A Whole New World!!! (well for my parents!) Update July 1

[tinkerbell615]

I know I should be calm because this is VACATION, but Im just worked up and stressed.

Funny, I was just talking to my DDIL yesterday about some of the same things. We were decorating our MBs! I am worried about FP+ reservations disappearing, etc... She just looked at me and said... "If it happens, we will just deal with it and work everything out to the best." She is obviously a little more relaxed than I am. I am a nervous wreck about everything. She is correct. Everything will be OKAY. It is Disney World, and we are going to be so happy to be there.

I am really enjoying reading your posts!! We are in the teens now and so super excited!!

 

[Oodalally13]

I am beginning to think my thread is LESS of a PTR/TR and MORE of a blog/diary.....

If I am boring you, feel free to not read along or unsuscribe (although I secretly hope you'll carry on...)

My Aladdin quote for this update..."2 hours a class will give you SUCH a crick in the neck!"---Yeah that was just HORRIBLE!! I will try harder at my quote tie-ins.

We are close enough to our trip to be feeling nerves that everything will go smoothly, but NOT close enough to actually start packing in suitcases and everything.

Work-wise it is end of year test time. Most of my kiddos already completed their work, so I have a handful of kids that I have to sit with for 2 hours at a time. As a result, I take my personal laptop and check DISboards, Pinterest, weather, etc.

Summer is my time to check out new recipes on Pinterest and give them a try. So far I have made a baked frito pie casserole type thing, broccoli-chicken-parmesan pasta, and now some kind of taco/ranch potatoes and these little breakfast cups that have a lunch meat shell with egg/cheese/onion/mushrooms inside. I guess like a mini-quiche type thing. Healthy? No way! Tasty? You bet!

How are things on your side of Agrabah??? (sp?)

 

[aacvacation]

If anyone can tell me how to make a table of contents link, I would gladly throw that in the first post so it makes reading easier!!!!

I feel like such a creep posting late at night, but I always end up going through Dis when I can't sleep!!! Thought I'd help you out
Hopefully I can explain this well enough.

In your first post, much like you outlined your plan so far, you'll want to designate a place for your index/contents. You're just doing PTR for now, so I'd make that clear, and just give a short name for each post.
Right now, your posts go in an order basically about these things: new shoes, room decorations, pre-trip stress, etc.

An example of a set up for those posts could go something like this...

Pre-Trip Planning Report

New Disney Shoes

Our Room Decorations

Starting to Stress!​

Next you want to link the actual posts to the 'titles' above. To find the link directly to a post, look up at the top of this post I am making, to the turquoise banner where it has the date and time of the post. On the opposite side, the right, there is gong to be '#23'. Click it and it will take you directly to that post. Each post has it's own number, just click it to get the URL.

The easiest way to describe to you how to hyperlink, is to just show you the coding. The code for linking to a web address is:

[*URL=" put url here "] [*/URL]
(Remove the '*'s)

So I'm going to use my example from above again, and link all the titles to each post.

Pre-Trip Planning Report

New Disney Shoes

Our Room Decorations

Starting to Stress!​

For some reason, the preview code setting doesn't want to work on here, so I can't give it to you on this post. But if you want to use my example and continue to work off of it/change it/whatever, just quote this message, and all the coding should remain, so you can copy/paste from there.

Def subscribing, I'm sure you guys are going to have fun!

P.S. You make the most stellar mickey pancakes I have ever seen. please teach me, I have been trying to get it to work for years...

 

[thetorit]

I have a lot of the same worries! I'm not too scared about the weather - rain in June is my friend at Disney, but packing, do I have the right FP+, making everything perfect for the kiddos... ahh!
I love your PTR so far!

 

[Oodalally13]

I feel like such a creep posting late at night, but I always end up going through Dis when I can't sleep!!! Thought I'd help you out
Hopefully I can explain this well enough.

In your first post, much like you outlined your plan so far, you'll want to designate a place for your index/contents. You're just doing PTR for now, so I'd make that clear, and just give a short name for each post.
Right now, your posts go in an order basically about these things: new shoes, room decorations, pre-trip stress, etc.

