It’s Time to Change the Zoom Background - We’re Headed to Disney! An October Pre-Trip Report

[Goof's Girl]

Welcome Foolish Mortals to my first ever Pre-Trip report - hopefully followed by a full report if I can keep motivation to write and document high!

So let’s start with intros shall we?

My name is Sarah, long time creeper, first time poster. No…really…I think I’ve had this account since 2016 and this is my first official post! I’m what the kids would call a childless millennial - been going to Disney since I was around 3/4 with my Disney Mom (DM) and Disney Dad (DD). The official count varies but I think we’re in the 50s when it comes to trips taken and in the millions when it comes to memories made. Over the course of my 27 years, Disney has remained my most favorite place - despite snickering from others in my age group. So, as soon as I entered the adult world, I started setting aside at least 1/3 of my PTO every year and have continued to experience the magic as an adult.

I’m going to put a picture here from my trip in May with the warning that I will not look like this in the upcoming trip report photos as I am apparently not content with keeping a hairstyle for more than 6 months. But hey I’m a visual person and maybe you are too! So here ya go:

A little about my life outside of Disney - I work in technology public relations and truly I LOVE my job. Since PR is one of those things people are never quite sure what it is, here is the VERY simple explanation: I send A LOT of emails, talk on the phone, beg journalists to write about my clients and write press releases. And, depending on the time of the month/year, the hours can get pretty long. Leading up to this trip, I’ve worked on two major announcements that, while fun, required long hours and I’ve NEVER been readier for a vacation in my life!!! So to help channel that excitement and, let’s be honest, impatience, I figured I’d try out this pre-trip report thing as I count down the days!

How many days you ask? We’re at 8 days!!!!! AHHHH Which means on Monday, I officially labeled my to do list as “Pre-Vacation Must Dos” cause I’m all about the motivation.

So what will this trip report entail? Great question:

1. Travel party intros

2. Inevitable packing dilemmas

3. Potential plan overviews

4. Incoherent ramblings about Disney that I have to share here because my Disney Boyfriend (DBF) has limited Disney talk in the house ever since I dug up an old trivia book from 2001 and won’t stop asking him questions.

5. Hopefully making some new friends! <3


So…in the words of Peter Pan…HERE WE GOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

 

[SEAGULL59]

Following!

 

[rdkeim]

Following!

 

[Bama Mom]

Following along.

 

[Goof's Girl]

Following!

Following!

Following along.

So glad to have you all following!!! It means a lot to me

 

[Goof's Girl]

Getting post 2 up a little earlier than anticipated as pop up rainstorms have cancelled my lunch time walk - but I’ll use lunch to talk about Disney any day!

We’ve come to the intro part of the pre-report - sadly no pics for this one as I want to make sure everyone is comfortable with me posting their pictures before I do BUT if you make it to my actual trip report, I promise they’ll be in there if I get the greenlight

I still want to give you an idea of the cast that will be featured this trip, so it’s time to put that journalism degree to work.

Disney Mom - now known as DM

DM is a main character if there ever was one. Not only is she the most generous person I’ve ever met but also the most organized. Her attention to detail means we never have to worry about DVC point distribution or not getting the exact resort we want. Seriously, she’s incredibly good at this. I like to think I somewhat inherited her talents as I now take care of all other reservations like dining - and everyone is typically pretty pleased. Either way DM is the woman I aspire to be.

In her spare time she does A LOT of volunteer work and spends time with our cousins. My parents live about 2 hours from me so we sadly don’t see each other as often as I like but they do a great job of making day trips and, because I work from home, I’ll head up for long weekends and extra days around holidays.

DM’s Disney Likes and Dislikes:

• Likes:
  • Morning power walks at Saratoga Springs
  • The Peoplemover
  • EPCOT
  • Stitch!!
  • Starbucks Iced coffee with mocha and sweet cream
  • Food and Wine Festival
  • Watching golfer’s from the balcony of Old Key West and telling them where they lost their ball
  • Boma breakfast OR dinner buffet
  • Homecoming moonshine
  • The Great Movie Ride - RIP
• Dislikes:
  • Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway (see above haha)
  • The lines at Disney Starbucks
  • Dessert - EXCEPT for buttercream, the woman loves buttercream
  • Castle projections <- this is a hot take but she misses when fireworks were just fireworks
  • Getting out of the Space Mountain ride vehicle
  • Closing down the parks

Disney Dad - now known as DD

If DM is a main character then DD would win an Oscar for his role as supporting actor. He’s a classic dad - cargo shorts and New Balances included. He didn’t grow up with Disney but got on the bandwagon pretty fast and is now a true fan!

