Down Under Disneyana Australian Disney Forum

Apparently I haven't started a thread for our trip, so here we go!

This trip has been in the works since I was pregnant with Ben - so going on a decade now.  Originally it was going to be in 2014 for our tenth wedding anniversary and for when our planned children would be 3, 5 and 7, but then we went to Tokyo Disney in 2010 so it got pushed back a year so we could save a bit more.  Then we went to Vegas/Disneyland in 2013 for our friend's wedding so it got pushed back ANOTHER year.  But here we are - at long last!  It's always been called The BIG Trip and it has always consisted of Disneyland, Disney Cruise and WDW and then the Disney Family Museum when I heard about that.  Planning is well underway and mostly booked now.  Here is our itinerary:

Sept 9:     Fly SYD - DFW - overnight in Dallas
Sept 10:   Fly DFW - MCO - check in to Cabana Bay at Universal
Sept 11-12: Universal - one day for the boys, two days for me
Sept 13:   Check into VWL - MNSSHP
Sep 15:    Check into CBR
Sep 24:    7 night Eastern Caribbean cruise on board Fantasy
Oct 1:       Kennedy Space Centre - then fly MCO - LAX - Check into Desert Inn
Oct 5:       Drive Anaheim - Monterey (planning on leaving at 4am)
Oct 6:       Drive Monterey - San Francisco
Oct 7:       Fly SFO - SYD

  Our WDW plan (something funky happened with the format when I copied it from Excel, but it's still readable - just not colour coded ): 

                             AM                          PM                                            Dining                                              Activity
Tue 13/9/16         Check in                  MK                                                                                                  MNSSHP
Wed 14/9/16        Sleep in                   MK                         Tony's Town Square 5:15pm          FOF 3pm, Wishes 9pm, MSEP 10pm
Thu 15/9/16           MK                       Epcot                       Chef Mickey (Brunch) 1:15pm                    Illuminations 9pm
Fri 16/9/16             MK                         DS                              Crystal Palace (L) 1pm                         Fantasmic 8:30pm
Sat 17/9/16   Water Park                     MK                                   LTT (D) 5:50pm                     FOF 3pm, Wishes 8pm, MSEP 9pm
Sun 18/9/16                       REST DAY                                     Hoop Dee Doo 4pm                       Hoop Dee Doo/Campfire (7pm?)
Mon 19/9/16           AK                    Rest                                       TREX 6pm (D)
Tue 20/9/16            DS                     Epcot                               Teppan Edo 7:20pm(D)                  JTA sign up at Rope Drop
Wed 21/9/16           AK                       MK                                   BOG (D) 5:50pm                                   FOF 3pm
Thu 22/9/16                        Epcot                         Garden Grill (B) 10:05am Beaches & Cream 6:10pm Illu Cruise 8pm
Fri 23/9/16            MK                         DS                  BOG (B) 9:55am 50s Prime Time 6:35pm
Sat 24/9/16                  Check out/Cruise

The BIG trip sounds awesome - it is very similar to our 2013 trip and we loved every minute of that!  You'll have a brilliant time.

What a spectacular trip Mel  !!! ( sorry I missed the itinerary going up... I've fallen a little behind since I moved states)
I can't wait hear about it and see some snaps
We're even going to overlap... ( we get to WDW on the 20th)  -/

we get to WDW on the 20th

No! Della and I will be gone by then - I was hoping to catch up with you Lisa and take you on The Haunted Mansion

No! Della and I will be gone by then - I was hoping to catch up with you Lisa and take you on The Haunted Mansion

its even worse... I was going on the original dates  but we actually only hit WDW on the 22nd... so you guys will be long gone, which is a shame because it would have been great to catch up at Disney.   
Funny story though, I REALLY like HM now.    ever since I saw it with the Halloween overlay I've loved it.  Splash Mountain though, is still on the 'avoid at all costs' list    

Splash Mountain though, is still on the 'avoid at all costs' list    

I'm guessing that's a 'hair-thing?' - I'm beginning to understand these things now that I'm married

Splash Mountain though, is still on the 'avoid at all costs' list    

I'm guessing that's a 'hair-thing?' - I'm beginning to understand these things now that I'm married

haha... yep, definitely a hair thing... but probably moreso, the 'head first over a ledge I can't see over' thing.  Really hate that feeling. 

