The Disney Box Made Me Do It TRIP REPORT STARTED SEE SIG LINE

[creativeamanda]

Food porn--gotta love it. Great ADR choices--I will be looking forward to reading what you think of them.

I cannot believe how close your trip is getting--it will be here before you know it!

I am getting so excited for the trip. As far as the food porn goes, I probably will end up doing it. But thinking of the 3 month deadline now on the dining boards? ACK!

So I made it over and have read through your report! The plans look great! You're going at a great time. It's summertime but without the summer crowds! (We're part of the Eastern Seaboard that will still be in school.) You have some great ADRs as well! You might just have to do that Dining Report.

:welcome I am hoping that the crowds will be lower than they were in December! Of course, you can't get more crowded I think than Christmas week.

I am on board a little late, but that is me..always late hahah

:welcome Youu aren't late--just making a grand entrance!

 

[H20DogsNDisney]

 

[TarzansKat]

I'm here, and ready to read more.

 

[creativeamanda]

Hallie's here!

I'm here, and ready to read more.

So glad to see you, TK!

 

[H20DogsNDisney]

I got lost some where in the disboards. And then was so happy to see the PRT stared! sorry i am late!

 

[creativeamanda]

I got lost some where in the disboards. And then was so happy to see the PRT stared! sorry i am late!

Hey--life and all the other thousands of threads sometimes get in the way--you found your way over--it's all that matters! Glad to have you!

 

[H20DogsNDisney]

Hey--life and all the other thousands of threads sometimes get in the way--you found your way over--it's all that matters! Glad to have you!

Thanks

 

[LuvEeyore]

Lovin the pretrip report. i am in. Waiting for more and love the pictures. i cant wait to check out your posts and pictures you post with them. I am getting excited about my trip in july now.

I also like how you write. May have to work on a take 2 of my trip report.

I was down your way a couple of weeks ago in Charleston April 15-19. Went Saturday afternoon to Folly Beach. Took over two hours to get 3.5 miles.

 

[Bridora]

Hey! I made it over & I'm all caught up!

Loved your 1st post--with that empty Disney box staring at you!

My DD will be ten on May 12!

You take beautiful pictures!

We stayed at POR in 2008--it's so peaceful there...

Your dates are just a few off from ours....and we don't have long now!

 

[creativeamanda]

Thanks

You're welcome, hon!

Lovin the pretrip report. i am in. Waiting for more and love the pictures. i cant wait to check out your posts and pictures you post with them. I am getting excited about my trip in july now.

I also like how you write. May have to work on a take 2 of my trip report.

I was down your way a couple of weeks ago in Charleston April 15-19. Went Saturday afternoon to Folly Beach. Took over two hours to get 3.5 miles.

:welcome I love Folly Beach, but I can totally get the traffic in the Charleston area. I love Charleston, don't get me wrong, but I can do without the traffic. I'd rather drive in Orlando anyday.

Thanks about the pictures. Tonight I should get another update in--I'm actually a week behind on my updates.

Hey! I made it over & I'm all caught up!

Loved your 1st post--with that empty Disney box staring at you!

My DD will be ten on May 12!

You take beautiful pictures!

We stayed at POR in 2008--it's so peaceful there...

Your dates are just a few off from ours....and we don't have long now!

:welcome No, we don't have long--I've got a lot of updates that need to come in, lol, and it'll be late nights for me as a result. I love planning and I love being able to add stuff to the Disney Box.

I love my camera and I love taking my pictures. There are always a few that I love to take and a few that I plan on for each trip as a new thing.

 

[creativeamanda]

EPCOT Center--one of Walt Disney's dreams that really never came to full fruition as he envisioned it. I think he wanted a utopia for many different peoples to live. It is my 2nd favorite park, however, behind Magic Kingdom. It's one of those few places on earth where the real meets the surreal. Where you can go through Mexico, Norway, Germany, Japan, China, Italy, France, Morocco, the UK, America, and Canada in a space of a few hours? Where else can you take a flight to Mars, drive a GM test track, and fly over California within minutes of each other? As with many places, Epcot was difficult to pick a top 5 for--I love the entire park so much.

5. Kidcot masks. The kids love hhearing about other cultures. While they decorate their masks, DH and I will have the time to slip away one at a time and sample adult beverages in Epcot. While in Mexico, I want the Margarita Flight at the Tequila bar, in Germany, dh wants a beer, in France, we'll get a couple of Grey Goose slushies and maybe a champagne, in UK, some ale. We are, thankfully, spending 2 days in the World Showcase.

Champagne in France:

The kids in I think Amerca decorating

Getting a snack in France; note the masks on the table--

Boo showing off her mask waiting for the Voices of Liberty (which, by the way, are awesome and a great rest from a hot, hot day)

4. Mission: SPACE--
DS and DH--Wimpy green men.
the girls and I--Orange babes!
We plan to fly to Mars just before lunch. It's one of those rides you don't want to do on a full stomach. I learned. I think that was the worst I've felt (hint, don't do Soarin, Test Track, Mission Space, Test Track, Mission Space, Soarin in that order right after a big breakfast. I was in bed with a spinninghead for a good amount of time.)

My kids inside the Mission Space Gift shop last June

3. Spaceship Earth. DH has never ridden this ride, and it will be our first when we get there in May. The kids love it. We love the focus on our responsibility to what God gave us. It seems like that responsibility of good stewardship is a continuous theme for Epcot and one of the reasons why Sweetie loves it so much.

Spaceship Earth from the World Showcase

On a cloudy/rainy day

With the Christmas decor in December

2. Soarin--This ride used to be number 1, but unfortunately dh looked down once and it scared all 6'3" of him. I can see clips of the ride on television and almost smell the oranges and the beach.

