Looking Forward To More Than One Disney Vacation!

We are very grateful to be looking forward to more than one Disney vacation in the coming months.  Disney's Magical Express has sent us the luggage tags for more than one upcoming trip!

The trip to come first is a spring break jaunt to Walt Disney World.  We will be celebrating the husband's Birthday--who we have decided has celebrated more Birthdays at Walt Disney World than any of the rest of us!  We're staying at Disney's Coronado Springs for the first time since the summer of 2016.  Coronado Springs is undergoing refurbishment and building a multi-story tower of rooms to add to the resort.  Click here to read more about staying at Coronado Springs.

Our Fastpasses have been selected for this trip and grocery delivery is all set.  Packing is the what's left for this trip--that and making the husband his set of trip cards.

Some things that we are looking forward to during this trip include:

• Dining at Raglan Road and House of Blues, both restaurants at Disney Springs.  
• A parade viewing and dining combo package at the Magic Kingdom featuring lunch at Tony's on Town Square and reserved viewing location for Festival of Fantasy Parade.  I did not know this offering existed until I was making Dining Reservations and uncovered it in the list of options.  We'll let you know how it goes.
• Backstage Magic Tour  which is a new for us experience and includes a 7 hour tour that includes at least two parks, experiencing the utilidors at the Magic Kingdom, and lunch at Whispering Canyon at Disney's Wilderness Lodge.  An Annual Pass discount was available for this tour.
• Highway in the Sky Dine Around which is a 5 course progressive dinner of sorts that starts at The Contemporary and stops at all monorail resorts for a course and returns to The Contemporary for dessert and fireworks viewing.  This, too, is new to us.  We have been looking at this unique opportunity since last spring and either it wasn't offered while we were at Walt Disney World or it had no availability.    

The next countdown is for another trip to Walt Disney World.  We're staying at Disney's Pop Century, our fourth stay at this resort.  Click here to read about staying at Pop Century.  Some different experiences for this trip include:

• Discovering Enzo's Hideaway Bar at Disney Springs.  No reservations are accepted so it's show up and see what happens.  Enzo's has a "Sunday Supper" offering that is on our agenda.
• The opening of Toy Story Land at Disney's Hollywood Studios!
• Taking Disney Cruise Line Transports from resort to port.  Taking the transports is not new to us, but we usually take the transport from the airport and arrive early at the port.  We're going to change things up this trip and take the transport from the resort, which will having us arrive at the port later--sometime after lunch.  

Which brings us to the next countdown and that is for a 5 night sailing on the Disney Dream.  We booked this cruise while on board last summer.  The itinerary includes two days at Castaway Cay, our favorite itinerary--click here to read more.

I read an article  about the positive effects of vacations and how cruises have a long-term positive effect for up to 6 months after the cruise.  I agree!

When we disembark the cruise, we're headed to Disney's Grand Floridian Resort for a 2-night stay.   This stay is complimentary to Disney as an apology gesture for some bumps in our vacation last summer.  We've known about a 2 night complimentary stay since last summer and decided to use it almost a year later.  What we're specifically looking forward to while staying at the Grand Floridian:

• Exploring a new resort.  We've been to the Grand Floridian many times for dining, but have never stayed there, so exploring is on our agenda!
• Getting tickets for the 4th of July Celebration at the Grand Floridian that includes steak & shrimp fry along with 4th of July fireworks watching at a reserved location.  Last year, the tickets went on sale May 8.  I've got my eyes peeled for any releases!  I called Walt Disney World and the event is in their system but they are not booking it yet.  
• Trying Beaches & Cream, a restaurant located at Disney's Beach Club Resort.  We have a reservation for this restaurant for us first timers.

When people ask us why we keep going back, the lists above are just some of the reasons!  Walt Disney World has so many offerings and changes things up regularly so that there are new experiences for us to discover.

Checking In--What's It Like 15 Days Before Trip #14 to the Walt Disney World Resort

We are 15 days out from trip #14 to the Walt Disney World Resort.  The boy asked last night if I was packing his bag.  My reply—“No.  You’ll need to do that before you leave for camp.”  I think his question was more about how close are we to our trip and what needed to be done rather than whose job it was going to be to pack his bag.

Taking the "feelings" reading—it’s a combination of excitement, anticipation, and relaxation.  Maybe assuredness is more accurate. 

All is done except for putting needed items into suitcases.  I’ve got the matching shirt sets ready and a packing plan/list.

Our lengthy upcoming stay has allowed us to combine busy park days with more restful days, or as like to call it, “lazy Disney.”  Due to Fastpass+ and the ability to select return times for attractions prior to a trip and without physically being in the park, we have days in our trip itinerary that include water park visits or Disney Springs or just hanging at the resort followed by evenings at theme parks where we can still reserve a spot for and experience high demand attractions.  Nothing like walking into a park later in the day knowing that what you want to do is waiting for you! (Yeah, Disney, you can use that line!)