Well the BIG news for the BIG trip is that we got FREE DINING!!!!  I'm so excited, I was HANGING for this promotion and obsessively followed all rumours about release dates.  So, come Anzac day, I was at my computer from 10am until the promotion dropped at 6pm (4am Orlando time).  I jumped on it immediately and snared a Pool View room at POR!  So happy!  I have friends who were literally seconds behind me for their families of five for similar dates who missed out .  I've spent the last few days tinkering with our dining plans now that we can afford to eat more than 2 minute noodles in our room and as of right now it sits like this:
 
[table][tr][td][/td]
[td]Breakfast[/td]
[td]Lunch[/td]
[td]Dinner[/td]
[/tr]
[tr][td]Tue 13/9/16[/td]
[td][/td]
[td][/td]
[td]MNSSHP[/td]
[/tr]
[tr][td]Wed 14/9/16[/td]
[td][/td]
[td][/td]
[td]7:05pm Tony's Town Square[/td]
[/tr]
[tr][td]Thu 15/9/16[/td]
[td][/td]
[td]2:00pm TREX[/td]
[td]8:10pm Akershus[/td]
[/tr]
[tr][td]Fri 16/9/16[/td]
[td]9:10am BOG[/td]
[td]2:15pm Crystal Palace[/td]
[td]Tentative Tiffens/AK[/td]
[/tr]
[tr][td]Sat 17/9/16[/td]
[td] [/td]
[td][/td]
[td]5:50pm Liberty Tree Tavern[/td]
[/tr]
[tr][td]Sun 18/9/16[/td]
[td]10:35am Akershus[/td]
[td][/td]
[td]4pm Hoop Dee Doo[/td]
[/tr]
[tr][td]Mon 19/9/16[/td]
[td] [/td]
[td]3:25 Crystal Palace[/td]
[td]8:45pm Chef Mickey [/td]
[/tr]
[tr][td]Tue 20/9/16[/td]
[td] [/td]
[td][/td]
[td]7:20pm Teppan Edo[/td]
[/tr]
[tr][td]Wed 21/9/16[/td]
[td] [/td]
[td][/td]
[td]5:50pm Be Our Guest[/td]
[/tr]
[tr][td]Thu 22/9/16[/td]
[td]10:05 Garden Grill[/td]
[td][/td]
[td]6:10pm Beaches and Cream/8pm Illuminations Cruise[/td]
[/tr]
[tr][td]Fri 23/9/16[/td]
[td]9:55am Be Our Guest[/td]
[td][/td]
[td]6:35pm 50s Prime Time[/td]
[/tr]
[/table]

I've already changed it a million times and I still have a couple of things to decide and move around, but a couple of things are set in stone.  SO excited that I won't have to stress that I've spent $60 for my kids to eat a bowl of Fruit Loops!  The dining plan won't kick in until the TREX booking as we're staying at VWL for the first two nights.  You'll note that there are a couple of Akershus bookings as well as BOG as I need my princessey touches whereever I can get them - the boys won't go near princess stuff unless food is involved!

:shock::shock::shock:  What happened to the formatting?!?!?

Breakfast Lunch Dinner
Tue 13/9/16     MNSSHP
Wed 14/9/16    7:05pm Tony's Town Square
Thu 15/9/16     2:00pm TREX                 8:10pm Akershus
Fri 16/9/16        9:10am BOG                 2:15pm Crystal Palace Tentative Tiffens/AK
Sat 17/9/16       5:50pm Liberty Tree Tavern
Sun 18/9/16      10:35am Akershus        4pm Hoop Dee Doo
Mon 19/9/16      3:25 Crystal Palace       8:45pm Chef Mickey 
Tue 20/9/16       7:20pm Teppan Edo
Wed 21/9/16      5:50pm Be Our Guest
Thu 22/9/16       10:05 Garden Grill        6:10pm Beaches and Cream/8pm Illuminations Cruise
Fri 23/9/16         9:55am Be Our Guest   6:35pm 50s Prime Time

That's a bit easier to read, although not as pretty as my colour coded excel spreadsheet  :lol:

glad you were able to snap up the free dining plan Mel.  I'm not 100% sure if Sandie was able to do it for us. Early on we'd discussed it being a possibility though.  I'm hoping so.  That dining schedule looks great. 

Oooh - Mel will be back soon!  can't wait to hear all about her trip - especially the cruise!

Hi Mel, Lisa and Sandie - did you all get back safely from your trips?

I know Lisa will have some interesting stories about missing her flights home due to Hurricane Matthew!

I'm safe and sound... got home late Wednesday afternoon.  
In the end, Qantas came to the party and got us home with only my leg from sydney to adelaide needing the change to be paid for.  It was an interesting few days to say the least with my insurance company saying I wasn't covered at all for a route change.  I am still going to challenge them on it because the wording is pretty specific and it does say it covers natural disasters which it was proclaimed to be.  
Totally still zombie-fied with jetlag, a chest infection and a broken toe ( I slipped over near the pool on the ship)  but thousands of photos to show for my time at Disney.  It was fun, but the heat was somewhat punishing, which I honestly thought would be more manageable than it was.