Mickey-mania 2010 “Drew and Allison’s 1st Visit” - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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This is my first TR attempt. You guys have inspired me!
The Cast:
DN6 (our niece, Allison): Six years old and in the 1st grade. This is her first trip to Disney and she is so excited. She told me she wants to do every ride, especially the BIG ones. We will see how that goes...
DN11 (our nephew, Drew): Eleven years old and this is his first trip to Disney, also. All he can do is compare Disney to Six Flags (which he loves) but I can’t get him to see how much MORE it is. All he can say is “cool” when he watches the Vacation DVD.
DH (Jonathan): 29 years old and this will be his second trip to Disney in his life and in one year! He acts nonchalant but I can see the sparkle in his eye...
Me (Brooke): Disney addict. My family went several years when I was very young but then started renting beach condos every summer (not nearly as magical). Finally convinced Jonathan to go last November and I am now hooked again!
November 2009
In order for you to fully understand the upcoming trip, I have to start at our previous trip. Last November I talked Jonathan into a spontaneous Christmas trip when I received one of Disney’s “specials” online. I convinced Jonathan this would be cheaper than just the airline tickets to NYC (which is where we were planning to go the week before Thanksgiving). Long story short, he LOVED it, but said he felt he had given Walt plenty of money do last a lifetime. He said the only way he would want to go back would be if we could take Drew and Allison (our niece and nephew/ really should be our kids, KWIM). Well, I hung up the towel on this idea because their mom and dad won’t let them go anywhere sans parents .
August 2010
Fast- forward several months. I am itching for a fall trip. NYC is back on our minds even though we just went in February (we have family up there). My heart isn’t really in the NYC trip anyway. Early Saturday morning on August 7th, I am checking my email and up pops Disney’s free dining special just in the nick of time! I crunch the numbers real quick and realize that we can stay in a moderate resort with free dining for 6 nights for just under $1500.00! We could do this! I show the offer and my calculations to Jonathan and he also thinks this is a great price. He then looks at me and says he would love to go and take the kids but he knows their mom would never let them go.
I refuse to let this die so I immediately type an email to their mom explaining this amazing deal and trip we could possibly take in October for Halloween. Then we wait for a reply.... and wait .... and wait ... A week later on the 14th (still no reply and I am pretty on edge ), I realize OH CRAP it is the last day to book the dining special! I give her a frantic phone call at 5 pm to see if the kids can go. She says YES (really)!!! Five minutes later, the four of us are booked for six nights/five days at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort!!!
When: October 28- November 3, 2010
Where: Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort
Let the planning begin...
Next up: ADR’s (I never realized how tough this could be.)
I hope that you and your family have a magical time at the world
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Warning: ADRs are not for the faint of heart
(August- September 2010)
Now that our adventure has been booked, it is time to decide where we need to eat. Jonathan and I didn’t use the DDP on our last trip so I am thinking this should be fun making reservations and not worrying about the cost. I set out to make a list of which park it open the longest on each day of our trip (We aren’t doing Park Hoppers this time around) so I know where we will be each day. My main goal is to minimize the amount of time we spend in transit from place to place to make the most of our time. These things make my head hurt. Nobody warned me what I was getting into...
Here is what I decided:
*Day 1 (Animal Kingdom)
Counter Service lunch at Pizzafari or Flame Tree (depending on what the kids
want)
Boma at 2000
*Day 2 (Magic Kingdom)
Ohana’ breakfast (Ok, I actually made this reservation pretty late in the game when I realized we had 6 TS credits and not 5 because we were spending 6 nights and 5 days... haha.) I originally made this reservation for 0830 but then decided it would be nice to see the rope drop on our first MK day so I changed it to 0745. These few sentences sum up what took me days to think out in my head then wait for a reservation to open up.
MK Counter Service for lunch (hopefully Casey’s Corner which is my all time fav)
LTT at 1950 (This is another one that took WEEKS to work out.) At first I booked CP for 2000 but then realized I wanted the kids to see the MSEP so I waited days...and waited some more... and finally a reservation came available for 2030. YES! Just enough time to watch the parade and sprint to CP! Score... but wait there’s more. Disney then pulled one over on me and extended park hours from 2100 to midnight. NOW, I really want to make sure the kids see Wishes but alas, our CP reservation is at 2030 and Wishes is at 2100. MSEP is now running at 2200. The 2000 original CP reservation is long gone and I need it back! No other TS restaurant in MK even has a dinner reservation left. At this point, I need medication for my headache. I persevere and soon LTT opens a slot at 1950 and my problems are solved. Whew! Told you this one was bad.
