I Finally Convinced My Husband That an AP Was The Only Option *Updated 10/13*

[PrincessAshlee]

I'm here and I'm all caught up!! Get ready for a million quotes!

We're from Pittsburgh, Pa and we're coming up on our second wedding anniversary in September.

Congratulations!!! DH and I are coming up on our first wedding anniversary in October. We went to WDW for our Disneymoon too!

I'm the planner for our trips and Andrew is my diligent note taker for while we're actually there.

Note to Self - Assign DH note taking duties. I take notes for about the first 3 days and then I get tired and stop.

I love Animal Kingdom, my adorable dog Oliver, eating and consuming alcoholic beverages, Pittsburgh Sports, Binge watching Netflix and high-fiveing strangers.

I love the Animal Kingdom too! Because they have the best alcoholic drinks (in the parks)!

Favorite Bar: Trader Sam's

I love Trader Sam's! We went last October and I can't wait to go back!

(I did a PTR but was a major slacker on a TR)

Did I write this? I'm still trying to get around to finishing my TR for our Oct trip and I haven't even started one for our Apr/May trip.

ANNNND WE ARE OFFICIALLY BOOKED FOR THE POLY!!!

YAY!!!

Something that I recently noticed was our mutual obsession with Landry's owned restaurants (helloooo BOAThouse and Paddlefish)

Have you joined the Landry's Select Club? In addition to earning points for each visit, you also get a $25 credit for your birthday.

We were able to book a very late, very last-minute October trip last week...ANNNND we are getting APs! Our one trip year has quickly grown in to four and we are SO Excited!

So exciting!!!

We talked about maybe going to Vegas, The Bahamas, Niagra Falls, or the Florida Keys..but we both decided with such a limited amount of time we wanted to go somewhere that we were familiar with because that is what is relaxing to us.

DH and I are going to Niagara Falls for our anniversary trip next month and I just can't get excited about it. Not-Disney trips are just not as good as Disney Trips!

Side Note: When I was telling my co-workers this, they all look at me like I'm crazy. "Did you just say, 'Disney' and 'Relaxing' in the same sentence?" Yep. I did. Judge away.

Judgey co-workers/friends/family are the worst!! I feel like we have a whole spiel now to try to convince people that Disney is cool, but they never get it.

I also ended up being incredibly lucky with ADRs..who says you need to wake up at 6am for 180 days out with luck like this?
Sunday 10/15: California Grill 7:05 (This is also a Halloween Party night!)
Monday 10/16: Yachtsman 6:00pm (I also have this booked for Feb so I'll have to update that)
Tuesday 10/17: Tiffins 6:05
Wednesday 10/18: GF Cafe Lunch 12:45

Everyone always stresses about 180 days. We booked our last trip under 90 days and we're able to get all the reservations that we wanted. So I told myself not to stress this time, but I was still up at 6am on 180 days to make ADRs.

I went to our local Disney store to buy our AP vouchers yesterday so that I could start looking for future discounts/book our FPs for October. The CM working at the register said that they were the first APs that he's ever sold I also caught Southwest on a good day yesterday because the flights that I had been tracking for October took a serious price-cut. Now everything is booked and I'm just anxiously waiting for our long weekend away.

YAY for officially getting your AP vouchers!! and for booking your flights!!!

Our second wedding anniversary is coming up at the end of this month, and with it being the "Cotton" anniversary I needed some inspiration. Leave it to Pinterest to save the day.

Where each letter starts the sentence. The entire thing is going to be Disney themed and I'm super excited. I'll post some pictures once it's done, but I need to procrastinate finishing it for a little because the second it's done I'll want to give it to him

Can't wait to see what you come up with! I may need to copy it for next year!

So the more I thought about it the more I knew that POP probably wasn't the right resort for us for the particular trip.

I love POP, but I agree it isn't the most relaxing resort. I'm sure you will love AKL!!

This past weekend I lost my grandfather unexpectedly and Andrew and I have both been absolutely losing our minds over our jobs- like each working 60+ hours a week losing our minds.

I'm sorry for your loss!!

While I'm pretty convinced that Andrew has caught on to the fact that we are going to Disney in October, I know that he thinks we will be staying at a Value Resort. I'm going to go ahead and let him think that until we get on the ME

I don't know how people can keep things a surprise. I am terrible with keeping anything to myself! As soon as I make any change to our plans, I can't wait to tell DH about it!

26 Days Until Food and Wine FunFest

YAY!! It's so close now!!

At Magic Kingdom I'm hoping to get lunch first at Pecos Bills since we've never tried it before and I've read some great reviews about their nachos...and I am a sucker for nachos.

