Off to see Mickey MEOWS and Snow WIPE again!! A Nov 2012 PTR! W/Pictures

[reyasmommy]

Hello Everyone!!!

TGIF!!!!!!

Does anybody have any wild weekend plans?!

We do!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Nope, I lied! We don’t do WiLD anymore.

I think tonight I’ll catch up with my Vacation planning, order a pizza, maybe watch a movie or two?

Tomorrow we’re going to my FIL’s 75th birthday BBQ. That should be pretty fun and nice to catch up with some of my husbands family. It’s hard to believe that my husbands Dad is old enough to be my Dad’s Dad. ((whom is 53))

BBQ’s are always fun and filled with tons of bad food. Hopefully I can keep myself under control.

Then after the party we’re driving up to the mountains in hopes of seeing some changing Aspens and to stay the night in Glenwood Springs. I love when we can get away, even if it’s just for one night. I’m sooooo excited!!! For fun I’ll take pictures and post them when I return on Sunday.

Sunday I’m hoping to spend some time up at Glenwood Caverns then return home in time to catch the Bronco game!

I found pictures of Reya and our “first” countdown calendar we ever made together!

How freaking cute is she!!!!

I love HER!





Enjoy your Weekend everyone!!!!!

[princess_momma]

Originally Posted by reyasmommy

Hi! I'm so happy you stopped by!

First.... I already responded to your message. I spent a 1/2 hour writing you back, then my son came in, touched "something" and EVERYTHING deleted. So sorry if I forget to respond to a question and if they're short answers. lol... Just don't have another 1/2 hour to spare.

So let me see if I can remember what I wrote before.?!?

1. The cost of gas+4 nights hotel+ Spending = What we would pay round trip to florida for the four of us. So we figure we get an extra 4 days of vacation time. ((even though it's not Disney)) to spend in hotels, with each other, and getting to see this beautiful country of ours.

It's a LONG drive, but super fun. If you ever decide to do it, let me know and I can give you a bunch of suggestions on hotels and places to visit.

2. Do they have Raiders toilet paper? If NOT, somebody totally needs to invent it. I would use it in a heart beat!

3. I LOVE our zoo! We were going to go today, but I'm feeling a bit under the weather. You're right, the new Elephant Passage reminds me of AK a bit. ((just on a smaller scale)) We have a season pass which I need to use more of now that the weather is getting a little cooler.

4. I'm glad your friend that was in the shooting is alright! What a scary experience that was for him/her! Colorado has definatley seen it's share of loss and sadness this year.

5. We will have to pop into your store sometime before our trip begins. We're a LOT closer to Park Meadows now, but I need to head that way to eat at Senior Rics. Haven't been there in forever and I'm craving it like crazy.

Dang it, dang it, dang it! I know there was a LOT more to say... If I can remember I'll message ya.

Thanks for reading.

OMG that's the worst when everything disappears!! Sometimes if you are REALLY lucky and something EXTREME didn't happen and you don't press any other buttons first, Ctrl + Z works to undo what was deleted. It has to be just the right kind of mistake, but sometimes it is and I can get that to work for me!

1. I don't know if we would ever drive. I feel like if we could tack on extra days, we would want to spend them in Florida. Which would be more costs, so silly. I know that especially Garret wants as much time in Florida as possible since his dad lives there!

2. I do think they need to make Raiders tp for sure! Who wouldn't buy it, really?!

3. I hope you are feeling better. Right now, we have a bunch of head colds in our household. I'm all congested and blah! No fun. I didn't know they offered a seasonal pass over a year long one! But that is such a good deal. Really, in our family, we only need to go like 3 or 4 times to get it to pay for itself.

4. Hopefully things start looking up for our beautiful state! I'm sure they will. Just a tough summer, my goodness!

5. Oh man, we LOVE Senior Ric's over here. SO good. Once you have a day you are thinking of going, PM me and let me know and I'll let you know my schedule. It is pretty random! I can open or close or be in the middle! lol I seem to open during week days a lot for now, so if you guys ever can, you should try to get there for opening at 10 am. We do the opening show with a kid and it's so fun! I love it. We hardly ever have kids though. (I get ya about usually going to Park Meadows though. That store is crazy busy with applicants though and they just weren't hiring.)

[princess_momma]

Is it crazy that I've never been to Glenwood Springs? I don't even know where it is in my head...pretty sad for a native! I did get to see the changing of the leaves in Aspen at the Maroon Bells though last year! SO GORGEOUS. That is actually where the only non-Bronco pic of just me in my ptr is.