*Day 3 (EPCOT)
Food and Wine Festival so CS and snacks today. Yay!
Chef Mickey’s at 2000 for Dinner (I really want to see Illuminations, but hey you can’t have everything)
*Day 4 (Magic Kingdom)
Counter Service lunch (I would take Casey’s Corner again... but Jonathan doesn’t love it that much)
1900 Park Fare at 1645
I am still desperately trying to tweek this time to about 1730 but my nerves are about shot. MNSSHP tonight!
*Day 5 (DHS)
I would love to try Starring Rolls but I figure we will somehow end up at Pizza Planet if the kids have anything to do with it (and they will). I do plan on getting a butterfinger cupcake, though! Yum yum!
Sci- Fi at 1910
I gave everyone the choice of 50’s Prime Time and Sci- Fi. I was the only vote for 50’s Prime Time, so guess where we ended up? Yeah.
ADR’s should come with a warning for people like me. All in all, I am very happy with our plans so far. I tried to budget meals so we would have plenty of time to go back to CBR each afternoon for an hour or so power nap before heading back to the parks. The only day it will be a squeeze will be the 1900 Park Fare ADR because we will have the added worry of getting into our costumes beforehand, but more on that later.
Great plans!!! We stayed at CBR on our last trip & loved it!!!! I know what you mean about the ADR frustration...we aren't going back until Feb & I've reworked ours several times already!!! Can't wait to read more!!
Now that everything was looking pretty well squared away, it was time to let Drew and Allison know that Uncle Jon Jon and Aunt Brooke had somehow convinced rational adults to pull them out of school for five days and let them go to Disney World! Yay! Well, one day we cornered them at their grandparent’s house and asked them if they wanted to go on vacation with us. They were up for it and wanted to know where we were going. Jonathan screams out “DISNEYWORLD!” and four little eyes absolutely light up. Well, make that six little eyes because I got just as excited all over again! Allison then proceeds to ask when and pouts when we tell her Halloween. I don’t blame her. I want to go tomorrow, too.
Now that we are officially going to do this, it hits me that I have never been the adult on a Disney Vacation. You saw what ADRs did to me! I decide that I need several plans:
How to avoid every gift/ souvenir shop we meander past.
What am I going to feed these kids for breakfast (because I am NOT spending 6 bucks on a muffin for them not to eat every morning.)
How to avoid “Are we there yet, I’m bored” in the car.
How to pry them out of the parks for a nap/ swim every afternoon. (This, I am afraid, will be the one that kills me.)
How to explain to Allison that she is just not tall enough for RnRC and Primeval Whirl no matter how badly she wants to ride.
Halloween Costumes
Plan #1
Here is what I have come up with and I am pretty sure it is genius if I do say so myself. I get online and go to Disneystore.com. They have everything that is in the parks and lots of it is cheaper. They also have LOTS of cute stuff in their clearance outlet. Every day we get back to the room from a morning in the parks, each of them will have a cute little wrapped gift from one of the Disney characters (yes I am going to write notes and everything). BTW, this will hopefully make Plan #3 easier once they know there is something waiting for them back at our room.
Arrival night: (I still have to work out HOW this will work without them knowing it is me. I guess I will just go ahead of them or send them with Jonathan to the car while I run to the room real quick.
autograph books and pens, aluminum water bottles, disposable cameras
Friday: Still working on something to go along with Animal Kingdom theme
Saturday:T shirts ($4.98 with Buzz Lightyear and Minnie Mouse!!!!) Bet you can’t find THAT deal in a park gift shop!
Sunday: PJ’s (Mickey and Friends for Drew and Cinderella for Allison)
Monday (MNSSHP day): The CUTEST Halloween treat bags that I found at TJ Maxx. They are felt pumpkins with stitched eyes and mouth and a vine for the handle. and they will hold lots of candy. These I am going to fill with packs of glow necklaces (To avoid the rolling, glowing, vender of doom before the parade and fireworks, KWIM?)
Tuesday: Still working on this one as well.
Departure: Mickey and Minnie plushes in the backseat of the car with goodbye notes from “the gang”.
I love your ideas for the gifts everyday! That is so smart!! Sounds like great plans so far. I am thinking about writing my first PTR and this is very encouraging, you are doing a great job! Can't wait to read more!
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.... and wait 
), I realize OH CRAP it is the last day to book the dining special! I give her a frantic phone call at 5 pm to see if the kids can go. She says YES (really)!!! Five minutes later, the four of us are booked for six nights/five days at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort!!! 
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