An example of a set up for those posts could go something like this...

Pre-Trip Planning Report

New Disney Shoes

Our Room Decorations

Starting to Stress!​

Next you want to link the actual posts to the 'titles' above. To find the link directly to a post, look up at the top of this post I am making, to the turquoise banner where it has the date and time of the post. On the opposite side, the right, there is gong to be '#23'. Click it and it will take you directly to that post. Each post has it's own number, just click it to get the URL.

The easiest way to describe to you how to hyperlink, is to just show you the coding. The code for linking to a web address is:

[*URL=" put url here "] [*/URL]
(Remove the '*'s)

So I'm going to use my example from above again, and link all the titles to each post.

Pre-Trip Planning Report

New Disney Shoes

Our Room Decorations

Starting to Stress!​

For some reason, the preview code setting doesn't want to work on here, so I can't give it to you on this post. But if you want to use my example and continue to work off of it/change it/whatever, just quote this message, and all the coding should remain, so you can copy/paste from there.

Def subscribing, I'm sure you guys are going to have fun!

P.S. You make the most stellar mickey pancakes I have ever seen. please teach me, I have been trying to get it to work for years...

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!! I've included a thanks to you on the first page! Im sometimes on late at night and posting and what not, so it's not weird to me! As for the pancakes, I make sure the griddle is HOT before I start cooking and I use a little ladle to pour the batter. I pour the big head first (which is a full ladle) then I do the 2 smaller ears (half a ladle). I also make sure the ears somewhat overlap a bit onto the head. Flipping them is the challenge. You only saw the pretties 2 of the pancakes. I either need one ginormous flipper or need to learn to use 2 at once.

I have a lot of the same worries! I'm not too scared about the weather - rain in June is my friend at Disney, but packing, do I have the right FP+, making everything perfect for the kiddos... ahh!
I love your PTR so far!

Glad to know I am not the only one! But it seems like a LOT of people of the DIS stress all about it and it's supposed to be VACATION! Hahaha

 

[Oodalally13]

Wow, haven't posted any random updates lately so here we go....

School's been out for a week. Exams went well and I didn't have any kids not show up for exams. I didn't cry as much as I thought at graduation as I had anticipated. The last day was a work day and one of my sr officer kids called and asked if I was in my office. 3 of them showed up with a lollipop arrangement that said how even though they were sometimes "dum-dums" thanks for helping them "grow"....I DID tear up some there....

Packing is coming along nicely for all the park essentials (sunscreen, swimsuit, medicine, travel documents, etc). I am having the most trouble with outfits! A month ago I had them ALL picked out. Now I will change my mind about a top or bottom and next thing I know it will all be changed OR I will buy something new and throw everything out of whack! On the bright side, I DID pick up a cool Mickey shirt at WALMART!

So far all I know FOR SURE is going for clothing is:
-the new Mickey shirt
-Darth Vader shirt I got in March (he's riding the Astro-orbiter with a mickey bar in his hand).
-blingy cap
-new sneakers
-tiara---YES, I am going to wear a tiara at MK (maybe even all the parks!)

The other day my USB internet stick quit working so I went down to the AT&T to see if it was time for a new one. Turns out it was time for EVERYONE to get brand spanking new phones, internet doo-dads, AND a new plan. We actually got more and will be paying less. Well, with having new phones we didnt want to injure them on the trips and I had mentioned how teacher buddy from previous trips had this neat ziplock bag thing that he wore around his neck. He pointed them out the last time we were at Blizzard Beach, but they were like $40 bucks and I didnt really want to spend that. Wellll....we went into Walmart and happened to find them for like $5. We wont be in a water park, just Splash Mountain, Pirates, Kali River Rapids, so we will be ok!

Also, I went to the movies and saw Maleficent. I know a lot of people have had less than enthusiastic reviews about it, but I really really REALLY enjoyed it. Was it Sleeping Beauty EXACTLY?---No, but I liked to backstory and new info behind it.

As things get closer, I will be sure to post updates and pictures of the crammed luggage!

Thanks for following along!!!