However, as much as Disney has grown on him - it doesn’t hold a candle to his first two loves: hockey and golf. One he loves to watch (and I mean LOVES - he tracks it on his phone) and one he loves to play. Golf actually has a long history in our family with my dad and I volunteering at golf tournaments and my years of competition around the country. We’ve played a few rounds in Disney and enjoy it every time!

DD’s Disney Likes and Dislikes:

• Likes:
  • Morning power walks at Saratoga Springs (do you see a pattern)
  • Classic Mickey ice cream bars
  • Pretty much any buffet but preferably Germany and Boma
  • Caramel Frappuccinos from Starbucks
  • Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin
  • Grumpy the dwarf
• Dislikes:
  • Slow walking -> doesn’t matter if it’s family or strangers, we don’t tolerate dawdlers
  • Lines -> patience is not a trait I inherited from my father
  • It’s a Small World
  • Pretty much all the coasters
  • Frozen Ever After -> honestly we all miss Maelstrom

ME!

I did a little intro in my last post but figured I’d add my likes and dislikes too:

• Likes:
  • Goofy! I think my username gives that away
  • Ordering Starbucks for my parents when we’re together (at home or at Disney, doesn’t matter, love getting that little treat for them) - my go to is iced coffee with sweet vanilla cream and brown sugar syrup
  • Drinking around the world - especially the Baijiu punch in the China pavilion (when it’s available)
  • California Grill
  • Pretty much any type of loaded french fry (but especially poutine at Disney Springs)
  • Carousel of Progress
  • Taking photos
  • Mickey ice cream sandwich
  • Gideon’s cookies
  • Homecoming moonshine
• Dislikes:
  • Slow walking -> I’m with DD on this one
  • Spending all day in the park
  • Toy Story Land
  • The new Enchantment fireworks
  • Hot dogs
  • Any temp above 90
  • Swimming -> laying on a lounge chair is the exception

Disney Cousin (DC) and Disney Cousin Husband (DCH)

This is the first time my cousin and her husband will be joining us without their three kids! My DC is really more like a big sister to me and little sister to my mom. Growing up with her kids as an only child myself, really made me feel like I had siblings - we’ll all very close! When we booked this trip my mom mentioned how it might be fun to go as adults for Food and Wine and next thing we knew they were booking flights to join us! They’ll be here for about half the trip with the second half being just my parents and I.

DC and DCH have been to Disney with us two times and are a great time to have on a trip - especially when drinking around the world is involved. Since they’ve only been a couple times and spent those trips focused on their kids, I don’t have full likes and dislikes lists for them BUT two of their favorite things are drinking around the world and videotaping the entireeeee trip (that’s the job of DCH). DC is the only non-early riser on this trip so we’ll see how that shakes out for her.

DBF is sadly not joining us on this trip, effectively rendering me as a fifth wheel. He just couldn’t get the days off. We did take a trip just the two of us in March and have a cruise scheduled for next year - which is about as much Disney as he can handle right now.

And with that, the gangs all here! Tune in next time for a trip planning overview!

 

[Goof's Girl]

Packing and Planning Part 1

Hello hello! Coming at you live from my couch after a busy weekend of football, pre-vacation errands, and house cleaning. I happen to have today off which was GREATLY needed to prepare for this trip. But now that I finally have some downtime, I’m channeling Disney Springs with a plate of yucca fries (IFYKYK) and tackling some more pre-trip updates!

To begin - part of my weekend was getting a head start on packing. Now, I’m the definition of an over-packer. For some reason I feel that each day deserves planning for 4 outfit changes; then what do I wear? That’s right, the same pair of shorts and 4 different tops.

Honestly, I wish I could say I got my act together this trip but I didn’t - I just got lucky. As it turns out, my parents are driving instead of flying and were able to pick up a duffle bag from me today to take with them in their car. In this bag I packed a various array of Disney shirts and a quarter zip, a pair of shoes, my ears (except one pair for the plane), my park backpack, and these overnight oats packets I like to eat for a quick and healthy breakfast.

