Hop Aboard the Trip Plannin' Tram!|JAN '13 PTR|UPDATED 1/16 "OUR PLANS - DAY 3!"

[KuyaJeff]

Look what just pulled in...the countdown update tram! BEEP BEEP!​

If anyone's lost track or just didn't know, the Disney World website is telling me the following.​

Notice the little girl with the premium mickey bar on herself? Or rather, the premium mickey bar with a girl on it? Well, that's Disney way of telling me I can "Save up to 30% on stays."​

I however transated the above as "this could be you, silly person stuck at home!" So thank you random girl, you are now my hero and I hope to grow up to be like you in 145 days...holding ice cream in my face and smothering myself to satisfaction! ​

On a rather reassuring note, we've joined a Photopass Share. Well almost, we just have to tell the pleasant people we're splitting the costs with that we're in. With the pre-purchase photo CD being paid for in advance and split amongst many families, we're going to save a bundle. The savings may very well go to the purchasing of the ice cream mentioned above. So woot woot!​

So thanks for joining me on this trip from the parking lot aboard the countdown update tram! Now please...gather all your belongings, lower your head, and watch your step as you exit to the driver's right hand side...that's the right hand side only. Gracias! ​

 

[maganda]

I haven't seen that image yet on my countdown page - makes me want a Mickey bar! Or rather, makes me want to be at WDW having a Mickey bar But our dates will come soon enough!

Did you find your PP share on Facebook?

 

[KuyaJeff]

I haven't seen that image yet on my countdown page - makes me want a Mickey bar! Or rather, makes me want to be at WDW having a Mickey bar But our dates will come soon enough!

Did you find your PP share on Facebook?

I know, right? How could you go wrong with a Mickey Bar?! I just went on a random trip to Disneyland today (I have an AP), and bought into the magic that is Mickey Waffle-scented Air Fresheners! It's surprisingly accurate. They also have Candy Apple, Mickey Premium Bar and a horribly, just as accurate, Turkey Leg one too!

As for the PP share, I did find it on facebook. I found some lovely families to share the cost through a private facebook group. No worries though, don't let the "private" part scare you. To join, you just have to look for a certain January 2013 thread here on DisBoards to join in on the party. If you're up for it...it can be a wham, bam, thank you ma'am situation and you can be part of the group too!

 

[maganda]

No way! That's quite a variety of air fresheners!

Someone here on the boards wrote about how they bring a small yankee candle on each trip. The scent is unique to their WDW travels and when they burn it at home it reminds them of their vacation. I think that's such a neat idea

I think we are in the same January FB group - my name is Rebecca I'm also in another FB group that is just about PP shares. I'm still trying to find a share for my January trip but I have time. And, I'm on the disboards more frequently now because my daughter and I are flying down in November for her birthday! It's the week after Thanksgiving and we've never been there at that time so I'm super excited to spend some time with just her! We're planning for MVMCP and Wishes on her birthday - so fun! I have a companion airline ticket I need to burn before the end of this year, and I get free baggage and priority boarding on Delta which is nice. Plus, I was able to get an AP room only discount. So, it seems like a perfect time to get away for a long weekend!

 

[KuyaJeff]

Welcome aboard everyone! It's been a long time since the update trams been around(it took a month and 5 days for it to go around the lot)...but it's brought a lot of goodies and tidbits to add to the story that is this trip report! So hold on tight!​

An Economical Development...and Very Little Sleep!
So the buzz going around the DIS is that there are two new promotions open to the general public today. One being a magical "Play, Stay, Dine and Save!" promotion for vacation packages and a "Dive Into New Magic - and Save!" room only discount. Let me say this first, it's been a long day..mind you it's only 2:00PM.​

I literally didn't sleep last night with anticipation that the promotion and discounts would come out at 12:00AM EST/9:00PM PST...I was wrong. Then I waited for 12:00AM EST...I was wrong. Then finally, making the most sense of course, 4:00AM PST/7:00AM EST was when it was all announced. I t makes sense because I guess they wanted the reservations cast members to be awake to take calls...which I would hav ehad to wait for anyways. ​

Actually, the only discount I saw right away was this one:​

.​

I totally forgot about the rumored "S/P/D" promotion that was supposed to be out and thought this was one in the same. So I did all the quoting online and found out that Animal Kingdom Lodge - Pool View was quoting for $3,052. Without doing any real math, I quickly jumped on the phone around 4:15AM EST(Why am I awake again?!). I was on hold for a good 30 minutes despite being warned it would be over 60 minutes+ until I got to a cast member.​

