Headed to Disney for Christmas!

[1stvisit0909]

ME again, shopping.

Found some cute shirts on etsy I would LOVE to get, but I doubt I can talk my Dh into matching shirts. So, I might just get them for me and the girls, and let him be jealous of our adorable pictures. He already said he didnt want santa mickey ears.

Choice 1

Choice 2

Votes??!

 

[1stvisit0909]

Hubby says he's ok with the Mickey head shirts with the lights, as long as the design is smaller and on the left. Lady says no problem

I FINALLY felt better today, and got the house cleaned up.

Then the kids and I had to get out of the house, so we went to Party City to get halloween costumes (coupon!) so my two little witches are all ready.

DD7 will be a good witch, with purple accents and eyelids and lips.

DD11 wants to the the Wicked Witch, so she will be green. And she found some cool spider costume jewelry and spiderweb cape. She's happy.

Then we went to target to look for purple and red makeup, and some Mickey head green and red flashing lights just HAPPENED to hop in my cart for our room at POFQ!!!

 

[debrapagliasotti]

Joining in from Dec DIS group...FB group and Twitter

Your plans sound great.

So awesome you were able to get Le Cellier on Christmas Day for your CP -- our ADR for that day is at 1p, but not for CP.

I agree that the Epcot resorts also have nice decorations from what I have seen. Also, AKL.

 

[1stvisit0909]

Joining in from Dec DIS group...FB group and Twitter

Your plans sound great.

So awesome you were able to get Le Cellier on Christmas Day for your CP -- our ADR for that day is at 1p, but not for CP.

I agree that the Epcot resorts also have nice decorations from what I have seen. Also, AKL.

Yeah!! Thanks for joining

 

[1stvisit0909]

A tweaking we will go, a tweaking we will go, hi ho the derry o a tweaking we will go.

Hi, my name is Val and I am an obsessive ADR tweaker. (Group chats: HI VAL!)

So I played with my Touring plans today - an aside, are those plans for real? Do the wait time things really work? I would be so happy if what they predict is For REaL.

Anyway, in the course of playing around with my TP....I tweaked some stuff. Only one ADR this time though. Same Restaurant, just a bit later. I decided we will need more sleep by Sunday morning. AND I've decided that Saturday we will SLEEP IN. Like for real. Like no park plan - just get up and go tour resorts, and end up at GF for our dinner. Now, I realize that may get thrown Totally out the window if the kids still have stamina. I'm ok with that. I figure, I will plan a 'down' day, and if we dont need it we can toss it.

Sunday, we now have a Kona at 10. After this, I want to go to Epcot and Japan to do the pick a pearl. Then, I plan to do whatever the kids want to do. Id like to end up back at the Poly for the fireworks, but if we crash and burn before then, so be it. or if we are having soooo much fun with attractions we cant stand it, so be it.

 

[debrapagliasotti]

"Hi Val", my name is Debra and I too am guilty of tweaking the plans today.

I have no idea if those Touring Plans times are right. I have had my subscription for a little over a year, but this will be the first trip we are going to try out a TP.

I am taking DD to do Pick a Pearl too. I saw in one of the earlier posts you purchased a cage from Ebay. Which one did you go with? I purchased the Cinderella's carriage peal cage.

 

[1stvisit0909]

"Hi Val", my name is Debra and I too am guilty of tweaking the plans today.

I have no idea if those Touring Plans times are right. I have had my subscription for a little over a year, but this will be the first trip we are going to try out a TP.

I am taking DD to do Pick a Pearl too. I saw in one of the earlier posts you purchased a cage from Ebay. Which one did you go with? I purchased the Cinderella's carriage peal cage.

I got the Cinderella's carriage pearl cage for all three of us from Ebay too! It was just too cute! I cant wait.

 

[1stvisit0909]

So, the girls and I watched some Disney Documentaries on Netflix, and they want to do BBB. I talked to the hubby, and if we can get an appointment, we are going to let them! I figure this will be the last time DD11 will want to get anywhere near that place, and we couldn't do it last time.

I ordered a rain cover and lens hood for my dSLR - I've decided to take it. Today at least. I may change my mind. Im thinking we'll still be bagless though for the parks. Eek. my pockets will be full!!!

Or leave it at home? I dont know what to do. I LOVE my camera, and I WANT to take it, but I'm leary of being bagless and getting rained on, but I also do NOT want to drag my big camera bag in. I want to avoid the bag line. I think I will try it and see what happens. Or find a smaller bag. oh I dont know what what to do!!!

Also, Ive decided we ARE going to DHS on CE when we get there to see the lights. And if we are up for it try standby for F! if so, then I will cancel our F! package and eat at Sci Fi instead on our full DHS day

See, I'm so indecisive!!!

 

[debrapagliasotti]

I think Christmas Eve seeing the lights at HS sounds perfect!

Hopefully you can get the girls into BBB

 

[1stvisit0909]

I think Christmas Eve seeing the lights at HS sounds perfect!

Hopefully you can get the girls into BBB

Thanks! I do too. and I can turn in my PP+ voucher at DHS too.

Hopefully - lots of needed for us!

 

[shalom]

So I played with my Touring plans today - an aside, are those plans for real? Do the wait time things really work? I would be so happy if what they predict is For REaL.

I like Easy WDW better than Touring Plans. The Touring Plans guys have some weird rules that once in a while make their recommendations off kilter, and they also depend too much on past history IMHO. Josh at Easy WDW explains his reasoning and it generally makes sense to me.

That said, they can all be wrong if the weather doesn't cooperate. Monday is normally the big day for MK, and Tuesday usually has a much lower rating, but if the weather is wonky on Monday, then Monday can have lower crowds and Tuesday be mobbed. Plus Disney doesn't always adapt fast enough to the weather, so there are fewer CMs to deal with the Tuesday crowds than there were on Monday to deal with that empty park.