Having that bag is already helping a ton when it comes to planning for my carryon. As it stands now, I have only a small pile of shorts and tanks to put in my suitcase. I was actually super excited to find the softest fitted tank at Abercrombie this weekend! This is not a store I normally shop at and I was shocked to find such a great shirt! It’s the perfect length and super thick material so it’s extremely flattering. Anyway...I’ll add a pair of shoes, toiletries, and haircare tools to this pile and still have room for souvenirs!

Of course, this is all theoretical...we’ll see how it actually turns out the night before I pack.

On to everyone’s favorite part...planning!

Ok calling myself out here - I drafted the above section on Monday and it is now Tuesday night...whoops! I can’t believe in less than 72 hours I’ll be in Disney - yay!

So for now a quick overview of plans and I’ll dive in a little more specific plans later.

As DVC members, we’re staying in a two bedroom at Saratoga Springs. We like to stay at the Carousel area so we’ll see if we get it this time! My flight lands around 10am and my parents will be picking me up from the airport so we can head straight to Disney. Since it’s so early when my flight takes off, I’ll be relying on that Orlando airport Starbucks to give me a kickstart upon arrival.

As it’s unlikely our room will be ready right away, we’re planning to head straight to Epcot! Hopefully my mom is able to grab a Remy boarding pass on their drive that morning. We’ll likely snack and just enjoy being back in Disney. That night my parents will head back to the airport to pick up DC and DCH.

From there, we do have park passes and a few things we for sure want to do but, we’ve been so lucky to visit Disney so often that we don’t feel the need to rush anywhere! This trip especially, we're prioritizing relaxing way more than usual.

More to come!

 

[Goof's Girl]

Packing and Planning Part 2

Ok T-minus 48 hours until I am sitting on a plane headed to the happiest place on Earth and praying I make my connection….eeek!!!!

Last night I completed one of my most favorite Disney trip traditions and got my nails done! I’ve found some amazing nail artists near where I live so I always treat myself to a cool design before a Disney trip. May really outdid herself with these too! They feature my absolute favorite combo: Disney and Halloween!



I mean….c’mon!! These may be my favorite Disney nails in the history of ever!

No progress has been made on packing…I should probably tackle that while I drink my morning coffee.

Planning Updates

Alright, so as I said on my last post, we have park passes for everyday of this trip and one dining reservation and that’s about how much planning we’re gonna do. BUT I’m going to share some of my goals and proffered plans for the trip, broken down by day.

Friday: Epcot

• This is arrival day so the main goal here is to attempt to get a Remy pass and maybe a couple treats from F&W
• I also love going to Epcot after a flight as I can do laps around the countries to shake my legs out while eating and drinking
• Pick up DC and DCH from airport and go to bed EARLY (at least I will)

Saturday: Epcot

• This will be day 2 of trying to get a Remy pass!
• Depending on my sleep from Friday, I’d like to get up early this day and get a workout in. I’ve been really good about keep a schedule at home and I’d like to at least get a few lifting workouts in throughout the week.
• The main reason we’re at Epcot today is for drinking around the world - pretty sure that’s the main reason DC decided to come on the trip.
• LOTS OF PICTURES!!! I love love LOVE taking pictures in the world showcase and the more my group drinks, the funnier the pictures get.
• Depending on how everyone feels post-Epcot, this might be a fun night to go to Disney Springs but TBD

Sunday: Animal Kingdom

• I really don’t care if people are hungover, I want to get to AK EARLY for a variety of reasons:
  • I refuse to wait longer than 45 minutes for FoP so getting there early is really the only way I ever ride it
  • My favorite AK activity is getting a Starbucks iced coffee at Creature Comforts and leisurely walking the animal trails. Seriously, I recommend everyone try this - it’s so relaxing and there is no better way to enjoy a morning coffee
• We’d also like to ride Kilimanjaro and Dinosaur - we just like those rides and try to hop on whenever the wait is short
• That’s really it - I like getting AK early and leaving early, it makes for a great pool afternoon

Monday: Magic Kingdom

• Ok so this is the day I probably have “planned” the most because of one very specific goal: drinking at Trader Sam’s.
  • I have MISSED Trader Sam’s SO FREAKING MUCH. The last time I visited was in 2016 when I graduated from college. So it’s been a minute and all I want to do on MK day is be able to get in and get a drink.
• In order to accomplish the above, I’m thinking we should show up to MK a little later in the morning (another good opportunity to workout today), ride some rides, then I will leave and walk to the Poly to put our name in for the bar.
• IF we’re able to get in fairly close to opening, that would be the perfect timing for my group to be ready for a break and a drink.
• Depending on how we feel after that, we can either go back to the park or to the room or even explore the resorts a bit.
• To be honest, my initial plan was to head back to MK and see the fireworks but the livestream was just so disappointing, I don’t know if I even want to see them. That will be a last minute decision for sure!