I was lucky enough to reach a sweet cast member who shall be known as "E" to protect her identity. Well E was very sweet and was able to add dining and then apply a code. But then something screwy happened...I was told the quoted price in her system would be $3,201. That's $149 more than the price I was seeing online. E was determined to get me the lowest price so we checked to make sure all the components were there. So she would say something, I would confirm. The dialogue went something like this.​

E: "Your dates are Janaury 24, 2013 - January 31, 2013?"
Me: "That's correct."
E: "Animal Kingdom Lodge - Pool View?"
Me: "Got it."
E:"8 Day park Hopper for 2 Adults?"
Me: "Have that too."
E: "Which dining do you have?"
Me: "Jus the regular one."
E: "Hmm, maybe they're not adding tax?"
Me: "Maybe? Well I guess I'll just take the $3,201 price because any deal is a good deal for me." ​

That's right, I settled for that price. Even though I thought some bait and switch was going on. At the same time, I was looking at the DIS and seeing that some people were reporting the system was down and that they were told to call back around noon EST. So I wrapped things up and confirmed that price of $3,201. I also dropped a few room preferences with her. She noticed that I had noted we were celebrating a few things annd she said congratulations...and it was done with.​

~15 Minutes Later~​

I noticed that soemthing had popped up to the left of the Special Offers page. It was the"S/P/D" promotion! So I called again and was holding for about 40 minutes...I managed to hear the American Pavillion's "America song" for the third time this morning at that point. I met a new cast member, who shall be known as "O", and told her my dilemma. O decided to do the whole run-through like E did earlier and I told her perhaps it was a different promotion code, I told her I quoted it online under the booking code "Z3K". She typed it in and all was right! I was able to book it for the $3,052 price! Dodged a bullet there and got that $149 extra that was quoted by E earlier and was told by O that I could use it towards a ton of souvenirs now.​

So for the run down, here's something I've been posting in various theads around the DIS:​

Ok, crisis averted and things straightened out...I was right and a different promotion code was used. That little code made a $149 difference! So here's our package:​

Janaury 24, 2013 - January 31, 2013 (7Nights/8Days)
Animal Kingdom Lodge - Pool View
8 Day Park Hopper Tickets, 2 Adults
Dining Plan
Original Rack Rate: $3867.78
Our Cost: $3,052.00
Total Savings: $815.78!!​

Definitely a big change from original plan we had for Coronado Springs - Water View-King we had...the original cost for all of the above with the CSR room would have been $3161.26.
So we were able to upgrade and get all of the above for $109.26 LESS THAN CORONADO SPRINGS!!! ​

Seriously, this was an epic feeling. I feel like this is what having my first born will feel like. I pretty much got to upgrade to a deluxe at a price that would be less than the regular rack rate at a moderate! ...if that isnn't enough, it's like I got free dining and some money back. So I may have been holding on for a Free Dining Plan promotion...but this discount blows that idea out of the water and worked perfect for us!​

So despite the "Play, Stay, Dine and Save!" promotion sounding like the better option, I'm so glad that I did a little invesitgating! I may be missing out on a call from a Disney character and may be making this guy jealous that I didn't click on him:​

...but I think he'll be ok.​

Now I get the pleasure to check out this awesome view everytime I log on to DisneyWorld.com:

..not too shabby.​

We're moving on up...to the west side of property? That'll do! ​

If you noticed in the image above, we're only 106 days away from being in Florida! We're getting very close to that double-digit waiting period!​

Now I can finally book that HDDR reservation I've been waiting for the Dining Plan to be added on for. That reminds me, I've made A TON of ADR changes....as I expected of course. I'll fill you guys in on that in another update hopefully sooner rather than later.​

It's October!
That's right, we're in the month that Halloween happens! ...so here's some random, overly edited on Photobucket, halloween photos Idahosa and I took at Disneyland a few weeks ago:​

Due to the economy, Disneyland has been forced to make the characters double as security. Sorry, I thought it was funny.​

The ongoing inside Idahosa an I had that day was "Hey look, Dale has the Nigerian gap too!"​

That's a Wrap! ...for now.
Thanks for hopping on the update tram, like always! Hope you have a safe journey and we look forward to having you on board once again. So enjoy your trip back on the tram! ​

If you don't want to take the tram, don't go with these guys:

..they don't work here. ​

So remember:
=No! No!
=Go! go!​

 

[KuyaJeff]

Look's what's coming up! That's right it's the...
UPDATE TRAM! ​

Thanks again for being daring enough to jump on the only pre-trip report, that I know of at least, that's tram themed! So stand behind that yellow line and wait for the tram to come to a full and complete stop...then pull open that door and hop on!​

