I'll Call Steve: A Wilderprincess PTR! (Aug 2015) *COMPLETED*

[Newsies]

I remember feeling really nostalgic over leaving high school. But, I can tell you that there is a "Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow shining at the end of every day..."

Enjoy this time of transition! Change can be hard but, its all good stuff! And the icing on the cake is that only have 53 days till go time! That's awesome!!

Thank you so much. I'm so glad you posted this, it was very reassuring to hear.

And yay!!! 53 days!!!!

 

[PlutosRHM55]

Awww, I love your senior quote and same on only seeing Dumbo once (I would like to watch it again)! I wish my school did senior quotes and I was so ready for it to happen. Oh well, that's long gone now.

I also felt that way about leaving high school. Everyone does and it is for good reason. Don't let that scare you though, the transition between high school and college is probably the most difficult for anyone, but with the best payoff. College is amazing, you just have to get out of the high school mindset and put yourself out there. In short, it will be fine (and having a Disney trip beforehand to relax yourself helps).

You have a lovely set of pins! I don't know how I'd part with any and I can't believe we both have the same 2010 pin (Sorcerer Mickey for the win). Have you considered ordering traders online? Those are the best way to prepare for trading on a trip because you'll want to get rid of those tbh And they're super cheap, which means you could end up with an awesome pin at a big discount of sorts.

 

[Newsies]

Awww, I love your senior quote and same on only seeing Dumbo once (I would like to watch it again)! I wish my school did senior quotes and I was so ready for it to happen. Oh well, that's long gone now.

I also felt that way about leaving high school. Everyone does and it is for good reason. Don't let that scare you though, the transition between high school and college is probably the most difficult for anyone, but with the best payoff. College is amazing, you just have to get out of the high school mindset and put yourself out there. In short, it will be fine (and having a Disney trip beforehand to relax yourself helps).

You have a lovely set of pins! I don't know how I'd part with any and I can't believe we both have the same 2010 pin (Sorcerer Mickey for the win). Have you considered ordering traders online? Those are the best way to prepare for trading on a trip because you'll want to get rid of those tbh And they're super cheap, which means you could end up with an awesome pin at a big discount of sorts.

Thank you so much for your words of encouragement I knew you'd have something good to say about all this. As hard as it is, I really am looking forward to college. And I agree- the Disney trip will really help me with my stress levels

I actually have been thinking a lot about traders. I know they're cheap, but I'd like to find a website that sells them other than Ebay. And I'm a little worried because I've heard horror stories from people who've gotten trader pins without realizing that some/most of the ones they bought were fakes. Just yesterday actually I read a post on here about this mom who took her boy to Downtown Disney with a bunch of pins she got online for him. He tried to trade one that she didn't realize was fake with a CM and the CM was like, "That's a fake pin, we're not allowed to trade those, here I'll get rid of it for you." and threw the pin out right in front of him. I read the story like and yeah the CM was extreme and yeah I don't know how much merit that story has but it still makes me wonder. Nevertheless, I'm going to look up some cheap trader pins right now

 

[Alyissa]

Love your board! I'm definitely following! thank you!!!

Mini-Update: Pinterest Plugging!
86 days out
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The time now is 4:00. I am currently watching Up, drinking iced tea, and pinning!

Look! Here I am, pinning away:

Doo-doo-doo, casual social media...
​

But wait! What's that board in the middle of the first row?

All new and shiny!
​

Yes! You know things are getting serious when I give a vacation it's own pinterest board. I rarely give events their own pinterest board, especially since I stop adding pins onto it after the vacation is over. This brand new, shiny board only have about 20 pins on it but if you plan on following it, you'll find the following:

• Disneybounding ideas (especially for lost boys and princesses)
• Magicband decorating ideas
• Packing tips
• Dining tips
• Pins regarding new merchandise in the parks
• Pins regarding new character meet and greets in the parks
• Pins advertising cute Etsy stores that sell Disney crafts

If this sounds like the kind of board for you, the link is here: "2015 Disney Trip ♡" - Board by kaitprincess

I realize that this was less of an update and more of an advertisement for a social media account. Oh well. A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.

