PTR; Joshua and Samantha's 1st Trip (Sep 17-26 '09) [Train Tour Pics!]

[jenny105]

That would be neat. I'll have to make sure and have my DIS goggles on.

Oh, and make sure to leave us some good buffet food

I have a feeling I'm going to seeing people from afar and be playing the 'Where do i know that person from??' game.

No promises!

 

[SoonerGirl]

Hi, I followed your PTR link in your siggy from a post you made on another thread. I just had to check it out when I noticed that you live in Moore - we're in Moore too!

I love what your doing with the alphabet/Disney countdown - so creative.

You have a beautiful family. Thanks for sharing!

 

[crocko]

I have a feeling I'm going to seeing people from afar and be playing the 'Where do i know that person from??' game.

No promises!

Yeah....I'll just be happy if I can actually run into, spot, and recognize just one DIS person on this trip. Would be cool.

Hi, I followed your PTR link in your siggy from a post you made on another thread. I just had to check it out when I noticed that you live in Moore - we're in Moore too!

I love what your doing with the alphabet/Disney countdown - so creative.

You have a beautiful family. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks!

And very cool to find someone else from Moore on the DIS. Woohoo!!!
(took a quick peak for now at your California TR...that first page is making me miss San Francisco...haven't been there since 2002)

 

[crocko]

45 DAYS TO GO!!!


We got some shopping done for trip items this weekend.

1) Bought a digital camera for the kids. "Officially" it is Joshua's camera...I had a talk with him that it would be his camera but that he was expected to be very good about sharing it with Samantha. He's always borrowing Bridgette's cell phone to snap pictures, so we think he'll really have fun having his own nice camera to take pictures with. I believe it is a 5MP, 4x digital zoom camera. Also...it came with a battery charger...so worked out to be a good deal.
He got the UP adventure book for his birthday, so we told him that he'll be able to take his own pictures in Disney World and use his own pics to fill up his adventure book after we get back.

2) Bought extra memory cards. Going into the weekend, both Bridgette and I had a 4 GB card. After buying Joshua's camera, we were planning on buying three more 4 GB cards. At Sam's Club, they not only have such good prices on 4GB and 8GB cards, but they even have 16GB cards now . So...we changed course and ended up buying one 16GB card and one 8GB card ($43 total). So...the 16GB card will be for Bridgette's camera. The 8GB card will be for my camera. Then, my 4GB card I currently have will become Joshua's and the 4GB card that Bridgette currently has will become a family backup card.

3) Michael's had a 5 for $10 deal on plain t-shirts. So, we bought 10 t-shirts that we will be able to use for making custom shirts for the trip. We only needed 7...but needed to buy a number divisible by 5. Bridgette found an extra color she wanted and then we each got one more shirt so we can make a shirt for our November trip as well.


Upcoming....we're going to be trying to make a list of pictures we definitely want to get on the trip. Bridgette is an avid scrapbooker, so I know she's probably got fun ideas of pictures she'd like to be able to come home with. So, might as well plan ahead!

 

[jenny105]

Has he seen the camera yet? I'm sure he's going to love it!

I need to get a memory card. I'll probably end up going to Best Buy to get one but I have to get one for the trip alone. If I took over 100 pictures at a concert, I can only imagine how many I'm going to take on this trip!

 

[crocko]

Day 6 (Epcot)

The start of Day 6 means the start of the 2nd half of the trip. At this point, we've also managed to get to every park at least once. Day 5 ended with an evening at Kidani Village, so we should have been able to get to bed in good time. We'll need the rest, because Day 6 will be another 8am rope drop day. Back to Epcot!

This will be Day 2 at Epcot, but in reality, it is Day 1 of Future World, since the other Epcot day will have been focused on the World Showcase.
Okay, time to give how I would like to see this morning pan out: we all head to Test Track (Samanth and an adult check out the store) while the rest of us quickly get on the ride.

