WDW Trip 2016-Part 3: Road Trip

The details of our road trip to our All-Star Vacation Home in Kissimmee, are nothing out of the ordinary which is a very good thing.  

We met James & Brandi at a gas station on Scottsville Road just off I-65's exit 22. Aria was awake and excited about our trip. Before leaving their driveway at home Brandi shot this short video of my grand daughter ripping apart the "countdown chain" that her mommy had made for her. 

We had breakfast at a Waffle House somewhere in Tennessee at an exit on I-24. That's where I took, my official first picture of the trip. 

Also while there I gave Aria some Disney stickers to help her enjoy the trip. She put one on right away. 

Throughout the day as the miles passed we stopped for food and bathroom breaks. These breaks not only kept us a "fresh" as possible during the long trip but it also gave us time to interact with Aria. 

When we stopped at a Chik-Fil-A in Georgia she was wearing a special shirt that told others why she was so excited. 

I also got to keep an eye on her as she burned off some of her energy by playing on the indoor playground. Here she's peaking out of the wheel of an elevated crawl-through car.  

Driving with and keeping up with another vehicle on a long road trip was something that I had not done since the caravan of cars going to Gatlinburg for James & Brandi's wedding in October 2009.

Overall, it was uneventful except for the adventurous trip through the congested traffic of Atlanta with Brandi driving behind me. She did a great job keeping up. 

After about 11 hours, around 7PM on Saturday, we pulled up to the front of the gated community where we were going to be staying. 

Our vacation home was on the corner of the same street where Paula & I had stayed back in December. The best benefit of this location was that we had plenty of parking for both our vehicles. 

We gave James & Brandi the bedroom one the second floor and we settled in the one just inside the front door. The first exciting moment after our arrival was showing Aria the bedroom where she would be sleeping. She was excited to say the least. 

But the real surprise of the trip was revealed to Paula and me by Aria a few minutes after we had unloaded our cars.  

I had just parked my car in one the extra parking space and was walking back to the house when Aria met me on the front side walk wearing another special shirt. She then very innocently told me something that was a real "game changer". Not just for our time in Florida but life in general.  

The details of what she told me can be found in this post of my RH Factors blog: Aria's Got A Secret. 

The news was given to us as a "just so you know" message because of the anticipated ill effects being pregnant would have on Brandi. It was, of course, wonderful news, and also gave us a perspective about this vacation, right from the start. It wasn't the most important thing any more. But still we were excited about our week again. 

It was during our shopping trip to a nearby Super Target to stock up on food and other necessary supplies that all of us "hit the wall" in regard to our energy. It was about 8 or 9 'clock and we had had a very long day. 

We drove back to the vacation home, put the groceries away and then called it a night. The next day was our first day in the Parks. We would start off big. The next morning we were headed to Disney's Magic Kingdom.   

Coming in Part 5: Our day in the Kingdom. Plus, You'll never guess who's crying at Disney?

New Name With More Posts

Need to take a break from my WDW Trip report series to make a special announcement. I am changing the name of this blog to "Goofy Guy 909 Blog". There are a couple of reasons for this. 

First and foremost I want it to be unique but at the same time memorable. I will be writing and publishing posts more often and I want the blog to be easy to find online. The name change shortens the characters in the web address by half . 

Also, even though the subject of this blog has to do with all things Disney, I have been advised by some other bloggers to take the word "Disney" out of the title. I won't go into the specific reasons why. Let me just say I think it's a good idea for the blog going forward. It gives me a little more freedom in expressing my opinions. 

Speaking of "going forward" soon this will be one of a trio of blogs devoted to specific subjects that, up until now, I have only been writing about on my "RH Factors" blog. 

As far as the RH Factors is concerned, watch Facebook and Twitter for an announcement about a post that gives the details of the direction it will be taking. Or you can just keep checking back to the blog page. 

The final piece of my personal "blogosphere" will be a brand new blog that complements the other two. Keep watching for it's debut soon as well. 

