We're really truly, actually, finally GOING!!! The dream comes true... MAY 2010

[12kizuna]

Updates:
Part 1: Planning, Loose Itinerary, and Dining Ressies
Part 2: Thinking About What to Pack
Part 3: Small update, La Nouba & more Dining Reservations
Part 4: The Luggage Tags are Here! Does That Mean We're Officially Going?


Hello There!!!

So a few years ago, I started getting this desire to go to Disney World. The more I researched, the more excited I would feel, and I started saying "next year, I'll go", and never did. I met my DBF 2 1/2 years ago, and he started saving up with me for our eventual, hypothetical trip.

It payed off and we finally booked our trip last week ! A little later than I wanted, but we weren't sure if we'd have enough... but it turned out we did

So... without further ado... A Cast of Characters!

ME!
I'm a 21-year-old college student who, well, loves Disney. I'm trying to get into pharmacy school, and love to read, draw, collect dolls, play video games, and dream
I have been to Disney World once, when I was 7. I have wonderful memories of it (except for tired feet), and can't wait to go back! I have also been to Tokyo Disneyland and Disney Sea when I was 16 and living in Japan. I love Dumbo, The Little Mermaid, Pinocchio, and the Lion King!

(Excuse the horrible picture, it's all I have right now)


DBF!
DBF is a 26-year-old Biology major. He has enough Peter Pan in him to watch Disney movies and still laugh at the corny humor. (One of the reasons why I love him ) He loves to play video games, do martial arts, and just about anything that involves being active.
He has never been to the World (or even an amusement park until last summer), so I'm so excited to be there with him. He likes Star Wars, The Jungle Book, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and Aladdin.

(Yeah, that's a toothpick in his mouth )


GOPHER!

Gopher is our adorable pet hamster. He has never been, and unfortunately never will go, to Disney World. He is a fan at heart, though.

Stay Tuned!

 

[pocahontasgal87]

lol sweeeeet! subbing in!!, me and my parents r also going in May it will be our 7th time there, 3rd time at a disney resort.

 

[12kizuna]

We decided to stay at Pop Century!

We chose Pop because of the reason many others do: It's one of the most affordable Disney Resorts and has its own bus stop.

The dates of our trip are from May 19 - 31. Yes, that's 13 days, 12 nights at the World! We thought if we were saving up to go, we don't know when we'd have the chance to go again, so why not go for more than a couple days?

We booked through AAA and were able to receive the current promotion of a $300 gift card! That takes care of souvenirs right there! (I think...)

Call me crazy, but we decided only to get 10-day park hopper tickets. The two days on planes I don't really want to go to the parks, but use the time to explore other areas, since planes are unpredictable and I want to take it easy. Then there is one day off in the middle of the vacation for us to sleep in and relax. Is this silly? I don't know, but I don't think we can be *completely* commando, so I wanted to make sure we had some forced downtime in there somewhere!

I have made a cute folder to keep everything together for our trip planning:

Like it? There's even a spot to put the vacation planning DVD~!


It hasn't really *hit* me yet that we are actually going. I've dreamed about going for a few years now, that it doesn't even seem real! I figured having a PTR would help me to get excited for the trip to come, so I hope some of you decide to follow along I promise a big TR afterward with lots of pictures!!!

Here's our loose itinerary with ADRs (the ADRs are already made):

Day 1: Arrival Day
Our flight arrives too early for us to check in, so we're probably going to just lounge by the pool, explore the Pop resort, and later that evening go to Downtown Disney, shop around, and see La Nouba! Maybe use 2 Dining Credits for room service pizza, we'll see... it doesn't seem like anything in DTD takes DDP