After Test Track, I say we get on over to Spaceship Earth and have fun in the big ball while the kids are still wide awake. When through with it, I'm thinking we'll be getting close to 9am when the Seas will open. So...head on over to the clam shells for a ride. Then, have a good Talk with Crush and check out Bruce and the aquarium. Next? I say we start walking north towards Imagination....now, at this point, I'd like someone (probably me) to hop in quickly to the Land and grab some Soarin' FP's.
Once I'm caught back up, time to head in to see Figment.
Then, play around in the kids area while Bridgette and I look at the various picture options there are. Not sure, but at this time, could be getting close to lunchtime, so perfect time to head over to the Land. If not quite lunchtime, then we can get on a boat and ride Living with the Land...afterward, I know Bridgette will be ready to eat at Sunshine Seasons.
Hopefully, after lunch, Soarin' FP's will be good-to-go.

Man....if that all pans out accordingly, we will have pretty much accomplished all the main tasks of the day by noon/1pm. I believe as Disney Visa cardholders, we get to do a cool character greet...2pm-ish? So, after lunch/Soarin' time to go hang out in Innoventions and see what all there is to do -- Joshua should have a blast in here. Once Innoventions and character greet are complete, we'll have some decision-making to do....

The only other specific plan for the day is that we want to catch Illuminations this evening. So, we won't really NEED to be back to Epcot until 8pm to get over to World Showcase and find a spot.
That's good! I'm hoping that on the 2nd half of the trip, we'll wind up with more free time to do whatever we want.

Whatever we do, as I said before, we'll make sure to get back to World Showcase by about 8pm probably (for a 9pm Illuminations showing). Not sure where we'll try to sit. Guess we'll see what's availalbe when we get there. If I had to guess, though, I'd bet we'll be somewhere between Germany and Canada (so, not between Mexico and China).



Potential punctures in the plan:
-- Test Track. All-in-all, don't foresee too many hiccups on this day since it should be a fairly relaxed day in which all our main goals should get accomplished fairly early. Test Track is the biggest "if" just because you never can be certain of its functionality on a given day. I'd love for Joshua to ride this, so if it is having problems, it could either mean we try and get back to Epcot at some other point on the trip OR that we have to re-arrange the day's schedule to try and get to it at a later point.


Most moveable mission:
-- Innoventions. Depending on wait times at various parts of Future World, I see Innoventions as being the part of Future World that we can most easily do whenever it makes most sense. If we need to wait on FP's or for lunchtime, though, being right in the middle, it will make for a perfect time-filler.


Adventuresome ad hoc add-on:
-- Beverly? LOL...haven't yet decided if a) I want to try and trick/enforce this drink on to others and b) if I dare even try it myself. Will someone in the group intake a bevy of Beverly? I'll know in 50 days.

 

[crocko]

Has he seen the camera yet? I'm sure he's going to love it!

I need to get a memory card. I'll probably end up going to Best Buy to get one but I have to get one for the trip alone. If I took over 100 pictures at a concert, I can only imagine how many I'm going to take on this trip!

Yes...he was there when we bought it. He was having trouble with the math, though. Joshua + Samantha = 2 kids. Mommy and Daddy buying 1 camera.

Thus, the talk I had to have with him.
Hopefully, we'll get it out and ready soon and he can start testing it out.

Yeah....no idea how many pictures I'll take.

 

[SoonerGirl]

And very cool to find someone else from Moore on the DIS. Woohoo!!!(took a quick peak for now at your California TR...that first page is making me miss San Francisco...haven't been there since 2002)

That CA trip was probably the best family vacation we've ever taken (with our first trip to WDW a close 2nd ), we had a blast!

You got some great deals on your shopping excursion - I was just at Sam's today and never even thought to look for memory cards, I'll have to make a note for next time I'm in there.

I meant to mention this in my first post and forgot, I stayed at OKW last summer with a friend who is a DVC memeber - it was a quick trip so I didn't spend a lot of time at the resort, but I think you'll be happy with it. The rooms were very spacious, and the resort is so pretty. Hope you can keep it a surprise!

 

[crocko]

That CA trip was probably the best family vacation we've ever taken (with our first trip to WDW a close 2nd ), we had a blast!

You got some great deals on your shopping excursion - I was just at Sam's today and never even thought to look for memory cards, I'll have to make a note for next time I'm in there.

I meant to mention this in my first post and forgot, I stayed at OKW last summer with a friend who is a DVC memeber - it was a quick trip so I didn't spend a lot of time at the resort, but I think you'll be happy with it. The rooms were very spacious, and the resort is so pretty. Hope you can keep it a surprise!

