Pre-Anniversary Trip Pre-Trip Report April 17-22 (updated 4/14) About This Page:

[lvstitch]

I am a little shy about posting here but have enjoyed reading these boards so much. I can’t start my day with out them. These boards are my morning cup of coffee.



Since this is my first post ever on any board I would like to apologize in advance if this is a little long winded. I talk a lot. Any feedback both positive and negative is welcome. So here I go:



Who: Me (Christine – 30) and Husband (Joey – 34)

When: April 17 – 22

Where: Pop Century

Why: 10-year Anniversary however, it is in September and since it is hurricane season decided to have a pre-celebration (I will look for any excuse to go Disney).



Quick History: My husband and I are huge Disney fans; so much in fact, that we decided to get married there almost 10 years ago. While my wedding was small (only about 25 people) we did it big. Mickey and Minnie where there and I was brought to the rose garden at the Yacht Club by Cinderella’s coach. After, we all went to 1900 Park Fare where I had the back room for my entire party and was able to have Chip, Dale, Goofy and Pluto attend my wedding. We stayed in the Grand Floridian on a Wedding and Honeymoon package which included room service every morning. I had a room with two balconies one of which faced the castle. So every day of my honeymoon I had breakfast overlooking Cinderella’s castle. It was an unbelievable experience.



I went back two more times after my wedding but the trips just did not live up to my wedding trip. I think my expectations were a little too high. However, I have been going to Disneyland and the excitment about going back to the World has been growing.



I was trying to figure how we could be remarried in Disney World for our 10-year anniversary. I really wanted to renew my vows on my actual wedding day but it is just too wet in Florida to go back there in September . One day in January I called my husband at work and said that I could wait no longer we needed to go to Disney World so we decided on a pre-anniversary trip to Disney World in April. I have also tried to set my expectations a little lower so I will not be as disappointed as I was on my two previous trips.



The thing I love about these boards is all the detail, I feel like I know everyone so again sorry if this is long and a little off track. I just thought I would give you a little background info before I get started (since I am new). Again, any advice is welcome.



Up next: Planning, planning and re-planning

[Suflay]

Hi Christine! Welcome, and please don't ever think you are too long winded or go into too much detail. No such thing on these boards! We are waiting, not very patiently, for the rest of your report. If it is as interesting as your pre-report, we are all going to enjoy it very much!!

[Colexis Mom]

Welcome to the boards Christine What a wonderful experience you had with your wedding It must have truly been magical!! Glad to hear that you are getting ready for another trip, and can't wait to hear all about it

[mac]

Hi Christine ! It sounds like you had a magical wedding. I can't wait to hear more about your upcoming trip .

[luvnwdwgal]

Welcome to the Passporter boards Christine!
What a lucky girl you were to have a magical wedding at WDW!
I'm looking forward to reading your trip report, and don't you dare leave any details out! Oh ok, you don't have to tell us all the details!

[Irene]

Welcome --- Christine

You wedding sounds like it was magical! Looking forward to more posts and you letting us know how your pre-anniversary trip is.

[lvstitch]

Planning: Originally we were going to go for my Birthday which is in the beginning of April but thought it would be too crowded. I figured it would be less busy the week after Easter as most children will be back in school. However, after reading these boards I think the month of April will be busy no matter when we go.

I did get a really good package deal through my Travel Agent and since I used my Disney Visa, I have six months to pay for the trip with no interest. When I travel I check every travel site I can until I find the lowest price, then I call a travel agent and tell them the price I got and see if they could match or beat the price. This usually works. I rather deal with a person than a web site. I am taking Song (operated by Delta) non-stop on Friday night (16th) and should get there by 8am on the 17th. We are very limited with our vacation time since my husband owns a business so I needed to get non-stop/overnight flights to maximize our Disney time. We are staying at the Pop Century and we have a rental car. We like being on our own time and not depending on any kind of transportation.

Planning: After reading everything I could about Disney, I really wanted to change my hotel and stay at AKL in a concierge room. I checked the internet and realized that it was probably out of the question but I called my travel agent anyway. I gave her a price range that I was willing to pay. She was actually able to get pretty close. So now I had to make a decision. Should I spend the extra money on the nice hotel or should I just stay at Pop Century and spend the extra money in the parks? What to do? What to do?