Mmmm! We really liked Pecos Bills when we went in October. We had the fajitas and loaded up on the toppings bar and it was definitely enough to share.

*Us watching the Penguins playoff game @ the dock bar in May..one of our favorite nights at Disney*

So Pretty!! I'm going to have to add the Dock Bar to our plans for February!
Have you been to Geyser Point at WL? We really liked it there. It's right on Bay Lake, so it was really pretty at sunset too.

Even though day 1 is always a super early morning for us (like we have to wake up at 4am to leave for the airport early) once we get in the parks adrenaline kicks in and we suddenly no longer feel the need to sleep guess it's just the magic of Disney!

I am the person that he is talking to! I NEED my naps!! In fact, I'd need a nap by like noon. I could never make it until midnight!

I can't wait to hear more about your plans! Everything looks great so far!!

 

[rmw1313]

Note to Self - Assign DH note taking duties. I take notes for about the first 3 days and then I get tired and stop.

Yes! That is Andrew's contribution to my stressing/planning for months on end! I also usually try to take notes but I'm the same as you...after 2 or 3 days I'm done

Have you joined the Landry's Select Club? In addition to earning points for each visit, you also get a $25 credit for your birthday.

No! But I am definitely looking it to it now! We seem to really like their restaurants so I'm sure it'll be worth it!

DH and I are going to Niagara Falls for our anniversary trip next month and I just can't get excited about it. Not-Disney trips are just not as good as Disney Trips!

I really tried to book something else, but I just couldn't do it. Like I got to the checkout page and everything and just couldn't pull the trigger Oh well! Maybe next year!

Judgey co-workers/friends/family are the worst!! I feel like we have a whole spiel now to try to convince people that Disney is cool, but they never get it.

Ugh. Totally the WORST! Thankfully there are other Disney addicts and AP holders at my work for me to vent/relate to, but some just don't get it!

Have you been to Geyser Point at WL? We really liked it there. It's right on Bay Lake, so it was really pretty at sunset too.

No! It is on my list for February though..we've actually never been to the Wilderness Lodge at all so I'm excited to see it..Geyser Point looks AMAZING!

 

[PrincessAshlee]

No! But I am definitely looking it to it now! We seem to really like their restaurants so I'm sure it'll be worth it!

It is definitely worth it! Especially if you can go during your birthday month. It costs $25 to join, but then you get a welcome credit for $25, so basically it's like buying a gift card. Then you get the $25 birthday credit each year and it is loaded the first day of your birthday month. (DH's birthday is at the end of May, but we were able to use the credit on May 2nd during our last trip. We were even able to use the 2 credits together, but you can't use them on alcohol or gratuity.) You also earn points for each visit that add up to additional credits when you hit a certain amount. The downside would be that you would each need your own card to get both birthday credits, but I still think it would be worth it.

I really tried to book something else, but I just couldn't do it. Like I got to the checkout page and everything and just couldn't pull the trigger

Oh well! Maybe next year!

I asked DH repeatedly if he was sure that he wanted to go to Niagara Falls. He kept saying yes. I explained that we would get a significant discount on our rooms by paying in advance, so was he sure and still he kept saying yes and that I should book it. So I did. Then last week he asked if it was too late to go to Disney instead. I was so mad! Oh well, I guess we'll make the best of it. It's not like it's a terrible place to go. It's just not Disney.

Ugh. Totally the WORST! Thankfully there are other Disney addicts and AP holders at my work for me to vent/relate to, but some just don't get it!

DH is lucky enough to have two co-workers that go every year, so he gets to talk to them (they really helped get him excited for our first trip), but none of my co-workers are Disney fans. None of our friends really get it either. I’m so glad I found the Disboards, so I have people to talk to!

 

[rmw1313]

21 Days!!

Who else FREAKS out when you get this email?!



And then has a full-on happy meltdown when this little box from heaven shows up?



Being the incredibly kind and generous (and impatient) wife that I am, I decided to give Andrew his anniversary gift early. There are a few reasons for this- 1.) After comparing our schedules for this week we realized that we wouldn't see each other at all on our actual anniversary 2.) I couldn't wait anymore.

I had some fun and made Andrew guess on what he thought the gift was before giving it to him. He was convinced that I had gotten another puppy and named it "cotton". I'M SO MAD THAT I DIDN'T THINK OF THAT! Especially since now I know he is okay with getting another dog Guess I know what to get for Christmas now.

I took a picture of the basket half done- but when I actually gave it to him our magic bands had arrived and another shirt that I ordered came, so it looked better but once again I fail at taking pictures



Notice how our luggage tags still say POP- even the little booklet that they send with details about your resort was still POP so he is totally convinced that is where we are staying When he was reading the booklet he started to get excited about POPs food court and their breakfast options Hope he's not mad when he finds out we aren't actually staying there.

