I was right, I can't wait! A Sept/Oct PTR

[stephielela]

Hello everyone! So I was in the midst of (obsessivly) planning my family's upcoming December trip to the world when I started to play with the numbers. :surfweb: See, we are going Dec. 16-22nd as our Family Christmas trip, which I am super stoked about (PTR link below- I think)http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2389146

So I was looking at what the cheapest ticket options were... should I add the "no expiration option" and get a 10 day park hopper? Well, it turns out that even cheaper than that would be the basic Annual Pass. Once that realization hit me, the flood gates opened! AP?? That last's a year! My son won't turn 3 till April 2011, so that is a loooooong time that we could enjoy the parks before I have to pay for him to go! :idea: This coupled with the fact that my BFF and I take a trip every fall with my DS, and our plans to go to Southern California were starting to get too pricey led me to the only obvious conclusion... scratch California and spend 4 days at Disney with the AP that I would need anyways, see the MNSSHP I've been dying to check out, and the way it looks right now, a free dining offer is on the horizon. Not to mention the prices are dramatically lower than for our December trip, so this is just common sense!

So it's settled, we are heading to Pop Century for 3 nights, 9/28-10/1! :woohoo: Since I have reason to believe the free QSDP is going to be offered, (not to mention I will be back 2 months later with the whole family, and 2.5 weeks after that by myself), this is going to be my first "relaxed" trip to the world... ever... :goodvibes

Usually when we go, I get all caught up in the planning frenzy, and every detail needs to be thought of. If you don't believe me, look at the Dec PTR starting date :rotfl: This time, all i care about doing is MNSSHP, since halloween is my FAVEORITE holiday and always has been. I am just so excited about the decorations and souvenirs and the party itself, I barely care about riding anything! Ok, that might be a bit extreme, but still, I am determined to have a "new" Disney experience, one that doesn't require 4 ADR's per day and being present at each and every rope drop ceremony. I'm not even sure we will make it to all 4 parks! But I do know it will be fun!

[stephielela]

I'm trying to come up with the QS places that I know to be good, that way when the time comes to decide where to eat, our options will be narrowed down at least...

I know I like Columbia Harbor House in MK, and despite it's bad reputation, i heart Pizza Planet at DHS... I'm sure we will eat at POP once or twice (tye-dyed cheesecake- my fave!) but other than that... I don't know! Any suggestions?

[DisneyFirefly]

Following along! :) If I had the money, I'd so be taking a quick weekend trip around September or October because that's one of my favorite times to be down there, but I just can't afford it.

At Epcot, Sunshine Seasons is good, but I also like Electric Umbrella. At DAK, I like Restaurantosaurus and have heard good things about Yak & Yeti's QS kiosk. :)

[stephielela]

Welcome!!! I'm actually looking forward to having a different kind of trip this year, more laid back, less "fine dining" (translation= cheaper) I'm glad this trip is turning out to be pretty affordable, the worst part is going to be the airfare, and at least it's cheaper than flying to Cali!

[DisneyFirefly]

Welcome!!! I'm actually looking forward to having a different kind of trip this year, more laid back, less "fine dining" (translation= cheaper) I'm glad this trip is turning out to be pretty affordable, the worst part is going to be the airfare, and at least it's cheaper than flying to Cali!

Honestly, our trip is going to be a bit of the opposite, but that's exactly why I'm looking forward to it :lmao: I've had so many "relaxing" days at WDW, and I've only been to ONE table service restaurant in all the time I worked there, mainly because I was usually alone, so it'll be nice to have people to run around and eat at TS places with :goodvibes

[stephielela]

Yeah, I didn't "discover" the quality dining at Disney until I went for spring break my senior year og college in '06. My friend and I got the dining plan, (back when it included app, entree, dessert AND 18% gratuity) and we tried all these places I had never had the chance to eat at before. Since then, I'm hooked! We have a ton of ressies planned for Dec though, so I'm down with sticking with CS in the fall.

[DisneyFirefly]

I knew about it, I just never had the chance to go. Disney doesn't exactly pay CP's a whole lot of money :rotfl: But yeah, that's why we're doing the DxDP when we go :teeth: We'd never have the money to eat at all the places we've got planned if we paid OOP; probably only one, maybe two, and definitely not Narcoossee's or CRT. If I do decide to take a quick weekend trip in the fall, I'm just doing QSDP, though, because I'll likely be by myself.

[stephielela]

Well, I bit the bullet and bought our plane tickets today!! :scared1:

I pretty much only fly Southwest, their fares seem to be the cheapest, especially if I am going to be checking bags, and I have never had a problem with them. Usually I book my flights, and as the price goes down, I rebook and get the credit for a future flight. When I originally started looking, fligths were $88 each way, which I was ok with, but I didn't have the money on hand to book. Shortly after, the price jumped to $139 each way :eek: I couldn't believe it! It was now going to cost me $303 PER PERSON!! I started looking into alternative airlines. I discovered I'd be able to fly other airlines for about $220 per person, and since I am not needing to check bags for such a short trip, the extra fees wouldn't be an issue. I still didn't book (waiting to get paid) and then today I checked Southwest again (daily ritual) :surfweb: and the price had gone back down! ($82 one way, $102 back) Long story short, I was able to get both our tickets for $418 after taxes, ans still stick with my airline of choice! :worship:

I will say though, that after only paying roughly $120 (round trip)
a person last August for the same route on Southwest, I am baffled as to why airfare has risen so much in less than a year! :confused3 I do remember that the price went down last year after we booked, so we got a lot of credits, but I don't recall them starting so high... but I won't be picky I got good times in and out at a decent price, so I am happy today! :cloud9:

On that note, does anyone know how long it will take us to get from MCO via ME to POP and check in? We arrive roughly 11 am, and I am sure our room will not be ready, so (since bags fly free) we will probably check our bags so we can head right to the parks after check in.

[DisneyFirefly]

Yay for airfare booking! As for the DME timeline, I have no idea... I've actually never used DME. I'm sure you could call them and ask, though :)

[stephielela]

Yeah, I've only taken it once and it was to POP but it was like 4 years ago and I wasn't paying attention... I'm just hoping to get a little park time in, and the parks close pretty early.

[stephielela]

This has been a pretty good week, and it was capped off yesterday by not only getting $60 worth of Southwest credit because my airfare went down but also... free dining was announced!! :woohoo: We are officially on :cloud9:
I called and booked us in a standard room (req 80's section) at Pop from September 28-October 1 with 4 day base tickets. Next i have to scrape together my pennies to buy those outrageously priced MNSSHP tickets! It's going to cost us about $55 per person! I 'm so so so glad my son is only 2!:rotfl: I have also decided that if there is a bounceback offer in the room, I am going to book it when we are there because I don't want to stress about this if we decide to go again next year! We also decided to do Animal Kingdom on our arrival day, then a full day at Epcot, a full day at Magic Kingdom including MNSSHP and then possibly a morning at DHS. I'm thinking it will depend on how late we stay at MNSSHP, since if we stay till 12 there will be no way I am getting up in time to get to DHS before ME comes to get us. I can't wait, I had the Disney giggles all day yesterday, and even rented The Princess and the Frog on pay per view to celebrate with DS last night. He was surprisingly attentive, so I think I am going to start introducing him to more Disney movies. Thus far he has only seen a few Pixar ones, but we have a bunch on VHS :eek: so maybe he can get to know some new characters before our trip!

[stephielela]

September 28 (Tuesday)

*Arrive around 11 am

*Take Disney’s Magical Express to POP

*My BFF and I are coming from 2 diff places. Once we are all together, head to Animal Kingdom

* I def want to do the Safaris, Everest, and Kali River Rapids. DS is tall enough for KRR this time!!! Other than that I don't really care what we do, I think seeing Nemo and Lion King would be nice (and cool) but this is going to be a short visit since the park closes at 5pm. We will probably grab lunch at some point.

*When AK closes, we will head back to POP for dinner, or maybe DTD and then back to POP for a quick dip in the pool before an early to bed night!

[stephielela]

I promise to post a full itinerary tonight, but I did get an 8:05 am ADR at Hollywood and Vine for Oct 1! I know it's gotten seriously mixed reviews, but we are barely going to have any park time that day, so it's perfect for us. This way we can get in, eat breakfast, ride a few big rides, and get out in time to catch our ME shuttle from POP!

[stephielela]

Here's what I have so far, let me know what you think! (all times are estimates/best case scenarios... I try to think positively!)

September 28th
Arrive (11 am)
Check into POP (12pm)
Head to AK (1 pm)
*We will try to do as many of the following as possible:
~Kilamanjaro Safaris
~Expedition Everest
~Kali River Rapids
~Planet Watch
~Finding Nemo/Lion King
~It's Tough to be a Bug
Dinner and swim at POP (5 pm)
Downtown Disney (7 pm)

September 29th
Epcot Rope Drop
~Soarin'
~Test Track
~Mission Space
~Spaceship Earth
~Nemo
~Imagination
~Ellen's Energy …
Future World
World Showcase
~Lunch (Mexico)
~Norway
~China
Hotel for nap
Dinner~ Germany
~Italy
~US
~Japan
~Morocco
~France
~UK/Canada
Illuminations (9 pm)

September 30th
Magic Kingdom Rope Drop
~Dumbo
~Fantasyland
~Fastpass Space Mountain
~Buzz Lightyear
~Fastpass Big Thunder Mtn
~POTC
~Fastpass Splash Mountain
~Tiki Room
Lunch
Back to POP (1 pm)
Swim
Nap
Dinner
Back to Magic Kingdom (6pm)
Rides
Trick Or Treating
Villains Show (9pm)
Fireworks (9:30 pm)
Snack
Spot for parade (close to exit)
Parade (10:30 pm)
Back to POP

October 1st
Hollywood and Vine breakfast (8 am)
~Toy Story Mania
~Rockin' Roller Coaster
~Tower of Terror
~The Great Movie Ride
~MuppetVision
Leave for POP (12 pm)
ME Shuttle to MCO (1 pm)
Flight (3:55 pm)


I have no idea what to expect for crowds this time of year. :confused3 I have heard it is pretty empty, and we will be there on weekdays, so I am hopeful. I have read TR's where people have not waited in any lines longer that 10 minutes regardless of timing, but I have no idea how realistic that is. Obviously we will try and pack as much in as possible without overextending DS :rotfl: Let me know what you think!

[stephielela]

This weekend my aunt's neighborhood did a garage sale on Friday and Saturday. Last year, I sold DS's big stroller (since we were only using his maclaren umbrella stroller by then) and his motorized swing (that he almost never used) and a few other things amd made a little over $150, which I promptly put on a Disney gift card to act as my spending money in WDW that August. So when my aunt told us about this sale I thought it was the perfect way to jumpstart my gift card for this fall (I have only managed to put $20 on it so far :sad2:) I went through ALL of DS's old clothes and pulled out at least half of them, and a bunch of "baby toys" and got it all ready to go. I also sold some of my shoes and old shirts and maternity clothes, as well as a dog kennel (which my dog basically never used) so I figured while I wouldn't make thousands, I would probably clear $100 at least, since all of Ds's clothes were in great shape and mostly name brands like Gymboree and Children's Place and Old Navy. Friday came and went and I made $42. :eek: Of course I also boguht DS a wagon for $10, which brought my profit down another $10, but it was a smart move since our zoo charges $7 a visit to rent one. I was annoyed, but I reasoned that Saturday would be a much bigger selling day. Well after I got off work at 7 am, I went to the sale for a couple of hours. It was pretty dead, which surprised me since the organizer had put an add in the paper and there were signs at either end of the street. I finally made myself go home and go to sleep, hoping for good news when I woke up. When I got up and made my way downstairs, I asked my mom how much I'd made, and she told me $28 :scared: Are you kidding me??? That puts my total income at $70 for the 2 days. I can't believe that's all I made! I am a little upset, but at least it's the beginning of the summer, so there will be plenty of sales, and I think my neighborhood will probably do one next month and since all my stuff is already priced and sorted, all I have to do is put it outside. And I still have 4 months to save, so it will be alright, I'm just a bit disappointed, but I am cheering myself up with the knowledge that after I get off work, me and my parents and sister and DS are going to spend a few hours at a new waterpark they built this year before heading to a friends BBQ. It's going to be 88 degrees today and sunny, and DS loves the water, so it should be fun, and I got the tix through work at over 50% off :cool1: It should be the start to a nice "weekend" (I am off Sundays and Mondays) and then Tuesday afternoon I will head to the Disney Store and add the money to my gift card.