 

[Oodalally13]

So for anyone reading, you know this is my parents' FIRST trip and my first as someone just enjoying the park and not on a strict schedule...

So what is ONE activity/experience/moment/meal/etc you would recommend that we HAVE to do on this (very likely) ONCE in a LIFETIME trip???

 

[thetorit]

So for anyone reading, you know this is my parents' FIRST trip and my first as someone just enjoying the park and not on a strict schedule...

So what is ONE activity/experience/moment/meal/etc you would recommend that we HAVE to do on this (very likely) ONCE in a LIFETIME trip???

ONE?!

The most important for us on any trip is to make sure we make a memory as a family, which for us usually means taking a breather at the end of the night to sit and watch fireworks or parade with some snacks and no stress. Sure I remember going to the character meals and riding the rides, but my clearest and fondest memory of last trip is holding DS while DH held DD and watching MSEP and trying not to cry because all 4 of us were focused on and enjoying the same magical thing, no iPhones or tablets or TVs in sight.

Mealwise, I think CRT is something everyone should do once. How often do you get to eat in a castle? That said, once is enough

Souvenir wise, I think pick-a-pear is the most sentimental without breaking the bank.

And character wise, you HAVE to meet the talking Mickey. I had a friend who said they went to WDW 4 times before they met Mickey. HOW?!

 

[Oodalally13]

As I was starting to add more stuff to the "Pack This!" pile, I thought I would share some pics of stuff that I think is cool.

First up are the socks I bought for my Disney trip. I actually got these before my trip in March and set them aside so I would have ALL of them in perfect condition for the trip. Well, i didn't know another Disney trip was in store, so I wore them after the March trip. I'm not exactly easy on socks, so I've ruined or misplaced the Aurora silhouette, Cinderella full color, and Darth Vader (!!!! !!!) socks. Princess socks came from Hot Topic and Star Wars came from Kohl's (women's section).

I have a HUGE collection of sunglasses. I also REALLY like Hello Kitty (yes I KNOW she isn't Disney, but oh well). ALL of these were really really cheap sunglasses, so I won't be too upset if I lose or break a pair. I ALWAYS have to have sunglasses on when I go somewhere and I dont want to worry about having to buy or find another pair while I am there or paying some unreal price for it.

In the middle is my tiara I got for the trip. A little back story behind it....
At the March trip (remember I was chaperoning high school kiddos). One of my kids was gushing over the new Walking Dead hoodie I bought at Universal. I told her where I got it and how much if she wanted to get one the next day. She said no she was saving ALL her money for Harry Potter stuff. She is a HUGE Harry Potter fan and was planning on buying the school robe, multiple wands, etc. I told her I had looked at that stuff and it was expensive. She said she didnt care, she had been saving up and working extra for her stuff. Well, the next day was a Disney day and towards the end of the day we saw here and she had this rather large tiara on (and she isn't much of a princess girl). I asked if she had brought it from home and she said no she had spent $100+ on it. I was shocked and asked what about all her Harry stuff? She said it was a sacrifice she was willing to make. She told me I needed to buy/wear a tiara at Disney one day because it would "change your life". Lol. Well, I didnt want to spend that much on a tiara so I bought my $12 beauty at the local Charming Charlie. The big gem isnt part of it. I just needed something to prop it up on for the pic. We shall see how life changing it is....

Sorry this is next one is a little blurry. I like to collect records. YES I am 29 and I like both Hello Kitty and records. I have one of those radio/cd/tape/record all in one things and have been collecting for a while now. My favorite place to find stuff is Half Price Books. While browsing the other night I found this record of the theme park music!

That's all for now! Thanks for following along!!!

 

[Oodalally13]

We just got back from the trip (and I mean just pulled in driveway about an hour ago). Will have tr stuff up soon if anyone is still following.

 

[Oodalally13]

Glad to be finally turning this PTR into a TR! Wow! The trip was a whirlwind but we had a great time! Unfortunately, there were times I completely forgot to take pictures, so please forgive me for just having explanations of stuff!