Real update coming up shortly!

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[PlutosRHM55]

I actually have been thinking a lot about traders. I know they're cheap, but I'd like to find a website that sells them other than Ebay. And I'm a little worried because I've heard horror stories from people who've gotten trader pins without realizing that some/most of the ones they bought were fakes. Just yesterday actually I read a post on here about this mom who took her boy to Downtown Disney with a bunch of pins she got online for him. He tried to trade one that she didn't realize was fake with a CM and the CM was like, "That's a fake pin, we're not allowed to trade those, here I'll get rid of it for you." and threw the pin out right in front of him. I read the story like and yeah the CM was extreme and yeah I don't know how much merit that story has but it still makes me wonder. Nevertheless, I'm going to look up some cheap trader pins right now

This is true. Most ebay trader packs are primarily fakes. There are real ones, but most are fakes. Still, in Disney, a CM cannot refuse a trade even if it is a blatant fake. If they realize it's a fake, they will have to dispose of it later. The fact is most CM lanyards are filled with fakes and the only way to avoid fakes is just to buy and collect pins not trade, which is the less fun route. Still, trading will get you real pins. They are out there, I promise you lol Before you even trade, you can ask the CM if you can hold the pin, look at the pin closer, etc. etc. before trading it, they are allowed to and that can help you detect if it's fake before you make a trade. Also, watch this video:

 

[Newsies]

Love your board! I'm definitely following! thank you!!!

Awesome!! Thanks!! Welcome aboard!!

This is true. Most ebay trader packs are primarily fakes. There are real ones, but most are fakes. Still, in Disney, a CM cannot refuse a trade even if it is a blatant fake. If they realize it's a fake, they will have to dispose of it later. The fact is most CM lanyards are filled with fakes and the only way to avoid fakes is just to buy and collect pins not trade, which is the less fun route. Still, trading will get you real pins. They are out there, I promise you lol Before you even trade, you can ask the CM if you can hold the pin, look at the pin closer, etc. etc. before trading it, they are allowed to and that can help you detect if it's fake before you make a trade. Also, watch this video:

Thanks for this! That video was actually super helpful, plus the girl seems really fun and chill. I've been thinking about it and honestly I'm not too concerned with collecting fake pins. Like, I'm not going to be selling anything- I'm just here to collect anything that looks cute on my lanyard that's probably not the best attitude to have when it comes to professional pin trading, but I, good sir, am no professional pin trader

 

[Alyissa]

Thanks for the video! Now I need to check my pins!!!

 

[xlsm]

Graduation!!

Bittersweet, I know. I come from a small town in the Missouri Ozarks, which is actually the largest town in any direction for about 90 miles. We had just under 10,000 people there at the time I graduated, and were considered the place to go for shopping and entertainment in the area. Entertainment consisted of a movie theater, a bowling alley, a community theater, and a skating rink (named skateland, but we mostly called it skankland...let's say it didn't draw a quality crowd). We also have a decent community college there, which draws large crowds for their sporting events. That's IT.

I loved high school. I was in Stagecraft (we produced, stage managed, made the sets, etc...for all school productions) and I was editor of the school paper. Senior year I lost homecoming queen by 3 stupid votes. And the girl who won was one of the three people I just didn't like (she hit me in the face on purpose with a volleyball in gym in 7th grade. I still don't think I'm over it. I am not a volleyball kinda girl).

but I could not WAIT to get out of that stupid town. Even now, 15 years later, I go back as infrequently as possible. I drive into town and I feel like I want to jump out of my skin.

College is exciting but intimidating, I get it!
I did not have a typical college experience, and I regret it sometimes. I moved from rinkidinkville and into my dad/stepmom's house. I didn't live on campus and that was a mistake. But they told me they'd pay for school if I lived with them. So I had a very long commute to and from. Because of this, I wasn't able to join in on campus activities or make a ton of friends. I missed my friends from home. They all stayed in my hometown and did two years of community college before moving on. I went home every weekend, so I missed out on even MORE campus life. By the time they left to go to school where I was going, I'd come back home and got married.

the reason i say I only regret it sometimes, is because obviously I wouldn't have my kids, or be where I am in life right now. I'd screw up a million times over again if it meant I'd end up right where I am now.