[stephielela]

So, as sad as it is, I think I already have all of DS's outfits planned for our trip! It's onyl 4 days so it really wasn't difficult, and then I was browsing at Target and they had some great Disney t-shirts for $6.99. I am still trying to find the Toy Story one I like in DS's size, I have already looked at 2 Targets, but there are about 20 in the area so I am confident I will find it eventually! :rotfl: I also got him a pair of Toy Story PJ's from the Disney store for $8.50! I have also managed to pick up a few small toys so that when we get there and I am trying to shop, I can just give him those ttoys rather than have him grabbing at all the toys in the store! Hopefully that works. Now I am trying to get him to watch more Disney movies (right now the only one he will sit through entirely is Up) so that he will have more character recognition. He knows the "Fab 5" but that's about it so far. Oh except Buzz, since that is who is on his sippy cups!

[ChildAtHeart82]

Hi! I figured since I'm following your other trip report, I'd sub to this one. The plans sound good so far! We've also heard a lot of good things about Yak & Yeti QS and we're looking forward to trying it in December. Flame Tree Barbeque and Pizzafari are also good at AK. Pizza Planet is our top QS for DHS. For MK, we like Pecos Bill's or Cosmic Ray's (basically the same place in a different land), but we've never tried Columbia Harbor House.

I look forward to hearing more! :)

[therussells08]

Hi! I'm subbing! I am so jealous that you get to go so many times! That's awesome! :goodvibes

Your day by day schedule looks great. Very detailed!! I can't wait to read more! :thumbsup2

[stephielela]

Hi! I figured since I'm following your other trip report, I'd sub to this one. The plans sound good so far! We've also heard a lot of good things about Yak & Yeti QS and we're looking forward to trying it in December. Flame Tree Barbeque and Pizzafari are also good at AK. Pizza Planet is our top QS for DHS. For MK, we like Pecos Bill's or Cosmic Ray's (basically the same place in a different land), but we've never tried Columbia Harbor House.

I look forward to hearing more! :)

Welcome welcome! Glad to have you! I love Pizza Planet too, I'm not sure if it's the food, or the idea behind it but we usually go there every visit. I'm going to try and "play it by ear" this time around, but I am not good at not planning, so we shall see!

[stephielela]

Hi! I'm subbing! I am so jealous that you get to go so many times! That's awesome! :goodvibes

Your day by day schedule looks great. Very detailed!! I can't wait to read more! :thumbsup2

Welcome! Yeah, I'm thinking if I am going to go all out and get the AP, I'd better get my Disney fix for a while :rotfl: Plus DS is free till 3...

I have a slight touch of OCD when it comes to vacation planning, but it gets dramatically worse when it involves Disney. I am trying to scale back.. but so far not much luck!

[stephielela]

So it's starting to look like my BFF might not be able to make it. She has a lot of family drama going on right now, and her financial situation isn't the most stable... but we will see. Either way DS and I are going, it won't cost us anything more for her to go or not go, so while it would be disappointing, it would be ok. My only concern is MNSSHP tix. I really want to go, and I was buying BFF's as her bday present anyways, but if she doesn't go, I wonder if I will be able to sell it to someone else? I really don't want to lose that money, but I also don't want to risk getting shut out because all the tickets are sold...:confused3 ACK!! decisions decisions!

[therussells08]

We had the same problem when we went to MNSSHP. My sister was supposed to go with us so I bought her ticket but she ended up not being able to and I was stuck with it. I wasn't able to sell it or get my money back. :mad:

[stephielela]

We had the same problem when we went to MNSSHP. My sister was supposed to go with us so I bought her ticket but she ended up not being able to and I was stuck with it. I wasn't able to sell it or get my money back. :mad:

Yeah, that's what I was afraid of. I wonder how fast they will sell out. I mean our date isn't a special one, its 9/30, so I wonder if I can wait till August when I know for sure...

[therussells08]

Yeah, that's what I was afraid of. I wonder how fast they will sell out. I mean our date isn't a special one, its 9/30, so I wonder if I can wait till August when I know for sure...

I don't want to say yes and then you miss out on your tickets, but I think we bought ours pretty close to the date and didn't have any problem getting in.

[stephielela]

Since there is the possibility that my BFF might not be going, I decided that if she bails, I am going to upgrade DS and I to the regular DP. I figure, we won't be riding as many rides since there will be no swapping, and it would be much easier to have a sit down dinner than trying to wrangle him all day and then for meals too. I had of course canceled all the ADR's I had made previously since we were sticking with the QSDP, so I didn't have a whole lot of selection, but that's ok. I got San Angel for our Epcot day, and The Diamond Horseshoe Saloon for our MK day before the party. I don't know what this restaurant is, so if anyone has any info, please enlighten me! Once I know for sure that BFF is going, I will cancel these, but just in case...

Also we are going to see TS3 tonight!!! DS is in love with the other 2, and he gets mesmerized when he is watching, so I am sure he will be ok in the theater. And if he's not... the tickets are only $6 so if we have to leave, I won't be upset. I'm super excited! popcorn::

[DisneyFirefly]

Diamond Horseshoe is the big blue building in Liberty Square, right next to Liberty Tree :) The last I heard, it was counter service, so I have no idea what they serve if they changed it to table service. They were open seasonally and served things like sandwiches and salads and stuff. I have no idea what it is now if it's a table service, though.

Their menu: http://allears.net/menu/menu_dhr.htm

[stephielela]

Diamond Horseshoe is the big blue building in Liberty Square, right next to Liberty Tree :) The last I heard, it was counter service, so I have no idea what they serve if they changed it to table service. They were open seasonally and served things like sandwiches and salads and stuff. I have no idea what it is now if it's a table service, though.

Their menu: http://allears.net/menu/menu_dhr.htm

Yeah, I thought I remembered it being CS. I think we went to see the show there. I wonder what it will be like...

[DisneyFirefly]

Yeah, I thought I remembered it being CS. I think we went to see the show there. I wonder what it will be like...

It's a cute little restaurant, but I've never eaten there. The only times I've ever been in there was staff meetings when it got too cold to keep having them behind Small World :lmao:

[stephielela]

It's a cute little restaurant, but I've never eaten there. The only times I've ever been in there was staff meetings when it got too cold to keep having them behind Small World :lmao:

I bet you have tons of awesome memories from being a CM. I wish I could have had that opportunity!

[stephielela]

We saw Toy Story 3 last night and it was GREAT!!! I really appreciate the way they incorporate so much from the previous two movies. It was adorable, and funny, and definitely heartwarming, though bittersweet at the end. We didn't see it in 3D (like DS would ever keep those glasses on!:3dglasses) but it was still awesome! A great way to keep up the Disney spirit until our trip! :rolleyes1

[DisneyFirefly]

I bet you have tons of awesome memories from being a CM. I wish I could have had that opportunity!

I do, and I miss it like crazy. There was this one time when I was working an EMH night and our manager gathered all the custodial CPs together and took us on Cinderella's Carousel. All in costume, with our pans and brooms. It was awesome :laughing:

[DisneyFirefly]

We saw Toy Story 3 last night and it was GREAT!!! I really appreciate the way they incorporate so much from the previous two movies. It was adorable, and funny, and definitely heartwarming, though bittersweet at the end. We didn't see it in 3D (like DS would ever keep those glasses on!:3dglasses) but it was still awesome! A great way to keep up the Disney spirit until our trip! :rolleyes1

Yay for Toy Story 3! I probably won't see it for at least a few weeks, but I do plan on seeing it in theaters :goodvibes Glad to hear you guys enjoyed it!

[PrincessInOz]

Subbing in!

Found my way to your PTR from DisneyFirefly's.
Looks like uncertainty seems to be the order of this week all round.

We took ME from BCV back to MCO. It took about 45 minutes. There are heaps of other threads on the DisBoard which talks about allowing about 60 -90 minutes (although 70 mins seems to be the consensus for a good time) to get from MCO to a WDW resort.

I can't wait to go see TS3! It's school holidays here in about 1 week's time. DH, DS and I will try and get tickets then. :woohoo:

[stephielela]

Subbing in!

Found my way to your PTR from DisneyFirefly's.
Looks like uncertainty seems to be the order of this week all round.

We took ME from BCV back to MCO. It took about 45 minutes. There are heaps of other threads on the DisBoard which talks about allowing about 60 -90 minutes (although 70 mins seems to be the consensus for a good time) to get from MCO to a WDW resort.

I can't wait to go see TS3! It's school holidays here in about 1 week's time. DH, DS and I will try and get tickets then. :woohoo:


Welcome! :flower3: Happy to have you!

Good to know about the ME times! I will just have to be patient I guess!

TS3 was great! I wish DS was better about sitting still, and I wish the theater had not been so crowded, but what do you expect on opening day, right? I'm sure you will enjoy it!

[photographymom517]

I have LOTS to tell you! lol

I have been following your December trip report for along time now but just found your Sept/Oct report today!

First, how long will it take to get from MCO via ME to Pop & check-in? I would say 45 minutes. We stayed at CBR and left MCO on the ME bus at 3:57pm...got to CBR at 4:45pm but our first stop was POP.

CS to eat at each park...I would say at AK Restaurantosaurs, at MK Cosmic Ray's or Pinnochios, DHS ABC Commissary, and Epcot Sunshine Seasons, UK, or Mexico (we liked most places at Epcot, but it just depends on what you like).

Hollywood & Vine...is EXCELLENT! I mean, honestly, the food wasn't that great, but I'm not a fan of any breakfast at Disney. Of all the breakfasts I've had, I loved having the buffet at H&V. It was nice to have a selection & be able to get something else if I didn't like what I had. Also, we all like different things & since DS is only 2 years old (but does eat mostly anything) I was worried about us all enjoying the same meal. However, we all ate at least 4-5 plates of food plus a Mickey waffle & all were full afterwards. As far as the character interaction, it is AMAZING!!! I'm spoiling part of my trip report for you, but all of the characters came around TWICE within about 45-50 minutes! Also, not sure if you know, but the characters there now are Handy Manny, JoJo, and June & Leo (from Little Einsteins). Handy Manny was awesome! I had my DS wear his Handy Manny outfit since he's been his fav character since he was around 6 months old! Manny pointed at his shirt & was really good with my son! :goodvibes We had a really nice time there. My DH usually doesn't say many good things about restaurants, but he talked about this one all day (he's very very picky about food too). I know it has mixed reviews, but I choose it for Manny...and ended up getting a great meal as well as great character interaction! I hope you have a great experience as well!

