From Certifiably Insane to Shockingly Lucid: 10/20 - TR Link Posted, We're Back!!!

[annnewjerz]

Welcome! For anyone who read the title and is curious, let me explain.

DH (26) and I (Ann, 24) live in New Jersey. We currently have a fantastic trip booked for 7 days in December (see the link in my signature) and can't wait to go……...







................no seriously, we couldn't wait. :hyper: So I came up with the brilliant idea to drive down to attend Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party!!!

Since our trip in 2007 when we were exiting the Magic Kingdom as everyone else was entering in costume, I knew it was a party I wanted to go to one way or other. So we are! We are going to drive down from New Jersey straight through (about 17 hours), crash for the night as a cheap hotel and go to the party the next day. After that, we'll crash for another night at a cheap hotel and then drive the 17 hours back. :upsidedow

So yes, I may be certifiably insane, but whether it works our well or is a complete disaster, it'll be a trip we'll never forget!

[annnewjerz]

So, right now there aren't many "details" of this trip, other than the fact that we are going! We're in the early planning phase, but here is what I think the trip will look like:

Thursday - October 8, 09

- Leave the house at 3:00am drive, drive and oh yeah, drive some more.
- At approximately 9:00pm arrive in Orlando, barring any major traffic problems
- Check into very cheap hotel (probably the Fairfield Inn at Marriott Village or something on priceline) and crash.

Friday - October 9, 09: OUR ANNIVERSARY!

- Be up and about by 10:00am or so depending on how late we actually get into Orlando
- Walk or drive to DTD to do a little shopping and get lunch
- Return to our room for maybe a little power nap and to change into our get-ups for Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party
- Go to MNSSHP from 4:00pm to 12:00am with dinner at The Plaza Restaurant

Saturday - October 10, 09

- Have breakfast and check out by 10:00am or so
- Start driving. I'd like to drive all the way up to a little south of Washington DC (12 hours) and pull off somewhere for the night around 10:00pm

Sunday - October 11, 09

- Have breakfast and get back on the road. If DM is willing to watch the dogs for a littttttle while longer, maybe make a pit stop at the Aquarium in Baltimore, but that's doubtful.
- Return home by 12:00pm or so.
- SLEEP!

[annnewjerz]

The cast is the same as in my Christmas PTR that I currently have going over here (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2153842), however I am going to introduce us again for any new readers!

Me (Ann) - 24 years old. I'll be one week shy of of the big 2-5 on this crazy trip. I'm getting all of this "what are you nuts?!" stuff out of my system before I hit the bit 2-5 and am officially in my "mid-20's" :scared:

Hi :wave2:

http://annnewjerz.smugmug.com/photos/544775141_cG2Lu-M.jpg

DH (Erik) - 26 years old. He's allowing us to take this trip as an anniversary/birthday present for me. Presently, we are scheduled to be attending MNSSHP on October 9, our 4 year wedding anniversary. :lovestruc

Hi from Erik :wave2:

http://annnewjerz.smugmug.com/photos/475573143_vS3bz-M.jpg

My DM will be going on our trip in December, but will not be joining us for this trip. It'll be just the two of us, which is nice since all of our other trips this year have been with additional travelers.

More to come in the next installment. Hopefully I get some readers in this PTR!!

[chicagoshannon]

Great start but you might want to change your dates from May to October in post #2. haha

We'll be there a couple of weeks after you.

[annnewjerz]

Great start but you might want to change your dates from May to October in post #2. haha

We'll be there a couple of weeks after you.

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

That would be a good idea.

I saw that you will be there the week after for your anniversary. We were considering going that weekend instead for my birthday, but we just couldn't swing it.

[KathyRN137]

Most definitely a case of DIS-Mania!! :rotfl:

So of course, I'm lovin' it!!!


Kathy (from Jersey)

[annnewjerz]

Most definitely a case of DIS-Mania!! :rotfl:

So of course, I'm lovin' it!!!


Kathy (from Jersey)

Hi!! :wave2:

Glad to see someone else popping in. Being that you're from NJ too---you can fully understand just how crazy we are. :rotfl2:

DH brought up the idea of flights today. I don't like the way this is going!! This was supposed to be our "adventure" after all. But---if the flights are the same cost as the gas and tolls, I wouldn't be too opposed to flying and having all that extra time in WDW instead :rolleyes1

[KathyRN137]

Hi!! :wave2:

Glad to see someone else popping in. Being that you're from NJ too---you can fully understand just how crazy we are. :rotfl2:

DH brought up the idea of flights today. I don't like the way this is going!! This was supposed to be our "adventure" after all. But---if the flights are the same cost as the gas and tolls, I wouldn't be too opposed to flying and having all that extra time in WDW instead :rolleyes1



We drove for the first time last year and I would prefer flying, hands down. I just felt it wasted so much "Disney time" and we arrived feeling quite tuckered out.

Airfares are fairly low right now, especially if you're open to flying out of NYC. Our flights out of Kennedy this October will be half what they would've been if we flew out of Newark...


Kathy

[annnewjerz]

We drove for the first time last year and I would prefer flying, hands down. I just felt it wasted so much "Disney time" and we arrived feeling quite tuckered out.

Airfares are fairly low right now, especially if you're open to flying out of NYC. Our flights out of Kennedy this October will be half what they would've been if we flew out of Newark...


Kathy

Yeah, our flights in December out of PHL were $140 per person round trip (not including the bag fee). It was a steal!!

Yesterday, I found airfare out of Atlantic City on Spirit for $140 also---should have snatched it up since now it's up over $200. My thought is, if I can find anything for $150 or less, I'll probably book it and we'll just fly. If I can't---oh well, we planned to drive anyway so that's what we'll do.

PS: I've been lurking on your "Halloween" PTR and it's really good!! You have so many readers! At this point, I'm glad to have 2. :guilty: :rotfl:

[KathyRN137]

PS: I've been lurking on your "Halloween" PTR and it's really good!! You have so many readers! At this point, I'm glad to have 2. :guilty: :rotfl:

Ah-Ha!!

Now that I know you're reading, you can lurk no longer!

It's one of my rules!! ::yes:: I will be expecting you to pop in now.....


Kathy

[annnewjerz]

So last night was a big milestone for our October trip, believe it or not! I had assumed that DM would be willing to watch our dogs for a few days. She lives about 10 minutes from us and has offered in the past to watch them if we wanted to go out of state to visit DH's relatives, so why not now??

While we're on the subject, I might as well introduce the dogs---who happen to be the ones who most often make planning fun little getaways like this a headache. Who would have ever thought that dogs would be right up there with kids in terms of responsibilities?

This is Rocky. He is a 2 year old male Chocolate Lab. He's a nut and quite possibility one of the dumbest/sweetest dogs I have ever met. He's just goofy beyond belief which is lucky for him, because if it wasn't for the fact he's so stoooooopid I may have killed him after he chewed our first set of couches. :rolleyes:

As a puppy.
http://c2.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/123/l_6b83c72c43fb8dab2d44f5bb1697c571.jpg

All grown up.
http://annnewjerz.smugmug.com/photos/544104944_75BPs-M.jpg

This is Mickey. He's a 2 year old male Golden Retriever. He was named as a companion to Rocky (Rocky was named after the movie). My DH is from Philadelphia and loves each Rocky movie more than the last. "Mick" was Rocky's trainer---so that's how Mickey got his name, or so my DH thinks. Really, I named him after the mouse.

As a puppy.
http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/85/l_fbce5064b26306dfd1ddd72739aca4a7.jpg

All grown up.
http://annnewjerz.smugmug.com/photos/409452992_7CvfC-M.jpg


Sooooo....would my Mom agree to watching them? :confused:

Last night I gave her a call to tell her we'd be going away for our anniversary and were trying to keep the trip as cheap as possible. She was more than happy to watch the dogs---which was a relief. Now that they are taken care of, as soon as DH gets approved for the time off of work---we can officially start planning this trip! :yay:

[MinnieNurse]

Okay, I am here. Reader #3! Woo Hoo! :woohoo:

Now you must check out my PTR in the link below. pirate: See I tricked you!

I love dogs, yours are adorable. Have a pic of my new Bloodhound puppy in my PTR. Her name is Scarlett.

I am insanely jealous, I really want to do MNSSHP. Dont think I can con DH into driving from Texas. He flat out refuses to drive when we can fly and get there in 2 hours. I would do it just to go the the Halloween party. I do expect a full review when you get home. :thumbsup2

[KathyRN137]

Awww, sweet doggies! paw:

"Rocky" and "Mickey" :goodvibes

Our Aimee is a Lab/Golden Retriever Mix. She's the best dog ever!

She was bred and raised to be a Seeing Eye Dog, but she didn't pass her test. We adopted her (at age 2) because we wanted a special dog for our autistic son. Labs and Goldens are so good with children!


Kathy

[annnewjerz]

Okay, I am here. Reader #3! Woo Hoo! :woohoo:

Now you must check out my PTR in the link below. pirate: See I tricked you!

I love dogs, yours are adorable. Have a pic of my new Bloodhound puppy in my PTR. Her name is Scarlett.

I am insanely jealous, I really want to do MNSSHP. Dont think I can con DH into driving from Texas. He flat out refuses to drive when we can fly and get there in 2 hours. I would do it just to go the the Halloween party. I do expect a full review when you get home. :thumbsup2

I have indeed begun checking out your PTR, just didn't want to comment until I was all the way through it---but don't worry, count me in!! :thumbsup2

My DH is willing to drive, but just informed me yesterday that his preference would be to fly if we can (and we probably can because it's about as cheap as driving). He said it'll give us more Disney time and he won't be a walking zombie for the party like he would be if we drove---but I told him that walking zombie would be so appropriate for MNSSHP!! :rotfl:

Awww, sweet doggies! paw:

Labs and Goldens are so good with children!


Kathy

They definitely are! We just got some new neighbors (including a 2 year old little girl) and we took Mickey (the Golden) over there to meet her last night. They can't have dogs because her Mother is allergic, so I know she is going to enjoy horsing around with ours! It was definitely so cute to see them playing. :hug:

[annnewjerz]

Considering we just decided last week that we would be taking an anniversary/birthday trip to The World in October---you'd think it'd be a little early to be making changes, right? Or maybe it's not.

Maybe since I never had any definite plans booked, this can't be considered a real change. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!!! :lmao:

Originally we were planning to go Columbus Day weekend, from October 8-10/11, attending MNSSHP for our wedding anniversary on October 9.

Now, because I completely forgot about the "What will you celebrate" and free birthday thing----I think we've decided to push the trip back a week so I can take advantage of the promotion and go to MK for free on my birthday!! :woohoo:

Now, the plan is to fly (if we can find cheap airfare) to WDW on October 17, spend all day at MK free for my birthday, attend MNSSHP on October 18 and then fly home on October 19.

We are also making some possible adaptations to the hotel situation. Originally since we'd be driving we decided to stay off-site somewhere inexpensive like the Fairfield Inn in DTD. Now, if we fly we won't have a car---so we will need to stay on property (which is a-okay with me!) How could I afford flying and staying on-site???

:idea:

To keep the trip on the cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeap---I think we might camp!!

For two nights at the FW campground it's under $100, less if I can get a AAA discount! We'll be able to use the ME, we'll be able to use WDW transportation and we'll be able to go for under $600 which was the original plan. We can borrow a tent from my DB, an air matress from my DFIL and check one bag with all of our gear.

I'm sure this will change by mid-week, but for now this is the plan. If DH gets approved for his vacation time tomorrow, I may bite the bullet and bite the airfare now. Found a great deal out of Baltimore (2 hours from us) for $150 round trip on Airtran.

Stay tuned!!

[MinnieNurse]

I like the new changes. I would definitely fly if you can get the right price on airfare. I refuse to stat offsite, I just love the whole experience of being onsite. Camping sounds fun, will you take a tent?

[annnewjerz]

I like the new changes. I would definitely fly if you can get the right price on airfare. I refuse to stat offsite, I just love the whole experience of being onsite. Camping sounds fun, will you take a tent?

Nah, it'll just be us---sleeping bags----and the stars.....;)

OF COURSE we'd bring a tent! And bring an air matress with some sheets and a lantern, you know, your standard camping fare :rotfl2:

The only other option would be the cabins, but those wouldn't be cost effective for only 2 people. I think I'm going to book a campground and then if some really sweet PINs come out for October, maybe just change over to POP or the All-Stars.

Honestly, I'd much prefer to stay in a hotel, but driving down was supposed to be our "adventure," so if we fly, our new adventure is going to be camping!!! :lmao:

[MinnieNurse]

Nah, it'll just be us---sleeping bags----and the stars.....;)

OF COURSE we'd bring a tent! And bring an air matress with some sheets and a lantern, you know, your standard camping fare :rotfl2:

The only other option would be the cabins, but those wouldn't be cost effective for only 2 people. I think I'm going to book a campground and then if some really sweet PINs come out for October, maybe just change over to POP or the All-Stars.

Honestly, I'd much prefer to stay in a hotel, but driving down was supposed to be our "adventure," so if we fly, our new adventure is going to be camping!!! :lmao:

:rotfl2:Thats what I meant tent or cabin? We have priced the cabins before but with just us 3 it didnt seem like a good deal so we end up going with a resort.

We have a travel trailer, but DH refuses to drive. Dont think I could do a tent for more than a couple of nights. I think it would be fun for a few nights though.

[DWGal210]

Hi there! Now reading about your Halloween trip.... :surfweb:

That would be so fun to get in free on your birthday!! :cool1: And you're a braver soul than I in regards to camping - I just have visions of being eaten alive by bugs and with my luck, it would be a torential downpour the night I was camping! :lmao: But your revised plans sound fun! Keep us posted on what you decide to do!

[annnewjerz]

We have a travel trailer, but DH refuses to drive. Dont think I could do a tent for more than a couple of nights. I think it would be fun for a few nights though.

I totally agree. Trust me, my preference would be an air conditioned hotel room, which is why even after I book the FW campgrounds, I'm still going to keep my eyes peeled for a good discount code at POP or All-Star. From what I understand, they usually come out around September (the public discount codes), so I'll book the campgrounds now just to make sure we have somewhere on property to stay and then if I can get a good deal at a value resort, we'll change it closer to the trip.

I would be willing to spend maybe an extra $30-$50 total to stay at an actual hotel---but for only two nights, I wouldn't mind camping at all. :rolleyes:

Hi there! Now reading about your Halloween trip.... :surfweb:

That would be so fun to get in free on your birthday!! :cool1: And you're a braver soul than I in regards to camping - I just have visions of being eaten alive by bugs and with my luck, it would be a torential downpour the night I was camping!

Welcome to this PTR!

I'm excited about the prospect of being in WDW for my birthday, especially since it'll be free. I think we're going to stick to MK on my birthday to do rides, etc. and this way, we can really have a blast at MNSSHP and not worry too much about getting rides done.

I have been camping lots throughout the course of my lifetime, just always with a car. It'll be interesting to see how living out of a suitcase (literally) for 2 nights goes. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for perfect weather---warm in the day and cool (but not cold) at night, with no rain, no spiders and no alligators!! :scared1: :scared1:

[lovedonaldduck]

Very brave to camp. We stayed in the cabins in April with my parents and it was awesome, but definitely not cost effective for 2 people, with 5 people we felt like we were getting a great deal. My parents and I camped tons when I was little but I must have outgrown it, I know require a 4 star hotel :) If it were me I would be looking nonstop for great deals at a value resort. I have turned into such a girlie girl. princess:

[lurkyloo]

My DH is from Philadelphia and loves each Rocky movie more than the last.

Wait a minute - so your DH thinks that Rocky V - the most reviled episode in the entire franchise - was better than Rocky IV? :rotfl:

C
To keep the trip on the cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeap---I think we might camp!!

For two nights at the FW campground it's under $100, less if I can get a AAA discount! We'll be able to use the ME, we'll be able to use WDW transportation and we'll be able to go for under $600 which was the original plan. We can borrow a tent from my DB, an air matress from my DFIL and check one bag with all of our gear.


You ARE crazy! :rotfl2:

OK, I hate camping so I don't know much about it, but I know enough to know that you need more than a tent and an air mattress. I'm pretty sure you also need sleeping bags, pillows, s'more fixings, folding chairs, red flannel stuff, a canoe (there's always one in the SUV ads!), mini fridge, battery-operated hair-straightening iron, generator-powered dehumidifier, Persian rugs, Victrola, and a portable Tiffany chandelier. I'm pretty sure....

[annnewjerz]

Wait a minute - so your DH thinks that Rocky V - the most reviled episode in the entire franchise - was better than Rocky IV? :rotfl:

Uh...I think you are forgetting Rocky Balboa, the most recent installment of the Rocky movies. :thumbsup2




OK, I hate camping so I don't know much about it, but I know enough to know that you need more than a tent and an air mattress. I'm pretty sure you also need sleeping bags, pillows, s'more fixings, folding chairs, red flannel stuff, a canoe (there's always one in the SUV ads!), mini fridge, battery-operated hair-straightening iron, generator-powered dehumidifier, Persian rugs, Victrola, and a portable Tiffany chandelier. I'm pretty sure....

No way! Tent, air mattress, sheets & pillows and a lantern and you're set! I do the whole "camping" thing fairly often (and by fairly often I mean like 5 times as a child in a RV ;))---but each time I have conveniently overlooked the portable Tiffany chandelier.....hmmmm....I'll have to add that to my packing list and alert DH of the change in plans.

Seriously, what would all of us lost and confused DISers do without you here for guidance??? :confused3

[annnewjerz]

So---as many (or the three people reading) know, I have been making lots of changes to my October trip, and shocker---I have made some more. These will in no way be the last set of changes, but it's something new to write about!!

Here is the progression of the trip so far:

Original Plan: Drive to WDW, stay at off-site hotel and spend wedding anniversary at MNSSHP on October 9.

Updated Plan: Fly to WDW, stay at on-site hotel and spend wedding anniversary at MNSSHP.

Second Updated Plan: Fly to WDW, stay on-site at campgrounds. Get in for free on my birthday (October 17) and spend October 18 at MNSSHP.

So----as you can see, "Second Updated Plan" is where we left off. Here is the new plan, appropriately called "Third Updated Plan":

Third Updated Plan: Fly to WDW, stay on-site at POP. Get in for free on my birthday and attend MNSSHP on October 18.

No more camping for us!! Right now we are one step away from my ideal weekend. The last thing I am waiting on is an earlier departing flight (right now we get there at 3:45) and switching airports from BWI to PHL. If all goes well, I should be able to make those changes within the next month or so----and then it's time for costume planning!! pirate:

Since we are no longer driving just to attend MNSSHP, I think it would be best for me to change the title of my PTR. Now I've just got to think of a new name :rolleyes1

[MissMet]

Subscribing to my favorite Photography-Diser's PTR!! :goodvibes

...even though she IS a Phillies fan & I AM a Mets fan- who would of thought & on the eve of our 4 game series. :rotfl:

Can't wait to catch up on what I've missed already. :surfweb:

[annnewjerz]

So, this weekend was Independence Day and overall we had a really great time. No real trip updates (sorry!!) but I do have some really fun pics from the weekend I thought I would share.

Friday, DH and I both had off of work. We went to a Phillies v. Mets game in Philly and (hooray!) the Phils won. Great seats, perfect weather, a cheesesteak and a win to boot!

Saturday was our annual family picnic. There was BBQ, horseshoes, music, fireworks, friends---it was a great time. We had a fireworks mishap (it shot into the crowd watching instead of the sky and some people got a little burnt) but other than that---tons of fun.

Here are some pictures that I took.