All of that long-windedness was to say, my advice to you is to totally throw yourself into your college life, and have as many experiences as possible while you're young. You have such an exciting life ahead of you, I know it

Ok, ok, enough mushy stuff.

Let's get down to Disney.

-hooray on FPs!! I feel like high fiving you for the times on your meet Cindy/Punzie and meet Anna/Elsa. You can slide right from one to the other. Nice.
-My heart sunk for you when you realized the ticket situation, but again, hooray for adding a ticket day. AK should be cake to get your FPs for.
-I love your pins!! I like buying them, but I don't like trading them away. I get attached to mine. Sometimes I will buy mystery packs to use as traders. I only have one that I'm willing to trade so far for July, LOL. I just can't let them go! I'm also tempted by buying some from ebay or wherever, but I don't like the idea of fakes either

Trip's coming up quick!! Woohoo!!

 

[Newsies]

Graduation!!

Bittersweet, I know. I come from a small town in the Missouri Ozarks, which is actually the largest town in any direction for about 90 miles. We had just under 10,000 people there at the time I graduated, and were considered the place to go for shopping and entertainment in the area. Entertainment consisted of a movie theater, a bowling alley, a community theater, and a skating rink (named skateland, but we mostly called it skankland...let's say it didn't draw a quality crowd). We also have a decent community college there, which draws large crowds for their sporting events. That's IT.

I loved high school. I was in Stagecraft (we produced, stage managed, made the sets, etc...for all school productions) and I was editor of the school paper. Senior year I lost homecoming queen by 3 stupid votes. And the girl who won was one of the three people I just didn't like (she hit me in the face on purpose with a volleyball in gym in 7th grade. I still don't think I'm over it. I am not a volleyball kinda girl).

but I could not WAIT to get out of that stupid town. Even now, 15 years later, I go back as infrequently as possible. I drive into town and I feel like I want to jump out of my skin.

College is exciting but intimidating, I get it!
I did not have a typical college experience, and I regret it sometimes. I moved from rinkidinkville and into my dad/stepmom's house. I didn't live on campus and that was a mistake. But they told me they'd pay for school if I lived with them. So I had a very long commute to and from. Because of this, I wasn't able to join in on campus activities or make a ton of friends. I missed my friends from home. They all stayed in my hometown and did two years of community college before moving on. I went home every weekend, so I missed out on even MORE campus life. By the time they left to go to school where I was going, I'd come back home and got married.

the reason i say I only regret it sometimes, is because obviously I wouldn't have my kids, or be where I am in life right now. I'd screw up a million times over again if it meant I'd end up right where I am now.

All of that long-windedness was to say, my advice to you is to totally throw yourself into your college life, and have as many experiences as possible while you're young. You have such an exciting life ahead of you, I know it

Ok, ok, enough mushy stuff.

Let's get down to Disney.

-hooray on FPs!! I feel like high fiving you for the times on your meet Cindy/Punzie and meet Anna/Elsa. You can slide right from one to the other. Nice.
-My heart sunk for you when you realized the ticket situation, but again, hooray for adding a ticket day. AK should be cake to get your FPs for.
-I love your pins!! I like buying them, but I don't like trading them away. I get attached to mine. Sometimes I will buy mystery packs to use as traders. I only have one that I'm willing to trade so far for July, LOL. I just can't let them go! I'm also tempted by buying some from ebay or wherever, but I don't like the idea of fakes either

Trip's coming up quick!! Woohoo!!

I think we're the same person? My town in NJ is tiny and old, man. We're a suburb of the Newark/Hoboken/NYC area but we look like a farm town that you'd find in the middle of the state. We've already covered that I do high school theater, and I write for the newspaper, and I can't wait to leave my town. More specifically, I can't wait to wake up a week from tomorrow and realize that there are so many toxic people from my school that I never have to deal with ever again.

