kimberwee
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 12, 2011
Hi everyone! Thanks for stopping in to check out my very first PTR, as we get ready to head back “home” with our best friends!!
A little background on our cast of characters:
From right to left…ok, I know that’s backwards, but humor me…
Me: The vertically challenged one in the Mickey Shirt and the designated Chaos Coordinator – aka Kimberwee… just turned 40 and still obsessed with all things Disney…I was also the one to push DH for DVC at The Polynesian a couple of years ago. We found a great deal via resale market, I had a spreadsheet with all of the data and now I have the Magic of Disney to look forward to for years to come.
DH: Right next to me…Happily lets me do all of the planning and requires a good plan with contingencies. He is easily sold on Disney trips due to their outstanding customer service alone…
CW: DH’s best friend since middle school. We live 15 minutes away from CW’s family and DH and CW talk to each other every day…
CW: Ok, I need to come up with a different abbreviation here because they both have “C” names… she also grew up with DH, married CW…maybe CWW for CW’s wife…or, CCW because her maiden name began with a C…IDK…Let’s go with CCW, because I am spending too much time thinking about it. Regardless, she’s my bff and one of the few people that totally get me.
Now, on to "the littles"…
Our DD is the non-vertically challenged one in the middle. I swear she is going to be taller than us. She’s going to be 12 for this trip and humors my love for all things Disney.
Then, on her left, we have RW and on her right we have HW…you guessed it, they are twins. They will be 8 on this trip.
________________________________________________________
We’ve known each other for so long, and do so much together, that we travel really well as a group.
Our First Bestie Trip to DW as a group of 7 happened back in the October of 2017 for F&W, as well as the MNSSHP, and when CCW mentioned experiencing Christmas season at the parks, they didn’t have to ask me twice. I'd love to experience a trip for each season eventually.
After checking school calendars and crowd calendars, we are heading back "home" to help kick off our Holiday Season! Dates are set for 11/20-11/26 and we are back at the Poly in 2 (hopefully connecting) Studios, booked using our points.
Prior to our October ’17 trip, the W’s didn’t really understand the full planning involved in “having fun” at Disney. Suggesting planning discussions about where you want to eat on any particular day over 180 days away from any vacation, seems crazy to most. BUT, we all know that...
Throughout the actual trip though, they totally got it (hence my PTR title). There were many “fastpasses are amazing” type comments and “how do people do this without a plan”… There’s nothing quite like walking right past a 210 minute wait line for FOP with your FP. I tell you, it makes you feel like you are a hero.
Because of this, CCW says she won’t ever do Disney without me. She’s not a planner and I am happy to do it.
What we did right in October: We did character meals instead of M&G lines. We maximized park times with what works for us. My family wakes up early…W family does not. So, we really liked the extended magic hours as a group and tried to not plan things with them too early. We really used our park hoppers to jump around when we wanted to and we didn’t feel pushed to do everything at every park. My insistence on grocery delivery day 1 for snacks, soft drinks and bottled water also came in handy. CW totaled it up and we probably saved over $50 in bottled water alone.
Recapping Rookie Mistakes: I didn’t plan enough for food breaks…I really need to be more conscious about breaks. This trip, we are planning on at least 1 TS meal a day and having better breakfast snacks in our DVC Poly Studios. And, parks that we thought we loved were replaced with new favorites...so, this time we will keep an open mind.
Will we learn from our last trip? Will it be just as magical this time around? Guess we will see. In the meantime, here’s the plan:
- Where To Begin...
- Just An Update
- Where To Eat - Day 1
- Where To Eat - Day 2
- Where To Eat - Day 3
- Where To Eat - Day 4
- Where To Eat - Day 5
- Where To Eat - Day 6
- Where To Eat - Day 7
- We Did It!!
- Let The Changes Begin
- Flights Are Booked!!
- Crowd Calendar Craziness!
- The Saga Really DOES Continue
- Feeling Crafty
-Wait! This isn't Disney World
-Airfare Update
- OH, TP Reservation Finder...how I love thee...
-Bless Southwest - A Pre-trip Pixie Dusting...kind of
- Hello F&W Festival
- Brace Yourselves: FP+
-Praying for Pixie Dust
-Done Stalking
-Fastpass List
-TP Reservation Finder for the Win!
-Fastpass Eve
-I did it!
-Deep Breaths
-Crowd Calendar Math
-Magic Band Time
-Evening Drinks at Oga's
-Change in hours
-Merry Christmas
-THE ONE WHERE THINGS MIGHT CHANGE COMPLETELY
-And We're Back
-Starting Our Final Touches
-Crowd Calendars & Summary
-GET THE SUITCASES OUT!