When I plan a vacation, I get a little schizophrenic . I second guess all of my plans and pretty much drive my husband crazy. I had set a price range that I did not think my travel agent could meet to convince me Pop was the way to go. Then she gets me the price I thought would be impossible to get.

Re-Planning: Well I finally decided that I was not going to second guess myself. I am staying in Pop Century (no AKL no Pop Century). Now that I know where I am staying, I can let the real planning begin.

All of that just to decide when to go and where to stay.

Next Up: Now that I know where and when, it’s time for how.

[poohsgirl]

<font color="purple"> You had my dream wedding and honeymoon! If you have a scanner, I'm sure we'd all love to see some pictures !
I think if you are on a budget, Pop Century is a very good choice. You can still have a romantic stroll along the Hourglass Lake and even see some of Illuminations from Generation Gap Bridge!
I can't wait to more of your planning! </font>

[lvstitch]

I do not have a scanner but I did bring a picture with me to work to see if I can get someone to scan it for me. Hopefully I can get it done by tomorrow.

[luvnwdwgal]

Great update! I tend to drive my DH crazy with all my trip planning too! Looking forward to more!

[lvstitch]

I have not been to Disney World in almost four years however I have been to Disneyland 8 times in the past two. It is weird but I can’t really remember the tour plans I would follow in Disney World. It is like Disneyland has erased all my memory of the World. We always go commando in Disneyland because we are usually only there for one day. The layout of the park is different. So when I started planning how I would tour the parks it was like my first time planning a trip to Disney World.

To get things started I ordered a Pal Mickey and gave it to my husband for his birthday. Yes, a 34 year old boy , I mean man, was very excited about his new mickey mouse doll. This really got us eager to start planning.

I had been reading these boards since I decided I was going to Disney World again. I did extensive research about which days were the best to go to each park. I picked a primary park for each day (of course even now as I type this I am second guessing myself):

Saturday - Disney Studios
Sunday – Animal Kingdom
Monday – Universal Studios
Tuesday – Magic Kingdom
Wednesday – Epcot (EE)
Thursday –I will let you decide.

With these days in place I then took on the task of which PS’s I needed for each day. I usually only have one or two per visit but this time I wanted to have at least one for each day. Here they are:

Saturday – 11:45am 50’s Prime Time Café
Sunday – 7:30am Kona Café and 5:00 Boma
Monday – Noon Emeril’s Tchoup chop
Tuesday – 7:00 Chef Mickey and 2:45 Liberty Tree
Wednesday – Noon Alfredo’s (our favorite)
Thursday – I will let you decide

I really do not have any plans on Thursday so I thought I would leave it up to the experts (you). Guidelines: I have no problems getting up early, in fact I have to check out and back in on this day so I will be up early to do that. I need to leave for the airport by 4pm, which is why I really didn’t plan anything. So go ahead plan my day. I promise I will take every idea into consideration and let you all know what I am going to do the day I leave. That should leave more than enough time for you guys to decide the best plan for the day.

Next up: each day in detail (hopefully with a wedding picture)

[luvnwdwgal]

Your itinerary looks great! The only thing I would suggest for your last day is to go back to Epcot, cause 1 day really isn't enough especially if you really want to explore World Showcase.

[whoSEZ]

[ QUOTE ]
please don't ever think you are too long winded or go into too much detail. No such thing on these boards!

[/ QUOTE ]

Isn't that the truth!!

Christine, your pre-trip report is great! I am looking forward to hearing how the trip goes. As for your Thursday plans, maybe you could decide Wednesday night -- if you feel like you missed a lot at one particular park, or if there's one you and Joey like best, go back to that one. If you have hopper tickets, you could even do more than one park ...

[Colexis Mom]

Great updates on your planning Your PSs look great as well Can't wait to see a wedding picture, and hear about your trip. It's not that far away

[DrDolphin]

Great updates and plans - are you planning on seeing Illuminations, Wishes or Fantasmic??