I think I saw Toy Story tshirts at Old Navy...but I'm not sure, it might have been Kohls :confused3

You might already know this, but I learned the hard way...I would leave around 30-45 minutes anytime you are transferring from your resort to a park. And if you are travelling from resort to park to another resort, leave 45-60 minutes.

When ME comes to pick you up at your resort the day of your departure, they will arrive 3 hours prior. I had forgotten this from last year's trip so I thought I'd mention it, although you probably already know that too!

You will LOVE LOVE LOVE Sept/Oct. I am completely jealous that you are going during that time of the year! My family goes every year in the middle of September & it is AMAZING!!! Seriously, I cannot say enough good things about it. I will have to get some pictures to show you...the parks are pretty much empty! :cloud9: You won't have to worry about rides at all...most are walk-ons and some have short waits. They rode Kilimanjaro Safaris last year THREE times in a row without waiting! They might have waited like 5 minutes, but there was definitely no need to run & grab fast-passes asap like at other times of the year! They actually could have gone on it 4 times but wanted to go to EE instead...so they rode it 4 times as well. :goodvibes I was sooo mad when they got back last year because I was so jealous...we went last year during spring break & the parks were a mess! lol

Since our children are around the same age, I wanted to tell you what I did prior to our trip! About 30 days prior to leaving, I showed my son Disney DVDs & read him Disney books :happytv: I also got onto YouTube and searched for the different parades, fireworks, rides, and shows. You can actually find videos on there of the different rides...so lets say you are worried he will be afraid of Haunted Mansion...type it in on YouTube & you can watch the entire ride with him! That is a good determination of what he'll think...although some rides, my son loved watching on the computer screen, but once we got to the park, he was terrified! So, it isn't a 100% accurate, but its a good indication!

I hope my info helps you! Watch for Day 3 on my trip report...thats when we went to Hollywood & Vine for breakfast!!! :goodvibes

[therussells08]

I just saw TS3 today and I love it too! :lovestruc It was soo good and I was bawling like a baby half the time! And usually 3-D movies give me a migraine, but this one didn't! :3dglasses

[stephielela]

I have LOTS to tell you! lol

I have been following your December trip report for along time now but just found your Sept/Oct report today!

First, how long will it take to get from MCO via ME to Pop & check-in? I would say 45 minutes. We stayed at CBR and left MCO on the ME bus at 3:57pm...got to CBR at 4:45pm but our first stop was POP.

CS to eat at each park...I would say at AK Restaurantosaurs, at MK Cosmic Ray's or Pinnochios, DHS ABC Commissary, and Epcot Sunshine Seasons, UK, or Mexico (we liked most places at Epcot, but it just depends on what you like).

Hollywood & Vine...is EXCELLENT! I mean, honestly, the food wasn't that great, but I'm not a fan of any breakfast at Disney. Of all the breakfasts I've had, I loved having the buffet at H&V. It was nice to have a selection & be able to get something else if I didn't like what I had. Also, we all like different things & since DS is only 2 years old (but does eat mostly anything) I was worried about us all enjoying the same meal. However, we all ate at least 4-5 plates of food plus a Mickey waffle & all were full afterwards. As far as the character interaction, it is AMAZING!!! I'm spoiling part of my trip report for you, but all of the characters came around TWICE within about 45-50 minutes! Also, not sure if you know, but the characters there now are Handy Manny, JoJo, and June & Leo (from Little Einsteins). Handy Manny was awesome! I had my DS wear his Handy Manny outfit since he's been his fav character since he was around 6 months old! Manny pointed at his shirt & was really good with my son! :goodvibes We had a really nice time there. My DH usually doesn't say many good things about restaurants, but he talked about this one all day (he's very very picky about food too). I know it has mixed reviews, but I choose it for Manny...and ended up getting a great meal as well as great character interaction! I hope you have a great experience as well!

I think I saw Toy Story tshirts at Old Navy...but I'm not sure, it might have been Kohls :confused3

You might already know this, but I learned the hard way...I would leave around 30-45 minutes anytime you are transferring from your resort to a park. And if you are travelling from resort to park to another resort, leave 45-60 minutes.

When ME comes to pick you up at your resort the day of your departure, they will arrive 3 hours prior. I had forgotten this from last year's trip so I thought I'd mention it, although you probably already know that too!

You will LOVE LOVE LOVE Sept/Oct. I am completely jealous that you are going during that time of the year! My family goes every year in the middle of September & it is AMAZING!!! Seriously, I cannot say enough good things about it. I will have to get some pictures to show you...the parks are pretty much empty! :cloud9: You won't have to worry about rides at all...most are walk-ons and some have short waits. They rode Kilimanjaro Safaris last year THREE times in a row without waiting! They might have waited like 5 minutes, but there was definitely no need to run & grab fast-passes asap like at other times of the year! They actually could have gone on it 4 times but wanted to go to EE instead...so they rode it 4 times as well. :goodvibes I was sooo mad when they got back last year because I was so jealous...we went last year during spring break & the parks were a mess! lol

Since our children are around the same age, I wanted to tell you what I did prior to our trip! About 30 days prior to leaving, I showed my son Disney DVDs & read him Disney books :happytv: I also got onto YouTube and searched for the different parades, fireworks, rides, and shows. You can actually find videos on there of the different rides...so lets say you are worried he will be afraid of Haunted Mansion...type it in on YouTube & you can watch the entire ride with him! That is a good determination of what he'll think...although some rides, my son loved watching on the computer screen, but once we got to the park, he was terrified! So, it isn't a 100% accurate, but its a good indication!

I hope my info helps you! Watch for Day 3 on my trip report...thats when we went to Hollywood & Vine for breakfast!!! :goodvibes


Wow!! Thanks for all the awesome info!!!! I'm glad you guys enjoyed H&V! I am really looking forward to that meal, as it will probably be our only TS meal for this trip. I am so glad the crowds are going to be low in the fall, sinec we have a lot less time to get all our rides done! i have been trying to get DS to watch a variety of disney movies, but that kid is stuck on toy story 1 and 2, cars and up. a little nemo here and there but not much else. i'm trying to get him into little einsteins, but it hasn't worked so far... we have a travel DVD player so i'm going to stock up on disney stuff for our 15 hour drive to new mexico (and the 15 hour drive back, lol!) This is really helpful info, I super appreciate it!

[stephielela]

Well it seems I just can't get enough Disney! This weekend I decided to go ahead and join the Disney Movie Club. We are going to New Mexico later this month and I wanted DS to have plenty of DVD's to watch on the ride. We are driving 18 hours there and 15 back (we have to make a detour to pick up my dad and sister on the way there) and even though part of it will be at night, I REALLY don't want to be stuck listening to the same 3 movies over and over again. So for $21.90 I got Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc, Bug's Life, The Incredibles, Robin Hood, Oliver and Company, and Winnie the Pooh- The friendship edition. On top of that I decided to break down and get Toy Story 1 and 2, since we only have them on VHS. I ordered those today, and those were not cheap, but no pricier than anywhere else. I am seriously hoping they all get here in time... we leave on the 16th... cross you fingers for me!

[stephielela]

I knew I had no reason to worry! The first 7 movies came today! I put them away before I left so DS won't see them. Just waiting on the Toy Story DVD's now!

Now onto the advice I need! I am 99% sure that my BFF isn't joining us. This is our timetable:
Arrive 9/28 at 11 am (taking ME to POP)
Epcot 9/29
MNSSHP 9/30
Depart 10/1 (flight doesn't leave until 3:55 pm)

Here are my options:
1. Currently I have a 4 day non park hopper ticket. We would do Animal Kingdom the arrival day, Epcot, MK on the MNSSHP day and DHS in the AM before the ME takes us back.

2. I could downgrade to a 3 day and not do a park on the departure day, we could just sleep in and recover from MNSSHP and swim and pack, perhaps request a late check out. Going from a 4 to a 3 day ticket would save $6

3. I could downgrade to a 2 day ticket and save almost $70. If I did that I don't know if we would use one day for the arrival day, and then one for the 29th, and then just hang out at the resort on the MNSSHP day till we can go in at 4, or if we would just do the pool and DTD the first day, Epcot and MK, and the pool the last day. The money savings is appealing... and it's important for me to remember that if BFF doesn't go, we are going to be riding a lot fewer rides, since there will be no swapping...

What do you think? :confused3

[DisneyFirefly]

I think you should go with option #3. With how DME runs and what time you'd need to be back and everything, I think it would just be easier on you to not have to worry about getting back from a park on time on the last day.

:hug:

[stephielela]

I'm leaning towards #3 myself... I just cant decide on what two days to use! I know we will be doing Epcot on 9/29. I had heard you can get into MK at 4 pm with the party tickets, but then I have heard people say that CM's are saying 7 pm. If we can't get in till 7, we will for sure use our 2nd ticket that day, but if we can get in at 4...

[DisneyFirefly]

I'm leaning towards #3 myself... I just cant decide on what two days to use! I know we will be doing Epcot on 9/29. I had heard you can get into MK at 4 pm with the party tickets, but then I have heard people say that CM's are saying 7 pm. If we can't get in till 7, we will for sure use our 2nd ticket that day, but if we can get in at 4...

What party are you going to? I've heard that they say that every year, but can you imagine the lines if they barred party guests until 7? Some people wouldn't get in for hours! And they'd also have to clear the park of day guests instead of sweeping it like they've done the last couple years (you must have a party wristband to walk past the CMs with the ghost and pumpkin signs). It just makes sense for them to let party guests in at 4, but we won't know for sure until the first parties.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2504773 Thread about the 2010 parties, which will be updated as soon as they start :)

[stephielela]

What party are you going to? I've heard that they say that every year, but can you imagine the lines if they barred party guests until 7? Some people wouldn't get in for hours! And they'd also have to clear the park of day guests instead of sweeping it like they've done the last couple years (you must have a party wristband to walk past the CMs with the ghost and pumpkin signs). It just makes sense for them to let party guests in at 4, but we won't know for sure until the first parties.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2504773 Thread about the 2010 parties, which will be updated as soon as they start :)

We are going to the MNSSHP on the 30th. I would just be pretty upset if I used a ticket to get into a park that arrival day and then couldn't get onto rides or had to wait in long lines... I've heard the parks are pretty empty that time of year, but still. I'm thinking we will swim and do DTD the 28th, Epcot the 29th, MK the 30th and then swim/pack etc the 1st. After all we are going back like 2.5 months later... Plus I think Epcot and MK are the two parks where DS will be able to do the most.

[DisneyFirefly]

I wouldn't say 'empty', just slower. I don't think you'd have a problem getting on rides, but I do think that you'd probably want to take the day to relax on your arrival day. Traveling alone with a young child is sure to be frazzling :lmao:

[stephielela]

I cannot believe I didn't come to this solution sooner! Sometimes I wonder about myself... the answer just came to me while i was driving home from work last night!
Anywho, here is the new plan:

9/28~ Arrival day
land at 11 am
get to POP around noon
swim, eat lunch, nap
go to MNSSHP!!

9/29
Epcot

9/30
Animal Kingdom~ I'm pretty sure we will do AK instead instead of DHS... It depends on which one DS can do more at I suppose... he does really like animals, and on our December trip we probably won't spend a ton of time there since the rest of us aren't all that into animals. plus the last time we were there in december we were freezing because of all the shade!

10/1
relax and swim until ME departure time

The money I am saving by switching to a 2 day ticket will more than cover the cost of my MNSSHP ticket! We are also upgrading to the regular dining plan. I am calling tomorrow to drop my friends name and make changes. I suppose if she changes her mind and decides to come, I can add her back on.

