The Spontaneous 40th Birthday Bonanza - 8/7-8/14 - PTR/TR About This Page:

[stubekis]

[FONT="Comic Sans MS"]Hi all!
Well, I'm making my first attempt at a TR, and starting with a PTR for our upcoming August trip. I'm determined to finally do one and finish it, because I enjoy reading everyone else's so much and I also think it's a great way to relive your trip! Let me start off by saying that we were just at WDW in June, for 9 glorious days and 8 nights. It was a wonderful trip and I had every good intention of doing a TR for that trip when we got back. Except for one little hitch I hadn't counted on - we left our digital camera, with most of our Disney photos, at my in-law's condo in Florida ! Can you even imagine? So, the bad news is, that trip report will have to wait. Fortunately I took some pretty good notes, so hopefully I'll still be able to do one when my sister- and brother-in-law bring it back home with them next month. Thankfully they are visiting down there and can retrieve it for us! I'm not sure what I'd do if it was there til we go back next summmer
So let me start by introducing ourselves!
First, there's me - Samantha or "Sam", a 39 year old total Disney freak who is constantly scheming a way to fit in an extra trip, or two, or however many our pocketbooks and schedules can accommodate. I'm turning the dreaded 4-0 on August 24th, and this upcoming trip is my present to myself and my family! It's all I want and the best gift a girl could ever ask for, don't you agree? Oh, and my favorite Disney characters are Stitch and Donald Duck.
Next is Dean, my 40 year-old hubby, who loves Disney as well - just not quite as much as his wife. We have to allow him some time to decompress each trip and get into Disney mode, where as we joke, you take the "real-world" price of something, multiply it times 2, then add a few dollars for good measure. He grouses about the expenses but it's all done as a joke - he loves it as much as we do. I'm lucky to have found someone as tolerant of repeat WDW trips as he is!
Next is ds, Alex, age 8 3/4 - a miniature Disney fan who loves it as much as his mom. How could he not, with all the propoganda he hears from me day and night? He's not a thrill-ride kind of kid, which is actually OK with me ( I can enjoy them, but don't miss them). Ask him for his favorite part of Disney, he'll say World Showcase in Epcot, which I think is a little unusual for a kid his age - but I'm happy for it because I love it too! Alex's favorite Disney character is the main mouse himself, Mickey, which is why Chef Mickey's is an annual stop for us.
Last but not least is dd, Deanna, age 5, who adores Minnie, all the princesses (but Ariel most of all), Stitch, Chip and Dale, Tinkerbell, and on and on. She is also a Disney fanatic, and is making her 6th trip to WDW! We started going when she was just 22 months old and ds was 5.
So why are we headed back after having just visited in June, you may ask? Well, our June trip was fabulous - albeit HOT and CROWDED, all to be expected for June, but somehow this time just a little more HOT (record temps) and CROWDED (Touring Plans 8 and 9s rather than 6s or 7s we've had before in early June). We had a wonderful time and as usual, wished we could've stayed longer - who wouldn't, right? As a sidebar, I think I've got dh just about convinced we need at least 10 days at Disney to be able to enjoy everything and build in some R & R, too
It all started the day we came home from Florida in late June to find the weather pretty much as we'd left it 2 1/2 weeks before in early June - overcast and chilly. Depressing to say the least. In the ensuing weeks, it didn't improve much. We're having one of our coldest, and I believe (although this is not scientifically proven) cloudiest summers on record. While trying to make the best of it, I started plotting how we could get back down to Florida. I didn't start off even dreaming of visiting Disney again. I was trying to get us back down to my in-law's condo, on the Gulf Coast of Florida, where we can stay for free. Unfortunately, the two weeks in August that we could actually get away schedule-wise, my sister-in-law and her hubby were already booked to go down there for a christening in his family. Dates couldn't be changed, plane tickets were purchased and the condo was a big no-go. So then I started looked into alterative Florida destinations, and as usual, ended up playing the "what if we" game on the reservations page of the WDW site. I pitched it to dh, who seemed lukewarm (and why wouldn't he be, when the ink on our credit card bill from our last trip wasn't even dry yet). Eventually, through perserverance, I pretty much got him to agree with could drive down and stay at WDW for a five-day getaway , staying at a value or moderate. Long story short, through repeatedly checking flight and car prices, plus using the "this is all I want for my 40th birthday (which is at the end of August)" tactic, we are now going to be flying down on Allegiant Airlines, renting a car and splitting our stay - two nights at Pop Century, ds' favorite resort, and thanks to the 40% off rooms deal, five nights at the Poly! to me!!
Next up: Can I get any remotely desirable (to us) ADRs two WEEKS out? And other preparations for our next trip to the World!

[Meggera]

Great start! Congrats on two trips so close to each other. I hope you get the ADRs you want.

