Wishin' & Hopin', Planning & Dreamin': Oct 2013 PTR - 10/20 UPDATE: Link to TR!!

[Chicago Mo]

OK explain to me when i search on my phone i cannot find that FANTAB-ULOUS
app. when i search on google play on the computer i can?!?!?
I want my iphone back...


I also stumbled on a blog you must read...

SLOWING DOWN
the message i got out of this is SLOW DOWN and look at everything you can!

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

MAGICBANDS!!!!!!!! So exciting!!! So you can put whatever name you want...oooh, this will be fun to choose!

Love the luggage!

Ok, I NEED this app. Off to search...

 

[Pixiedust530]

Hurray for magic bands! Very cool!

And the shirts are adorable- love the Tink! And I REALLY love the luggage. Adorable! My dd loves giraffes and would love this! Where did you get it?

I thought the Tink shirt was pretty cute...and I love gray T-shirts!

The luggage came from Kohls.com. Regular price for the set was $250ish. Was on sale for $140ish. Had a 20% off coupon code and shipping was free with any purchase over $75!!!

Oct. 9-14



Love the bags - super cute. I got luggage for the trip too - mine are just boring gray, but new since my two mismatched have been around since college (which wasn't exactly yesterday) and were pretty cheap quality to begin with.

Thanks for the tip in the app - going to check it out

Loving the app! I was going to pick up boring old luggage too. I happened to be on Kohls website and had a 20% off coupon. When I saw all the fun prints I HAD to get something cute!

Love the MBs... iAwesome made me chuckle. I am glad they are comfortable - I thought they may be a little like wearing a watch.

Sooo LOVE your new luggage! A great investment!!! I hope you get lots and lots of use out of it.

That app looks super cool! Thanks for sharing.

D~

Yep...very comfortable! Kind of makes me want to wear it everyday!

Wayne is silly like that...but that's part of what I love about him...he can be goofy and act like a kid right along with me. Which of course is GREAt for Disney World!

OK explain to me when i search on my phone i cannot find that FANTAB-ULOUS
app. when i search on google play on the computer i can?!?!?
I want my iphone back...


I also stumbled on a blog you must read...

SLOWING DOWN
the message i got out of this is SLOW DOWN and look at everything you can!

When I go to the Play Store on my Android phone I search for Disney Memories. The very first app that pops up on my list is Disney Memories HD Hope you can find it!

Ummmm...apparently the DIS doesn't like the link you posted. It blocked it. Can you send me the blog link in a PM?...I would love to read it!

MAGICBANDS!!!!!!!! So exciting!!! So you can put whatever name you want...oooh, this will be fun to choose!

Love the luggage!

Ok, I NEED this app. Off to search...

Yep...you can totally customize your band with any name. You are limited to 9 characters though. I wasn't sure if they would all be uppercase, but you can do upper and lower case letters and numbers. I don't think symbols are allowed...can't remember!

Have fun with the app...it's fun...but a total time suck!

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Yep...you can totally customize your band with any name. You are limited to 9 characters though. I wasn't sure if they would all be uppercase, but you can do upper and lower case letters and numbers. I don't think symbols are allowed...can't remember!

Have fun with the app...it's fun...but a total time suck!

Oh man, 9 characters puts a crimp in my style! What about people with longer names??? Good to know so we can think about what we'll put on each of ours.

 

[Pixiedust530]

Oh man, 9 characters puts a crimp in my style! What about people with longer names??? Good to know so we can think about what we'll put on each of ours.

Yes...I was slightly disappointed about the 9 characters also...after all my actual name is 9 characters. Thank goodness my parents didn't decide to give me some crazy spelling with extra letters! However...I do LOVE Tink (she's my FAVORITE) so I was more than happy to borrow her name for my band!

 

[Chicago Mo]

This stupid phone of mine..


Anyway i sent you a PM with the information let me know if you go it.

Anyone else i can send it too as well.. It's a great article about Animal kingdom the blogger didn't like animal kingdom now he does. and slowing down to see everything

 

[Pixiedust530]

Yet again...sorry for the delay in posting! This has been a very trying week for me. The middle school kids at the school where I work were off their rockers this week (silly FULL MOON), Wayne had an awful week at work came home late and grumpy every night, and my dad has been in the hospital since Thursday! Whew...what a week. I usually don't wish my time and life away, but boy was I glad to put this week behind me!

I will probably try do do 2 updates today (If I can fit it in...I have a hair appointment at noon today). Next up is our Day 3 plans. I have some changes and some things that are up in the air. I'll do my best not to confuse you all.

Day 3 Plans: Tuesday, October 8, 2013

After spending the evening before at Magic Kingdom (and hopefully enjoying some of the EMHs) we will be starting our day 3 morning at Hollywood Studios!





