6 down, 1 to go: Completing my DVC mission! An April '13 PTR...TR LINK p. 16

[wdwgirl03]

I read that TR of yours! This is a nice little refresher hahah. I remember you talking about all the rain... must have been so annoying!

I think of all the resorts, Old Key West is the one that feels the most 'mehhh' to me. That being said it does look very pretty, and it's nice that the rooms are big! I wish all the studios had two beds like that one!

It was annoying. But we survived.

It was a really nice resort. One of the nice things about OKW is that it's also really cheap as far as DVC points go, so I can see going back there again before some of the other places.

Love OKW, the beds are great. Hope your trip this year is not a wash out. Less than a month, I'm sure you are getting very excited.
BTW did you see the new Disney Vera? It's not coming out until Fall, and the picture in the story on the DIS looks like the Bayshore store, check it out! So cute I'm sure I will be adding a few pieces to my Vera collection, how about you?

I hope we get some great weather this trip!

Yes I did see the new Vera! It is SO cute! I can't wait to see the sneak peek at the Flower and Garden Festival-I just wish they would be selling it. Oh well, it'll give me time to start a "Disney Vera Fund." I definitely will be getting something in atleast one of the designs!

Rain at Disney definitely can be frustrating. If it's not thunderstorming, it can be a nice time to avoid crowds though. During our trip over New Year's, the parks were of course packed, but whenever it started to rain, everyone darted for cover, which left the paths empty.

Yeah, it did seem to keep some people away. And like I said, the second day of rain we were at Epcot which was nice because there's tons to do inside.

Rain on vacation stinks! Looks like you made the best of it and still managed to have a great trip!

Yes it does! I tried to look on the bright side by thinking that atleast it wasn't our first and only trip. I just remember seeing families with small kids/strollers and feeling so bad for them.

I really miss Pirate Goofy!! I wish they still had him out for meet & greet.

Ugh, Disney rain is rough. It seems like it's really impossible to get dry, because like you said, you have to take that poncho on and off, so it keeps getting you wet!

That Flynn looks EXACTLY like the one from the movie! I would have waited in line for him, for sure.

I know, it stinks how they remove some of the characters so fast.

Yeah, and I only had one pair of shoes with me (well, I also had crocs but it's not like those would've kept my feet dry...). Thankfully I remembered a trick I learned from an old soccer coach so we shoved wadded up paper in our shoes to soak up the water.

I know, I loved our Flynn Rider. So glad we met him.

Wow! I can't believe how close you are getting!!!

Ugh on the rain! I remember reading about all the rain you got that trip! I was glad to hear that it cleared up for your last day though!!

You got an amazing picture of the lion and lioness that trip! We're still waiting to get that great picture! We've never seen either of them on our safari rides yet. Maybe next time!!

I KNOW!! ME NEITHER!!

Claire and I were both so happy that our last day was perfect.

I am still amazed at those shots myself. The only bad thing about seeing them was that it spoiled the safari for us. Now none of our other rides compare.

On April 1 we'll be over at POR, so we are having a slower morning (to experience the resort some), then hitting Epcot and maybe Hollywood Studios if we are feeling a need to get over there again. Our plans are REALLY loose though for that last day and I generally just say whatever we feel like we haven't done, we'll do. We will have to keep in touch via Facebook or text and see if it will work out! I'd love to meet you!

We leave at 11 AM (ME pick-up) on April 2 and will just likely stay at the resort and let Henry play/swim, soak up a few more rays of sun.


I love that you said OKW felt like SSR to you. I LOVE OKW, love it, love it, LOVE IT! But we had such a rough experience at SSR last time (2009) and I haven't had the desire to go back, that is where we will spend the first part of our trip this time. Last trip we were in Congress Park, the building closest to Downtown Disney which gave us a fantastic view, BUT, a veryyyyyy long walk to the main building - which we use a lot, especially back then with a little one and needing various things for him. It was also our first DVC stay and we didn't know exactly what we liked in our villa for food, and Henry was sick that trip - ugh, it was rough! I'm really hoping by requesting Grandstand we'll have a better experience with the buses and the walk to the main building/Springs pool. I think I'll add to my request to be in the building closest to the Springs too.... Have you ever stayed in Grandstand? A friend of mine, huge SSR fan, said they always request Grandstand, then if they see they missed their bus - they can hightail it over to the Springs stop and catch it still. I love that!

Okay, that's an enormous rambling about SSR. As you can probably tell, I'm a bit nervous about staying there again since it, so far, is the only Disney resort we didn't enjoy! I WANT to like it!

We will definitely need to keep in touch. It would be awesome to meet up! Of course it will also depend on when we get there. Hopefully we won't have any delays.