And here is the other shirt not pictured:



I always have the easiest time finding awesome shirts for Andrew and the hardest time for myself. Not fair.

Yesterday I got a twitter alert from one of the Disney bloggers that I follow and apparently Disney had released more FP+ availability for the Pandora rides for early October so I took some time to check and they were released for our dates! I made a few changes to our Day 3 plans to accommodate a FoP FP+ and I'm so excited because I was worried that we weren't going to be able to ride it at all this trip because there was no way I was waiting stand by!

I'll update on our day 2 plans tomorrow. Tonight we have a friends wedding to go to and some of Andrew's good friends from college are coming to town for it and staying with us.



Instead of cleaning for our house guests, I'm daydreaming about Disney with Oliver

​

 

[rmw1313]

20 Days to go and Day 2 Plans

Quick Life Update:

Our house guests just left a little bit ago so now I can have some quiet time and relax a little before getting ready for work tomorrow why do weekends go so fast?



Here's us at the wedding last night! Our entire table had a great time and it was so much fun catching up with friends from college who we sadly don't see too often anymore. We had a few of them stay at our house last night since we live really close to where the wedding venue was and it's safe to say we were all feeling it this morning Guess we aren't 21 anymore! LOL!

Anyway.. DISNEY DAY 2!

I'm planning on a QS breakfast at The Mara to get my day-one Mickey waffle fix. From there it's off to EPCOT. I'm hoping to RD TT, use our FP+ for Soarin', ride SE and Figment and then mosey our way over to WS to start snacking and sipping our way around the world.

I have a pretty extensive list of what I want to try and F&W this year, but I'll leave you with some of my must-try's:
-Active Eats: Loaded Mac & Cheese
-Cheese Studio: Cheese Tart
-Germany: Pasta Gratin and Apple Strudel
-Belgium: Waffles
-Ireland: Pumpkin Chai
-New Zealand: Frozen Wine
-Almond Orchard: Champagne
-Hawaii: Pineapple Wine

I also need at least 1 Tipsy Ducks in Love every EPCOT trip, so that will be consumed as well. Andrew doesn't have much interest in looking at F&W menus ahead of time so I also picked out a few beers that I know he'll want to try. We're going on a Monday this time around and I'm really hoping that the crowds are more bearable than our previous F&W experience.

After stuffing our faces all morning we have an ADR at Yachtsman @ 5:50. I'm really looking forward to eating here- actually, this is probably the ADR that I'm looking forward to the most. After dinner we'll walk back to EPCOT for IllumiNations @ 9. Then, depending on how tired we are, I'd like to head to MK for EMH before heading back to AKL for the night.

The extended park hours are one benefit to traveling during busier times that I love.
Andrew and I absolutely love being in the parks really late at night and trying to park hop from 8a until midnight or later- it's definitely something that we were missing during our January trip. ​

 

[Raeven]

-Active Eats: Loaded Mac & Cheese

This was so good!

-Cheese Studio: Cheese Tart

I wish I tried this

-Belgium: Waffles

Try the braised beef too it's been one of my favorites the last 2 years!

 

[rmw1313]

Try the braised beef too it's been one of my favorites the last 2 years!

Added it to the list! At this rate I'm just going to have to get the $200 gift card and hope for the best

 

[rmw1313]

17 Days!!

Life Update!

I finally took Oliver to get groomed yesterday This dog hates getting groomed more than ANYTHING. So I have to travel pretty far to find a groomer that will even deal with him and it usually turns in to something like a 5-6 hour outing. He's a hot high-maintenance mess. His expressions tell you everything that you need to know




Yesterday was mine and Andrew's 2nd Anniversary..we literally saw each other for 10 minutes with both of our work schedules being a mess . We made dinner tonight together and are anxiously awaiting the premiers of some of our favorite shoes (Modern Family, American Housewife and Southpark) and enjoying some wine. We're planning on celebrating in Disney so just relaxing tonight is perfectly fine with me.



Awh so long ago

And just a quick PSA..Target now sells their own $5 wine (similar to Trader Joe's) and it's WONDERFUL. Seriously. Andrew and I are big fans.



And on to Day 3!
​

Food:

• Breakfast: Boma @ 7:35..1st time trying! SO EXCITED FOR ALL THE FOOD.
• Lunch/Snacks: Possibly Satu'li Canteen- I have a lot of questions about those cheeseburger pods and blue cheesecakes that I've seen all over the internet since May.
• Dinner: Tiffins @ 6:05
• Must Drink: Tune-In Lounge cocktails, Nomand Lounge cocktails, African Margarita, Tipsy Ducks (I'M OBSESSED, OKAY?)