Thank you so much for sharing your story with me. Honestly, this is one of the kindest and most reassuring messages I've ever received here on the DIS. Your advice means so much to me and I'm so happy to have someone like you here with me

Yay, Disney talk!!!!

Right? I've got some exciting times ahead for me, all thanks to Disney's automated FP+ times distribution!

It's all good now!!! We've got it all squared away and have our FP+ already. I just haven't updated yet... oops

I have pin attachment issues, too. Like, I'm not a Pinocchio fan whatsoever and I'll have a hard time if I ever have to let go of the cute little Pinocchio pin I've acquired. It's so sad. Non me gusta fakes. Fakes = flakes.

WAHOO!!! 51 DAYS, ALRIIIIIGHT!!!

 

[Newsies]

Animal Kingdom Excitement!
50 days out

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*chanting rhythmically* 50 days! 50 days! 50 days!

Right. So a few days ago (Monday or Tuesday I think) my mother got the email from Steve that we had successfully upgraded from a 6 day hopper package to a 7 day hopper package.

Please hold for a tiny interweb party.

​

She texted me as soon as I got home from school that day, so seeing as I was already at the computer I jumped right on it. I was able to snag these FP+

Wednesday, August 5th:

1. 9:20 AM-10:20 AM: Kilimanjaro Safaris
2. 10:30 AM-10:50 AM: Festival of the Lion King
3. 11:30 AM-12:30 PM: Expedition Everest

As we all know, Animal Kingdom is very, very, very hot. And it would have been hard to get all of those FP+ close to our dinner reservation because Grace doesn't fare well with heat, so a 3:00 kiilmanjaro safari deal = no beuno. So I was playing around with things, and I discovered there was EMH in the morning that day, and to keep a long story short, I made a Tusker House reservation for 8:10 in the morning and I'm probably going to cancel Yak and Yeti. Exciting, right? So it looks like my quest to eat at the Y&Y TS restaurant will just have to wait another year. But that's okay, cause I think I'm more excited for Tusker anyway.

Then after breakfast/our FP+ endeavors are over, my family will probably leave and I'll probably explore AK for a few more hours, return back to the hotel, take a dip in the pool, and shower. I might go get dinner at MK if I'm not too exhausted by then...

Anyway, the days are still pretty long. I'm going to Michael's to get stuff to decorate my graduation cap tomorrow and I was thinking about going into the city with my friend on Sunday. I haven't spoken much about camp here, but I'm in the process of doing all of my lesson plans and buying all the stuff I need to buy. I'm pretty excited for camp! I haven't been back in so long and I've missed all of the campers a lot.

I'm gonna go clean my closet, then I'll make some lunch and probably watch Peter Pan. Ta-Ta for now!

 

[PlutosRHM55]

Yay for 50 days and getting your 7 day park hoppers!

Looks like you have some nice plans! I'm sad to hear you won't be going to Yak & Yeti, the food there is super delish, but I'm excited to hear what you think of Tusker House since I've never been and would like to conquer it some time in the future.

You'll definitely have to post a picture of your graduation cap! Disney ones are the best and I'm assuming that's the theme you're going with.

P.S. to Peter Pan!

 

[pigletgirl]

50 days! Not long now.

Your AK plans look marvelous dahling...

We upgraded our tickets from 8 days to 9 days. It's totally worth it.

 

[Newsies]

Yay for 50 days and getting your 7 day park hoppers!

Looks like you have some nice plans! I'm sad to hear you won't be going to Yak & Yeti, the food there is super delish, but I'm excited to hear what you think of Tusker House since I've never been and would like to conquer it some time in the future.

You'll definitely have to post a picture of your graduation cap! Disney ones are the best and I'm assuming that's the theme you're going with.

P.S. to Peter Pan!

Yay!!!!

