The Big Disney Birthday Bash Trip Report Updated 11/30 - Day 5 - 11/9/05 -EPCOT! About This Page:

[Luv4My4]

Who: Luv4my4 (Stacey, age 34, 8th trip to WDW), DH (Jimmy, age 33, 6th trip to WDW), DD#1 – Erin age 15 (when we leave) 4th trip to WDW, DD#2 - Shannon age 7 3rd trip to WDW, DD#3 - Katie age 4 (when we leave) 2nd trip to WDW, DD#4 – Molly age 1 (when we leave) 1st trip to WDW!! DM & DF (7th trip to WDW), DMIL & DFIL (5th trip to WDW) also traveling with my Aunt’s Friends Carol & Cathy who will be on their first trip to WDW.
When: November 5-13, 2005
Where: Port Orleans Riverside
Why Celebrating the 16th, 5th and 2nd birthdays of three of my four girls!!!

I actually started planning this trip as soon as we got back from our trip in December, 2002. We had originally planned on going back in November, 2004 but in March, 2003 I found out that I was pregnant again and due the first week in November, 2003 so we decided to put the trip off until the baby was 2. Of course, I started planning a trip to celebrate Molly’s 2nd Birthday on November 12th soon after she was born and since two of my other girls’ were born the same week (Katie will be 5 on November 7th & Erin will turn 16 on November 10th) and the dates worked out perfectly I made a Ultimate Park Hopper package reservation for Saturday, November 5, through Sunday, November 13th 2005 to celebrate all their birthdays and the Big Disney Birthday Bash was born!!!

Originally, this trip was supposed to include 24 people including DH & I and our 4 girls, my DF & DM, DFIL & DMIL, DB & DSIL, DS & DBIL and DNephew, DSis, DH’s DC and her husband and their two children, DH’s DAunt & My DAunt & her two friends. But one by one people had to drop out: First my DB & DSIL found out that DSIL was pregnant and due in December so they obviously couldn’t go, then DH’s cousin called me and said she was pregnant too and due in January so they couldn’t go either and her Mom (DH’s aunt) cancelled as well because she didn’t want to go without her daughter and grandchildren, then my DS called and said that since she and her DH had bought a trailer home at the Jersey shore they couldn’t afford to do both and they had to cancel, finally my DAunt realized that she had to downsize her home and bought a new condo but she still hasn’t sold her house and is carrying two mortgages so she can’t afford to go so that leaves us where we are now with 12 people (8 adults, 1 teenager & 3 kids)!!

When I originally planned this trip I didn’t know anything about discounts or Annual Passes, etc. I just booked the package and thought I was happy with that. Then I was talking to my friend Dina (HappyMommy) and told her how much the trip was going to cost me (more than $3,335.14 not including airfare) and she told me about the wonderful people at Passporterboards (Thanks Dina!) and about the discounts available if you had an Annual Pass. That sounded good to me so I logged on got my screen name and started asking questions and researching. I realized that Dina was right and that it would save me a ton of money if either DH or I got an annual pass. (In the end both DH & I got an annual pass and the “evil” AP made us take a trip without the kids in January, 2005 [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]). Anyway, I realized that the size of our trip (still 24 people at that time) and the number of rooms we would need (8) and the idea of trying to get a discount AP rate for most of them was too much for me so I transferred my whole reservation to Wendy at Your Magical Journeys who has been wonderful through all the changes and cancellations!!

With our reservations in good hands I was at a loss, the trip was still about a year away and I had no real planning to do so I just kept coming here to talk to you all of you guys to fuel my Disney obsession (this obsession is what caused DH to cave and tell me to book the January trip because I think he realized that I was a little depressed and needed some serious Disney magic [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]!!!) All I had to do at this point was anxiously wait for Southwest to open up my dates for airfare. After several nail biting months they finally did and I have never seen $79.00 or $99.00 fares go so quickly and to top it off I was having computer problems which kept causing me to get timed out while I was trying to book. I finally had to call Southwest in tears to book over the phone before the airfare was more than DH & I had agreed to spend. We had discussed it and agreed that if we could get airfare for $1,500.00 or less we would fly but if not we would have to drive. Well let me say this about that, I love my DH dearly but he is not the most patient of people and the thought of driving something like 18 hours with him and the four kids in the car is NOT how I imagined starting off this vacation. I was able to get airfare for the 6 of us for $1,529.00 round trip and he agreed to the extra $29.00 so thank God we were flying!!

When the Annual Passholder Best Rate program was first announced I was pretty upset because I thought that it was a bad idea and really hated the idea of a non-refundable deposit but then I figured that some kind of discount was better than none and barring a huge catastrophe there was no way I was cancelling this trip (in which case I probably wouldn’t care about losing the deposit) so I told my TA Wendy to go ahead and book three rooms under the Best Rate Program (for me, my parents and my in-laws) under my DH’s AP. I didn’t rebook my Aunt’s room under Best Rate on my AP because I had a feeling that she was going to cancel and then they would either lose their deposit or possibly get charged the $50.00 change fee which would almost cancel out the savings anyway (Wendy was eventually able to get my Aunt’s room rebooked at the general public discount that was released last month).