Family.
http://photos.smugmug.com/photos/582844281_fmR9i-L.jpg

Hubby (Erik).
http://photos.smugmug.com/photos/582247589_Vo65M-M.jpg

http://photos.smugmug.com/photos/582840095_tbYXD-L.jpg

Mom (Lois).
http://photos.smugmug.com/photos/582842429_ieJg7-M.jpg

Brother (Chris).
http://photos.smugmug.com/photos/582841243_4AVHp-L.jpg

Cousin (Carly).
http://photos.smugmug.com/photos/582247571_HKiJM-M.jpg

http://photos.smugmug.com/photos/582248094_pncMs-L.jpg

PopPop (Frank).
http://photos.smugmug.com/photos/582843394_B4BwR-L.jpg

Now for some fun ones, inspired by a recent thread on the Photo Board.

http://photos.smugmug.com/photos/582178264_JPkCo-L.jpg

http://photos.smugmug.com/photos/582178166_yE3FC-L.jpg

http://photos.smugmug.com/photos/582178919_Uif2c-L.jpg

http://photos.smugmug.com/photos/582178647_WMmrb-L.jpg

http://photos.smugmug.com/photos/582178471_Eiucg-L.jpg

http://photos.smugmug.com/photos/582178567_e8TkY-L.jpg

http://photos.smugmug.com/photos/582177909_sWQXV-L.jpg

http://photos.smugmug.com/photos/582178749_nGXry-L.jpg

http://photos.smugmug.com/photos/582177987_QBNmS-L.jpg

That's all I've got for right now, hopefully that gives you a little peak into what I might bring back from my trips to The World in October 9and December!)

[DisneysRedhead]

I love this idea! I don't think it is crazy at all! I'm almost sad that I can't go for MNSSH but atleast I'll be there when the X-mas decorations are up.

I love your 4th of July pics! They are so awesome!

[annnewjerz]

I love this idea! I don't think it is crazy at all! I'm almost sad that I can't go for MNSSH but atleast I'll be there when the X-mas decorations are up.

I love your 4th of July pics! They are so awesome!

Thanks! I'm glad I'm getting the chance to go to MNSSHP since we've never been---but the Christmas decorations are what I'm really looking forward to! :santa: Can't wait!

[annnewjerz]

So for anyone who may be out there reading this PTR---I'd really appreciate some input. My call-in day for ADRs is July 19th, less than two weeks now!! :woohoo: If I can't get it here, I'll just have to ask the DISers on the Restaurant Board ;)

We'll be arriving in WDW on my birthday for this mini-trip and I'd really like to have one sit-down meal while we're in The World. I figured my birthday would be the best day to take advantage (can we say "free dessert" anyone?? :rotfl2:) and I'm having some trouble deciding where to go.

We will be going to MK that day around 3:00 or so probably, and I would like to make an ADR for dinner. Here are my thoughts, any other opinions would be greatly appreciated though :goodvibes

1. The Plaza Restaurant: We are doing this trip on the cheap and from what I understand---you can get the best burgers, fries and shakes here. Also, I might have a chance at meeting The Mayor which seems like it would be a lot of fun AND it's in the park we will be visiting that day.

2. The Wave: It seems to get great reviews, but I'm worried this will be a little pricey (i.e. filet mignon for dinner). The trip is supposed to be my present, so the food is the icing on the cake and unfortunately for this trip---the icing needs to be spread a littttttle thin.

3. Whispering Canyon Cafe: It's in the Wilderness Lodge, so only a hop, skip and jump from MK. They've got food I know DH would enjoy (ribs, biscuits, etc.) and a never ending milkshake??! How can you go wrong with that?

4. Beaches and Cream: It's a little out of the way and if we went here, we would probably go to the park as soon as we got settled at the hotel and then our "break" would be cabbing it to B&C for dinner. Again, I hear they have great burgers and the No Way Jose looks insaaaaane---but maybe this would be better saved for our trip in December when we'll be staying at BWV.

5. Other: We can't enter another park on this day and we will be going to DTD the day of our departure, so I'd probably prefer not to make a trip over there unless there is a really good reason to. Any other opinions on where to go??

I'm sure this will get zero responses, but I'm really at an impasse here and would like someone else's two cents on the situation.

WWYD??

[annnewjerz]

This sure is disappointing. If pictures can't get any comments and talk of food can't get any comments---I think I'm in for a looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ng 3 more months. :rotfl2:

I'm still optimistic that I can get some people on board for my TRs---I'm convinced PTRs are much more boring and much lower in readers than TRs, or at least that's what I'm telling myself :rolleyes1

I guess I will have to pose my question to the foodies on the Restaurant Board instead.

To anyone who even considered responding to my cry for help regarding my birthday meal---thanks for the thought!! ;)

[scoot241]

I haven't been to any of those places, so I'm not much help.

I considered Beaches and Cream for my trip in Sept., but went with Teppan Edo instead.

I love the light painting pictures though. I must have skipped over that thread in the Photography Board. Something I need to try sometime, but there's lots of things I need to try with my camera.

[lurkyloo]

OK, I'm back in town and ready to offer my opinions on things!!! :hyper:


I figured my birthday would be the best day to take advantage (can we say "free dessert" anyone?? :rotfl2:) and I'm having some trouble deciding where to go.

OK, if free dessert is the objective, I can tell you the only place you're guaranteed to get one is the Plaza, and even then you may have to ask! :rotfl: But they seem to pass out these birthday cupcakes like, well, candy!

http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t63/lurkyloo/Decade%20o%20D%20Jensey/308.jpg

As for the Wave - can you guys split a meal? That's our secret to eating at table service restaurants on the cheap. Even if you are a hearty eater, I guarantee that splitting a Disney-sized appetizer, entree and dessert will fill you up! :thumbsup2

Whispering Canyon will be fun if you're in the mood for rowdy and raucous, and Beaches and Cream's burgers are good, but they aren't, like, amazing, so don't go out of your way if you'll be much closer in December.

Other: Well, California Grill can't be beat, but if you're worried about the Wave being too spendy, then it's definitely out. Still, you could split stuff, and you'd have a better shot at that free dessert! In other spendy restaurant news, I don't really recommend Narcoossee's, and Citricos was just "meh" in my book.

... Sez I!!! pirate:

[annnewjerz]

OK, I'm back in town and ready to offer my opinions on things!!! :hyper:




OK, if free dessert is the objective, I can tell you the only place you're guaranteed to get one is the Plaza, and even then you may have to ask! :rotfl: But they seem to pass out these birthday cupcakes like, well, candy!

http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t63/lurkyloo/Decade%20o%20D%20Jensey/308.jpg

As for the Wave - can you guys split a meal? That's our secret to eating at table service restaurants on the cheap. Even if you are a hearty eater, I guarantee that splitting a Disney-sized appetizer, entree and dessert will fill you up! :thumbsup2

Whispering Canyon will be fun if you're in the mood for rowdy and raucous, and Beaches and Cream's burgers are good, but they aren't, like, amazing, so don't go out of your way if you'll be much closer in December.

Other: Well, California Grill can't be beat, but if you're worried about the Wave being too spendy, then it's definitely out. Still, you could split stuff, and you'd have a better shot at that free dessert! In other spendy restaurant news, I don't really recommend Narcoossee's, and Citricos was just "meh" in my book.

... Sez I!!! pirate:

As always, thank you for the Lurkyloo review on where the best eats would be. :worship:

In your very expert opinion, how was the cupcake or wasn't it yours to eat? I'll have to take a peek back at your TR to get an official review. You are one of the reasons I'm considering The Plaza. We like the typical burgers and shakes meal in Disney and the Mayor seems like a hoot (if he graced us with his presence).

As for The Wave---we could most definitely split all of our stuff, didn't really think of that to be honest. At home, we're typically meal splitters and sometimes even same siders (when it comes to sitting in a booth, pathetic I know :rolleyes1). Seeing that our last trip was in 07, I didn't remember too much about WDW portion sizes other than when we went with Free Dining back when they had the app, the entree AND the dessert we were stuffed to capacity. I had attributed it to the fact that you got three courses each, but most of the time we couldn't even make it to dessert---it was an insane amount of food to be expected to eat.

Luckily in December, we'll be able to have some pricier meals. Still trying to decide between Jiko, Flying Fish or California Grill. We aren't big on sushi, so I didn't know if CG seemed like a good place to pick. It seems that all I hear about is how great their sushi is. :sick:

Edited to add: Okay so I just looked through the first 20 or so pages of your TR for May and found your birthday cupcake review. (1) I completely forgot it was noone's birthday--hilarious; (2) everything looks so yummy, probably b/c of the Roots but who cares; and (3) NOW I REMEMBER! "Almost too sweet" was what you said about the b-day cupcake. Hmmmm. I'm thinking that the taste of free would overpower the sweetness, but we'll see ;)

[annnewjerz]

I haven't been to any of those places, so I'm not much help.

I considered Beaches and Cream for my trip in Sept., but went with Teppan Edo instead.

I love the light painting pictures though. I must have skipped over that thread in the Photography Board. Something I need to try sometime, but there's lots of things I need to try with my camera.

Sorry Scoot---missed your reply! Yeah the thread on the Photo Board with the light painting is pretty cool, if you ever need inspiration---look to Jeff (Gdad) :worship:, it seems that every day he is coming up with something new and creative.

It was really simple and incredibly fun. Next time, I'm going to try to get a little more intricate with what I "paint"---who knows, maybe in a few months I'll be posting a replica of the Mona Lisa :thumbsup2

[scoot241]

Sorry Scoot---missed your reply! Yeah the thread on the Photo Board with the light painting is pretty cool, if you ever need inspiration---look to Jeff (Gdad) :worship:, it seems that every day he is coming up with something new and creative.

It was really simple and incredibly fun. Next time, I'm going to try to get a little more intricate with what I "paint"---who knows, maybe in a few months I'll be posting a replica of the Mona Lisa :thumbsup2

Yeah, Jeff and Mark are always pushing the limit. I've only had my XSi for a couple of months, so I still have a ton to learn.

[lurkyloo]

Luckily in December, we'll be able to have some pricier meals. Still trying to decide between Jiko, Flying Fish or California Grill. We aren't big on sushi, so I didn't know if CG seemed like a good place to pick. It seems that all I hear about is how great their sushi is.

Oh no - do you have to choose?

OK, if you do, my experience has been that Jiko is consistently the best. We've eaten there... three or four times now, and it's always top-notch. We've done CA Grill twice. The first time it was good but I wasn't sure what the hype was about. The second time it was REALLY good, so maybe I shouldn't have ordered a boring old filet that first time.

As for Flying Fish, we've eaten there twice and were underwhelmed both times - even by the ever-popular potato-wrapped red snapper. I'd definitely take bluezoo over Flying Fish any day...

Also, re: the deal with CA Grill and sushi, all I can think is that the people who rave about it come from places where sushi is not readily available. As I like to say, in L.A., you can practically get sushi at the laundromat, so it was not a must-try at CA Grill. There is *plenty* of other stuff on the menu to eat....

People also rave about CA Grill's flatbread, which is similarly confounding to me - what is the deal with Orlando and flatbread? All the restaurants offer it like it's, I dunno, the second coming of Wolfgang Puck's gourmet pizza!


Edited to add: Okay so I just looked through the first 20 or so pages of your TR for May and found your birthday cupcake review. (1) I completely forgot it was noone's birthday--hilarious; (2) everything looks so yummy, probably b/c of the Roots but who cares; and (3) NOW I REMEMBER! "Almost too sweet" was what you said about the b-day cupcake. Hmmmm. I'm thinking that the taste of free would overpower the sweetness, but we'll see ;)

Hey, it's free - I say go for it! :thumbsup2

[annnewjerz]

Oh no - do you have to choose?

Unfortunately, I do :sad2: I might be able to convince DH to do two Signature dinners---but it's doubtful.


OK, if you do, my experience has been that Jiko is consistently the best. We've eaten there... three or four times now, and it's always top-notch. We've done CA Grill twice. The first time it was good but I wasn't sure what the hype was about. The second time it was REALLY good, so maybe I shouldn't have ordered a boring old filet that first time.

As for Flying Fish, we've eaten there twice and were underwhelmed both times - even by the ever-popular potato-wrapped red snapper. I'd definitely take bluezoo over Flying Fish any day...

Also, re: the deal with CA Grill and sushi, all I can think is that the people who rave about it come from places where sushi is not readily available. As I like to say, in L.A., you can practically get sushi at the laundromat, so it was not a must-try at CA Grill. There is *plenty* of other stuff on the menu to eat....

People also rave about CA Grill's flatbread, which is similarly confounding to me - what is the deal with Orlando and flatbread? All the restaurants offer it like it's, I dunno, the second coming of Wolfgang Puck's gourmet pizza!

I'm glad Jiko gets your :thumbsup2 :thumbsup2 since that was the one I was leaning towards. We went to FF in 2007 and had a really great meal (I had the red snapper and it was gooooood). I was thinking of going back because we loved it so much last time, but I guess when there are so many other great places to try---why do one a second time in two years? PLUS, we don't really have any other dinners in the plan that would really serve a great steak, so we may just end up with Jiko when all is said and done.


Hey, it's free - I say go for it! :thumbsup2

I'm going to milk my birthday/anniversary for all it's worth. I won't be wearing the special ears---but I'll be displaying my buttons with enthusiasm in the most prominent place I can think of!! Whatever I can get for free, I'll take it! :lmao:

[annnewjerz]

So, I'd like to take a moment to do something that I have been itching to do for quite a few months now...it's time for...


:banana: :banana: THE DOUBLE-DIGIT DANCE :banana: :banana:

That's right, folks. In a mere 99 days not only will it be my birthday, but we will be arriving in WDW to celebrate and attend MNSSHP on the 18th. :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:

9 more days until ADR time, it's time to get serious!

[Villainess]

Coming over from the Photography board - great PTR so far.

I am going to recommend The Plaza for your bday since you will be in the MK, good food, and I think in the 2 times I ate there during my 19 day still in Apr/May there was about 10 minutes where the servers were NOT singing Happy Birthday, anniversary, etc and bringing out cupcakes!

[annnewjerz]

Coming over from the Photography board - great PTR so far.

I am going to recommend The Plaza for your bday since you will be in the MK, good food, and I think in the 2 times I ate there during my 19 day still in Apr/May there was about 10 minutes where the servers were NOT singing Happy Birthday, anniversary, etc and bringing out cupcakes!

Woohoo! :woohoo: Welcome to my very very sad and somewhat neglected PTR.

Glad to hear good things about the Plaza---I can't imagine a much better birthday than being in WDW and getting a free cupcake, it's got to be only one step below winning the MegaMillions ;)

Anywho, stay tuned. The PTR portion of this is sadly going to be less than exciting, but I'm looking forward to doing a mini-photo TR when I get back. :thumbsup2

[annnewjerz]

So I finally have an update!!

About two months ago, we were speaking to my brother in law about the fact that they (him and his boyfriend) were taking a trip to Florida and would be spending a day in Epcot, a day in DHS, and a day or two in Universal. They would not be going to the Magic Kingdom which I thought was craaaazy since my BIL had never been, but it was their trip so what could I do?? At this point, we were planning to be in Florida for MNSSHP on October 9th (our wedding anniversary) and thought nothing of it.

Fast forward to about a week ago, I was speaking to my brother in law and was getting updates about their trip---whether or not they had gotten tickets yet, what their dates were, etc. Well wouldn't ya know, they were arriving on October 16th, one day before our new arrival date!

:idea:

They should go with us! My BIL has been to WDW once, but never to the Magic Kingdom. They were skipping it again this trip because according to him and his boyfriend, Magic Kingdom was for little kids. I know he would have so much fun if he just gave it a shot and so began the quest to convince them to go to MNSSHP with us.

I compiled pictures that I had asked for on the Photo Board, I got together the best YouTube videos of HalloWishes and the Boo To You parade---I got together pricing, laid out the details of when you could enter the park, what we would do while we were there, the candy, all of it!

.......now that the bait had been laid, I just to wait for a bite. :scared:

Well, yesterday that bite came! We are now officially a party of 4 going to MNSSHP on October 18th. We'll be meeting up with them at MK to go to the party at 4:00 and as soon as we enter, we'll try to get all of the best attractions done. I know my BIL is going to have a blast and I can't wait to see his face from the big drop at the end of Splash Mountain the first time he rides it. :scared1: :scared1: :laughing:

Here's what we plan to do:

4:00 - 7:30pm
Enter the park and do whatever attractions we can in Adventureland/Frontierland/Liberty Square such as:
Splash Mountain
Pirates of the Caribbean
Haunted Mansion
Big Thunder Mountain Rail Road
Jungle Cruise

7:30 - 8:30pm
Grab dinner at Cosmic Ray's

8:30 - 11:00pm
Hang out on Main Street, stake out a spot for HalloWishes at 9:30 and the Boo To You parade at 10:30.

11:00 - 12:00am
Do some attractions in Tomorrowland/Fantasyland such as:
Mad Tea Party Tea Cups
Buzz Lightyear
It's a Small World
Peter Pan

So---that's the plan for now. We'll see how it goes.

Now we just need to think of something to dress up as. :rolleyes1

Any suggestions??

[annnewjerz]

So today I indulged in a little online pre-trip shopping :thumbsup2

I was at work taking a break from the DIS and happened to stumble across Banana Republic's website. I saw the words "FINAL SALE" which for anyone who knows me (which would be none of you really :rotfl2:) means trouble!

I ended up finding a few long cardigan shawl neck belted sweater deals that were originally $80, marked down to $20. Now---I know what a lot of you are thinking.............

"Well Ann, if it was on final clearance, that's because no one liked it enough to buy it."

Hmmmm, even if you're right, for $20 when I wear a sweater every day to my freezer of an office building, how could I go wrong? Regardless, I doubt I will use said sweaters for my trip in October since it'll probably still be upper 80's, and because of this, I won't be posting a picture in this PTR. Sorry!

So, after adding these to my shopping bag, I saw that they were offering free shipping on orders of $100 or more. :idea:

What's this? That included purchases from BR, GAP and Old Navy! :hyper:

Let me preface this by saying that I have found the clothes at Old Navy to be extremely poor quality. Usually within a couple of months, the hem will come out of my skirts, there will be a hole in the armpit of virtually ever sweater I purchased, etc. So why would I continue to shop there, you ask? Because it's CHEAP with a capital C-H-E-A-P!

I'm one of those that mixes and matches. A $15 dress with $100 sandals, a $5 pair of flip flops with a $25 dress from Target with a $135 Juicy cardigan. So there are certain parts of my wardrobe that are literally disposable---there are flip flops that I got on $2 clearance that I have been known to use super glue on because they're so comfy....but all of those sale items make room for lots of more expensive sale items to be mixed in. :woohoo:

But back to the good stuff.

So I went onto the Old Navy website and started looking at their sale section and found some very cute things that I can wear to WDW in October, wear on the weekends here during the summer and probably just barely suck the life out of for our trip in December as well.

$17.99 each---throw these on with some spandex shorts underneath for modesty, perfect lightweight dress for WDW.

http://oldnavy.gap.com/Asset_Archive/ONWeb/Assets/Product/672/672399/main/on672399-01p01v01.jpg

http://oldnavy.gap.com/Asset_Archive/ONWeb/Assets/Product/662/662306/main/on662306-03p01v01.jpg

$19.99---got this one in white, although I'm not really sold on it, looks like it may be a little short and I can't very well throw on black bike shorts underneath without it being too noticable. Had to get to my $100 total thought ;)

http://oldnavy.gap.com/Asset_Archive/ONWeb/Assets/Product/672/672398/main/on672398-03p01v01.jpg

$9.99---hopefully this will be a good cardigan. Usually I don't have good experiences with Old Navy sweaters in particular and I'm hoping this is the exception to that rule.

http://oldnavy.gap.com/Asset_Archive/ONWeb/Assets/Product/632/632588/main/on632588-11p01v01.jpg

$2.99---these are the last thing I ordered. I'm sure they won't be extremely comfy for walking around WDW, but I got them for using around the hotel room (hotel carpets = GROSS) and by the pool if we use it in October.

http://oldnavy.gap.com/Asset_Archive/ONWeb/Assets/Product/637/637784/main/on637784-03p01v01.jpg

[annnewjerz]

So this post is about PINs. No, not the great kind that you find in your e-mail left by the Disney Fairy giving you 40% off and Free Dining all in one trip, the kind that you stick on a lanyard.