A Whole New Word...Document!
(Ok, it was a really an Excel document, but it's an excuse to bring the Genie in on the fun!)​

For thos of you just joining in on the fun, Tuesday night, I didn't go to sleep. I stayed up in hopes to grab the new deals. Long story short, I got Animal Kingdom Lodge for a great price. I pretty much looked like this: ​

So now that we have a new resort, it changed a few things in our itinerary. One thing is that we now have easier access to one of our most anticipated ADRs: Boma. So we figured that we take advvantage of that!​

I haven't really been showing our plans for our stay. But for the sake of time, I just took a screenshot of the Excel document with our master plan for the vacation of a lifetime! So here it is:​

It's pretty complex as of now, and is still being tweaked here and there. But please, feel free to give some feedback!​

Things you'll notice:
- Boma for our arrival Dinner and one of our last Breakfasts!
- There's two ADRs per day, for most days. Don't worry, between the two of us...we can put away a lot of food!
- We have 5 character-involved meals? Just another reason for other kids to be jealous of these two kids.
-For the early character meal ADRs, we have method to the madness: For the theme park meals(Tusker House, and Crystal Palace), we planned the first available ADR to sneak into the parks a bit early...to possibly get that coveted, no-person-in-the-background-during-our-castle-pic...pic. For the resort ones on the monorail line ('Ohana and Chef Mickey's), we planned a late breakfast so we could enjoy the parks and casually show up after a few hours.
- There's a surprise in there! Most of you probably could figure out what it is, but please...don't mention it in this thread! Idahosa reads this thread, and well...it's a surprise! Thanks. ​

Wow this latest trip on the update tram is so filled with food, I think we've reached the weight limit for today! Don't worry though, another Update Tram post will be made/coming before you know it!​

 

[KuyaJeff]

Welcome aboard the just refurbushed, now officially tram-themed trip report!

That's right, our pre-trip report went to the body shop to get a new look. We've upgraded and bring you now a new Trip Plannin' Experience aboard the latest model of Trip Plannin' Tram awesomeness!

Look at what we've done:​

• New color scheme! With some learning through experience, we realized that not all the posts had the same, uniformly unique color scheme! So to make that better, we went through all of them and mixed up that classic DIS Blue with an AKL Brown!!​
• Re-organization! Now it's a bit easier to navigate to through the posts with brand new "Road Map" and "Tram Stops" posts. The only downside is that we had to move posts, so the dates posted are not chronologically correct.​
• And of course...that spiffy tram theme! It's random...it's obscure...it's downright Disney! But we're going to carry on the theme like never before!​

So enjoy the ride...we're only 105 days out and the excitement is only greater! So without further delay...here's our tram dirver:

BEEP!BEEP!​

 

[KuyaJeff]

Rules of

the Road
In this part of our journey, I thought we'd lay down some rules we've set up for ourself while in WDW.
I think if we set these rules, we'll have smooth sailing for the rest of our tramazing adventure! ​

"Thou shalt not take things too seriously."
Let's face, it, we're on vacation. We're not just on any vacation, we're in
Disney World! I've said it before, we want to have "Disneyland Smiles"
() while we're there... not "Knott's Berry Farm Smiles" )). Notice the
excessive shaking and mind altering going on with the Disneyland
goer...expect that, but more while in WDW. If your eyes aren't crooked
from excitement, you're doing it wrong.​

"Thou shall take Disney Transportation when one can...sometimes excessively"
Everyone knows that Disney World is made up of four theme parks. But I
like to mention the fifth park: "everything else land!" I mean really; Disney
World, with it's different forms of transportation (boats, monorails, buses
and most importantly...TRAMS!), could be it's own parks with those as
attractions! We need to take advantage of every chance we can to hear
that takes us between the "other four parks" and "home"! ​

"Thou shall attempt to resist using electronics"
In the World outside of Disney World, we rely so much on electronics.
Well, I think this is what needs to be done:
​

There's no real need to use our fancy phones, or even a camera! We'll be
using Disney's Photopass..so no excuses. The only good reason I can
think of is for us to call back home to say hi to our mothers. ​

"Thou shall consider diabetes as a lifestyle to reach WDW glorious gluttonous goals."
When one makes a pilgrimage to the land of WDW, one notices that
temptation is everwhere in the forms of churros, candy apples and turkey
legs. There's sugar everywhere! Don't mind that serving of popcorn or Dole
whip as a horrible curse, think of them as golden opportunities. That
mickey premium bar and school bread? Go for it. An apple a day may keep
the doctor away...but that caramel apple's sugar content will help the medicine go down. ​

That wraps up this rather short encounter with the trip plannin' tram! So until next time: "Gather your belongings, lower your head, and
watch your step as you exit the tram to the driver's left hand side and the river's left hand side only." ​

 

[razo215]

Just hopping aboard the tram!