The week before we left we actually started packing stuff. We have a tiny car we like to travel in (Mazda RX-8), but we LOOOOVE it. It is really comfortable, but trunk space is a little tight. We spent a lot of that week checking and double checking if we REALLY needed something. We now have a better understanding of what we DON’T need to pack. We are really picky about hairdryers and took our own—we NEVER used it! Not even the hotel one! I had received advice to take an air up mattress as the full beds were supposedly tiny---we fit just fine! H2O shampoo and soaps worked great for us too!

What DID we pack in the tiny car? 3 duffel bags (1 for each of us), the “room bag” that had decorations, ponchos, power strip, important paperwork, etc.; bag with coffee pot, coffee, filters & 2 mugs; air up twin mattress still in box; “overnight bag” with change of clothes and PJs for rooms along the way (we didn’t want to unpack EVERYTHING just for ONE night); toiletries bag, 12 pack of Dr. Pepper (I am horrible addicted and it irks me that I cant even find a Mr. Pibb at Disney OR Universal)

The morning of June 18th I called my mom to tell her she could take her big jewelry container because I was having issues consolidating my makeup. Anyways she answers the phone with a “Are you watching Harry Potter?” I wasn’t sure what she was talking about and she tells me they are doing the Today show live from Diagon Alley. I got all excited and started watching. In about an hour we had decided to throw on a Universal/IOA day on the Friday we checked out of Pop. This wasn’t just because of Harry Potter/Diagon Alley. My mom is NOT a Harry Potter fan. She thinks it is ridiculous. My dad had been asking during the planning time if we were going to see Bee-do Bee-do (what he calls the minions), if we were going to drink Butterbeer, if we were going to see the Blues Brothers. All of which I had to respond to by saying, “No dad, those are at Universal and we aren’t going there.” Well, NOW we were!

Dad also surprised us by working telling him he could take off an extra half day early and not have to use vacation time (they actually told him he didn’t have to come in at ALL, but he wanted to make sure all of his stuff was caught up before being gone for a week). SO we left out Friday around 11 and got a head start. This way we were able to spend some time enjoying the casinos along the way. We aren’t hardcore gamblers but we DO enjoy some slot machines and pony races. I managed to turn $5 into almost $130 on a Dolly Parton themed slot machine!

Casinos were fun, but we were ready to be at Pop and Disney!

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We did NOT do any kind of online check-in because I was SO nervous about all of it. We arrived around 4:30 and there was only 1 other person in front of us in line. Everything went great and we were put in a room on the second floor of a 90s building (building8). It was SO quiet. Our only complaint about the room was how hot it got in there and I even set it to the lowers temp possible, on hi (not auto) AND we had a little fan. Yeah, we like it extremely cold in our houses because we sleep better.

We got in the room, freshened up quickly and then headed out for our reservation at Trails End at Ft. Wilderness. Bus to MK then boat to Ft. Wilderness. I was so in awe that you could SEE poor old abandoned River Country I didn’t take a picture. Dinner was GREAT. Dad and I each ordered a drink. I got the Pina Coolava, but I cant remember what dad got. As some people were seated behind me I heard the waitress tell all the soda options and when she said Mr Pibb I almost cried because I wanted one, but my drink was good. Food was excellent. Mom LOVED the fried chicken and cornbread salad. I loved the ribs. Here’s where my first commando over-planning nervousness was NOT needed. I had read so many DIS horror stories about hotel check-in, bus/boat wait times/ADR check-in waits that I had factored the following:
4:30 arrive Pop, freshen up, depart for Pop ASAP (approximately around 5:30)
5:30-7:00 await bus-travel to MK-await boat-travel to Ft. Wilderness
7:15 pm check in for reservation
7:45 pm be seated for dinner
8:00-9:15 pm---navigate hordes of people at buffet for dinner
9:15 beeline to Ft. Wilderness beach and fight for place to sit for Water Pageant
9:45 pm water pageant

Here’s how it ACTUALLY worked:
4:30 arrive Pop- immediately check in, room ready, unload and freshen up, rest for a bit
(30 extra minutes of REST!!!)
5:30 depart Pop---bus already there and we got on
5:40 arrive MK---wait about 10 minutes for boat
5:50 arrive Ft. Wilderness---spent the next extra time exploring resort
7:15 check in to reservation---seated after about 5 minutes
NO crowds for meal! Well stocked! Left Trails End at 8:30. Decided better go stake out a seat for pageant…LOTS of space, found 3 beach loungers and sat there admiring view/sunset/boats until pageant. NOT crowded at all!

