We're Disney Bound

Good evening! WE HAVE TWO DAYS LEFT in the countdown! Insanity! If you go back to when this journal was opened the countdown was triple digits and almost a year back... wow.

January 21st not only marks our last full day at Disney, it's also my 24th birthday. Erin was going to surprise me with a bday cake, but needed the confirm number to order it, so ha ha I got to find out early.

Day Ten: Magic Kingdom Day 3
07:30a - Wake Up
08:15a - Catch Bus for the Magic Kingdom
09:00a - Watch Park Opening
09:30a - Breakfast @ Sleepy Hollow
10:00a - tour park, BTMRR & SPLASH!
11:30a - Lunch @ The Crystal Palace w/ Pooh & Friends and BDAY CAKE!
12:30p - Tour some more...
05:30p - Dinner @ Cosmic Ray's ?
08:00p - Wishes from the Train Station on Main Street
08:20p - Catch the Bus to the Boardwalk
09:00p - Illuminations from the International Gateway
10:00p - Final packing, bed. cry ourselves to sleep.

Four days! Four days! Four days! Four days!

Wow, almost a week of plans gone already. Whatever little thing helps to move the hours along. The 18th marks the second Sunday I will be gone from my duties at ABT, and I have a feeling I'll be missing my girls something terrible, but I plan on sending several postcards to Mary to share with the girls... and hopefully I can find a little something for all of them...

Sunday also means our second EPCOT day... Considering the Magic Kingdom has the Extra Magic Evening Hours I figure we'll head over to that park for a bit - especially if Splash Mt. is open... Because riding Splash Mt. at night is a frigid experience in and of itself ;)


Day Seven: EPCOT Day 2
08:00a - Wake Up
09:00a - Breakfast @ Pepper Market
09:30a - Catch Bus
10:00a - Fastpass Soarin / Tour Future World / Character stalk
01:00p - Lunch @ The Electric Umbrella
01:30p - Continue touring.
06:30p - Head to Fort Wilderness (take ferry?)
08:00p - Dinner @ Trail's End
09:30p - Electrical Water Pagent
10:00p - Extra Magic Hours @ The Magic Kingdom
12:00p - Head for Coronado Springs

This will be the final night at the Coronado... and I will be sad.

Good Morning, we're at day 8 on our countdown. We've decided that the hours go by too slowly and if they don't speed up soon we're going to go insane. And not our regular kind of insane. So you've been warned. Hopefully when we get out and about and do things this coming week it won't go as slow. We'll see.

Jan. 14 marks our first day at EPCOT. To me this park is incredibly spread out and feels to be the largest of the parks even though Disney's Animal Kingdom has the most square footage. Disney must agree with me some what because the park is broken up into two sections "Future World" which surrounds Spaceship Earth (aka The Giant Golf Ball) and "World Showcase" which hosts 10 countries around the man made lagoon. World Showcase opens an hour to two hours after Future World. I enjoy the World Showcase far more than Future World. For one, it's more spread out so it doesn't feel as crowded, and two World Showcase is so much fun to photograph.

There are many character meets in both sections and so we'll get in some quality character stalking. Erin wants to meet Mushu so we'll be hanging around China quite a bit, I'm sure.

Alright, here's the plan for Wednesday.

Day Three: EPCOT Day 1
08:00a - Wake up & Shower
09:00a - Breakfast @ the Pepper Market
10:00a - Catch Bus for EPCOT
11:00a - World Showcase Opens, tour right to left.
01:05p - Lunch @ Le Cellier
02:00p - continue touring World Showcase
Since there aren't as many rides/attractions we'll just take it easy.
07:45p - Dinner @ Cantina De San Angel stake out spot by lake for pyro
09:00p - Illuminations!
09:20p - Take long way around the lake let crowds thin out at buses.
10:00p - Bed, make sure to plan out DHS showtimes.

Alright, I gotta get off this bad boy and continue packing... I have a check list now so I can be better prepared... and I still have to figure out how to organize my carryon. *sigh*

We're flipping TEN DAYS AWAY from our trip! 2008 ZOOMED by I can remember when the countdown was still in the 300s!

So this is Erin. Dork twin number 2. So I had a funky dream last night basically we played marco polo on different rides and we were swimming in the jungle cruise and then mickey started playing with us but his voice sounded like my dad and it was weird. but 11 DAYS!!!!!

...so, Erin had planned to get a pedicure a few days before our trip to Disney so her feet could look fab on our trip. That fell through due to her work schedule and she was bummed.

I told Judy earlier this month about it and Judy got a fantastic idea to book a pedicure there at the Coronado Springs Health Spa for Erin. She ordered a Disney Gift Card so that we could pay for it and not worry about the cost.