Glad you enjoyed staying at OKW...so far, I've heard positive reviews from those who have visited.

So far so good on the secret....102 days until that trip (WOW -- can't believe the 2nd trip is almost to double-digits). I "think" I'll be safe for awhile...worried about keeping that Magical Express mail out of her hands, though.

 

[jenny105]

Yes...he was there when we bought it. He was having trouble with the math, though. Joshua + Samantha = 2 kids. Mommy and Daddy buying 1 camera.

Thus, the talk I had to have with him.
Hopefully, we'll get it out and ready soon and he can start testing it out.

Yeah....no idea how many pictures I'll take.

Make sure to post his 'test' pictures!

By the way, have you heard when Universal is opening Harry Potter? I know it's sometime next year and I want to plan a weekend out there especially for that.

 

[crocko]

Make sure to post his 'test' pictures!

By the way, have you heard when Universal is opening Harry Potter? I know it's sometime next year and I want to plan a weekend out there especially for that.

Great idea! Hopefully he'll get to test it out this week some.


As for HPLand...I'm hearing early 2010 right now.


Next family trip to WDW would probably be in 2011, so we'll have to make sure and fit in a day or two for Universal.

 

[crocko]

Day 7 (Hollywood Studios)

Day 7 -- back to Hollywood Studios. With an Illuminations showing, we'll have a late night on Day 6...thus, it works out that on 9/23 there are no early Extra Magic Hours anywhere. So, with a little extra sleep we'll get up and ready to get to the Studios in time for the 9am rope drop.
And...just as we did on the first Studios day, I assume we will head straight on over to Toy Story Mania (at a quick walk's pace, of course).

The rest of the day will be focused on 3 goals:
1) Doing the key kiddo events that we missed the first day in this park (which could possibly include still trying to get picked at Jedi Training Academy)
2) Going back to and having more fun at the attractions we like the best.
3) Sticking around for the 3pm Pixar Parade. Both kids love the Pixar movies and their characters...thinking they'll love this parade.

Also, if Bridgette and I didn't get to the first Studios day, we will definitely be looking for an opportunity to get over to the Tower of Terror on this day...a favorite ride for both of us. All-in-all, hoping that this morning and afternoon can be slow-paced, relaxing, and very enjoyable. Would like it to be a fun day to take lots of pictures and hopefully meet some cool characters.

My guess is that after the parade, we'll pretty much be done at the Studios for the day....leaving the entire evening for whatever we want. Yay!!
That means we could try and hit another park...we could hit Downtown Disney...go play back at Kidani Village...or even go check out a resort or two (would love to pop over to Caribbean Beach sometime on the trip -- for me, it is the Disney resort that feels like home).

Overall, Day 7 is the first of 3 full days where the schedule has a lot of wide-open time. This is definitely part of the trip to focus on really doing the things the kids loved and want to do the most.
With an 8am rope drop coming up the next day, hopefully this will be another nice-and-easy to bed night for us.


Potential punctures in the plan:
-- Parade. We didn't schedule the Pixar parade for the first Studios day, so we'll be relying on getting to see it on this day. Overly hot temperature, cranky moods, or bad rain at just the wrong time could put a damper on this event. If we miss it, could end up possibly meaning some scrambling to get back to it on either day 8 or 9.

Most moveable mission:
-- Starting attraction. Not much comes to mind, but I'll say our starting point for the day. If we decide we'd like to start the day without worrying about the crazy dash to TSM, then we can easily head over to some other area to enjoy at first. Even if we do, though, I can tell you that someone (even if it has to be me) will still head over to TSM to get FP's for the day.

Adventuresome ad hoc add-on:
-- Miniature golf? Bridgette is VERY against trying to do mini-golf this trip...both kids are still pretty young and up to this point, have only tried it once, maybe. Nevertheless, from the Studios, it would be pretty easy to get over to Fantasia Gardens. This might be the lowest % ad hoc add-on I've listed so far, but hey...let's keep it in the running!

 

[SoonerGirl]

I love the go with flow attitude on Day 7 - at that point in the trip it's fun to slow down and absorb the surroundings a little more!