Thank you for checking out this special announcement. Goofy Guy 909 blog will be the go to place from now on when I've got something to say about the Wonderful World of Disney. See you again, next time. Have a magical day.  

UP NEXT: WDW Trip 2016-Part 3: A Day @ The Magic Kingdom

WDW Trip 2016-Part 2: Planning Our Disney Experience

Now that it was decided that the Havens and the Conners were going to Walt Disney World together in less than 3 weeks there was a lot to do. 

I had the experience of already planning 3 WDW trips, so
I took the lead in making our plans. My trip planning skills and in-park experience were some other reasons Brandi & James wanted us to go along with them. 

The day after we found out that we were able to go we spent an evening at our house to do our initial planning. 

My first task was to convince them not to stay in the small hotel room on Disney property and get a much roomier vacation home only a few more minutes away. We could split the cost, while getting more room and better amenities. It wasn't very difficult to do that when I showed them the comparison. 

The couple of "extra magic" hours offered during our stay (which with our trip so close, was the only real advantage of an "on property") did not compare to the comfort and convenience of a vacation home.   

We decided to stay in a 3 bedroom unit in Kissimmee just down the street from where Paula and I stayed last December. It had it's own private pool and a bedroom for Aria decorated with a Mickey Mouse theme.

Our next important decision was what type of park tickets we were going to purchase. Again, my knowledge of trip planning came into play. Instead of buying our 4 day park passes directly from Disney, I used a very popular discount ticket broker: Undercover Tourist.

We got a great deal. Paid for a 4-day park ticket and got a 5th day free. It was about $20 less each than buying from Disney as well. This made a big difference in our vacation. It meant we could visit all 4 WDW parks for a day and then go to Magic Kingdom a second time. 

The next step was the logistics of our travel. We decided that we would leave very early on Saturday morning (4AM on March 5) so we could get there in time get enough sleep to be able to get up early and to go to the Magic Kingdom on Sunday. 

Our "what we want to do" list included meeting all the characters that Aria liked, go to a character breakfast, see the fireworks and night time shows. There was more including a lunch at the "Be Our Guest" restaurant in the MK and taking a day to go to Cocoa Beach and enjoy the ocean. 

When our evening of planning was over I had a list of the things I needed to make sure was did while we were in "The World".  

The one major factor that made this trip to Walt Disney World different was the way a guest now has to make plans with Disney itself. It's done through a section of the Disney World website and on a smartphone using an app. Both are called "My Disney Experience."

Through "MDE" I was able to register our park tickets which allowed me to do a lot of planning. I made Fast Pass Plus and dinning reservations for each of our days in the park.

 All of these plans were gathered together in my MDE online itinerary.  Although the plans were on my account, once the others created their accounts I linked them so they could see them too.  

Among other resources I used to set up our trip plans were online websites, All Ears.net, Touring Plans.com, Accuweather.com, wdwinfo.com, Trip Advisor.com/Cocoa Beach and about half a dozen WDW trip planning podcasts. 

I also used digital copies of books on my Kindle, The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World and a "how to" guide that helped me learn the best way to use Fast Pass. 

I put my "proven" trip planning tool into action, an Excel workbook with several spreadsheets. One with a overview of our trip day by day and 5 others, each dedicated to a day of the trip. All of them had lists of what we wanted to do each day in the order we needed to do them. 

They weren't set-in-stone minute-by-minute marching orders but rather guidelines to help us do what we wanted to do. We could take our time and enjoy our day but my guide would keep us on track.

The guide sheets were works in progress right up until the night before we left. Although I printed them out so everyone could have a copy; I kept a digital copy on my phone so I  could make changes as needed throughout the week.

By 9 o'clock on Friday night, March 4, all the planning and packing had been done. After a few hours of sleep we would pull out of our driveway, meet up with James & Brandi in Bowling Green and then head south.   