So, after playing phone tag with them for three days I finally booked an appointment for Monday January 12th @ 9am. So I guess we'll sleep in that morning after all. It was funny because the lady I was talking to had called me on Sunday morning at 4:30 (!!!) because she didn't realize that I was in Alaska, so she apologised and then said I probably didn't want to book the very first appointment of the day (which is at 9am) and I said that it wouldn't be a problem and the earlier the better. So now Erin is her very first apt. on Monday before we head over to eat with Chef Mickey. I have NO idea what I will do while she's getting her pedicure. Maybe just walk around and take photos... that way Erin's not stuck going around the place with me...

soooooooooooooooooooo now........ yet another revision...

Day One -- Magic Kingdom

08:30a - Wake Up
09:00a - Erin gets her pedicure
10:00a - Head to Magic Kingdom
10:30a - Grab fast pass for Big Thunder Mt. Railroad
10:45a - Head over to Contemporary (aka walk over there)
11:10a - Brunch @ Chef Mickey's
11:45a - Catch Monorail back to the Magic Kingdom
12:10p - Ride Big Thunder Mt Railroad if Fast Pass window has arrived / continue touring Adventureland & Frontierland
02:00p - explore Liberty Square
03:00p - Dreams Come True Parade (what time is the 3 o'clock parade?)
03:30p - Fast pass Mickey's Philharmagic / Haunted Mansion / ride the Liberty Belle / visit Tom Sawyer's Island
05:30p - Dinner @ Columbia Harbour House
06:00p - Head back towards main street
06:30p - stake out spot in hub/mainstreet for parade and fireworks!
07:00p - Spectromagic
08:00p - Wishes Nighttime Spectacular
09:30p - In room set wake up call for 7:00am



I've also planned a Passporter Meet Up with another PP member for the 15th (our Disney-Hollywood Studios day) but I will be posting our revised travel plans next week when we pretty much know our plans are set in stone! ha ha!

13 days till WDW, baby!!!

It's getting so close we can taste it. It's insane how fast time has seemed to fly by. Not gonna complain, but at the same time... if life is going by THIS fast when we're sitting here waiting for Disney, how fast is it gonna go once we're there??

I tink we both got a lot of great things this Christmas for our trip. I know I did anyway! Erin was fantastic and got me an Ipod, even though we promised we wouldn't get each other anything (the bum) oh well, just means she gets something good at the parks.


Erin got a gift from Judy for a pedicure when we get down there to WDW. I tried to book it yesterday and all I could do was leave a message. Then, this morning at 4:30 (that's right A.M.!!!!!) they called me back. We were not amused. They haven't tried to call again, so I will call down in a bit or wait until tomorrow...

*sigh*

New dream to share. This one I believe was totally brought on by Erin and my conversation from last night. The sooner this trip gets underway the sooner my nighttime sanity will return! lol

Anyway it started off in the Magic Kingdom (where else, right?) and we'd just come back from breakfast (I assume Chef Mickey's if my dream was following the itinerary. Anyway we're in line about to get on our favorite of rides - Big Thunder Mt. Railroad. We get on and away we go, screaming our heads off... but then I look to the front and it's no longer a train we're on but Goofy's BarnStormer - which would explain why the ride is different too (mind you I've never been on Goofy's ride).

Anyway we're flying around the track and just like that it's over. But before I can get off the dang thing it starts moving back up the que. I was able to get off as others got on there (nevermind in Disney that'd never happen, but whatever) and I walked down to some area that I don't know where we were but it looked more liked EPCOT than the Magic Kingdom. Anyway Erin had made it off the train and was waiting for me and while she was waiting she got soaked to the bone in a sleet storm going on outside, but it was okay because she went and bought a ton of crap (all Pirates merchandise lol including steak knives in the shape of pirate swords) and she was surrounded by bags! LOL

We took pictures of ourselves together there in the area whereever we were and debating what we would do next.

and then I woke up.


25 days cannot go by fast enough!

I'm tempted to write a song to the tune of BNL's "One Week" but I don't have time! lol

4 weeks till Disney. Yeah. We're not excited at all!

31 days from now we will be in WALT DISNEY WORLD! *boogies*

Received our travel info packet today from Walt Disney World in the mail today! We're all set now.

34 days and counting!

So Erin and I chatted for two hours on the phone last night. Surprisingly our topics of conversation did not result in hours of Disney talk OR slinging insults at each other. Sometimes we can be a bit mature.

However towards the end Erin did mention that she wanted to meet Chef Mickey if it was possible. Considering she's a chef and I've always gotten her a Chef Mickey something when I go down to Disney she just assumed there was a shop that had the big cheese for photos. No such luck - there's just the resteraunt Chef Mickey's.