[stephielela]

I have decided to start using twitter for my trips. I am only going to "tweet" vacation related items, including live twitter updates from WDW!! I'm taking it for a test run during my upcoming vacation in New Mexico. My twitter name (address, whatever you call it) is @stephielela if anyone is interested!

[DisneyFirefly]

Ooh, yay! I'm geekybaker!

[stephielela]

i saw you added me! i will add you as soon as i get home!! woo hoo, i now have 2 followers, lol

[DisneyFirefly]

Awesome! :)

[DevonsDisneyMom]

Hey there!!! Coming over to join the fun!!! Final plans look awesome! Can't wait to see where you will be dining now that you upgraded the regular DDP! :banana: Heading over to your December PTR now!!

[stephielela]

Ok, I have finally hammered out my details!

September 28~ Tuesday:
Arrive at airport at 5:30 am (my mom is going to drop us off, we luckily only live like 10 minutes up the road)

Depart ON TIME (hopefully) at 6:30 am. I have not decided whether or not I am going to check luggage. I only want to take my Vera duffel and DS's small rolling suitcase, so we could carry them on... but that would be stressful. However I am afraid that if I check my Vera, it might get damaged... any thoughts?

Arrive at MCO at 11:05 AM

(Hopefully) arrive at Pop Century around 12 pm. Get lunch at food court, swim, take a nap, then get ready for...

MNSSHP! :dance3: I am so exited about this! We are going to be at MK right at 4 pm. DS will be dressed as a pirate, and I am going to probably wear a piraty-type tank top or something. I figure we will ride some rides before our dinner reservation at 5:45 the Plaza. (I am really going for cheap with the meals since I have to pay OOP for DS. I would prefer buffet's since DS could eat free, but Crystal Palace and Chef Mickey's were both booked. If I can switch before then, I will). After dinner we will do the Trick or Treat trails and see the sights until the fireworks. Then we will do fireworks, Villains show and the last parade before heading out.

September 29th~ Wednesday

Sleep in! We will not be getting back from MNSSHP till late, so I will probably let DS sleep as late as he wants. Plus Epcot has evening EMH's till midnight, so we won't be in a rush.
10 am: arrive at Epcot! Tour Future World until 1 pm.

1 pm: head back to Pop and grab lunch and a nap

4:15: Head back to Epcot for our dinner ressies at Biergarten (5:05 pm)

6:30 pm, tour World Showcase until time for Illuminations

After Illuminations, we will probably head out unless there is something else we need to see

September 30~ Thursday

Get up by 7:30 so we can be at the bus stop by 8:15

Arrive at Animal Kingdom for rope drop

We will start with the Kilimanjaro Safari's and then do as much as we can before our lunch ressie at Tusker House (1:30 pm). Our ressie includes seating for the Finding Nemos show. After the show we will probably be done and we will head to DTD for dinner at a QS location

October 1 ~ Friday

This day is a relax and swim day. Our flight does not leave until 3:55 pm, so I think ME will probably pick us up around 1. I am going to ask for a late check out so that we can stay in the room until 12, and then eat lunch and hang out around the hotel gift shop till it's time to go! We get home at about 6 pm, so I will have plenty of time to unpack and do laundry before bed, and then I won't have to work till 3 pm the next day! Plus by that time we will only have 10 weeks till our December trip... :rotfl:

[therussells08]

Those look like great plans! MNSSHP is so much fun!! :thumbsup2

[stephielela]

Ok, I lied... I have changes my plans AGAIN! I have decided that the upgrade to the basic DP isn't worth it, it's not any more food and it will cost me more in the long run than I am willing to spend. I really like the flexibility of the QSDP as well. I am going to keep our Tusker House ressie and pay OOP for it, but that cost will be less than the $30 I was paying to upgrade. Plus I wasn't thrilled with any of our other ressies. Plus I really wanted the free refillable mug :lmao: I am pretty sure that will be the last change, but who knows... Tonight while I am at work I am starting on my planning pages for this trip. I got a folder for each day at Target, (15 cents each- I LOVE back to school time!) and after much hemming and hawing, I have decided to buy a backpack for the trip as well. I found a good one on sale (at Target- where else :rotfl:) for $9. It is a basic bag with 1 big pocket, 1 small and 2 side pockets for water bottles for me and DS. This brought up a question- can you bring water bottles that aren't clear into the parks?

[DisneyFirefly]

Yes, you can! I used to bring a water bottle in a foam insulator and they never made me take it off (but it was also a CM thing, one they handed out to us, so they always commented on it :lmao:). But yeah, you can bring any water bottle into the park, as long as it's not filled with alcohol :)

Also, yay for the refillable mug! I'm just going to buy one outright, since I plan on buying quick breakfasts at Pop's food court and would want something to drink with them :lmao:

[stephielela]

Well, since there basically isn't much to update on because my trip plans are all set and I'm just waiting, I thought I would take this time to reflect back on how this trip came about...

Last August, my dad, sister, son and I went to Disney for 5 sweaty days. We had jokingly talked about it, but I already had a trip planned with my BFF to go to Texas in June. Of course swine flu erupted and made us nervous about going to Texas. Also the only way we were going to be able to go was by using my friends families' Hilton time share points. Well, then my BFF's mom decided she needed the points for their trip, so we couldn't use them all. This pretty much sealed the deal that my BFF and I would not be making it to Texas. :confused3 My family and I discussed it some more and decided to go for the Disney trip, without my mom, since she couldn't afford to take the time off work. My dad is retired Army so we got the military special 5 day tickets, stayed at the Shades of Green, and even managed to get our airfare for about $100 per person round trip! :thumbsup2 We had a great time, and one of the things we did was get into the Wishes Dessert Party last minute. While I was waiting to pay, i was talking to a fantastic CM about it and we got to talking about MNSSHP. :rolleyes1She told me about the Horseman and the trick or treat trails and everything and I thought to myself how awesome it would be to come in the fall, since Halloween is my favorite holiday. I pretty much put the idea on the backburner, since I knew I had a 3 day cruise coming up in November, and my BFF and I had already made our final payments, so it was obvious we wouldn't be changing our minds :lmao:

Fast forward to January of this year. My BFF and I had a wonderful time on our cruise and decided to do a trip every fall. I researched a ton of different options :surfweb: and we decided to go to Southern California. I am from CA, but I had never been to San Diego. WE decided to do the City Pass, which got admission to Sea World, the SD Zoo, Universal and Disneyland. WE planned it so we could go to their version of MNSSHP, and again, we were supposed to use their families' Hilton points. The time comes when we can submit our Hilton requests, and my BFF's mom refuses to do it because my BFF owed her parents some money. :scared1: At this point I decide we need to do something that is not reliant on her parents, since I refuse to have my trip ruined at the last minute. We look at soem cruise options, but we don't want to do the same one again, and they are pricey. After much research, I decide that I am going to WDW! :woohoo: I read on the boards about dining most likely being offerred for the fall. I tell my BFF I am going, and if she wants to join me and DS she is welcome to, since it won't cost anything to add her onto the room, and she would just need to pay for her park tix and airfare... Naturally I decided we had to go to a MNSSHP, and free dining got released as expected so this has turned into a much cheaper trip than a cruise.

[stephielela]

I found our water bottles today!! They are called water bobbles, they are water bottles with filters attached so that you can fill it up from a tap and not worry about how clean it is. They aren't sold very many places around here and I managed to find them at Cracker Barrel, but they only had 2 colors, and when we go in December there will be 5 of us... so I tried JC Penny and lo and behold, there they were! I got yellow, red, pink, blue, and black! The filters work for up to 2 months of continuous use, so they will last for a few vacations, and the bottles are BPA free. Plus, they were only $10 each, and since I got them in person, I didn't have to pay for shipping (thanks firefly for pointing that out!)

[stephielela]

Argh! Sometimes I even frustrate myself!!! As you might recall, I had previously decided to forgo the upgrade to the basic plan. my reasons were simple- i would still only be having 2 meals per day, and i would now have to pay tip on top of it, plus i'd be losing a snack credit and the refillable mug. I still stand by the fact that for the purposes of this trip, the upgrade is not worth it. I had decided to keep my Tusker House ressie so I could get the priority seating for Nemo. I also grabbed a ressie at Via Napoli because I know Jack and I could share a pizza, so it wouldn't be too pricey. I would also really like to get a CP ressie for the night of our MNSSHP, but I looked at the price and it's like $32! Now, I am under the impression that since they only charge for children 3-9, DS would eat for free, so it would be not a bad use of $, but I don't need 3 TS ressies... and actually I just don't want to pay for 3 meals... So I guess what I'm wondering is if Tusker House lunch is worth it? Is it really neccessary to have priority seating for Nemo? The menu looks ok, but not all that appetizing, and I would really rather have the CP ressie (if I can get it)... I don't know!! :confused3 Any advice would be useful!!

[DisneyFirefly]

I say keep Tusker House until you find out if you can get a CP reservation. If you get it, cancel Tusker House. If you don't, go to Tusker House instead :) I've never eaten at TH, but I've heard it's excellent.

[stephielela]

That's a good plan firefly! And actually I did manage to get a LTT ressie for 4:20 pm, so if they do continue letting people into the parks at 4 pm with party tickets, it will be perfect! I realized that even though I love CP, we will be seeing characters all night, so there isn't any need for a character meal!

So right now, I have LTT on 9/28, Via Napoli for dinner on 9/29, and Tusker House for lunch on 9/30. I will have 6 CS credits to use, so this is perfect! I think I will get gift cards for each meal and that way I know it's paid for and done with. That way my main gift card can be just for souvenirs! Also, how much do you think you shold tip at a buffet? I assume that since at LTT they serve your food to you, that's probably a regular tip, but at TH where we are getting our own food... what do you think is appropriate?

Stay tuned for a schedule summary! :surfweb:

[DisneyFirefly]

I honestly don't know... The last time I ate at CP, we had an automatic gratuity (there were six of us), so we all chipped in, but I don't remember how much it was. I'd probably say $5, though, since I think that's about 15% of CP's prices.

[stephielela]

As we all know, when it comes to planning an itinerary over a month in advance, things are likely to change… especially when one has severe Disney OCD, like I do. So take these plans as what they are… they are my definite touring plans… for now! :lmao:


Tuesday September 28th
Arrive at MCO at 11:05 am

Side note: I STILL haven’t decided about my luggage… on the one hand, I hate having to wrestle a bunch of stuff and Jack while trying to board the plane. On the other hand, I think we will be able to pack pretty light, and I don’t see a reason for packing a suitcase if we don’t need it. Though Jack will still be needing diapers, and if we brought a whole suitcase we could also bring some snacks… But then I have to wonder if our luggage will get delivered before we leave for MNSSHP… :confused3ARGH! I really am torn, so any input would be helpful.

