Short Surprise Trip Update with Trip Report

Husband and I are bubbling with excitement for our short surprise trip with DD8 and DS(almost)6. We leave tomorrow. We’ve been telling the kids that I have a work trip and they are driving me to the airport. When they asked where, I told them “Orange County, Florida” (which is true!) to meet with three important clients (also true, if family = clients). We plan to tell them when we pull up to drop me off…yes, I am prepared for the surprise to fail in some way…but hopeful it won’t!

We arrive tomorrow at 4:40 pm at MCO, doing Alamo “skip the counter,” and have an Ohana ressie for our arrival night. Can’t wait for that bread pudding and treating myself to a drink!

We are using Marriott points to stay at the Swan for 3 nights, and used points accrued on from our Disney Visa card since our trip last year to pay for about half of our airfare. On our last trip, we didn’t do much of HS, so the plan is to spend most of Thursday there, including PPO at H&V, Jedi Training, TOT, RNR, and SDD. Of those, we’ve only done SDD before. Kids have now seen Star Wars (Part IV, thanks to suggestions from Liners) and should be excited to do JTA if they are okay going on stage without us. (DD8 will be fine; DS6 might be scared.) Hoping to snag a same-day drop at 12:01 if possible–if all goes according to plan we will have used our 3rd FPP by 11:30 or so. Plan is to break by early afternoon (doing Frozen sing along and Disney Visa cardholder M&G if time), for pool or nap.

Thursday evening, we head to Epcot where we may rent a stroller if kids are tired, so the grownups can enjoy WS. We have a Via Napoli reservation for dinner–I have been craving their pizza for three years since we missed it on our last trip. Hoping to pick up some SD FPP at EP, but I noticed that expected wait times for Thursday evening don’t look that bad anyway. I haven’t ridden SE in 20+ years and those wait times look very low at night, so that’s part of the plan as well. Soarin is projected to have <30 min waits near closing. No formal plans for Illuminations. Have a reminder on my phone to try to play the late night lotto for rides at MK from 9 to 10 pm, while walking back to Swan from EP, to get an anytime FPP to convert for the next day.

Friday, will be at MK for EMH–DS6 was not tall enough for Space last time, so our only goals are to do SM, HM, Splash and Pirates before late morning, then get outta there for pool or nap. We have afternoon FPP for FOP, EE and Dino, and will try to see FOTLK w/o a FPP. Will be done with those by 7 and then will decide whether to stay there or hop to MK which is open until 10 pm, or HS, open until 9:30, to see Fantasmic.

Saturday, over to Universal for 2 days/1 night, staying at hard rock w Express Pass. We were there last in October and i’m expecting crowds and weather to be very different in July. But, since we have our favorites, we won’t feel the need to do “everything.” Would love to do Hagrid’s, but realistically the wait times are likely a dealbreaker for us right now, esp since DS6 isn’t tall enough. Looking forward to Diagon Alley again (wands are packed), the water rides at IOA, Fallon at USF, DD8 being tall enough to ride Forbidden Journey, and another donut from Lard’s Lad’s-DD8 and I still talk about that one.

Then, flight home departing at 7 pm on Sunday. Will be a whirlwind…hoping we all wake up tomorrow feeling good and that DH and I pull off the surprise well. Wish me luck. I’m armed with so many good tips from all of you kind liners on here…and will report back!

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Wow! Have a great time!!

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Sounds like a great trip!

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Have a great trip

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Thank you!

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How exciting!!! Have a fantastic time!

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Thanks so much!

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Love it! Have a great time!

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How exciting! Safe travels!

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Wow. This is certainly a surprise…

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Have a magical time!

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Enjoy your work trip!
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It’s go day! Had a true liner nightmare last night–dreamt we overslept and went to the wrong park on our first day, and didn’t realize it until 11 am, after we had missed our FPP’s!

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Have those dreams myself!

Have a great trip!!!

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Yup, a common dream. Though mine is usually about missing my flight or forgetting my luggage.

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I wish I had normal nightmares like this…I dream that I’m taking DBF on his first ever rides on attractions that I have done a gazillion times (pirates, tower of terror, etc) and therefore know how the rides go and they are ALL WRONG!! In my dreams they are some Tim Burton dystopian version of the rides and the worst part is, I am in the dream thinking everything is the way it should be! Creepy af :scream:

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I have been telling DS7 & DS9 that we are going to a walking contest in August, and that’s why we need to practice our walking twice a week. Q: “Where is it at?” A: “It’s at the park”

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you uhhhh you should probably talk to someone about that. :rofl:

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I should talk to Mr Burton himself…we could make one heck of a movie lmao

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How was the surprise??

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