"I brushed my teeth, and I don't have cooties." An August DFTW and Disneymoon TR

Your trip sounds SO fun and you're doing a ton of things that have been stand-outs for me in the past!

She's pretty precious. Evil. Unpleasant. But precious.

Your kitty is SOOOOO pretty!

I promised a PTR-type post for our upcoming August trip,

Still sad that it doesn't overlap mine :sad: Everyone is there just after me!

(at least a full bottle of water before even leaving the resort each morning, then continue sipping constantly through the day.)

That's really smart thinking! Might have to utilize that idea.

Making use of DAS

Smart! It really saved my friend in the summer heat!

tipsy ducks in love

I keep hearing wonderful things about this, maybe I should try!

Evening: Artist Point.

Jealous! This is on my to-do list, and definitely not interested in a character meal version of it

Brunch: Cali Grill

You will love this! So much fun!

Dinner: Mythos

Hey! The one Universal restaurant I've eaten at! And it was actually super delicious

Afternoon Tea at Grand Floridian's Garden View Tea Room

Ooooh you'll love this too! One of my best memories, and I can't wait to return

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Ahh so cute! Absolutely love everything about this costume!
 
Sounds like you had the best of both worlds- beach in the morning then EPCOT for the rest of the day. How wonderful that you married someone who knows exactly what you need!

Wow! Sounds like you managed to do a lot in EPCOT that day. A perfect ending to an amazing, epic trip!



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The silvery ones are apparently rare-ish? :confused3

LOL! Yes, very rare.

When we were getting pearls for our friend Nannette, we watched about half of the people getting pearls finding the silvery ones. And every time the shucker got all excited and said how rare they are.

:laughing:
 
Thanks for the pictures of Stacey! She is beautiful and of course I love the name!

We made it to Virginia that night and crashed at another Hampton Inn. (They're my favourites because they're so consistent, and I'm in the rewards program, so sue me.)

We have stayed at Hampton Inns on our last two family trips- this past week in Washington DC and two nights book-ending our cruise in Seattle.

I like them too- reliable- reasonably priced.

Great road trip home- at least to read about. I'm sure you had your moments on the way back. I haven't listened to any of the Harry Potter books but I understand that the reader is fabulous. Good choice.

I liked your collage of pictures at South of the Border. I didn't know anyone actually stops there!

Old Orchard is a day trip away for us, but we haven't been. Lots of people I know love to vacation there. Lobster roll on the beach is definitely doing it right!

I look forward to continuing to read about your adventures!

:goodvibes
 
Awesome plans for your anniversary trip!

Love your touring and dining plans and your MNSSHP costumes are fantastic.

I can't give you any input on tours, hopefully folks who have done both Marceline and KTTK can give you some advice.

We have dined at La Hacienda twice. The first time was incredible and put the restaurant in the top slot for my husband. Our second time was in 2016. We enjoyed it, but it didn't blow us away like the first time. Sounds like you can't go wrong if you end up keeping this reservation or switching to Shula's if you are able to.

I look forward to reading all about it!

:thumbsup2
 


I have done the KTTK tour. We went on the railroad and haunted mansion, however I do think it varies tour to tour. They do go super in depth on the mansion. Mainly talk about the details on the outside of the ride. If you are interested in seeing the behind the scenes magic, this is the tour to do. I definitely want to do another tour some time like the Marcline one. The only other tour I have done is the now retired segue tour in World Showcase.
 


First, happy early birthday. I'll be celebrating my birthday in Disney too so we can be birthday girls together!

I'm infinitely jealous of how long you all will be there. You get down there before us and leave after us. Maybe we'll have to do an extended trip next summer :-)

Right now it looks like our worlds may collide on the 24th as we are planning on being in MK that day too, just not for the party. Hoping instead that the party will mean low crowds during the day.
 
Your anniversary trip sounds like so much fun!

Looks like our trips are going to overlap by a few days, and our current plans include doing MK on August 26th, so maybe we will cross paths!
 
Happy Birthday Megan:bday:

Your trip sounds like so much fun. The Alice in Wonderland costumes are so cute.

We have he HEA dessert party booked in December, so I'm looking forward hearing about your experience.
 
It was very late by the time we arrived at our destination, but we'd made it to Old Orchard Beach, Maine.
I remember staying here when I was a kid, probably around age 10. My family used to drive from Newfoundland to Ontario every couple summers and we usually took a route through the States.