Reya and the countdown calendar are adorable!! I love it. Can't wait until I'm close enough to make one again! Are you going to wait until you are 30 days out again?

[reyasmommy]

Originally Posted by princess_momma

Is it crazy that I've never been to Glenwood Springs? I don't even know where it is in my head...pretty sad for a native! I did get to see the changing of the leaves in Aspen at the Maroon Bells though last year! SO GORGEOUS. That is actually where the only non-Bronco pic of just me in my ptr is.

Reya and the countdown calendar are adorable!! I love it. Can't wait until I'm close enough to make one again! Are you going to wait until you are 30 days out again?

Glenwood isn't too far from Aspen, you should check them out sometime. ((I forgot my camera so I didn't get any pictures. )) The leaves are changing FAST up in the mountains. I bet by next week it will be at it's peak. I need to drive up somewhere this week and get some pictures in. As far as glenwood springs goes... Check out the Hot Springs Pool of course! Then check out the Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park. They have cave tours, a KICK *** Alpine Slide, a Zip line, a big swing thingie that swings over the side of the mountain, a new roller coaster. ((The highest altitude coaster in North america)) and several other rides. It can get expensive, but is super fun! It would be a nice weekend getaway!

I already made a calendar.... It's for 40 days out, but I'm not going to start it until 30 days out. ((I'm going to trick Reya)) That way we can still surprise her in a way. She'll think she needs to wait another 10 days to go to Disney but we'll pick her up early from school on the day and surprise her with an early departure. Not sure if we'll tell her right away where we're going when we pick her up or tell her later in the day when we reach our first destination.

We surprised her with a trip to Disneyland last year and it did not go as planned. I recorded it, I wonder how to post it. ((Do you know?))

So how about those BRONCOS!!! Awesome Game last night!!!

[BellaBaby]

GO BRONCOS!!

We were in Glenwood Springs about a month ago. My girls are Girl Scouts and this was their reward for selling all the cookies! They took the train there with their troop and did the pool and the caverns; they had a ball!
My DH and DS and I went up and stayed as well and did the pool. We had not been in several years and it was wonderful. So much fun!:good vibes

I think we'll definitely try to go as a family next summer...

[reyasmommy]

November 14th

Magic Kingdom
Hours- 9:00 am- 8:00 PM


Question for all of you Disney World experts before I begin::: How far in advance do buses start running before the parks open?
How far in advance do the parking lots open before the parks open?

:confused

We have reservations at Ohana at 7:30 am and MK opens at 9:00 …. Will we be able to catch a bus at our resort heading towards MK at 7:00 am? Or should we plan on driving to the Poly and taking the monorail from there to MK for opening? ((Can we even do that?)) HELP!?!?!

Anyway ……………….

7:30 am: Breakfast at Ohana -----** A first for all 4 of us !

9:00 am: Opening of Magic Kingdom. This will possibly be the FIRST time we’ve ever been at a park for rope drop. ((If we finish breakfast on time))

3:00 pm: Parade
7:00 pm: Electrical Parde **A first for all 4 of us!
8:00 pm: Fireworks

**we want to get the parades and fireworks out of the way this day so next week when the crowds are heavy we can concentrate on rides while everyone else is dealing with the parades**

Any tips or suggestions for the parades and fireworks? Is an hour to much time to look for a seat or not enough time? Where are the best places to sit?

Breakfast: Ohana 2 TS credits/1 Child TS Credit
Lunch: Unknown at this time. Thinking about Caseys Corner. I hate hotdogs but I love their Corndog bites.
Does anybody have any other good suggestions for Counter Service meal?
Dinner: We were thinking about waiting until closing time and heading to DTD to pick up Earl of Sandwich to bring back to the room.

Must-do’s
1. Peter Pan’s Flight **First for Jayden
2. Haunted Mansion
3. POTC **First for Jayden
4. It’s a small world
5. Dumbo ** First for Jayden //Plus the new set up will be new for everyone
6. Winnie the pooh
7. BTMR
8. Splash Mountain
9. Magic Carpets
10. WDW Railroad
11. Jungle Cruise

Things to do during the duration of the day
1. Pin Trading
2. Our hidden Mickey game
3. Character greetings
4. Sorcerers of Magic Kingdom ** New for all of us
5. Get a dole whip while we’re waiting for parade to start **First for Everyone but me

[eeyoresnr]

the busses start early for the early breakfast....your resort should be able to give you exact times but I read 6:30 somewhere... ( or someone who's done it recently on here)

you're gonna love the Electrical Parade!

[PISCESANGEL]

Hello again!