Once we are at POP we will check in and hopefully our room will be ready. If it is, we will go to the room, (unpack?) and then go to the food court for a light lunch before we swim. After a quick swim we will take a nap to get rested for the long night ahead! At 3 we will get up and get dressed for the party. :banana:

Side note: (I see this becoming a trend) Is it normal for people to be in the parks before the party in costume? Jack has a pirate costume, and mine will just be a t-shirt, but I didn’t know if he would be out of place in his costume at dinner?pirate:

We have an ADR at Liberty Tree Tavern for 4:20pm. The way I see it, this is perfect timing. We will be at the gates of MK at 4 pm precisely to get in and then we will walk directly to LTT. I’m excited to try this place since I have never been there. I decided to give up on Crystal Palace since we will be seeing plenty of characters later on in the evening! After dinner we will ride some rides until the party starts! :thumbsup2

Since we will be close by, and since it’s a good ride to set the mood, our first stop will be the Haunted Mansion. After that we will head to Adventureland and do POTC, Magic Carpets of Aladdin, Tiki Room, and Jungle Cruise. Once we are done with those, we will get a Dole Whip Float to share! If it is before 7, we will probably head to Tomorrowland to do Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin. Odds are Jack will want to ride that a few times. When 7 pm rolls around, we will start on the TOT Trails as we make our way through the park. After Tomorrowland we will move on to Toon Town, and finish up in Fantasyland. This is our only MK day, and I have no idea what to expect for wait times, but I really want to enjoy the party, so rides won’t be top priority, since we will be back in December. I want to stake our a spot for Hallowishes no later than 9 pm. We will probably grab some ice cream or something for while we are waiting. After the fireworks we will catch the villains show and then the parade. After the parade we will do anything we MUST do and then head out. If Jack is still going strong, we will stay till the end, but I am sure he will be tired from his long day. I do want to buy a Tshirt for myself from the party, but I am trying to limit the souvenirs for this trip. :rolleyes1

Wednesday September 29th

Epcot

Today I am sure we will need to sleep in. I will probably let Jack sleep until 9 or so before I worry about waking him up. I do want him to be able to take a nap in the afternoon though, so we need to get out by 10 am. I think this day we will probably eat a pick up breakfast on our way. Once we get to Epcot we will focus on Future World. We will only be able to ride Nemo, Living with the Land, Imagination, Ellen’s Energy Adventure, and Spaceship Earth. Jack is 38 ish inches tall right now, so I don’t think he will be tall enough for Soarin or Test Track or Mission:Space unless he has a ridiculous growth spurt in the next 50 days. I figure we will do what we can, spend some time in Innoventions and have lunch at Sunshine Seasons before we head back to POP for a nap. After naptime we will head to the World Showcase, and we will start in Italy since we have a dinner ADR for Via Napoli at 5:45! After Italy we will hop on a friendship boat and head across so we can start out World Showcase tour in Mexico… with a margarita for mommy! :dance3: From there we will work our way around until Illuminations. We will grab a snack to eat while we watch and then if we are done, we will head back to POP. It’s late EMH, but I am not sure of the wisdom of staying till 12 just because we can. :rotfl:

Side note: Does Sunshine Seasons have good breakfast options? Maybe we would do breakfast here instead?
Thursday September 30th

Animal Kingdom

We will sleep in again today, this time as late as Jack wants, because we won’t be coming back for a nap. When he wakes up we will eat a quick breakfast, probably pop tarts, and then head out to Animal Kingdom. Our first mission will be Kilimanjaro Safaris. If he is tall enough, we will also ride Kali River Rapids. :yay: I figure we will spend a lot of time looking at animals, and we will check out the Boneyard too. We also have a lunch ADR at Tusker House for 1:30, which includes tickets for priority seating at Finding Nemo. Once we are done with lunch we will probably just shop around until the show. After we will catch anything we missed. The park closes at 5, so we will catch a bus to DTD to eat dinner and shop. When we have had our fill, and my money is spent, we will head back to POP for a movie and dessert before bed.

Side note: Am I picking the right park for our second day? It was a choice between DHS and AK.. Jack isn't tall enough to ride a lot of things, and I thought he might enjoy AK more since he likes animals, but he also LOVES Toy Story... What would be the best choice for us?

Friday October 1st

This is our sad day. :sad2: Our flight departs at 3:55 pm, so I think ME is going to pick up up around 1. I am hoping to get a late check out, since all we are going to do is sleep in and swim. We will eat lunch before we leave, so I am hoping to get a checkout time of 12 or so, which shouldn’t be a big deal. Hopefully Jack will sleep on the plane!

Side note: When should I request the late check out? Is it enough notice to request it when I check in? For ME, do you have to get on the bus when it's scheduled for you? I mean, if we precheck our luggage and have our boarding pass... there is no reason to leave 3 hours before our flight!

[ChildAtHeart82]

Plans look good! :) We love the Dole Whip floats! I understand not wanting to lug a bunch of stuff onto the plane with you while handling Jack but I think it would be doable. Ask me again after I fly the first time with DD. :)

That said, I think you're probably cutting it close for getting your luggage before you leave for the party. The one time I did ME, which was five years ago, I remember our bags being delivered about 4 hours or so after we arrived at the airport. If you absolutely need something from your bags for the party, I think you're adding stress that you don't need to add. Otherwise, your bags will be waiting for you when you get back. Just my thoughts. ;)

[stephielela]

Sometimes I am amazed at my blondness. So according to my above plans, I am now eating 3 TS meals, all of which will probably cost me $30 a piece, equaling $90 OOP. Or I could upgrade my dining plan (again- since I had upgraded once and then changed my mind) and pay $30 to upgrade, and pay for 3 CS meals, and 3 snacks and a refillable mug OOP. The question is will the CS meals, snacks and mug cost me more than the $60 difference? When I had decided to only do 1 TS meal, it made sense not to upgrade, but now I don't know...

[DisneyFirefly]

I think the best bet is to go to AllEars or the menu part of this site and look at the menus and price out what you'd probably get, then see if it's greater than $60. The mug costs $14, I think, and snacks usually average $3-5. An adult can pay anywhere from $8-12 on average at a CS location, but some places are more expensive (like Wolfgang Puck Express). It really depends on what you get, though. But I think the easiest thing to do is just go look at the menus and make estimates based on that :)

[stephielela]

Plans look good! :) We love the Dole Whip floats! I understand not wanting to lug a bunch of stuff onto the plane with you while handling Jack but I think it would be doable. Ask me again after I fly the first time with DD. :)

That said, I think you're probably cutting it close for getting your luggage before you leave for the party. The one time I did ME, which was five years ago, I remember our bags being delivered about 4 hours or so after we arrived at the airport. If you absolutely need something from your bags for the party, I think you're adding stress that you don't need to add. Otherwise, your bags will be waiting for you when you get back. Just my thoughts. ;)

i think you are probably right... at the very least i need to have our swim gear and our party stuff in our carry ons... i guess i will have to wait and see how much i have to pack!

[stephielela]

I have taken inventory of Jack's clothes, and mine, and decided there are a few things we need to purchase before we go. Jack's toes are almost hanging out of his newest pair of sandals! :scared1: I have decided that the old navy toddler flip flops would be a good replacement, since I can get ones with the strap on the back, and they are 2 for 5$ so I can get a pair for each outfit :lmao: He also needs some more swim diapers, but I think he's good to go on everything else. I already bought him a few shirts for the trip, and I will post pics of our trip purchases later!

I don't need a whole lot either, I got the shirt I really wanted for AK already, and I have plenty of flip flops already, but I might need a new swim suit... I've had mine since I was a senior in college (4 years) and since I have had a baby since then... my body just isn't shaped the same! :rotfl: one part or the other always needs adjusting! It will do in a pinch, but since it's the end of the swim season, I am confident I can get something better for under $20.

[stephielela]

I think the best bet is to go to AllEars or the menu part of this site and look at the menus and price out what you'd probably get, then see if it's greater than $60. The mug costs $14, I think, and snacks usually average $3-5. An adult can pay anywhere from $8-12 on average at a CS location, but some places are more expensive (like Wolfgang Puck Express). It really depends on what you get, though. But I think the easiest thing to do is just go look at the menus and make estimates based on that :)

This sounds like a good plan... I will take a look. All these decisions are throwing me off! Usually I know exactly what to do, but this time is testing my skills due to the time and money constraints! (see next post :rotfl:)

[stephielela]

Jack and I are going September 28th-October 1st. The 1st we have to leave property at like 12:30 or 1, so we are not doing a park that day. The 28th we are doing the Halloween party (MNSSHP) so we will be at Magic Kingdom for that. So that leaves 2 days and 3 parks. Here are our options…

Current plans: 29th at Epcot, 30th at Animal Kingdom
Option 2: 29th at Epcot, 30th at DHS
Option 3: 29th ad DHS, 30th at Animal Kingdom
Option 4: add the park hopper option to my tickets so that I can somehow squeeze 3 parks into 1 day… which will cost me $54 extra…

I love Epcot, it’s my favorite park, but I am trying to figure out what Jack will enjoy more, DHS or Animal Kingdom, and I just can’t decide! I don’t really want to spend more money… So I need everyone’s opinion to help me decide! What do you think?
I think I will post a poll...

[DisneyFirefly]

Well... I'm going by what my niece was interested in when she was Jack's age. She LOVED zoos and aquariums and such, so she would've preferred a day at DAK to DHS. So I think you guys should do option 1, Epcot and DAK. Don't try to cram too much in or you'll get stressed out, you know? :hug:

[stephielela]

Well... I'm going by what my niece was interested in when she was Jack's age. She LOVED zoos and aquariums and such, so she would've preferred a day at DAK to DHS. So I think you guys should do option 1, Epcot and DAK. Don't try to cram too much in or you'll get stressed out, you know? :hug:

Yeah, Jack likes animals... though we do have a Friends of the Zoo pass to our local zoo...

Also, he won't be tall enough to ride much at any park, so we could easily get the rides done in 2 days, we just wouldn't spend as much time lingering... plus the crowd levels are so low... and if we stuck with only CS and canceled our ADR's, that would free up more time... and the money I save on dining would justify the $54 for the park hopper... I swear I think about these things too much! :surfweb: Everyday I lean in a different direction. And I'm not going to lie, part of the problem is the outfit situation... I have outfits planned for every park! :rotfl:

[DisneyFirefly]

Yeah, Jack likes animals... though we do have a Friends of the Zoo pass to our local zoo...

Also, he won't be tall enough to ride much at any park, so we could easily get the rides done in 2 days, we just wouldn't spend as much time lingering... plus the crowd levels are so low... and if we stuck with only CS and canceled our ADR's, that would free up more time... and the money I save on dining would justify the $54 for the park hopper... I swear I think about these things too much! :surfweb: Everyday I lean in a different direction. And I'm not going to lie, part of the problem is the outfit situation... I have outfits planned for every park! :rotfl:

Very true, but, honestly? You're going to need a break just as much as he will. You're going to be at WDW alone with a small child, so you're going to want to sit down and have a few moments of quiet, you know? I think he'd enjoy the TS, too, particularly the character dining you picked. I do think you should keep the TS, though :flower3:

And hey, you could always change in the bathroom :lmao:

[stephielela]

Ok, after much thought, careful evaluation of the facts, and conversations with my parents, here it is... my new and different itinerary.

Tuesday September 28th
Arrive at MCO at 11:05 am

Side note: I have finally decided about my luggage!!! Based onour new plans, I am wanting to bring pop tarts and muffins for breakfast in our room. This coupled with the fact that Jack will most likely NOT be potty-trained by the time we leave :sad2: I need the extra space a suitcase will give me. Therefore, I will be checking my suitcase as well as DS's and my backpack, and carrying on DS's backpack and my Vera carryon. That way I have enough room for our swim and party gear.

Once we are at POP we will check in and hopefully our room will be ready. If it is, we will go to the room, (unpack?) and then go to the food court for a light lunch before we swim. After a quick swim we will take a nap to get rested for the long night ahead! At 3 we will get up and get dressed for the party.

We have an ADR at Liberty Tree Tavern for 4:20pm, but I think I am going to cancel. SInce this is our only MK time for this trip, I think our time would be better spent riding rides etc. Plus it would save money for the upgrade I am doing, which will be explained further down!

We will probably start in Fantasyland and then work our way around through as many rides as possible. at 7 we will start on the TOT trails, and then grap a spot for the first parade, the villains show, and then the fireworks. If there is anything left that we need to do, we will do it before heading back to POP for bed!

