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Bletherskite's picture
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Joined: 03/14/2015
Posts: 10
Hello and thank you

Thank you all so much for all the really useful tips and information I been reading on here over the last few months. You all seem so helpful and supportive and I have never taken part in a forum before so this one feels like a pretty good place to start.

Our story so far.....

We travelled to WDW as a family for the first time last year, it was supposed to be a 'once in a lifetime' trip, in fact my DH didn't really want to go at all but I managed to talk him into it because it was a holiday for our kids (they won't be young forever!!) and we hadn't had a holiday for a few years.

We had only been in the World for about 3 days when he asked me how long it would take us to save up go back!! Out of us all he loved it the most, in fact, at one point, I'm sure I heard him say that it was the best holiday he had ever had!! Needless to say, we are on our way back in October this year.

By nature, I am an obsessive organiser (love a list!!) but I am ashamed to say that we arrived last year totally unprepared; we had no concept of what lay ahead, people we knew gave us advice and tips but we naively thought they were going a bit over the top, oh! how wrong we were.

We've saved hard so thankfully we've been given another chance...and this time it's serious, this time my organisational style can be described in 2 words...........military operation!!

I have picked up some great hints and tips from this site so far but I am sure I'll have many more questions before I'm done so I hope it's ok to pop on from time to time to pick your brains.

Sorry for rambling on (fellow Scots among you will now understand where the username came from!!) and thanks for listening.

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Joined: 03/22/2014
Posts: 552

Welcome to the boards! I never thought I'd be bit by the Disney bug and after our first trip i didn't think I had been. Then about 2 months later I started thinking about...ended up going 3 times in a 12 month period. Smile We also did our first trip "wrong" but learned so much and each trip has gotten better.

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The Colonel's picture
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Joined: 11/08/2012
Posts: 2943

welcome

I'm a grown man with a serious Disney addiction. I feel your pain.

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RobynPrincess's picture
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Joined: 03/14/2010
Posts: 2859

Hi and welcome to the forum! Any question just ask! Where are you staying in october?

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Our Very Merry 24 nighter Nov/Dec 15
Watson's go West May 15
The one with all the birthdays Oct 14 4 Big Birthdays and a Vow Renewal thrown in
The OMG trip June 14 30th Birthday present from the hubs
Girly trip March 14 A last min cheapy week
September 13 our first all DVC stay
TR May 2013 the last min bargain trip offsite
Oct 2012 TR with a cruise!big family trip featuring the beach club, AKL, the dream and a villa offsite
TR on a budget May - June 2011offsite condo
TR Sept - Oct 2010 big family trip in an offsite villa

Vettelover's picture
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Joined: 03/28/2009
Posts: 4658

Hello and welcome to our happy group. It is not only OK to pop in from time to time but feel free to pop in ALL the time, questions do not upset us at all so tell us all about your plans for the next trip.

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Magic Mirror's picture
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Joined: 09/18/2012
Posts: 2994

So glad you joined us! We love hearing about Disney -Everything!
I love your definition of planning as a "military operation" - I am on board with you!

banana banana welcome banana banana

oHIo's picture
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Joined: 10/04/2014
Posts: 844

Welcome to WDWFG!! welcome You have found a great group of people bighug The diversity is incredible, it includes all age ranges, married and single, families and empty nesters, from the U.S., Canada and the U.K. plus a few other countries. There is even a map of the world for those who wish to divulge where they live. But we all have one thing in common, a love of all things Disney. mickey

You will receive some great advice, all you have to do is ask!

Tell us more about your upcoming trip. When are you coming in October? It is a great time of year, with Food & Wine Featival as well as Mickey's Not So Scarey Halloween Party. Where are you staying and what are your plans? How old are your children and what are their interests? I already have three nights booked at Beach Club for Oct and tomorrow at the seven month mark will book a couple of nights at Kidani/Animal Kingdom Lodge.

The only unsolicited piece of advice I will offer is beware of "military operation." Make sure to take time to smell the roses and enjoy the bubble while you are there without being too regimented. Flexibility can be your friend. laugh

alicemouse's picture
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Joined: 10/22/2013
Posts: 2832

Count us in among the people who took a couple of tries to "get it right" We did MK on New Year's Eve for our honeymoon...with absolutely no plan. On our next trip, we went into military planning mode, too! laugh We've since relaxed a bit now that we go more frequently and it's not "do or die" for our favorite restaurants and attractions, but our trips are usually still carefully planned to hit as many Disney Bucket List items as possible each time.

Welcome to the forums and I hope you love it here as much as the rest of us do. muchlove

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Be good at something. It makes you valuable. Have something to bring to the table because that will make you more welcome. --Randy Pausch

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Trip Reports:
December 2013: 10th Anniversary, 1st DVC Stay | April 2014: Birthday on the Boardwalk | May 2014: Star Wars Weekend, Navigating WDW with a wheelchair | August 2014: Villains Unleashed | September/October 2014: MNSSHP, F&W, Tower of Terror 10-miler | March/April 2015: Disneyland and California Coastal Cruise | November 2015: Wine & Dine Half, Food & Wine, 1st Disney Cruise | February 2016: Presidential Classic Gymnastics Meet | March 2016: "Work" Trip, Tours, F&G Festival | April 2016: Conference at Disneyland | Fall 2016: Festive Fall Fun | January 2017: Festival of the Arts | May 2017: AbD Backstage Magic | July 2017: AbD San Francisco | Sorry I had to give up doing trip reports. Too many time commitments right now.

