Glad to be finally turning this PTR into a TR! Wow! The trip was a whirlwind but we had a great time! Unfortunately, there were times I completely forgot to take pictures, so please forgive me for just having explanations of stuff!
The week before we left we actually started packing stuff. We have a tiny car we like to travel in (Mazda RX-8), but we LOOOOVE it. It is really comfortable, but trunk space is a little tight. We spent a lot of that week checking and double checking if we REALLY needed something. We now have a better understanding of what we DONT need to pack. We are really picky about hairdryers and took our ownwe NEVER used it! Not even the hotel one! I had received advice to take an air up mattress as the full beds were supposedly tiny---we fit just fine! H2O shampoo and soaps worked great for us too!
What DID we pack in the tiny car? 3 duffel bags (1 for each of us), the room bag that had decorations, ponchos, power strip, important paperwork, etc.; bag with coffee pot, coffee, filters & 2 mugs; air up twin mattress still in box; overnight bag with change of clothes and PJs for rooms along the way (we didnt want to unpack EVERYTHING just for ONE night); toiletries bag, 12 pack of Dr. Pepper (I am horrible addicted and it irks me that I cant even find a Mr. Pibb at Disney OR Universal)
The morning of June 18th I called my mom to tell her she could take her big jewelry container because I was having issues consolidating my makeup. Anyways she answers the phone with a Are you watching Harry Potter? I wasnt sure what she was talking about and she tells me they are doing the Today show live from Diagon Alley. I got all excited and started watching. In about an hour we had decided to throw on a Universal/IOA day on the Friday we checked out of Pop. This wasnt just because of Harry Potter/Diagon Alley. My mom is NOT a Harry Potter fan. She thinks it is ridiculous. My dad had been asking during the planning time if we were going to see Bee-do Bee-do (what he calls the minions), if we were going to drink Butterbeer, if we were going to see the Blues Brothers. All of which I had to respond to by saying, No dad, those are at Universal and we arent going there. Well, NOW we were!
Dad also surprised us by working telling him he could take off an extra half day early and not have to use vacation time (they actually told him he didnt have to come in at ALL, but he wanted to make sure all of his stuff was caught up before being gone for a week). SO we left out Friday around 11 and got a head start. This way we were able to spend some time enjoying the casinos along the way. We arent hardcore gamblers but we DO enjoy some slot machines and pony races. I managed to turn $5 into almost $130 on a Dolly Parton themed slot machine!
Casinos were fun, but we were ready to be at Pop and Disney!
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We did NOT do any kind of online check-in because I was SO nervous about all of it. We arrived around 4:30 and there was only 1 other person in front of us in line. Everything went great and we were put in a room on the second floor of a 90s building (building8). It was SO quiet. Our only complaint about the room was how hot it got in there and I even set it to the lowers temp possible, on hi (not auto) AND we had a little fan. Yeah, we like it extremely cold in our houses because we sleep better.
We got in the room, freshened up quickly and then headed out for our reservation at Trails End at Ft. Wilderness. Bus to MK then boat to Ft. Wilderness. I was so in awe that you could SEE poor old abandoned River Country I didnt take a picture. Dinner was GREAT. Dad and I each ordered a drink. I got the Pina Coolava, but I cant remember what dad got. As some people were seated behind me I heard the waitress tell all the soda options and when she said Mr Pibb I almost cried because I wanted one, but my drink was good. Food was excellent. Mom LOVED the fried chicken and cornbread salad. I loved the ribs. Heres where my first commando over-planning nervousness was NOT needed. I had read so many DIS horror stories about hotel check-in, bus/boat wait times/ADR check-in waits that I had factored the following:
4:30 arrive Pop, freshen up, depart for Pop ASAP (approximately around 5:30)
5:30-7:00 await bus-travel to MK-await boat-travel to Ft. Wilderness
7:15 pm check in for reservation
7:45 pm be seated for dinner
8:00-9:15 pm---navigate hordes of people at buffet for dinner
9:15 beeline to Ft. Wilderness beach and fight for place to sit for Water Pageant
9:45 pm water pageant
Heres how it ACTUALLY worked:
4:30 arrive Pop- immediately check in, room ready, unload and freshen up, rest for a bit
(30 extra minutes of REST!!!)
5:30 depart Pop---bus already there and we got on
5:40 arrive MK---wait about 10 minutes for boat
5:50 arrive Ft. Wilderness---spent the next extra time exploring resort
7:15 check in to reservation---seated after about 5 minutes
NO crowds for meal! Well stocked! Left Trails End at 8:30. Decided better go stake out a seat for pageant
LOTS of space, found 3 beach loungers and sat there admiring view/sunset/boats until pageant. NOT crowded at all!
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The boat ride back was nice and we were able to watch the MK fireworks from the boat. We took a few minutes to explore the Everything Pop food court and gift shop. Bought some souvenirs and made some smashed pennies as we like to call them. We arrived back to our room and I began commando prep for the next day: OUR FIRST PARK DAY AT MK!!!! Clothes had to be set out, decorations put in window, park bag readied, etc. We fell asleep with it on Channel 17 watching old Disney cartoons (albeit shortened ones, but still funny). Im sure you think I sound like an adult traveling with kids or a bunch of kids traveling alone, but thats just how we like to have fun! See you soon with our first park day!!!