I do believe you can catch a bus from your hotel to MK and ride a monorail over to the Poly, however I do recall us driving to the Poly and taking the monorail to the MK and just leaving our car there all day. I don't know if it's 'allowed' but if you have your parking pass in the window I don't see why not?

Not sure how much time you need for parades/fireworks as I haven't gone at that time of year but we like to sit somewhere just off the hub towards Adventureland.

As for CS in the MK, we like Columbia Harbor House and Cosmic Ray's... check the menus here: http://allears.net/menu/menus.htm#mk and I'm not sure if you're aware but later in your stay you can try Be Our Guest CS (it opens 11/19!) LOVE your idea of Earl of Sandwich for dinner as it is a must-do fave of ours too!

I'm getting so excited for you... I love all of the things you have planned to do with the kids and how many things will be a first for Jayden... I'm sure they will both have a great time.

Looking forward to hearing more plans- hope I was able to help a little.

Carla

[reyasmommy]

I need some help making a decision. Here it is 11:16 PM and I'm browsing the WDW website. I just found that they have availability ((who knows for how long, because I've been checking frequently)) on Nov 21st and Nov 22nd for the Little Mermaid Room. As most of you know I had to switch hotels to the POP for the last two nights of my trip because they didn't have availability. Should I keep reservations AS IS? Then I can experience 3 different hotels during my trip.... Or do I stay at AoA for the entire stay. Which would be more convinent?

[eeyoresnr]

Originally Posted by reyasmommy

I need some help making a decision. Here it is 11:16 PM and I'm browsing the WDW website. I just found that they have availability ((who knows for how long, because I've been checking frequently)) on Nov 21st and Nov 22nd for the Little Mermaid Room. As most of you know I had to switch hotels to the POP for the last two nights of my trip because they didn't have availability. Should I keep reservations AS IS? Then I can experience 3 different hotels during my trip.... Or do I stay at AoA for the entire stay. Which would be more convinent?

while we are experts at resort hopping (my husband hates doing it) but with 2 little ones I would stay at AoA the entire stay, and hopefully they will be able to keep you in same room, but if not you can have bell boys come and move your stuff to new room for you to make it easier
plus AoA is new so that in itself is a big bonus!

[reyasmommy]

Originally Posted by BellaBaby

GO BRONCOS!!

We were in Glenwood Springs about a month ago. My girls are Girl Scouts and this was their reward for selling all the cookies! They took the train there with their troop and did the pool and the caverns; they had a ball!
My DH and DS and I went up and stayed as well and did the pool. We had not been in several years and it was wonderful. So much fun!:good vibes

I think we'll definitely try to go as a family next summer...

It is a great vacation get away. I would suggest going in the fall when the leaves are changing. We were thinking about taking the train up, just for the experience. But they wanted over $200.00 for a round-trip on amtrak. No thank you!

Originally Posted by eeyoresnr

the busses start early for the early breakfast....your resort should be able to give you exact times but I read 6:30 somewhere... ( or someone who's done it recently on here)

you're gonna love the Electrical Parade!

Great! Thank you

Originally Posted by PISCESANGEL

Hello again!

I do believe you can catch a bus from your hotel to MK and ride a monorail over to the Poly, however I do recall us driving to the Poly and taking the monorail to the MK and just leaving our car there all day. I don't know if it's 'allowed' but if you have your parking pass in the window I don't see why not?

Not sure how much time you need for parades/fireworks as I haven't gone at that time of year but we like to sit somewhere just off the hub towards Adventureland.

As for CS in the MK, we like Columbia Harbor House and Cosmic Ray's... check the menus here: http://allears.net/menu/menus.htm#mk and I'm not sure if you're aware but later in your stay you can try Be Our Guest CS (it opens 11/19!) LOVE your idea of Earl of Sandwich for dinner as it is a must-do fave of ours too!

I'm getting so excited for you... I love all of the things you have planned to do with the kids and how many things will be a first for Jayden... I'm sure they will both have a great time.

Looking forward to hearing more plans- hope I was able to help a little.

Carla

Very helpful, thank you! I am SOOOO excited to have breakfast at the POLY. I haven't been there since the day DH and I got married. It will be be nice to see it again. Thinking about it gives me butterflies in my belly.

I checked for reservations at Be My Guest for Thanksgiving Day and of course there was no availability. Actually there is NO availability anywhere except the Plaza so I had to book there. Beggers can't be choosers I guess.

Originally Posted by eeyoresnr

while we are experts at resort hopping (my husband hates doing it) but with 2 little ones I would stay at AoA the entire stay, and hopefully they will be able to keep you in same room, but if not you can have bell boys come and move your stuff to new room for you to make it easier
plus AoA is new so that in itself is a big bonus!