Oops...I should back up a bit. Our plan for breakfast this morning is to eat at Contempo Cafe in the Contemporary before grabbing the bus to Hollywood Studios. HS opens at 9:00am this day, so we will aim to be eating breakfast at about 7:30am and be on a bus by 8:00 at the latest.

Hollywood Studios for us has 3 big headliners that we must do...and some of them we must do more than once. So...there won't be much "go with the flow" here. We will make the mad dash to TSM and ride standby (and MAYBE grab a regular FP if we are able to "double dip"). After TSM it will be straight to Tower of Terror and Rock N Roller Coaster...2 of my favorite rides in all of Disney! Not sure if we will ride multiple times, pull Fastpasses, or just ride once standby and ride again later with FP+. YES...I do have FP+ scheduled. I am hoping that in HS, FP+ helps us to get in multiple rides on the things we LOVE, rather than just saving us time waiting in line for the first ride.

Here are our FP+ Selections for the day
11:00am-12:00pm - Toy Story Mania
12:20pm-1:20pm - Rock N Roller Coaster
1:20pm-2:20pm - Tower of Terror







Also on our list of things to do for the day is...
Walt Disney: One Man's Dream
Magic of Disney Animation
Studio Backlot Tour
Star Tours
Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular

We will probably enjoy lunch at Studio Catering Co. at whatever time we are hungry...or whenever we are close by to Studio Catering. My goal is to leave HS by about 2:30 or 3:00. It's entirely possible that we will leave sooner or perhaps a little later. I really am not sure...it all depends on how much we can cram into the day! Haha.

Now here's where the day gets tricky. the original plan had us leaving HS in the afternoon, taking a break at the resort for a bit and then heading to EPCOT in the evening for a 7:00pm ADR at Via Napoli and watching IlluiNations. This is still an option and I have not yet cancelled the ADR for Via Napoli. However, it is possible we will wait until Day 4 to go to EPCOT in the evening for IllumiNations. Here's the deal...Our Day 4 Plans in the morning/early afternoon consist of the Keys to the Kingdom Tour at MK and we were planning to do Downtown Disney in the late afternoon/evening. With that plan, we wouldn't have any need/use for FP+. I hate to let the FP+ go to waste. So...I am HOPING that they end up releasing FP+ for IllumiNations. If they do...I will move our evening at EPCOT to Day 4 (Wed, Oct. 9). If that happens, we will go to Downtown Disney on our Day 3 in the evening (after leaving HS). Are you still following?

My question is this...if we go to DTD after HS, what would be our best transportation option? I know the buses don't run from HS to DTD directly. It seems silly to go all the way back to BLT, just to catch another bus to DTD. Is there another resort we should go to from HS that would make an easy transfer to DTD? Help a girl out....PLEASE!

At this point...I'm not sure if any of you are still reading...I'm confused just typing out my plans...and I am the one who made them! LOL If we end up at DTD this night (which I am leaning more towards anyway) we really do not have specific plans. We will just be wandering around, doing some shopping, and having a QS dinner. I'm thinking either Earl of Sandwich or Wolfgang Puck Express. Depends on what we are in the mood for!

After returning to BLT, if it isn't too late and we aren't too tired, we might go for a quick nighttime swim or dip in the hot tub! The hot tub sounds heavenly!

 

[Dis_Yoda]

You could always go to Boardwalk or Swan/Dolphin via walking or the boat and take the bus to DTD from there. I've done that before.

 

[Pixiedust530]

OK...all done with my hair appointment...time for the 2nd update of the day!

Day 4 Plans - Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Today is one of the days I am MOST excited for on our trip! First thing this morning, we will be doing the Keys to the Kingdom Tour inside the Magic Kingdom!


Photo courtesy of Google Images

The tour is scheduled from 8:30am-1:30pm. Magic Kingdom doesn't open until 9:00 this day and we are expected to check in for the tour by 8:15am. I'm excited about this as it means at least a few minutes to hopefully snap some photos of an empty Main Street! I have always wanted to be one of the first people inside the Magic Kingdom!

After the tour is complete our plans are a little up in the air. As I mentioned in my update containing Day 3 plans, the ORIGINAL plan was to leave MK, head back to BLT and the end up at DTD for the evening. I am pretty sure as I write this, that I have nixed that plan.

The new plan is to leave MK, head back to BLT and chill or relax by the pool for a bit (have to squeeze that pool time in where I can, since Wayne did ask for that)! After a couple hours by the pool, we will get cleaned up and make our way to EPCOT. I went ahead and made an ADR for 5:45pm. I wasn't able to get Via Napoli (which is what I had scheduled for our Day 3 evening at EPCOT), so instead we are booked at Nine Dragons in China! I made our dinner a little earlier because I really want to ride Test Track at night and I need to squeeze that in before Illunimations starts at 9:00. I also made FP+ selections for our night in EPCOT...since I won't need any FP+ for our time in MK earlier in the day.

