twoolle
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 10, 2014
Background Info
Tip: Skip to Post #15 to start with the Disney portion of our adventure.
This trip consisted of:
me (37)
DH (40)
DS8 - my cautious one
DS6 - my thrill lover
DD4 - my princess/tomboy
DD2 - my Mickey loving Disney baby
My dad (77)
My mom (71)
We had previous trips to WDW in Sep 2014 (stayed at GF and came home with Disney baby), Sep 2015 (stayed at POR when Disney baby was 11 weeks old), Nov 2016 (stayed at CBR).
I always dreamed of staying at Wilderness Lodge and around early June 2017 I realized that if we wanted to all squeeze into a deluxe studio then we had to do it before DS2 turned 3 in June 2018. We asked my parents if they wanted to come with us and they said no, they weren't quite ready for another Disney trip yet (they took us in Sep 2014). So I looked at calendars and we decided the first full week of March would work best for our schedule, plus it was right before the spring break crowds would arrive. My kids are homeschooled so we didn't have to worry about taking them out of school. This was our early spring break!
I found an owner here on disboards to rent points from and she booked us for a studio at Boulder Ridge Villas at WL for Mar 4-10. I spent the next 9 months planning!
We are from Missouri, about 50 miles west of St. Louis. My parents live in Tulsa, OK. About 3 weeks before our trip we were facetiming with my parents and the kids were telling them about their upcoming trip. The kids were being really sweet and my parents enjoyed the conversation. Later that night my mom called me and said they changed their minds and wanted to go with us. I am a crazy planner so was in a bit of a panic, but I knew I couldn't let that stop them. So thankfully they found a room at WL, paying rack rate (ouch!), bought their tickets from Undercover Tourist and I was busy trying to add them to our few ADR's and fastpasses. It was a challenge but I liked that. We were NOT on the dining plan so we only had BOG breakfast, MBYBBQ, 50s PT, and Bon Voyage Breakfast booked. I got them added to all of them and was thankful for the TP reservation finder to do so. I got them added to most of our fastpasses but not all of them (like FOP or 7DMT). Also, about a week before our trip I was doing my daily morning check to see if any RO discounts were available for my parents' dates and finally it was for their whole trip! Thankfully I had my mom's MDE login and was able to modify the reservation to save them almost $300.
Our original plan was to leave around 4am on Friday, March 2 and drive 850 miles to Valdosta, FL then get up on March 3 and drive the remaining 250 miles to Disney's Wide World of Sports and watch our beloved Cardinals take on the Braves in a spring training game. We would stay at a Hampton Inn in Orlando that night and then check into WL on March 4. My parents also made plans to drive from Tulsa, leaving on Mar 2 and arriving at WL on Mar 4.
However, 1 week before departure my dad's sister was hospitalized. She had battled with breast cancer last year, having a double mastectomy and never fully recovered. Her body was failing and the outlook was not good. It was a tough week for my dad and he was so torn with what to do. Of course he would be there for the funeral and all, so they decided to leave for WDW as planned and be ready at any minute to turn around and drive back. But God had different plans and He brought her home to heaven on Tuesday, February 27. Her funeral would be in Oklahoma City on Friday, March 2.
We changed our plans and decided to drive to Tulsa (400 miles) the afternoon of Thursday, Mar 1. We would stay with my parents and then drive to OKC the next morning (Mar 1) for the funeral, then drive just past Memphis to Southaven for the night. The next day (Mar 3) we planned to drive to Ocala, FL about 45 minutes from WDW. Then Mar 4 we would drive to WL.
Tip: Skip to Post #15 to start with the Disney portion of our adventure.
This trip consisted of:
me (37)
DH (40)
DS8 - my cautious one
DS6 - my thrill lover
DD4 - my princess/tomboy
DD2 - my Mickey loving Disney baby
My dad (77)
My mom (71)
We had previous trips to WDW in Sep 2014 (stayed at GF and came home with Disney baby), Sep 2015 (stayed at POR when Disney baby was 11 weeks old), Nov 2016 (stayed at CBR).
I always dreamed of staying at Wilderness Lodge and around early June 2017 I realized that if we wanted to all squeeze into a deluxe studio then we had to do it before DS2 turned 3 in June 2018. We asked my parents if they wanted to come with us and they said no, they weren't quite ready for another Disney trip yet (they took us in Sep 2014). So I looked at calendars and we decided the first full week of March would work best for our schedule, plus it was right before the spring break crowds would arrive. My kids are homeschooled so we didn't have to worry about taking them out of school. This was our early spring break!
I found an owner here on disboards to rent points from and she booked us for a studio at Boulder Ridge Villas at WL for Mar 4-10. I spent the next 9 months planning!
We are from Missouri, about 50 miles west of St. Louis. My parents live in Tulsa, OK. About 3 weeks before our trip we were facetiming with my parents and the kids were telling them about their upcoming trip. The kids were being really sweet and my parents enjoyed the conversation. Later that night my mom called me and said they changed their minds and wanted to go with us. I am a crazy planner so was in a bit of a panic, but I knew I couldn't let that stop them. So thankfully they found a room at WL, paying rack rate (ouch!), bought their tickets from Undercover Tourist and I was busy trying to add them to our few ADR's and fastpasses. It was a challenge but I liked that. We were NOT on the dining plan so we only had BOG breakfast, MBYBBQ, 50s PT, and Bon Voyage Breakfast booked. I got them added to all of them and was thankful for the TP reservation finder to do so. I got them added to most of our fastpasses but not all of them (like FOP or 7DMT). Also, about a week before our trip I was doing my daily morning check to see if any RO discounts were available for my parents' dates and finally it was for their whole trip! Thankfully I had my mom's MDE login and was able to modify the reservation to save them almost $300.
Our original plan was to leave around 4am on Friday, March 2 and drive 850 miles to Valdosta, FL then get up on March 3 and drive the remaining 250 miles to Disney's Wide World of Sports and watch our beloved Cardinals take on the Braves in a spring training game. We would stay at a Hampton Inn in Orlando that night and then check into WL on March 4. My parents also made plans to drive from Tulsa, leaving on Mar 2 and arriving at WL on Mar 4.
However, 1 week before departure my dad's sister was hospitalized. She had battled with breast cancer last year, having a double mastectomy and never fully recovered. Her body was failing and the outlook was not good. It was a tough week for my dad and he was so torn with what to do. Of course he would be there for the funeral and all, so they decided to leave for WDW as planned and be ready at any minute to turn around and drive back. But God had different plans and He brought her home to heaven on Tuesday, February 27. Her funeral would be in Oklahoma City on Friday, March 2.
We changed our plans and decided to drive to Tulsa (400 miles) the afternoon of Thursday, Mar 1. We would stay with my parents and then drive to OKC the next morning (Mar 1) for the funeral, then drive just past Memphis to Southaven for the night. The next day (Mar 3) we planned to drive to Ocala, FL about 45 minutes from WDW. Then Mar 4 we would drive to WL.
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