I've never done the pretend-it's-my-birthday-in-Disney thing before,
I’ve done my actual birthday in Disney before, which was fun. But we’re also thinking about doing a pretend birthday for my DD who turns 11 a week before our trip. She chose Via Napoli for her birthday supper. I think it will be fun.

we'll be renting a car because we've grown accustomed to having one down there anyway.
I normally don’t have a car at Disney but decided to try this time, mainly for the convenience. I don’t really like that resort parking fee they added though.

Considerations for surviving an August trip:
I’ve only done April and October trips, so this surface of the sun heat is going to take some getting used to. We’re bringing those Frogg Toggs cooling blankets, no idea if they actually help.

If I'm missing you and we've talked about a potential Dismeet, please let me know!
I’ve never actually mentioned it, but our dates are almost the same. And I’ve never had a Dismeet. It would be fun to say hello!

If we're not wiped, we'll do a little more DHS-ing, and putter around TSL.
I’m also in TSL that night! I’m riding that A.S.S.! :rotfl2:

Then getting ready for....MICKEY'S NOT SO SCARY HALLOWEEN PARTY!!
I’m also going to that party!
Your costume is awesome.
My family couldn’t agree on costumes so we took the easy way out and just got matching Disney Halloween themed tshirts.
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BTW: Who thought it was a good idea to make Character Spot a Tier 1 FP? :headache:
I know, right? That was one of our “old faithful” Epcot FP. I don’t even have it this time.

AUG. 27: (Nothing. :sad::sad::sad::sad:)
We fly out early in the morning, and I try not to cry all the way h
We leave the same day. We’ll be sad together that day.

Right now it looks like our worlds may collide on the 24th as we are planning on being in MK that day too, just not for the party.
I’ll be in MK too! But not until after 4:00 since we’re just doing the party that day. Would be fun to say hello!
 
Omg your trip sounds AMAZING! You have so many awesome things lined up! I'm glad you'll be going to Discovery Cove and attending MNSSHP again!

Your Chesire Cat costume is awesome! You did such a fantastic job!
 
I've been lurking the last few posts. It's seems so much harder to leave after a special long trip like that! I'm glad you got to sneak back for one more day! :)

My thoughts reading your August plans:
  • Can I convince Zack to go back to Character Warehouse? It's open late!
  • EEEEEEE!!! AK PHOTO SHOOT! I can't wait to see! Personal question... how much are the non-MK shoots running now? I may give this serious thought...
  • Why didn't I try for GG breakfast on our anniversary? *attempts to rectify*
  • Can't wait to hear your Sea World thoughts. You might have seen my post on Raeven's PTR
  • Super jealous of your tours :) The Savour the Savannah sounds amazing! Wait, would it be wrong of me to tell Zack we should book one tour as our anniversary gift to each other? When I've actaully already booked Disney After Hours and plan to surprise him? Paper is the first anniversary gift, right? :rotfl:
  • I love your MNSSHP costumes! Isn't it crazy that wearing cat ear headbands is just a thing all the time now? Like I see 8-16 year olds at the mall all the time with them :confused3
 
Your anniversary trip sounds amazing!! Can't wait to see the AK photo shoot. :love: LOVE your costumes for MNSSHP -- Super cute!
 
I have read all your TRs and rarely comment but thought I’d throw in my opinion on the Keys to the Kingdom. I would say keep it. I haven’t heard much about recent changes so I can’t comment on that. My husband and I did the KttK tour two years ago and then Marceline to Magic Kingdom this year. I think they are different enough to still be interesting and even if you took the same exact tour it could still be different based on the guide and the questions the people in your group ask. I will say that if the utilidors is the only reason you want to do it, don’t get too excited. I really liked seeing the other backstage areas though and especially the area where they keep parade floats.
 
First off, congrats on coming up on your one year anniversary! And soooo jealous that you guys are headed doesn't for another epic trip!

I fought him on it for a bit, but before too long I'd given in to the idea...after all, we had our APs burning holes in our pockets...and soon enough we were ON OUR WAY BACK TO DISNEY!! Eventually, we were pulling up here...
I love that you guys went back! This is TOTALLY what we would have done!