Thank youuu. You know, it bothered me when we canceled Yak & Yeti last year, but this year, we're going to have 5 character meals with Tusker House and I'm A-OK with it, so I'm not too concerned about Y&Y. Next year we'll do it for sure!

I will, I promise! And I'm not telling you what my cap could possibly be!

PETER!!! I hope I meet Peter this trip. I miss him and I love his movie so much.

50 days! Not long now.

Your AK plans look marvelous dahling...

We upgraded our tickets from 8 days to 9 days. It's totally worth it.

49 today!!! I'm so excited!!!

Thank you, daahhling

Upgrading tickets is always worth it. It will never not be worth it. Do you know how many more dole whips you can eat with another day at MK?

 

[pigletgirl]

Yay!!!!

Thank youuu. You know, it bothered me when we canceled Yak & Yeti last year, but this year, we're going to have 5 character meals with Tusker House and I'm A-OK with it, so I'm not too concerned about Y&Y. Next year we'll do it for sure!

I will, I promise! And I'm not telling you what my cap could possibly be!

PETER!!! I hope I meet Peter this trip. I miss him and I love his movie so much.



49 today!!! I'm so excited!!!

Thank you, daahhling

Upgrading tickets is always worth it. It will never not be worth it. Do you know how many more dole whips you can eat with another day at MK?

Do you realize that I've never had a dole whip? I feel like I need to go to Disney prison for that!

 

[Newsies]

Do you realize that I've never had a dole whip? I feel like I need to go to Disney prison for that!

Whaaat! You need to try one, girl! They're not all they're hyped up to be, but they're pretty good

 

[Newsies]

iPhone Apps... and All That Jazz! (Part One)
47 days out
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NOTE: This first part of the update is real-life stuff. If you just want to hear about my Disney World PTR endeavor, click here

First things first. I saw a Broadway classic for the first time last night!

As you can probably guess by the title of the thread, we decided we would take a little trip to the windy city.

Come on, babe, why don't we paint the town?
​

I got into the city to do rush yesterday morning at around 10:00-ish. The box office opened up at noon, and the friend I was supposed to be with missed her train, so I was standing alone for about two hours waiting for her. It's okay, the Disney Tsum-Tsum game kept me company until she arrived. We got great $37 rush tickets for the 3:00 show. I was one of the first few people in line, so I was in and out ASAP when the doors opened. Obviously, between 12:10 and 3:00 we had time to kill. First we ate at 5 Napkin Burger, then we went to Schmackary's cookies (which are absolutely legendary), then of course, we stopped by the Times Square Disney Store. We're both huge Disney fans, so like, why wouldn't we?

Obligatory lantern photo powers, ACTIVATE!
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One thing that I personally love about the Disney Store in Times Square (besides the GIANT SELECTION of stuffed animals) is that the CM's there are super friendly and engaging. You know how when you step into a LUSH store, the employees are super friendly but only to be super pushy and sell a super amount of products? Well, at the Disney store here, the employees are super friendly for the sake of being super friendly. This one boy was celebrating his birthday so a CM loudly encourages us all to give three cheers for him. Last time, there was a group of children holding a bunch of Marvel stuff so a CM was like, "When I say AVENGERS, you say ASSEMBLE!" and I can't count how many times I've seen a CM with a young girl in a princess dress wake up the magic mirror in the upstairs princess display for her. They're just super nice, ya'll.

There was a new Frozen display upstairs, which I thought was kind of weird? It wasn't Frozen-themed when I was there last time, and suddenly, now almost two years after it's release, this was staring me straight in the face.

I will never pass up an opportunity to take a photo with a giant Sven.​

Anyway. So, the Little Mermaid Tsum Tsums have been sold out online since like 5 minutes after they went on sale. But guess what they had in the store, right in the front? That's right, Little Mermaid Tsum Tsums. All of them except for Prince Eric. And I was all... "I have Sebastian, Flounder, and Max. Time to be a responsible adult and step away." But naturally, I didn't listen to myself. So Ariel and Ursula came home with me that day. Going back to what I was saying earlier about the friendly CMs, the one at the cash register and I had a great conversation about Little Mermaid before I left.