The battle of wills has already surfaced.  For me, a trip is about the experiences, including dining and photos.  I must admit that some photos are a quest—two being  fireworks photos and since water parks are on our itinerary, a wave photo in Typhoon Lagoon.  The boy is balking at the fireworks photo.  “We do that every year.  Do we have to do it again?”  Yes!  And, it has been since 2014, two years mind you, that we have had either of those photos taken.  The 13 year old eyes roll.  Yes, I know where he learned that.  I’m not above bribing to get what I want.  I know what he likes and I know his budget.  Negotiations and deals can be had!

Fireworks photo--July 2014

Wave photo at Typhoon Lagoon--as the wave was coming. . .you can see it in the background.

And as the wave hit!  So love Photopass Photographers!

The more weighty concerns are on the home front rather than the trip itself.  When we get to this point prior to our vacation, I have to re-think grocery shopping.  Just this morning, my thoughts wandered to strategizing about when to purchase lunch meat to make the sandwiches needed for the trip to Orlando.  Do we have enough milk to get us through?  When does the milk expire?  To top it off, the boy will be at Scout camp the week prior to us leaving so the grocery equation gets a bit more complicated.

Haircuts, orthodontist visits, and maybe a pedicure are also on the list in the coming days. 

Excitement.  Yeah, definitely, excitement!

We've Got The Disney Bug!

We’ve got it bad!  The Disney bug—we’ve been bitten!  I blame the Annual Passes. 

Knowing that there is a little card in my purse and a MagicBand attached to that little card that gives us access to all the magic 47 square miles can hold is an incredible pull.  All we have to do is get ourselves to Orlando!

So, as of right now, we have 4 countdowns to Disney vacations.  Yes, 4!  I said we have it bad!

The first of four vacations is a lengthy summer sojourn that includes eleven nights at a Walt Disney World Resort followed by a several day stay in Houston to see family.  The husband asked me just last night what I was looking forward to.  My response:  Seeing our family and strawberry shortcake at Hoop Dee Do. He smiled, nodded, and said, “Good answer.” 

We have new restaurants and new experiences planned for this trip—Tiffins, Boma, La Hacienda de San Angel, Yak & Yeti along with Jungle Book: Alive with Magic show at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, new Soarin’, and Frozen Ever After at EPCOT.  We are returning to restaurants that we haven’t dined at in several trips such as Coral Reef, Teppan Edo, 1900 Park Fair, and the dinner show Hoop Dee Do. 

We’re returning to Coronado Springs Resort this trip and are looking forward to some relaxing time by the pool.  The Garden Grocer order is done, we’re checked in on-line, and the packing list is commencing.

The next trip to take is the most recent trip booked.  We’re planning for a long week-end to celebrate the boy’s birthday and have a reservation at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge.  The research has begun for this trip and there are so many things to do at this resort that we may not even make it to a theme park!  Annual Passholder discounts have not yet been released so am still looking for additional discounts for this trip.  Flights to Orlando—done.  Waiting a bit for flights home.

And, we have a reservation during the holidays at Pop Century.  Again, all we have to do is get ourselves to Orlando.  I told the husband that if airfare is an issue—we could drive.  He didn’t say no!

The last Disney vacation to take in the upcoming months was the first one planned—and that is our next Disney Cruise.--#8—celebrating the husband’s big Birthday!  We took our first Disney Cruise when he turned 40 so it is only fitting to sail again for his 50^th. 

There you have it—the next ten months with a family who enjoys Disney vacations.  Our friends and family have stopped asking.  They don’t get it but they have resigned to the fact that our enjoyment of all things Disney isn’t going way.  Others shake their heads, but that is okay.  What I want people to know is that there are more people who have been bitten with the Disney bug worse than us!  We’ve seen them at the parks so they do exist!

Multiple Countdowns for Multiple Upcoming Trips

Even before we left on our Summer Vacation in July, I had already purchased airfare for two more trips--well, round trip airfare for one and half the airfare for the other.  And now, we're managing multiple countdowns and planning for more than one trip.

The trip furthest away is a celebratory birthday jaunt to Walt Disney World, but due to the Disney planning calendar--180 days prior--the planning for this trip came first.  I asked the guys to give me one restaurant to put onto our list.  The boy, without hesitating, said Tony's.  The husband, after thinking about it awhile asked for Garden Grill.  'Ohanas, Crystal Palace, Rose & Crown, Tusker House, and 50's Prime Time Cafe round out the other dining locations.