And both Easy WDW and Touring Plans will change their charts when Disney changes things, for instance adding a second parade or offering free dining. But following either one will improve the odds -- and improve them a lot for people who don't know what influences the crowds. OTOH, crowds throughout the year are heavier than they were a few years back; Disney's getting good at filling their hotels in the off season, so the "slow" times aren't as slow as they once were.

 

[foxyroxy40]

yes i'm so excited but I cant seem to get in the planning mood no clue whythe other two times we've been has been during the holiday's and my advice to you is if the family rebels after a couple of early mornings then let them sleep in and stay later my family refuses to get up early this trip so needless to say will be sleeping our way thru disneybut as long as I'm their I'm happy

 

[1stvisit0909]

So, after much debate with the hubby, where he was willing to look at the research I had down about Christmas, he agrees that getting to the parks before opening is a MUST (dunno if he quite caught that means before 7 to MK, which means bus at 6ish so sshhhhh).

However, when we were looking the the plan, now that we have the wishes party on our 3rd full day at the parks, we both decided we need a down day for day 4. So I am pulling the ole switcheroo on plans. Day 4 was DHS, and TSM is a MUST do, 2x if we can. The kids LOOOOVE it and so does mom and dad.

I really dont see us getting to DHS early after the wishes party. And hubby ok'd BBB, so I thought, why not make 12/28 our down day, and try to get them into BBB that afternoon before we go to the GF for our dinner at 1900 Park Fare. That would make cute pictures.

I called today crossing my fingers and hoping for GOT IT! Afternoon appointment at BBB in DTD for both girls.

So we can take the boat from POFQ midmorning, shop a little if we want, hit up WPE, BBB and then take our time getting to the GF. Maybe pop over to MK for some dolled up PP pics infront of the castle, maybe not. We'll see.


Which means my favorite time of the day...ADR TWEAKING TIME!!!

CURRENT PLAN

12/24: arrive at POFQ around 430. check out room, grab some dinner, and pop over to DHS for the Osborn Lights. IF we are feeling spunky, we'll hang for F! at 8. no plans to ride unless we get lucky. Will also turn in our PP+ voucher here.

12/25 Epcot before opening, hitting the majors before the WS opens. CP lunch at Le Cellier. Holiday story tellers that we can fit in, and CP at 5. Back to the resort after CP - may grab a CS before we leave since EP has yummy choices.

12/26 MK before opening - staying through our Dinner Ressies at 530.

12/27 AK before opening, Tusker House for a late bfast, finish up AK by 430-5. Rest up before going to MK for our Wishes Party.

12/28 Down day - BBB at 1230, 1900 Park Fare at 430.

12/29 early to DHS. Lunch at 50s If we got F! on 12/24 we may hop to EPCOT for IllumiNations

12/30 late bfast at Kona - let the kids decide what we do. Would like to take it easy and TRY for the NYE fireworks preview at MK (maybe Poly beach).

12/31 sleep in, ME will pick us up about 11

 

[debrapagliasotti]

Woo-hoo! So glad you were able to get BBB for both girls!

I would love to be able to see NYE fireworks at WDW some day. I hear they are great!

 

[taaren]

Came over from the December thread. Sounds like a great trip you have planned. We would have loved to have seen IOA as well, but could not stomach those prices. Good luck on getting the job you interviewed for!

 

[1stvisit0909]

Came over from the December thread. Sounds like a great trip you have planned. We would have loved to have seen IOA as well, but could not stomach those prices. Good luck on getting the job you interviewed for!

Yeah, I just cant do it. I mean its just crazy!!! (as if the cost of a week at Disney isnt, but you gotta draw the line somewhere!)

 

[1stvisit0909]

Life update.

This weekend all of a sudden FALL showed up. Actually, it felt like Fall skipped us and we went straight to MS winter.

We went to "park after dark" where our Natural Science Museum and Children's Museum had trick or treating and halloween stuff, fun times. The science museum was way cool, Geeked out for Halloween. The botanist was set up as a witch with all the posionous plants in our area in jars and she explained them. A two headed snake (real), a "werewolf" in a tank, lots of fun stuff to touch in boxes where you couldnt see, worms and slugs out to examine. Spiders and snakes out to check out. It was threatening rain so I didnt take the camera, but it was fun.

Soccer games at 45 degrees with 35 wind chill Saturday morning - not my idea of fun! But we had the two games, and then came home to do domestics. I still get tired from being sick for nearly 3 weeks, so I took a nap.

THEN up for the big BALL GAME! Which was MSU vs UA, and since I bleed crimson and have houndstooth DNA, and live in MS, lets just say I wanted a blow out. And I got it!

Today we went to church, and I went to visit my mom at the NH, and then to a church fall festival. Also carved pumpkins....

Think I might have Disney on the brain? :rolleyes

 

[shalom]

The science museum was way cool, Geeked out for Halloween. The botanist was set up as a witch with all the posionous plants in our area in jars and she explained them.

Wow, that's brilliant.

I'm admiring your pumpkin carving skills. We haven't even purchased our pumpkins yet! Although all I'm likely to do with the pumpkin thing is toast the seeds.

 

[1stvisit0909]

We got our shirts from etsy! They are soooo cute! I love them. Even DH is ok with them.

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[shalom]

Those are nice. I finally found a Disney shirt my Disney-hating daughter will wear; it's got a cheetah chasing Mickey on it. I'll have to be sure and tell her she's not allowed to gloat, "He's going to catch Mickey and eat him" while in the parks.