Your joke about the cheesecake going to your hippies had me cracking up!

My family will be in the World in late January also! This will be our third trip at that time of year and we love it. I don't think I could ever go back to the crowds and heat of summer!

Looking forward to reading more!!

 

[Eeee-va]

"Everything else land"...I like it!

 

[KuyaJeff]

Just hopping aboard the tram!

Your joke about the cheesecake going to your hippies had me cracking up!

My family will be in the World in late January also! This will be our third trip at that time of year and we love it. I don't think I could ever go back to the crowds and heat of summer!

Looking forward to reading more!!

Thanks for hopping aboard! We're officially in the double digits and the anticipation is just building! January of this year was pretty warm, and lots of people are saying that 2013's January will be a cold one. I can only imagine how hot and humid the summers are in Florida. Hope you have a great trip!

"Everything else land"...I like it!

Hehe....they try to squeeze the unsqueezable in.

 

[KuyaJeff]

This time...we have a new passenger aboard the tram, Jeff's brother.
So this stop is titled...
A Mini-Trip Report: Visiting DLR w/ Jeff's Brother!
Idahosa may not be aboard for this part of the trip plannin' journey...but don't worry. We made a visit two days later...and got a little artistic. But that's another post. ​

Here's a photo I'm very proud, a set of brothers with brothers.
This pic alone is worthy of a post. ​

Well, we were up bright and early...almost too early that there wasn't much actual light from the sun coming up. But we made it to the parking structure about 7:15AM. Then we hopped aboard that whimsical first ride for many children...the tram. ​

Once we arrived at the esplanade, I had to buy my bro's ticket using the birthday money he received. I also had to buy a replacement annual pass since my wallet had been stolen the week before. By the time we got into the lines to enter DCA, it was around 7:45 and the line for Radiator Springs Racers Fastpasses was a little long by now... Here's a handy dandy map to show you where we were in regards to Fastpassage...​

Yup, it was just around the riverbend...well, Buena Vista Street. Don't mind that giant red arrow pointing to the Mickey and Friends trams...
it's a mere distraction that the faint of heart fall for...I probably would have a few years ago.​

Meanwhile, some famous Chipmunks were saying hi from the Red Car Trolley right in front of our campsite. Saw a very entertaining 5 minute interaction with a child trying to give them a high five through the window. ​

So eventually, we had our fastpasses in hand and had the intent of getting on RSRs in hopes of riding it twice during the day. But the line had already reached the 120 minute point...so that didnt happen. So we grabbed breakfast at Flo's and then made our way towards California Screamin'...it was a great way to wake up. Here's the evidence:​

Here's our "redneck photo." Just a glimpse at how high of production values this PTR has... And as I post this pic, a Popeye's Chicken commercial is on..so I'll call this a "dippin' chicken, photo rippin' pic." And you have to admit...the face on my bro is priceless.​

Well, the rest of our trip was a 16-hour blur. That's right, we stayed from 8:00AM to 12:00AM, midnight. And I must say, I am getting too old for this...I was a painin'. So here are a few random photos, not neccesarily in order but with sad attempts at witty captions! ​

My bro with some Oswald Ears. They were going fast and tons of people were snatching them up! To the woman to the left...thanks for photobombing. ​

A plethora of fastpasses. At the peak of all this fastpassage, we had fastpasses for: Tower of Terror, Space Mountain, Radiator Springs Racers and Star tours all at once. Be jealous.​

Here's a pic of my bro with Minnie...​

Here's a pic of my bro with Dale. You know, when he's working a shift as Disney Security.
Don't worry, the jokes get better...not really.​

And now...​

...something you wouldn't expect!​

Something so great...​

...it's worthy of this build up!​

You may have seen....​

...the backside of water...​

...maybe even the backside of your sink...​

....but, you're about to witness...​

THE BACKSIDE
OF CHIP!!!
(maybe Dale.)​

TMZ has nothing on the Disney-Celeb photos I take... Wow, that was borderline inappropriate...​

This Mini-Trip Report isn't over yet! Stay tuned for part 2!​

 

[KuyaJeff]

Welcome Aboard!
Lower your head and watch your step as you hop on board....we're continuing to the second part of Jeff's Mini-Trip Report guest starring his brother!