I recently took up pin collections and it's quite addictive. I've been trying to decide what pins (if any) I would take on my trip to WDW in October for MNSSHP. I don't think I should take all of them, since we'll only be going to the MK---so I think maybe I'll stick with my "spooky" pins, which would be Haunted Mansion.

Here are some of the ones I have collected so far that I'm thinking I'll bring:

My favorite.
http://www.pinpics.com/img/p230/pin11505

http://www.pinpics.com/img/p321/pin16052

http://www.pinpics.com/img/p321/pin16088

http://www.pinpics.com/img/p1121/pin56077

http://www.pinpics.com/img/p1137/pin56898

http://www.pinpics.com/img/p1158/pin57921

http://www.pinpics.com/img/p1164/pin58222

http://www.pinpics.com/img/p1164/pin58223

http://www.pinpics.com/img/p1254/pin62722

http://www.pinpics.com/img/p1318/pin65945

http://www.pinpics.com/img/p1322/pin66148

http://www.pinpics.com/img/p1322/pin66149

http://www.pinpics.com/img/p1323/pin66150

http://www.pinpics.com/img/p1073/pin53666

There are more, but I'm just too lazy to look them all up on PinPics.

[annnewjerz]

Well folks, today was FINALLY my 90 day mark for our trip in October. And as many of you know, 90 days means ADRs!

My plan was to wake up at 5:30, get the computer started, pull up my reservation information and get to booking. Well, life threw me a curve ball and I ended up staying out until 1:30am playing "Catch Phrase" at a relative's house (yes, we are real party animals), so when my alarm went off at 5:30am this morning, my plans went out the window.

I went back to sleep until 8:00am and after a horrible dream where we booked the wrong dining plan, couldn't make any ADRs because I waited until too late in the day---I hastily signed onto my WDW account, pulled up my reservation information and got to booking.

I'm happy to say that I LOVED :love: the online system. It was very easy, very fast and very awesome. :thumbsup2 Within about 5 minutes, I was all done with confirmation numbers in my e-mail and able to get another quick 30 minutes of sleep before the doggies woke me up.

Now I know what all two of you readers are thinking---"The suspense is killing me, what did you get?!"---and I hate to be the messenger for boring news, but it is exactly that. :guilty:

After reading some of Carrie's (Lurkyloo) trip reports, seeing some pictures that her friends had taken at their lunch, and needing to pick some places that wouldn't take away too much park time, I decided on The Plaza Restaurant in the Magic Kingdom-------


--------for both of our ADRs. :)

So on October 17th at 6:00pm I'll be spending my birthday eating a delicious burger & fries, chocolate milkshake (made with chocolate icecream and chocolate syrup, which I have learned is the best blend for true chocolately goodness) and hopefully a free birthday cupcake. :woohoo: I'd really like it if I got to meet the Mayor, he seems like a hoot, but that'll just be the icing on the cake.

On October 18th at 5:00pm my party of four (Me, DH, DBIL and DBIL's boyfriend) will be eating delicious burgers & fries and chocolate milkshakes at The Plaza before attending MNSSHP. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. If I haven't seen an appearance by the Mayor yet, I hope I will get to this time.

The Plaza seemed like the perfect choice for a trip on a budget. Inexpensive, good food, in the park we will be visiting for each day, not too long a meal, right on Main Street so after we get out we can stake out our spots for the parade and fireworks if we feel so inclined.

I'm happy with my choice and I'm sure both trips will be highly enjoyable. I've heard nothing but good about The Plaza so far, so I'm not worried.

Only 3 more months and I'll be another year older in the happiest place on Earth!

[KathyRN137]

Fast forward to about a week ago, I was speaking to my brother in law and was getting updates about their trip---whether or not they had gotten tickets yet, what their dates were, etc. Well wouldn't ya know, they were arriving on October 16th, one day before our new arrival date!

:idea: They should go with us!

I compiled pictures that I had asked for on the Photo Board, I got together the best YouTube videos of HalloWishes and the Boo To You parade---I got together pricing, laid out the details of when you could enter the park, what we would do while we were there, the candy, all of it!

.......now that the bait had been laid, I just to wait for a bite. :scared:

Well, yesterday that bite came! We are now officially a party of 4 going to MNSSHP on October 18th!



Awesome! I love how you set the trap! :laughing:


So this post is about PINs.
I recently took up pin collections and it's quite addictive. I've been trying to decide what pins (if any) I would take on my trip to WDW in October for MNSSHP. I don't think I should take all of them, since we'll only be going to the MK---so I think maybe I'll stick with my "spooky" pins, which would be Haunted Mansion.

Those HM pins are amazing! I love my pins, too...


Well folks, today was FINALLY my 90 day mark for our trip in October. And as many of you know, 90 days means ADRs!

I'm happy to say that I LOVED :love: the online system. It was very easy, very fast and very awesome. :thumbsup2 Within about 5 minutes, I was all done with confirmation numbers in my e-mail and able to get another quick 30 minutes of sleep before the doggies woke me up.


That is so good to hear... I don't know why, but I'm a bit apprehensive about making my ADRs online. I'm glad you got what you wanted... who cares if its the same restaurant... it's your birthday so eat where you want to!! :goodvibes

It won't be long now!


Kathy

[annnewjerz]

Awesome! I love how you set the trap! :laughing:




Those HM pins are amazing! I love my pins, too...




That is so good to hear... I don't know why, but I'm a bit apprehensive about making my ADRs online. I'm glad you got what you wanted... who cares if its the same restaurant... it's your birthday so eat where you want to!! :goodvibes

It won't be long now!


Kathy

Hi Kathy! :wave2:

When do you get to make ADRs?? It should be coming up within the next week or so, right? I was apprehensive at first also. So worried it would be confusing, slow, hard to do.....something, but it wasn't any of those things! It was honestly one of the best bits of Disney planning I've done yet and I'm so happy to be done doing it for the first time.

I actually even did a "test" to see how hard my ADRs for our December trip will be. I went through in October (which I know, not really an accurate guage) and for the days that were open to be booked, I tried to get all of my ADRs on the day of the week and time that I would want them in December. I got ALL of them within 10 minutes of the ADR time I wanted---I'm so excited and hope it's that easy once my 90+10 for December comes along. :woohoo:

[annnewjerz]

So I have a bit of a predicament. As any of you readers know, when we go to The World in October, I am taking advantage of the "Get in Free on Your Birthday" promotion that they have going right now. As a result, we purchased DH a one-day base ticket so he could get into the parks with me.

My original plan was to go to the MK. It's my favorite park, I was able to get an ADR at The Plaza, I would get a chance to practice my photography in the MK for our December trip, the park is open until 11:00 (the latest of all the parks that day)---all in all it just seemed like the best choice.

Well today, a co-worker who is more of a Disney nut than I am came over and told me he thought we should do Epcot on my birthday since we'd be going MNSSHP the following day. The Food & Wine Fest is going on still I believe and he said since we had never been to the F&W Fest he would highly recommend it.

So I need opinions, what do I do? We have two Epcot days scheduled for our trip in December and there are only a handful of attractions that I would like to see there. The park closes at 9:00 but I would still have about 8 hours of park time to pass in a park that I don't think would really keep us entertained for 8 straight hours. BUT the Food & Wine Fest always looked like a lot of fun.

What would you all do? Magic Kingdom or Epcot for our one non-MNSSHP park day? :confused3

[WrightFamily06]

Just joining in here after the great camera advice you gave me over on WillowBelle's TR .:thumbsup2 I decided to check out your PTR 's and you have some great plans for this one , gonna eventually get over and checkout your December one also :) I would have picked the Wave for my Birthday meal but the Plaza also sounds like a nice choice :) I think you should spend a day at Epcot during this trip , that way you get to be at two parks not just one on your trip ! I couldn't go and just go to one park ! LOL By the way I also have a brother named Chris , what a small world . LOL Or a very popular name ! LOL Can't wait to hear more about your plans !popcorn::

[scoot241]

I've never been to F&W or MNSSHP. If I were to choose just on the parks, I'd choose MK. But if F&W was involved, I might have to go check it out.

There's also plenty to photograph in EPCOT, if you want to look at it from that angle. There's Spaceship Earth, a giant ball I could see from Canada, another large golf ball object I could see through the thing in the lake in China (or was that Japan?). Oh, there's also a large ball you can see from Mexico. Strange thing about EPCOT, there's lots of large golf-ball like objects. :rotfl:

Seriously, I'm having a tough time choosing too. I think I would lean toward checking out F&W. If it turns out that it's something you don't really care for, you'll know you never have to make arrangements for it again.

Just my six cents (I know, more than you asked for).

[annnewjerz]

Just joining in here after the great camera advice you gave me over on WillowBelle's TR .:thumbsup2 I decided to check out your PTR 's and you have some great plans for this one , gonna eventually get over and checkout your December one also :)


Hi! :wave2: Welcome!

I would have picked the Wave for my Birthday meal but the Plaza also sounds like a nice choice :)

I was leaning towards The Wave for my birthday meal (a little more special) but decided to skip it because we are on a budget. It was either The Wave for birthday dinner, or a one-day park pass for my DH to join me at a park of my choosing on my birthday. I think I picked the right one. :thumbsup2


I've never been to F&W or MNSSHP. If I were to choose just on the parks, I'd choose MK. But if F&W was involved, I might have to go check it out.

There's also plenty to photograph in EPCOT, if you want to look at it from that angle. There's Spaceship Earth, a giant ball I could see from Canada, another large golf ball object I could see through the thing in the lake in China (or was that Japan?). Oh, there's also a large ball you can see from Mexico. Strange thing about EPCOT, there's lots of large golf-ball like objects. :rotfl:

Seriously, I'm having a tough time choosing too. I think I would lean toward checking out F&W. If it turns out that it's something you don't really care for, you'll know you never have to make arrangements for it again.

Just my six cents (I know, more than you asked for).

Thank you for the input. All six cents are appreciated! The Food part of Food & Wine Fest interests me, but DH and I are not really drinkers and while I am really looking forward to going to Epcot from a photographic standpoint, we will have two whole days there in December.

In the MK, there is lots to shoot along with a bunch of rides I enjoy----so I'm thinking if I go in October to MK and get some of the rides out of the way, I'll be more likely to really go at a relaxed pace around the MK during our December trip, if that makes any sense.

I'm confusing myself at this point!! :goodvibes

[WrightFamily06]

Hi! :wave2: Welcome!

I was leaning towards The Wave for my birthday meal (a little more special) but decided to skip it because we are on a budget. It was either The Wave for birthday dinner, or a one-day park pass for my DH to join me at a park of my choosing on my birthday. I think I picked the right one. :thumbsup

Thanks so much :)

I totally agree with the more special part for the Wave but going with the Plaza for budget reasons make sense also ! Sounds like you made the right choice when it came down to it though especially if it meant DH getting a pass or not . LOL

[KathyRN137]

Hi Kathy! :wave2:

When do you get to make ADRs?? It should be coming up within the next week or so, right? I was apprehensive at first also. So worried it would be confusing, slow, hard to do.....something, but it wasn't any of those things! It was honestly one of the best bits of Disney planning I've done yet and I'm so happy to be done doing it for the first time.



That's my only fear... that it might be s-l-o-w! Glad to hear of your good experience! :thumbsup2

I make mine on August 1st!


Hi! :wave2: Welcome!
In the MK, there is lots to shoot along with a bunch of rides I enjoy----so I'm thinking if I go in October to MK and get some of the rides out of the way, I'll be more likely to really go at a relaxed pace around the MK during our December trip, if that makes any sense.

I'm confusing myself at this point!! :goodvibes

That reasoning doesn't sound confusing to me. If you have another day at the MK you can really enjoy all the special party stuff at MNSSHP instead of feeling like you need to squeeze in a ton of rides.

Kathy

[annnewjerz]

So I have a little update for everyone!

I had been a little bummed last week about the December Free Dining offer. We had been in September 07 during free dining and while we still had a GREAT time, I was worried that with us doing the Deluxe DDP in December, if free dining was offered we may have trouble getting all of our ressies---even though we don't have anything crazy like Le Cellier or CRT.

Well I'm over it, a trip to The World in December is bound to be great, no matter what discounts are offered. :santa:

So with that being said, I decided to embark on making sure everything is in order for our October trip. I hadn't yet seen a Fall Room Only Discount code released and decided to pop onto Mousesavers.com to see if there were any and guess what? THERE WERE :woohoo:

Now we are only staying at a value in December, so it's really not much of a savings, but for this budget trip---every little bit helps!

With the 29% code for values, we are now paying $155-ish for 2 nights in a standard room at POP rather than the $201 we were paying before. This made DH happy, cause like I said, every little bit helps :thumbsup2 :goodvibes

[WrightFamily06]

Congrats on getting a discount on your room stay !:dance3::woohoo::yay:
Everyone just loves :love: a discount ! I know I do !

[annnewjerz]

Congrats on getting a discount on your room stay !:dance3::woohoo::yay:
Everyone just loves :love: a discount ! I know I do !

Looking for deals/sales and saving money in general is a hobby of mine. :rotfl2: It has gotten to the point where DH is a little annoyed by it. The checking SW for cheaper flights everyday, the "I'm not buying this purse for $100! I can get it at TJ Maxx in 2 months for $40", the "Go to this gas station, it's .03 cheaper than the one across the street!!"

What can I say? I guess I just understand the value of a dollar. Scoring such good deals is what allowed us to take vacation this year, after all. :woohoo:

[Villainess]

Glad you were able to save some $. I feel the same way - go to Marshalls in a month and it will be there.

[annnewjerz]

I've been a very very bad girl---and did something so out of character for me.

As you guys know, our trip in December is our week-long not many expenses spared Disney trip. Because of this, our trip in October was on a strict budget and was just a quick trip to celebrate my birthday and go to MNSSHP.

Well, I couldn't shake the idea of upgrading to a Moderate. It was only $50 more than my original pre-room only code room at POP cost, and since we will be spending a good bit of time at the resort (a day and a halfish) I figured it might be nice to have a step-up from a value resort.

This is SO UNLIKE ME. Every trip we have taken, I've scouted out the cheapest hotel options and in 2007 when we went to Disney I was fine staying a whole week at the All-Star Resorts and now?? Now I couldn't even make myself stay at POP for two nights!

What's happening to me? I know that going to the Boardwalk this year is a bad idea. It has completely changed my view of where we should stay. Before I was of the mindset that I should stay at a value because it would just be a place to sleep---totally Disney commando! Now, I'm actually thinking about spending time at the resort we pick. I don't even know myself anymore. :rotfl:

So, with all of this in mind and some poking around on the Resorts Board I looked into which Moderate I would like best. It was between Port Orleans French Quarter and Coronado Springs. Both seemed like nice places for adults to stay.

The pros of POFQ were the food court (mmmmm, beignets) and the boat to DTD. The cons was the general theme of the resort---wasn't really into the drama masks, the look of the rooms that much or the dragon/lizard pool.

The pros of CSR were the renovated rooms, the queen beds, the fitness center :rolleyes: and the Dig Site pool---but the food court and large resort size just seemed "meh."

So, after going back and forth, I decided on CSR. The larger resort size isn't of much issue since we are two healthy young adults, the food court isn't really an issue either since we will only need to find something for breakfast at the resort, after that we have plans for lunch/dinner elsewhere.

That was a very long winded way of saying........


WE UPGRADED TO CSR! :banana: :banana:

I'm hoping it'll be a nice surprise for DH. The other day I threw out a hypothetical "Would you be okay with a value, or would you like to upgrade?" and he said he was fine with a value---but I think if he CSR was only $50 out of our budget, he would have picked it in a heartbeat.

[scoot241]

I stayed at CSR in 2004 and it was wonderful. I think you'll really enjoy it. I found that the size of the resort made it very relaxing; everyone is spread out fairly well, and the main pool is not close to any of the rooms, so the noise from the pool won't be bothering anyone. It's a beautiful resort too and you should be able to get some nice pictures.

[KathyRN137]

This is SO UNLIKE ME. Every trip we have taken, I've scouted out the cheapest hotel options and in 2007 when we went to Disney I was fine staying a whole week at the All-Star Resorts and now?? Now I couldn't even make myself stay at POP for two nights!


What's happening to me?





You've simply caught a virus, dear.
Some call it "Resort Creep," others call it "Upgraditis!" :lmao: :rotfl:

Congrats on CSR... I just know you'll love it!!


Kathy

[annnewjerz]

You've simply caught a virus, dear.
Some call it "Resort Creep," others call it "Upgraditis!" :lmao: :rotfl:

Congrats on CSR... I just know you'll love it!!


Kathy

Oh no. :scared1: This sounds bad. Is there any treatment? Will I ever be able to stay at a Value again?!

DH will not be thrilled to hear about it. The most recent expensive condition I've contracted is called "NAS" or "Nikon Acquisition Syndrome"---it causes spontaneous camera lens purchases, excessive drooling at tripods, etc. and is veeeery costly. :sick:

[SKWDW]

We stayed at CSR in May and it was totally worth the $$ over a value IMH. We were in a renovated room (though I think they're all updated now) and it was great, hope you like it.

We had two queen beds and a nice seating area in the Casitas Building 4 with a water view of the quiet pool. (Building 4 was important to us since it contained the salon and health club.) We originally wanted to stay in the Cabanas since it seemed like we'd be back in Cancun. We knew we didn't want the Ranchos we live in the Southwest, but found that the architecture and lanscaping of the Spanish-style Casitas buildings were great.

[annnewjerz]

We stayed at CSR in May and it was totally worth the $$ over a value IMH. We were in a renovated room (though I think they're all updated now) and it was great, hope you like it.

We had two queen beds and a nice seating area in the Casitas Building 4 with a water view of the quiet pool. (Building 4 was important to us since it contained the salon and health club.) We originally wanted to stay in the Cabanas since it seemed like we'd be back in Cancun. We knew we didn't want the Ranchos we live in the Southwest, but found that the architecture and lanscaping of the Spanish-style Casitas buildings were great.

Sounds great! Thanks for the info. Can't wait for our stay. :woohoo:

[annnewjerz]

So with noly 72 days to go until our trip, I figured it was time to post a rough draft of my itinerary since, well, there isn't too much going on in the way of trip planning :upsidedow

Naturally, our schedule will not be down to the minute like it is listed below. This is just how I am organizing it to see how much time (approximately) we will have for each thing.

Saturday - October 17, 09: Arrival & Magic Kingdom for My Birthday!

9:00 - 11:30am / Flight from BWI to MCO on Southwest
11:30 - 1:00pm / Magical Express to Coronado Springs Resort
(hoping our room is available upon check-in)
1:00 - 3:00pm / Hang out at our room, wait for checked luggage
3:00 - 6:00pm / Magic Kingdom!!
6:00 - 7:00pm / Dinner at The Plaza Restaurant
7:00 - 9:30pm / Putz around Main Street, watch Spectromagic and Wishes
9:30 - 11:00pm / Magic Kingdom!!

Sunday - October 18, 09: Resot Day & Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party

9:00 - 11:00am / Breakfast at Captain Cook's in the Polynesian
11:00 - 4:00pm / Relax at resort
4:00 - 5:00pm / Putz around Main Street
5:00 - 6:00pm / Dinner at The Plaza Restaurant with DH, DBIL and DBIL's BF
6:00 - 9:00pm / Magic Kingdom!!
9:00 - 11:00pm / Watch HalloWishes fireworks and Boo To You parade
11:00 - 12:00am / Putz around the park, ride any attractions we missed

Monday - October 19: Downtown Disney & Departure

8:00 - 10:30am / Pack up, check out of resort
10:30 - 1:00pm / Downtown Disney
1:00 - 1:30pm / Lunch at Earl of Sandwich
1:30 - 3:00pm / Return to resort, wait for pick-up to airport
3:00 - 6:00pm / Magical Express to MCO for return flight
6:00 - 8:30pm / Flight from MCO to BWI


Now that I have typed all of this out, I'm getting pretty excited about it. It looks like we'll have a few good meals, a few well-spent hours in the park and some nice time at our resort relaxing and enjoying the pool. :thumbsup2 :thumbsup2 for that.