Tuesday: Epcot

• I think this is the day DC and DCH leave in the evening so one last round of drinks and treats at Epcot seemed to be in order.
• Either way, this is another opportunity to grab a Remy boarding pass!
• That’s really it...Epcot days are pretty chill for us.

Wednesday: Hollywood Studios

• Today starts vacation for just me and my parents and the main question of the morning will be if we try for a Rise boarding pass. I think we will just because I can’t control myself and know that I’m going to want to try.
• My hope is that, if we do get the pass, it will either be for very first thing in the morning OR early afternoon and here’s why: DM and I have a 10k to run.
• DM and I signed up for the Disney Princess virtual 10k and we thought it might be fun to complete it while we were down there this trip! So we’re going to need a solid 1.5 hours to finish and, since we’re staying at SSR, my idea was to get up early and finish at Disney Springs with the goal of being early in line to Gideon’s! I’d like to bring some cookies back with me this trip and it just seemed like a great treat after a run. Plus I dream about the peanut butter cold brew.
• Again, very much a play it by ear park day. For our trip in May to celebrate my cousin’s graduation we spent a TON of time here since these were the rides that interested him the most - so I’m fine with a break from this park.
• If I had to pick a park goal, it would be to see the Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railroad pre-show as I heard it’s finally back!
• To end the day, we have reservations at a family favorite - BOMA!!!! I spent about 2 hours on hold to get this reservation the morning they were released and I am SO FREAKING EXCITED!!!!!!

Thursday: Magic Kingdom

• No goals this day - as I type this, a leisurely morning sounds very appealing so maybe that will be the goal! Or depending on how Wednesday goes, maybe this will be 10k day. I guess we’ll find out in the full trip report!

Friday: Animal Kingdom

• I could honestly just copy and paste the above bullet here as well haha this could be a big park day or it could be a 10k day! Or even pool and Disney Springs.

Saturday: Magic Kingdom

• Today is a sad day as it’s my last day!
• Since I have a mid-afternoon flight, park time is limited to the early morning hours - will we make it to rope drop?? Who knows!
• My flights is around 3 or 4 in the afternoon and I’ll get back home around 8ish (hopefully)! DBF got my travel days mixed up so he planned for us to go to a costume party this night. We’re going as Taco Belle so at least I’ll keep the Disney sprit alive even when I’m back home.

Well - there it is! That’s the plan as it currently stands. Who knows if we’ll stick to it but one thing is for sure, I’m going to be a high energy ball of excitement until my flight takes off in the wee hours of Friday!

I’m not sure if I’ll do another post in this pre-trip report - but I’m really excited to get going on my first TR!

 

[Bama Mom]

Sounds like great plans. One thing though is that RotR is stand by now not boarding groups (and will be an individual attraction selection on Genie when it starts on the 19th).

 

[Goof's Girl]

Sounds like great plans. One thing though is that RotR is stand by now not boarding groups (and will be an individual attraction selection on Genie when it starts on the 19th).

oh that's RIGHT!!! Thank you for the reminder - I knew I was forgetting something kind of big haha

Ok in that case...we likely will not be riding Rise on this trip That's too much craziness for DM and DD.

 

[RollTideinMD]

Happy that I stumbled onto this PTR and hoping for a TR in due time! Your plans sounds great!

 

[Goof's Girl]

Happy that I stumbled onto this PTR and hoping for a TR in due time! Your plans sounds great!

I'm happy you did too! Welcome and I hope the TR lives up to expectations

 

[AliceNDinah]

Have a fun time! We were there in June and I can't wait to go back next August---it's my Happy Place

 

[Goof's Girl]

The moment has come!!! Thank you all for following along the pre-trip report. I’m starting the trip report now and doing it live! Hope you all check it out

https://www.disboards.com/threads/y...in-disney-a-live-october-trip-report.3856310/

 

[wfjny]

Looking forward to your reports. We will arrive ourselves on Saturday the 23rd for a quick long weekend.

I hope you are having a blast!