So when we last saw you aboard the trip plannin' tram, we left you with the butt of a chipmunk...I'm sorry.

Well you must be wondering why we spent so much time with the characters at the Halloween Carnival at the Big Thunder Ranch Jamboree...if you weren't you need to pay attention...it's a skill you'll need to survive this trip!

Did you notice that in the last post Chip and Dale had two wardrobe changes?

That's right...wake up and keep up. I'm sorry for the harshness...they were first seen with Tower or Terror bellhop hats on the Red Car Trolley, then in their flashy 1920s attire on Buena Vista Street. And finall, their security, I mean police-chipmunk uniforms at the Halloween Carnival! More changes than a Cher concert...ok, not really.

But back to the original question...why the wait? Well, we were waiting for a table at big Thunder Ranch BBQ. that stop at Flo's was not enough to hold us over, so we wanted to load up on BBQ and the fixin's...so much so, we waited an hour and a half! I woild show you a picture of the spread...but it was so good an so quick, we only have a pic of the devastation:​

Between the two of us, we killed 3 buckets of fall-off-the-bone ribs...never again and no shame.
Notice how the coleslaw escaped the massacre.​

After some great BBQ, and weight gained...we needed to burn it off. What better way than hike up Tarzan's Treehouse? I think at most, we burned off the little coleslaw we did eat...and possibly broke a sweat climbing up all those steps. But we were rewarded with a great view at the top!

Sarah Palin may be able to see Russia from her house, I can see the Swiss Alps from Tarzan's Treehouse. Oh snap, I got slightly political.
​

Why have a boat that high? It's to float atop those late afternoon floods of people coming into Disneyland and paddling through the sea of humanity that may form during the holidays. See what I did there? ​

After that, we rushed on over back to Radiator Springs to race around the track...​

Looks like a photo I've gotten before in the mail before... ​

...and finally, no better way to end the night than:​

​

...ok, so we may not have ended our night with the 10:15PM showing of World of Color. We still had to use our Star Tours and Space Mountain Fastpasses. We got on Star Tours by 11:15pm, then Space Mountain by 11:40pm. Even at close to midnight, Space had a 100 minute stand-by wait. Oh-ehm-gee!​

So the real way we ended our 16+ hour day at Disneyland was to end it with the way we started it...aboard the Mickey and Friends Tram!



We ended up getting home around 1:00AM very tired and sore...but it was totally worth it!

Until we meet it again...
"Please gather your belongings, lower your head and watch your step...please exit to the drivers left hand side, and left side only!"

The trip plannin' tram will be back before you know it!​

 

[KuyaJeff]

Welcome Aboard Everyone!​

Hope you've grabbed that cup of cofffee, because we're in for a 10-part trip that's going to help us countdown to our trip! We're going to show you what's on our bucket list!​

This kid who ended up on this bucket of Legos could have been at Disney World...​

So every 10 days, starting today(95 Days Until Our Trip). we'll releaase another one on our top 10! Lots of people like to put specifics like certain attractions and restaurants...but if we did that, we'd have a list of 1000+ things we wanted to do in WDW. So for the sake of sanity and that fancy "organization" we're striving for...we'll do the top 10 broad ideas.​

Brace yourself everyone...here comes our first on the bucket list:​

#10
"Try Things Unique to Disney World!"
Us California boys have grown up on Disneyland for most of our lives. Up until this past January, Jeff had
never been to the Walt Disney World. So we might as well take advantage of things that are simply unique
to WDW. So don't expect us in a mad rush to Soarin' or Toy Story Midaway Mania...that's right, we threw in the Midway. ​

One of the things we're most looking forward to in general is Animal Kingdom...we don't have an Animalland in California. Think about it...you'll get it. ​

One thing we're looking forward to is all the goodies you can find at Animal Kingdom. There's truly something different about being there. The Kilamanjaro Safari in itself makes AK a jewel amongst animal encounters. Next best animal encounter would be the rush to TSM at Hollywood Studios. ​

As tempting as it might be, we can't rub that adorable hippo's belly. Those invisible barriers the imagineers brag about not only keep the animal a safe
distance from your vehicle, but it also keeps the agressive belly-rubbers like Jeff away from the animals.​

Something else that's unique but surprsingly accessible for us will be a Dinner Show event in Disney World. Disneyland doesn't quite have the dinner show options that Disney World. With the savings we're...well, saving with the Dining Plan we scored with a room only discount, we'll be enjoying Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue towards the end of our stay.​