Parks:

• Morning: RD DHS (planning to leave by 1p)
• Afternoon: DAK
  • FP+ for EE @ 1:30
  • FP+ for FoP @ 3:20
  • FP+ for Dinosaur @ 5:00
  • Watch Rivers of Light
• Late Evening: EPCOT EMH until 11p

I'm hoping to go to the Apple Store tomorrow to see about trading in my phone to get the iPhone 8. The picture quality on it is AMAZING and I desperately need a camera update from my iPhone 6s.

I'll be back soon with HOPEFULLY some better pictures, departure day plans , and some of the changes that we've already made to arrival day

How much Disney can you stuff in to 4 days? I'm hoping to find out. ​

 

[rmw1313]

10 Days!!

Close enough to start obsessively checking the weather forecast

We're in the midst of an Indian summer here is SW PA which I like to think is helping me condition for the Florida heat

Life Update!

Today and Tomorrow will be my only days off until we leave so that's super exciting. My very best friend since 4th grade also just had her baby this past weekend so I've been spending all of my free time with them



He's the cutest!

Day 4 (last day) Update

I'm considering this to be a full day because our flight doesn't depart until 8:25 so we will have just about a full day to tour the parks and enjoy AKL.

• Food​
  • Breakfast: The Mara​
  • Late Lunch: Sanaa ​
  • Dinner: Airport..yuck. ​

Sanaa is another first for us! Obviously, I'm planning on doing the bread service and I'll probably try the Tandoori Chicken. Andrew can be a wild-card sometimes when it comes to ordering, but if I had to guess, I'd say he'll probably order the Barbeque Sandwich or the Sanaa Burger. ​

​

• Park Plans (Magic Kingdom)
  • RD 7DMT
  • FP+ for BTMRR
  • FP+ Pooh
  • FP+ Space Mountain
  • Maybe a few more rides or possibly some shopping at Disney Springs then back to AKL by 3:30
• Then after our meal at Sanaa until our ME arrives we'll probably enjoy AKL some..possibly visit Victoria Falls and maybe even swim for a little. Basically just relaxing until our flight leaves.

This short trip is going to be very hard to come home from..but it's helpful to know that we will be back in a few short months..

Speaking of! What the heck have I done with our February ADRs? Stay tuned! I'll also do an outfit post in the next couple of days

 

[Raeven]

So I've been busy and I finally got a chance to quote!

He's a hot high-maintenance mess. His expressions tell you everything that you need to know

Poor thing his face says it all.

The picture quality on it is AMAZING and I desperately need a camera update from my iPhone 6s.

I'm so jealous! Earlier this year my iPhone was having trouble so I upgraded to the 7 because the camera quality was better than mine (I think I had the 6 before). And now they've come out with phones that have amazing cameras and I still have like a year with mine

10 Days!!

 

[rmw1313]

1 Day Until Disney!!

And it is officially time to wrap up this portion of my PTR!

Today was my last day at work until next Friday and I was practically doing cartwheels out of the building today. Once I got home Andrew and I packed. Since it is such a short trip we probably could have gotten away with just taking one checked-bag, but we are flying Southwest and since bag fees are included they are practically begging us to overpack.

My Outfits



Andrew's Outfits:



We are both huge Steelers fans and they play Sunday (travel day) so naturally we need to wear our uniforms Andrew is also a Yankees fan and his mom bought him that shirt, and this is probably the only time he can ever wear it.

Of course, we also packed a few backups..just in case we change our minds.

Oliver hates when we get out the suitcases..so he tried hiding.





I also put in a Safeway order last night. I wasn't originally planning on getting groceries delivered since it's such a short trip, but I really hate to pack food and some of the stuff that we wanted I really couldn't pack. I always like to have bottles of water in the room because I drink a ton of it. I also got a 6-pack of I-4 beer for Andrew, some red bulls, and some snacks. I love the convenience of it and it worked really well for us last time so hopefully all goes well this time too.

All that is left to do now is charge literally everything, pack up Oliver for grandma and grandpaps, and get to the airport!

I will post the link to my TR once I get back and then use this to continue my PTR for our February trip. Keep your fingers crossed that my surprise resort stays a surprise for as long as possible!!

See you in a few days!

​

 

[Raeven]

Have a great time!

 

[PrincessAshlee]

I didn't get a chance to post before your left, but I hope you are having a great trip!!!

 

[rmw1313]

We are back!

I started our TR for October here- "I'm Pretty Sure I Just Drank Splash Mountain Water"

and am planning on using this thread to continue to write about our plans for February!

Thank you guys for reading along and joining in the fun with us ​