Bletherskite's picture
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Joined: 03/14/2015
Posts: 10

Thank so much for the warm welcome everyone.

We are staying at the POFQ, I hope we've chosen well.....it is so difficult to chose a resort as they are all so different but all look amazing. In the end we chose POFQ because the reviews said it was small and quiet so we thought this would be a good starter choice for our first time onsite.

I will be travelling with my DH (the motivation for the trip), our 13 year old DD ( sometimes not so darling since hitting her teenage years but I'm sure she'll grow out of it eventually!!) and our 6 year old DS (the scaredy cat so we have to lie about the severity of the rides in order to get him on!!). We arrive on 8 October for 12 nights so will be able to enjoy the F&W again hopefully.

Our last trip was pretty much 'park ride' focused as we tried to get around them all at lightening speed (pretty difficult as we hadn't even booked any fast passes before arrival, a mistake we will not be repeating!!) but this time I am hoping to plan better so we can enjoy some shows and some of the great dining options I've been reading about on here. Also I am hoping, that with a good bit of forward planning, we will have time to just enjoy the whole Disney experience, soak up the atmosphere and take time to take it all in.

Only 207 days and counting, can't wait!! yeah

JoAnn C's picture
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Joined: 05/20/2011
Posts: 6757

welcome

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finngirl's picture
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Joined: 04/11/2012
Posts: 1072

Hi and welcome. You've chosen a great resort. Be sure to visit POR - the walk along the river is beautiful. Being able to take the boat to Downtown Disney is one of the best perks too.

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alicemouse's picture
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Joined: 10/22/2013
Posts: 2832

The resorts at Port Orleans are my favorite moderates. You've chosen well indeed. POFQ is a beautiful resort and you can't underestimate the value of the boat and the beautiful walkway to POR. The Riverside Mill food court at POR is fantastic--totally worth a walk!

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Be good at something. It makes you valuable. Have something to bring to the table because that will make you more welcome. --Randy Pausch

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Trip Reports:
December 2013: 10th Anniversary, 1st DVC Stay | April 2014: Birthday on the Boardwalk | May 2014: Star Wars Weekend, Navigating WDW with a wheelchair | August 2014: Villains Unleashed | September/October 2014: MNSSHP, F&W, Tower of Terror 10-miler | March/April 2015: Disneyland and California Coastal Cruise | November 2015: Wine & Dine Half, Food & Wine, 1st Disney Cruise | February 2016: Presidential Classic Gymnastics Meet | March 2016: "Work" Trip, Tours, F&G Festival | April 2016: Conference at Disneyland | Fall 2016: Festive Fall Fun | January 2017: Festival of the Arts | May 2017: AbD Backstage Magic | July 2017: AbD San Francisco | Sorry I had to give up doing trip reports. Too many time commitments right now.

MrHub's picture
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Joined: 10/29/2009
Posts: 9503

Hello and welcome to WDWForGrownups! We are always happy to have another Disney lover among our ranks and we're happy you like our site.

If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask, someone can always find you an answer. There is also the "Google custom search" bar at the top of every page. Just type something in and hit enter. It will search our entire site site for you.

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Joined: 03/22/2014
Posts: 552

Good choice with French Quarter! It's beautiful and yes, small and quiet. We're now starting to try out different resorts, just to test them out, but we loved FQ and would be happy to stay there again.

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amy1989's picture
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Joined: 12/30/2013
Posts: 1404

welcome welcome welcome fellow Brit! we had a military operation last year so much so I had to make my mam laminated daily sheets so she knew where out Dining reservations were and at what time and our FP time slots, being the planner naturally I thought if I knew it so did she and that's not how it worked at all!!!!

I will be honest I thought I knew quite a lot before I joined here - I knew nothing!!!! I have learnt soooooooo much since being on here so don't be frightened to ask questions everybody is so friendly here!

Bletherskite's picture
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Joined: 03/14/2015
Posts: 10

I like your style, I might need to buy myself a laminator!!

NikkiMouse's picture
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Joined: 02/19/2015
Posts: 526

Welcome!!! welcome I love Disney in October. 3 years in a row and I do not think I would ever go any other time of year. I am also an obsessive planner. I have already started the spreadsheet for this year!

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Belinda's picture
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Joined: 08/09/2012
Posts: 771

welcome Lots of great info here and everyone is MORE than willing to share with you! I think you will love POFQ - it is really beautiful!

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Allie's picture
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Joined: 06/26/2012
Posts: 5477

Hi and welcome So glad to have you! Can't wait to hear all about your upcoming trip and of course, as everyone else has said, don't hesitate to ask away when you have questions! I have heard nothing but awesome things about Port Orleans so I think you've made an awesome choice there. awesome

Morgan's picture
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Joined: 03/09/2015
Posts: 36

welcome

I am totally jealous of everyone that gets to spend such a long time in the Bubble! (The longest we've managed is 6 days, which always feels like we miss something.) Can't wait to hear about your plans Smile

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