Day 2: Magic Kingdom, EMH
There's early magic hours this day so I'm sure we'll be ready to get up and GO! (Assuming we got any sleep the night before ) I hope to see the Dream Come True Parade and Spectromagic.
Dinner is at Liberty Tree Tavern! (It was a toss-up decision for DBF-- he REALLY wanted to try the Plaza Banana Split at the Plaza Restaurant mentioned in the Unofficial Guide There is ice cream elsewhere, too, you know!!!
Funny/Sad Story Cut!
When I was 7, my aunt offered to take me to the Spectromagic Parade (or Electrical Lights Parade? I forget which it was, but it was a light parade of some sort) after my mother was ready to turn in for the night at the hotel. Since my aunt said we might be out until midnight, my mother would not let me go. My older sister went, and my cousins younger than me went, but I was stuck in the hotel room feeling left out
Well, I annoyed her the rest of the evening as I played with my new stuffed Simba and recited every. single. line. of the Lion King movie and acted it out with my toy. I'm not kidding, I used to be able to do that.
Anyhow, my sister bragged the next day how many princesses and characters she saw, and I never forgot. My mother never forgot, either
Anyway, when I was 16 and living in Japan, I had the chance to see Spectromagic, and we found a spot way ahead of time and were ready. The day had been gorgeous, and looked to be a gorgeous night. The parade started but... a few floats in, it unexpectedly and without warning started to pour. Not rain. Pour. The floats started passing by at warp speed (with warped speed music!) as the parade tried to get out of the rain as quickly as possible. We literally had to lunge for our shoes as the street started filling up with water and became one insanely huge puddle. Typical Japan.
Third time's a charm, right? Maybe THIS time I will get to see my coveted, long-anticipated night parade!!!
Moving On...

Day 3: Epcot, EMH
Late-night EMH this time! Thinking about sticking with just the Future World this day.
Lunch at the Coral Reef!

Day 4: Water Park
Not sure which water park to go to this day, we'll probably decide when we get there. If we go to the one near the miniature golf WinterSummerland course, we might do that, too, afterward.
Dinner at San Angel Inn in Epcot!

Day 5: Hollywood Studios,
Hoping to see Fantasmic this day! Prepared to go there early for a good seat!
Dinner at 50's Prime Time Cafe!

Day 6: Animal Kingdom, EMH
Want to see the Jammin' Jungle Parade.
Dinner at the Yak & Yeti!

Day 7: DAY OFF!
Sleep in! We'll need it, I'm sure. Lounge by the pools, shop in Downtown Disney, maybe pay to get into DisneyQuest if we have the energy and desire. Room-service pizza?

Day 8: Epcot
Hoping to spend our time to mostly explore the World Showcase this time. I want to try and see Illuminations this day.
Dinner at Teppan Edo!

Day 9: Animal Kingdom
I've heard Animal Kingdom is a 1/2 to 1 day park, so I don't know if we'll spend the whole day here. Just in case we don't, I set our ADR for lunchtime. We can later go to another park or DisneyQuest if we want-- we'll play it by ear.
Lunch at Tusker House!

Day 10: Water Park
Whichever water park we didn't go to the time before.
Dinner at Nine Dragons in Epcot!

Day 11: Hollywood Studios, EMH
I want to see the block party bash parade!
Dinner at Sci-Fi-Dine-In Theater!

Day 12: Magic Kingdom, EMH
I really, really want to see Wishes this night, as it is our last night in the parks.
Dinner at the Crystal Palace!

Day 13: Departure Day
A day I don't want to think about Our flight leaves later in the day, so I'm honestly not sure what we're going to do this day. Probably sleep in, check out, swim, maybe shop. We'll think of something.

Stay Tuned!

 

[12kizuna]

lol sweeeeet! subbing in!!, me and my parents r also going in May it will be our 7th time there, 3rd time at a disney resort.

Yay! My first subscriber I wonder if we'll be there at the same time? Yay for May It's coming up, soon!

 

[pocahontasgal87]

Yay! My first subscriber I wonder if we'll be there at the same time? Yay for May It's coming up, soon!

lol wooot woot! we wont be there the same time we r goin May 1-8.

13 days, WOW! lucky!!! one day i would love to stay two weeks. Your schedule seems pretty well organized and u have some good restaurant choices(San Angels was my fav from our last trip) and this trip were only have 3 TS meals. And we score a free quick service dining plan so happy bout that!

Cant wait for more!!!

 

[12kizuna]

lol wooot woot! we wont be there the same time we r goin May 1-8.

13 days, WOW! lucky!!! one day i would love to stay two weeks. Your schedule seems pretty well organized and u have some good restaurant choices(San Angels was my fav from our last trip) and this trip were only have 3 TS meals. And we score a free quick service dining plan so happy bout that!