[Villainess]

Looks like a good plan. I just called to buy MNSSHP tix and their computers are down.

[annnewjerz]

Looks like a good plan. I just called to buy MNSSHP tix and their computers are down.

You can order them online :thumbsup2 Don't know if that helps or not but it's worth a try if you definitely want to get them today.

[KathyRN137]

Saturday - October 17, 09: Arrival & Magic Kingdom for My Birthday!

9:00 - 11:30am / Flight from BWI to MCO on Southwest
11:30 - 1:00pm / Magical Express to Coronado Springs Resort
(hoping our room is available upon check-in)
1:00 - 3:00pm / Hang out at our room, wait for checked luggage
3:00 - 6:00pm / Magic Kingdom!!
6:00 - 7:00pm / Dinner at The Plaza Restaurant
7:00 - 9:30pm / Putz around Main Street, watch Spectromagic and Wishes
9:30 - 11:00pm / Magic Kingdom!!

Sunday - October 18, 09: Resot Day & Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party

9:00 - 11:00am / Breakfast at Captain Cook's in the Polynesian
11:00 - 4:00pm / Relax at resort
4:00 - 5:00pm / Putz around Main Street
5:00 - 6:00pm / Dinner at The Plaza Restaurant with DH, DBIL and DBIL's BF
6:00 - 9:00pm / Magic Kingdom!!
9:00 - 11:00pm / Watch HalloWishes fireworks and Boo To You parade
11:00 - 12:00am / Putz around the park, ride any attractions we missed

Monday - October 19: Downtown Disney & Departure

8:00 - 10:30am / Pack up, check out of resort
10:30 - 1:00pm / Downtown Disney
1:00 - 1:30pm / Lunch at Earl of Sandwich
1:30 - 3:00pm / Return to resort, wait for pick-up to airport
3:00 - 6:00pm / Magical Express to MCO for return flight
6:00 - 8:30pm / Flight from MCO to BWI




We think alike! I'm just letting the family hang out at our resort the day of the MNSSHP, too. While its tempting to run off and get some park time in, its really more sensible to "rest up" and be able to stay out late to get the most out of the party. :thumbsup2


Kathy

[annnewjerz]

We think alike! I'm just letting the family hang out at our resort the day of the MNSSHP, too. While its tempting to run off and get some park time in, its really more sensible to "rest up" and be able to stay out late to get the most out of the party. :thumbsup2


Kathy

You are so right. I don't even have kids to deal with, but I know if I try to push DH too much too early that day, there is no way he is going to make it to midnight. We're usually in bed by 10:00 (or sometimes earlier) :rotfl2:

[DWGal210]

Looks like a great time! I want to hear all about MNSSHP when you get back - I am considering planning my fall 2010 trip around that. :thumbsup2

[disneygirlinnj]

whew! all caught up on this one and have to head over to your december trip! :) all your ideas and changes sound awesome!

[WrightFamily06]

Just getting caught up was out of town visiting family for a week :)

Congrats on getting a room at CSR ! There rooms look beautiful from all the pictures I have seen . Can't wait to see what you think of it ?

Your plans for your trip look great , just enough time for eating and enjoying the parks .:thumbsup2

[annnewjerz]

So there isn't too much planning going on for our trip in October, but I have a non-park update.

For the past year, I have been growing my hair out. At first, it was unintentional and I was just too lazy to get a haircut but then it switched to growing it so I could make a donation to Locks of Love or something similar.

The time has finally come and this week (hopefully) I will be chopping it off. It's going to be weird to have shoulder-length hair again but at the same time having hair this long was really starting to be a pain in the a$$. Between the knots and the amount of time it takes for it to dry I'm ready to be done with it.

I'll be sure to update with a picture of the ponytail and maybe a picture of the new 'do if I like it sometime before the trip.

Speaking of the trip-----only 60 days now. It's starting to set in that we're really going soon. I am SO unprepared. This weekend we did a bunch of work at the house. Started painting, put in some new light fixtures, etc. but there is so much more to do before we leave.

In October and December we are lucky enough to have people coming over to house/dog-sit and we wanted the house to be in the best condition possible. It's exhausting! :faint: I can't wait for it to be done so I can start focusing on much more important things like what I need to buy for our trip, what we are going to wear as costumes, packing lists, plans for meeting up with my DBIL for MNSSHP, etc.

Ugh. I have a feeling it's going to be a long two months. :surfweb:

[dlander]

Okay! I started with your December trip report and then did as instructed and headed over to your MNSSHP report. I am such a rule follower:lmao: You are so funny and I love how this trip has snowballed! Well I have to go fix dinner before I can return to your December PTR. Maybe we can just order pizza...hmmm. Nope, did that last night:rotfl:

[annnewjerz]

Okay! I started with your December trip report and then did as instructed and headed over to your MNSSHP report. I am such a rule follower:lmao: You are so funny and I love how this trip has snowballed! Well I have to go fix dinner before I can return to your December PTR. Maybe we can just order pizza...hmmm. Nope, did that last night:rotfl:

Hi! I think I already said welcome in my December PTR---but I wouldn't want you to feel left out of this one, so hello again! :wave2:

This trip definitely snowballed. Hopefully we're at the point of no more changing though. With the trip less than 2 months away, I'd really prefer to keep everything as is cause now I have to get down to the nitty gritty of my December trip!! :santa:

[annnewjerz]

Costumes are one area of the trip that I am really not completely decided on yet.

On one hand, I'd really like to dress up. We don't dress up for Halloween at home anymore because it usually falls on a work-night and it just seems like an opportunity that we'd be crazy to pass up. On the other hand, it's going to be hot, I'm going to be lugging around a camera bag and tripod and if it rains it'll make things that much more uncomfortable.

So, to dress up or not to dress up, that is the question.

There will be four of us attending the party, so we have been tossing around some ideas that would lend for a cohesive group feeling without wearing completely identical costumes.

Choice 1: The first choice was 4 of the Village People. DH is a former US Navy submariner so he could easily be the sailor. I have some flip flops with fringe and I could buy feathers to make a head dress and be the Indian. DBIL wanted to be the cowboy, which would be easy enough---just wear a plaid sleeveless shirt with some shorts, add a cowboy hat and plastic pistol and you're set. DBIL's boyfriend can be the construction worker with a simple reflective vest and hard hat. These costumes would be fun, inexpensive and not much extra clothing would have to be worn. Unfortunately, DH struck that idea down right away stating that he didn't want to wear his NAVY duds. Oh well.

So, moving on...........

Choice 2: The second choice was to dress up as Romans, sort of like in Hercules. One of the main reasons we picked this was the fact that it would be cheap. For the toga portion, I'd go to the local fabric store for some white muslin material which would be inexpensive, easy to pack and easy to throw out if we decided to ditch them as a result of being hot/sweaty/wet or just plain annoyed with them. It would be easy to put on (c'mon, everyone has made a toga out of a sheet at least once in their lives), easy to come up with accessories for it (golden spray painted head wreath, anyone?) and relatively lightweight and cool for the possibly hot/humid October weather in Florida. DH, DBIL and DBIL's boyfriend all seem to think this is a great idea---I'm still not sold.

Choice 3: Don't dress up at all. Honestly---I think I may be leaning towards this option. I know, I know it would be much less fun I'm sure. Like I said though, we will be hauling around a load of crap photography-wise, the weather will be hot I'm sure, we will be going on Splash Mountain at least one time and while I'm sure I wouldn't get drenched, people walking around in wet white togas sounds a little risque for Disney if you know what I mean. ;) Plus, it's less luggage to pack, less money to spend on buying stuff since this trip has already spiraled out of control. It just seems like it may be less of a headache. KWIM??

Anywho, that's it for today. If anyone can come up with alternate suggestions for costumes, direct me to some fun t-shirts to wear or whatever---let me know!! :thumbsup2

[annnewjerz]

So this weekend I started a shopping list of things that I need to pick up before our trip in October. Some of them will do double-duty for our trip in December as well. This post is more for my own reference than anyone else's entertainment---but please feel free to add to it if you think there is anything Hallo-weenie that I need. :goodvibes

1. Wired cable release. I have a wireless remote for my camera to use for fireworks, group shots, light painting, etc. and it has been nothing but a headache. It only works sometimes, you have to be standing in front of the camera for the sensor to pick it up. It's been a headache already and I haven't even used it on Bulb which requires the remote to work not once, but twice for one shot......I can't see that happening. I can see me standing there watching wishes with one shot containing every firework that is set off because I couldn't get my shutter to close. :headache:

2. A few rolls of 120 and 35mm size film. I recently bought a Holga (after being influenced by someone on the Photo board) and only purchased two rolls of film to start. Those two rolls are gone and since I have to order the 120 online, it seems I should do it sooner rather than later.

3. A changing bag. In order to unload the 35mm film from the Holga, I need a changing bag. The changing bag is essentially just a dark bag that you put the camera in to take out the film and roll it back up so it doesn't get exposed to any light.

4. Candy bags. From what I understand, the bags they give you at MNSSHP are plastic and a little flimsy. I want to go to the Disney Store and buy some of those "go green" style totes for like $2.99 each. They're sturdy and will carry a whole boat load of candy, although I must admit that I may not trick or treat for the simple fact that I won't want to lug the candy around all day.

5. New flip flops. I need to get some of these suckers STAT! The dog recently chewed my favorite pair and if I don't hurry up---all of the summer clearance flip flops are going to be gone and replaced with snow boots.

6. Memory cards. I need to buy some new 4gb SDHC memory cards. I don't need them for our October trip, but we are skipping the laptop since we're only going for three days and I figure that since this is my first trip to Disney with a dSLR, having extra memory can't hurt.

7. Bathing suit cover up. I'm fine with wearing my bathing suit in the pool, but I do not want to have to walk back and forth across CSR's sprawling property in just a wet bathing suit, so a new cover up of some sort is needed. Another thing I need to hurry up and buy---they won't be out much longer.

8. Breakfast food & snacks. Okay this obviously can't be done until a little closer to the trip, but since we are going on a budget I'm going to buy some breakfast food and snacks. I'm thinking some strawberry pop tarts (which my DH will love, since I never let him eat them :rotfl2:), granola bars---the usual stuff that won't go bad and can be eaten on the go.

9. New lens pen. Lens pens have the solution in one end and the brush on the other. The end of my lens pen has run dry and I like it for cleaning the LCD, etc. so I'm thinking I should get a replacement.



Lots of shopping to do, so little time. :faint:

[scoot241]

1. Wired cable release. I have a wireless remote for my camera to use for fireworks, group shots, light painting, etc. and it has been nothing but a headache. It only works sometimes, you have to be standing in front of the camera for the sensor to pick it up. It's been a headache already and I haven't even used it on Bulb which requires the remote to work not once, but twice for one shot......I can't see that happening. I can see me standing there watching wishes with one shot containing every firework that is set off because I couldn't get my shutter to close. :headache:

6. Memory cards. I need to buy some new 4gb SDHC memory cards. I don't need them for our October trip, but we are skipping the laptop since we're only going for three days and I figure that since this is my first trip to Disney with a dSLR, having extra memory can't hurt.


I haven't gotten the wireless remote yet because after reading about it I thought that would be exactly what would happen. Since it's an IR remote, you have to point it exactly at the right spot. I do have the Canon wired remote and it works great.

I also picked up two more 8GB SDHC cards. Newegg had A-Data (I've heard of the brand, but never used it before) class 6 cards for $15 a piece. I had two already, but that would limit me to 1000 pictures (RAW files). I'm not sure that would be enough! 2000 seems like a more reasonable limit. :)

[annnewjerz]

I haven't gotten the wireless remote yet because after reading about it I thought that would be exactly what would happen. Since it's an IR remote, you have to point it exactly at the right spot. I do have the Canon wired remote and it works great.

I also picked up two more 8GB SDHC cards. Newegg had A-Data (I've heard of the brand, but never used it before) class 6 cards for $15 a piece. I had two already, but that would limit me to 1000 pictures (RAW files). I'm not sure that would be enough! 2000 seems like a more reasonable limit. :)

I think I must have gotten a dud wireless remote for my camera. I got the same one everyone else uses made by Nikon for about $15 and I have to stand right next to the camera---aim it at the exact spot the sensor is and half the time even that doesn't work. Needless to say it has made for some really frustrating times when trying to use my camera on a tripod in the pitch black. The wired remote might be a little more limiting in the fact that I can't get in a picture with it---but that's not what I use the remote and tripod for anyway.

I'll have to check out the deal you got on NewEgg. I already have 22gb of memory, but one of my 4gb cards is corrupt (or at least I'm pretty sure it is) and while I'm sure 18gb would be way more than I need for a three day trip, I'm going to purchase more for our December trip anyway, so I might as well get it now.

[lurkyloo]

Oooh! I like the sound of that lense pen! Do they work for rinkydink "prosumer" cameras, or just them DSLRS? :cutie:

[annnewjerz]

Oooh! I like the sound of that lense pen! Do they work for rinkydink "prosumer" cameras, or just them DSLRS? :cutie:

They do indeed work for "rinkydink prosumer cameras." :laughing: Here (http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-7072-Lens-Cleaning-System/dp/B00006JN3G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1251157904&sr=8-1) is the one I use, although there are many brands other than Nikon, of course. :)

[annnewjerz]

I've been seriously slacking on this October PTR---but with the trip getting so close I figured it was time to start with the updates again. This one is kind of a mix-up of multiple random topics that have been floating around in my head for some time now, rather than a separate post for each.

1. I ordered a new lens yesterday and should have it today, just in time to have a full month or so of playing/practicing/learning to make sure I can put it to good use in The World. I also borrowed a lens from a very kind fellow DISer, Karyl (spinetnglr) that I plan to bring with me for our weekend trip and return to her when we meet up at MNSSHP on the 18th. Relating to photography, I also purchased a bunch of things on my "To Buy" list for the trip. I got some film, a new lens pen, some memory cards, a cable release for night shots and a new scanner. I asked for a new backpack, a second battery and a new filter for my birthday and if all goes well, I will have those before leaving on the 17th.

2. They extended the Wishes dessert party. For any of you who don't know what that is, it's a private party at the Tomorrowland Terrace Noodle Station. They set out all different kinds of desserts and drinks, and you get to have a special spot to view Wishes from, rather than being trampled on Main Street. I was considering trying to get us a reservation for this for the night of my birthday, but we already have dinner reservations at The Plaza and to pay $20 something more per person just to sit at some tables, snack on desserts and see Wishes seems a little wasteful for this trip. If they extend it into December, maaaaaybe I'll consider doing it then as something nice for my Mom.

3. I think I've resigned myself to the fact that we will be flying out of Baltimore. I booked on Southwest from Baltimore, which is 2 hours from our house, because they have $49 flights each way. I was secretly hoping that Southwest from Philadelphia would drop to $79 or less each way since that's only 35 minutes from our house, but they haven't yet (at least not for non-stop prime time flights)---so I think we'll just stick with Baltimore. It's only an hour and a half further, and the original plan was to drive ALL THE WAY to WDW and back in 3 days, so I think the extra 1.5 hours in the car should be more than tolerable.

4. Speaking of flights, I need to book my Magical Express still. I have no idea how to do this since usually we book a package instead of a room-only, but how hard can it be, right?? I'm sure someone can help me with it.

I think that'll be it for now. There's a lot going on and with my 90 day period approaching for our trip in December, I'm much more focused on that trip for the time being. Once I sign on and make all of our ADRs next weekend on the 13th, I'm hoping I can come back and pay this PTR a little bit more attention since this trip is only 43 days away now!!!! :woohoo: :banana: :woohoo:

[disneygirlinnj]

For Magical Express you can just call Disney normal reservation line and they can connect you. I believe they can also add the info onto the reservation themselves.

[annnewjerz]

For Magical Express you can just call Disney normal reservation line and they can connect you. I believe they can also add the info onto the reservation themselves.

Well, our course you can!! I knew that, I was just trying to keep my PTR readers on their toes. :rolleyes1 ;)

Thanks for the info, I'll have to give em a call on lunch after I check Southwest just ooooone last time. :)

[scoot241]

I've been seriously slacking on this October PTR---but with the trip getting so close I figured it was time to start with the updates again. This one is kind of a mix-up of multiple random topics that have been floating around in my head for some time now, rather than a separate post for each.

1. I ordered a new lens yesterday and should have it today, just in time to have a full month or so of playing/practicing/learning to make sure I can put it to good use in The World. I also borrowed a lens from a very kind fellow DISer, Karyl (spinetnglr) that I plan to bring with me for our weekend trip and return to her when we meet up at MNSSHP on the 18th. Relating to photography, I also purchased a bunch of things on my "To Buy" list for the trip. I got some film, a new lens pen, some memory cards, a cable release for night shots and a new scanner. I asked for a new backpack, a second battery and a new filter for my birthday and if all goes well, I will have those before leaving on the 17th.


New lens?!?! What kind? Also, what lens are you borrowing?

Film... what's that? Something to put over the lens? :rotfl:

If I were to get anything else, it would probably be a circular polarizer for the Sigma 30mm, but it's too late to order one now.

[annnewjerz]

New lens?!?! What kind? Also, what lens are you borrowing?

Film... what's that? Something to put over the lens? :rotfl:

If I were to get anything else, it would probably be a circular polarizer for the Sigma 30mm, but it's too late to order one now.

Yes, new lens. I got the Tokina 11-16 f/2.8 UWA lens. It had been on backorder FOREVER and I started to think I might have to get the Sigma 10-20 instead, which wasn't really what I wanted, but B&H finally got some in stock and one day later, it's here!

I'm borrowing the Nikon 10.5mm fisheye lens. It's a lot of fun, but definitely a "specialty" lens. I'm looking forward to seeing what I can get with it in WDW, since a lot of the stuff I've shot around here with it has been less than interesting.

It's never too late to order something new. That's what overnight shipping from B&H, Adorama or Amazon is for :thumbsup2

[scoot241]

Yes, new lens. I got the Tokina 11-16 f/2.8 UWA lens. It had been on backorder FOREVER and I started to think I might have to get the Sigma 10-20 instead, which wasn't really what I wanted, but B&H finally got some in stock and one day later, it's here!

I'm borrowing the Nikon 10.5mm fisheye lens. It's a lot of fun, but definitely a "specialty" lens. I'm looking forward to seeing what I can get with it in WDW, since a lot of the stuff I've shot around here with it has been less than interesting.

I took a look at that Tokina. Might be something to get down the line. What I really need is a good telephoto first.

A fisheye looks like fun, but that'll be something for later too.

Amazon has me spoiled in not paying for shipping at all most of the time, so I hate paying a lot for shipping. CP is going to have to wait (besides, I don't need to spend $80 on a filter right now... that $80 will probably be spent in WDW).

[annnewjerz]

I took a look at that Tokina. Might be something to get down the line. What I really need is a good telephoto first.

That's next on my list, the 80-200 f/2.8. I have the 18-200 right now which is a good all-purpose walk-around lens, but it leaves a little to be desired.

Amazon has me spoiled in not paying for shipping at all most of the time, so I hate paying a lot for shipping. CP is going to have to wait (besides, I don't need to spend $80 on a filter right now... that $80 will probably be spent in WDW).

Same here, I always use the free shipping from Amazon because it comes most times from Delaware or Pennsylvania and will get here for me next-day or second-day regardless. :thumbsup2

You can definitely spend less than $80 on a CP filter. I posted a thread a while back and got recommendations and right now Adorama has a Tiffen 77mm CP (which I believe might be the size you need for the Sigma 30) for $35 on sale. ;)

[scoot241]

That's next on my list, the 80-200 f/2.8. I have the 18-200 right now which is a good all-purpose walk-around lens, but it leaves a little to be desired.