Oh, I'm sorry your first visit to SSR wasn't that great! I really hope this trip is better because it is such a nice resort. We have only ever stayed in the Paddock and Congress Park. It's not as big a deal for us because we don't go to the main building all that much.

I hope you have a great stay there!

Oy, I remember that trip where you had to deal with the rain! I don't know if rain is worse or the bitter cold!

Yes, it was quite memorable, wasn't it? Hmm, yeah, I don't know about that. I would almost rather it be cold than rainy. I don't like being wet!

 

[wdwgirl03]

Happy Wednesday everyone!

Hopefully everyone's having a good week so far. It's birthday week in my family...my birthday was yesterday (I don't know how I am 28...) so that was good. We just had dinner, cake, and I got a few presents. Then tomorrow is Dad's birthday and Friday is Emma's birthday. I have to say I am jealous of her birthday plans...she has a dinner reservation at Be Our Guest and then I think she is planning on taking her whole group to Beaches and Cream to get a Kitchen Sink since there's going to be 10 people! Wish I was going to be there, but I will get to see her in

19 DAYS!!!!!



That means we're almost to single digits!

Since it's less than 20 days away now, it's time for another Must-Do list!

Sarah's Downtown Disney Must-Dos!!!

One of the things I always like about going to Disney World is looking in the shops and bringing home souvenirs! You would think that for as often as we visit, I would cut back on buying stuff but I can't help it. That's not to say I don't have ANY self-control!

But anyway, when we go to Downtown Disney (whenever that may be) there are a few stores that I always like to go to:

World of Disney...how can you NOT like this store?!

Disney Pin Traders...one of the things I always like to collect are pins. I try to only get ones that have some personal meaning, like a favorite ride, a new resort, or an event. So for this trip, I've already got my eyes on a couple pins:

The Soarin one is part of a mystery collection for Epcot. It's called reveal/conceal where basically you buy a box of 2 pins: you can see one of them and the other is a mystery. Well, when I saw this one as one of the revealed ones, I knew I had to have it. Hopefully I can find it because Soarin is one of my all-time favorite attractions (and somehow I don't have a Soarin pin yet)! And the Flower and Garden Festival ones are always cute.

Tren-D...most likely I won't buy anything here because a lot of the stuff is so expensive but it's fun to look.

D-Street...home to my other Disney collectible obsession, vinylmation!

Disney's Days of Christmas

Art of Disney...this is another store that I don't usually buy anything from but it's fun looking at all the artwork and collectibles.

As for other souvenirs I want, I might get a new t-shirt, a new water bottle, and one of the new super-awesome monorail pens (yes, they sell pens in the shape of a monorail!). I do have a Disney Rewards gift card that can fund some of those things.

So after visiting the stores (and hopefully not buying too much), we'll have to eat somewhere. I am having a hard time deciding which place I'd like to eat at more: Earl of Sandwich or Wolfgang Puck Express. I love the sandwiches at EOS but I also really liked the pizza from WPE. I guess if we're able to make it over there twice that problem would be solved. Who really knows what will happen though.

Oh yes, I also want to go check out Splitsville! I would love to go bowling there eventually (I always thought there should be a bowing alley in Disney World!) because it looks really cool!

What are you favorite stores/restaurants/things to do at Downtown Disney?

(RANDOM COMMENT: Does anybody else think it's sort of weird I posted this on 3/13/13 and it's on page 13?)

 

[marDgreen88]

WHAT? How on earth do yall all have birthdays so close together? That is insane! Hahahah well then, happy birthday to your entire family, basically!

I'm not the biggest fan of Downtown Disney to be honest, but I definitely want to go there on my next trip to go to that big pin store! The last time I went to DTD I didn't have a pin obsession hahaha. Never been to either EoS OR WPE! I've heard great things about both, though!

AHHH TOO MANY 13's!!!

 

[WDWaddictt]

Happy Birthday to Everyone!!

I just love everything in DTD! I love all the shops and the choices of food and all the street entertainment!

 

[tink519]

Hi Sarah! I remember your PTR from my last trip, we were going at the same time if I remember correctly (last week of March 2011?), and yes ugh the RAIN, and RAIN and more RAIN! But we had a great time, I am sure you did too and our last day was beautiful.

I also love that you are working on staying at all of the DVC resorts, I think I might work on that myself . We are staying at OKW for our next trip. We wanted to stay at BWV or BCV but both were already booked 7 months out...frustrating since we could stay there if we were paying cash. But that's ok, we are saving some points and checking out a new resort.