Here are our FP+ Selections:
5:00-6:00pm - EPCOT Character Spot (this isn't a huge priority, but we will use if we arrive early enough)
7:00-8:00pm - Test Track (Will probably wait until 7:30-8:00 to use this since I want to ride in the dark. Sunset is around 7:00pm this night)
8:00-9:00pm - Mission Space (Currently just a filler FP+. I am really hoping for FP+ to open for IllumiNations this night and I will switch to that)

We will watch IllumiNations no matter what this night...with or without a FP+. I also noticed that EPCOT has EMH this night until 11:00pm so we might stick around a little later after IllumiNations is finished!


Image courtesy of Disney.com

What do you think? Did I make the right decision by swapping my evening plans on Day 3 and 4? Overall...even if FP+ is not offered for IllumiNations, I think this plan will work out better for us!

Stay tuned...Day 5 plans coming soon to a DIS post near you....

 

[DMGeurts]

I really like the fact that you are taking one night to have dinner in Epcot and stay for illuminations. We have yet to do that - we are alway too exhausted on our Epcot days to stay that long.

I would think - just hop on the first resort bus you see and take it to their bus stop - then hop the first DTD bus you see. I am a bit confusted if your are headed to DTD from DHS or Epcot? If you are going from Epcot - depending on where you are in the park - either take a bus or walk to BW and hop one of their busses.

Otherwise your plans sound awesome!

D~

 

[Pixiedust530]

Stopping by for a little CELEBRATION!! In less than 2 weeks I will be in Disney World!!! Yep 13 MORE DAYS!!!


I am so stinking excited!!!​

 

[Chicago Mo]

i think you have down time in there somewhere...

I am REALLY excited to hear about the Keys tour!

 

[solana131]

Oh no...my poor Via Napoli gets pushed off the cliff Love that place. But I'm sure Nine Dragons will be great too.

I watched IllumiNations for the first time last month. Gotta say....not a fan. Give me Wishes any day over that.

And yes, the boat to Swan/Dolphin/BW then bus to DTD would be good. Unless it is hot that evening. The boats a super super hot. You would think with the front and back open then breeze would blow through and be nice, but no. If it is hot, take a bus to any hotel then their DTD bus.

Ooooh ooooh....or you could grab the POFQ or PORiverside bus and take their boat to DTD. Yeah yeah yeah, that would be my choice. Those boats are MUCH cooler than the BW boats.

 

[DMGeurts]

Ooooh ooooh....or you could grab the POFQ or PORiverside bus and take their boat to DTD. Yeah yeah yeah, that would be my choice. Those boats are MUCH cooler than the BW boats.

My vote would be for FQ... then grab some beignets for the boat ride to DTD.

D~

 

[Pixiedust530]

You could always go to Boardwalk or Swan/Dolphin via walking or the boat and take the bus to DTD from there. I've done that before.

I never thought of just doing 1 bus ride!! That sounds like a good idea. I've never seen the Boardwalk either, so maybe we will do that. Is the walking path clearly marked?

I really like the fact that you are taking one night to have dinner in Epcot and stay for illuminations. We have yet to do that - we are alway too exhausted on our Epcot days to stay that long.

I would think - just hop on the first resort bus you see and take it to their bus stop - then hop the first DTD bus you see. I am a bit confusted if your are headed to DTD from DHS or Epcot? If you are going from Epcot - depending on where you are in the park - either take a bus or walk to BW and hop one of their busses.

Otherwise your plans sound awesome!

D~

We ALWAYS dine in EPCOT...they have some of the best restaurants. I love trying new things and things from other countries.

Sorry I confused you...heck...I confused myself! We will be leaving HS and heading to DTD. I guess we could walk from HS to BW?

i think you have down time in there somewhere...

I am REALLY excited to hear about the Keys tour!

Did I thoroughly confuse you...or just wear you out with all my plan changes? There is TOTALLY down time in there...pool time after the KTTK tour before going to EPCOT!

I am so looking forward to the Keys to the Kingdom Tour. i have heard nothing but good things about it! I will be sure to give a full report.

Oh no...my poor Via Napoli gets pushed off the cliff Love that place. But I'm sure Nine Dragons will be great too.

I watched IllumiNations for the first time last month. Gotta say....not a fan. Give me Wishes any day over that.

And yes, the boat to Swan/Dolphin/BW then bus to DTD would be good. Unless it is hot that evening. The boats a super super hot. You would think with the front and back open then breeze would blow through and be nice, but no. If it is hot, take a bus to any hotel then their DTD bus.

Ooooh ooooh....or you could grab the POFQ or PORiverside bus and take their boat to DTD. Yeah yeah yeah, that would be my choice. Those boats are MUCH cooler than the BW boats.