Same here, I always use the free shipping from Amazon because it comes most times from Delaware or Pennsylvania and will get here for me next-day or second-day regardless. :thumbsup2

You can definitely spend less than $80 on a CP filter. I posted a thread a while back and got recommendations and right now Adorama has a Tiffen 77mm CP (which I believe might be the size you need for the Sigma 30) for $35 on sale. ;)

It's 62mm, but Adorama does have a Tiffen for $26.50. I wonder how much shipping is... :rotfl:

ETA: $36.85 for Next Day!!! :sad2: That's more than the cost of the filter! Well, forget that... I don't trust getting 2-day shipping.

[annnewjerz]

It's 62mm, but Adorama does have a Tiffen for $26.50. I wonder how much shipping is... :rotfl:


Well if for some strange reason you decide to get one, don't forget to get some step-up/down rings so you can use it on your kit lens as well. :)

ETA: They have the same filter on Amazon.com for $29 and it's only $17 for next day shipping :)

[annnewjerz]

So it's time to get back on the ball with this PTR. I have been slacking, because the 90 day mark for our December trip is rapidly approaching---this coming Sunday I get to make my ADRs :hyper: :hyper:

First and foremost, I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend. Ours was way too busy and the three days just flew by. We had a family picnic on Saturday, another on Sunday and a cook-out with the neighbors on Monday. Doesn't sound like too much, but add that to the housework, the cooking for the picnics, etc. and it was exhausting!! :faint:

I can't believe Summer is pretty much over already. I didn't step foot on the New Jersey shore even once this whole season, and considering they found medical waste on the beaches this weekend (i.e. needles, feminine hygiene products, etc.) I'm kind of happy I didn't. :eek:

Yesterday we had the dogs out back to give them their last treat of the summer, a watermelon that had been sitting on the counter getting ripe for a few weeks. They loved it and per a request over on the Photo Board's "Pets" thread---I documented it.

http://www.andrealusasphotography.com/photos/642702596_TEKdn-M.jpg

http://www.andrealusasphotography.com/photos/642711457_rbeot-M.jpg

http://www.andrealusasphotography.com/photos/642698284_pjePH-M.jpg

http://www.andrealusasphotography.com/photos/642702748_SRBCC-M.jpg

http://www.andrealusasphotography.com/photos/642695267_LeGRT-M.jpg

http://www.andrealusasphotography.com/photos/642697444_CoYn2-M.jpg

http://www.andrealusasphotography.com/photos/642698616_XAN88-M.jpg

[KathyRN137]

Great doggie pix, Ann! paw:

Good luck with your ADRs Sunday!


Kathy

[annnewjerz]

Great doggie pix, Ann! paw:

Good luck with your ADRs Sunday!


Kathy

Thanks for popping in Kathy!! :goodvibes

I'm looking forward to ADRs. Apparently, a lot of people are able to book online now at 3:00am EST, so I'll either be going to sleep very early tonight or staying up veeeerrry late to make my reservations. Gotta finalize the plan tonight and from there, all I can do is cross my fingers and hope the stars align!

[annnewjerz]

Well everyone, today we actually made some progress on the trip planning front---and made a change while I was at it!

I realized that we are officially 30 days from WDW today and had a minor freak-out. I've been so wrapped up in planning for our trip in December that I have completely lost track of how quickly our October trip is approaching.

As of today, I still hadn't scheduled the Magical Express, figured out 100% if we are doing costumes for MNSSHP or not, started a packing list, bought a new camera strap---the list goes on and on. :surfweb:

So about an hour ago, I checked Southwest for one last time and resigned myself to the fact that we will, indeed, be flying out of Baltimore instead of Philly. While it's an inconvenience in the sense that it is about 2.5 hours away from our house, it's not really that bad once you consider the fact that our initial plan was to drive all the way from NJ to FL and back in one 3-day weekend. :eek:

I called up the Disney reservations line and finally added the Magical Express to our reservation. So now, instead of just getting to MCO, we can actually get to our resort!! ;)

After I was done adding the Magical Express, I got to thinking that maybe I should reconsider the dining reservations we had booked. The original plan was The Plaza Restaurant on October 17th for my birthday, as well as October 18th before MNSSHP. Originally, this sounded like a great plan for our trip on a budget. Quick, easy, inexpensive and most importantly TASTY. Well, we may be eating at The Plaza two times in December also, and thinking it might be a little bit of burger and milkshake overload I decided to celebrate my birthday with something a little more special.

So.............instead of The Plaza for my birthday, I booked..............

The Wave!

:woohoo: It was one of the two I was considering initially and since it seems to be getting good reviews, why not? It is my birthday after all. :)

Next on the list is going to be doing a clothing inventory to see if we need to buy anything before we leave, and to purchase some photography related stuff that I need (I use that word loosely) before October.

So that's my update for the day. Hope everyone is having a fantastic week. Only a month more until I'm in The World!!!!!

[annnewjerz]

After so much waffling back and forth about whether to dress up for MNSSHP or not----it is officially decided, we're doing it! I even started buying the components to my costume, so there's no turning back now!

We are going as.............

(drumroll please).............

THE VILLAGE PEOPLE! :rotfl2: :rotfl:

There are only four of us going to MNSSHP, so we won't be the whole group, but most of it. I am going to be the Indiana, my DH is going to be the sailor (since he was a sailor in real life for 8 years), my DBIL is going to be a cowboy and my DBIL's boyfriend is going to be the construction worker.

Someone at my work came up with this idea. I wanted cheap, fun, easy to wear and not too hot so this will be perfect.

Mostly, we'll wear normal clothing and then accessorize for our individual costumes. I'll wear a dress with a feather headdress, some basic face paint and fringed flip flops. My DH will wear a white t-shirt with some of his ribbons/medals and a dixie cup sailor hat. My DBIL is planning on wearing a plaid shirt, tying some rope around his beltloop and maybe wearing a cowboy hat if he can find one for cheap and his BF will be wearing a reflective vest, some cutoff shorts and maybe a toolbelt of some sort.

So happy that decision is made. Now I just have to order/make everything else we'll need and it's another thing I can cross off of the pre-trip to-do list. :thumbsup2

[disneygirlinnj]

Good choice on the wave!! I've only heard amazing things about it :) And I LOVE the idea of the Village People! hahahahhaa!

[annnewjerz]

Good choice on the wave!! I've only heard amazing things about it :) And I LOVE the idea of the Village People! hahahahhaa!

I'm hoping it's good---I'm even going to break my vow of abstaining from alcohol until our trip in December to have an antioxidant cocktail for my birthday. I saw a picture of it on someone's dining review recently and it looked soooo good. :thumbsup2

[scoot241]

I've also heard nothing but good about The Wave and saw a delicious chocolate dessert from there in the food porn thread recently. Should be delicious!

[annnewjerz]

Well---I changed our dinner reservation again. Anyone surprised?? :rolleyes1

Originally, we had The Plaza for my birthday dinner. Then, I switched to The Wave. Now, we are booked at Todd English's bluezoo in the Dolphin.

Here is my logic:

1. It's not on the DDP, where The Plaza and The Wave are, which means we can't try it in December---so this is our shot.

2. We have The Plaza and The Wave booked for our trip in December, so this will keep us from spoiling the surprise for that trip.

3. It's right near the Boardwalk, which means if we reaaaaally want to, we can pop into Beaches & Cream for a No Way Jose dessert.

4. It was recommended by Carrie, so it's got to be good, right?

So that's where we're at for now. I don't hear too much about bluezoo on the boards and they had every timeslot that I tried to reserve available (5:00, 5:30, 6:00, 8:00, 8:30, 9:00) so I'm hoping all ends well with a belly full of birthday seafood! :thumbsup2

The plan is:

12:30pm / Arrive at CSR
1:30pm - 5:00pm / Magic Kingdom
5:00 - 7:30pm / Dinner at Todd English's bluezoo
7:30 - 11:30pm / Magic Kingdom

Almost at the three-week mark, time to start getting excited people!!! :yay: :woohoo:

[scoot241]

Ummm... never heard of it. :confused3

Let us know how it is!

[annnewjerz]

Ummm... never heard of it. :confused3

Let us know how it is!

Take a look-see. It's a seafood place.

http://www.swandolphinrestaurants.com/bluezoo/

[lurkyloo]

Yaaaaay! :yay: I like your new plan. I admit, I was a Disney-restaurant-only :snooty: until my last trip, but then when I tried bluezoo and Shula's at the Dolphin, I was like "Forget :snooty:ery - these places are great!" It's just too bad you have to go to the Dolphin to eat at them.... :rotfl:

So.... I sure hope you like the place, or I'monna owe you a birfday dinner! :scared:

[scoot241]

Yaaaaay! :yay: I like your new plan. I admit, I was a Disney-restaurant-only :snooty: until my last trip, but then when I tried bluezoo and Shula's at the Dolphin, I was like "Forget :snooty:ery - these places are great!" It's just too bad you have to go to the Dolphin to eat at them.... :rotfl:

So.... I sure hope you like the place, or I'monna owe you a birfday dinner! :scared:

The other side of that is, while bluezoo seems to be only at the Dolphin, there is a Shula's about three blocks from my office. Even though I haven't eaten there yet, I don't think I would want to eat an expensive dinner at a place I can eat at while at home. (Earl of Sandwich is a different story :rotfl:) I'd rather be trying other restaurants.

bluezoo certainly looks like a nice place to eat though!

[annnewjerz]

Yaaaaay! :yay: I like your new plan. I admit, I was a Disney-restaurant-only :snooty: until my last trip, but then when I tried bluezoo and Shula's at the Dolphin, I was like "Forget :snooty:ery - these places are great!" It's just too bad you have to go to the Dolphin to eat at them.... :rotfl:

So.... I sure hope you like the place, or I'monna owe you a birfday dinner! :scared:

I'm excited to try it out!! :hyper: :hyper:

Where we eat in The World has always been dictated by the dining plan (the only time I've gone as an adult with DH was during free dining), so it'll be nice to get outside of the disney restaurant box that we've always been confined to.

We love seafood and honestly aren't very picky, so as long as I don't feel like it was any old seafood I could have gotten at the NJ shore but for double the price---no "birfday" dinner will be owed! :thumbsup2 :rotfl2:

The other side of that is, while bluezoo seems to be only at the Dolphin, there is a Shula's about three blocks from my office. Even though I haven't eaten there yet, I don't think I would want to eat an expensive dinner at a place I can eat at while at home. (Earl of Sandwich is a different story :rotfl:) I'd rather be trying other restaurants.

bluezoo certainly looks like a nice place to eat though!

I feel ya on this one. I like to try new things on vaca and luckily for us, we don't even have an EOS in NJ, so it'll all be new and exciting! :yay:

[annnewjerz]

Less than 3 weeks to go now until our weekend in WDW. I am so stressed out. About work, about getting the house in tip-top condition before we leave, about forgetting to bring something, about going to BWI airport for the first time----about EVERYTHING.

On the upside, I think DH is finally starting to get a litttttttle bit excited about our upcoming weekend trip. I mentioned it to him yesterday that we were only 3 weeks away and he smiled, which was nice compared to the normal eye roll I get when I bring up Disney yet again. :rolleyes:

Friday night we went out for an early anniversary dinner to this chain seafood restaurant in town, McCormick & Scmicks. We didn't feel like going all the way into Philly to get anything fancy, so this was good enough. I wanted broaden my seafood horizons, so to speak, since we'll be eating at bluezoo and Flying Fish on upcoming trips.

I tried mussels for the first time, as well as scallops. The mussels kind of grossed me out. The broth they were cooked in wasn't to my liking and having to actually remove them from the shell wasn't fun. The scallops, however, were awesome. They came with a butternut squash rissoto and it was so yummy. The combination of the sauce, the fall taste of the squash and the scallops was nice. I'll definitely be getting the scallop appetizer at bluezoo now. :thumbsup2

I also did some shopping for travel sized toiletries yesterday, since we're trying to do carry-on only this trip. While Southwest allows two checked bags for free, they don't participate in the RAC program at the Disney resorts and who really feels like waiting in line at MCO just to check bags? Not me. It'll be hard enough knowing we are coming home from Florida already, but it'll be that much worse if we have to fight a long line in the airport.

Here's what I got. I'm not very well versed in carry-on only, so if anyone can think of anything else to add, please do let me know:

- Shampoo
- Conditioner
- Face wash
- Lotion
- Purell
- Toothpaste
- Mouthwash
- Deodorant
- Shaving cream

I also have some other non-liquid/gel stuff that I bought:

- Bar soap
- Travel sized pain killers
- Shout wipes
- Q tips

So---I'm sure I'm missing something. Thoughts?

I can't believe I only have two more weekends to get everything together and done. So much to do, so little time!

[scoot241]

I don't remember where you're staying off-hand (and I'm on my iPhone so it might take a while to find it), but Southwest does do resort check-in at Pop. I used it on my trip and it was great.

[annnewjerz]

I don't remember where you're staying off-hand (and I'm on my iPhone so it might take a while to find it), but Southwest does do resort check-in at Pop. I used it on my trip and it was great.

Coronado Springs. We were at POP for a while, but once the new fall discount codes came out---I upgraded as an anniversary present for DH.

I knew they were running a trial for Southwest and the RAC at POP and was excited to try it out, but wasn't sure how long it'd be running for. I hope that the trial goes well and whenever we eventually get back, it'll be running at all of the WDW resorts. :thumbsup2

[inkedupmomma]

Ok, I am here! you will love CSR! The dig site pool is amazingggg! I like your style! Everything you have written sounds like it could have come outta my mouth! I have a hard time sticking to one plan..not when there are sooo mnay fun options in WDW!

I also tend to "need" lots of stuff..especially right before trips! I think if I stopped buying all the stuff that I "need", I could prolly afford another vacation during the year:rolleyes1

Getting so excited for you! Can not wait to hear about your Blue Zoo experience!

Oh and you are going to MNSSHP on John and mines anniversary! i am soo mega jealous!

Since you live so close, you should consider coming to beautiful Bucks County for some Fall photography!!

[annnewjerz]

Ok, I am here! you will love CSR! The dig site pool is amazingggg! I like your style! Everything you have written sounds like it could have come outta my mouth! I have a hard time sticking to one plan..not when there are sooo mnay fun options in WDW!

I also tend to "need" lots of stuff..especially right before trips! I think if I stopped buying all the stuff that I "need", I could prolly afford another vacation during the year:rolleyes1

Getting so excited for you! Can not wait to hear about your Blue Zoo experience!

Oh and you are going to MNSSHP on John and mines anniversary! i am soo mega jealous!

Since you live so close, you should consider coming to beautiful Bucks County for some Fall photography!!

YAY! You stopped by this one too. This PTR is like the neglected little kid of the family, I really wanted to make it better but unfortunately have no interest in spending the time to do it. :headache:

I'm so glad to hear we'll like CSR. I'm really looking forward to any pics you might have from the resort. We were hesitant about CSR (almost booked POR instead) but the new rooms just looked too pretty to not see in person.

Unfortunately, my "needs" are mostly photography related and some (DH) would swear I don't need anything at all, but a $600 lens later and some miscellaneous junk and I think I'm all set for WDW!

Happy early anniversary! I'll make sure to have enough fun for all of us. ;)

I am in Bucks County all the time! New Hope is one of my favorite places to walk around and see the sights when I'm in a photography rut. There's always something to shoot there.

[inkedupmomma]

YAY! You stopped by this one too. This PTR is like the neglected little kid of the family, I really wanted to make it better but unfortunately have no interest in spending the time to do it. :headache:
I totally understand this! But I think you did a good job of keeping it interesting!
I'm so glad to hear we'll like CSR. I'm really looking forward to any pics you might have from the resort. We were hesitant about CSR (almost booked POR instead) but the new rooms just looked too pretty to not see in person.
the rooms are magnificent! the queen size bed, truly made a difference! so did the extra walking room! Well, with 2 kids anyway!
Unfortunately, my "needs" are mostly photography related and some (DH) would swear I don't need anything at all, but a $600 lens later and some miscellaneous junk and I think I'm all set for WDW!
I just bought my first DSLR.. I have such a passion for photography that it burns me..so i just went ahead and bought one! I have NO clue what I am doing though! I do wish we had upgraded our lens before we left! so i think that was a smart choice on your part!
Happy early anniversary! I'll make sure to have enough fun for all of us. ;)
:hug:
I am in Bucks County all the time! New Hope is one of my favorite places to walk around and see the sights when I'm in a photography rut. There's always something to shoot there.

As luck would have it, I am in beautiful new Hope.. wait did you know that from my TR?? I can never remember if I actually mention what town we are in lol

[annnewjerz]

As luck would have it, I am in beautiful new Hope.. wait did you know that from my TR?? I can never remember if I actually mention what town we are in lol

Squee! (that's my very happy noise) So glad you liked the rooms and the queen sized beds, I'm really looking forward to that.

Unfortunately, this lens was not an upgrade---it was just another lens on the long list of lenses that I buy. Next will be a good telephoto lens, and that one will really hurt the wallet---it's $1200! :scared: That'll be in the new year, when my photography budget replenishes itself. This year has been well over $1000, so DH has officially cut me off. :goodvibes

Nope, did not notice that from your TR---so what a weird coinky dink. :rotfl2:

[inkedupmomma]

Squee! (that's my very happy noise) So glad you liked the rooms and the queen sized beds, I'm really looking forward to that.

Unfortunately, this lens was not an upgrade---it was just another lens on the long list of lenses that I buy. Next will be a good telephoto lens, and that one will really hurt the wallet---it's $1200! :scared: That'll be in the new year, when my photography budget replenishes itself. This year has been well over $1000, so DH has officially cut me off. :goodvibes

Nope, did not notice that from your TR---so what a weird coinky dink. :rotfl2:

I really liked it there! I do not have a whole lot but Values to compare it to though LOL.

My next lens will be an upgrade from what I have now.. which is what it came with LOL.. so that is considered an upgrade..right ? lol The telephoto is dreamy..and in my future.. just not the veryy verry near fture. But the future!

yay, for weird coinky dinks ;)

[annnewjerz]

Hi everyone. Just wanted to pop in to let you know I have started a dining review thread for our October trip on the Dining Reviews board.

Here (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=33748618#post33748618) is the link---hope you all can join me! :goodvibes

[DWGal210]

Hi everyone. Just wanted to pop in to let you know I have started a dining review thread for our October trip on the Dining Reviews board.

Here (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=33748618#post33748618) is the link---hope you all can join me! :goodvibes

Off to your link right now! See you on the other side! :thumbsup2

[scoot241]

Hi everyone. Just wanted to pop in to let you know I have started a dining review thread for our October trip on the Dining Reviews board.

Here (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=33748618#post33748618) is the link---hope you all can join me! :goodvibes

Left an awesomely inappropriate (maybe) comment on your dining review thread. :)

[annnewjerz]

Off to your link right now! See you on the other side! :thumbsup2

:yay: Thanks for joining me on the dining reviews board---it's always nice to see a familiar---er----uh----avatar?? :lmao:

Left an awesomely inappropriate (maybe) comment on your dining review thread. :)

:rotfl2: Very nice. I had to come up with some use for my wedding dress, what better than being a zombie bride for Halloween? :confused3

[annnewjerz]

Today I went out on lunch to Target in search of some gallon and quart sized zip-loc baggies, a must for any luggage packer if you ask me.

I had previously looked at Target for a cheap brown dress that I could cut up to make it look like fringe and came out empty handed. How could it be, I asked myself, that there were no plain brown cotton dresses. They could be short sleeved, spaghetti strapped or strapless---I just needed a brown dress!!! :headache:

Today I decided to give Target one last look before either A) resigning myself to the fact that I would have a not-so Native American looking outfit and just hope that people saw the feather headband and "got it" or B) I'd have to shred a dress I actually wear in my everyday life, neither of which I was happy about doing.