Finally, finally, finally it was time to make my ADRs for the trip and I got everything I wanted including CRT [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/thewave.gif[/img] [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/thewave.gif[/img] for the exact day that I wanted it!! Now all I had to do was wait for the park hours to come out to see if my ADRs were still workable (I made them using past park/EMH hours) and when they FINALLY came out in mid-September, much later than usual, I was lucky enough to find that all my ADRs were perfect, I didn’t have to change a thing!!!

I have been really worried about the crowds for this trip since we are going during “Jersey Week”, the last week of the Food & Wine Festival and the second weekend we are there is Super Soap Weekend at Disney Studios. We are really used to low crowds during the times we normally go so if it is crowded that is going to be a big adjustment for us (especially DH who doesn’t do so well with crowds, the main reason we try to go off-season during the school year). Hopefully it won’t be too bad but what’s the difference I will still be in Disney World!!!

Here is the itinerary I hope to follow while we are there:

Saturday 11/5
MK Hours 9:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Arrival Port Orleans Riverside probably around 6:00 p.m.
Our flight is at 12:55 p.m. and lands at 3:25 after getting baggage and rental car and driving to resort I am figuring 6:00 p.m. is a good estimate.
I am not really planning any meal for today we will just wing it, eat in a park or at the food court.
Magic Kingdom is open until 9:00 p.m. today and I have found out that The Haunted Mansion is closing for refurbishment on Sunday, 11/6 so since we definitely want to ride this at least once we will be heading to the Magic Kingdom to do that. We may be able to catch the Wishes fireworks tonight which might be better since tomorrow will be an early day.

Sunday 11/6
Magic Kingdom

Breakfast - Cinderella’s Royal Table - 8:20 a.m.
Lunch – snack in the park
Dinner – Counter-service at the park (Peco’s Bill’s?) or the hotel.
I am hoping to stay at MK to see Wishes (MK’s fireworks)
Although since Breakfast is so early we might have to go back to the room for
a nap at some point if the kids (or adults) get too tired.

Monday 11/7
KATIE’S BIRTHDAY!!! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/birthday.gif[/img]
Animal Kingdom

Breakfast in the room
Lunch Counter Service at the park – maybe Flame Tree Barbecue
Dinner – Hoop Dee Doo Revue 7:15 p.m.

I thought Animal Kingdom would be best here since we don’t usually do too much here and we can probably do it in a ½ day or so and then head back to the room to takes naps.

Tuesday 11/8
Disney/MGM Studios

Breakfast in the room
Lunch – Unplanned
Dinner – Hollywood & Vine – 5:30
Possibly Downtown Disney for shopping


Wednesday 11/9
EPCOT

Breakfast in the room
Lunch & Dinner – Eat our way around the World at the Food & Wine Festival?
Hopefully see Illuminations if the kids are over their fear of fireworks.
Maybe walk to the Boardwalk after EPCOT

Thursday 11/10
Erin’s 16th Birthday!!! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/birthday.gif[/img]
Disney MGM Studios

Breakfast in the room
Erin chose MGM as the park she wanted to go to on her birthday. We’ll probably eat Lunch there.
Dinner – Ohana (Erin chose this restaurant for her birthday Dinner)
7:40 p.m.

Friday 11/11
Shannon’s Special Day (Since Shannon will not be celebrating a birthday like her sisters we decided to make this her “special day” she will basically just be wearing a Lizzie McGuire outfit that I bought her specifically for this day and she will get to ride her favorite rides.)
Magic Kingdom
Breakfast in the room
Lunch unplanned
Dinner: Whispering Canyon Café – 7:20 p.m.

Saturday 11/12
Molly’s 2nd Birthday [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/birthday.gif[/img]
Unknown Park
I don’t know what park to do this day, Magic Kingdom is probably what Molly would enjoy most but we will be there the day before and I don’t normally like to do MK on a Saturday. We can’t do MGM because of the Super Soap Weekend and this is the last weekend of the Food & Wine Festival at EPCOT so that might be crowded too. We will have to play this one by ear I think. Maybe MK for awhile and then EPCOT?
Breakfast – Chef Mickey at the Contemporary
Lunch - ???
Dinner - ???

Sunday 11/13
Depature Day [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

Breakfast in the room
Probably Downtown Disney for last minute shopping and our traditional family pictures with Mickey if we don’t get it done earlier in the week.
Lunch – Earl of Sandwich or McDonald’s (probably McD’s if the kids have their way)
Dinner at home in Philly [img]http://smileys.*************.com/cat/36/36_1_44.gif[/img]