(Side note: when we returned to le Cellier in December with my family, however, there was a new allergy chef there, and he went out of his way to make me gluten and dairy free risotto for my dish, and it was a miraculous experience. Chef Nathan, if you ever read this, you're a truly wonderful chef/human being! :hug:)
I was gonna say risotto is one of my all time favorite foods. Good risotto is amazing! So glad that this chef made you a version you could enjoy!

New Dooney and Bourke (Orange Bird, I'm lookin' at you!)
YES!!!! I want Orange bird Dooney too!

N thinks he wants a new hat. Otherwise, he wants to spend his souvenir money on as much dole whip, tipsy ducks in love, and schoolbread as possible. :rotfl::rotfl:
Andy bought a baseball hat in England in EPCOT, he loves it! Who knew!
 
WHAT

like

WHAT?!

Let's plan our dismeet at Basin. I'm only half kidding. Which one has this magic? Or both locations do? (Looking at your day on the 16th I see both fancy pants spa time and Disney Springs time! I could lurk around either place really)

Dude, I am SO behind on replying to these comments! I'll get back for the rest of them soon, but just wanted to respond to this before I forget again: YES! Much Basin love! We should definitely have a little Dismeet here if it's not too much of a detour from your touring plans that day. GF or Disney Springs locations both work for me, so whatever is better for you is good. Maybe we can coordinate this over FB? (And maybe I'll be less scattered and more responsive over there! #facepalm)
 
Dude, I am SO behind on replying to these comments! I'll get back for the rest of them soon, but just wanted to respond to this before I forget again: YES! Much Basin love! We should definitely have a little Dismeet here if it's not too much of a detour from your touring plans that day. GF or Disney Springs locations both work for me, so whatever is better for you is good. Maybe we can coordinate this over FB? (And maybe I'll be less scattered and more responsive over there! #facepalm)
10-4, friend. Will take coordination over there!
 
A mega post deserves a mega quote reply......

HYDRATION (at least a full bottle of water before even leaving the resort each morning, then continue sipping constantly through the day.)
Exactly my plan. I bring my Brita filter bottle and the hydration tablets my DH uses for long runs. They really seem to help.

Dole whip
Yes!!! Did you know that Goji's has Dole Whip?? I had some in Charlotetwon this summer. So good!

New Dooney and Bourke (Orange Bird, I'm lookin' at you!)
Me too! Me too!

I'm also hopeful that I'll be able to cross paths with @kastoney, @suse66, @disneyAndi14, and/or @pepperandchips,
Looking forward to catching up with you two!

PPO Breakfast: Garden Grill (first time!)
This is such a great breakfast. Chip and Dale along with delicious food, need I say more??

Keys to the Kingdom Tour
On my bucket list!

6:15: Savour the Savanna!
This looks great!

Brunch: 1900 PF (new! We've only ever done dinner there!)
I am so looking forward to this as well.

Afternoon Tea at Grand Floridian's Garden View Tea Room
You will love this. It was definitely one of the highlights of my 50th bday trip.

We have Early Morning Magic booked this morning!
I've heard many great reviews of this.

N loves Alice in Wonderland, so I settled on the Cheshire Cat, and the Mad Hatter!
Best. Costumes. Ever!!!!!!
 
Happy Birthday to me!

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What better way to celebrate than getting caught up on the Dis??

...well...that, and eating ALL the cupcakes.

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And going to Ikea with my mom. It's been a good day.
(If you haven't guessed, N let me off the hook and didn't even make me work all day today!)

Yes lady! One time a cm told me that you are officially allowed to celebrate your birthday at Disney up to 183 days before or up to 183 days after... :rotfl:

But I agree, this is a pretty legit deferral of your big day!

I love this! I mentioned it to my friend who will be there around the same time because she has a September birthday, and now she's interested in the idea as well.

A necessity, really. I'm trying to stay out of the parks during the heat of the day as much as humanly possible!

It's wild how hot it is. This is a good call.

Haha. We were with friends a week or two ago walking through a downtown area and all of the sudden I was like "WHY AREN'T WE WALKING IN THE SHADE!" I felt like a bossypants but everyone else agreed.

Right!? It actually makes a world of difference! Again, good call on your part. Somebody recommended this to me when we were first planning an August trip for last summer and it was excellent advice.

WHAT :hyper: I am so excited for you and also super jealous! Are you wearing your dress again or another outfit? Omg want want want! I cannot wait to see!

