It's My Birthday & I'll Disney if I Wanna! ~ A Dec 2015 PTR - COMPLETE!

[dashofsunshine]

I actually had a vertical sleeve gastrectomy (or VSG for short) on November 20th of last year. They permanently removed 75% of my stomach. A normal stomach holds 30-40 oz, and mine holds about 8 oz. So I've lost 100 lbs in almost 6 months. It was an enormous, long, detailed process for me. I thought about it, prayed, and gathered research for about a year. It is major, huge, life changing surgery. But I was at a point in my life where something HAD to be done - I was pre-diabetic, had bad knees, was in pain most of the time, on 9 different medications, and was told that I would probably be unable to have children. I was horribly depressed and unhappy, and addicted to food. I'm 26, and knew I probably wouldn't live past 60 at the rate I was going. I had tried for years and years to lose weight and keep it off, to no avail. I had literally given up hope. So, I chose to get some help. Every day is a challenge - I have to be very careful with my diet and liquid intake, I can't just eat anything I want. I have to exercise. I have to follow a lot of rules. It's basically just like a regular weight loss program except some of the requirements are even MORE strict, and it is definitely NOT "the easy way out" haha! But for me, it was worth it. I have formed life long, healthy habits. For the first time...I feel like I have a reasonable relationship with food. And it is wonderful I wish you so much luck and happiness with your journey, girl!!!!

 

[Elevationist]

26 days until ADRs!
146 days until FP+!
206 days until WDW!
**************************************************

Hey, ya'll!

So when left with "nothing to plan" yesterday... I planned anyhow.

I started by calling Uncle Mark and Aunt Debby. As I was going over my daily plans, she was fast and furious trying to write everything down. They're 110% on board with everything I'm throwing out there. They really dig the idea of midday resort breaks, too.

One of the things I was so excited about with the park hours matching up to my hopeful plans is that we are all three night people, and I was able to work it out so that we're going to no early EMHs, but we are taking advantages of THREE late ones, plus MVMCP. They were down for that as well!

Speaking of MVMCP, we went ahead and bought those tickets yesterday, for December 4, our arrival night. One less thing!

No Universal party, though. We all agreed we'd rather save that money and put it towards trying to upgrade our rooms to a moderate (either POR or CBR) when the military discounted rates hit in the next month or two. Which is fine by me. As cool as the Diagon Alley party sounds, I'd much rather have a nicer room in a nicer resort.

They did hit me with one thing I wasn't expecting... They are driving their truck from where they live just outside of Atlanta to here on the 3rd, and staying the night, but they want to rent a Full-Size car from here to Orlando and back. With it being three of us, they want us to all be comfortable for the trip. They didn't ask me to help pay for it, but of course I'm going to. So I went ahead and booked it for us, and budgeted for half the cost into my savings goals. Uncle Mark told me to list myself as an additional driver on it, so we'll likely split the drive down and back. (That's fine. I'll drive as far as the GA/FL state line, then let him take over for driving through Jacksonville and Orlando! He works for Delta and is used to driving in Atlanta's traffic nightmare, so he is way less stressed out by that kind of nonsense than I am!)

I explained to Aunt Debby that if I can get us in at BoG for lunch but not dinner, it means not meeting the Beast, which bummed her out. And while I'm trying to keep the character meals a surprise, I did let one cat out of the bag by saying "Well, I've already got an alternate ready if we can't get dinner at Be Our Guest, and at that one you'll get to meet Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, and Tigger." So she proceeded to lose her mind. I remember when I was a kid and my cousin was born (8 years younger than me), she had lots of Pooh stuff for him, and his nickname as an infant was even "Pooh Bear." So. I knew she was a fan. And it made her forget all about not meeting Beast...

Oh! And back to her trying to write everything down yesterday. Today I very quickly whipped up a visual aid for them in Excel, and emailed it. It's sparse on details (some of that intentionally), but I figured this would be better than her trying write down my ramblings, and would be nice to lay my thoughts out "on paper" for them to see.