You must be so excited for your trip! Enjoy

 

[jwwi]

3/13/13 page 13! wow, is this a coincidence or not?

Happy Belated Bday! March is sure your family's month.

Favorite DTD, #1 Earl of Sandwich, #2 Art of Disney, #3 World of Disney, #4 Goofy's Candy Co, #5 Christmas Store. I think I could keep naming places, but those are my top 5. Top mode of transport: Boat from POR or OKW.

 

[khertz]

Happy belated birthday!! Your sister's birthday plans sound AMAZING.

I love shopping at WoD but it is always SO CROWDED in there! But we usually end up dropping a fair amount of money in that store every trip, so the crowds of people don't keep us away. Also love the Christmas store, even just to browse!

We have never eaten at WPE, but we are big fans of the sandwiches at EoS! So delicious!!

I would really love to check out Splitsville. It sounds like so much fun!

 

[danceintherain]

Happy Birthday!

My family kind of has a birthday week as well....more of a birthday month...
Sister#1: May 21st
Mom: May 26th
Sister#2:June 10th
Brother: June 13th
(also my grandma and one of my cousins are thrown in there)
Summer pretty much meant cake in my family, so I always start craving it pretty bad when June rolls around.

 

[wdwgirl03]

WHAT? How on earth do yall all have birthdays so close together? That is insane! Hahahah well then, happy birthday to your entire family, basically!

I'm not the biggest fan of Downtown Disney to be honest, but I definitely want to go there on my next trip to go to that big pin store! The last time I went to DTD I didn't have a pin obsession hahaha. Never been to either EoS OR WPE! I've heard great things about both, though!

AHHH TOO MANY 13's!!!

haha, I don't know. But thank you!

The pin store is like heaven. There is so much to choose from in there. I love it! Oh my, you haven't been to WPE or EoS?!?!?! Girl, you need to change that on your trip (yay that you now know you are going back!)!

Happy Birthday to Everyone!!

I just love everything in DTD! I love all the shops and the choices of food and all the street entertainment!

Thanks.

DTD is great. Sometimes I wish we could spend more time there.

Hi Sarah! I remember your PTR from my last trip, we were going at the same time if I remember correctly (last week of March 2011?), and yes ugh the RAIN, and RAIN and more RAIN! But we had a great time, I am sure you did too and our last day was beautiful.

I also love that you are working on staying at all of the DVC resorts, I think I might work on that myself . We are staying at OKW for our next trip. We wanted to stay at BWV or BCV but both were already booked 7 months out...frustrating since we could stay there if we were paying cash. But that's ok, we are saving some points and checking out a new resort.

You must be so excited for your trip! Enjoy

Hi there! Yup, that is when we were there. Despite the rain it was still a fun trip. We still managed to get a lot done. If only it would've been nice like the last day the whole time, but oh well.

You should try to stay at all the DVC resorts! It has been a lot of fun trying out all the different places. I have my favorites but in all honesty you can't go wrong with any of them. Bummer about BWV and BCV both being booked. Have you tried getting on the waiting list? Even though we were able to get BWV last April, we wanted a BW view but it wasn't available. We went on the waiting list and thankfully it came through!

I am SO excited. Only 2 weeks to go now!

3/13/13 page 13! wow, is this a coincidence or not?

Happy Belated Bday! March is sure your family's month.

Favorite DTD, #1 Earl of Sandwich, #2 Art of Disney, #3 World of Disney, #4 Goofy's Candy Co, #5 Christmas Store. I think I could keep naming places, but those are my top 5. Top mode of transport: Boat from POR or OKW.

It was definitely a coincidence!

haha, yes it is.

Those are all great choices and the boat rides are fun. We took the boat to Port Orleans last year and walked around POFQ a little bit. It might be cool to check out Riverside this time.

Happy belated birthday!! Your sister's birthday plans sound AMAZING.

I love shopping at WoD but it is always SO CROWDED in there! But we usually end up dropping a fair amount of money in that store every trip, so the crowds of people don't keep us away. Also love the Christmas store, even just to browse!

We have never eaten at WPE, but we are big fans of the sandwiches at EoS! So delicious!!

I would really love to check out Splitsville. It sounds like so much fun!

Yeah, looking at her pictures on facebook made me extremely jealous. Be Our Guest looked awesome.

haha, I know what you mean. I feel like I just drop a lot of money in general. The Christmas store is so fun!

Oh, you should try WPE! They have a lot of different things. So good.

Yes it does!

Happy Birthday!

My family kind of has a birthday week as well....more of a birthday month...
Sister#1: May 21st
Mom: May 26th
Sister#2:June 10th
Brother: June 13th
(also my grandma and one of my cousins are thrown in there)
Summer pretty much meant cake in my family, so I always start craving it pretty bad when June rolls around.