Nothing beats using washboards as instruments and eating fried chicken to our hearts content. Reminds me of an experience I had at IKEA as a kid...it's no wonder they have unlimited alcohol here. ​

Finally for this post, there's EPCOT. For probably everything except for Soarin', this is another entire theme park that is totally new for Idahosa. ​

It's ironic how you go to the past in Spaceship Earth. ...it's in Future World. So it's like you're going back to the future when you get off. Look at that non-disney movie reference snuck in there. ​

So that makes a great segue to end our trip on the trip plannin' tram today. ​

How, you ask? Because "Roads? Where we're going we don't need roads..." We just need eough space in the parking lot to maneuver this baby!​

So until we meet again, adieu...to you, and you and you and you. ​

​

 

[Eeee-va]

What a fun mini trip report! I was hoping to pull a 16-hour day during my upcoming trip, but looks like hours will be 9 to 11. Even with Early Entry that's still only 15 hours. Drat.

I LOVE Epcot! My Florida friend/escort through WDW wasn't very interested in it since she likes thrill rides. (She also remembered Test Track being faster! Not sure how that happened. )

 

[KuyaJeff]

Welcome Aboard Everyone! ​

On today's journey of the Trip Plannin' Monorail, we're going on a field trip out of the parking lot! That's right, we're going to see a casting call for our "Mascot" for the trip! ​

Why do we need a mascot? Well like tons of other reports, people use characters to experience the adventure of taking on Disney World with them. So, we're going to search for the next character to live vicariously through...we're looking for the next:​

So that's right, we held auditions at an obscure city in America, and thousands showed up. So before we get to to the auditions we need to cover a few things:​

The Location

Our audition site and main sponsor! ​

Today's auditions were held in the lovely Old Lady Tavern Inn Resort and Convention Center in Toontown, CA. That's right, when you think of luxury, and the best vending machine in Toontown, think of the Old Lady Tavern for your next convention.​

The Turnout

Sure, there's a ton of people here. Once we told them the audition the American Idol auditions were at the Best Western down the street...they all left.​

We had over 6 people show up to this audition from the immediate area! Sure, some of theme were related to the judges...but we still got 100% more people than we first thought.​

The Judges

...and here are the judges!​

We have three judges for the audition process. We have Mickey Mouse, everyone's favorite who has his share of being in the spotlight. Then there is the often flustered, but never forgotten Donald Duck. Minnie Mouse wasn't available so we had her slightly larger cousin, Mona Mouse, join in on all the fun. ​

The Auditions
Let the auditions begin!​

We had this guy walk in, and the decision was quick.​

Mickey, Mona, Donald: "NEXT!"​

Then this next guy came in next, he was very reluctant to pit on a sticker with his number. He then went on saying that he has a limited schedule with all the traveling he does. He also had a certain complex that involved buying tons fo clothes and accesories, something the show has no budget for. ​

Mickey: "It sure is swell that you love to travel around the world, maybe you'll be great enough to travel to THE WORLD!"
Mona: ""
Donald: -random quacking and such-​

It looked like a no for this guy.​

Then these three "princesses" came in...with coffee in hand. They explained their situations, and it didn't seem that great. The one on the left gets dehydrated pretty easily. The one in the middle as a 12:00AM curfew. And finally, the one on the right had 7 little ones to take care of at home.

Mickey: "Oh boy ladies. It sure does seem that you can't take on the responsibilities needed to take on this trip. Soem day your trips will come!"
Mona: ""
Donald: -random quacking and such-​

Next came in this girl, Lisa Simpson was her name.​

Lisa: "I wish we could all get along like we used to in middle school... I wish I could bake a cake filled with rainbows and smiles and everyone would eat and be happy... "​

Then a voice from the back of the room said: "SHE DOESN'T EVEN GO HERE!"​

Mickey: "Oh gee, you gotta be part of the disney gang to go on this trip!"​

Mona: ""​

Donald: -random quacking and such-​

Due to technicalities, Lisa was disqualified.​

Then these three little guys came in. They had the strangest of voices, but their little size did make the carry on size limits for our flight, so the decision was obvious!​

Mickey: "Golly, I think we've found our gang to hop on with us to Florida!"​

Mona: ", I guess they'll do."