Of course the ADR times are approximate, and what I'll be shooting for when the day gets here. I also left off the specific restaurant names because, as I said... surprises! (I don't want to risk my Uncle Mark getting curious enough to google the restaurant names and finding out what to expect.) However, I will share my ultimate ADR wishlist with ya'll, of course!:

12/5 - Dinner - Ohana - 9:00pm
12/6 - Dinner - Mama Melrose (Fantasmic Dinner Package) - 6:00pm
12/7 - Dinner - T-Rex - 6:00pm
12/8 - Dinner - Tusker House - 6:00pm
12/9 - Dinner - Be Our Guest or Crystal Palace - 7:00pm
12/10 - Breakfast - Akershus - 9:00am
12/11 - Breakfast - Boma - 10:45am

Naturally, this might change in the next 3.5 weeks. But it's been pretty much the same for a while now, and I feel really good about it! It's a really nice mix of old favorites for me (Ohana, Boma, Be Our Guest, Tusker House), brand new things to me (Mama Melrose, T-Rex, Akershus), and one thing I haven't done in over 10 years so it'll almost feel like new (Crystal Palace). And I think they will love all of them!

Oh, and I do have one other thing to report! After my trouble on my April trip, I've decided to try out a different ECV rental company for this one. I've booked my reservation through Walker Mobility. It's a little bit higher-priced that Buena Vista Scooters, but my hope is that they put that extra money towards maintaining their equipment better. Their customer service has been great so far... Erika in their office is a sweetheart! And unlike Buena Vista, ALL of their scooters can be disassembled and put into the trunk of a full-size vehicle. Meaning I can take it with me Universal! (In September, I had to leave my Buena Vista scooter in my room, and then pay to rent one of Universal's scooters when I got there for the day.) That's what ultimately won me over for their company.

And. Well. I won't lie. This kinda convinced me, too...

That's right, ya'll. THEY HAVE GUARANTEED ME A PINK ONE. I'm gonna be riding in true princess style on this trip!

Okay, I'm done, I'm heading home from the office now. Just wanted to get this update out first. YAY FOR PLANNING!!!!!!!

 

[squeegee]

26 days until ADRs!
146 days until FP+!
206 days until WDW!
**************************************************

Hey, ya'll!

So when left with "nothing to plan" yesterday... I planned anyhow.

I started by calling Uncle Mark and Aunt Debby. As I was going over my daily plans, she was fast and furious trying to write everything down. They're 110% on board with everything I'm throwing out there. They really dig the idea of midday resort breaks, too.

One of the things I was so excited about with the park hours matching up to my hopeful plans is that we are all three night people, and I was able to work it out so that we're going to no early EMHs, but we are taking advantages of THREE late ones, plus MVMCP. They were down for that as well!

Speaking of MVMCP, we went ahead and bought those tickets yesterday, for December 4, our arrival night. One less thing!

No Universal party, though. We all agreed we'd rather save that money and put it towards trying to upgrade our rooms to a moderate (either POR or CBR) when the military discounted rates hit in the next month or two. Which is fine by me. As cool as the Diagon Alley party sounds, I'd much rather have a nicer room in a nicer resort.

They did hit me with one thing I wasn't expecting... They are driving their truck from where they live just outside of Atlanta to here on the 3rd, and staying the night, but they want to rent a Full-Size car from here to Orlando and back. With it being three of us, they want us to all be comfortable for the trip. They didn't ask me to help pay for it, but of course I'm going to. So I went ahead and booked it for us, and budgeted for half the cost into my savings goals. Uncle Mark told me to list myself as an additional driver on it, so we'll likely split the drive down and back. (That's fine. I'll drive as far as the GA/FL state line, then let him take over for driving through Jacksonville and Orlando! He works for Delta and is used to driving in Atlanta's traffic nightmare, so he is way less stressed out by that kind of nonsense than I am!)

I explained to Aunt Debby that if I can get us in at BoG for lunch but not dinner, it means not meeting the Beast, which bummed her out. And while I'm trying to keep the character meals a surprise, I did let one cat out of the bag by saying "Well, I've already got an alternate ready if we can't get dinner at Be Our Guest, and at that one you'll get to meet Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, and Tigger." So she proceeded to lose her mind. I remember when I was a kid and my cousin was born (8 years younger than me), she had lots of Pooh stuff for him, and his nickname as an infant was even "Pooh Bear." So. I knew she was a fan. And it made her forget all about not meeting Beast...