I've never wanted to eat at the Contemporary (well except for Cali Grill but until I become a billionare...) but since I get to eat with Donald Duck at the Animal Kingdom it's only fair she gets to eat with Chef Mickey.

Problem was that we are down to a month and six days and Chef Mickey's is incredibly popular. I was worried we wouldn't be able to get the day that we had open. It just happens to be our first day and we are planning a day at the Magic Kingdom. Thankfully, the Cont. is not only close to the kingdom (I believe it's in walking distance) it's also on the monorail system so transportation is not as tricky as it would be to some of the other resorts.

Sooooooooooo I called down today with our first choice of breakfast on Jan. 12 with a back up plan of Dinner on the 15th.

Surprisingly they had two openings for bfast on the 12... 7:30a and 11:10a - neither one of them is a prime choice, but I took the 11:10. I don't want to get up at the buttcrack of dawn two mornings in a row, especially since it'll be our first day and we'll have no doubt been doing the "we're too excited to sleep" reenactment that night.

So we'll sleep in a bit, and then head over to the Magic Kingdom for a bit, then walk over to the Contemporary and eat with the gang, then take the monorail back to the Kingdom and ride us some rides.

Erin's paying for that breakfast lol she owes me! ;)




x-posted on my LJ.

39 days till WDW, baby!

Nothing else to report, is it weird that Erin does not have a countdown to Christmas going this year because she's too busy waiting for Disney? I think it's weird.

Today is not just Thanksgiving, it's also the 45 day mark for our Walt Disney World Trip. This is the last day to make payments - which we don't have to worry about, paid in full weeks ago - and anything change wise after this could ultimately mean a fee be placed on the ressie because of change. This applies only to our park tickets and room resservations as our dining reservations don't require $$ up front.

It's so close and yet still far enough away that I am a basket case! haha! 1 month, 2 weeks, 1 day till we touch down at MCO, hitch a ride on Disney's Magical Express, and visit the Coronado Springs! Disney's almost here!

Wow. I almost made it a week before posting again. Is that a record as of late? I'm not sure.

Still tryng to get into the Coronado Springs Resort. There seems to be a pattern with the CMs I get on the phone, the guys all try to get me exactly what I want within our price range. The girls are always upgrading me to deluxe rooms at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, and Erin and I were tempted to take them up on the offer, but it was just shy f 1300 bucks for 10 days and 10 nights, and I don't think we could handle that. The only other option I think that might make it, but I don't think we'll do, is if we split our stay where it's 4nights at pop and 7 nights at AKL... but I don't think it's worth all the moving around.

So we're still currently at the Pop Century, but we're still hoping against hope that we'll get CSR.




1 month, 4 weeks, 1 day till WDW!

Day Seven -- EPCOT
Future World is the goal. // Park open till 9pm // Magic Kingdom has Evening Magic Hours

09:00a - Wake Up (yes, that's right, we get to sleep in a bit)
10:00a - Breakfast @ Pop Century Food Court
11:00a - Hit Future World (World Showcase will be opening then, so we should hit it about right)
01:30p - Head over to the International Gateway on route to Boardwalk
02:15p - Beaches & Cream for Lunch
04:00p - Head back to Future World and hit whatever is left.
06:30p - Leave park take Bus (Ferry?) to Fort Wilderness
08:00p - Dinner @ Trail's End
09:00p - Electrical Water Pagent
09:30p - Head back to resort? MK?

So I put a tens countdown on my ABT calendar which hangs in my bathroom. it's my 'planning' one as it's a way to keep me up to date with what the heck is going on and it gets my rear in gear when needed. Anyway I got really excited because the days fly when you only count every ten ha ha! Also noticed that January 1st marks the 10 day mark... single digits begin on Jan. 2!!!! Excitement.


I would just like to take this time to apologize, in advance, to our behavior come January. We are going to be unbearable. You've been warned. Please don't banish us!

Today begins the double digit countdown for our trip! 99 days from now we will be landing in Orlando, FL and just an hour or two out from WDW! whoo hoo!

I'm super excited! It seems like double digits took forever to get here! Ah, but now, the end is in sight!

Is it January yet?

The countdown moves steadily along. We have 110 days until we're on a plane headed to Orlando. Yes, no other news but that. Well, save for ordering snacks and water from the Garden Grocer!

Does anyone know how to speed up time?

CHECK IT OUT!

So I have nothing really to add. I'm just in a super excited Disney mood tonight! I should be sleeping (I have to be to work in about 10.5 hours! LOL) but I had to share the map of the resort we're gonna stay at... the section we want is on the RIGHT! :) 205 days until Walt Disney World!