September 29th~ Wednesday

This is the big day of changes. After trying to decide which park to do, and talking to my parents, I decided to upgrade to a park hopper. I know, I know, it sounds crazy right?? 3 parks in 2 days? with a 2 year old?! :scared1:
But I really wanted him to get to see DHS for all the Cars and Toy Story stuff, and AK for the Animals. He will only be able to ride a couple things at AK, and he probably won't be willing to sit through both FOTLK and Nemo shows, so we wil probably only be spending 3 hours at AK anyways. I could stretch it out longer, but to be honest, it's not one of my favorite parks. At Epcot, he will be able to ride a few rides in Future World, but not a ton, so we won't need much time there either. So this is the plan...

After our MNSSHP night, I'm sure Jack will want to sleep in. We will sleep till he is ready to get up, and then we will eat breakfast in the room and head to AK. We will ride Kilimanjaro Safaris, hopefully Kali River Rapids, the other ride that's built for kids that I can't remember the name of, catch FOTLK, walk some trails and play in the Boneyard and then we will head to Epcot. At Epcot we will do Spaceship Earth, Nemo, Imagination, and check out Innoventions, and possibly Ellen's Energy Adventure, though he is really a little young for that. Then we will head over to the World Showcase. I think he will love the music and atmosphere there, last time we were there he would get out of his stroller and dance in the middle of the walkways :lmao: We will try and stick it out for Illuminations, but if he can't hang around that long we will call it a night.

Side note: If for some reason he doesn't sleep in, we will probably take a break for a nap in between parks, then I'm sure he will make it till Illuminations.COLOR]

[COLOR="DarkOrange"]September 30th~ Thursday

This will become our DHS day. We will sleep in and head to the parks when we are ready. If we don't sleep in, then we will get to the park early, then come home after lunch and swim and nap before heading back. I really want to catch Fantasmic! at 8 pm. I am so excited to have time for the parade and everything, as well as the shows.

October 1st~ Friday
This day stays the same. We are going to sleep in, swim and eat lunch before ME comes to take us kicking and screaming back to the airport!

So basically, I cut out all of our TS meals to pay for the ticket upgrade. Jack's a chicken nugget and french fries kidn of kid, so CS meals are going to be fine. Plus we are doing DxDP in December, so I will get all the TS meals I can handle then. :rotfl2: This way we have 1 busy day, 1 mild day, and 2 easy days for our perfect 4 day mini vacation! Up next... what CS meals to eat? popcorn::

[DisneyFirefly]

Harbour House! :yay: That's honestly my favorite QS at MK.

[stephielela]

Harbour House! :yay: That's honestly my favorite QS at MK.

Yum! I am definitely planning on eating there for our MNSSHP dinner before we ride Haunted Mansion! Have you had their tuna sandwich? I am interested in trying that, but sometimes tuna is gross when you don't make it yourself...

[DisneyFirefly]

I actually don't eat fish, but I've heard it's good there :) just a word of warning, though:eat there before 7. They turn into a candy station after 7 :) Or, at least, they did in years prior :)

[stephielela]

I actually don't eat fish, but I've heard it's good there :) just a word of warning, though:eat there before 7. They turn into a candy station after 7 :) Or, at least, they did in years prior :)

You are just full of useful information! Thanks! We will probably eat right after getting into the park. I don't typically like fish, but tuna is the exception.

[DisneyFirefly]

You are just full of useful information! Thanks! We will probably eat right after getting into the park. I don't typically like fish, but tuna is the exception.

As I always said, custodians at WDW are a walking information desk :teeth: I was an MK custodian :)

[stephielela]

Ok, here are my thoughts on CS meals...

Arrival day: We will be STARVING when we get to POP so the first thing we will do is eat.

MNSSHP: I have heard a lot of good things about Columbia Harbor House at MK, so I am going to plan on eating there before the party starts. It's a good location, close to Haunted Mansion, which is where I want to start our evening.

Animal Kingdom: I have no clue for what we will eat here. Should I just wait till we get to Epcot and eat twice there?

Epcot: I feel liek the options her eare overwhelming! I might want to eat at Mexico, or Germany, or Sunshine Seasons... I really think we might need to eat twice here...

DHS: I am pretty sure we will eat at Pizza Planet for lunch, and then back to POP for a nap and then dinner before headign back to DHS for Fantasmic.

Those are my thoughts... for now... and we all know how often I change my mind :lmao:

[ChildAtHeart82]

Between eating CS at Animal Kingdom and eating twice at Epcot, I would choose eating twice at Epcot as long as it fits into your schedule. As you said, there are a lot of good options at Epcot. :)

If you do eat CS at AK, Flame Tree Barbeque is pretty good and I've heard good things about the Yak & Yeti CS. We're trying it on our next trip.

[stephielela]

Between eating CS at Animal Kingdom and eating twice at Epcot, I would choose eating twice at Epcot as long as it fits into your schedule. As you said, there are a lot of good options at Epcot. :)

If you do eat CS at AK, Flame Tree Barbeque is pretty good and I've heard good things about the Yak & Yeti CS. We're trying it on our next trip.

Yeah, I REALLY like the CS options at Epcot, and there are a alot more of them that I think will appeal to Jack. Luckily we acn play it by ear, but I am hoping to eat both at Epcot. I knew there was one I had heard good things about at AK and it was Flame Tree! I just couldn't remember the name!

[stephielela]

Well, for a minute there I thought our trip was going to have to be canceled. See, Jack has a swollen lymph node on the left side of his neck which has now been there ALL summer. We have tried antibiotics, we have drawn blood and there still aren't any answers. His regular doctor sent us to an ear nose and throat doc, who wanted to give it another month for it to go down on it's own. That month has come and gone, and all they can do now is remove it :scared1: and send it off for a biopsy. This means he has to have surgery, and he has to be under a general anesthetic. When the surgery center called to discuss financial matters, I started panicking. I thought there was no way I was going to be able to afford this. I am a single mother making just over $12 an hour. I thought I was going to have to borrow the money from family, and that might mean I should cancel so that it would look more responsible. The more I thought about it though, I realized that I would lose money anyways, and the $400 I spent on the trip wouldn't even cover the surgery anyways. The facility fee alone for the surgery is about $800, and then I have to pay the anesthesiologist on top of that, and the doctor performing the surgery. And yes, I have health insurance. I talked to them about a payment plan, and it seems like it will be manageable, though it will be a bit tight, and it means no TS ressies, and minimal souvenirs, but hey, at least we are still going! In fact, Jack will be receiving a get well card from Mickey on Thursday, along with some balloons...

[DisneyFirefly]

Oh no! :eek: :eek:

I hope he's okay and that the biopsy comes back clear! That obviously can't be the easiest thing in the world to be thinking about, especially because he's still so little. I don't pray, but you guys are definitely in my thoughts and I hope that everything works out okay :hug: :hug: :hug:

[stephielela]

Oh no! :eek: :eek:

I hope he's okay and that the biopsy comes back clear! That obviously can't be the easiest thing in the world to be thinking about, especially because he's still so little. I don't pray, but you guys are definitely in my thoughts and I hope that everything works out okay :hug: :hug: :hug:

I really appreciate your thoughts and wishes! I'm convinced that positive energy can play a big role, regardless of whether it's religious or otherwise! Thanks so much!! :lovestruc

[DisneyFirefly]

It just kills me when I read about little kids being sick. That's the main reason why, when I was still considering going into nursing as a career, I knew flat out that I didn't want to go into peds. I didn't (and don't) think I could handle that. I really hope that everyting comes out okay :hug: :hug: :hug:

[stephielela]

Only 35 more days!!! I have my Office Outlook on my work computer sendin me reminders every day of how many days are left till our trip :lmao: People think I'm crazy, but really, vacations are what we have to look forward to right?

Today we got our order from Old Navy. I ordered a new bathing suit which looks ok, it's not great, but it does the job. I also ordered Jack some of the flip flops for toddlers with the straps across the back. I got him a pair with skulls to wear for MNSSHP with his pirate costume and a pair of black with white hibiscus flower outlines (think hawaiian print). His regular sandals are pretty much all too small with his little toes starting to hang over the ends, so I thought these would be helpful.

I also went through the big box of Disney stuff I have and sorted out what we will take in September vs. what we will take in December. I have a ton of little things, and a lot of it is going this time around. I will post pics later, but I got most of it in the dollar section at Target and most of it is Toy Story related. I also have 4 glow sticks and a pack of 5 glo bracelets, so I think we will be set for MNSSHP. I found a Figment stuffed animal too that looks brand new, so I think I am going to take that and give it to him after our Epcot day, maybe put it the room to surprise him? I am glad that some of this stuff is being recycled. I wish I could afford to buy him all new stuff, but it's not realistic, and then the other stuff would just go to waste.

One of my favorite $1 Target purchases were the ziplocs and paper lunch bags. I have Toy Story and Monsters Inc ziplocs that have both big and small sizes, and the Toy Story paper lunch sacks. My plan is to take plenty of snacks and put them in a drawer and each morning fill up a paper sack with Jack's snacks for the day and that way he can eat whatever he wants, and it will all be stuff I know he likes! Plus he can always share whatever snacks I get with my snack credits, but there's a good chance he won't like it plus the boy will eat all day long if I allow him to. I figure we will use the rest of the ziplocs and sacks on our December trip. :santa:

[stephielela]

Jack's surgery was perfect! He is recovering very well, the doctor says all eh needs is Children's Tylenol, nothing stronger, and he will be fine! He did pretty well once we got home, I was trying to keep him still, but it wasn't so successful, but he is really tired so I think he will be taking a nice long nap! We won't have any results fromt eh biopsy for a week or so, but at least this part went smoothly! Thanks for all the prayers and good wishes, it means a lot to have a community like DIS where people are so kind and compassionate! :love:

[DisneyFirefly]

YAY! :yay: I hope the biopsy comes back negative! I put a postcard in the mail for you guys today, so keep an eye out for it :) I couldn't find any good get-well cards :confused3

[ChildAtHeart82]

I'm glad things went smoothly with the surgery. I will keep praying! :)

[therussells08]

I'm so glad Jack is okay!! :hug: You guys are in my prayers!!

[stephielela]

Thank you everyone for all your well wishes and prayers! I really appreciate all of the thoughts from everyone!

Dana~ we got the postcard today! Jack was so so excited! Thank you so much, it was even better than a get well card, since by looking at him, you would never know he was even sick! Thanks for being such a fantastic person! :banana:

[DisneyFirefly]

Yay, I'm so glad it got there! I'm always paranoid about my mail getting to where it's supposed to be :lmao: I sent off a rather large check once and it didn't make it to the place it was intended, which really sucked. But yeah, I'm glad it got there and made Jack happy, since that was the point :) :hug: :hug:

[stephielela]

So... when should my Magical Express stuff arrive? We are at 30 days!!! I am so excited that I can finally say "this time next month..." Of course, then I got some bad news at work... one of our girls (who works overnights) is transferring to another department. Until we find a replacement, the lowest person in seniority has to fill in... which is me! So in 2 weeks my awesome schedule changes until they can find someone to replace her and I will have to go back to working 2 overnights and 3 3-11 shifts each week. I am NOT happy, but I am hoping they have someone hired by the week I leave for Disney so that when I get back everything is back to normal. I can do the icky schedule for 2 weeks, but no more after that. I have already started looking elsewhere, since I really want to work 9-5 M-F type hours, but we will see. I have been here almost 2 years (longer than I have ever been anywhere) and this company treats its people very well, but this schedule drama drives me insane. I even applied for a job in Tampa...