Oh! And back to her trying to write everything down yesterday. Today I very quickly whipped up a visual aid for them in Excel, and emailed it. It's sparse on details (some of that intentionally), but I figured this would be better than her trying write down my ramblings, and would be nice to lay my thoughts out "on paper" for them to see.

Of course the ADR times are approximate, and what I'll be shooting for when the day gets here. I also left off the specific restaurant names because, as I said... surprises! (I don't want to risk my Uncle Mark getting curious enough to google the restaurant names and finding out what to expect.) However, I will share my ultimate ADR wishlist with ya'll, of course!:

12/5 - Dinner - Ohana - 9:00pm
12/6 - Dinner - Mama Melrose (Fantasmic Dinner Package) - 6:00pm
12/7 - Dinner - T-Rex - 6:00pm
12/8 - Dinner - Tusker House - 6:00pm
12/9 - Dinner - Be Our Guest or Crystal Palace - 7:00pm
12/10 - Breakfast - Akershus - 9:00am
12/11 - Breakfast - Boma - 10:45am

Naturally, this might change in the next 3.5 weeks. But it's been pretty much the same for a while now, and I feel really good about it! It's a really nice mix of old favorites for me (Ohana, Boma, Be Our Guest, Tusker House), brand new things to me (Mama Melrose, T-Rex, Akershus), and one thing I haven't done in over 10 years so it'll almost feel like new (Crystal Palace). And I think they will love all of them!

Oh, and I do have one other thing to report! After my trouble on my April trip, I've decided to try out a different ECV rental company for this one. I've booked my reservation through Walker Mobility. It's a little bit higher-priced that Buena Vista Scooters, but my hope is that they put that extra money towards maintaining their equipment better. Their customer service has been great so far... Erika in their office is a sweetheart! And unlike Buena Vista, ALL of their scooters can be disassembled and put into the trunk of a full-size vehicle. Meaning I can take it with me Universal! (In September, I had to leave my Buena Vista scooter in my room, and then pay to rent one of Universal when I got there for the day.) That's what ultimately won me over for their company.

And. Well. I won't lie. This kinda convinced me, too...

That's right, ya'll. THEY HAVE GUARANTEED ME A PINK ONE. I'm gonna be riding in true princess style on this trip!

Okay, I'm done, I'm heading home from the office now. Just wanted to get this update out first. YAY FOR PLANNING!!!!!!!

Wonderful plans, and I love the pink scooter. If things work out, we might have overlapping akershus ressies/Epcot day on the 10th.

Eta: AND overlapping MK day on the 9th. LOL.

 

[Marnm02]

I think I'm going to steal your spreadsheet style

You have some great ADR choices, and I don't think you'll have any trouble getting them based on what I've seen lately, as long as you start booking the second you're able to. Do BOG and the F! package first, as those were the hardest for me. Akershus for breakfast is a huge favorite of mine. I'm going to miss it this year, even though we're going for dinner.

 

[cinderkelly]

Hold The Phone a sec..... Do you mean you are planning a quick 3 nighter for October 2016?????? Girlfriend I'm going to be there in October of 2016!!!! That would be way cool....
The pink scooter, I love it! You totally need to bling it out with silver Christmas garland! It will match your tiara!
So cute that your Aunt and Uncle are so excited. I love it when people get as excited about those things as I do, it just warms my heart . Love your ADR choices. 26 days seems like an eternity doesn't it?

 

[Tracy161]

The pink scooter!? Amazing!!! And I surely can't say as I blame you for wanting to try another rental company - sounds like this new one is already off to a great start!

You promised me you had planning related things to share and you did not disappoint! I love your hopeful ADR list - I'll be crossing all fingers in hopes you get exactly what you want! I'm so excited for this trip for you!!! And so happy that your aunt and uncle are totally on board with it all!

 

[STLMickeyMom]

Pink scooter!!!! So princessy!!!!

Oh, and the plans sound good too

 

[wellesleyprincess]

If anyone should get a pink princess scooter it's you!

Hope you're still going to Universal and just not doing the Dis party. It's definitely worth it at least the day. (And if you're up for the split stay, I'd highly recommend Cabana Bay)

 

[Chicago Mo]

love the pink scooter! your going to rock it out of the park!
I do love your ADR plans.. and i do see a US day there? Your Aunt is going to flip when she meets all thee characters!!! WOOP there it is! <-- yeah i can pull some oldies out too..

