Our Magical 2nd Anniversary Trip! Aug/Sept 2015 - PTR (Updated Aug 25)

[disnita]

Hi fellow Dis-ers! Welcome to my very first Trip (and pre-trip) report!

My name is Anita. I’m a Canadian DisNerd with a passion for photography and a love for the Internet and social media. I’m a web designer by day, Disney-loving-adventure-seeking-travel-going Nut by any other time. I’m luckily married to a wonderful DH who isn’t as Dis-Crazy as I am, but loves Pixar films and has appreciated Disney more and more every day, thanks to my [brainwashing] passionate Disney discussions with him. Here we are on our Disneymoon (ah, memories!):

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We have two fur-kids, Milo (3 year old beagle/cavalier spaniel mix) and Remy (1 year old brown tabby cat). And yes, Remy was definitely named after our favorite Disney rat! Here they are together.

Adorable, right? I can’t get enough of them, they’re such good brothers! But enough about the pets (for now! haha), back to this report!

I know that readers enjoy various things here on the boards. Some enjoy the background stories, some don’t. Some don’t mind the long-winded descriptions, while some would rather skip them and look at pictures. That’s why this report will be split into sections and posts. You can choose to read some if you like, or skip them and go straight to the good stuff!

Quick Overview of our trip:

DATES: August 30th - Sept 6th, 2015
RESORT: Pop Century, asked for 50s building.
TICKETS/PACKAGE: 6-Day Park Hopper, one day at Universal (Yes, we are going to the dark side!).
EXTRAS: Free Quick Service Dining. Memory Maker pre-bought.
CELEBRATING: Our 2nd Anniversary!

The trip is getting close! I’ve been debating starting a report for a while. I’ve tried to in the past but could never get myself to actually do it. (Yes, contrary to what my Profile tells you, I’ve actually been lurking the Dis for a long time under a different username.) I’ve decided this will be the time to finally give back to all you wonderful people, and provide my own insight and reviews. Hope you enjoy and follow along!

One last note before I continue to the Table of Contents post… As I mentioned above, I love social media. Follow me on Instagram for my every day going-ons and things! (my adorable fur-babies included!) I love interacting with people online! And I will most likely be posting live from the trip!

Now on to the Table of Contents, and more posts!

 

[disnita]

TABLE OF CONTENTS

About Us and Backstory

The Planning Begins

Custom Clothing and DisneyBounds

Life Update: I'm sick!

...More to come!​

 

[disnita]

~ ABOUT US AND BACKSTORY ~​

Anita (me!)
Favorite Disney Movie: The Lion King, but really I love them all!
Favorite Disney Princess: Belle!
Favorite Disney Park: Magic Kingdom
Most excited for: Our BOG breakfast reservation before park opening!

Joe (DH)
Favorite Disney Movie: Toy Story (all 3), but loves all Pixar films!
Favorite Disney Dude: Woody and Buzz
Favorite Disney Park: Epcot
Most excited for: “Everything!”​

I knew Joe was "the one" the day he decided typical dating gifts such as flowers were overrated, and began getting me little Disney gifts instead. But the icing on the cake was this Beauty (literally):

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Yup, hands down the best birthday gift ever! He knew that Belle was my favorite Disney princess and he found the best gift to portray it. I have since begun collecting the Classics figurines.

We got married almost two years ago and, meaningfully, had a Beauty and the Beast subtle-themed wedding. I made my own menu cards with Lumiere’s song quote at the top, had candelabras as centerpieces, my ring bearer carried a book-box down the aisle, and I create our custom Monogram with a rose in it… So! It was only natural that we would have a Disneymoon! We took a 7-night DCL cruise with 3 nights at Coronado Springs before it. We had a BLAST! But the Disney Parks part of it felt extremely rushed and short. We told ourselves we would do it properly again soon.

Fast-forward 2 years and we've been on 3 big trips since then, none including Disney. This past April we were in the area before another cruise, and decided to spend our free day at Universal Studios to check out Harry Potter world… Because here's another fact about me... I LOVE Harry Potter. I grew up reading the books, so I was a fan way before the movies were even announced. I actually wrote to JK Rowling and still treasure the generic computer-signed response I got back. So needless to say, my love for HP is just as big as Disney, and I thoroughly enjoyed Universal! But I still kicked myself in the butt afterwards for not stepping foot on Disney property when I was so close! A Disney World trip was needed, and soon.

And that's when I planned this trip. It was all pretty easy for me. In mid-May I saw the Free dining offers for the fall, and immediately knew what would work for us from our last experience. Quick service food, and value resort. Although we are big foodies, we don't want to have to spend 1.5 hours every night in a restaurant. We did that on our honeymoon. This time, we want to enjoy every minute we can exploring. Hence the value resort choice. We don't forsee ourselves spending too much time in our room apart from sleeping, showering, napping, etc. We would rather save the extra cash for souvenirs and treats, and just visit the other resorts instead of sleeping in them. Plus, we really want to spend another day at Universal. So… $$$!