[DisneyFirefly]

I think Disney sends out the DME stuff on or around the 30 day mark, so you should be getting it within the next week. If you don't have it by 21 days, I'd call them and be like, "Um, I need my stuff?"

That work schedule sucks :( I hope they fix it, or that you find a better job :hug: My schedule's insane, but it's at least regular, and they can't switch me to days without my permission.

It also just occurred to me that I have seniority over five people in our department!

[stephielela]

First of, what is the plural of crisis? :lmao:

First, I got hom last night and my dad had a stack of my mail that had gotten mixed in with other papers and included was my ME mail! He wasn't sure when it came, but at least it saves me a phone call, and gave me somehting to boost my spirits last night!

Secondly, my schedule is probably saved! My days off will probably change for a few weeks, but I shouldn't have to go to overnights! :worship: Thank goodness because I am not cut out for that. It was miserable for the 10 months I was on it before! I am still starting to investigate other employment opportunities, but now I think I will try to find something to start in January...

Third, the doctors office called and it looks like everything is fine with Jack The nurse didn't have a lot of info, but we will be there on Thursday for his post-op appt, so we will get more details then!

[ChildAtHeart82]

Good news all around! :)

[DisneyFirefly]

Yay for good news!

pixiedust:

[stephielela]

Today was a productive day! I went to Michaels and got transfer paper and plain t's to make "We're going to Walt Disney World" t-shirts! Jack wanted blue, and I got brown because they didn't have pink in my size. I also got cardstock for Jack's MNSSHP autograph book. I'm not sure how thrilled he will be with meeting characters... at T-Rex the other day they had a dinosaur character and while he liked him from a distance, he wouldn't take a picture without me... which makes me think I might need to get photopass :lmao: Can someone explain to me about this discount everyone seems to get on the preorder of the CD? I'm not sure if it's worth the money for this trip, but I know we are getting it for our December trip. Is there any way to combine it? That would be AWESOME!

[DisneyFirefly]

Yay for t-shirt stuff!

I haven't got a clue about the Photopass pre-order. I'm not even sure if I'm going to get it for my trip, but I might. Since I'm going alone, I don't have anyone to take pictures of me.

[ChildAtHeart82]

If you order the Photopass CD online before you leave, you can get the CD for $99.95 (+tax and shipping I think). If you order it later, it's $149.95. The link for this is: http://www.disneyphotopass.com/previsitoffer.aspx

As far as being able to combine your Photopass photos from your two trips, it would depend a little on timing. The explanation on how long you have to claim your photos is:

An important thing to note regarding disneyphotopass.com, however, is that you are time limited to how long your photos are available online, so keep this in mind when you make your decision. You have 30 days to claim the photos by adding the card number to your account and/or viewing the photos online and the photos will then expire and start to be deleted 30 days from that point. Once photos are deleted from the Disney's PhotoPass account, chances are dramatically slimmer that they can be restored. Note that if photo is set to expire June 12, it will expire at midnight at the start of June 12, so your last real day is June 11). Photo storage extensions are no longer free upon request, but can be purchased in blocks of seven (7) and fifteen (15) days as needed by selecting the extension product from the product list, placing it in your shopping cart and completing the purchase. The prices are currently $4.95 and $9.95 respectively.

I got that from this link: http://www.stitchkingdom.com/disneysphotopass/ There's a lot of other good info on Photopass there as well.

Based on when your photos would expire, if you got photos taken on the first day of your September trip (28 Sept), you would have to claim your photos by 27 Oct. If you waited until then to claim them, they would be deleted from the site on 26 Nov. That's 26 days before you get home from your December trip. So, to add your pics from both trips to the same CD, you'd have to buy extensions for your Sept/Oct pics for at least 30 days (2 15-day extensions), but I'd suggest 37 days (2 15-day and 1 7-day) to give you some more time to add borders and stuff to your December pics. If you did that, the Photopass CD would cost you:

$99.95 Preorder CD
$9.95 15-day extension
$9.95 15-day extension
$4.95 7-day extension
$124.80 (+ tax and shipping)

Since you're already planning on buying it for December, you'd only be paying about $25-$30 extra to add your Sept/Oct pics to the CD. If you do this, though, you'd have to make sure you claim your pics and buy your extensions at the right time. It might be more trouble than it's worth. I'm not sure if you can buy the extensions early or not. I hope that made sense and I hope it helps! :) Sorry for the long post.

[stephielela]

Wow! Thanks for the info! It does sound complicated, but worth saving around $75... I will talk it over with the fam and see! Thanks so much!

[stephielela]

So I decided to wait until we get there to add the PH. That way if it looks like the weather is going to be bad or tricky, or if my financial situation seems like the extra $54 would mean we can't get any souvenirs, then we will forget about that and just do Epcot and I thin DHS. I've been promising Jack he can see Buzz and Woody and Lightning McQueen, so DHS is necessary! Hopefully the extra $54 won't break the bank, and we can do it all!

[stephielela]

Since I have been off the past 2 days, I have been busily working on projects for our trip! On Thursday I got Jack's MNSSHP autograph book finished and bound, and I got our "We're headed to WDW" shirts made (iron on transfers). Friday we went to the zoo and Jack walked the whole time, plus we stayed for 3 hours compared to our ususal 1 (we have passes so we ususally just go look at a few animals, ride the carousel and call it a day)! He did pretty well, but I already knew he would need his stroller in Disney. My plan is to park it in an area, like Fantasyland, and walk to all the rides there, then move onto the next area in the stroller etc... Friday afternoon I recieved MICKEY MAIL!!! It was my vouchers etc for our package and our fancy luggage tags. I finished our folders for our trip, and also managed to get all of our September stuff together in one place, alongside our luggage. Friday night I attempted to make Jack's tiger shirt... I was going to tye dye it, but none of the kits contained both of the colors i needed, and I only want to make 1 shirt, so I wasn't going to buy 2 kits. I saw some fabric spray paint and it was the same price as the individual dyes, so I got black and orange. I tried them out yesterday... and let's just say it's a good thing I got a 5 pack of white shirts! :lmao: The striped are just too wide! The spray is pretty wide and uncontrollable. I'm going to try diagonal stripes on the back of the first shirt. If that doesn't work out, I'm going to spray the seconf one all orange and then make come cardboard stencils for the black stripes. At this point it probably would have been cheaper to just buy him an Animal Kingdom shirt... I seem to have become overconfident in my craftiness, lol.

Today my mom and I went shopping to hit up some sales for fall clothes for Jack. He really didn't need much, but we did stop by the Disney store, and I got him the Halloween PJ's for our trip, and Mickey and Friends PJ's for our December trip (they were 2 for $22) I am so ready to get out of town for this trip! Plus I heard the the fall decorations have gone up at WDW so it feels really close! I have always considered Sept 1st as my first day of fall (it's the first day I allow myself to have a pumpkin spice beverage from Starbucks) and evidently WDW feels the same way! Plus the weather here was cooler so it helps set the tone! 24 more days!

[leshunlenese]

i started reading your PTR BUT IM ONLY ON PAGE 4 im late but i am here!

[stephielela]

i started reading your PTR BUT IM ONLY ON PAGE 4 im late but i am here!

Welcome! I hope you enjoy the read!

[photographymom517]

My responses are in Red below in your quotes!

Ok, after much thought, careful evaluation of the facts, and conversations with my parents, here it is... my new and different itinerary.

Tuesday September 28th
Arrive at MCO at 11:05 am

Side note: I have finally decided about my luggage!!! Based on our new plans, I am wanting to bring pop tarts and muffins for breakfast in our room. This coupled with the fact that Jack will most likely NOT be potty-trained by the time we leave :sad2: I need the extra space a suitcase will give me. Therefore, I will be checking my suitcase as well as DS's and my backpack, and carrying on DS's backpack and my Vera carryon. That way I have enough room for our swim and party gear.

Good choice! Maybe not for this trip since you are on a tighter budget, but possibly a suggestion for next trip...I ordered from Garden Grocer & they had food/diapers/bottled water/wet wipes/etc all delivered to the room when we arrived (actually they had it "stored" for us at Bell Services & they brought it to our room for us). It was very convenient because I didn't have to waste an entire suitcase just on diapers & snacks. I think I have a list somewhere on my PTR of what all I ordered, but basically it was fruit snacks, granola bars, diapers & wet wipes, cereal, and bottled water.

I know what you mean about worrying about your Vera getting ruined! The way they (at the airport) throw the luggage around is craaazy!!! :sad2:


September 29th~ Wednesday

This is the big day of changes. After trying to decide which park to do, and talking to my parents, I decided to upgrade to a park hopper. I know, I know, it sounds crazy right?? 3 parks in 2 days? with a 2 year old?! :scared1:
But I really wanted him to get to see DHS for all the Cars and Toy Story stuff, and AK for the Animals.

I think this decision was great!!! I really think your son will enjoy both DHS and AK. I understand your thinking because I went through the same exact thing! I even told my husband on the day we were going to DHS that we'd probably only be there a few hours at most because our son wouldn't be able to do anything there. I told him it was geared more towards teenagers/adults. BOY WAS I WRONG! LOL Our son ended up LOVING the park. There was way more there for him to do that I originally thought. We saw the Playhouse Disney Live show (which I recommend if your son watches Pooh, Manny, Mickey Mouse, or Little Einsteins). He also loved seeing Lightning McQueen & Mater (although he was scared at first). We didn't see the Toy Story characters, but I suggest going to the Animation Building & trying to ride TS Mania if you can! I'll look through my trip notes & see what else I can suggest for DHS!

He will only be able to ride a couple things at AK, and he probably won't be willing to sit through both FOTLK and Nemo shows, so we wil probably only be spending 3 hours at AK anyways. I could stretch it out longer, but to be honest, it's not one of my favorite parks. At Epcot, he will be able to ride a few rides in Future World, but not a ton, so we won't need much time there either. So this is the plan...

I agree! We weren't able to ride much at AK but our son loved just wondering around. We did ride the Kilimajaro Safari & saw the Its a Bugs Life 3D show, but other than that, our AK day was sort of like our "relaxation day."

We honestly spent most of the day just walking the trails. Our son was in his stroller part of the time & the other half of the time we just let him walk around (because there weren't many people on the trail when we were). He really loved seeing the animals (like the Tigers, Gorillas, birds, etc) on the trail (we knew he would because he loves the zoo & animal park near where we live!).

We didn't sit through the shows so I can't suggest anything there, but I have heard other people say their toddlers could sit through it...mine, I know he couldn't so we didn't even try! Every child is different so I'd just use your best judgement.

We forgot to play in the Boneyard because it was just too hot & humid that day, but we will definitely stop by next trip!

At Epcot we will do Spaceship Earth, Nemo, Imagination, and check out Innoventions, and possibly Ellen's Energy Adventure, though he is really a little young for that. Then we will head over to the World Showcase. I think he will love the music and atmosphere there, last time we were there he would get out of his stroller and dance in the middle of the walkways :lmao: We will try and stick it out for Illuminations, but if he can't hang around that long we will call it a night.

Those are good choices for Future World! We did the same ones. If you have a Disney Visa, make sure to check out the Innoventions greeting area...I couldn't find it but I can try to ask someone for you if you're interested. Its from 1:30-4:30pm everyday & all you do is show them your Disney Visa & you can meet the characters. I guess its a private room so you'd be in there with your son & the characters! That would be neat! They give you one free 5x7 and then you can add the pics to your Photopass card (and have the photog take pics on your camera as well!) Just another suggestion!