[stubekis]

So for starters, the theme of this trip is "Hakuna Matata", with "Ohana" as a subtheme. Meaning, relaxed, with a focus on enjoying time together as a family. One of the beautiful things about having just been in June is that we've seen and done a lot recently. So, while naturally we'll try to see some things we missed, and hit our favorites, it's mostly all gravy . A relaxed approach to Disney? Should be interesting and definitely not a natural state for me!
Touring Plans is now showing crowd levels most days we'll be there of 7s with an 8 thrown in there, whereas last week they were all 6s so I wonder if Disney will extend any hours - I'll have to keep checking. Here's what the schedule looks like:
8/7 - 5:30 flight out of Rockford, IL, touching down at Orlando-Sanford Airport at 9:05 PM. Pick up rental car and head to Pop Century. Have necessities in one suitcase so as not to have to completely unpack as we're only at Pop two nights. Depending on how keyed up kids are, maybe swim or grab a snack, or just hit the hay for a relatively early start in the AM.

8/8 - AM - Hollywood Studios - top priorities will be B&B Live on Stage, Indiana Jones, American Idol and of course, Toy Story Mania. I'll be curious to see if the lines are any shorter this trip, as on average they were around 120 minutes in June. Then in the evening, we'll probably swim or hit Downtown Disney, depending on how we feel.

8/9 - AM - check out of Pop and head over to Animal Kingdom. Stay til mid-afternoon, then over to check-in at the Poly. A nice long break, then head over to MK for the evening and EMH.

8/10 - sleep in, then head over to Epcot. If we feel like it, head over to MK after Epcot closes.

8/11 - AM - MK, PM- Epcot for EMH
8/12 - AM - MK, PM - HS for EMH
8/13 - AM - MK, PM - Epcot or MK - depending on what we feel like. Then back to the room to pack.
8/14 - check out of Poly, then depending on time, hit MK for some last-minute magic. Flight out of Orlando leaves at 3:30, back home around 4:45.

So those are the plans! Now, onto scoring an ADR. I'd like at least one nice TS meal somewhere for a birthday dinner, so we'll see what I can accomplish.

[Cam22]

What a great deal on your resort! Your plans are looking great, too!

[Meggera]

Your plans sound great.

[chezp]

Great start - I like your plans.

[KMB733]

Great start and the plans look great too! Can't wait to see if you scored the ADRs that you wanted.

[ArielsMomto2]

Great start. Can't wait to hear about the ADR's you snag.

[Colexis Mom]

Great start and plans!!

[Bert & Sully]

Great start! What are your ADRs?

[stubekis]

So....are we "ADR"-less in Lake Buena Vista, or did I score a last minute ressie at Le Cellier for dinner?
What do you think? Naturally, no Le Cellier, nor did I find anything of interest available at some of the places we'd like to try. There were some openings at places I wasn't overly interested in, and since we aren't doing the dining plan, decided to pass! I'll keep checking on the online dining reservations system (which I am really loving, by the way), in case anything opens up! So we are going to be a CS family all the way - unless something spur of the moment should work out. We gave up a dinner ressie at Le Cellier in June if you can believe it, so I'm hoping karma works in our favor and maybe something will open up at a good place while we are there. No worries, though...that means more time in the parks and less schedule - a perfect combo for a relaxing combination! We had quite a few TS meals at some nice places in June so I don't feel deprived by any means. And I can still visit my favorite frosty beverage locations - no reservations required for those! Oh, and at dh's request, I'm going to call later today to try for T-Rex again, which we really enjoyed last trip...so hopefully we'll at least get that one.
The park tickets came yesterday from Undercover Tourist! This was our first time ordering park tickets from anywhere but Disney, and it was a really simple and pleasant transaction. In our case, we got a 6 day park hopper for $50 less than a 5 day park hopper from Disney, so it was worth it to order them separately. The kids started arguing over who gets the Goofy ticket and who gets the Pluto ticket . The things they can find to bicker over - it amazes me sometimes! I told them that since the tickets don't have names on them, they can take turns. They don't get to hold onto them anyway, I just let them walk through the turnstyle with them so I have no idea why it matters, but naturally it does!
Next up will be making lists of what to pack and do before we leave town - lots of lists - which I won't subject you to, but I am a list-making freak! Nothing will be forgotten - at least I siincerely hope so! My almost 40-year-old brain just doesn't store information as efficiently as it used to, so I rely on lists to keep me sane. I've tried using the computer or electronic organizers, but call me old-fashioned, I still favor the good-old notebook and pen! It's so satisfying to put those lines through the items as I accomplish them.
Thanks for your good wishes and for reading so far!
Next - can I get T-Rex? And getting things situated for the trip!

[pparm]

Two trips?? How wonderful! Lucky you.

Paula

[Colexis Mom]

Congrats on the tickets!!

[Lemap760]

Sounds like a great trip.
Happy Birthday.

[Meggera]

Nice price on the tickets!