Another PTR - Let's Make it a Half!

[skier_pete]

I looked up the Comfort Suites in Rochester. Good location in the nice suburbs while still very central. Should have no problem there. I don't know enough about the Markham suburb of Toronto to comment on that one.

 

[zanzibar138]

I looked up the Comfort Suites in Rochester. Good location in the nice suburbs while still very central. Should have no problem there. I don't know enough about the Markham suburb of Toronto to comment on that one.

That's great to hear Pete We'll more or less just be 'driving through' these places, so didn't really care about being in the middle of the city or anything. But it's always nice to be in a good neighbourhood.

 

[Aussie Wendy]

Pretty cool outfits! Do you have many 2 or 3D friends who also get involved in Disneybound? I love the concept but can't quite get dedicated enough to follow through though I always get enthused seeing your posts.

 

[zanzibar138]

Pretty cool outfits! Do you have many 2 or 3D friends who also get involved in Disneybound? I love the concept but can't quite get dedicated enough to follow through though I always get enthused seeing your posts.

Unfortunately I don't know anyone else who is into Disneybounding. And I don't do it much really - only for Disney trips and occasionally for a movie or show etc. Some of those people do it practically every day, even for work!

 

[Aussie Wendy]

Wearing it for work is really being enthusiastic! Just too much effort but I like your plans for DL and runs etc.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Let's talk Disneybounding! I've discovered Polyvore and have spent the afternoon having a play. These outfits are just a general idea of what it will be like based on what I could find on Polyvore. Obviously I'll be tweaking them as I go. I may be going slightly nuts with my outfits for this trip, but I figure why not.

I'll be starting my bounding outfits on Thursday with an expo/park day as Russell. I plan to meet Dug on this day and get a great photo that I can get an enlarged print of and put in my soon to be Up themed hobby room. I decided to this bound on the first day in case there is an issue meeting Dug - I'll have a couple of back up days then. I have already purchased a little brown satchel style bag, and my mother in law has a great orange scarf that I may borrow and use as a headband.



Friday morning is of course the 5k. I've been pretty keen on the idea of a Mulan themed outfit for a while, so have decided to run with that (haha no pun intended). This will be based on Mulan's introductory outfit, as it is kind of my introduction to the weekend. As an added bonus, I already have the skirt!



For our park time on Friday, I've decided on Mulan's matchmaker outfit (the next chronological outfit in the movie). I have quite a few pink tops - I'll have to see if any will be suitable, and I will just wear my existing pair of black lace up shoes.



Saturday is a rest/non park day, so no Disneybounding that day. The next one will be the half marathon, where I will be inspired by Mulan's battle outfit. I feel like the battle outfit will be appropriate lol! I also have the grey sparkle skirt already!



After the half marathon I will be wearing an outfit inspired by the final outfit Mulan wears in the movie, when she is awarded the sword of Shan-Yu and the crest of the emperor (which will be represented by my half marathon medal!). I have that exact dress sitting in my 'cart' waiting to be purchased, just need to decide on a size. And I'll just wear my existing black lace up shoes again.



My final Disneybound outfit will be Boo! I just thought this would be cute and comfortable. I have a pair of purple shorts in my 'cart' as well, and have already purchased a pink t-shirt that would be suitable. Depending on how I go with Dug, I'll wear this one on Monday or Tuesday.

LOVE IT!

 

[zanzibar138]

Yesterday I received a parcel of Disneybounding goodness in the mail. I tried everything on last night, and am pleased to report that everything fits perfectly (always a bit of a gamble with online shopping!). So here's a quick rundown of where I am with my outfits now.

Russel - Have
* Yellow summery shirt style top
* Orange scarf in chiffon type material (borrowed from MIL)
* Small brown satchel bag

Need
* Brown shorts
* Brown boots (I have some brown hiking boots I can use in a pinch, but they're heavy and bulky)
* Grape soda pin

Mulan (Introductory outfit) - Have
* Cobalt blue sparkle skirt

Need
* Yellow compression socks/sleeves
* Light green running top that I can make some basic alterations to
* Red belt

Mulan (Matchmaker outfit) - Have
* Nothing!

Need
* Black canvas shoes (I have some black lace up shoes I can use, but they don't breathe very well)
* Maroon skirt
* Blue belt
* Pink top (I don't think anything I have is entirely suitable)
* Accessories

Mulan (Battle outfit) - Have
* Dark grey sparkle skirt
* Black running belt
* Green ribbon for my hair

Need
* Dark green running top that I can make some basic alterations to
* Black compression socks/sleeves

Mulan (Final outfit) - Have
* Navy blue dress

Need
* Red belt
* Black canvas shoes (I have some black lace up shoes I can use, but they don't breathe very well)
* Accessories

Boo - Have
* Pink t-shirt
* Purple shorts

Need
* White canvas shoes
* Pink bobble hair ties
* Green circular earrings

 

[PrincessInOz]

Happy Shopping !

 

[zanzibar138]

So on with the plans...