On the mini golf - my boys enjoyed it even at your kids age, although Samatha may get a little bored. A suggestion though, I know it won't be nearly as convienent, but if you decided to do it, I'd suggest going to WinterSummerland instead. It's more kid friendly than Fantasia Gardens, especially if your kids have never played. Fantasia Gardens is more difficult and could lead to quite a bit of frustration......

 

[lacrosse_lady72]

Great idea! Hopefully he'll get to test it out this week some.


As for HPLand...I'm hearing early 2010 right now.


Next family trip to WDW would probably be in 2011, so we'll have to make sure and fit in a day or two for Universal.

EARLY 2010??? I'd LOVE to be able to go in April. Here's for dreaming... I would just have to add days on if they did, maybe an onsite stay at Universal for a night?

Best move on Universal's part, adding HP... we usually go every year but a lot of people who have never gone are now planning on going because of HP. I'm so excited

 

[crocko]

I love the go with flow attitude on Day 7 - at that point in the trip it's fun to slow down and absorb the surroundings a little more!

On the mini golf - my boys enjoyed it even at your kids age, although Samatha may get a little bored. A suggestion though, I know it won't be nearly as convienent, but if you decided to do it, I'd suggest going to WinterSummerland instead. It's more kid friendly than Fantasia Gardens, especially if your kids have never played. Fantasia Gardens is more difficult and could lead to quite a bit of frustration......

Thanks for the mini-golf suggestion.

I've been to both, but can't remember the ease of each course (although, at Fantasia Gardens I know we definitely do the "fun" golf and not the super-hard "miniature" golf course.

EARLY 2010??? I'd LOVE to be able to go in April. Here's for dreaming... I would just have to add days on if they did, maybe an onsite stay at Universal for a night?

Best move on Universal's part, adding HP... we usually go every year but a lot of people who have never gone are now planning on going because of HP. I'm so excited

April? Hopefully it can be up and open by then
Also, I've heard a rumor that the Voldemort audio-animatronic for the HP ride is being made by Disney and will be the most sophisticated audio-animatronic to be made to date.

 

[crocko]

Thursday, Thursday, Thursday!!!


6 MORE WEEKS UNTIL DISNEY!@!@!@!@!@!







Letter U
Ride - United Kingdom (had to stretch on this one...hoping the kids will be able to see some characters...maybe Mary Poppins, Alice, or Pooh & Friends here...plus, hope they still have Charlie & Lola merchandise!)
Non-ride - Uwanja Camp (a special kids' play area at Kidani Village. From what I've seen, basically a super-cool splash pad area...kids should love this!)
Characters: Ursula, Url (Dinosaur), Mademoiselle Upanova, Undertow

Man, am I getting antsy....hope I can last


By the way, today also marks 100 Days until our November trip!

 

[jenny105]

Great idea! Hopefully he'll get to test it out this week some.


As for HPLand...I'm hearing early 2010 right now.


Next family trip to WDW would probably be in 2011, so we'll have to make sure and fit in a day or two for Universal.

I've been hearing early 2010 and also summer 2010. I'm not sure what the deal is. I guess I'll have to ask when I'm there.

Day 7 plans are lookin good! Fantasia Gardens is actually a lot of fun. There is a regular (boring lol) course and then there is a course with characters from the movie. That one is great!

 

[stacikristine]

All of your plans sound so great!! And that's awesome that you got such awesome deals on the memory cards! I think we've decided to take one of the laptops to upload pictures and videos to every night (or as needed). So we just have a 4G card. My little cousin who's not quite 4 loved playing mini golf the other day. So Samantha might like it. My cousin would pick it up and put it where she wanted it, but she still had fun

 

[Husurdady]

WOW , GREAT P.-T.-R. , WDW needs "MORE-OK" familys like the MOORE,OK. family. I just had to say that, LOL LOL. Guys we will be down with you guys from Sat. Sept. 19th till Sat. Sept. the 26th. DW & I will be over at our home at OKW for a little "R & R", renting a car this time, DW wants to do "some" [and I use that word loosely] shopping" at the malls.Bring an extra-mt. suit case. HEY! have a GREAT TIME. SO ROLL OVER MICKEY CAUSE THE HOOSIER DADDY IS COMING.

 

[Lynn5700]

YAY for only 6 more weeks!!!! Getting excited for you!