I poked around the clothing racks, feeling sad because all of the heavy fall clothing had been put out and based on the weather forecasts I have been looking at---heavy fall clothing just wasn't going to do. I even looked through the clearance racks thinking maybe, just maybe I'd see something I wanted but nothing hit the nail on the head. Too heavy, too fancy, too long, too short, still too expensive for a Halloween costume I'm ultimately going to rip up.

Then I saw it...

Tucked back among racks of pants, a piece of brown jersey fabric calling my name. It was a dress, a light cotton spaghetti strapped dress at that. Too good to be true!!

I thought to myself, surely this is going to be the wrong size. But it wasn't.

Then I thought, surely this is going to be too expensive still (I was looking for $10 or under). But it wasn't!!!

I ended up walking out of the store with a dress that cost...

::wait for it::

::wait for it::

::drumroll please::

$2.24!!! WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?! I've never gotten a dress for $2.24 ever. Just when I was starting to feel that the costume would never come together, the planets align and I find exactly what I need a mere 17 days before our trip.

After I was done doing the cabbage patch all around the store :woohoo: I decided not to press my luck further and checked out.

One more thing that can be crossed off the list, only about 100 more to do before we go. ;)

[inkedupmomma]

what an awesome find! I love when I find stuff for super dirt cheap at Target! yay for you!

[annnewjerz]

what an awesome find! I love when I find stuff for super dirt cheap at Target! yay for you!

I KNOW! Seriously, I'm a bargain hunter, but I've never found a dress for less than a cup of coffee. Now when you take into account that I'll be cutting the dress up---I guess the bargain is somewhat diminished, but whatev---it was still $2.24! :cutie:

[annnewjerz]

Oy vey! Today we are at our 13 or 14 day mark, I can't really tell. :confused3 :rotfl2: These countdown tickers are just too confusing.

At this time in two weeks, I will be (hopefully) standing on Main Street watching Wishes for the first time ever. I've only ever seen part of the show while we were walking out of the parks---couldn't even stomach the thought of the crowds. This time, I'm getting there an hour early and hoping for the best. :thumbsup2 Wish me luck!!! :hyper: :hyper:

There is a little bit of trip news. Yesterday, I added a breakfast reservation at Kona Cafe for the trip. We were planning to eat at Captain Cook's, but breakfast is super cheap anyway---so why not just have a nice relaxing sit down meal?

Can anyone tell my dining budget has basically been tossed out the window?? :rotfl:

I'm hoping to try the Tonga Toast for the first time, but I'm not sure I'll like it (not a huge fan of regular french toast and I can't pawn it off on DH because he hates banana). If not, I'll just get the macademia pancakes---those look good too. :thumbsup2

Today, I also sorted through my pins to separate any traders I have from the ones I plan to wear. Unfortunately, I realized I dropped the ball on pins today and completely forgot to buy a lanyard. I'll have to do that next.

For this trip the initial plan was to take my Haunted Mansion pins and wear them for MNSSHP, but I don't think it will really "go" with the Indian costume, so I'm skipping the pins that day. Instead, for my birthday on the 17th I'll wear my Chip & Dale collection, as well as my Vinylmation set and then maybe do a little trading here and there. I'm new to the whole pin thing, so we'll see how it pans out. DH completely refuses to wear any of the pins, no matter how manly. He's "too cool" for that, but not too cool to wear his Splash Mountain t-shirt out to dinner this summer. :rolleyes:

I also started putting together my "Disney box" today. I stole this idea from KathyRN :goodvibes Basically, it provided me with one central location to keep everything that I plan on packing. From costume components, to travel sized toiletries to earbuds for my iPOD, the box is already overflowing and I think I'll have to upgrade on Monday. This whole "carry on only" thing is going to be the death of me.

Today we also started really getting into cleaning the house. Whenever I go away, I like to come home to a clean house. It can be a complete mess most of the time and usually I overlook it---but the last thing I want to come back from vacation to see is a messy house to remind me that we are no longer in WDW. Plus, my Mom will be dog-sitting for us this go around, so I need to make sure the house is in suitable condition for a guest. This includes cleaning DH's "man room" (a room in his house painted Eagles green that he has a mini-fridge in for when he plays video games, etc.) What an undertaking that was!!

So---now that I've bored all of you to death, that about concludes this update. We still have so much to do tomorrow and next weekend but I feel like we are making some progress and that's a very good thing. :yay: :yay:

[inkedupmomma]

I KNOW! Seriously, I'm a bargain hunter, but I've never found a dress for less than a cup of coffee. Now when you take into account that I'll be cutting the dress up---I guess the bargain is somewhat diminished, but whatev---it was still $2.24! :cutie:
for $2.24 throw it out, who cares LOL. that's cheapp!
Oy vey! Today we are at our 13 or 14 day mark, I can't really tell. :confused3 :rotfl2: These countdown tickers are just too confusing.
:banana:
At this time in two weeks, I will be (hopefully) standing on Main Street watching Wishes for the first time ever. I've only ever seen part of the show while we were walking out of the parks---couldn't even stomach the thought of the crowds. This time, I'm getting there an hour early and hoping for the best. :thumbsup2 Wish me luck!!! :hyper: :hyper:
Oh wow, the 1st time ever! It's awesome! I cry....
There is a little bit of trip news. Yesterday, I added a breakfast reservation at Kona Cafe for the trip. We were planning to eat at Captain Cook's, but breakfast is super cheap anyway---so why not just have a nice relaxing sit down meal?
Kona breakfast is freaking amazingggg! and not expensive either! Def a must do for us every trip!
Can anyone tell my dining budget has basically been tossed out the window?? :rotfl:
:laughing:
I'm hoping to try the Tonga Toast for the first time, but I'm not sure I'll like it (not a huge fan of regular french toast and I can't pawn it off on DH because he hates banana). If not, I'll just get the macademia pancakes---those look good too. :thumbsup2
i was a fan of the tonga toast until I realized it had banana in it. saw some on my last trip and it just didn't look like something I would love!

Today, I also sorted through my pins to separate any traders I have from the ones I plan to wear. Unfortunately, I realized I dropped the ball on pins today and completely forgot to buy a lanyard. I'll have to do that next.
get one in wdw?
For this trip the initial plan was to take my Haunted Mansion pins and wear them for MNSSHP, but I don't think it will really "go" with the Indian costume, so I'm skipping the pins that day. Instead, for my birthday on the 17th I'll wear my Chip & Dale collection, as well as my Vinylmation set and then maybe do a little trading here and there. I'm new to the whole pin thing, so we'll see how it pans out. DH completely refuses to wear any of the pins, no matter how manly. He's "too cool" for that, but not too cool to wear his Splash Mountain t-shirt out to dinner this summer. :rolleyes:
my john won't wear one either, but likes helping the kids! he thinks they are cool for display at home too!
I also started putting together my "Disney box" today. I stole this idea from KathyRN :goodvibes Basically, it provided me with one central location to keep everything that I plan on packing. From costume components, to travel sized toiletries to earbuds for my iPOD, the box is already overflowing and I think I'll have to upgrade on Monday. This whole "carry on only" thing is going to be the death of me.
I have a disney box...or 5 too!
Today we also started really getting into cleaning the house. Whenever I go away, I like to come home to a clean house. It can be a complete mess most of the time and usually I overlook it---but the last thing I want to come back from vacation to see is a messy house to remind me that we are no longer in WDW. Plus, my Mom will be dog-sitting for us this go around, so I need to make sure the house is in suitable condition for a guest. This includes cleaning DH's "man room" (a room in his house painted Eagles green that he has a mini-fridge in for when he plays video games, etc.) What an undertaking that was!!
let me tell you, I cleaned my house like no other before we left, and coming back was SO MUCH EASIER! I loved not having to do a thing..although that didn't last long lol
So---now that I've bored all of you to death, that about concludes this update. We still have so much to do tomorrow and next weekend but I feel like we are making some progress and that's a very good thing. :yay: :yay:

I am so excited for you guys!

[KathyRN137]

Tucked back among racks of pants, a piece of brown jersey fabric calling my name. It was a dress, a light cotton spaghetti strapped dress at that. Too good to be true!!

I thought to myself, surely this is going to be the wrong size. But it wasn't.

Then I thought, surely this is going to be too expensive still (I was looking for $10 or under). But it wasn't!!!



Amazingly good luck with your costume-dress. . . the shopping goddesses were with you that day!

Only $2.24?? Outrageous! :cool1:


Kathy

[KathyRN137]

I also started putting together my "Disney box" today. I stole this idea from KathyRN :goodvibes

Puh-leez! Me and half the DIS-boards!! :laughing:


Basically, it provided me with one central location to keep everything that I plan on packing. From costume components, to travel sized toiletries to earbuds for my iPOD, the box is already overflowing...


I'm planning on mailing the bulkier costume items (like four pirate hats!) to the resort. Mail a box addressed to yourself, include your dates of stay on the label. Ask for it at check-in and you can pick it up with your KTTW cards! :thumbsup2

I've done this on every Disney trip and it works out well. . . plus, you've got the box with you in your room so you can use it as a convenient spot to corral all the purchases :rolleyes1 you make during your vacation.


Kathy

[annnewjerz]

Puh-leez! Me and half the DIS-boards!! :laughing:

I honestly have never heard of such a box before. Usually I start loading stuff into my suitcase a while in advance----but a box? Never. I like the idea, since we are only doing carry-ons and didn't really have anything big enough as a central packing location/container.




I'm planning on mailing the bulkier costume items (like four pirate hats!) to the resort. Mail a box addressed to yourself, include your dates of stay on the label. Ask for it at check-in and you can pick it up with your KTTW cards! :thumbsup2

I've done this on every Disney trip and it works out well. . . plus, you've got the box with you in your room so you can use it as a convenient spot to corral all the purchases :rolleyes1 you make during your vacation.


Kathy

That's a great idea! I am already mailing my tripod (and paying to have CSR receive it :rolleyes:) so I might as well toss in some odds and ends like sunscreen and various costume components to ease up the load in our carry-ons. Maybe I'll even put my pins in there, since I'm super paranoid that TSA won't allow me to carry them on and I'll have to throw a couple hundred bucks in the trash. :eek:

[spinetnglr]

Ok I just sat here and read this entire trip thread and you have me seriously more excited than I was before. I thought I would join this thread since there is a small chance I will be in the actual trip part of the report ... I was happy to read you will be wearing a dress to MNSSHP .. might give me a slight advantage during the mud wrestling bout to get my 10.5mm back in time to shoot HalloWishes :lmao:

[annnewjerz]

Ok I just sat here and read this entire trip thread and you have me seriously more excited than I was before. I thought I would join this thread since there is a small chance I will be in the actual trip part of the report ... I was happy to read you will be wearing a dress to MNSSHP .. might give me a slight advantage during the mud wrestling bout to get my 10.5mm back in time to shoot HalloWishes :lmao:

Wow, Karyl---you have a lot of time on your hands tonight, huh?? ;)

Thanks for stopping in. You most definitely will be part of the TR, so it's good of you to check in every once in a while to see what I'm eventually writing about you. Could be good, could be not so good. Bwahahahaha!! ::insert evil smiley here::

Like I said, we can call off any mud wrestling---I'm going to use the 10.5 for Wishes the night before (at least I hope to), that way you can experiment with it for HalloWishes. I mean cmon---it's your lens, who am I to hog it? :cutie:

Less than two weeks now!! Glad to see this TR helped you to get excited and provided some sort of brief weekend entertainment. :thumbsup2

[scoot241]

Wow, Karyl---you have a lot of time on your hands tonight, huh?? ;)

Thanks for stopping in. You most definitely will be part of the TR, so it's good of you to check in every once in a while to see what I'm eventually writing about you. Could be good, could be not so good. Bwahahahaha!! ::insert evil smiley here::

Like I said, we can call off any mud wrestling---I'm going to use the 10.5 for Wishes the night before (at least I hope to), that way you can experiment with it for HalloWishes. I mean cmon---it's your lens, who am I to hog it? :cutie:

Less than two weeks now!! Glad to see this TR helped you to get excited and provided some sort of brief weekend entertainment. :thumbsup2

Mud wrestling? You are bringing a video camera, right? :rotfl:

[annnewjerz]

Mud wrestling? You are bringing a video camera, right? :rotfl:

My D90 takes HD video---does that count? Now, if only I could convince DH to record it, instant YouTube sensation. :rotfl2: :rotfl2:

[spinetnglr]

Wow, Karyl---you have a lot of time on your hands tonight, huh?? ;)

Thanks for stopping in. You most definitely will be part of the TR, so it's good of you to check in every once in a while to see what I'm eventually writing about you. Could be good, could be not so good. Bwahahahaha!! ::insert evil smiley here::

Like I said, we can call off any mud wrestling---I'm going to use the 10.5 for Wishes the night before (at least I hope to), that way you can experiment with it for HalloWishes. I mean cmon---it's your lens, who am I to hog it? :cutie:

Less than two weeks now!! Glad to see this TR helped you to get excited and provided some sort of brief weekend entertainment. :thumbsup2

LOL I did have some time on my hands tonight and somehow managed to get sucked into this thread and couldnt get out. Actually I didnt have so much time as much as I just needed a break from PP photos. I shot ummmmmmmmmmm <cough cough> 700+ photos the past two days. The first 200+ were pictures of an adorable grandson of my friend. Then this morning I shot another 200+ for another friend whose daughter and granddaughters are in town from North Carolina. I had just got back from that and realized our small town Halloween parade was today at 2:30 so I hopped back in the car, went and staked out a good spot and shot another almost 300 pics of the parade ... needless to say I have a few evenings of PP ahead of me.

Its hard to believe there is only one weekend left between now and our trips to the World ... It seems like just last week that I decided to take a solo trip and now its almost here :yay::yay:

[scoot241]

My D90 takes HD video---does that count? Now, if only I could convince DH to record it, instant YouTube sensation. :rotfl2: :rotfl2:

Yes, that counts! :lmao:

Have you used the D90s HD video? Does it work well?

[annnewjerz]

Yes, that counts! :lmao:

Have you used the D90s HD video? Does it work well?

Nope, haven't used it at all. Not big on video---we don't have any kids yet so there really isn't much I have an interest in recording. From what I understand, it takes very nice video, but it doesn't continually focus so you have to do so while shooting. I'm sooo not interested in doing that.

[scoot241]

Nope, haven't used it at all. Not big on video---we don't have any kids yet so there really isn't much I have an interest in recording. From what I understand, it takes very nice video, but it doesn't continually focus so you have to do so while shooting. I'm sooo not interested in doing that.

Continuous manual focus? No thanks! Maybe you could set the lens to infinity?I doubt I'd use it much either.

[annnewjerz]

I called out of work today. I didn't pretend to be sick, I didn't fake a cough or sniffle when I called out---I just couldn't go in. I needed a mental health day, as I like to call them.

This weekend was very productive in terms of house cleaning and trip prepping. We got most of the upstairs sorted/packed away/cleaned and straightened up the downstairs. The real cleaning part (the dusting, sweeping, last minute straightening, dishes, etc.) will be done next weekend/week before we leave.

Here's the thing about me. In my normal everyday life, I'm a bit unorganized and a bit lazy when it comes to keeping the house super tidy. It's not a total mess or anything, but definitely wouldn't pass the Mary Poppins white glove test. BUT, all that goes out the window when we're about to leave for a trip. There are few things I like more than coming home to a nice clean house after a vacation. I love not having to worry about anything for the first few days after we are back. It's nice and definitely helps ease me back into the real world.

So anywho, today I decided that I wanted to do some more pre-vacation stuff, as well as just take a day to relax. It seems like recently between work, vacation prepping, etc. I just haven't had the time to really sit around and do nothing and I stongly believe that's something we should all do every once in a while.

I didn't sleep in today, but I did get our ADRs/dining credit situation worked out, I added the DME for our December trip, I called up CSR to figure out where we ship a package and how much it'll cost (my tripod), I cut the grass, cleaned the bathroom and did some dishes. I also started to organize my "Disney box" and lots of other fun stuff.

All in all the day wasn't very relaxing at all, but it was productive and was definitely more fun than being at work, for sure.

Only 9.5 more work days until we leave for Disney!! :woohoo:

[inkedupmomma]

I called out of work today. I didn't pretend to be sick, I didn't fake a cough or sniffle when I called out---I just couldn't go in. I needed a mental health day, as I like to call them.

This weekend was very productive in terms of house cleaning and trip prepping. We got most of the upstairs sorted/packed away/cleaned and straightened up the downstairs. The real cleaning part (the dusting, sweeping, last minute straightening, dishes, etc.) will be done next weekend/week before we leave.

Here's the thing about me. In my normal everyday life, I'm a bit unorganized and a bit lazy when it comes to keeping the house super tidy. It's not a total mess or anything, but definitely wouldn't pass the Mary Poppins white glove test. BUT, all that goes out the window when we're about to leave for a trip. There are few things I like more than coming home to a nice clean house after a vacation. I love not having to worry about anything for the first few days after we are back. It's nice and definitely helps ease me back into the real world.

So anywho, today I decided that I wanted to do some more pre-vacation stuff, as well as just take a day to relax. It seems like recently between work, vacation prepping, etc. I just haven't had the time to really sit around and do nothing and I stongly believe that's something we should all do every once in a while.

I didn't sleep in today, but I did get our ADRs/dining credit situation worked out, I added the DME for our December trip, I called up CSR to figure out where we ship a package and how much it'll cost (my tripod), I cut the grass, cleaned the bathroom and did some dishes. I also started to organize my "Disney box" and lots of other fun stuff.

All in all the day wasn't very relaxing at all, but it was productive and was definitely more fun than being at work, for sure.

Only 9.5 more work days until we leave for Disney!! :woohoo:

Yay for lazy productivity! Life is better when you can do everything in jammies!

[disneygirlinnj]

all caught up! great find on the dress....and now heading to the dining report.. :)

[annnewjerz]

Yay for lazy productivity! Life is better when you can do everything in jammies!

I couldn't agree more. PJs and bare feet all day every day would be the life for me.

all caught up! great find on the dress....and now heading to the dining report.. :)

I appreciate that you are catching up on my PTRs, but we need photos and dining reviews from your trip! I'm getting antsy!! :hyper: :hyper: :rotfl2:

[annnewjerz]

Oh..........my...........gosh..........

we are only 10 (almost 9) mother effing days away from our trip!!!

It hadn't set in yet, but I think it just did when I got an e-mail from Disney telling me I could do online check-in for our trip. :hyper: :hyper: :hyper:

I can't freakin believe it's almost time. I'm excited, maybe even too excited to sleep tonight. ;)

On a trip planning note, I went out to Party City tonight and found some costume components, which is such a load off because I was really starting to get stressed about the costumes coming together. I bought DH a dixie cup cap, since we couldn't find one of his official Navy hats. He dug up some of his uniforms and now his costume is set.

My costume, on the other hand, I need some input on. I have a dress that I'm fringing up and fringe flip flops, as well as a beaded necklace and bracelet, but I'm a little stumped on the headband/headdress situation.

At Party City today, I bought a headband that looks similar to this:

http://www.black-bear-haversack.com/images/2_Feather_Head_Band.JPG

I also bought another that looks similar to this:

http://www.thehatco.com/media/Novelty_Hats/LA_3571_MI.jpg

The first, to me, looks more like something a woman would wear. The second, looks more like something an Indian Chief would wear. Now, I am a woman, so I have a tendency to like the first best. BUT I am dressing as a Village Person, who were all men, so the second seems to make more sense.

What do you guys think??

[scoot241]

So did you actually check in online?

I think I like the second set of feathers, but I'm a guy. :rotfl:

[annnewjerz]

So did you actually check in online?

