Returning to our Happy Place: Pre-trip report - UPDATED 09/08 - Page 5 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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This day I plan to be up by 5am, shower and head down to breakfast at the hotel. I am thinking we will try to catch the shuttle to the hotel for 7 or 7:30. Our flight out of New Orleans is at 9:45 with Southwest. (Is this sufficient time to get to airport and do everything that we will need to do? Remember I am new at this!)
Next we will just wait…..I plan to have some things for Abby to do and maybe a book or some magazines for me. Scott will be happy playing games on his phone.
I do plan to buy some snacks for us once we get past security and probably once we land as I am sure Abby will be hungry by the time we land.
Our flight is scheduled to land at Orlando International airport at 12:25pm. I am planning on using DME (any help/suggestions here would be appreciated). I am not sure what time we will make it to POP but once we are there we plan to check in and get our Keys to the world!! If the room is ready, we will bring our bags up and go up and freshen up. If not we will let the CMs bring them up later we will head to the MK!!
If we are hungry we will stop in a Casey’s Corner for a quick bite and if not we will just let Abby lead the way. This year she really wants to ride these attractions at MK that we either missed or she was too short for on our last trip:
Splash Mountain
BTMRR
Haunted Mansion
Goofy’s Barnstormer
Stitch’s Great Escape
***we measured her yesterday and she was right at 40.5 inches-at 5 years old!! I tell you she just won’t grow! Hoping to hit a growth spurt between now and September!
I am expecting that this night will be a MNSSHP night based on the park hours. I have decided that we will wait and do the party on the Friday night. I really wanted to do the party on the Tuesday night BUT I am worried that we might be tired from traveling and I want to make it worth the money and try to stay for the entire party.
Since the park will be closing early for the party, I have us heading over to EPCOT to tour there for as long as we can hang. EPCOT is open until 9 so we will probably eat at the Mexican counter service restaurant. I don’t plan to go past Mexico this night as we will be back to tour the countries another day. We are hoping that Test Track will be open back up by then and that if it is Abby will be tall enough to ride it.
I am sure we will ride Nemo AT LEAST once this night but that is ok because I love the ride and the movie!!
Up Next: First full day of parks and 'Ohana for dinner!!
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Check out my Pre-Trip Report for our 9/18-9/23/12 trip here:
I think our first day plans look good! On DME, it may be several hours after you get to the resort before your bags are delivered to the room. I think your plan to head to MK after check in is great (it's what we usually do, too)>
Just joining in...your plans sound great! I've thought about visiting WDW at this time of year, so I'll be very interested in reading more about how the crowds are this year...it sounds like a great time of year to visit!
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I think our first day plans look good! On DME, it may be several hours after you get to the resort before your bags are delivered to the room. I think your plan to head to MK after check in is great (it's what we usually do, too)>
Thanks Cam! I set up DME today and the CM was very helpful in explaining what to expect. I am finally feeling like I kinda know what I am doing with this flying business!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dlandmom2
Just joining in...your plans sound great! I've thought about visiting WDW at this time of year, so I'll be very interested in reading more about how the crowds are this year...it sounds like a great time of year to visit!
So glad you are coming along for the ride. Our first trip to WDW was in August/September 2010. The crowds were awesome!! It was our first trip so we didn't realize how low the crowds were until we went this past May-June and saw the crowds then. We said we would never go back when the crowds are 7 or higher. That is why we are going in September-oh and to go to MNSSHP!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Colexis Mom
Great plans!
Thanks! I am about to post some big changes!
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Check out my Pre-Trip Report for our 9/18-9/23/12 trip here:
UPDATE: CHANGES IN RESORT??
So you read that right… I have made some changes in our resort for this upcoming trip and I am so excited, I am about to pop!!
How did this all come about? Well one day I was on the boards and realized that the Little Mermaid Rooms at Art of Animation resort would be opening 3 days before our arrival day. I thought that it would be so cool to stay there but figured that the free dining offer would not be available for stays there since it is a new resort and such. Then one day, I read on here that someone was able to get the free dining offer for AoA around the same time that we would be staying there! I thought about it again but decided against it as we are so comfortable staying at Pop. The more I thought about it, the more I really wanted to call just “to see” if they even had anything available. I was a little nervous to talk to DH about it because I knew what his reaction would be. (he hates when I make plans and then second guess my decisions and change things…btw it’s totally ok for him to do this). Yesterday we took Abby to a school festival and while she was riding the ponies I got up the nerve to mention it to him and his response was “Whatever you want. You decide. Just do what you want”. While the response wasn’t- yes honey go for it- I took it as permission to make some changes and not have to hear anything about it. When we got home I got on the phone with WDW reservations. The CM was nice but not over the top. First we took off the first day of my reservation ( I had initially book for Mon-Sun, but decided to drop a day to take one day less off of work). Next he checked for AoA but wasn’t able to find anything. That was pretty much the end of the call and I was a little bummed when I got off the phone but no big deal right. We are still going to WDW and we love Pop anyway.
Well today on my way home, I decided to call again just to see. The CM was super!! He was very enthusiastic about looking for me! He typed in a few things and then responded with “Well I guess today is your lucky day ! We do have a room in the Little Mermaid section for your dates! I take it you want me to go ahead and make those changes?” My response: YES!!
He set me up with the reservation and then asked if I was excited! Well of course I am!!
Next he asked if there was anything else he could do and so I asked if he knew anything about the DME and how to go about setting that up. He filled me in and then asked for some flight information. Luckily by this time I was in the driveway so I easily grabbed my Passporter with all my information in it and gave him the details.
He was such an awesome CM and I felt terrible when I was about to take the survey at the end of the call and my phone dropped the call. I really wanted to give him a good review.
Anyway, we are booked for Art of Animation-Little Mermaid Room and I am so excited!! I am dying to show Abby pictures and tell her but Scott wants to leave it as a surprise. I think it will be fun to surprise her too.
We also set up for DME and that makes me feel a bit better about the flying. One more thing scratched off the list.
UP Next:
Plans for day 2
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Check out my Pre-Trip Report for our 9/18-9/23/12 trip here:
Let me know if you ever come that way. I can suggest a few places for you!!
Awesome, I will take you up on that. Maybe y'all could join us for a lil PP meet if y'all aren't busy. I will definitely contact you a little in advance before we head that way. Probably sometime this summer. DD and I leave for Disney in 30+ days so we are busy with prepping for that.
Great plans so far! And CONGRATS on the room/resort change. Love that y'all are going to surprise Abby with it. Can't wait to hear how that goes!
Finding Nemo is my favorite movie! My Tahoe is named the "butt." I actually have a propeller thingy in the trailer hitch so really its a "boat."
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). I am not sure what time we will make it to POP but once we are there we plan to check in and get our Keys to the world!! If the room is ready, we will bring our bags up and go up and freshen up. If not we will let the CMs bring them up later we will head to the MK!!
!! I tell you she just won’t grow! Hoping to hit a growth spurt between now and September!
this night but that is ok because I love the ride and the movie!!
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!! He was very enthusiastic about looking for me! He typed in a few things and then responded with “Well I guess today is your lucky day 
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