Thank you! Isn't it strange how that happens with birthdays being so close sometimes?!

 

[wdwgirl03]

Hello everyone!

Our countdown is at 15 days now!!!

AHHH!!! Seriously, I cannot wait until spring break. This is our last full week and then next week (really, it's hard to believe I'm talking about next week already!) our break starts on Good Friday.

This morning Mom and I ran out to Target and I got a couple travel items. And then yesterday I counted all the change I have. I have to get over to the bank sometime before we go so I can cash that in (yay for souvenir money!). I also put aside some quarters and pennies so I can get some pressed pennies if any catch my eye. Gotta love cheap souvenirs.

OK, now onto the next DVC flashback. Only one more to go after this one!

DVC Flashback #9: October 2011

So early in 2011, my sister Emma applied for the College Program. For those of you who don't know, it was actually her second time applying. She originally wanted to go in the spring of 2011 but unfortunately she didn't pass the web-based interview. You have to wait 6 months to apply again, so she tried for Fall 2011. Thankfully this time, things went a lot better and she was accepted! Of course that meant we would have to go down to visit her at some point. Originally, I was going to go by myself during my "fall break" and my parents were going to go at a different time-I think in early October. But, in the end we decided to all go together to save DVC points.

Since this was really the only time I could go because of my school schedule, it was my shortest trip to date, as we were only there for 2 full days...and to get that I had to use my one personal day. But, I wasn't going to complain since it meant I was going to WDW again and I was going to get to see my sister!

We left on a Friday and I was super excited. Even though she had only been gone for 2 months, I was looking forward to visiting Emma. Once we arrived in Orlando we texted her to let her know we had arrived, and she was going to come meet us at Saratoga Springs.

Almost there...Disney Vacation Club Way!

Ahh, home at last!

We checked in and made our way to our room, once again in Congress Park. Then it was time to meet up with Emma! Once we found her (somehow we ended up walking past each other and I think she went to our building) we were ready for our first park visit: the Animal Kingdom!

One of the perks of having a Cast Member sister is that she was able to get us in using her gate pass. She had a certain number of free one-day park hopper passes, so we didn't have to buy any tickets.

At the Animal Kingdom we went on a couple of rides and walked through the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail. We got to see baby Lily again and she was adorable as usual, playing with her little blanket.

We also went to meet some characters in Camp Minnie Mickey.

As you can tell by Mickey's umbrella it was raining a bit that afternoon. Even though it wasn't that heavy, I was still a little annoyed (after all that rain in March I was hoping for a trip without rain). But once again we didn't let it stop us.

After our quick visit to DAK we went to DTD. I think we got dinner from Wolfgang Puck Express and went into a couple of stores. There was also some really cool entertainment on the West Side. There were these human statues, dressed like a witch and a scarecrow. It was fun watching people go up to them and then all of a sudden the statue would move. Emma and I got our picture with the scarecrow and he started tickling our ears. LOL!

Emma came back to our room for a while before going back to her apartment. The plan was to meet her at the Magic Kingdom the next morning.

So Saturday morning we were up early for rope drop at the Magic Kingdom. We also got our first look at the fall decorations (they didn't have them back in 2006...or atleast they weren't anywhere near as impressive!). So pretty!

There were a few sprinkles that morning too, so there was a shortened version of the welcome show.

We did quite a few of our favorite rides. Here's a random shot of me and Emma before we rode the teacups.

BIG THUNDER!!!! I can't believe this was the last time I rode it.

We had a pretty successful morning and by late morning, the sun was out and we really got to enjoy the fall décor.

From there we went over to Epcot where we got to experience the Food and Wine Festival.

We didn't get too much to eat but some of the things we tried were:

the chocolate lava cake with Bailey's

and the Belgian waffle

On Sunday we woke up to go to rope drop at Hollywood Studios, which was where Emma was working during that CP stint.

A beautiful morning at SSR!

It was pretty cool getting to use the CM entrance.

We started off like we usually do at DHS, with a ride on Toy Story Mania, followed by RNRC and Tower of Terror. And for the first time, I was finally brave enough to try Star Tours! I usually do not like motion simulators but I actually enjoyed it. It's a little sad I never got to do the original but oh well.

Then we took a short break because that evening was kind of the highlight of the whole trip: Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party!!!

Because you can get in early with your party tickets, we arrived around 4:30 or so to do a couple of rides before the party even started. We also met Mickey Mouse. We were hoping to see Emma's friend because she was "friends with Mickey" but sadly it didn't work out.