I think I like the second set of feathers, but I'm a guy. :rotfl:

I did check-in online. I wasn't going to because secretly I thought to myself "if I check-in with a person, maybe they'll see it's my birthday today and give me an upgraded room", but then I decided that whatever happens, we're still in Disney and I'll at the very least get what I paid for, so no biggie.

I like the second set of feathers also, they're just huge. They must stand a foot and a half higher than my head and I can only imagine that might be annoying for me, and for the guests behind me on whatever rides we do.

Hmmmmmmmm.

[disneygirlinnj]

I loved online check in when we did it. They also gave us a very close room to everything so who knows if we got some pixie dust thrown in there. :)

As for the headdresses... the first one is cute! I think it'll be easier to manage in the parks. The 2nd one is awesome but I think it might get annoying after awhile. :)

I promise I'm close to getting a first installment of a TR soon! :)

[scoot241]

I loved online check in when we did it. They also gave us a very close room to everything so who knows if we got some pixie dust thrown in there. :)

I promise I'm close to getting a first installment of a TR soon! :)

Yeah, online checkin was really smooth for me too. We got what we requested, and that's all I was really hoping for.

The word "soon" always reminds me of Spaceballs. "When will then be now?" "Soon." "How soon?"

[annnewjerz]

Alright folks, it's that time already. "What time is that?" you may be thinking. Well I'll tell ya, it's time for....


THE SINGLE DIGIT DANCE!!!!

(The "Cabbage Patch" is my personal fave)

:woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:

I can't believe that in only 9 short days, we'll finally be there. We'll get to see the new rooms at CSR. We'll get to have dinner at bluezoo. We'll get to see the MK for the first time in over 2 years. We'll get to celebrate my birthday in Disney!

I'm going to be a frazzled mess for the next 9 days, but I know it'll all be worth it in the end. :cloud9:

....so excited....

[scoot241]

Woohoo!

:banana::banana::banana::banana::banana::banana:

We stayed at CSR in 2004 and it was great. The big pool is very well done and the whole resort is beautiful (and big).

[annnewjerz]

Nevermind.

[scoot241]

So close to the trip and I'm still thinking of things to add/change/whatever.

The plan right now is to go to MK on the 17th and MNSSHP on the 18th. We just have a base ticket for the first day in WDW.

Does anyone think it's worth upgrading to a hopper? It would be around $100 to add the hopper option to our 1-day tickets, which seems like a lot, but it would mean we could go to Epcot for the first part of the day to do a ride or two and maybe check our the F&W Fest until dinner and then go to MK to see Spectro and Wishes for my first time ever and for their evening hours.

Thoughts?? It's probably a silly idea, but one I wanted input on regardless.

Thanks!

I'm thinking no. Not sure what the hours are, but to pay an extra $100 to be able to go to two parks for one day seems a bit much. If you were adding hoppers for multiple days it would be different.

[annnewjerz]

I'm thinking no. Not sure what the hours are, but to pay an extra $100 to be able to go to two parks for one day seems a bit much. If you were adding hoppers for multiple days it would be different.

:rotfl2: :rotfl2:

I guess I didn't delete that in time. I was thinking out loud and after typing it out and realizing we would only have like 3-4 hours in Epcot, I decided it wasn't worth the cost.

Thanks for the confirmation though! :thumbsup2

[spinetnglr]

Alright folks, it's that time already. "What time is that?" you may be thinking. Well I'll tell ya, it's time for....


THE SINGLE DIGIT DANCE!!!!

(The "Cabbage Patch" is my personal fave)

:woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:

I can't believe that in only 9 short days, we'll finally be there. We'll get to see the new rooms at CSR. We'll get to have dinner at bluezoo. We'll get to see the MK for the first time in over 2 years. We'll get to celebrate my birthday in Disney!

I'm going to be a frazzled mess for the next 9 days, but I know it'll all be worth it in the end. :cloud9:

....so excited....

I can do my single digit dance tomorrow :P

:woohoo::woohoo::woohoo::woohoo::woohoo::woohoo:

[annnewjerz]

I can do my single digit dance tomorrow :P

:woohoo::woohoo::woohoo::woohoo::woohoo::woohoo:

Ahhhhhh I can't believe it's so close! :hyper: :hyper:

[norybell]

De-lurking...

Congrats on the single digits! :cool1: I'm sooooo close, myself, I can barely handle the anticipation!

Also -- and not like you know me, or anything, so feel free to take my opinion with a grain of salt! :rotfl: -- I vote for the first headdress. The second one looks cooler, and more costume-y, but it seems like it'd be a real pain in the *** to wear all night! If they're not expensive, maybe you could get them both, wear the big one for pictures, then change into the small one for the rest of the time? Though I guess that'd be a hassle, too! :confused3

[annnewjerz]

De-lurking...

Congrats on the single digits! :cool1: I'm sooooo close, myself, I can barely handle the anticipation!

Also -- and not like you know me, or anything, so feel free to take my opinion with a grain of salt! :rotfl: -- I vote for the first headdress. The second one looks cooler, and more costume-y, but it seems like it'd be a real pain in the *** to wear all night! If they're not expensive, maybe you could get them both, wear the big one for pictures, then change into the small one for the rest of the time? Though I guess that'd be a hassle, too! :confused3

Hi!!! :wave2:

So happy to have someone else acknowledge that they're reading. :yay: :yay:

I don't know anyone on here with the exception of spinetnglr, so you're not the sole stranger of the bunch. ;)

I agree that the bigger one looks cooler but might be a pain to wear all night. I did buy both, it was only $15 for the two of them, so maybe I'll take your suggestion. Bring both, start the night in the big one and when that gets too annoying, ditch it and switch to the small headband. Hmmmm. If I can fit both in my carry-on that just might work! :goodvibes

[annnewjerz]

Well everyone, it's time for another trip related update!

With only a week to go, I figure it's time to alert all of my PTR readers that I will be Twittering/live blogging around The World.

My original idea was to only do a blog because it's super easy to post a picture and it would be one place to keep track of my trip without having to write it all down. Then, I signed up on Twitter to follow Carrie (Lurkyloo) at the D23 expo and realized how much I like the 140 characters of less. I have no self-edit at all so only having 140 characters sort of forces me to get to the point already. :rotfl: BUT, posting to TwitPic seems like a bit of a hassle, so I don't just want to use Twitter, if that makes sense.

So---I made a decision I know I'm going to regret, I'm going to try to do both. Any text updates, I am going to try to post in both places, but any pictures will go to the blog. I'm going to try to do a little combo of what we're doing, what we're eating, what we're riding and generally how the trip is going.

So, without further ado, here are the links.

Here (http://twitter.com/annnewjerz) is a link to follow me on Twitter.

Here (http://www.anngoestowdw.blogspot.com/) is a link to follow my live blog.

I'll re-post these links closer to the day we leave in case anyone misses this update.

If you have any comments or questions that you want me to try to answer while we are down there, let me know! :goodvibes

[norybell]

Hi!!! :wave2:

So happy to have someone else acknowledge that they're reading. :yay: :yay:

I don't know anyone on here with the exception of spinetnglr, so you're not the sole stranger of the bunch. ;)

Yay! Thanks, that makes me feel much better about posting! I'm a shy poster, what can I say. I generally don't want to post unless I really have something to say, but since I don't generally have something specific to say (I mean really, who does?), I end up not getting to know anybody! :sad2:

[annnewjerz]

Does anyone have any suggestions for a good breakfast/snack item that I can ship to CSR in advance?

I will be shipping my tripod via UPS delivery on Monday for arrival on Thursday and would like to include as much in the package as possible, just to ensure we don't have any issue with only doing carry-ons for the trip.

At first I was thinking like, a box of mini-muffins and fiber one bars for snacking on between meals/breakfast, but I'm worried that they'll melt or something. I would hate to ship a bunch of food items down to The World, only to have them melt.

I guess I could make the food my "personal item" on the plane and just pack my purse with muffins and stuff and give DH my camera bag---but my camera gear is something I find hard giving over to another person to have sole control over. I think I just may need to let go, it is my DH after all, not a stranger.

I'm going to also try to ship down a couple of costume components in advance, to save some space in our bags. Namely, I want to ship DH's dixie cup cap, maybe my fringe flip flops and the costume jewelry I bought to go with my outfit.

Hmmmmmmmmm. I think I have a lot to figure out in the next day. Ugh. Wish me luck.

[chicagoshannon]

I just clicked to follow you on twitter and now I realize I won't be able to since I"ll be in the parks too. lol I'm still in the dark ages and don't have a phone that can do that.

[scoot241]

Does anyone have any suggestions for a good breakfast/snack item that I can ship to CSR in advance?

I will be shipping my tripod via UPS delivery on Monday for arrival on Thursday and would like to include as much in the package as possible, just to ensure we don't have any issue with only doing carry-ons for the trip.

At first I was thinking like, a box of mini-muffins and fiber one bars for snacking on between meals/breakfast, but I'm worried that they'll melt or something. I would hate to ship a bunch of food items down to The World, only to have them melt.

I guess I could make the food my "personal item" on the plane and just pack my purse with muffins and stuff and give DH my camera bag---but my camera gear is something I find hard giving over to another person to have sole control over. I think I just may need to let go, it is my DH after all, not a stranger.

I'm going to also try to ship down a couple of costume components in advance, to save some space in our bags. Namely, I want to ship DH's dixie cup cap, maybe my fringe flip flops and the costume jewelry I bought to go with my outfit.

Hmmmmmmmmm. I think I have a lot to figure out in the next day. Ugh. Wish me luck.

We brought NutriGrain bars, granola bars, muffin bars (are you noticing a trend?). You could probably stuff those in with the tripod and not have a problem.

[annnewjerz]

I just clicked to follow you on twitter and now I realize I won't be able to since I"ll be in the parks too. lol I'm still in the dark ages and don't have a phone that can do that.

Well maybe in December, I'll be "tweeting" and blogging for a whole week while we're in The World then. :thumbsup2

I hope you guys have a great anniversary trip!

We brought NutriGrain bars, granola bars, muffin bars (are you noticing a trend?). You could probably stuff those in with the tripod and not have a problem.

Hmmmmmm, could it be "bars"?? :rotfl2:

I think that's a good idea, maybe I'll throw in a box of strawberry poptarts for DH also, he's not allowed to eat them at home so it'll be a treat. :goodvibes

[inkedupmomma]

I think mini muffins would be aok..same with the other bars. maybe some trail mix??

[annnewjerz]

Let me preface this post by saying that I know we are going to Florida and I expect it to be hot. I am also not one of "those people" who sit and monitor the weather non-stop and believe everything the 10 day forecast says. I usually check the weather once my target date is within a day or two and that's what I take as my real weather prediction.

HOWEVER as of two days ago, I had looked up the 10 day forecast and was seeing temps that were 89 degrees for our trip down there! When we went in September of 07, the temp wasn't much warmer so I was really surprised to see such high temps. I popped over to the "Theme Parks" board and saw that I guess FL is having record temperatures right now.

Great. :rolleyes:

If it was just me walking around, I'd have no problem. I like warm weather. But it's me plus who knows how many pounds of camera gear. Ugh. It sounded like this was going to shape up to be a little hotter than I'd like.

Now everyone, here is where the wishes for pixie dust comes into play.

I just checked the 10 day forecast again, and now the temps have dropped to 80-81 for our trip. :yay: This would be sooooo much better. With the humidity, this would be plenty hot, just not the unbearable, uncomfortable, suck the life right out of you kind of hot.

So everyone, give me some pixie dust! I want to come back with some spectacular photos to share and the cooler the weather, the greater the chances of that happening. :thumbsup2

Hopefully at this time next week, I'll be sitting at CSR at the Dig Site pool with a drink and camera in hand, getting ready to take a power nap before changing into our costumes for MNSSHP.

Only 6 days now---so excited!!! :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:

[annnewjerz]

One more thing I can cross off of my never ending to-do list. Today, I mailed my package down to CSR. This package contains: my tripod, a leatherman utility tool, my collection of Chip & Dale pins, sunscreen, a box of Pop Tarts, a box of granola bars and a box of Crystal Light on-the-go packets so we don't have to spend tons of dough on drinks while in The World.

I've got to say, it feels nice to have that out of the way. I had to wake up at 5:30am today to get a ride into work (having car troubles) and I thought for sure I'd forget something. I'm hoping that I'm not speaking too soon, but right now it looks like everything that I needed to ship made it into the box and is waiting for pick-up by UPS as I type.

Another added bonus, I get a HUGE discount on UPS at work, so for a 10ish pound package-o-crap, it only cost something like $7 to ship. :woohoo: Not bad at all, if I say so myself.

Tonight, I have the task of trying to pry my DH away from the Phillies' game to start sorting some clothes that he wants to take with him to The World. I have no problem doing the packing, in fact I actually like it, but I refuse to pick out outfits for him to wear. After all, I'm not his mother. If we can get that started and get his shoes picked out, I'm sure we'll be on pace for being all packed by Friday night.

5 more days, people. 5 more days.

[annnewjerz]

Would it be bad to pack my DH's quart sized ziploc in his carry-on with nips of liquor instead of with toiletries? :rotfl: He is content using the soap and shampoo that a hotel gives you (which I am not), so if I can fit all of my stuff in one ziploc---why not make good use of the other and stock up on the alcohol?

We aren't heavy drinkers, but DH hates to fly and I think if he was able to have his own Jack and Coke, he may be a little more relaxed on the flight down.

Are you even allowed to do this? I don't see why you couldn't---and who knows, maybe there is even a place to stock up on little drink bottles in the airport so we wouldn't need to waste the ziploc. Hmmmmmmm, I wonder if there's a way to figure that out.

[scoot241]

Would it be bad to pack my DH's quart sized ziploc in his carry-on with nips of liquor instead of with toiletries? :rotfl: He is content using the soap and shampoo that a hotel gives you (which I am not), so if I can fit all of my stuff in one ziploc---why not make good use of the other and stock up on the alcohol?

We aren't heavy drinkers, but DH hates to fly and I think if he was able to have his own Jack and Coke, he may be a little more relaxed on the flight down.

Are you even allowed to do this? I don't see why you couldn't---and who knows, maybe there is even a place to stock up on little drink bottles in the airport so we wouldn't need to waste the ziploc. Hmmmmmmm, I wonder if there's a way to figure that out.

Not sure if that's going to work because alcohol is flammable. The TSA has a website that lists what you can and can't carry on.

[annnewjerz]

Not sure if that's going to work because alcohol is flammable. The TSA has a website that lists what you can and can't carry on.

That sounds a little silly, since most everything is flammable if you light it on fire. I can understand not taking something like gasoline on a plane, but nips of whiskey? Dumb. :rolleyes:

I can say with 100% certainty that we can take alcohol on the plane. We've always bought a bottle at the duty free shop when we take trips out of the country and carried them on, but maybe it's different if you purchase it pre-security versus post-security. :confused3

I think we'll try it anyway, at the worst, DH will have to stand there with his shoes off while TSA agents watch him down a few shots worth of liquor. :rotfl2:

[DWGal210]

Sounds like you are getting your plans finalized!! I'm getting excited for you guys...are you just about busting apart from excitment?! :yay:

I love your comment on flammable things...yes, since most things will burn if you light them on fire, I would think the list of "flammable" object would pretty much limit a lot. :goodvibes But that would be nice if you could take your own alcohol; and if it's in a smaller container that passes, how would they know? If you want to be sneaky, you could always get a small thing of mouthwash, rinse out the container and then pour the drink in there.

Take care and have a great day!
Katie

[scoot241]

That sounds a little silly, since most everything is flammable if you light it on fire. I can understand not taking something like gasoline on a plane, but nips of whiskey? Dumb. :rolleyes:

I can say with 100% certainty that we can take alcohol on the plane. We've always bought a bottle at the duty free shop when we take trips out of the country and carried them on, but maybe it's different if you purchase it pre-security versus post-security. :confused3

I think we'll try it anyway, at the worst, DH will have to stand there with his shoes off while TSA agents watch him down a few shots worth of liquor. :rotfl2:

Yeah, but we're dealing with the TSA here. Not exactly a beacon of genius. :sad2:

[annnewjerz]

Sounds like you are getting your plans finalized!! I'm getting excited for you guys...are you just about busting apart from excitment?! :yay:

I most definitely am getting excited. Each time the forecast shows our days dropped by a degree, the excitement level goes up. Right now we're at 78 and sunny for 2 of 3 days of the trip. I know we still have a while to go, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed for warm breezy weather and low crowds. It'll be my birthday, I think I deserve it. :thumbsup2

Yeah, but we're dealing with the TSA here. Not exactly a beacon of genius. :sad2:

You make a very valid point, Scott. ;)

[annnewjerz]

For all of you who may not be reading my dining review thread, first of all---shame on you!!! Second of all, I need suggestions for snacks. With only 5 days to go, this is something I more or less ignored and now without further time to research I have no idea what snacks I should get.

I won't be on the DDP, so that's not an issue. We are, however, on a bit of a budget---so I'd like to keep the snacks to $5 and under. We will only be at CSR and the MK area, with the exception of one dinner over at the Dolphin.

I have never eaten any of the famous Disney World snacks. I've never slurped down a Dole Whip Float. I've never tried to fit an icecream cookie sandwich into my mouth without icecream popping out. I've never gotten sticky fingers from a Main Street Bakery cinnamon bun. I've never snacked on Disney popcorn while riding the Walt Disney World Railroad around the park.

The one completely yummy snack I have had at The World is the chocolate dipped Mickey rice krispy treats. Mmmmmmm, so good and a definite must. :lovestruc

So, what are your favorite snacks? I need suggestions for the best of the best people. We have a $20 per day snack budget, so I'm figuring that's about 2 snacks per person to cover whatever meal we are missing that day.

Thoughts? Suggestions? Only 5 (almost 4 now) more days, everyone!! :woohoo:

[chicagoshannon]

Snacks- I had the ice cream cookie sandwich last trip and I wasn't a huge fan so that would be a skip for me. I'd suggest corn dog nuggets but I think I read they changed the dog to something not so great.

I'd suggest trying a dole whip hold the float. ;) Go into the bakery and get some fudge or chocolate covered rice crispy treat. We also had a yummy frozen juice type drink over behind the Aladdin carpets.


Also, I'm SO glad the weather is looking so nice while we're there! I was getting worried we'd have a repeat of May's weather.

[annnewjerz]

I'd suggest trying a dole whip hold the float. ;) Go into the bakery and get some fudge or chocolate covered rice crispy treat. We also had a yummy frozen juice type drink over behind the Aladdin carpets.


Also, I'm SO glad the weather is looking so nice while we're there! I was getting worried we'd have a repeat of May's weather.

Ah, fudge! I forgot about the fudge. I had read in a recent dining review that the flavor of the month was Reese's Pieces. Mmmmmmm. Reese's cups are my favorite candy, so I'm sure I'll love the fudge. :thumbsup2

I'm also relieved about the weather. I try not to take it too seriously because c'mon, our local weather people can't even predict what it'll be like a day from now. I am starting to feel confident that the cooler weather will be going through while we're down there, maybe making it low 80's which would be quite nice. Right now, my forecast is in the high 70's and sunny, if it stays this way, it couldn't be more perfect. :cloud9:

[inkedupmomma]

LMFAO at the thought of your DH downing alcohol in front of security.. we would need pics please.

Also, I have told you before, but again, try the Dole Whip Float! AMAZING! Also, the ice cream cookie sandwich at the bakery is awesomeeee! I'm also a fan of chocolate dipped mickey rice krispy treats..

[annnewjerz]

LMFAO at the thought of your DH downing alcohol in front of security.. we would need pics please.

Unfortunately, the people on the Transportation Board have turned me off of the BYOB thought. Apparently it's illegal or something to drink your own booze on board, who knew. :drinking1


Also, I have told you before, but again, try the Dole Whip Float! AMAZING! Also, the ice cream cookie sandwich at the bakery is awesomeeee! I'm also a fan of chocolate dipped mickey rice krispy treats..

