) it appears only to be after.)

I personally would skip the Wishes dessert party. I have heard many bad reviews for the quality of the desserts, and I can vouch that the location is not the greatest for Wishes (though it's pretty good). So NOT worth the money. The BEST is to stand just south of the hub. If you want to leave right after Wishes, you can still get through the crowds pretty quickly if it is just you and DD. When leaving, a lot of people will be sticking around for Spectro...head into the stores on the right side as you head down main street. (Not, Casey's, but the one just past it.) They are all connected together inside, and you will be able to get through the crowds much faster. (Make sure to check the calendar when you get there...they may throw an 8 PM Spectro in there at the last minute.)

A bit of other advice...the #1 thing that new travelers to WDW do wrong is to not know what they are getting into and not make a plan....the #2 thing they do wrong is plan to do too much. I worry with your schedule you are falling into the second category. Your DD is a bit older than ours, but ours couldn't handle the pace you have. (And she is a WDW-vet, this being her 5th trip). Late nights and early mornings take their tolls after a few days. I am not telling you to change your plans, I am just suggesting that you go into it with an attitude of being flexible, and understanding that you may need to cut some things out of your plan and not be too disappointed.

Quite honestly, as veterans of many trips now - I still find that 10 days is not enough to see everything we want to see - and we don't squeeze in Discovery Cove. If you get yourself too exhausted you simply won't be having any fun. Just remind yourself that you will come back again.

And to answer your other question - yup, I think the crowds will be pretty good sized - a lot of Northerners (NY and Mass both at least) have spring break that week too...another reason we are making it a short trip and dragging it into the following week...hopefully avoiding the worst of the crowds...it won't quite be easter crowds as the Southerners are all back in school, but I expect moderate crowds that week.

Thanks for the advice. I worry about being overscheduled as well and I am going to try to focus on having fun and not on checking everything off the list. I did cancel the Wishes Dessert party. Actually I have sone a lot of scaling back! I had initially planned on deluxe dining and tons of TS reservations. The great thing about the DIS trip reports is that I have an idea of the things I am totally willing to miss until next trip if they won't fit in.

If they throw in that extra Spectro - we may go home earlier the night before to rest up for our first full day.

I'm hoping that Discovery Cove will be our "recharge the batteries day." I had initially planned on skipping DHS altogether to keep the must do list a little shorter. Again we'll see how we both feel.

How fun for your daughter. She'll be so happy! I think I've got myself psyched up for the crowds. Hopefully, though, they'll all be at the park I'm not at!

 

[skier_pete]

Thanks for the advice. I worry about being overscheduled as well and I am going to try to focus on having fun and not on checking everything off the list. I did cancel the Wishes Dessert party. Actually I have sone a lot of scaling back! I had initially planned on deluxe dining and tons of TS reservations.

Good move there...I don't know how people do DxDDP...we love to eat, but 2 Table Service meals a day is waayyy to much food, and waaayyy to much time eating in restaurants.

Another trap Disney does is what I call the "budget trap" you plan on a certain budget, but then you say..."well if we do this, it's only $100 more"...and then you do that again, and again, and before you know it your spending $500-$1000 more than you planned. The Wishes Dessert party is one of these things!

 

[JLR]

10 More Days!!! ​

 

[smithpack]

I can't believe it!!! Is it here already?? That is super close!! Doing the single digit dance for you at midnight tonight!!


Looking forward to hearing about it!!!

 

[JLR]

I can't believe it!!! Is it here already?? That is super close!! Doing the single digit dance for you at midnight tonight!!


Looking forward to hearing about it!!!

Your post shows exactly how I feel. Hard to be cool with the dd! I had lunch with her at school today, and she was talking to her friends about her trip to Minneapolis! She wanted my to talk with them about it, but I put her off.

4 days 'till Disney!

:

arty:
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