Literally PLEASE excuse the Big Time Rush poster, I haven't taken them off of my walls since I was 14 and they first went up. On a side note, don't forget that Hello Kitty notebook.
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Then FINALLY it was time to see Chicago! We waited in literally the biggest line I've ever encountered to get in, which I thought was weird because the theater it was playing in looked smaller than the Nederlander, and the Nederlander only has like 100 more seats than my high school auditorium. Our seats were AMAZING. Row B, seats 10 and 12.

We were so close!!!

My first ever Pridebill! I was so happy to get this!
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I didn't realize until that morning that Brandy is currently playing Roxie Hart. I freaked out a little bit. She's awesome. Her Roxie was fabulous. Despite never having seen Chicago before yesterday, I suggested that we named our dog Roxie after the character in the show (I wanted our dog to be named after a Broadway character in the worst way and my family really liked it. They still don't know I suggested her to be named after Roxie Hart). Velma was pretty good too, but my favorites were Amos, Billy, and Mama Morton.

The verdict? I loved the music, but I'm not sure I would necessarily see it again. I mean, I've loved the music for a while, I've just never had the time to see Chicago, so my expectations were pretty high. It's an old musical, and I tend to like the newer ones, so I wasn't as impressed as I was when I saw, say, Matilda or Aladdin. The dancing was very good, but the plot was confusing at some points. I'd probably see it again to see Brandy again, though. She's fabulous.

When Chicago was over, we headed over to Oz to see one of our favorite actors leave Wicked stagedoor. He went to the same school I'm going to be attending in fall, so we talked about that for a while. If you saw the Peter Pan Live telecast, he was a lost boy. His name is Danny and I love him to death.

When that was over, we parted ways. I walked with her so she could get a Something Rotten! ticket, but then I had to catch the 7:11 train home.

I may have taken the train home by myself, but I wasn't alone.
​

All in all, it was a very fun day. I'm glad I finally saw Chicago. Plus, look at all of these Pridebills I snagged!

And all that jazz!​

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[Newsies]

iPhone Apps... and All That Jazz! (Part Two)
47 days out
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Right. Now onto the Disney World related portion of this PTR update.

My phone is literally my saving grace. I use it to play everything, and WDW vacations aren't an exception. My new iPhone especially has a lot of storage for apps, so I'm especially going to be using those while I'm at Disney World this summer. Here are the apps I've downloaded so far.

For photography-

Do you like my background?
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Afterlight: Afterlight costs money, but it's a really, really good editing tool for photos. The filters are nice and you can do all sorts of backgrounds and effects on it.

Fisheye: I don't have a professional camera, and there was no way I was going to spend money to buy a Fisheye lense for my phone, so I downloaded a free app to make it look like you're taking a fisheye photo. It's one of my favorite types of photos and works really well if you wan't a cool, artsy shot of the castle or something.

Photobucket: Uploads your photos to the internet. Good for adding photos into your TRs/PTRs/DRs.

Cover: Like Afterlight, but pretty much cuter. If you do blogging/pinterest, it's really good for making blog icons and personalized pins.

Disney World specific:

Woo-hoo!
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Disney World: The app for My Disney Experience. Holds all of your ADR and FP+ information, plus a lot more.

Kenny the Pirate: Okay, so I had been going back-and-forth about buying a KTP subscription for a while, and this morning decided to suck it up and pay the $7 a year subscription (which I'll most likely end up not continuing). He's got some great tips on here, and tells you everything you need to know about all of the character meet and greets. I highly recommend it, even at $7 a year.

WDW Waits: Free app that tells you the wait times of all the attractions.

WDW Maps: Free app that's a digital map of all four parks + Disney Springs which shows you your location in the park.

Dreamdays: Just a regular old countdown app

Eeeeeeeep!!!
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I would honestly love to have something cute to wrap this up with, but I really have to dash. I'm pretty much the only person I can name who has more to do on her days off than she does on her days "on" at school.