I'm so excited for this photo shoot! And I'm glad I got in on it and booked it when it did, because it was pricey enough then, but last I checked recently they'd increased the price up to $1500!! We're not wearing wedding attire, but I bought a new dress that kind of has a floral hippie-but-in-a-classy-way kinda vibe that I think will work nicely for Animal Kingdom.

That's the best thing about Universal! Flying by the seat of your pants!!!

Agreed! I love that you can be flexible there.

Don't forget the Carrie Hayward patented method of free desserts... buttons, hats, pins, shirts all proclaiming IT's MY ANNIVERSARY as much as possible :hyper:

Yes!! Good advice!! I do have buttons. ...maybe I should make a sandwich board to wear...too much, you think? :laughing:

So my tour was a while ago and it was also HOT as it was Labor Day weekend (not long after you're contemplating going) but it was manageable because they schedule breaks and are sensitive that it's hotter than blue blazes in Orlando that time of the year. Actually, our tour guide told us a joke, there are two seasons in Orlando: Summer and Sweaty Winter. Haha! The only time I would say I was too hot was at the very end when we were between Main Street and Tomorrowland standing on an area near the bypass. It was absolutely without shade and the pavement was super hot. If you told the tour guide what your restrictions are at the beginning of the tour, they could probably accommodate you or at least help stop in the shade.

Our tour was almost two years ago now but we did both Jungle Cruise and Haunted Mansion. From what I know of the Marcelline to MK tour (haven't done that one yet), it's a different experience. We just did a ride through basically and got to see the "servant's hall" cm area. I don't think it would be a repeat of your prior experience as it wasn't very in-depth.

I would go for it, but with one of those handheld mini fans and a lot of water.

This is great information, thank you!!! :goodvibes I think we'll keep it.

I've never needed a reservation at any of the Swan/Dolphin restaurants. Do you get free calling to US numbers? If so, I would call the number on the Shula's website and see if you can make a reservation directly.

Also good to know, thanks!! We don't get free US calling, but I always have a calling card in my wallet for things like this, and it's pretty inexpensive that way. I think I'll call them this week.

Happy Birthday!

Thank you!

So stinkin' cute!

I'm glad you found the costume cute now, because I guarantee that it won't look nearly that cute once I've been sweating [MELTING] in it in the August heat for about .2 seconds. This is the cutest it will ever be!! :laughing:

I LOVE your Cheshire Cat costume, so cute, good job planning!

I would do the KTTKT, we did both and it is different than the Marceline to Magic tour. I recall doing both JC and HM on the Keys tour. The keys is more about the running of the MK and not so much about Walt.

I have never celebrated my Birthday at Disney and I am going to get a button this trip for me to. My Birthday was in July so I figure it’s not to far off.

Your trip sounds great, you do have many different things planned! Your ADR’s all sound like excellent choices.

I hope we get to say Hi! I need to wish you a Happy Birthday and Happy Anniversary!
:bday:.

Thanks so much! I had fun getting the costume stuff together for sure. :goodvibes Also, great info about the KTTK tour. I think we'll keep it and see how it goes! We can be Disney birthday buddies if you're going to celebrate there, too! Maybe send me a FB message sometime before then if I don't get to you first if there's a day you want to try to coordinate a quick meet. :-)

I also LOVE your Cheshire cat costume! I was thinking of doing that for my race weekend running outfit (mostly because my favorite runners are the bright fuchsia colour) and am awed by what you have put together! That is amazing!!

Thank you so much! It was fun, and easier than I expected. I love the idea of matching your outfit to your shoes for runDisney!

I'm still making my way through your DFTW TR, but I love it so far! I know I'm so far behind, but you ROCKED that hair cut.

Thanks so much! And thanks for reading along.

Im with you on the Moana line. The boys couldn't care less about her up until a month or so ago. Now, we watch the movie DAILY so I know she'll be a must in September.

Moana is definitely one of my faves! I can see why your boys are into the movie! I hope we both can meet her without too much hassle.

Ooh! I like these plans that you have made on MY birthday. I'll just pretend I'm there too ;)

Sounds like it'll be a great day for both of us! (And happy early birthday!)

Oh my goodness, I love your costume!!!

Thanks so much! I had a lot of fun putting it together.
 
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