Cant wait for more!!!

Thanks! So your trip is coming up quick, then!
I wish the school semester would be over, already (<- this is me rolling on the floor with my tongue hanging out, kicking and crying "no more!")

 

[reyasmommy]

Your plans look great.... I'm glad you're finally able to go to WDW!!



Have a magical time!

 

[loveysbydesign]

Great start..I just have to comment that that long of a trip is awesome but I guarantee you that you will want to go back sooner rather than later!

 

[curseofcurves]

You and your BF sound a lot like my BF and I. We're both 24. I recently graduated and he's still in college. We both play WoW and he loves all kinds of PC games (and Aladdin!). Anyway, we're hoping to go for our 2nd trip in May too. We're so last minute; our other trip was booked only 10 days ahead! I enjoy reading about other kid-less folks our age and their take on Disney World. I've bookmarked your PTR and I'm excited to hear about your planning and your trip.

 

[12kizuna]

Reyasmommy- Thanks! I hope your March trip was magical, too-- I'm headed off to check out your trip report. Your family is beautiful! (and bald )

Loveysbydesign- That's what I'm afraid of! I suppose it wont be the end of the world if we decide to save up again for another trip after... right?

Curseofcurves- I thought we were last minute booking in March I was hoping to do it in January. Congratulations on graduating!! I think touring the World is going to be very different than if we had kids. We'll probably be able to be more commando and stay up wonky hours and whatnot. I hope you can return to WDW!!

 

[12kizuna]

Hi again!

This is a small update as I have to go to work soon, but here are some things I've been collecting to bring on our trip:

Hair ties (we always seem to run out of those), 8GB SD card for my camera (so I can take LOTS of pictures for a Trip Report ), chapsticks with sunscreen, moleskin, foot powder, mini shaving creams, antibacterial wipes, nail-polish remover cloths, toothbrush holders, mini DISNEY PRINCESS flashlight, and sunscreen!

I have a feeling we'll need more sunscreen than that, though. I burn SO easily , and I will be re-applying (especially at water parks) constantly. DBF doesn't burn much but he'll be using it, too, I'm sure.

We also decided to bring this:

This is my PSP. DBF has one, too. For those who aren't familiar with it, it's a portable gaming system. The reason we are bringing mine is because we can rent movies on it, so for that long wait for Fantasmic, and other long wait times, we can play a movie and occupy ourselves for long stretches of time if we need to.
Of course, we might not need too much to occupy us with a lot to see, but just in case. We already agreed on 20,000 Leagues under the Sea and the live action version of the Jungle Book, but aren't sure how many we should rent. Is there free wireless available anywhere at the hotels does anyone know?

I still can't find those portable misting fans I read about so much on the dis boards. Maybe I'll have to wait until Easter is over to find them.

Well that's all for now!

Stay Tuned!

 

[12kizuna]

So I was looking at the Disney Dining Plan guide the travel agent gave us, and saw that there are indeed Downtown Disney TS restaurants that accept the DDP. I have NO idea now where I got the idea that there weren't any in DTD that did.

So... I immediately reserved 2 more restaurants!

On our arrival day, we'll be going to Raglan Road after we see La Nouba! I ordered our tickets online, but we are towards the back row. I hope we won't need binoculars, but I have read repeatedly that there's not a bad seat in the house. I'm sure it will be worth it!

On our "day off", I reserved an early dinner at Planet Hollywood. I haven't heard the best things about the food, but I'm sure it'll be fun, and I want to take advantage of the coupon we'll be getting with the MYW package (for an appetizer or drinks or something that isn't covered on DDP).

In other news, I officially paid the vacation off in full yesterday

How am I going to survive the rest of the semester with this excitement?

Stay Tuned!

 

[wishin' on a star]

Hi! I'm returning the love and just read your PTR! You will be there the same time as us! Loving the report so far! Sounds like you are way organized with the ADR's, but I am the same way, and have many "just in case" ADR's booked. We drove ourselves silly trying to come up with a schedule that works, and for all I know, the plans will all go south...that's what happens when you are dealing with three unpredictable kiddos! C'est la vie!