Donald: -random quacking and such- "Yeah!" -more random quacking-​

​

So the decision was made, but since we were originally planning for "larger" mascots, we asked if they had any family they wanted to bring along. They told us to hold on for a second as they walked out of the audition room.​

They came back in with their "family" and this is what the room looked like:

So we gave them the details, and told them what we had planned. Hopefully on Firday we'll be able buy...I mean, pick them up. I guess you'll have to stick around and wait for their arrival post. Stay tuned! ​

Wasn't this a fun reality show field trip? Next week we'll visit the shore and spray tan these little guys...just kidding. So hop on that tram, and we'll see you next time, hopefully with our little Green Men ready to hop aboard the tram!​

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[KuyaJeff]

Welcom Aboard Everyone!​

So glad that you're back to join us on the Trip Plannin' Tram! When the tram pulled into today, it brought the winners of epic mascot search; the little green men from the Toy Story movies!​

So as thier first duty of being travel mascots for our trip, they've come to remind you how many days we have left until our trip:​

Vanna White has some serious competition...these guys can show you numbers!​

For those of you wondering how we got a hold of these guys, we bought them at the World of Disney in Downtown Disney at the Disneyland Resort! The "charge for their services" was $16.95 pluse some pesky tax, but they're for you to keep! You get one of them and 24 of their closest friends...they're theme park exclusives.​

So the group we have are going to be a very lucky bunch traveling from one Disney Coast to the other! They're most likely going to get in some crazy adventures until the big January trip(that, I can assure you)! So keep hopping on our Trip Plannin' Tram to see what antics they'll be up to.​

Plus, we wreck'd it with Wreck-It-Ralph and Vanellope yesterday...

Until we drive again...bye!​

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[KuyaJeff]

Welcome Aboard Everyone!
The Trip Plannin' Tram is Back for another trip around the parking lot! And for once, we're right on schedule with a post! Today we're going to show you what's next on our Disney World Bucket List! ​

But first, Happy Halloween! To put you in the festive mood, take a look at this video:
http://youtu.be/jU6iP0WLsU8​

Let's get back on track... So today we'll be talking about:
#9
"Fly Virgin America!"​

Oh boy, it seems a little out of place to have a color scheme that looks like the Southwest Airlines seats...so for today's post, we're going to set the mood with some different colors. Some colors that are similar to Virigin America's on-board mood lighting!​

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That's right, we're gonna be rockin' the pinks, purples and blues! ​

It is after all, Halloween! So we're dressing up the Trip Plannin' Tram Today!​

Looks like we're already in a good mood! If we aren't, we're probably blinded by this really bright pink. Don't worry, we still have those other two colors!​

Why not we look at a pic of that mood-lighting in action!​

Like all nightclub photos, this one is a little blury...but you get the idea that people are having fun. See that man that looks like he's adjusting his vent? He's really raising the roof!
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Thought I'd let you know that we haven't booked our flights yet, but we're waiting for that ever-crucial point where prices are at their best...that's right, Cyber Monday. Don't know what Cyber Monday is? That's the online version of Black Friday that happens on the Monday after Thanksigving...so mucho dinero will be saved...at least that's the plan.​

So why choose Virgin America? Well, I was pretty darn spoiled flying it last. According to their website and Facebook page, they have DISH Network channels, 4,000+ songs that can be lined up on customizable playlists, seat-to-seat chat for hitting up people across the cabin, multiple radio stations, video games, on-screen drink ordering and well...THAT'S JUST THE FREE STUFF!​

My behind will enjoy these comfy leather seats...they're some of the widest ones to place your "carry-on baggage" in. ​

If we're going to fly for 5 hours between Los Angeles(LAX) and Orlando(MCO), we might as well enjoy it!​

Soarin'...but better!​

They have some awesome meal choices, and some pairings that are pretty darn awesome. I can testify to that. Had a roast beef sanwich and a half bottle of white wine...let's just say that Jeff was a little tipsy and had trouble going down the aisle to the lavatory...elbowing every poor head in his way. I apologize if you were on that flight.​

So right now, we're in a waiting game, constantly checking the cost to fly this lovely airline. Once everything is booked, we can only loo forward to this lovely site at LAX, the first sign that our trip has officially begun.​

It may be an early departure day...but we all know it'll be worth it!​

Looks like that's it for now on this trip aboard the Trip Plannin' Tram! Hope you enjoyed the soothing mood lighting. We'll be back before you know it and hopefully with the previous color scheme.​

So until then, make sure that on your way out of the structure you maintain that awkwardly exact 14mph speed limit and give the right of way to all Disney vehicles!
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[KuyaJeff]

Welcome Aboard!​

That's right, everyone's favorite tram is pulling into the tram stop to share it's latest goodies with you! Looks like the theme for this post in our Trip Plannin' Tram's journey will be photo themed. We also have the next on our bucket list!​

We're also back with our "classic" tram-themed color scheme. ​

#8
"Use Disney's Photopass!"