1. Test Track--Of course we love this one! It's great to get on the track and feel the wind in your hair (or head, for dh). We also love the queue of the ride. The robotics are awesome and seeing new cars (which I can't afford, lol) are the icing on the cake!

A few more of our favorites that didn't quite make the list:

Tutto Italia:

The water fountains--perfect on a hot day

So there you have it--our top 5 at Epcot! Just 3 weeks and we will be there!

 

[H20DogsNDisney]

those are all great last trip I forgot about kidscot will have to put that on the list for the niece. She'll love it! some sips around the world are great too.

 

[dismagiclover]

Love your top 5! Some of mine are the same.

 

[creativeamanda]

those are all great last trip I forgot about kidscot will have to put that on the list for the niece. She'll love it! some sips around the world are great too.

Your neice will love it. What dh and I do is we split up. One of us takes the kids to the kidcot station. If it's somewhere where he wants a little sip, then he goes to the counter and calls me to ask me what I want on the menu or vice versa. Some of our favorite locations, we all shop a little (Mexico, Norway, Japan, China, UK, France, and Italy), but we only usually spend one afternoon in the World Showcase. This year, we'll be there for at least 2, so that means either we'll do half of the WS one day and the other half another or they will complete the masks on one day and we will shop another. It all depends on how we feel when we get there.

Love your top 5! Some of mine are the same.

Thanks!

 

[creativeamanda]

My car is a compact car. When you drive 40 minutes to work everyday, a compact is a necessity. I owned a Ford Explorer at one time and when gas prices rocketed in 2008 to the nth degree and it to $100 per week to drive my truck, I changed tacks.

Now, a compact car is great--high gas mileage. On a typical day, it registers as getting 34 mpg. On a long trip like to Disney, 38-40 mpg. I love that about it. I also have all of the newer technology--Sirius satellite radio, Microsoft SYNC technology with bluetooth capabilities. My car is totally hands free for a good deal of things.

The thing I don't always like is the size. It's fine until we go on a trip. Then it all gets kind of difficult. So, before we go, I always do a test run of our luggage to see if I need to ship something down. And, being the typical DISer, I take a picture to document that yes, I practice pack my car.

Let's take a walk down memory lane. . .

October 2008 Practice Packing.

The Empty Trunk. . .

Packed

Check out that gas mileage

Packing 2009. . .

I totally planned that one wrong, as this is when my friend Gillian went with us and I didn't plan on her packing. We ended up buying Spacebags for a whole bunch of stuff.

And tonight:

There's still plenty of room for shoes and maybe another duffle bag or two.

Oh, and 19 days! (I am not even counting today).

 

[dismagiclover]

Practice Packing! I love it! Ever since I read about your Disney Box I've been thinking I really need one. Now I'm considering the idea of practice packing. You are in inspiration

 

[TarzansKat]

I would totally practice pack a car. Given that when we leave for Disney trips, I'm usually the one who packs the car (to head to the airport, but still), and it's usually raining, a dry run is probably a good idea. It used to be quite the feat when I owned a Saturn, so I can understand why you'd want to give it a dry run, believe me!

Love your top five for Epcot. I think champagne in France would have to be my favorite.

 

[LuvEeyore]

Practice packing totally makes sense especially when I went to move mom's wheelchair from my Malibu to her GMC Jimmy-no problem me thinksIt fit but I hadn't counted on how difficult it was to get the chair up and into the car.

Wish I knew what kind of car we going to have as a rental in July and I would practice pack on.

 

[creativeamanda]

Practice Packing! I love it! Ever since I read about your Disney Box I've been thinking I really need one. Now I'm considering the idea of practice packing. You are in inspiration

LOL--so glad I can be such an inspiration for persons with OCD everywhere!

Really, though, I have to do that with a smaller than average car for most DIsney travelers. DH has a truck, but it has about 160,000 miles on it and it's 10 years old, so it is probably not the best mode of transportation to Florida. Still, we keep costs down with the Focus better than the truck.

It's nice, though, to have done something that was Disney-realated this weekend, and to know I have inspired others!

 

[creativeamanda]

I would totally practice pack a car. Given that when we leave for Disney trips, I'm usually the one who packs the car (to head to the airport, but still), and it's usually raining, a dry run is probably a good idea. It used to be quite the feat when I owned a Saturn, so I can understand why you'd want to give it a dry run, believe me!

Love your top five for Epcot. I think champagne in France would have to be my favorite.

I forgot that you had a Saturn before your baby(ie--the CR-V)! You saying this reminds me of why we bought a CR-V to begin with (when we had one). We did it because Sweetie's wagon that we took to the beach fit in it so we could pack appropriately for the beach! It seems like until the purchase of the Focus, all of our car-buying dealt with what we could pack into the car!

As far as the champagne goes, it is my personal favorite for Epcot, but I had to compile the family as a whole's favorites and when you have three kids, the rides will win out over the World Showcase adult libations everytime.

Practice packing totally makes sense especially when I went to move mom's wheelchair from my Malibu to her GMC Jimmy-no problem me thinksIt fit but I hadn't counted on how difficult it was to get the chair up and into the car.

Wish I knew what kind of car we going to have as a rental in July and I would practice pack on.

I'm so glad there are so many like-minded DISers out there.

It would be helpful to know what kind of rental you'd get, but it's all up in the air, isn't it? When I've had a rental for repairs on either my husband's truck or the Explorer, the dealership always had an agreement with the local Enterprise. You never knew which car you'd get--apparently the only rule was that you'd have to get a Ford. I've had everything from a Ford Escort to an Escape (which I really, really liked). The best was when my cousin was general manager of the dealership and he handed me the keys to a new fully loaded Lincoln as a trade for a day.