This seems to be a point of dispute between everyone on what is better, the Dole Whip versus the Dole Whip float. Now I personally love pineapple, so the float seems like it would just be an extra layer of yumminess---but maybe the juice gives some people the skeevies. Anything is possible!

I think I'm going to have to try one of those icecream sandwiches. I mean c'mon, they look like the size of a head and since they are a snack on the DDP I'm guessing they're under $4, which means it'll be a super cheap snack to split with DH.....

...............................................may be. ;)

[chicagoshannon]

My dh and I split one of those in May. You might just want to get your own. They're kind of hard to share. You bit into it and the ice cream pushes out the other side. lol I wonder if the bakery would cut it in half for you??

[annnewjerz]

This post will serve as a tribute to how much I love my iPHONE. I seriously think it's one of the best inventions ever. It's a music player, it's a phone, it's a camera, it's a calculator, it's a flashlight, it's a level---it's anything you want/need it to be!! To sum it up, it's just awesome. :woohoo:

What has spawned this sudden profession of love for my cellular device, you ask? My recent use of the TripIt app. I had known about this app since I had my iTOUCH. I had practiced putting in info for our December trip, but hadn't done a whole itinerary.

It was nice, but I wasn't really feeling like it was any easier than just printing everything out. I'm a gal that feels more secure with a piece of paper in my hand, versus a number on a little screen. About a week ago, I printed out all of my trip documents---my resort confirmation, my airline confirmation, my Cirque du Soleil confirmation, my MNSSHP tickets and confirmation, my dining confirmations---can you see where this is going? All in all I probably had a stack of 30 sheets of paper and since we're doing carry-on only, that just won't do. :eek:

So I pulled up the TripIt website and started putting in my info. It was easy, it was fast and it was all organized in a nice little timeline, showing me what we'll be doing when and the best part was that I didn't even have to make the timeline myself, it does it for you. I think I'm in love. :lovestruc

After I was done, I loaded it into my phone and presto, hardly any pieces of paper necessary! I have all of my confirmation numbers right there, even if I'm not in a service area. The type is nice and large so I don't have to squint to make out every number and it's definitely something I will be utilizing on our next trip.

Next, is all of the other WDW apps. From dining, to wait times, to which park on which day---there are so many to choose from! If suddenly all of my DIS knowledge escapes from my brain and I'm left on Main Street going "Durrrrrrr, where do I get dem Dole Whips??" all I have to do is pull up my Magic Kingdom park map and it will show me! If I can't remember if Cosmic Ray's or Casey's is the CS location with the hot dogs, never fear, my iPHONE dining app is here!

Finally is all of the regular apps. Not only will I be able to "tweet" while I'm in The World (link here (http://twitter.com/annnewjerz) by the way ;)) thanks to the Twitter app, I'll also be able to use the flashlight app to check the settings on my camera during Wishes and use the Tic Tac Toe app while on the bus headed out to the parks to beat my DH. I'll be able to calculate our tip for dinner at bluezoo and I'll be able to figure out if that mirror on the wall at CSR is really straight of hanging a little too far to the right, thanks to my level. :rotfl:

All in all, the iPHONE is one handy dandy device. Now here's hoping I remember my charger. :cutie:

[scoot241]

This post will serve as a tribute to how much I love my iPHONE. I seriously think it's one of the best inventions ever. It's a music player, it's a phone, it's a camera, it's a calculator, it's a flashlight, it's a level---it's anything you want/need it to be!! To sum it up, it's just awesome. :woohoo:

What has spawned this sudden profession of love for my cellular device, you ask? My recent use of the TripIt app. I had known about this app since I had my iTOUCH. I had practiced putting in info for our December trip, but hadn't done a whole itinerary.

It was nice, but I wasn't really feeling like it was any easier than just printing everything out. I'm a gal that feels more secure with a piece of paper in my hand, versus a number on a little screen. About a week ago, I printed out all of my trip documents---my resort confirmation, my airline confirmation, my Cirque du Soleil confirmation, my MNSSHP tickets and confirmation, my dining confirmations---can you see where this is going? All in all I probably had a stack of 30 sheets of paper and since we're doing carry-on only, that just won't do. :eek:

So I pulled up the TripIt website and started putting in my info. It was easy, it was fast and it was all organized in a nice little timeline, showing me what we'll be doing when and the best part was that I didn't even have to make the timeline myself, it does it for you. I think I'm in love. :lovestruc

After I was done, I loaded it into my phone and presto, hardly any pieces of paper necessary! I have all of my confirmation numbers right there, even if I'm not in a service area. The type is nice and large so I don't have to squint to make out every number and it's definitely something I will be utilizing on our next trip.

Next, is all of the other WDW apps. From dining, to wait times, to which park on which day---there are so many to choose from! If suddenly all of my DIS knowledge escapes from my brain and I'm left on Main Street going "Durrrrrrr, where do I get dem Dole Whips??" all I have to do is pull up my Magic Kingdom park map and it will show me! If I can't remember if Cosmic Ray's or Casey's is the CS location with the hot dogs, never fear, my iPHONE dining app is here!

Finally is all of the regular apps. Not only will I be able to "tweet" while I'm in The World (link here (http://twitter.com/annnewjerz) by the way ;)) thanks to the Twitter app, I'll also be able to use the flashlight app to check the settings on my camera during Wishes and use the Tic Tac Toe app while on the bus headed out to the parks to beat my DH. I'll be able to calculate our tip for dinner at bluezoo and I'll be able to figure out if that mirror on the wall at CSR is really straight of hanging a little too far to the right, thanks to my level. :rotfl:

All in all, the iPHONE is one handy dandy device. Now here's hoping I remember my charger. :cutie:

Love TripIt. Had a general timeline and all my confirmation numbers in there. It will even automatically insert confirmation information from certain airlines and other emails.

WDW Wait Times is great. Pretty accurate my entire trip.

Didn't have all the dining and park maps apps. I just stick a map in my pocket. I know most of the parks pretty well (except for Animal Kingdom) anyway.

Twitteriffic is my Twitter app of choice right now. Heard Tweetie 2 is good, but you have to buy it. My "flashlight" is Safari; most webpages are light enough to put out a good amount of light. Tried a level app on the phone, but it didn't work very well.

Suggestion: turn off bluetooth, wifi, and turn down your brightness a bit when you get to WDW. It will save your battery quite a bit. You'll still need to charge it every night, but I made it through every day without running out of battery.

[annnewjerz]

I took a gamble today. I am extremely disappointed in myself. In all of my pre-trip haste, I completely that I only have one camera battery at the moment, and that all of those night shots in The World may just require two. :headache: Even if it doesn't, I would hate to forget to charge my battery and be held up in the room for hours trying to get this done.

So, I needed to order one and didn't remember until this morning. Luckily, ordering it today is just enough time with overnight shipping to get it to me tomorrow. Could I have gone to my local Best Buy and gotten a battery? Probably, but after looking at the $60 price tag for an EN-EL3e battery, no thanks!! :eek:

I logged onto B&H and saw that they have the battery for $40. Not bad, not bad at all. Unfortunately I'm so spoiled by our massive UPS discount at work that I didn't realize that overnight shipping would be an insane $25!!! Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!

No way am I paying $25 for shipping from NY to NJ when using Ground will get it here next day anyway.

So, I took a gamble and selected the "free shipping" UPS Ground offer. Typically when I've done this in the past, I have always gotten the item next day anyway because B&H is good about getting orders shipped same day if you do it early enough. So in theory, I should have the battery tomorrow morning.

I'm sure today will be the day that B&H waits until tomorrow to ship my order, leaving my battery to be delivered on Monday---but for now I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it gets here in time. If not, I'll just have to suck it up, I guess.

On another note, only 2 days to go now and soooo not ready at all yet. I haven't packed, I haven't finished cleaning, I haven't cut up my dress to make it look "fringe-y" for my costume, I haven't charged my camera battery, I haven't written out instructions for my Mom for watching the dogs, I haven't done all the laundry I need to do. :faint: This is going to be a very long two nights until we leave. Stack all of that on top of the fact that tonight I'm going to my Mom's house to have dinner for my birthday (since we won't be around Saturday) and I'm going to go nuts by Saturday.

Oh yeah and did I mention that there's a "NorEaster" coming through our area right about now? Yeah that's one of those big storms that brings lots of rain, cold temperatures, maybe some snow. Delightful! I'm hoping that by Saturday morning in Baltimore, which is 2 hours South, things will have started clearing up. If not, we're in for an interesting drive and Saturday morning at the airport. :rolleyes:

Ugh, just get me down to Florida already.

[inkedupmomma]

Unfortunately, the people on the Transportation Board have turned me off of the BYOB thought. Apparently it's illegal or something to drink your own booze on board, who knew. :drinking1

dang.

This seems to be a point of dispute between everyone on what is better, the Dole Whip versus the Dole Whip float. Now I personally love pineapple, so the float seems like it would just be an extra layer of yumminess---but maybe the juice gives some people the skeevies. Anything is possible!

I think I'm going to have to try one of those icecream sandwiches. I mean c'mon, they look like the size of a head and since they are a snack on the DDP I'm guessing they're under $4, which means it'll be a super cheap snack to split with DH.....

...............................................may be. ;)

well.. i am usually weird about certain foods and the float did no give me any sceevies. its the whip just with pineapple juice..so long as you enjoy pineapple juice you will love it! btw, i had no clue before i left that people even disputed it..thought everyone got the float, hence why I did! glad I did!

[inkedupmomma]

I took a gamble today. I am extremely disappointed in myself. In all of my pre-trip haste, I completely that I only have one camera battery at the moment, and that all of those night shots in The World may just require two. :headache: Even if it doesn't, I would hate to forget to charge my battery and be held up in the room for hours trying to get this done.

So, I needed to order one and didn't remember until this morning. Luckily, ordering it today is just enough time with overnight shipping to get it to me tomorrow. Could I have gone to my local Best Buy and gotten a battery? Probably, but after looking at the $60 price tag for an EN-EL3e battery, no thanks!! :eek:

I logged onto B&H and saw that they have the battery for $40. Not bad, not bad at all. Unfortunately I'm so spoiled by our massive UPS discount at work that I didn't realize that overnight shipping would be an insane $25!!! Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!

No way am I paying $25 for shipping from NY to NJ when using Ground will get it here next day anyway.

So, I took a gamble and selected the "free shipping" UPS Ground offer. Typically when I've done this in the past, I have always gotten the item next day anyway because B&H is good about getting orders shipped same day if you do it early enough. So in theory, I should have the battery tomorrow morning.

I'm sure today will be the day that B&H waits until tomorrow to ship my order, leaving my battery to be delivered on Monday---but for now I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it gets here in time. If not, I'll just have to suck it up, I guess.

On another note, only 2 days to go now and soooo not ready at all yet. I haven't packed, I haven't finished cleaning, I haven't cut up my dress to make it look "fringe-y" for my costume, I haven't charged my camera battery, I haven't written out instructions for my Mom for watching the dogs, I haven't done all the laundry I need to do. :faint: This is going to be a very long two nights until we leave. Stack all of that on top of the fact that tonight I'm going to my Mom's house to have dinner for my birthday (since we won't be around Saturday) and I'm going to go nuts by Saturday.

Oh yeah and did I mention that there's a "NorEaster" coming through our area right about now? Yeah that's one of those big storms that brings lots of rain, cold temperatures, maybe some snow. Delightful! I'm hoping that by Saturday morning in Baltimore, which is 2 hours South, things will have started clearing up. If not, we're in for an interesting drive and Saturday morning at the airport. :rolleyes:

Ugh, just get me down to Florida already.

FYI- Best Buy does price matching. They will even look the item up for you! I got their $120 canon camera bag for walmarts $70.00 price tag! So you can get your battery for 40!

[DWGal210]

Hey there! Getting excited for your trip??!!

I hear ya on the iPhone love - I LOVE MINE TOO!!! It is so great. I personally love the Directions feature where you can put in your start and end points and get directions. I am TERRIBLE with maps and such and so point-be-point directions are a good thing, in my book! :thumbsup2

[annnewjerz]

FYI- Best Buy does price matching. They will even look the item up for you! I got their $120 canon camera bag for walmarts $70.00 price tag! So you can get your battery for 40!

That just goes to show you how much I shop at Best Buy. :rolleyes1

That's good to know. This way, if my battery that's on order from B&H doesn't ship out tonight, I can go to Best Buy on lunch tomorrow with their price and try that out. Thank you so much for the suggestion!!!

Hey there! Getting excited for your trip??!!

I hear ya on the iPhone love - I LOVE MINE TOO!!! It is so great. I personally love the Directions feature where you can put in your start and end points and get directions. I am TERRIBLE with maps and such and so point-be-point directions are a good thing, in my book! :thumbsup2

The directions feature is really nice--I wish I had it when we visited Washington DC in April, we were walking around with a million maps and looked like idiots, I'm sure.

I'm excited to go, with the exception of worrying about flight delays now that we're getting some big storms coming through. Hopefully that'll all work out though---I'm sure planes leave in the rain all the time, it's just not anything I've done before.

[annnewjerz]

I think I'm going to have to bring a fleece down to Florida with me. Just 10 days ago I was worried it was going to be sweltering hot, but now that I see the high for Sunday is going to be 72 degrees, I'm thinking we might be a little chilly during MNSSHP. Brrrrrrrrrrr. Who'd have thought?

[inkedupmomma]

I think I'm going to have to bring a fleece down to Florida with me. Just 10 days ago I was worried it was going to be sweltering hot, but now that I see the high for Sunday is going to be 72 degrees, I'm thinking we might be a little chilly during MNSSHP. Brrrrrrrrrrr. Who'd have thought?

Hope your battery comes, but if not, def try best buy! I didn't know until I mentioned the ridiculous price difference to an employ and she said oh we price match! ALso, best buy has thir reward thingy! YOu get money back when you spend money, so I buy as much possible there!

Also, it's supposed to snow here this weekend! who would have thought that! Think of me as you are enjoy the 70+ weather ;)

[annnewjerz]

Hope your battery comes, but if not, def try best buy! I didn't know until I mentioned the ridiculous price difference to an employ and she said oh we price match! ALso, best buy has thir reward thingy! YOu get money back when you spend money, so I buy as much possible there!

Also, it's supposed to snow here this weekend! who would have thought that! Think of me as you are enjoy the 70+ weather ;)

The weather here (and even for our weekend in Disney) is just too freakin weird. I can't believe it's like 45 here for the next few days---nuts! And, based on the 10-day forecast, this weekend is the only time in the 70's, then it goes back to the 80's. I'm not sure if we lucked out yet or not---72 as a high is nice, but that means when we're out all night, it'll be chilly! I'm definitely bringing a fleece and who knows, maybe even jeans!!

I think I'll get my battery tomorrow---it looks like it shipped today, which was the part I was worried about. I always get what I order the day after it ships, which would be tomorrow, so it's all good! :thumbsup2 I guess sometimes gambling does pay off, it saved me $25 this time. :goodvibes

[norybell]

I know, isn't the weather SUCKING here right now (I'm in NY)? Even if it's only in the 70s in FL, it'll still be 100 times better than here!

Have an amazing trip! I leave on Monday...can't wait! :banana:

[lurkyloo]

Yay! I'm glad your battery is coming in time, and I totally agree about TripIt. If only it worked with Disney's ADR confirmation emails, it would be perfect. As it is, I'm looking at about 12 ADRs I have to load into TripIt by hand in the next few weeks - think I'll wait til I decide which ones to keep!

Hope you get lots done in your last few days/hours! :goodvibes

[inkedupmomma]

The weather here (and even for our weekend in Disney) is just too freakin weird. I can't believe it's like 45 here for the next few days---nuts! And, based on the 10-day forecast, this weekend is the only time in the 70's, then it goes back to the 80's. I'm not sure if we lucked out yet or not---72 as a high is nice, but that means when we're out all night, it'll be chilly! I'm definitely bringing a fleece and who knows, maybe even jeans!!

I think I'll get my battery tomorrow---it looks like it shipped today, which was the part I was worried about. I always get what I order the day after it ships, which would be tomorrow, so it's all good! :thumbsup2 I guess sometimes gambling does pay off, it saved me $25 this time. :goodvibes

I can't believe it was $25 to ship overnight anyway.. lameee! Awe you get to leave SO soon! I'm excited for you!

[annnewjerz]

Have an amazing trip! I leave on Monday...can't wait! :banana:

I'll be coming home on Monday---have a great trip and I hope the weather holds out for you!

Yay! I'm glad your battery is coming in time, and I totally agree about TripIt. If only it worked with Disney's ADR confirmation emails, it would be perfect. As it is, I'm looking at about 12 ADRs I have to load into TripIt by hand in the next few weeks - think I'll wait til I decide which ones to keep!

Hope you get lots done in your last few days/hours! :goodvibes

Yeah I know, that would be nice. Who knows, maybe one day they'll change it. For now, I have about 13(ish) ADRs to enter for December. I think I'm going to drop a few though, so that'll cut back on some work.

I'm going to have to get lots done tonight---otherwise I'll be going to WDW without a change of clothes. I loaded up my camera gear last night and started to organize what laundry I needed to do. Tonight is packing/cleaning the bathroom and kitchen and we'll be ready. :thumbsup2

I can't believe it was $25 to ship overnight anyway.. lameee! Awe you get to leave SO soon! I'm excited for you!

I'm excited too! :hyper: :hyper: Make sure you tag along for my TR when I get home, I love readers who actually comment. :rotfl:

[annnewjerz]

Well everyone, at this time tomorrow we should be pulling into CSR, barring any stoopid flight delays because of the weather.

I'm starting to finally get excited. I got my battery in this morning, packed my camera stuff up last night and will be leaving work in an hour to go home and finish cleaning/start packing.

AND---even better, this morning one of my bosses brought in cupcakes from Crumbs for my birthday. They were SO GOOD and SO HUGE, I'll have to take a picture of the oreo one I saved for DH if I remember. I ate 3/4 of one as my breakfast and was stuffed. Tried 1/4 of the brownie, 1/4 of the reese's peanut butter cup and 1/4 of the cookie dough---all we delightful. :cloud9:

This may be my last update, so for all of you that have been reading, I hope you follow me on my blog (http://www.anngoestowdw.blogspot.com/) and Twitter (http://twitter.com/Annnewjerz).

Thank you all so much for reading and I'll make sure to post the link to my TR as soon as I get back!!! :woohoo:

WE'RE GOING TO DISNEY!!!!!

[Todd_H]

Have a great trip, Ann! Can't wait to see pictures!

[inkedupmomma]

woot! happy birthday too btw! so excited for you!! i will mos def tag along on the TR! Please take stupid awesome MNSSHP shots!! Theenks!

[annnewjerz]

Well everyone, I'm back. Got home at about 11:30pm last night. I will start processing my photos tonight, I didn't take as many as I'd hoped and the trip didn't go exactly as planned, but you'll hear all about that in my TR.

I'll definitely post a link here when I start it so anyone reading my PTR can tag along for the ride.

See ya soon!

Ann

[inkedupmomma]

glad you're back safe and sound! Tr soon please ;)

[annnewjerz]

Alright everyone---the TR is started! I don't know how many pictures I'll get processed today, it seems like I took around 700 or so, so it'll take a while. I'm also going to start on my dining review over on the Restaurant board and might do a photo TR on the Photo board.

For now, here is the link to my official TR.

The Village People take on "The World" & a 25th Unbirthday (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=34018760#post34018760)

[annnewjerz]

Alrighty! I've got 4 updates done already. Everyone better check them out. :)

[scoot241]

For now, here is the link to my official TR.

Where's the unofficial one? ;)

[annnewjerz]

Where's the unofficial one? ;)

See you think you're being such a wise-guy, but there will be an unofficial one on the Photo Board that contains mostly pictures and very little trip commentary. :thumbsup2

Plus, you know, so many people want to be like me that I figured there might be an imitation TR popping up somewhere. ;)