Ta-Ta for now!

 

[xlsm]

I think we're the same person?

Um, basically.

You really do remind me a lot of myself. It's rare to find anyone else as awesome as I am...


AK plans look good! That park. The heat. OMG. I love Animal Kingdom, but we just don't spend all that much time there because it's such a draining place. We're looking at a Christmas 2016 trip, and I'm hoping the weather will be more pleasant and we can spend a whole day there (and also Rivers of Light should be a thing by then!).

And Chicago!! Jealous! I"m a musical theater fan. My favorite show is Les Mis, but Wicked is a close second...and I've developed an obsession with the Jersey Boys movie that's to an unhealthy point. Like, I wonder how many times you can watch it before it becomes weird?? I'm looking forward to actually seeing it onstage.

I'm really excited about the Broadway Series shows that will be performed here, in St. Louis, and Tulsa over the winter. We're planning to see Wicked, Mamma Mia, Beauty and the Beast, and Jersey Boys. Once was here a few months ago and I was very sad to miss it.

I can't ever find camera apps that I'm satisfied with. I like Real Bokeh and instabokeh...Real Bokeh is a paid app, but it has Mickey head bokeh effects. I'd like to find a good editing app, though, especially before our trip.

I think I'm going to make my husband get the WDW maps app for his phone. He's terrible with directions, and if we were ever in different places in the park he'd never find me, lol.

 

[Newsies]

Um, basically.

You really do remind me a lot of myself. It's rare to find anyone else as awesome as I am...


AK plans look good! That park. The heat. OMG. I love Animal Kingdom, but we just don't spend all that much time there because it's such a draining place. We're looking at a Christmas 2016 trip, and I'm hoping the weather will be more pleasant and we can spend a whole day there (and also Rivers of Light should be a thing by then!).

And Chicago!! Jealous! I"m a musical theater fan. My favorite show is Les Mis, but Wicked is a close second...and I've developed an obsession with the Jersey Boys movie that's to an unhealthy point. Like, I wonder how many times you can watch it before it becomes weird?? I'm looking forward to actually seeing it onstage.

I'm really excited about the Broadway Series shows that will be performed here, in St. Louis, and Tulsa over the winter. We're planning to see Wicked, Mamma Mia, Beauty and the Beast, and Jersey Boys. Once was here a few months ago and I was very sad to miss it.

I can't ever find camera apps that I'm satisfied with. I like Real Bokeh and instabokeh...Real Bokeh is a paid app, but it has Mickey head bokeh effects. I'd like to find a good editing app, though, especially before our trip.

I think I'm going to make my husband get the WDW maps app for his phone. He's terrible with directions, and if we were ever in different places in the park he'd never find me, lol.

Same here!

AK isn't my most favorite park, but there's a lot of it I haven't explored that I'm looking forward to on this trip- with all of the FP+/meals out of the way in the morning, I'll be able to leave after I'm done exploring without feeling like I have to stay. And what's happeningl with Rivers of Light? Does this mean Animal Kingdom is going to start closing at a normal time?

I LOVE LES MIS!!! Les Mis was the second show I saw at the Paper Mill Playhouse and it's so moving. I love Wicked, too! I've never seen Jersey Boys live or in the movie, but I totally understand what you mean when you say "how many times you can watch it before it becomes weird?". I'm pretty sure my Newsies DVD is down to it's last few "Carrying the Banner"s!

That's a fantastic lineup. Beauty and the Beast live is phenomenal! And my music teacher used to work on the Jersey Boys tour!

I've never heard of Real Bokeh and instabokeh, I'll have to check those two out.

I'm planning on downloading WDW maps into my parents phone before we leave. One time, I texted them "Are you in Fantasyland?" and my mom went, "Yes. Waiting for Hall of Presidents now."

 

[pigletgirl]

We definitely enjoy AK. Its our third favorite park. I'm planning on spending almost a whole day there, if we can manage it. I'm definitely craving some of those cream cheese wontons!