Well bummer..... I just got online and those rooms are no longer available. Guess the decision has been made for me. Pop it is. I've been toying with the idea and staying at CSR instead. It will cost more but I like the idea of two queen beds. Not sure if it will b worth the extra cash though.

[reyasmommy]

Did everyone have a good weekend?

Our little weekend getaway didn’t start off so wonderful. For one the hotel we stayed at was WAY below my standards as far as hotels go. However... the only reason we chose that particular hotel was for their awesome indoor swimming pool. When we checked in they gave us a room in the basement…. Yes, the basement!! When we walked in the room I was REALLY disappointed! The room was disgusting! Major stains on the floor for one and it just felt like being in a dungeon. We were also right next to one of the meeting rooms which had a baby-shower going on with kids running around in the hallway. Then the smell of the food that was coming from the party was just nauseating. So of course I went straight up to the front desk and demanded a new room. So we went from the bottom to the top floor. The new room was still below my usual standards but was a huge improvement from the first.((There were other problems, but nothing too bad to discuss)) Will and the kids changed into their swim attire right away and headed down to the pool. 5 minutes later they came back and said the pool was closed because they had main break or something like that. And didn't know when it would reopen. I was SOOOOO mad! We drove 3 ½ hours to stay at that particular hotel and paid WAY more than it was worth and the pool wasn’t working! I went downstairs to the desk , yet again to complain. We were going to leave if the pool wasn't up and working soon. There is NO way I would have paid $150.00 for that hotel it wasn't for the swimming poo..... Luckily 10 minutes later they had it up and running again.

So the kids and Will got to spend several hours playing in the pool while I watched tv or was up in the room watching some tv and catching up on my trip planning.

The next day we went up to the caverns and adventure park. It was DEAD…… We had the rides all to ourselves. The price is outrageous, but worth it. ((I wish I had pictures to show you but I forgot my camera and iphone))

I was able to convince my husband to buy me a new small digital camera that day from target though, but the battery wasn’t charged so still couldn’t take pictures. But on the plus side I have a new camera for my Disney trip. It’s perfect. Now I have that camera to hold in my pocket for when we’re on rides and my SLR or pictures while walking around the parks and resorts. My husband wasn’t happy about the money I spent…. But it will be worth it once he sees pictures.


Other then the hotel problems, we still had a pretty great weekend!....

Yesterday when DH went to his car to leave for work, he realized that someone had broken into his car. They stole his pants, shirt, and shoes. ((Which isn’t a big deal)) But they also stole the spare key to MY van. So someone out there has total access to my vehicle and there is NOTHING I can do about it, but wait for someone to steal it. It will cost over $500 to have it re-keyed and I can’t afford that. All night I was looking out the window to make sure my van was still there. ((So far so good)) We have a Low Jack on it, so if it gets stolen it’s a matter of reporting it ASAP before there is any damage. So needless to say I’ve been a little stressed the last 24 hours.

WOW…. I know this whole post is off topic… Sorry… Hope you don’t mind.

For fun....

Here’s some pictures of the hotel we stayed at. *** These are pictures from last year… We must have been upgraded for free without us knowing at the time because the room was a million times beter and had a Jacuzzi tub and fireplace. ((I don’t think we’ll be staying there again))



The pool ((we had the whole pool to ourselves last November)) This trip there were easily 40 people at one given time.





Okay…. Thanks for listening and reading.

I’ll be posting some Magic Kingdom photos soon.

[eeyoresnr]

wow....I'd say you handled things pretty well, and on the bright side you can gets all the bumps out of the way before you head to Disney and have a perfect vacation!

[wuzzy6]

Ugh - I'm so sorry that all the bad stuff happened, but I'm super happy y'all had a great time in spite of it! Congratulations on getting a new camera - make sure you put it to good use!!!

[BellaBaby]

Yes, I've looked at that same hotel several times, but couldn't justify the price. Now I know it probably isn't very nice room wise. The pool was the main draw for the kids of course. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express and it was fine, not high end, but our room was clean at least, nice breakfast too. Plus we weren't in it a lot and we were able to walk to the hot Springs pool.

Sorry about the car break in, that really stinks!

Oh and we drove to the Poly for breakfast and took the monorail to Epcot that day. We were told at the Contemporary that it was allowed to leave our car there and we walked to MK after breakfast that morning. They actually encouraged us to do it since we came out to get the car, they said "you already paid to valet for the day!" So have fun whatever you decide!