WDW Trip 2016-Part 1: The Decision To Go

Blogger's Note: Thank you for visiting my blog focusing on my fandom of all things Disney. I am reviving it after nearly 2 years for a couple of reasons. I have memories from trips to Walt Disney World I want to share with you. I also want to discuss the almost constant stream of news and events in the world of Disney and share my opninons. Again, welcome back. I hope these new posts help me make a connection with you, my readers, and together we can share our common interest in the "Wonderful World Of Disney".  

Ron Havens-aka "Goofy Guy"

In December 2015, my wife and I made our 3rd visit in the last 11 years to Walt Disney World. Each of those visits were different and unique in their own way. The first in 2004 was a family vacation with our two sons. In 2010, it was just the two of us celebrating my 50th birthday. And last December, an evening at the "Very Merry Christmas Party" in the Magic Kingdom was a part of an anniversary trip that included our first trip to shores of the Gulf Of Mexico at Clearwater Beach. 

Once we got back from that last trip, our plan was to return to Florida, in December 2017, with our adult children and granddaughter to celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary. But sometimes things happen a lot sooner than you expect. In this case, a lot sooner.

One Friday afternoon in the middle of February, I was taking a short afternoon break from my job when I got a phone call. The ringtone told me that it was my son, James.  

He called to tell me that he and his wife, Brandi, decided that they were going to take our granddaughter, to Walt Disney World the week of March 6th. He invited us to go with them. 

This really took me back. As a Disney fan with above an average knowledge about the theme parks I had a couple of concerns. My first thoughts centered around the fact that they were going during "Spring Break" season. Attendance at the WDW parks during that time is among the highest of the year. 

My second thought was that it had only been 3 months since my wife and I took our last trip to Florida. Getting time off of work again so soon, and covering the cost of the trip were uncertain issues. It was frustrating but I couldn't see any way we could go. 

After telling them that we couldn't go, Paula and I started talking. Our initial decision was so unsettling. 

I did some research with my online Disney trip planning resources and discovered that, although for that week the expected crowds, although expected to be above average, with a little planning were manageable. 

Our consternation over the decision we had made was centered around this reality. With or without us, our granddaughter was going to Disney World. How could we miss something that was so important? 

Aria is our only granddaughter. Ever since she was an infant she has been a fan of Disney characters; especially Minnie, Mickey. Over the last couple of years she has grown to love Disney movies as well ("Frozen" and "The Aristocats" are her favorites). 

The anticipation of being with her as she looks down Main Street USA and sees the castle for the first time, feeling the joy as we watch her meet her Disney friends in person, and witnessing the reflection of the Magic Kingdom fireworks in her eyes were irresistibly compelling. There was only one thing for us to do. By the end of that weekend we had changed our minds. 

By Tuesday of the next week, the path was clear of concerns. It was going to happen. We were going with our granddaughter to Walt Disney World!!! 

But the decision to go was just the first step in our journey to Orlando. Getting the most out of a Walt Disney World vacation these days requires more than just buying park tickets and making hotel reservations. There was a lot of planning to do. 

Coming in Part 2: Planning Our Disney Experience 

2012 Disney Movie Madness Tournament-And The Winner Is...

There's been 6 Rounds, 39 match ups, over 400 votes cast, and finally one champion has been crowned. The 2012 Disney Movie Madness Tournament is over. 


I have to be honest the final round was a bit anti-climatic in both the degree of Disney charisma attributed to both final participants and the number of votes cast. But nevertheless, to paraphrase a comment one  Facebook voter sent to me, the final match up required the making of "lemonade." 


Now let me state that the tournament winner is on my personal "top 5" Disney movie list but not at the top. It does have the single best supporting character in all of the Disney animated movie library (my apologies to Balloo the Bear). The voice over cast includes two of my favorite comedians. And, since the voting is over I can mention this, the story and characters have transitioned very well into the Disney Parks.