After some help from some of the Melbourne DISers last night, I think I've decided on an alternative activity for our park-free Saturday. I've found a decent looking place that does 2 hour trail rides in Griffith Park, up to the top of the hill taking in views of the Hollywood sign and of course the city. Mum and Dad have confirmed that they'll keep the car for an extra day, so we'll be able to drive ourselves up, and check out some other sights in Griffith Park while we're up there. Mum and Dad are interested in coming too.

 

[PrincessInOz]

YAY! Glad you decided on the activity.

 

[Keels]

Yesterday I received a parcel of Disneybounding goodness in the mail. I tried everything on last night, and am pleased to report that everything fits perfectly (always a bit of a gamble with online shopping!). So here's a quick rundown of where I am with my outfits now.

Russel - Have
* Yellow summery shirt style top
* Orange scarf in chiffon type material (borrowed from MIL)
* Small brown satchel bag

Need
* Brown shorts
* Brown boots (I have some brown hiking boots I can use in a pinch, but they're heavy and bulky)
* Grape soda pin

Mulan (Introductory outfit) - Have
* Cobalt blue sparkle skirt

Need
* Yellow compression socks/sleeves
* Light green running top that I can make some basic alterations to
* Red belt

Mulan (Matchmaker outfit) - Have
* Nothing!

Need
* Black canvas shoes (I have some black lace up shoes I can use, but they don't breathe very well)
* Maroon skirt
* Blue belt
* Pink top (I don't think anything I have is entirely suitable)
* Accessories

Mulan (Battle outfit) - Have
* Dark grey sparkle skirt
* Black running belt
* Green ribbon for my hair

Need
* Dark green running top that I can make some basic alterations to
* Black compression socks/sleeves

Mulan (Final outfit) - Have
* Navy blue dress

Need
* Red belt
* Black canvas shoes (I have some black lace up shoes I can use, but they don't breathe very well)
* Accessories

Boo - Have
* Pink t-shirt
* Purple shorts

Need
* White canvas shoes
* Pink bobble hair ties
* Green circular earrings

LOVE all of your Disneybounding ideas!! I should hire you to plan my Disneybounds for me! I haven't even started thinking about them yet ... and it feels like everything is just creeping up so quickly!

 

[zanzibar138]

LOVE all of your Disneybounding ideas!! I should hire you to plan my Disneybounds for me! I haven't even started thinking about them yet ... and it feels like everything is just creeping up so quickly!

Aww shucks! Your ideas sound great

 

[Aussie Wendy]

The Griffith Park day sounds a brilliant idea.

 

[zanzibar138]

We've finally got our Niagara Falls accommodation locked in.

We had been looking at the Marriott Gateway for a great falls view room, but it was still going to be a bit pricey for us - $225 per night plus $25 per night parking fee. We were really hoping to keep it under $200. So we've been umming and aahing for a few weeks now.

In the meantime, DH got an offer through from Rocketmiles, the US based hotel booking website that gives extra airline miles. The offer was for 5000 miles if he booked before Friday. So we got on and had a look around. Rocketmiles generally have quite a limited selection of hotels available, and they change pretty frequently. At the point when we were looking, there were no falls view rooms available. However, the Wyndham Garden was available, which seems to be in a decent location, gets good reviews, and offered a room with a good view over the entertainment district towards the falls (just a bit too far back and not high enough to get actual falls view). We booked the best room type they offered - a premium view king with Jacuzzi - and I added a special request for the highest floor possible, adding that it will be my birthday while we're there. So fingers crossed! While I'm a little disappointed we won't have a view of the falls, I'm happy with the room we've booked, and the $100 or so that we saved can go towards a meal or activity splurge instead.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Congrats on having a Fallsview hotel locked in for your birthday! YAY!

 

[zanzibar138]

I've changed my mind on my 5k outfit, because Mulan is turning out to be too hard to put together. I still plan to do the rest of the Mulan outfits though. I'm looking at doing a Jessica Rabbit outfit instead (some of you may remember me briefly considering that one for last year's race weekend). It should be easy enough to add some basic, subtle touches to DH's outfit to have a Roger Rabbit vibe too.

Mum has also expressed interest in possibly wearing all red on race day to fit in as Mushu - she can wear my red Jessica skirt.

So here's a quick update on my Disneybound progress.