-TTFN!
A little background on our cast of characters:
From right to left…ok, I know that’s backwards, but humor me…
Me: The vertically challenged one in the Mickey Shirt and the designated Chaos Coordinator – aka Kimberwee… just turned 40 and still obsessed with all things Disney…I was also the one to push DH for DVC at The Polynesian a couple of years ago. We found a great deal via resale market, I had a spreadsheet with all of the data and now I have the Magic of Disney to look forward to for years to come.
DH: Right next to me…Happily lets me do all of the planning and requires a good plan with contingencies. He is easily sold on Disney trips due to their outstanding customer service alone…
CW: DH’s best friend since middle school. We live 15 minutes away from CW’s family and DH and CW talk to each other every day…
CW: Ok, I need to come up with a different abbreviation here because they both have “C” names… she also grew up with DH, married CW…maybe CWW for CW’s wife…or, CCW because her maiden name began with a C…IDK…Let’s go with CCW, because I am spending too much time thinking about it. Regardless, she’s my bff and one of the few people that totally get me.
Now, on to "the littles"…
Our DD is the non-vertically challenged one in the middle. I swear she is going to be taller than us. She’s going to be 12 for this trip and humors my love for all things Disney.
Then, on her left, we have RW and on her right we have HW…you guessed it, they are twins. They will be 8 on this trip.
________________________________________________________
We’ve known each other for so long, and do so much together, that we travel really well as a group.
Our First Bestie Trip to DW as a group of 7 happened back in the October of 2017 for F&W, as well as the MNSSHP, and when CCW mentioned experiencing Christmas season at the parks, they didn’t have to ask me twice. I'd love to experience a trip for each season eventually.
After checking school calendars and crowd calendars, we are heading back "home" to help kick off our Holiday Season! Dates are set for 11/20-11/26 and we are back at the Poly in 2 (hopefully connecting) Studios, booked using our points.
Prior to our October ’17 trip, the W’s didn’t really understand the full planning involved in “having fun” at Disney. Suggesting planning discussions about where you want to eat on any particular day over 180 days away from any vacation, seems crazy to most. BUT, we all know that...
Throughout the actual trip though, they totally got it (hence my PTR title). There were many “fastpasses are amazing” type comments and “how do people do this without a plan”… There’s nothing quite like walking right past a 210 minute wait line for FOP with your FP. I tell you, it makes you feel like you are a hero.
Because of this, CCW says she won’t ever do Disney without me. She’s not a planner and I am happy to do it.
What we did right in October: We did character meals instead of M&G lines. We maximized park times with what works for us. My family wakes up early…W family does not. So, we really liked the extended magic hours as a group and tried to not plan things with them too early. We really used our park hoppers to jump around when we wanted to and we didn’t feel pushed to do everything at every park. My insistence on grocery delivery day 1 for snacks, soft drinks and bottled water also came in handy. CW totaled it up and we probably saved over $50 in bottled water alone.
Recapping Rookie Mistakes: I didn’t plan enough for food breaks…I really need to be more conscious about breaks. This trip, we are planning on at least 1 TS meal a day and having better breakfast snacks in our DVC Poly Studios. And, parks that we thought we loved were replaced with new favorites...so, this time we will keep an open mind.
Will we learn from our last trip? Will it be just as magical this time around? Guess we will see. In the meantime, here’s the plan:
- Where To Begin...
- Just An Update
- Where To Eat - Day 1
- Where To Eat - Day 2
- Where To Eat - Day 3
- Where To Eat - Day 4
- Where To Eat - Day 5
- Where To Eat - Day 6
- Where To Eat - Day 7
- We Did It!!
- Let The Changes Begin
- Flights Are Booked!!
- Crowd Calendar Craziness!
- The Saga Really DOES Continue
- Feeling Crafty
-Wait! This isn't Disney World
-Airfare Update
- OH, TP Reservation Finder...how I love thee...
-Bless Southwest - A Pre-trip Pixie Dusting...kind of
- Hello F&W Festival
- Brace Yourselves: FP+
-Praying for Pixie Dust
-Done Stalking
-Fastpass List
-TP Reservation Finder for the Win!
-Fastpass Eve
-I did it!
-Deep Breaths
-Crowd Calendar Math
-Magic Band Time
-Evening Drinks at Oga's
-Change in hours
-Merry Christmas
-THE ONE WHERE THINGS MIGHT CHANGE COMPLETELY
-And We're Back
-Starting Our Final Touches
-Crowd Calendars & Summary
-GET THE SUITCASES OUT!
-TTFN!
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