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The boat ride back was nice and we were able to watch the MK fireworks from the boat. We took a few minutes to explore the Everything Pop food court and gift shop. Bought some souvenirs and made some “smashed pennies” as we like to call them. We arrived back to our room and I began commando prep for the next day: OUR FIRST PARK DAY AT MK!!!! Clothes had to be set out, decorations put in window, park bag readied, etc. We fell asleep with it on Channel 17 watching old Disney cartoons (albeit shortened ones, but still funny). Im sure you think I sound like an adult traveling with kids or a bunch of kids traveling alone, but that’s just how we like to have fun! See you soon with our first park day!!!

 

[Oodalally13]

Our wake up call came at 7:45 am and it was Stitch. This was actually the only day we used a wake up call or alarm. We weren’t too big on making it to rope drop. We got ready, made sure we had our magic bands, mom and dad had their 1st visit buttons (they were given them at hotel check-in) and I had my tiara. I don’t remember the bus having a long line when we got there. I think we waited a bit, so one must have just left. Im not going to lie, after reading all the MB and FP issues on the DIS I was starting to get nervous that we might have issues. We got to the park, and I showed mom and dad where the bagless entry was and told them to wait there for me as I went through bag check. We happened to get there when they do what I call “changing of the guard” at bag check. Have you ever seen it? A new checker comes to the check station on the far left, all others rotate down to the right, and the last one on the right goes on break.



We saw the streetmoshpere dancers and the old cars as we passed down Main Street and headed to Tomorrowland. We had FPs for Space and wanted to make our way there. We actually wasted our FPs (I think) here because the wait at this time was ONLY 20 minutes! It is ALWAYS well over that any time of the day I am there. I had never ridden Space (and obviously neither had mom and dad). I thought it was fun but a LOT of going in circles. After getting off mom and dad both said they didn’t enjoy it because it was in the dark and went in too many circles. Well actually mom said she HATED it.
We then took time to see Carousel of Progress which my parents LOVED (they are history buffs) and the Stitch thing. I wanted to do some milder stuff after scaring them on Space. They both thought Stitch was a bit lame and that the chili dog part was gross.

We hit up the penny smashers in Tomorrowland and then headed to Fantasyland. As we were walking by Mine Train we noticed it wasn’t running and there was a CM at the entrance. She said that there was a major issue and they didn’t know how long it would be. I said we had FPs for 5pm and I hoped it was up by then. The CM said she hoped it was too.
We got in line for Winnie the Pooh and had our first encounter of misbehaving children. There was a rather large family right behind us with a very young child they just allowed to run through the line and shove through everyone and climb ON stuff (not the play stuff they should be climbing on). We all enjoyed the story telling of this ride.

We headed over to Little Mermaid and didn’t take long to get on that either. Rides were averaging about 20 minute wait time. I am forgetting to throw in when we would take smoke breaks for mom. Fantasyland was the only time we had difficulty because there ARENT any smoke areas there, you have to go between the castle & Sir Mickey’s.

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It was time for our BOG lunch FP and we checked in. It was the emailed FP where you picked your email when you booked the FP. The West Wing and main dining room were pretty full, but the room on the right (with the dancing Belle & Beast) was fairly empty so we grabbed a seat. I saw the people with the rolling carts and my thoughts were they would just go around and each cart had a certain food on it (one trolley with turkey sandwiches, one with roast beef, etc). I thought that when they got to your table they would scan a band to see what you had, give you what you might have from their cart and move on. Needless to say, I was floored when a cart pulled up and the CM said, “I have your 2 roast beef sandwiches, 1 carved turkey sandwich, masters cupcake, chocolate cream puff, and fruit tart.” I sat there for a good minute with my mouth gaping before I managed to say, “How did you know that was ours?” She didn’t give me any cutesy response but told me that our MBs had GPS and they tracked us. Another gaping mouth response from me. The food was great! And yes, the grey stuff WAS delicious!