The trip that is happening first, a seven night sailing on the Disney Fantasy, requires planning attention next.  Since we are Gold Castaway Club members we can make reservations for Port Adventures and on board experiences such as the spa or adult dining 105 days prior to our sailing if when paid in full. 

So now we need to look closely at port adventures.  Right now the top runners are a Cozumel Beach Break at Playa Mia Grand Beach and Water Park and  River Tubing in Falmouth, Jamaica.  Some of our criteria for selecting port adventures is the value of the experience, the length of time--Does the travel time to the port adventure last longer than the experience?  And is it something that all of us would enjoy? Right now the husband has his eye on the water bicycle that is include in the Cozumel Beach Break.

Soon it will be time for us to check-in online for our cruise; filling out the required paperwork online.  And since the boy has a new Passport, we need to update that information as well.

As a part of our cruise, we needed pre and post cruise one night hotel stays.  Our fantastic travel agent is on this and we have reservations at the Hyatt at Orlando International Airport.  The location of this hotel could not be any more convenient. 

Another day in the countdown I need to keep track of is the 60 day before Walt Disney World so we can make Fastpass + selections.  My current calculations indicate that we will be sailing on the Disney Fantasy when the 60 day mark arrives.  A dilemma.  Do we purchase wi-fi on the ship and make our plans using the app on my phone or do we wait until we disembark?   When I posed this question to a message board group I am a member of, the results were mostly to wait unless we can get in on a free wi-fi offer the first day on the ship.

It's exciting to anticipate an upcoming Disney vacation.  It's doubly exciting to have two upcoming Disney vacations!

The Countdown For Our Magical Walt Disney World Vacation Continues!

You know that part of your Disney vacation countdown when you can start to check the long term weather forecast for Orlando as it now contains the days that you will be there?  Well, we are now at that point for our next magical Walt Disney World vacation!

Come on—you know you’ve done it—checked the long term weather that is.  Maybe for packing reasons, especially during those “iffy” seasons when it can be chilly at night and warm during the day or to see if umbrellas and ponchos will be needed.  Go head, admit it!  We will definitely need the umbrellas and ponchos for the afternoon showers and they are already packed in a carry-on bag.

Speaking of packing, we are well underway.  The boy is the easiest one to pack for and he is mostly done.  As for the husband and me, the shirts are packed, just need bottoms and all the rest.  Since we have an overnight stay prior to flying, our clothes for the next day and items needed for that night are in a separate suitcase.  Once that suitcase is empty, our dirty clothes will go in it and the suitcase will stay in our car while we are away.  That way, we don’t have to open all of our other bags during our overnight prior to flying.

The flights seem to be in good order.  I still need to call 24 hours prior to our flight to inquire about the upgrade that we have based on our frequent flier points.  After hearing about some flight delays and unplanned overnight stays that our friends just experienced, I am even more grateful for our direct flights.

A tip that we use is to have all of the important numbers such as hotels, airlines, travel agents, etc. programmed into our phone.  I even have Walt Disney World’s switchboard number programmed which came in handy the day the boy left his DS at Cape May Café at the Beach Club and we discovered it while on the bus to Magic Kingdom.  I called the switchboard and was patched through to the podium at Cape May Café.  After a bus ride back to the Beach Club, we recovered the DS and all was well.  I have our Disney resort number programmed, our airline, and the number for our hotel that we are staying at prior to flying.  Since we will be leaving our car at the hotel and relying on the airport shuttle, having the number handy helps when we call for the hotel shuttle when returning from our trip.

The last needed items on our shopping list have been purchased.  Tide sticks was the last item and they were acquired yesterday—with coupons!  These will get packed in our Quart size bag for liquids.

Each morning the number of days left before our trip is announced in the house.  Sometimes the boy will ask or double check.  All of us seem to be Disney dreaming!

Less Than 100 Days Until Our Next Disney Vacation

We are now less than 100 days until our next magical vacation at the Walt Disney World Resort.  If you are new to this story, we booked our 11 night vacation mid-January during AAA’s Disney month (and will be receiving a free art print), completed our Advance Dining Reservations soon after booking our stay, paid for our vacation in full in early March, received a cash back incentive from AAA, and then took advantage of the new “Monster” sale with summer discounts by switching from Port Orleans French Quarter to Coronado Springs and saved even more money.  We then took a portion of our savings and applied it towards the Photopass + pre-order. 

So, here we are now, lumbering along, counting down the days, and waiting patiently until we can complete on-line check in which is now 60 days prior to your vacation, rather than 10, if your vacation is paid in full.  The packing list is made and items have started to go into suitcases.  The shopping list was also made with items slowly being crossed off the list.  And, the Garden Grocer list has been started, with items being added to list as the come to mind.