Package chosen, what next? Oh yeah, the dates. Well that was another easy one. Our Anniversary falls on a date during the free dining period... um, HELLO! How perfect is that? The imaginary cheerleaders in my head were screaming with excitement. We'll get to celebrate our anniversary where we celebrated our marriage 2 years ago!

PERFECT! And so I booked, and the real planning began…

...in the next post!

 

[disnita]

THE PLANNING BEGINS​

So we were booked. YAY! I lost no time with the planning. We started discussing FP+ choices and decided in which order we wanted to visit the parks. We decided to visit them in the "Traditional" order, being Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and lastly Animal Kingdom. We also decided to put the Universal Studios day right in the middle, to give us a little break from Disney (not that I would ever actually need such a thing! ).

Being on the QS dining plan, we had no table service restaurant reservations to make so that was one less thing to think about. However, there was something I really wanted to do this trip, and that was be in Magic Kingdom before opening, when it's not exactly empty, but at least less crowded. I found out that the Be Our Guest breakfast was counted as a QS meal and that we could reserve a spot before opening (9:00am) and be allowed to enter around 8:00am. This was too awesome! We ate dinner at BOG on our honeymoon and we loved it! The decor and theme was spectacular. So the fact that we could have breakfast there this time was perfect! Joe's excited he loves a good breakfast dish, and I read that BOG had one of the best breakfast choices on the lot. (correct me if I'm wrong! ) I searched for a good time and found an 8:30am slot open on our first full day at Magic Kingdom. I'm stoked! We decided to leave all other food decisions open and see what we feel like on the day of.

In June we finally booked our flights. The earliest arrival into MCO we could get was 11:30am, which is completely fine with me! We are leaving MCO the following week at around the same time.

On July 1st (Canada Day, woo!) we were 60 days out, and finally got to make our FP+ reservations. I was stunned at how fast my first choices had gone for the beginning of the week! I was starting to regret my Park Order choices slightly, but stuck to them anyway and decided to get what I could and just go with the flow with the rest, since you can book more FP after you've done your first 3, which I keep forgetting! I also didn't realize that Epcot and HS has "tiers" for FP+ rides... that messed me up a bit more, but in the end I figured something out for all the parks. Even though I wanted Fast passes, I didn't want to spend the day of, just waiting around for my next FP. So I tried to make sure they were close enough to each other in time, and location.

So after all that, here's our Draft Schedule for the week!

Sun, August 30th:

• Arrival into MCO around lunch
• Pickup luggage, board Magical Express.
• Head to Pop. We asked for early check-in, so we're hoping our room will be ready by then.
• Have a snack, or a QS lunch meal if we're really hungry.
• Spend the afternoon/evening at Downtown Disney to shop.
• Dinner: Wolfgang Puck Express
• If we feel up to it, visit MK that night.

Mon, August 31st (Magic Kingdom):

• Arrive at MK by 8am to explore the park and get pictures.
• Be Our Guest breakfast at 8:30am
• Morning FPs: Meet Cinderella and Rapunzel (It's really Rapunzel I want to meet this trip! Have never met her!), Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin (Joe has never done it), Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (new to both of us!)
• 10:00pm: Wishes!

Tues, September 1st (Epcot, and our Anniversary!):

• Morning FPs: Test Track, Character Spot (yay, fur-characters!), Spaceship Earth (we're not really crazy about this one, we would rather do Soarin, but couldn't reserve it because of the "Tier" thing!)
• Really explore the World Showcase!
• 9:00pm: IllumiNations!

Wed, September 2nd (Universal Day!):

• Eat QS Breakfast at Pop Century
• Take Uber (Plan B a regular taxi) to Universal around 8am
• Plans for the day still undefined, but we plan to spend most of our time in Harry Potter World and Jurassic Park.

Thurs, September 3rd (Hollywood Studios):

• Here's the bummer, I couldn't get decent FP+ times until the afternoon! So we might spend the morning touring some resorts before heading to the Studios.
• Afternoon FPs: Indiana Jones, Star Tours, Fantasmic FP+ seating

Fri, September 4th (Animal Kingdom):

• Morning FPs: Kilimanjaro Safari, Dinosaur!, Tough to be a Bug
• Since this park closes early, we may visit the Boardwalk that night

Sat, September 5th (Magic Kingdom + Maybe Epcot)

• Morning FPs: Big Thunder Mountain, Meet Anna and Elsa, Haunted Mansion
• Back to Epcot?

Sun, September 6th (Leaving day... )

• Eat last QS breakfast before boarding Magical Express back to airport

That's the general plan so far! I've also created a spreadsheet (yay for spreadsheets! Yes I'm that person) with our general plans and park hours on it, so I can keep that with me as a quick paper copy reference.