So if you haven't guessed by now it's it my pleasure to announce the winner of the 2012 Disney Madness Tournament: 

2012 Disney Movie Madness Champion

   

I would like to thank everyone who participated in this tournament. It was my second but the first where I asked others to vote. I really had fun tallying the votes and reading the reasons for your choices. Bringing out the Disney fan in anyone is always fun. 

Anytime I can get into a conversation about Disney, no matter if its face-to-face or through social media, I jump right in with near abandon. This year's tournament provided plenty of conversation

Congratulations to all who voted for "Finding Nemo" over the course of the entire tournament. You created a champion. 

Looking Toward Next Year

So now that this year's "madness" is over it's time to look toward 2013's Goofy Guy tournament. 

I have some lofty goals for next year's vote. First of I'm pretty certain that I am going to make it a "supporting characters" competition. There are plenty of them in the 50 plus Disney animated features. As a matter of fact next year there will probably be 64 contestants; which will require an additional preliminary round. 

I'd also like to set it up so that it's open to everyone on the Internet. I know this is possible because I've seen a site devoted to a Muppet Madness tournament. Over the next year I'm going to find out how to set up a tournament like it for myself. 

So there you have the last post of this year's Disney Movie Madness Tournament. Once again, thanks to all who participated. See you next year when once again you'll have the chance to support your favorite things about Disney. 

2012 Disney Movie Madness Tournament-The Championship Match Up

Well the voters in the 2012 Disney Movie Madness saved their biggest "upset" decisions for the "Fantasy Four" round of the tournament. I am sitting here looking at the two films that have made it to the Final Match Up and I can't believe it. 


Round 4 voting was not at all close. The pair of pictures that would be considered among the ultimate Disney classics were knocked out by a pair of unlikely "Cinderellas".


In it's Fantasy Four contest "The Lion King" (my pick to win the tournament from the beginning) was beaten by an almost 2-1 margin by "Finding Nemo"


Not even true love's kiss could rescue Snow White from a landslide defeat at the hands of 101 Dalmatians. I mean those precious spotted pups got 90% of the vote. 


So the final match up has been determined. 


Final Match Up: Finding Nemo VS 101 Dalmatians

  

You have until 10PM CDT Thursday April 5 to get your votes to me by way of Facebook message or email (Rewindguy909@aol.com). That's when I'll tally the ballots and a champion will be crowned. Do your part to make sure it's your favorite finalist. 

2012 Disney Movie Madness Tournament-The Fantasy Four

Round 3 of this years tournament is the first of two rounds where movies can become champions. In the closest voting of the entire tournament the Bracket Winners have been chosen. 3 out of 4 of the races were decided by 1 vote. For the first time in the tournament I had to cast the deciding vote in, not just one, but two races. There was only one "landslide" winner in Round 3. 

Here are the Bracket Champions:

Pixar: Finding Nemo

2nd Golden Age: The Lion King

Story Book: Snow White

Animal Tales: 101 Dalmatians

I must say that I agree with 3 of the 4 choices. I am extremely disappointed that The Jungle Book didn't make it to the Semi-Finals. My vote for Mogli, Balloo and company left the movie's tally 1 vote short. But no use 

So now it's onto the "Fantasy Four" Here are the Match Ups: 

Semi-Final 1: Finding Nemo VS Lion King: This is a contest between the two films that will decide which will represent the "After Walt" era of Disney animation in the tournament championship match up. 

Semi-Final 2: Snow White VS 101 Dalmatians: Walt Disney produced both of these Finalists. They will represent his legacy in this tournament. One of these films has been the overwhelming choice in all rounds so far. I won't mention which one it is but I don't see the pattern changing in this round at all. 

There you have your match ups. You have until 10PM Tuesday night April 3 to cast your vote. Choose who you want to be the last 2 movies standing. Get your choices to me by message on FB or emailing me at Rewindguy909@aol.com

A tournament winner is on the horizon. All you have to do is let your vote make that film the winner of Disney Movie Madness.