Unfortunately...Via Napoli was all booked up on the other night. Nothing available for 2! I have never eaten there but have heard great things. I will try it one day...definitely!

IllumiNations is just okay for me, but since we didn't get to see it last time and Wayne has never seen it, he really wants to stay for it! I'm okay with that!

Unless we are just super tired we would probably walk to Swan/Dolphin/Boardwalk rather than take the boat. IDK...we'll just play it by ear. I do think our best bet is going to one of the nearby resorts and catching the first bus we see to DTD.

*****************************************************************

Thank you to everyone for your help figuring out transportation to DTD from HS! I think we will walk (or maybe boat) from HS to the Boardwalk and then catch a bus from there to DTD!!

Also...just to clear up any confusion:
Day 3, Tues, Oct 8 = HS morning & early afternoon, DTD late afternoon & evening
Day 4, Wed, Oct 9 = KTTK Tour in MK, Break at BLT pool, EP for dinner & IllumiNations

I am 99% sure that this is what we will do and abandon my original plans!

 

[Skycat]

I had Via Napoli reserved too but canceled it in favor of sampling F&W offerings.

 

[Pixiedust530]

10 DAYS TO GO!!!


****************************************************************​

I guess I better hurry up and finish my daily plans...I'm running out of time before we leave. I have SOOO much to do still... AHHHH!

Day 5 Plans - Thursday, October 10, 2013

Our day will begin early this day, as we will be taking advantage of morning EMH. Yep...Magic Kingdom will open for EMH at 8:00am and Wayne and I will be there with our bells and whistles on!



The PLAN for Magic Kingdom is jam packed...but I have allowed a little bit of time for freedom....MAYBE!! There is SOOOO much to accomplish in MK...I just hope we can fit it all in. By the time we make it to this day, we will have had a couple hours in MK on our arrival day, an evening for Wishes and (hopefully) evening EMH, and a 5 hour tour through the park. It's very possible that we may have accomplished quite a bit by this point and be able to slow things down a bit!

We will start our morning in either Tomorrowland or New Fantasyland. On the list of must do's is
Space Mountain
Buzz Lightyear

Under the Sea Little Mermaid Ride
Jungle Cruise
Pirates
Big Thunder
Splash Mountain
Haunted Mansion
Mickey's Philharmagic
Monsters Inc Laugh Floor
Carousel of Progress.

I know...A LOT...and that doesn't include character meets and shows/parades! I am determined to meet Tinkerbell...so I think we will spend the first hour (EMH) squeezing in a few must do's, then head to Tink's Nook around 9:00-9:15 when she begins meeting. After our meet, I hope to grab breakfast and a Starbucks coffee on Main Street!

I do have FP+ scheduled for the headliners...the 3 Mountains of course! Depending on what we can get accomplished...these might be 2nd rides for some of them!
11:05am-12:05 pm - Big Thunder Mountain
12:05-1:05 pm - Splash Mountain
3:00-4:00 pm - Space Mountain

Now...we have planned to eat at Be Our Guest for lunch. I knew that the lines can be crazy, so we had planned to wait to eat lunch until about 2:00 so we didn't waste precious park time waiting in a super long line. However...a few days ago I managed to snag a FP+ for Be Our Guest lunch from their special BOG FP+ webstie. We have a FP+ window for 1:25-1:40pm. I am curious to see how well this works, but I am willing to give it a try!

The rest of the day includes trying to do the meet & greet with Goofy & Donald at Pete's Silly Sideshow and maybe see the 3:00 parade since it's going away and this will be our last chance before the new one.

Planning to leave the park some time around 4:00 or 5:00pm. It all depends on our energy level, the heat and how much we have accomplished!

Upon leaving MK, we will head back to BLT, get cleaned up and head out for our favorite place to eat in all of Disney...'Ohana at the Poly!!! Mmmm....just love this place! Our reservation is for 7:50pm. It's possible that we could get to see the MK fireworks from inside Ohana, or possibly the Poly beach. Either of these will be a bonus and not on our "plan!

After dinner...it will be back to BLT to get things packed and ready for the next day...it will be our departure day!

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

10 days!!!!!!! Whoohoooo!!!!!!!

Sorry I have been lacking in helping with plans. It looks like you really have some great plans and I honestly think you will have no problem doing everything you want. It's just amazing how much more we got done at a MORE relaxed pace than ever, when it was just the two of us.

I hope you can still double-dip, but even if you cannot (which is looks like you will be able to 10 days out) it will be so nice to have those FP+ all ready and you won't have to backtrack and wait for FP times!

Dinner and Illuminations sounds fantastic too, btw!

 

[Pixiedust530]

6 more days!!!

​

 

[Chicago Mo]

6 days!!!

did you start packing?!?! do you have everything ready?!?!


I'M SO EXCITED FOR YOU!!!!