This week I found a pair of “water shoes” for the boy for a $1 at a “mart” store.  These will come in handy at the water parks since both Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach are in our touring plans.  What was funny is that since it is April and the new season of items are on display in the stores (summer stuff), the water shoes were both regular prices and clearance prices depending on where they were on display—front or back of the aisle.  If I hadn’t hunted a bit, I would have ended up paying full price!

While some folks find this particular portion of the “wait” to be excruciating, we make it fun by watching Disney movies.  Netflix has virtually all of Disney’s “Sing-a-Long” series for songs and characters.  And since many of them were filmed on Disney property, we like to try to guess where the video was filmed.  This takes us back to our happy place!  There is a Disney CD in the CD player in the kitchen that provides background to both cooking and eating dinner and the husband has Disney CD’s playing in his car.  I put a note in the boy’s lunchbox each day and include how many more days until Disney—it is written on the calendar in our kitchen.  Even breakfast gets Disney-fied once in a while when we make Mickey waffles.

We will be there before we know it and plan to enjoy every moment, including those we are counting down!  

100 Days 'Til Disney!

As I type this post, we are 100 days from our next Disney vacation!  This day marks a milestone—a marker of sorts that our Disney vacation is within reach.  Thank goodness! 

As proactive and avid planners, most of the details of our vacation have already been worked out.  Flights scheduled with a recent change in our return flights—for the better.  An overnight stay at the Hyatt at Orlando International Airport prior to our Disney cruise is reserved.  Our travel agent got us a great price and free breakfast!  Disney transfers from airport to port and port to resort have been added to our existing reservation.  Since we are staying on the ship in Nassau, the only Port Adventures to reserve involve floats and bikes for Castaway Cay.

Our Walt Disney World Resort is reserved along with Advance Dining Reservations for table service meals for the length of our stay.  Tickets are a part of our package.

Sounds like we are all set.  But are we really?  There are still some timelines that have to be met.

• 90 days.  Our cruise needs to be paid in full and we can register the boy for the Kids’ Club and reserve our Port Adventures.
• 45 days.  The Walt Disney World Resort portion of our vacation needs to be paid in full.
• 10 days prior to our Walt Disney World Resort stay we can check-in online.

Then there is the pre-purchase of the Photopass CD sometime prior to our trip.  And the packing, prepping, etc. 

None of the details are burdensome.  For me, it is exciting and exhilarating to plan a Disney vacation. 

Now, if the time would just go by faster.  99 days, 98 days, 97, 96, . . .

Counting Down Until Your Next Disney Vacation

You have booked your next Disney vacation and are now counting down the number of days until your trip.  Torture, right?  It doesn’t have to be.  Here are some ways to make the countdown to the magic, well, magical:

• Keep track of the number of days until your trip via a calendar, paper chain, or electronic device that will keep track for you.  We do a little bit of all of them!
• As your countdown hits milestones, celebrate with a special meal, Disney movie, or shopping trip for needed items for your vacation.  Hitting the 100 day mark is just as exciting as the 10 day mark.
• Know what dates in your countdown mark important planning dates, such as 180 days to make ADR’s and 10 days to check in on-line at your resort.  The dates are a bit different if your next vacation is a Disney cruise, but the idea is the same.  Enjoy the details of your planning.
• Include everyone in the planning by using guide books, internet resources, or friends who may have Disney expertise.  Just talking about your upcoming trip will build excitement and anticipation.

Scientists have now discovered that the feeling of anticipation is more pleasurable that surprise.  Duh!  Anticipation is part of the fun of a Disney vacation or any vacation for that matter.

Most of our family mealtimes involve some talk about an upcoming trip.  Last night for example, the boy ate a whole pork chop at dinner.  The husband then said, “Yep, he’s ready for the adult menu.”  This prompted a whole conversation about ordering from both the children’s and adult menu on the ship.  The boy was concerned as he wanted to eat duck and needed to know if it was included in the menu.  And, on the ship it’s fine, even for adults, to order from either menu. 

But since he will be 10 by the time we return to Walt Disney World, in the eyes of the mouse, he will be considered an adult.  This means no more kids menu at the counter service locations, as we will have the Disney Dining Plan.  He’s had enough bites of his Dad’s buffalo chicken sandwich, that he is ready for one of his own.  And, adults can have a side of apple slices, but not kids.  Bonus!

The point is that no matter how long the countdown is until your next trip, it can be enjoyable to click away the time anticipating for, planning, and talking about the upcoming trip. 

The boy caught me checking out a ride video of the newly refurbished Big Thunder Mountain Railroad the other day on-line.  Busted!  But, it was part of the countdown!