A few weeks ago we paid our final balance and then received this surprise from our TA:

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WOOHOO!

Next up, outfits and some custom designed clothing!

 

[XtineBelle610]

You leave the day before I arrive! Looks like you're going to have a great trip.

 

[disnita]

You leave the day before I arrive! Looks like you're going to have a great trip.

Thanks! From your countdown I'm guessing you're staying at Pop too? I do love that resort!

 

[XtineBelle610]

Thanks! From your countdown I'm guessing you're staying at Pop too? I do love that resort!

Yup! I've never been there before. This is my first time going without my parents, so this is a whole new world (pun intended) so to speak.

 

[disnita]

~ CUSTOM CLOTHING AND DISNEYBOUNDS ~​

Alright, we're going to Florida. No, we're going to Disney. Two very different places! What do we need to pack for Disney?

Let's start with the basics: shorts, t-shirts, tank tops, socks, underwear, all necessary toiletries, hats, sunglasses, sunscreen, some good runners.... okay okay, I'll stop there. That list can go on for a while! Let's skip to some specific Disney-trip items, shall we?

DisneyBounding:

When Joe first asked me what DisneyBounding was, I replied "well, you dress up as a character!" ... The look on his face was priceless as he was probably imagining full out costumes. I had to rephrase my thoughts. "You wear character-inspired clothing. Like, similar colours or patters, shoes, hair styles etc. So it has that Character feel to it, but you're not in an actual costume." I showed him some examples and then he understood it properly. So, he has agreed that DisneyBounding for one day would be fun! We would do multiple days but we're just too [lazy] busy right now to gather up several coordinated outfits.

We've decided to do Mickey and Minnie since we already have appropriate clothing for them in our closet. Here are the basics.

Joe (Mickey):
Black t-shirt, red shorts, and his magic band happens to be yellow!

Anita (Minnie):
Red t-shirt, black jean skirt or shorts, red fan with white polka dots

Let's not forget the ears!

Custom Clothing:

Next, I wanted a custom shirt for Harry Potter world. I've seen the ones for sale at the park and I just didn't want to pay the $$ for a design I didn't really love. So I decided to create my own! I'm a true Hufflepuff (Official JK Rowling Pottermore .com test taken ), and I saw a cute design online that I decided to be inspired by. I got it in the mail not too long ago and I LOVE it! I can't wait to wear it! It's a surprise so I won't post a photo yet.

While I was at it I also created a custom Disney skirt. I've always wanted a black skirt with cool mickey head shapes on it and I finally got to design one! Here it is stretched out:

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The top has an elastic sewed in, so as you can see it turned out to be a little snug! I should have ordered one size up for this one. I'm trying to figure out if I can pull it out somehow. But I love it! It's flowy and airy! I was thinking of wearing it with a white tank top on a park day.

What do you think? Have you DisneyBound-ed in the Parks?

Next post soon!

 

[saintstickets]

Subbed in and looking forward to your TR!

 

[disnita]

Subbed in and looking forward to your TR!

Thank you for joining in! Hope you enjoy!

 

[disnita]

~ LIFE UPDATE: I'm Sick! ~​

What a horrible title... but alas, it's true. I've been hit with a nasty summer cold and have been home resting for over a week. It still has not gotten better, and during this morning's doctor appointment I discovered that I have some major sinus issues! I have begun taking prescription antibiotics and a really strong nasal spray... I told the doctor I was going to Disney World in FIVE DAYS. He said it was awful luck, but I do still have a few days left, so hopefully I begin to feel better in those days.

The worst part of this is that is has brought down my planning excitement a bit. I mean, part of me has been dying to update my spreadsheets... the other part has just been wanting to sleep... and sneeze.

I did manage to begin packing! Clothing is pretty much done, so it's just the "extra stuff" that's left, which in reality is the most difficult part! Toiletries, sunscreen, hats, hair products, camera equipment (photography is my biggest hobby!), etc.

I also bought our Universal Orlando tickets this week. I almost forgot to buy them! I guess my silly brain was thinking about just walking up to the entrance and scanning my Magic Band to get in... Can you imagine?! LOL!

I will keep this PTR updated this week for sure... we're almost there!

Please send over good vibes and pixie dust if you have any! I need it!!

 

[LoJoDisney]

Hi Anita! Came over from my trip report!

I am so sorry to hear you are sick! Hopefully now with the stronger medicine it will go away real quick!

Your plans look great! I love that your wedding had a subtle Disney theme- ours is going to too!

We have so much in common, its so great!

I love the clothes you talked about for all your park days! Last year, Joe wouldn't agree to wearing any Disney things for the trip and this year he has all his Disney shirts picked out and ready to go before I do! We are still trying to figure out our Honeymoon, but I love that you went on a cruise and to Disney. A Disney cruise is on our bucket list!

I really hope you start feeling better for your trip! Take a lot of vitamin C too- that is what we've been doing to prevent any sickness!