As expected, the party was great. It is so much fun seeing everyone dressed up in their costumes and the entertainment is awesome.

Emma and I wore our Packers jerseys as costumes. Yep, we're cool.

We met the 7 dwarves! The wait was over an hour but well worth it!

Hallowishes

Boo to you and you and you...Happy Halloween!

The only bad thing about the end of the party was that it meant we were getting closer to having to leave and that meant I would have to say good-bye to my sister again.

Because our flight home wasn't until later in the afternoon, we got to see Emma one last time on Monday morning. It was raining pretty hard that morning, but we met up at Downtown Disney and did a little more shopping. As embarrassing as this is to say, the whole time I felt like I was fighting back tears (yes, I am a sap). The sad thing is I was more upset than Emma was, but I guess it's hard to be sad when you live in Disney World.

Before leaving we ate lunch at the Artist Palette at SSR. There was also a cool CM pumpkin carving contest in the main lobby.

I don't like The Nightmare Before Christmas, but this Jack Skellington one was pretty cool.

Then we said our good-byes to Emma and to Saratoga Springs.

Despite being a short trip, it was still a lot of fun. We were able to visit all 4 parks and do pretty much every major attraction. Oh yeah, and it was nice being able to spend a couple of days with Emma.

up next: the final DVC flashback at the Boardwalk Villas!!!

 

[marDgreen88]

I read this TR too! I guess I've read all of your TRs! Maybe. Haha!

YAY MNSSHP and Food and Wine! Such fun things happen in the fall at Disney!

I'm sure you'll LOVE getting to do Big Thunder again! The ride looks amazing now. And the geyser is so cool!

YAY for 15 days! TWO WEEKS TOMORROW!!!

 

[wdwgirl03]

I read this TR too! I guess I've read all of your TRs! Maybe. Haha!

YAY MNSSHP and Food and Wine! Such fun things happen in the fall at Disney!

I'm sure you'll LOVE getting to do Big Thunder again! The ride looks amazing now. And the geyser is so cool!

YAY for 15 days! TWO WEEKS TOMORROW!!!

haha, I've done quite a few TRs! I think the first one I did was our Dec. '07/Jan. '08 trip!

Yes there are but I still prefer Christmas!

I seriously cannot wait to do BTMRR again. It is such a classic and holds a special place in my heart because it was the first roller coaster I ever went on.

I KNOW!!!! Can't believe it!

 

[marDgreen88]

Yes there are but I still prefer Christmas!

Hahah I was including Christmas in there, since technically they start it in November there!

 

[wdwgirl03]

Hahah I was including Christmas in there, since technically they start it in November there!

Ohhhh, OK. I was just thinking Halloween and F&W.

 

[Nermel9]

I'm sorry I got so behind with your PTR! I've been reading, just not commenting, because I read on my phone at work, then I forget to come home and comment! I don't go to the PTR section very often! Love reading all of your DVC flashbacks, I actually remember the more recent ones from you TR's!

Can't believe your trip is almost here! And you thought it would never get here!

 

[wdwgirl03]

I'm sorry I got so behind with your PTR! I've been reading, just not commenting, because I read on my phone at work, then I forget to come home and comment! I don't go to the PTR section very often! Love reading all of your DVC flashbacks, I actually remember the more recent ones from you TR's!

Can't believe your trip is almost here! And you thought it would never get here!

It's OK! Glad you're still here. I've been pretty bad at updating anyway.

I KNOW!!! Only 12 more days now! It was a long wait but somehow I survived. Though the cold weather here is making me want to go even more now.

 

[mommytothreeboys]

It's almost time to leave! SO EXCITED!!!!

 

[jecskc]

11 more days !!!! Squeeeeee !!! I can't wait !!!

 

[gtpoohbear]

We are all getting so close, especially you!! I have to live vicariously through those of you going early in April to get me through the next 4 weeks!

Oh, and DD (a competitive swimmer) wanted me to tell you that she loves the picture in your signature

 

[wdwgirl03]

It's almost time to leave! SO EXCITED!!!!

ME TOO!!!! I hope you have an awesome trip!

11 more days !!!! Squeeeeee !!! I can't wait !!!

YIPPEE!!! I can't wait either!

We are all getting so close, especially you!! I have to live vicariously through those of you going early in April to get me through the next 4 weeks!

Oh, and DD (a competitive swimmer) wanted me to tell you that she loves the picture in your signature

It's hard to believe April is only a few days away now. So crazy but so exciting! I am going to be jealous once we get back and everyone with trips later in the month still have theirs to look forward to.

Oh, thank you! I love Michael Phelps and Finding Nemo so I had to add that picture!