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[Oodalally13]

At this point I checked the wait times on my phone and it still said Mine Train was closed.

After lunch we did Philharmagic (about 10 minute wait). We took one look at the Peter Pan line (over an hour) and said we would catch that later. It was time for another smoke break so we headed back to the Sir Mickey spot. We went through the Castle Coutoure gift shop (I think that is the name) and took some pictures and looked at the merchandise.

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When we came out, the Fairy Godmother was doing pictures and autographs. My mom about died. Cinderella and Snow White are her 2 favorite movies so seeing the FG was a big deal to her. The CM called out that FG would be back at 2:30 and led her off….MY MOM FOLLOWED LIKE A KID IN A TRANCE! Dad and I just stood there wondering where she was going. She came back and her mind was made up that we were waiting until 2:30 so she could be one of the first in line. She had been having a rough go of it that day, so we obliged. I forgot to mention my mom has issues with her right heel and left hip. Because of the way she walks to compensate for them, it causes her back to hurt. I know we can rent wheelchairs and ECVs, but to suggest one to mom would have been the end of the world to her. She doesn’t want people to think she cant do stuff. Eventually she rented one 2 days later when her back was so sore she could hardly move and her feet swollen to where they looked like balloons.

Anyways, while waiting in line we saw the castle show from the back side and mom was excited how the princesses came off the stage and waved at her. FG came back and we got some great pictures and a fun interaction.

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We headed over to Small World (30 minute wait) and then booked it over to Splash Mountain for our FP.

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I played a trick on mom and dad that when we went up the first hill it was “the big one” and the ride was real short. They enjoyed this ride and the characters but thought they would have gotten wetter.

I wanted to take a ride on Big Thunder and dad was up for it, but after Space Mountain, mom wanted to sit this one out. Wait was about 30 minutes and dad really enjoyed it but we agreed mom wouldn’t have liked it. We rode the train for a couple of circuits for a break and then headed over to Pirates. The line SAID 30 minutes (which was still a bit unusual to me) and then once we got IN line it just stood still. Against my better judgment we stayed there for 40 minutes. Had I known then what I would know Tuesday night, I wouldn’t have done this, but more on that later. Apparently what we heard as we got up close was that it had to be closed because the water was “too rough”. We didn’t get splashed crazy or soaked as some have mentioned.

I checked the wait times again and we had the dreaded "change your FP" alert about Mine Train. This was the ONE ride mom REALLY REALLY wanted to do, but we were out of luck.

We continued around because I wanted a Dole Whip from Aloha Isle and we wanted to find some more penny smashers.

We took in the Hall of Presidents and then it was time for our dinner reservation at Liberty Tree Tavern. This time it WAS crowded and we had a wait. One thing I will continue to be baffled by at Disney is making a dinner reservation and THEN having to wait 10-20 minutes AFTER that time to be seated. Whaaaat? The meal was great again. Liberty Tree didn’t have Mr. Pibb, but I settled with a Sprite.

Afterwards we did a little souvenir shopping and then found a good spot for Wishes and the fireworks. Now, Im not an fireworks expert, but my cousins and I do our New Years fireworks big time. It’s tradition that we go to the hunting lease and once we are all together, we go buy the goods. We started off stashing some of our Christmas money and didn’t buy much. Once the adults found out it was Christmas money, they started giving us more and it has gotten bigger and bigger every year. This year we had close to $500 to purchase fireworks. Add to the fact that a family friend owns the local firework stand so we get more for our money, so we really have a haul and do it up big. Disney still whips our behind obviously. After it was over dad said, “You better tell your uncle to get his wallet ready!” I don’t think we will ever afford THAT kind of display! Hahaha!

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My bucket list item was to stay for the kiss goodnight but we were all so bushed from the first day that we joined in with the great purge out of the park. We decided we weren’t going to get up early for the next day and I rearranged some FPs on the way back to the hotel to make for a later start.