To many, Photopass would seem intuitive for a Disney World vacation. But for us Disneyland folks (,at least Idahosa and I,) photopass has never really seemed worth it. In most cases, nothing really seems worth it...unless we get a good deal!​

The usual cost for the Photopas CD runs for $169.95($119.95 if purchased before trip). But we found a way to do it for less! How you ask? Why a fancy Photopass Share of course. We've decided to divide the cost amongst ourselves and other families that are going around the same time we're going. We'll be one big happy family sharing our photos together. ​

Much kudos to the person who coordinated all of it, because we know we'll be getting the best deal possible this way. Even the way it looks on paper looked like a crazy amount of work into.​

Since there's that awesome deal, you bet we're gonna be taking advantage of all the Photopass photographers! They look pretty eager to see us:

Wouldn't it be strange to run into these actual cast members together in this particular spot? I'm counting on it...

Just a Friendly Reminder From the Little Green Guys:​

You may have noticed that the photo above is snazzier than ever. That's because Jeff's scored a new phone! He finally made the mov eup to a smart phone on AT&T, an HTC One X.​

Looks at all that phone sexiness... ​

For now, Jeff's the only one with a new phone. But in just a random burst of surprise, Idahosa will be getting his hands on a new one too! ​

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That pretty much wraps up things for now. It's a relatively short post today, not much else to talk about it. But we'll try our best to get our Trip Plannin' Tram back around the parking lot before you know it!​

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[KuyaJeff]

Once again, welcome aboard the Trip Plannin' Tram!​

In this episode of our tripl plannin' awesomeness...we're going t obe talking about what's next on our WDW bucket list! ​

#7
"Do Some Character Meals!"​

We've had our share of character meals at the Disneyland Resort in California. Ok, we realy only have been to one: Storytellers Cafe in the Grand Californian Hotel. But we've been to that single meal more than people our age should have in a year...at least a dozen times.​

But since Disney World likes to do everything bigger and more quantitatively(oh snap, we used a big word we're not quite sure exists), they have tons of them to choose from. You can't really go wrong with large quantities of food and Disney characters. So instead of boring you with the logistics of all there is to offer with character meals...​

...we're going to get you bored by going over the 5 character meals that we have booked. You heard us right, we have 5!​

Tusker House

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Obviously, with the pic I posted above, you can tell I had a good time going to Tusker House on my first visit alone. There's something special about finding Donald and friends in Animal Kingdom all dressed up for a safari in the savanna! The unique flavors in Tusker House for breakfast were reason enough to come back!​

Chef Mickey's

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You can only expect the best when the big boss himself is serving food out of his kitchen. We have Goofy's Kitchen back here in California...but the name Goofy just doesn't sound trustworthy. As a student of Architecture, the Contemporary has always interested me. I never really got a good chance to see it from the main atrium...I was silly enough to book an ADR at the subterranean feeling called "The Wave." Monorails, meal time and mickey...a triple threat!​

I'm pretty sure the out of focus-people above are still there. So thats something to look forward to!​

Crystal Palace

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We couldn't have a buffet without Pooh! Oh bother, that may have sounded in poor taste. There must be in a rumbly in my tummy. [Insert other cliche Winnie the Pooh Reference here.] To be totally honest, we just wanted a reason to get into Magic Kingdom early with an 8:05 ADR...and Idahosa loves Tigger.​

'Ohana

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I know, I know, this isn't evena pic of the restaurant. But there were too many pictures of kids that i don't have permission to post pictured with Stitch and Lilo, and this pic looks pretty darn awesome. I'm looking forward to meeting my favorite alien in a dining environment. If anyone was wondering "I"=Jeff.​

Garden Grill

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Last, but certainly not least...there's the Garden Grill. It's kind of like a culinary carousel of progress with its spinning dining room. So I'll leave you with a song to the tune of "It's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow" about the garden grill. Mind you I've never been.​

It's a great big circle of indigestion,
bloating every guest that enters its doors.
We'll have to use some of our discrestion,
since Idahosa's tolerance to the fish is very, very poor.

It has characters like Chip, Dale and Mickey too.
Pluto's chances of being a planet have gone and flew.
And when the characters have gone around...
they'll be back before you know it and be found!

It's a great big circle of indigestion,
bloating every guest that enters its doors.
By the time you eat all of your dinner,
your behind will be on the floor!
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I think we've set Disney's effort for a healthier tomorrow by a few years.
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With that, we'll see you on the trip plannin' tram on its next trip around the parking lot!​