I love all of your nighttime plans and I hope that all of your dreams come true for Spectromagic! I don't think we will make it for Spectromagic this time...but that just means that there has to be a NEXT time!

Anyway, subscribing...I am a fan already!

 

[MaryAz]

We will also be there at the same time! That is a great LONG trip. We have a group PTR going with some Dis Meets planned. It is called MAYhem with the Mouse-link is in my siggy.

 

[2BOYMOM]

Subscribing....

Sounds like such a good trip and you are eating some some of my fav places!

We aren't going until August so I'm getting my "fix" reading other's trip reports. Can't wait for yours!

Love you hamster, we have had a few in the past. Right now we have Jake, my ferret! He'd love to go to Disney too, but he'll never make it either.

 

[pocahontasgal87]

Hi again!

This is a small update as I have to go to work soon, but here are some things I've been collecting to bring on our trip:

Hair ties (we always seem to run out of those), 8GB SD card for my camera (so I can take LOTS of pictures for a Trip Report ), chapsticks with sunscreen, moleskin, foot powder, mini shaving creams, antibacterial wipes, nail-polish remover cloths, toothbrush holders, mini DISNEY PRINCESS flashlight, and sunscreen!

I have a feeling we'll need more sunscreen than that, though. I burn SO easily , and I will be re-applying (especially at water parks) constantly. DBF doesn't burn much but he'll be using it, too, I'm sure.

We also decided to bring this:

This is my PSP. DBF has one, too. For those who aren't familiar with it, it's a portable gaming system. The reason we are bringing mine is because we can rent movies on it, so for that long wait for Fantasmic, and other long wait times, we can play a movie and occupy ourselves for long stretches of time if we need to.
Of course, we might not need too much to occupy us with a lot to see, but just in case. We already agreed on 20,000 Leagues under the Sea and the live action version of the Jungle Book, but aren't sure how many we should rent. Is there free wireless available anywhere at the hotels does anyone know?

I still can't find those portable misting fans I read about so much on the dis boards. Maybe I'll have to wait until Easter is over to find them.

Well that's all for now!

Stay Tuned!

kooool koool! i shall bring my ds and ipod touch to entertain me while i wait

 

[12kizuna]

Sorry for the hiatus! The end of the semester is approaching and I've been soooo crazy busy with exams coming up and tests, projects, etc. ... not to mention work! Give me another week and I'll be as hyper as ever.

wishin' on a star-
thanks for coming on board! I'm excited to try all of the restaurants--not so much for food entirely, but I'm a huge fan of theming! I'm sure you'll have a great time, even if your planned schedule goes out the window. Isn't it the small surprises and unplanned things what makes a magical moment anyway?

MaryAz-
Thanks for the link! What a great idea for a group PTR. the end of the semester has been keeping me beyond busy so I haven't been so great keeping up for now, but it's so fun to plan with a bunch of other excited mouse-lovers!

2BOYMOM- Welcome and thank you!! My sister used to have 2 ferrets- brutus and lillian. What trouble-makers they were! Their favorite thing was to steal ramen noodles from the cupboards and hide them under the couch. They would have had a little TOO much fun in WDW. I hope you'll write a trip report when you come back in August!

pocahontasgal87- actually, the DS might come, too... but only for the plane ride! I really am going to try to avoid too much game-playing while we're there. I want to explore! It will probably be a blessing to have something to help with long wait times, though (especially for Fantasmic... )

Small update to follow!

 

[12kizuna]

Hi Everyone!

So the past two days it has been a snowy mess here. Ridiculous right? I have had one consolation, though-- I was called by AAA to come pick up my documents! Whoo! They didn't have to tell me twice, I hopped right on over there and picked up my things.

Everything I was looking for was in there-- booklet with coupons and , AAA diamond card, photo pass card we can use, Magical Express tickets, and luggage tags! There's the yellow sticky ones and the pretty castle ones (though I admit I'm not entirely sure how to attach them... ). Since we booked through AAA we also received a free Birnbaum book.

I definitely needed this, but to be honest I'm just trying to survive the semester at the moment. I don't think I am going to really feel the excitement again until it's officially summer vacation and we're packing our bags.

There's so much yet to do, though!

Stay Tuned!