 

[DonnaBeeGood]

.

 

[HizMinnie2015]

I have a PTR going; However I'm new at this so its probably not all it could be HAHA!! I totally understand the funk... with work, planning all the things going on thru my summer before WDW; and then to plan for WDW. I"m worn the heck out!!! I did take some time (while at work ) to update our PTR. However I don't have many friends on here so it all may be in vain. Oh well, the memories are there for me and that's what matters!!!

 

[Elevationist]

Wonderful plans, and I love the pink scooter. If things work out, we might have overlapping akershus ressies/Epcot day on the 10th.

Eta: AND overlapping MK day on the 9th. LOL.

Yaaaaaaaay! We will have to keep our eyes peeled for each other! (I'm hard to miss! )

I think I'm going to steal your spreadsheet style

Oh, just you wait... They're going to get FAR more epic as the trip gets closer...

You have some great ADR choices, and I don't think you'll have any trouble getting them based on what I've seen lately, as long as you start booking the second you're able to. Do BOG and the F! package first, as those were the hardest for me. Akershus for breakfast is a huge favorite of mine. I'm going to miss it this year, even though we're going for dinner.

Excellent! Thank you so much for the dinner package advice! I haven't booked one in years, and probably wouldn't have through to do it right after Be Our Guest!

Hold The Phone a sec..... Do you mean you are planning a quick 3 nighter for October 2016?????? Girlfriend I'm going to be there in October of 2016!!!! That would be way cool....

I sure am, lady! Tentative dates are Oct. 23-26! How about you?

The pink scooter, I love it! You totally need to bling it out with silver Christmas garland! It will match your tiara!

Shhhhh! You're ruining the surprise, you mind-reader! I was going to unveil this plan here in the PTR once Christmas items start hitting the shelves. I'm planning for silver garland, a couple ornaments hanging from the basket, maybe some silver jingle bells, and (if I can find them) battery-operated white Christmas lights! I already told my aunt she'll have to help me quickly decorate it before we head over to MVMCP on our arrival night.

So cute that your Aunt and Uncle are so excited. I love it when people get as excited about those things as I do, it just warms my heart . Love your ADR choices. 26 days seems like an eternity doesn't it?

Thanks! I think it's a good ADR selection. I hope my aunt and uncle enjoy it. If not, at least I will!

The pink scooter!? Amazing!!! And I surely can't say as I blame you for wanting to try another rental company - sounds like this new one is already off to a great start!

Yes! I'm very excited about it!

You promised me you had planning related things to share and you did not disappoint! I love your hopeful ADR list - I'll be crossing all fingers in hopes you get exactly what you want! I'm so excited for this trip for you!!! And so happy that your aunt and uncle are totally on board with it all!

Aww, thanks!! Are you suuuuuure that you can't plan a quick trip for the second week of December?

Pink scooter!!!! So princessy!!!!

Oh, and the plans sound good too

I'mma be all kinds of princessed up on this trip!

If anyone should get a pink princess scooter it's you!

I KNOW, RIGHT?!

Hope you're still going to Universal and just not doing the Dis party. It's definitely worth it at least the day. (And if you're up for the split stay, I'd highly recommend Cabana Bay)

No split stay, but YES to a Universal day! It's on the schedule, see? The red block on Day 2. My aunt is DYING to see the Harry Potter parts, and they want to explore a bit more while we're there. That's why it's the one night that I'm booking a late dinner, so that they have lots of time to play before we head back to the Disney property.

love the pink scooter! your going to rock it out of the park!
I do love your ADR plans.. and i do see a US day there? Your Aunt is going to flip when she meets all thee characters!!! WOOP there it is! <-- yeah i can pull some oldies out too..

Awww yeah, rock it old school! And yes, sneaking over to Universal for the day. I think my aunt would Avada Cadavra me if I tried to keep her away from the Boy Who Lived!

Pink scooter - of course! Your plans look fabulous! I am spending way too much time thinking of my next trip at some unknown future date, and you are definitely helping by distracting me with your fabulous ideas!

That's GREAT! Hopefully it'll inspire you to book a trip!