As far as Ellen's Energy Adventure, our son actually enjoyed it. He wasn't overly thrilled with it, but he liked having a break in a nice cool room where he could sit down for awhile! lol He loved Figment!!! If you have time, let your son run through the fountains as well. As I'm sure you saw from my TR, our son wouldn't run through them but he liked watching the other kids! I think all kids love Nemo!!!

There is so much to see at World Showcase! I hope you get to see all the characters there & also the performers! Our son really loves music & likes dancing so he enjoyed all the ones we saw! I'll try to look through my pictures & see if the times are posted, but it might change for the fall???

So basically, I cut out all of our TS meals to pay for the ticket upgrade. Jack's a chicken nugget and french fries kidn of kid, so CS meals are going to be fine.

I know what you mean. Our son prefers french fries & chicken nuggets over anything else! (He really loved the chicken nugget bucket at OPR!) There are TONS of great CS choices at Epcot! I think too many to pick just one or two!

Ok, here are my thoughts on CS meals...

MNSSHP: I have heard a lot of good things about Columbia Harbor House at MK, so I am going to plan on eating there before the party starts. It's a good location, close to Haunted Mansion, which is where I want to start our evening.

Never ate there, but have it on my list for next trip because I've heard so many good things on DIS about it!!

Animal Kingdom: I have no clue for what we will eat here. Should I just wait till we get to Epcot and eat twice there?

I would suggest Restaurantosaurus if you do decide to eat at AK. I think our son got french fries & something else here. For all 3 of us to get meals, it would've only cost $31 (we used 3 meals from our dining plan but I kept track of how much each meal cost anyway!). We ate lunch at Pizzafari (I HATE Disney pizza by the way!) and we would've spent over $50 for the 3 of us to get meals & our son ate a pizza! Restaurantosaurus' food was much much better & we got way more for the money (and it was cheaper!)

However I would suggest waiting until Epcot because there are so many choices there for CS!

Epcot: I feel liek the options her eare overwhelming! I might want to eat at Mexico, or Germany, or Sunshine Seasons... I really think we might need to eat twice here...

Yes, too many options! Always my problem at Epcot! Next trip, I'm planning to get park hoppers so we can just go to Epcot & eat most days! lol

We ate at the Fish & Chips place at the UK. It was very good (our son loves fish though). I also recommend Sunshine Seasons in the Land Pavilion. We ate at Mexico CS last trip & it was sooo good! We skipped it this trip but will be going to the new restaurant next trip! I think last trip we got 2 trays of food in Mexico and our bill was under $20 which is awesome!

DHS: I am pretty sure we will eat at Pizza Planet for lunch, and then back to POP for a nap and then dinner before headign back to DHS for Fantasmic.

Those are my thoughts... for now... and we all know how often I change my mind :lmao:

All I can say at DHS is don't eat at the CS place right beside the HISTK playarea! Our son got nuggets & fries there so he was a happy camper, but my husband and I couldn't find anything to eat. We ended up eating at ABC Commissary which I recommend if you like fish or burgers.

If you aren't extremely hungry, stop by Starring Rolls Cafe and grab a chocolate croissant...YUM!!! (I think it costs around $3 if I remember correctly!)

I also ordered Jack some of the flip flops for toddlers with the straps across the back. I got him a pair with skulls to wear for MNSSHP with his pirate costume and a pair of black with white hibiscus flower outlines (think hawaiian print). His regular sandals are pretty much all too small with his little toes starting to hang over the ends, so I thought these would be helpful.

I LOVE those sandals! You know, I bought my son 2 pairs...an orange pair and a green pair at the beginning of the summer. I got them for $2.50 a piece on sale & I have had sooo many people ask me where I got them! I think every single time we go anywhere people ask or tell me they have the same pair for their son! I think it makes it easy for them to walk in too since they have the strap on the back. My son loves them!

I will post pics later, but I got most of it in the dollar section at Target and most of it is Toy Story related. I also have 4 glow sticks and a pack of 5 glo bracelets, so I think we will be set for MNSSHP.

Don't you just love the $1 section at Target?!? I shop there for every single holiday! I love buying my nieces, nephews, and son things for their Easter baskets, Halloween treat bags, and Christmas stockings there! And they ALWAYS have Disney stuff!!! Gotta love it!!!

The glow sticks are great! I bought them for our trip for days when we stayed late at the parks (they are ridiculously priced at the parks if you buy them there!) but somehow I managed to forget them at home!

My plan is to take plenty of snacks and put them in a drawer and each morning fill up a paper sack with Jack's snacks for the day and that way he can eat whatever he wants, and it will all be stuff I know he likes!

That's a really good idea. As I said, I had plenty of snack items in my carry-on bag and also ordered from Garden Grocer. I took snacks everyday & it really helps if you're waiting in a long line or if your son gets hungry mid-day & you don't want to stop to buy something. There were times we paid OOP for a snack and it was close to $5-8 just for one snack!



Jack's surgery was perfect! He is recovering very well, the doctor says all eh needs is Children's Tylenol, nothing stronger, and he will be fine! He did pretty well once we got home, I was trying to keep him still, but it wasn't so successful, but he is really tired so I think he will be taking a nice long nap! We won't have any results fromt eh biopsy for a week or so, but at least this part went smoothly! Thanks for all the prayers and good wishes, it means a lot to have a community like DIS where people are so kind and compassionate! :love:

I'm soooo glad that Jack's surgery went well! I have been soooo far behind on my subscriptions, I'm so sorry I didn't know about it before it happened! I will keep him in my thoughts & prayers!

So in 2 weeks my awesome schedule changes until they can find someone to replace her and I will have to go back to working 2 overnights and 3 3-11 shifts each week. I am NOT happy, but I am hoping they have someone hired by the week I leave for Disney so that when I get back everything is back to normal. I can do the icky schedule for 2 weeks, but no more after that.

I completely know what you mean! I used to work for a company that had weekly meetings...at EACH meeting, they would change the schedule & all the departments around. It was crazy! We started keeping our desk supplies in a box on our desk...there was no reason to organize our desk when we'd just be moving to a new location within a few weeks! It was horrible! I loved the company & the people I worked with, but the scheduling was ridiculous! I eventually moved on to a new company with a better schedule. I really hope you can find something!

First of, what is the plural of crisis? :lmao:

First, I got hom last night and my dad had a stack of my mail that had gotten mixed in with other papers and included was my ME mail! He wasn't sure when it came, but at least it saves me a phone call, and gave me somehting to boost my spirits last night!

Yippee for ME mail!!! Last trip I didn't even get our ME tags and I was soooo stressed! But I've heard a simple phone call usually takes care of it! Glad your dad found them so you didn't have to worry!!!

Secondly, my schedule is probably saved! My days off will probably change for a few weeks, but I shouldn't have to go to overnights! :worship: Thank goodness because I am not cut out for that. It was miserable for the 10 months I was on it before! I am still starting to investigate other employment opportunities, but now I think I will try to find something to start in January...

So glad to hear about your work situation! Sounds a little bit better than working nights! It never hurts to look around for other opportunities!

Third, the doctors office called and it looks like everything is fine with Jack The nurse didn't have a lot of info, but we will be there on Thursday for his post-op appt, so we will get more details then!

So glad for Jack!!! :goodvibes

Can't wait to read more about your trip...its not very far away!!!

[stephielela]

Today I managed to get Jack an appt at the Harmony Barbershop for 4 pm on our MNSSHP day... The problem is we can't get into the park till 4, so we will probably be a few minutes late... but the couldn't get anything later. I figure we will give it a shot! He REALLY needs a haircut before that, so I will probably at least have to trim up the front so he can see :lmao:

[stephielela]

Wow! Only 6 days!! (I just realized my ticker is off... I think I originally planned my trip for the 27th! Oh well, my vacation technically starts Monday anyways!) I have gotten distracted from the boards lately, but you will be happy to know that I am all ready for our trip!! My bags are 99%packed, I just need to buy snacks and add more $ onto our Disney card, and then I will be ready to go! I did ende up makign some itinerary changes, and decided to drop the park hoppers in favor of 1 DHS day and 1 Epcot day. I just didn't want to feel liek we had to rush from park to park to get our money's worth! This way we can get a trip in to DTD to the place where they sell Mr. Potato Head parts (Jack got one yesterday and has become very attached) and we can sleep in and get plenty of pool time as well. I also canceled the barbershop appt, because we were going to be at least 5 minutes late, and he really needed a haricut sooner than that, so we did that Monday. I also canceled out Biergarten ressie so that we could be more flexible on when/where we eat. There were still tons of ressies available, so I figure if we change our minds, we will just try to get a walk up! My mood for this trip is completely a go with the flow attitude, just time for me and Jack to relax and have fun. I did buy our MNSSHP because that is what I am looking forward to the most! Jack tried on his costume the other day and didn't want to take it off! I did all our laundry and bought most of our stuff for our trip already (I wasn't sure if I was going to have to work on Monday, so just in case I wanted almost everything to be ready) but now I have Monday off, so I have the day before our trip to do last minute shopping, paint my nails, and most importantly, GO TO BED EARLY (our flight leaves at 6:30 am the next day). It's so close I can taste it! Just a reminder (and a shameless plug) I will be doing live twitter updates, and facebook updates as well!

[DisneyFirefly]

Yay! It sounds like you guys are going to have a great trip! I can't believe it's almost here! :yay: That's awesome that you have the day before you leave off. I've got two days off before I leave, which I'm really glad of.

What color are you gonna paint your nails? :teeth:

[stephielela]

I am such a bad Diser! I have totally been slacking off! I did buy my MNSSHP ticket, and I am actually considering springing for a second one on the 30th if we miss out on too much the first go around. If not we will probably see Fantasmic at DHS, but I am kinda hoping for a second turn at the party... I am packed and ready to go minus a few things like Jacks tennis shoes and my cell phone charger. I just have one more night of work to get through!!

Dana~ I am painting my nails a dark sparkly purple... it actually looks black unless its viewed in sunlight. I'm dying my hair too...

[DisneyFirefly]

YAY! :yay: :yay: I can't believe you leave tomorrow! You're going to have so much fun :)

[ChildAtHeart82]

You're leaving tomorrow! Yay!! :yay: I finally got around to adding you on twitter so I could get your updates while you're at the park. :)

[stephielela]

3 more hours of work and then I am officially on vacation!!! I am not leaving till Tuesday, but I have a day to "unwind" before we leave, and get all those last minute things done! I have to be up early to check in for our flight...

[DisneyFirefly]

Well, still, a free day before vacation sounds awesome! I have two days free before I leave, so I'm really looking forward to that :goodvibes

I can't wait to see your Twitter updates!

[ChildAtHeart82]

Okay, for real this time. :) You leave tomorrow! Yay!! :banana: Say hi to Mickey for us!

[DisneyFirefly]

Enjoy your trip! See you in a few days! :)

[PrincessInOz]

Ahh! I missed the farewell.....gosh that came round quick!

Have a great trip!

[stephielela]

We are BAAAAA-AAAACK! I am hoping to get my TR started here shortly...

[DisneyFirefly]

Yay! Welcome home! Let us know when the TR goes up! :)

[ChildAtHeart82]

Welcome back! :) We really enjoyed your twitter updates. It was almost like we were there.

[PrincessInOz]

Welcome back! Looking forward to the TR :thumbsup2

[stephielela]

TR started!! Click HERE!!!!

[DisneyFirefly]

Yay! I don't think the link worked, though. :(

[stephielela]

ok, hopefully this link will work... click here (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2568422)