Russel - Have
* Yellow summery shirt style sleeveless top
* Orange scarf in chiffon type material (borrowed from MIL)
* Small brown leather satchel bag
* Brown shorts (on order from Asos - fingers crossed they're suitable, not entirely sure about the colour from the website)

Russel - Need
* Brown boots (I have some brown hiking boots I can use in a pinch, but they're heavy and bulky)
* Grape soda pin

Jessica Rabbit - Have
* Black running shorts (for under skirt)

Jessica Rabbit - Need
* Red sparkle skirt
* Red running tank
* Red sparkly headband, or possibly some sort of temporary hair colour like coloured hairspray, hair mascara etc
* Purple wristbands

Roger Rabbit (for DH) - Have
* Black running shorts
* Hat (which I will pin rabbit ears to like I did for Dad last year)

Roger Rabbit (for DH) - Need
* White running t-shirt (which I will add red ribbon to for braces and a small blue felt bowtie like I did last year)

Mulan (Matchmaker outfit) - Have
* Maroon pleated A-line mini skirt (on order from Asos - fingers crossed it's suitable)
* Pink V-neck tank with floral embroidery feature (on order from Asos - fingers crossed it's suitable)
* Small Cri-kee plush (currently the highest bidder on ebay) - will try to somehow attach him to my bag

Mulan (Matchmaker outfit) - Need
* Black canvas shoes (I have some black lace up shoes I can use, but they don't breathe very well)
* Blue belt (I found a great tutorial for a DIY wrap belt which I will probably have a go at)
* Large flower hair clip
* Accessories

Mulan (Battle outfit) - Have
* Dark grey sparkle skirt
* Grey V-neck running t-shirt, which I will add some 'armour' and a 'cape' to
* Black running belt
* Green ribbon for my hair
* Small Khan plush (currently the highest bidder on ebay) - will try to somehow attach him to my running belt or somewhere out of the way

Mulan (Battle outfit) - Need
* Black compression socks/sleeves
* Material for 'armour' and 'cape'

Shang (for DH) - Have
* Black running shorts
* Grey running t-shirt (although it does have a bright green running Mickey on the front, so I might see if we can buy a plain one)

Shang (for DH) - Need
* Red material to add 'cape' to running t-shirt
* Possibly another black running belt if we can find a decent enough cheap one

Mulan (Final outfit) - Have
* Navy blue sleeveless sweetheart skater dress

Mulan (Final outfit) - Need
* Red belt (will probably try the same DIY wrap belt tutorial for this one too)
* Possibly some light blue chiffon or something else light and airy that I can tack on to the dress for sleeves
* Black canvas shoes (I have some black lace up shoes I can use, but they don't breathe very well)
* Accessories
* Small Mushu plush - will try to attach him to my bag

Boo - Have
* Pink V-neck t-shirt
* Purple shorts

Boo - Need
* White canvas shoes
* Pink bobble hair ties
* Green circular earrings

I feel like my Mulan outfits won't be recognisable enough (especially the finale one) without something really obvious, so that's why I'm getting the plush toys.

 

[zanzibar138]

And to finish off, I feel like I need to start keeping a to-do list. So here's what's left.

* Pay final amount for DLR accommodation (due now, so this will be gone by next week - yay!)
* Book accommodation in Seoul (airport location)
* Book airport transfers to/from LAX
* Book hire car for Lake Ontario road trip
* Buy DL tickets (going to get the convention rate 5 day PH through GetTravel)
* Buy PP+
* Book horse riding in Griffith Park
* Investigate activities in Thousand Islands and Niagara Falls areas and make bookings/pre-purchase if required
* Finalise Disneybounds
* Create and print maps (we will also have DH's GPS with US maps, but we've found we can't always rely on that)
* Check to see whether we also have Canada maps on DH's GPS, download if required
* Print and gather important documents and organise in folders
* Organise for house-sitter to come to the new house and go through new instructions with her
* Train, train, and train some more!

Anything obvious I'm missing? I feel like that list is way too short lol!

 

[PrincessInOz]

The list is nice and short! That would be because you have everything else sorted.

 

[zanzibar138]

The list is nice and short! That would be because you have everything else sorted.

Awesome! That's what I was hoping for!

 

[skier_pete]

SO, a couple of comments. We just spent a weekend in Toronto, and I printed out directions to the various locations we were heading to. One thing I noticed with Google Maps is they tried to get us to travel on the 407 highwayexpress toll road through Toronto. This is a toll road, which in itself isn't bad, but it is a "no ticket" toll road. In other words, you have to have your car equipped with a sensor, or if you don't they photograph your license plate and send you a bill. In your case, they likely would send it to your rental car company, who would then retroactively charge you. My advice is, avoid this road even if your map/GPS tells you to take it. The charge is 30 cents / KM, so the fees can really add up.

Second, you will be fine with that location in Niagara Falls. You may not get a view of the falls, as there are hotels that are between you and the falls, but the location is very central. I personally think a falls-view room is a tad overrated, it's awesome for about 30 seconds, and then you realize that you aren't going to spend a lot of time standing by the window looking out at the falls.

There's lots to do in the falls, but of course definitely do the the boat ride (Used to be the Maid of the Mist, but Canada got an alternative one call Hornblower cruises.) The "Behind the falls" tour is pretty cool too! The WEGO shuttle/bus system is convenient if you want transportation without having to move your car all around, it's only $7 per person per day. There's lots of cheesy tourist stuff to do along Lundy's Lane / Stanley Ave, I wouldn't recommend any of it, but it can be a fun evening walking up and down the strip and trying something that interests you. Obviously there is plenty of other stuff to do, you can find out about it on the internet. If you have any specific questions, feel free to send me a message.