I have a PTR going; However I'm new at this so its probably not all it could be HAHA!! I totally understand the funk... with work, planning all the things going on thru my summer before WDW; and then to plan for WDW. I"m worn the heck out!!! I did take some time (while at work ) to update our PTR. However I don't have many friends on here so it all may be in vain. Oh well, the memories are there for me and that's what matters!!!

I will go follow your PTR right now! And don't get discouraged! Keep commenting on others PTRs and TRs, and eventually they will come around!

 

[KathyM2]

Pink Scooteerrrr!!! How awesome!!! So excited for you! And yay for better service and better maintained machines that can fit in trunks!!

 

[cinderkelly]

Ohmygosh! Our tentative dates are October 22-27!
I promise not to tell anyone 'bout your top secret scooter plans, but I must say great minds think alike!

 

[hokieinpa]

The spreadsheet makes my plan loving heart sing!

Great ADRs! I think BOG or Crystal Palace would be great. And Akershus is one of my dreams!

Love, love the pink scooter!

 

[SarahDisney]

Yay for finally being able to buy your MVMCP tickets! I know you've been waiting on park hours to be able to do that, and I'm sure it feels great to have one more thing taken care of.

I love the ADR wishlist! You've got a lot of great restaurants on there and I'm sure everyone will enjoy.

Pink scooter? That's so awesome ... and totally perfect for you! Now everyone who sees you will know that you're a princess!

 

[Tracy161]

Aww, thanks!! Are you suuuuuure that you can't plan a quick trip for the second week of December?

The very second my money tree takes root, a December trip will be planned! Hey, a girl can dream, right?!

 

[marabusybee]

I decided to check out your pre-trip report after reading your other trips reports and I'm so glad I did. I have POP booked Dec 15-21 (Cabana Bay 13-15) and I realized while reading this I could check out the park hours. So now I've been doing nothing but planning morning parks, meals, evening parks, parties, you name it!

 

[Elevationist]

Pink Scooteerrrr!!! How awesome!!! So excited for you! And yay for better service and better maintained machines that can fit in trunks!!

Yaassss!! My princess heart is so excited about it, too!

Ohmygosh! Our tentative dates are October 22-27!

OMG! YAY! My trip is VERY tentative. I have a lot going on next year that could prevent it from happening. But I can't NOT have a trip on the horizon, so I'm going to plan for it, with the full knowledge it may need to be cancelled or postponed.

I promise not to tell anyone 'bout your top secret scooter plans, but I must say great minds think alike!

They do!

The spreadsheet makes my plan loving heart sing!

And that was just the super-quick preliminary version that I threw together in 15 minutes. Wait until it GROWS!

Great ADRs! I think BOG or Crystal Palace would be great. And Akershus is one of my dreams!

I'm really looking forward to Akershus! I almost booked it on my September trip, but I find that I get really shy with face characters, so I cancelled and switched to dinner at Garden Grill, option to save Akershus for when I'm not solo. And this will be that trip!

Love, love the pink scooter!

Me tooooo!

Yay for finally being able to buy your MVMCP tickets! I know you've been waiting on park hours to be able to do that, and I'm sure it feels great to have one more thing taken care of.

Yes yes yes! It feels SO GOOD to check one more thing off of the list!

I love the ADR wishlist! You've got a lot of great restaurants on there and I'm sure everyone will enjoy.

Funnily enough, I've already changed one of my selections. Shoulda known. I'll probably update about that soon!

Pink scooter? That's so awesome ... and totally perfect for you! Now everyone who sees you will know that you're a princess!

Absolutely! I'm so excited!

The very second my money tree takes root, a December trip will be planned! Hey, a girl can dream, right?!

I will dream along with you, girl!

I decided to check out your pre-trip report after reading your other trips reports and I'm so glad I did. I have POP booked Dec 15-21 (Cabana Bay 13-15) and I realized while reading this I could check out the park hours. So now I've been doing nothing but planning morning parks, meals, evening parks, parties, you name it!

Hooray! And grats on the all the planning! So exciting, isn't it?

 

[mom24girlz]

I have been a lurker on Dis for years, rarely ever posting, but I wanted to let you know that I enjoyed your TR and your PTR so much that I've started my own.